Chapter 10
Harry's heart

*ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom*

His beating heart hurt, but then again it had been suffering for a long time now. His heart had been trampled on, chew and spit on so many times that it was a wonder he still had a heart. But it was still beating inside his chest at a steady pace. His body had lost all feeling so his beating heart was the only sound which echoed through it, even if it was a broken sound.

It was dark and cold around him and the damp smell reminded him of his time in the cupboard under the stairs at number 4 Privet Drive. Those lonely days spend staring at the back of the stairs. The silent house when the Dursley's would be out and he would stay in the cupboard would drive him mad, so he would concentrate on his beating heart while muttering nonsense to himself. He would still do that at times. He couldn't stand the silence of an empty room so he would mutter nonsense. And while his empty heart continued to beat in a steady rhythm his thoughts would stray to happier things.

*ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom*

Happier things. There were few of them in those days and half of those were made up on the spot. Like when he cooked Christmas dinner for the entire family and he was praised for his excellent cooking skills. Not that he ever was. Just like when he was gardening and won the price for best kept garden in the London area. Of course it was aunt Petunia who claimed the prize and praise which came with it. Or when he got full marks on a test and the Dursley's swapped his score with Dudley's, because who would ever believe that a freak would do well in school.

Happier times definitely came after he was allowed to step into the Wizarding World. It took a while to get used to everything. With so many people constantly surrounding you, he would have guessed he would never feel alone. Funny thing was that the first few months were incredibly lonely for him. Even if he had Ron and Hermione, the loneliness kept his beating heart in its cold state. He was sure Neville had seen him at times when he would stare at the canopy of his bed and mutter to himself.

The other hadn't noticed, or if they had they hadn't said anything about it. He was sure Ron and Hermione never noticed, they sure were people who would not leave him alone about something like that.

*ba-boom… ba-boom… ba-boom*

His heart-rate was slowing. Maybe it would finally stop this time. Then all this suffering and pain would end. And maybe the loneliness would end. But hadn't the loneliness already ended? The empty relationships did nothing to melt his frozen heart, but it had surprisingly been Draco Malfoy who was able to melt a tiny bit of his frozen heart and filled the void. The flings that followed in his travels had been amusing compared to the indifferent aristocrat.

Then there was Danny. Had that wonderful man not filled the void completely? But he hadn't, not really. Not like Atemu had.

His heart fluttered slightly at the thought of Atemu, Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Why had this man, who was actually decades older than him, had such an effect on him? This wonderful man who had yet to learn everything about his body, but who he had explored every inch of.

*ba-boom… ba-boom…*

War was raging in his body as his heart continued to slow. His ears, which had turned deaf against the world, felt like they were being pressured into hearing. White noise filled the silence and an odd pressing sensation made his ears quite painful. All he wanted to do now was curl in on himself and disappear under an unseen blanket, but he couldn't even do that. All efforts to pull his arm across his chest were halted by the numbing sensation and the fact that they were locked in place by some unseen force.

He resisted the urge to open his eyes. He didn't want to; fearing the everlasting darkness which he knew would spread out before him. He wasn't even sure if he could open his eyes anyway, trying it now would be quite pointless. Then again, his eyes could be open right now without him noticing. He still couldn't move a muscle after all.

*ba-boom… … … ba-boom*

His heart just skipped a beat, he was sure of it. Something was happening, something outside this realm of darkness. That something made his frozen heart flutter painfully and even if it was slowing and skipping beats, it ached and seemed to want to jump out of his chest. A bright light suddenly filled his void and the darkness surrounding him eased its tight hold. His numb limbs started to tingle, as his they had been sleeping all this time, and warmth spread through his chest in an effort to chase away the cold.

He breathed in a rattling breath, like he had been smothered this entire time. His eyes opened on their own account and watched as a golden light spread itself around him. In the middle of all this light appeared a figure. His bright crimson eyes shone with a great sadness but his entire posture screamed strength and determination. His mouth was forming words, but Harry couldn't hear them. His ears had yet to start working again. It was either that or the figure was standing too far away for him to hear.

