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Le Maître de la Mort	By : AlicetheMadHatter Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 3758 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from this fanfiction. Harry Potter and Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter are owned by J.K. Rowling and Laurell K. Hamilton.

Chapter List
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Chapter 1

It was time, courtesy of Luna (the only person alive he really spoke to anymore besides Andromeda and Teddy); he knew where he was going and what he needed to do when he got there. St. Louis Missouri, the epicenter of paranormal activity, where he wouldn’t really have to hide what he was even though the Statute of Secrecy was still in place. It was a place he could go and not be recognized, start over and finally, hopefully, be happy.
Everything he had learned from Luna had been a complete surprise and he couldn’t believe just how out of touch with the world as a whole until she had informed him of paranormal creature coming out of their proverbial closets. Not to mention it seemed that the wizarding world was not the only ones hiding from everyone. He was looking forward to learning and possibly meeting some of the creatures Luna had informed him lived in the United States. All he had right now was a name and location; she refused to tell him anything else.
Harry shrunk his luggage and put it in his pockets which had been expanded just for this occasion. He had said his goodbye to Luna not that long before he finished packing and he had went to see Andromeda and Teddy earlier in the day to spend a little time with them and say his goodbyes. Besides it wouldn’t be forever, once he got settled in and activated the Floo, Andromeda told him he could take Teddy for the weekend.
He closed the door behind him and walked until he was just outside the wards. Harry closed his eyes and felt for the wards with both his hands and magic, once immersed in the family magic surrounding the house he commanded them to do his bidding. They would keep all visitors out while alerting him if someone somehow found a way around them.
With the last item on Harry’s to-do list crossed off, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the child’s toy top that had been made into an International Portkey, “Portus.” Barely any sound passed his lips before he was whisked away to where he would make his new home.
~~~
As instructed, Harry appeared in a large room inside MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America). He eventually found his way to the registration desk where he met a lovely young witch by the name of Marissa who helped him register his wand and such, as well as give him general advice about the city; most of which he had already gotten from Luna and then some, but he appreciated it none-the-less. Once he finished answering pertinent questions and filling out the appropriate forms, Harry made his way to the house he had purchase through Gringotts.
The house was a beautiful two story Victorian with a large yard and wrap around porch, it had four bedroom, two bathrooms, kitchen with a breakfast nook, living room, formal dining room, study, basement and attic. Harry took a moment to look around; across the street was Tower Grove Park and though he couldn’t see it, around the corner well within walking distance was the Botanical Garden, they were two of the main reasons he chose this property. That and the entire property was surrounded by trees on all sides except the front, which meant during the summer he had complete privacy and since it was August the large trees were in full bloom and meant he had enough time to put up a fence before winter came.
Harry’s jaw cracked with a wide yawn and broke him from his thoughts. He still had much to do before he could settle for the night so he made his way into the house pausing just in the door to flip on the lights and shut it with a quiet click behind him.
The living room, now bathed in light, revealed a muted relaxing space. The hardwood floor gleamed a dark nutty brown that was lightened by light blue-gray walls. A large overstuffed dark blue couch sat against one wall bracketed by two wrought iron end tables with glass tops, a matching coffee table sat in front of the couch with a matching recliner to the side.
Harry made note of the large flat screen television facing the couch and shrugged lightly, he had never been one for T.V. but then again he never really had the time to relax and watch anything; he hoped thing would be different now and decided that when he was finally settled he’d set aside a night to just lounge and watch movies.
He left the living room and entered the dining room and then the kitchen, flicking on lights as he went. He was very happy the house was fully furnished even if it cost him and arm and a leg to have the Goblins do it. He found the door to the basement hidden in the back of a broom closet. When the light came on Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that the basement was immaculate and once he made his way down the stairs he sent out a silent thanks to the Goblins. There in what would be the center of the house stood a lodestone that the Goblins set up for him to anchor his wards to. Some he had to do right that moment, then he’s be able to go unpack and by the time he was done he would have one more thing to do before he could eat and sleep.
Harry took the trunk containing all of his clothes to the master bedroom and riffled through it until he found the outfit he planned to wear; he changed into something more appropriate for meeting such an important person. Black dragonhide trousers with matching boots that stopped just below his knees and an emerald green silk button up shirt that Luna insisted on him buying on one of their outings, saying it would be a shame not to have it since it would bring his eyes out so nicely. And since he had grown his hair out to just below his shoulder it was a much more attractive mess when left alone, thankfully while he had been visiting Luna she had insisted on doing his hair. She had artfully placed tiny braids through his hair, some for looks some to keep his hair out of his eyes. A few had brightly colored string woven through them and depending on how he moved you could see the different colors peek out from his black hair.
