Reworked version of Chapter One with some changes based on some thinking I did based on some initial reviews and some of my own ideas. Just re-read it and you'll see what I changed.

Chapter One: Herald.

Green eyes looked onto the charred grounds of the village of Hogsmeade. The broken and battered bodies right near his feet, as he stepped right over them.

"Did you succeed?" asked Aberforth Dumbledore, as he sat against the walls of his own pub, a large hole in his chest.

"Define success," said Harry coolly.

"Is the uprising over?" coughed Aberforth as the blood splattered out of his mouth.

"I killed them all," said Harry, as he faced Aberforth Dumbledore, with indifference.

"Then you've won," said Aberforth as he drew breath. "Do not allow my brother's dogma about how people deserve second chances taint you from beyond his grave. His second chances got many killed. Four wars in less than a century, our world is in ruin."

Harry nodded, in a solemn manner. He stepped over, as he clutched the Resurrection Stone in one hand, the Elder Wand in the other, and the Invisibility Cloak was over his back.

"Could I bring it back?" asked Harry. "I'm supposed to be the Master of Death after all. I have the Hallows."

"Well, just don't bring me back," whispered Aberforth in a stern voice. "I see the light, I'm going home. My sister is waiting for me. You can move on in life, you've always been versatile."

"Thanks Aberforth," muttered Harry as he watched the old man die.

Harry stood, the Hallows in his hand and walked forward, up towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It resembled the ruins that Muggles would have seen now more than ever. Harry continued to walk through the hallways of Hogwarts, no one had been here for a long time. People died, but in the end, he found himself ready to move on.

The moment Voldemort was killed; he thought a new chapter of his life began. Two years and ten months ago, they had a few moments of happiness. Then, the sins of the past war caught up and a new threat manifested itself.

Harry walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room and pushed the ripped portrait back. He sat on his old bed. The Resurrection Stone held in his hand and Harry looked at it, thoughtfully.

"I wonder," whispered Harry, as he held it and turned it around three times. "I wish to speak to…Hermione Granger."

The form of Hermione Granger appeared right in front of him, a twisted distortion of herself. A frown appeared on her face as she faced Harry.

"Harry, this better be good, pulling me out of the afterlife like that!" yelled Hermione in a frantic manner.

"Just never got to say goodbye," said Harry, as he looked at his friend with a smile.

"You don't realize the dangers do you," muttered Hermione. "How much of a danger we pose to living people, just by being here?"

"Hermione, I know you're not going to take over someone's body and rob them of their life," said Harry.

"Harry, you can't…I'm not Hermione, I'm just an echo," said Hermione, as she looked at Harry with a frown. "You risk a lot by bringing me here."

"Hermione, I got her, I got the person who killed you," said Harry.

"Harry, I'm glad, I know you would eventually," said Hermione as she looked around frantically. "I can't believe…"

"The Ministry caused it, and Umbridge, people like her," said Harry as Hermione nodded. "We never did find all of your body."

"Is there anyone left?" asked Hermione.

Harry pondered that one. "That's a good question actually, come to think about it."

"Send me back, Harry, before I get tempted to steal someone's body," said Hermione. "Being a disembodied spirit, it hurts too much, and…unless its life or death, promise me you won't recall anyone ever again."

"Hermione, I won't, but I just…" said Harry.

"The dead should stay buried, Harry," said Hermione. "The world needs you still; I don't know how I know, just send me back. Now let me go."

"Good bye, Hermione, rest in peace," muttered Harry, as he sent his best friend back to the afterlife for the final time.

Harry sat and pondered what to do next.

"I wished there could have been a third option years ago when I had the chance," the Boy-Who-Lived managed in an off handed manner.

No sooner did those words leave his mouth where the world disappeared around him. Harry reappeared in in a large dark hallway. With the wand out in his hand, Harry stepped down the hallway. He came face to face with a figure in a large black robe.

'Dementor,' thought Harry. 'No it can't be…'

The hood lowered. Harry turned to face a woman with long dark hair and purple eyes. She gazed upon Harry.

"Greetings Harry Potter, welcome to my realm, where I judge mortals for passage," said the woman, with a shadow of a smile. "I must say, it is high time you accepted your role."

