Adelaide stood beside her two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, looking over at the destroyed castle that Adel once called her home. Bodies of the enemy remained scattered whilst those who died to protect the castle were being transported into the great hall for those mourning their loss.
Both Ron and Adelaide had someone to mourn inside the castle, one being Fred Weasley, Ron's older brother and one of Adelaide's best friends. But neither one of them had any more tears to cry, especially Adel who also had her godfather and his wife laying lifeless beside one another, leaving their one-year-old son at home, now an orphan.
"You okay, Bella?" Ron asked softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Ron had always called Adelaide by her middle name 'Bella' and it was one of the many ways the boy knew made her feel his affection.
"No, but I will be. How about you, Ronnie?" She responded, cuddling into his side and both missing the jealous and angry looks aimed at them from Hermione.
"Me too" He sighed, kissing her dirty forehead.
"I'm fine too, thanks for asking" Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head away from the duo. The two sent each other looks of annoyance, feeling too exhausted to deal with her attitude.
"Do you guys mind giving me a minute?" Adelaide asked the two softly, wanting some time alone with her thoughts.
"Of course"
"Fine" The bushy-haired girl huffed once again before storming away, Ron following slowly behind after sending Adel another look of frustration.
Adelaide wandered off to the bridge where some of the lifeless giants remained, and even though the bodies of the dead were only a short distance away, she still found the view of the mountains and lake breathtaking. She pulled out a wand from her sleeve, the one she had won in her duel against Voldemort.
"Death, this is my gift to you. I don't think it's safe anymore" She called out, feeling rather foolish as she spoke to the deity that may or may not be real. With extra force, she broke the elder wand, also known as the most powerful wand to exist, against her leg before throwing it off the cliff, watching as it fell for miles.
"That was stupid" Adelaide spun around, coming face to face with Hermione who was holding her wand out in her direction.
"Mione? What are you doing?" She asked cautiously, feeling her heart clench painfully at the pure hatred in her best friend's eyes.
"It's always been you. The most loveable, the most wanted witch for wizards to date, the most liked by our professors, the most famous and the richest. I never had a chance! I was looked over by all the boys and professors, even Ron prefers you to me, even after the kiss we shared in the chamber! It's not fair, Adelaide! It wasn't meant to be like this, you were meant to die and stay dead! He told me you would stay dead!" She shouted hysterically, her eyes large and for a moment there was a craziness that Adelaide saw in only one person. Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Who told you I would be dead?" Adel questioned, her tone soft and calm in hopes it would make Hermione less hysterical.
"Dumbledore! He told me you would remain dead so I could take over the Potter vault! I deserve all the riches, I was the one who helped you through all the dangerous situations Dumbledore organised! If it wasn't for me, you and that-that tramp would be dead" Adelaide listened In utter disbelief at her words as she revealed not only her but Dumbledore's betrayal.
"Dumbledore organised everything? The stone? The chamber opening? Everything?" Hermione began to laugh hysterically, making Adel take a cautious step back.
"Of course he did! He was testing you, he wanted to see how powerful the so-called girl who lived truly was. Thankfully the blocks on your core held out, at least somewhat, along with the compulsion charms and potions he and Snape would slip into your food every year. I must say, Adelaide, it is truly exhausting being your friend but I am a good actress if I don't say so myself" Tears were now pouring out of Adelaide's eyes, heart breaking piece by piece as she listened to Hermione rant and brag about the harm they had caused her.
"When?"
"When what?"
"When did it all start?" She asked tiredly, running her hands through her curly raven hair.
"From the very beginning. Dumbledore paid me a little visit right before our first year, he explained how difficult it was for muggle-borns in this world and promised that with your influence, I could have a high-ranking job by the end of my Hogwarts education"
"You're forgetting one thing, Granger. Dumbledore isn't here anymore, his influence is non-existent and after what we did in Gringotts, they would never let you step foot back inside" Anger and fear flashed in the girl's brown eyes, her wand hand faltering slightly before it straightened once again.
"It doesn't matter! I will get the gold and all the assets! They will be mine" She shouted with a vicious gleam in her eyes.
"Say hello to your parents for me. Avada Kedavra" the last thing Adelaide saw was the familiar green glow shooting towards her before everything turned black.
ϟ 9¾
She wasn't sure how long she was unconscious but when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar pearly white room that resembled an unnaturally clean Kings Cross station. She looked around hesitantly, hoping she wasn't met by Dumbledore once again.
"Hello?" She called out, her voice echoing loudly.
"Hello, mistress" A deep voice responded from behind her, making her spin around on high alert. She was met by a handsome muscular man who stood at least 6'5 tall and wearing a black muggle suit. His skin was unhealthily white which stood out immensely against his slicked-back raven hair and Black eyes.
"Death?" She asked questionably, earning a large grin from the deity.
"Yes mistress, I am death"
"Please don't call me mistress, just call me Adelaide or Adel" She sighed, making the deity's face soften as he nods.
"Then you may call me Mortem" Adel nodded her head with a bright smile, feeling slightly giddy about being on a first-name basis with a literal god.
"Okay, Mortem. May I ask why I'm here?" She questioned politely as she took a seat on one of the many benches, tapping beside her indicating for him to sit.
