Fall
The prank worked perfectly. The next morning, it was very clear that the four Gryffindors had hardly slept. Angry and sleep deprived, James Potter had charged towards the Slytherin table.
“I know it was you, Snivillus.” He glowered down at Snape.
Snape looked up at him. If he was shocked by this sudden outburst his face didn’t show it. “What did I do now, Potter?” His voice was slow and venomous.
Potter continued to harp on Snape, but Evan’s attention had been focused on Sirius. He was a few paces back from his friend, looking at where the true criminals sat. Regulus stared him down, as if he was egging him on. A look of understanding flashed over Sirius’ face. Evan was almost sure he was going to rat them out, but instead he gave a small nod of respect before joining his friend.
The rest of the day passed quickly, and Evan walked a bit taller knowing what they had accomplished. That night they all sat around in the library, debriefing Pandora on the events of the prank. By that point, the whole school had heard about the pixies. The scene potter had made at breakfast caught attention and everyone was buzzing about who might have done it. Despite the accusations, no one really thought that Snape could have pulled it off and no one else was brave enough to claim it for fear of detention. Eventually, Marlene joined them and they were able to hear exactly what had happened. Apparently, there had been an undetectable extension charm on the cage, and over a hundred pixies had swarmed about the room. The boys had attempted to stun them but ended up hitting each other due to the sheer amount of chaos. They were never able to contain them all and Filch was called to take care of it while the boys were in class. Evan’s stomach hurt from laughter as Marlene recalled Sirius running around the common room with a pixie holding tight in his hair. It wasn’t until Madam Pince, the sour, old librarian, shooed them out, that they headed back to their respective houses.
Weeks passed and the weather grew cold. On a particular windy day in late October, Barty, Evan, and Regulus were cornered by Mulciber and his friends on the way to class. They hadn’t been avoiding him so much as just not wanting to talk. He had attempted to ‘take them under his wing,’ but they wanted no part in it. Evan thought Mulciber was insane, to put it lightly. He was obsessive and constantly took things too far.
“Bugger off, Mulciber.” Regulus tried to just walk past, but Avery stepped in the way.
“We don’t want a fight.” Mulciber threw up his hands with a smirk. “We just wanted to walk you to class and catch up a bit. It’s been weeks since we’ve had the chance to chat.”
Mulciber’s ‘chats’ were all just rants about his fascination with power and the dark arts. Him and his gang had taken a liking to experimenting and creating their own new hexes. Evan had seen too many of them tested upon unfortunate students, mostly muggleborns.
Knowing there was no way out of it, the boys conceded to let Mulciber walk alongside them. Predictably, he mostly talked about the ‘new age’ that was coming where wizards wouldn’t live in secrecy but rule over muggles. Evan didn’t think much more of it than a conspiracy. No minister held that much power. It wasn’t until they reached the door to their defense against the dark arts classroom that Evan heard something that caught his attention.
“I mean, why should we hide when it would be so easy to win.” Mulciber sighed. “I guess this is your stop, glad we got the chance to talk.” He grinned at them. His teeth were an unnatural shade of white.
They left and the three boys headed into their classroom. Evan knew better than to dwell on what Mulciber said, but wasn’t he right? The muggles would be no match for anyone who could wield a wand. Evan thought it was almost cowardly to hide.
“Alright?” Regulus nudged him.
Evan realized he had been staring at the ceiling for a solid minute.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s nothing.” He shook himself to the present.
Before he had a chance to think again, their professor strolled into class. Professor Bones was a tall man with sandy hair and a kind smile. Evan appreciated that he did not sugarcoat the subject which he taught. Their first class, he had gone into excruciating detail of why it was such an important subject. Since then, they had learned to disarm and stun, the basics of defense.
“Today you will learn what many of you will say we should have started with.” Bones made his way to the front of the classroom. “But the protego charm is one of the hardest spells we will teach you during your first year. When mastered, it will block almost any spell sent your way, but like any protection spell, its strength depends on your motivation. If your goal in a duel is to attack rather than defend, you will find that your shield will be weak, if it forms at all. It will not work if you are the one charging to attack.”
