Harry Potter And The Prince Of Darkness

The rhythmic beeps of the vital signs monitor next to his bed woke Daniel up from his slumber. Groggy and tired from his sedative-induced nap, he willed himself to get up. His muscles ached and strained as he slowly rose from his sleeping position to sit up. His legs had fallen asleep and desperately needed a massage to increase blood flow. Gingerly massaging his buzzing legs, Daniel slowly pivoted them off the bed and lowered them to the floor.

The tiles were cold and unforgiving. They seemed to perfectly match the somber atmosphere of the ward. It seemed to be night as the room was dark with a warm nightlight next to his bed. Near the door, the harsh, bright fluorescent lights typically seen in a hospital lit up the hallway.

'Come on Daniel. You can do this. Just push hard on the bed and just lift yourself up. It's not that hard, you did it yesterday, you can do it today. Slow and steady.' Daniel started to encourage himself as his body was prepping to alight from the bed. He needed all the encouragement he could get, seeing as he was rather weak due to his sickly nature. Reflected in the mirror on the dresser next to his bed was a pale, emaciated boy with raven-black hair. He had handsome, boyish good looks that seemed to compliment his rather sickly figure. That had never stopped him from pushing the envelope though. He had gotten in enough trouble to last a lifetime with his escapades.

As fate would have it, he had woken up and started to prep for his little stunt just as the ward nurse's rounds had started. In the middle of his pep talk, she had walked in on him. "Daniel! What are you doing?! Get back in bed immediately mister!" she exclaimed while rushing over to his side.

"Hey, Big Sis Agatha! You look extra beautiful today." Now that he was caught in the act, the most important thing was changing the subject to not get into trouble.

"Oh no, young man. No changing the subject after you're caught. What on Earth do you think you're doing?! You just had a major procedure to get rid of the tumors. You should be resting, not making your condition even worse than it already is." Agatha was having none of it as she chastised him for his foolish behavior.

This made Daniel a little worried, as out of all the nurses that he came to view as his family, Agatha was by far the most protective, and tempestuous. For his previous adventure, he had decided to go on a trip to visit Times Square without telling anybody. He had come back happy and satisfied to witness the ward in chaos as they searched all over the building for him. Agatha had run over and pounced on him as soon as she had seen him. Immediately afterward, she blew a gasket and gave him a lecture that he wouldn't forget for the rest of his life. Hence, when Agatha told him to do something, he did it.

"Don't worry big sis. I feel perfectly fine. In fact, if it weren't for you being here. I could already be up and walking if I wanted to." He needed to calm her down. She had made his life miserable for nearly 2 weeks after the previous incident and he needed to stay on her good side so long as he was here.

"I don't care how you feel you are. I know that a procedure such as yours would put significant strain on your body regardless. What you're feeling is the residual anesthesia in your system dulling your pain. Sooner or later, it's gonna wear off and then you'll realize how much pain you're actually in. So listen to me, and get back in bed. Now!".

"Alright, alright. I'll get back in bed. Sheesh, you don't have to get so angry." With that, Daniel sulked back into bed and laid down.

"Good. Now if you need anything, just hit the call button. I'll be right outside."

"Good night Big Sis Agatha" Daniel mumbled as she started to walk towards the door.

Turning around, she flashed him a soft smile. Her gaze held warmth and loving as she walked over to his bedside. Bending down, she gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and said "Good night, Daniel. Sweet dreams." She promptly turned and walked out the door without looking back.

Daniel was surprised and shocked by the display of affection he had just experienced. He had always seen Agatha as an overprotective, overbearing elder sister. He seemed to have witnessed a side of her that he had never seen before. 'Wow. She was actually really cute. I can't believe she could even do something like that... it felt so nice.' Daniel blushed as his heart skipped a couple of beats, something that could be seen on the monitor. Thus, he fell asleep with a warm and fuzzy feeling all over his body.

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. He led a very repetitive life, but he seemed to find something new to do every single day. For as long as he had known, he was suffering from multiple life-threatening conditions. He was born a very sick baby, and the doctor had given his parents a grave prognosis, one that predicted him not making it to his 5th birthday. Nevertheless, he was a tough boy with a lot of willpower, something he had built up over the years. Despite the grim prediction of all the doctors his parents had consulted with, Daniel had seemingly defied the odds, living well past what anyone had thought possible.

