Chapter 1
At 16 years old, Lily Evans knew one thing for sure, which was, of course, that she absolutely despised her older sister, Petunia. She was a spoiled, ungrateful brat who took every possible opportunity to blame Lily for everything. That had started that sunny day in June, when Lily was just 11 years old, and an owl came knocking on their kitchen window.
Once they let it in, the animal delivered a sealed envelope that contained the main, and perhaps only, source of happiness Lily would experience in the upcoming years.
She was a witch! And, obviously, that didn’t bode well with her sister, condemned to a magicless life while her sister had the chance to experience a whole new world. Lily had tried, multiple times, to explain that magic was something unpredictable and illogical, and there was no way she could have chosen the outcome of things, deliberately making Petunia a regular muggle while Lily herself could live a perfect life and rub it in her sister’s face. Petunia didn’t listen, and instead chose to resent Lily until a letter for her came, or until the end of time, whichever came first.
Lily tried her best to ignore her sister’s attitude towards her, because she could understand her frustration, but it was just too difficult to tune out the constant insults and hurtful remarks. What was worse, her own parents didn’t do anything to stop it, thinking it was just a childish grudge that Petunia would soon get over.
No such luck.
But Lily did go to Hogwarts, the school that would become her home for seven years, providing her magic knowledge and, most important, friendships and bonds to last a lifetime.
Hogwarts became her safe haven, a place away from expectations, from pain, from everything she’d ever known until then. And it was, for lack of a better word, magical.
She wanted to excel, just like she always had at her old school, and she did. At first, it was simply a matter of familiarity, because she found out very early in life that, to gain an adult’s affection, grades definitely seemed to do the trick. Her parents didn’t exactly force her to stay on top but, once you set a standard, it’s hard to back away from it. So Lily just stayed on top, craving her teacher’s validation, and maybe something else. What she discovered later on, though, was that adults and children had very different perspectives of life, and being a “know-it-all” definitely never helped her make friends in the past. Once at Hogwarts, Lily got the best grades, and it soon became a claim for her place in the school, to prove she deserved to be there because, apparently, muggleborns weren’t really applauded by pureblood wizards, as they thought them to be inferior because their relatives didn’t have magical powers.
Lily thought they were just full of shit, but she just shut her mouth and challenged them with actions, not with her words.
When Lily first arrived at Hogwarts, she was sorted into Gryffindor (the hat seemed to have listened to her when she pleaded to be put anywhere except Ravenclaw, because she had had enough of people putting a label on her as soon as they saw she was smart, and then only befriending her because she could give them her homework answers. She already had a lot of experience with that, and she was fed up.). In her house, she found her best friends in the entire world, those who would stay with her throughout their journey.
She didn’t meet everyone in her first year, but by her fourth one, she had a pretty great friendship group that had been changing and growing as the time passed.
So, when she got to platform nine and three quarters to catch the train that would take her to her sixth and penultimate year at her beloved school, she hurried to find the carriage where most of her friends would surely be sharing stories about their summer holidays, and she thought that there was no other place she would rather be.
As Lily wandered the narrow corridor of the scarlet train, she heard a high-pitched laugh that could only belong to her dearest friend Marlene McKinnon, and she swiftly made her way to the compartment it came from.
“Hi!” Lily greeted excitedly, her eyes falling on the three people already there: Marlene, with her long blond hair falling down her shoulders, her newly cut bangs framing her grey eyes. Lily also noticed a septum piercing in her nose that hadn’t been there the last time she saw them. She still wore muggle clothes, which consisted of baggy black jeans ripped at the knees, black combat boots with purple shoelaces, a T-shirt with a band Lily didn’t recognize and fishnets on her arms.
Remus, whose curly light brown hair fell on his face, hiding his hazel eyes as he avidly read a bound book. He was sporting some brown trousers and a simple white shirt, his sweater vest discarded to one side because of the heat.
Next to Marlene sat Peter, who was apparently caught in the middle of changing into his Hogwarts clothes already, because he paired his cream-coloured shorts with a wrinkled white shirt and an undone Gryffindor tie around his neck, his dirty blond hair dishevelled.
They all welcomed her gladly as she took a seat next to Remus, looking over his shoulder to see what he was reading. She smiled when she saw the title (Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando”), because he had finally listened to one of her suggestions.
