I Beg Your Pardon, Potter?

Chapter 64

Draco awoke to a bright light. Or at least he thought he awoke. He wasn't sure he existed. But he was thinking, and wasn't that the saying? I think, therefore I am? So he must be something.

He was lying on his back, of that he was sure. Or, pretty sure. Which meant he could feel things. Like the fact that he was naked. He blinked and turned his head from side to side. He appeared to be alone. He sat up slowly and took in his surroundings. It was a lot of white nothingness.

The last thing he remembered was jumping in front of the killing curse that Voldemort had leveled at Harry. Was this the afterlife then? It seemed oddly blank and impersonal. He'd thought the afterlife would be more interesting.

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor Dumbledore said, appearing quite suddenly in front of him. Draco squeaked in alarm and covered his nakedness with his hands. But then, as quickly as Dumbledore had appeared, so did a set of robes. Dumbledore helpfully looked away while Draco put them on.

"This is quite unexpected," Dumbledore continued, once Draco was standing. Draco wasn't sure, but he thought the headmaster sounded disappointed. Had he been expecting someone else?

"Where are we?"

"Where do you think we are?" Draco looked around and realized with a jolt that the space had changed. The bright lights had sharpened and defined themselves into lines. There was a large reception desk along a wall that was lined with drawer upon drawer.

"The portkey office, at the Ministry."

"Interesting." Draco wanted to know what Dumbledore saw, but he didn't dare ask. He hadn't had the closest relationship with the headmaster — that had been Harry — and he felt awkward being here with just the two of them, particularly as Dumbledore had found him naked. But he wanted answers, so he squared his shoulders and faced the man.

"Professor," Draco said. "Am I dead?" Dumbledore looked at him appraisingly.

"Yes. But also no." Well, that explained nothing.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You did die," Dumbledore said. "But it appears that you died in possession of the three Deathly Hallows, which means that you haven't actually died."

"I— what?" Dumbledore heaved a great sigh. He walked over to one of the benches in the office and sat down on it. Draco hesitated for a moment before sitting down on the other end of the bench.

"Do you know the story of the Three Brothers?" Dumbledore asked, turning to face Draco.

"From Beedle the Bard?" Draco had no idea where Dumbledore was going with this talk of a children's tale. He wanted to know how he was dead but not dead and what that meant for him. And he wanted to ask about Harry.

"Do you remember the three items that Death gave the brothers?"

"The wand, the stone and the cloak," Draco said immediately, playing along in the hopes he would get some answers.

"The three of them make up the Deathly Hallows, which when combined, make the possessor, in this case you, the master of Death."

"But it's just a children's tale," Draco protested.

"And yet," Dumbledore said. "Here you are." Draco frowned and stared down at his feet, which were still bare, his head spinning. Technically, yes, here he was, but he still wasn't sure what that meant.

"But how?" he asked. He wasn't asking Dumbledore, more just wondering aloud, but Dumbledore took it as a question.

"Harry gave you his invisibility cloak and that ring, did he not?" Draco looked down and found the amulet still hanging around his neck.