Icarus and His Sun

Regulus thinks that if he were the type to skip class, he would definitely do it in the first week back from holiday. It's the slowest week out of the whole year, and Regulus could probably teach himself more in that week alone than all the teachers combined. That being said, he isn't the type to skip class.

Barty is a different story.

Regulus is pretty sure the only reason Barty attends class at all is because he would get kicked out if he didn't. He's exceptional in most of his classes, but he only seems passionate in actually performing magic rather than learning it. So, at least twice a week, he'll convince Evan to run off somewhere in the castle with him when they should be sat in History of Magic or Charms or anything, really.

A few times, Regulus has gotten curious as to what they do in their new found free time, but never curious enough to join them. He'd rather not tarnish his reputation with detentions for something so trivial.

He was a bit put off at Barty's growing friendship with Rosier, however.

It wasn't that Barty wasn't allowed to have other friends. By all means, let someone else babysit for a few hours so Regulus could get his work done without distractions. But when he heard Barty and Evan laugh about some joke that he had missed out on, or saw them play fight each other in their dorm late at night, well...

He wouldn't say he was jealous, necessarily. Just that he wasn't entirely happy about it.

He supposed it could be worse though. At the very least, he was never alone. Most of the time, when Barty and Evan were occupied, Regulus found himself accompanied by Pandora.

It was sort of an accident, their friendship. Not that she was his friend, though. Because she wasn't. She just so happened to be someone he shared class with. And he may have unintentionally-intentionally added to their list of classes together by choosing to take Divination this year. But that was hardly his fault.

When McGonagall had called him in to take note of which classes he would be taking, he had only had Arithmancy selected and needed at least one other. The other options were all busts; Sirius had advised against both Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes, claiming that the latter was incredibly boring and the former was for "poofs", a word that had made Regulus frown deeply and Remus turn a brilliant shade of scarlet. He had advocated for Muggle Studies, but Regulus knew that Walburga would have his head the second she got word of his new courses.

Seeing as how he still needed a second elective and only one choice remained, he was signed up to be put into the Divination class.

Pandora was thrilled to be taking an extra class with him, proudly stating that she knew he would come around to the idea of it. Since the moment she spotted him in the classroom their first day she was attached to his hip— even more so than usual.

She made a habit of walking to and from class with him, chatting his ear off the whole time. She never seemed deterred by the fact that he barely contributed to the conversation.

No wonder James had been drawn to her.

On this particular day, Regulus and Pandora were headed up for Divination from the Great Hall. They typically left lunch early to ensure they would get their usual table near the back of the class— the one with the most pillows and cushions stacked around it that allowed them to laze about during their lectures. They had just reached the ladder up to the classroom when their one sided conversation was interrupted.

"Regulus! Regulus, come on! Come on, look!"

Barty races towards them, screaming at the top of his lungs despite the mostly empty corridor. He's smiling viciously, his face almost as red as his hair. Regulus doesn't move, Pandora already a few steps up on the ladder when she freezes, both looking surprised and confused.

Barty trips himself up, stumbling the rest of the way to them and laughing at himself. "Regulus, come look, we found— Oh, Dora, yes, you too! You have to come see what we found!"

He waits for them to respond, finally taking a second to try and catch his breath. Regulus and Pandora glance sideways at each other.

"I...we have class, Barty." He blinks, trying to make sense of the situation. "Shouldn't you be in Ancient Runes?"

"Doesn't matter— look, Evan and I found something...incredible! You won't believe it, you have to come right now!"

"I'm busy, Barty. Show me later."

Barty turns up the dramatics, flailing his arms wildly as he speaks. "Oh come on! You don't even like divination, you told me yourself you think it's rubbish!"

Regulus feels a pinch on his arm. He pulls away and turns to see Pandora stick her tongue out at him. Absolutely mental.

Barty changes angles now, practically throwing himself into the side of the ladder. He drops his hands on top of one of Pandora's, covering the green tie she has wrapped around her palm, and gives her his best puppy eyes.

