#2 • afterlife
“Don’t you ever wonder if there’s an afterlife?”
His words always haunted her, even two years after he said it in Potions when they were in their fifth year.
“What are you talking about?” She had replied, after a moment of silence.
“It’s not impossible, Granger.”
“Never said it wasn’t, Malfoy.”
Hermione Granger drummed her fingers impatiently on the table, staring at the man who had once been her worst enemy. Draco Malfoy looked awful. His face practically screamed that he hadn’t slept for weeks, perhaps months.
“Look Malfoy, I’m here to-”
She was interrupted by an empty laugh from Draco.
“I have no intentions to go to Azkaban, Granger.”
“Then where are you to go? All death eaters are to go to Azkaban, it’s written here-”
“I intend to go to the afterlife.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he was sane. However he looked about the calmest she had ever seen him be.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be back next week to take you to Azkaban.”
•
“A week, Malfoy! I told you yesterday that I would see you in a week but no, you’re already back here exactly 22 hours later!”
She stopped, taking a closer look at Draco. If it was possible, he looked even worse than he did yesterday.
"Please tell me you didn’t mean it when you said you wanted to go to the afterlife, Malfoy.”
Silence.
"Malfoy-“
"I want to start again. There’s no hope left for me in this world."
She stared down at her desk as his breaths became harsher and she realised that Draco Malfoy of all people, was about to cry.
"There’s still hope, Draco."
And she wrapped her arms around him as he cried.