A New Dorm
“Wow! How crazy is that! It’s just us two, out of all the first-year boys, in Slytherin! We get the whole dorm to ourself!” Barty was ecstatic, running around the dorm, checking every drawer and under the beds. He had unceremoniously dumped his cloak onto the floor, running to his chest full of possessions then to his empty dresser to put everything away, haphazardly dumping textbooks onto any shelf he could find.
“Ourselves, Barty,” Evan corrected gently, his soft voice stark in contrast to the pace Barty had set. “But it is a little weird. Only two people in a dorm? It’s strange,” Evan mused. Barty nodded, only half-listening to Evan. He had wandered into the bathroom that was attached to their dorm, criticising every element of the room, and was much too distracted by the dark green snake-and-floral pattern of the bathroom tiles. This pattern is the same colour as Evan’s eyes , Barty realized. He shook his head, realizing that Evan had fallen silent, and stepped out of the bathroom to meet him. He stomped loudly, black boots thudding against floorboards, to try and break Evan out of his mood. Barty could feel the sadness coming off of Evan, although he couldn’t understand why. They were both sharing a room, they were going to finally learn how to use magic, and Barty didn't have to see his dad until winter break! What could be better?
Barty, you’re doing it again. He took in a deep breath in an attempt to dissipate the uneasiness in his chest; you’re doing it again, Barty , and sat next to Evan, so close that their thighs were touching. Said the first thing that came to his mind, “I don’t know what's happening in that smart head of yours, but I’m here. I will always be here for you.” Barty let his head fall onto Evans’ shoulder, feeling a wave of relief wash over him when he felt the familiar weight of Evan’s head on top of his own a few moments later. The pair sat like that for a while, Barty letting his leftover energy fizzle out as he felt Evan breathe.
Barty felt like he was just about to drift off when a prefect (whose name Barty had already forgotten) knocked sharply on their dorm door, asking if they had settled in yet, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Barty accidentally headbutted Evan in the temple, and Evan swore, holding the side of his head. Barty burst into laughter, immediately reaching out to Evan to comfort him. “Everything alright in there, fellas?” The prefect asked, mildly concerned.
“Yep! Just p-peachy!” Barty called through the closed door, still giggling.
“You asshole!” Evan yelled, twisting around and tackling Barty onto the bed. Barty laughed, thrashing against Evan’s grip, but to no avail. Evan always won their fights.
“Ok, ok!” Barty yelled, conceding. “You win.” He grinned, and Evan grinned right back. Barty flopped against the pillows, letting out a sigh, about to drift off again.
“Gotta get changed, Bee.” Evan was still sitting up, nudging him in the knee. The nickname was something old that had been thought of years ago, but Evan was yet to grow out of it. Barty loved it.
“Yeah, ok. We can both share this bed, it’s too big to sleep in alone,” Barty said, rolling off the bed and digging around for his clothes in his trunk. Evan made a noise of agreement, and soon they were both lying side by side, in a new place that they were both a bit scared of but even more afraid to admit their fear to the other.
“You know, I’ll always be here for you too.” Evan turned his head towards Barty. He smiled a little, unable to help himself. Barty turned to his side to face Evan.
“Thank you,” he whispered. Barty gazed into his eyes, trying, not for the first time, to figure out just what that boy was thinking.
***
They had a whole weekend to lounge around and do nothing until lessons started. Barty and Evan made the most of this, exploring the dungeons at length, hidden staircases and little nooks hidden behind tapestries. Barty laughed at Evans’ impressions of the moving portraits, and Barty managed to get one of the older students to tell him where the kitchens were. He would sneak down to the kitchens to collect all the food the kind house elves would give him, and find Evan sitting on a large windowsill. They would eat pastries and read any fictional books they could find. Well, Barty would - Evan was re-reading the textbooks they would be studying off of that year, claiming that he was ‘just refreshing his memory’, and that ‘he needed to do well in school because of his parents’. Barty just shrugged when Evan asked him if he had read the textbooks yet, refusing to lie, but also not wanting to tell the truth. It was one of the most common points of argument between the two; Barty didn’t like to study, while Evan often read up on historical events for fun .
They started lessons on Monday. Just Charms and Potions (which they shared with the Ravenclaws). Barty spent the whole time distracting Evan and attempting to make him laugh. Evan indulged him, because they were just introductory lessons, and they were not all that important. Barty drew little figures on his parchment, and looked around at his classmates to see if he recognized anybody. There were a few purebloods he knew by sight, but he only knew the name of one student. Or girl, he assumed, because she was in Slytherin but not in his dorm. Reggina Black. Barty should've known she was a girl, but he never paid attention when he went to the fancy banquets that his family was invited to. Evan was never there, so why did he have to go? Reggina had short hair for a girl, which actually suited her nicely, he supposed. Suddenly, Evan was grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the classroom.
“Where did you go?” Evan teased. “Let's go to the dorm, then to dinner.” Barty nodded. Evan was still holding his arm. They only made one wrong turn on their way back to the dungeons, discarding the maps that they were given within hours. Barty was talking loudly to Evan about how funny Professor Flitwick looked, barging into the dorm without a second thought.
Evan quickly let go of his arm. Barty cut himself off, turning to him, confused by the sudden rejection, but he was looking at something else. Or, rather, someone else. Reggina Black was sitting on an empty bed, head down. Her hair flowed into her eyes and she refused to look up. Evan quickly closed the door and set down his book bag on the floor. “Reggina? Black, right?” Barty took a cautious step forward, confused as to why there was a girl in his dorm. Evan reached out and took Barty’s book bag from his hands too, setting it next to his own. Reggina looked up sharply at Barty, silver eyes shooting daggers into him. He quickly took a step backwards, almost hitting Evan. “My name is not Reggina. It’s Regulus,” Regulus said. Barty felt a sinking in his stomach.
“Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry! I thought you were a girl! You look exactly like Reggi-”
“Well. That’s because I am her - well, not really. I am a Black. But my name is Regulus. I was placed in the wrong dorm. I am supposed to be with you guys; I am a boy.” He spoke sharply, never breaking eye contact. Barty swallowed thickly. This was too much information; he couldn’t comprehend what Regulus was saying.
“W-What? That doesn’t make any sense. How can you be a girl but also a boy? How-”
“Hello, Regulus,” Evan spoke, voice soft as ever. He swiftly moved to collect all his things from the bed he was sharing with Barty, moving them to the only unoccupied bed. Barty only just realized that they had added a third bed to the dorm. This was not a mistake. Regulus was here to stay. Barty was still trying to understand what Regulus meant when Evan asked,
“Are you hungry, Regulus? We just came to drop off our book bags, we can head down all together.” Evan had finished moving his things over to the other bed, and Barty’s own space looked too empty without all of Evan’s things in it. Regulus was still very cautious, ready to bite at any given moment, but he looked more comfortable than he had before. “Yeah, I am quite hungry, actually.” Evan grinned, and Barty’s heart lurched.
“Awesome. Let’s go.” Evan led Regulus down the stairs, chatting away with him, leaving Barty feeling angry, confused, and annoyed at himself for being so slow. What just happened? Why can’t I understand everything like Evan can?