143Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, setting, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. All other concepts and ideas from other books or stories belong to their respective authors. No copyright infringement is intended.
'There's an old saying that I once heard.
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
As is the standard for my life...
….I did both.'
Harry Potter reminiscing on his resurrection and subsequent second life
Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts
May 2nd, 1988
"Avada Kedavra!" yelled out Voldemort gleefully as a jet of green light left his yew wand, heading toward his still arch-nemesis.
As the jet of green light approached him, Harry reflected back on his life with sadness.
To sum up, his life had been fucked up. He had been born under the shadow of a prophecy told by an old bitch who Harry personally believed should be locked in a straightjacket inside a nice padded room which was heard by someone who long ago passed the age when senility kicked in. To top it all off, it was overheard by someone who could apparently win the record for longest held grudge who went on to tell his psychopathic/ego-maniac master who is apparently afraid of death so much, he tries to escape it... in the most retarded ways possible.
Seriously, Harry thought Tom Riddle would have probably lived to a ripe old age if he'd simply done nothing at all. Idiot.
All this caused Harry to lose his parents at age one which was followed by ten years of neglect by his so-called relatives. He escaped his personal hell only to enter a world where magic apparently makes a good substitute for logic.
I mean seriously, who the hell orders children to leave a large, fortified space with only one entrance or exit when there was a homicidal magical creature on the loose?
Every year in the magical world either tested his patience for idiotic people or made him wonder whether he was cursed to never be at peace. First year: Philosopher's Stone. Second year: Basilisk. Third year: Dementors. Fourth year: Tri-Wizard Tournament. Fifth year: Umbitch and Voldemort in his head. Sixth year: Draco the Death Eater. And to finish it off, his seventh year was spent traipsing around the countryside with no clear direction followed by a living garbage disposal that complains about every little thing and the girl in love with said garbage disposal.
If anyone should have a girl willing to put out following him around the countryside, it should be him dammit!
And now, just when he thought it might all be over soon and he could live a normal life, he finds out his dick of a headmaster had been leading him by the nose all his life just so he could sacrifice himself. The worst part was that the dickhead headmaster in question had him pegged and Harry wasn't so selfish as to let others suffer just so he could live. He had to trust that Neville, Ron and Hermione would be up to the task of finishing what they started. He hoped Ginny would move on from his death and find love. While he didn't know if what he felt for her had been really love, he did care about her deeply enough that he wanted her happy.
Just as the green light was about to hit him, Harry was struck by a sudden, extremely depressing thought.
'Oh, shit, I'm gonna die a virgin!', thought Harry in a panic.
Just as he thought that, the Killing Curse hit.
Now, there was something you need to understand about magic. It works in mysterious ways. This is loser speak for 'I have no idea how it works only that it does'. However, in this case what happened was very simple.
Every horcrux is classified by magic under the name of the soul inside the receptacle. In other words, the locket, cup and diary were all named Tom Riddle in the eyes of magic. In the case of living horcruxes such as Harry and Nagini, they were named Harry/Tom and Nagini/Tom. So in layman terms, it meant that magic considered Harry both Harry Potter and Tom Riddle.
So when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at Harry, what happened was basically, "Tom Riddle cast the Killing Curse at Tom Riddle, killing Tom Riddle and Tom Riddle survives."
The lack of sense in that statement alone should tell you that this was an error and magic futilely tried to correct it. If magic had a television screen it would be reading one massive SYSTEM ERROR that it desperately tried to fix. When it found it couldn't, it responded the same way it always did to a failed spell of such a magnitude.
With a very large explosion.
The remaining defenders of Hogwarts looked up in alarm as they felt the ground tremble from a massive explosion. Those on the grounds picking up the dead or on the battlements saw a massive ball of light expand from somewhere near the center of the Forbidden Forest, creating a massive clearing where there was once trees and vegetation. The ball of light stayed present for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving everyone wondering what happened and what it meant.
In said newly created clearing, there was a large crater about 100 feet deep with the epicenter being where Harry once stood. The crater itself almost had a radius of a mile and there were no signs of anyone having survived the blast. Everyone in the radius of the blast, which included Voldemort, his Death Eaters and, sadly, Hagrid, had been vaporized. Since Nagini had also been there and it had been Voldemort's last Horcrux along with Harry himself, it meant Voldemort was finally dead for good.
In the very center of the clearing, the smoke slowly cleared, revealing the body of one Harry Potter, untouched and unmarked but at the same time, unmistakably dead. Lying on top of him and beside him was an odd assortment of things: a cloak, an old wand and a stone with a strange marking etched on it. The items glowed for a second before seemingly sinking into his body, leaving no trace they'd ever been there.
All was quiet for a minute, until there was another, smaller burst of light right next to Harry's corpse. Once the light cleared it revealed the presence of another person.
This person was a dark-skinned man with a thin layer of black hair on his head, dressed in an obviously expensive business suit. The suit was simple, with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath a black dress jacket that was buttoned up completely, a black tie and black pants finished off with black dress shoes. The entire ensemble gave him an air of severity which wasn't helped by the look on his face. His face seemed almost etched from stone and had a look of someone who rarely smiled and was almost always serious. He seemed like a person who lived only for his job and had little if any personal time of his own.
While the person may look unremarkable walking through the streets of New York or even inside the office of a large corporation, this person was in fact one of the most powerful beings in Creation. This person was none other than Raphael, Seraph of the Angelic horde and one of those who guards the Throne of the God of the Bible.
Raphael looked down on the corpse of the last of Evans line with a deep frown on his face as he contemplated what he was about to do.