They spent the better part of the class practicing with training dummies that were enchanted to cast simple stinging jinxes periodically. The goal was to create a shield that would block the incoming attacks.
Evan had yet to cast more than a thin shield that shattered immediately upon impact. He wanted nothing more than to hex it right back.
“Having trouble?” Barty asked, walking over to him.
Evan grunted and tried again. A thin blue light encased him before flickering out as a stinging jinx flew at him. “I don’t see why this is important. I could beat anyone here without a stupid shield. Why should I learn to block when I know I could win.”
“Careful,” Barty laughed. “You’re starting to sound like Mulciber.”
Evan eyed him dangerously.
“I’m not saying you couldn’t take on anyone here, but what if you weren’t protecting yourself?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” Barty moved between him and the dummy and tossed his wand across the floor. “If I stand here until my skin is so swollen from jinxes that they have to roll me to the hospital wing, would you protect me?”
“Are you mental? Of course I would, now get out of the way before-”
The first jinx hit Barty square in the back and he flinched. “Then be a man of your word, Rosier. Protect me.”
Evan looked at his friend, astounded that someone would do something so stupid. “I-i can’t, the spell won’t work for me.”
A second jinx hit and Barty winced but held Evan’s eyes. “Don’t think about it. Just protect me.”
Evan lifted his wand and took a breath. He tried to focus on the spell but the sound of his friend being hit with stinging jinxes filled his mind. There was nothing he wanted more than for it to stop.
Before he knew what was happening, a shimmering wall formed between Barty and the training dummy. It not only absorbed the hits, but sent them, rebounding back at the dummy.
“Brilliant, Mr. Rosier!” Professor Bones called over to them. “That is quite the shield, although I do have to say, Mr. Crouch’s methods may be a little drastic.”
Evan laughed before turning back to Barty. He was looking at him with all the awe in the world.
“See, I told you it wasn’t too hard.” Barty grinned at him.
“I guess Bones was right, I just needed something worth protecting.”
Barty’s smile dropped. “I hope that one day you’ll realize that you are.”
“What?”
“You are something worth protecting.”
Halloween came and went. Evan gathered up every sugar quill he could find for Pandora. They had been her favorite growing up, until one got stuck to her robes and their mother forbade her from them. With their dreaded break approaching, Evan decided to stockpile the lot to make the holiday a little more bearable.
All too soon the ground froze and snow flurried at their feet. One breakfast, Evan, Barty, and Regulus all received a small, decorated invitation.
“What in Merlin’s name is a ‘Slug Club?’” Barty stared at the card.
Evan turned his own invitation over in his hands. “Did Professor Slughorn really send us invites to his own fan club?”
“Looks like it. But I can’t imagine there’s any harm in going.” Regulus shrugged.
“If it gets me on the old man’s good side, I’m in. Merlin knows I could use extra credit.” Evan sighed.
“Don’t even start, Rosier. There’s not a single class you are failing.” Barty said through a mouthful of food.
He was right, Evan’s grades were ones to be envied. But he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment every time he came in third to his friends. He was by no means failing, but he was also far from top of the class. Average wasn’t good enough. Evan knew that. Aut vincere aut mori didn’t leave much room for mediocrity.
“Y-yeah, I guess.” He tried to laugh it off. “So? Are we going?”
The night of the party came and Barty was pounding on the bathroom door. “C’mon Evan! You’ve been fixing your hair for almost an hour, let’s go!”
“Alright, alright. I’m coming, calm down.” Evan gave one last look in the mirror before opening the door.
“You’d think we were meeting the bloody minister instead of our potions teacher with how dressed up you are.”
Evan didn’t believe he was overdressed. The invite stated that it was a formal event and that dress robes were highly recommended. But Barty stood in front of him in his regular robes. At least he had taken the effort to run a comb through his hair.
“What are you wearing? The invitation clearly said formal attire.” Evan asked, gaping at his friend.
Barty shrugged. “He’ll get over it. C’mon, Reggie’s waiting for us downstairs.”
Evan followed him to the common. Regulus was talking with Dorcas near the door. She hadn’t received an invitation, but she had hung around them ever since the prank. Although Evan had not been too fond of her originally, he had developed a liking for quick wit and sly remarks.
