Poison Ivy || Draco Malfoy

63 - The First of September

But something was unsettling me. Where was I? And what exactly was I doing here?

I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, that I was missing something... no - someone.

Not quite knowing what to do, I sat on one of the many metal chairs that were positioned in a way that made me assume I was in some kind of waiting room.

Although what I was waiting for; I had no idea.

I looked down and realised, with slight surprise, that I was wearing a hospital gown. Had I been ill? Was I waiting for an appointment of some kind?

I scratched my head, trying to remember, but my mind was oddly blank and it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't even recall my own name.

I should have felt frightened at this point, but oddly I didn't. I was strangely calm, as if nothing could hurt me.

It was then that I realised there were two doors side by side on the wall facing me.

A red one. And a green one.

I supposed I ought to walk through one of them, but I didn't know which. And I had the strangest suspicion that it was a decision not to be made lightly; that whichever door I choose to go through, there would be no turning back.

"I've always been drawn to the red one, myself."

I jumped at the unexpected voice.

A red haired boy had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sitting lazily on the chair next to me.

A memory sparked in my mind; I knew this boy; this freckled faced boy with a twinkle in his amused brown eyes and lips that twitched up at the corners of his mouth.

"Give it a minute, Ivy," he chuckled, not unkindly, "it usually takes a while for things to settle after shuffling off the old mortal coil."

"Mortal coil? Am I- am I... dead?"

And just as the words left my lips, I suddenly recalled who the boy was before me.

Fred.

"I'm sorry about what my brother did to you," he said; the cheeky grin instantly vanishing from his face as he saw that I was remembering. "I'm sorry what you had to go through."

But I suddenly wasn't thinking about Percy; couldn't bear to give him another moments thought. Not when-

"Draco... our baby..." I breathed, feeling the first flutterings of panic in my chest, "I can't leave them, Fred; I just can't!"

I had finally, finally got everything I had ever wanted only for it to be cruelly snatched away from me.

"I can't control what happens from here, Ivy," Fred said regretfully; sadness flickering in his eyes.

"Then why are you here?" I asked, "because if it's to apologise on Percy's behalf then you're wasting your time. I can't forgive him; it was bad enough him assaulting me the way he did, but to take me away from my own child like this?!"

"I don't expect you to forgive him in the slightest," Fred said, raising his eyebrows, "that's what my dear old mother is for. No, you should be angry, you should be fucking fuming, in fact, because he's literally taken everything away from you. If I were you I'd have his head on a stick and be roasting it on a bonfire."

I didn't respond, instead I leant forward and put my face in my hands, feeling despair wash over me. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

"Is this real or am I dreaming?"

But even as I asked that, I realised it didn't feel like a dream. It felt too scarily real.

"Whatever I say wouldn't confirm either way," Fred shrugged offhandedly, "if I said this was real, it doesn't necessarily stop it from being a dream."

I lifted my head, looking up at him, frowning. "You still haven't said why you're here."

"To guide you on your way, of course," he beamed, beckoning over to the two doors.

I looked at them ominously, wondering what lay behind each one, yet for some reason too terrified to ask out loud.

"Which one would you go through?" I asked instead.

Fred just shook his head, sighing. "I don't get to choose, I'm afraid. This is not my waiting room."

"But which one should I choose?" I asked, my heart racing in my chest, the significance of the situation suddenly weighing me down.

"Oh, I can't tell you that, it's got to be your choice. What I can tell you though, is that you can only open one door; and once it's opened it can't be shut. You must go through."

I felt a flicker of frustration, looking from one door to the other, panic seeping under my skin.

"Go and have a closer look at them," Fred advised, his eyes studying me carefully, "see what they tell you."

Getting shakily to my feet, I crossed the room and stood in front of the two doors, hoping I could get my answer just by looking at them. Red or green?

I lifted a hand to touch the green door first, and as soon as my fingertips placed tentatively against the cold, hard exterior, I felt a pleasant sensation fill my every pore; a completely calming and peaceful feeling. The temptation to just push it open right there on the spot and go through was extremely strong.

But needing to know, needing to make an informative decision, I reluctantly dropped my hand away from the door before moving over to the red one.

My hand hovered over it nervously, something about the colour making me feel wary. And when I eventually pressed my fingers against it, I realised my instincts hadn't been wrong.

For the agony that consumed me was indescribable; horrific searing pain mingled with the feeling of pure cold terror.

I cried out, quickly snatching my hand back; the pain and terror lifting the instant my fingertips left the hard panelled wood.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped, panting heavily as I eyed the red door warily, automatically edging back towards the sanctuary of the green door.

"Come on, Ivy," Fred chuckled softly; his eyes twinkling amusedly, "I know you're smarter than that. Think about it. Which door do you think is the right door to take you to where you want to go?"

I looked right at him, my eyes widening as it dawned upon me what he was saying. And, as he gave me an encouraging nod, I knew exactly which door I had to go through.

"It'll be worth it," he grinned, "just be grateful you got the option; not all of us did."

"Thank you, Fred," I whispered, as my lips tugged into a genuine, heartfelt smile. "Thank you for everything."

"Just doing my job," he shrugged nonchalantly, before dramatically looking down at his watch, "right, I must be off, I've got an appointment with a moron who thought it would be a good idea to see if he could fly his broomstick to mars. Let's just say he wasn't in a pretty state when he left the confines of the Earth's atmosphere. When will people realise; we're wizards - not flipping astronauts."

And with one last wink, he vanished as quickly and as suddenly as he had appeared.

My heart hammered in my chest as I turned towards the red door.

And, bracing myself for the torrent of pain and terror ahead, I pushed it open and went on through.

*****

The first of September had been a significant date to me for many reasons.

Because it wasn't just the day I died.

It was also the day I came back to life.

*****