A/N: Hi, I'm P.A.R.. *Others at the Addicted To Author's Notes meeting.* Hi, P.A.R..
Oh, look. P.A.R. has found something else she has no control over. Web-site crashes. This was ready to go up Monday night, folks. What can I say?
O.K.. I'm trying here, folks. But don't expect anything more until Friday. And there's a reason for that.
Not too much to say, so I'll get right to the author's notes.
Oh! One thing. That schedule of story releases last time? That was tentative.
HayleyHedwig11: SETTLE DOWN! Cut back on the caffeine. No more sugar! Oh, and here you go.
Silent Shadow: Awwwww. P.A.R. says thank you. I hope to be able to do some reading and reviewing during the holidays.
Anime Echo: 1) Thank you. Glad you're enjoying it. 2) What can I say? They're 'good' friends. And I did say earlier if you wanted to read more into it than is there, be my guest. 3) Well, you people get to read. I get to answer questions. It's sort of a trade off for what we each enjoy doing. If you don't want to bother with them, just skip to the story heading. I'm not the least offended.
Zimmy Russel: Goodness! That was long! I like it.
More you want. More you shall have. Enjoy!
What books have I published? Well....., this gets a bit complicated. You see, I can't tell you. And to understand that is going to take some explaining, so bare with me. I have something called 'intellectual property' written into my contract with my publisher. What does that mean? In short, that means that I'm not suppose to be doing this. If my publisher found out there would be some not so nice words used. (Not that I could sell any of this stuff anyway, because then we're talking 'infringement'. Still, they wouldn't be too happy to find out what I'm doing instead of working on stuff for them, you see?) But I was bored, and I have writers block on the story I am working on for them, and a friend suggested this might help. And where as it hasn't, it's been great fun for P.A.R.. This, people, by the way, is why I can't give out my e-mail address or really tell you anything about myself. And if anyone is running down the aisles in the book store looking for P.A.R. initials. Stop. You won't find me on anything recent. P.A.R.'s been doing a few other things lately that she unfortunately doesn't get paid for, ya' know?
So, you wanna be a writer? Child! What has possessed you?! We make no money. We get no respect. Oh, but you do get to go to some really fun conventions for free. But, honestly.....you wanna be a writer, I have one piece of advice.....well two.....three, really. First. Learn English. You can write horrible stuff, but if it's spelled right, you'll probably get published. Two, NETWORK! Go out and meet those other writers, agents, and publishers. Believe me, it's how I got published. I knew someone! Three, be independently wealthy.
By the way, it's 'dudet' actually, not dude. (Female.).
I hope you go back to Family Life. It's a good read.
Sirius is not having a good day, to be sure.
The thing from Harry's POV was sort of an experiment. I stopped because it became too confusing and it wasn't helping the story that much.
Poor Uncle Vernon just isn't making anyone's Christmas card list this year.
Snape is simply playing by the rules set down a long time ago. Nobody said they were fair. Just 'the rules'.
About the baker. You'll have to go back to the Author's Notes of Chapter Six where all that was explained. If that doesn't make things clearer, ask again and I'll try to clear it up once more.
I love to mentor people. Have you written anything? But be forewarned. I don't review nice. I review honest.
Ostia: Thankyouthankyouthankyou. I am so pleased someone else likes my Remus/Severus relationship. It's so hard to ride the fine line between a really close friendship (no matter how little it shows sometimes) and the infamous 'slash'! I've been accused several times, both here and another website, that the relationship appears to be slash. No, no, people. P.A.R. is not writing slash right now, remember?
Family Life is an epic. Take it from the person who wrote it. Oy!
Lesson Plans? You a teacher?
SEEKER_2000: Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! You are now one of P.A.R.'s all time favorite reviewers! What praise!!! My goodness! (P.A.R. is now speechless.).
Coqui: I try. And thank you.
Marie Potter: Actually, you're second review came up as I posted the story. I did see it.
I have no problem with what you put down. In fact, I think it was a point that needed to be made since, as I said, people are to a point in the story that they are starting to make some very well thought-out, educated guesses. But Fever is completed, so I won't be using any ideas. But feel free to keep guessing. The only thing I have ever asked of my readers is if you think you know where the story is headed, wait for the last chapter and tell me then. Please don't spoil it for anyone else. So, still friends.
