When he awoke he did so gasping, taking great deep breaths as his mind flashed back to the last thing he'd witnessed, a clearing within the ancient land that was the Forbidden Forest, an assembly of Death Eaters led by their nose-less master Tom Riddle, known better as the Dark Lord Voldemort and a beam of green light as the Killing Curse struck him.
"Easy there lad, you're safe now."
The voice, though soft spoken was enough to pull him away from his memories. It was only then that he realized a figure was kneeling beside him holding him as he shook, his body struggling to take in air as his heart pounded furiously in his chest.
"Deep breaths son, slowly now. In and then out."
Following the stranger's direction he slowly came back to himself and a sense of tranquility he'd never before experienced came over him. Not only that but he felt a warmth that he never realized that he'd been missing all his life. As he tried to move he felt himself unable to shift despite the fact that there was no pressure on him and unlike the Freezing Charm and Full Body Bind Curse he felt none of the strain that would accompany such a thing.
"Not yet lad. You've been through quite an ordeal. You need a bit more time to stabilize." Said the voice.
He didn't know how long he remained in that position only that over time he began to relax as the warmth enveloped him and at some point he must have drifted off. When he next woke he did so much more naturally and found he was feeling better than he'd ever actually felt in his life.
"Welcome back Mr. Potter how do you feel."
It was the same voice as before however this time he was able to move and see the speaker. He was an older man who looked as if he was probably in his eighties with short hair that was now a solid grey. His skin and eyes were both dark brown and despite his age he had few wrinkles though there were moles on his face. He wore what appeared to be an open white robe beneath which was a gold one that went well with the gold loop earrings he wore.
"I feel great actually, sir." Said Harry
"Good, good that parasite did a real number on your soul, you almost destabilized." Said the man causing Harry to blink in shock.
"So I'm really dead." Said Harry not knowing how to feel about that.
"Indeed. I apologize for the rough transition, but it was necessary that you be brought here." Said the man.
"Where is here, exactly." As he said this he moved from his position lying on a wonderfully comfortable couch to an upright sitting position.
As he did this he noticed his own clothing was changed as he was currently wearing pure white robes and his feet were bare.
"We are currently in a waystation. A midway point if you will between the Realm of the Living and the Afterlife. Specifically speaking we are in my office currently, my name by the way is Zerachiel or Zachriel if you prefer. I am an Angel of Death."
"An Angel of Death, as in more than one." Said Harry after a few moments of thought.
"Indeed, there are several hundred of us throughout the multiverse and several dozen that cover just Britain alone. I am the one charged with overseeing your life and ensures it follows the Grand Design." Said the man causing Harry to sigh.
"For some reason I feel like I'm not here for an exit interview before I can move on." Said Harry.
"Not quite yet. In fact you have quite some time before your place is ready for you." Said Zerachiel
"In truth you should not be meeting me now however we saw an opportunity when you took that killing curse and decided to act." Explained the man before handing over a file.
"What's this?" questioned Harry.
"It's your file, a lot of it is redacted of course but I felt some of this you deserved to know."
Opening the file he was greeted first by a picture of him in his Hogwarts robes, that looked something like Dudley's school picture before moving forward.
Name: Henry James Potter
Aliases: Harry, Prongslet, Boy-Who-Lived, Master of Death
Parents: James Charlus Potter – Father and Lily Jane Potter nee Evans – Mother
Race: Human – Magical
"What's this Synopsis and why is it redacted?" questioned Harry trying hard not to show his reaction to learning his name was actually Henry.
"That's basically your life story. You can't see it as it's not finished yet. The things you can see are what I'm allowed to show you currently." Explained the Angel.
"A lot of this is redacted, bonds, abilities, I thought the number of near-death experiences would be higher, am I looking for anything in particular?" questioned Harry.
"Look under medical." Said Zerachiel.
Medical Conditions: Malnourishment (Severe), Growth (Stunted), Poisoned (Basilisk venom neutralized by phoenix tears, Right Arm (Bones Regrown) Magical Core (80% bound) Intellect (Suppressed), Emotions (Suppressed), Libido (Suppressed) Love Potion - Amorentia (keyed to Ginevra Molly Weasley 20% effective) Loyalty Potions (Ronald Bilious Weasley 20% effective, Albus Brian Dumbledore 65% effective, Soul Shard (Thomas Marvolo Riddle - removed)
"That is all that was picked up when you first came in. The potions have been removed and the separation of the soul shard is what almost destabilized you."
