Chapter 1 – Death, Prophecies, Scars and Number 7 Part 4.

To Harry, the more Death speaks of his parents, the more he is amazed by the love and devotion he feels towards them. He is amazed by their skill and ingenuity, their tenacity and determination. If only he ever got to meet his parents in a better setting than from the Resurrection Stone during a war where he was just told that Riddle's immortality was dependent on Harry living. Taking a moment to gather himself he asked, "So what do we need for this ritual? Are there any potential side effects or drawbacks for anyone of us?"

"All we really need is an injection of magic from me and Fate. The combination we would be using is as follows: Through the threads of Fate and the touch of Death, may you traverse through fabrics of time to fulfill your destiny.

Do not worry about any drawbacks, there will be none for any of us. Although, this ritual will revitalize the ritual magic of your parent's protection. The revitalized protection will aid in your physical, mental, and magical healing immensely. I also hypothesize that the protection magic will bolster your magic significantly. After all, the ritual did require the use of phoenix tears, more so a phoenix who provided the cores of the two wands that went to two extremely powerful wizards. I guess one other consequence would be that the blood protection at the Dursleys will no longer exist, but we have taken precautions to fool any instrument tethered to measure the wards. Those measures will disappear with either the death of Dumbledore or when you reach seventeen. Other than that, your soul will travel back in time to your second year. Why that time in the second year? Our calculations depict that there are higher levels of uncertainty the more in time we send you back. It may yield high rewards, but we shudder at the high risks associated with time travel."

Death shivered as if he just pictured any possible outcomes of further time travel. "Fate would be here in a short while; she is working on certain preparations."

Death finished with an impish grin. An envelope appeared in front of Death, he opened and read the letter inside silently. After what seemed like a few minutes, he waved his hand and vanished the letter.

"Speaking of my wife, she just said that she should be done in a few moments, weird to say that when time is really wonky in this dimension. We got enough time to discuss a few things. Now, have you made your decision on what you want to do?"

Death at this moment had a countenance that portrayed picture perfect innocence. Harry could not help himself. He laughed. He laughed so hard, he started wheezing and doubling over. Desperately trying to stifle himself from falling over again, he looked at Death, who had enough decency to flash him a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head.

"Yes, but I think we both know how hard you tried to get me to go back in time," Harry chuckled a few more times. Death's visage transformed with mock indignation.

Harry held a hand up to silence him. "At least you did not try to take away my agency, and neither were you trying to withhold any information from me. If anything, I am thankful for you being open and honest with me in your approach as much as you possibly could. One final question, what is with the Master of Death nonsense and the Hallows?"

Death clasped his fingers together and chuckled, "Nonsense indeed. It is nothing more than a bunch of rumors that were blown out of proportion, which then were written as legends and children's fables. No, there is only one Mistress of Death and that would be my wife, as any married person would attest to. On a more serious note, me and my wife are bound to the tenants and principles of the Universe and all her glory. We do have the highest degree of leeway within the universe, as we are doing her work.

Deathly Hallows are, however, powerful magical objects. So much so that people thought that they were blessed or cursed by Death. I will assure you I have done no such thing. Yes, the three brothers did exist, and their legend does hold a cautionary tale for anyone trying to best Death." At this, Death's expression grew somber. "Mortal beings can only dare hope to collaborate with death, even prophesized champions of Fate such as yourself. No mortal has the capability to move against Death indefinitely, which includes that insolent whelp Riddle, much less 'master' Death."

He took a sip of the brown liquid that lay forgotten until then with a pained expression. 'Egad! I have sinned to leave her unattended for so long. Forgive me Ron Swanson!'

Harry looked bemused at the antics of the legendary entity known as Death. His moods are as fickle as a pickle.

"Although, I think the Hallows have the potential to aid you in your quest. Just do not waste too much time on trying to gather them. Elder Wand is rumored to switch ownership upon the death of the previous wielder, although we know it is not the complete truth; to win the allegiance of any wand, all one requires would be is to defeat its wielder. Though, I guess true potential of the wand would be in the hands of a Peverell, who are your ancestors. I have not shown enough interest in that wand to figure out the details, so have at it if you want to.

The Resurrection Stone is a truly insidious bit of magic. The basis of the stone is based on establishing weak connections to lingering magical signatures of those who have died within the last 50 years. Then magic is meant to exploit all the regrets and fears of the wielder and the loved ones that the wielder has lost over the last 50 years. One of the worst kinds of necromantic magic I tell you. The stone enchants the wielder to commit suicide to power it enhancements, therefore compels the wielder to commit suicide. The stone was used as an interrogation method by the Peverell family to gain blackmail material the dead and regrets can make one's tongue looser than inebriation or the manipulation of a seductress. Veritaserum can be hampered by a Master Occlumens, but not that infernal stone. Thread lightly when dealing with that stone."

