Regulus' Revelation
While they unpacked, a few realizations came very quickly. One, they didn't have very much stuff between them. They would definitely need to go shopping at some point, just to get the essentials. Two, Barty was the only one among them who knew anything about cooking or cleaning. Evan and Regulus had both grown up with house elves to do all the chores, but Barty’s dad had insisted on making him do everything, to teach discipline or something like that. Barty silently resigned himself to be the babysitter until his friends could get their shit together.
Evan and Barty also decided to share a room. There were a few reasons for this, the first being that it felt weird to be in such a big house with so few belongings. It simply felt more homely if they shared a space. Evan described it as being “less like the empty house he grew up in,” and Barty could empathize with that. There was also the fact that Evan and Barty were dating now, and neither of them were very keen on the idea of taking things slowly. They had barely left each other's sides since confessing. It was like they were attached at the hip now.
The three of them worked on unpacking, and doing a deep clean of the entire house, which was a bit dusty from disuse. Mostly, that involved Barty teaching Evan and Regulus about various cleaning charms. He also tried his best to teach them a thing or two about cooking, although so far Regulus had burnt everything he tried to make. Barty was considering banning him from the kitchen.
It was a few days later, after they had all settled in, that Regulus approached them during breakfast. He came out of his room already dressed and ready, and walked up to the table with a serious expression that caused both boys to raise an eyebrow. Evan tilted his head and addressed him with a mildly amused look on his face. “You look like you have something to say, Reg.” Regulus nodded curtly, and even despite the brave face, Barty could tell he was anxious.
“Yes, I do. Do you both remember when I told you about the Dark Lord’s horcrux?” Barty… had kind of forgotten about that, actually. He was too busy running away from home, getting a boyfriend, and teaching his roommates how to do normal things. He glanced at Evan, and they locked eyes briefly. They both nodded, so Regulus continued. “Well… I’m going to destroy it.” Barty let out a noise of protest just as Evan opened his mouth to say something, but Regulus ignored them both. “I know where it is, and you can’t change my mind. I’m going to do this.”
There was a beat of silence before Barty crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Not by yourself, you're not.” Evan nodded in agreement, crossing his arms and mirroring Barty’s expression. A look of confusion crossed Regulus’ face, as if he hadn’t expected this reaction. “...Pardon?” Evan scoffed and replied in a tone that, had he been speaking to anyone else, would have been condescending. “We’re coming with, obviously. What, did you think we would just agree to let you go alone?” Regulus shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I didn’t expect you to allow me to go at all. You know this will be dangerous, yes?” It was Barty’s turn to scoff, this time. “Please, if you think a bit of danger is enough to deter me, you clearly don’t know me that well. You are my best friend, Regulus.”
Barty wasn’t sure exactly what he was getting himself into, but he did know he wouldn’t let Regulus do something like that alone, and he was certain Evan felt the same. Since they had met, they had done everything together. Barty wasn’t about to let his best friend go out on a suicide mission on his own, he was to loyal for that. The three of them would stick together, no matter where it took them.