Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

Chapter 11

The students and teachers in the Great Hall waited in wonder as everything went deadly still. Due to the dirt that had been kicked up, they could not see what had happened on the battlefield. Suddenly the shield dropped and the double doors opened. No one dared to move, no one dared to breathe, as a very bloody form with a sword stepped through the doors.

He collapsed to his knees, leaning on his sword. Breathing heavily, gurgling audibly, and bleeding twice as bad. Suddenly a young woman broke from the frozen crowd and ran to him. She stopped dead as the blood from the wounds made the floor very slick and hard to walk on. She bit back both bile that rose to her throat and a scream as one of the eyes opened to reveal a stunning emerald green.

"Mione?" the bloody form asked before it collasped forward.

A hand flew up to her mouth as a shocked gasp came from the young woman. she turned to Professor Dumbledore with tears in her eyes.

"Professor! It's Harry!" she cried out to the form that was now gliding toward her and the prone body.

"Oh God!" someone screamed from the crowd-Hermione recognized her friend Lavender Brown's voice.

"Harry?!" Ron repeated in shock, came out of the crowd, and took a couple stumbling steps toward the two, total disbelief written on his face.

Madame Promfrey rushed forward and conjured up a stretcher right under Harry. Hermione grasped onto his cooling hand, not wanting to let go. Dumbledore looked onward as the two and the stretcher disappeared out the doors and down the hall. He sighed and turned toward the crowd to start damage control.

Ron stared in shock at the incredibly large pool of crimson that one of his best friends had left behind. So numb with shock was he that he hardly felt Lavender latch onto him. He felt her tears though-he felt them soak his shirt. He looked down at the young woman, not quite seeing her, before grabbing her into a tight hug.

"He-He's gonna die is he?!"

Ron looked at his little sister, who had come up to his left. She was staring at the pool of blood that Dumbledore had started cleaning up.

"No way Ginny!" Ron replied numbly, "He's not gonna die! He can't!"

But as he stared at the slowly decreasing pool, his thoughts were a turmoil of doubt. Sure Harry was The-Boy-Who-Lived, but he was also just that-a boy. As Ron saw the pool he realized that Harry was not as invicible as they made him to be, but he was human. With the blood he lost, Ron knew, no human, wizard or not, could live.
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"Heart and left lung pierced...massive blood loss...multiple trauma to the body...comatose..." Madame Promfrey checked off and sighed, "There's no way this boy could possibly live. Even if I completely heal his wounds."

"He will live," growled an slightly familiar, male, voice, "He has no choice in the matter."

"Alastor!" Minerva Mogonagal cried, "This is not your choice!"

"If the boy is to die, then let him be surrounded by family and friends," another male voice stated.

"Why Severus!" Minerva replied with a smirk, "Some would think you were being nice to the boy."

"I certainly am not being nice to the boy!" Snape snapped, "Just being considerate to the dying."