Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or Cedric Diggory. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this at all. I'd be having my way with those two. :P
Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. They're part of the reason I continue writing.
"Yes, mum, dad, I'm fine. Trust me." Though Cedric understood his parents' concern about him, he felt that the air around him was stifled with their worry. "And what I want the most right now is sleep…" His mom continued gripping his hand tightly, her eyes flitting across his face, as if waiting for him to come down with a sudden case of boils. As if being in the presence of Voldemort must have imparted some fatal magic that would soon finish him off.
His father sat on the other side of him, with a look similar to his wife's. Cedric sighed. "Really, I'm fine, and I'll be fine. But I'd really like to sleep, so if you could just… Just leave me to it. Please." He shut his eyes against their worried stares.
"Alright, my dear." His mom ran her hand lovingly along his cheek. "Sleep well." His father nodded in agreement and they both left, throwing glances and weary smiles over their shoulders.
Harry came in a few minutes after their departure, looking quite exhausted. He spotted Cedric and immediately sat down in the bed beside his. "How are you? Is everything alright? You aren't hurt too badly, are you?"
Cedric let out a small laugh at Harry's rambling. "Harry, I'm fine, really. You're starting to sound like my mother." His face lit up with a playful smile.
Harry exhaled deeply, his shoulders drooping down. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I just can't believe this. Any of it. But I'm so happy that you're alive. I believed you were dead. I felt you fall into me, and I just… I thought you were gone." Harry's eyes glistened with tears, reddened with the tears he'd already shed.
Cedric sat up slowly, so as to not aggravate his head. He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just watched as Harry's tears began travelling down his face. He followed one in particular, watching it's path down, down, down, Harry's bony cheek, to drip lightly from his chin.
"Well, Harry," he said awkwardly, "I'm here. And so are you. We're going to be alright." He gulped at that. In his head, he added, I hope. Harry seemed to understand, because his eyebrows loosened and he began to quickly rub his face dry.
"I know." Harry watched Cedric, wondering if he was going to ask him any questions like so many of the others had. But they both remained silent.
"There you are!" Madame Pomfry's voice rang out in the silence, jarring both boys into breaking their tense gaze. "I wondered when you'd get here. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have been asking after you for a long while now, as well as Miss Chang for you, Mr. Diggory, but I told them they'd not be seeing you until the morning." She was stern with every word, but she softened when she saw his distraught state. "Now, if you would, I need to check you for any and all injuries."
Harry followed her to the back of the long room and stripped off behind the curtain she closed around them.
Cedric watched the shadows displayed upon the curtain. His breath caught when Harry began to undress, though he didn't admit it to himself. He became steadily more nervous with each incantation he heard pass Madame Pomfry's lips.
"Alright Mr. Potter. Now put these on, and I'll meet you at your bed with the potions you need to take."
Harry nodded curtly and pulled the pajamas on roughly, wincing at little aches here and there.
"Now, drink this." Harry sat down on his bed and took a potion from her outstretched hand. "It will relieve the pain. And this… Dreamless sleep." She paused to look at him knowingly, and Harry looked away as he downed the potion quickly.
As if awakening from a trance, Madame Pomfry said, "Well then. See you both in the morning."
She glanced down the room, checking that her other patients, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum were still asleep. "Good night, boys." And she then shut herself into her chambers.
After a bit, Cedric said, "Nevermind me, how badly did you get banged up?"
Harry sighed. "It's nothing. Just a cut and some bruises, that's all."
"If you say so," Cedric replied shortly, not believing him. "I… I hope you have a good night, Harry." He looked over him with sincerity in every inch of his face.
"You too." Harry returned the look as well as he could before turning to climb under the covers and go to sleep.
Soon, both boys were fast asleep, breathing deeply and thinking of nothing at all.
The next morning was a fine, dewy June morning, complete with twittering birds and blossoming flowers. Harry awoke to the sounds of Ron and Hermione arguing silently (or so they thought) over which one of them should go get the Weasleys. Harry slowly blinked, looking up at them in their unfocused shapes, and smiled silently.
"Harry!" Hermione breathed before hugging him so tightly, Harry began to feel as if his shoulders were breaking.
"Herm- Hermione, I'm fine." Harry said breathlessly, patting her on the back.
