Chapter Three: I'm What?!
To Lucius' surprise he found himself standing in the middle of the cemetery which was located on the grounds of the Malfoy Manor. He was about to repeat the spell that would allow him to Apparate inside the manor when he realized that his hand no longer held his wand.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he looked at his hand and then at the ground, wondering if he might possibly have dropped it. He then looked up and, to his amazement, noticed that the sky was no longer covered in the blanket of night, but was bright and sunny with a few clouds slowly drifting through the sea of blue. He looked around thoroughly confused, and then he saw a small group of people gathered around what appeared to be fresh grave. He saw his wife and son standing together and only a few other people that he recognized as fellow Death Eaters and their wives.
"What is going on here?" he demanded as he stalked over to the group, but not a soul looked up to acknowledge his presence. He became angry and repeated the question. Still there was no answer.
"They can't hear you." Came a voice from behind him. Lucius reeled around to look at a small, rather pudgy man standing but a few feet away from him.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Well, I guess you could say that I'm sort of your guardian angel."
"My what?!"
"It's true. I'm kind of a spiritual being whose purpose it is to help those who need it."
"I don't need any help." Lucius spat.
"I think you do because, well, to put it delicately." the angel looked pensively, trying to figure out how to put what he was about to say. "Well, there is just no way to put it delicately. Lucius, welcome to your funeral."
Lucius stood completely stunned by what he heard. He soon was able to collect himself and spit out, "This is ridiculous!"
"Believe me, there is nothing ridiculous about being dead."
"I am NOT dead!"
"Look around you. You're in a graveyard. Those people over there are standing around your grave. If you don't believe me go over and look at the stone."
Lucius looked angrily at the angel and stalked over to where the small group of people were gathered. He walked over to Narcissa's side. "Narcissa." There was no answer. "Narcissa!" She still didn't answer or even acknowledge his presence.
"I told you, they can't hear or see you."
Lucius looked at the headstone that simply bore his name and the date that he was born and died and nothing else. He raised his eyebrow slightly at this. He looked around at the surrounding figures. All of them wore serious faces but none seemed particularly grief stricken. A few actually seemed bored.
Lucius turned to the angel. "This doesn't prove that I am dead. This could be a trick or just a figment of my imagination. After all, it has been a very long day."
"I assure you it is not." The angel said solemnly. "Don't you remember the accident?"
"What accident?"
"Allow me to take you back." With that the angel took a hold of Lucius' arm and they suddenly appeared on the side of a narrow road that cut through a thick, wooded area.
"What the." exclaimed Lucius as he found himself suddenly surrounded by woods instead of the graveyard. He furrowed his brow and looked at the short angel. "What are we doing here?"
The angel simply nodded his head towards the road. Lucius looked over but saw nothing. "What?!" he said impatiently.
"Just wait for it."
In a moment Lucius could hear the unmistakable sound of a car's engine quickly approaching. He then saw a pair of very bright headlights and had to squint slightly. The car came closer and then suddenly Lucius heard a pop. He looked to see himself apparated in the middle of the street. He let out an involuntary cry as within half a second he saw the car colliding into himself, sending him flying up and over the car, and landing with a sickening crunch on the pavement.
His eyes went a bit wider than usual.
He watched, stunned, as a young woman rushed out of her car and over to his lifeless, and bloody body.
"Now do you remember?" asked the angel.
Lucius' mind raced. Suddenly he felt the memories coming back. He remembered casting the apparating spell and finding himself in the middle of the street. He even began to remember the car coming at him and hitting him.
"How. " he began, but the angel cut him off.
"After Voldemort's torturing was over you weren't able to speak clear enough and wound up apparating yourself here."
Lucius walked over to his dead body and watched as the girl became hysterical at having accidentally killed someone.
Suddenly everything fell into place within his mind and realization hit. "Oh crap!" he said as if he was disgusted and annoyed at being dead.
To Lucius' surprise he found himself standing in the middle of the cemetery which was located on the grounds of the Malfoy Manor. He was about to repeat the spell that would allow him to Apparate inside the manor when he realized that his hand no longer held his wand.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he looked at his hand and then at the ground, wondering if he might possibly have dropped it. He then looked up and, to his amazement, noticed that the sky was no longer covered in the blanket of night, but was bright and sunny with a few clouds slowly drifting through the sea of blue. He looked around thoroughly confused, and then he saw a small group of people gathered around what appeared to be fresh grave. He saw his wife and son standing together and only a few other people that he recognized as fellow Death Eaters and their wives.
"What is going on here?" he demanded as he stalked over to the group, but not a soul looked up to acknowledge his presence. He became angry and repeated the question. Still there was no answer.
"They can't hear you." Came a voice from behind him. Lucius reeled around to look at a small, rather pudgy man standing but a few feet away from him.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Well, I guess you could say that I'm sort of your guardian angel."
"My what?!"
"It's true. I'm kind of a spiritual being whose purpose it is to help those who need it."
"I don't need any help." Lucius spat.
"I think you do because, well, to put it delicately." the angel looked pensively, trying to figure out how to put what he was about to say. "Well, there is just no way to put it delicately. Lucius, welcome to your funeral."
Lucius stood completely stunned by what he heard. He soon was able to collect himself and spit out, "This is ridiculous!"
"Believe me, there is nothing ridiculous about being dead."
"I am NOT dead!"
"Look around you. You're in a graveyard. Those people over there are standing around your grave. If you don't believe me go over and look at the stone."
Lucius looked angrily at the angel and stalked over to where the small group of people were gathered. He walked over to Narcissa's side. "Narcissa." There was no answer. "Narcissa!" She still didn't answer or even acknowledge his presence.
"I told you, they can't hear or see you."
Lucius looked at the headstone that simply bore his name and the date that he was born and died and nothing else. He raised his eyebrow slightly at this. He looked around at the surrounding figures. All of them wore serious faces but none seemed particularly grief stricken. A few actually seemed bored.
Lucius turned to the angel. "This doesn't prove that I am dead. This could be a trick or just a figment of my imagination. After all, it has been a very long day."
"I assure you it is not." The angel said solemnly. "Don't you remember the accident?"
"What accident?"
"Allow me to take you back." With that the angel took a hold of Lucius' arm and they suddenly appeared on the side of a narrow road that cut through a thick, wooded area.
"What the." exclaimed Lucius as he found himself suddenly surrounded by woods instead of the graveyard. He furrowed his brow and looked at the short angel. "What are we doing here?"
The angel simply nodded his head towards the road. Lucius looked over but saw nothing. "What?!" he said impatiently.
"Just wait for it."
In a moment Lucius could hear the unmistakable sound of a car's engine quickly approaching. He then saw a pair of very bright headlights and had to squint slightly. The car came closer and then suddenly Lucius heard a pop. He looked to see himself apparated in the middle of the street. He let out an involuntary cry as within half a second he saw the car colliding into himself, sending him flying up and over the car, and landing with a sickening crunch on the pavement.
His eyes went a bit wider than usual.
He watched, stunned, as a young woman rushed out of her car and over to his lifeless, and bloody body.
"Now do you remember?" asked the angel.
Lucius' mind raced. Suddenly he felt the memories coming back. He remembered casting the apparating spell and finding himself in the middle of the street. He even began to remember the car coming at him and hitting him.
"How. " he began, but the angel cut him off.
"After Voldemort's torturing was over you weren't able to speak clear enough and wound up apparating yourself here."
Lucius walked over to his dead body and watched as the girl became hysterical at having accidentally killed someone.
Suddenly everything fell into place within his mind and realization hit. "Oh crap!" he said as if he was disgusted and annoyed at being dead.