When I blearily opened my eyes, I was met with a terrifyingly bright light. It was so white, I momentarily thought I was in the White Room back at home. But, looking around, I realized I had never been here before in my life. As I watched, I saw my parents stagger through the door, and felt my heart jump in terror when a huge snake slithered in behind them. I normally had no fear of snakes, but this was no ordinary snake. This was Nagini, his snake. She crept around my parents, who were thin and looked weak. As I watched, another me was shoved through the doorway, and he followed me in. He cackled, then pointed his wand at me and said, "I told you what would happen if you failed me boy!" And just then, Harry Potter himself stumbled through the entryway. I watched as a swift avada kedavra was administered to each of my parents, then both me's had to look away as Nagini began feasting upon them. Unfortunately, that left me watching Harry as he began torturing him, not a simple crucio, but first with painful spells, then doing it physically himself. I couldn't stand to look away as blood dripped from Harry and he stared desperately at dream me, who stood frozen as I was, staring in horror at the scene unfolding before us.

This is a dream. It is a dream, it isn't real, it's a dream, I can make it stop. I just have to wake up, I thought to myself.

Or maybe you're dead and your punishment for being such a monstrous human is that you get to spend the rest of eternity watching your one love be murdered. It's what you deserve.

Of course, it was at that moment that Potter looked directly at me, the real me, and gasped. Gasped in a way that would be almost sexual if not for the predicament he was in. I could do nothing but watch as blood dripped from the cuts latticing his body. Nothing but watch as his eyes rolled into the back of his skull, the beautiful green of his eyes disappearing as his chest heaved for air. After a long moment, his wheezing stopped abruptly and he slowly fell backward, his wand falling from his hand as he did so. The scene looked familiar, and for a moment I couldn't recall why until I remembered the dream I had had at the start of term. Here, again, I could practically see what Harry had last had to eat. I could again see the way tendons and veins still clung to his ribs. And worst of all, I could see his heart, laying half out of his chest, still faintly pulsing but growing weaker. And just as it stopped, I jolted up boltright in a bed in Madam Pomfrey's cavernous hospital-like room.

My head immediately started pounding and every bone ached, so I laid back down. It was only after I checked that I had no missing limbs that I noticed the screaming coming from the entrance.

"BECAUSE, RON, I WAS PLAYING HIM AND NO MATTER WHAT HE DID TO HERMIONE, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S AN UNSPOKEN QUIDDITCH RULE THAT IF YOUR OPPONENT ALMOST DIES PLAYING YOU, YOU HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY TO AT LEAST MAKE SURE HE'S ALIVE." I surreptitiously glanced over at the doorway, where Harry was not a foot from Weasley, both of their faces furious.

"All I'm saying, mate, is that there's a difference between checking in on him every once in a while to make sure he isn't dead yet and skipping classes for three days waiting for him to wake up. Especially after what he did to Hermione. She could have died too, you know."

"Then maybe Hermione should come let me know she has a problem with this, unless you're suddenly her messenger boy! I'm staying here until he wakes up, and that's final." With a huff, Harry leaned against the frame of the door.

There was a pause, then Ron said quietly, "And if he doesn't wake up?"

"Then I don't know what I would do, Ron. Much as he would never admit it, he needs a friend. A real friend, not his Death Eater 2.0 buddies. And I intend to be here for him whenever he needs anyone."

I could feel myself losing consciousness again, but I was somewhat okay with that, as at least now I knew that Potter would be there whenever I needed him.