"Potter, you imbecile!"

The aforementioned boy flinched as his Potions professor strode over, cape billowing in a fashion similar to the smoke pouring out of his cauldron.

With one fluid wave of the professor's wand, the smoke stopped boiling over and instead began floating up to the ceiling.  He glared down his nose at the boy before giving his wand another flick. The door flew open with a bang. To the class at large, he snapped, "Dismissed! Ten inches on proper potion safety by next class!" When Harry attempted to stand, Snape pinned him with a glare. "Not you!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Draco Malfoy smirk and duck around the doorframe, obviously waiting to hear him get in trouble.

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "Potter, have you any idea just how lethal that concoction could have been?" He drove on before Harry could respond. "Of course not. That's asking far too much of you!" He sighed. "That ingredient is highly toxic. Why, pray tell, would you think it even remotely necessary in a topical potion?"

Outraged, Harry snapped, "I didn't put that in!"

Snape crossed his arms, the picture of utter disbelief. "Really. And I suppose another student was tossing around potentially lethal ingredients like they were toys?"

Fed up, Harry stood up. "I didn't put that in my cauldron, you greasy git!" Snape's lips thinned, but Harry paid no attention. "I don't know what I did, but you've had it out for me ever since the first class! You've been nothing but a big bully!" He glared at the man, as if daring him to make a contradiction.

For the briefest of moments, something like surprise flitted across Snape's features. It was quickly replaced by outright anger. Harry shrank back as the man advanced.

Someone in the room then gave a disapproving snort. "Temper temper, professor."

Snape froze mid-stride, as though someone had paused a video. He wasn't the only one, though. Even the smoke stopped moving. In the midst of the surreal experience, a lone figure jumped off his perch onto the Potion master's desk.

Harry had never seen anyone like him near the vicinity of the castle before. He was well over six feet tall and sporting a cheery sky blue knitted sweater. The fact that he was also wearing a long white scarf did nothing to help the fact that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the gloomy dungeon. The rather cheery expression he wore was in keeping with his bright clothing. "Afternoon!" The bright red eyes should have been frightening, but somehow they managed to look warm, being as they were accompanied by a rather large smile. "Fancy seeing you again, of all people! And here's me thinking it'd be a while!"

Harry just blinked. "Um, have we met?"

The man laughed. "Kid, everyone meets me sometime. The question is just how soon." He grinned. "But to answer your question, yes, yes we have. I doubt you'd remember it, though." He straightened up and gave a short bow. "So here's a reintroduction. Death, power of, in the flesh." He frowned. "Or Thanatos, Yama, Anubis, and Uriel, if you feel like going old school. There's more, and frankly the list goes on and on."

Harry stared at him. "You mean, you're . . . the grim reaper?!"

The man blinked. "Hey! Do I look grim to you?"

"But you don't look . . . I mean . . ."

The man started to laugh. "Classical woodcuts don't exactly do much for the appearance kid." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, artists don't like to keep up with the times as much as we powers do. And the grim bones with a scythe thing appears to be a niche nowadays," he remarked.  He held out a hand and wiggled the fully fleshed fingers. "Do these look bony to you?" He sighed when Harry remained quiet. "You make one visit as a nightmarish creature, and it follows you for life." He paused. "Or eternity in my case I suppose." He paused and glanced at his clothing. "This is a fairly new look, though. I came to take a fashion designer about twenty years back or so. He was appalled at my clothing and insisted I get an overhaul before he left the coil. One of the odder folk I've had to take."

He floated up into the air and spread his fingers. The air shimmered, and he grabbed the disturbance, causing it to materialize as a wicked-looking scythe. He grinned and swung it in a large arc. It moved with enough speed to whistle.

"Mind . . . no matter how I look, the scythe is part of the job description." He frowned and let go of it, floating over to Harry, leaving the blade floating in midair behind him.

"W-what do y-you want with me?"

The reaper gave him a tiny smile. "All in good time. There's actually something I need to take care of first." He leaned back and grabbed the scythe.

