Professor Sanguini cast the Apparition spell on all of us transporting our group right outside of Hogwarts. The buildings and campus itself were warded against apparition magic, but we could still get within a mile of it. Since Hagrid was carrying Hermione the walk passed quickly even though everyone remained deathly silent.

Once within Hogwarts, Hagrid took the unconscious Hermione to Madam Pomfrey for a check-up. With a flick of Sanguini's wand, a spiral staircase appeared where a statue had once been. With a signal from Sanguini, I climb the stairs leading up to Dumbledore's office.

Now being inside the domain of the man who is known as the hero of the first wizarding war, I took notice of the many powerful magical artifacts the man had well-hidden. Two of which are of great interest to me. Items that were once mine...

"I assume I have the pleasure of meeting Benjamin Diggory, " announces an aged voice. I didn't notice his presence: an impressive feat even for a powerful wizard. The old man's long white beard reaches down around his gut making his age appear even more progressed than it physically is, magical folk age slower than muggles.

Thinking I shrug, "As much as he ever has and will exist."

"Then...who is it you truly are then? Be warned, lies hold no power here," Dumbledore's eyes became sharper, perhaps fiercer even, as he gazed at me. The man who seemed jolly before became far more serious in an instant. One could question if the two were even the same man after having seen both.

Meeting his intense gaze with my own while letting my eyes turn silver I answer," I am the end of all things, The great equalizer, and deliverer of souls. I am the one...you call Death!"

"Caw!" whines a bird in the corner, I'd previously recognized as a Phoenix. A Phoenix is a magical immortal bird of fire and rebirth. It dies in a blaze of fire to be reborn from the ashes. A being of pure life and fire attributes. One of my sister's creations intended to make a mockery of my purpose.

Whining again, Dumbledore stands from his chair, "What is it Fawkes?"

"It's a being of life and my presence disturbs him," I add.

Shaking his head Dumbledore replies, "That... Cannot be," in disbelief.

"I tell no lies," I explain.

Entering the room at that moment," He speaks the truth," Professor Sanguini insists.

"Professor if he is Volde..."

"I stared into his eyes and I knew him for who he is! There is no faking that to a true vampire," Assures Sanguini.

Turning to me Dumbledore asks," If you are who and what you say you are then Prove it."

"Tch!" Clicking my tongue and I rolling my eyes," You think I didn't come here trying to hide what I am? I am limited by this human form. There's little I can do that will prove beyond a doubt that I am Death."

"Then you best try," The aged wizard demands.

Letting my eyes light up with my power to see the names and lifespan of others and aiming it at Dumbledore. My glimpse confirmed that he is Albus Dumbledore and the old wizard shivers in response.

"What was that?"

" I used my power as death to see your true name," I explain.

"And?"

"You are Albus Dumbledore," I answer.

"How does this prove who you are?"

" It doesn't, but before I went any further in this conversation I needed to know for certain you were who you claim to be," I add.

With a flick of my hand summoning a hidden object from Dumbledore's office, "This is made from a piece of myself and I will be taking it back!" I exclaim holding up the cloak of invisibility.

"I can't give you that. I got it from a friend and am holding it for a greater purpose yet to come," Dumbledore tried to explain.

A pecking and pang at the window made us look that way. Nyx and Fidell had somehow gotten outside on the window ledge.

"Mrowl" Nyx whines saying, "Let us in!"

Dumbledore is rushed by the two critters as soon as he opened the window.

I pet Nyx, as Fidell cawed at Fawkes trying to exact dominance. The two flapped their wings at each other before coming to the conclusion that they were comfortable in their threat of mutual destruction and pain.

"Let me see the Elder wand and I will prove I made it," I say to Dumbledore.

Handing me the wand," As you know, only a wand's original enchanter can modify the enchantment without breaking it?"

"Yes, that is true", Dumbledore nods.

In a quick motion, I added a final rune onto the wand's handle," This will prevent others from using the wand as long as you live and when you die it will turn to ash", I explain.

"Why would you do that? The old man questions.

"Because this wand has brought me great shame. I would prefer that no more lives be wrecked by it!"

"Caw!!!" Fawkes cries indignantly, as Nyx helped herself to some of the nuts Dumbledore had in his food bowl. A flick of his wand later Dumbledore refilled the bowl with more nuts and the bird made sure to eat its fill. Funny how a creature is picky about something until another wants it.

"This proves only that you created the wand and not that you are Death,' Dumbledore adds.

"Then how about that...Harry Potter is dead," I add with some frustration.

"... Harry Potter is very much alive," Dumbledore says skeptically.

"That's a lie...I took his soul to the other side. personally!" I call his bluff.

"... Then who have we been protecting in secrecy?" Dumbledore asks.

"... Bugger!" I shout.

"What?"

"It's Voldemort!"

Dumbledore mutters, "That's not..."

"Don't you see? I felt his death and I took his soul to the other side after Harry died but his body is still alive and possessed by the dark lord! A body is like a machine. It can be repaired! You fools have been protecting the very villain you've meant to destroy." I add.

