Merry Christmas everyone! So after a semester of studying and stressing I was able to come back to fanfiction. Now I read this story over and well, to be quite frank, it was shit. Like Horrible Grade-A shit. But, I am rewriting it. I'm here and I've been brainstorming and hoping to make the story better. I like it and I want the people that read it to enjoy it, but I've learned you can't please everyone! So without further ado, her is your Christmas present! The first three chapters with hopefully another tomorrow! Enjoy and stay safe out there folks! ~Pacco1

The day had been as ordinary as any other. The sun hid behind the cover of clouds, people chatted and walked, enjoying the freedom of being released from the final class. The cool December afternoon brought a wave of nostalgia for Daniel Lovage. He smirked as he sat alone on the bus bench, headphones blaring loud music into his ears. He could see the sea of familiar faces and excited teenagers leave, eager to begin their Christmas vacations.

Daniel himself was in no rush. He sat comfortably, his back resting against the stone pillar that supported the roof of the bus stop. He pulled his coat tighter against his body and saw a few familiar faces moving through the crowd, pulling closer toward the bus station.

Daniel felt a twinge of panic and rushed to his feet, he could see the bus just a few blocks down the road. He could see the boys getting closer and he began to fidget, hoping to will the bus to arrive more quickly.

He felt a gloved hand grasp the back of his neck. He swore as he felt his body get pulled back, coming face to face with a group of boys.

He could hear their taunts and laughter. He felt the slaps and the shoves. He felt small, insignificant. He felt his throat tighten and tears well up in his eyes. Don't let them see you cry, he repeated to himself as he bit his lip and felt blood pool in his mouth as he tied to focus on the pain rather than the fear and humiliation.

The bus neared, he hoped they would leave and allow him to be alone. But instead, they began to pull him away from the curb, insisting that they weren't done talking. He kept his head bowed and felt his breath shudder as the bus neared. With no one near the post, it refused to slow.

Desperation and need to escape filled him.

He shoved the boys moving toward the bus. He waved his arms and called out for it to stop. The driver had not seen him. The boys had shoved him in retaliation, acting on instinct rather than thinking.

And it was with that unfortunate motion that the life of Daniel Lovage had been cut short.

The darkness around him was unending, the coldness that gripped him unyielding. He shivered as he took a step forward. His foot made contact with a solid surface, echoing across the vast expanse around him.

Is this death? He asked, swallowing nervously. He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes as he took another step. He remembered the headlight and the sound of the impact, but other than that, his mind was fuzzy on the details. Another step forward and there was a noise from behind him. He swallowed and turned, his vision still drowned in the dark.

"H-H-Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing and vibrating in the air. "I-Is someone there?"

He could hear his own breathing growing ragged and he swallowed wringing his hands together. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself. He opened his eyes, still trapped in the dark.

"Hello!" He shouted down. The air vibrated rocking Daniel to the ground. He screamed and felt his hands make contact with the cold floor. His head rang and his skin crawled, the air shaking violently. "Stop! Stop!"

His pleas were not answered. He brought his hands to his ears hoping to shield his ears and calm the ringing in his head.

He screwed his eyes shut and ground his teeth together so violently that he thought that they would break in his jaw.

But slowly he felt his skin stop to crawl, the ringing in his head slowed down. And the vibrations died. Opening his eyes Daniel found that he was no longer in darkness. Light flowed into the space around him, illuminating a bright stony courtyard, a great white tree sprouting from the center. Its branches were long and heavy with leaves of all different colors. Bright green, faded orange, light yellow.

Daniel stared at the beautiful tree, it seemed magnificent, regal almost. Though he nearly laughed at himself as he realized he had called a tree regal.

He took a cautious step forward and reached his hand out. A breeze blew past him gently, a few leaves falling and brushing past him. Gently as he could, his hand made contact with the rough bark. He smiled, a warm feeling spreading through his body, calming his nerves.

"Careful," he jumped, bringing his hand back. He turned his head, his heart pounding in his chest. He could see a figure sitting on a stone bench. She was smirking at him, a leather-bound book lazily held in her hand while her free hand brushed a few strands of raven locks from her face. "It's a very old tree."

Daniel swallowed nervously and glanced around the courtyard. He couldn't see anyone else, nor did he see the woman before she had spoken, then again, he hadn't been paying much attention to anything.

"H-Hi," he said. He glanced from the woman to the tree and felt a shard of panic slice through him "I'm sorry! I just, I don't know how I… I'm just trying to—"

She laughed and held up her hand silencing him. "Be calm. It's okay. You did nothing wrong."

He let out a sigh he hadn't known he was holding. "Thank you."

She stood up, closing her book and setting it down on her seat. Daniel noticed that her dress was long, and a deep blue. But it seemed old fashioned as if it was something he would see in an old painting.

"Poor boy," she said walking forward. She was shorter than he had first assumed, her appearance and the way she carried herself made her seem taller, larger. She came closer and reached her hand out, cupping Daniels's face. "You must be so confused. I know it must be… this must be a lot to take in."

She turned and took a few steps away from him. She glanced over her shoulder and turned to face him.

"Do you know what happened?" Daniel nodded slowly, his eyes glancing downward, focusing on his hands. "Tell me. I, I know it can be painful, and unpleasant, to put it mildly, however, I need to hear you say it."

Daniel felt the familiar throat tightening sensation, his eyes growing wet once more. "I…." he took a shuddered breath and nodded to himself looking up to the woman, his eyes red. "I died."

