Disclaimer: I don't own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto.

Hi, everyone!

This story is the result of my attempt to resume my writing after many months of hiatus. It was supposed to be the continuation of my other story ''A very powerful woman'', however my muse led me to a different direction, thus here we are.

A few warnings before starting:

This is an Alternative Universe; with MOD! Female! Harry Potter.

With the exception of the prologue, the entirety of the story will be in the Naruto World.

Updates will be sporadic and the following chapters will be most likely much shorter than this one.

English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance if there are any misspellings. I proofread the chapters but I have no beta.

It's rated T to be on the safe side, because, let's face it, with ninjas and Death itself involved, sooner or later someone'll die.

Have a good read and tell me what you think!

''Life is one of God's greatest journey, but Death is the next great adventure.'' – Chris Cole

To say that Camellia 'Mia' Lily Potter was disenchanted with the Wizarding World was to put it very mildly.

At barely twenty-two years old, the most famous witch of the magical world – the Girl Who Lived, the Chosen One and most recently the Saviour of the Wizarding World and Defeater of the Dark Lord – was at her endurance limit with the senselessness, prejudice and sheep mentality of those she had fought so hard to protect and given up so much for to save when she was still just a child.

At first, after the war was over and the Death Eaters and other supporters of Lord Voldemort were caught and brought to justice for their crimes committed while on the Dark Side, Mia was hopeful that she at last would be able to live a normal life and that their world would change for the better and learn from their past mistakes: Muggle-Born witches and wizards would be finally seen as equal to Purebloods; magical creatures would gain more rights and be less discriminated by society, were some of the things that needed to change in her opinion. She was aware that those changes couldn't possibly occur quickly, after all one could not change a country's long-standing narrow-minded mentality in a matter of days or even months, but if some people in position of power started to fight for it, surely that would happen eventually even if little by little. She had been optimistic for that future.

However, Camellia couldn't possibly be more wrong.

The laws regarding Purebloods and Muggle-Borns barely changed at all in the last three years, as the Ancient Families continued on having all the political power and for all they may have claimed while at war on the side of the Light (at least the most of them), almost no one was in a particular hurry in changing their status quo now that the danger had passed and they were at peace once more. In fact, it seemed, at least to Mia, that they had quite quickly forgotten their own words from those dark times and were more than willing to repeat the same errors of their ancestors. Not to mention that corruption was still rampant as well, even if at this time the interested parties were more discreet about it.

Short term memory, indeed, the young witch mused sarcastically often.

The prejudice against magical creatures continued, or rather it seemed to have worsened if it was possible. The past actions and decision of siding with Voldemort in the war was the swift answer and excuse thrown at anyone who dared condemn others' opinions that magical creatures didn't deserve any kind of rights, in fact, they would self-righteously and boldly point out, if they hadn't had so much liberty in the past they would have never dared standing against the Ministry and the Good and Light Side.

More often than she cared to admit, Camellia wondered cynically what had she been really fighting for, aside from ridding the world of Voldemort and his cruel and homicidal ways. Because except for the nasty Dark Wizards freely doing whatever they wanted during those very dangerous and horrible months, she couldn't really find that many differences from then to now. The world still divided itself between dark and light, wrong and light, and the simplistic mentality that 'if you didn't fully agree with one side's view then surely you were against them'. There was no middle ground to speak of and after the war only someone without any self-preservation whatsoever would ever admit any kind of connection to the losing side. Any preached promise about the betterment of their world quickly fell to the way-side after the war was won and the sheep could return to their standard way of life – as in burying their collective heads figuratively in the sand and pretend that everything was alright – up until the next time that those same troubles interfered with their lives once more.

However, the most aggravating fact of all was that everyone seemed to believe that Camellia Potter's life was not her own anymore – or rather, her opinion never mattered before, so why would it change now?

As an heiress to two Old Pureblood Families, it was her duty to find a worthy wizard (preferably a Pureblood, some would say) and not waste any time in marrying to continue her family's line. Of course, as she was a woman with barely any political knowledge at all, it would be her husband who would then take over her Seats at the Wizengamot and the one at the Board of Governors at Hogwarts. Naturally, her opinion would be irrelevant, and the then-Lord Potter-Black (if he didn't have any other noble title before the marriage) would vote as he saw fit.

No one had stated it directly (not that it was actually necessary, mind), but they all seemed of the same opinion that while she was good enough to save their ungrateful hides – or rather, it was her upmost duty to do so – it didn't matter, she clearly wasn't intelligent enough, cultured enough, to meddle in political affairs and have a say in the future of the Wizarding World.

Obviously, Mia didn't share this same vision and refused to bend to their misguided expectations anymore.

Fighting a war and killing a Dark Lord was more than enough, thank you very much. Self-righteous, self-serving, greedy, ungrateful bastards.

Logically, if Mia had found someone that she liked, she would have no problem in settle down and marry, though she would never give up control of everything that was hers by right and blood only because others said so. Not that she had any intention of trying her hand at politics at the moment, but it was simply the principle of the matter. However, she had become rather jaded and distrustful of anyone who approached her after the war as she could never tell if they were genuinely interested in her as a person or cared more for her wealth and status, and she wasn't willing to sink to the level of casting Legimency at anyone she met only to prove their words.

