Chapter 4
The next Remus saw of Barty was, unfortunately, on the very same night that he was discharged from the infirmary. Remus had been nervous about heading back to the dorms, unsure of how to act around his friends, and had therefore opted to head for the astronomy tower to calm his nerves. Not once did it cross his mind that as much as the astronomy tower was his safe space, it could serve the same purpose to another; especially to the one who he had been bumping into consistently ever since.
In hindsight, Remus should have headed straight back to his dormitory. He should have followed the school rules and marched himself right back to his room since curfew was fast approaching. He should have sucked it up, as the people liked to say, and dealt with Sirius Black sooner rather than later. Remus should have done a lot of things that night, and yet, he didn’t. Could he even blame the universe anymore when he was graced with none other than Bartemius Crouch Junior when he pushed open the door to the astronomy room that night? Yes, he certainly could, and he definitely did.
Barty stood where he did the previous time, in the corner of the room, looking out of the window. He was solemn looking - a rare side from the otherwise chaotic boy - and Remus was filled with the inexplicable urge to punch him. He wasn’t a violent boy - Remus - but Barty had a way of getting on his nerves.
He wanted to stalk right over and punch the boy. To land his fists against the slackened jaw, to feel the ache as knuckles met bone. He wanted vengeance from the time Barty had punched him weeks ago, he wanted vengeance for the nonsense he spewed just days ago. He wanted to hurt Barty, to make him bleed, to make him ache, but alas, Remus was still Remus, and so he turned to leave.
“Haven’t seen you in a while, Wolf. Did the full moon get you?” Remus slowed to a stop — Just a punch, he reasoned, a punch never hurt anyone.
With a new resolution and determination coursing through him, Remus spun around on his feet to regard his nemesis. What Remus didn’t expect was for Barty’s eyes to widen in surprise as it flitted across him. “Damn, what the fuck happened to you?” He asked, stoic mask dropping, and only then did Remus remember that he was still patched up in bandages.
“Oh, fuck off,” Remus replied, the resolution to punch the other dwindling by a thread. He was expecting the stupid smile, the disgusting smirk, the deranged laughter; he wasn’t expecting real emotions from the boy when he came to the decision to punch him. It was unfair!
“Fuck Wolfie,” Barty took a step closer to him, mouth gaping as he did so, “that boyfriend of yours is hella blinkered, isn’t he?” He tilted his head over to the side when he came face to face with Remus, standing on his toes to catch a quick glance of where the bandages extended to.
Remus took a step back with a scoff. “You’re a right wanker, aren’t you?” He asked, shaking his head with a small laugh. “Bloody hell! I honestly don’t give a fuck if maiming me is what you’re interested in, but there’s a fucking line, you bastard.”
Barty stood still in place, questioning eyes fixed on Remus as his voice rose. “Fuck! You—,” Remus pointed at him, hand shaking before he threw it down by his side with another sarcastic chuckle. “You don’t bloody see me telling anybody about your crush on Regulus, do you?
“Do you honestly think it’s because you hide it well? News flash Barky, you look like a sodding dog begging its master for a fucking treat! Fuck! Should I tell Regulus? Is that what you’re trying to do? To fuck with me bad enough so that I’ll confess in your stead, you arse crack?”
Barty was trekking backwards with his hands raised in surrender, an inquisitive brow raised at Remus’ sudden outburst. Only then, had Remus realised that he had been shouting. “All right, calm down there Wolfie,” he said, smirk making its way to his lips. “Didn’t know that boyfriend—”
That fucking arsehole!
Remus closed the gap between them in three long strides, brandishing his wand from his robes as he jammed the tip of it against Barty’s neck, his other hand holding him tight by the collar. He sneered at him, their faces only inches apart now, and Barty laughed. The fucking prick laughed. “Just,” Remus started, at a loss for words, “just cut the crap for fuck’s sake.” He released Barty, not gently, before turning to make his way off, before the other could find a new way to infuriate him.