Not many knew it but the Evans line came from a long line of Exorcists. They were actually of the very few Exorcist families in existence due to the high risk and low reward the job entailed. Very few Exorcists lived long enough to have a family, much less make it a family business. Yet somehow, the Evans had not only done so but done so for over a thousand years, becoming almost as infamous amongst Fallen Angels and Devils as the Seraphs themselves. The fact that there had never been a single Evans to ever turn his back on the work of God was also noteworthy.
However, one generation ago, something happened that no one expected. Lily Evans was born with the potential to wield wizard magic.
While non-magical families giving birth to magic-users wasn't rare, it had never before happened in an exorcist family, much less one of such renown as the Evans. This had opened an entire new avenue of opportunities for the Angels. They had long known about the Devils' Evil Piece System and had started to fear that the Devils would someday regain their numbers while the Angels stayed in their weakened state. The death of God (a heavily kept secret for obvious reasons) during the Great War meant no new Angels were being created, and therefore, no new soldiers to fight. As it was, the Angels were forced to pull back and let demons, the ancient enemy of Heaven predating even Lucifer's Fall, take over some sections of the world, usually Third World countries, or risk being overrun.
Lily Evans changed all that. To say she met their expectations was an understatement. She completely surpassed them and created the Brave Saints system, one similar to the Devils' Evil Piece system but made to resurrect humans and other beings into angels. For the first time since the death of God, Heaven had hope to regain its previous strength, even if it meant recruiting from humans and other species.
Personally, Raphael sometimes wondered if his dream was possible. Raphael's dream was of a utopian world where man could live alongside their fellow creatures in peace. A world free of war and conflict where no one need fear losing their loved one to anything but time. For that reason, he had given King Arthur Excalibur and empowered him in hopes that he would make his dream a reality.
Of course, that all came crashing down thanks to the actions of three people: Mordred, Guinevere and Lancelot. The last one was especially hard to swallow considering Raphael had given both him and Gawain the sister swords of Excalibur and Raphael had been sure Lancelot truly believed in his dream as well. Lancelot and Guinevere's betrayal had been the catalyst that eventually led to Arthur's death at Camlann, ending Raphael's hopes for making his dream reality.
But when Lily Evans created the Brave Saints, he had hope once more. Instead of using a human as a medium, he would be the King himself and his Brave Saints would be his knights. They would reclaim the world from the demons first and then spread Christianity even further across the world, re-enflaming Christian faith and hopefully, spreading peace across the world.
However, Lily Evans and the Brave Saints system were the reason he was here. Lily was much loved in Heaven for her contribution and even Michael had a soft spot for the pure-hearted woman who gave her life for her child. Even Raphael had to grudgingly admit that it was hard to find a flaw in the woman. He would have loved nothing more than to have resurrected her as one of his Brave Saints, but her use of an angelic spell of self-sacrifice meant that doing so would have stripped young Harry of his mother's protection, something he needed to this day. Knowing of Harry's death was coming when she was brought forth by the Resurrection Stone, Lily had begged him to resurrect him as one of his Brave Saints.
Normally, Raphael would have dismissed such a notion out of hand. While the Potter boy was certainly brave and courageous, he had a certain lack of regard for authority figures that annoyed Raphael to no end. As a person who believed rules existed for a reason and should therefore be followed at all times, Raphael considered Harry's frequent disregard for them to not be a quality he wished for in one of his Brave Saints and a member of his peerage. He would have much preferred someone like that Granger girl. Brains and a healthy respect for the chain of command, a perfect combination.
However, Michael had agreed with Lily's favor and even had gone so far as say that perhaps Harry's presence would be good for him. Raphael scowled at the thought of him learning anything of value from such a disrespectful boy but accepted that Michael's authority outstripped his own. As the new God, he ruled over Heaven now and Raphael always followed the chain of command, even if he didn't agree with the decision personally.
There was another reason Raphael was so reticent in resurrecting the boy and it had to do with his ancestry on his father's side. While the Potters were simple wizards for most of their line, they, like most purebloods, interbred with many of their second and third cousins in order to keep their blood pure. While even this didn't bother Raphael, this had led to them interbreeding with a family that Raphael personally wished had been wiped out from the face of the Earth long ago.
The Blacks.
The family didn't choose its name in a whim. The original Black was the child of a male Devil and a human woman. This meant that the man was a half-Devil and had an inclination toward the darker magics as well as inheriting Devil magic. This inclination continued down the family line, reinforced from the many times they once more bred with Devils to keep their line "pure", meaning the Devil blood stayed strong. That was the true meaning behind the Black saying, "Always Pure". In fact, Harry's grandmother Dorea Black was the daughter of a Devil, meaning Harry himself was at the very least 1/8 Devil.
This was shown in Harry's unusual proficiency in combat spells and the like, something very unusual considering his mother and father were Charms and Transfiguration masters, respectively. It was only made worse by the fact that to this day he still had Basilisk venom, one of the darkest substances in the magical world, only beaten by Dementor's blood, in his blood constantly being beat back by the phoenix tears Fawkes donated. The fact that there was a Devil branch of phoenixes only made it worse in Raphael's mind.
All this meant that there was little doubt that Harry would also show proficiency in darkness manipulation and magic as well as angelic light manipulation and magic. Despite this, Michael had insisted and Raphael never disobeyed orders.
With a sigh of surrender, Raphael took out an Ace of Clubs playing card from his inner jacket pocket that was glowing slightly blue. Raphael couldn't help but admire the culmination of Lily's research. Despite all their faults, Raphael had to grudgingly accept that humans are quite creative when they wanted to be.
