Two Years Later

The heat and humidity was unbearable. Not once did he ever imagine that air could be so heavy to breathe. He looked around the jungle, listening to the howls of monkeys and the occasional call of birds overhead. It was raining every five minutes and he was getting sick of trekking so deep into the jungle. Why couldn't he have just gone home already? In the comforts of his own home; his dry, clean and cool home. He wondered what his son was doing right now. What would he think if he were just a little older about his father walking around a rainforest by himself?

The more he would think about his son, the more he would move on, feeling frustrated all over again. Maybe it was a bad idea to trek through the jungle by himself. He wasn't planning to spend a night in the jungle for sure but he didn't exactly calculate how long his little walk would actually take. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch. It was so humid that the inside of his glass watch fogged up and he couldn't even read the time.

"Damn it." He said, looking around. It was noticeably getting darker and he needed to get back to the hotel site.

"You must be exhausted. Looking at this jungle is pretty beautiful but I'm starting to feel a little less jealous every time I look at you, all drenched and…sexy." A voice said behind Draco.

"Oh no. Not this again. We need to get you a shock collar leash. Every time you say something disgusting about Malfoy, I'm going to zap a bolt in your arse until you learn to-"

"Shut the fuck up Weasley, like-"

"Oh you're telling me to shut the fuck up?! We've been walking for three bloody hours and all you can do is talk about Malfoy's-"

"Not my fault you can't talk to your girlfriend-"

"Bring out the weak spots, eh? That's how you want to play? FINE!"

Draco tried to think for a few seconds but found it hard to concentrate when the two of them were screaming from the tops of their ghostly lungs in a bloody jungle.

"Both of you shut up!" Draco barked.

The two jumped and turned to Draco who shook his watch.

"This stupid watch isn't working and if I don't get out of here in the next hour, I'm seriously fucked. Find a way to get me out of here or sew your traps shut." Draco said. He saw her put a hand to her waist, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Draco sighed. "Ass, I love you but the most that you can do right now is emotionally break me down and you don't want me to kill myself in this jungle and leave your son alone, okay?" Draco asked.

Astoria's face fell.

"That's not funny." Astoria said.

"Why couldn't we be assigned to Jade? She's so much more pleasant and beautiful to look at." Fred said, sitting on a stump.

"I finally feel how you feel, red. Jade is better company. At least she'll find a way to make this odd situation into a better one. Draco's just been miserable for two years." Astoria said. Fred looked up at Astoria who was watching Draco look at a map. Fred pulled Astoria down to sit with him.

"Give him a break. Give yourself a break too. He's been through a lot. A year after his wife passes, she comes back and starts haunting him? Every man's worst nightmare." Fred said, seeing Astoria snort.

"I suppose you're right. In a way it's good that we got to Draco first. Especially after the attempt he made last year." Astoria said in a low voice. Fred nodded.

"It's better to be somewhere than in limbo." Fred said.

"Er…I feel like we should go this way." Draco said, pointing forward.

"Mate, that's what you said 200 hours ago. No offense but I have a strong spirit filled sense that we should go…" Fred said, turning his arm slowly. "that way!" Fred said.

"Not a good idea. There's a steep slope that we need to walk around to find the trail again." Draco said. Astoria looked towards the direction where Fred was pointing.

"I feel it too. You really should go that way." Astoria said.

"I can't rely on you two and your spiritual urges to go somewhere. Maybe you two can float there but I have to go down that steep that will kill me. I'm alone out here and I need to go to a specific place in a specific way." Draco said, pointing to the map.

"Exactly what is this top secret specific place that you've been trying to go to for a few hours?" Fred asked.

"Weasley-"

"Malfoy, I swear if you tell me to shut the fuck up one more time, I will try to gather as much energy as I can to punch the soul right out of your living body." Fred warned. Draco sneered at him.

"I'd love to see you try, Weasley. Do it, already. Not so tough now, are you, when you realize that you're just a tiny and helpless little soul with nowhere to go. You're the real one without any direction. Not me." Draco said.

