It's been quite sometime since I've written something for Fanfiction…and this is a new style that I'm trying. I hope it works out. Enjoy!

Prologue- Death's Contract

March 3, 1982

For Death, the Potter family had supplied him servants for generations. Every few generations he would take an heir under his wing and they would help him restore balance to the world. There was always some kind of madman that wanted to cheat him. No one cheated death and got away with it.

Usually, the Potter family provided him with a suitable heir to use as his own. Sometimes the heir was male, other times female, he used a recycled soul, one of a warrior. This generation he was supposed to be using Harry James Potter to do his bidding. He had foreseen it...but fate stepped in, taking the young child before his time, leaving him without an heir.

Like most pureblood families with strong magic, the Potters could only have on child. James Potter was no exception. Death needed a vassal to defeat Voldemort, the man who was cheating Death in the most twisted way possible.

The main Potter family didn't, couldn't, have any other heirs. But, he might have found a loophole. Two generations ago the Potter family had twins, a rare but not unheard of occurrence. Of course, the younger son's magic was weaker and he didn't have much contact with the main branch of his family. Ignatius Potter was a jealous man. But, he did have a daughter, Iris. She was weak and sickly, only five years younger than her twenty-two year old cousin James.

This girl was on the brink of dying. Death had been waiting for this moment, the moment she begins to cross to the other side. She was going to take on the role of her dead cousin and bare his brand. After all, one doesn't face death and come out unmarked.

Death was currently standing at a crossroad, dressed in a dark cloak that covered the majority of his more gruesome features. Depending on the Potter he sometimes carried his scythe with him and left his hood down, showing his skeletal face. Like all his previous servants he meets them in their minds right before they were about die. He then talks to them about their possible choices, either leaving the world of the living or going back to stop the evil that has affected the world. He hasn't had a Potter servant decide to die and he wasn't about to let this be the that first time. They were such a noble family...

The area became clearer the closer she came to death. He could feel her shuddering breaths as her life started to leave her. Death seemed to be standing before two roads, each lined with trees. He wasn't sure what significance this place had to the young woman who was currently dying, but he would no doubt find out. "Where am I?" A quiet voice echoed. She had a light welsh accent from her years in the country.

Iris Potter stood before him. She was pale, it was obvious she never spent any time outside. Her jet black hair was long and framed her face in a way that made he look ghostly. She was extremely thin...From what he remembered she was seventeen and had never had a properly functioning magical core. Her magic had actually been killing her for years, slowing shutting down her organs. A painful death.

She stopped looking around when she caught sight of him. She didn't seem startled by his presence. She didn't even seem afraid. She was perfect to serve him. He adored those that didn't fear him. They were so few of them in the world. "You, my dear, are on the brink of death."

"So I've guessed. Are you're here to take my soul?" She asked, approaching him. It was rare that someone would come up to him, to accept death so willingly.

"Not quite. You see, the Potter family has served me through various reincarnations. Your cousin was chosen to be the host during his generation, but I lost him to death a few months ago. You are my only option left."

She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, showing her bright grey eyes. "If Harry was destined for something great...why didn't you save him? Why are you saving me?"

Death smiled, and Iris shivered. He wasn't the most appealing of entities and his smile was positively feral.

"Sadly, your cousin was killed instantly and there was nothing to save him from death. Had someone sacrificed themselves to save young Mister Potter, things might have been different, but Peter Pettigrew gave him up to Tom Riddle when he was watching him for his parents. You are the only Potter left for me to use. You've spent your life on the brink of death and I have just enough power to send you back to defeat Tom Riddle."

"But my core isn't strong enough..."

Death moved closer to the young woman and place a finger right above her collarbone and Iris felt power flow through her and she gasped. "You core is going to be restored with the remnant reincarnated magic your cousin was supposed to receive. Build up your strength, Iris Potter. Your life is going to be hell, but I need you to stop the man cheating death. Wake up, Iris Potter." Iris disappeared from his view as she went back to the world of the living.

In a small family cottage Iris' grey eyes fluttered open. She had never felt as healthy as she did in that moment. She could feel her magic coursing through her properly for the first time in her life. "She's alive! Ignatius! She's alive!" It was going to take time, but Iris was going to live up to Death's expectations.

So, that's the chapter. I know that it's a short, but this is just the prologue and I have nearly the entire first chapter finished which is nearly twice as long as this and still isn't finished. I should be posting once a week every week till the story is done. I have big plans for the rest of this story.

If you enjoyed the chapter please review, or if you think there is something that I could improve on, don't be afraid to leave a review. If there are any questions you all have you are more than welcome to PM me.

This is also vaguely related to Harriet Potter the Marauder's Heir, but there will only be hints of it. So, if you haven't read the story, you don't have to read it to understand this story, unless you want to. =) I'm not going stop you from reading another one of my Fanfics if you're curious.

So, that's enough rambling from me. I should be posting early next week since I'm going on vacation on Wednesday and I doubt that I'll have internet.

~Animerocker

PS
I don't own Harry Potter