Raphael kneeled down and pressed the card against Harry's corpse and said the incantation to resurrect him as a Brave Saint. Raphael watched as the card flashed slightly before sinking into Harry's corpse, causing it to glow blue slightly. As the resurrection worked, Raphael was slightly impressed as he sensed his new Ace's potential. While he may have lost his human magic, the Potter boy showed to have a lot of potential in using divine magic. The similarities between the two disciplines should be enough that he wouldn't have too much trouble acclimatizing himself. He certainly already had experience in combat at the very least.
Seeing that the resurrection worked, Raphael nodded to himself as he waved his hand over Harry, causing his now unconscious body to slowly float, and started to make plans. The boy's heritage in Gringotts would have to be retrieved. Amongst the large Potter fortune were several angelic texts that had been in Lily's possession the night she died. With Harry's official 'death' in the Wizarding World, no doubt that fortune would be spread amongst many people with either tenuous blood connections to the boy or who simply wanted some gold. While Raphael didn't care two whits about the gold (though it would be useful for when they sent their agents to Earth for missions), he couldn't allow those texts to fall into the wrong hands. Wizards were dangerous enough with their bastardization of Devil magic, who knows what horrors they'd unleash if they perverted angelic magic as well.
No. Raphael would have to send his Jack of Clubs to collect the Potter fortune and heirlooms completely just to make sure he didn't miss anything. The gold probably wouldn't mean anything to the newly resurrected angel so they could use it to fund their ground operations while the heirlooms and the like could stay in the boy's ownership once he found the angelic texts in question.
His plan in place, Raphael placed a hand on the floating boy's still unconscious form and closed his eyes. Ten large white wings burst from Raphael's back and wrapped around them both before they disappeared in a flash of light, leaving no trace of their presence having ever been there.
Harry slowly woke up with a groan as light seemed to hit his eyes, calling for him to wake up. Despite wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep for another hour in this extremely comfortable bed, Harry slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
Harry looked around and noticed he was in a very nice room, at least compared to what he was used to. It was painted predominantly white with a little blue here and there. It had a dresser, a night table next to his bed and a medium-sized closet. There were two doors, one of which Harry saw led to a regular-sized bathroom.
Harry blinked and looked down as he realized the bed he was in was a large king-sized four poster with a blue canopy. The sheets and comforter were so comfortable that Harry could only guess they were magicked that way, though it was certainly much more comfortable than other similarly magicked beds.
Suddenly, the memory of what happened in the clearing hit him and he looked around in panic. What happened? Did he somehow miraculously survive once more? Was Voldemort finally killed and beaten? And if he did survive and Voldemort was dead (which was the only reason Harry could think of why he was in a comfortable bed instead of a dungeon cell), why was he here, wherever here was, and not in the Gryffindor 7th year dorm or the Hospital Wing?
Harry slowly got up and saw a pair of black dress pants and a long-sleeved dress shirt hanging on the closet door along with a pair of expensive black dress shoes. Guessing they were for him and realizing that it was doubtful it was a trap since they could have hurt him while he slept if they wished, Harry got dressed.
Once he was done, Harry had to keep himself from fidgeting at the feel of the uncomfortable clothing on his skin. Long used to either baggy clothing (since his cousin's was so much larger than him) or loose robes, the itchy and tight clothing bothered him something fierce. However, he preferred them to being naked and they were obviously expensive so it would be rude to refuse to wear them. He once again wondered where he was and why he was there.
All his questions were put on hold when the door leading outside opened, revealing a dark-skinned man with a thin layer of black hair and an air of severity that made Professor McGonagall seem like a party girl. The man was dressed in a business suit that made Uncle Vernon's suits look like cheap dime-priced imitations and only enhanced his severe look. If Prof. McGonagall looked like someone he didn't want to cross in his first year, this man made him want to snap to attention with his sheer presence alone.
"I see you've finally recovered," said the man calmly. "That is good. I was wondering if you were planning on lazing about all day."
Harry couldn't help but feel offended at the man's words. He had just finished sacrificing himself for his friends, not lazing about!
The man seemed to be able to read his mind because he cocked an eyebrow at him. "While I admire your courage to sacrifice yourself for your friends, that does not give you a free pass to do as you like. Wanting the world to be good to you because you're nice is like expecting the bull not to charge when you're wearing red because you're a vegetarian."
Harry opened his mouth to retort only to come up short as he realized all his prior experiences proved the man's words true. After all, all Harry's good deeds had ever gotten him was a fickle crowd and a young death.
That last thought brought Harry back to the important things, such as his apparent survival. "So... I'm sorry, but I didn't get your name?"
The man cocked his eyebrow yet again. "It is polite to give one's name first before asking for it. You cannot believe yourself to be so famous as to not need to, do you?"
Flushing in anger as the man's words so eerily echoed Snape's taunts about his fame, Harry was about to respond with a scathing retort only to be brought short by the man's narrowed eyes. Somehow, Harry got the feeling that his usual attitude toward authority figures would go over as well as throwing a niffler in the middle of Gringotts bank. Harry could also sense that the man was powerful in a way that made Dumbledore look weak in comparison and didn't want to test his luck so soon after apparently surviving one near-death experience.
Seeing that Harry was sufficiently cowed, the man nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Learning to control that temper and tongue of yours will be an important part of your training. As for your question, Mr. Potter, my name is Raphael and I am a Seraph of the Angelic Horde of the Biblical God."
Harry's mouth went dry as the man's words registered. "Wait, what?"