"Draco that's enough. You need to learn how to respect our kind-"

"I don't bloody need to learn how to respect anything. You both are dead and all you two have given me all year is a migraine. I still have yet to find out why you both are here and what your purpose is. I don't want to have to deal with you two for the rest of my life, all right? I am frustrated and lost and until you both can come whisk me off to safety, I'd really like to get somewhere safe, fast. Thanks." Draco said, turning around and stepping forward but all he heard was Astoria scream and him falling and bouncing and hitting the ground in awkward ways.

He tried as hard as he could to protect his head but certain parts of his body shot in fire and he kept his eyes shut as his face dragged across the ground. He finally hit the ground, feeling everything stop. He opened his eyes, seeing the world spinning in front of him and gasped for air. He heard Astoria and Fred yelling and rushing to his way, going down the same slope with him. "Oh shit." Draco hissed, placing a hand on the side of his chest.

"I can't breathe, this hurts like hell." Draco wheezed. Astoria was in tears, trying to touch him but couldn't.

"He's bleeding. Fuck, he's going to die in this jungle by himself if he doesn't find some civilization fast!" Astoria screeched.

"Ass, you are not helping right now." Fred said. Astoria cried and Fred looked at Draco who wiped his head, looking at the blood on his fingers.

"Okay Malfoy, let's all relax and think. What hurts?" Fred asked.

"I think I broke a rib or ten." Draco said, touching the right side of his chest.

"Okay, that's good. Er…I don't know what else to ask him. Blink real fast and say the alphabet backwards!" Fred said.

"Okay, you're done." Astoria said, moving him aside. Draco slowly sat up and stretched out his arms. He went to move his legs but immediately caught his right leg.

"I broke my leg. No, no, no." I broke my leg." Draco said, falling back down.

"It doesn't look broken. Maybe it just hurts a lot." Astoria said.

"Yeah sometimes it would feel that way when I used to invent new fireworks that were incredibly unstable and ended up exploding on me. Sometimes I wonder how I went out with a car crash out of all things." Fred said, wistfully wondering.

"I can't believe I did this for her. I'm going to die out here and become one of you because of her. I promise that I'll haunt her so badly-"

"You know it would really help if you told us who you were talking about, mate." Fred said. Draco shot him a dirty look. The way he was looking at Fred, Astoria knew Draco knew something but was holding it back. He instead ignored Fred and went back to his injuries.

"What do you know?" Astoria asked as Draco stumbled up, hissing in pain. His shirt was drenched and dark with his sweat and his head was still bleeding, streaming down his neck and on his shirt.

"Knows what?" Fred asked.

"Who did you come for? Who are you looking for in a jungle?" Astoria asked Draco who pulled out his wand and shot a firework out.

"Doesn't matter anymore. I'm going back home to my son. You two can drive me as crazy as you want." Draco coughed.

"Maybe you should find a place to sit or something." Fred said, looking around.

"And be a sitting duck for predators and poisonous snakes? Malfoys don't go down that way." Draco said, trying to walk but ended up falling forward.

"Draco. Draco please stay with me. I'm right here. Fred, could you try and find a place nearby or someone that can see us and hear us so they can help Draco?" Astoria asked. Fred nodded and ran off without being told twice. Astoria went back to Draco. "Just relax Draco. Fred is going to find help." Astoria said, seeing Draco chuckle, lying on his back.

"Fred…he means well. He's an idiot most of the times but he's a good guy." Draco said. Astoria smiled at him, sitting next to him.

"I would hold your hand if I could." Astoria said. Draco smiled.

"I know you would love." He said, not looking at her. Astoria was sitting in silence, watching him look at the sky. "I'm sorry Astoria." He said finally.

"Sorry for what, Draco?" Astoria asked. Draco choked back a tear and moved his head to look at her.

