B.C.JR.
CHAPTER THREE
B.C.JR.
Barty was bored.
He’s been stuck in the professors office for close to an hour now. Having had his memories extracted first, all he could do now is sit here and listen to the Gryffindors whine. In Barty’s expert opinion they were all idiots.
Pettigrew was, like always, quiet and nauseatingly uninteresting.
Potters eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
Lupin was, outwardly, infuriatingly composed but the look in his eyes told a different story, as if he was far away. Good.
And don’t get him started on Evans. If it weren’t for that meddling, ginger toff, Sirius would be fine.
Sirius. He had become, in a shockingly small amount of time, an incredibly important person in Bartys life. Never in his life did Barty have someone to talk to like he could with the elder Black.
Every time Barty thought he was alone- alone in the way he was feeling, alone in the way he was treated, Sirius was there to comfort him. To tell him that he wasn’t alone. To tell him that he understood, he knew.
Being an heir wasn’t easy and being an heir who was different was even harder. Regulus was extremely good at pretending to be the good son, nod along to what their parents said, turn up at the functions and even agreeing to one day marry a pure-blooded witch and carry on their lineage. But not Barty. Not Sirius.
Sirius lived his honestly and openly and Barty was enthralled. While Sirius was struggling over the summer, healing, he took the time to listen to Barty, made sure Barty had the support he so clearly needed but didn’t get at home and that had cemented Sirius as one of Bartys favourite people to walk this earth and there was no way he would let even more harm befall him.
Walburga and Orion are people who tried to destroy Sirius but didn’t succeed.
James Potter and Remus Lupin very well could and that made them Bartys enemies. They had Sirius’ heart in the palm of their hand and carelessly formed a fist.
Even if Barty knew, deep down, that Sirius would forgive his friends in a heartbeat- Barty wouldn’t. That’s one thing he shared with Regulus rather than his brother. In Sirius’ eyes forgiveness for the ones you love is freely and wholeheartedly given. In Barty’s eyes it’s non-existent.
Fool me once- fuck you.
Fool me twice- you wouldn’t even get that far.
“Mr. Crouch!” McGonagall urged, successfully bringing Barty back from his inner thoughts. She was looking at him, eyes stern as if she had tried to get his attention several times now, “You are dismissed. I would very much appreciate it if you went to collect the younger Mr. Black from the infirmary and retire for the evening. Sirius will need his rest and so will all of you.”
Aha. Sly woman, she was giving him the chance to check on Sirius without having to sneak out again.
Barty had never much thought of the Gryffindor Head of House before this summer. Stern, collected and fair even if she had to discipline pupils of her own house but up until a few weeks ago, he would have categorised her as more of an apathetic teacher. It was no secret what families like the Blacks, the Couches or any other purebloods (minus the holy Potters, of course) were like. Battered children returning from holidays were usually ignored, not talked about.
And, if Barty may say so, the stigma around being sorted in Slytherin was down-right dangerous. It’s not like every single green tie wearing boy or girl instantly believes in the shit those Death Eater purists idiots think the second they are sorted. But, maybe, if they keep putting them in that box and treating them like that, cast out and evil, all it takes is for one person to take charge and promise them a better life, revenge.
Not like Barty would ever fall for that, why would he? He had his friends, his role models and his family, a family found outside of his home, outside of his blood. No, Barty only needs them but he will do anything to protect them, keep them. After a miserable and isolated childhood, Barty has found his place and he thrives in it. For the first time in years, he feels like he can do anything he sets his mind to with the support system that grew around him so effortlessly. Yes, Barty was a lucky man.
“I’ll come with, if you don’t mind.” Potter pleaded.
“I mind very much.” Barty scoffed, “You aren’t needed, traitor.”
Potter’s breath hitched and he looked close to tears again and if Barty didn’t know what they did to Sirius he might feel bad for the guy. But a person claiming to be ones best friend doesn’t just abandon them in their time of need. “I… Barty, I don’t understand what’s happening. Nobody is telling me anything, if I could just- fuck, If you could just tell me what I did wrong? Why you hate me so much all of the sudden?”
“Since when are so chummy with Black anyway?” Pettigrew hissed through clenched teeth, trying his best to look intimidating but failing miserably.
“Peter.” Lupin warned.
