Crookshanks
Over the next few weeks Regulus spent most of his lunches and breaks down at Hagrids Hut, sitting with Crookshanks and Muffin while he completed his homework.
He’d spent all of Friday dinner down with the cats, when Hagrid told him Crookshanks was ready to leave the hut, so Regulus took all the things he needed and trudged back to the dorms with the kitten in his satchel.
“The fuck have you been?” Barty snapped as soon as Regulus entered.
“Shutup you oaf you’ll disturb Crookshanks” Regulus retorted while placing his satchel on the ground and letting the timid ginger kitten explore his new surroundings.
“Hagrid let me keep a kitten in exchange for my help which is where I’ve been..doing jobs, keeping busy..” he trailed off.
Barty leaned up on his shoulders and leant over the bed to watch the kitten roam around the dorm, “Still not spoken to Sirius then I take it?” he muttered, and Regulus shook his head.
“Better out than in as Dorcas always says, leave the bloke a note or something if you don’t feel like talking yeah? Just try please I hate how you get when you guys are fighting,” Barty said as he pushed himself up from off of the bed and stalked over to ruffle Regulus’ hair, and open the door to Evan.
“How is it you always know when I’m coming through the door?” Evan asked as his eyes trailed the kitten tossing its tail around, “And who’s is that?”
“Reggies,” Barty sighed as he came up behind Evan and held him tightly “Hagrid let him have the runt I suppose,” he mumbled into Evans hair.
Barty was a very affectionate person with his loved ones and very cold to everyone else, which is something Evan secretly liked, it made him feel special. He would often do things like this with just Evan though, a recent progression that started last year just before summer.
Barty’s father had said something cruel to him in a letter, which he still upright refuses to talk about, and he had sat down completely clothed in the shower and cried while Evan talked to him from the other side of the door.
Since then, Barty has been a fraction more touchy with Evan than the rest of the group, which everyone had noticed but said nothing about, Evan had certainly noticed and he would be the last person to say a word about it, he planned to hold onto this as long as possible.
“I’m gonna go on a walk, clear my head and maybe drop a note off to Sirius so don’t stay up for me.” Regulus announced as he stood from the floor, scooping crookshanks up in his arms and slipping quietly out of the dorm door. At Regulus’ exit, Barty let go of Evan and padded over to his bed, stripping down to his boxers and getting under the covers.
“Tramp” Evan huffed as he went to brush his teeth for bed which Barty clearly didn’t plan on doing, he then got dressed in the bathroom and came back out in too many layers in Barty’s opinion, “I’ll never understand how you sleep in full kit Ev how do you not die of heat stroke” Barty groaned.
“Not everyone feels comfortable flashing the entire wizarding world thanks.”
“Whatever,” Barty grunted back, throwing an arm over his eyes as Evan got into bed, “Hey we should get pets if Reggie’s got one, the more the merrier, I mean we are already one dorm mate short may as well fill the void.”
“Why would I need a pet when there’s already a perfectly good rat that resides here?” Evan retorted earning him a pillow to the face.
“Fuck off and sleep.” Barty chuckled and turned over
Regulus quietly strolled about the castle that night, it was around 11.45, well past curfew, but he was particularly skilled in going unnoticed and staying hidden so he never got caught. He slipped through the crack of the slightly open door to the abandoned poetry classroom and placed Crookshanks down on the nearest desk.
He sat down and began writing a small note to his brother.
Sirius,
i am sorry i did not defend you, i was afraid of making mother more angry. I do not wish for us to fight, please talk to me. I will be in the astronomy tower tomorrow night at midnight.
- Regulus
Once he was finished with the note he carefully folded it up, picked up a very energetic Crookshanks, and exhaustedly hobbled up to the owlery where he handed the note to a school bird, Wingy, and politely asked her to deliver it to Sirius’ window.
As he was walking back from the tower, Crookshanks wriggled in his grasp and jumped out of Regulus’ arms, and began padding off into the darkness.
“Fuck.” He whispered to himself and picked up his pace to catch up with the little menace. After a few minutes he found Crookshanks playing with the laces of another boys shoes.
Too tired and frustrated to pay attention, Regulus bent down to pick up the kitten and quietly scalded him as he lifted him off the floor.
“My apologies about him, he is new to the castle and doesn’t quite understand the concept of staying put,” he said while still looking at his kitten, “Do you little man?”
“Thought you pair weren’t allowed pets to be honest.” The boy chuckled, which caused Regulus to look up at who he was actually talking to.
“Potter.” Regulus grunted.