Mortem smile softly at the young woman who had become his mistress, truth be told, he was nervous to have another person who was able to control him. Until now, he only had masters who had always used him as a way to either cause destruction or gloat about their power, so he was somewhat curious about what having a mistress would be like.
He took a seat beside her and sighed in adoration, holding back a coo as she turned to face him, her legs crossed child-like "I assume you're aware that you're dead, correct?"
She remained silent for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed before her eyes widened. "That bitch killed me!" Earning a sad nod from Mortem.
"Yes, Adela, and though she revealed quite a lot of Dumbledore's plans, there are some things that she left out" Adelaide couldn't help but smile at the nickname, though it disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Alright, I'm ready to hear it" She sighed, looking at Mortem with her green doe-eyes which he knew would become his weakness.
"Dumbledore is all about power and uses his title as 'leader of light' to manipulate people, especially those who 'follow' him. The Weasley family are one of many families who were victims of his manipulations, although they had put their foot down when it came to anything that may cause you or anyone harm"
"What do you mean? What did that bastard try to do?" She growled, her emerald green eyes glowing in protectiveness. Mortem grabbed hold of her hand softly, running his thumb over her knuckles, soothing her.
"Calm yourself, little one and ill explain-" She took a deep breath and focussed on Mortems hand which seemed to help with controlling her emotions.
"He had tried to persuade Molly and Arthur Weasley to keep an extra close eye on you, and if they found you doing something like studying books that aren't part of the curriculum, they were to report back to him. Molly and Arthur couldn't understand why it was such a problem and refused to speak of anything you did in their presence. Dumbledore couldn't do much because their family were one of his biggest supporters, or so he thought. I think it's because Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle would return one day and the Weasley family is the majority of the order" Mortem paused when an angelic giggle left his mistress's mouth, making him smile softly at the seventeen-year-old.
"I'm sorry" She giggled, her hand covering her mouth before gesturing for him to continue.
"As Granger revealed, Dumbledore visited her before her first year at Hogwarts and used her blood status as a muggle-born to persuade her into befriending you. Granger was pre-warned of all the tasks that Dumbledore would set to test your magical power and potential, already knowing one day you'd be the one to face Voldemort"
"I watched Snape's memory, it showed that both he and Dumbledore kept me alive for me to die at the hands of Voldemort. When I was here last time, he sent me back, so why did Granger say that Dumbledore told her I would die at the battle?" She questioned with a deep frown.
"He knew you would survive, Adela, he also knew that Granger was extremely greedy and would do anything to have the future she was promised. I'm sure he had plan B and so on in case Granger did not succeed in killing you but it wasn't necessary" Mortem watched Adelaide closely as she let out a sad sigh, running her fingers through her raven curls.
"There's one more thing you should know-" Adel let out a groan, laying her head back against the pearly white wall before turning back to Mortem, who was looking at her in amusement.
"Just say it"
"Dumbledore knew Sirius was innocent but having him raise you would have made you more confident and powerful, he couldn't have that otherwise his plans would fail" Adelaide stared blankly at him and for the first time in his existence, Death felt fearful.
"That bastard!" She yelled, her magic lashing out, causing her curls to whip around her as the wind became wild. Mortem instantly pulled her into his arms, her head laying on his chest as he rubbed her back soothingly.
"I know, I'm sorry sweetheart" After a few moments, she pulled away and looked at him with her large Doe-eyes.
"So, what happens now, Mor?" His lips twitched at the nickname she gave him but his face instantly softened at the sight of her tear-filled eyes.
"You have three choices, Little Love. You can either move on and reunite with your family, rule beside me and help me run hell or you can go back to before you receive your Hogwarts letter. Personally, I think the last choice would be the best because that way, you can live the life you always wanted"
She remained silent and in deep thought. The first choice was something she had always wished for, she missed her family and wanted nothing more than to be with them but deep down she knew they would want her to live a full life, a happy one. The second choice was out of the question, she didn't think residing in hell would be all that exciting and besides, the heat down there would ruin her hair. The third choice did have its benefits, she knew what would happen each year and maybe she would be able to end Voldemort much earlier than she had done previously.
"Mort, would I still have the Horcrux in my head?" She asked him curiously, making him chuckle with a shake of his head.
"Adela, did you not hear me when I said you'd live the life you always wanted?-"
"Yes, Mortem I heard you but that doesn't answer my question" She responded sarcastically, making him raise an eyebrow at her tone.
"You destroyed all his Horcruxs, meaning they are now in my domain. They will remain there and would not follow you back" She remained silent for a few moments before her eyes lit up with what he could describe as hope.
"Does that mean-"
"That on the night of Halloween when you defeated him, all his Horcruxs will be destroyed along with the tiny soul fragment that remained in his body. Voldemort will be no more" She sat wide eyes and mouth hanging open before she let out a joyful cheer, jumping into his lap and hugging him with all her strength.
"But be warned little love, Dumbledore will still try to persuade everyone that Voldemort will rise again," he said as he softly pulled her away from him, making her roll her eyes at the thought of Dumbledore trying to get her to do his silly little tasks.
"Will I still be able to talk to you?" Mortem's chest clenched at the sight of his mistress's sad eyes, he hated seeing her be anything but happy.
"Yes, sweetheart. I'll always be there" A large smile spread across her face, showing her perfect white teeth.
Adelaide removed herself from Mortems lap and stood in front of him, smiling brightly at the deity.
"I'm ready"