She saw them before Regulus and her mouth dropped. “Barty Crouch, get back upstairs and put on something presentable.”
“Thanks for the advice, mum, but we’re already late as it is.” Barty rolled his eyes.
“You cannot seriously believe that counts as formal, Bat?” Regulus shook his head.
“Either we leave now, or we don’t go.” Barty headed towards the door.
Evan and Regulus shared a look before saying goodbye to Dorcas following out the door.
They didn’t have far to go. As head of Slytherin house, Slughorn’s office was in the dungeon. Well before they got to the room itself, they saw lanterns that decorated the way to the party. Inside, all the cauldrons and ingredients had been cleared, leaving a large amount of space. There were standing tables along the walls and a large open space in the middle of the floor. Against the back wall stood a towering Christmas tree, he pointed top brushing along the ceiling. There was a record player in one corner, but the music seemed to come from all around.
Slughorn himself was nearby, chatting with older students who had arrived slightly before them, but he walked over when he saw them come in.
“Welcome! Welcome! Don’t just stand there, come in! There are plenty of appetizers floating around. Have some fun, socialize, and dinner will start at six!” He ushered them around the room.
Evan recognised a handful of the other students. Lily Evans was there chatting with an older Gryffindor whom he recognised as the captain of their quidditch team. There was one of the Slytherin first years, Moria Zabini who had started hanging around Mulciber. Finally, his eyes found who he was looking for. Pandora was talking with an older Ravenclaw boy near one of the tables. She kept glancing around, looking for a way out of the conversation, until her eyes landed on her brother. She mouthed a plea for help and pointed at the boy in front of her who was so absorbed in his story that he hadn’t realized that his audience lost interest.
He looked back at his friends but noticed Barty had wandered off.
“Sorry Reg.”
“What? Why-” Evan kicked him hard in the leg. “What the bloody hell was that for?” Regulus hissed at him.
“It’ll make sense in a moment, just play along, ok?” Evan dashed off before the boy could respond.
“Pan! There you are! I’ve been looking for you. Reg walked into one of the tables and hurt his leg real bad, might be fractured. Could you take a look?” He gestured back to the boy who was standing on one foot, massaging his shin.
“Oh dear.” Pandora had to hold back a laugh. “Of course. Sorry Gilderoy, it was lovely to chat.”
“A broken leg you say?” The boy flashed a blinding grin that was very unfitting to the conversation. “I happen to be quite brilliant at mending spells.”
“That’s alright,” Evan started to inch away from the conversation. “Reg is… Very, very shy. Uh… skinny legs, not a fan of people looking at them. Thanks though.” He grabbed Pandora and quickly pulled her back to Regulus.
“Now do I get to know what that was for?” Regulus asked, still keeping weight off of his injured leg.
“I had to make my story believable, sorry mate.”
“You couldn’t just tell me to fake it?”
“The bloke might not have bought it.” Evan shrugged.
“You actually kicked him?” Pandora stared at her brother.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Regulus almost laughed. “There is nothing debatable about the footprint on my leg!”
“What I’m hearing is that you would rather Pandora still be a hostage in conversation with Lockhart. That’s quite selfish of you.”
Regulus glared at him.
“So…” Pandora tried to break up the tension. “Did Barty not come with you?”
“He’s here, somewhere.” Regulus said, looking around.
“We really should put a locating spell on him.” Evan laughed.
It was not unusual for Barty to disappear without warning. Many times he wouldn’t explain his absences, but when he did Evan wasn’t sure he believed him. The stories were too wild for a twenty minute disappearance.
“Oh c’mon, it’s not that often.” Barty appeared from behind Evan, carrying several butterbeers. “There you are, Pan, I thought we’d find you.” He passed her a drink.
Pandora looked at him in confusion. “Are you wearing school robes?”
“Yes? Why does everyone keep mentioning that?” Barty took a sip of his drink.
“Barty, did you not read the invitation? Look around at everyone here. You are the only one not in dress robes.” Pandora shook her head.
“So? It’s a bit too late at this point.”
