Time seemed to move in slow motion now, even though Harry sprinted frantically toward the man on the floor. Embry had told the truth, Sirius was right there in front of Harry, not a ghost like Nearly Headless Nick who was transparent, but solid and whole. Harry could recognize that long shaggy unkempt hair, those familiar robes, and now he even saw Sirius's distinct wand laying inches from his stark white hand. The distance between them was no more than a few feet but it felt like a mile, Sirius had been here this whole time and Harry felt he could spare another second.
Harry reached him dropping to his knees upon the cold hard floor, dust burst into a small cloud around him as he did so. Abandoning his wand beside him, with shaking hands, he reaches out to the crumpled form and placed his hand upon his shoulder.
"Sirius?" Harry asked, his voice was pleading and unsteady as he slowly turned his godfather over and revealed the most horrible sight he had ever seen.
"REMUS!" Harry bellowed, he'd never called Lupin by his first name until now but this was the most desperate Harry had ever been. Sirius's face was a shocking shade of white, his face atrophied. He had seen Sirius looking unhealthy when he had first met him fresh out of 13 years in Azkaban. Never did he once think anyone could look frailer than Sirius did that night they met in the whopping willow, but this was so much worse.
Harry ripped off his cloak and placed it over Sirius's cold body. There was a horrible question popping into his mind – was Sirius even alive?
Lupin reached them, a small gasp escaped him that sounded like a groan mixed in as well. Harry was horrified to see the look of anguish upon Lupins face as he looked down at Sirius in Harry's lap. Lupin composed himself and dropped down with them placing a hand upon Sirius's sunken cheek and flinched at the coldness.
"Remus… he's alive, right?" Harry begged "Please tell me he's alive?"
Lupin placed two fingers upon Sirius's neck, and leaned down placing his ear above his mouth listening to hear him breathing. Time was standing still again, the seconds of silence felt like hours as Harry waited for a sign from Lupin.
"He's breathing!" Lupin cried suddenly, shooting up like a rocket, his eyes suddenly alert as he dug into the pockets of his worn robes. Relief flooded through Harry, tears falling down his face but his mouth splitting into a wide smile despite himself. Maybe they would be able to save Sirius and return after all, return home to a new life with Sirius as a free man.
Lupin had found what he was after finally, and pulled out a small corked potions bottle, with a bright yellow liquid within. He uncorked it with shaking hands, tilted Sirius's head back gently and poured the whole bottle down his throat. Harry watched with his breath held, waiting to see the potion bring his godfather back to life.
Suddenly Sirius's body jerked, and his eyes slowly flickered open revealing his grey eyes clouded over as if he wasn't entirely there yet. All the same his eyes met Harry's and they widened the little bit they could.
"J-James? It's over now? I fucked up…" he managed to say in a raspy and broken voice, he trailed off closing his eyes again and Harry quite literally felt his heart hurting at this. Tears fell from Harry's eyes and splashed onto Sirius's face but his eyes remained closed.
The watch on Remus's wrist suddenly was beeping and he jumped in alarm looking down at his watch.
"We're a minute out now, our time is almost up!" He cried pocketing Sirius's wand for safekeeping and handing Harry his abandoned wand on the floor. Harry reached for his wand but was stopped.
"Expelliarmus!" Embry's voice called and Harry's wand sored into the air and landed on the other side of the room from him. Harry was too stunned to react, he had forgotten about Embry in the rush of finding Sirius, and now she was disarming him?
"What the hell!" Lupin shouted but she disarmed him as well before he got very far and pointed her own wand at them. Harry was confused and horrified to see her holding the portkey seconds away from being ready for travel, safely within her other hand.
"Sorry about this." She said and suddenly the portkey was taking her away and leaving Harry, Lupin, and a desperately sick Sirius in a confused panic.