Raphael simply raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "Denial is such an annoying human trait. Yes, I am Raphael the Seraph from your Sunday Bible classes."
"I never went to those classes," said Harry absently before shaking his head at the statement. "No, that's not... you can't be Raphael, cause then that would mean I'm-"
"Dead?" interrupted Raphael sternly. At Harry's shaky nod, Raphael cocked his head at him. "You are not dead." At Harry's sigh of relief, he continued. "Yet Harry James Potter is."
Harry blinked at the, in his head, contrary statement before frowning. "How can I be dead yet not be at the same time?"
Raphael sighed before entering the room completely and closing the door behind him. "What I mean is that, to the world at large, Harry James Potter died on May 3rd, 1998 just before daybreak after killing Voldemort and all his remaining followers. When the Killing Curse hit you, a horcrux for the very man casting the Curse, the magic rebounded spectacularly, killing everything and everyone within half a mile of you and creating quite a spectacular crater. I believe they've taken to calling it the 'Crater of Freedom' or some such thing. Really, the names you humans give things just boggle the mind."
Harry's mind raced as he took in this information. "But... why would they think I'm dead if I'm alive?" A thought gripped Harry's mind as he tensed and looked at Raphael suspiciously. "Did you kidnap me?"
Raphael scoffed. "I did not, as you say, kidnap you. You died that day that much was certain. However, due to orders from my boss, I resurrected you as my Ace." Seeing Harry about to question what he meant, Raphael raised his hand to stop the oncoming questions. "Before you ask, the particulars will be explained by someone else. I just came to see if you were awake and to let you know what happened. All you need to know is that you were dead. However, certain people pulled some strings and ordered me to resurrect you. However, the consequence of this is that you can never return to your previous life. The duties of your new station would make that quite impossible as you will find out soon."
There was a knock on the door and Raphael nodded to himself in satisfaction. "That would be your tutor on your new station. Please be polite since I had to ask a few favors in order to get her to be the one to teach you."
Harry was still in shock from what he had heard or else he'd be a lot more rebellious about the man's presumption to order him around. However, something deep inside told him to obey the man and, thinking it was his gut and not knowing what being his 'Ace' meant, Harry complied.
Raphael walked toward the door and opened it, revealing a young girl around Harry's age. She was short and petite, with light skin and violet-colored eyes. Her hair was black much like Harry's, with several strands of hair hanging between her eyes. She was wearing a knee-length purple skirt and a long-sleeved white shirt similar to Harry's only obviously meant for females. She had a respectful look on her face as she curtsied toward Raphael.
"Good morning, my lord Seraph. I have come as requested. Is this the boy I am to teach?" the girl asked in a soft voice.
Raphael nodded his head firmly. "Yes, this is Harry Potter. I have explained how he still breathes and most of what happened while he was recovering. Incidentally," Raphael turned back to a still confused Harry, "I have sent my Jack to collect your family fortune and heirlooms. It would be... inadvisable to leave some of the tomes in your family vault to be sold among wizardkind. Therefore, I sent my Jack to reclaim it all and bring it here. Once certain tomes that belong to me have been returned, the rest will be yours to do as you wish."
Harry wondered how they hoped to take all his money, which wasn't a small amount, and heirlooms from out of Gringotts without his presence but put it on the list of things to ask the girl.
Nodding to himself, Raphael turned back to the girl. "I leave him in your care, Ms. Kuchiki. I will be back tonight after I have settled some things. Once you've explained the basics, you may take him to Ms. Evans' location and she will explain the rest I imagine."
The now revealed Ms. Kuchiki nodded in understanding and curtsied as he walked away. Once he left, she entered the room and gestured for Harry to sit on the bed while she seemingly conjured a chair in mid-air without a wand and sat down on it.
Harry was shocked at the casual display of wandless magic and quickly asked how she did that.
The girl cocked an eyebrow before smiling proudly. "The kind of magic we use doesn't need a focus like magicians do. It's too powerful so any focus we use would just explode in our hands so we have to learn to do it wandlessly. Simple conjurations and elemental magic don't require incantations, which are only for the really high-tier stuff. Something like this is easy once you get the hang of it," said Ms. Kuchiki with an air of superiority. It wasn't snobbish like some purebloods but did give off an air of believing her kind of magic was better than others'.
Slightly miffed at her thinking but unable to think of a way to deny it since he doubted even Dumbledore could conjure such an ornate chair wandlessly, he just stayed quiet.
Seeing that he wasn't going to retort, the girl smiled before patting her skirt down and speaking. "Now, to start things off my name is Rukia Kuchiki. I am the Seven of the Seraph Sariel and I have been an angel for 4 years."
Harry blinked as what she said processed. "What do you mean by 'Seven'? Is it like what Raphael said I was his 'Ace'? And what do you mean you've been an angel for 4 years? Does that mean people who die become angels? Does that-"
A large slap to the face stopped the onslaught of questions coming from Harry's mouth as Rukia was smiling at him in a way that made him gulp in fear.
"I can't answer your questions if you don't let me answer, now can I?" asked Rukia in a false sweet tone. At Harry's slightly shaky no, Rukia nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, it's best to start at the beginning and things will become clear as I explain, okay?" At Harry's reluctant nod, Rukia continued. "Now what do you know about what the Bible says happened when the world was created?"
Harry's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Um... I think it said that God created the world and everything and then created Man and Woman. Then some evil angel caused them to be tossed out of the Garden and bad stuff happened because of that. Sorry, my relatives didn't really let me out much."
Rukia nodded. "Don't worry; it's better than what I hoped. I'll tell you the true history." Rukia sighed and pulled out a large white board similar to the one used by teachers from... somewhere and set it up in front of the bed and pulled out a black marker as she began her lecture.
