Silver Ichor (Drarry)

Chapter 2

When the world righted itself once again, Harry was in a beautiful neighbourhood. A wide cobblestone path in the middle with grand houses on each side just behind a car road. In the middle of the road, there were stalls selling various things, from fruit to shampoo. Children ran around chasing each other and laughing while their parents conversed. A Golden Retriever puppy played fetch with a blond little girl in a park on the left. Trees lined the path, creating shade for those who wanted to get out of the shining sun for a while. As Harry watched, an ice cream truck drove by, getting all the children's attention.

It was a beautiful place, somewhere he imagined he could have grown up quite happily.

His attention was grabbed by Thanatos, who steered him over to a moderately sized white house on the left side of the road. There was a well-cared for garden in front, showing off all sorts of different flowers and plants. A sleek black car was parked there as well, though it had no brand name on it. On the door, a metal number 12 gleamed in the sunlight.

"Welcome, kid, this is your parents' house."

Harry swallowed nervously, and, ignoring his nerves, rang the doorbell. He can do this.

A few seconds later, the door was answered by a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties. She had auburn hair, cascading in soft waves down her back. Her skin was lightly freckled and pale. But what drew Harry to her was her eyes, they were the same shade of green that stared back at him when he looked in the mirror.

The woman – his mother – looked at Thanatos first, but then seemed to notice Harry looking at her and met his gaze. She gasped, "H-Harry?"

He tried swallowing the lump of emotion that seemed to appear in his throat and say yes, but he couldn't, so he settled for nodding.

"Oh, Merlin, it really is you!" she screamed, then launched herself forward and hugged him tightly.

So this is what a mother's embrace feels like, Harry mused as he hugged his mum back just as tightly. He could feel her hair tickling his neck, smell her scent, like vanilla and peaches, he could hear her voice, saying over and over that she had missed him so much. All of this brought a tell-tale stinging to his eyes that he didn't even try to stop.

"Mum," he whispered.

"Sh, Sweetheart, it's okay, Mama's here."

"Lily? Who's at the door? Is everything okay?" Harry heard a male voice, not Thanatos', and realised with a jolt that that must be his father's.

He heard footsteps and then a gasp, "Harry? Son, is that you?" it was said shakily, but hopefully.

Harry nodded against his mum's neck, "It's me, Dad."

He felt strong arms engulf him and his mother, "Oh, Harry, we missed you so, so much."

He didn't know how long he stayed there, in the embrace of his parents for the first time in ten years, but when they let go, he still had tears in his eyes.

"Harry, you're not dead, are you?" his dad asked.

Harry shook his head, "No, I'm not dead. It's actually a long story."

Mum smiled, "Well then come inside. I'll make some tea and biscuits, then you and Thanatos can tell us."

"How'd you know it was me?" Lord Death asked, puzzled.

She shrugged, "I've been in your presence before, Lord Death. You aren't easy to forget with the whole aura thing you've got going on."

He grinned sheepishly, "Oh, right. Oops."

They followed her into the house, which was furnished in a modern style. Despite that, it had a worn, homely feel to it. Lily – his mum, he still couldn't get his head around that – led them to a sitting room, where James was using a wand to levitate a tea tray onto the coffee table.

The room they were in was spacious, but not overly so. The main colour scheme seemed to be black, grey and white, with bursts of an amethyst colour here and there.

"I thought I was going to make the tea?" Mum asked.

Dad shrugged, "I thought I would make it quickly. You deserve a break sometimes, Lils."

Mum walked over to Dad and kissed his cheek, "Thanks, Darling."

They sat on a white loveseat and gestured for Harry to sit in between them. Harry suspected that they didn't want to let go of him just as much as he didn't want to let go of them. Thanatos sat on a grey settee opposite them.

"So, Harry, why exactly are you here in the company of Lord Death? Last we saw you, you went to sleep in your cupboard – which, by the way, is not okay – after staying up on your birthday. You also look different, now that I look closer." Dad said, his arm wrapped around his wife, who had pulled Harry onto her lap, not that he protested.

"How'd you know what I'd done last?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, while everyone who doesn't deserve punishment resides here in the afterlife, those who had done good, or fought against evil in life, get an extra favour. That means that we can watch over people who are important to us. It's like a TV in our room that we can tune into to see what you're doing. Don't worry, we don't see anything private." His mum explained.

Harry nodded, that made sense.

He laid his head on his mother's chest as he explained to his parents everything that had happened while he had been in this weird, dream-like state. He explained how he had gained consciousness only to be greeted by two Greek deities, how they told him about the Wizarding World and Lord Voldemort. He described the deal both gods had offered him and how he had felt when he agreed. He told them how he had changed and what Hecate and Thanatos told him about his abilities. He only took breaks to sip at his tea or nibble on a biscuit.

Soon, his parents were fully informed of what had happened, and he waited nervously to see their reaction.

Dad simply smiled, "I'm proud of you, Son." He said, ruffling Harry's hair.

Mum kissed his forehead, "So am I."

Harry smiled, and, as he sat in his parents' embrace, he truly felt content.

Thanatos sighed, "Well, I do hate to break up this reunion, but I have other places to be. I will take you back home now, Harry, and I'll teach you how to get here and back on your own tomorrow night. Okay?"

It was Harry's turn to sigh, wanting more than anything to just remain in his parents' arms, but knowing that he didn't want to anger Lord Death, "Alright, Thanatos. I'll just say bye, okay?"

Thanatos nodded, "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr and Mrs Potter." He said as he walked outside, presumably to give the family a private moment.

Harry hugged his mum tight, "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Of course, Honey." She murmured into his ear.

When she let go, his dad smiled and opened his arms, "C'mere, Son,"

Harry let his father's protective embrace wash over him. He tried to savour the feeling even though he'll be seeing them tomorrow.

He finally let go and Mum walked him to the door, "Bye, Sweetie!"

"Bye!"

He felt Thanatos place a hand on his shoulder and the world went black once again.

~

A/N: Hi! This chapter is one of the shorter ones, but next chapter is quite long, so I hope that'll make up for it. I really liked writing this chapter and I hope it was real enough. I don't really know how to describe this kind of reunion. What do you guys think of Harry having his parents back? I plan on having Harry surrounded by the people he loves. Until next chapter!