Death Never Stopped Me Before

|Chapter 1|

The forest was silent, and for a moment, it seemed as though time itself had stopped. As the green light faded, the forest came back into view, and details he hadn't noticed before seemed to scream at him. The bark on the trees is dark, and the stark contrast from the dark black bark to the neon green of the moss seemed almost unreal. He could feel tiny droplets of rain splattering against his cheek, and he could hear the sound of each droplet hitting him like it was the bang of a drum. The silence of the moment was so deep, it was like a physical presence, pressing down on his chest.

He couldn't breathe.

And then the moment was over, and time started up once more. The world, still in hyperfocus, seemed to have sound once more like it was coming out of a deep tunnel. He could hear the birds chatter and take flight just as clearly as he could hear his heartbeat thudding against his ears. He felt the cool rain soak his robes and chill him to the bone just as clearly as he could feel the blood rushing to his head.

He couldn't breathe.

All of this took place in a matter of seconds, but it felt much longer. It felt as though an eternity had passed since he watched the light hit him, a direct hit to his chest. A harsh breath tore its way out of his throat, and suddenly he was moving. He was no longer frozen in place, as he had just seconds earlier, and with his newfound mobility, he ran towards the fallen figure a few yards away from him.

He did not care for the cheers that erupted around him, and he did not care about the mournful howls that came from the fallen giant to his left. He ignored everything around him in favor of reaching him. His feet connected with the wet Earth messily, and the sound of his footsteps was lost to the noise he heard all around him.

He fell to his knees, paying no mind to the mud that drenched his clothes, and he let his hand move forwards shakily. He was able to see the man clearly now, close enough now so that all of the man's features were in focus.

His inky black hair lay strewed across the ground, and as the rain fell down, it matted his hair to his face and the mud. His skin was pale, unnaturally so, and as his fingers brushed across his cheek with the utmost tenderness, he could feel the warmth slipping away. He trembled as he pulled the pliable body into his lap, ignoring the jeers from his followers, and gently tilted his head. The man's face was scratched up and rough from the fight, bruises and scrapes covered most of his face, and he could see a trail of drying blood running from his temple to his chin. He lightly brushed away the blood, and he could feel his chest clench when he realized just how cold the man felt in his arms when his movement caused the man's head to fall back limply. The harsh movement caused his bangs to shift and he was greeted with a sight that he knew would forever haunt him.

Where his eyes should have been bright and shining like emeralds in the sun, his eyes were empty and dull. There was no spark of life in those eyes.

"You... You bloody bastard," he whispered, and though his words were venomous, his voice came out weak and empty. "You always have to... have to have the final say, don't you? You... How could you..."

The man did not respond, but that was expected. After all, dead men can't speak.

"Leave me," he said, and he could hear the cheers begin to quiet, however, the sobs from the giant did not, and he grit his teeth. "LEAVE ME!" he screamed, his hands clenching around the man's robes. "LEAVE ME! GO! GET OUT! RETURN TO HOGWARTS!"

He couldn't tear his gaze away from the man that lay limply in his lap, but he could hear his followers shuffle away. He waiting until he heard nothing but the rain and the harshness of his breaths before he let out an enraged scream. His scream echoed across the silence, and he could hear the caws of the birds as they flew away from the noise.