Chapter 4
Barty had been seven when his father had first hit him. He had been playing outside when he had seen two men walking past his house, hand in hand; he had immediately thought it looked wonderful and found himself excited for when he was older and could be someone like that.
Running excitedly into his house, he burst open the kitchen door where his mother and father were sitting quietly, barely talking to each other, as usual.
“Mummy! Mummy!” His mother had spared a small glance at his father as if she was worried that even at seven years old, Barty was taking up too much space. “What is it honey?”
“I saw two men together and I can’t wait to grow up to have that!” he had announced proudly, oblivious to what he had just done.
His mother froze, turning straight away to look at Bartemius Crouch Sr.
His gaze was ice, brimming with barely contained fury and Barty barely had a chance to run before the sharp sting of his father’s palm smacked him across the face. Barty fell to the floor, clutching at the red palm mark on his cheek and gaping at his father who just stood over him scowling.
Kneeling down, the older Crouch sneered, “I don’t want to hear that in my house, it’s disgusting, it’s abhorrent. ” standing back up, he began to walk away before turning around briefly, “oh and Barty, if you ever say anything like that again, you won’t be welcome in this house.”
From then on, Barty learnt not to repeat that.
See, the problem with Barty’s house was that it was always too empty and too constricting at the same time as if it could tell that it wasn’t full of enough care and affection. And Barty loved his mum, he really did but she was just as much of a victim, she never stopped the beatings nor did she try.
Then, Barty had gone to Hogwarts and that’s where he had seen Regulus Black. He thought that Regulus was the most beautiful eleven year old he had ever seen, with big downturned grey eyes and a sharp jawline. He was aristocratic and elegant, like a black cat, a comparison that if mentioned to Pandora would make her burst out laughing even if he didn’t really understand why.
Barty had loved Regulus all his years at Hogwarts and they even briefly had a fling in the winter of their fifth year but they were too incompatible. They just didn’t work. And Barty at fifteen years old had been absolutely destroyed, this was everything he had been waiting for and it was going to end because they were too different? How was that fair?
Evan had tried to help, of course he did, he was stuck in a dorm with the two of them and it went from them huddled behind the curtains of the other’s bed to barely speaking and turning away from each other. It wasn’t really Regulus’s fault, Barty just refused to accept that something as unchangeable as personalities was going to be the thing keeping them apart.
Barty was too fiery and vicious, Regulus needed someone that could gently ease him out of his shell and make him feel comforted and safe but that someone wasn’t Barty and couldn’t be. This was hard for him to come to terms with at first and it didn’t help that he had to see Regulus literally everywhere but then Dorcas Meadowes entered his life like the saving grace he had been waiting for.
See, when you grow up with someone like Bartemius Crouch Sr. as a father, it was probably a bit naive to expect to walk away unscathed. Dorcas had helped him accept that it was okay to be queer and didn’t make him any less of a person, and Merlin, he was thankful to her for it.
After seeing someone like Dorcas, who was in the year above, and miles cooler than he was, be so out about her sexuality and actually proud of it, it made Barty realise that a sexuality didn’t have to be what makes a person, it was just another part of him.
He had explained this to Regulus a little, partially to apologise for how he acted and partially to try and make him understand. Regulus had listened intently like he always did but he wasn’t sure if he actually understood. He was just so logical and for him, even after growing up in the household he did, it didn’t make sense for him to think something was wrong just because his parents had said so or at least not internalise it to the extent that Barty did.
But that was okay. He didn’t need Regulus to relate just to pardon him out of this strange limbo that their friendship was drifting in so they could be back to normal, something Evan was exceedingly grateful for as well.
He hadn’t gotten over Regulus immediately, it would have been incredibly difficult to do so considering Regulus made him feel so damn special. He had this quality that made him untouchable so to be wanted by someone ethereal, made Barty feel as if he was worth something for once.
Luckily by the time their sixth year had started, Barty was completely over Regulus and learning to like himself without someone else being a factor. It was difficult but it was worth it, and the help of people like Dorcas and Evan made it feel as special as Regulus’s touch.
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Back in the Marauders dorm, Sirius and the others were still reeling from breakfast.
“That was… bloody brilliant!” Peter said, still looking dazed. James winced feeling how volatile Sirius was at the moment and he wasn’t sure that hearing one of his best mate’s sing his brother’s praises would do him any favours.
Sirius, however, was quiet until he looked up and said in a small voice, “yeah. It was actually.”
Remus who had put a comforting arm around him looked at him in surprise, Sirius seemed to register this and rolled his eyes, “I mean he’s obviously still a posh prat but I feel a bit stupid now y’know? Like I always thought I had him figured out and nothing was really going to change my opinion of him but what if..?” Sirius trailed off hesitantly, “what if he isn’t actually a bad guy?”
The other three were silent, not knowing how to respond to this confession but James smiled at Sirius encouragingly, “I think now that you guys are both away from your parents, it might be worth trying to have a relationship again? I mean he is your brother.”
