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Barty woke up panting on the cold concrete floor of the cell. He immediately turned to Regulus, to check if he's alright, to check if he's still there. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw his friend's chest heaving regularly with each breath. He sat up and leaned against the dirty wall behind him. He let out a hiss when the hard surface scratched against his burnt skin covered in cloth.
Barty had kept the true extent of his wounds a secret. He hadn't told Regulus about the fractured ribs in his chest, nor about his stomach filled with his own blood. He didn't want to worry him. He didn't want to be a burden. If he had his wand with him, he could easily heal himself, but something inside him knew he wouldn't even if he could. You don't deserve it, said a voice inside his head. The feeling of pain grounded him, brought him comfort. He'd gotten used to it. He deserved it, it was his to feel.
Regulus knew something was wrong with Barty, but he was too caught up in his thoughts to figure it out. He was thinking about ways to escape, to get back to James. He didn't notice the way Barty hissed when he hugged him when they'd reunited, he didn't notice his limp nor the blood he coughed up. He told himself Barty was just being weird as always when he covered up his pain.
Every time Barty showed signs of being hurt, he dismissed it and changed the topic. He knew Regulus couldn't do wandless magic, so it would be worthless telling him. It was enough that they'd been locked up in this place, he didn't want to add to the problems.
Barty didn't plan on telling him how they'd regrew his fingers and then cut them off again, over and over until he couldn't feel pain anymore. He didn't want him to see the scars all over his body, every day reminding him of his pain. His pain was nothing compared to Regulus'. It wasn't worth telling. It wasn't supposed to hurt as much.
But Barty did hurt, so much. Every day he woke up and told himself to stop hurting, it wasn't that serious to cry over. But then he remembered how they had brought his father in, how they showed him his only son, covered in blood and barely breathing, and how he only spared him one look of disgust and left. They knew he wouldn't take him, knew he would make no attempt to save him. They only did it to truly break him, to show him his father never wanted him, that he wouldn't care even if he died.
Everytime he closed his eyes, he could see the look of shame and disgust in his father's eyes. Each time his eyes never failed to fill with hot tears. He felt ashamed at first, but after a few weeks alone with his thoughts, his chest burnt with rage. He grew to despise his father more than ever before. Because this wasn't just their typical bickering, this isn't about grades or who he hangs out with. This was about him. It depended on his father whether he lived or died, and he made his choice pretty damn obvious. So Barty swore he would never let a thought or a memory of the one who gave him life cross his mind ever again. He would never shed a tear because of that man ever again. He wasn't worth it.
Regulus stirred in his spot on the ground. “Barty?” His eyes were hazy with sleep. “Where are you?”
Barty shimmered closer and reached out to hold his hand. “I’m here, I won't leave you,” he whispered as he brushed the other’s raven hair. Regulus hummed contently and closed his eyes, slowly drifting into dreamland again.
Regulus’ eyes shot wide open again when a loud bang echoed through the cell. They both started coughing, the dust irritating their eyes. But then, they heard other voices too.
“I told you, idiot! If you use a broken wand, it’ll fucking backfire back at you,” a familiar voice scoffed.
“It's not broken! It's just… slightly bent, ‘s all.”
Barty helped Regulus get on his feet. They stepped closer to where the bars previously stood and tried to see through the cloud of dust.
Their jaws fell at the sight of their three best friends, messy hair and dusty clothes, standing there in front of them with their mouths formed into wide grins.
Their smiles fell as soon as their eyes landed on Barty. Barty's eyes were glossy and full of hope.
“Barty…”
The name fell from Evan's lips as a whisper, like a prayer. His eyes carried an expression Barty couldn't quite place. It seemed like relief, worry and… guilt?
Evan broke out of his thoughts and rushed to Barty, locking him in a tight embrace. Barty let out a little gasp at the sudden intrusion of his personal space, along with the pain that came with it when Evan's hands brushed over his unhealed wounds. He gingerly lifted his hands and laid them onto the other's shoulders, circling his arms around him. He could feel Evan breathing in his scent and he scrunched his nose. He hadn't showered in months, he felt so unclean. But Evan didn't seem to care, he just tightened his grip around the other's waist. None of the others dared interrupt their embrace. Evan had grieved him the longest, after all, he deserved the comfort.
In the background, behind his closed eyes, Barty could hear how the others greeted each other. Just from the sound of it he could tell that Dorcas punched Regulus in the arm, hugging him after they scolded him for being so stupid, and that Pandora embraced them both with her long arms. With their presence, the cell felt like home.
After a long while, Evan pulled from the hug. He brought his hands up to cup Barty's cheeks and look at him properly.
“God, you haven't changed one bit,” Evan let out in a whisper.
Barty held Evan's hand on his cheek with his own and leaned into the touch. Oh, how he'd missed this.
Dorcas and Pandora approached them, Pandora spreading her arms as an invite for a hug. Barty offered her a warm smile and rushed into her arms, grabbing Dorcas’ waist whilst doing so and bringing them into the hug as well. Dorcas yelped, then chuckled and eased into the embrace. He could feel their breath on his neck. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this much comfort and love, so at peace.