He wasn’t religious in the sense that he worshiped the Christian God so he had no need to double check himself for any items pertaining to that and he only wore one item of jewelry that contained no silver so he was good on that front. Now he was ready to go.
~~~
A quick taxi ride and Harry found himself at the entrance to his final destination for the night. Harry stood in front of the entrance looking up at the large sign, well now he knew why he had to come here; the magic that radiated from this location was almost overwhelming. If he tried he could probably see the magic swirling and pressing down like a thick mist coating the entire area.
Harry took a deep breath and let a little of his own magic seep from his core, coating him in an invisible cloak to ward off the oppressing feel of foreign magic from distracting him. Not only was the magic oppressing but there was a feeling of malevolence coming from the epicenter. So like the fool he was, Harry strode determinedly toward trouble and cursed himself the whole way. Though the clown with fangs made him pause in his mental self-abuse and smirk slightly.
About halfway to his destination the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood and since he was blocking out most magic, that was the only indication he got to inform him that there was someone or something behind him. Tossing a look over his shoulder, Harry relaxed marginally but not too much. If Death decided to show something was definitely going on and he was about to get himself mixed up in it, as usual. He had to admit to feeling some excitement since the past few years had been a bit boring.
Harry tucked his hands in his pockets and slowed to a leisurely pace. “Death.” Harry greeted respectfully once the being matched his pace and began walking next to him.
“Master.” The being nodded slightly back.
Harry sighed lightly, “I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.” The being smirked sideways at his smaller companion.
“I know.” The smirk dropped and back was the blank empty cold look that Harry was most used to. “Are you aware of what you are walking into?”
“No, except that it’s trouble and involves a lot of death and magic. Are you going to tell me anything?” We had made it to where I assumed the entrance to where I needed to be. I stopped not sure what to do now and turned to Death. If anyone could see him besides me they’d think he was a plain old ordinary human. He stood a few inches taller at about 5’8” with blonde hair and blue eyes. Very unassuming; approachable even. The complete opposite of what most people would assume Death would look like.
“I think I will stay to watch the show but I will only inform you of what you need to know when the time comes. For the moment wait here, they come.”
Harry turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps and watched two people appear from the surrounding darkness. One, the man, was stunningly gorgeous; tall with longish black hair, pale flawless skin (visible even in the bad lighting) and dark eyes. Harry almost couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man to observe the woman walking at a fast pace next to him to keep up with his longer strides.
On her own Harry would say that she was beautiful but next to the man she was merely very pretty to him. She was much shorter than her companion with long curly black hair and dark eyes. She had pale skin though not as pale as the man and with the overly large coat she was wearing she resembled a life sized doll.
Harry turned to face the two fully though they already knew he was there and were approaching cautiously. They stopped a good two feet from Harry and his invisible friend. They were close enough now that when Harry met the man’s eyes he noted that they were a dark blue, the most unique eye color he’d seen besides himself.
The man froze, not like anything Harry had ever witnessed, he froze like a statue and Harry would bet anything that he wasn’t even breathing. His eyes darted between him and the woman noting the way she narrowed her eyes at him. The man stayed frozen in place but spoke anyways, “Who, might I ask, you are and what business do you have here.”
Harry cocked his head slightly and had to mentally push away the tension and weariness they were both radiating. Before he could answer Death spoke. “I would suggest you introduce yourself as my master. Since you plan to live here permanently, the allies you would gain from it outweigh the consequences from revealing the information. Also if you wish to you could offer your services, just keep in mind that the witches from America are of a different variety, you and your kind are much more powerful but you will be the first they meet.”
If it was even possible the man became stiller than he was before and Harry wondered if he could sense Death. Bowing his head to the man and looked up into his eye once again, “I was informed by a good friend of mine to seek out The Circus of the Damned and introduce myself to a man named Jean-Claude. I assume you are he.”
The man only moved his head enough to nod his head. There was no move to introduce the woman yet so, hands still in his pockets, Harry shrugged. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Jean-Claude, my name is Harry Potter. We have much to discuss but from what I can feel in there,” he pointed his thumb behind him at the door. “I believe you are in a hurry so until we can sit down and talk I am offering my assistance as a Wizard and the Master of Death.”
