—4: It Can Happen to You—
Voldemort sneezed.
"Why am I so deathly ill from a common bloody cold?" he shrieked at Bellatrix, his face sunken and covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. His hands shook as he clenched them into fists around his bed sheets. Bellatrix shrugged helplessly.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, I don't know. I can't cure it, I've tried everything. It's as if...your body won't fight it."
"RIDICULOUS!" Voldemort yelled, and broke into a fit of coughing. "I've beaten death! I've conquered the secret to immortal life! How can a cold be winning against me?"
Bellatrix hesitated, then looked uncertainly at Macnair. He shuddered, but she glared at him, and he stepped forward. "My Lord...Master...I have heard of a disease that Muggles cannot cure. It is passed through the—er—exchange of bodily fluids, and it attacks the a-moon system."
"What is the a-moon system?" Voldemort spat.
"It is what makes your body fight afflictions, Master," Macnair stammered. He glanced back at Bellatrix. "I believe her husband had it, and...I fear...she may have, er..."
"What?" Voldemort snapped, and then he paled, looking at Bellatrix in horror. "You—YOU—when we—YOU—"
But he could not speak for coughing. He started shaking and shivering, and all he could do was glare furiously.
The Death Eaters did all they could for him over the next few hours, but it was no use. Voldemort died alone in the middle of the night, cold and shivering to the bitter end. As Bellatrix pulled the sheet over his head, tears streaming down her face, she asked Macnair, "What was it called?"
"AIDS."
-----------------
The AIDS epidemic is real. It is unforgiving and deadly, and it does not discriminate in who gets it. Even Lord Voldemort could not escape it. So please, tell your friends to make sure that their needles are clean and to always wear a condom. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
For
more information on what YOU can do to help prevent AIDS, please
visit http://www.aidssida.cpha.ca/campaign/indexe.html .
