Prologue:
I had never given Death much thought.
Strange, I suppose. Given my status during the war, it should have been my chief preoccupation. I should have spent many a sleepless night tossing and turning, jumping at the slightest sound, cowering in the darkness, obsessing over when it would happen, and what it would feel like. Would it all be over in a flash of green light? Quick and painless? Or would my killer draw it out, taking pleasure in my tortured screams. Would I have to beg for mercy before l was finally given peace?
But no. I was young. Death seemed unreal to me at the time. It was something to be feared by the old and the sick. I was neither, and so I never paused to consider that my life might be cut short, ripped from my grasp at a second's notice. Even during the Final Battle, surrounded by Death Eaters, firing spell after spell as the castle crumbled around me, I always believed I would live.
If only for another day.
I was so intent on surviving that the idea that I might fail never crossed my mind.
It happened so fast. I almost missed the killing curse that hit me in the chest.
My life did not flash before my eyes as I toppled backwards. My only reaction was a twinge of surprise at the unexpected attack. I hadn't even had time to reach for my wand. My head hit the pavement with a loud Crack, but I felt no pain. There was a strange rushing sound in my ears and suddenly the world was too bright.
Then darkness fell and I was left floating in nothingness.
But not for long.
Thud thud. I gasped as my heart suddenly kick-started, arching my back against the sharp ache, gulping in the cold air. Thud thud. It was as if it was being squeezed by a giant fist, forcing it to pump the blood throughout my body. I felt my chest might burst under the pressure. The pain expanded, engulfing me completely, burning, burning-
And abruptly it was over. The scorching sensation disappeared and I was left weak and shaking, gasping for breath as my heart beat erratically in my ribcage.
I lay trembling on the cold ground for a long time, too shocked to even twitch my fingers. What the hell had just happened?
Only then did it dawn upon me that something was wrong. I few moments ago, I had been strolling down the streets of London, the sound of traffic and bustling citizens heavy in the air. Now, everything was quiet. No angry horns blaring, no shouting, nothing. I felt the ground beneath me. It was…earthy. It smelled earthy too. Petrichor. The smell of dirt after rain.
My eyes fluttered open and I stared.
No, I had never given Death much thought. It had always seemed so abstract. It happened to other, less fortunate people. Not to me.
But I guess that if I had taken a moment to think, to ponder the inevitable, I would have imagined some sort of afterlife. A place where pain and hunger no longer existed. A place where your loved ones would wait patiently for your time to come, for you to join them.
But I never expected Death to be green.