Lily happily listened as Marlene and Peter recounted their voyages, and it wasn’t very long before James and Sirius appeared at the door, already grinning, no doubt planning some sort of prank to make up for the past months.
Sirius wore some black skinny jeans and a T-shirt from some other band Lily also didn’t know (Marlene was quick to start teasing Sirius about it, calling him a copycat). His black, curly hair had grown, now brushing his shoulders with his every movement, and he had some chipped nail polish on his nails.
James, on the other hand, clearly hadn’t accepted that summer was over, because he was wearing leather sandals, denim shorts and a fucking Hawaiian shirt. His hair was untamed, as always, and the crinkles by his eyes as he smiled at all of them were partially hidden by his round glasses.
“What, no applause?” Sirius asked as soon as they both stepped foot in the compartment. Everyone stayed silent, and Sirius just scoffed. “Let’s go, James; they don’t deserve us.” He sighed dramatically, pretending to go away.
“Don’t let us stop you, Sirius.” Marlene prompted, amused. “In fact, I would say you’ve already overstayed your welcome, Black.”
“Just get over yourself and admit you missed me, McKinnon.” Sirius smiled, ruffling her hair as she loudly complained.
James sat between Peter and Marlene, shaking his head at the scene in front of him as he greeted everyone.
When Sirius considered he’d sufficiently annoyed Marlene, he stood in front of Remus and Lily with his arms crossed.
“What?” Lily asked exasperatedly, though her smile betrayed her.
“Well, aren’t you going to make space for me to sit between you guys?” Sirius asked.
“Seriously?” Said Remus, lifting his eyes from the page. Sirius looked at him for a second, and then did a comical double-take when he saw that he had unbuttoned two buttons from his shirt (how scandalous!).
Lily had to contain her laughter. She wondered when these two would get their shit together and finally date, because it was obvious how much they fancied each other.
“Precisely, Remus, seriously, because everything I do is inherently Sirius.” Sirius smirked, though Lily could see his eyes were distracted.
“That joke,” Remus groaned, “wasn’t funny when you first made it six years ago, Sirius, and it certainly isn’t after the millionth time.”
“Is that so?” Sirius asked, still standing in place. “Because I can clearly recall someone laughing at it when they first heard it.”
“Please, it was barely a chuckle, and that came from the sheer stupidity of it, not because it was funny.” Remus retorted.
Lily knew this could go on for hours, so she simply scooted until she was sitting by the window, letting Sirius sit.
She checked her watch. There were barely five minutes left before the train departed, and Mary was still nowhere to be seen.
They had exchanged letters regularly, the last one being just over a few days old, so Lily supposed that she was okay, though she was starting to get a bit worried.
“Have any of you seen Mary?” She asked no one in particular. Everyone shook their heads, and all Lily could do was stare through the window at all the families saying farewell to their kids until Christmas or summer. Still no sign of Mary. Three minutes left.
She dug into her bag, looking for the book she’d packed for the train ride, just to distract herself from the anxiety she felt for her friend.
Two minutes.
She’ll be here. She’ll be here. She’ll be here. She said over and over inside her head, like a mantra.
One minute.
Just as Lily was debating whether to get up and look for Mary herself, the compartment door slid open, and Mary MacDonald appeared, breathless.
“Hey!” Lily said, immediately standing up to hug Mary and make her sit down, kicking Sirius’s calf to make him scoot to the left, and then squeezing herself between him and Mary.
Mary was, simply put, beautiful. Lily had always known and seen that, so why was she suddenly unable to stop looking at her?
She was wearing a white summer dress with little drawings of cherries scattered here and there. Her hair was braided with golden threads intertwined with strands of her own black hair, which now reached her waist. She had makeup on, subtle for the most part, with faintly blushed cheeks, glossy lips and golden eyeshadow on her eyelids, bringing attention to her caramel eyes. Her dark skin was almost shining, and Lily had to resist the urge to touch Mary’s hands to see if they were as soft as they seemed. She’d gotten tan this summer and, judging from Lily’s reaction, it certainly flattered her. She looked like a princess.
But, as Mary waved and smiled and laughed at her friends’ stories, Lily couldn’t help but notice some sort of uneasiness in her, something that was holding her back, filling her eyes with worry.
Lily squeezed Mary’s hand tightly and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Hey,” she said. “you okay?”