"Dora: my love, my life. Bringer of destruction. Destroyer of man." His breathing is still a bit stuttered. Pandora smiles at him, incredibly amused. "Mystery and blessing to all of wizardkind."

"Yes," she says, absolutely no hesitation. Barty presents her proudly to Regulus as she jumps down from the ladder, her unfastened robes fluttering around her.

"See? Merlin, Regulus, I thought we were mates." He turns to Pandora, going soft again. "Dora, have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"You just did."

Regulus stares up at the ceiling, puffing his cheeks out excessively. He really does not want to earn his first ever detention this way. There's absolutely nothing honorable about it, and he doesn't even know what it is that Barty is taking them to see— for all he knows it could just be a funny looking rock. And yes, he doesn't necessarily like divination or believe that any of it holds any semblance of truth, but what if this lesson would be the one that changes that for him?

On the other hand, the idea of Regulus being anything other than Barty's best friend is not one he is willing to entertain. If they hadn't known it before, they had to realize now after their agreement their first night back that they were sealed for life. Regulus would throw himself from the top of the Astronomy tower for Barty, no questions asked. So why is skipping one lesson suddenly a deal breaker?

Fuck Evan. Regulus is better than him.

"I swear on my life, Barty. If we are not back in this very spot exactly ten seconds before class, you don't even want to know—"

Regulus doesn't get the chance to finish his threat. Barty grabs him by the hand, having gotten all the confirmation he needs, and immediately drags him away with Pandora right on their tail.

They chase each other through the halls, up and down numerous sets of staircases. At one point Barty realizes he's lead them down a dead end and has to turn back, swearing the whole time that they're getting closer. The other students jump out of their path on their way to class. They're definitely going to be late now.

Regulus has just about had enough of this and decides to turn back when Barty turns into an abandoned hall and comes to an abrupt halt.

"Yes!" He dives right back in, yanking Regulus forward. Halfway down the hall, Barty shuffles Regulus in front of him, turning him towards one of the walls. "Look! Look, this is it!"

Regulus gets his bearings, focusing on whatever the hell it is Barty demands he sees.

In front of them, pushed up against the wall, is a glass trophy case. Inside is an assortment of quidditch cups, class portraits, and framed articles from the Prophet praising past students.

In other words, absolutely nothing spectacular.

Pandora voices her disappointment first. "I don't understand."

"Fucking hell, Barty. Did you seriously drag us all the way out here for no—"

"Shut up and watch!" Barty waves a dismissive hand as he pulls his wand out. He points it directly at the trophy case, moving his wrist in a circular motion. "Revelio."

The case splits open in two, sliding in each direction to expose the wall behind it. After a few seconds it stops and the wall opens up, much like the entrance to the Slytherin house in the dungeon. Only instead of a common room it reveals a very narrow, very steep set of stairs going up into the wall.

For a moment, no one says anything, standing in stunned silence. Barty is the first to break, jumping up and down with excitement.

"I told you! I told you, it's so cool!"

Regulus steps forward, glancing up to see where the stairs end. They go up for about ten feet, then are cut off by a ledge that leads somewhere he can't see. The passage is so narrow he could touch both walls at his side without even extending his arms.

"Where does it...go?"

"That's the best part! Come on, I'll show you!" Barty grabs the back of Regulus's robes, yanking him back so that he can step forward and lead the way. He instantly starts climbing up the stairs, too damn excited for his own good.

Regulus casts a glance towards Pandora. She looks only slightly skeptical, far less than Regulus would've found comforting. She shrugs her shoulders and that's really all Regulus needs to know that he's not getting out of this.

Sighing, he makes his way up to Barty.

"Come on come on come on come on come on!"

Regulus just barely manages to get his head above the ledge before Barty is reaching down, grabbing his hands and yanking him up into the hall with him.

"Barty, give me one fucking second, please!" Regulus flops unceremoniously onto the floor, hitting his knees as Barty drops him to drag Pandora up as well. He throws her on top of Regulus, then sidesteps the both of them to return to the front. Regulus wriggles underneath Pandora as he tries to get back up in the dark.

