794SUMMARY: When Death told Aria Dorea Potter that she was its Master, she didn't know that unwanted title included immortality and memories from her previous life. She'd no way of knowing she would be forced to leave her friends and England behind. Or that, one day, when she decided to settle down in Mystic Falls, she would meet again with her true love, the Original Hybrid, and their family, the Original Family. Klaus/FemHP.
I just want to point out that English is not my first language so please excuse any mistakes I make. Also, Harry Potter and Vampire Diaries are not my property, I'm just playing around with the characters and worlds for fun.
Ps. Stay safe inside your houses and don't forget to wash your hands. I hope everyone is okay in this difficult time.
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PROLOGUE
IT WASN'T AS EASY AS FALLING ASLEEP
On May 2nd, 1998, Aria Potter sacrificed herself for the greater good and died.
She expected that to be her last act, the final chapter of a tragic story that it should have ended when she was a baby and Voldemort went after her for the first time. She expected to die – to be as easy as falling asleep, like Sirius had promised – and then to be in the eternal company of her loved ones, in whatever world or space there was beyond death. She expected peace.
But that's not what she got.
Not by a long shot.
Instead, after the bright green light of the killing curse hit her, her whole world went dark and she woke up in a completely unknown, yet strangely familiar, forest. It was really strange because she was sure she had never been in that forest - with its big trees and birds singing at the top of them – and yet… a part of her felt right at home in there.
"This is where everything began. The place where the spell that changed the course of history was first cast."
Aria turned around, ready for a fight, but she found herself face-to-face with an entity dressed all in black, with a mask covering its face and an ancient and powerful magical presence that almost sent her to her knees. And, despite not having seen this being before, she knew, with a certainty that was almost scary, who stood in front of her.
"Death" she greeted as calmly as she could.
"Master" the immortal being greeted back.
She fought down the urge to tremble, to run, to cower or show any kind of weakness. She was Lady Potter-Black, the last living heir of the Peverell Family, the Girl-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, and now, it seemed, the Master of Death. She would not be afraid. Not even in front of an immortal as ancient as creation itself.
She lifted her chin, defiant.
Death didn't have a face but, for some reason, she felt like it would be smiling if it could. "No matter the life you've lead, your spirit remains the same it seems."
She frowned, confused. "I don't understand"
"No, I suppose you don't. Not yet anyway." Death said, too cryptic for her liking "Do you known what is needed to become my Master?"
"The Hallows" But even as she said the words, Aria knew that couldn't possibly be the only requirement. No after feeling the power of Death itself. Three objects, no matter how powerful, couldn't possibly be the only key to master a being as powerful and ancient as Death.
"The Hallows were invented later, much later... they were invented long after I decided to seek a champion of my own. They were designed to be reunited by someone worthy of their combined power, yes… but the final decision would always be mine. And I decided, several millennia ago, that only someone capable of accepting death for what it truly was would be worthy of sharing a part of my power and becoming my champion. And you, my dear, have proven yourself to me. Again and again, for the last millennia. This, your last death, was just the last test, the culmination of a millennia in the making."
"But how it's that possible? I'm seventeen years old and, as far as I know, this is the first time I've died… and I… I don't understand." She murmured, confused and more than a little bewildered.
"You're seventeen years old in this life" corrected Death.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. "You're talking about reincarnation. Are you saying this is not my first life?"
"I'm not saying anything, my dear. If you're so interested in those pesky whys, you should have to find out on your own. You've all the time in the world after all."
She got the impression that Death was done with their conversation – if its little monologue and her confused replies could even qualify as a conversation – but she couldn't allow it to leave. Not when she'd so many questions. "Wait…"
"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. Don't worry about little Tom Riddle. After you defeat him, I plan to capture what it's left of his soul and make him suffer for the rest of eternity... Daring to believe he'd found a way to free himself for me. Ha! As if I would allow a lesser being like him to escape me."
"Did that mean… I'm not longer a horcrux?"
