MARVEL-THE MULTIVERSE TRADER

"Simple."

The Trader stepped closer, his dark cloak billowing like ink in water. His crimson, crystalline eyes gleamed softly as he spoke, voice low and steady.

"I will restore your body to the prime of its strength — no, beyond it. Stronger than you've ever imagined. Magic, nerve, bone, every part of you reforged. You'll wake in the real world unbroken, untethered, and whole. And I will help you protect your son… until he becomes a powerhouse on par or maybe surpass likes of Dumbledore and Voldemort."

The words struck something primal in Lily. Her emerald eyes blazed, and she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Don't you dare manipulate my son."

The Trader's expression didn't shift — if anything, his smile softened, though it didn't quite reach those unnerving eyes.

"I give you my word, Lily Potter. Harry James Potter will neither be harmed nor manipulated by me. Every move I make where he's concerned will be under your supervision." He tilted his head, a faint, knowing glint in his gaze.

"Better yet… you can teach him yourself. Guide him. I'll merely provide you with the means — the resources, tools, and knowledge to do it."

He let the offer settle between them like a weight.

For several long heartbeats, there was only silence in the mindscape, the echoes of her old torment receding further, replaced by the cold clarity of hard choices.

Finally, Lily drew a deep, steady breath.

"Then we need to discuss terms and conditions."

Her voice was steady now — sharp and unyielding. The fire of the old Lily Potter, the one who defied Dark Lords and protected those she loved, glimmered unmistakably in her soul projection.

The Trader smiled wider, clearly pleased.

"Of course," he said smoothly, producing a new scroll with a flick of his hand — this one blank, parchment unmarked and waiting.

"State your demands, Lady Potter."

He gestured to the empty contract. "Let's make this civilized."

Lily stepped forward, her projection now steady, emerald eyes hard as glass.

"First — I will never be forced to act against my son's interests. Ever. If any task or mission you assign jeopardizes him, I reserve the right to refuse."

"Granted."

"Second — no direct manipulation of Harry's mind, emotions, memories, or will. Not by you, not by your agents, not by anyone acting on your orders."

The Trader inclined his head.

"Accepted."

"Third — you'll provide me the means to train him, to arm him, to protect him. No strings attached to the resources I use for him. And any method of training will be under my control."

"Done."

"Fourth — no claiming of my soul, no binding of my will, no tampering with my memories. I work for you, not belong to you."

The Trader shook his head," No. I will not claim your soul after a natural death. That will remain yours."

Lily's jaw clenched, but she said nothing yet, every instinct in her straining toward the only thought that mattered now — Harry. Her baby. The only thing she had left in the world.

"However—" the Trader continued, his voice smooth as velvet over glass, "if you are killed in the line of duty, or through any act tied to our dealings, I will claim your soul… and I will bring you back."

The words struck her like a whip crack across raw skin.

A flicker of old fear, grief, and fury twisted in her gut.

Another chain? Another man deciding what she'll become?

Her emerald eyes snapped to his, a cold fire kindling there.

"You'd use my death as leverage?" she demanded, her voice low and sharp.

But the Trader shook his head, crimson eyes gleaming steadily.

"No, Lily Potter. Not leverage. Not ownership. If you fall, I will retrieve your soul and restore you to life. And even then — your soul, your will, your mind, and your magic will remain entirely yours."

His gaze didn't waver.

"But resurrection carries a price. A debt. One that will be named… later."

That made her breath hitch, but not from fear. No — from the unfamiliar feeling of having a choice again. Even if there was a cost… it was hers to pay.

She clenched her jaw, green eyes hard.

"And that price… you don't name it now?"

"Not now," the Trader confirmed quietly. "Only if you fall. And even then — no binding chains, no slavery. A debt owed, to be bargained when the time comes. I resurrect you as you are — unbound, unbroken, entirely Lily Potter."

Lily's heart thudded against her ribs. It's still a chain, but one she can break when the time comes.

A thousand images flashed through her mind — of Harry's face, of his tiny hand wrapped around her finger, of his future slipping away if she stayed silent.

And she knew, in that moment, it wasn't even a choice.

She straightened, defiance in every line of her flickering form.

"Fine," she said, voice like a drawn blade. "If I die, you bring me back. But when that debt comes due — I decide what price I'm willing to pay."

A pause. And then, with quiet steel, "You will not take my son from me. Not in life. Not in death."

The Trader's lips curled in a faint, pleased smile.

"Agreed."

Lily grit her teeth, and asked "And my will?"

"Untouched." The Trader inclined his head. "Your mind, memories, and decisions remain your own. I won't alter them, bind them, or strip them away."

Relief surged through her chest, like breathing after suffocating. A small, battered flame of hope. She'll still be her, still be Harry's mum.

Then his next words struck.

"But you will belong to me."

The words landed like a dagger, cold and merciless.

Her hands clenched into fists. "Say that again." Her voice shook, not from fear, but from sheer unfiltered rage.

The Trader's crimson gaze met hers, unflinching.

"You. Will. Belong. To. Me."

Something inside Lily snapped.

All the pain, all the years of helplessness, of seeing flashes of Harry's baby face in her shattered mind, of the last scream she'd ever made, begging them not to hurt him — it all came flooding back in a wave of raw maternal fury.

Her soul projection rippled, tendrils of emerald magic flaring in the gloom.

"If you think I'll kneel to you, you bastard—"

"I don't require kneeling," the Trader cut in coolly. "Only obedience when called. You'll fight for your son, for yourself, for whatever cause you wish… but when I command it — you act."

For Harry. For him. Always for him.

A long silence stretched. Lily's entire form quivered as her mind raced. She saw Harry — not as the boy the Trader described, but as her infant, bundled in a blanket, tiny fingers gripping hers. His bright, impossibly green eyes blinking up at her. Her whole world. Her everything.

She failed him once. She will never do it again.

She lifted her chin.

"Then hear me, Trader," she snarled, voice low, dark, and trembling with a primal ferocity. "If you harm my son, betray this deal, or move against him — directly or otherwise — I swear by my magic, my blood, my soul… I will destroy you. No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to become."

Her eyes blazed like twin emerald stars, tears threatening to spill, but none fell.

"If I fall, I'll rise. If you bury me, I'll claw my way out. There won't be a corner of your world or any other where you'll be safe from me."

The Trader was silent for a heartbeat. Then, as though pleased beyond measure, a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.

"Perfect."

He stepped forward, the parchment between them flaring to life, its empty surface now etched with gleaming crimson and sapphire ink — terms written, conditions forged.

"Let's seal it, Lady Potter. You will gain benefits that your never heard or thoughts. Your child's life will be happy and long."

Lily stared down at the contract, hands trembling, not with fear, but the unbearable weight of what she was about to do.

For him. Only for him, only for her baby.

She reached for the contract, emerald eyes locked with the Trader's.

"And if you break this," she whispered, voice sharp as glass, "I'll burn your world to the ground. I swear it on James's grave… and on my son's life."

The Trader's smile widened, the crimson light of his eyes glinting with dark satisfaction.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

The parchment glowed as their signatures sealed the pact — emerald fire twining with crimson light.

Somewhere distant, the veil between Lily's soul and her battered, long-broken body thinned. A tether pulled taut.

And Lily Potter — not a helpless, shattered patient, but a mother, a warrior, a storm waiting to rise — prepared to return.

Not for herself, not for vengeance.

But for her child, for her baby— Harry.

x------x

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