Flicking his wand, Dumbledore's expression turns sour.

"What is it?" I ask.

"The people I left to watch Harry aren't responding to my summons."

"After his pet Dementor returned and reported I am Death, I would assume he's figured out why I am here and that I'd figured out whose body he has taken."

"What are the names of those you left to supervise him?" I ask.

"Vere Moderna, Jane Atsa, and several others," Dumbledore replies.

A shake my head," They are all dead. Deceased within the last 30 minutes".

"Sod it all," Dumbledore curses.

I left Dumbledore's office with the Invisibility Cloak and the assurance he'd find Voldemort. In the end, I had to summon the soul of his sister herself to prove beyond reasonable doubt I was Death. I decided to leave him alone for his tearful reunion with his sibling.

Suddenly, I'm nearly thrown off my feet with a tackling hug. "What?"

"Thank you..." Hermione cries tearfully.

She had been waiting for me outside after she woke up and passed her examination. A half-eaten chocolate bar was in her right hand.

"I.." responding by patting her head because I could tell the girl needed moral support I ask," what for?"

"For saving me from that monster," she cries.

"You're very welcome," I reply.

"I won't...I won't ever ask you what you are again. I owe you so much," she stammers.

It feels wrong to take advantage of her current emotional state, even to me. The fact is that the genie is out of the bottle metaphorically speaking. Someday she would know the truth and she may not hold it against me but I'd rather trust my allies.

" I am the end of all things..." I tell her.

"What?" She questions, taking a moment to wipe away her tears.

"I am one of the oldest magical creatures in existence, I am the Primordial incarnation of Death".

Suddenly the girl stepped back fearfully.

"I see how it is... I am just a monster to you now," I say, more upset than I knew was possible for me. This human form always seems to make me more susceptible to these human emotions.

"No, Ben wait!" She says realizing she offended me.

"You think me a devil with a monkey's paw, don't you?" I ask.

"That's what the story says but... I know you and you're not anything like what attacked me. You are...my closest friend,"

"Same," I responded without thinking before realizing that I cannot lie and therefore it must be the truth. A startling realization that a child is the closest friend I've ever had.

"So, what's the real story?" Hermione asked

Motioning for her to sit on the bench outside Dumbledore's office, I tell her, "The Tale of Three Peverell brothers and the rumors about the Deathly Hallows are as follows. In those tales, the brothers were just minding their own business while crossing a river, using magic, and that made Death mad. The story says I gifted them three magic items, two of which were designed to lead to the wizard's downfall.

The truth is far different...The three brothers were creating a homunculus. The second brother was an Alchemist who lost the woman he loved and with the help of his brothers, he was trying to resurrect her. The eldest brother was the most powerful caster of his time and the youngest a great healer. Together, they almost succeeded in creating a moving corpse that looked like her. The man's beloved's body had wasted away long ago, so he transfigured animal parts to look like her. It was a monstrosity that attempted to defile nature and the laws of order.

I was allowed to appear in the world by causality to stop them and maintain balance. I could have just killed the three of them and the universe would have barely complained about it. Their greed could have been apocalyptic if left unchecked. It's fools like them that created vampirism after all, but no, I didn't kill them, and instead, I bargained with them. The one who lost his love I told him that I could not bring her back but I gave him an artifact called the stone of resurrection to allow him to summon and see her soul. This somehow made him more depressed and led to him committing suicide later, for reasons I cannot fathom. He wanted to see her again and I gave him the means to do so. Humans are never happy with what they have it seems.

The eldest wanted to be the most powerful wizard to ever live. When I said I could not make him a better wizard, he then asked for the most powerful wand in existence. I explained the danger in such an item and yet he still chose it.

The youngest who was a healer asked for a cloak that could hide him from even me. He was clearly afraid of me at the time. Afraid of retribution from me for what they had done and tried to do. They say in the story that it was made from a piece of my cloak and that is both true and false. In my manifested form it looked like a cloak but it was actually a part of my aura. Death envelopes the world and within it, my aura is invisible to even the most powerful psychic. It is a shame that I couldn't take my aura into the living world with me. This was the second of the deathly hallows that is made from a piece of myself".

"Wow... That's a lot to absorb," Hermione mutters.

" So, what now?" I ask.

" Just one question, why?"

"Why what?" I ask trying to understand what she means.

" Why do all this? Why spare them? Why does the fate of humanity matter to you?" She points out.

"That's because it is my purpose. Because, when I was born - I witnessed the beginning and the end of the universe and it was beautiful. It is more beautiful because it has an end. Humanity and the creatures of this world are capable of so much and I'm not their enemy. I serve as I have always done since the very beginning. It's a responsibility that I have never broken."

"What do you get out of it?"

I cock my head to the side," Nothing," I reply curious as to why I would need anything for my services.

"Then I trust you and I will follow you regardless of where it takes us," A hint of serious fervor in her voice.