"Now…. In the beginning, when Lucifer Fell, he went to the Underworld and, using the blood of a pure demon, turned himself into the first Devil. He then went on to corrupt humans and turned them into Devils as well and so started to create his army. At the same time, Angels who had done things that angered God such as falling into lust or greed and such had Fallen from Grace and became Fallen Angels. From this came the Three Factions: Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils."
While Harry understood the lecture, he was trying his hardest not to show his incredulity on his face. This was because as she explained she drew pictures on the board to demonstrate what she was explaining. The problem was that every figure had rabbit-like features for some reason, with a rabbit nose and ears and all. It was hard for Harry to take it seriously when Lucifer looked like a constipated black bunny and the Fallen Angels looked more like falling rabbits with black wings.
And let's not get into the Angels themselves. Harry seriously doubted the Angels went to battle with glowing carrots.
Rukia was ignorant to Harry's growing amusement and incredulity and continued. "Now these Three Factions eventually went to war with each other. The War went on for thousands of years, taking many casualties from both sides and causing much destruction in the Human World." Rukia drew black rabbits fighting white rabbits with black wings and white rabbits with white wings and fire and lightning falling around them. Despite the seriousness of the discussion, Harry had to stop himself from laughing at the sight. "So, any questions so far?"
Harry couldn't help himself from asking, "Yeah, why is everyone a freaking rabbit?"
WHAM!
"Son of a-!" yelled Harry as Rukia somehow lifted the entire board and slammed it on his head. Despite how it should have, at the very least, knocked him out, Harry stayed conscious. Though the pain made him wish he'd been knocked unconscious. "What the hell was that for?!"
"Don't insult my drawings!" retorted the now obviously insane petite angel as she glared at him. "You're lucky I'm even using my valuable time to teach such an obvious barbarian like you!"
Harry wanted to retort with the fact that she had been ordered to by Raphael but realized that saying that would only get him another smack. Mumbling an apology, Harry hissed as the pain slowly faded and they went back to Rukia's lecture.
"Now," huffed a still irritated Rukia. "As I was saying. The War continued for millennia until eventually all three sides realized that continuing would only result in mutual destruction and a cease-fire was formed. However, before the cease-fire came into being, all Four Satans, which were Lucifer and the first Three Devils he created, and God had been killed."
Any amusement Harry felt at Rukia's drawings disappeared as what she said filtered into his brain. "Wait, what?! God had been killed?! But how-?!"
Rukia gave a tight smile. "Despite what Christians believe, the God of the Bible was NOT the Creator of everything. He was a powerful chieftain God, certainly, but not the creator. He was about equal to Odin and other All-Father gods in strength and had certain abilities that put him above them in some ways but not all-powerful. And in war... the worst always happens."
Harry remembered Fred's dead body and Percy's mournful cries. He remembered Dobby's final moments and Hermione's screams as she was tortured. "Yeah... war is hell."
Rukia smiled tightly at that before clearing her throat and continuing. "Anyway, with God's death the angels had a problem. Michael ascended to become the new God but he lacked something the original God of the Bible had. The Original God was the only one that could create new angels and the war had severely depleted the angels' forces. The devils had created a system called the Evil Piece system which allowed them to reincarnate recently deceased humans and other creatures into Devils that served under them. Angels tried to copy it but failed. The devils had something we didn't... creativity."
"You see, Angels represent Order while Devils represent Chaos. Chaos is obviously more creative than Order and so can develop things we can't. The Evil Piece system is just one example. For centuries, the angels feared that the Devils would eventually regain their strength and destroy them. This fear festered for centuries until a generation ago something happened that gave them hope."
Rukia looked at Harry as she dropped the bomb. "Lily Evans, the daughter of two exorcists, was born with the ability to wield wizard magic."
Harry froze and his eyes widened at Rukia's words. "You mean-"
"Yes," interrupted Rukia. "Your mother, Lily Evans, later Lily Potter came from a long line of exorcists. Exorcists are mortals who do God's work on Earth by hunting Stray devils and demons who prey on the faithful. She had been raised to take up the family legacy until it was found that she could wield mortal magic. Being mortal and capable of magic as well as having an insight into Angel physiology and such that others lacked, gave Lily the tools necessary to do something that gave hope to Heaven once more."
"She created the Brave Saints system." said Rukia almost reverently.
"The Brave Saints system?" asked Harry confusingly.
"The Brave Saints system," lectured Rukia. "which Lily created by imitating the concept of the Evil Pieces, is a set of 12 cards which each of the Seraph and high-level Angels have in order to reincarnate other beings into Angels. High-level Angels choose the "suit" of their liking, though the ones with a fixated "suit" are Michael with Spade , Gabriel with Heart , Raphael with Club , and Uriel with Diamond . Most of the reincarnated Angels so far are former humans. Unlike Devils who base their choice on strength alone regardless of the species, the Heavens choose and reincarnate talented humans who are strong followers and have a "pure heart"." explained Rukia patiently. "The cards also have the ability to resurrect recently deceased humans as Angels as well."
Slowly things started to make sense to Harry. "So... when I died... Raphael resurrected me as an Angel?" At Rukia's nod, Harry slowly grew angry. "Why? I don't want to fight in your war. I already died fighting in the one I was in!"
While Harry may be happy to be alive, the fact was that he was basically conscripted to fight in somebody else's war. While Harry may have a "saving people" thing as Hermione had put it, dammit he just wanted a normal life! At least dead he would be with his parents again.
