Don't Trust Your Friends
Regulus’ bed at Hogwarts was comfortable.
The room altogether, in Regulus’ opinion, was comically gothic. It seemed to be trying too hard to match the haunted vibe of the average Slytherin pureblood family home.
The bed was nice, though.
With the black, semi-sheer curtains drawn and an emerald green blanket wrapped around his shoulders, he could imagine nobody could disturb him. There were already no other souls in the room, but Regulus could almost feel some invisible barrier that stood just an inch from the door, out in the hallway, keeping everyone out.
Regulus loved his alone time. At home, or what was left of it, there had rarely been true peace. Sure, he had always been able to count on his room for a few hours at a time, but the Black Family had never been big on locks. Of course, that hadn’t stopped a fifteen-year-old Sirius Black from borrowing a muggle padlock from Lily Evans in an attempt to keep Walburga and Orion Black away from him for the three months that he was forced to spend with his family. Sirius, always a clever boy despite his reputation, had attempted to charm the lock so a simple cast of the unlocking charm wouldn’t open the door, but it turned out that a controlled cast of The Blasting Curse could get the Black brothers’ parents right back on track with torturing their eldest son for disrespecting “Toujours Pur,” the Black Family motto. After all, they had reasoned, now Sirius deserved it. He had led to the destruction of his bedroom door.
So, yes, by the very technical definition of the word, there was a certain level of privacy in the Black household, but Regulus and Sirius’ parents had the power to strip their children of the right to it whenever they saw fit. Unsurprisingly, sometimes when you’re taught that something you like can be ripped away from you at random, you begin to fall in love with it. And anyway, with tensions at home worse than ever, alone time was rare and never long enough to become comfortable. That was just another reason for Regulus to consider his school to be his real home.
Regulus loved his friends. They were wonderful and mostly normal people, and spending time with them was much better than the painful silences he faced when he attempted (or was forced) to spend time among his cousins and brother who attended his school as well. However, he enjoyed those few times when the dorm room he shared with his closest friends was empty. Barty Crouch Jr. was serving a three-hour detention with Filch and Evan Rosier was with his twin sister Pandora in her dorm room. Regulus couldn’t help but feel a small tinge of guilt for it, but there was something special about the only breath in the room coming from his mouth as he finished up the book he’d been reading on and off for the last few weeks. He smiled to himself as he realized he was turning the last few pages and still nobody would be back for at least an hour.
Unfortunately, complete solitude isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. As he got closer and closer to the end of the book, Regulus tried to concentrate on the satisfying end of the classic tale that he’d been working toward for months, but his mind was busy on the inevitable question that always plagued him when he was alone. It was one of the few downsides to solitude. Although he tried with all his might to keep the idea far from him, Regulus began wondering if he was the last soul on earth, if the rest of humanity hadn’t abandoned his current plane of existence in favor of some Heaven or Hell.
Whether the world had escaped the world or not, there was still a place where Regulus belonged, where he was needed, if only by himself. That thought served as a response to his anxiety, calming him as he readjusted the fluffy blanket around his shoulders and helping him redirect his attention back to the last paragraph of The Once and Future King. He read the last sentence aloud to the empty room.
“The canons of his adversary were thundering in the tattered morning when the Majesty of England drew himself up to-”
The door to Regulus’ dorm burst open, followed by an oddly calm voice.
“Regulus! I-”
“-meet the future with a peaceful heart,” Regulus deadpanned the last few words instead of reading them with the bravado he had allowed himself to use when he was alone.
“What’s that?” Barty asked, pulling Regulus’ curtains back.
“A book. Have you heard of them?” Regulus glared at him.
“Why yes. I’m quite fond of them too. I suppose I’m just not used to finding you curled up with a bedtime story,” Barty said, smirking and moving to sit on the edge of Regulus’ bed, disregarding the kicks to his left leg, the only part of Barty’s body that Regulus could reach.
“Did you come back from detention early just to insult me? Getting a little obsessed, aren’t we?” Regulus asked, closing The Once and Future King and putting it on his bedside table.
Barty scoffed, but Regulus could have sworn he saw his friend’s eyes narrow slightly before they rolled in the annoyance Regulus had expected his comment would cause. Regulus didn’t think much of Barty’s switch up though. He knew Barty who Barty was truly obsessed with.
“Detention was canceled. Ran into Remus Lupin on the way toward Filch’s office and he said not to bother. Something about Filch getting stung by a couple of Billywigs. Lupin said he won’t stop hovering for a couple of days.” Barty laughed and Regulus knew they were imagining similar things, such as the caretaker of Hogwarts floating around the chandeliers of the Great Hall.
“So, what? Did you stay and chat with Lupin for half an hour?”