Harry stared at the woman, confused.

"Just who are you?" demanded Harry, as he braced himself for a battle.

"Oh, I have many names," she said in amusement, clutching a scythe. "The Angel of the Afterlife, the Keeper of Souls, the Grim Reaper, but you may to refer to me as Death."

Harry blinked and looked at her. He just gave a chuckle.

"You're Death?" asked Harry, as he looked at the woman. She nodded.

"Sorry, I just can't see it," said Harry.

"Mortals never see through my disguises," said Death as she tapped the end of her scythe on the ground. "Any form I choose at any time, this is just what I intended to present myself as."

Silence filled the air, and then she added, "An attractive woman makes it much easier to bring in the elderly men, for the reasons you may have guessed."

Harry's expression remained blank, as he tried to figure out what her little game was.

"We have wasted too much time on who I am," said Death. "The subject of this interview is you Harry Potter. You are the Chosen One."

Harry looked at her and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, congratulations, you just missed the bus on that one about three years too late," said Harry, as he took a step forward. "The prophecy, Voldemort, who is dead I should note…"

"That infant Riddle was mere child's play," said Death. "He was merely phase one of my plans for you. Phase two was the three year war you had with the uprising that his actions and the actions of your foolish Ministry caused. When you were ready to accept your fate, I would come for you. Then again, for a thousand years, I waited for this moment. The entire Wizarding World never could have been saved. Much like the Mayans, the Romans, and other lost civilizations, they had their time and now it has ended."

Harry looked at her. He had a hunch this might be going in a direction that he did not like.

"It was merely one scheme until the time was right for you to unite the three keys," said Death.

"What three keys?" demanded Harry, as he took after step forward. Death stepped back and conjured a white board.

"The Cloak of Invisibility," narrated Death in a dull voice, as she showed Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

Next, a familiar stone appeared right in Harry's view.

"The Stone of Resurrection," narrated Death.

Then the stone disappeared and a wand appeared.

"The Wand of Eternity," concluded Death.

"And here I thought it was called the Elder Wand," said Harry.

"Do not correct me on the things I name," said Death as she tapped her fingers. "You have the three keys, mastered them, and combined them."

"So, the Deathly Hallows?" asked Harry.

"Yes, if that must be what you mortals have dubbed them," said Death. "Yes, for lack of a better term, you have united the Deathly Hallows."

Death remained pensive.

"These Deathly Hallows, and their role in that children's fable you once heard, are as close to the truth as mortals will ever again," said Death. "The truth of the matter is I placed the Hallows into the hands of those three brothers with a purpose. Do not think for one second that mere mortals could fool me."

She reflected on the incident. "The oldest idiot decided to brag he had the ultimate wand. As a result, his throat was slit and the wand stolen. The middle idiot tried to bring back his girlfriend. He got an echo that seduced him to the afterlife. The youngest idiot was the smartest of the three. He remained out of sight, until he was bored. Then he followed me peacefully."

A slight smile appeared on her face at the memories.

"In the end, only idiot wizards could go on some fanciful quest for some curse stick of wood for centuries," muttered the woman, as she recalled every moment of the struggles for the Wand of Eternity.

"So the wand's cursed," said Harry, as he wondered what he had been drafted into.

"Harry Potter, I would not as foolish to put such a powerful weapon up to chance," said Death. "Only the one worthy to hold it would be able to access its capabilities, once he was ready."

Harry had a bad feeling where this was going, but he took things in stride until he knew for sure.

"The Wand of Eternity is unbeatable in the hands of those worthy of holding it," said Death. "Yet, all who have held it up until you have been unworthy. Therefore, they got sent into my waiting arms one by one."

Slowly, Harry nodded.

"So, since I united all three Hallows, that makes me the Master of Death," said Harry.

"Only death can master death, Harry Potter," said Death. "It is a fundamental law of the universe."

She then added, "You are the Herald of Death. You have powers, in addition to the magic you learned in the past several years. Further explanation will come shortly."

"I'm thrilled," said Harry in a dead pan voice.

"Yes, I'm certain," said Death.

"So, this is a choice I should have made three years ago," said Harry.

