A/N: This is the rewritten version of "The Veil". Slight AU.

Sorry for any unnoticed mistakes. Enjoy.

Dying wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be.

It was actually quite peaceful, losing all the feeling in your limbs, listening to your own heartbeat slow down breath by breath.

He didn't understand what all the panic was about. People didn't understand that once you reached death's door, it's like all the problems you had in life just...fades away - no longer to be burdened by crazy Dark Lords, manipulative Headmasters, jealous friends and girls who only liked you because of the titles you had carried.

Nope, he didn't understand at all.

He did what he was "destined" to do and he was officially done. Literally. He was dead after all. He didn't know how long he was floating in the dark abyss that he was in, but he was getting tired of seeing the same black color. When and if he got out of this dreadfully dreary place, he was going to buy a full wardrobe of bright colorful clothes.

He grimaced.

Maybe not. It reminded him of a certain Headmaster.

He twirled and twisted, trying to pass time as he was terribly bored when a pink and red light suddenly shone in front of him. Startled, he stared at it in confusion. How the hell did that get into his little bubble of darkness? Curious, he reached out to touch the red one first as it felt more familiar to him (plus he didn't like pink very much) when the two colors combined and shot itself into his chest. He gasped and clutched his chest in pain when a voice spoke.

Finally, a worthy vessel...

He didn't know what the voice was talking about, but it clearly sounded like a distorted male and female voice speaking simultaneously. He was going to question the strange voice when a bright light came out from behind him. A grin plastered his face as his eyes lit up in happiness.

Thank Merlin, he was finally free!

Just as he was about to go see what was at the end of the tunnel, the space around him closed in and he couldn't breathe. He gasped when a mysterious force pushed him towards the light and he tried wiggling to get the strange, slimy thing - that appeared out of nowhere - off from around his neck when he felt a hard push and he was out.

He tried to let out a breath of relief, but the thing around his neck was still there cutting off his airway.

Help! Someone get this disgusting thing off of me!

He felt hands grabbing him and he could suddenly breathe. He cried out in happiness and tried moving, only to find he didn't have a very good grasp on his motor controls. What the fuck? He was moving perfectly fine a minute ago! He felt something being wrapped around him and then something warm. He finally opened his eyes, which he didn't know he closed, and saw a woman gazing at him lovingly with tears in her eyes and a warm smile.

Who was this lady and why did he feel so safe with her? He snuggled closer to her and tried to smile back, although he wasn't entirely sure he completed the action with his motor skills all out of wack but he was delighted to hear her soft laugh when he did that. He clung onto her shirt tightly, vowing that whoever this woman was, he was going to do anything he could to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

Even if it killed him.

Again.