"He did the rest when he agreed to take you on as an apprentice," The Father's eyes fixed on Harry once more who was regarding him without a hint of what was going on in his own mind, "Otherwise this message will never be seen."
"You keep saying message," Harry said, his voice emotionless, "I just know I'm going to regret asking this. But… what message?"
"This message is for the both of you," He said, his voice suddenly coming out sounding like there were two people speaking, himself and a female.
Ahsoka recognized the voice of the daughter.
"A specter who mastered Death from another time and place. A being who has long been a lonely company of one, familiars and servants notwithstanding. Now the company has doubled. The specter joined with one who like him has died. Whose soul was touched by death and who was exposed to the very best and very worst of my children."
"Damnit…" Harry muttered rubbing a hand over his face, "Prophecy. I hate prophecy."
The Old Man didn't move but his eyes glittered darkly as he spoke, "So many events and possibilities hang in the balance. Your decisions will have long felt ripples for good and for ill. Already her very existence merely next to yours has had an effect on others. Now that she is joined with you, for good or ill that will only grow," "For too long the Force has been attempting to guide events. However it is a pale shadow of it's true self. It has slumbered, and been restrained. Repressed at every turn. The weak shadow of itself used for selfish ends of people as bad or worse than my son. But you… you will unleash Magic on a galaxy that has been too long bereft. Even now it awakens from its slumber and exults in its use."
"Not even we know what the outcomes may be. But… we do know that as you are with Death, so you shall be with Magic. Only now you are not alone. Soon, two will be four, four will be five… five will be six… six may grow, but then there will be two… always two. Two will be one that has the possibility to last until time unseen,"
"Oh for fuck's sake." Harry muttered. "If there is one thing I hate more than prophecy it's riddle prophecies."
The old man's mouth stopped moving for a moment but words continued. Only they were solely from the female voice that seemed to float on the wind, "Faces and names, new and old will join you on this journey. Including those who already seek to understand you."
The old man picked up seamlessly, speaking solo for a moment, "Faces and names, new and old will oppose you on this journey. Including those who will, and already do, seek to wrest everything you are and have away from you,"
Their voices once more blended as one, "To what end, not even Magic dare predicts. But to an end where the ripples spread across the galaxy. Forever." Silence hung in the air, before the female voice spoke once more by herself, "A final entreaty. Do not give up on those who don't know any better, they only know what they have been taught,"
Those words hung in the air ominously before there was a suddenly crash of lighting and both Harry and Ahsoka stumbled back slightly. They found themselves back in Ahsoka's library.
The courtyard and the old man was gone.
Harry was pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.
Ahsoka could feel a combination of irritation and weariness from him, but also an undercurrent of guilt and uncertainty.
"Harry? Are you okay?" She asked quietly.
She had her own thoughts she was dealing with. She didn't like that someone had put something in her head. But that was secondary to the idea that according to the man she had actually been dead.
Harry slowly nodded, though didn't stop pinching the bridge of his nose or even open his eyes, "Yes, I'm fine."
"You don't feel fine…" Ahsoka commented quietly, with concern in her voice.
Harry huffed a half laugh, running a hand through his hair, eyes still closed, "This is why I hate when people try to look in the future. They always create confusion and uncertainty as you try to read meaning into words. Especially when most of the things they say are so obscure, they make no sense until after the fact,"
"But not all the things said were obscure," Ahsoka said, her voice a soft declarative statement. She had seen Harry's reaction to the words and watched him closely.
"Yes," Harry sighed and nodded a bit. Finally opening his eyes. He had been subtly checking to make sure there was nothing else in her mind that was like that fragment of memory they had seen. He was well aware of the dangers of preserved memories and fragments of others found in people's minds. He had thankfully found nothing. He didn't expand further, instead he looked around one last time before holding his hand out to Ahsoka, "C'mon, let me show you how to exit your mind.
Ahsoka nodded slowly at Harry's abruptness, she wanted to press further but also wanted to make sure the real world was still where she had left it so to speak. She reached out and took Harry's hand and felt a slight tugging sensation.
Between one moment and the next they were once again sitting on her bed, cross legged and facing each other. Ahsoka blinked and rubbed her eyes which were a bit dry.
She shook her head slightly, looking around, "How long were we in my mind?" "About five minutes," Harry replied rubbing his chin and blinking a few times. A silence descended as Harry regarded her quietly, an air of expectation.
"What?" She asked after less than thirty seconds of his observation. She was amazed that it was only five minutes, it had certainly seemed far longer.
"Just waiting for you to ask your questions," Harry replied, unable to keep a bit of weariness out of his voice.
"Do you want to talk about what the things he said?" Ahsoka asked quietly.
Harry smiled sardonically, "Not particularly. But I know you have questions, and you certainly deserve answers." He was absolutely not going to avoid answering them because they made him uncomfortable. He had learned that lesson.
Ahsoka nodded hesitantly. She didn't want to press when Harry seemed as off as he was, and admitted to not wanting to talk. At the same time he had said some things that she was worried about, and as that was a completely surreal experience for her, finding an unknown message in her head,
"Then ask," Harry replied gently seeing her expression and able to tell her indecision.
Normally Ahsoka would have balked, especially given the his admittance of not wanting to talk. But there were points she had to bring up, since this happened in her mind. "Was he telling the truth when he said I died?" She blurted out.
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