Harry thought that it must have been longer than it looked, or else it just did what it's owner wanted. Because the reaper was able to reach all the way across the room with it and stick the blade through the classroom door, causing the wood to ripple as though it were water.

Death glanced at Harry. "The latter actually. We powers of existence know a few tricks. Though I admit the laws of physics don't really stick to us all that well. It's because we exist outside of the physical, or some such rot. I don't pretend to understand the details."

Harry jumped. "You can read minds?!"

The strange being's expression of concentration vanished for a moment, only to be replaced by a grin. "Nope.  I can't read minds, but some of the other powers can. You were just thinking really loud." As Harry tried to work that one out, the power made a satisfied noise. "Aha!" He pulled the scythe back through the door with a terrified Draco Malfoy hooked on the blade by his robes.

Malfoy was deposited on the floor in front of him with a thump, shaking like a leaf. "W-what d-do y-you w-want?" He was doing a remarkable impression of Professor Quirell.

Death's smile was grim. "To the point then." He leaned forward. "I'll make this brief." He leaned even closer. "It's not nice to muck about with dangerous ingredients. Even if the everyday mortals don't know the truth, we do." he said, giving a glance to the still form of Professor Snape. Then his expression darkened. "I don't like coming for people early, or when there's no reason to. Therefore, I don't much care for a combination of the two." He held the scythe rather menacingly in front of him. "So, to be blunt, knock it off." His expression became cold. "Or I may just have to knock you off. Got it?"

Malfoy nodded frantically.

Death's smile was tight. "Excellent. Now be gone!" He gave the scythe a wave, and Malfoy vanished into thin air. "Easy enough, I suppose. The question is whether the lesson will stick or slide off like so much slime." He frowned. "Here's to hoping it worked then." He turned back to Harry. "This, of course, brings us to you."

Harry stepped back a pace. "W-what do I have to do with anything?"

The man's brilliant red eyes narrowed. "Put it this way. You're an enigma to me." 

"W-what do you mean?" 

Death let out a sharp mirthless laugh. Then he vanished, reappearing behind Harry, though, upside down. 

Some part of Harry's brain registered that gravity did not appear to be one of the laws of physics that applied to Death. His white scarf remained perfectly stationary, as did his chestnut colored hair. Quick as lightning, the being shot a hand out and grasped Harry's head. Then he pushed back Harry's bangs, revealing his scar. "This perhaps is a good indicator."

He frowned again and floated backwards a bit, still holding Harry's head. "By all rights, you should have come to me that night. There is no power that can truly block me. The curse of Death, as it was once called, is so named for a reason." 

He released Harry's head and vanished, reappearing next to his scythe. He grabbed it and swung it, neatly bisecting a desk. 

"It is considered unstoppable because truly it is. It doesn't just kill. It taps into my power." He frowned, watching as the desk pieces darkened and crumbled into dust. "No mere mortal, however, strong their power, could hope to stop something that taps into a power of eternity." 

He frowned again and hefted the scythe. Harry didn't even have time to flinch as it came slicing towards him. 

There was sound like a wooden spoon hitting an aluminum pot, and the scythe stopped scant centimeters from him. Death's eyes narrowed again. "There, you see? By rights, I should be able to take your life, with no issue, yet my scythe cannot. And even the most important prophecies will not protect those I target." He swung the scythe at him again. Once again, it stopped centimeters from Harry's body. "Yet you are immune it would seem so. That is the crux of why you interest me." 

"So you're confused because you can't kill me?!" 

Death frowned, shaking his hand and making the scythe vanish. "Yes and no. I cannot take other powers, thus the effect is not unknown to me, but to see it in a mortal is decidedly strange." The scythe reappeared suddenly and was swung at Harry again, though at a much higher direction this time.

Harry blinked as a lock of jet black hair fell to the floor.

"You yourself do not appear immune, as far as the scythe is concerned, just something about you," Death said, as the lock of hair crumbled into dust. "I have taken many, even gods. None save other powers are immune to mine, and even they cannot stop another in their own supreme field." 

"Thanatos." The word was spoken crisply and with a faint undercurrent of warning.