Harry's eyes widened at the stone's description. "So, the stone just wanted me to commit suicide. I assume Dumbledore knew this and wanted me to wear this at the very last moment. I open at the close my arse! He wanted the stone to be the final nail in the coffin!"

Death countenance turned solemn and gave a short nod. "Indeed, he did. His plan was awfully convoluted. Happens when man looks for the forests but does not see the trees. The man is flawed beyond belief and considers himself to be the highest authority on all things magic, with all those thrice-damned titles and positions. Thus, he believes that it is his right to make the decisions in place of other people. You see, a man who claims to act in place of the 'The Greater Good' fails to recognize the simpler solutions that provide a much more comprehensive answer. That combined with the fact that he is a consummate politician who really did not want to see tremendous change in the magical world. No, if the status quo were maintained, for him that would mean the retention of power. Even if that meant that most Death Eaters were left to their own devices, much like after the First Blood War"

Death's expression morphed into one of great anger. The air around him seem to ripple as a response to Death's anger. To see such a jovial and a gentle being suddenly displaying his anger is truly terrifying. Harry felt the hair at the back of his neck stand, and he felt shivers going down his spine. Note to self, never piss off a legendary entity ever, or at least never have their ire shifted anywhere towards my general direction.

Death spat, "Greater Good' my arse! He is only a mortal; he has little to no understanding of the machinations of the universe. Therefore, he has no right whatsoever in meddling in the affairs of Fate and Death and dictating what should and should not happen in a grander scale of things! Did you know that the bastard attempted to highjack our meeting? Fat chance of that happening, he would have sent you back to your original time and royally fuck up everything. What an imbecile and such impudence!"

Suddenly his expression turned to a manic grin. "Oh well, the twinkly ol' git found himself to be an involuntary playmate for my three precious hellhounds. I wonder how much of his bollocks would actually be in his person when I pay him a visit next time".

Shrugging at his own rhetorical ponderings, he shifted his attention to Harry. Schooling an innocent expression, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any bright ideas to anger me do you, Harry my boy?"

Harry gulped and felt sweat accumulate in his palms. With a vigorous shake of his head, in voice a touch higher than he would have liked, he exclaimed, "No sir! Will be on my best behavior sir!".

Death was once again the jovial gentle man prior to his explosion, and with that change the tension in the room bled away. With a grin plastered in his face, he proclaimed pompously, "I say, good man! I do declare you to be an upstanding gentleman of the highest caliber. Baring me of course".

With a quick nod to himself, he changed topic back to the original discussion. "Then there is the Invisibility Cloak. The cloak is extremely capable of rendering a person completely invisible from all forms of detection, both magical and mundane. When I mean all, I do mean all. It was rumored to even conceal you from Death. Naturally, that is a bunch of hogwash. As I said, no mortal can hide from me indefinitely; if I want to track you down, there is nothing that can stop me from doing so indefinitely. There is one caveat to the cloak. The cloak only works for those with the bloodline of a Peverell."

Death grimaced and he saw the unspoken question in Harry's mind without even trying to take a glimpse at Harry's mind. I bet he is wondering how he was found out by Moody and Dumbledore them. He took another sip from his glass. He continued, "Additionally, one of the reasons why the twinkly git gifted it to you after stealing it from the rubble of Godric's Hollow. He had no way of using it, though he did find a method to suppress the cloak's capabilities. The ill begotten blood wards of Dumbledore, interfered with the blood magic of the cloak, thus making you visible to powerful magical enhancements used for revealing, such as Dumbledore's glasses, Moody's eyes, and the Thief's Downfall at Gringotts. Without that inference, there is nothing capable of stopping the cloak, I suggest you use it wisely. After sending back through time, you will be able to use the cloak again and since we have devised precautions to Dumbledore's interference, you do not have to fear any more interference."

'Hint at using the cloak at Gringotts to get the cup again if necessary. Got it.'

Harry nodded, and Death understood that Harry read the unspoken message clearly.

'Good, he is off to a good start.'

"Now then, we are almost at the end of our time together. Let us go through the 'do s and don't s' of your time travel".

Death reached for a drawer in his desk and pulled put a single piece of parchment and read out. "One, you can relay the knowledge of the future to anyone who you can trust absolutely and those who have achieved a certain level of proficiency of occlumency.

