Danielle continued to gasp, her body floundering and fighting for breath. Her eyes were wide and pained and frightened but the blood continued its heavy flow, soaking into her clothes so rapidly that within seconds she was saturated. Her breathing was labored, haunting as her lungs filled with blood and began to collapse, as her heart itself began to fail. Seconds seemed to stretch into years. Hermione refused to let go of her, even when Danielle had gone limp in her arms and her head had fallen back, her eyes lifeless.