That voice!

Theodore froze in mid-movement and turned to the speaker ever so slowly. This couldn't be! The young man steeled himself, mentally preparing himself to face his headmaster and yet, when his eyes settled on Dumbledore's face, Theodore couldn't suppress a gasp. "You're dead." Theodore whispered, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar from lack of use.

And yet, there the headmaster sat, being anything but dead. Theodore blinked, trying to make sense of a fact that didn't make sense. "Why aren't you dead?" he asked in an unnecessarily accusatory tone, then cleared his throat. "Not that I'm not glad you're alive but-" Theodore made a vague gesture as words apparently weren't enough to convey his surprise.

Ever so carefully the Slytherin reached out and poked Dumbledore. The headmaster was solid. Not a ghost then. "Am I...did I go crazy?" Perhaps he had and now he was talking to the walls and the pillows.