What really surprised her, though, was that this opinion was mostly shared by her surrogate family, the Weasley's. Especially Molly Weasley was very vocal on the idea that the young witch should marry as soon as possible, and her attempts at pairing her up with Ron were all but subtle, even though there have never been any kind of attraction between the both of them. Not that Ron looked the least bit against the prospect, mind. In fact, it appeared that Mia was the only one who didn't seem at all interested in that supposedly wonderful union among the read-heads and their friends and associates.

Molly Weasley didn't falter in the face of Camellia's less than enthusiastic responses though, and as the time passed by, she became more and more devoted in her crusade of uniting the Weasley's and Potter's together.

The only ones that could have actively support her against those ludicrous prospects were Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and her best friend Hermione Granger.

However, Neville and Luna were travelling around the world (with no plans of returning to Britain in the near future) searching for rare magical plants and animals respectively and their letters were random at best. Hermione had left Magical Britain two years after the war to Australia when the intelligent witch finally admitted to Camellia that she couldn't stand the Pureblood's bigotry against Muggle-Borns anymore and decided to live closer to her parents. Presently, she was happily working at the Ministry there and often claimed that it was the best decision she had ever made. They both wrote each other periodically but Camellia knew their friendship was different now and felt they were slowly but surely emotionally distancing themselves from each other.

Camellia passed her days mostly studying subjects that took her interest and that she hadn't had the time to before and practise her spell casting to keep in shape. She had felt an increase in her magical power ever since the Final Battle and she had theorized that it was quite possibly because of the Horcrux disappearance from her scar. She believed that ever since that bit of foul magic had been trapped inside her, part of her own magic had permanently fought to keep the soul piece separated from her as much as possible and thus unreachable to Mia until the Horcrux had been destroyed.

Her new interests were quite diversified; such was the case of Ancients Runes and Magical Wards. Surprisingly, now that there wasn't someone who loathed her looming over her shoulder and breathing down her neck, expecting her to fail at any moment, or a spoiled prat tossing extra and unwanted ingredients into her cauldron, she had acquired a liking for potions as well. Sure, she would never be a true Potions Mistress, but she could now confidently brew any household and the most common medicinal potions without a problem and when she felt daring, she tackled the more complex ones such as Veritaserum, Polyjuice and others.

Even more startlingly, the Dark Arts was something that gained her curiosity, if nothing else to learn what she had been really fighting against in the war and to be better prepared if she ever encountered them in the future again. Sometimes, she couldn't help but thinking that if she had been more knowledgeable about spell casting and more all-around prepared in the past, perhaps she could have found the Horcruxes and vanquished Voldemort sooner and thus less people would have died. She tried her best to not spend much time in that topic though, as she had learned that 'what if' would never help her moving on and solve anything besides turn her thoughts dark and depressing.

However, shockingly, Mia discovered that not all the so-called Dark Spells were 'evil'. Sure, many of them were downright frightening and nasty; but there were some that if used with restrain and for the right reasons were not that bad actually. The ancient – and most certainly illegal – books that she had found on the large Potter Library, hidden away from everyone of not-Potter blood, explained numerous examples where a now-considered illegal Dark Spell could be used in the benefit of a magical condition or dire situation – such was the case of the Imperius Curse, to stop someone intent of committing suicide or killing innocent bystanders in a skirmish – or to kill livestock more humanely – such as the original creation of the dreaded Killing Curse – just to name a few.

Other spells could be barely considered vile in Camellia's humble opinion; their only censuring quality was the use of blood in the case of Blood Magic, which she had shockingly found out Dumbledore's famed blood wards around Privet Drive belonged to this category.

Granted, with enough imagination one could do despicable deeds with such spells, but one could argue that such was the case with almost any Light and Neutral Spell. Mia was sure that if someone wished to, one could kill a person with a Levitation Spell without much effort if near a cliff or a very high place, and she had never heard anyone say that that spell was dangerous; in fact, that spell was one of the first taught at Hogwarts.

Mia suspected that the Ministry had decided to deem them so to avoid the masses using them to their own protection and profit and thus against the Government's interests (at least the most of the spells). One of the first things she had learned about the Magical Government – especially the British one – was that they would do everything they could to ensure that they were the ones that had always the upper hand and banish anything that could help the population stand up strong and independent from them was absolutely not past them. The decision of sending Umbridge to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and later her position as High Inquisitor in Mia's fifth year was one clear case of the Ministry trying their best at maintaining their status quo and silencing and weakening their opposition, which at the time had been the Girl Who Lived and anyone who dared to believe in her 'preposterous lies about the returning of the Dark Lord'.

Thankfully, Mia decided to not ever tell another soul about her studying of the Dark Arts. She would not put it past the sheep of the Wizarding World to call her the next Dark Lady or such outrageous title when she did not bend to their expectations of what a proper Heiress and Lady of two Noble and Ancient Houses should do. In fact, she even avoided thinking about it. With her luck, she better not jinx it.

