Rumors (Adele sang it best)

“Bless your soul, you got your head in the clouds.” 

Remus used a spell to dry Arcturus’ clothing and leaned against his desk. Like his mother, the silence was absolutely terrifying. The boy could only look at his feet, shuffling them as he waited for Remus to say something, anything. He could tell it was going to be angry, or upset, or disappointed just by the silence alone. The silence in the empty classroom was deafening. 

“Tell your mother.” 

“What?” Arcturus looked up confused. 

“I want you to tell your mother what is happening.” Remus repeated more calmly. 

“...Why?” 

“I told Madame Pomfrey to keep an eye out for you because I was worried but- you’re getting locked out of the house dorm, Arcturus. Do you not see that this will get worse?” 

“You’re disappointed in me?” 

“Yes! You refuse to get help and try to handle this on your own but you can’t!” 

“I didn’t need anyone before and I don’t need anyone now, this is my burden to deal with.” Arcturus crossed his arms, that angered flame flickered in his eyes. 

“You don’t have to deal with it alone– “

“I don’t care, don’t tell me what to do. You are not my father.” Arcturus turned on his heel to leave but he stopped when Harry was there. 

Again. 

“I was just leaving.” Arcturus forced a smile and walked out of the room in a huff. 

“Ah, Harry what seems to be the matter– “ 

Arcturus scoffed to himself and adjusted his bag on his shoulder. At least his clothes weren’t wet anymore. Now all he had to do was go back and figure out why the barrel shot vinegar at him when that was supposedly the correct rhythm. 

That’s exactly what he did. 

He couldn’t count how many times the barrels sprayed him with vinegar but he was sure that they should have run out at some point. He was tired, and cold, and very upset. If he couldn’t sleep in his own bed then he might as well sleep outside. The creatures of the night made better company than any of his classmates anyway. Then for some reason he thought about Harry as he trudged through the halls, shoes squelching and clothes sticking to him. He looked like a wet dog in this state. Everyone absolutely loved Harry Potter. He was the boy who lived! Who couldn’t love that idiot? He struggled in classes but it was okay because Harry was the chosen one! Arcturus struggles in classes and they threaten to tell his mother. When Harry gets locked out of the dorms Professor McGonagall opens it for him but when Arcturus gets locked out he has to sleep with the bloody animals outside because Professor Sprout simply cannot be bothered to walk all the way across the damn school. 

The boy found himself a spot in the school and curled in on himself, his disgusting and smelly clothes stung his eyes but they didn’t make him cry. Everything that was happening was all because of his stupid name, something he couldn’t even control. He would rather be associated with muggles than anyone in the wizarding world. Hearing footsteps made him freeze like a deer in headlights. Sev rounded the corner, and as soon as he saw Arcturus huddled in a ball pressing into the brick wall he’d quite literally dropped the books he was holding and ran over. 

“Bloody hell! Are you okay? Who did this? Was it another Gryffindor? A Slytherin? Who?!” He’d gotten himself worked up over nothing. 

“Go away.” Arcturus only pushed lightly because deep down he didn’t want to shove him and hurt him. 

“Arcturus you’re soaking wet and you smell like vinegar! What happened?” Sev asked again, grabbing onto the boy's robes. 

“I said go away.” Arcturus tried to yank the fabric free. “I don’t want you here. I’m fine.” His face was covered in tears and his eyes were red. 

“Arcturus– “ 

“I said go away you bloody idiot! For Merlin’s sake can you listen for once?! I don’t want you here! I don’t need you here! We are not friends and never will be.” Arcturus had shoved him quite harshly with both hands. He looked like a wild animal backed into a corner. 

“I– Look, I just want to help.” Sev stepped back, looking down at his feet. 

“I don’t care! I don’t want or need your help!” Arcturus screamed at him. 

“Okay… I’ll just– I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning.” 

Dejectedly the blond picked his things up the floor and walked the way he came, his body language was stiff as Arcturus watched him walk off. Part of him wished he hadn’t been so cruel but he just couldn’t take it anymore, he couldn’t put up with his idiotic annoyance every damn day. He’d had it with everything that’s been happening. Arcturus sobbed there alone just like he’d been doing when he was a young boy because no one wanted to play with him. 