Jean-Claude’s eyes widened in shock or something else Harry didn’t know but the woman scoffed and Harry’s eyes jumped back to her. “I’m sorry you are?” He asked briskly not liking how she decided to show her disbelief. The man seemed to shake off whatever it was that held him still and took a step forward and stood slightly in front of the woman. “My apologies. This is my human servant Anita Blake and it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I must say your appearance here is very much a surprise, many vampires think you are a myth and tell scary stories about you, much like the bogeyman.”
Harry chuckled lightly, “Really? That’s kind of neat. I think I like being a bogeyman much better than the Boy-who-lived.” It dawned on him after that Jean-Claude had said vampires. Harry concentrated and thinned his barrier enough to feel his immediate surroundings. The cool soothing calm of death surrounded him relaxing him further. “Ah, you are a vampire.” He looked past Jean-Claude to Anita who seemed to be annoyed at being ignored. “You feel of death as well though not as much as him. But I cannot tell what you are.”
“Necromancer,” Came the quiet reply from Death himself.
Harry noted the minute shudder from Jean-Claude. “I have never met a person that’s magic is strictly focused in one area.” Harry turned back to the vampire before she could say anything. “You can sense him can’t you?”
“Death. It is unlike anything I have ever felt” He whispered in shocked awe.
“Excuse me?” Anita demanded angrily.
Jean-Claude turned to her. “I am surprised you cannot sense it as well since you can sense any undead very well.”
“She has closed herself off. She does not accept herself which keeps her from harnessing the gift she has been born with to its full potential. Not only that but she clings to morals that do not belong in this world.”
Harry nodded thoughtfully. “That makes a lot of sense. Sounds a lot like Remus.”
“Yes.”
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose that was something to deal with another day. “Is there anything you can do to help block out the ambient magic so I can drop my cloak?” He asked Death completely forgetting about his audience. Death raised his hand and tapped Harry’s temple with a finger imbuing the knowledge he would need to erect a barrier without exhausting himself or losing the rest of his magical sense.
Harry smacked himself in the forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that it’s so simple.” It was matter of seconds before it was done and Harry was opening his eyes to address Jean-Claude and Anita. “You will have to accept or refuse my offer of assistance before we can move on because it was a formal offer and backed by magic.
Anita interrupted before Jean-Claude could reply. “Wait just a damn minute. Jean-Claude you cannot honestly be considering accepting. He could be a spy for the council or could end up betraying you like Liv just did.”
Harry’s eyes darted between the two of them as they attempted to argue quietly. He was a little disappointed to figure out that the two were a couple. More thoughts for another day. He sighed and mentally shook himself, “Would a vow put your mind at ease?”
They stopped mid-argument and turned toward him. “And how would you giving your word keep you from stabbing us in the back?” Anita asked her tone biting.
Harry took a breath to keep himself from biting back, even with proper Occlumancy training he still had a hard time controlling his anger. “A vow made on my magic in much more binding. If I broke the vow, depending on how bad the wording was, I could possibly lose my magic which if I wasn’t who I am could kill me; however in this case the loose would not kill me but I be a shell of myself forever living but as only half a person.”
Anita opened her mouth to reply but Jean-Claude must have known what she was going to say and interrupted her with a stern mention of her name. The deep growl sent goosebumps up Harry’s arms and he shivered a little.
When he became curious about how he reacted to Jean-Claude’s voice Death decided to give a little more information. “You are protected from their abilities but the line of vampires that he is descended from is all based on sex and seduction. Though if you do want to experience what they are capable of it is only a matter of dropping your magical shields. With some you may also have to drop your mental shields. In Jean-Claude’s case he is a true master and every year he will grow more powerful until he reaches his full potential, you will always be able to feel a touch of a master's power no matter how hard you shield. I would ask you not tell him that last bit.”
Harry nodded at his companion and turned smiling at Jean-Claude. If that was just a small taste of the vampires power he couldn’t wait to see what he and the others could do. “Your decision? As I understand we should be in a bit of a hurry.”
“That is correct. The vow would have to be your choice but whatever is to happen has to be now. I normally would not accept the assistance of a stranger so easily but I believe, given who and what you are, as long as things go smoothly tonight we may be able to come to an agreement.”