“Black, is it now? What a group of friends you make.” Barty mocked, “Bunch of no good cowards, the lot of you. If I were you, Lupin, Potter, I’d get rid of the little, pig faced rat-”
“Bartemius!” McGonagall cautioned.
“- as soon as possible. Especially you, Loony, what with your furry little problem and all that. Just because Snape is gone, doesn’t mean that you’re safe.”
“Is that a threat?” Lupin growled.
“It’s a fucking warning, you git. How do you think Snape even got the idea to go to the shack that night?” Barty snarled.
“Sirius.” Lupin stated, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
Barty barked a laugh so loud it startled all the others in the office, “Sirius? My, you are as loony as they say.” He turned to Peter, brows raised, “That’s what you told them? That Sirius blabbed?”, turning back to the other boys, “And when was he supposed to have done that? Before or after Snape sent him to the infirmary, cut open and bleeding, while this” – he frantically pointed at Pettigrew again- “was idly standing by and cowering like the weakling he is?”
“What…” Potter whispered, eyes wide.
Pettigrew grew red in the face, “I didn’t tell Snape anything!”
“Nah,” Barty laughed, eyes sharp, “But you didn’t stop him either, did you? Neither did you help your supposed friend. You let Snape into your mind, I’m betting you didn’t even put up a fight did you? Not like Sirius did, he pushed forward every other secret he had rather than betraying his best friends. You left him there and ran! And what do those ‘best friends’ do? Believe their sworn enemy over a person they’ve known for almost their entire lives. I’m looking at you here, Potter. To think I started to actually tolerate you last term. Everyone makes mistakes, I guess, but this will be the last time I make one. Now-” Barty slapped his knees and made to get up, “if you will excuse me, I have friends to see and take care of. Professor, if you don’t mind, I would like to talk to you again tomorrow? About that letter?”
The room was eerily silent, safe from a couple of hiccups coming from Evans, who Barty will admit he completely forgot was still there, until McGonagall finally spoke, “Of course, Bartemius, I will be in my office as soon as breakfast is over.” She said, adapting a comforting tone. “Now, off you go, Regulus will need convincing to retire and we both know he needs his rest.”
Barty nodded, mumbling out a quiet thank you and good night, and slowly walked towards the office door.
“Now, boys. I think it’s high time we talk about what happened last term-” was the only thing he heard before disappearing around the corner, not wanting to stick around while Pettigrew, hopefully, got his ass handed to him. He had more important things to do.
Regulus was, of course, still sitting next to his brother. Book in one hand, Sirius’ hand in the other, and a faraway look in his eyes. Sirius was fast asleep and Barty let out a sigh of relief at seeing him so still after the fit he had.
“Said it was a side effect from the many Cruciatus curses he endured.” Regulus murmured, not looking up from the spot his eyes were fixated at. “Some kind of nerve damage.”
Barty nodded dumbly, only realising after a while that he couldn’t see him, “R-right…” he stuttered, “Is- Do they- Is it permanent?”
“Probably would be if he stayed in that house a little bit longer… but Madame Pomfrey has a potion. Needs to drink it twice a day, that will be Marlenes job. To make him take it, that is, idiot complained about the taste for a solid hour.”
“He was awake then? How was he?”
“Yeah, for quite some time, tired himself out by whining about the potions, though. Pomfrey said she could probably make a potion for his hair as well, though it will taste even worse than the nerve elixir and that sent him into a right strop. In the end he resigned to taking the nerve one and grow his hair back naturally but I doubt it will be the last we hear of it.”
Barty hummed, ecstatic at hearing how much Sirius was still … well, Sirius. “Alright then, Reg, off to bed.”
Regulus snorted, “Yeah, no, you go ahead. I’ll stay here for the night.”
“Nuh-uh. You need to sleep.”
He looked at Barty with wide eyes and dramatically motioned around the room, “And that would be so hard here, what with all those empty beds standing around.”
“Just go to the dorms and sleep, Reggie. I’ll take the nightshift, if you’re worried.”
“As much as I find your infatuation with my brother amusing, it doesn’t give you the right to throw me out of here.”
Barty spluttered, “Infatu- WHAT? I’m not in love with your brother!”