Still, Mia found herself more alone than ever since entering the Wizarding World. She rarely left her house these days if she could help it. She even came to dread visiting the Burrow and was permanently searching for excuses to refuse the Weasley's invitations without blatantly seeming to be avoiding them. Whenever she stepped a foot in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, she had to constantly answer questions from everyone passing, asking with different levels of subtlety and fervour about her personal life.

She hated it.

She was grateful for the two Potter house-elves who had taken care of Potter Manor until she had inherited the estate, money and other properties when she had turned seventeen (though she only was informed of that after the war). The creatures took care of shopping and the random unwanted mail that she received from some hopeful suitor or 'concerned' witches or wizards that condescendingly demanded she fulfil her duty as a single young lady to the future of the Wizarding World (as if she hadn't already done enough for them!). The first ones were glaringly answered with 'No, thank you!' and the others were summarily disregarded and tossed in the fireplace without further thought.

Thus, Camellia Potter was more than disenchanted with the Wizarding World's population.

For an impulsive second she had pondered leaving Magical Britain behind and move into the Muggle World. That idea was promptly dismissed though. What she couldn't really stand anymore were the people and not the World itself. She still loved Magic as much, or perhaps, even more than when she first discovered it.

But what she could really do though?

Wherever she went, the witches and wizards recognized her and the mounting pressure to find a suitable man to marry was turning her insane. And her hermit behaviour was not much healthy either, she admitted to herself.

If only she could find and live somewhere people have never heard of the Girl Who Lived and be herself without the ludicrous expectations of others, she would be happy. She missed having a goal to work towards for – hell, she almost missed those yearly adventures at Hogwarts, dangerous and trying as they had been –, helping someone in need, as she discovered that her 'saving people thing' was still alive and kicking; helping someone who really needed unlike the people in the Wizarding World who wanted Camellia to do their jobs out of laziness and self-righteous greed and entitlement.

Her recurring frustrating thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Camellia felt some foreign energy start to appear in front of her desk in her study, where she had been for a few hours that summer afternoon, looking without seeing at the old Warding book in front of her.

She promptly stood up and released her Holly wand from her hidden holster on her arm, mind and body at the ready to fight as the space in front of her became darker by the second. The Manor's wards were at full power and she had not received any alarm that they were being breached, thus this intruder, whoever it was, was not some regular wizard visiting to chat and drink afternoon tea. (Not that she had received any guests at her home in more than two years anyway.)

She tried to discern what the strange energy exactly was without success. It was similar to magic but not really and gave an ominous and chilling feeling not unlike a Dementor but thankfully without the cold and her worst memories replaying in her mind's eye. As the dark figure became clearer, a stray word jumped to the front of her mind, chilling her to the bone.

Death.

Indeed, after another second, whatever process had been happening ended, and the figure standing in front of Mia couldn't be considered any other than Death personified; skeletal hands, huge scythe, long black hooded robes and all.

The young woman tensed even more, as she unconsciously recalled the Deathly Hallows which she had possessed for a short time before Voldemort's permanent demise.

Impossible! She denied in her mind. I deliberately lost the Stone in the Forbidden Forest and left the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's tomb. Anyway, this should be only a story! A legend!

''Greetings, Mistress,'' the tall and dark figure spoke, its tone without inflection. The voice was rough and aged with time.

For a few long seconds, the young woman stared speechless at the figure as she tried to process what she had just been called. Hysterical laughter tried to leave her body but she valiantly refrained. Now was not time to be panicking!

The figure was seemingly content to wait in silence and without moving for Mia to regain her bearings around her and answer its polite greeting.

''Impossible… I can't be… It should be just a story!'', the witch sputtered at last not that much coherently, falling gracelessly in her previous seat in her shock.

''I assure you, Mistress, this-'' the figure gesture carelessly with the arm not wielding the huge and deadly weapon, its tone still unaffected, ''- is quite real.''

''But…'', she took a deep breath and tried again. You're a Gryffindor, dammit! Show that reckless courage that you're known for, she admonished to herself. ''Are you saying that the story of the Deadly Hallows was not a legend after all?''

''Yes, Mistress,'' the dark figure acquiesced promptly, carelessly shifting its huge scythe in a non-threateningly manner as it regarded her. ''The Artefacts that I created a few centuries ago have without a doubt chosen you as the first Mistress of Death.''

Mia finally gathered her wits enough to think articulately about this unexpected situation and quickly decided that it was just her luck to achieve something that no one else had been able to do before. Even without trying.

She could already hear what the Magical Community would say if they ever heard about it and promptly winced at the pictures that conjured up in her mind. A Dark Lady who played with the dead; the Unspeakables would be salivating at the mere idea of studying my body and magic!

She restrained a harsh shudder at that last thought. She had no misconception that the Ministry – or anyone else for that matter – would care a wit that she hadn't chosen any of this. As it was proved again and again, their memories were rather short and their lack of individualistic thinking for themselves, the masses would quickly demand for her imprisonment as they cowered inside their homes in fear of what she could do to them if they ever dreamed that Camellia Potter could have somehow, someway, mastered Death.

''No one will never know if you don't divulge that information,'' Death stated in a manner that Mia supposed it was intended to be reassuring but it fell rather short. Somehow, she suspected that the Identity didn't have any experience with emotions of any kind and thus it didn't really know how to reassure a human being, though, she gave it points for trying anyway.