"You were never a horcrux, not a proper one at least" refuted Death and, for the first time, she was able to detect true ire in its tone. "That old fool. Believing himself above everyone else... You should've never trusted him, my dear. He was incapable of realizing that, even if you had a small piece of Tom Riddle's soul, you weren't like the other horcruxes. There were other much safer ways to free you of that small fragment. Especially considering your soul is so strong and resilient... Damn that old fool."
She stared, too stunned to do anything else. Because if Death was saying what she thought it was saying then… The old headmaster had not only raised her like a pig to be slaughtered and treated her like his perfect obedient little soldier in a war she was too young to be part of. But he'd also sent her to her death under a misconception he hadn't even bother to check first.
Oh, how she wished Dumbledore was in front of her. So she could curse him… or kill him again. Slowly and very, very painfully.
Sadly, she'd other things, besides Dumbledore's incompetency, to focus at the moment.
"So I died for nothing?"
"Oh, don't fret, my dear. I could never take away the soul of my champion."
Aria took a big breath because it couldn't possibly mean that…
"You've a long road ahead of you. A life full of wonder and adventure. So, go ahead, my dear, wake up and finish that silly little war of yours"
She would have loved to stay and demanded all the answers she wanted. To fight for her right to know what the bloody hell was going on, because it sure felt like Fate was playing a game with her life, one that Death was all too aware of. And she'd had enough of that for a lifetime. But she didn't get a chance for any of that.
Everything around her vanished into nothing and she felt herself succumb to the darkness once more.
And, as she lost consciousness, she heard Death's voice whispering in her ear. "Don't worry, my dear champion, this won't be the last time we meet, you and I. We've an eternity ahead of us after all."
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The dreams started right after the war was won, even if Aria didn't notice them at the beginning.
She was too focused on taking care of Teddy and helping with everything that needed to be done in order to stabilize the Wizarding World of Great Britain, a feat almost impossible to achieve when you took into consideration the three years of open war that had decimated their population, destroyed the most important buildings and shops in the country and spread fear and hate through their nation; not to mention the need to completely reorganize their ministry, after being poisoned by decades of corruption, prejudice, and blood money.
In those early days, when everyone seemed to need her presence for something or another, she went to sleep for no more than a couple of hours every other day, and when she actually took her time to sleep, it was more along the lines of crashing exhausted in the closest flat surface for however long it was possible until it was time to be up and around again.
All in all, it took her a while to recognize the recurring dreams.
She couldn't quite remember what they were about, not really – even after they became a common occurrence every night – but the one thing she could distinctly remember was the feeling she got every time she woke up. It was impossible to forget, even as the dreams slowly vanished from her mind, how real and all-consuming they felt.
Some days she would wake up crying, reaching for someone who wasn't there for comfort. Others, she woke up feeling happy, like she'd spent a long day surrounded by family. Then there were days when she would felt content and sated, still feeling phantom lips on hers while his hands roamed all over her body. And there were other days when her awareness to the present would come back painfully slow, leaving her feeling lost and unsure of what was actually real.
And the more time passed, the more frequent they became.
So much so that, eventually, they started to hunt her during her days as well.
She would be walking through the streets and see blue eyes and a smile full of dimples and, for a second, she would be able to see an achingly familiar male face smiling at her, one that she'd only seen in her dreams. Or she would hear someone saying the words 'little sister' or 'sister' and she would turn around, thinking they were talking to her until the moment passed and she remembered she wasn't anybody's sister. Not in this life at least.
But, no matter how frequent and real the dreams became, Aria refused to acknowledge them.
After everything Death had told her in their only conversation, it was obvious that the dreams were about her past lives and she refused to be controlled by the ghost of people long gone. Even as the dreams become more real, the moments of déjà vu increased and she started missing unknown dead people, Aria refused to think or talk about it, sealing all her memories about the dreams in a locked box inside her head.
Because she got the feeling that once she opened the box, she would never be able to lock it again.
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After the life she had, Aria should have known that you can't avoid something forever.
And, four years after the war ended, a silly remark from Ron opened the Pandora's Box in a way she couldn't have predicted.
