Goodnight
"Listen" Harry said, hands splayed out in front of him as he debated for a moment, "Y'know, I bet I could take Dumbledore in a duel-"
"Harry that's ridiculous"
"No no, I definitely could, though!"
Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Barty, on the other hand, mocked a thoughtful expression and nodded along.
"Junior! Don't encourage his bullshit! Christ's sake" Dorcas rolled her eyes from the other side of the table they sat at. Harry merely grinned.
"At least someone believes in me, what would I ever do without you, Barty?"
"Be a lot more responsible, I'd hope. That would be wishful thinking, though." Regulus commented, not looking up from his book as he turned the page.
They were all settled in the Slytherin common room for the night, classes and dinner finished. Barty sat on one end of the couch, Evan on the floor in front of him working on homework. On the other side sat Regulus, leaned against the armrest with a book in hand and his legs draped over Harry's lap, who sat near him.
Severus and Dorcas occupied the couch across them, the latter with some homework sprawled out in front of her.
"You have such little faith in me, Reg"
"Reasonably so, might I add" Dorcas spared him a glance up from her book as she spoke, to which Harry sighed dramatically to in response.
"What if you accio'ed his glasses?" Barty suggested, earning a few confused looks.
"Dumbledores!" He explained, "What if you took his glasses? Then the old git can't see, then what? If his aim is shit, you could so take him!"
At this, Regulus set down his book, with a look that said 'I can't believe I'm actually getting in to this debate'.
"Dumbledore isn't one of the most powerful wizards out there for no reason, I'm sure the man would have no problem taking both of you out with his vision a little blurry."
Harry and Barty exchanged dubious glances, which Regulus chose to ignore in favor of continuing his book.
"On another, significantly more reasonable topic, have you completed the Defence assignment due Wednesday?" Asked Dorcas, though the look on her face suggested she already knew the answer. Severus snorted.
"I'm not sure what's more reasonable, Harry beating Dumbledore or Harry completing an assignment on time"
"Sod off Severus, I'll have you know I nearly did!"
"Nearly?"
"I planned on it... and then I remembered how dumb it was, and I forgot about it"
A silent pause.
"And then...?" Dorcas prompted.
"And then I did half of it one night and forgot it again" he muttered.
Severus sighed heavily, leaning back and looking towards the ceiling in a - Harry thought - quite dramatic form of exasperation.
"I'll have it done! Swear, I will." He leaned forward a little, forearms propped on Regulus' legs. "You can't really blame me for not doing it sooner, honestly"
Dorcas made an offhand comment about his school work avoidance, and the two quickly delved into a debate about Harry's homework.
Despite it, it was a peaceful evening for the group. Spent together in front of the warm fire, mostly gentle conversation flowing easily between them until late into the night, after most of them filed out to the dorms, calling it in for the night.
Harry yawned, putting the fire out with a flick of his hand, and glanced at Regulus. He had only moved once to turn onto his side, but was now quickly falling asleep, despite his futile attempts not to.
A soft smile spread itself over Harry's face as the book fell from Regulus' hands, and he quickly caught it before it hit the ground, setting it on the table.
Harry got up, carefully moving the sleeping boys legs off his lap as he did so, and summoned a blanket for him. He lingered for a moment, just long enough to admire how peaceful he looked, fast asleep in the dim moonlight, and gently move a loose strand of hair from his face.
"Goodnight, Reg" He whispered, finally making his way from the common room to the boys' dorms. There, half asleep, he made his way across the room to his bed, only half bothering with the blankets as he buried his face in the pillow and fell asleep.
In the morning, he'd likely be profusely questioned about what he was doing in Regulus' bed that night, and when he came to his senses, he'd likely scurry to his own bed and blame it on sleepwalking.
But for now, he had no such worries. They had no worries, not real ones. Not yet.
--
Harry swallowed down the lump in his throat, blinked back the sting of tears in his eyes, and shoved his shaking hands in his pockets. He ignored the way the cold was seeping through his clothes and down to his bones, and the fact the sun was near fully set.
Instead, he stared silently at the gravestones in front of him. Names he dreaded seeing in stone carved into them. Names of some of the people he'd been closest to.
Barty Crouch Jr and Evan Rosier. A couple rows down, he knew he'd find one bearing the name Dorcas Meadows, having stood in front of it several times.
He'd been here for far too long to have done nothing. Usually, he'd talk. Talk about school these days, about quidditch, about the latest happenings with the Ministry, about some ridiculous article he'd read in the Daily Prophet.
But today, that felt ridiculous.
So, he sat.
He sat, and he thought. He thought about his best memories with them. He thought about what they'd say if they saw him sulking about at the stones.
He wasn't positive as to why he spent so much time here. It wasn't doing him any good to stare at them. Maybe, it was a futile attempt to bring them back through his memory.
That was ridiculous, though. They were dead, all of them. They were gone forever, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.
Despite this, he sat a little longer. He sat until his fingers went numb and the moon was up.
It was only when he was back in his own bed, staring at the dark ceiling above, that he let himself properly feel the effect of the day.
And so, exhaustion weighing down on him, and cold still settled into his bones, Harry cried.
Silently, Harry cried into the night. Mourning those he's lost and the memories they'd no longer be able to create.
He cried. Until the exhaustion tugging at his mind weighed enough to pull him into a dreamless sleep.
And only if you listened very closely, would you hear the words he muttered into the night as he closed his eyes and slept.
"Goodnight, Reg."