It had been two months since summer break ended. Two months in which Regulus, Pandora, Evan and Barty hadn’t seen Dorcas who was now finished with school and had moved in with Marlene.
But today they got to meet up at some pub in Hogsmeade.
Especially Barty had been exited for days about this. Tho he would never admit it Dorcas was like his best friend. That one person he would tell everything, well almost everything.
Regulus was complaining about the new Transformations Professor when Dorcas looked up and saw Barty coming back with their drinks.
"Wait Barty is that my jacket?", Dorcas asks, looking at the leather jacket he was wearing.He definitely stole it.
"This? No, I don't think so", Barty smirks and sets the drinks down.
"You little shit I've been looking for that. Thought I lost it during the move", they get up and catch Barty’s arm.
This was how they always were, bickering and fighting till the others couldn’t hear it anymore. And they liked it. This dynamic. Pushing each other around, spitting insults at each other and knowing that they never had to worry with another.
"Give that back, shithead“, Dorcas tries to get the jacket off him.
"Mhhh i don't think i will", Barty says with a smirk as he shoves them away.
Something playful flicks in Dorcas' eye and they start going after him. Barty jumps out of the way receding a few steps back.
They needed this. Going after each other after Months of not seeing each other.
A few moments later of course Dorcas caught him and started to pull their jacket off of him.
"No shit, Cas wait!", Evan yelled suddenly after having studied them with intense eyes the whole time. He gets up trying to stop the fighting duo, but Dorcas had pulled the jacket off of Bartys left arm and-
shit.
"What the fuck", Dorcas whispered staring in disbelief at Barty‘s arm.
his arm.
the ink.
the mark.
themarkmarkmarkmarkmarkmarkmarkMarkMarkMarkMarkMArkMARKMARKAMRKAMRKMARKMARKMARKMARK
the dark mark.
Dorcas stumbled back still staring at Barty who was pulling the jacket back on hiding the dark markmarkmarkMarkMarkMAR-
They felt their breath catching, pulse going up. Blood rushing in their ears drowning out the noises of the lively bar.
Pandora and Regulus looking from each other back to Dorcas, Evan looking concerned at Barty who was staring holes in the floor. The silence resting heavy over them.
"Cas", Evan said looking up at them, "this is not what you- you don't underst-"
"I don't fucking understand?!", they spat at him, "ohh, you don't know how much i understand."
Dorcas' eyes that were still fixed on Barty spun to Evan now. They looked him up and down, nodding their head.
"you got it too", not a question, a statement.
Now it was Evan turn to look away from Dorcas' piercing gaze, who was already looking questionably at Pandora. Their lips quivering, almost looking pleading.
Pandora shook her head, "no i don't- uhm yea, i didn't. Evan got it for me. I'm free from uhm- our parents i guess. I was fucking angry at him too and he's an idiot, but yea. He was just being a big brother so uhm- don't uhm-", her rambling sentence died.
Dorcas' look was back on Barty who met her gaze.
Scared.
Scared of loosing his best friend.
Knowing he already did.
"And you? why'd you get it huh? Cause you're a bitch for Evan or you're obsession to go against your daddy in every way possible until you'll fucking die for him hoping that then he'll finally pay any fucking attention to you. Tell me. Come on. I wanna FUCKING KNOW!" , Dorcas was furious. She wanted to burn the world down. Barty in it. And die and hurt and not look at him and locking eyes with him as he dies.
She felt a hand on their shoulder. Shoving Regulus off, tearing their gaze from Barty, scoffing and turning to leave. No-one stopping them. Stepping out in the dark alley.
Where's the way back?
Fuck.
"Dorcas, please just wait", Barty. Yelling after them. Wanting to talk. They spun around.
"What."
"Can we just talk?"
"Talk? Give it a fucking go then.", they hissed. Trying to hold back their already overflowing anger.
"I'll follow Evan everywhere. And he'll follow me. That's just how it is and fuck I know that that's stupid but he's what I got. And I'm sorry for putting him over me but I'm not really and-"
Dorcas laughed.
It was a bitter laugh.
"Don't try to deny your fucking daddy issues by claiming your love for Evan is greater then anything. This was for your dad and only for him. I bet you're already dreaming about him being angry at you. Yes, dad give me attention. Remember when you flunked your OWLs and were telling us how your dad yelled and gave you shit. You wanna know what I saw then in your eyes? Pride."
"That's not true", his voice revealing an emotion Dorcas couldn't sort.
"I don't do shit for my dad. This is against him. I want him to know he failed. I don't care that he doesn't give a shit about me. I just want him to fail."
"No, you do care. You care soooo much, don't you see? Why'd you fuck up the OWLs? Cause you were too stupid? No, shit you're smarter then Regulus. So that he couldn't ignore you anymore. Why'd you start fucking guys in 4th year? Cause it was fun or cause your dad sent you a howler when he found out? That was the first time he ever wrote to you. You do everything for him. Not to please him but to go against him and it's fucking your whole life. By living for him your giving him the most satisfaction and you don't even notice. You're an idiot."
Barty looked down at the floor again fighting back tears. Not because of his father. Never because of his father, but because this was it.
He lost them.
His Dorcas who had that compassionate smile when he would rant about his father, whose clothes he stole and didn't give back, who he practiced quidditch with until they'd end up trying to throw each other off their brooms, who he'd help sneak into gryffindor tower, who he couldn't go a day without starting some fight over anything.
His Dorcas, who was no longer his Dorcas.
"You gonna tell anybody?", what else was he supposed to say. They wouldn't wanna hear it.
"No. But you're dead to me. If I see any of you on the battlefield I'll kill you without a second thought", they meant it. Oh how they meant it. Dorcas turned a final time walking away.
"Cas? I-", Barty didn't know what he wanted to say as he saw his best friend walk away.
Forever.