“Very well. In exchange for the vow I will ask one thing, that you keep my status as Master of Death quiet unless I specify otherwise.” He waited for them both to nod before reaching up the sleeve of his left arm to pull the Elder Wand from its holster. Faster than he could pull the wand out, Anita had her gun out and trained on him. Harry cocked an eyebrow but slowly pulled on the wand until it was cleared of his shirt sleeve. “It’s just my wand, I don’t normally need it to perform magic but in this case it’s called for; all magical vows and oaths require the use of a wand.”
Harry held it level between the three of them, “I, Harry James Potter, do so swear to use my magic to assist or protect Jean-Claude and his people to the best of my abilities for the next 24 hours. So I swear it, so mote it be. Lumos.” When Jean-Claude flinched away from the bright white light now bathing the area he smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. The light is mainly a way to prove that I was sincere in my vow and so far magic has not chosen to punish me. It will not harm you it much like an electric light, only brighter. Now I do have a spell that mimics sunlight and its effects but I think I’ll save that for emergency use.”
Jean-Claude nodded graciously and pulled himself back together. “Ma Petite put your gun away we have much more pressing matters to attend to. Mon Ami, if you would follow us. I am not sure what we will be walking into since this is the Vampire Council but it will not be pretty.”
Anita hesitated for a moment then dropped her weapon not putting it away. She said nothing as she and Jean-Claude walked side by side to the door then disappeared into it once they had knocked, it was already open and from the looks of the two in front of him that was not normal. He followed behind quickly.
The room just inside the door looked like a storage room and the shadows jumped around ominously from the bare bulb swinging above them. “Stop the light from swinging.” Anita demanded, Jean-Claude reached up and touched it.
“The room is empty Ma Petite.”
While Anita surveyed the empty room, Harry couldn’t take his eyes from the thing attached to the surface of the door. He should have been horrified but after everything that had happened in the past all he could muster up was curiousity. Had the person that skin belonged to been awake while it happened, it was obvious from the blood dripping to the fool that wou ever it was had been alive while their skin was peeled from their back. Whoever had done this would have gotten along swimmingly with Bellatrix had she still been alive.
When Anita was finally satisfied by the emptiness of the room she turned to look at the door. “What’s on the door?”
“Mon Dieu.” Jean-Claude sighed.
He didn’t seem all that surprised or horrified, but then again he was a vampire Harry imagined he’d probably seen worse in all his years of living death. Anita crossed the room to get a closer look and Harry couldn’t figure out why she was asking a question with a very obvious answer.
It was then that another woman staggered to the door that was left open in their haste to enter the building.
She coughed and cleared her throat and Harry couldn’t hold back the wince of sympathy; that had sounded painful.
I wanted to see your faces when you saw the Master of Beasts compromise.” She gloated.
Harry looked to Death, an eyebrow cocked in question. “He is a Master that sits on the Vampire Council. He has the ability to control all beasts and their Were counterparts.” Harry nodded imperceptibly and turned back to the scene.
The woman continued gloating, “The Traveller refused to let him and his people greet you in person. This is the Master of Beasts calling card. How do you like it?” By the end of her speech she sounded eager, predatory.
Anita looked back at the skin hanging on the door, it took a few seconds but her face finally filled with horror and disbelief. “Where are the hands and feet?”
Harry continued to watch, quiet and unobtrusive. His input was not needed yet and so he’d be invisible for the time being gathering as much information as possible while not calling attention to himself.
"It is merely the back of someone's body, not the entire skin, ma petite. Besides, it is hard to take the living skin off of fingers and toes when your victim is still struggling," Jean-Claude’s face was impassive and his voice empty when he spoke.
"Struggling? You mean whoever this was, was alive?" Harry was having a hard time understanding this woman. She had been surrounded by death on a daily basis since birth, looked to be in a relationship of some sort with a vampire and from Jean-Claude’s next statement, looked to most likely seen worse than this but she still resisted. Perhaps she thought it was someone she knew or was close to? Harry could sympathize with the person the skin had come from but he had been desensitized to blood and gore years ago.
"You are the police expert, ma petite."
"It wouldn't be bleeding this much if they hadn't been alive," She said.
"Yes, ma petite." The statement was simple and to the point.
"Sweet Jesus, do the silver nails mean the victim was vampire or lycanthrope?"
"Most likely," Jean-Claude said.
"Does that mean they're still alive?"
"They were alive when the skin was removed. If vampire, or lycanthrope, the mere removal of the skin would not be sufficient to kill them." He told her matter of factly, voice still empty. Harry caught her shudder at the horror of someone being skinned alive and then surviving the ordeal.
"Asher mentioned Padma. Is he the Beast Master?" Harry made mental notes of all the names and information for later use, nothing he had heard so far meant much of anything to him.
