Author's notes:
Standard disclaimer, I own nothing. It all belongs to JKR.
This is just a little something that bit me after reading a number of similar stories and I thought I'd give it a try. You can assume the story is canon compliant up to the just about the end of Harry's rescue of Ginny in Chamber of Secrets. It goes AU when he falls unconscious before Fawkes arrives to drip tears in the wound on his arm.
This is a stand alone story not related in any way to any of my other works
I'm going to be posting very short chapters. Don't worry though, the story is complete and I'll post a chapter a day.
Enjoy,
Sorcerer's Muse
Finally, Peace.
Chapter XXIV
DAMN YOU, BREATHE!
"Faster," Lis whispered as she watched the barrel race up and overtake Harry.
"He's not gonna," Joe said. And then Harry was crashing and tumbling and… gone."
"Harry!" Lis screamed running into the churning remains of the break.
Joe ran after her, diving onto his board as they both stroked hard for where they'd last seen Harry. He let out a breath when he saw Harry's board and then Harry a second later pop to the surface. "LOOK OUT!" Lis screamed just as the full force of the second wave slammed down on Harry. The wave crashed and frothed and slowly dissipated. Harry's board tumbled up through the water with no sign of him. Where is he!" Lis screamed, she pushed up on her knees, trying to find him.
"HARRY!" Joe shouted.
"ACCIO HARRY!"
"HARRY!" Joe shouted again.
"I'VE GOT HIM! JOE!"
Joe whipped around. Somehow Lis had already managed to get Harry up on her board and was making for shore. He slammed down on his stomach and paddle after her as hard as he could. She'd just managed to get to waist deep water by the time he reached her. "Come'on, come'on, come'on," Joe urged sliding off his board to help her drag him up the beach. Danni and Hannah ran down from the beach to help them.
Lis crashed to her knees beside Harry. "He's not breathing," she said.
"Still got a pulse," Joe said.
Lis pinched Harry's nose, tilted his head and lowered her mouth over his. She breathed in once, twice, a third time. "Don't you do this to me, Harry," she shouted at him. She gave him another three quick breaths and paused. Harry remained unresponsive.
"Pulse weakening." Lis gave Harry three more breaths and still nothing. "Thready," Joe said.
Lis raised her arm and slammed her fist down on Harry's chest. "DAMN YOU, BREATHE!"
Harry convulsed and spurted out a mouthful of water. He started hacking, turning on his side as more water spilled from his lungs and mouth. For a near a minute he wheezed and shuddered as his body warred between trying to get oxygen in and the water out. He'd only just managed to get some form of breath back when he heaved and was emptying the contents of his stomach. It was a few minutes before he stopped heaving and lay still with his face in the sand.
"H–Harry?" Lis breathed, her hands hovering over him like she was afraid to touch him might send him back to being unconscious and not breathing again.
Harry flopped to his back. He squeezed his eyes open and shut a number of times before focusing on her. "Are you an angel?" he asked.
Lis hiccupped, started to shake and collapsed on him. Harry grunted and started coughing. "Easy there, Beautiful," Joe said lifting her off him. She didn't fight him and he pulled her against his chest. "Let's let him breathe, yeah?" Lis only shook harder against him. Joe held her protectively while looking down on Harry. "All right there, Bro?"
"Fin—" Harry broke into a hacking cough again.
"That much water in his lungs," Danni said, "he's going to need to go to hospital."
"You take her," Joe said. "I'll see if I can get him up." Danni came around and he passed Lis to her.
"'m fine," Harry rasped.
"Bro," Joe said. "You're going to the hospital. So shut up and don't fight me."
"Out of the way! Come on let them through." Harper elbowed his way through the crowd that had gathered with an ambulance crew trailing him.
"Ffffuck," Harry muttered on seeing them. He tried pushing the first medic's hands away."
"Bro," Joe said. "Salt water in the lungs is dangerous. You think you're fine but you could keel over dead an hour from now or even a day or two."
"Harry," Lis said. Harry froze. She looked, well, frankly she looked like hell. "You need to listen… Please. I lost you once already. I can't go through it again."
Just those few words and the obvious pain and fear in them drained all the fight from Harry's body. "Ok." He coughed again. "Just let we walk."
"If he can walk, that's fine," the medic said.
"Come on, Bro," Joe said. "Let's get you up."
Author's notes:
It's called Dry Drowing, and it's real.