wooden door of his hut and looked down at the newspaper again. Then he dropped it and the owl jumped off his shoulder to catch it. She flew a few feet to a box that Draco distantly reminded of a compost heap and dropped it there. His eyes were so fixated on the Prophet that he noticed too late how the man had gone into the house and locked the door.
Draco turned to stare at Harry, "I don't like that! Let's see if there's anything in the Prophet!"Felidea hissed in agreement, but Draco couldn't make out where the snake was beneath Harry's wide robes.
Together they ran to the box and Draco sank to his knees in front of her. He picked up the old newspaper and cleared the dirt from the front page.
The photo on the front page took his breath away and his eyes widened in shock.
"T-this," he stuttered, "is yesterday's newspaper!"
With that he passed it on to Harry.
Shivering slightly, he took the newspaper and began to read aloud.
"The wizarding community is in mourning. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy found dead ... Last night Harry Potter," the Boy-Who-Lived "and Draco Malfoy were found dead. From what we know so far, the two were on their way from Hogwarts home attacked by Dementors and fell from a bridge ... "Towards the end he had grown quieter and looked at Draco in disbelief. "Death ... we ... are dead?"
Completely shocked and disconcerted, he sank down next to him on the floor."But ... we can't really be dead ..."
Draco smiled sardonically.
"To be honest, I don't really feel dead either ... but that would explain why nobody can see us ... where," he paused, "we don't seem to be ghosts either, otherwise the old one would have us Perceived magician! "
Sighing, he combed his blond hair with one hand.
He took the Prophet from Harry again and read on.
//... 'The Ministry of Wizardry learned where the two missing boys were found through contacting Muggles who had found the bodies. Lucius Malfoy and his wife Narcissa deeply lament the loss of their son ... '// he cast his eyes down briefly // At least they miss me.
Then he was silent because he didn't know what to say.
// So we're really dead then //
A slight smile crept onto Harry's lips.
// Well then ... I actually have what I always wanted, don't I?My rest. And the Dursleys sure won't miss me. At most Petunia, because now she has to do everything herself again ... And otherwise ... Most of them only saw me as their savior anyway. Who will really mourn Harry Potter ... Probably just Sirius ... I wish I could have seen him again before I died //
Sighing, he took Felidea out from under my clothes and put them back around his neck.
~ At least you have a bite there ... ~
"Let's go, Draco. We have nothing more to do here ..."
// Since when does he call me "Draco"? //
The blond boy turned his gaze to Harry, who had now risen and was staring at the distant horizon, where the sun melted into the ground, ringing in the night.
Slowly he got up too and spread his arms. And for the first time it struck him that he didn't feel the wind blowing through the trees.
At that moment he realized that he would not see his parents again.His thoughts turned back to Harry, who looked gently at Felidea and stroked her head with one finger.
"All right, Harry," he replied, "I guess we both don't have a home!"
Draco stepped up next to Harry and looked down at the snake.
"Any suggestions where we can go?"
"Somewhere ... the main thing is far away ... And if we go somewhere where someone knows us, then maybe to Hogwarts or something. We can even go to your parents if you want. There is no place left that I could go .. So I couldn't care less where we go ... "
The black-haired man turned to the other boy and smiled slightly at him.
"So just show us the way."
He continued to stroke Felidea's head and was pleased to see how she hugged his hand trustingly.
Draco dropped his eyes for a second, thinking hard.
Would it make sense to go to your parents?Would she be able to see him or Harry?
"Yeah, let's go to a place we're both familiar with and mean to us. Hogwarts wouldn't be bad because there is nothing at Malfoy Manor to do with your past ..." he paused , "... maybe we can find a way ... maybe we can get in touch with someone. Because we don't yet know WHAT we actually are, or how it could happen. And we are not as dead as we are should."
When Harry gave him a skeptical look, Draco smiled slightly, "Of course we're not quite dead yet. Or was that how you imagined the afterlife?"
"No, of course not ... I had always hoped to meet my parents in the afterlife ..." a slight, sad smile graced his lips.
"Then let's go on our way. The sooner we get there, the better it is, right?"
