As I Lay Dying
Emily Coyne is a brilliant young healer and an outstanding member of the Order of the Phoenix. During the final battle she attends to the wounded along with Madam Pomfrey until she is injured herself. Here, we witness her last hours on earth.
The castle was crumbling around her, but Emily scarcely noticed. She was consumed by the tiny boy lying in front of her. She muttered incantations over the gashes that covered his body, closing the wounds, but there was little she could do for the blood loss. She pushed a full liter of saline into his tiny body, but it was no good, she needed blood, and she didn't have it. The boy was slipping away, and no matter what spells she tried, she was unable to hold him back. She noted the location of the body, no time to move him now, and moved along the corridor scanning for anyone alive in the wreckage.
Around the next corner, the floor was littered with bodies, all dead. Emily ran onto the grand staircase, and found a young woman lying in a pool of blood. She had barley found the faint pulse in the woman's neck when she was hit from behind. The curse felt like a train, crashing into her at full throttle. she lay senseless on the ground for a moment before the pain of the curse set in. And then the pain washed over her. Every bone in her body throbbed, she felt feverish and nauseated. Emily never saw her assailant, he had apparently fled after curing her, and had no idea what had hit her. She could not move, she could hardly think; she could only lay in agony.
For the next few hours, Emily slipped in and out of consciousness. She had no idea how much time had passed when a tall muscular frame came into view.
Oliver Wood saw Emily from the top of the stairs. He rushed to her side, praying that she was alive. Emily had been a good friend of his at Hogwarts, and he couldn't bear the thought of her dead. Thankfully, she was still alive, but in very poor shape; she needed help at once. Oliver lifted her up as gently as he could, and ran to the great hall.
Madam Pomfrey had organized a makeshift hospital on the high platform of the great hall. She was tending to the injured, the best she could, but there was little to be done for most of them. She had run out of pain drafts hours ago, and all but exhausted her supply of blood replenishes. The battle was at a standstill, Voldemort had demanded that Harry turn himself over, or every occupant of Hogwarts would be slaughtered. That threat hung tangibly in the dusty air of the hall. The dead lay in rows, and the weary fighters mill around, waiting for it to begin again.
Just then, Oliver Wood rushes up to the platform, the pale form of Emily Coyne in his arms. Madam Pomfrey is horrified to see that young woman who she trained in such a state. She jumps into action, clearing a space to lay Emily, and casting diagnostic spells. The results didn't look good. Emily's kidneys had shut down, and she was running a fever of 110 degrees. Her heart was failing, and her lungs were filling with fluid. Madam Pomfrey had never seen anything like this, a curse that slowly shuts down the victim's body. In panic, she racked her brains for some solution, some cure, but none came. She could only watch.
Emily was struggling to breathe, and every fiber of her being screamed in pain. She opened her eyes, and above her was the kind face of Poppy Pomfrey, her kindly mentor. Emily's vision was blurred with fever, but she could see the tears sparked in Poppy's eyes.
"Hey Em, how are you feeling, sweetie?" Poppy tried to sound calm, but her voice still wavered. Emily couldn't answer, so she just looked back at her. Poppy stroked Emily's hair, and kissed her on the cheek. "It's almost over honey… I'm so, so sorry I can't make this any easier for you…" Poppy's voice cracked, and tears leaked from her eyes. Emily was foggy, but it still broke her heart to cause her beloved mentor such pain. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a rattling cough that racked her entire body. "Shhh," Poppy soothed, "Don't you worry, just relax, it will all be over soon."
Emily continued to dip in and out of consciousness, the raging battle hovering in the back of her mind. What was happening out there. She felt the thumps and the screams deep in her bones, until finally there was silence. And then, a thundering cheer penetrated her delirium. She opened her eyes to the burn of the morning sun. Poppy was beside her, whispering in her ear, "It's done, he's dead it's over. You can rest now."
And finally sweet sleep overtook Emily's weary body. And in her dreams, she sailed to the undiscovered country.
The End
***Anything you recognize belongs to JKR!