"Three years ago, you may have not been ready, even if I could have trained you," said Death. "I would not have allowed you to move on. You can know that for certain."

"How can you not allow it?" asked Harry.

"Harry Potter, your purpose is far greater than your emotional attachment to those you had lost," said Death, as she moved over. She motioned for Harry to sit down, but Harry refused. "Fine, you can stand."

"I can find a way to bring them back, undo what is done," said Harry. "Time travel…"

"No, time travel past a period of twenty four hours would damage the fabric of existence," said Death. "While it is my capability to send you back to your body, you would be just an observer. Like someone viewing a program through a television set. Each decision you made would be the same way. You would be yelling at yourself to do something else, but it would fall upon deaf ears."

There was silence, as Harry looked at her with thinly veiled contempt.

"You set me up to fail," accused Harry.

"Define, failure," said Death.

"Do not use my own words against me!" yelled Harry as his temper flared up.

"Melodrama, it's too bad you cannot channel that into power, you might have already usurped me," said Death as she filed her nails, before shrugging. "I may have spent too much time as a woman."

She hummed a funeral march, as she looked at Harry, and continued. "Get it out of your system."

"I hate you," said Harry.

"That's nice, dear," replied Death in a bored voice. "So did I set you up for failure? Not really, it was written in the stars the Wizarding World was on borrowed time. The entire purpose of it was to set the stage to find my Herald and groom him for the task at hand. The Muggleborn uprising you fought was not the only conflict in Europe. Other magical governments were devastated, but none had you. So therefore, very few survivors were left."

"You just relish this, don't you?" asked Harry.

"I cannot feel attachment towards mortals," replied Death. "The Stone of Resurrection you hold be careful with relying on it. I may decide to start killing children if you pull souls out from underneath my nose too often."

"What if I don't care?" demanded Harry.

"What if you do?" retorted Death, calling his bluff. "Hermione did explain to you the consequences. You did defer enough to her when she was alive. Although, you finally managed to stand on your own two feet, but it only took her dying for you to do so."

Harry glared at her, as he took a step forward and grabbed her robes.

"I don't care, if you're Death," said Harry. "I honestly don't, because if I can't die, that means nothing you can do can hurt me."

"Death can hurt, but there are far worse fates," replied Death mistily, as she shifted out of Harry's grasp and appeared out of his reach.

"My entire life's just been one big set up for you to groom me to be some Herald of Death," said Harry. "I…"

"Be silent," said Death. "Your life may have been a lie, but life could very well be the biggest lie in existence. And magical users will soon be an endangered species with very few left."

"There were survivors," countered Harry.

"Not for long, I'm afraid," said Death. "I'm going to be blunt with you. There's no Ministry. There's no Gringotts. You did the intelligent thing and converted all of your money to Muggle currency. Wizards without a government or without a bank to call their own will have to function in the Muggle World. Given their ignorance, I will be seeing them sooner rather than later."

"A thousand years, just to put these keys in my hand," said Harry. "And how many people…"

"All of them had to die, so others may live," said Death. "Another fundamental rule of existence you shall understand the hard way."

"Did anyone else figure out who or what I was?" asked Harry.

"Yes, some might have taken a guess," replied Death. "The prophecy involving you and Riddle indicated me that it could be no one else. The timing was right and you fit everything. Others had ideas naturally, and tried to futilely impede your quest."

"Let me guess, Dumbledore and Voldemort," said Harry.

"Correct on the first, not so much on the second," said Death. "Tom Marvolo Riddle was mostly ignorant. He had one of the keys in his grasp, yet he used it as a means to cheat me. He was supposed to die years ago. Finally, I found him and now I'm making up for lost time."

Harry hazarded a guess Voldemort's afterlife might not have been the most cheerful.

"Albus Dumbledore guessed enough," added Death. "Therefore he tried to steer you into his own vision. Yet, in the end, I dealt with him. The moment he touched the stone, it set off a chain reaction that would kill him. He tried to mold you. Even after death, he refused to let go. He wanted to believe he had not been mistaken. He wanted to believe that those in your hidden world could be redeemed."

Death folded her hands over her robes. "Even after his hourglass ran down, Dumbledore believed he had you where he wanted you. His afterlife, I shall spare you the details of."