The thought of Barty making small talk with the notoriously quiet and anxious older Gryffindor was enough to keep Regulus’ smile on his face.
Barty laughed again.
“Oh yes. We cracked open his copy of Fantastic Beasts and had a proper study session together. It was very romantic,” Barty said, batting his eyelashes at his friend. Regulus gave him a look that reminded the other boy that he still wanted a real explanation. Barty sighed dramatically and turned his head toward one of Regulus’s bedposts to pick at the wood of the frame.
“I’d have been here sooner but on the way back I checked on our potion.”
Regulus yawned, comically loud, and shifted forward in his bed so he could recline his head into his pillow. Almost everyone in Barty and Regulus’ potions class considered their current project to be a waste of time. The Alihotsy Draught, a harmless potion that caused its drinker to laugh uncontrollably, was usually mastered in fourth year, but Slughorn had decided that, according to the sixth year class’s last potions test, the majority of his students needed a reminder on its effects. Regulus had been glad to have Barty as a potions partner then because he knew that potions was one of the few classes Barty took seriously, but Regulus thought they agreed that this particular draught would not require nearly as much work as Barty was putting in. He seemed oddly excited about what they both considered remedial potions work, and he checked on the Draught every other day.
“I was surprised to see that it had already changed from blue to pink, but I guess that means it’s ready.”
“That’s odd. I thought Slughorn said it would take two and a half weeks,” Regulus’ nose scrunched up, a habit he had unconsciously picked up from his older brother.
“No, he said one week. It’s early, but only by a few days.”
Regulus snorted and lifted himself back to a sitting position, feeling the blanket fall behind him to rest on his pillows.
“He definitely did not say it would only take a week to brew The Alihotsy Draught, Barty. And either way, if it’s done even a few days early that means we did something wrong.”
“Hey, we always were the best in the class. Maybe we’ve cracked the true potion-making code. Barty suggested, pulling a tiny vial of pink liquid from his pocket and lightly tossing it to Regulus, who uncorked it to sniff the potion inside.
“Doesn’t smell the same as it did in fourth year.” Regulus attempted to hand it back to Barty, who pushed his hand back.
“That was two years ago!” He laughed. “You’re probably confusing it with a different potion.”
“I-”
“And isn’t two and a half weeks how long it takes for The Sleeping Draught to brew? We learned about both that potion and this one in the same month when we were younger. I bet you’re mixing the draughts up.” Barty’s tone was light-hearted, but he was looking at Regulus a little too intensely now, his eyes shifting from the little bottle to Regulus’ gray eyes over and over.
“Barty, what do you want to do with this potion, anyway?” Regulus asked, raising the vial to look more closely at the supposed Alihotsy Draught. “I’m assuming you didn’t just bring a sample for me to look at.”
“I thought we should test it.”
“I swear to Merlin,” Regulus whispered, looking at the ceiling. “You must think I’m the dumbest person alive.”
Barty cocked his head like a dog and frowned as if he was confused and slightly hurt by the statement, but Regulus glanced at his scheming friend just in time to see Barty fight to keep his tongue from jutting out. That nervous tick of his always gave him away. It had become even worse after Barty’s discovery of Muggle lip piercings over the summer. Now it seemed that he couldn’t go five minutes without running his tongue over his lips or teeth to display the metal ball in his mouth.
“What kind of potion is this, asshole?”
“Regulus! How could you insinuate that I’d-”
“That you’d what?” Regulus stood up and turned to face Barty from the right side of his bed. “Try to poison me? I’m not insinuating anything. I’m saying it outright.” He carefully placed the vial down on his bedside table.
“It’s not poison!” Barty exclaimed, still looking hurt at the claim. He stood up and walked to the foot of the bed, which was where Regulus’ chest of books sat. He opened the chest and began to dig around, eliciting a sharp word from Regulus, which he ignored like the good friend he was. When he found what he was looking for, Regulus’ sixth year potions book, he walked over to Regulus and handed it to him.
“Flip to the draughts chapter.”
Regulus rolled his eyes but did as instructed. He was shocked to find that his friend wasn’t lying. He flipped back and forth between The Alihotsy Draught page and The Sleeping Draught page, realizing that he had mixed up the brewing periods and the overall recipes of the two potions. Both boys were silent for at least thirty seconds before Regulus wordlessly picked the potion back up from his nightstand and knocked it back, still wondering why Barty was acting so strangely.
“I don’t remember any potion we’ve made tasting like the liquid form of a pumpkin pasty.”
“Do you feel anything?” Barty asked, voice dripping with more hope than Regulus would have deemed necessary for the situation. It made him nervous.
