Crushes
"My hair! I look like an old man. Like my father! Merlin's Beard! Regulus, make it go away!" A very agitated Barty walked up and down in their dorm. Every time he passed a mirror he stopped, intensely staring at himself with his hands buried in his hair. Then he groaned and continued running in circles.
Meanwhile, Evan looked at himself in the mirror. Tilting his head to one side then the other. "I don't know. I kinda like it. If it weren't for Pandora I might just leave it like that."
"Evan, we talked about that, just because you two are twins, doesn't mean that you have to look exactly the same. And Barty. I swear, if you won't stop the pacing right this instance I will hex you again. The spell is undone as soon as you wake up tomorrow, so get it together."
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The following day, Regulus was mixing a Polyjuice potion while contemplating whether or not to hex Barty's hair again. After all, he still didn't have his book, so why should Barty have his hair colour? The green had, like promised, returned by now and the grey changed back to the deep black. When Barty started at Hogwarts he still had the dark brown like his father, but from the moment after he and Regulus met (or as he puts it “were adopted by”) Evan, Bartys natural hair colour was never to be seen again. Every month or so, it had a different colour, but always mixed into the black that resembled his mothers hair.
"Evan! Cassy! You need to save me! Reg was glaring at me the whole day. I swear by Salaza, he was brewing a lethal potion to put in my drink." By the end of a school day filled with dirty side eyes and glaring, Regulus was pleased to have counted no less than 13 times of Barty anxiously licking his teeth. So when Barty made a run for their upperclassman as soon as they entered the Slytherin common room, he let him be and just strolled after him to their friends.
"Are you scared, Junior? Of our sweet little Reggie?" Dorcas had put an arm around Regulus' shoulders and gave him a little squeeze, as if to emphasise on the sweet, while barely holding in the giggles. He let her, if only to dwell in Bartys horrified expression a bit longer.
"Sweet? Reg? Yeah, sure. He's a bloody ray of sunshine and if I get too close he will definitely incinerate me, like the damn sun! Are you mental to stand that close?" Dorcas grinned at Evan, who was used as a human shield by Barty. The younger boy was standing behind him, hands on Evan’s shoulders and glancing around him at Regulus and Dorcas. Evan seemed to enjoy the whole situation for a different reason, judging by the smile and faint blush in his face.
"Well, worry no more scared little racoon, because your knight in shining armour has arrived."
"My what now?"
"A Muggle expression. Just- Evan has something that will save you and your hair." Dorcas gestured with a sigh at Evan, who nodded and pulled out a smaller book from between his other school books and held it out for Regulus to see.
"I found it exactly where you left it yesterday. Maybe you just overlooked it or something? It was pretty dark already, when you went looking for it."
Regulus sliped out of Dorcas' hug to get closer to the book, not missing the slight tense in Bartys hands. It was indeed his book, though he was sure he hadn't just overlooked it. He took it from Evans hand with a "Thank you."
The same moment Barty loosened his grip on Evans shoulders and the blood flow was restored, turning his fingertips pink again and his typical playful grin returned to his face as he stepped around his human shield.
"We gotta get you some glasses, maybe Potter knows some good ones."
Regulus ignored the comment and instead opted for the nearest chair to sit down. He put his school books on the table, opened the blue book and- "Are you kidding me?"
Pandora, who had watched the whole scene play out without saying a word until now, sat down opposite to him and threw him a questioning look. "What is it? Not your book after all?"
"No, someone took it. That's why I couldn't find it."
"You know, it's fine, man. Even you are not flawless. And what if you need glasses, you'd probably still look very handsome with them."
"Shut it, Junior, or I'll hex you again. Someone wrote into the sodding book. Actually, who writes into another person's book? Who do they think they are?"
Regulus gestured with his hands agitated. He looked around for support but the only comment he got was a "Who writes into books in general?", which Barty grumbled on his way to their dorms. Dorcas already decreed their conversation uninteresting the moment Barty had stopped hiding behind Evan and had therefore joined another group of Slytherins. Evan just glanced at Pandora. They had one of their twin telepathy conversations, where they stared at each other for some time and then suddenly seemed to have held a whole discussion without saying a word. Sometimes Regulus watched with eyes as green as Bartys hair, wishing that his own sibling would at least have a normal conversation with him. Today he was too annoyed at the audacity of this stranger, to get jealous.