Abbsiegail: Cute name.
The Author's Notes at the beginning of Chapter Six had this explained briefly. If that doesn't do it for you, ask again and I'll try to explain it better. In all honestly, yes, it was a bit vague. But please keep in mind this story is a first draft with spell checking. Nothing more. So there are bound to be some continuity errors and such.
Lin-Z: You're in college? Just curious. I almost remember those days.
Anyway, Harry's back in this chapter and he'll be in most of the rest of them as well. So is Sirius. Matter of fact, they're pretty much your main characters after this.
Computer is much better. Thanks for asking. We didn't have to data dump. Well, not all of it.
Rupert Grint or Ronald Weasley: NO FAIR!!! I was working on that! Probably still put it in somewhere.
Silverfox: Awwwwww, one of my favorites.
Yes, poor Severus. Short end of the stick again. But Remus didn't just drop him. Remus wouldn't do that. But there certain rules they have to adhere to. 'Social' rules, if you like.
Yes, indeed! Sirius didn't promise, did he? Interesting, no?
Silver Star: English isn't your first language? I'm impressed. I know a lot of English speaking people who don't do as well with the language as you do. And thankyou thankyouthankyou. I'm very glad I managed to impress you so much.
Basillisk: Sorry. I can not do anything with e-mail for reasons listed in one of the answers above. But I usually will post on Wednesdays and Sundays, with the exception of this week, where the next post will be on Friday.
I am so glad you like the story.
Kiara L. Black: Ahhhh, she's back. Such a nice reviewer. P.A.R. needs more like you.
O.K.! The Family Life thing. Ummmmm, would you? I mean, not wanting to take up too much of your time. Maybe doing it in story arcs or so?
Thankyouthankyouthankyou.
Such a nice reviewer.
The Unicorn Whisperer: Air Sick bags, huh?
Actually, I'm not one to give things out, but trust me, if you can see the whole picture behind it, what Sirius does to them is much worse.
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Never lose that name.
I'm not sure. Was it 48 hours? Probably not.
Dumbledore's True Love: Awwwwww, another of P.A.R.'s favorites.
THANK YOU! Another supporter of the Severus/Remus relationship. Yes!
Computer is recovering and doing better. Thank you.
Just right, huh? Have to try and do that again, I guess.
Juliana Black: What does BWA stand for?
Authors Alert, huh?
Oh, come on. Ron isn't that bad! He was pretty good in the first book.
Reviews are as of 12172001.
O.K.. Just a personal note. P.A.R. is looking for Wolf Of Solitude. I didn't insult, scare, or just generally run you off, did I? Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope every thing's O.K..
On with the story.
Chapter Nine: One's Life
Over the next several days, true to Snape's assessment of the poison's progress, Harry seemed to improve once all potions were stopped. He was only given things to eat and drink, but nothing else. By the third day Harry was sitting up in his bed, talking with Sirius, who had been given time off from the library to spend with Harry to help keep his mind off the poison. Harry asked a lot of questions about what was going on, but Sirius skillfully evaded most of them. He didn't want to say anything about Remus' plan any sooner than he had to. There was, of course, no way to evade telling Harry the truth about what had been done to him. But Sirius felt his godson took the news of having been poisoned better than most would have. And for the most part Harry's outlook seemed fairly optimistic. He saw his improvement as his fighting the poison, and Sirius did nothing to discount his believe.
For the others part, Snape, Lupin, and Dumbledore spent every spare moment they had in the library looking for a spell that would suit their need. Snape kept a close watch on Lupin and steadfastly made him take breaks ever hour or so as his doctor had instructed. If Lupin so much as winced, Snape began badgering him about pushing himself too hard, and how he wasn't doing anyone any good if he didn't allow the wound to heal properly.
Finally, simply to put an end to Snape's near-constant vigilance of him in the library, which was beginning to pray on his nerves, Lupin retired to his bed with a stack of books, swearing to be good and to take his regular breaks every hour on the hour. But Lupin soon found that even his new tactic didn't rid him of Snape's vigilance completely. Every night Snape came to Lupin's quarters with a list of spells, which they spent several more hours discussing.