“Yeah!” Mary answered, too fast for it to be genuine, mostly just a reflex by that point. Realising it, Mary shook her head. “It’s just…” She muttered, and Lily could almost feel her voice quavering. “Well, it’s silly, really. I’m sure a lot of people have it worse than I do.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s silly, Mary.” Lily assured her. “People worry about what they can afford to, and that doesn’t make your pain any less. You don’t have to tell me anything, obviously, but you know I’m always there for you. Always.” Lily said, intertwining her own fingers with Mary’s, and trying to ignore the butterflies somersaulting in her stomach as she did it. She was probably just worried for her friend.
“Yeah?” Mary whispered, smiling lightly. A real smile, Lily noted.
“Of course!” Lily nodded. “What are best friends for?”
Except that that word didn’t feel right in her mouth. Yes, they were best friends, and Lily had always been more than happy about it, so why did that word have to feel so bitter when it pushed through her lips?
Now, Lily wasn’t stupid; but she was an expert in repressing her feelings, so she completely ignored all her thoughts and pushed them in a dusty drawer, never to be explored again.
Everything in her head had to be neat and tidy, since her life was anything but.
Lily had always imagined her brain as a big, tall room, its walls completely covered in drawers from top to bottom, and every thought and every memory had its rightful place in them.
They were like the files you’d find in a library, or school records in the headmaster’s office, each of them stowed away and at her disposal whenever she needed them.
At least, that was the case for most of her memories. There was a drawer, the fourth one starting at the bottom, somewhere indeterminate in her mind’s storage room, in which she put all those things she couldn’t bear to remember, to think about.
Whenever she started thinking about something painful, something that made her get a stomachache by simply existing, she imagined herself in that room, holding a file which represented that specific thought, and putting it in that drawer, locking it immediately after.
Realistically, she knew it wouldn’t actually do anything, but it was still nice to imagine life to be so simple, to imagine that simply putting away all undesired thoughts would make them go away forever.
That was not the case.
Those things always persevered.
The day everything went to shit with her sister, all thoughts regarding her mortality, those so-called friends who showed their true colours one day, who Lily decided to completely erase from her life…
And, now, apparently, improper thoughts about her very best friend, Mary MacDonald, had to be added to that drawer, which thankfully had a magical way to always be empty, no matter how many memories Lily put in it, because it would certainly be overflowing at the moment if that weren’t the case.
***
Upon their arrival, they separated to go on their Thestral ride to the castle. Lily stayed close to Mary, not wanting her to feel alone when she was having a hard time, and Marlene and James went along with them, the four of them facing the road ahead.
Two Slytherins, a fifth and a sixth year, and a Ravenclaw the same age as the first one joined their carriage right before it was about to depart, quietly sitting in front of the Gryffindors.
Lily recognised one of them, Regulus Black, as Sirius’ little brother, but the other two were completely foreign to her.
Regulus had a pale face, which helped accentuate his bone structure. His eyes were ice blue, and his curly hair was long enough for him to tuck in behind his ears if it bothered him. He had a regal air about him, something only being raised by one of the sacred 28 families could do to someone. It was clear he was trained from a young age to carry himself with poise. While Sirius did everything he could to erase that part of himself, Regulus seemed to own up to it with pride.
The other Slytherin was, judging from Marlene’s reaction, absolutely gorgeous. Their dark skin seemed to glow with a light of its own, even with the heavy uniform on top. Micro-braids flowed down to her chest, but all the attention went to their eyes, which were lined with silver eyeliner. They had dark brown eyes that could be mistaken by black at first glance, and her nails were about two or three centimetres long, black and coffin-shaped.
The Ravenclaw’s long platinum blond hair was tied up in a long braid that hung from her right shoulder. Her greenish blue eyes were open wide, taking everything in, and she’d apparently made herself some earrings with the tips of two writing quills.
Lily and Mary both had to repress their laughter as James and Marlene struggled to keep their eyes off Regulus and Dorcas, respectively, and their jaws off the ground.
“That’s her,” Marlene whispered. “They’re the one in my potions class I told you guys about.”
“Your ‘arch-rival’?” Mary mocked, making quotation marks with her fingers, but keeping her voice down nonetheless.
“Yes! And you can stop with that petty attitude, MacDonald, ‘cause I could blackmail you pretty easily.” Marlene threatened.
“I’d like to see you try.” Retorted Mary, crossing her arms, but she made no further comments.
