Death Never Stopped Me Before

|Chapter 12|

It was too much, and not enough at the same time.

"He loves me," Harry whispered, his voice awe-struck. "He really, truly loves me."

"Of course he does," Merope said, a soft chuckle echoing her words. "Did you ever doubt that?"

Harry looked up from his hands, blinking away the blurriness in his eyes to see her better. "I think... I think maybe I did," he admitted softly. "I think I was so scared to believe it. Everyone who loves me leaves."

Merope clicked her tongue and shook her head gently. "He loves you just as much, maybe even more than you love him," she said, and Harry wanted to say that was impossible. If Tom's love for him was an ocean, Harry's was a planet. "The love you feel for each other is strong, it defies everything."

As if to agree with her words, another harsh tug on his stomach let another wave of warmth and affection rush over him. He suddenly heard Tom's words wash over him in a tender whisper, his words caressing his face with a gentleness that made his heart ache.

"I love you, Harry James Potter. Come back to me. Please."

Harry's breath hitched, tears filling his eyes once again. Harry knew Tom loved him now, his ocean of emotions was more than enough proof. Harry also knew that Tom desperately wanted him to return because Tom just begged for him to come back. Harry had been ready to leave, ready to move on to the beyond where he could finally be with his family, yet Tom begged him to come back.

Who was Harry to deny him?

Harry sucked in a determined breath and nodded, wiping the tears from his face. "I want to go back to him," Harry said, turning to face Death. "I want to go back to my Tom."

"Then return," Death said, not giving away whether he was surprised by Harry's decision or not. "You are my Master, anytime you enter my realm, the option to return will be granted."

Harry nods and closes his eyes, determined to return to his body, to his friends, to his Tom. How does he do that? He figures Hogwarts is a good place to start and begins to recall the castle in great detail.

He sat there in silence for a long time, absently remembering the different details about the Hogwarts castle, but he doesn't feel anything changing. Eager to hear the familiar bustle of Hogwarts, the birds in the Forbidden Forest, Harry strains his ears, but the only thing he can hear is the hauntingly familiar tune of Death's humming.

"How do I return?" Harry asked, opening one eye to glance at Death.

"Focus on the tether," Death said, and Harry zeroed in on the tugging from his core. "That is the tether that bridges this world and yours. Follow the tether back to your body."

Harry closes his eyes again and focuses on the tugging from his core. He can just barely feel what might be a string connecting from his core to something that he can't see. Harry brings his mind into his magical core, and the sight of it almost takes his breath away.

Harry has only meditated with the intention of seeing his magical core once, and he was never successful. To see your magical core, one needs a lot of patience and a quiet space. Harry had neither of those things, so he never saw it.

Now, though, Harry was able to see it clearly and it was beautiful. His core was large and giving off a bright, golden light. The light was warm and accepting, and Harry felt safe here, surrounded by his magic.

He could still hear Death humming, but somehow it sounded almost louder here. Harry frowned, his eyes searching for the tether that Death spoke of, but the humming was too loud. He just barely managed to catch a glimpse of a red string before the humming brought him out of focus.