All in all, Lupin didn't find the diversion from his book-browsing all that unwelcome. It was a enjoyable change of pace after reading spells all day and pleasantly reminded Lupin of their school days when he would sit with his new-found friend in the shade of the trees by the lake and for hours spar over the merits of their respective interests.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Harry was greeted by Dumbledore, Snape, and Lupin, coming into his room. Not one of them looked as though they had anything good to say. Harry stared in puzzlement at the worried faces around his bed, finally turning to his godfather, who sat on the bed next to him.
"This isn't going to be good, is it?" He asked Sirius.
Sirius didn't answer. Instead he turned to Snape.
"As I am sure Black has explained to you, Potter," the potions master began, "we discerned the purpose of the poison. In short, anything we give you that should be a cure, the poison turns into another poison. Based on this theory, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Lupin, Black, and myself, feel that perhaps the only way to beat this poison is to play it off of itself. To give you a potion that should be poison and hope that the original poison will act as it has with all the others. Hence, the original poison you were given should take the poison we give you and alter its properties. Reverse them, so that it will, in fact, become a cure."
Harry stared mutely at Snape, then turned slowly to Sirius, squeezing his hand as Harry held tightly onto it.
Sirius turned to his godson. "Do you understand what Professor Snape is proposing, Harry?"
Harry slowly nodded, his eyes never leaving Sirius' concerned expression.
"Of course, Harry," Dumbledore put in quickly, "We wouldn't consider doing this without your agreeing to it."
Harry kept staring at Sirius. "I...I need to think about it. I mean, isn't there...."
"Unfortunately, Potter," Snape stated shortly, "time is a luxury you no longer have."
"What do you mean?"
"The poison has been in your body for longer than is safe, in my opinion. With each unsuccessful attempt to find a cure, the original poison has fed off the reactions of the others to weaken your body. At this point there is a very good chance that on its own it could effectively kill you."
"Couldn't it have done that from the beginning?"
"By itself? No. The poison depends on those around the affected person to do just what they would normally. Give the stricken person 'cures', which it turns into poisons and uses to weaken the body's own defenses. When the body is weakened enough, the poison, not terribly strong on its own, then has the opportunity to kill its victim. Providing one of the other 'cures' doesn't do the job first. So far you've been very lucky. You've survived our attempts to cure you. But time has unfortunately run out."
Snape reached behind him and produced a large goblet. He held it out to Harry, who drew back from it, staring at it with wide eyes.
"Wh...what? Now!?" Harry stammered, looking anxiously about at the faces in the room.
"I did say time was growing short, Potter." Snape repeated.
"But...but I haven't even had time to think about this." Harry stated, the panic in his voice rising at an alarming rate. "This is my life, we're talking about."
"You want something to think about, Potter?" Snape stated with a sneer he barely hid. "Try this. If you take the potion, we have no guarantee if you will live or die. Don't take it, and I'll give you one."
Harry stared at the pre-offered cup again, the drew back slightly, turning to Sirius, whose hand he was now squeezing tightly in his own.
"The decision has to be yours alone, Harry." Sirius replied quietly to his godson's unspoken plea.
Harry turned his eyes back to the cup, his grip on Sirius' hand tightening further.
It was Professor Dumbledore who finally broke the stalemate. "Perhaps we can give Harry a little time, Severus." He suggested kindly. "It is, after all, a most difficult decision."
"Time is very short, Headmaster." Snape nearly hissed at the old wizard. "The longer we delay, the less chance this will work."
"Five minutes, Severus?" Dumbledore plead on Harry's behalf.
Snape turned to Harry. "Five minutes, Potter. Every second past that works against you. Even now the original poison is gaining strength by weakening your body. And strength is what you are going to need if this is going to work."
"Strength?"
"To fight your way back, Potter."
"Back from what?"
Snape sighed in exasperation. There was so little time and the boy insisted on every detail. Ones that wouldn't matter to him one way or the other in the end.
"In order for the cure to work, Potter, the original poison must be driven out of your body. The only way this particular poison can be purged is of its own accord once it has done its work."
Harry paused as understanding dawned over his face. "It has to kill me."
"Precisely."
"I have to die for this to work?"
Harry looked around anxiously for an answer. But no one offered one. Finally Harry's gaze settled once more on his godfather.
"Sirius?" Harry asked quietly.