Mia didn't even bother being disturbed by the apparent reading of her mind. She doubted that a Being as powerful as Death Itself would have any difficulty in perceiving her thoughts even with her somewhat average Occlumency barriers. In fact, she was almost thankful for it. This way, she wouldn't need to voice her disturbed and barely articulate thoughts out loud to be understood.

''Why?'', the witch demanded when she felt a little stronger in her mind, opening her hands that she had unconsciously fisted in her momentary panic over her thoughts and spreading them over the top of her desk. ''Why appear now?''

Camellia didn't need to enumerate all the questions that that simple word contained. Why after all these years did it appear before her and announced that the Hallows were not a simple children's tale after all? Why did it come to disturb her somewhat peaceful life? Why did it matter that she was the Mistress of Death? For the last four years, she hadn't noticed any different powers in her magic; surely that title didn't mean that much?

Apparently Death saw every one of her questions, doubts and worries even before she, herself, could process them properly in her mind and was quick to answer.

''I have not come before now because simply you were not ready,'' the figure said in its typical monotone, belying its words, adding a seemingly careless shrug for good measure. ''One needs more than reunite all three Hallows to be the Master of Death. I was the one who created them one time when I was admittedly rather bored but I am not at all naïve to believe that there would not be many humans who would try their best to gather them and force their will upon me. I held no wish of being subjected to greedy, self-centred and hungry-power mortals, thus I created a failsafe, so to speak. To completely master Death, one will have to possess no wish of ever control me.''

Mia was gaping incredulous at the figure's explanation, not that she cared at the moment.

''Are you saying that it's only possible to be your Master by accident?'', she asked when she finally recovered from the latest shock. She felt the abrupt urge to laugh hysterically. These things only happened to her; Potter Luck and all that.

She recalled all that she had read about the Deadly Hallows and the numerous situations in which wizards fought – most of the times – to the death for their achievement. To think that no one ever stood a chance of attaining the desired title, Death really was beyond cunning and extraordinary. Not that there was any doubt, really, but it finally explained something that she had wondered before: why would a powerful and transcendent Identity such as Death ever subject itself willing to any human?

''Why, yes,'' the figure answered nonchalantly, as if all the violent situations and consequently deaths It caused through the centuries with its momentary whims of creating powerful artefacts was nothing to It. Which, Mia mused, it totally was. It was Death after all.

''You mentioned that I was not ready before,'' Camellia said thoughtfully, moving on. ''Ready for what, exactly?''

This time, the dark figure didn't answer immediately. The witch felt that she was being studied for a moment, the scythe twirling lazily in its skeletal hands. She was not really sure, though, as Its hood covered all its face (if there was even an actual face down there).

''I have been observing you for the last four years,'' the figure responded at last, its weapons still obliviously shifting at its side. ''As you are the only Mistress of Death that ever existed, there isn't really a job description that you must follow and in the great scheme of things there was nothing that changed when you acquired your new title. Thus, I decided to let you live your life peacefully for the time being. However, I realized that for all that you tried to occupy yourself with subjects that interested you over the years, you were not happy. For some time, in the beginning, you were at least content; you had a few friends and you were enjoying a World without war. This last year, however, you have become more and more isolated and almost every interaction with your fellow wizards and witches is such a dismal experience that you avoid leaving this house at any cost.''

Camellia listened silently to Death, even as she unconsciously agreed to every point It made. There was no need to deny, after all everything It was saying was true and something that she thought about rather often.

''Thus, I have a proposition to you.''

Suddenly, It straightened, the scythe stopped its previous idly moving and It looked at the witch straight in the eyes (or so it seemed, as It, you know, more than likely hadn't any eyes itself to speak of). Not that It really needed it, but Mia took it to mean that they were finally arriving at the main point of this conversation. She unconsciously straightened as well and waited with almost baited breath to what would happen next. She felt that whatever it was this proposition, the young woman was sure that was life-changing and irreversible. Anything that an Identity such as Death demanded of a human, never mind Its own Mistress, was certainly not a daily favour.

''As it is common knowledge, Death is universal, thus it is everywhere: in the Earth, in the Oceans, in the Air, even in the outer space, as Stars and Planets eventually die as well. What you perhaps don't know is that there are currently many different dimensions in existence; anyone who blindly believes that this Planet is the only place with living beings is a naïve fool. Death exists in every single one of them.''

Mia was entranced as the same time she started feeling a bit of trepidation. Who would have ever thought that one day she would hear Death Itself talk about different dimensions? However, with the direction that this conversation was going, she had a niggling suspicion that she would soon learn more about it than perhaps she ever wanted to know.

''Usually each dimension is self-sufficient and there is absolutely no reason to interfere in its existence. Their fate is already written and, no matter what humans claim, there is very little they can really do to change the outcome which is pre-set in that world. However, there are a few times when some unforeseen event happens –which it's always by accident, remarkably enough – against all expectations which throws everything out of the planned outcome and into an unwanted path that usually terminates with the end of human life and consequently of the world itself. Humans have several names for this occurrence: Apocalypse, Armageddon, Judgement Day. Subsequently, when that happens, it upsets the flow of the rest of the Universe, which will bring undesirable events for the other dimensions; which, in turn, will bring unwelcome trouble for the Gods and other Immortal Identities to solve, myself included.''