"Stop snogging and get a move on!" Barty lights his wand and starts bouncing off.

"She's not my girlfriend! And would you please slow down!"

Pandora hums a noise that Regulus assumes is out of disgust. She quickly scrambles to her feet, hurrying after Barty and leaving Regulus to take up the rear.

Single file, their wands lighting the way, the trio walks down the echoey corridor. Regulus runs a hand along one of the walls; the stone is rough and jagged underneath his fingers. There's nothing hanging there— no holes or suspicious markings anywhere— but Regulus isn't ruling out hidden traps just yet.

They walk for an incredibly long time, the passage taking slight twists and turns every now and then. Twice, Barty leads them up more stairs, just as steep and narrow as the first set had been. Regulus barely notices the pathway getting smaller and smaller until he's forced to crawl on his hands and knees, the walls pressing up against him.

Pandora sounds only a bit less cheery than usual when she speaks. "Barty, how much longer are we—"

"Almost there! I promise!"

They crawl for another couple of minutes before Barty gives another shout of excitement. He stops abruptly, then reverses, urging his friends to back up. Once they're a good enough distance away he manages to squeeze himself down enough to completely flip around, going in feet first instead.

Barty looks back at Pandora and Regulus, holding his wand light up to a dead end blocking their way.

"Okay! Okay! Watch this!"

"Barty—"

Barty delivers a harsh kick to the wall in front of him, driving the bottom of his foot into it. He pulls back and goes in again, grunting at the effort. Something clicks into place with his second kick and the wall seems to jut out a bit. With one last stomp the wall bursts open. It swings out away from them, sending a small flurry of dust into the air. Light pours into the small square opening in front of them.

"Haha! See! I told you!" Barty starts wiggling out into whatever room he's just unlocked. He drags himself inside, his upper half disappearing when he stands. "Come look! Come on!"

Pandora crawls after him quickly and Regulus follows. The light is practically blinding after being in the dark for so long. He squints, trying to refocus his eyes and take in his surroundings. Once he realizes where they are his jaw drops.

"What the shit."

Every inch of the room is decked out in red— the couches, the carpet, the wallpaper. There's a fire blazing in the fireplace, though Regulus thinks it would be plenty warm even if there wasn't. The stained wooden tables perfectly match the rafters built into the ceiling.

Regulus takes a hesitant step forward, looking all around. "Barty...are we—"

"In the Gryffindor common room?" Barty is absolutely beaming. He shakes his fists excitedly, needing something to do with his hands. "Yes! Yes, isn't it brilliant?"

"I—" Pandora lets out a laugh. "How did we get here?"

"Through the tunnel, obviously!"

Regulus stares at Barty, open mouthed. He's forgotten all about divination or even possibly getting a detention— which, if they get caught here, would most likely get doubled for being out of bounds. All he can think is how could someone manage to be so brilliant completely by accident.

"You're a genius," he whispers, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a smile. "I...Honestly. Barty, do you have any idea how much power this gives us?"

"I know!" Barty is bursting at the seams. Suddenly, his eyes go wide and he takes hold of Regulus. "Do you think they go to the other common rooms as well? Oh, we have to find them now! I need to know!"

Regulus's mind is working overtime. He's racing through all of the possibilities of secret passages in the castle. They have no way of knowing where they might be hidden, so he figures they may just have to start testing everything they see. He hopes the reveal of the Gryffindor Tunnel is a fair example of what they'll face finding the remaining three, otherwise they'll have to research more complicated locating spells. The tunnel spit them out behind a wide dresser and had immediately closed up again. Would it open for them now that they were inside, or was it a one way route? If they could access the Slytherin one from their own common room—

"We need to do something," Pandora whips around, her hair shimmering around her shoulders. "As payback. And a warning."

"Brilliant, love!" Barty darts his gaze all around. His eyes land on one of the thick, overstuffed couches. "Do either of you know a Sticking Charm?"