He had lived for eighteen years. Eighteen years of pain, surgeries, drugs and hospital food. Not all of it was that bad though. His parents were quite wealthy and could easily sustain his rather significant hospital expenses. They had flown him out to the best clinics to consult with world-renowned doctors. Disregarding the cards they were dealt with, they tried to make Daniel's life as comfortable and normal as possible.

Sure, he was stuck in a hospital nearly 24/7, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn things or make friends. They bought him the latest consoles to play with others online and a laptop to study and learn new things. Times were changing and this was especially true in the realm of education. Education was no longer limited to campuses. The Internet allowed for the proliferation of vast amounts of knowledge, for any subject imaginable. So every day, Daniel would open up his laptop and go through a course he was interested in. One day it was programming, the next day it was math and he also didn't forget chemistry and physics. He wasn't a genius by any measure, but he loved to learn and that passion allowed him to excel in any subject he took up.

Due to his solid academic foundation, it allowed him to be able to pursue any path he wanted. When confronted with his many choices, one came very easily to him. Doctor. He wanted to study medicine and help people. His own mortality was insignificant to him at this point. He had long since come to terms with the fact that he was living on borrowed time. Any day could be his last and so he tried to live life to the limit, every single day. So far, things had gone his way, but who knows what might happen.

Knowing this, he studied extra hard to obtain his Bachelor's degree through an accelerated online program. He finished the program in 1.5 years and managed to get a seat in one of the top surgery programs in the US at Columbia University in his hometown of New York City. He began his studies in earnest, embracing the difficult schedule and stress that came along with med school. With the encouragement of all the staff at the hospital, he was halfway through the curriculum when his body started failing him.

His illness that had slowly disappeared as he started med school, had come back with a vengeance. Nowadays, he could barely sit while eating and the pain burgeoned as time went on. Within two weeks, he went from hale and hearty to being transferred to the ICU. His life, which he had just started to finally live was taken away from him just like that.

Even when all that happened, Daniel never lost the spark of hope in his eyes. Knowing that he could no longer pursue medicine, he took to conversing with the other patients. Some of them weren't too keen to talk to him at first, but he eventually won them over with his bright and bubbly personality. Just by talking to them, he was able to get a perspective that he had never gotten before. Every one of them had their own story, filled with struggles and triumphs. He was fascinated by all that he heard from them and often tried to ask them questions about their lives and experiences.

He made a lot of friends in the process. A few of them had gotten better and been discharged. Most of them didn't make it out alive. It was curious how Daniel could be so happy and hopeful while being constantly surrounded by suffering and death. He also felt kind of weird about it, but after not minding it for so long, he was not going to start being depressed now.

The days passed and Daniel's health slowly started deteriorating. He could see the looks of pity from the nurses more frequently now. He didn't blame them at all. Agatha was the one hit hardest by his condition. Almost every day, she would enter Daniel's room and tell him to keep his hopes up and that things were going to get better. Every day she said the same things, yet every day, Daniel looked forward to it. He knew his life was fading. He felt weaker with each passing day and nothing that Agatha said could stop him from feeling like his life was a flickering candle in the wind, about to be blown out at any second.

His mother had started visiting more often. Initially, his parents had both visited once every week on Saturdays, but when he started school, they had let him focus on his studies. With his currently precarious condition, his mother had started to come in almost every day for half an hour. He cherished their meetings and often dressed up a little bit to distract her from his pallid appearance. They would talk about everything that was happening in the world and at home. Oftentimes, his mother would bring him books to read. With his failing health, he chose to give up video games and the Internet. Instead, turning to a more classic form of entertainment, novels.

He had never been much of a fiction reader. Most of the time, his interests went into non-fiction books and the writings of great philosophers. They gave him access to information about the history of the world, as well as many perspectives on how to tackle the moral quandaries in his life. His mother had told him to give fiction a try, so he had acquiesced and started reading a very popular teen fiction series known as the Harry Potter series.

Despite his initial hesitance, he delved into the story and found himself entranced by the imagination of the author, J. K. Rowling. Creating a mystical world with such intricate detail was not easy by any means, but she had pulled it off with aplomb. Daniel was hooked and voraciously read the books. His mother was ecstatic about his newfound love of fiction and got him new Harry Potter books every time she came to visit. Apparently, the series had already been finished and Daniel was just late to the party, something he had become accustomed to a long time back.