“Fine!”
Remus slowed at the sound of the other’s voice from behind him, though he didn’t turn around. He waited for the footsteps to catch up with him, and soon, Barty was by his side. “I’ll stop talking about your bo—,” Remus shot him a glare, and he lifted his hands with a laugh, “No more blinker talk. God, he really is a sore spot for you, isn’t he, Wolf?”
Remus sighed in resignation at the use of his nickname, and because he just knew that it’d encourage him more if he said anything, he chose to ignore it. “Keep your doghouse, Barky, I’m leaving,” he waved his hand dismissively towards the open space behind them, opting to give up on his sanctuary for a peaceful walk home.
“No, I’m leaving,” Barty stepped into his path, a playful grin adorning his face as he turned back towards Remus, and Remus threw his hands up in frustration. That only seemed to invigorate him further.
Determined not to be on the losing end of their interactions for once, Remus quickened his pace and shoved past him, ignoring the tenderness on his shoulder as he did so. He was already by the doorway when Barty caught up, and without thinking, he threw up a shield charm behind him, just in time for Barty to crash into. The other fell to the ground in a heap, and Remus quite literally couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped his lips. He hadn’t realised it then, but it was the first genuine laugh in days.
“You wanker!” Barty shouted from behind the shield, albeit muffled by the magic, before scrambling to his feet. He pointed his wand at Remus with a manic grin of his own, and before he could comprehend the spell, Remus, too, fell to the ground as his legs lost its strength.
Barty took the chance to dart past him into the stairwell, manic grin now resounding out in laughter as Remus attempted and failed at hitting him with a jinx, and Remus hurriedly undid the spell on himself. Once free, he dashed after Barty, and when he got a clear view of the other, he casted the sticking charm on his feet to stop him in place. Barty halted abruptly in place, before slumping over and crashing into the stairs, all the while with his feet stuck to the ground.
For that, Remus did actually feel bad, as he rushed forward to his side. “Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Barty’s back was shaking, where he still laid face down on the stairs, and Remus came to a crouch next to his face. The shaking intensified, and when Remus reached a tentative hand out to his shoulder, Barty turned to face him.
He was laughing, quite intensely at that, and Remus could see the tears beginning to pool at the corner of his eyes. There was a bruise beginning to form on his cheekbone, where the skin was blotchy and red where it made contact with the corner of the step, but Barty didn’t seem to notice. He was just laughing, and not in the deranged way that Remus was used to seeing. It was genuine, like he meant it, like he had been having fun.
“Are you seriously laughing after taking a fall?”
That question only caused Barty to laugh harder, who was nodding his head where it still laid against the steps. Remus shook his head, a small smile cracking against his face at the sight of his smooshed cheek, and he waved his wand at Barty’s feet to remove the charm that had caused the fall. Well, he shouldn’t have.
See, there was a thing called gravity, even in the wizarding world. When the sticking charm was removed and the only thing holding Barty in place was gone, gravity won over. He slid down the remainder of the steps before them, the thumps horrifically audible as his body fell further with each step, and even though they both were most definitely wizards, neither of them thought to do anything about it. Remus simply stared in horror-slash-amazement; and Barty just let himself go like a tossed-out doll.
When the final thump sounded out as he finally landed on the ground, there was a long stretch of silence between them, before they both burst out into unrestrained laughter. Remus rushed to his side for the second time within a span of five minutes, and hesitantly he reached an arm out towards Barty. It was his fault, after all, he ought to help, shouldn’t he?
Barty eyed the hand that was stretched before him, and in full Barty demeanour, he smirked. “Oh, Wolf, are you trying to make me your boyfriend now?”
There was no hesitation in which Remus acted next — he left. Well, to be exact, he scoffed, and he left with the sounds of Barty’s laugh resounding through the hallways. It must have been from all the adrenaline from their fight, but it felt stifling hot as Remus made his way back to his dormitories.