Chapter 1
James doesn’t hate Barty Crouch Jr if anything he’s indifferent towards him. They reside in the same circle of friends, courtesy of the Black brothers finally working past the shit show that was their childhood. Still you’d never catch Barty and James alone in the same room, well at least not on purpose. Sure there have been times when they’ve been left in a room together because their other friends have left temporarily to get drinks or who knows what. But alas they stick to themselves and nothing more.
That is until Regulus. You see James thinks himself quite frankly enamoured with him from his silky black curls to the way he holds himself. James could drone on and on about the most minute details of Regulus’ very being.
Is this possibly a similar scenario to his previous yearning for Lily Evans where he eventually realised he no longer had feelings and had been hopelessly embarrassing himself for the past few months. No (maybe).
Still he couldn’t help but be slightly stunted by the lack of acknowledgment on Regulus’ account. Surely he wasn’t that unobvious that Regulus didn’t even have a slight inkling to his quite bold feelings towards him? Or was he merely playing hard to get? It would certainly match his dark and mysterious suaveness that he seemed to radiate effortlessly.
But nonetheless even if this was all a giant ploy to seem unaffected and nonchalant about any interest shown to him. James really found he’d rather he stopped whatever act he was trying to perform and just at the very least turn him down so his suffering could be put to an end. And his life return to peace.
Unfortunately it seemed the Gods had some personal vendetta against him and therefore he now not only has to suffer because of Regulus Black (which he really didn’t mind honestly) but added to the midst was none other than his crush’s very own supposed best friend Bartemius Crouch Jr.
Who had for some reason decided he was unsatisfied being Regulus’ best friend but now would be trying to pursue him in a romantic sense.
He had made this point of view very clear to James and the rest of the merged friend group, well all except the subject of the matter Regulus Arcturus Black who like always was ignorantly blind to all flirting attempts thrown at him.
So from this day forth James knew what he and Barty had was no longer a subtle indifference or passive aggressive acquaintances. What they had was war and the victor would be the one to finally woo Regulus.
And it is with this new found information that James adds another point to his list of things that are definite and will never change which previously consisted of only two points: Sirius is his soulmate, Regulus is his one true love. This new unchangeable you may ask?
James hates Barty.