That was it, he was finally going to write to his mother. 

Picking himself up off the floor he opened the map and looked for a route to the owlery that wouldn’t take him through the school again. Another secret passage to take. He didn’t mind how claustrophobic the passages were but he wouldn’t want anyone to see him like this. To see him weak and then kick him while he was down. Luckily, the owlery wasn’t as small and opened up for the birds in various cages and perches. Pulling out one of his textbooks he hurriedly wrote out his letter to his mother as best he could without soaking the paper with his wet clothes, if it came home smelling like vinegar she might suspect that something happened. 

Sev passed by the courtyard and yelped when he was grabbed by the shoulders. Pulled into a hallway he was facing the twins, Fred and George Weasley, with wide grins on their faces. 

“Now, what do you two want?” He asked playfully. 

“Why are you mates with that Hufflepuff boy?” George asked. 

“Who? Arcturus?” 

“Yeah,” Fred nodded. 

“He never really said he didn’t want me around, so I just figured I would spend time with him.” Sev shrugged. “Why? Are you two jealous?” 

“No, no. We don’t get jealous, right Freddie?” 

“Right, Georgie.” 

“Hm, okay then, why are you asking?” 

“He’s been having a hard time so we gave him the map, but we haven’t seen him lately. You’re the only one who spends every day with him.” George said. “How has he been getting on with it?” 

“I don’t know. He’s been the same as always.” Sev scoffed, a frown finding a home on his face. 

“You’ve been having trouble with him?” Fred asked. Moving to sit on one of the benches. 

“Would you call, still refusing to be friends, trouble?” 

“He’s just having a hard time.” George put a hand on Sev’s shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. “He’ll come around eventually, especially since you stuck with him this long.” 

“I know… It’s just hard seeing him shut everyone out. I want him to know I’m there for him.” 

“Let him know in his own language.” Fred suggested. “Not everyone wants to hear it, some people like to be given something or like something to be done for them, hell even hugged or something like it.” 

“You two are getting too wise for your own good.” Sev rolled his eyes. 

“It helps having other siblings to help with their problems.” George shrugged. 

“Ugh, I wish I had siblings.” 

“It’s not as fun as it seems.” Fred commented. “Imagine sharing a bathroom with them.” He shivered. “If you’re not the first one there then you have to wait in line.” 

“Okay, I don’t wish I had as many siblings as you but I still wish I had one.” 

“We can give you one for free, I recommend Percy but then again he’s too stuck up even for you.” Fred laughed. 

“Anyone but Percy!” 

“Okay, okay. Take Georgie off my hands,” Fred grinned. 

“No, take Fred off my hands.” George argued. 

“How about I just take both of you?” Sev sat down next to Fred. “You’re both my friends, I can’t choose.” 

“Wouldn’t mind getting out of the house for a while.” George nodded. 

“Yeah, we’ll totally be your brothers!” 

“Wait– That means I’m going to have to share things, right? What kind of things?” Sev asked, genuinely going along with the joke. 

“Rooms, clothes, food.” George listed off things while counting with his fingers, then shrugged. “The usual stuff.” 

“How did we start talking about Arcturus and then the conversation evolved into siblings?” Sev laughed. “It’s like I could talk about a million topics with you two.” 

“It’s pretty standard to follow the flow of a conversation.” They nodded to each other.

Fred and George always knew how to make Sev feel better in the moment, but he still felt upset. He wanted Arcturus to know he was his best friend and would do anything to help him. He wanted to let him know that he was never going to leave, that he wasn’t one to abandon others. Of course, there was the possibility Arcturus was just saying that because he was upset and didn’t really mean it when he said they weren’t friends. The boy always seemed to be joking when he would say it before so why now is it any different? 

“Oh! We were planning on pranking some Ravenclaws just before dinner, are you in?” George asked, he could see the frown starting to form. 

“Of course! I love a good prank once in a while, besides I’d like to see their faces actually display emotion.” Sev snickered. 

