And when Draco opened his eyes, it was Hermione and Trent that he saw before him.
Hermione opened her arms wide and embraced Draco like a brother.
Draco returned the hug fiercely. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” he murmured into Hermione’s curls.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t see you in person for at least another few decades,” she replied before pulling away, wiping at her cheeks.
Before he could comment on them– them standing in front of him!– he was barrelled over. Knocked to the ground with Trent on top of him. “I’ve missed you so much.” The younger boy sprang up and held out a hand for the blond, who pulled himself up. “Sorry for knocking you over,” he sheepishly apologized. Draco waved it off and hungrily took in his two friends that he’d wished he could speak with only earlier today.
Was Trent always that short? He could’ve sworn the last time he saw the kid, he came up to his chin. Now, he barely reached Draco’s shoulder. Draco didn’t think he grew that much in the past year or so, but the proof, standing in front of him, was undeniable.
And Hermione stood, proud as ever, an arm around Trent’s shoulders. Although it had only been a few months since they’d last seen each other, she was different then he remembered. She held herself differently. There was a somberness in the corners of her smile, but that was the only thing that betrayed her recent sorrow. He didn’t realize how stressed she was the last year of her life until he saw how relaxed she stood, wherever they were.
“Where are we?” Draco asked, finally taking in his surroundings. They appeared to be on a dirt path that ran through a meadow. The rusty brown of the road contrasted sharply with the uneven green lawn the stretched out towards the horizon in all directions, dotted here and there by patches of color, weeds and wildflowers alike.
Trent threw out his arms, almost smacking Hermione in the face. “The afterlife!”
Logically, that made sense. Draco knew that he was dead. He even accepted it before that blasted green cruse made a beeline for his beating heart. “But, where is that?”
“Barty and I are in a heated debate about it.” Hermione smirked. “Would you care to join us?”
“What?... Crouch is here?!” Draco’s head spun with that revelation.
“He was as surprised as you. He said that it could’ve gone either way.” She shrugged. “We’re not going to focus on that however.”
“That’s right!” Trent nodded sagely. “We’re here to talk about you. Ouch!” he exclaimed as Hermione sent a mild stinging hex at his arm. “What was that for?” he asked as he rubbed at his now sore forearm.
“Not everyone likes to talk about their death as soon as they arrive.”
“Oh, yeah,” Trent replied, red creeping up his cheeks. “Hermione was in hysterics when she came here.”
“Hermione…” Draco didn’t know what to say to comfort her, so he decided to reach out towards her instead. She accepted, and once again he lost himself in her hair.
“It was a huge adjustment, and I get better at accepting it every day. Lily and Elaine, Susan's mum, helped me a lot. They both died while their kids were babies.” She gently pulled away, and Draco let her. “But enough about me.”
Trent piped up, “It helps that we can still watch our loved ones. Hermione can watch Rosie whenever she wants.”
“Really? I can see my parents, and Ron, Neville, and Blaise, and… and Luna?” he choked out. Oh Luna. Of course, his parents will be devastated by his death, Mother especially. But Luna, his angel in disguise. She wasn’t quite the same after her dad’s death. Wharkspurts completely invaded her brain. And then Hermione died, leaving her golden halo ever tarnished by a slight darkness.
They were supposed to be married. They were supposed to get their Masteries and become Hogwarts professors. They were supposed to be parents, and Neville a godparent. Their future, and others, stolen from them in a flash of green light that meant nothing to its castor.
Would his death even make it to the papers? Or would it be delivered via patronus message, passed on from person to person in a bastardized version of the muggle Telephone game. He didn’t know which was a worse way to find out. What about his body? Would Sirius be able to claim it, or would he be taken by Timmy and used as an example of dissidence? Merlin, what if–
Draco’s spiral was cut off by Hermione’s voice, too loud and too close, “Draco, what’s five things you can see?”
He opened his eyes, and couldn’t see anything, before realizing that his hands were covering them. “I-I can see you,” Hermione was in his space, and despite her crouching, they were at eye level, which meant he must also be on the ground. He idly wondered how he ended up there. “And Trent, and–” Draco scanned the ground around him, “a clump of weeds, dandelions by the look of them. There’s some grass and dirt too.”
“Great! What about 4 things you can touch?”
“I’m on the ground. I can reach for your hand.” Hermione nodded and held out her hand, which Draco readily grasped. “I can get Trent’s too.” Trent took the hint and sat down next to Draco, holding out his hand eagerly. “There’s a large stone under my left knee; I can feel it digging in. And I feel the ring on your finger, Hermione.”
“Wonderful! What about three things you can hear?”
“The wind, some bird in the distance, and Trent shifting next to me.” It was getting easier to breathe, to think.
“Okay, and what about two things you can smell?”
“I smell your perfume, and the earth.”
“Finally, what’s one thing you taste.”
