Disclaimer - Again, anything you recognize I don't own.

A/N - Enjoy the chapter. :)

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Chapter 1 -

"Minerva I'm beside myself. I have gone through every test I could possibly do, and the boy still doesn't show anything." Poppy said sighing.

She hadn't ran any more tests after Harry had drank his sleeping draught. There was no point. Instead she had immediately come to her dear friend Minerva's office. She felt absolutely useless. Everyone that had survived the final battle had healed just fine. Everyone except Harry.

Minerva sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Poppy. Don't blame yourself. You're a wonderful mediwizard." Minerva looked up at her long time friend. "I'm sure that we'll find whatever it is that is causing this."

"Don't you understand Minera?!" Poppy trilled suddenly. "There is nothing wrong with him! He's short of breath. He gets dizzy if he walks to much. He's always clammy. But, there is nothing that is causing it. The only thing that-no. Just no." Poppy sighed dropping her hands into her face.

Minerva frowned. "What is it?"

"It's nothing." Poppy shook her head. "His magical core has just been strange lately, but that usually happens after a traumatic event."

"Will it settle eventually?" Minerva asked.

Poppy frowned. "Well...theoretically it should have already settled. Most magical cores settle after about a week of rest, and I've had him practically in a draught induced coma for the past three weeks. If it doesn't settle then he won't be able to do any magic without the probability that his spells will back fire."

Minerva sighed and leaned onto her desk. "Could that be what's causing his mysterious symptoms."

Poppy frowned thoughtfully but didn't say anything. "That is a...possibility, but I highly doubt it. The magical core is connected to the wizards soul. For anything to go wrong with a wizards health then..." Poppy trailed off not wanting to speak where her thoughts were going.

"There would have to be something wrong with his soul?" Minerva asked quietly.

Poppy nodded. "That...Minerva I'm sure...it's just not probable." Poppy said; her eyes growing wide.

Minerva took a long sigh. "Is there anyway you could test that theory?" She asked.

"Minerva, what you're suggesting...it's just..." Poppy shook her head.

"Poppy. Consider what we just got through dealing with only three weeks ago." Minerva rose from her seat and went to the window in her office, unable to look her friend in the face. "I can not...allow myself to..." She sighed dropping her eyes to the floor. "If there is any possibility that Voldemort survived and is inside Harry then...I can not allow myself to be biased to him."

"You will sentence him to death on a vague hunch!?" Poppy yelled, jumping out of her seat. "You know as well as I do that what you are suggesting is cruel."

Poppy's anger subsided when she saw Minerva's shoulders shaking and a quiet sob come from the older woman.

"It's not as if I want him to die." Came the whispered response. "He was supposed to finally be free of this mess, but I can not put the wizarding world at risk with another rise of Voldemort."

"What are you going to do?" Poppy asked fearfully. "Turn him over to the Ministry."

"No." Minerva's voice hardened. "The only thing they will do, if they even believe us, is put him in Azkaban. I will not have him go barmy just because a mad man latched onto his soul."

"Then what are you planning."

Minerva was quiet for a moment before sighing. "We must kill him."

"Murder him?" Poppy said quietly.

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"I'm sure you all are wondering why I've asked you to come here today." Minerva addressed the friends of Harry Potter.

No one spoke but everyone in the room watched her with expectant eyes. She felt a sad sigh well up in her chest. Before she could begin crying again she quickly explained the situation they were in. There were many gasps and disbelieving noises.

"Professor, what you are suggesting is nearly impossible." Hermione said quietly.

"I am well aware of the improbability. It is almost as high as the probability of being able to successfully create a Horcrux." Professor McGonagall said firmly.

Hermione looked at the floor; her lips were pulled into a tight thin line.

"It's immoral." Molly suddenly spoke up. "Killing off such a sweet boy just because of a small possibility that Voldemort might still be alive. The boy is still ill because he needs love and a good home made meal. Not because Voldemort is attached to his soul."

"Mrs. Weasley, I do not like it anymore than you, but you must understand we have to think about the wizarding world as a whole. I love Harry just as much as anyone else in this room. He is not only my student but my friend, but I can not allow my personal feelings for the boy to cloud my judgement on the matter."

"You can't just off him, though." George said crossing his arms. "You'll be thrown into Azkaban if you just walk into the Hospital wing and feed him poison or something."

"You're quite right Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall said with a nod. "The killing would have to be properly planned. Something painless, and he shouldn't have to know about it."

"But...I mean...how can we be sure, yeah?" Ron asked; his ears turned slightly pink by everyone suddenly looking at him. "What if Harry hasn't got Voldemort attached to his soul? You'll be killing him off for no reason."

"I'm well aware of that, Mr. Weasley, but I'm also aware that we are discussing more than just the life of Harry Potter. We are discussing the future of the wizarding world. If we allowed him to live, and the Dark Lord rose again through Harry...it would be our fault." Professor McGonagall said quietly.

"Harry would be...upset if he knew that we allowed Voldemort to rise again. I think that he would want what is best for the wizarding world." Luna said quietly.

"My point exactly." Professor McGonagall said with a nod. "We are in agreement, then?"

No one said a thing. No one moved.

"Very well." Professor McGonagall said with a sigh. "Now comes the hard part."

She reached into her desk and pulled out a very small colorless vial. She sat it on her desk and glanced up at the people in her office, trying to judge their reaction.

"Is that...Essence of Nightshade?" Hermione asked, squinting through angry tears.

"Very good, Ms. Granger." Professor McGonagall said with a nod. "After Harry drinks this he will soon after fall asleep, and his body will quietly begin to shut down. Painless death."

"Is Madam Pomfrey going to administer it?" Hermione asked.

Professor McGonagall's shook her head. "No. I spoke to Poppy earlier today about Mr. Potter's condition, and she would rather not be the one to administer it, but I had another idea anyway."

The group was quiet.

"Mr. Potter has spent the last three weeks in a bed. I think it only fair that he be able to see outside again before he dies." Professor McGonagall said slowly.

A murmur of agreement passed through the group.

"If that is going to happen then someone will have to give Mr. Potter the potion before bringing him back to Hogwarts. I figured I would allow someone to take him to Hogsmeade and let him walk around for awhile. The would stop and get a drink, and the person would slip him the potion then. Mr. Potter would be very close to falling asleep by the time they arrived back at Hogwarts. We could simply say that he had been steadily getting more and more ill, and the walk finally was the last straw."

A slight ripple of shock spread through the group.

"You want one of us to knock him off?" Ron asked.

"It will have to be one of you younger ones, yes. It would seem off for Molly, Arthur, or myself to take him to Hogsmeade." Professor McGonagall said.

"But...how will someone be chosen?" Hermione asked.

"I had hoped that someone would offer to do it." Professor McGonagal said quietly.

No one spoke up. "As I thought." She nodded. "We will have to find a person another way then." She reached into her desk and pulled out a bag.

"This is a bag of wisdom. I will write down all four of your names onto a sheet of parchment and place them into this bag. The bag will then spit out the name that it feels is most able to complete this task."

Professor McGonagall quickly wrote down the four names and dropped them into the bag. A few second passed by before a piece of parchment shot out of the bag. Professor McGonagall caught it easily and glanced down at the parchment.

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A/N - Well hope you enjoyed it. Give me some feed back! Like it? Love it? Think it's utter rubbish? Let me know!

Sincerely,

Ms.WritingFantasy