Arcturus had come back from the owlery and stood in front of the barrels guarding the passage to the Hufflepuff dorms. When he heard footsteps approaching the barrels he immediately backed away into a dark corner, voices bouncing off the walls. Was this what he had become? Some shady guy waiting in the dark just to get into his dorm? As much as he wanted to sleep outside it had started raining just as he got to the courtyard which made him turn back. The first year Hufflepuff tapped on the barrel and just as she stepped into the tunnel he had snuck himself in before the entrance was closed behind them. The Hufflepuff common room was warm and bathed in a golden glow, a painting of Helga Hufflepuff was hanging above the fireplace staring at the opening of the tunnel. She was holding up a two-handed goblet with a motherly smile. Once the girl noticed Arcturus  she gasped and backed away, bumping into one of the end tables. Ignoring her he made his way to the dorms. Not only were his clothes disgusting but his hair was also quite gross. Tying it up with a muggle hair band he pulled out his trunk and searched for extra clothes, there wasn’t anything in the rules saying he had to go to dinner in his uniform. Pulling out a yellow hoodie, pants and black sneakers he set his bag down at the foot of his bed. 

The other boys hadn’t been sleeping in the dorm for about a week or so which meant he had more privacy than he needed. Getting changed without having to worry about the others around him was a relief. They were all boys but it was always just so strange. Grabbing his wand off the nightstand and picking up his bag he performed a spell to dry it and take away the horrible scent, the last thing he needed was to smell like vinegar during classes.

“Oh- I didn’t know you were here– “ 

Acturus turned around to see Justin-Finch Fletchly, a boy he had attempted to be friends with in the first year because they shared their classes together. 

“I was just leaving.” Justin turned on his heel. 

“Okay then,” Arcturus shrugged and dug through his trunk. There was something he was looking for. 

He had been stressed about not being able to come back to the dorms. Once he grabbed onto a box in his trunk he pulled it out from under all the clothes he packed. It was a black square case with a handle on it, two locks fastened to it closed. Flipping the locks open his eyes lit up seeing the red-tinted viola. Picking up the instrument he tucked it under his chin, letting out a contented sigh he took the bow out of the container and held it up. He had promised his mom he wouldn’t play it until he made friends but he really couldn’t take any more of this without just playing it once. The music that met his ears was warm and inviting, even if he was just plucking random notes in a random pattern. He could only think of the Hogwarts song that Flitwick was teaching the choir, sung at the beginning of every year. Picking out the notes of the song he began to play it, stopping every couple of minutes because it didn’t sound quite right to him and starting over. If he played the viola with his roommates around they would surely do something to it just because he’s so evil and cruel in their mind. 

“On second thought, I don’t actually care that you’re in here– “ Justin had just opened the door to see Arcturus holding his viola. “What the– “

“Tell no one you saw this.” Arcturus was quick to hide the instrument behind his back.

“Saw what?” 

“Exactly!” Arcturus forced a smile. “What do you want?” 

“I left my wand in my nightstand.” Justin still stayed far away from Arcturus but he pulled his wand from the top drawer of the nightstand next to his unoccupied bed, the curtains still drawn. 

“You’ve been going without a wand for the last couple of weeks?” 

“Yeah, it’s harder than you think.” 

“Well, duh, it takes an extremely powerful witch or wizard to perform wandless magic.” Arcturus chuckled. “No way you can ace it in a couple of weeks.” 

“No, uh– I’ll be seeing you.” Justin said goodbye awkwardly. There was no reason to be awkward because they weren’t friends, but it may just be because no one has really seen Arcturus in a while. At least no one from his own house.

“Ugh!” Arcturus flopped on his bed after putting the viola away. The curtains around the four posters were drawn so he was just in the dark for a bit. He was covering his face with the sleeves of his hoodie. 

There was no way he could ever try to be friends with anyone from his house ever again. Not just because this year happened to estrange them all but because the animosity might not go away in just one year. Laying face down in his pillows he held his breath. Why was this year so difficult? He just wanted to have another calm, normal year compared to Harry Potter. That buy almost always seemed to be at the center of everything bad, even now he was at the center of the rumors. All because people wanted to protect him.