Draco pondered the question for a moment before deciding that he could still taste a bit of toothpaste. “Mint,” he replied. He brushed his teeth while alive for the last time. He wished he spent more time brushing his teeth this morning, and less time hitting a wall.
“Very good! Are you feeling better?”
Draco thought for a moment before responding. “Yes. What happened?”
“You fell to the ground without warning and Hermione realized you were in the middle of a panic attack, so she helped you out,” Trent quickly explained.
Hermione provided a typical in-depth explanation. “I used a simple grounding technique. Our brains love to be given a task, so when you’re panicking, if you’re given a task, your brain will automatically prioritize said task over any anxiety or panic. Doing a task means your brain is being helpful, and the human brains love being helpful more than panicking.”
“She pretty much reset your brain.”
“Thanks, Hermione.” Draco smiled contently. He forgot how nice it was listening to Hermione rattle off facts with the same ferocity and quickness as others do with gossip.
She broke out into a grin that once again didn’t quite meet the corners of her mouth. “It’s really no trouble. Are you good to stand up?”
“I think so.”
“Great.” Hermione stood up and waved her wand to remove the earth that collected on the skirt of her dress. Trent, who paid no attention to the dirt dusting his jeans and hands, reached out to help Draco up.
“Thanks for your help, you two.”
“It’s no trouble!” Trent cheerfully replied, before linking his arm through Draco’s. Hermione followed suit on his other side, before she began steering them towards the road. Draco felt like he was in that one Muggle movie about the false wizard and a witch that couldn’t do a simple shield spell to prevent a house from crushing her. As they walked, he wanted to know where they were going, but that was not the question that burst from his lips.
“How did you know where to find me?”
“We’ve been watching the group in general. I started the day watching Neville, then Blaise, before switching between you and Ron. After you collected Ginny, I got Hermione, and a gut feeling led us here. And then you appeared in front of us.”
“Did the same thing happen to you too?”
Trent nodded, and Hermione said, “Lily greeted me and let me sob in her arms for hours before she even attempted to introduce herself to me.”
“And by Lily, you mean Lily Potter, correct?” Draco already knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure.
“The one and only.”
Trent nodded in agreement, “Lily and James took me in when I arrived and explained everything to me. When Hermoine arrived, she joined us.”
“I assume we’re going to the Potter house now?”
“Yep! We can put a bedroom next to mine for you too!”
“Or you can go with Reg if you want to stay with family. Lily and James won’t be offended in the slightest.”
“Reg…” Draco murmured under his breath. Who could that possibly be? It had to be his mother’s side of the family. A Reg Black… Sirius’s brother! “Regulus is here?”
“Yes, and he’s part of this cool club that I’m also in,” Trent proudly stated.
Hermione audibly groaned.
“She’s just jealous because she’s not allowed to join,” Trent stage whispered conspiratorially.
Hermione’s chin tilted up, and Draco knew she was rolling her eyes. “What’s the name of the club?”
“KBT. We meet on Tuesdays, usually at Reg’s place.”
“And what does KMT stand for?”
“Killed By Timmy. We badmouth Lord Formerly-Noseless and trauma bond over our respective deaths by his wand.”
“Who’s in this club?”
“James, Lily, Reg, me, and now you too!”
Draco didn’t know what to say. He didn’t really want to rehash his death while it was so fresh, but he also found it difficult to say no to Trent’s puppy dog eyes. Luckily, Hermione sensed his discomfort and saved him from having to answer.
“Trent, let’s get Draco settled first before he decides if he wants to join a group therapy session, okay?”
“Of course,” Trent eagerly nodded before diverting Draco’s attention to a white house ahead. “That’s the Potter’s house, and where we’re going. Lily and James will be there, along with Reg. James is very funny, and he has an open crush on Severus. Lily is known for having a temper as fiery as her copper hair. I’ve seen her blow up the tv multiple times. She also has great stories about Severus from when they were growing up. They’re both very excited to meet you. Reg is the quietest out of the three of them, and tends to wrangle them in when their plans become too grandiose. He also knows some pretty wicked jinxes…”
Draco continued to let Trent’s words wash over him as they got ever closer to the Potter residence, and his newest family members. All too soon, they reached the front door. Hermione and Trent unlooped their arms from Draco’s.
“Are you ready?” Hermione asked.
He took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be.”
With Draco’s acceptance uttered, the door opened, and Lily Potter’s warm smile greeted the trio. “Draco, it’s so nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you!” He stepped over the threshold. Immediately, he was enveloped into an embrace overflowing with love, comfort, and security, a welcomed balm to the fears and worries that plagued him for so long. It was a hug that only a mother could provide. While his own mum was no longer able to provide these to him, he found that Lily Potter’s were almost as good.
Standing in the foyer of the Potter home, Draco found ugly sobs being ripped from his throat with Lily’s encouragement as she rubbed soothing circles on his back. It wasn’t what he wanted, but what he needed. And in his mind, one word played on repeat.
Home.