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Harry nearly cried when he tilted the goblet with the rest of the Dreamless Sleep towards his mouth, and saw Hermione subtly vanish the contents. To hide the fact he hadn't actually taken anything, he closed his eyes and slowly evened out his breathing. He felt Hermione and Ron squeeze his arms comfortingly.
"Well, we should leave him to his rest. Madame Pomphrey will keep an eye on him, but he should be fine until morning" Mrs. Weasley whispered a few minutes later. Harry almost tensed when he felt a hand on his face, but he recognized the smell of Hermione's lotion as she gently removed his glasses. He felt Ron trace a R on his palm and breath out "water".
"Can't we stay a little longer?" Hermione asked quietly, covering for Ron's communication.
"No, dear. He's perfectly safe here and needs his rest." Harry heard all of the children obey, several pairs of footsteps following the subtle thumping of a purse. He opened his eyes back up, staring unseeing at the ceiling. Cedric was really gone, and the Galleons they would have split sat on his left. Tears began building and falling rapidly across his cheeks as he silently mourned the man who had so much to give the world.
"Harry?" a soft voice called as the Hospital Wing doors creaked open and a muffling spell crept over the matron's door.
"I'm awake" Harry responded roughly, wiping away some of the tears before putting on his glasses. He saw his best friends appear as they took off his invisibility cloak.
"Hey. Hope you don't mind that we borrowed the cloak so we could return" Ron gave a small half smile. "We also brought a Dreamless Sleep from when we did it with the NEWT students, it's yours and sealed. Figured you'd appreciate it."
"Merlin, yes, please. Thinking hurts so much" Harry reached out a hand to take the offered vial, cradling it to his chest as he checked the seal and date.
"We'll stay to guard you for as long to as you need us to. Crouch may be as good as dead, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods" Hermione sat on the edge of the bed.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you're willing to do that" Harry whispered.
"Of course Har. No rush to take that, we made sure it's one of the smaller vials so that it's closer to when Madame Pomphrey expects you to wake up based on how much she gave you. The difference probably won't register to her, most people don't exactly jolt upright the moment the potion wears off." Hermione squeezed his leg.
"I doubt I will this time. The grief is heavy" Harry stared at his knees, debating how much he wanted to delay his breakdown. He carefully placed down his potion, taking a shuttering breath before curling into himself. He let himself fall apart, Ron reaching over to pull him into a gentle hug. After what felt like seconds and an eternity, Harry felt himself start to sag with exhaustion. As he gently pulled himself upright again, he felt a gentle facial cleaning spell run across his skin. Hermione gave him a small smile when he looked over at her.
"Well, I'll see you both in the morning" Harry toasted them with the vial he popped open after handing Ron his glasses. He chugged all of the potion down, gagging slightly after swallowing. He let himself fall against the pillows again, eyes closing as the effects took him.