They both turned. A small woman was standing in the doorway, her sunshine colored dress rippling and shimmering gently in a nonexistent breeze. She wandered into the room, pausing to tap the frozen form of Professor Snape. "I think you've done enough." Harry watched as a butterfly seemed to sprout from her vivid green hair. 

Death, however, just snorted. "Mind out, Cybele." He wiggled his fingers at her. "You tend to your agendas. I'll handle mine." 

Cybele shook her head. "You know as well as I that he is not ready to fall into your arms. Not now."

The yellow butterfly took flight, fluttering over to Harry to land on his head. He then stared as a cardinal suddenly popped out of her bangs.

She smiled and gently took the bird out, setting it on Snape's desk. "Besides, in this instance, our agendas coincide."

Seeing the confusion on Harry's face, Death sighed. "Okay, introductions." He gestured at the green woman. "Kid, this is Momma Nature." He ducked a swift slap from the green haired woman. "All right fine, Mother Nature, aka Gaia, Cybele, Terra Firma, Rhia, and whatever else strikes your fancy."

Harry gave her a short but obvious bow.  Nature blinked, then gave him a pleased smile. Then she gestured at Death. "This is of course a lout who likes to let his mouth run away with him."

Death grumbled something that was probably uncomplimentary. In spite of his fear, Harry couldn't help a small laugh.

Nature frowned and turned to Death. "You should stop soon, you know." She gestured at Snape. "You're mucking with the other powers' work."

Death frowned. "I didn't think Time would mind too much, seeing as I only dropped the castle out of the time stream. It's only temporary."

Nature shook her head. "He doesn't. I was referring to the blonde mortal child. Combat and Fate had something planned for him."

Death blinked. Then he flushed slightly. "Ah. I suppose I did let my temper get the best of me there. I'll drop by and talk to them when I'm done here."

Nature smiled. "Good. They're not too put out though, seeing as Fate thinks you were probably a good deal more effective than what they had in store."

Death grinned slightly. "That helps, I guess." He frowned and turned back to Harry. "I think, kid, that I've made things quite clear. I don't know why you're immune, but rest assured, I will find out. So until then, step lively." He gave a sort of flip in midair and vanished.

Nature snorted and said tartly, "Well, that went well." When Harry stared at her, she shrugged. "Well, it did. Usually he's all fire and brimstone when he talks to a mortal." She seemed to start glowing. "Regardless, Death rarely bluffs, and I don't think he was this time. I think it would be best if you tried not to get into any situations that might call him back."

Harry frowned. "I don't plan to."

Nature smiled, the glow around her getting brighter. "Good boy. But then again, I imagine that it's advice most people would be quite keen to follow." She paused. "I'll see if I can get him to give some leeway for this class, though. If the potion sabotage keeps up, he could be showing up every class."

Harry shuddered.

Nature smiled. "Yes, quite." The glow was stronger than ever, playing its light across Harry's face, feeling like warm sunshine. "First things first, though, we need to put you back in time." The glow exploded outwards, blazing like a nova before it faded. Near them, Professor Snape stumbled as he began moving again. Nature smiled. "There we are."

Snape shook his head, looking disoriented.

Nature, however, just smiled again. "He won't remember much of today, don't worry." Her smile widened. "But you should probably scoot before he snaps out of it." Her body seemed to fracture before it shattered, morphing into hundreds of birds and butterflies. They swept out the door, breezing past Harry in a rush of spring song. He heard her voice one last time as they flew out the door. "Please do try to stay out of trouble, dear."

Harry picked up the cardinal from Snape's desk. It gave a burst of song and settled down into his palm. Harry grinned and headed out the door, making sure to put on a burst of speed so that Snape didn't spot him.

---

For all his intentions, though, it was less than a month before Death showed up again. He was decidedly less pleasant than before.

"Really now, what part of ‘Stay out of trouble,' don't you understand?"

Harry found himself unable to answer. This was not surprising, as he was quite occupied dodging the swinging club of a mountain troll. It was debatable whether Death took notice of this, though.

"I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were determined to test my patience." He cast a glance over his shoulder as Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirell skidded around the corner. As Death happened to be blocking the doorway, they were forced to come to a rather painful looking stop in order to avoid crashing into him.

