Prologue
Barty and Regulus had been friends since they first met on the Hogwarts train in their first year. Over the years, Barty developed new feelings toward his best friend. He at first would ignore it, not thinking anything about it, but how could he when Regulus looked angelic when he slept in his arms and when Regulus would sometimes hug him when he was happy? The only problem was that his best friend was in love with a popular Gryffindor who was friends with his brother, Sirius.
First, Regulus said nothing would ever happen between him and James, but before all knew it, in 1976, James and Regulus got together first; it was secret, then over time, their close friends knew. Barty was heartbroken. He wanted to be James! He wanted to be the one that his dear Reggie loved! Then, one day, something happened between Regulus and Barty, and Regulus focused more on James and needed more time for Barty. This angered Barty.
"He took our best friend, Ev!" Barty yelled angrily. Evan looked at Barty with a frown.
"Barty, they're dating! At times, Reg will choose him over us! You'll understand when you fall in love!" Evan replied, trying to make Barty understand, but Evan didn't know that Barty felt a certain way towards their friend. He just got up and left their dorm with a firey anger.
Over time, Regulus and Barty's friendship was almost nonexistent. This hurt Barty so much. "How could he do this? He took Reg away from me..." Barty whispered to himself. He looked out the window of their dorm, then looked over at Regulus' empty bed, then back at the window. He found the star that Regulus was named after. "This will be the stupidest thing I'll ever do, but please! Bring Reg back to me! Even if it's friendly!"
After so many nights of wishing on his friend's star and tears that were spilled, Barty never gave up, but he got more and more desperate to the point that Barty didn't sleep or eat some days. "Why not me?" Barty would say repeatedly to the star, but he would only do that when he was calm and had sleep and ate, but on those days that he didn't sleep and eat, he would be furious or, in Evan's words, "He's crazier than usual!" Barty would start throwing things and breaking or ripping things up, but once he came across something of Regulus', he would fall and cry.
//
It was a winter night in 1977 when Regulus finally returned and noticed the place was off. There were fewer things of Barty's, and Evan wasn't there. The room felt empty except for Barty, looking at the night sky through a window. He didn't notice that his best friend was there. He couldn't tell that Regulus was concerned.
"Barty?" Regulus called out. The other boy turned his head quickly at Regulus' name. He jumped to his feet and hugged his best friend. "Barty, what the hell happened here?" Regulus asked. Barty just hugged him tightly and didn't say a word. Regulus didn't say anything after that and hugged Barty back.
But their time together was again cut short because that night, Regulus went back to James and didn't come back.
//
From the beginning of 1978, Barty was getting better at his actions and didn't go into episodes like he used to. Evan could sleep in their dorm without fearing something terrible would happen because of Barty.
Then, one day in February, Regulus came back to their dorm, heartbroken and crying. Barty ran to his best friend and embraced him. Regulus told him what happened. James found out about the mark he had gotten over Christmas break. James thought he wanted the spot and was "truly as evil as his parents."
"Reg, he doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just shocked. You're not like your parents. You're better than them," Barty said soothingly. Regulus wiped his eyes and nodded, but for the rest of that night, Regulus stayed close to Barty.
After that night, their friendship was getting back to what it used to be, and Barty's feelings were coming back stronger than before.