Snake hair: Fighting for freedom (Draco x F!Reader) (Book 8)

Awakening

I opened my eyes slowly, quickly closing them as I was met with harsh white light. I slowly let myself adjust to the light, before sitting up. Everything around me was white or a shade of white. I could make out archways to my left and right. I quickly noticed I seemed to be on some sort of platform. Is this what the afterlife looked like?

I looked behind me and noticed Harry, who was laying on the floor unconscious just like I had been a couple of seconds ago. He opened his eyes and looked around. He sat up and quickly noticed me. "Are we dead?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "Probably. I also didn't expect the afterlife to look like this. It feels rather familiar, to be honest with you."

I pushed myself off the floor and stood up. I looked down at myself. I wore a white sundress that fell just above my knees. It sported a lace band around my torso which was neatly tied into a beautiful knot. I also wore white flats with flowers decorating the sides. The snake closest to the right side of my forehead also sported a white, lace knot at the base of its body. 

After I was done inspecting myself, I looked around again, until raspy breathing caught my attention. It was coming from behind me. I walked closer to the sound and it seemed to be coming from underneath a bench. I kneeled down and looked underneath.

The sight disgusted me. Underneath the bench was a human-like creature, not bigger than a child, but the creature was thin. As in skeleton-thin. The color of its skin was white, but it was rather hard to see as the thing was covered in blood. It was curled in a fetal position, but I could still see its face. The creature had its eyes closed and was slowly breathing in and out through its mouth, as it had no nose, only slits in the place where its nose should have been.

After seeing its face, I was pretty sure that thing was Voldemort. But how? He wasn't dead. "You can't help." I looked up at the person who spoke. It was Dumbledore. "(Y/N), you wonderful girl. You brave, brave woman. And not to forget Harry of course." He smiled.

This moment felt bittersweet. I still wasn't sure what to think of him. "Let us walk." He said. He walked past me and Harry, and against my better judgment, I followed him. I joined Dumbledore's side, as Harry took the other.

I looked over my shoulder at the bench. "Professor, what is that?" I asked him. I stopped as I looked back, Harry and Dumbledore did the same. "Something beyond our help." He replied. He faced away from the bench and kept walking. "A part of Voldemort send here to die."

"And exactly where are we?" Harry asked. "I was gonna ask you that. Where would you say we are?" Dumbledore asked. "Well, it looks like King's Cross station. Only cleaner.. And without all the trains." Harry answered. "King's Cross, is that right? This is, as they say, 'your party'." He explained. 

So that's why it looked so familiar. This place takes on the form of what you are familiar with. "I expect that you now realized that you two and Voldemort have been connected other than fate. Since that night in Godric's Hollow and Lavenham all those years ago."

"So it's true then?" I asked. "A part of him lives inside of us." I stated. "Did." Dumbledore smiled. "It was just destroyed many moments ago by Voldemort himself. You two were the Horcruxs he never meant to make."

We wandered until we came to another bench. Dumbledore sat down, and we joined him. "We have to go back, don't we?" Harry asked. "That's up to you." Dumbledore replied. "We have a choice?" I asked. "Oh yes. We're in King's Cross, you say. I think, if you so desire, you'll be able to board a train." Dumbledore explained. "Where would it take us?" I asked. He chuckled. "On." He replied.

Dumbledore stood up and started walking away. He stopped not too far away from us, his back towards us. Harry got up and looked at Dumbledore. "Voldemort has the Elder Wand." Harry told him. Dumbledore turned to look at us. "True." He replied. "And the snake's still alive?" Harry asked. "Yes."