James apparently had some sort of death wish, because he started addressing Regulus, completely ruining any sort of chance, however slim, he could’ve had with the boy.
“So…” He started. Pretty good, actually, in comparison to some other fiascos Lily had the pleasure of witnessing. “You’re Sirius’ little brother, right? Reggie?” Lily couldn’t even resist the urge to face-palm herself.
You never, ever, started a conversation with someone by bringing up how you know their older sibling. Never.
Lily had had enough experience with that to know how Regulus must’ve been feeling at the moment, because that emotion was, by that point, an old friend of hers.
“My name is Regulus.” He said flatly, brows furrowing slightly.
“I’m Pandora!” The Ravenclaw girl said, possibly because she had been so entranced in her own thoughts to listen to anything except the last sentence spoken.
“Hi, I’m James. James Potter.” James greeted, smiling at her. Lily saw Regulus grimace in what could only be described as disgust, but she made sure to ignore it. Not her problem. She had plenty of those as it was.
“So, what, we’re just doing a round of names, then?” Marlene asked, eyebrow raised. Everyone shrugged or said nothing. “Fine by me. I’m Marlene, as some of you already know.” She said, pointedly looking at the Slytherin, who seemingly refused to grace her with their stare.
“Well, since we’re at it, I’m Mary.” Mary smiled politely, and Lily had the sudden impulse to keep Mary in her front pocket and cherish her forever, keeping her out of harm’s way.
And into the drawer that went.
“Er… I’m Lily Evans.”
Everyone stared expectedly at the other Slytherin, who was the only one who hadn’t yet introduced themselves.
“Ugh… Seriously?” They complained. “I’m Dorcas Meadowes.” They said, rolling her eyes.
They rode in silence for a while, until Lily felt James get close to her to whisper something in her ear.
“Hey, Lily, d’you know why Regulus was kind of mean when I talked to him?” He asked. “I mean, was it because I called him Reggie? Or maybe…”
“I’m pretty sure it’s about the fact that you brought up his brother. He’s his own person, not just Sirius’ little brother.” Lily said, maybe a bit too harshly, but she was a bit biassed, what could she say?
“Right, that makes sense. D’you reckon I should say something?” James wondered. “You know, to clear the air and stuff.”
“You’re just gonna ignore me either way, but sure, knock yourself out, Potter.” Lily rolled her eyes. At least it could get interesting.
She absolutely adored James, but the man was anything but subtle, and he had a tendency to come off a bit strong for most people.
“Hey, listen Reg…” James started. “...ulus.” He proceeded to add as he saw the boy’s face. “I’m sorry for, y’know, bringing up Sirius and everything, I just thought it’d be a good way to, like, break the awkward silence or something. I never meant to imply that you were simply Sirius’ brother, obviously you’re more than that.” James said, eyeing him, and then immediately getting flustered and looking away.
“Right, well, I obviously know that, given that I am the brother in question, but thank you oh so much for giving me the validation I so badly craved, good sir James Potter.” Regulus mocked, fake-bowing at James.
Dorcas muttered something in Regulus' ear, making him chuckle lightly, while James just sat there staring, mesmerised.
Lily looked over at Mary, who was unusually quiet.
“Hey, Mary.” She called. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah.” Mary said after a while, and Lily could tell she really meant it. “I mean, nothing like watching James make a fool of himself to lighten the mood.” She joked, and Lily smiled as she rested her head upon Mary’s shoulder for the rest of the ride, as the other girl stroked her ginger hair.
***
Dorcas had had enough.
After enduring Marlene’s desperate need for attention and her urge to make Dorcas’ life as annoying as possible, that little Gryffindor and her friends had appropriated the only carriage with enough empty space for Dorcas and their friends, and she made a point to glare at Dorcas whenever she deemed fit.
It was getting on their nerves.
Thankfully, though, Dorcas wasn’t the only one who wasn’t having the best time ever during their ride. Regulus had gotten sufficiently annoyed at one of his brother’s friends, who seemed to find Regulus utterly fascinating, judging by his unwavering stare and coloured cheeks. The feeling wasn’t mutual.
The other two girls, who had introduced themselves as Mary and Lily, were practically cuddling, whispering sweet nothings to each other occasionally.
Dorcas didn’t think they were dating, at least not yet, but they should probably get their shit together and confess their feelings soon.