They were going through their pictures of their schooldays in an effort to find the most special ones, so Ron could use them for his – surprisingly romantic and very well put-together – proposal to Hermione, when they come across an old photo of the four of them a couple of weeks after the Final Battle, in those early days when the reconstruction of Hogwarts seemed like a monumental and impossible task.
Staring at the picture of the four of them – filled with new scars and too thinned to be healthy but with eyes full of hope for the future ahead of them – Aria couldn't help but felt like that was a good and honest representation on how was their world in the aftermath of the war. Tired, battered and even a little broken but slowly mending itself, healing the deep scars that decades full of war, hate, fear, and prejudice had left in its wake.
In contrast, Ron took a look at the picture and laughed in wonder.
"It's like you haven't aged a day, mate. What's your secret? Are you sure the Philosopher Stone isn't hidden under your bed or something?" he said, teasingly.
Aria laughed, bumping her shoulder with his. "Dream on, Weasley. All this beauty is perfectly natural."
"If you said so, mate."
They changed the subject after that, joking and bantering like always as they combed through their old pictures, marveling at how much their world - and them - had changed in over a decade.
But, even as she joked and acted like everything was perfectly normal, Aria couldn't help but repeat Ron's words in the back of her mind, growingly increasingly scared of how accurate they were.
So, needing to be absolutely certain, long after Ron was gone from her house, Aria took Teddy to his grandmother, went back to her home and then sat on the old floor of Number 12 Grimmauld Place as she went through her pictures again, analyzing them with careful detail, looking for differences between her seventeen-old-self and her twenty one-old-self.
And it was with a sinking stomach that she realized something.
Of course, there were differences between her old and present self. Her seventeen-self had spent months on the run, living half-starved after a childhood full of neglect and abuse, had been the proclaimed Enemy Number One in a war carried out by the most powerful and evil Dark Lord of their time, who had never hesitated in going – or sending his sadistic legion of minions – after her, a minor at the time, or any of her loved ones. Her seventeen-self had been a child of war, carrying the weight of the world on her tiny and tired shoulders, ready to give up her life for the greater good, especially if it meant that everything would finally end.
But she wasn't that child anymore and her body reflected that. She was a victor and she was at peace. She was healthy because, for the first time in her life, she was at ease with her place in the world.
So, of course, there were differences between then and now.
But if you looked past those things, if you looked for age lines or any kind of marks made by time itself, you wouldn't found none. Because the hard truth was that she hadn't aged a day since the Final Battle of Hogwarts.
Aria Potter, Master of Death, was stuck at the age of seventeen.
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She didn't tell anybody right away.
She couldn't. It was too much. And the repercussions were too great.
First, she tried to convince herself there was a solution to her situation.
For weeks, after she'd made sure Teddy would be safe and sound with Andromeda, she locked herself inside Number 12 Grimmauld Place, with only a grumpily concerned Kreacher for company, looking for ways to remedy her situation. She tried everything she could think of, from not-so-legal blood spells and rituals to obscure and long-forgotten pieces of magic only someone with her power was capable of pulling off. But, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't find how to fix herself.
Then, after she was absolutely sure, came the rage.
It wasn't fair. After everything she'd gone through - all the blood, tears, and trauma – and everything she'd lost and sacrifice, denying her a chance of a normal life felt like a truly cruel twist of fate. She was in a good place emotionally, was a parent to an energetic four-year-old, lived her days surrounded by her chosen family and had finally accepted her place as the Lady Potter-Black in their society. This – immortality – would take everything away from her, would deny her the chance to live a normal life.
It wasn't fair.
But there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Except for maybe summon Death and demand to the entity to revoke her immortality but, besides the tiny detail that she didn't have a clue about how to do the summoning, she wasn't suicidal enough to do defy Death like that.
So, after she'd screamed and raged and cried and cursed until she passed out by sheer exhaustion, Aria contacted her best friends and informed them of everything, from her meeting with Death, to the dreams, to her most recent and unwelcome discover.
After the initial denial and arguing was done…
'Are you absolutely sure, Aria? What books did you consult?'
'Blimey, mate. Death, really? As in… Death?'