Harry hadn't missed certain clues they'd left about not being able to return to his old life. Beyond the fact that his return would bring about an uproar in the Wizarding World, he was an Angel now. He doubted he would be able to hide that for long since he was pretty sure Angels don't age and are forbidden from procreating. Rukia did say some Angels had Fallen due to lust, after all. Eventually, he would be found out and then shit would hit the fan.
Anymore angry thoughts left his mind when Rukia whacked him over the head with a small book she'd conjured. "Ow! What was that for?!" asked Harry angrily.
"For being stupid," said Rukia bluntly. "Let me ask you something, if the Devils regain their strength and decide to conquer Heaven, what do you think will happen?"
"Um... war?" asked Harry hesitantly; still afraid she'd whack him again.
Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yes, idiot, war. And we'd lose. Heaven is still weak from the last War so we'd be overrun. And that means not only would the Angels be destroyed but so would the souls we protect."
Harry stiffened as Rukia's words finally hit home. "Souls we protect? You mean..."
"Yes," said Rukia quietly. "This is Heaven, after all. This is home to more than just Angels but to good souls as well. If you died and came here, you still would have been dragged into the War if they attacked. At least now you have the means to defend not only yourself but your loved ones as well. I know that at least Lily Evans has a special place here in Heaven. If the Devils succeeded in wiping the Angels out, they'd go after the souls next, including Lily. What do you think they'd do to the woman who created the Brave Saints system?"
Harry gritted his teeth as he realized Rukia was right. While he hated that he was dragged into this war against his will, he would hate it even more if he was forced to watch his family be killed or tortured in front of him and be unable to even do anything.
Rukia laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "It's not so bad. As an Angel, you get to go down to Earth from time to time and you can also see your loved ones here in Heaven. So it's sort of the best of both worlds, don't you think?"
Harry nodded slowly before looking at Rukia suspiciously. "Nothing comes for free. What's the catch?"
Rukia grimaced before speaking. "You have to follow the rules or risk Falling. A Fallen Angel has no true home. While the Fallen have territory in the Underworld, it's not really a home for them. Furthermore, if you break the rules and Fall you'd never be welcomed into Heaven again... ever."
Harry gulped at the thought. While obeying rules he never agreed to bothered him, never seeing his family again in any way if he broke them bothered him more.
"So what are these rules?" asked Harry calmly.
Rukia smiled as she saw Harry had calmed down. "It's pretty basic. No sinning, obviously, so no falling into one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Also, no sex outside of a certain ritual that takes several hours to perform and the sex can only be done with true love or the thought of procreation in mind."
Harry grimaced at that last one. 'Great,' thought Harry sarcastically. 'I die a virgin only to be reborn into a life of celibacy. If God wasn't dead, I'd say he has a sense of humor.'
Luckily, Rukia didn't see his grimace and continued. "You'll learn more about the rules as you go along. The important thing to know right now is your duties which are to answer the prayers of the faithful that your King, Raphael, tells you to answer as well as any other small jobs he has for you."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't understand. You said that Heaven desperately needed help to regain its strength and even said something about demons. What's the difference between demons and Devils? You say it like they're two different things."
Rukia nodded seriously and started to draw on the white board again. "Now is the important part. The list of our enemies and information on them."
Rukia took a deep breath as she started her lecture. "Now, first you need to understand something. There are Devils and there are demons. Devils are descended from Lucifer's bloodline either through birth or resurrection. There hasn't been a Devil created the same way Lucifer turned himself into one since his death. So all current Devils have some kind of blood connection to either Lucifer, one of his three Satan generals: Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus; or to one of 72 pillars which are the families descended from the original 72 Devils he created. Devils who are former humans resurrected as Devils share the blood of the Devil who resurrected them."
"Devils live in the Underworld which is different from the Hell you know of. The Underworld was created when Lucifer was cast out of Heaven into the Chaosplasm, which was a chaotic realm left over from when Creation came to be. Using his powers, he turned that realm into what is now known as the Underworld. The Underworld is roughly the same size as the Human world but with a much larger landmass, as there are no oceans. The sky is purple during both the day and night. The Underworld is currently split into two regions: The Devils' Region and the Fallen Angels' Region. Are you with me so far?" asked Rukia imperiously.
Harry nodded as he tried not to laugh at the rabbit-themed Devils she'd drawn though he had to admire her drawing skill. It looked pretty detailed, if childish.
Seeing that Harry was paying attention, she continued. "Now, demons on the other hand are different. Demons are an ageless supernatural species that have existed since Creation's dawning. They represent the Darkness that existed before Light came to the world. The Demon World itself is an extension of the original darkness that covered the universe before the coming of light. It is in the Demon World where natural demons are born and also seems to serve as a source of power for the demons born there. The Demon World is what's known as Hell and is separate from the worlds of the Underworld, Earth and Heaven which as all interconnected. The only way demons manage to get to Earth is by traveling through an intermediate world called Limbo, also known as Purgatory. In Limbo, even humans can see demons' true form.
"Demons come in various shapes and sizes but they all have monstrous true forms and share the desire to destroy all of Creation. Not much is known about the hierarchy of Demon World beyond the rankings of lesser demons and that they are all ruled by the Demon King. The original Demon King was killed in battle before Lucifer's Fall but a new one has taken his place since. No one knows who the new Demon King is but whoever he is, he's smart. Demons nowadays either manipulate humans to sin so they end up in Hell or simply for their own sick entertainment. Between Devils and demons, demons are by far our worst enemy. The Great War weakened us so much that it's all we can do to defend the places on Earth that we have the most influence meaning the demons have spread amongst those we don't."