Even though Mia was avidly soaking everything Death was saying, that foreboding she had started feeling before soon grew to great proportions as it started to sink in her mind that Death would be asking her to perform some sort of task to avoid the End of All Things in an unknown world, which in turn would prevent problems for Deities that she hadn't even known existed. Contrary to what she had been expecting, there was the feeling of excitement and adventure that she had felt all those years ago that had her heart pumping and adrenaline coursing through her veins; it was making her feel more alive than she had felt since the end of the war.

''In a particular world, much different from this one, exists a supernatural energy vital to all living beings, be it humans, animals or plants. This energy is called chakra,'' Death continued explaining, eerily like a professor teaching an interesting subject. ''In the case of humans, everyone has more or less the same amount of chakra when they are born, with the exception of the ones who possess a bloodline limit, which is roughly explained as a characteristic power inherited from a particular family. This particular ability, also known as kekkai genkai, can be numerous different gifts, ranging from special affinities to natural elements, different type of ocular powers to superior healing abilities, and all in between. Technically, there isn't really an absolute rule that cannot be broken with adequate skill and dedication; there are even ones that can achieve some sort of immortality, but not quite. Rather similar to magic in that regard, actually. In this world, there are two types of humans living more or less in harmony: the civilians, which are self-explanatory, and the shinobi, which are the military forces of any main country in this world.''

''Shinobi as in ninja?'', Camellia blurted out, flabbergasted.

''Yes, rightly so'', Death promptly concurred, always without inflection.

Mia tried to wrap her mind around the astounding idea of chakra-wielding ninjas and the fact that in this unknown world apparently there was no need for secrecy from such exceptional skills unlike this world where the Magical Community lived in constant fear of being discovered by Muggles.

''Until a certain time, this world existed as it should be, however, if nothing will interfere, in a moment of utter misery and remorse, a fourteen years old shinobi will take his own life, unknowingly triggering unexpected vital events which will bring forth the end of the world much sooner than it was foreseen to happen.''

Death paused for a moment in its exposure allowing Mia to digest the information. She knew what the figure was doing. It was playing with her 'saving people thing' when It mentioned a teen killing himself in a moment of anguish. This point reminded her of herself after Sirius' death; if she hadn't had good friends who supported her back then, she was sure that she had easily succumbed to that desperate act herself. That was something that she wouldn't wish to anyone, even less to a teenager, and would do anything in her power to prevent it and Death clearly knew it.

Although all this brewed in her mind, she didn't say anything out loud and Death chose not to acknowledge her thoughts for the moment either. Instead, she decided to ask about the unwanted events that would occur.

''These 'vital events' that you mentioned, what are they exactly?''

''A war that will eventually kill most humans before the main instigator of the opposite faction will project the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which is akin to an extremely powerful illusion and mind-controlling spell, on the moon and trap the rest of the humanity in a dream, with the misguided belief that will save mankind from destroying itself, absolutely ignoring the fact that it will also rob free will from the entire world,'' the figure stated blandly. ''Needless to say, that plan will not end as expected. Something will happen that will interfere to the moon's orbit and as a result crash ruthlessly against the Earth, destroying the two planets in the process.''

Camellia gasped in shock, unable to really comprehend the magnitude of such a frightening disaster. No matter what happens in the world, there is always the knowledge in the back of one's mind that the sun and the moon shall rise the next day and every day after that until the end of the times. To imagine that that ultimate occurrence is nearer to happening in that world than it should be, was a rather quite terrifying thought.

''And this will all happen if that boy dies?'', Mia asked, after a while, voice unsteady with all the implications running through her mind. ''Is he the one that needs to defeat the other side or something?''

''Actually, no, in the greater scheme, this boy himself is not that really important. However, his young brother and his teammate will be,'' Death responded, idly twirling its scythe once more. ''To understand the magnitude of his role, you need to know what happened to the boy before he decided to kill himself. Itachi is his name and has been considered a prodigy since a very young age. After witnessing war and death at only four years old, the boy considered himself a pacifist. However, his family and village's expectations forced him to become a shinobi at the age of seven-''

''Seven?!'', Camellia shouted outraged, unable to imagine such a young child as a hired soldier.

''-and his wishes were put aside for the interest of the village,'' Death continued as if It hadn't been interrupted. ''As a peace-loving shinobi, Itachi was willing to do anything to protect his village and that sentiment was put to the test when after many years of turbulent relations between his Clan and the village, he was given an ultimatum by the Village Elders when it was discovered that the Uchiha Clan planned a coup d'état. Either he killed all his clan members – which were more than five hundred, by the way – or all his family would be publically executed after being deemed as traitors to the village. That was a losing situation either way and Itachi opted to kill his family himself avoiding besmirching the Clan's honour, with the only condition being that he be able to spare his young brother, Sasuke, who he loved more than the village itself. Thus, the Uchiha Clan was massacred in one night and Itachi was deemed a traitor and missing-ninja by the Hidden Village in the Leaves, also known as Konoha. Since that fateful night, Sasuke has been nurturing his hatred for his brother and training incessantly to one day hopefully defeat Itachi and reviving the Uchiha clan to its former glory.''