'The most powerful wizards and witches always age slower… maybe it's something like that?'
…Their reactions were pretty much what she expected, but not for that less painful to experience.
Ron, always the most impulsive and direct of her best friends, went on a long rant about what he thought of Death, Dumbledore, and even Voldemort. And then, after he'd run out of air and shockingly vulgar words, he threw himself in one of the couches and, looking utterly defeated, pointed out how bad was going to be the reaction of the rest of the Wizarding World if they ever found their savior was – for all intents and purposes – immortal.
Unlike his fiancé, Hermione, her always logical best friend, went into one of her crazy-library-research-mode, refusing to believe her situation was permanent until after she'd combed through every book at her disposal – and, taking into account that she had access to the libraries of four Noble and Most Ancient Houses plus Hogwarts', that was a lot of research, even for Hermione.
But it was Neville's reaction the one that affected her the most. Unlike the rest, he just sat down beside her, holding her hand in his while he promised her that, no matter what happened, he would stand beside her, like he'd done since the very beginning. Because it was her sweet, loyal and always sensible best friend who understood, probably more than anyone else in the whole world, just what this – immortality – would mean for someone like her, someone who, after growing up utterly alone, had carved herself a family through the bond of friendship and was so very afraid of being alone again.
In the end, after a lot more arguing and researching, the four of them came to the unavoidable and unquestionable conclusion that Aria was immortal. And, to their general distress, that meant her days living in Britain were numbered.
It was an easy conclusion to reach.
If Aria didn't want to end up hunted, the title of Master of Death needed to remain a legend among the people of the Wizarding World and the true power of the Hallows had to stay a secret to everyone except the four them – three of which would take the secret to their graves without hesitation – which meant her new ageless status had to remain a secret too, even among their closest and trusted friends.
Sadly, there was only one way to ensure nobody found out her secret.
Aria Potter, savior of the Wizarding World, needed to stay as far away as possible from it.
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Aria didn't leave right away.
It was one thing to know, in theory, what she needed to do, but it was another entirely to actually do it. Especially when you took into consideration all the responsibilities that tied her to the Wizarding World and England.
The most significant and important one was her godson, Teddy Lupin.
The day she'd meet him for the first time, back when he was still an adorable little baby with his bright blue hair and big eyes, Aria had held him – feeling a bit awkward and afraid – and cried – big, ugly tears – because history was repeating itself with them. Once more there was a young and inexperienced godparent, who had been broken by a war that had killed a lot of their loved ones, who were suddenly responsible for an orphaned baby and had no idea of what to do about it.
Aria and Teddy, the only descendants of The Marauders, were reflections of what war did to families.
So she'd cried. For him. For her. For them. And then, after she'd calmed down and had felt mostly sane, she'd promised him that, no matter what happened, she would always be there for him, be a part of his life, be his family, in the way she'd wished Sirius would have been.
Merlin knew she'd loved Sirius – love him still with an intensity that almost hurt – but she wasn't blind to his faults. And she refused to repeat his mistakes.
Teddy Lupin would grow up knowing her as a permanent part of his family. She would be a parent, an older sibling and a best friend, all rolled up together, for him.
It hadn't been exactly easy. By law, Aria, as the only godparent, was Teddy's sole guardian. And being thrust into that role at seventeen, even excluding the trauma the war had left in her, wasn't an easy feat. In those first months, she'd had more than one breakdown and had felt like a failure almost every time Teddy had cried for no apparent reason. But, little by little, she'd learned how to act in her new role.
And, frankly, she wouldn't have made it without all the help she'd received, especially from Andromeda.
By all intents and purposes, Andromeda had more than enough reasons to dislike her. After all, Aria was the reason behind why Sirius had been killed, she'd brought the war to Andromeda's doorstep and had been unable to save her husband, daughter, and son-in-law. And, after that, she'd been granted the custody of Andromeda's only grandson. Honestly, she would hate herself in Andromeda's shoes.
But the only thing Andromeda had done was ask to be a part of Teddy's and Aria's lives.
