The Boy Who Kept Dying

Chapter 4 (Death's Hope)

A/N: Not my story! Original avalible on ao3

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Death did get called a few more times over the years to heal injuries, but thankfully, not as many times as he had feared from his earlier interactions with his favorite mortal child. Harry called him about once a month just to chat and play card games, and Death always visited (without being called) at midnight on Harry's birthday to spend it with his friend.

Death breathed a deep sigh of relief when Harry's eleventh birthday rolled around. He would be going to Hogwarts, and he would be safe for most of the year away from those horrible excuses for humans that had killed his favorite human twice now. It was a little irritating that Death couldn't visit with his Harry at midnight on his birthday like we were accustomed to because the half-giant, Hagrid, showed up then. But, Death was thankfully able to visit him the next night.

"Dis! I'm a wizard and going to a school to learn magic!" Harry exclaimed when Death appeared in a dark cloud as usual in Harry's small bedroom.

Death laughed as he sat on Harry's small, uncomfortable bed and leaned in for a quick hug from the one person who allowed him that. This was so much better than visiting him in the cramped cupboard, Death noted. He had to shrink himself down to fit in there with Harry. "You will love Hogwarts!" Death smiled. "It is a place where you can make friends and learn so much. I hear the house elves make wonderful desserts as well."

"You knew!" Harry exclaimed, accusingly poking his friend in the chest. "And, you didn't tell me?!"

Death just pulled him into another hug. As the only person ever to welcome hugs from Death, he made sure to get in the least a couple with Harry each visit. "I felt it safer for you not knowing you were a wizard while you had to live with your relatives," Death explained.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Over-protective much?" He complained with another glare.

"Considering how many times you've died so far, yes," Death snorted indignantly.

"Oh yeah, on that," Harry said, pulling away to look his friend in his dark eyes. "They all call me the Boy-Who-Lived. Isn't that funny? I almost laughed when Hagrid explained it. If anything, I should be the Boy-Who-Just-Keeps-Dying-But-Who-Death-Keeps-Sending-Back."

"The name would be too long," Death laughed dryly.

"I didn't know what to say to Hagrid, so I just didn't say anything," Harry explained. "What should I say? Should I say anything?"

Death thought for a minute. "I don't think you should tell people about us," he decided. "I don't think anyone would understand. Frankly, I don't understand myself."

Harry laughed. "Well, my relatives do always call me a freak."

"Harry," Death chided with a dark glower. "What have I told you about that name?"

"I know, I know," Harry said in a well-rehearsed tone. "I'm not a freak, and you never want to hear that word again. Dis, you do have to admit that I'm a little strange though. You've said to yourself that being friends with Death is not something that happens. I'm your only friend as you are mine. Something is strange about that."

"You'll make many more friends when you get to Hogwarts," Death smiled at him, congratulating himself on keeping the jealousy out of his tone, even though he felt it. "You'll live and be happy and forget all about hanging out with little old Death."

Harry laughed. "You need to heed your advice, mate," Harry said, pulling Death back into a hug. "You know I'll never forget you and you'll always be my first and best friend," Harry assured him. "Stop with all the self-deprecating crap."

"It tends to stick around when people run screaming from you for millennia," Death said from where his face was in the dark, messy locks.

"Well, I don't know what's wrong with them," Harry assured him vehemently. "I've never run screaming and never will. Want to meet my new owl?"

Death laughed as Harry introduced Hedwig to Dis. The owl seemed a little uncomfortable for a couple of minutes until Harry explained that Dis was his friend, and then she seemed to settle down, accepting Death as a member of the family. She gave Death a look, clearly communicating that she would never be delivering a letter to the underworld though.

Death was so happy at how excited his Harry was for Hogwarts. Death just knew his favorite human would finally be safe now. Harry agreed to not tell anyone of their friendship, and Death agreed to visit him occasionally at Hogwarts. It seemed things were finally looking up for his young friend.

When the Hogwarts Express pulled out from the real Kings Cross Station, Death appeared briefly at the end of the platform and waved to his young friend as Harry smiled and waved back from the retreating window. Now, he could trust his friend to stay safe and out of trouble.