Sirius seemed to absorb this as he sat still huddled into Remus before sitting up and nodded. “You’re right Prongs, if there’s any chance that Regulus is actually a good person I want to make it work with him.”
“He’s also really cool,” Peter piped up unhelpfully not backing down when Sirius turned to glare at him, “I mean come on Padfoot, he put Snape in his place easily and even used a wandless hex, I get why people call him the Slytherin Prince.”
Sirius looked at him weirdly, “People call him the Slytherin Prince? Since when?”
Peter shrugged, “I’m pretty sure since his fifth year? I think it was because the current bunch of seventh years were bullying the new first years and during the night, he magicked their beds into the Black Lake and refused to let them back in until they were nicer.”
Sirius groaned, “Godric, being called the Slytherin Prince probably didn’t help his ego, he’s always been too bloody clever for his own good.”
James was silent, musing on the title. Slytherin Prince . It seemed to work in his mind for Regulus, I mean the way he held himself and his general behaviour was almost like royalty and it seemed fitting for him to have such an epithet.
There was something about Regulus that made him impossible to forget and the four boys all sat quietly thinking about what had just occurred.
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“Barty!” Evan greeted as Barty strolled into their dorm, “please tell Regulus that he has to come to the Halloween ball tonight.”
Regulus rolled his eyes, “Having another idiot tell me I should spend my evening around a bunch of semi-inebriated half-wits all dressed up in awful costumes vying desperately for the attention that their underdeveloped brains crave, will not make me want to go.”
Both Barty and Evan blinked at him slowly, “Reggie I’m not even going to question what you just said,” Evan said, “but please go, it won’t be fun if all of us aren’t there together! Dorcas and Pandora are going and it would be nice for our group to actually spend some time together this century.”
Evan had an impressive skill at getting people to do anything he wanted, it was probably due to the fact that he was without a doubt one of the most goodhearted people in Hogwarts. He never really asked for anything and Regulus was not immune to the classic Rosier blue eyes.
Shifting slightly and looking uncomfortable, Regulus scowled, “Fine. But I refuse to dress up and you are going to get Dorcas and Pandora here beforehand so we can have some real fucking ale before sipping on that degenerate ‘ punch ’.”
Barty stifled a laugh, only Regulus would agree to be nice but manage to incorporate an order and an insult in the same sentence.
Evan nodded gleefully, quickly writing a note and enchanting it to find Dorcas and Pandora to let them know.
Regulus hummed thoughtfully, “I suppose it is helpful if I think about it not as celebrating Halloween but as Samhain?”
Barty laughed, “Reg what is Samhain?” and watched as Regulus’s eyes grew wide with uncharacteristic emotion visible in them.
“You don’t know what Samhain is?” he asked in disbelief.
“Merlin Evan, I’ve done it! I’ve actually managed to shock Reggie darling into acting like a real person!” Barty cackled, grabbing Evan and hugging him before running around pretending to do a victory dance.
Regulus looked unamused, narrowing his eyes at Barty, “Yes well done Bartemius, your idiocy should be greatly congratulated.”
Barty stopped and scowled, “don’t call me Bartemius,” he hissed.
“Okayyy,” Evan stepped between the two, “before an argument starts, Reg why don’t you tell Barty what Samhain is.”
Regulus sniffed haughtily and closed his book, “Alright fine, Samhain was originally a Pagan festival and is a time when the veil between our world and the spiritual world is at its thinnest so is often a time to remember the dead. It was what the wizarding world used to celebrate as we are Pagans before it was overtaken by the tacky muggle holiday, Halloween.”
Barty nodded as Regulus continued, “I was only surprised you didn’t know what it was as you are a pureblood so most of us grew up with the ancient traditions rather than the newer holidays like Halloween and Christmas, which are just a gross religious appropriation on our festivals.”
“Okay okay, fine Reg, you can celebrate Samhain in uptight black robes while the rest of us dress up” Barty conceded, raising his hands as if to show him surrendering.
Regulus smirked, “Oh I won’t be wearing my dress robes actually,” his eyes twinkled as both Barty and Evan leant forward to be let in on the secret that Regulus was supposedly revealing.
“Now that I’m living with Uncle Alphard who has a house in South Kensington, he got me some muggle clothes which I quite like so I could go out without being stared at.”
Evan leant back whistling, “Our Regulus in muggle clothing, a miracle has truly happened, the Blacks would be so pleased.”
Regulus grinned, a miniscule one but a grin nonetheless, “oh trust me part of the reason I’m wearing it tonight is to stick it to my cunt of a mother.”
Barty and Evan both let out surprised barks of laughter, Regulus wasn’t one to swear but when he did, it was so much more satisfying.
Regulus smirked again before reaching into his drawer to take out a cigarette and lit it. “Now piss off I’m trying to read.”