Harry took all this in with a solemn look on his face. "But what about those places ange- I mean we don't have influence? Do we just abandon them?"
Rukia huffed. "Harry, while Christianity is the widest spread religion, it's not universal. There are other religions and they have their own pantheons which do exist. We can only interfere in places that follow our religion or we risk starting a war with the other pantheons. Unfortunately, those pantheons are either too weak to really do anything against the demons or don't care."
"What about the places that don't follow any established religion or follow a religion that doesn't have a pantheon?" asked Harry curiously. "Do we interfere there?"
Rukia grimaced at the hard question. "Harry…. We can only interfere if we're called through prayers. For those places that don't pray to us…."
Harry's jaw tightened in anger. "So you're saying we just abandon them because they don't pray to us?! Aren't we supposed to be angels, defenders of all that is good and righteous and all that?!"
"Maybe," said Rukia stiffly. "But we're also soldiers first, Harry. And soldiers follow orders."
Harry grit his teeth and slowly controlled his anger. Getting angry wouldn't change anything and he couldn't just go off without even an idea of how to use his new powers.
Harry sighed and looked up at Rukia. "Sorry, I got angry but it's not your fault. Is there anything else I need to know? Do I need to know about the other pantheons?"
Rukia shook her head in the negative. "Not really. We rarely interact with them unless we manage to ascend to high-level Angels. By then we'll know everything we need to know anyway. Now come on and get up, it's time for what will probably be the favorite part of my lecture."
Harry was confused as he got off the bed and stood at the foot of it. Harry blushed when Rukia came up to him and hugged him.
With an equally large blush, Rukia huffed at him. "Sorry but I still need to have a lot of contact with a passenger when I travel the angel way. I haven't had a lot of practice with taking a passenger so hold on."
Eyes widening, Harry didn't have time to ask what she meant when everything was engulfed in light and he went through a sensation similar to a Portkey but without feeling the actual drag as he was pulled along. It was similar to being on a roller coast without the nauseous aftereffects.
Once they arrived, Harry looked around to find something that caused his heart to leap into his throat.
In front of a surprised Harry James Potter was Potter Cottage, which he had last seen in December half-destroyed in Godric's Hollow. It was whole now with the sun shining softly down on it; it looked like a perfect piece of Heaven.
Looking back at Rukia, she smiled softly at him before nodding toward the cottage. "Go on. They're waiting for you."
Harry gulped and shakily made his way up the familiar path, last seen through the eyes of his enemy and now finally through his own. Harry slowly reached the door and opened it, before standing in the entry hall.
The house looked exactly as he saw in Voldemort's memories, except better since it was bathed in sunlight from the doorway. Harry took in the sight of every photo like a starving man and turned when he heard a voice that was achingly familiar.
"James, is that you? Did you manage to find that idiot Sirius and Remus? You have to hurry because Harry could be here at any minute and I want the party to be ready for when he arrives." Called out a very much whole Lily Evans from what he guessed was the dining room. When he didn't answer, his tongue stuck in his throat, she walked out into the entry hall to see what was wrong.
Harry had heard many times that his mother was beautiful but never really understood till now what they meant. She had a modest figure, not a supermodel but enough to turn heads if she dressed correctly. Her hair was a thick, dark red and her eyes were very familiar, seeing as Harry saw it every time he looked into a mirror. However, it wasn't her figure that made her beautiful but her inner light. Her warmth, kindness and love were so strong that it shined from her, making her outshine even Veela when they actively used their aura.
Harry finally understood why people always recognized his eyes as Lily's instead of simple green eyes. They shined with an inner light, magic and warmth that most didn't have and gave her a unique look that was only copied by her son.
Lily froze as soon as she entered the entry hall, a trembling hand going to her mouth as she realized who was standing there. A smile slowly overtook her face as tears started going down her cheeks.
"Harry?"
That was all it took for Harry's legs to move almost without command and he barreled into her so fast she almost fell over, engulfing her in a fierce hug. She was warm to the touch, her soft arms circling him as he cried into her hair, absently realizing he was much taller than her. All previous thoughts and concerns vanished as he realized the one thing he wanted was literally wrapped around him.
"Mum," said Harry tearfully into her hair, feeling no shame for the tears going down his face. "Is it really you?"
Lily broke the hug to smile up at her son. "Yes, Harry. It's really me and no one is going to separate us again. I promise."
The two reunited family members hugged once more as they basked in the warmth of their reunion.
Back outside, Rukia had a small smile on her face as she witnessed the emotional family reunion that slowly dropped. "I think it's kind cruel to manipulate him like this, Lord Raphael."
Beside her, Raphael shimmered into existence, witnessing the same spectacle with a neutral gaze. "I am not manipulating him. After all he has gone through he deserves this moment. If along the way he finds a reason to fight, so much the better."
"I still think it's manipulative but perhaps you're right, my lord," said Rukia in a calm tone that hid her unease at the manipulation.
Raphael eyed Rukia for a second before speaking. "What do you think of him? You've seen his life on Earth and talked to him. What do you think?" This was the true reason Raphael had pulled so many favors to get her to teach Harry the basics which anyone could have taught. Rukia's best ability was the skill to correctly sum up a person's personality through just a few conversations with the person. Her having watched Harry's life before meeting him only made her conclusion that much more accurate.
Rukia took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Harry is…. unique. To him, there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loyal man I've ever seen or met—loyal beyond reason. To him, abstractions like peace don't mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He would go to great lengths and take great risks in order to help others, particularly his loved ones. He is an extremely brave, loyal, and selfless person and possesses a tremendous strength of character. He isn't the kind of person that can be cowed or bullied into submission.