His brain was working overtime to try and figure out who was standing in the middle of all that light, but all it produced was white noise. It was giving him a headache. He tried to shake his head, but it was still stuck in something. Pushing down the panic which was making its way through his body, Harry took another deep breath and started muttering softly to himself. "Some things are never easy. Maybe I should try to access my magic. What was that severing charm again? Hmm, maybe that's a bit much. It worked on Mrs Black though, but then again she was only a canvas. I don't want to lose any limbs in the process."

Staring down at the figure, Harry noticed that the light seemed to decrease in strength making the figure much clearer. The light seemed to come from the golden item in the man's hand. Harry finally noticed the strange power coming from the light. It was warm and almost painful how it oozed with power. The strange hum which was coming from it would have eased Harry's heart had it not been for the warning it was giving the darkness surrounding him. "Go back, go back. Leave this human be. You're powers are not meant for here. Now let go!"

The darkness around him laughed at the light. "There is nothing you can do to stop me! This human has already lost his body and mind to me. It's no use to you what so ever. Or would you like to play with it?"

Harry's body moved on his own, like he was on puppet strings. He was lifted up, his arms moved in front of him and his hands were waving a series of complex seals which didn't belong to his memories. He tried to fight the magic streaming through his body, feeling it build up in side of him until it pushed itself out of his body and towards the lone figure. No, please. The light of his magic kept on rushing towards that familiar man. No, stop this please. It would hit in three, two, one…

"STOP!" His voice sounded harsh, like he hadn't used it in days, and it actually startled him a little. The light of his magic stopped just before it hit the familiar figure and disappeared.

*ba-boom… BA-boom*

His heart pushed against his chest, making his gasp for breath. He pulled a hand free and clawed at his chest, eyes wide in pain and panic. "Leave!" he yelled at the figure, which blinked up in shock. "Run, Atemu!"

Shock run through his entire body as he realised just who it was that was challenging the darkness surrounding him. His lover, the ruler of Egypt, was being the fool he had always been, facing evil on his own to save the ones he cares for. "Stop being a fool!" he yelled, grimacing at the pain which was coursing through his entire body. "You need to live. I'm nothing worth sacrificing for!"

"SHUT UP!" Atemu bellowed, shocking Harry so his body froze again. "Every life is worth saving!" He started to chant a spell even Harry had never heard of. The light emitting from the Golden pendent grew brighter and started surrounding him again. The darkness surrounding Harry was screeching and crying out in pain. Harry's body was burning as the darkness grew scorching hot. He pulled against the hold it still had on him, desperately trying to get away from the heat.

With his free arm he first tried to push himself free from the darkness which was holding him, but decided against it when the heat scorched his hand. He grabbed his left shoulder and started to pull. Even if he would break every bone in his body, he would pull himself free from the substance which was burning him alive. He pressed his eyes closed and let out a cry of pain and agony as his fingers blistered pulling his left arm free.

*BA-boom… ba-BOOM*

His heart protested again, as if it knew it didn't have long left. His legs were suddenly free of the darkness and he was falling towards the ground. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact which would most likely kill him. It never came and when Harry opened his eyes he noticed that his numb body was being cradled by Spiria. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice nearly breaking from the strain. The female spirit smiled softly down at him and lowered him slowly towards where Isis was sitting.

His body was badly injured and he couldn't have moved even if he wanted to, so when Isis told him in a stern voice that he was to remain lying on the ground Harry didn't argue for once. He coughed weakly and grabbed Isis's hand as she started to heal him. "It's already too late," he whispered, taking a deep rattling breath as his heart gave another painful throb. "There's too much damage… from earlier… and now. Healing me… won't do any good."

"Don't say that," Isis said, trying to take her hand back from him. She stopped resisting when Harry stretched out his other hand towards where the Pharaoh was chanting his spell. He felt for his last remaining magic, pushing it forwards and away from him so he could summon his inner spirit. "Come forth, Yahya!"

His partner and friend appeared kneeling next to him, its Jackal head bowed as if it was sad. "You really shouldn't be doing this Harakhty," Yahya said, using his arm guards for support. It was as if the Jackal was tired as well. Its outlines were already fading. Harry smiled at the name which linked him to this place and he wondered if dying here would mean dying in his present. At least he had been loved in the end.