They were certainly comfortable around each other, and Dorcas could see the affection in their interactions, something that was daring to cross the line between friendship and something else entirely. Something much more dangerous and exciting.
Sometimes Dorcas wished she had something like that. It had been years since they’d had a crush, and life was starting to get pretty boring.
“Hey, Dorcas, why does that girl keep staring at you?” Regulus asked, leaning in so as to not be overheard.
Dorcas groaned. “She was in my potions class last year, and simply couldn’t stand to see someone be better at it than she was, so… Obviously she didn’t like me.” They smiled. It was true, for the most part. But Dorcas left out the part where they participated in the rivalry, being just as petty as the girl was.
“That’s Marlene McKinnon, right?” Pandora asked, twirling her braid around her index finger. Dorcas nodded. “She’s on the quidditch team. I think she’s good.”
“Well, that’d be a first.” Dorcas muttered, looking at her nails distractedly.
“The whole team’s pretty good, I heard.” Pandora continued, completely ignoring Dorcas’ comment. She then turned to Regulus. “Especially their captain, James.” She smiled. “That bloke whose jaw immediately sank to the floor when he saw you, Reg.” She elbowed him. “I also heard he’s really fit.”
“I have no interest whatsoever in anything concerning him, especially because he’s friends with my brother.” Regulus stated, the right side of his top lip lifting up in a grimace.
“I mean, I totally get why you wouldn’t wanna get with him, but I thought him being Sirius’ friend would influence your decision the other way around.” Dorcas said. Regulus looked at her, as if expecting them to continue. “I just mean that I, personally, wouldn’t like my best friend getting it on with my younger brother, especially given the rocky nature of your relationship.” They explained.
“You know what, Dorcas?” Regulus mused. “You may be onto something.”
“Of course I am. I’m always right.” Dorcas said, raising their voice back to a normal volume.
“So, anyways, how was your break, Reggie?” Pandora asked, lying down with her head on Regulus’ lap and her legs on Dorcas’.
Dorcas couldn’t help but notice James shifting, his eyes alert, no doubt wanting to get some information about Sirius’ family.
Dorcas stretched their arm, about to warn Regulus to watch his mouth, but that apparently wasn’t necessary. Of course, the boy never missed anything.
“Nowhere near as interesting as yours.” He said, taking Pandora’s braid in his hand.
She smiled, and that was enough to get her going, telling them all about her travels and discoveries that summer.
“Oh, yeah, and Barty came to visit for a few days!” Pandora said as the castle came closer and closer.
“Really?” Regulus asked, brows furrowing.
“Yeah, something about his father… Honestly, I was way too focused on this new idea I had to be listening much.”
“Wait, so, let me get this straight:” Dorcas said. “Barty was ready to talk to you about his dad, which he never does, and you don’t even mention it until now?” They said, lowering their voice again. “Do you seriously not remember what he said?”
“Sorry.” Pandora said truthfully. “To be fair, though, it was barely anything, I’m pretty sure. Like, two sentences at most.” She argued. “Plus, I’m sure he’d tell you if you asked.”
They went silent for a while, enjoying the quietness as they came closer to the school.
“Bet you three sickles that James is going to try to take Regulus’ hand to help him down the carriage.” Dorcas whispered to Pandora, who had already sat back up.
The carriages ahead of them were already stopping to let their passengers down, and it wouldn’t be long until it was their turn to dismount.
“You’re lucky I’m rich.” Pandora said, already searching her pockets to see if she had the required change.
The Gryffindors got off first, jumping the small distance between the carriage and the ground.
Pandora and Dorcas purposely stayed behind, letting Regulus get out before them, and Dorcas smiled, delighted, as she saw James stretching his hand to help the other boy get down, who promptly ignored him and jumped off, walking away after winking at James, who smiled so pathetically Dorcas almost felt bad for him. Almost.
“Aren’t you going to help us down, too, Potter?” Dorcas smiled, raising an eyebrow as they stood at the edge of the carriage.
James didn’t even have time to respond as Dorcas jumped down, followed by Pandora, who smiled back at James, already fishing out three silver coins out of her uniform pockets.
“Are you seriously betting on my love life?” Regulus asked as they both approached him.
“Oh, it’s your love life now, is it?” Dorcas said.
“Deflecting much?” Regulus retorted.
“Of course I’m betting if I know I can win.” Dorcas argued. “Plus, Pandora’s the only one to fall for it, I have to make the most of it. She’ll bet against the most predictable things.”
