Eternal /Drarry/

Chapter 5: The Return To Hogwarts

"We wondered when you'd be getting here," a voice rang out, a man's voice. It wasn't one Draco recognised, and he whirled around in a panic, searching for whoever had spoken. He saw a figure sitting on one of the steps in the staircase, and slowly drew closer.

"How do you know who I am?" Draco asked, frowning at the sound of his own voice. It sounded echoey.

"We know all about who you are," the man said, finally lifting his head.

Draco did a double take, eyes widening. The man looked oddly like the vampire he had the privilege of calling his own, yet seemed much older. He carried Harry's prominent jawbone and round glasses, yet he had some stubble around his chin and his hair seemed tamer. His skin was pearly white, and Draco gulped, knowing instantly who this person was, and that they were most definitely dead.

"You're Harry's dad, aren't you?' Draco asked shakily.

"I was his father. James Potter," he spoke in the same, emotionless and empty tone.

"You said 'we' before, is there someone else here?"

James looked up the staircase, and a woman descended, leaning on the banister. She was pretty, skinny, and had long hair. Draco guessed that it once would've been red, and her eyes would have been green, but all the colour seemed so drained here it was hard to tell.

"And you're his mother," Draco bit his lip, trying to remember her name. "Lily, right?" She nodded. "What do you want from me? Why am I here?"

"It's not so much of a matter of what we want from you," James said, his eyes unblinking. "More of what would be in your best interests to do."

Draco didn't reply, just narrowed his eyes into a frown, waiting for an explanation.

"Ever heard of a vanishing cabinet?" Lily asked, her voice taking up the same cold and nonchalant tone as her husband's. Draco nodded slowly, mind flashing back to the one in the Room Of Requirement. "There is one inside Hogwarts that you tried to fix when you were younger, correct?"

"How do you know this?" Draco snapped, feeling more than a little threatened. Neither of the people in front of him answered.

"The magical connection between the two cabinets is failing. You are the only one who knows that the cabinet is there, and you're the only one who can fix it," James spoke.

"B-But it would take extremely powerful magic to reestablish a connection," Draco muttered, looking slightly fearful. "I can't do magic that powerful, not now at least."

"Well then, you'd better recover quickly," Lily said calmly.

"Why should I fix it? What do I get out of this?" Draco asked, raising his voice. He felt panicked now, knowing deep down that there was no way he'd be able to fix that cabinet without enduring excruciating pain, unless he did manage to recover soon.

"Safety for you, and for Harry."

"You'd harm your own son?" Draco asked, staring at Lily with wide eyes.

"We are not his parents," they spoke in unison, making the werewolf jump with fright. "We are mere figments of your imagination."

"Then why should I do anything? This is just a dream, right?"

"You could choose to do nothing," James said coldly. "And bad things will begin to happen, we can assure you of that. It would also be for the best if you didn't mention this to him."

"What sort of bad things?" Draco said quietly, watching as James and lily both began to grin. It was the first expression that had graced either of their faces, and it was horrifying.