Where The Sun Drops | drarry post-war

eight | spirits

Harry groaned. "Not you," he said, raking his hands through his hair while Malfoy guffawed.

He turned back to his girlfriend. "Sorry. I'd really like a strong drink. And you can use whatever language you like. Thank you."

He knew he sounded crazy, but he was starting to think maybe he literally might be. If he wasn't, then why couldn't Gin see Draco too? Ghosts were real, he knew that from Hogwarts, but from that he also knew that they were visible to everyone, not just him.

On top of that, Harry knew that the reason most ghosts were on Earth rather than... wherever else dead people go... was because they couldn't let go of their human life.

And that didn't sound much like Malfoy to Harry.

Malfoy appeared to have had a pretty miserable life - you'd have thought he'd be happy to get the hell away from it when he died - unless, Harry realised, the phrase "get the Hell away" was more accurate than he'd first thought.

Fuck.

He knew Malfoy had done some messed up shit in life, but surely he wasn't Hell-level bad... was he??

Gin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts then, and his head snapped up - fuck, he was jumpy.

"Harry, are you listening to me?" she asked, chewing on her lip the way she always did when she was worried.

"Are you listening to me, fuckhead?" Malfoy asked in a cruel approximation of her voice.

"Uh, yeah," Harry replied, shaking his head dazedly to see if the ghostly vision would disappear. He didn't.

"What did I say, then?"

"You asked me... if I want brandy or whiskey?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Good guess," his girlfriend frowned. "Which is it?"

"Brandy, please," said Harry. He made a concerted effort to keep his eyes on Gin's beautiful face as he spoke, and not on the boy shooting off the walls behind her. "Thanks."

"Alright," she said gently. "I'll get it. But for God's sake, Harry, sit down for me while I do. I've half a mind to call 999 and say you're about to have a seizure, the way you're acting."

"I'm sitting, I'm sitting," Harry replied, throwing himself hurriedly down onto the sofa. He was desperate to placate her; hated that he'd scared her. "I'm good, truly. I'll stay right here. No seizures."

"Please, please have a seizure," Malfoy begged him as Ginny left the room. He swooped down to Harry's eyeline and mimed a series of heavy spasms, his eyes rolling wildly back as he shook.

"How are you making that fucking foam come out of your mouth?" Harry asked in horrified amazement.

"It's just plasma," Malfoy shrugged. "Good, isn't it? Does it creep you out?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I can make fuckloads more."

Harry's knuckles began to turn white with how hard he was gripping the arms of his chair, and by the time Ginny returned with his brandy (a triple, by the looks of it), his hands were almost too shaky to accept it.

"Drink," she told him, kindly enough while still sounding authoritative. "You've clearly had some sort of shock, I'll bet you need this."

And so Harry drank, and Ginny watched on with all the love and care in the world in her eyes.

"You turned into an alky, Potter?" Malfoy asked sneeringly, his eyes boring coldly into Harry as he sipped the golden liquid in his glass. "Bit of a lush, bit of a boozer? Need something to take the edge off?"

The glass clinked against Harry's teeth as he gritted them, a concerted effort not to respond.

"Pisshead Potter!" Malfoy continued to gloat, hysterical at his own joke. He was in Harry's face now, uncomfortably close. His presence felt like a cold gust of wind, and Harry shuddered.

He drained the last of his drink and handed the glass to Ginny, whose hands were soft and warm as she received it. "Better?" she asked

Over her shoulder, Malfoy was miming vomiting, spewing transparent plasma all over the ceiling of the room.

"Better," Harry lied. He wondered when that statement would be true.

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a/n: so! the loooong awaited update!

sorry i've not been updating fast recently, i've had some stressful stuff to think about but i'm all good and hopefully you all continue to enjoy this story and give me incentive to keep going with it!💗💗💗

~ paradisedraco