"The Potions?" questioned Harry
"Molly Weasley's misguided attempt to put you and her daughter together. Young Ginerva had no knowledge of it. As for the Loyalty Potions that was done at the direction of Albus Dumbledore, one of which he made himself."
"Why show me this?" questioned Harry.
"To be frank I believe we can help each other. Things in your world have gone massively off course, led there by Albus Dumbledore. A large part of your life is also not how it should have been, also due to Dumbledore and his misguided manipulations. While the option is open for you can go back to just after the killing curse hit you and live a decent life it will not be what it should be. You will live only for your own line to lead to an Apocalypse film level of destruction. On the other hand you can aid us, and I can send you back to an earlier time saving many lives in the process." Explained Zerachiel.
"What exactly would I need to do?" questioned Harry.
"Live your life and fulfil your destiny that is all. Everything will come as it should." Said the Angel getting a nod from the teen.
"We will send you back to your third year after you rescued your godfather. There were many things that were hidden from you not just about your heritage but about the Magical World in general. This will allow you to learn these things. I won't lie some of it will surprise you, and you'll be stunned that it's allowed but know that it is that way for a reason. When you wake the Elder Wand will be on your person and you will remember how you received it. I'll warn you now you'll be exhausted so much so that they'll be forced to send you to St. Mungo's. You'll be unresponsive so they'll believe you were kissed by a Dementor. When Madam Bones comes to see you she will inform you that the Dursley's have died. They should have died years ago but Dumbledore messed that up. Anyway while she's there tell her about your life and everything about your time at Hogwarts also tell her that you heard Fudge when he came to your room and what he said." Harry nodded finding the information easy to remember, much easier than he ever had before.
"While you speak you will remember things that you forgot or overlooked the first time but all of it will be true. You will request that she get the ICW involved as your grievances are against both the Minister of Magic and the Wizengamont's Chief Warlock. That will be the end of your involvement as they will put you in a healing coma. When you next wake everything will be over, you will be kept for observation for two days before you return to Hogwarts" explained the Angel.
"What about this bond thing?" questioned Harry.
"Well that you'll learn about in St. Mungo's. For now just know that is part of the power you need to defeat Mr. Riddle." Said Zerachiel.
"Speaking of snake-face what about the horcrux's?" questioned Harry.
"Also simple the shard that was in your head will be staying here, though they will tell you it came from your head after a brush with a dementor that snuck up on you. The rest of them know the locations off so a simple purification ritual will drive the shards out of them. Riddle himself won't be affected as by the time you do it he will already be within his homunculus body."
"What about this Master of Death thing?" questioned Harry warily.
"Well I wondered when you'd get to that one. As you know there are many Angels of Death, all of whom work under the entity known as Death as such the title does not grant you dominion over us or it. In truth the Master of Death is in actuality Death's Champion, a living Agent of Death if you will. As Death's Champion your job is to remove those who disrupt the balance, something you were already doing. The role comes with a set of abilities that no one else can boast granted upon you by the artifacts once all three are synced to you. I do not know the full scale of abilities, only the Champion and Death itself knows."
"Is there anything else I should know?" questioned Harry.
"For your part no, however I'll tell you some things anyway. To be frank with you this is quite a large operation, and it involves more than just sending you back to the living realm and through time. The magical population is quite a bit lower than it should be and in your part of the world it is disastrously low. By this point the magical population of the world should have been nearly 60% and as such you should not be in hiding. At this point the only place with a decent magical population is China and even they are low at around 15%.
As things stand humanities evolution is currently behind schedule, steps are being taken to rectify this which is why the operation is so large. You will be acting as something of a catalyst in order for other departments to make the changes that need to be made. All you need to do upon awakening is request that the ICW get involved in this case as you fear both the Minister of Magic and certain members of the Wizengamont are corrupt, which they are. This will give the ICW entrance into the affairs of Magical Britain and allow our other changes to be made. Amongst the changes Sirius Black will be tried and his innocence declared, leaving him free to claim guardianship for you. When you return to Hogwarts for your forth year you will find it is a much-changed place, I suggest you take advantage of this." Explained the angel.