Regulus opened the book again and focused on the writing. After some pages he had decided to call the other person “Imbécile” or Bec for short, for their stupid opinions.
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“Why was it legalised? You can’t just divorce someone.”
“Why not? People fall out of love all the time. Why stay in a marriage with someone you don’t even like?”
“Marriage isn’t about love though. It’s about giving birth to an heir. Continuing the bloodline.”
“That sounds like a miserable life…”
“Sounds promising!”
“What’s the blue stuff that you are using all over the book anyways? Is it some sort of spell? Are you trying to ruin my book??”
“Mate, have you never heard of a highlighter before? You can use it to, well, highlight stuff. It’s great for colour coding and learning”
“It’s a muggle thing, isn’t it? I’ll look into it.”
“Is there a reason you underlined this?”
“Mind your own!”
“She sounds so pure”
“She sounds a bit mental…”
“Reminds me of my brother.”
“You two must have a nice relationship”
“We had, i suppose”
“You said ‘had’, is he dead? Your brother?”
“In a way. I don’t wanna talk about it”
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“What’s that book about? You are always writing in it while muttering something to yourself or giggling.” Peter said one afternoon.
“I am not giggling?!” Remus answered, offended.
Though it was true, he had been completely taken in by the little blue book. When he put it back under the tree where he first found it, he didn’t think he’d ever see it again. But when he went there a few days later to play some card games with Lily, he was greeted by the book, lying on one of the bigger roots. When he checked it, he found that the owner of the book, Acturus, had actually answered most of his notes and even added new ones.
From then on they answered each other in the book and exchanged it by putting it under the big tree, where Remus first found it. Arcturus had some rather interesting (and occasionally concerning) opinions on the book's content. Peter, being the attentive person he is, obviously realised, while James and Sirius were too busy planning their new prank. Right now, they were in detention for the last one they pulled, probably already scheming the next prank.
“Well, are you going to tell me or not?” Peter asked impatiently “Do you have a new crush? I didn’t think you’d ever get over Sirius after pinning for him for 4 years.”
“I- What? No. Whatever made you think that?” Remus closed the book and glanced nervously at the dorm’s doors, making sure they’re closed shut.
“So what is all that not-giggling about then?” Peter stood up from his bed to jump on Remus’ instead and sat down leaning against one of the bed post’s.
Remus mirrored him and opened the book on one of the pages, showing the conversations he had with Arcturus in the margins of the book. “I found this book a few weeks ago and we, the owner of the book and I, are having conversations in the book. I like talking to them, they seem smart. It is a bit like having a pen pal, but more mysterious.”
“What’s their name? Do we know the person?” Peter asked, while skimming over the conversations.
“Well, they wrote their name in the front. It’s Acturus, so I assume it’s a boy, but I never asked, so I can’t say for sure.” Remus thought for a bit. “They have to at least be 4th grade, but from the way they talk, I’d assume our year or even 7th? It just doesn’t feel like talking to a little brat.”
Peter went perfectly still for a second, before closing the book. “You don’t wanna know then? What if it is someone you don’t like?”
“Who? Snape? I doubt he could be the other person. And I doubt that I wouldn’t like Arcturus, I mean, I talk to them all the time in the book. And not knowing is half the fun. It’s like a mystery.” Remus explained and took back the book to put it on his bedside table. “But enough about that one.”
Peter took the clue and threw himself, with a wide grin, on his back, with his feet on the pillow, Remus joined him a second later. “Soooo..?”
“You saw him too, right? In his bloody shorts, on his bloody broom with that bloody grin?” Remus groaned.
Peter sniggered. “Well, I did see him. But quite contrary to you, I have been more focused on the actual practice than Sirius arse.” Remus blushed. “Because I am a supportive friend, who is there to help his friends without the ulterior motive of checking them out.”
“As if you aren’t checking the girls out yourself.” Remus smirked at Peter.
“We both know that I didn’t and I won’t do you the favour of lying, just to make you feel better about undressing Sirius with your eyes.” Peter explained.
Remus felt his cheeks turn red and he desperately thought of anything that could redirect this conversation. “Have you heard? First years were thrown into the black lake, again. That must have been the fifth time this month.”
