FicWad

Unfinished Business

Harry followed his father and godfather to what looked like a rundown shack in the middle of the woods. He was startled to find himself surrounded by this many trees as no forest had been visible from the house and they had not been walking very long. Maybe they had gone further than he thought. His mind had been in a whirl with the possible implication of his journey into the Styx, and he had not been paying particularly close attention to where they were going.
"Either must die at the hand of the other... at the hand of the other." logically he knew he should not have been able to die because of Lucius Malfoy's curse, but obviously he had. Why? How? Was it possible...
He was jarred out of his thoughts when Sirius spoke to him. "This is it." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and continued. "They speak in riddles, Harry. Everything they say could have a double meaning. Hold your temper or they wont speak to you. And above all make sure you ask the right questions to get the answers you want, they don't just volunteer information."
Harry nodded his understanding. "Aren't you coming in with me?"
"No" James answered. "We can't. These are your questions, your life, and your death. It's not our place to know."
Again Harry nodded. He stood looking at the little cabin. It looked as if a strong wind would blow it over. Cracks, dry rot, and termite damage covered every visible piece of the façade. He slowly walked towards the door, then through it. The door shut behind him with a resounding, almost metallic, bang. The inside was pitch black and had an earthy feel to it, like a cave. He swung to face the door after hearing the clanging sound it made.
As soon as his back was to the rest of the room he heard a chant start to rise. An eerie sound, ethereal feminine voices chanting the prophecy in what could have been a round or a double echo. "The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches..." over and over again they sang the words that had defined most of Harry's short life.
Harry stood transfixed listen to them sing. The sound was sad, yet peaceful. He turned to face them when they finished. What he saw was not at all what he had expected. He knew of the fates from mythology, three women cutting the thread of lift of the mortal creatures. He had almost expected hags or at least ugly old crones, but that was not what he saw.
Before him sat three females. As cute little girl, maybe seven, spinning raw wool into thread. At her feet lay a large hound that she reached down to calm when Harry turned his attention to the three. The child smiled warmly at him, but didn't speak, before returning to her work.
Across from her sat an extremely attractive woman in what seemed to be her late twenties. She was weaving the cloth the child spun into an intricate tapestry depicting all of life; births, deaths, celebrations, wars, love and loss. All the while she was telling stories to the little girl about what she was weaving.
A third sat by the fireplace in a rocking chair. She was an old woman, but the remnants of what was once great beauty still filled her tired face. In one hand she held a sliver knife, with the other she was slowly taking apart the beautiful tapestry. As he watched she pulled a single thread towards her and placing the ornate knife to it, cut the thread from the tapestry. All in all, the scene before him was a comforting and peaceful one.
"How can we help you, young one? What wisdom do you wish, my son?" Harry gaze locked on the old woman, for it was she how had spoke.
"Who...who are you?" he ask.
"I am Blind Fate, the Crone of Mortality. This is my daughter, the Matron of Life, and my granddaughter, the Joy of Youth." As she spoke she cut another strand off of the tapestry, then using the knife indicated the other two in the room.
As Harry watched this he realized that the old Lady was indeed blind, for she looked in his direction as she spoke but not at him. "I was told you could answer my questions." He continued.
"You my ask, and I will answer. But will you understand? Sit." At the last she pointed to a stool beside her.
Harry walked across the room and sat down. The old hound rose from his place by the child and trotted over to sniff him. after deciding that he was not a threat the dog plopped down at his feet. Harry smiled reminded forcibly of fang, Hagrid's boarhound. He patted the dog on the head before turning his attention back to the old Lady. "what are you all doing?"
"We are Maid, Matron and Crone. The cycle of life from birth to youth, youth to experience, experience to wisdom, and wisdom to death. The child spins life, from chaos of the wool to the order of the thread. My daughter lakes that life and weaves it into time, into experience and memory. I cut the old, the sick, the unlucky and the ready out." The crone explained. "but you are not here, my dear, to speak of these things, but to receive you answers. Ask."
"Why am I dead? You sang the prophesy. You know it applies to me. Was I wrong to believe that only Voldemort could kill me?"
"No" she answered him. "I do not know why you are here, only you know this. I cut the thread and the soul attached enters the Next, the After."
"But why?" Harry asked.
The crone laughed at him "Because the Power assigned my family this duty."
Harry sighed and asked his question again. "If I didn't misunderstand the prophecy, and only Voldemort could kill me. Why am I dead? It was Lucius Malfoy that sent the curse."
"Why indeed, young one. Why did you answer that call?" again she chuckled, and looked at him expectantly as if he aught to know the answer to that.
Harry was starting to get frustrated at this point. "I don't know. I didn't want to die. I wanted the damn war to be over so I could rest. I wanted the Snake to be gone and take all his minions with him. I am just so...furious at him for all he's taken from me, and from those I love. I'm angry at the Powers for demanding something of me that I could never do. And then not even giving me a hint of how they expected me to do it. 'power he knows not' my arse."
The crones gentle laughter stopped his rant. "I'm sorry mama, I shouldn't have ranted like that."
"No, my son. You did what you wanted me to do. You answered your own question."
Flabbergasted, Harry just stared at her. "I what? Why...how... I what?"
"You asked me why you died. I told you I did not know and asked you why you are here. Now you have told me. It is up to you to determine what to do with this information."
"What did I tell you? What did my rant let you understand? Why did I die? Did I have a choice?"
"Which question do you wish me to answer child?"
"All of them" Harry near panted "Answer all of them."
"Alright, you told me you were Furious, and that you didn't know what power you possessed. You died because you answered the call, and yes, you had a choice."
Harry put his head in his hands defeated. He had chosen this? Why? What could he have don't differently? He wallowed internally in self-pity for a moment before the rest of what the crone had said hit him. "What is the 'power he knows not'? Dumbledore said it was love? Is that wrong?"
"You child do have a great capacity for love, you mentor was not wrong about that. but that is not the power. All things love young one, even monsters. Theirs may be a twisted love, but to them it is no less dear. You power, child, is knowledge of what is to come."
"What is to come? I don't understand."
"Your Snake fears death. You do not. You have seen it. Tasted it. You have no fear of what comes After." She explained.
"But what good does that do me? I can't kill him form here. How can I help my friends if I'm dead? How am I supposed to save the world now?"
"By answering your call." She said calmly in the face of the almost panicked young man.
"My call?" he asked confused "You've said that before. What does it mean?"
"I do not call, child. I demand. I order souls to move beyond the mortal realm. You my son were call out. And you choose to answer that call, that is why you are here. To understand you answer t your call."
"How?"