"This is my last will," Harry said, focusing his eyes so he could see his lover more clearly in the distance. The man was radiating power, but Harry could already see Atemu fading in his effort of locking away the Dark One. "My use has ended, but yours has not. Yahya, please stay with the Pharaoh. Protect him with your life, keep him company, speak to him when he is lonely and remind him that he is not alone." He squeezed his eyes shut as pain seared through his body again.

"Very well…" Yahya said, but Harry grabbed his arm with surprising force. "Swear it," Harry said forcefully. "Swear to me that you will do as I ask. I know I'm asking a lot of you, who knows what will happen when Atemu finishes that chant, but all I can do for him now is ask you to protect him in my place." He coughed hard and with the combination of his failing heart, the pain became too immense. He tried to roll in on himself, gritting his teeth. He could faintly hear people calling out his name, but he could no longer respond. The pain was taking a toll on his vocal cords as he screamed in agony.

Harry, do not worry, echoed through his head as he arched his back, his eyes wide open staring unseeing at the sky. I swear that I will watch over you Pharaoh until the end of my days. The Jackal's words came of some comfort to Harry and it eased his heart. His body turned numb again and he was panting where he laid, eyes wide staring blankly at the darkened sky. It was getting lighter, as if the sun was finally breaking through the night, and Harry wondered why he could no longer hear anything. The silence was almost overwhelming and would have send him right back into the darkness of his thoughts, if Isis hadn't seen drawing him back to his crumbling world of pain. His eyes refocused again and he could see the familiar blue robes of High Priest Seth fluttering in the wind. They were spattered with blood and dirt, something he hadn't seen before on those usually white and blue robes.

Harry chuckled and silently wondered if delirium was setting in. "You look like you've seen better days Seth," he croaked, not even hearing his own voice. He was sure the High Priest was spouting out some witty remark though. "How I would have loved to hear your voice once more before I leave this work." He raised his hand and stared in interest as his hand started to fade. "I wonder if I will die before fade, or will I die after I materialise again?" He coughed, causing him to wince again as a stab of pain seared through his heart once more.

"At least now I know that you are alive and well, we do not have to worry about who's going to rule next." He could see the shocked expression of Isis as well as Seth as it dawned on them what their Pharaoh was doing, but it was too late. The sky had completely cleared of all darkness and Harry could barely feel Atemu. Yahya had disappeared from his side, like Harry had asked it to. He latched onto Isis's arm and he tried to pull himself upwards, he was desperate to see his lover one last time. "I will return to see the puzzle whole again," he muttered just as the lights around him finally faded completely once more.

…

…

…

*ba-boom… ba-boom…*

His heart returned to a steady rhythm. He could feel his consciousness drift back to reality. It was as if he had awakened from a deep sleep. It had been such a good dream too. Of a man with heavenly eyes and beautiful skin. He could still feel his skin tingle at the distant memory. Or had it really been a dream?

Whatever it had been, it had left his body numb and feeling weird. Which was a contradiction in itself, but it felt like parts of his body had fallen asleep while others were buzzing with a strange pain the moment he focussed on it. Harry breathed in deeply and gritted his teeth when the strain on his lungs made itself known together with some tension on his chest. It felt like at least one of his ribs was broken and a few muscles were strained and bruised. He could not feel his feet and the lower half on his legs. What in Merlin's name happened?

The ground underneath him shook and Harry blinked up towards the sky. Someone was crying out in shock and what sounded like fear. It took a while for Harry to realise that they were crying out for him and to realise that they were speaking English. It felt like a foreign language to him, like he had been away for a long time. "Harry! Where are you? Harry?"

He opened his mouth as he tried to answer back, but all he could bring out was a gasp and some weird sounds. It felt like he had been lying in the sun too long and had breathed in too much sand. Where was he anyway? The earth felt hard underneath him and the sky above was coloured pink and golden with pillars on either side of him, reaching for it. Suddenly the familiar face of Bill Weasley and Jack Harper. They both looked very worried. "What the hell happened Harry?"

Harry grinned. "I'm back," he whispered, before fainting once more.

End!

A/N: The name Yahya means: 'given by God'.
Well, that was the last chapter. If you have read all of the A/N's then you would know that this is not the end. There will be a sequel, but not for some time as I have a few other stories I wish to finish. That and it's going to be a busy two months which means that it will probably be beginning of the New Year that the sequel is posted. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and I look forward to hearing from you again at the sequel. Stay well for now!