“Not exactly. Something is off, but there’s nothing that funny happening. Although, I don’t remember something funny having to happen before people started laughing.” Regulus sat back down on his bed and Barty joined him.
“Well, what else do you remember about the last time we brewed it?”
“Oh, not much, but I assume it was like any normal potions project. Except, of course, at that point, you were still partnered with Evan and I was with Lupin.”
Barty had been potions class partners with his and Regulus’ best friend and dormmate, Evan Rosier since their first year at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, one of Evan’s few weak spots was his potions grade, hence why in sixth year he dropped the class after choosing a profession that would not require proficiency in the subject. Regulus’ former potions partner, Remus Lupin, also dropped the class in favor of a free period which would probably, to Barty and Regulus’ knowledge, be used to plan more ridiculous pranks that Lupin and his pack of unhinged Gryffindors were always just about to deploy (not that they were necessarily complaining. Sometimes, such as just recently with Filch, the pranks worked in their favor. Other times, the Slytherins weren’t so lucky). Both Regulus and Barty were skilled in potions–or at least, they were better at the class than Evan and Remus–so it caused no hindrance to either of their grades to become partners for their sixth year potions class.
“Right. I remember Evan started laughing immediately, but I didn’t start until his laughter got so out of control that it became funny on its own. How were you and Lupin?”
“I didn’t take the potion. We figured only one person needed to, and he volunteered. I remember I was always nervous to work with him. He’s a friend of Sirius’ and he has all those nasty scars. I don’t know if you remember, but during our third year there was a rumor that he was some sort of monster, like a vampire, that had been hunted in the past and that’s how he got all those scars. I suppose I hadn’t gotten over that piece of gossip yet even in fourth year, so I was worried about spending any time with him, but obviously, I know more about him now, and I don’t see how anyone who spends more than an hour with him could be afraid. You know how he is. He’s either in the corner having an anxiety attack, sick, or sleeping.” Regulus felt himself rambling, but he didn’t seem to be able to stop. It was like the muscle that kept him from saying everything that went through his head had stopped working.
Barty was staring at him again, this time with the smallest smirk on his face.
“Sounds like you’ve been paying more attention to Lupin than you’ve let on.”
Regulus made a face.
“I don’t think I observe him that much, and certainly not more than I observe everyone else.” Regulus looked at his hands in his lap, and then at the vial now empty and on the floor. He must have dropped it.
“Well, I supposed sometimes people talk about others more than they think. Or, they think about someone more than they talk about them,” Barty responded knowingly, now fully smirking and staring at his bed, across from Regulus’.
“I guess there are some people I think about more than I talk about, but I wouldn’t put Lupin very high on that list,” Regulus said, wondering why he was entertaining this discussion.
“But he is on the list?” Barty badgered him.
Regulus didn’t answer.
“Who’s higher on the list than him?” Barty asked, stretching his arms above his head.
“Well, first of all, my parents don’t deserve the amount of time I give to them by thinking about them. I also think about Sirius and, weirdly enough, his friend James Potter. The one on the quidditch team with him. We haven’t spoken more than a few words to each other since I was thirteen, though. I wonder if he thinks about me, even though there would be no reason for him to. I don’t even know why I think about him. He’s not that interesting except that he’s always with my brother but even my brother is rather boring. If you really observe Sirius and his little group the only truly interesting person is probably Lupin. I don’t understand why I think of him less than I think of Potter, but why the hell am I telling you all of this, Barty?” Regulus asked, turning to look at the smiling boy next to him.
“Oh don’t stop now!” Barty exclaimed, clasping his hands together as if in prayer. “I want to hear more about your big brother’s friend group! Aren’t there four of them? Which one do you like best, besides your big brother?”
Despite the disgustingly patronizing tone of that last question, Regulus couldn’t help but respond, talking even louder to be heard over Barty’s barely concealed laughter.
“Well, I don’t know their personalities, but if we were to go by looks, I’d-” Regulus clamped a hand over his own mouth, glaring at his friend, who was now laughing unabashedly.
As Barty’s laughter died down, Regulus slowly peeled his hand away from his lips, feeling himself go pale with anger.
“Barty,” The livid Slytherin began slowly.
“Yes, my dear, darling, beautiful-”
“Did you give me Veritaserum?”
The question seemed pointless to ask, but Regulus figured he should have his facts in order before he murdered a distant relative and close personal friend. Barty smiled, teeth bared, head tilted at the ceiling, looking like a demonic version of a child set loose in Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.
“Well, unlike you, I don’t have to truthfully answer any questions,” Barty answered his good friend, biting his lip before continuing his statement quickly. “Which of your brother’s friends would you want to date?”
