A cool breeze whipped around his body as the morning mist settled in the air. It was still early, not yet light out, just a faint glow lighting up the horizon. The few stars left in the sky blinked down at Harry faintly, mocking him as he lay there.

His body was numb as he sat up. All around him were bodies. Heaps of black and red mixing with the grass. Looking around, Harry began panicking. Phantom battle cries echoed in his ear as he shoved himself to unsteady feet and began walking forward.

Complete chaos had broken out earlier; it's remnants now strewn about the grass. Harry moved across the lawn, barely glancing at the few witches and wizards mingling. He didn't recognize any of them, and no one called out to stopped him.

Walking faster now, something grabbed him around the ankle. As he hit the ground, Harry lashed out. A startled grunt let him know his kick hit home and, without turning to see who his foot had come in contact with, Harry began to pull himself forward.

There was a rushing in his ears, and if he listened close enough, Harry could hear spell after spell being

chanted. He kicked out again as he felt something by his foot, only to connect solidly with a rock. The rushing in his ears became louder. He thought he heard his name being called but he ignored it.

Using his elbows to pull himself across the damp grass, Harry's eyes frantically searched the area. He had to find him.

.

.

.

Harry was barely coherent as he was pulled away, clumps of grass stuck in his hands. Somebody had caught up with him. Truth be told, he couldn't drag his own weight that fast anyways. He had tried standing up and running again, but his ankle throbbed when he stepped on it. He had debated hobbling, but knew it would make him look like an easy target. Staying on the ground almost guaranteed that he wouldn't be spotted but that obviously hadn't worked.

Put me down! Please, put me down! Let me go! His thoughts echoed fiercely in his head as he grappled frantically at the ground. Soil and grass crumbled in his palms as someone hoisted him into the air. The arms holding him seemed weak and Harry struggled in them, hoping to get free. He needed to get free.

Somebody was mumbling in his ear, but Harry's brain couldn't comprehend the words.

"Stay still!"

Keep moving.

"You're injured, you need to get inside."

You're fine, you need to find him.

Harry's taunt muscles strained against those wrapped around his torso. Although his body didn't realize it, he was tiring quickly, but the grip on him was also becoming gradually looser. One more twist...and there!

He fell heavily to the ground, his torso landing on a rock. He heard a crack, but his already disoriented mind didn't register any pain and he was scrambling to his knees as his captor cursed in frustration.

"Damn you! Neither of us have any strength left. I'm trying to help you!"

Harry found his voice again as his captor reached for him again, wrapping his arms firmly under Harry's knees and under his shoulders. With a sharp intake of breath, Harry pushed against the black robes yelling, "I don't want any help! Put me down! I need to go!"

"The only place you need to go is the Hospital Wing! Now stop fighting me!"

Don't stop. You need to get away...

.

.

.

The walk up to the Hospital Wing seemed to last forever, with Harry struggling every step of the way. By the time they burst through the double doors, the exertion seemed to have taken it's toll. The boy's breathing was fast, his skin slick with sweat and yet he kept up his begging to be let go.

The doors slammed shut behind them, shutting them in with the chaos of the room. All the beds except one or two were taken; Medi-Witches and Healers from St. Mungo's ran from bedside to bedside trying to regain some order in the mess.

"Poppy!"

"Severus!"

It was Minerva who answered, lying on one of the beds. The sheets around her were stained a light red which he could see was coming from a deep gash in her leg.

The hustle in the room seemed to turn down a notch when they realized who had entered the room.

"Minvera, where's Poppy?"

"She was called away just a few moments ago."

"Damn it." Severus swore under his breath. The boy slipped a little in his grasp. Ignoring the stares, Severus shuffled to the back of the ward, towards the staff quarters.

Severus hoisted the boy up in his arms; as light as he was, the battle had weakened him immensely and he didn't think he could keep from dropping the child again.

"No, let me go! I need to go..."

They reached the private room and Severus lay his struggling burden down on the bed.

"Damn it. Potter, calm down!"

By now the boy was sobbing as he fought against Severus' arms holding him down on the bed. "Please! I need to find him!"

"Potter!-Harry, I need you to relax, alright? I'm going to help you." His voice came out rough. Harry struggled against his hold, fighting harder as his breathing became more and more labored.

Severus took hold of both Harry's wrists with one hand, and reached into his robe to pull out his wand. "If you don't calm down, I'm going to bind you to the bed."

When he failed to listen, Severus muttered a spell under his breath and ropes came flying out of his wand, tying themselves around Harry's wrists and binding them to the bed. When he realized he couldn't move, Harry's eyes widened in panic and he began muttering under his breath.

I need to go...please let me go...i need to find him.

"What are you talking about, Potter?"

His eyes looked wild. Damp hair hung to his sweaty face. "I need to find him...I need to..."

"Who, Harry?"

"Voldemort."

Severus' obsidian gaze darkened as he looked down at the boy on the bed. "Potter, there is no need for you to go looking for the Dark Lord."

