Barty Crouch Jr was known as a genius in Hogwarts. He was known as the one Slytherin that should have been sorted into Ravenclaw.
He was believed to have been too unhinged for the blue house hence why he became a Slytherin. Still, none of the rumors were true. Barty Crouch Jr never did any drugs and he never drank alcohol like the rest of his friends.
He didn’t do what Evan Rosier did nearly every day. Rosier was known as the Slytherin with questionable morals and ethics. His methods were usually too much even for his friends. Well, for everyone other than Wilkes who was his best friend, ready to do anything with him.
It wasn’t a secret that Rosier and Crouch adored one another. If asked why, neither could give a proper answer to that. They just loved one another.
Evan would often do bad things and pranks around the school and only Barty’s quick thinking would get them out of trouble. Well, occasionally, he would get in trouble himself. Professors often accused him of consuming something but they never had any proof. And they never would because he actually wasn't using anything.
Their friend group was big and consisted of Regulus Arcturus Black, Evan Rosier, Barty Crouch Jr, Pandora Rosier, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa and Bellatrix Black, Wilkes and Severus Snape. When they started Hogwarts, they thought they were at the top of the world. Now, Barty looked around at the shambles of their friendship and felt his heart break.
Only months ago, Regulus Arcturus Black was forced to join the Death Eaters. His brother hadn’t believed him when he said it had not been his choice. And a couple of weeks later, Regulus Arcturus Black died all alone in a cave.
He was drowned. He gave his life up so that they would have a chance at defeating Voldemort. Barty watched James and Sirius fall apart when the truth was revealed. He remembered Regulus coming to the dorms, crying because his boyfriend James broke up with him, not having believed him. Sirius cut all contact with him too. Now, they sat together in the garden, crying and regretting all the choices they made.
Barty presented his grief differently. He started to act out. He started breaking and vandalizing things in school to the point where he would be in detention every day, because the professors and students kept accusing him of doing drugs. Still, Barty never did any drugs.
His friends acted out as well. Severus was the one who somehow managed to keep a calm head and pull them out of problems all the time. Pandora was the one who suffered the most. She had seen the younger Black as her best friend and she had lost him. Sure, they all knew of Regulus’ plan and they knew that they couldn’t have saved him.
Regulus had been determined to do it all alone. He had refused to put any of them in danger. Barty remembered how many times Evan pulled him to the Astronomy Tower in the dead of the night, hoping to somehow cheer him up a bit. But how was he to cheer up when one of his closest friends was dead?
Regulus Black died in a cave and he took a part of his friends with him that day.
Then the battle came and Dorcas Meadowes was killed by the one who shall not be named. No, screw that. She was killed by Voldemort himself when she came close to casting an unforgivable curse on him.
Regulus died and destroyed Voldemort’s last Horcrux, giving them all a proper chance at fighting and winning, even if he could not be there to help them. Barty straightened his back, his eyes still wide while he stared at a dead girl before Voldemort. Another one of his friends had died at the hands of the monster before him. He took a shaky breath, feeling panic and fear overwhelm him.
Evan took notice of this and gulped. He walked to his sister and cupped her cheeks, a small and wicked smile on his face.
“Take care of Barty for me, will you, dear sister?” He asked and Pandora frowned but nodded her head and looked at Barty who looked on the verge of a panic attack.
“What will you do?” She asked her brother and he raised his chin in pride, a small smile on his face.
“What I must.”
“Which is?”
“We’ll avenge our friends. We’re going to take him out.” Wilkes spoke, coming up from behind Evan. Pandora gulped and looked at him and then at her brother. Evan nodded his head, installing all the confidence he had in her. Pandora looked on the verge of tears and Evan frowned.
“None of that, Dora. This is for our friends. For Reggie, for Dorcas.” Evan whispered and caressed her cheeks and she nodded her head, not feeling James or Sirius watching the two Rosier siblings. She pulled Evan into a tight hug and sniffled.
“You come back to me. You come back to Barty, you hear me? Don’t you dare leave us.” She scolded and Evan nodded his head. She looked at Wilkes who nodded his head as well and then she separated herself from them. Evan looked at Wilkes, a dark and wicked look in his eyes. They nodded heads towards each other and walked to the battle.
Pandora walked towards Barty and took a hold of his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze and watched as he looked up.
“Keep it together. For Reggie. For Dorcas.” She said and Barty nodded his head. He looked up and frowned when he only saw Narcissa, Bellatrix and Severus near them. On the other side of the room stood the Marauders, overwatching the battlefield as well.
