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 XXVI
All You do is Die
Four hours later Harry was released from hospital with the admonishment to stay out of the water for a week and that he needed monitoring for the next forty-eight hours. They'd made the trek back to Lis' campervan and she'd immediately apparated him to the magical hospital where he'd been given potion to help clear his lungs and a slightly better prognosis of only needing to be monitored for twenty-four hours before he would be considered clear of suffering any kind of relapse or sudden death. They were now in the sitting room, tucked in on opposite ends of the love seat. Harry had a blanket wrapped up around him and was sipping a mug of hot tea between sporadic bouts of coughing and trying to clear his throat. He blinked his eyes open a bit later when Lis nudged him. "Wha'?" he asked.
"You need to get up and move for a minute." Harry wordlessly followed her order with her hovering nearby. "All right?" she asked after a few minutes of him pacing the floor.
"Yeah. Okay if I sit down again."
"As long as you feel you can breath all right."
Harry took a few breaths, breaking into a cough as he tried to expand his lungs completely. "As long as I don't breath too deep."
"Ok," she agreed.
And so it went, with her watching him and getting him up every hour till it was time to take him to hospital again twenty-four hours later and he was given the all clear but still ordered to stay out of the water for the next week. Some thirty-six hours or so after his little drowning episode Harry woke in the middle of the night to find Lis sitting up in their bed watching him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"You saved my life, Love. What are you sorry for?"
"I convinced you to go in."
Harry sat up, scooting close to her he reached for her chin. "I convinced myself to go in, Lis."
"Harper and Danni and all the rest weren't out there, Harry. They're far better than you. They knew it was too much. You knew it was too much. You only came out there after watching the two best surfers on the beach make something dangerous look easy.
"Lis, come on. Don't do this, please."
"I almost killed you, Harry."
"Lis—"
"It's the second time." Her whispered words set an icy lead weight into the pit of Harry's stomach. "My parents were right. Stupid little girl, only thinking about what she wants running around nearly getting you killed."
Harry gripped her chin tightly. "Stop it," he growled. "You are not a little girl, and you are not stupid. I went out because I wanted to; and you can be damn sure when I can get back in the water again, I will."
She gave a little half laugh, half sob. "He's going to go back in. I don't care if I ever see a wave or board in my life again, and he's going to go back in."
Harry stared at her, but she didn't really seem to be seeing him. Her eyes were jumpy and she was just all around skittery. Something clicked in his head. "All right," he said, "Just how long has it been since you slept?"
"Sleep," she said, a bit hysterical. "Who can sleep when all you do is die when I do?"
Harry slid off the bed and jumped down to the main level. He had thought it odd the healer had given him Calming and Dreamless Sleep Draughts with his clean bill of health when they'd left earlier. Apparently the woman had known what she was doing. He grabbed them out of the bag and climbed the ladder/staircase back to the bedroom. "Drink it," he ordered, shoving the Calming Draught into her hands.
"Harry?" she whispered. "You're alive?"
Harry waved his hand, hitting her with a Compulsion Charm. "Of course I'm alive. Now drink." She hesitated only a moment but quickly downed the contents of the phial. Harry took it from her and handed her the other. "This too." She quickly obeyed and handed the empty back to him. Harry set the empties in the shelves, sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms.
"Harry?" she asked.
"I'm here."
"What time is it?"
"Late," He kissed her crown. "You should sleep."
"Sleep," she agreed. "I don' thin' I've slep' in'a long time."
"Shush."
"Y'swear be here whe' wake'pa?"
"I swear."
She let out a sigh as her head lolled to the side. "Rest, Love," Harry said. "I've got you."
Author's notes:
I have to think this was a really difficult thing for Ginny/Lis and sleep deprived for over thirty-six hours, her mind would go down some really dark rabbit holes.