Cho Chang pulled Harry's cold, lifeless body from
the lake and, with shaking fingers, dragged him to the snow banks at the
edges of the lake. He couldn't be dead… He just couldn't. She
couldn't loose him; it would be like Cedric's death all over again...
"Hermione!" She screamed, "Go get a teacher!
Hurry!" Hermione didn't need to be told twice. She took off
at full speed, nearly crashing into Ron, who had just exited the castle.
Cho looked Harry over. No pulse, no breathing. Cho, unlike
most kids at Hogwarts, had a job over the summer at Sudman's Country Club
Pool, and was a registered lifeguard. She knew exactly what to do.
She tilted his head back, placing her hands on his chin and forehead as
she did so, and covered his blue lips with hers. She wasted no time,
knowing every second counted. She began CPR-- alternating between
breathing air into his lungs and pumping life into his heart.
Harry came back to life with a body-wrenching jolt. He took one
almighty gulp of air, then retched. Cho, who was expecting this,
turned him on his side to help him breathe. He eventually expelled
all the water he had managed to suck in (between coughing fits and trying
to breath). She let him catch his breath before rolling him onto
his back again.
"Are you ok Harry?" she asked him with a shaky
voice, amazed that her CPR had actually worked. She had never had
to use it before.
"I'm… *cough* fine… *cough cough*…" He began to shiver from the cold.
"Oh, Harry, you were down so long… and I…I thought…," her face was etched with concern and worry. She looked like she was about to cry. Harry saw her face and tried to comfort her.
"No, I'm fine now *cough *. Thanks. You saved my *cough* life…," She burst into tears.
"I can't believe that didn't kill you…" she said, tears beginning to stream down her face.
"I *am* the boy who live, remember?" he said quietly. He smiled meekly up at her, and then broke into another coughing fit. Neither he, nor Cho, noticed Ron standing to the side of them, breathing hard from his running. A look of distasted crossed Ron's face. He had almost regretted what he had done. Almost, but his mind told him it was the right thing to do, and you can't sanely argue with your mind now, can you?
"Oh, Harry," Cho pulled Harry into a tight embrace, drenching her whole front side. She almost didn't let go, but she saw Harry's face begin to purple. She let go immediately, fearing she had resurrected him from a watery grave, just to strangle him again. Harry lay there gasping for breath (again ;).
"Jeeze, watch it there Cho," he said, giving her a small grin. She noticed him shivering and still blue lips, and was on her feet immediately.
"We better get you to the castle. You could get hypothermia… Oh no, I left my wand in my other robes…" She pulled him up onto his feet by his arms (she had quite some muscles from Quiddich) and helped him keep his balance. "Here, lean on my shoulder. Let's get those legs moving, common now." Harry was having trouble walking with his still unresponsive limbs. They proceeded as fast as he could hobble up to the castle. Ron stayed behind, standing there and watching them. They were almost to the door when Dumbledore burst through it, a look of immense grief on his face, followed closely by Hermione. He saw the two and relief replaced his worry.
"Thank Merlin, Harry, you're alive…," Dumbledore had become almost fatherly in his dealings with Harry and had feared the worst when Hermione had come bursting into his office.
"He just needs to heat up, that's all," Cho told
the headmaster. Dumbledore nodded, and moved aside so Harry and Cho
could pass. Dumbledore shot Ron a look, a weird expression on his
face. 'He couldn't /know/ could he?' Ron though. Hermione,
too gave him an odd look, before heading inside. Ron stood where
he was, glancing from the now cracked lake to the door. Should he
have done that? Sure, Harry was a jerk, but did that mean he should
die for it? He was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold. Ron
couldn't make up his mind, he was so confused. He stayed thinking
for a few minutes, watching a snowflake drift down in a silent dance.
Then he turned, a single tear running down his cheek, and walked through
the great double doors.
*-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-*
"Ow!" Ron screamed, grabbing his left arm. The whole Defense class turned around to stare at him. Hermione raised an eyebrow in his direction. Ron's eyes grew wide as he realized what the pain must mean. He quickly let go of his arm.
"Ron, are you ok dear?" Professor Mariban asked him.
"Uh, yeah…fine…muscle spasm…need more protein…," he began to quickly mumble, trying not to look suspicious, though doing quite the opposite. "Can I go to Mrs. Pomfrey…please? To get…uh…protein?"
"Sure, Ron…" she said slowly as if he was going psychotic. "But I think someone better accompany you… can't have you collapsing…"
"/Why/ would I collapse?" Ron asked, beginning to get irritated. He didn't like Ms. Mariban very much any more.
"Well, one thing can lead to another and…You get back here young man!" Ron had tried to sneak out. His arm was really hurting him. It felt as if a hot iron was branding him.
"Ok, ok, fine whatever…" He started shifting from foot to foot.
He wanted to scream out load with the pain. Stupid Master must need
him for something…
**-***-***-***-***-***-***-**
Hehe, more sort-of soon. I have a better idea of the plot now :)
Please Review!