Without waiting any further, Harry made his way to a small shop. After all, they first had to find out where they were and how to get to London or any other city from here.Because one thing had to be said, as the dead they at least did not need to eat or sleep. Which was very important once before.
Harry searched a few maps until he finally found what he was looking for. He made a note of the way and then went back to Draco.
"We should be in this," he pointed in one direction. "Go direction. Then we should come to London. And when we're in London, we'll come to the tracks. And when we get to the tracks, we'll come to Hogwarts too."
"When the train is then on the track! After all, we've been a bit two days ... ahem ... how do I best say that ..." gone from you "?"
Draco marched along the gravel path alongside Harry. The night had finally fallen over them and the stars shone clearly in the sky, as neither of them had seen for a long time. It was a new moon, as if the silvery glow of the moon hadn't clouded the starlight either.
He took a deep breath, even though he knew it was utterly pointless and ridiculous.Harry looked down at Felidea again and smirked as the snake stroked his cheek with its muzzle.
Draco tried hard to find a reason to start a conversation. However, after six years of fighting each other, it was incredibly difficult to do. But now that they were here together and had suffered the same fate, it must be over!
"I think I can only guess what it was like for you without your parents ..." he began, without expecting a real answer from Harry, "But the irony is that I left her, and not them me! "
"Yes, that's right. Most of all you don't know my relatives. I was something like their house-elf when I was there. That's why I wasn't sad at all when I got away. I think the only person who really ever was like family member is true to me Sirius. And I'm really sorry to have to leave him behind and I really hope Moony will take care of him ... "He turned slightly to Draco and gave him a small smile."Don't worry. I am sure that you will see your parents again for sure."
In a touch of sentimentality, he hacked Draco and pulled him on.
"Probably the train isn't there anyway. We'll just walk across the tracks. We'll get to Hogwarts somehow."
Draco stared in confusion at his arm where Harry had hooked himself.
//Ähem...//
He was about to start a protest, but he did not speak out. Something must have happened to them on the way between life and death. Something very scary and takes getting used to.
But he was Draco Malfoy, he had to be over it.
"What makes you so sure I'll see her again, Potter?"
"Because you wish ... So ... why not?"
He just grinned at the other boy.
"We're dead, remember? We can do what we want. So why shouldn't we check on your parents?"
After all, he still had parents to check on, but Harry really didn't want to think about that.Actually he just wanted to go somewhere where he knew someone. and he was kind of glad Draco was with him. Even if he used to be his self-proclaimed archenemy.
"You know ... That's just like Professor Trelawney used to say ... You must look beyond !!"
A low chuckle left his lips as he said these words and the face of his fortune telling teacher came alive in his mind.
Draco raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"I already know why I have not proven fortune-telling! But maybe it will be really good for me just to see you. Then I can say goodbye to you in silence!"
After a while, when they were walking up a hill and saw a thick forest ahead of them, he added, "We'll probably find this Sirius too! Then we can both say goodbye to this life and find a way to really get dead. This is nothing half and nothing whole! "
He reached out a hand and stroked Felidea's head.The snake responds with a happy hiss and reined in along Draco's finger.
Harry lifted Felidea slightly and placed her on Draco's shoulder.
"Apparently she really likes you. It's a shame you can't understand her ..."
The black-haired Gryffindor took a long look around before he went on with Draco. At least they had enough time.
"Yeah, I hope we can find him. I really want to tell him a few things before I go ..."
"If we can find a way! But let's not think about it now ..."
Draco smiled as Felidea slept comfortably around him.
"Yes, she is really cute! I wish I could also use Parseltongue ..."
Together they walked down the hill and entered the thick forest in front of them, but neither was very worried. They were too far from the Forbidden Forest to encounter magical creatures here.
"I just hope we can find a way to talk to them.I wonder how they will react when they realize we can't come back! "
Draco sighed again, but this time not quite as sadly as before. Now he had the feeling that being dead was not as bad as he had always thought, even if it was a little strange, together with Harry Potter this fate was approaching.
He smiled, this time not joyless and dry, but honest and, in a way, happy.
"But like I said: let's not think about it!"
"Yes exactly!" Harry called and laughed for the first time in a long time.
And the two young men continued their slow and arduous journey to Hogwarts