Regulus quirked a single brow, “Never said you were. But you are infatuated. Or you have some weird crush on him. A saviour complex kink?” he mused.
“You are out of your mind-”
“Besides, I know you are in love with Evan. And not even Sirius could change that.”
Bartys shoulders slumped and he threw himself in the chair next to his best friend, “You know,” he started, softly, “if I were in love with Sirius, it wouldn’t have been a very nice thing for my best friend to say it in front of him. Even if he was sleeping.”
Regulus smiled, soft and comforting, “I know Sirius knows about Evan. I’m not blind, you know? Or dumb. Those late night talks you guys had over the summer. Looks you were giving each other…”
“Are you… are you mad?”
There was a pause, short but also never ending, until Regulus shook his head, “No, not mad. You both needed someone and I’m glad you found that in each other…”
“… but?” Barty prompted.
“I think-” Regulus paused, seemingly unsure how to continue, “I think I was sad. For a bit, there. My brother and my best friend, two people that I was supposed to help and be there for. And I obviously failed at that.”
“No!” Barty insisted, “Don’t say that, Reggie, please. And don’t think that either. I was- we were scared-”
“Of me?” Regulus whispered, voice so small that it made Bartys heart ache.
“No! Reg, that’s not at all where I was going with this. Sirius and I, we, well, there is- shit, there is so much pressure, Reg. From every fucking side, so much pressure and I thought I was the only one to feel like- to think like me. And- fuck, Reggie, I know it’s not easy for you either, not at all! But it’s… different. The way your parents see Sirius, the way mine see me, you know they see us as- fuck- fucking squares and that we fit in to this square fucking hole but we’re not, we’re not- we’re so fucking round, you know. And every time they try to force us into that hole something chips and breaks and all we want is to be round and fit perfectly into hole that is our fucking shape, you know? Every single thing we do, that we are, is wrong in their eyes and it- it eats away at you. And I thought I was alone, I thought I was… disgusting, but I wasn’t- I’m not. Sirius was the first person to show me that, to show me that it is perfectly fine to be me, how I am and how I feel. I was scared that you would see me differently, I admit to that. Not that you would hate me or act like our families, but that I wouldn’t be the Barty that you know, because that’s not how that works, you know, and I know that now.” He panted, too afraid to look up at his best friend.
Regulus mumbled something that Barty couldn’t hear.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“I’m round too.” His voice was barely above a whisper and his hands were shaking.
“Reg…”
“I know that I’m not the heir… I know that I will never know exactly how Sirius feels but I was also in that house. I only wished that I could be a comfort for both of you… Like Sirius has always been for me. But it’s not great for me either, Barty, I will never fit in the square hole either. I was just biding my time until Sirius was old enough to get me out, like he always said he would. And he did. Not like he envisioned, I’m sure, but he did.”
“You did, Regulus. You got him out, you got yourself out.” He murmured, “That’s your accomplishment, you were brave and you took him and you ran. If it weren’t for you- fuck. Reg, why didn’t you ever say anything?
“Why didn’t you?” he shot back lamely.
“Yeah, that’s fair.” Barty mused, looking over at Sirius, “You reckon he heard all of that?”
Regulus snorted, “Not a chance he didn’t. I can already hear him gloating, ‘If it weren’t for me being in that hospital bed, you kids would still be dancing around each other. THIS WAS MY MASTERPLAN ALL ALONG, YOUNGENS!’”
“He’ll be insufferable.” Barty groaned and watched as Sirius’ lips quirked upwards. “Oh, just put us out of our misery now, come on.”
Silence.
And then, “Hmmm.. tomorrow. Sleepy time now, off to bed now, youngens. That means both of you.” Sirius said sleepily.
“Siri-” Regulus protested.
“Reggie, nothing’s going to happen, Poppy won’t let anything happen. Go back to your dorm, have a good sleep and look forward to my gloating.” Sirius instructed, waving off his little brothers pout.
“Fine,” he huffed and gathered his things, “Let’s go, Barty. Good night, Sirius, if anything-”
“Yes, yes, I will send Padfoot, now go or I’ll march you back myself.”
Barty exhaled a laugh and took Regulus by the elbow, “Night, Sirius, glad to see you being your usual self!”
Sirius gave a lazy grin and waved, “Night, youngens!!”