The Master of Death

Chapter11: A Conversation with Sirius(part2)

Twenty minutes and several drinks later, Sirius' hands were still clasped tightly around his glass. "Death, you are the Master of Death?!" he asked Harry for the third time now.

"Yes," Harry replied, slightly annoyed at that point, "And you asked that already."

Sirius shook his head. "I know, I know," he said while Harry sipped on his whiskey, "It's just a lot to take in." Sirius paused for a moment, "I always thought Death was something that was there, a part of the whole life cycle... and not a conscious being or whatever that was." Sirius took a sip before he looked back up. "And it just leaves you alone, if you want it to?" he questioned after a moment.

"Hm..." Harry paused in contemplation. "I think he would if I asked him to," he replied eventually and he chewed at his lip as he glanced at Death, "But I don't think that I..." Harry trailed off.

Can? Want?

Whatever the answer was, it came down to the same thing in the end.

Meanwhile, Death leaned even closer if that was possible and Harry's mouth twitched with amusement when he heard the slightest rumble coming from Death. But then it stopped abruptly as if he didn't want Harry to hear it.

"How have you been hiding that thing?" Sirius started and Harry sucked in air between his teeth.

"About that... You know the black snake, I brought with me?" As if on cue, Death materialized on his shoulder and slithered down his arm. Sirius immediately shifted back in his chair.

"So Death..." Sirius began before he stared at Harry. "The whole time?!"

"Yup," Harry openly admitted, not without some amusement in his voice.

"But," Sirius looked from Death to Harry, "It's so small..." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay. I'm not saying anything," Sirius said defensively when he saw Harry's expression. His eyes flicked back to the snake. Despite his wariness, he appeared relatively calm.

"See... he doesn't remember," Death hissed as if he'd read Harry's thoughts. A smirk tugged on his lips.

Meanwhile, Sirius had come to his own conclusions. He gestured between Death and Harry. "And ....this, is the real reason for why you know more than anyone expected you to know, isn't it?"

"Yeah, basically," Harry confirmed, all the while he was looking contemplatively at his godfather. "You know, Sirius," he voiced abruptly, "That you can't tell anyone about this."

At that, the man snorted. "It's not like someone would believe me anyway."

"No, I'm serious," Harry countered and leaned forward. "If you want the whole story, you'll have to swear an Unbreakable Vow."

Sirius set his glass onto the table. All amusement was wiped from his face as he looked at Harry, who kept silent. A minute ticked by.

"Okay," his godfather eventually said.

"You won't be able to reveal anything we spoke about," Harry elaborated, while he observed the Animagus closely, "Including our previous conversation. Anything relating to Death or the Hallows."

Sirius only hesitated the briefest of moments. "I'll do it... But who is going to be our witness?"

Harry stopped. He hadn't even thought about that. His eyes fell upon the black snake. "Can you do it?"

"Of course," Death hissed.

When Harry turned back to look at his godfather, a simple nod was enough to confirm the answer to his question. Sirius took a deep breath, eyes briefly flicking to the snake. But the man had never been one to back out of something. He stood up and extended his arm. Harry gripped his hand. Green eyes met grey ones.