Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Written for the Challenging Pairing Challenge, where I was assigned the pairing Quirrell/Madam Pomfrey, and for the If You Dare Challenge, where I used Prompt #25, "I'm Alive".

Please drop a review with your thoughts, lovelies!


I'm alive,

He says, screams it with rapture,

Falls to his knees, chokes on every word.

She can see the madness, the withering sanity

He is falling, and hard.

He needs a savior.

And maybe that's her.

Maybe that's her.

~(~(~)~)~

Poppy, he says,

((((Every damn day))))

And her heart3 Ppicks upP.

Because she remembers his hand,

ttttTighteninggggg across her ThRoAt.

His ~fingers~ -thrumming-, with the {rush} of his heart3…

He caresses her ||name||,

A reminder shoved down her throat.

To be silent, ((not say)) a word.

For ":evil:" is ::walking::.

":Evil:" is in the castle, and Quirrell is o:;letting it;:o RIDE on his backkkk.

^#^#^#^

The first time she OseesO him

With the DEVIL on his shoulder

She gasps and rocks back, fear seizing her heart3.

And she /hears/ the hiss,

the command,

to kill her.

And he says oooNOooo.

She can hear the pain, the whimpers of rEgReT.

And t…h…e…n… his scream~

That he is alive.

I'm alive! He screams.

And +whatever+ that thing is,

It STOPS.

#^#^#^#

Poppy should know better

Than to let the |||knowledge|||

Of Quirrell's power

Draw ]her[ to [him]…

She does ~not~ comprehend what he carries, what thing

\Other/ than his bEaTiNg HeArT

He *has* that can DOMINATE the PULSSSSATINGGG creature

Trying to ruin his body.

And she is bad, so very bad

But she cannot stay 000away000 from him [now].

She must be VnearV him,

&Eagerly& awaiting this man—thisgodofmen—to \s\h\o\w\ his true |powers|.

He could destroy them all.

#^#^#^#

}}Trouble is afoot{{, and Potter comes in all RAGGED and she cares for =him=,

As is her job.

But she [knew] -shedid-,

{In her innermost heart of hearts,}

That (HE) was doing something,

#Something against this very MaN…#

And she cannot help but worry.

*And remember.*

-Remember how his eyes would track her movements,-

~As she PuTtErEd about the ward.~

Making SURE, double-CHECKING…

((That she was not betraying him.))

A shiver would slide up her back

Anticipating his sharp wOrDs,

His stinging BITE,

His ruthless HaNdS.

^#^#^

He ,is' dead.

He is dead, and Poppy

she cannot breathe.

She still remembers his screams—

Again and again…

AliveI'mAliveI'mAliveI'lmAlive.

And ?THAT? was his power.

And his power…

It is gone.

What did she ::see::

+In a man whose only power…+

Was his ultimate ==destruction==?