Harry wondered, but decided not to prod Death any further.

"Your mother and potentially your father knew much," said Death. "Lily Potter had much knowledge, given connections her family had. She had access to information dating back through the annals of time. Once she heard the prophecy, she understood everything. In fact, she understood her role was to die. She walked off peacefully. She did not struggle, she accepted."

Harry decided to get some information. "What did Mum know?"

"Much," replied Death in a cryptic voice. "She left a journal behind, but it had been lost the night Riddle attacked. It's not my place to tell you the contents, but yours to find her journal."

The personification of the afterlife leaned back against a wall.

"It can be opened only by those of her blood," said Death. "Yet, we should not assume that's foolproof."

"Yes, even the best charms can be compromised," replied Harry.

"Very good, you're learning," said Death.

"Could you give me a hint what it contains?" asked Harry.

"That would defeat the purpose," said Death. "The point has passed where I cannot help you. The keys will unlock your full powers."

Death gave Harry a black scroll in white writing and allowed him to read.

Magic: You should know this one.

Durability: You are stronger than mere flesh, blood, and bone. Most weapons will not hurt you. If you are hit with a strong enough weapon and blow up, you will not be able to regenerate. Powerful dark magic may harm you as well.

Hyper Immune System: You will not be able to get sick. You are also immune to radiation.

Super Heightened Senses: Your sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell are more sensitive than humans.

Flight: You will be able to defy gravity.

Ability to Read Body Language: You can read your opponents movements and adapt to them. Naturally, when dealing with unpredictable or more versatile opponents, this ability can be a challenge.

Heighted Stamina and Reflexes: In combat and other activities, you will be able to sustain peak performance longer than most humans.

Power Copying: You will be able to copy the powers of seven individuals. You have six more; given you have already copied the abilities of Tom Marvolo Riddle from the Horcrux that was previously in curse scar. Therefore, you have retained Parseltongue. Use this ability with discretion.

Reality Warping: Reality can be distorted. However, use this with caution. The bigger the change, the bigger the backfire, as certain balances must be maintained. Wiping out world hunger may cause Nuclear Armageddon.

Language Interpretation: You will be able to read and understand any language, living or dead, alien or human.

Death paused as she allowed Harry to read the list.

"And that is before you merge with the three keys," said Death. "You will gain awareness when the Stone, the Cloak, and the Wand become a part of you."

"So I have this great power, but why/" asked Harry, as he stared Death down without fear.

"The reasons are many," said Death. "None of them are your concern. You may know this. As the Herald of Death, you can walk among humans. It is not your place to judge or collect, but merely your place to ensure that certain forces to do not disrupt the balance."

"And why can't you do this?" demanded Harry.

"It's within my abilities, but I need a more balanced representation," said Death. "You are an interesting paradox, Harry Potter. You have seen much death, but yet it does not burden you. On a level, you understand that things must occur for a reason. Yet, if you wish to fight, you will do what you must to ensure those closest to you shall live."

She regarded Harry.

"Dangerous forces exist, Harry Potter," she continued. "Should I remain on the mortal plane for too long, it could turn me into something far more mortal. Death cannot exist without life and life cannot exist without death. The scale must remain equal. Remove me from the equation, and what do we have?"

"Well, no one would die," said Harry.

"Do think the disaster an overcrowded world would cause," said Death. "Where people contract diseases that leave them in misery, yet they can never move on. The same exists without life, as there would be no purpose for me. I would fade like an ember into the night."

Death drew in breath, even if the gesture was rather unnecessary. "It does tire me much to keep dragging mortals to this place against their will. Rests assure that it is a fate I have resigned myself to. I limit the trips to only what is needed. I might find myself sympathizing with the plights of those I need to collect, and it just leads to trouble."

"It's done, the world I knew," said Harry.

"Yes, all will be gone by the time I send you back," said Death. "In time, you will find that it will be easiest to move on should you start somewhere fresh. Removing your memories would only delude you. The first step in accepting your new place is to learn from the lessons the past two decades of your life."

Harry remained stoic.

"Soon you will depart, my herald," said Death. "So I leave you with this advice. Do not go chasing ghosts. The world you know exists merely in your memories. The castle of Hogwarts would fade from the damage and may be demolished as an old ruin."

