A/N: Bringing this story over to Webnovel to see if it generates interest. Going to post one chapter a day until we're caught up with other websites and then you can expect an update once a week.
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As the Black Lake reflects the starry night sky overhead, a small spark of magic appears in the middle of the air next to its shore. This spark of magic rapidly spins outwards, becoming a full blown portal within moments. Stepping through said portal is a cloaked figure who throws his hood back after looking around, revealing tossed black hair, emerald green eyes, and a handsome face that belongs to someone in their late twenties, early thirties.
Harry James Potter gazes out across the Black Lake for a split second before turning around to regard the castle behind him. Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stands tall before him, seeming almost welcoming with its innumerable windows, many of which are lit up with light from magical torch flame within the castle proper.
A small smile spreads across his face as he takes in the wondrous, magical sight. Even after all these years, it doesn't get old. And yet, he makes no move towards the castle itself. Remaining standing on the Black Lake's shoreline, he just continues to look up at it until a hand slowly slides its way up from behind his back, onto his shoulder. A second hand follows on the other shoulder a moment later, both seeming to… switch between a number of different visuals.
For a moment, they're both skeletal in nature. The next, they're pitch black and clawed. The hands and arms they're attached to belong to a figure that presses itself against Harry from behind, molding itself to his body as he stands there like a rock and doesn't truly react to the disturbing events in any way.
Finally, after a time, the shadowed figure becomes more and more distinct… as well as more and more settled. Until finally 'it' has become a 'she' and she, after a moment of deciding between a few different feminine figures… becomes a woman with pale skin, long black hair, and dark red lips.
"Well, Master? Is it to your liking?"
Harry huffs at the husky, dark voice, even as Death's hands become a bit needier, caressing him rather than merely clinging to him. He shakes his head in wry bemusement.
"Well, I suppose Hogwarts stands at least. Better that than in ruins."
Even though he's not facing her, Harry nevertheless feels the Death put on a mighty pout with those powerful, pillowy lips of hers from over his shoulder.
"You did say you wanted quiet, Master. Something… easy."
Harry rolls his eyes at that.
"You're right. And I already admitted it was on me for being too general and vague the first go around. Not this time though. Tell me truly… is this a dimension I will find to my liking, Death?"
The pout transforms into a wide, wicked grin. The hands get all the handsier, gliding down his front more and more adventurously.
"Oh yes, Master. There is no one who can truly challenge you here… but plenty of entertainment to be had all the same. Perfect for your… staycation, as it were."
The wizard huffs again at that. Staycation. It both was and wasn't. His original world and timeline were a couple hundred years and several lifetimes behind him. But that was alright. After discovering his involuntary immortality and Mastership over Death, Harry had spent the rest of his natural life on that original world. He'd done what he could, averted wars, tried to push not just the wizarding world but humanity in general in the right direction.
In the end though, he'd grown so very tired of cleaning up after others' messes. And so Death had offered her Master something else. Something new. Apparently, Harry didn't only come back to life on his old world when he died. Much like the original Albus Dumbledore had told him, he could move on to the next great adventure any time he wanted.
Of course, Harry doubted that Dumbledore meant it in the way it worked for the Master of Death. Put simply, at any time Harry could simply… take a step to the right upon dying and he would come back to life somewhere else completely. An entirely new world, an entirely different universe.
Harry had been traveling for a while now. He'd seen around a dozen different universes at this point. A few were mirrors of his own. Worlds with a Hogwarts, a Wizarding World, and the type of magic he was familiar with. Some were very different. Worlds with their own types of magic, but also with insane science. Worlds with Demons and Monsters. Worlds with Heroes and Villains. Worlds with everything under the sun, really.
Harry James Potter, Master of Death, had seen quite a bit. Done quite a bit. Experienced… quite a bit. And now… he was ready for a break. That was why he'd asked Death to bring him to a world much like his own but with more peace and quiet for his next trip. For his 'staycation'. Of course, they'd had a couple false starts. Including one where the peace and quiet Harry had asked for was the result of complete and utter Nuclear Annihilation.