“Not exactly.” She passed her drink to Evan and pulled out her wand. With a few flowing movements Barty’s robes changed. The fabric straightened itself out and turned a deep emerald. The snake from the house emblem grew and moved to encircle his collar. “There. Much better.”
Barty looked at her in amazement. “Just brilliant. I’ll never have to bother changing my robes when you can just make them fit the occasion!”
Pandora made a face of disgust. “Oh please don’t tell me that you actually think that’s smart.”
They went back and forth, bickering over hygiene. Evan’s attention turned to Slughorn who was standing along a nearby wall surveying the scene. Evan made his way over to him, wanting a chance to speak with the professor.
“Mr. Roser! Enjoying the party?” Slughorn said as he noticed Evan was approaching.
“Hello, sir. I am, it’s quite the event. I was very grateful when I received the invitation, although I do have to say, a bit surprised.”
“Surprised? Why?”
“Well, we both know that I'm not really in the top of your class...” Evan started, a little ashamed of the answer.
Slughorn laughed. “My dear boy, this party is not merely a reward for high marks in potions. Although, many here do have them. I invite the students who I believe to have the strongest potential. I’d like to think that I have a knack for discovering and helping to fine tune our most gifted students. I see great things in your future Mr. Rosier, great things.”
Evan couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, sir. I would love to live up to your words.”
“Then, I’ll be expecting to see you at my dinners more often, I hope?” Slughorn winked.
“Of course, sir.”
Evan stood in front of his trunk. All three boys were in their room trying to pack, but no one had started. They each were delayed by the weight of what they would return to.
It wasn’t that Evan was scared to go home. He loved his family and he knew that they loved him. Of course they did. That’s what families do. And Evan knew that because they loved him, they would teach him what was right and what was wrong. What Pandora did was wrong. But Pandora already knew that. His father would see her remorse. He would.
His hand reached up to feel for the scar on his neck. It was soft and smooth. A gentle reminder.
“You do that a lot, you know?”
Evan hadn’t noticed that Barty was watching him.
“Sorry?” Evan asked.
“You tend to stare off and reach for your neck. Does it hurt or something?” Barty replied.
“Not anymore.”
“Are you sure?” He asked, leaning in closer to look at the spot. “The skin doesn’t look right. You might have a rash.”
“I said it’s fine, Bat.” Evan was starting to get annoyed.
“Ok, but something’s definitely wrong.”
Evan was about to snap but Regulus stepped in.
“Lay off it, Barty. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t have to.”
“Merlin, I was just trying to help.” Barty went back to his empty trunk, dejectedly.
Without Barty in his face, Evan started to feel a bit mean for being so defensive. Barty hadn’t known what it was or what caused it.
“I-it’s not a rash. But I can show you if you want. Just so you stop asking.”
Barty hurried back to him. “Are you sure?”
Evan shrugged. “I know you'll only ask again later. Why not get it over with now.” He unbuttoned his shirt and turned so Barty could see how it blazed from his neck and down the curve of his shoulder.
“Oh…” All the amusement had drained from his voice.
Evan quickly put his shirt back on and turned around to fix it. He saw the horror in Barty’s eyes and immediately the embarrassment of what he had just revealed crept through him. He panicked, not knowing what he could say or do that would erase what he had done.
“I have some too.” Regulus’ voice was quiet but it blared through the silence. He walked over to the other boys and rolled up a sleeve. At first glance it wasn’t noticeable, but thin slices were scared purposefully across his outer arm.
Evan caught his eye, Barty too busy studying the scars to notice. But Evan had never felt more seen than from that one glance. With one look Regulus shared all Evan needed to know.
The station was much less crowded than when they had arrived earlier that year. A light dusting of snow covered the top of the train and the heat of the smoke sent ripples through the air. A whistle blew and people around them clamored aboard. Evan held tight to Pandora’s hand.
“Ready?”
She nodded. “We can’t hold it off forever.” Despite her efforts, the fear was thick in her voice.
“It’ll be ok, Pan. We’ve got each other. Nothing can change that.”
“Nothing can change that.” She smiled as she repeated his words.
Together they stepped onto the train. Homeward bound.