Mia was practically crying at the end of the narration. That poor boy had suffered greatly and endured burdens much heavier than her own had ever been. Imagine being forced to murder your own family for the well-being of your community. What had he felt after staining his hands with the blood of his family? Just for a second, she tried to imagine being forced to kill any of her friends and promptly felt queasy and light-headed.

That rationality reminded her too much of the Greater Good that Albus Dumbledore used to always spout about. Sure, she had followed the old man's instructions to defeat Voldemort, but that didn't mean she had liked it.

The young witch tried to calm herself taking deep breaths. There was still more to this story and she didn't really know if she could stand to hear it all without turning into a sobbing mess.

''After a while of wandering the Elemental Countries always on the run, Itachi will reach his breaking point when he's forced to fight against a team of Hunting Ninjas from Konoha whose mission is to capture him,'' Death kept on explaining after It had politely waited for Mia's to compose herself. ''It is this moment which will be the turning point of that World's fate. If the boy's succeeds in dying, there will be no hope for salvation.''

Death is really laying it thick, Mia thought somewhat sourly. She could practically feel her 'people saving thing' and her reckless daring rear their heads and urge her mind to help the poor boy as Death waxed on about that World's tragic fate.

''You mentioned a younger brother and a teammate?'', she reminded the figure before her. She could feel her resolve harden itself inside her heart but she wanted to know everything before she verbalized any opinion on the matter; her days of rushing into danger without any information whatsoever were hopefully over.

''Yes, these two boys will be the two main characters, if you will, in the oncoming events that will decide the future of their world. In fact, there is a prophecy-'' Camellia groaned and cursed under her breath at that word, it seemed that no matter what, there was always one of those to screw someone's life, ''-roughly claiming that Naruto, the teammate of the younger brother, will bring peace to all nations or sow destruction and death throughout the Elemental Nations, directly depending on Sasuke Uchiha's actions and relationship between the both of them.''

''So, if I understood correctly,'' she started thoughtfully after processing everything, ''the death of Itachi will have an even more negative impact in his brother's life than it already has and thus change the course of his and Naruto's future relationship that, in turn, will translate on the deciding factor of the end of that prophecy.''

''Roughly, yes,'' Death agreed nonchalantly. ''There are many more details to this, however for now that's all the important bits.''

''But why? If Itachi's death will bring so many unwanted events, why don't you, or someone else intervene before it's too late?'', Mia wanted to know. If the boy's survival was so vital to the future, why had Death come to her instead of doing something Itself? Surely, it would be easier and faster that way.

''Alas, I, or any other deity for that matter, cannot directly interfere in Mortals' matters,'' the figure said almost regretfully this time, or perhaps it was only her wishful thinking. ''It is one of the absolute rules that govern the true Immortals of the Universe. However, there is nothing wrong against my own Mistress doing it in my stead as you are clearly still human.''

''Ah,'' she simply said, understanding immediately Death's 'dilemma', even as her mind buzzed with all the rushing thoughts. Then something else It just said caught up with her brain. ''Wait! What do you mean still human?''

The figure shifted almost sheepishly, even though it was clear impossible seeing that apparently It had no emotions, and stated in a very blasé manner. ''Didn't I mention it yet? You, being the Mistress of Death, cannot really die in like a regular human.''

Mind blanking for a long moment, Mia opened and closed her mouth several times without making any sound. This latest bit of news seemed to be her breaking point after all the shocking information she had received just in the last half-an-hour. Then, abruptly, her brain reset itself and she found herself almost screaming her disbelief.

''Cannot die… What do you mean, I cannot really die? I don't want to live for ever! Oh Merlin, what am I going to do? If they discover that I somehow turned myself immortal, I'll be locked and experimented upon faster than I can say Quidditch!'', she shouted in her blind panic, forgetting everything else. ''Why, oh why this always happens to me? Didn't I suffer enough? Didn't I give already enough to the world? Why Fate and Death and whoever else likes to screw with my life?''

After that, her panicky protests became almost unintelligible. Death, it seemed, was content to wait it out and let its Mistress relieve her stress in any manner she wished to.

When it appeared that Camellia had calmed down somewhat, Death decided to explain its latest statement.

''After the Deadly Hallows claimed you as my Mistress, your body didn't change in any way; it ages like any other's human's and I am certain that since then you have felt any pain or ache as it should be normal when you hurt yourself or you are tired,'' the Figure explained patiently, completely unconcerned with Mia's recent bout of hysterics. ''You will bleed if your skin is cut and feel sick if something is wrong with your body health-wise, however you will never die from it even when any other human should be dead in a matter of minutes or instantly. I wish to point out, though, that no poison shall ever affect you and that is nothing to do with me. When that basilisk almost killed you when you were twelve and you survived with Fawkes' tears, you instantly built immunity to any other poison or venom in existence because, as you should know, basilisk's venom is the most deadly of them all, even in other worlds.''