That world hadn't been worth sticking around for too long. Magic itself had died out, leaving Hogwarts as little more than rubble. And while some of the muggles still survived in pockets here and there, nobody magical did which meant there was nothing for Harry there.
But now here they were. Hogwarts was intact and everything seemed to be fine so far. Although, he would be remiss in not covering all of his bases.
"Voldemort?"
Death hums, still being rather gropy with her hands.
"Alive. Technically. But not a concern."
Harry raises an eyebrow at that.
"When is that parasitic cockroach not a concern?"
"When someone else is already handling him, Master~"
That gets a furrowed brow from Harry.
"… Another me?"
Death just smirks and shakes her head.
"No, Master. That rule remains unchanged, I'm afraid. Two versions of you cannot occupy the same dimension, even now, even after how much you've… changed. No, while Voldemort does still live here in this dimension, there is another who has taken up the torch. It has reduced his efforts to little more than a shadow conflict. The Wizarding World is certainly on edge… but not because of the Dark Lord Voldemort."
Here, Harry hears the glee in Death's voice ratchet up a few notches.
"This dimension, my dear Master, is one where the potential return of the Dark Lord Voldemort has taken a backseat to a much more pressing problem. He is but a gnat in the general psyche of the Wizarding World as it is now."
He knows, of course, why Death is so pleased by this fact. It's in the name. Flight from Death. Voldemort had made himself an eternal enemy of Death the moment that he made his first horcrux. He'd put himself on Death's shitlist… which was actually a really exclusive list truth be told. After all, Death wasn't biased, usually. It didn't discriminate between evil and good.
That said…
"I'm a little surprised that you would tell me not to worry about Voldemort. Even a Voldemort that's being 'taken care of'."
Death chortles throatily, her voice husky and familiar in his ear.
"As I already said, Master, someone else is in the process of taking care of him. And oh, that will be so very poetic when it finally comes to fruition. Besides, you've hunted down several Lord Voldemorts for me at this point. They are but passing fare for someone of my Master's caliber~"
Well, she's not wrong. Which was half of why Harry was tempted to ignore her words and just go and deal with Voldemort himself right off the bat. But… it sounds like Death is awfully tickled by whatever will happen if Harry doesn't interfere. So he supposes he can stay his hand… for now.
"Right then. Leave Voldemort to this mystery enemy of his. Fine."
Not forever though. Harry knew his curiosity would get the better of him eventually and he would want to know exactly what was going on. But for the time being, he could let it go. Though that did mean Harry now needed to decide what to do next. Something Death seemingly plucks straight from his head.
"Mm, what now Master? Will you make your way up to the castle and start worming your way into the current Headmistress' good graces? Perhaps seek out the current DADA opening and make it your own as you've done many times before? Or perhaps you'll throw me down right here on the shore of the Black Lake and have your dastardly way with me as I squeal for more~"
Harry files away both of those initial tidbits of information, knowing full well that Death had said them on purpose… but then shakes his head in response to both her serious suggestions as well as her not-so-serious suggestion.
"No. I've done my time as a Professor. And when I ravish you, I prefer to do so in comfort, not on a filthy lake shore where dirt, mud, and silt are bound to get everywhere. Furthermore, if this is to be a 'staycation', I'm not planning on getting too involved with anyone from my past. I just need some resources to get myself set up somewhere where I can spend my days relaxing."
Of course, he would probably get bored rather quickly and seek out something to entertain himself. Maybe he would start a business this time around, something that would let him fly under the radar and avoid drawing too much attention to himself. Him, he finds himself thinking to his last life… and the numerous 'investigations' that the Addams Family's eldest had gotten herself involved in.
Meanwhile, Death chuckles huskily at his words, both of them knowing that the way Harry moved between Dimensions didn't really leave him with… much in the way of belongings. In fact, the only things that he could bring with him anywhere he went were the Deathly Hallows. Even the cloak he was currently wearing was the Invisibility Cloak modified to be visible for a moment.
Which meant, of course, that he wasn't wearing anything UNDER the cloak either. He effectively started from scratch in each new world he went to, with only his innate magic and the three Deathly Hallows coming along for the ride. Well, them and…
"As ever Master, there's plenty of money waiting for you where there always is~"
And Death. His eternal servant. His faithful slave. His ever-present pain in the ass. Finally turning to face her, his breath hitches as he takes in her exceedingly lovely appearance. Deep down, he'd already known… but he'd been partially ignoring what his senses were telling him.
