Dead and Alive (Drarry)

Chapter Eleven

Harry stood in the middle of a dark forest. Tall trees surrounded him from all sides, their branches reaching out, trying desperately to grab him with their sharp claws.

Harry let out a heavy breath, watching as turned to mist from the cold night air. It was winter judging from the newly fallen snow littering the ground, and the thin ice cycles covering the branches. I wish I had a coat, he thought rubbing his hands up and down his arms to try and warm them up.

He walked slowly, tripping over mangled roots every now and then. It was then, as he was stepping over a particularly large log, that he heard them. Soft footsteps coming from behind him.

"Hello?" he asked, turning around.

There was no one there. And if there was, they had to be hidden within the darkness.

"Hello?" he repeated.

The only reply the sounds of crickets and owls. Turning back around, he continued forward. 

He knew the forest was never really empty, but it seemed there was someone in there with him. Or something, his mind added unhelpfully.

It wasn't long until he heard them again, only closer. But again, there was nothing.

His mind must be playing tricks on him, he decided, and continued forward, completely missing the way the shadows of the trees seemed to follow him.

He pushed away overgrown plants and leaves out of his way, revealing a small lake in front of him. It was completely isolated, not a single sound came from any direction. The moonlight reflected off it's surface in a beautifully eerie way, lighting up the area surrounding it.

He stepped into the open clearing, closer to the bank.

Leaning forward, he peered into the lake, looking at his own reflection in its black waters.

What he saw was a young boy, around eighteen years of age, staring back at him. The boy had emerald green eyes framed by a pair of round glasses, the left lense cracked down the middle, and messy black hair.

But the thing that really stood out was the matching lightning bolt scratched into his forehead.

However, Harry knew this boy couldn't be him. For the boy looking up at him looked more lively, more human. And less dead. Harry's own eyes were only twenty five percent of the amount of green, and they weren't framed by glasses.

He frowned at the reflection, watching as the other boys lips also turned down. Harry's brows furrowed, as too did the reflection. He then stuck his tongue out at the water, the other boy copying him.

You're not me, Harry thought confidently.

Yes I am, replied his reflection.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and he jumped back from the waters edge.

His reflection smirked, before fading away in a series of ripples.

Where the boy once lay, a hoove now stood. Harry's eyes followed it, his neck craning upwards. 

Looming over him was what looked to be a deer. However, it was no ordinary deer. Its body was a bright blue and glowing. It stared at him with cold black eyes, its antlers huge sticking menacing out of it head.

Harry's eyes quickly surveyed his surroundings, searching for an escape route. But before he could make a run for it, the creature spoke.

"A war is coming," it said. "A battle between light and dark."

"Your friends will be your greatest allies," it continued. "Be strong, and stay true to yourself."

Before Harry could ask it what it meant, the creature's glow turned a deep red.