Safe & Sound

Barty sat in his chair next to Evan, waiting patiently for The Dark Lord to arrive at the meeting. He felt his heart pounding in his head as he gripped Evan’s hand under the table. Barty saw him in the corner of his eye, looking as nervous as Barty is feeling. He heard the wards warping, signalling that Voldemort had arrived. The hairs on his arms stood straight up as he gripped Evan’s hand even tighter, if that was even possible. 

When he entered the room, a small chubby boy followed him in pursuit. Barty recognised him immediately. It was Pettigrew. One of “the marauders” as they called themselves when they were still at school. Barty raised his brows in surprise as he turned to look at Evan, the boy next to him had the exact same reaction. Voldemort signalled to Pettigrew to sit. Barty sighed when he realised the only empty seat was next to him. Pettigrew sat down awkwardly, holding his breath, not daring to speak a single word. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Pettigrew.” Barty broke the silence as he slightly leaned towards Pettigrew, whispering to him. Pettigrew turned his head to look at him but his mouth was kept shut. “You finally turned on your friends?” Barty tried again. This seemed to get a reaction out of Pettigrew.

“I’m not turning on them, I’m doing what’s best for me. I’m just trying to survive this war.” Pettigrew whispered quite angrily back at him. A smirk appeared on Barty’s face as he wanted to push even further.

“Tell me, what do you think Potty would think of you turning against him? I always thought you would follow him around like a lapdog.” Barty continued. Pettigrew’s face slowly started to turn red in anger but before he could reply, Voldemort started speaking. 

“Now now, be nice to our new member. Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Peter Pettigrew, he will be spying for us on the order.” Barty let out a shiver as the tones of Voldemorts voice reached his ears in an unpleasant way. 

“I have another attack planned which may be the key to winning this war. As we all know, Barty Crouch Senior has a high role in the ministry. The next person in line is one of us,” He said as he turned to look at a deatheater Barty had seen a few times when he went to visit his father at the ministry which he rarely did. 

“So, the attack will be on Crouch. We haven’t picked out anyone who will attack him. So do we have any volunteers?” Barty lifted his right hand, seeing that his left hand was grasped tightly by his boyfriend. Barty has been waiting for this particular attack since he heard that they will overtake the ministry.

“I don’t think so, Crouch. You have a personal bond with the victim which increases the chance of the attack failing and putting us in more danger.” Voldemort started again, which made Barty drop his hand in disappointment. His left hand suddenly felt cold. 

Evan had raised his hand.

Evan Rosier who wouldn’t kill anyone even if his own life was on the line had volunteered to murder Barty’s father. Barty looked at him in confusion. But only anger flashed across Evan’s face. It scared Barty. 

It seems as if Barty zoned out for the entire meeting. His hand felt cold as Evan never returned their hands together. Before he knew it, he was being nudged by the boy who was racing through his mind. “It’s over, let’s go home,” His voice was softer than Barty expected it to be. It was as if Evan was a whole different person after he volunteered to murder Barty’s father. 

— 

Evan sat at his dinner table, Barty infront of him. Barty avoided his eyes at all times as Evan tried to talk to him. After a while he just gave up and stopped trying to contact him. 

The silence was thick before Barty’s voice broke it. “Why did you volunteer,” He asked, eyes still focused on the table. 

Evan was shocked at this. Why did I volunteer? 

Seriously?

Finally, Barty looked up at him and Evan wondered if he had said that out loud. “Barty, he’s abusive,” Evan started. “But you don’t kill. You told me before we became deatheaters that you would never kill anyone!” Barty’s voice raised slightly as they held eye contact for the first time at home. 

“You’re right, I don’t want to kill a person. But your father isn’t a person. He’s not even a human. He abused you for years!” Evan shot back at him.

“But that doesn’t mean that you have to bend your morals for me!” 

“I’m not doing it for you!” Evan shot back.

Barty looked at him, eyes wide. 

“I’m doing it for me! Do you remember the countless times that he had almost beaten you to death and you showed up at my doorstep? Do you remember the times that you sent me a help signal and I came to you to help you when you were wounded again?” Evan started again, feeling frustration rise. Barty looked down at the table again as his hands started shaking at the memories. 

“You always just play it off with confidence after everything but he really did hurt you!” Evan continued, shivering as he remembered Barty laying in his arms as he was bleeding and shaking from the pain. 

—

Bartemius and Barty floo’ed home from the ministry, his father’s face red in anger. In front of him was his son, with a smug smile on his face. He had finally pushed his father over the edge and showed everyone at the ministry who he really is. He remembered the shocked faces of everyone around them as his father yelled at him while he just stood there. With a smile on his face. 

When his father realised that everyone was watching, he grabbed his son by the arm and rushed to the fireplaces to floo out of there. Barty let himself be taken with, knowing that there was no turning back. 

As they stood in the dining room, he felt a sharp pain across his cheek as his father had slapped him across the face. It was a weak slap and Barty had the urge to smile even wider than he already was. But before he could, he heard his father mutter a spell and his body was overtaken by this excruciating pain. 