To Remus' delight, Peter didn’t mind the obvious diversion from a certain black haired wizard and they both started throwing wild guesses as to who was behind these attacks.
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Pandora sat in her usual corner of the common room. She had laid out some cushions and was mostly covered by a plant, which meant few people would notice her, especially if they didn’t expect her to be there. Now, Pandora did not choose this place for those reasons. It was just a comfortable corner she’d found one day, it’s not her fault people tended to stay close to that spot, if they talked about certain stuff.
She had put her white hair up into two buns to keep it out of her eyes while she wrote her muggle study essay. Every now and then she looked around the common room. Regulus has been in the library all day and has yet to return. Dorcas was out in Hogsmeade with some other Slytherin girls (probably leaving the group in favour of meeting up with Marlene later). There were little students left in the common room. Mostly first and second years, who weren’t allowed to go to Hogsmeade yet and some older students who would likely vanish in a few hours to join their friends for a butterbeer.
“I might have a problem.” Evan sat down beside his twin with a groan.
“Does it start with ‘B’ and end with ‘arty’ by any chance?” Pandora grinned and put down her homework.
Evan looked around them anxiously and switched to German. “Manchmal hab ich das Gefühl, dass er es mit Absicht macht. I mean, does he think I don’t notice it if he hooks up with some rando. Wäre es zu viel verlangt, dass er mal mich so anschaut wie seine One-Night-Stands?"
The Rosier family originated in France, so naturally the twins spoke french. However, when they first arrived at Hogwarts, they had to face the reality that many Slytherins spoke French as well. Luckily, Pandora and Evan had a nanny when they grew up and she was the one who taught them German. Unfortunately, because the twins could now talk behind their parents back, the nanny was punished and fired for that. Due to this, the twins' younger brother Felix, can understand most German, but can’t speak it himself. They both tried teaching it to him, which didn’t work that well, since Felix was 9 years younger. The seven year old was back at the Rosier manor by himself while Pandora and Evan were in Hogwarts.
“Why don’t you just tell him how you really feel about him, anstatt ihm nur Kosenamen zu geben, die er als Beschimpfungen interpretiert?” she asked, which was answered with eye rolling. “You know I am right, you are just scared of his answer, aren’t you?”
“We share a room. It would be so awkward if he said no.” Evan cried out and let his head drop back against the wall.
Pandora just shrugged and took up her essay again. Her twin would probably wait to confess until he graduated and then make a run for it without even waiting for an answer from his little racoon-like crush. Evan was as brave as he was strong - normally. But due to years of psychological abuse Evan had a serious problem of letting people in. Pandora wrote a mental note to put it on the list of things to thank their parents for, when she’d eventually leave them as soon as she graduated.
When tea hour came, the twins collected Regulus from the library and strolled down the corridors to the great hall, where they hoped to meet up with Barty. Barty had already secured their usual seats and his plate was filled with cake and cookies.
“He’s gonna die from diabetes one day.” Regulus mumbled.
They had just collected some pastries and tea for themselves, when they heard a loud noise from the Slytherin table. Pandora was the first to turn around and therefore was greeted by James Potter lying flat on the table right before Barty, who in turn was just putting his wand back in his pocket.
“Hey Crouch, fancy seeing you here.” Potter grinned and rolled on his side into a more casual position.
“The pleasure is mine. Can I be of any help?” Barty answered with a mischievous grin before taking a big bit of his cookie.
Potter glanced down at the cookie in Barty’s hand and then at his plate. “You see, you have kinda taken all of the cookies-”
“-so you tried stealing some by using that fancy cloak of yours?” Barty finished with a smug smile as he took up another cookie and studied it with feigned interest. “-how did that play out for you, Potter?”
Pandora missed the rest of the conversation, as Evan tugged at her and with distress in his voice whispered “He’s going to shag Potter before even thinking of making a move on me.”
“You know, you could make the first move. Just like Big Black does right now.” Pandora added and gestured to the Gryffindor table which was filled with students. Sirius, who had just entered the Great Hall, was making himself comfortable on Remus' lap.
Regulus made a disgusted noise and pulled Evan along with himself, just as “Oh I wish he would, poor Remus.” grumbled Peter as he walked by Pandora to get James away from Barty.