Sirius hesitated slightly in his answer, then forced a reassuring smile. "We have a plan to keep that from happening, Harry. Don't worry."
"What plan? Snape says I have to die. Dead is dead, Sirius."
"No. The poison has to believe you are dead. Once it senses the body it's in is dead, it neutralizes and becomes harmless. We've come up with a spell that should fool the poison into thinking you're dead. But we can't invoke it until you are actually at the point of death. But once the spell is in place, it'll be a simple matter to wait for the poison to neutralize and then revive you."
Harry paused, staring at his bed sheets. Slowly he turned his eyes to Dumbledore.
"I still would like a little time to think about this. Please."
Snape was at his limit. "Headmaster. There's no time for...."
"You gave Harry five minutes, Severus." Dumbledore reminded him. "They are not yet up."
Snape started to say something, then placed the goblet on the tray-table by Harry's bed and turned and abruptly left the room. Dumbledore gave Harry a kindly smile and began ushering the others out of the room. Sirius gave his godson a quick wink as he got up off the bed.
"I'll be just outside, Harry."
But Harry quickly reached up and took his hand again. "Sirius?"
Sirius turned back to his godson.
"Please stay." Harry whispered, gripping his hand tighter.
Sirius stood patiently by Harry's bed as he watched the others leave. As soon as the door closed he seated himself back on the side of Harry's bed.
With a loving caress he brushed a bit of hair back from Harry's face. "What is it you need, Harry?"
"You here." Harry mumbled in a small voice, embarrassed to admit to how badly he simply wanted his godfather with him right then. Somehow just the touch of Sirius' hand seemed to help calm some of his fears.
Sirius gave him a comforting smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Harry." He promised him. "Not if you don't want me to."
Harry raised his eyes to meet his godfather's. "I also need to know, Sirius, is everything they told me the truth?"
Sirius' expression suddenly shifted to a more solemn one before he slowly nodded his head. "I'm afraid it is, Harry."
Harry's gaze shifted as it traveled slowly back over to the cup sitting on the table where Snape left it.
Sirius tugged lightly on his hand, now wrapped protectively in both of his.
Harry turned back to him.
"I know it's a frightening thing, Harry." He said, his pure devotion to his godson evident in his expression. "I wish more than anything else I could tell you 'you don't have to do this. We'll find another way'." Tears were filling his eyes now, threatening to spill over. "But there isn't one. We've looked for days. This seems to be our best chance. Our only chance."
Harry pulled himself up against his godfather, burrowing as deeply into the material of his robes as he could until he could hear Sirius' own frightened heartbeat against his chest.
"Is the spell going to work?" He asked in a anxious whisper.
For a moment Sirius didn't answer, giving Harry pause to think Sirius hadn't heard him. But then he heard his godfather's voice.
"There is a danger, Harry." Sirius said in an equally low whisper, his hand gently caressing his godson's hair. "I won't lie to you about that either. The spell may not work. Things can go wrong with it. But we'll do everything we can to keep you alive. You know that. I'll fight to keep you with me."
Harry crawled deeper into his godfather's protective, loving embrace, still staring at the cup on the table as a shudder ran through his thin body.
"Sirius, I'm scared." Harry whispered in a very small, frightened tone.
Sirius leaned over and wrapped his arms tighter about his godson, laying his head over Harry's. "You'd be a raving lunatic if you weren't, Harry."
Harry allowed himself to stay in the warm, shielding embrace of his godfather's arms for a few seconds more before pulling back very slightly as he turned to look up at him.
"You'll stay?" A stream of tears were silently falling down his cheeks.
Sirius smiled at Harry, then got up and repositioned himself so that he was now sitting behind him on the bed. Wrapping his arms about his godson, Sirius pulled the small, thin body into his lap and up into his arms. He lightly kissed Harry on the head as he tightened his hold on the frail, shaking body in his arms. He couldn't believe in such a short time how much work the poison had done on Harry's body, until it now felt as thin and light in his arms as someone who had been starved for weeks.
"I'll never leave you, Harry." Sirius whispered in his ear. "I'll be right here. Right here with you through it all."
Harry relaxed as much as he could in the protective cocoon, his frightened eyes still riveted on the cup sitting so innocently on the table.
"Sirius, will it hurt?" Harry asked, his voice shaking just slightly as he fought to control it.