"Right so how do we do this?" questioned Harry trying hard not to think about just how big of an operation this actually was and any other changes that would be made.
"I just need you to verbally agree to being sent back to the realm of the living, similarly to how you would give a magical oath." Said Zerachiel
"I, Henry James Potter do solemnly agree to being sent back to the land of the living." Said Harry.
"Good luck to you Mr. Potter." Said the angel before he snapped his fingers and Harry was gone.
The staff of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries were used to the unexpected and the bizarre, after all magical injuries or accidents can have a wide range of effects. They'd dealt with things from combat injuries to potion mishaps and anything else under the sun. That said none of them had been prepared for the Boy-Who-Lived to be rushed through from the emergency portkey arrival point and into their care which was exactly what had happened. The prep scans done on him upon his arrival had revealed a multitude of injuries dating back years many of which should have killed him. That was not to mention the blocks on his magical core, the multiple potions in his system and even scarier the basilisk venom in his veins.
As it was they were lucky he had been unconscious upon his arrival as much emergency work had needed to be done. He had been suffering a severe case of magical exhaustion to the point where the first thing they'd done was release the binding on his core. From there they'd been working on his other issues, they'd flushed the potions from his system, healed his old injuries, and had even been able to see to the famous scar on his forehead which had burst open as if brand new. Of course due to his age and what he'd been through the DMLE had been called and had established a guard on his room, which was helpful considering the news of his admittance had gotten out and they'd ended up swarmed by people trying to see him, including reporters.
Considering who he was it was no surprise that he had both the best healers the hospital had on hand and the best that the DMLE had on offer for guards. For guards he had an eight-person team, with two people with him that switched out every four hours, a rotation full of Senior Auror's. As such when he woke it was to the sight of an auror sitting just inside of the room beside the door. The auror quickly handed him his glasses and introduced herself as Stella Stonewood before informing him she was passing him a cup of water to which he accepted and sipped slowly to wet his throat and didn't release until it was empty.
Before he knew it a healer was in his room who introduced himself as Adrian Birch. He sat silently as he ran a few scans with his wand and afterwards he told him everything that was wrong with him, what they fixed and what they still had to take care of. To help him recover from his malnourishment he was going to be put on a regiment of nourishment potions which he would be required to take daily and eat until he was full whenever he got hungry. He was immediately handed the first one and not even five minutes later had a tray placed in front of him so he could eat. He didn't know how long he ate but by the time he finished another person was walking into the room who soon introduced themselves as Madam Amelia Bones, the Head of the D.M.L.E.
She was tall at 5'10" with vibrant red hair that she wore up in a bun and the red robe of an auror. She was a beautiful woman though her expression was all business.
"Mr. Potter as Head of the D.M.L.E I am in charge of not just the auror offices but a number of other subdivisions as well. One of those departments is the Child Welfare Agency. When you were admitted to St. Mungo's the CWA was immediately notified. Subsequent investigation by then raised a number of red flags and the case was brought to my attention. As such you should know that my primary focus in this case is your wellbeing." Said the woman getting a small nod from him.
"A number of the injuries the medical scans picked up on you show clear signs of abuse. You don't have to verify that, just understand that the scans told not just what the injury was but how and when it was caused. Unfortunately we are unable to bring your relatives to justice, aurors sent to arrest them discovered that the house burned down three nights ago with both your aunt and uncle inside."
She paused here allowing Harry a few moments to absorb the news. While he'd known from his conversation with Zerachiel that the Dursley's would be dying upon his arrival he hadn't actually thought about it since then. Granted he hadn't been up too long, and he hardly ever thought of his relatives if he could avoid it. That said the knowledge that they were dead had no effect on his emotions, unlike the deaths of Cedric and Sirius had in his previous chance at life. He also realized Dudley had not been mentioned but considering he also went to a boarding school he wouldn't have been there meaning that like Harry the Dursley's whale of a son was now an orphan. He wondered how the other boy would cope with that as all he had left of his family was Marge but didn't care enough to inquire.
"Our main priority as of now is finding you a new place to live, while the Potters have several properties I know of you're still underage so you'll need a proper guardian. Is there anyone you think you'll be comfortable with?" questioned Madam Bones.