Recovered somewhat from her distraught daze, Mia took in this new information with deep breaths and tried to convince herself that what she was hearing wasn't that so bad after all. It could be worse, I could be frozen in my almost eighteen years old body for all eternity and then I would surely be a freak of nature. She decided not to even think about what seeing people she cared about die and she could never follow them would do to her psyche.

''But if I age normally, what will happen when my body is old and weary? Will I live like an old woman for eternity?'', she desperately wanted to know. She couldn't really decide what was worse: being young forever or ageing until she was old and grey and then white and live until the end of the world in a weak and wrinkled body.

''You will not live for all eternity, Mistress,'' Death countered with a shake of its black-hooded head. ''Perhaps, I did not explain myself as clearly as I should,'' It added almost to itself in a lower tone, appearing somewhat confused that Mia hadn't understood its clarification as it had been intended. ''What I was trying to say was that you will never die until your rightful time to leave the living world; meaning that you will only be able to properly die by natural causes – which will be from old age – and never through another's interferences.''

Camellia's shoulders drooped slightly at that, feeling a huge amount of relief. She would still die when it was her time. As she thought more about it, she supposed that this 'little detail' was not so bad. Sure, it was somewhat unnatural and disturbing but it was a very positive point nonetheless. Imagine all the things I can do without fear of being killed or fatally sick. As long as I don't end trapped somewhere unpleasant against my will to be studied by Unspeakables or worse, my life will be much more interesting. She decided not to think what could possibly happen to her when she finally properly died. She was fairly certain that that occasion was still very far from happening and, more importantly, she wasn't sure that she would be able to stand any more disconcerting and surreal news at the moment.

''Alright,'' Mia said at last, after her mind calmed itself down and she could think rationally once more. ''Hypothetically, what should I have to do if I accept your proposition?'' She stressed that word, trying to convey that she hadn't still fully agreed to anything, at least out loud. As Death somehow knew what she was thinking, well, they were simply empty words and the young witch was only stalling her official answer. After all, what had she really had to lose? Her few friends were moving on with their lives and the rest of the world was becoming more and more insistent and unpleasant towards her opinions and actions as the time passed by. ''I'm not really sure that I could be of much help, though. Firstly, I don't know much about that world. Secondly, you mentioned that there isn't magic there but instead chakra; will be my magic even work there? Thirdly, how am I supposed to save this boy? I don't really know any advanced healing spells and any potions that I can give him are almost useless and most likely deadly if I don't know for sure what it is the problem exactly and what potions should not be mixed together. Fourthly, what language they speak in that world? From the names you mentioned, English is not their main language if they even speak it all.''

She stopped flinging questions at the dark figure when her need to breathe made itself urgently known; feeling as she had been channelling Hermione in one of the muggle-born's bouts of great curiosity that needed to be satiated as soon as possible.

Camellia idly called one of her house-elves for some iced tea to quench her thirst and hopefully helping her calm down some more. Even if she refused for now to admit out loud that she was very much interested in Death's offer, her mind was already whirling with questions and plans as she felt the long-forgotten feeling of excitement thrumming through her veins at the prospect of doing something adventurous and worth-while with the great bonus of being able to help someone in need of her.

''If you accept my proposition to save this young man's life, I'll give you all the knowledge necessary to wield the Deadly Hollows to its absolute powers as it is your right as their due owner.''

For a moment, Camellia thought her questions had been ignored but then the figure continued.

''As I said before, Death is universal and omnipresent, thus it knows every language ever spoken by any living being in the course of all times. As you receive the Hallows' powers, you'll gain the knowledge to every language ever spoken or written. To know all the other new powers that shall be yours through these three artefacts, you shall naturally have to take time to discover them and then practise until you master them. For all the exceptional and powerful gifts they offer you, if you don't train them, then they shall be as useless as any other spell that you have never mastered.''

Mia sat there, forgotten tea at her elbow, listening enthralled to what Death was offering her. She couldn't really wrap her head around the fact that she, who had never studied any foreign language except Latin to aide her in her spell casting, would be now able to speak and understand any and all language that ever existed; and not only in her world, no, every dimension had their own and she would know them all.

The fact that the Deadly Hallows were more extraordinary than they already were – if a powerful and unbeatable wand, a stone which called the dead to the living plane at will and a cloak which could hide oneself from everything, including Death, were not already impressive in their own right – and offered many more powers to their owner than she had never dreamed of was something that she could barely believe in her mind. Excitement, fascination and eagerness bloomed inside her at the prospect of discovering and training new extraordinary magical powers that the average witch or wizard would never dream of possessing.

''All your questions shall be then answered with the Hallows' mastery,'' Death said, its ever-present scythe twirling idly in its right skeletal hand. ''To sweeten the deal, I'll give you two exceptional boons. One it's this pair of earrings.-'

The aforementioned jewellery appeared instantly in Death's bony left hand and the figure reached out for Mia to take them. She reluctantly did so and felt a brief chill as her skin came in contact with the figure's bones. The pair appeared to be made of the blackest stone she had ever saw and their shapes were different from one another.