Two, the incidents of the Triwizard cup and most of the Graveyard events will take place, regardless of how you act. Be it saving Sirius and imprisoning Peter Pettigrew or even killing Barty Crouch Junior, the events will conspire in some way shape or form.

Finally, this will be your last chance to fulfill your destiny, there shall be no other chance after this. You will directly be sent to the afterlife upon a premature death. See that you make the best of this opportunity. Do you have any questions Harry?"

He nodded, "Does this mean I can't save Cedric from the graveyard? And Pettigrew?"

"Of course, you can. In fact, I highly recommend you do. He was one of the unforeseen casualties, much like many who will die in the Battle of Hogwarts. A word of caution though, killing Pettigrew would cause some unnecessary complications, so just make sure he gets a stay in Azkaban."

"What level of occlumency should the people I share my knowledge have? Do you have anyone in mind I can and cannot tell?"

Death clasped his fingers together. He answered, "I would say enough to keep any passive probes. Though, If I were you, I would be very deliberate in who, what, when, where and how you relay your knowledge. You do not need to blurt out everything to them, just a few nuggets here and there. Hell, if you can avoid telling that you travelled through time, it would be ideal. I cannot stress that you cannot be cautious enough with whom you share your knowledge.

Off the top of my head I can name three people who you can share your experiences with. Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom."

"What about Ron and Ginny?"

Death sighed, "Can you honestly tell me that you can trust him to be there for you till the very end? Remember the Triwizard Tournament? Remember the Horcrux Hunt? I do not want to dictate any decisions for you, but carefully evaluate whether he has been a true friend or a fair-weather friend at best. Go back in time and carefully observe him. That is all I can tell you.

As for Ginerva Weasley, you might have fooled yourself into believing that you have some feelings of love for her. However, remember that the horcrux in your person interfered with mind. You might have felt lust, however lust alone is no basis for a loving relationship. Lust is an emotion that a horcrux feeds and approves of. Question yourself young Harry Potter and pay close attention to your surroundings."

Harry tried to protest and offer a rebuttal against what Death just said. He really did. Yet, whenever he opened his mouth, he felt conflicted. As if a long-silenced part of him is attempting to finally voice its opinion. He held his peace for now, he will find his answers on his own. He settled for a slow nod.

Death took his silence as a sign of acceptance for now. That is a tribulation that he must figure out on his own. My role is to guide, not to dictate the lives of the prophesized champions.

"Finally, I have three pieces of advice to give you. One, bond with the house-elf known as Dobby. House-elves are extremely helpful being, more so in your quest. They have different grasp of magic and wield it differently that humans do.

Two, use the Room of Requirement to learn mind magics. Trust me, there will be a pleasant surprise if you use that room for mind magics; in fact, if you can visit the room as soon as possible once you go back, that would be ideal. Until you have a decent grasp of mind magics, avoid eye contact with the sanctimonious old git and the surly git. Try not being in a room alone with them.

Three, make a journal and take daily notes of what you are doing. If you are afraid that someone would find your notes, just have Dobby charm them so that they are unreadable to anyone else but you. Elf magic of that nature is almost impossible to remove, even with the help of the Elder Wand."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at the first condition. He asked, "I thought Dobby wanted to be a free elf"

"Fun fact about house-elves, they cannot exist without being bound to a magical house or person. Hogwarts is probably the only exemption to the rule due to its ambient magic. However, unless they are bound to the castle and her magic completely, a house elf can only get by with a few scraps of magic. I think this conversation is better if you talked to Dobby instead. I believe that little guy has done more than enough to earn my respect, and I cannot give his reasons without feeling as if I let him down. You are free to make your own judgements on this".

Death ended that discussion on a note that indicated that he is no longer willing to delve anymore to the topic. Death stood up from his chair for the first time since their conversation. He walked over to his door and turned to Harry.

"It is time young Harry Potter. It is time to right several wrongs, to finally correct the tangled threads of Fate. It is time for you to take charge. Hold strong and fast to your beliefs and most importantly live. Live, knowing that your parents loved you and even in their death, they have protected you. Live, not just to survive but to thrive. Live, learn, fall in love and most importantly may you gain a chance at achieving true happiness. Once I walk out from the room and close the door, the ritual will be completed, and you will be sent back in time. The next time we meet Mr. Potter, me and my wife will both be there to welcome you with open arms. I pray for your success, health, and wellbeing. Until next time we meet again, Harry James Potter."

Death stepped out of the room before Harry could register anything. As the door closed, a bright light enveloped him in a warm embrace.