"Not really, I don't know a lot of people. The Dursleys never wanted me and treated me more like a Malfoy house-elf so they never took me anywhere. As for the magical world the Weasleys are already overcrowded, and my godparents are both unavailable. I was told my parents left a will but it's been blocked by the Chief Warlock." Said Harry
"Blocked, why would that old codger do that?" questioned the woman more to herself though Harry heard her and decided to answer.
"Probably because it names Sirius Black as my godfather as well as a list of possible guardians. Alice Longbottom is my godmother so by all rights I should have been living with the Longbottoms this entire time. That would mean however that he would lose control over me and my families Wizengamont votes." Said Harry causing her eyes to narrow.
"I'll look into that personally." Said the woman.
"If possible I'd like to get the ICW involved. I don't trust either the Chief Warlock or the Minister at this point." Said Harry.
"The Minister?" questioned the woman with a pit forming in her stomach.
"I've been looking into Sirius ever since I found out about him in September. No one I've talked to remembers a trial taking place just saying everyone knows he's guilty. Just like everyone knows I offed the Dark Wanker even though that's impossible. The only thing I could find out was the arresting officer claimed Sirius confessed and that person is currently the Minister."
"I see. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
"How much time do you have?"
By the time the woman left Harry's room her mind was spinning and nearly overloaded. Trolls, possessed professors, a basilisk terrorizing the school, and now Dementors and Sirius Black all in the span of just three years. Something was seriously wrong in that school. She'd taken copies of his memories for all of the major events, including Lucious Malfoy sending a killing curse at him. Leaving St. Mungo's by way of the Floo she returned directly to the Ministry and her office by way of her private floo. Glancing at her desk she was half tempted to open the bottle of Firewhiskey inside of it but was able to just barely fight off the temptation, instead walking directly to the door and opening it.
"Moody, Shacklebolt my office, you too trainee." Called the woman before ducking back inside.
She knew who the trainee was but couldn't call her out by name, as she didn't want anyone to suspect her of already singling the girl out. Trainee Tonks while rough around the edges was at the top of her class and had already been taken under the wing of Moody who had singled hadn't hesitated once he learned about her. Tonks was a metamorphmagus though that wasn't in her file, such an ability was extremely rare, and she hadn't wanted to draw any attention to herself. Instead she'd quietly informed her she possessed the ability while dropping off a file one year ago.
Moody was the first to enter her office, and while she'd like to say she heard him coming his peg leg was charmed silent. When he entered he went directly to an open seat and plopped down, not that she minded as he had open orders to do just that. Strictly speaking, in terms of seniority he should have her job but had turned it down when it was offered as he hadn't wanted to be chained to a desk. Shacklebolt was the next to enter explaining he'd sent Trainee Tonks to deliver a file to evidence. That was actually fine with her, and she motioned Shacklebolt to close the door before retrieving her personal pensieve from her desk and sat it on the top before enlarging it enough to fit three people.
"I just came from a rather illuminating meeting with Harry Potter where he brought a number of issues to my attention. First is his belief that Sirius Black was never given a trial and our current Minister; the arresting officer is trying to hide that fact." Said the woman.
"Explains the Kiss on Sight order. The lad is the de facto Head of House Black, if this is true the Wizengamont will be out for blood." Said Moody.
"Why would Potter care about that though, you'd think he'd want Black taken care of." Said Shacklebolt.
"As it turns out Black is his godfather and named as such in his parents will, which has also been blocked by the Chief Warlock. He only knows about his godparents because the Longbottom heir is his housemate and godbrother." Explained Bones.
"Next he brought forward a number of other issues concerning Hogwarts over the last few years and has provided his memories of those issues. I haven't viewed them yet; I want you both with me when I do so. Because of whom he has issues with he's requested ICW involvement. We'll determine if that's needed after we know everything." Said Amelia
Just as she finished there was a knock on the door and she motioned Shacklebolt to open it revealing trainee Tonks who entered before the door was closed again.
"Tonks I need you to go to records. We need the complete file for Sirius Black, I also need you to find out the status of the Potter will. No one can know you were there." Said Bones.
"Yes ma'am." Said Tonks before leaving the room.
"Right then let's see what young Mr. Potter has for us." Said Bones motioning both over to the Pensieve, pouring in the first memory of the lot she was given.
"Holy hell." Said Shacklebolt once they emerged from the pensieve.