''-The one shaped as a star shall hide your internal magical system from outsiders, as there is at least one clan in Konoha that will otherwise find with only a look that you possess something other than chakra and it's best guarding that secret to yourself as it would bring many unnecessary problems. The one shaped as a crescent moon will protect you from any possibly kind of mental intrusion as there is, too, at least one clan in Konoha that is very skilful in a similar technique to Legimency. As it goes without saying, it is imperative that no one discover the true extent of your powers as the Mistress of Death. They are from my own scythe and once you put them on, they will be impossible to separate from you.

''The second boon is something that never existed before. Usually, if one is not a deity, any type of communication between dimensions is simply impossible. However, as I know you are now fairly talented in the art of potions brewing, I'll create for your use only a trans-dimensional bottomless bag in which you can receive all the magical ingredients needed for your potions and other miscellaneous. Only your two house-elves are allowed to know of and use it. You will simply need to write a list of what you need and they will purchase them and then send them to you via the bag. Your aptitudes in potions will aide a great deal to start a business once you are settled. I am fairly certain that you will be not disappointed. However, if any question still remains, I'll be more than willing to answer them when we next meet.''

At this point, Death seemed to have completely abandoned her little denial game and spoke as if Mia had already clearly accepted the proposition.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, I will do whatever it is necessary to save that poor boy. Not that these new extraordinary powers didn't sweeten the deal. I have nothing to lose anyway. Everyone seems to have some goal in their life and I feel like I'm just wasting away in this house without any aspiration for the future. At least there I'll feel like I can be myself again without others' misguided views and I'll be able to help a suffering child without the weight of fame and expectations in my shoulders. It's a win-win situation.

''When we next meet?'' Camellia repeated in confusion, as she absentmindedly put on her new earrings and felt a momentary shift in her magic before it thrummed pleasantly and subtly inside her body once more.

''Yes, you will need some time to master the Hallows and it is not possible to do so in two or three days. There is too much information to absorb and it's most unwise to receive it all at once; the human mind will simply not be able to without breaking down,'' Death explained with barely a shrug of its bony shoulders. ''The time when Itachi will try kill himself will be in three months. You'll have this time frame to master your new powers and settle all your affairs. Another important point that I must make is that you will share a blood connection to the late Yondaime Hokage to aide in your quest. Conveniently, all other family members are dead with the exception of his son, Naruto.''

''The same Naruto from the prophecy?'', Mia probed, even as she admitted that being related to someone who once had been the leader of Konoha could only help her with her plans.

''Yes, the one and only,'' Death concurred. ''This way, you will be able to have contact freely with the boy without outsiders' interferences, or at least not directly, at any rate.''

''Will I be able to bring any possessions?'', she asked after some more thought. The idea that she was leaving alone in three months not fazing her in the least now that she started to come to terms with the fact she was leaving her world and everything she knew behind.

''Of course,'' the figure promptly responded. ''You can bring anything you want; books, clothes, jewels, cauldrons and such. You only have to put everything in a magical trunk. Only a piece of advice though: exchange part of your fortune in gold bars; wizarding money is enchanted to be invisible to muggles who are not aware of the wizarding world and you will receive much more money when you exchange the bars for Ryous, which is the monetary currency of that world.''

Camellia nodded absentmindedly in agreement, her mind already working on what she intended to bring with her. She would need to ask for an overall account of all her vaults at Gringotts to know exactly how much money she owned and then decide how much she would need to bring with her and a more than reasonable amount to be used in her future purchases of potions ingredients and possibly other tools such as caldrons, ladles and the like via house-elves. She needed to decide if she should sell any properties and shares of the various businesses she owned at the moment which she had inherited through the Potter's and Black's families.

''Will I be able to return to this world someday?''

''Do you wish to return eventually?'', Death countered in its ever-present non-inflected tone.

The young witch opened her mouth to automatically say that 'yes, she wished to return', only to stop and ponder honestly the question. If she really thought about it, she admitted that if she left this world and started her new life somewhere else, she was certain that she would never return. Sure, Mia would miss her friends and everything she had always known, but if she could build something worthy in that new world, find new friends, start a family eventually (and wasn't that a thrilling thought? Possibly find someone to share her life with that wouldn't have Mia question every step of the way if he genuinely cared about her instead of her fame?), she would never abandon it all to return to some place where she hadn't ever been really happy in the first place.

''No.''

And that was that.

After that, Death offered a farewell to its Mistress enlightening her that she would receive all the information needed about the Hallows when she was sleeping every night and that they would meet again in the morning of the 15th November and left in the same fashion that It appeared, leaving the Deadly Hallows on her desktop.

As Mia touched them, the Hallows all seemed to melt in her grasp before disappearing. Instinctively, she abruptly knew that the Invisibility Cloak would hide her with barely a thought calling for it; the Elder Wand would appear in her hand as if summoned when it was needed and the Resurrection Stone would materialize as a necklace around her neck when she would ask for it.

All in all, Camellia promptly forgot her previous feelings and gloomy thoughts towards the people in the Wizarding World. She had a journey to plan, new powers to master and a suffering boy to save. The self-serving and ungrateful bigots of her world weren't worthy of her thoughts anymore.

She couldn't wait to see what this new world would be like and hopefully start a better and more interesting life than the one she would be leaving behind.