"Fine," said Harry.

"Second of all, the when and where is being done for many reasons," said Death. "It has been written that there is another that will become the hero that the world needs. While you may be capable of your moments of heroism, you best operate as one that remains in the shadows. This one will be a shining beacon of light in time. You can never be that shining beacon, even if you can help many in other ways. It's not your place to be that hero"

Harry looked at her. He refused to even dignify that comment with a reply.

"Observe his progress, advise him, but do not fall into the habit of fighting his battles," said Death. "It will open a Pandora's Box and all will be lost."

Harry looked at her. She expected him to sit on the sidelines, didn't she?

He just shook his head.

"Your mother's journal will explain much, but naturally what it contains cannot solve the problems of the world," said Death. "Third, agents of mine have prepared what you need for your arrival. More information will be available once you arrive. What you choose to do with the opportunity I have given you, only you can decide that."

'And yet, she seems to be making most of the decisions,' thought Harry, as he wondered if there was any way he could kill Death. Serious injury would work too.

He nodded stiffly and Death concluded. "Do try and live for once."

Harry opened his mouth and then shut it. The full absurdity of that statement as it came from that particular individual flummoxed him.

"There are naturally experiences you have not had, that most take for granted," said Death, cryptically. "You will be one with the three keys. The bonding will allow you to maintain your physical prime for the rest of time. Providing, you don't get killed."

"How much of a possibility is that?" asked Harry.

"Well, do not tempt fate," said Death. "If you come before me again, then someone has found a way. And then, we will have a problem."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to die," said Harry, who never, ever wanted to be anywhere near her again.

"Then step back through the door, my Herald," said Death. "I will send you to a strategic point. Much time will have passed since the moment you have left. We will hopefully not meet again."

'A point we agree on,' thought Harry.

Harry stepped through the gateway.

Death watched him leave. She unlocked her Herald's powers. It was time for her to return to what she did best.

An influx of past memories swirled through Harry Potter's head as he walked through the gateway and to the next step in his life.

The night he returned and defeated Voldemort was a jubilant one. Voldy had gone moldy, as a certain poltergeist put in his own elegant way.

The happy moment faded in an instant. Everything soon went to hell.

The Muggleborns left over from the war, oppressed from the past year, did not appreciate what was done for them. They united to overthrow the Ministry, with some help from a rogue faction of goblins, and do things their own way. Hermione worked to mediate things, but she was in over her head.

The rebels accused Hermione of being "safe and protected" and dubbed her a traitor to her kind. They violently slaughtered the girl. It was a time before Harry found most of her body.

Sometime later, the Burrow was blown up with all of the Weasleys inside. Harry had not been present; he had to see to Hermione's burial. All indications pointed to the fact he was the intended victim.

The Ministry made a pact with the Death Eaters, thus proving once and for all that no one learned anything from Voldemort. It also justified the violent actions of the bloodthirsty Muggleborn rebels. This was after the Ministry sworn in Umbridge as Minister, after Kingsley Shacklebolt was murdered. Nobody knew who orchestrated it: The Death Eaters, the rebels, or even Umbridge and her supporters.

The remaining Death Eaters fought an army of Muggleborns in a hellish civil war that ravaged the entire Ministry and Wizarding Britain. The blood spilled would make Voldemort's reign look like a fun day at the park.

Harry rallied what few allies he had left. The three way battle took place and everyone fell one by one. Luna and Neville had been among the very last, having died to save an orphanage of young pureblood and half-blood witches and wizards. Their parents died in the war.

Sadly, they all died as well when the Death Eaters slaughtered them for being blood traitors.

In a last desperate gambit, Harry retrieved the Elder Wand (or the Wand of Eternity as he reminded himself it was properly called) and the Resurrection Stone. He united the Deathly Hallows (or three keys rather).

He defeated the embittered Muggleborns and the Death Eaters. The village of Hogsmeade burned to the ground right around him.

Harry Potter would move to whatever life would bring him, because he was a survivor.

After all, it had to be better than what he was leaving behind, this time anyway.

He hoped.

Yes, this will be the last time you see Death.