A week passed and he had finally finished reading the final book, The Deathly Hallows. Finishing it left somewhat of a bittersweet taste in Daniel's mouth. Some of the plot points had been exciting in the beginning but had fizzled out near the end. Many things had been left without explanation, including the Elder Wand and its allegiance and questions like why Dumbledore didn't just give Harry the two Deathly Hallows objects he had. This and many other plot points bewildered him after he finished the book. Dismissing his confusion, he decided to just let it be and experience the movies. So the following week was dedicated to binge-watching the Harry Potter movie series.

As he watched the movies one after the other, he gradually felt himself becoming weaker and weaker. 'It seems that my time's coming to an end. How unfortunate.' He had just started a new series of books, but he was starting to sleep more often. Bouts of tiredness would come and go in waves and on particularly bad days, he would stay asleep in bed for hours on end.

All the nurses picked up on his gradual descent and started to hover around him more. They changed their placement to specifically have one person monitoring his condition at all times. His mother and father had both started to visit him every day now. He could see the hopelessness in their eyes and he tried to comfort them in the best way he knew how: smiling and laughing. He saw the tension and stress on their faces visibly decrease and how they also found moments of joy and happiness in such a gloomy situation.

The day had started out like any other, but Daniel had felt something in the air. He couldn't really explain what exactly it was, but he knew, he was going to die today. At this realization, tears pooled in his eyes and dripped onto his blanket. Agatha had witnessed this and had run to him immediately.

"Daniel! Are you alright?!" she asked worriedly.

Daniel said nothing for a few moments, simply staring into the wall. He mumbled "Can you come here Big Sis Agatha?" beckoning her with his hand.

Agatha came to the side of his bed and bent down towards him. He turned his head towards her and with strength unbefitting of a sickly person, hugged her tightly. His lips locked with hers and he felt an electric current run through his body. Agatha's eyes widened and slowly, she closed them, losing herself in the moment. After a good ten seconds, they finally parted, leaving a glistening trail of saliva between them. He took her face in his hands and gazed at her tenderly while proclaiming "I love you, Agatha. I needed you to know that. Thank you for taking care of me for all these years. No matter what happens, I'll love you forever."

Her eyes started getting watery as she heard his words. She had been waiting to hear them for many years. Who knows when she had started to see him as more than just her cute little brother. However, all she knew right now was that something was wrong. He wouldn't be saying such words if everything was alright.

"Daniel, I love you too, but what's wrong? You're scaring me. Please, tell me." she begged him while looking into his soft, sea-green eyes.

"My time has come, Agatha. I can feel it in the air. Today's the day I leave for good." he said.

Agatha was horrified. The normally upbeat and cheerful Daniel was saying such things with confidence. Immediately, she denied his claims. "No, Daniel. Please, you're perfectly healthy. Nothing's going to happen to you. Just relax, okay? You're going to be fine. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Daniel smirked while listening to her. He understood. Having finally told her how he felt about her, it was like his c.h.e.s.t felt lighter. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine. He didn't want to lose this feeling either, but he knew that no matter what happened, today was his last day on Earth. Despite his mentality and preparations for this situation, he still felt anxious and unfulfilled. A feeling of regret for not being able to become a doctor and help others, for not spending as much time with his family as he should have. His regrets were many, but what could he do about it? All he could do was enjoy what little time he had left with those he loved the most.

"Hey Agatha, would you mind if we went out for lunch today? If you're busy, maybe we could go for coffee?" he asked a little nervously. He had never asked a girl on a date before, but after extensively Googling it, he had gained some semblance of confidence.

Agatha looked at him with surprise, but smiled and agreed to go out for lunch with him. A couple of hours later, Daniel had surprised Agatha by driving them to a fancy new Italian restaurant that had recently had its grand opening. There, they had a wonderful lunch of pasta, expensive vintage wine, and dessert. They had talked and laughed the whole time, just enjoying each other's company.

They returned to the hospital and Agatha had gone to do her rounds. Daniel called his parents and invited them to come over. He made sure to stress that his father should come over too. Although it was a bit last moment, his father canceled multiple meetings to come and be with his family. This was the part of his father he loved the most, the willingness to do anything for his family. Daniel was sure that if given a choice, his father would give up his entire empire and all his money if it meant his family was safe and happy.