She nodded slowly and sighed gently. "You did."

"Are you an Angel?" he asked quickly. It seemed like the logical thing to assume. He was dead, in a courtyard with a woman wearing old clothes. It seemed likely. But much to his bemusement, the fair lady laughed and shook her head.

"No, not an angel. Just a woman who died as well. But, well a long time ago. In a different place." She motioned for Daniel to follow her. He did. "I've been here for quite some time. Years. In that time, I've read and learned about many different places and times. Places that might seem fantastical to some, and a commonplace reality to others. A place where the only difference between one place and the other is a green dishtowel as compared to a blue one."

She led him through the center of the courtyard into the halls around it.

"The place I come from is more fantastical when compared to yours."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, his brow furrowed as he listened to her speak.

She smiled softly and began again. "Well, let's begin with my name, it's Rowena." She paused and looked unsure for a moment before she seemed to gain her resolve back. "It's Rowena Ravenclaw."

Daniel paused for a moment, stopping in his tracks and giving the woman a cautious glance. He opened his mouth to respond but stopped short of saying anything as any response he could have had seemed to die before it reached his throat.

"It's okay," she said laughing. "I understand there may be some confusion. It is not what some would call, a common name."

Daniels's mind went blank. His jaw had dropped and he let out a disbelieving scoff. He shook his head and turned away rubbing his jaw as he took in the new information. His first thought was that the woman was a liar. There certainly was no plausible way that she could be who she said she was, as Rowena Ravenclaw was a fictitious person. Yet… he was dead. He knew he was dead. What reason would she have to lie? If he and she were both dead, lying meant very little as there was certainly nothing the dead could gain.

He scoffed and turned back toward her, his eyes having far less disbelief and more curiosity.

"You don't believe me," it was a statement rather than a question. She chuckled to herself and nodded. "I understand why. To you, I was simply a character that never had any significance. But if you could for a moment, entertain the idea that I wasn't lying—"

"Then why would you be here talking to me?" he asked.

Her smile turned tight, her head bowed slightly. "Yes. Why indeed. The simple answer. I need your help. To answer your next question, I didn't choose you."

Daniels's eyes narrowed and he looked around the hall almost as if to ask, then who did?

"Death, like most iterations, is a being of its own will. It has its faults and strengths. And it can be wrong. Death was wrong with me once. We had a wager. I won, that is all you'll hear of it. But after a time of exploring all that had been and all that could have been, I felt—regret, no… I felt great sadness over the worlds that contained Hogwarts. In almost all of them, the castle has seen death and destruction. An unfortunate reality. But I know, in my heart I know it does not need to be this way. So, for winning my wager, Death has brought a mortal of his choosing to me. And If you so choose, you will help keep Hogwarts from seeing that destruction."

The weight of what she had said hit Daniel almost as hard as the bus. He saw the passion in her dark blue eyes, the confidence with which she spoke. From how she said it, it seemed so simple. He would go and help, ensure that the world did not cause as much chaos as it had before. But she needed him to do so.

"I… I want to help," he began.

"But?"

"But, I don't know if I'm the right guy. I mean, I'm nobody. I—I'm nothing." He looked back to the tree that stood in the center of the courtyard and shook his head. "I want to help, but, I'm not the guy to help."

He felt a hand touch his arm. He looked back to Rowena and saw her gentle smile as she squeezed his arm.

"I understand that this could seem daunting. That you may feel, unequipped for this. But you were chosen. Despite its reputation death is fair. It may not make sense or seem random and chaotic, but death is fair. And it has chosen you for a reason. Now I ask you, Daniel Lovage, will you help me?"

He closed his eyes. He clutched his hands into fists and took a deep breath before he looked up to the witch.

"I'll help you," He said a sense of pride filling him.

Rowena smiled brilliantly and wrapped her arms around him pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered her voice quivering slightly. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." He whispered back. "Hogwarts has been there for me when I needed it. I should do the same."

He pulled away from the hug and nodded his head, hoping to be down to business before he had lost his nerve.

"So, how should we begin? How do we begin?"

"Close your eyes and count back from five," Rowena said softly.

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes before beginning to count.

"Five."

He felt the warm air around him begin to turn cold.

"Four."

The air became thinner and he felt his breathing hitch as he tried to suck in more air.

"Three."

He felt his body lift off the ground, almost as if he was weightless.

"T—two."

The last word was hard to pronounce.

"O—O—Ooooo," he couldn't even say the final number. His body began to feel strange and cramped. He thrashed his head about and opened his mouth to speak, but then he noticed the most peculiar thing. He had no longer had teeth.

Daniel thrashed his tongue in his mouth quickly. He felt the squishy gums and opened his eyes in a panic. The scenery before him had completely changed. Instead of the warm courtyard, he had been in, he now found himself in a large room.

The ceiling was high, but dark, in fact, most of the room was covered in darkness. He moved his head looking to his right. Of the two things he saw, he noticed the tall glass window first, the bright moon bathing the room in blue light.

The second thing he noticed was his hand. Instead of the long digits connected to the wide palm, he was used to, instead, it was a small short palm, with short fingers to match. He swerved his head down and noticed that his body was also smaller, and swaddled in a blanket.

Closing his eyes, Daniel Lovage wanted to swear but knew that any attempt to speak would simply come out as incoherent baby noises.

It was with begrudging acceptance, that Daniel Lovage knew that he had gone from being dead to a baby in the span of thirty minutes.