The memory had contained everything of importance concerning the boys first year as a Hogwarts student and had culminated with his battle against the possessed Professor Quirrell. Both Bones and Moody shared the sentiment though managed to refrain from speaking. Bones realized that she may actually need to break out that bottle after all by the time they were done.
"You noticed it too right lass?" questioned Moody.
"The traps around the stone." Said Bones getting a nod.
"All of it was a set-up." Said Shacklebolt with all three sharing a severe look.
"You think Potter realizes that?" questioned Moody.
"I didn't get that impression from him. He just seemed tired of all the problems to me." Said Bones
Before they could speak further there was yet another knock on the door which was opened to allow Tonks in.
"This is everything they could find concerning Black." Said the trainee before handing over a rather small roll of parchment.
"As for the Potter will, it's sealed by order of the Chief Warlock. According to Zinnia Gringotts will have a copy, they just can't execute it without the Ministry accessible due to some magical safeguards." Said Tonks
"Alright. Stay in the office, I may need you in a bit." Said Bones getting a nod from the trainee before she turned and left the office closing the door behind her.
"Right, let's start year two." Said Bones.
Five days later found Harry preparing to return to Hogwarts. During this time he'd gotten all of the magical inoculations he needed. They'd also fixed his eyesight, which had required a potion that needed to be dripped directly into each eye and then he'd spent 24 hours blindfolded. The only thing that hadn't been addressed was the phoenix tears in his blood which no one in their right mind would ever try to rid someone of. He'd also been on potions to recover from his malnutrition which didn't take long thanks to his young age. He'd gained several inches in height now standing at 5'2" and had put on an additional weight which meant he was no longer scrawny. They'd had him try out a few simple spells and his magic was flowing easier than ever, and his spells were definitely more powerful. It had taken a bit of an adjustment, but he'd learned to tone down his power quickly enough. They had measured his power level and told him his score was 483, much higher than the had expected for his age. The current suspicion was that doing magic with the binding on his core had actually made him stronger, he understood it had been as if he'd been doing weight training, only with his magic.
Thankfully he hadn't spent the time as an invalid as the question of his living situation had needed to be resolved. Thankfully Professor Lupin had been able to come by and informed him his family had a place they hadn't been using and after checking with Gringotts on Harry's behalf had returned with the key as well as the Heir of House Potter signet ring. Unfortunately he also told him that his status as a werewolf had been leaked most definitely by Snape and that he would no longer be a professor after the years end.
With that Harry hadn't wasted anytime in convincing the man to become the Potter Family steward. Then he informed him of his conversation with Madam Bones and asked him to reach out to Padfoot, he figured once he was cleared the three of them could just live together. That had been the previous day and right now he was just waiting for the all clear from his healer so he could get dressed and return to the school. His thoughts were broken by his door opening allowing Madam Bones entry along with two other people. The men with her she soon introduced as Myron Stathilis and Jackson Hopkins both of whom were representatives of the ICW.
"Mr. Potter we won't be long, as you were the one who requested the aid of the ICW we merely wanted to inform you of what would be happening." Said Mr. Stathilis.
"The ICW has taken over the running of the British Ministry of Magic for the time being. The trial for your godfather Mr. Black is set for one week from today. He is already aware of this as he reached out to Madam Bones this morning, as such the Kiss on Sight order on him has been rescinded. Your headmaster Albus Dumbledore died this morning, the result of a heart attack he had when he learned you were Kissed by a Dementor." Said Mr. Hopkins much to his shock.
"Professor McGonagall will be taking on the mantle of Headmistress and while your school year will close out as normal do not be surprised if a number of changes happen by September." Said Madam Bones.
"As Dumbledore was also the Chief Mugwump of the ICW an emergency meeting of the body is being assembled. Once things are in order there the trials will be held here." Said Mr. Stathilis
"We are aware that your new residence will be in the muggle world. We have already coordinated with the security staff there to add a few members of our own to the security until Mr. Blacks trial has concluded." Explained Mr. Hopkins
"Do you have any questions?" asked Madam Bones.
"No, just knowing everything is being taken care of is enough for me." Said Harry.
The next stretch of time passed in a blur and within the next forty minutes he was dressed and stepping through the floo back to Hogwarts. While he knew change was coming he had no idea of just what that change would be, not just in his life or even Magical Britain but on the entirety of the Magical World as a whole.