“Where is Evan?” Barty asked and Pandora motioned for him to look outside. Barty did and his eyes widened when he saw his lover and his best friend right in front of the monster. He moved to pull his arm out of Pandora’s but she only gripped it tighter.
“No! What are they doing there? Why did you let them go, Dora?” Barty yelled, his eyes tearing up while he watched them corner the Dark Lord.
“They promised they would return.” She said and Barty let out a sad chuckle.
“And you believed them? You believed they stand a chance?” He asked and Pandora gulped, hoping that they had been right and that they would return.
Spell after spell was thrown around. And just when Barty started to think that this could actually go well, a spell came from Voldemort’s wand and Wilkes disappeared into a thousand small pieces. Barty let out a small cry and hugged Pandora while they watched Voldemort kill Evan too. One spell was all it took for the wild and mad Evan to disappear into thin air. Pandora choked on a sob and felt her knees buckle. She was only upheld by Barty who was crying his heart out now too.
“He promised. He promised. He promised.” She kept repeating and Sirius gulped, refusing to cry in the middle of the war. Pandora’s voice had been so broken and full of pain that he nearly went out there to fight the Dark Lord himself.
“So did Reggie. So did Dorcas.” Barty whispered and James felt the need to throw up at the mention of the one he loved, of the one he lost.
“Someone- he needs to die. Someone has to kill him.” Pandora choked out and Sirius watched Barty hug her tighter while Narcissa hugged her sideways, tears streaming down her face too.
Then she took two steps back and disappeared. Pandora screamed while she watched her appear in the middle of the battlefield. Bellatrix panicked and ran to the window. Sirius’ eyes widened while he watched his cousin run towards Voldemort, to her most certain death. But the girl had loved Regulus a lot. And she lost him along with so many of her friends. He knew she would not stand aside and let him continue to kill her friends.
Narcissa would take the Dark Lord down, for Reggie, for Dorcas, for Evan and Wilkes. For all the innocent lives he had taken. She would not sit down and watch him kill another innocent person. Sirius moved to teleport to her, but James pulled him back, terrified of losing him. He had already lost Regulus. He could not lose another Black brother.
Sirius could not help but remember all the times he judged the Slytherin friends and Dorcas for befriending them. He could not help but feel regret and terror at the realization that it was those same Death Eater kids he hated that were now standing on the battlefield, despite their Mark, trying and desperately failing to win the war, to avenge their fallen friends, to kill the Dark Lord.
Regulus had been forced to join the Death Eaters and most of his friends followed him in order to help him and protect him. Some had even taken the Mark on themselves. And still, while other students hid away, it was those with the Mark that tried their best to kill the big bad villain.
Evan and Wilkes had taken the Dark Mark and they died, trying to kill Voldemort. And here were those same kids that the entire school had judged, trying desperately to end the war. Sirius had nearly gone mad with grief when he learned that his brother was dead, that he had died, destroying Voldemort’s Horcruxes. James had nearly gone mad as well, knowing that he pushed the love of his life away because he refused to believe him. And Regulus had been telling the truth the entire time.
Narcissa shook while she stood before Voldemort, feeling the need to bolt and run. Then she remembered Regulus, the cousin who feared the Dark Lord as well. The cousin who went down, trying to defeat him. The cousin who gave them a chance at winning.
“Remember that fear is only in your mind, Cissa.” was what Regulus once told her and she straightened her back and raised her chin.
She fought hard and valiantly. She did not back down until she managed to throw the killing curse at the same time the Dark Lord did. Narcissa smiled sadly and felt a tear roll down her cheek when she realized that this was it, this was how she died. She would die, killing the Dark Lord. She sniffled and smiled when she saw the Dark Lord disappear into a thousand little pieces.
Dying was okay if she got to take him down with her, she realized in relief. She caught a glimpse of a blonde haired boy laying on the floor, already pale with death having taken his soul long ago. Her boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy had died only hours before her. Narcissa Black closed her eyes and let death take her.
Bellatrix was screaming in the tower, her eyes wide in disbelief and Barty pulled the girl into a hug. He could even hear Sirius crying behind them. He had loved Narcissa after all, he remembered, of course he would mourn her.
Barty looked at Severus who stood behind Bellatrix, watching Dumbledore declare a win. Severus who had lost most of his friends and still was not able to let a tear fall down. Barty knew the boy was suffering in his own way. Still, Severus never once looked away from the battlefield, counting the casualties. Then he walked away.