"The Master of Beasts," Jean-Claude said. "You cannot kill him for this indiscretion, ma petite."
"You're wrong," As Harry understood it Anita was in fact wrong. This was all a matter of politics even if they were much bloodier than normal politics. He was willing to bet his fortunes that they could insult, beg, barter and plead; but not kill. Harry could see her mounting rage and underlying fear. This was what Death meant; she was living in the world with the supernatural, surrounded by creatures and born with the ability to raise and control the dead but she resisted playing by their rules. She was determined to do things her way and ignore rules that had been in place since the beginning of time.
"We cannot punish them for this tonight, ma petite. Tonight is about survival for all of us. Remember that and curb your anger." Harry could practically taste his weariness hidden behind the empty tone. Harry knew none of them very well but because of his status as Master of Death he was connected to them and that connection was urging him to take care of this man and his people, ease his weariness. It was making Harry angry at Anita for how she was handling the situation, instead of helping her Master and someone she obviously cared about, she was making things harder for him.
"I am way past anger."
"Then curb your rage. We must save the rest of our people." Even without his vow Harry would have sworn to help in any capacity. No matter what changed about him that was one part of his nature that would never go away.
"If they're alive."
"They were alive when I came upstairs to wait for you," The woman told them.
"Who's skin is it?" Anita asked.
The laugh the woman let out was an ugly bray. "Guess," she said. "If you guess right, I'll tell you, but only if you guess right.”
"No games, Liv, not with you. The real games don't even begin until we get downstairs." Well, now Harry knew that she knew the game just refused to play it.
"Well said, ma petite. Let us go down."
"No," Liv said. "No, you'll guess. You'll guess who it is. I want to see your face. I want to see the pain in your eyes while you think about each of your friends, Anita. I want to watch the horror on your face while you picture it happening to each of them."
"What did I ever do to you, Liv?"
"You stood in my way," she said.
Harry watched Anita shake her at the woman. "Three strikes and you're out, Liv."
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Betraying us was one. Trying to roll me with your eyes was number two.”
Once again Harry was left looking to Death for answers, “Rolling is a term used for anyone brought under by another’s abilities.” Harry was quite sure that he understood what the meant but if he was going to be in close contact with a number of powerful beings he’d eventually find out.
“That was partly my fault, so I would have let it go. But you took an oath to protect all of Jean-Claude's people. You swore to use that wonderful body, that strength, to protect those weaker than yourself. Whoever belongs to that skin was someone you swore to protect. Instead, you betrayed them. Delivered them over to hell. Strike three, Liv."
"You can't kill me, Anita. The Traveler will heal me, no matter what you do." The woman, Liv, said. And Harry wanted to urge her to do it. Betrayal was one thing he would never let go unpunished. He loathed people like that with a vengeance.
Harry didn’t have to say anything though; Anita brought up her gun quickly and shot Liv in the kneecap. Harry watched dispassionately as she writhed around on the floor screaming in pain, the ringing in his ears not really drowning her out.
A dark look passed over Anita’s face and Harry knew what she was feeling, “I hope it hurts Liv. I hope it hurts like hell.
The temperature in the room dropped like a stone. There was an unusual power building in the air, It felt cold enough that Harry almost expected to see their breathes.
"You cannot harm me, Anita. My master will not allow it." Liv got to her feet with the faintest of limps. She walked to the door with its awful burden. She stretched the edge of the thing, showing holes in the skin that had nothing to do with the skinning process. "I fed on him while they tortured him. I drank his blood while he screamed." Her fingers came away stained with blood. She licked them clean, sliding her fingers in and out of her mouth. "Hmm, tasty."
Anita shot her in the knee again and Harry wasn’t sure what she was trying to accomplish by repeating the same action over and over.
She collapsed to the floor, shrieking. "Don't you understand? You can't hurt me."
"Oh, I think I can, Liv, I think I can." Anita shot her in the knee once again.
Liv was again on the floor but this time she was glaring hatefully up at Anita.
"Come, Ma Petite, let her be. The Traveler does not give his blessings so easily a second time, or would this be the third? He will heal her at his own pace now. A blessing and a punishment rolled into one. As most of the council's gifts are wont to be."
Harry followed sedately behind the Master and his Servant only glancing at the line of blood Jean-Claude left behind on the wall. "The longer we delay the more tortures they will think of."
That wasn’t ominous at all.
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Le Maître de la Mort