"I've been trying to find a way to get rid of you." Draco said. Astoria looked confused. "I went through a lot last year, having to deal with your death and Scorpius at the same time. Then after what happened when you showed up with Weasley out of nowhere and are constantly around, acting like nothing ever happened, resuming life as it is…it just drove me insane." Draco said. "You have no idea what it feels like to see someone you love, standing there and talking to you, not being able to touch them or have your life back to normal anymore. I listen to you every single day. I hear your thoughts, have conversations with you but I can't shut you up with a kiss or give you a long hug when you're upset." Draco said.

"I think I know you must feel." Astoria said. Draco looked at her and the two broke into a gentle laugh.

"I'm sorry I've become so rude and bitter. I'm trying to hold on and I know I could be better but you two can drive anyone crazy…especially if I can hear you two and no one else could." Draco said.

"We're working on it. I'm sorry love. I don't mean to drive you crazy but you could at least keep your temper down and talk to us like we're actual people. I know we're not but we're a little sensitive about being souls or ghosts or whatever it is we are." Astoria said and Draco nodded. "I wonder where Fred went. Do you think a poisonous ghost snake or a long lost soul of a panther got to Fred? Do you know if it works that way? Am I in danger?" Astoria asked.

"I really hope so. He's incredibly irritating. All the stupid jokes he makes at my expense. How did Longbottom ever fall in love with him?" Draco asked. Astoria shrugged.

"I don't think he's that bad. He's caring. He's gentle and sweet when he needs to be. Sure he's an arse but there are really good qualities to him." Astoria said. Draco raised his eyebrow at her, seeing her smile softly.

"Sounds like you have a crush on him." Draco said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Astoria asked.

"Are you?" Draco asked. Astoria glared at him. "I don't think I mind. As long as someone can snog you so you don't talk as much. I think I would be okay with it." Draco said.

"You don't know how bad I want to be in a human body so I can punch you in the dick right now." Astoria said. Draco grinned and cradled his ribs.

"I really need to get out of here. I'm a bigger idiot to think this was a good idea and chase someone around the world and into a jungle only to die in the middle of it for no reason at all." Draco said, shooting another firework into the sky.

"Can we talk about who this someone is? Who are you looking for? To endanger your stupid and useless life to what? Find a shaman in the middle of the jungle to get rid of us?" Astoria asked. Draco scoffed.

"I wish. I was going to find-"

"GUYS YOU WONT BELIEVE WHO I FOUND IN THE RAINFOREST!" Fred shouted, swatting around the leaves.

Draco and Astoria turned to look at him, seeing Fred look pale and wide eyed. He turned around and a man appeared from the foliage. He was short and stocky but looked like nothing in this jungle could knock him down or even dared to challenge him. His face was drooping and his eyes were set in incredible seriousness. His long mustache and small patch of hair on his chin accentuated his frown.

"You got a short little village man? He looks psychotic." Astoria said, her voice raising in alarm. He walked forward with his walking stick and bent down to inspect Draco.

"Er-" The man immediately put his finger to his own lips to indicate to Draco to shut up.

"No talk." He said.

"No! Not him! Her!" Fred squealed, pointing to a woman who appeared from the thick set of leaves.

"What's the situation, chief?" she asked.

"Oh my…" Astoria trailed off, staring at her.

"Right?! My amazon woman!" Fred said, pointing to Jade who walked up to Draco. He was staring at her wide eyed but she didn't seem to recognize him.

"Whoa. How did he get all the way here?" Jade asked, squatting down to take a look at Draco. The chief asked Jade a question in a foreign language and Jade responded back, taking something out of her bag. She took a syringe out with a bottle out and quickly loaded it. She looked at Draco. "Don't worry love. You won't feel a thing." She said before sticking the syringe into his arm.

"Does she know?" Draco asked, looking at Fred and Astoria who had been staring at her in fascination. Jade furrowed her eyebrows.

"Is there someone else?" Jade asked, looking around. Fred broke into tears, looking at Jade and Astoria got up, hugging him tightly.

"Two years. Two years I've been looking for her." Fred said as Astoria cried with him. Draco's vision started clouding and he blinked, suddenly feeling his head heavy.

"That's it. Easy now." Jade said, watching his eyes close.