And for that, she deserved an explanation.
"So you plan to take my grandson away and do what exactly? Travel from city to city, never setting roots, staying far away from the Wizarding World in hopes that nobody ever recognizes you." Andromeda demanded, her pursed lips and the frown on her forehead giving away very clearly what she thought about the situation. At that moment, her connection with Bellatrix stood out all the more.
Aria sighed, refusing to back down.
The older woman was a Black, regardless of her actual surname, and would never accept her point if she thought Aria wasn't one hundred percent sure of her decision. So, even if it was for the three thousand and one times in the last hour, she'd to defend her point and make her see reason. "It's not like I've a choice"
She hadn't told Andromeda about the Hallows or the Master of Death nonsense, only about the not-going-to-age bit, explaining it as a consequence of her death, which it was true, kind of. But even after arguing her point for over an hour, Andromeda didn't seem any less inclined to agree with her.
"Maybe you're right and this decision is going to ensure Teddy and I would never have a normal life but, as it stands, this is the only way we would be able to live in peace… to not be accosted day and night by the media and the rest of our society" Aria insisted fiercely, her bright green eyes boring into Andromeda's "And after everything, I deserve that. Teddy deserves that."
Andromeda looked away, clenching her jaw in a familiar stubborn gesture she'd seen in Sirius, Tonks and even Teddy. And Aria knew she just needed one more push. "This doesn't mean our arrangement has to change. You're Teddy's grandmother and the doors of our home, no matter where that is, will always be open to you."
For a long moment, the older woman didn't move or react in any way until, finally, she nodded once. "But you've to promise we'll spend together all the holidays… And Teddy has to come back to study at Hogwarts and… and If I ever found out you're not raising my grandson like a proper wizard, there'll be hell to pay."
Laughing, she nodded. She'd no words to describe how relieved she felt with Andromeda's acceptance, it was almost like she could breathe for the first time in a long time. "Of course"
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They left shortly after Hermione and Ron's wedding.
Everyone who didn't know her secret – and Luna, who had an uncanny ability to know everything – was under the firm impression that she was going on an extended vacation. In the minds of everyone, she'd decided to do a little tour through the world now that everything had settled down and she could enjoy some time to herself; she was traveling with Teddy because there was no way she would leave her godson behind while she went on vacation and she was taking Kreacher with them because, well, the little house elf had developed a strong attachment to her and leave him alone would be cruel.
Because of that, they didn't make a fuss about her departure, at least no more than normal.
In their minds, this was a temporal thing. A few months, maybe a year, but no more. They'd no idea that, after this, she would not be able to go back and settled down in England. At least not for a few centuries.
The only ones who knew the truth had embraced them as they said goodbye, promising to visit them as often as possible and vowing to always be there for them, no matter what.
Five years after the defeat of Voldemort, Aria, Teddy, and Kreacher appeared away from England, knowing they weren't going to come back.
Not in a long time.
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They traveled for years, going from one country to another, never staying in one place for more than a few months.
Normally, that kind of lifestyle would be almost impossible to keep up but money wasn't an issue for her. With the vast fortunes of the Potter, Black and Peverell families at her disposal, Aria could live luxuriously for several lifetimes without having a need for a job. But the idea of sitting tight and doing nothing had never sat well with her, which was why she'd made several highly profiled investments when she'd lived in England. And that was something she kept on doing as they traveled around the world, investing in those dreams and small businesses that only needed an injection of cash to become something great.
If she was truly honest, she'd to admit that those years were very happy ones.
Leaving England behind gave her a sense of freedom she hadn't thought she needed until she got it. They traveled, explored and learned everything the wizarding and muggle world had to offer them, changing names and pretending to be whoever they wanted. Every day became a new adventure.
For years, they traveled without stopping or looking back.
And then, almost without realizing it, Teddy turned eleven and his letter for Hogwarts came.
Suddenly, it was time for Teddy to go back to England and time for Aria and Kreacher to settle down somewhere else for a while.
In those circumstances, the idyllic town of Mystic Falls, Virginia seemed like the perfect choice.
What do you think?