Chapter 10

James' POV

I can't tell you how many times I managed to hit my arm on the way down the stairs. And when I finally came to a stop at the bottom, I decided against moving for awhile and just lay there, thankfully on my left side.

That flight of stairs isn't even that long, but it sure hurt.

My mind was such a mess…I could hear Sirius' screams from down here. They must really be giving him a hard time…or vice versa…and I caused their wrath. I set this upon my friend. This was my fault, all because I didn't want to get hurt again.

Some Gryffindor I am.

It seemed like forever before I heard the door open, heard something heavy falling down the stairs the same way I had. He miraculously landed next to me and not on me, and like me decided to lay there instead of moving. The door slammed shut. I heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking, something I've never paid attention to before.

I kept my eyes shut, but I knew he hadn't moved yet. "Sirius?" I asked.

"Are they gone?" he asked. His voice was the only indication that he was in a lot of pain. Pain that I had caused.

"Yeah, they're gone," I said. He let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think they'd ever let up," he said. He still didn't move.

"What happened? I hope I didn't cause too much trouble…" I began.

"James, that was brilliant, what you did up there. Never-mind about what they did to me because of it. You would have been killed," he said. I frowned.

"But they could have killed you," I said. He snorted, and then regretted it.

"Ow, forgot that was broken," he said. "I pretended to pass out so they'd throw me down here again. I just didn't expect that to be so literal."

I smiled. "Who's brilliant now? We should have been doing that the whole time."

"They would have caught on," he said. "Besides, today was the first day they were really out to kill us."

"I guess," I said. My thoughts were so jumbled right now I was lucky I was having a coherent conversation.

"James, I can hear how much you need to sleep. So sleep already," Sirius said. I smiled again and nodded. I didn't know if he saw or not, but I didn't really care.

I was asleep in a matter of minutes.

It was surprisingly warm when I woke up. And my head was elevated, something that I don't think I ever would have been aware of had it not happened in a few weeks.

I opened my eyes blearily, all too aware of the pain all over my body. I groaned as I tried to sit up. A hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Don't even think about it," Sirius said. I looked up at him, taking a few moments to realize my head was resting on his leg. And there was a blanket over me.

"Aren't we still in Hell?" I asked. My voice was rough, my throat raw. I couldn't see him clearly, but I can't tell if my glasses are on or not, so that's the simple reason for that.

"Yeah, and you're still sick. And you're arm is infected even worse now. And I'll be damned if I let you die," Sirius said. I frowned. I could make out that half of his face was still swollen. If we weren't in Hell, I'd have joked about it. As it was I was only partly coherent anymore.

"Where'd the blanket come from?" I asked. My throat was really bothering me, but that might just be from lack of water.

"Toffie brought it along with the food earlier. You've been asleep for several hours since I woke up," he said. "You're fever's gotten worse," he added, frowning.

Well that explains a lot. He's trying to make me comfortable, figuring that will help. Stone Hell Hole is not a place where it is possible to be comfortable though. But the gesture is nice all the same.

I coughed again, turning my head away from Sirius at least. It did nothing in the least to soothe my throat. Merlin how I wanted to sleep and never wake up. Sleep seemed so peaceful…I could probably manage it too, I'm already so far gone…

"James…" Sirius started. There was an under-edge in his voice, an emotion rarely heard from him. "What you were saying before…about how you accepted death already, you were just saying that, weren't you? You didn't really mean it?"

I couldn't believe it. He was scared, scared that I was letting myself die. Which I am, mind you, if I could just sleep again…

But I had to set his mind at ease…no, I can't leave Sirius like this. I can't abandon him. I have to stay alive, for his sake. At least a few more days…

"I meant it Sirius," I admitted. He didn't say anything. "I want out of here Sirius, and at this point, for me, the only option is death. You still have a chance though."

"James, you can't die here. Please…" his voice choked up. "We can still get out of here, just another day, I know your dad can figure a way to get us out of here…please…"

Tears leaked out of my eyes, and I know from the way Sirius had been talking that they're falling down his face as well. I felt downright awful.

"As long as I can," I said. I didn't have to say anything else. He knew what I meant.

"I won't be long behind you, just remember that," Sirius said. "I'll piss them off enough to kill me."

"At least you get to go in a blaze of glory," I said. How did it come to this? Us joking about our own deaths, which will likely happen in a matter of days?

"I can finally say what I've always wanted to say to Bella," he said. I smiled. At least I'd given him something else to think about, even if it was his own suicide.

I fell asleep again soon after. Blasted fever just wouldn't let me out its clutches.

Little did I know, that I wasn't going to wake up the same again.

End Chapter

I know this is kind of short, but there's really not much else for them to say. Please review! I really do update faster if you review! I don't want to have to beg but that's what you've reduced me to! Please Review!