Sirius laid his head against his godson's. He had never in his whole life felt more helpless than he did at that moment. "No." He whispered back. "The poison is painless."
"What'll happen?"
Now it was Sirius who was fighting to keep his voice steady. "Snape says it will be just as if you were falling asleep. You won't feel a thing."
Harry put up one last attempt to fight back his fear, but it finally broke free as he curled his body up into Sirius' arms, his tears coming in a flood now past frightened sobs.
"Sirius, I'm scared." He cried, burying his tear streaked face in the crook of Sirius' arm as he clung tightly to it. "I'm so scared."
Sirius wrapped his other arm about his godson's shaking body and held him tightly against his own. The muffled cries nearly broke Sirius' own resolve. But he knew there was no way he could protect Harry from this. So instead he gave him the only thing he could.
"I know you're frightened, Harry. You have every right to be. But know I'll be here. I won't leave you. I swear that to you. Not for a minute. Not for a second. I'll stay right here."
Sirius sat for a few minutes on the bed, holding his godson, grateful that Snape didn't come running through the door at that moment holding a clock up for them to see and yelling about the time. But finally Harry seemed to regain control of his emotions again, fighting his fears back as he wiped the back of his hand over his eyes.
"Not being very brave, am I?" He asked.
Sirius gave him a comforting smile. "I doubt a full grown wizard would take this any better, Harry." He replied. "I know I wouldn't."
Harry's eyes slowly traveled back to the cup on the table next to them.
Sirius followed his stare. "Are you ready?" He asked softly, brushing a bit of damp hair away from his eyes.
Harry stared at the cup for a few more seconds, then nodded. "Yeah."
Sirius leaned over and picked up the cup that was just barely within his reach. Holding it in his hand, he held it up to Harry.
"Ok?"
Harry reached up with trembling hands and took the cup from Sirius, who still never completely let go of it until the last second. Harry couldn't help but think of how strange it seemed to him that the person he loved the most in the world would be sitting next to him now, handing him a cup of poison. But he was also grateful for it. For somehow, having the cup delivered by Sirius' hand didn't seem as frightening to him. Harry turned back to Sirius one more time, meeting his eyes.
"You won't leave me?"
"Never." Sirius promised.
Turning back to the cup, Harry stared at the light green liquid. It seemed to swirl around in the cup of its own volition. Harry thought it looked something like the contents of a pensive, with the exception of the green coloring.
But the fear was starting to come back with a vengeance now. Harry forced it back down. He wouldn't let Sirius see him collapse into tears again. But he knew if he didn't do something he was going to lose the battle with his emotions.
Harry turned once more to look at his godfather's face. Nothing but an unconditional love stared back down at him from the pale blue eyes as Sirius gave him a small smile.
Harry leaned back against his godfather's chest, laying his cheek against it. A warm, gentle hand wrapped itself about the side of his head.
For a few precious moments Harry let himself just lay contently in the feel of his godfather's love. For those few invaluable seconds, he felt safe and secure. Like nothing in the world could touch him.
He knew time was growing short, but Sirius gratefully said nothing. He wasn't going to rush him, or force him in any way to do this any sooner than he was ready. Harry firmly believed Sirius would have sat there all night without saying a word to him if Harry chose to let the moment drag out that long.
But there was no point in that. As Snape had said, taking the potion at least gave him a chance. Not taking it gave him none at all.
Harry slowly brought the cup to his lips. He wrinkled his nose at the smell. Leave it to Snape not to bother making it at least taste better than it looked.
Harry looked up at is godfather one last time.
"I love you, Sirius." He whispered.
With one decisive movement, he brought the cup to his lips and drank it down.
It seemed to take forever to drain the cup. But as soon as he drank the last of it, a hand reached up and took the cup slowly from him and set it back on the table.
Harry quickly found himself drawn back into the strong, protective embrace as Sirius laid his lips against his godson's ear.
"I love you too, Harry." He whispered.
For what seemed an eternity Harry lay in Sirius's arms, trying not to concentrate on the feelings within his own body. Instead he tried concentrating on Sirius' heartbeat, but soon found that did little to settle his nerves. The heartbeat under his ear was beating far faster than the slow, steady, comforting sound he was looking for.
Finally, unable to stand waiting any longer, Harry shifted slightly in Sirius arms. "When will it happen?" He asked quietly.