"While he doesn't mind putting himself in danger, he'll react violently if his loved ones are put into danger. I pity the fool who tries to hurt his loved ones because I doubt they'll live long. For that reason he'll probably throw his all into defending Heaven from demonic forces. He is naturally honest and despises lying and deception, and especially hates politics, probably considering most politicians to be greedy and self-conceited. Harry also possesses an instinctual, intuitive intelligence that allows him to make intellectual leaps as opposed to the logical methodical intelligence of his friend, Hermione. He can be brilliant when he puts forth the effort such as when he was training for the Tri-Wizard Tournament but lacks the intellectual drive or love of knowledge that his mother has."
Rukia sighed. "On the other hand, Severus Snape's comments weren't completely without truth. He is slightly cocky at times and is hot-tempered and impulsive. This is seen in the way he's rude to authority figures who disagree with his own beliefs. His lack of intellectual drive could be a result of the lack of confidence that he developed from growing up with the Dursleys though he is growing out of it. He also has a bit of an obsessive quality. He could be somewhat nosy and tends to get involved in things that do not concern him. He probably won't be content with our reasons for not getting more involved with the demons and I saw him get angrier at the idea that we were leaving people to their fate than at the fact that he was forcibly forced into what he calls "our war"."
Raphael snorted at that. "Like he wouldn't be affected if we lose. What is your conclusion then?"
Rukia took a deep breath before speaking. "In conclusion, if properly motivated he could be our most powerful asset since his potential is almost limitless and he inspires others. He would make a great teacher and I recommend giving him a student, preferably a human one in order to give him a reason to protect the Human World since he's basically lost the people still alive. It'll also keep him busy during his Earth assignments so he causes less trouble that way.
"However, you are right and he also has the highest risk of Falling out of the resurrected angels of this generation. Not due to lack of virtues or anything but for the same reason he'll become our most powerful asset…. "
Rukia looked at the sight of the mother and son walking toward the living room to talk with a neutral eye.
"… it's because he loves too fiercely and will never let an innocent suffer if he can help it."
Ten years later
It was raining heavily. Almost as if Heaven itself was weeping its loss. Of course, Harry James Potter, who was kneeling in wet mud outside of the house he once thought he would share with the girl he loved as they built a life together, knew that wasn't true. They had probably abandoned him by now.
Just like she did.
Harry shivered as he remembered the disgust in her eyes when he revealed himself as a Fallen Angel.
'You're a Fallen Angel! A monster! How can I love a monster?!'
Harry's heart clenched at the memory of his beloved's words which cut deeper than any blade ever could. He loved her. He had given up Heaven for her! He turned his back on everything he had; his parents, his friends, his King... all for her! She'd said she loved him. That she would love him forever.
Then why did she turn her back on him when he revealed himself as a Fallen? He Fell because of his love for her. Certainly that proved that he wasn't like other Fallen!?
Harry took a deep breath and released his anger like he had been taught, realizing it was useless. He couldn't hate her if he tried. He loved her... still loved her. Even after hurting him so deeply, she was still the light of his life and the thought of her being hurt broke his heart.
Harry tried to blame someone, anything, but realized he had no one to blame but himself. He consciously chose to Fall, thinking that he could have a happy life with her. He should have known better. Even when he was human, he knew he wasn't meant to be happy.
The sounds of footsteps brought him from his thoughts, their gait familiar and Harry lowered his eyes in shame, unwilling to see the disappointment in his King's eyes.
The man stopped in front of his kneeling form, as if waiting to administer judgement. The silence between the man and his former knight stretched on before the former broke it.
"Show me your wings, angel," commanded Raphael, an almost undetectable tremor in his voice betraying his pain.
However, Harry was too lost in his own self-castigations to hear it and simply obeyed, revealing where there were once twelve pure white wings were now twelve wings that were as black as midnight. The sign that he had Fallen.
Raphael's face tightened at the confirmation of his former subordinate's fall and a myriad of emotions crossed his face. He looked down on Harry, the angel known in Heaven as its greatest champion due to his acts over the last eight years. Closing his eyes briefly, Raphael summoned a sword of light in his hand.
Harry did nothing when felt Raphael summoning a light sword. After his love's rejection, he had lost the will to live. Plus, he had betrayed him. Betrayed his King. The man who had become a second father to him as well as his role model. The man he had tried to emulate only to fail and Fall.
All because of love.
Raphael looked down at his former knight's form, his heart clenching as he took in his resigned demeanor, almost as if he was hoping for death. This wasn't the man Raphael remembered. The man who would argue with him about doing what was right regardless of the consequences. It hurt Raphael more than he would admit to see this, his most loyal knight, so beaten.
Closing his eyes as his mind and heart raged against each other, Raphael grit his teeth and made his decision.
Harry waited for the blow to fall, almost eager to escape the pain of rejection. Even Oblivion would be better than this. Anything would be better than living with this pain.
Suddenly, Harry realized that Raphael had left, leaving him alive. Rather than be happy at the development, despair filled his being. At least dead he would have made up for his betraying his King. But alive? How could he ever make up for betraying the man who gave him his second chance at life and became a second father to him? How could he live with the pain of rejection by the one he loved?
Unable to cope with the magnitude of what had happened in the last 24 hours, Harry laid his head in the mud and wept.
AN: This is one of my old stories that I found while cleaning my USB and I decided to put it up here in case anyone wanted to continue it. Heck, if I get enough people motivating me to continue myself I just might.
As always, Read and Review!