Sirius was in much the same state as Harry, yet he pushed past his body's limits and threw himself over Harry, shielding his godson from the lethal curse with his own flesh.
In that instant, everything suddenly seemed to slow down before Harry's eyes.
His eyes widened in horror, and his despairing face turned even more ashen.
Harry watched Sirius fall onto him with agonizing slowness, his body bending in a graceful arc.
Harry saw contentment fill that once-handsome face, now gaunt and haggard, as though Sirius had done something that made him immensely happy.
Harry heard Bellatrix shriek triumphantly in a singsong voice, "I killed Sirius!" as though she, too, had done something to be proud of.
Sirius lay across Harry and gave one last charming smile.
"Harry, I've finally kept my promise to Lily and James. I can go and see them now."
Then this Black, who had spent his life burdened by guilt, sank contentedly into eternal sleep.
Harry wrapped his arms around his godfather's body, desperate to howl.
But his throat felt as though a cold stone had lodged in it. All he could manage were hoarse, rasping sounds as silent tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Neither Shawn nor Dumbledore had expected something like this to happen at the very last moment.
But neither had time to attend to Harry's grief.
Both were wholly focused on pursuing Voldemort, who wanted nothing but to escape.
They did not press him too hard, merely keeping steadily on his tail and forcing him to devote all his attention and energy to the pursuit behind him.
He had no attention to spare for those right beside him.
For Shawn had already set his final killing move in motion!
Just as Voldemort was about to meet the Double