Hermione pulled away to grip him by the shoulders. "Harry, we were so worried about you. You must tell us everything, if not now then soon, because I can't stand not knowing what it was that happened. Honestly, no one will tell us anything, only that it involves Voldemort. Ron and Ginny and Fred and George, none of us could get them to tell us what was going on and –"
"Hermione, breath. Harry's still waking up," Ron said, smiling.
Hermione just looked over at him and huffed. "Yes, Ronald, I know that. I've just been so worried is all." She turned back to Harry. "We all have."
"Yeah mate. You really need to stop getting in so much trouble all the time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a death wish."
Harry laughed along with his friends, feeling his despair begin to unwind. He turned to see Cedric looking at him silently, but then Cedric shut his eyes up quickly, feigning sleep.
"So what happened Harry?" Hermione's face regained its seriousness.
Ron and Hermione watched in silence as Harry sighed and began to rub his scar. "Voldemort's back."
At their shocked faces, he began to explain. "He did some kind of ritual… He's reborn now. And I – "
He stopped, unable to go on. Hermione took up his hand. "It's alright, Harry. You don't have to say –"
"I'm fine. It's just… It's just that he used my blood is all. For the ritual. I can't help but feel… responsible for him."
Hermione shook her head. "That's nonsense Harry. There's nothing you could have done."
Harry nodded, looking over at Cedric.
"And it's not your fault about Cedric either," Hermione said. "Really, we should be grateful that he's survived. And I bet you saved his life, Harry."
"No, I thought he was dead. I heard Wormtail use the killing curse. I saw Cedric's body… Just – lying there. I didn't save him. I don't know how he's still alive." Harry watched Cedric's chest as it moved up, down, up, down, slowly becoming faster.
Hermione squeezed his hand tightly and he turned to face her once more. "He's fine Harry."
Just then the rest of the Weasleys burst in. "Oh thank goodness you're alright, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, bustling up to him and wrapping him in a tight hug, perhaps even tighter than Hermione's. "You've no idea just how worried we've all been. Oh let me look at you." She pulled away quickly and looked him over. "You're not hurt too badly are you?"
"No, I'm quite fine," Harry grinned, but it looked more like a grimace than anything, Cedric spied it past all the limbs and gave a small snort.
The others seemed to see it too. "You've got to stop this Harry," Fred said.
"Yes, really, you're one more incident short of giving mum a heart attack," George joked.
Harry laughed. The rest of the hour passed in quiet companionship, until Madame Pomfry ordered them all out. "Really, how can you expect Harry to recover at all with all of you hovering over him so."
They huffed and asked to stay longer, but she would not allow it, so with weary smiles, they departed.
"Now, it's time for breakfast." She uncorked a potion for Cedric, and another for Harry. "Drink up. The house elves will be here with food any minute."
Harry looked to see Krum and Delacour still sleeping. He turned to Cedric and gave a tentative smile. "Morning."
Cedric blushed. There was something in Harry's look… It was like he knew everything Cedric had ever done. "And to you as well," he replied politely.
The silence fell like a blanket over them. An awkward blanket. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Cho ran through the door, and took Cedric into her arms tightly. Harry blushed and looked away as she kissed him, everywhere she could, it seemed.
Cedric meanwhile, tried to extricate himself from her bone-crushing grip. "Cho- I'm – fine, really."
"Oh Cedric, I was so worried about you! When I heard him say that you were dead, I –"
Cedric put his hand to her lips softly. "I know. But you don't have to worry anymore. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon… Especially if Madame Pomfry has her way." He smiled at her before he took her into a hug of his own. He glanced over to Harry, seeing his embarrassment. He understood it. Cho had told him how Harry had asked her and how she'd hated to upset Harry by saying no.
"But," she'd said, "I've already promised you that I would go. Besides, how would it look if the most gorgeous guy in school showed up without a date?"
Cho was the first person he'd told his secret to. And one of the only people he felt he could trust. It was hard enough to accept that he was gay, nevermind having a school full of people who could find out at any moment if he chose the wrong person to tell.
He gave Harry a smile and unwrapped his arms from Cho. "They're bringing breakfast soon, and Madame Pomfry will be tempted to hex you if she catches you in here. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
Cho nodded sadly. "Okay. But you'd better tell me everything once you're let out."
"No promises," Cedric sighed. Cho shook her head, but understood. She left quietly so as not to alert Madame Pomfry.
"Harry?" Cedric called softly.
Harry turned swiftly. "Hm?"
Cedric shook his head and grinned. "Never mind." He hoped Harry didn't notice the blush spreading across his face.