Regulus blinks, still in awe at what's happened. He tries to recall any information about adhesive spells he might have read.

"I do," Pandora boasts.

Barty skips over to the couch. "Perfect! Reg, float this up to the ceiling for me, then help Dora!"

And so, the three Slytherins work their way through the entire room, floating anything and everything up to seal it near the rafters. Barty glues the drawers of each cabinet shut before Regulus carries them into the air, slowly and carefully spinning them high above their heads. After only ten minutes, every last cushion, chair, and stray textbook is beyond the reach of any student.

They're so caught up in the fun of pranking their classmates, none of them hear the sound of footsteps descending one of the spiral staircases.

"What's going on here?"

Regulus jumps a foot into the air, loosing control of the forgotten trainers he had been levitating, sending them crashing back to the floor. He's a deer in headlights, staring directly at the face of an incredibly baffled Frank Longbottom.

"Oh...my...Merlin, help me."

Frank stares up at their work, mouth hanging open. No one says anything for what feels like years. Finally, Frank blinks a few times, seemingly coming back into his body. He turns his gaze to the three culprits in front of him.

"Regulus?"

Regulus's heart stops. He slowly, ever so slowly, shifts his gaze over to his friends. They stare back in equal states of shock and fear.

"Run?"

"Run."

"Run!"

Frank barely has time to open his mouth before they're fleeing the scene. Barty grabs Pandora's hand to pull her towards the portrait hole rather than the secret tunnel they entered through. They scramble out into the hall, Regulus right on their tail. Halfway down the hall, a fourth set of footsteps joins their chorus, Frank's voice shouting at them to come back.

Barty turns them down various corners at random. Suits of armor and judgmental paintings speed past their lines of vision.

"Where are we going?" Regulus wills himself to go faster, desperate not to get caught.

Admittedly, he isn't too thrilled by Barty's answer: "I have no clue!"

Frank is gaining on them. Regulus feels a sharp pain in his side, letting out a small gasp. He limps for a few seconds, clutching at his stomach.

"Keep running!" Pandora's encouragements are barely heard over Barty's raucous laughter.

They turn into another hall. Just as Regulus thinks they're about to lose it all, he spots something to his left. A beacon of light in trying times.

"Over here!" He grinds to a halt, glancing over his shoulder to keep lookout.

Barty drags Pandora back with him. Regulus ushers them down a set of stairs before getting on himself. Just as Frank rounds the corner to catch them, the staircase drifts away from the floor, sailing off to safety with it's three passengers. Barty nearly doubles over in laughter, waving goodbye to Frank as they get farther and farther.

They land two floors below on the opposite side of the school. Regulus begins leading them through a maze of halls when doors around them start to open. Students exit their classes, filling the empty space of the corridors. All three are laughing heartily now, earning dirty looks from some of their classmates, but none of them care.

Eventually, they stumble out the main doors and into the fresh air outside. Barty collapses at the bottom of the steps, rolling in the grass joyfully. Pandora and Regulus are stood over him, unable to breathe from how hard they're laughing. Pandora fans herself, her whole face tinted pink.

"Oh Merlin. I can't—" Regulus gulps the air, unable to finish his thoughts.

Barty drags himself over, nearly falling again as he stands up. "I told you! Didn't I bloody tell him?"

"Oh Gods. Oh we're in so much trouble." Regulus shakes his head but the smile on his face disputes anything negative he says.

"We're fine. We're fine, he's gone." Pandora giggles, bringing her hands up to wipe at her face.

"And you were going to say no! Wasn't that so much better than divination?" Barty calms himself. He breathes for a second before coming to his senses, doing a double take and squinting at Regulus. "Why are we outside?"

Regulus rolls his eyes. "For Herbology. What did you think? We'd just bunk off the rest of the day?"

Pandora starts wheezing again at Barty's disappointment. Regulus grins, taking his shoulders and turning him in the direction of the greenhouses. They march off through the grounds towards their next class, tired and sweating, but more importantly, smiling.

Perhaps one missed lesson isn't the end of the world.