"Soon." Came the soft answer.
"Will it be quick?"
"It should be."
Harry shifted back to his former position.
With his head back against Sirius' chest, Harry went back to listening to the heartbeat. It had slowed slightly now and the sound was more rhythmic and carried with it a sort of lulling sensation.
"Harry?"
He heard a voice calling to him. But it seemed impossibly far away. He tried to answer, but it just seemed to take too much effort. So instead he settled for making some small sound in his throat.
"You do something for me, all right?"
Harry made the sound again.
"I want you to listen for my voice, Harry. Always listen for it, and come towards it, all right? Do you understand? Follow my voice."
Harry felt himself nod slightly.
"Only my voice, Harry. No one elses. OK?"
"OK." Harry felt himself slurring out the word.
"And you remember to fight."
Harry nodded again. Actually, at that moment, the last thing he felt like doing was fighting. The comforting sound of the heartbeat was slowing now. It wasn't the slow steady rhythm anymore. Now it sounded as though ever beat was just a fraction of a second slower than the one before it. He didn't find the sound very comforting anymore. But it didn't seem to matter either. He was simply too tired now to even concentrate on it. He was grateful for whatever was holding him up. He relaxed against the strong hold, feeling it tighten about him slightly.
The last thing he remembered was hearing a soft, distant cry of despair and feeling the warm, protective cocoon around him begin to shake.
Snape burst back into the room, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey close behind.
"Time is up, Potte...."
But even Snape stopped abruptly at the sight before him.
Harry lay motionless, wrapped tightly in the arms of his godfather, who held him as though he feared the entire world was coming to try and take Harry from him.
Very slowly Sirius raised his tear stained face to Snape.
Snape seemed cautious about approaching the man sitting on the bed as he remained standing near the door.
"When did he take the potion?" He asked.
Sirius lower his head again over Harry's still one. "A few moments ago." He replied past a choked whisper. "A minute. Maybe two."
Madam Pomfrey rushed forward and checked the piece of parchment hanging over Harry's bed.
"His vital signs are growing very weak. We have to cast the spell soon."
"Not until he's nearly gone." Snape warned. "Otherwise we'll never get the poison out of his system. And we won't likely get another chance at this."
The group stood nervously watching the writing constantly changing over the piece of parchment. Only Sirius seemed oblivious to it as he sat on the bed with his eyes closed, gently rocking his godson in his arms, whispering, it seemed, a none stop litany in the boy's ear.
Madam Pomfrey turned back to Dumbledore after a few more seconds ticked by.
"Much longer and he'll be dead."
Snape and Dumbledore took positions on either side of Harry's bed. They quickly recited the spell, then stepped back to allow Madam Pomfrey to observe the parchment again.
After several extremely tense and silent moments, the nurse declared that the body was showing no further signs of the poison, which had apparently neutralized.
With her pronouncement, Snape and Dumbledore quickly resumed their positions and performed the second spell to revive Harry.
As they spoke the last part of the spell, they both turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was staring intently at the parchment.
"Well?" Snape hissed after a few minutes.
But Madam Pomfrey seemed to ignore him as she continued to stare at the parchment.
The silence seemed to attracted Sirius' attention, who stopped his endless litany and turned a worried glance at the nurse.
"Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.
The nurse turned a paled face to the Headmaster. "Something is wrong, Albus." She whispered.
"Wrong?"
"The spell doesn't seem to be working. He's slipping further."
Sirius pulled up slightly, looking hurriedly at the faces about the room, finally settling on Dumbledore's.
"What's wrong?" He demanded. "What's happened?"
Dumbledore took a few steppes towards the bed as Sirius followed every movement with a frightened understanding dawning on his face before Dumbledore said a word.
"The spell failed, Sirius. We knew that was a possibility." He turned sadly to the boy laying in Sirius' arms. "He's dieing."
Sirius reacted to the pronouncement with a terrified but steadfast determination.
Pulling Harry's limp form up in his arms he began to whisper to his litany again in a rush of words.
"Harry. Harry, listen to me. Listen to my voice. You remember what I told you? You have to fight now. You have to listen to me. You have to fight. Please. You don't want to die. I know you don't. Just listen to me. Follow my voice. Harry!"