They all looked at each other and burst into laughter, once they had calmed down from the unexpected reunion. It all felt so absurd.
“What are you all doing here?” Regulus asked in disbelief.
“No, what are you doing here?” Dorcas turned the question against them.
“Evan didn't tell you?” Regulus raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“Of course he did, you moron!” Dorcas punched his shoulder. “But what the actual fuck were you thinking? What did you even do?”
Regulus’ breath hitched when he remembered that morning. It's not really a secret anymore, he can tell them everything now.
“I was with James.” Dorcas opened their mouth to say something, but he continued. “We wanted to take a break from the war for a week.”
“Why Potter, though?” Dorcas asked.
A deep breath in.
“Because I love him. And- and he loves me. We're kind of together.”
Barty's eyes widened. He tried to hide how much Regulus’ confession hurt him, tried not to show any weakness, but he could feel his head pounding and his heart beating harder and harder against his ribcage as if it had a mind of its own and was now trying to escape Barty's body.
Barty knew Regulus loved James, he's his best friend and can tell when he takes interest in someone. But he had no idea they had started dating. It was a bit suspicious when James suddenly lost interest in Evans, but he didn't dwell on it too much. If he had given it a thought, he would've figured it out on his own. It wouldn't have to hurt as much now.
Everyone was staring at Regulus, their eyes equally wide as Barty's.
“I knew it!” Pandora screeched. “Oh my god, I'm so happy for you!” She threw her arms around him.
“You're dating a gryffindor?” Dorcas and Evan said in unison, both of them wearing the same confused look.
“Don't act like you ain't, Meadowes.” Dorcas rolled their eyes at Regulus’ comment. “But yeah, we're dating. We decided not to tell anyone, but I guess it doesn't really matter anymore,” Regulus shrugged.
Barty was still standing there in silence, thoughts rushing through his head, a hundred per minute. How long has it been going on? When did they get together? When did they even start talking?
“How long?” Dorcas voiced Barty's question.
“Just a couple of years…” Regulus played with the hem of his shirt nervously.
“How long have you been together, Regulus?” Dorcas pressed on.
Regulus inhaled deeply. “Like… Four years, I think,” he let out shakily.
“Four years?! Bloody hell, Reg! Why didn't you say something?”
“I couldn't! We couldn't risk telling anyone,” Regulus reasoned.
“But why?” Dorcas sighed, rubbing their temples.
“Because I'm a deatheater, Cas! You see what happened when they found out.”
Dorcas shut their mouth. They hated to acknowledge the fact that their best friends were deatheaters. “Okay, I'm sorry,” they said eventually.
“It's fine,” Regulus smiled softly. Then, his eyebrows furrowed as he remembered something. “How did you get through all the deatheaters, actually?”
“What deatheaters?” Evan, Pandora and Dorcas all said in unison. “No one is out there, Reggie. This whole place is empty,” Pandora explained.
Regulus and Barty shared a confused look.
“They just left us here,” Barty said breathlessly.
“Unguarded,” Regulus added. “Fuck, I can't believe we could just leave this whole time.” Regulus tugged at his hair, frustrated.
Barty hissed suddenly. He felt a sharp pang in his stomach, spreading into the rest of his body. He felt himself losing control of his own body and he started to fall. Evan quickly held him, but he accidently made it worse. He touched his back, where his wounds were not healed yet. Barty screamed out in agony and Evan gently laid him on the ground. He took off his shirt, inspecting the wounds.
“Fuck…” Evan muttered.
Barty hadn't seen the wounds on his back, so he could just imagine how bad it looked. Pandora swiftly ran to his side, kneeling beside him. She pulled her wand out and healed all of the wounds she could see. “Where else, Bee?” She asked gently.
“My- my ribs,” Barty rasped out. Pandora carefully turned him to lay on his now healed back, so she could fix the broken bones. She focused her energy on his pain, and moved her wand lower towards his stomach. She stopped the internal bleeding. Pandora then reached for her pouch, pulling out a bottle of water and a pill.
She lifted his upper body so he could lean against her. “Here, drink this. It'll ease the pain.” Barty took the pill, letting the water wash it down his throat. It worked immediately.
Just after he calmed down, no longer feeling like he was dying, he noticed the frightened looks of his friends. Dorcas and Evan looked worried, but Regulus' expression differed. He looked guilty.
“Why didn't you say anything?” Regulus asked. His voice was much softer when he whispered.
“What help would it be?” Barty said, his voice still hoarse.
“I'm so sorry, Bee. I should have noticed.”
“It's not your fault, Reg. You're not the one who did this to me,” Barty tried to smile, to comfort him somehow.
Once Barty caught his breath, and his body didn't hurt anymore, they left the cell. On their way out, Regulus told the others all about the horcruxes and how it's the only way to kill the Dark Lord. They all agreed that they should find and destroy the rest of them. It was time to end this war.
They walked a couple of miles, Evan helping Barty every once in a while. They couldn't apparate towards their car. Barty was still in a vulnerable state and it would be really dangerous. About an hour later, they reached the vehicle. They got in, and drove off. All five of them, just like the old times. It was all gonna get better soon.