Unfortunately for the troll, it happened to notice Death at precisely the same time. Having already had its club removed from it once, it was quite fed up with humans. Its head still smarted from being hit with its own club. Letting out a bestial roar, it charged forward, club raised.

Death pursed his lips as the club seemed to simply bounce off him. The troll looked confused then raised the club for another attempt. Death scowled and twirled his fingers, causing his scythe to appear. The club smacked into the weapon and promptly crumbled into dust.

The scowl became more pronounced. "Do you really think you can harm Death himself?" The question was spoken quietly, but it sent a thrill of foreboding through Harry. The troll looked rather nonplussed at the loss of its club. Then it simply charged forward, hands made up into clumsy fists. Death was not impressed. He hefted the scythe as the troll bounced back from him. "Very well then." As another of the troll's attempts failed, he swung the scythe at it. There was a high pitched whistling sound, then a distinct "snick" that made Harry's blood go cold.

The troll let out a sort of strangled squeak and collapsed to the ground. Its body shuddered, then it dissolved into dust, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

Death's scythe vanished with a pop. He let out a loud snort. "I suppose we'll call this one off on account of professors." He made it sound like a vermin problem. He floated into the air. "Let's try not to meet again soon, hmm?" He vanished with a loud bang.

There was silence for nearly a minute. Then a low "Bloody hell!" came from Ron Weasley.

Harry agreed wholeheartedly.

---

Harry shivered and shuddered in his sleep, bits and pieces of the previous night coming back. "Kill him!" A scream of pain. A man slowly turning into so much ash. A mirror shining with proud parents. A boy winking and patting his pocket. A spectral thing rising from nowhere to attack. A two headed man talking about bravery and Snape.

He felt himself haze slowly back into consciousness, blearily thinking that the Mirror of Erised wasn't a whole lot of help in a crisis, and wondering if sanity was just a myth. He started when he saw Death leaning on his scythe, eyeing him.

When he realized that Harry was awake, the being scowled. "You know, that was definitely not a fair tactic."

Harry rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What?" He tried not to yawn.

Death's scowl morphed into a frown. "I realize the phrase, "Him or me", applied back there, but really, it's cheating when one of them is you."

Harry blinked. Then he fully realized just what Death had said. "Err, sorry. I guess it is."

Death shrugged. "I was going to be coming for that turbaned fool soon anyway. Possession like that causes serious trouble to the vessel. He wouldn't have lasted much longer." He paused, seeming to think of something. "And the troll too, come to think of it. It was quite ill when it tried to attack me."

Harry sat up and stretched. "How do you figure?"

Death shrugged again. "No matter how stupid they are, any creature realizes what they're facing in me." He shouldered the scythe. "Who knows, maybe it wanted to go quickly."

Harry rubbed his neck. "So . . . um, what'd I do this time?"

Death leaned against a wall. "Aside from cheating in the chamber there, nothing." He smiled, a rather warm one that made him look friendly. The scythe vanished with a rush of displaced air. "To be blunt, it looks like this nonsense may just be going on for a while. So I'll just sit tight until its time. At least where you're concerned."

Harry frowned, trying to work that out. "Um, is that good or bad?"

Death shrugged again. "I guess that's good news for you." He straightened up. "I know it is for me. That means someone else gets to play the straight man in the cosmic comedy."

"So, I'm not going to die at any moment?"

Death gave him a look. "Well, you're young. Provided you aren't an idiot too, you'll live a proper amount of time. But to answer the question, no, I won't be actively hunting for you." He grinned. "If nothing else, you make my schedule a lot easier around this area."

"Thanks. I think."

Death's smile was only slightly sinister. "Enjoy your summer. Next year is just around the corner."

Harry grinned as a cardinal flew into the room and landed on his bedpost, trilling out a song. "Thanks. I'll consider myself warned."

Death smiled again. "That's all I ask."

Harry fell back against the pillows as the reaper flew out the window, allowing himself to drift off to the sounds of birdsong. If next year was anything like this one, he was going to need a lot of luck.