"I need to...I have to kill him."

"Potter, the Dark Lord's already dead. You have no need to go looking for him."

"No, I need—ne..." His voice trailed off as his eyes fell closed. Seveus shook him sharply as he called his name. "Harry...Harry, open your eyes, alright?"

His eyes scanned over the boy quickly, taking in the shallow breathing and the slight tremble of his body. Normally he would excuse these as a reaction to the exertion of the night, but his instinct was telling him not to.

"Come on, boy. Wake up."

Harry mumbled slightly under his breath as his eyes opened slightly. Lighting his wand, Severus pulled open his eyelids, shining the light into his eyes. Harry grumbled a little at the harshness of it and tried turning his head away, but couldn't find the strength.

"Harry," Severus muttered a quick 'nox', putting out the light as he reached for Harry's wrist. "Can you tell me where you are? Do you know who I am?" he pressed gently on his vein, feeling for a pulse as he looked at his watch. Harry didn't answer just murmured a bit more. Severus placed his hand on his forehead, quickly moving to feel his cheeks and then the back of his neck.

"I need you to tell me where you're hurt, Potter. Come on..."

Severus hurried over to a cabinet in the corner. He found what he was looking for relatively quickly and hurried back over to the bed. It was a black cuff that looked just like a Muggle blood pressure cuff without any of the attachments. He wrapped it around Potter's arm and tapped it with his wand.

Reading quickly through the results, Severus ran through a list of symptoms. "Restlessness, confusion, pale and clammy skin, profuse sweating, rapid but weak pulse, shallow breathing and systolic under 90."

Potter was in shock. He gave his shoulder another shake. "Harry."

There was no response; his body was still.

"Damn it." The blood loss from the battle had caused his heart to be unable to pump enough blood through his body. Severus pulled the pillow out from under his head and placed it under his legs, hoping it would help increase the circulation.

He looked at Potter again. His breathing had become more labored and when Severus looked at his hands, his fingernails were tinged blue.

Severus quickly threw out a diagnostic charm. Cuts, bruises, dislocated shoulder, twisted ankle, cracked rib...and there it was, a collapsed lung. He flashed back to the few minutes after he had found Potter and tried to get him inside. The boy had fought so hard against him that he had dropped to the ground. Severus was sure he had broken something, but Potter had gotten up right away, with no hesitation.

The cracked rib must have punctured the lung when Severus had picked the boy up again. The space between the wall of the chest cavity and the lung itself had filled with air causing the lung to partially collapse.

Severus stood for a minute running his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. He needed to remove the air pressure to prevent the entire lung from collapsing or worse, both. There was a sharp hitch in Potter's breathing and then it was quiet.

"Potter? Harry?" Severus felt his own heart racing as he reached for a pulse. There was none. "Shit."

Severus ran back over to the cabinet, looking for a small tube. Finding one, he hurried back over to the bed and began casting sterilization charms.

Severus was racing against the clock. He cut away the boys shirt, exposing the right side of his chest. He removed the binding on Potter's arm, raising it above his head and re-binding it for good measure.

Taking a deep breath, Severus held his wand about an inch away from the boy's skin and slowly began making an incision near his armpit.

The boy's lips had turned blue and he was still not breathing. "I swear Potter, you die on me and I will make your life hell. You might have done your job, but it's not your time yet. You hear me? It's not your time!" Severus jammed the small tube into the cut he had made. All at once there was a 'whooshing' noise as the air was released.

Potter's chest shuddered as his lung re-inflated and he greedily sucked in air.

Severus sank onto the adjacent bed, sweating with exertion as Harry's eyes snapped open. He looked around deliriously until his gaze lit upon Severus.

His oxygen-deprived voice was raspy and weak when he spoke. "Pr'fessor?"

"Don't talk, Potter. Save your breath."

Harry took as deep a breath as he could, wincing slightly at the pain. His eyes were glazed over a bit as he blinked at Severus.

"Wha...h'pp'ed?" he panted at the energy it took to ask his question.

"I told you not to talk, foolish child. You have survived the battle tonight, and I have no doubt that you will continue to live up to that foolish title of "boy-who-lived" for many years to come if I have anything to say about it."

Severus got up from his spot on the bed and moved back towards Harry. He removed the binding charms on both hands and gently lowered Harry's arm down, being careful not to jostled the tube still there.

"Thank...you..." Potter's voice was harsh on Severus' ears.

"Potter, I wasn't joking when I said 'don't speak'. You need to save your breath. It will take a while until your lung heals. Now rest. God knows we both need to."

An inkling of a smile played over Harry's face as Severus settled back down on the adjacent bed. A few minutes passed in silence. Potter's breathing stayed quick and shallow, eventually calming a bit. Severus looked over to see the boy's chest rising and falling in the easy pattern of sleep.

He took a deep breath and lay back on the pillows.

"You're welcome, Potter."