“Let it be known,” Pandora started, “that I am not stupid, I am simply such a kind and selfless soul, that I want to give to those less fortunate, without making it obvious that I am giving away my money for free.”
“Right.” Dorcas laughed. “My apologies, oh good and just Pandora, our simpleton brains simply cannot fathom such selflessness, so we must find other explanations.”
“Who are you calling a simpleton, Meadowes?” Regulus challenged. “Last time I checked, I was part of one of the most ‘noble’ houses in Britain, and on top of almost all my classes.”
“Where are Barty and Evan when you need them?” Dorcas sighed. “I cannot be the dumbest person in our group any longer, or I will perish.” They said dramatically.
As if she’d somehow invoked them, Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Jr appeared behind them.
“You called?” Barty said, spreading his arms as if to say ‘I’m here’.
“Finally, two idiots to make me feel better about myself!” Dorcas exclaimed, patting Barty on the back a bit harshly.
“Two?” Evan asked.
“Alright, just the one, then.” Dorcas sighed, admitting defeat.
“That’s better.” He nodded. “Now that we’re together, I’ll have actual people to look at every time Barty says something stupid, instead of pretending there’s a hidden camera somewhere.”
“You love it.” Barty assured, elbowing him.
***
As Dorcas watched the first years get sorted into their house for the next seven years, she couldn’t help but remember her own sorting ceremony.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to expect. They didn’t like thinking about it, because it just made them get stressed. Too many expectations.
Everyone knew each house was seen through the lenses of someone outside it. Hufflepuffs were the ones who weren’t wanted anywhere else, too soft for their own good. Slytherins were mean, blood supremacists who couldn’t think about anyone except themselves. Ravenclaws were swotty know-it-alls, only to be befriended if you wanted an easy pass in one of your subjects. Gryffindors were far too proud for their own good, and their rivalry with Slytherin certainly didn’t help them with their image.
Simply put, anywhere Dorcas got put could (and probably would) be used against them. She wasn’t really looking forward to that.
So, when they sat on the stool, sorting hat on their head, and it exclaimed, for everyone to hear, “Slytherin!”, Dorcas really didn’t know how to feel.
People in green and silver ties clapped as she found an empty space at their table, and Dorcas just smiled politely at them.
Their first year was the worst one.
She was alone.
They had found some Slytherins who didn’t seem that bad, two girls and a boy, but she soon found out that they weren’t how she’d pictured them at all.
Dorcas persevered but when, in her second year, they found a Slytherin first year alone at the library, they jumped at the chance to form a bond with him, anxious to leave her friend group behind.
That boy had turned out to be Regulus, and the both of them soon became best friends. It was childish, to still put those kinds of labels on their friends, but they were still children.
And, most importantly, they had been alone for far too long.
During the next few years, their little group expanded, and Pandora, Evan, and Barty appeared in their lives.
So, sure, maybe Dorcas felt a bit alone at times during their lessons, seeing as every one of their friends was a year younger than her, but classes were for learning anyways, not for socialising.
Regardless, when they got out of Hogwarts, a few months between them wouldn’t even matter, so why should they matter now?
“Dorcas!” Barty shouted in her ear. Dorcas jumped, startled.
“Sorry! You were saying?” They asked, looking down at the table, which had already been filled with food.
“I asked how your summer was.” Barty huffed. “Honestly, the one time I try to be considerate, and you don’t even hear me. Why do I even bother at this point? All my kindness, wasted in vain!”
“It was okay.” Dorcas said, completely ignoring Barty’s dramatics.
“Did something happen?” Evan asked, seeing right through them. He had a way to look at people and just see them as they were.
“Not really…” Dorcas said. “Well, my dad got a new job, and Rob forced my mum and I to play games with him all summer, so I didn't really have much time to do anything. Little brothers are so annoying sometimes." They complained. "Hey!" Regulus complained, glaring at Dorcas. Of course he'd take it as a personal offence towards him in particular. Dorcas rolled her eyes. "Every day you prove my point, Black." They joked. "Little siblings are the worst, and you are a prime example of it." She added, kicking Regulus' leg under the table. Instead of responding, Regulus simply sent them another hateful glare, retaliating by stepping on Dorcas' foot. "You know, that was a very "youngest brother" thing to do, actually." Dorcas commented. "Well, you started it." Regulus shrugged.