Now though, actually facing her and taking her in, he could ignore it no longer. The long black hair. The chalk-white skin. The dark red lips and dark black eyes. And of course, the black gothic dress with its deep v-neckline, the hobble skirt perfectly accentuating her curves, and the dark high heels that seem to defy her surroundings as she stands easily on the shore of the Black Lake in spite of all of it.
Death is as beautiful as she is gloomy right now… and also very, very familiar given the last world Harry had just come from.
"Morticia? Really?"
His servant merely arches one of Morticia Addams' brows and quirks up the corner of her mouth in a wicked smirk before responding.
"It's in the name, darling."
She's not wrong. Still, a shudder runs through Harry and he's almost grateful for his current lack of pants because if he WAS wearing more than just a cloak, he'd be experiencing some strain down below. As it is, he's definitely experiencing SOMETHING down below. Which does make him feel slightly guilty for a moment.
But then, he knows that's the point. Death is trying to get a rise out of him more than anything in this moment. Harry won't let it work though. He's got rules about these sorts of things. Sure, he would never have made a move on Morticia Addams in his last life out of respect for Gomez and the knowledge that the love they shared was an unbreakable bond.
However, this was an entirely new world… and this was not really Morticia Addams, not even slightest. This was Death wearing her form and Harry had to admit, she was wearing it very, very well. Ultimately, any guilt over admiring Death in Morticia's body passes quite quickly.
He could even imagine Gomez and Morticia telling him to go for it, that it was no skin off their backs. Still, he also knew Death was trying to tempt him into taking her up on her earlier offer regarding the shore of the Black Lake and making her squeal for him. And it was still something he would much rather do in a proper bed… or at least on furniture rather than in the dirt, mud, and silt.
In the end, he ignores the obvious provocation and focuses on her mention of 'wealth'. There was only one place in a familiar world like this one where Harry could get funds quickly, after all.
"Gringotts."
Chortling some more at his dread-filled tone, Death bobs her head against his shoulder.
"Oh yes, Master."
Harry lets out a sigh.
"… I don't suppose this is a version of my world where the goblins of Gringotts are nice, misunderstood bankers who just like to balance their accounts and have merely been mistreated and persecuted for not being wizards or witches?"
There's a brief pause during which Harry foolishly gets his hopes up. Then, Death snickers.
"Master, when have the goblins of Gringotts been anything BUT ambitious, greedy, gold-hungry little monsters in any world you've ever visited?"
… Never. But it had only been a few so far. Surely that just meant they were due for one where goblins were the exact opposite of their usual cantankerous, money-grubbing selves. A world where the goblins were chill had to be just around the corner at this point. Right? Alas, judging by Death's response, this world was not that one. Shame, that.
Still… Harry flicks his hand and the Elder Wand appears within his grasp. Then, he pauses and tilts his head to the side. Did he really… HAVE to go to Gringotts right off the bat? It would certainly help things quite a bit, but he could also put it off for a while if he truly wanted to.
The problem was, Harry knew full well that the only reason he was hesitating was because he didn't want to have to deal with the goblins just yet. But then who would, right? And… he could probably get by just fine with his magic and his wits for at least a little while.
In fact, if he left for the muggle world, Harry could easily gather some resources there first before returning. Truthfully, he would never leave the Wizarding World behind forever, it was too much his home even in an alternate universe. As well, magic was drawn to magic, more often than not. Still, the muggle world WAS a temporary alternative to going straight to Gringotts at least.
… The question became, was he really going to hobble himself for any length of time just because he knew Gringotts was going to be a headache and a half?
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The Vote:
[X] Bite the bullet and go claim what belongs to him from Gringotts - 76%
[ ] Go and gather resources in the muggle world instead - 24%
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A/N: There will always be FIVE more chapters of this story on my Pat/reon for people to read ahead and vote on the direction of the story, until we're finished here. Google "Cambrian P atreon" without the space in order to find my page!