“James-”
This time both of Regulus’ hands clamped over his mouth, practically slapping himself in the face. Barty’s head jerked in Regulus’ direction so fast he hurt his neck.
“Potter?! I knew it!” Barty said gleefully, rubbing his neck. “So Evan was right. You want to-”
“Shut up!” Regulus snarled, shoving Barty off the bed, the element of surprise helping him push his otherwise stronger friend away. He yelped as he fell to the floor, landing roughly on his left arm but quickly sitting up to avoid having his back to the angry wizard. “Where’s the antidote?”
Barty turned his head so his body was facing Regulus, but his head wasn’t, and pouted, letting his tongue fully swipe over his top lip before speaking.
“You started this feud. Pandora knows how I feel about Evan because you can’t shut up. Thought I’d make you see what it feels like to have people knowing your secrets,” Barty muttered, standing up. Barty was easily two heads taller than Regulus when he stood and Regulus sat on the bed.
“I don’t care!” Regulus was almost shouting now, his silver eyes ablaze with fury. He stood up so he was face to face with his asshole dorm mate. “Where is-”
“I don’t have it!” Barty shouted back. And then he added, “didn’t seem like there was any point. It won’t last long.”
“How long? And how fucking strong is it?” Regulus touched his throat with one hand, his anger melting into worry.
Barty seemed unable to stop himself from cocking an eyebrow.
“That’s for me to know and-”
Barty had never seen someone draw a wand so fast. Regulus’ wand was sharper than most, and he wasn’t shy about poking Barty’s neck, which became more visible when Regulus walked closer to Barty, causing him to tilt his chin up to avoid the magical device.
“Veritaserum is more than a cute joke, Crouch.” Regulus pressed his wand into Barty’s Adam’s apple, watching his current least favorite dorm mate flinch at both the weapon touching his throat and the use of his father’s name. Regulus seldom used his last name, understanding how rocky Barty’s relationship with the surname’s owner was. Nobody in their friend group used last names out of habit.
“An eye for an eye, Black,” Barty choked the words out, the wand now pushing a little too hard. Barty’s eyes were colder than usual, as if he was not just annoyed at the vague threats from his angry friend, but also still plotting something past the truth serum’s violating effects.
Regulus bit his lip, preferring to draw blood trying to keep his mouth shut rather than respond to Barty. He removed the wand from his friend’s throat, stepping away so now it was pointed loosely at his chest.
“So,” Barty began, always the type to make a bad situation worse.
“No!” Regulus interrupted him to press the wand harder on his friend’s chest. “You’ve said and done enough. We are staying right here in this position until the serum wears off.
“But you’ve given me so much new, fun information!” Barty whined, taking half a step back.
“I didn’t give you anything. You took it. And you aren’t getting anything else out of me. We’re even, and now we don’t have to talk about it,” Regulus said, glaring at him as if daring him to object.
“Even.” Regulus thought it was a question at first, but he realized that Barty was no longer looking at him, but staring into space. He had an oddly calm look on his face that made Regulus feel anything but the same.
“The thing is, love,” Barty took a full step back this time so Regulus’ wand was further from his heart. “That three people know my secret, at least, and I think it’d be safe to assume that four people know, considering how close the twins are. Don’t you think?”
“I suppose,” Regulus mumbled, refusing to put his wand away
“And I’m assuming I’m the only one who knows-”
“Get on with it, Crouch.”
“We could use our shared information on each other to-”
“Great, now you’re blackmailing me.” Regulus rolled his eyes and finally put down the wand. He figured that anything he magically did to Barty would only be grounds for his friend to let the secret out to their entire school.
“Would you let me finish?” Barty said, exasperated. Regulus grumbled at the indignity of the situation, but he sat back down on the bed in a huff anyway.
“I have a plan that could help us both. Or at least, it will probably help me and there might be some added benefits for you.” Barty’s pierced tongue made yet another appearance when he smirked.
“Sounds wonderfully fair,” Regulus snarked, leaning back so he was resting his weight on his arms that rested on the bed behind him.
“You can’t count on seeing those benefits for a long time, either.”
Regulus raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
“Wow. I can’t believe I haven’t agreed yet.”
“Do you want me to ask you another personal question, or do you want to let me finish?”
Regulus’ mouth snapped shut. He looked at Barty expectantly, refusing to give in to the temptation to cock his head to the side.
Barty took a deep breath, walking a little closer to Regulus, who sat on the bed with his legs dangling off the side. The standing boy inched closer until he could reach out to touch a strand of Regulus’ wavy hair, which he did. Regulus’ eyes narrowed, unsure if he should lean away. Regulus occasionally let his close friends (and, before things went to shit, his brother) play with his hair when they were bored, but this felt more intimate.
“We should start dating.”