"Anyway," Dorcas said, ignoring Regulus. They'd bickered enough with her brother during the summer, so Regulus would just have to find someone else to annoy. “Enough about me, now. Barty, what was your summer like?” Dorcas said.
“Definitely worse than yours.” He said, kicking Dorcas’ leg.
“Yeah, because you went to visit Pandora instead of us.” Regulus said when it became clear Barty wasn’t going to elaborate. “What was that about?”
Barty sighed, resigned. “Well, if you must know, my dear father temporarily kicked me out because, apparently, I am such a disappointment he couldn’t even bear to have me around.” Barty gritted his teeth, playing with his food half-heartedly. “Pandora’s house was the closest, and I didn’t quite fancy getting kidnapped.”
“Are you serious?” Evan said. “I’m going to kill that ministry rat!”
“Get in line, Rosier.” Barty smiled faintly.
“Isn’t that, like, illegal or something?” Dorcas asked, taking a bite out of their pumpkin pie.
“I highly doubt the ministry would care about what their golden employee does to his children, illegal or otherwise.” Barty said.
“What about muggle authorities, then?” Dorcas mused. “Surely, they could do something, right?”
“I am not going to report my father for…” Barty faltered. “Whatever it is he’s doing. I’ve got enough problems as it is.”
“Amen.” Joked Regulus, whose family situation certainly wasn’t much better. Barty cracked a smile, more genuine this time.
Seeing people live through situations similar to yours could make anyone feel less alone, and Barty was no exception.
“But, you were able to come back, right?” Evan asked, still concerned.
“Yeah. I suppose mother talked to him, or something.”
“Why’s everybody looking so glum?” Pandora asked, seemingly having finished her own dinner.
“Family issues.” Answered Regulus, scooting over lo let Pandora sit by his side.
“Ugh.” She groaned. “You guys need to switch it up a bit, ‘cause it’s getting repetitive at this point.” Pandora complained. “In lighter news, I passed the Gryffindor table on the way here, and I saw James staring at you, Reg.”
Regulus rolled his eyes. “Seriously, what the fuck is his problem?”
“Do I have to say the ‘L’ word?” Dorcas teased.
“Please, he barely knows me.” Regulus scoffed. “And I’m sure if Sirius caught him he’d take care of him. He’s so overprotective it’d be funny if I wasn’t the one on the receiving end of it.” He complained. “And he doesn’t even like me anymore! You’d think he’d lay off a bit.”
“Do you seriously believe he doesn’t care about you?” Dorcas said. “Because I feel like that might not be the case.”
“He left me, Dorcas.” Regulus said, glaring at them. “If he cared enough about me he’d have, at the very least, given me a heads-up.” He scowled. “Alas, he didn’t, so that’s that.”
And Dorcas could understand that.
“So, why don’t you shag James or something, to get back at him?” Pandora asked, continuing the carriage conversation.
“I hardly think that’s the same thing, Pandora.” Regulus said. “But, as I said, I’d have to consider it.”
“Would anyone mind filling me and Evan in?” Barty asked.
So, between Dorcas and Pandora (along with a few comments from Regulus here and there), they explained what had happened during their ride to Hogwarts.
“Listen, Reg,” Barty started once they had finished, “if you want Sirius to actually see that his friend is interested in you, I think you should just find a reason to go talk to your brother, and then just wait for the other bloke’s reaction. That way, you see what Sirius does, and you can add it to your list of reasons to pursue the guy.”
“Right, so easy!” Regulus said sarcastically. “Oh, except that, mhm, what am I missing? Right!” His fake smile gave way to a completely blank face. “I haven’t even spoken to Sirius since he left.”
“Wait, Pandora, don’t you know that Pettigrew kid who’s always hanging around with Reg’s brother and his friends?” Evan said.
“Yeah, Peter!” Pandora exclaimed. “I could go say something to him with Regulus, and then, everything else works without Regulus having to talk to his brother!”
“Listen, guys, I appreciate the lengths you’re willing to go to to get me my revenge, but I just don’t want to see Sirius, or be near him.” Regulus said.
“Right, sorry, Reg.” Pandora said, squeezing his hand.
“So, how about getting Dorcas to hate-fuck her arch-nemesis, then?” Barty proposed, changing the topic as Dorcas rolled their eyes, and Regulus smirked mischievously.