The next following days, Barty, Pandora, Severus and Bellatrix would go from one funeral to the other. First was Narcissa’s. Second was Wilkes. Third was Lucius. Fourth was Evan’s. All of their fallen friends had been declared war heroes, having sacrificed their lives for the greater cause.
Barty still remembered standing at the funeral, feeling all the eyes on him since everyone knew how much the two Death Eaters had loved one another. He refused to let a single tear fall down. He would break down once he was alone, others did not have to witness his grief, he realized. He held Pandora while she cried and cried and cried. He watched while Bellatrix’s eyes grew more and more empty. He watched while Severus distanced himself.
The funeral had ended an hour later and since then weeks had passed. Bellatrix was nowhere to be found. She had disappeared from the wizarding world, having witnessed enough death and grief for a lifetime, choosing to follow a human lifestyle.
Pandora continued to experiment with spells, hoping to bring her friends and brother back. Barty knew none of them would work. Nothing ever did work in their favor. Even his absent father had tried desperately to bring him home and talk to him. But Barty refused to listen or hear anyone out, locking himself into his dorm, surrounded by the smell of Evan and Regulus still in the air.
Barty could remember Sirius and James coming by so many times, begging to talk to him, to help him out. But the time for help was gone now.
If there had ever been a chance of him befriending the Marauders, it was gone the second he lost all of his friends. It was gone the second they refused to believe them and Regulus when they asked for help.
He was hanging on by a thread when a pamphlet landed into his hands. Pandora Rosier had died after a spell backfired and killed her. He laid down and felt tears begin to roll down again. He had lost them all now. Dora was gone as well. Her grief had forced her to create an unstable spell after a spell. She was gone now too.
He could hear knocks on the doors and voices from the other side, begging him to open the doors. Barty refused. James, Severus and Sirius were all begging him to open the doors, Barty refused and ushered them away.
Days passed and he had not gone to classes. The pain and grief had been too great for that. Barty never thought there would be a day in his life when he would wish to forget Evan or his friends. But right now he wished he could forget them all. He wished the pain would go away.
Hours passed before he finally sat up in his bed, sniffling while he eyed the wand next to him and the mirror in front of him. Would it work if he obliviated himself, he wondered while he stood up, taking the wand with him.
Barty stood in front of a mirror with a wand in his hand, hoping that if he obliviated the reflection, his memories would be gone too. He moved the want in the direction of the reflection and said the words. The spell backfired like everything in his life did.
He felt grief take over his mind ten times worse than before. He felt the spell distort his memories, knowing that he would never be the same again.
He had lost all his friends with nearly his entire friend group having died in the war. And still, he kept his sanity for Evan Rosier, the flower in his graveyard. The hope in the darkness surrounding him. He kept his sanity with the promise of a better future.
Then Evan Rosier died and took all the promises and hopes with him. He died and took the last ounce of sanity he possessed.
Evan Rosier died and Barty Crouch Jr lost his mind, mourning his lost friend and his lover, knowing that his tears could not bring them back. In his life, Barty was smart and powerful but what good were his wits and power in the face of death? What use was it all if he couldn’t bring them all back?
Another week passed and Barty returned to classes. Everyone had noticed the dramatic change in his character. Everyone had different ideas of what had happened to turn once genius into a mad man. Many speculated that he was once again on some new magical drug.
No, Barty Crouch Jr didn’t do drugs despite how many times he got detention because his teachers suspected him to be on something. No, he wasn’t an addict even if he often did reckless things.
Barty Crouch Jr didn’t do drugs. But Wilkes did. As did Evan. And when his friends died, Barty made sure to take away all of their hidden drugs so that the school could not destroy their heroic image in public.
He would not let his friend and lover be known as nothing but druggies. He hadn’t realized he would be remembered as one. Due to his grief and unending depths of sadness in his heart, Barty resorted to what he never thought he would resort to.
His grief made him do stupid things and he went down in history as the first wizard to die of overdosis. Such a mundane death for someone who was so smart and powerful while alive.
But at least now he would get to be with his friends again. He would get to be with Evan Rosier who was known for his questionable ethics and love for danger and Barty, once more.
First who fell was Regulus Arcturus Black. Dorcas Meadowes followed second. Third was Lucius Malfoy. Fourth was Wilkes. Fifth was Evan Rosier. Sixth was Narcissa Black. Seventh was Pandora Rosier and Eight was now Barty Crouch Jr.
Bellatrix Black had run to the Muggle World, forever cutting ties with the wizarding world.
And Severus Snape isolated himself from everyone, never again befriending anyone.