Wow! Nine more reviews in a day! The most I have ever received! Thanks, guys!
Amichanfan12345: Thanks Nataku, I'll be bringing you in later…! Let the manic flying peas rule again!
Mooncheese: Here you are. More!
Ron's Only Girl: We might be- what do you think?
adbaby: Aw, thanks! Glad you liked it- and here I am, updating the next day!
wet shoes: Read on, read on!
Rubber-duckiesofdoom: On the other side is…well, that's later on, a bit more of the story to go…although the next chapter will tell you- and since I wrote that sort of before, after and…erm….during history today, I'll post it right away!
thekritic (who was too lazy to sign in…): Oh well, the others seem to like it.
Loonie Potter: Well, guess which character is which- who is me I mean! Tell me when you review next…although you've probably got it already!
HarryPotterknoitall: Good, glad- hope you like this next chapter!
Lily: Oh gosh, same! Although I'm not Lily- guess who I am! Will write more, and thankyou!
Well, thanks to everyone for reviewing: so read on!
The ripples spread further out over the mirror-smooth surface of the lake, breaking the perfect reflections apart and causing small waves to rise up the rocky slope and swirl around the smooth pebbles.
The stone sank deeper among the weeds, finally settling in the mud at the bottom of the lake, to be forgotten.
The boy who had thrown it smiled, the pink light from the slowly setting sun reflected in his intense eyes.
The splashes from the lake ceased and silence reigned once again as the boy slowly sank to his knees to gaze out over the finally calm surface of the water.
There was no other sound for a while but for the dim whisperings of the trees behind the boy and the excited chatting of the rocks as they headed back to their nests for the night.
The boy continued to stare at the water, startled by its haunting beauty, until he sighed wistfully and began to rise to his feet. He had no time to draw breath before he was seized by a violent coughing fit which drew the breath from his slender body and brought tears to his bright eyes. The cawing of the birds grew louder and the whole forest seemed to be alive with noise.
Finally, the boy was able to breathe again, left weak and back on his knees, hot, angry tears spilling over his pale cheeks and falling softly to meet the gravel beneath him. He knew that he would not last long. The coughing was becoming more frequent and it was becoming harder to breathe between each attack. And that wasn't the only thing that was happening to him. His body was weakening, he was pale and tired and he felt ready to give up.
He had even been informed of his predicted time of death- he had demanded it of the Healers upon visiting St. Mungo's, wanting to prepare himself for what was to come. He had been warned that his health would deteriorate; in the end he would not be able to walk, stand or even sit without feeling tired or even collapsing if there was no breathing support or a spell to keep him upright.
They had tried everything to stop it, concluding that it was fatal, and that there was nothing at all they could do for him, even using magic. All he had to do now was sit and wait patiently for death.
The teachers knew of his illness of course, but nobody else. He was proud- and he did not anybody to know what was happening to him- and what was to come. The other students had been told that he had been ill with a severe chest infection and was slowly recovering. That would, at least, explain the coughing and his pale complexion. They would never know how ill he really was, or what was actually happening to him, until the very end.
He finally managed to stand and started to make his way up the steep path to the school. He knew he'd be late for dinner- but he was feeling too ill to eat much, and knew that he'd be excused. He wearily pushed his hair out of his eyes and continued walking.