The Intelligent Potter

*** With Harry, and Death

"The Deathly Hallows," Death started on what seemed to be yet another completely random tangent, "Were all challenges. To have the Elder Wand but not succ.u.mb to the urge to boast. To know when to lay low and use my cloak of invisibility. To have the power to bring back the dead...but not to use it. Humility, Intelligence and Subtlety, and above all the belief that the dead belong to me, and me alone. Those are the qualities for which I have selected you."

Harry nodded. He had worked out that much himself.

"Give me the Hallows," Death said suddenly.

Harry obliged.

Death took The Stone, and The Wand, but returned The Cloak.

"Okay then," Harry commented.

"I am removing the curse from these," Death said tonelessly, "You have proven yourself worthy to be my Champion, there is little point in using the Hallows to further test you."

The two objects were handed back to Harry.

"The wand will provide you with the ability to stand up against The Darkness," Death explained, "It is not an advantage so much as an equaliser. Funneled through a regular wand, The Darkness would be able to simply disable your wand."

Harry nodded, he got the message. He would still have to best The Dark Lord on skill.

"Your mission is twofold," Death said, "There are two beings on Earth which should not be. Tom Marvolo Riddle, who has cheated me by creating soul jars, horcruxes in your language, and The Darkness, a primordial being like me, with no business on the planet of Earth."

Harry nodded that he understood what was being said by the self-proclaimed primordial being.

Death touched Harry's ring again, even though it was back on Harry's finger, and a single spark flew from the Stone.

Harry drew his hand back, startled.

"The Stone can sense souls, it has always been able to," Death spoke, "I have made it so that it will grow warm when you are near a misplaced soul."

"So it should grow warm if I get near one of Voldemort's horcruxes," Harry translated.

"Essentially yes, but it will also tell you if there is another soul which is out of its proper place, not just the soul of Voldemort. As far as I know, Riddle is the only human who has tried to cheat me in this way, so for the moment, this should serve as a sort of detector for his soul jars. In the future, if another pesky rat decides to defy me, then the Stone may be of use for you in that as well."

Harry nodded, "I think I get it."

"And remember," Death gave one final piece of advice, "My cloak is the one thing which can truly hide you from the vision of The Darkness, use it wisely, and use it carefully."

Harry nodded once again, to show that he understood what he was being told.

Then Death hesitated, as if he were thinking about doing something which he should probably not do.

"My Champion," he started, "Death is always fair to those it takes. People only come to me when they are supposed to come to me, and not a day earlier."

Harry nodded.

"But maybe," Death hesitated again, "Even though it may be someone's time to go… it may not quite be someone else's time to let go."

Harry blinked, "What."

Death sighed, "You will understand," he said simply, before Harry's everything was consumed with a flash of white.

Harry lay facedown, listening to the silence. He was perfectly alone. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. He was not perfectly sure that he was there himself.

"Hello, Harry."

He spun around. Albus Dumbledore was walking toward him, sprightly and upright, wearing sweeping robes of midnight blue.

"Professor," Harry said, "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Harry," he said, and then he was engulfed in a tight hug by the young Potter.

Albus chuckled.

Harry separated from his mentor, "But...how?"

"I do not know why Death has granted this chance," Albus said, "But I suspect it has something to do with a soft spot for a certain champion of his…" he smiled gently at Harry.

"Where are we?" Harry said.

"You tell me," Albus twinkled back at his protege.

"Well, I was going to ask you that," said Dumbledore, looking around. "Where would you say that we are?"

Until Dumbledore had asked, Harry had not known. Now, however, he found that he had an answer ready to give.

"It looks," he said slowly, "like King's Cross station. Except a lot cleaner and empty, and there are no trains as far as I can see."

"King's Cross station!" Dumbledore was chuckling immoderately. "Good gracious, really?"

"Well, where do you think we are?" asked Harry, a little defensively.

"My dear boy, I have no idea. This is, as they say, your party."

Harry grumbled something about mysterious old codgers and the both of them laughed.

Harry started suddenly, "You were like a father to me."

Harry couldn't tell if the twinkle in his eye was just a twinkle, or whether he could detect a hint of a tear there.

"And you are like a son to me, Harry," the Headmaster admitted, softly.

"Do you think I can do it?" Harry asked.

"In my many years, Harry, some would say that my greatest fault was that I tried to do everything alone. I was not selfish but…self-centred. I have always been confident that I knew what was best, that I would do the best for the world, that I would defeat the Dark Lord."

"Why are you telling me this," Harry asked.

"Because I trust you, Harry. Never before have I put so much of the weight of the world onto anyone else, and that is because I trust you completely, Harry. I know you can do it," the old and wise wizard put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "Though I cannot say that I do not sometimes feel slightly guilty for putting all of this on your shoulders to bear alone."

"I'm not alone," Harry said, "I know I have you behind me, and I have Iliad, and Nicolas, and Arcturus, and Sirius, and I know I can count on Daphne and Hermione too."

"That is a weight off an old man's back," Dumbledore smiled, "Though I suppose I can hardly complain about joint pains which I do not feel anymore."

Dumbledore laughed.

Harry laughed.

Then they both started crying ever so slightly.

"I will miss you."

"And I will miss you too, Harry," the Headmaster said before enveloping Harry in another hug.

Harry hugged back, closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in Albus' chalet.

The place was exactly like before, but something was different.

Harry.

He was stronger, more sure of himself, and he knew he had the support of Dumbledore, and all his mentors, and all his friends.

He knew he could do it.

*** End of Chapter