He dropped to his knees as he clutched his stomach, trying desperately to numb the pain.

It was the cruciatus curse. 

No.

His brain short circuited as his brain was shutting down slowly. He couldn’t think about anything other than the pain. He couldn’t breathe as he felt the curse squeeze his lungs together. 

It felt like centuries that his father had held on to the curse. But when the curse dropped, Barty still felt the pain. His whole body ached. It wasn’t actively hurting him even more. It was just there. 

He heard the door slam, his ears slightly muffled and ringing. He finally let out a sob. A few shallow breaths as he tried to calm himself down. He turned his head towards the fireplace and pulled himself closer to it.

As the warmth of the fire caressed his face, he leaned into the fire and focused on Evan’s house. After a few seconds, Pandora’s face appeared in front of him. 

He can recall calling Evan’s name like a mantra, repeating it over and over again before his vision turned completely dark.

—

Evan was seated in the family library, barely focused on the book when Pandora burst through the door. “There’s something wrong with Barty.” 

He immediately felt his heart drop as Barty’s name left her mouth.

Before he knew it, he stood in the fireplace, throwing floo powder to his feet. The journey felt way too long as he feared whatever was waiting for him. When he appeared on the other side of the floo network, he bumped into Barty. 

His cheek was slightly red, indicating that his father had slapped him across the face. Evan was blinded by rage, wanting to search the whole house for Barty’s father and murder him. It has been countless times that Barty was wounded and Evan had to save him. 

Evan has had enough. He wouldn’t even care if he was sent to Azkaban, if that man pays for what he did, Evan will die in peace. 

Snapping back to the situation before him, he knelt down and held his ear against Barty’s ribcage, trying to hear a heartbeat. He let out a breath, he didn’t know he was holding in as he heard a slow but steady heartbeat. 

He momentarily closed his eyes as he felt the familiar warmth of his lover. 

Since Evan’s father was away for the week, he didn’t have to hide Barty from anyone in his home. He lifted Barty up in his arms and moved back into the fireplace and repeated grabbing the floo powder and throwing it to his feet. 

Pandora and his mother were waiting in the office room in his house, looking worried. His mother immediately stepped in to help him carry Barty to the couch that was in front of the fireplace. 

She had a potion in her hands, opened the cork and held Barty’s head in her hands, urging him to drink it. This hadn’t been the first time so his mother had come prepared. Evan couldn’t help but just stand there, still like a statue. His breaths were short as anger and fear clung onto him, filling up his whole body. He felt his eyes prick as his vision blurred. 

Suddenly after what felt like hours, Pandora’s hands cradled his face. He could barely make out her face through the tears but he heard her voice. Which immediately slowed down and deepened his breaths. Her effect on him was instant. Still, the panic seeped through the comfort from his sister. 

Now, his anger had transformed into panic, he trembled at the thought of ever losing Barty. It was as if he was under a trance, his sister wasn’t able to snap him out of it and neither was his mother. He kept breathing hard until he realised that his mother and Pandora had moved him towards the couch where Barty was now seated. 

When he felt Barty’s hand in his, his senses started to flood back again.  

—

Evan’s hands shook with anger and fear as he recalls those countless moments that Barty came back from the holidays and he was bruised all over, the times that he held Barty in his arms as he shook, scared to go “home”. All the times that he had to wake up the love of his life when he had a night terror again. 

“There is no one I despise more than your father, you know that!” He exclaims. Barty made an irritated sound and sighed deeply. “Just because he’s a dick and you hate him, doesn’t mean you have to be a killer! When we ‘joined’ the deatheaters we swore not to become like them. If you go through with this, You’ll become what we both hate. What Regulus hated.” 

Evan takes a step back when Barty finishes his sentence. It was as if he was punched in the face, like a wave of ice-cold water had crashed over him, numbing him like a thousand needles piercing his skin. “Don’t bring Regulus into this.” Evan’s voice shook as he choked on air as that name left his mouth. It’s been a long time since they’ve spoken about Regulus. He supposes that the weight of losing their best friend was too much to bear. 

“Just–” Barty begins again, yet he choked on emotion and he looked up at Evan with scared eyes. “Don’t go through with it, please Rosie.” He extended one hand to Evan’s face, cradling it. Evan leaned into the touch as if it was like breathing. “I’ll try to get out of it, and if Voldemort doesn’t let me back out, we’ll kidnap him, fake his death and keep him locked in our basement.” Evan jokes, the energy in the room finally lifting slightly. 

Barty bites back a laugh and reduces it to a chuckle, he can’t let Evan know he thinks it’s a great idea yet. “Ofcourse, Rosie.” He smiles, relief filling his body to the brim and making his head light. 

“I’m sorry Barty, I’ll think more carefully next time.” Evan sighs as he presses a kiss to his forehead. Yet, Barty looks up at that and quirks an eyebrow. “Next time?” 

Evan laughs brightly and pulls his boyfriend into a hug. “You know what I mean.” Barty laughs and pinches Evan’s bicep, making Evan yelp and squirm before they both erupt in laughter.