Chapter 2
regulus and barty has resolved their short lived feud and barty was just annoying as he always had been. regulus had finally directly told evan about the letter sirius sent while pandora had been in their room.
“i'm toying with the idea of dramatically faking my death and waiting a year to miraculously re-appear after i’ve been officially pronounced dead.”
“what would that resolve?” evan asked out of confusion.
“well then walburga wouldn't be able to legally get me back cause i'd be dead.”
“so you'd let sirius grieve over you before just taking it all back?” pandora asked with a sad gaze.
“maybe. haven't decided yet.”
“regulus that's cruel.”
“pandora why do you always have to be the voice of reason?”
“if evan won't I will. if evan did I wouldn't. maybe if barty got his head out of his ass he would assist in my efforts.”
barty is sitting on his own bed reading some kind of sex magazine. the woman on the cover sits topless on a motorcycle.
“what?” he calls, peeling his eyes away for a split second from his magazine before reverting his gaze once pandora had waved him off.
pandora sympathetically takes regulus hands in her own.
“regulus, you need to talk to sirius. and though I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, barty was right, what your parents are doing is illegal. and if we conjure up enough proof no amount of pay-offs can get them off scott free. look at yourself regulus, you're beaten for saint's sake! you always show up from breaks with bruises and cuts and everyone knows what happens at home so why not separate yourself from all of it?”
evan tries to offer regulus a glance thats shows his siding with pandora.
“it's all I have dora, you don't understand that.”
“you have sirius! hell you have yourself!”
“I wouldn't know how to live without pretending for her.”
“sirius will always love you no matter how you are.”
regulus sighs and rubs his temple. barty had seemingly put down the magazine and had been listening.
“can we drop this? I need you to review my muggle studies essay.”
evan and barty share a glance before regulus fumbles through his things to find his essay.
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evan assumed it was a last ditch effort when sirius had come up to regulus at the beginning of dinner that night.
he had tapped on regulus' shoulder as soon as he sat down. it was the first time they had spoken to each other in almost 2 years and evan found himself keen to hear what sirius had to say.
“reggie can we talk?”
“my name is regulus.”
sirius huffs and rolls his eyes before speaking again.
“regulus, can we talk?”
“I don't have anything to say to you. go.”
“reggie please-”
“I said go sirius!”
a few people look over at the raised voices but the hall is still too loud for people to notice sirius.
“on peut en parler plus tard? Je n'ai pas envie de faire un spectacle.”
sirius perks up rather dog-like and nods feveriantly before walking back to his table.
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barty is lying on his bed filling out a chart for evan.
“so I'm just writing all these notes in the column?”
“yes barty, do you need me to show you how to do it?”
“no” barty grumbles.
he looks attentive filling out evan's charts for him. this would probably be the moment to smile but evan's working with his microscope, which just so happened to be a gift from barty.
suddenly, the door bursts open and regulus bounds through the room with the vein in his forehead popped.
“jesus regulus what happened.”
“sirius happened barty, I was a fucking idiot for thinking things would just work out in the end.”
“what did he say?”
regulus drops onto his bed and shakes his head.
“it doesn't matter, i'm not going a fucking foot near him for the rest of my life.”
evan has chose to absorb regulus’ words without saying anything, in so staring at a vein in his neck. suddenly, evan sees a purple spot starting to bloom just underneath regulus’ collarbone.
regulus hadn't gotten full marks on their glamor assignment in third year so evan chalks regulus' carelessness up to that.
pandora had approached him with the idea kidnapping regulus and sending him through the floo to the potter's once the twins had arrived home.
evan had agreed, and they had come to the conclusion of knocking him out on the train ride home for christmas break, glamouring him and sending him to sirius and james’ after they were home.
evan and pandora knew they would forgive him eventually, and pandora always had a way of understanding regulus that evan didn't. not that he really understood anyone besides her.
when evan looks up from his microscope it's dark out and regulus was tucked away in his bed.
“mind if I call it a night rosie? I finished an hour ago.”
barty had seemingly picked up one of regulus’ books from his trunk and began reading it.
“fine, can you hand them to me?”
barty yawned as he gathered up the papers and gave them to evan, getting up after to stretch and presumably brush his teeth.
evan puts together his notes and barty's notes in a neat pile on his desk.
he ends up tracing the “bcj” carved into the corner before getting up. it was barty's before it was evan's, barty said the ultimate dig against his father was if it benefited someone else, so he gave it to evan.
said he didn't like seeing evan's bed so messy.
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it was thursday when evan had been walking back to his dorm after capturing some insects he wanted to do tests on when he heard shouts coming from around the corner.
“what do you mean regulus? I-I thought we were doing okay? what's changed?”
“this has! you know sirius wants me to leave grimmauld place and go live with him?”
“wouldn't that be good for you reg? fuck wouldn't that be good for us? we could- we could finally tell him.”
“that's exactly what I fucking mean james! this isn't some fucking grimm brother story we can spin into some happily ever after fucking fairytale!”
evan's eyes widen. he knew regulus had probably been seeing someone, but james potter of all people?”
“don't you want to be happy reg? I want you to be happy, sirius wants you to be happy, I don't get why you want to stay in this bubble of misery forever.”
“it's all I have! you don't get that james, and I don't expect you to because your parents have given you love and fucking suport everyday of your life. I didn't promise forever and you agreed to that! you fucking held me when all I wanted was for you to not get involved with me because this is what I am james. i’m not like you, or sirius or fucking lily.”
“you have me!”
“it's not enough!”
their voices come to a halt and evan hears james let out a shaky breath.
“are you fucking kidding me regulus? are you actually choosing the hurt and beatings and a fucking arranged marriage over your own happiness? i'm not pretending to understand who walburga is but I don't need to to know that you can't keep living your life like this. it's your life, not hers. she can't dictate how it turns out.”
“I don't know who I am if i’m not miserable.”
“you are great, no matter the circumstance, I love you no matter the circumstance.”
“then you need to understand I can't do this. I can't pretend like my life will be sunshine and fucking rainbows if I just pack a bag and move in with you and sirius. I can't afford to hope like that.”
“so don't hope, let us keep you safe.”
“this has to end james. you leave next year and there's absolutely nothing bounding you to me once you're outside these walls. and i'm sure that down the line you'll find someone who no doubt will love you better than I ever could.”
“no regulus, this can't- this can't be how it ends. regulus I love you! how can you not understand?”
“this isn't about love james. this is just me. I won't ever bake cookies with your mother or brew potions with your father because that's not who I ever will be. I wasn't born for that james, I wasn't born to think that love conquers all.”
“please regulus, please don't do this to me.”
“i'm sorry james. this just wasn't for the long run.”
with that, evan hears regulus walk down the hall and descend down the stairwell to the dungeon. james lets out a sob and punches the wall, evan can hear the moment the stone breaks his fist.
he doesn't stick around for james to leave. instead taking the long way back to the dorms.
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