They talked in his room about all the things that were happening and Daniel told them about his confession and date with Agatha. His parents had been very happy for him and took him out to dinner to celebrate the occasion. Dinner had lasted a long time as they had gotten lost in chatting with each other. They had returned to the hospital well past his scheduled bedtime. Agatha was about to scold him when she saw his parents walk into the ward with him. When she saw their knowing smiles she had blushed profusely.

Calming herself down, she smiled and escorted them to Daniel's room. Lying down on the bed, Daniel looked at his parents and gave them a bright smile. His smile lit up the room and everyone felt happier for a moment.

Daniel suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and looked towards a corner of the room that was engulfed in darkness. The darkness seemed fluid like, gently pulsating before morphing into a man dressed in a black suit sitting with his legs crossed. He was looking at him with pale golden eyes that looked like fireflies in the dark. Daniel thought it was his imagination, but as he saw the man, he swore he could see him acknowledge his stare.

'So this is it. He's come for me. Wow, never knew Death could look so stylish.'

"You're here for me, aren't you? I knew my time had come since I woke up this morning and I had hoped that I was mistaken. Seeing you here, I guess it was true." Daniel spoke, seemingly to no one while staring at the corner.

"Daniel? Honey, what's going on? Are you okay?" his mother asked worriedly as she saw her son talking to somebody that she couldn't see.

Ignoring his mother's questions, Daniel firmly locked eyes with the man and asked: "Could I at least say goodbye before I leave?". The man gazed back, looking at Daniel with mirth in his eyes, before silently giving a single nod.

He called his parents over to his bedside and they both came near. He hugged them, hard. While hugging them, his vision became watery as tears dripped down his face. "Thank you so much. For having me, caring for me and giving me everything I wanted. Without you, I would never have been so happy."

Agatha was watching from the back and tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes too. She came over as Daniel separated from his parents who were concerned at what they were hearing. She held his hand tightly as if never wanting to let go.

Daniel looked at her lovingly and said "What I said this morning is how I truly feel. No matter what, I'll love you forever, but Agatha, promise me one thing."

"Of course Daniel, anything you ask" she replied while stroking his hair.

"Please find someone that makes you happy and live a great life, enough for the two of us, will you?" he stated while looking at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Stop talking like this. You're going to be fine Daniel. I've had enough of this talk of death" her anger was evident in her tone.

"Please, Agatha. Promise me you'll do this" he pleaded with her, almost as if begging her to make the promise.

"Fine. I promise." she finally gave in and gave him her word.

Ecstatic at her promise, he pulled her in for a kiss. As their lips met for the second time, Daniel felt nothing but contentment in that very moment. He wished he could stay in it forever, but alas, his time was up as he parted with Agatha.

"Take care, Agatha. I love you." he said with a tone of finality in his voice.

The man in black had teleported to his bedside as he had shared his kiss with Agatha. As Daniel settled back into bed, the man took his gloved hand and placed it on Daniel's c.h.e.s.t. A feeling of coldness that pierced through to his bone invaded his body. He could feel his life draining through a hole in his c.h.e.s.t. His breathing started to get shallower and he felt very tired all of a sudden.

Everyone in the room was alarmed at how quickly his condition took a turn for the worse. Panicking, his mother started yelling for help. Agatha went into nurse mode, trying to figure out what was happening so she could save him.

In spite of the fact that he was slowly dying and how uncomfortable it was, he maintained a peaceful smile on his face and even with his troubled breathing, he spoke to comfort Agatha and his parents.

"It's okay. It's okay. It was meant to happen, nothing can save me."

He was gulping down air now, his breathing ragged and unsteady. He was about to go any second now.

"Thank you...for being...here...I...love you...so...much" he struggled to get the words out as he felt a feeling of emptiness come over him.

Daniel breathed his last, with a content smile adorning his face. The man in black who stood over him took his hand off Daniel's c.h.e.s.t and for a brief moment, felt pity for the young man.

He had been surprised when the boy had sensed him. Not many humans were talented enough to see him before the end. Countless had died at his hand without ever seeing his visage, but this child had not only seen him, but had actually dared to ask him to wait. He was quite amused, so he had given him permission to live a little longer. After all, a minute longer wouldn't hurt anyone.

Looking down at the swirling, pulsating silver ball in his hand, he pondered on what to do with the boy's soul as he walked towards the corner from whence he came, melding into the darkness and disappearing.