Chapter 11
He didn’t really know where he was going, he just knew he needed to breathe. The corridor seemed to be shrinking and the people staring. He thinks he spots Lupin walking out of Transfiguration, but he can’t bring himself to care. Evan’s not sure if he’s angry at Barty or angry at himself or angry at the world in general. It’s probably all three.
He knew realistically that he was in the wrong, but he still angry at Barty for not trusting him and for questioning his motives. Evan was nothing like his family.
Right?
He’s almost at the Slytherin dorm, planning on jumping into bed and never emerging, when he hears the gravelly voice of Severus Snape. He was probably the last person he wanted to see right now.
“Been hiding, Rosier?”
Evan sighs in defeat and turns to face his fate.
“Not at all, Severus. Is everything okay?”
“Cut the bullshit. I spoke to Pettigrew, what are you up to?”
Evan could either lie or face the music. His impulse was to lie of course, it always had been, but he was so tired of the hold that Snape had over him. He wanted to show Barty that he wasn’t like his family and that he didn’t care for his reputation and what would happen if it was tarnished. He would deal with whatever his father had in store for him when he went home for Christmas and at least he would be able to say he made his own choices.
“I’m done being blackmailed by you, Severus.”
“Have you forgotten what I have on you?” Snape sneers. “I could ruin you with one word to Mulciber.”
Mulciber must have been Evan’s least favourite person in the entire world. He had once thought that no one was worse than Snape, but Mulciber was worse. He was more brutal and sicker with his revenge schemes, not caring how badly he hurt someone, only that they suffered. Mulciber would torment Evan mercilessly, but if that’s what he had to do…
“Do it. I could care less.”
Snape’s face turns an embarrassingly dark red.
“I don’t know if you’re understanding me, Rosier.” Snape scowls. “You’ll be dead by Christmas.”
“Maybe so. But at least I won’t be associated with a snotrag like you anymore.”
Another voice speaks behind him.
“What are you doing?”
He spins to find Barty Crouch Jr stood behind him, wand out, hair sticking up in all directions as if he’d been pulling at it out of stress. His eyes were wide and anxious, darting back and forth between Evan and Severus.
“Aw, is your boyfriend here to protect you?” Severus mocks, drawing his wand.
“Watch it, Snivellus.” Barty snaps.
Snape seems to grow even angrier at the nickname, so much so that Evan wouldn’t be surprised if he combusted on the spot. Things were getting tense, it was obvious, but they needed to end for good. Evan trains his eyes on Severus as he talks to Barty.
“It’s fine, Barty.” Evan reassures. “I’m just telling Snape where he can shove his blackmail.”
This doesn’t seem to calm Barty’s obvious panic.
“Evan, is this really the best idea?”
“You said I care too much for my family’s reputation. I’m showing you I’m not like them. I’m not like him.”
What happens next is really Evan’s fault. He’d made the mistake of looking at Barty, not being able to resist looking into the boys’ dark eyes. He knew Snape had his wand out, he just thought he was too much of a wimp to actually use it. The stinging hex hits him before he can even think to counteract it and he’s thrown backwards, straight into Barty as they both fall to the floor.
“Fuck!” Barty hisses, instantly pulling Evan’s face into his hands. Trust him to care more about Evan even though he’d just been knocked down. “Evan are you okay?”
Evan doesn’t really know which way is up, only that his chest hurts and that he’s looking into those beautiful dark eyes again. He doesn’t think he can be more okay than this.
“I’m amazing, thank you.”
Barty looks away for a second to cast what he thinks is a Bat Bogey Hex at Snape, who had become distracted by gloating to the crowd that had formed around them. Evan hears bats and students squealing before Barty enters his vision once again. He looks a bit worried, but Evan thinks that’s because McGonagall is going to be furious at him for hexing Snape.
“Are you hurt badly?” Barty asks him.
Evan frowns at this. Oh yeah, he’d gotten hexed hadn’t he? No wonder he was on the floor; it all made sense now. He wonders for a second if he had been hit with a memory loss hex but decides it’s more likely he’s got a concussion from hitting the ground. Lucky Barty was there to cushion the fall. Fuck, he loved Barty.
“I’m soooo good, baby.” Evan grins up at Barty, enjoying the blush that spreads across the other boy’s face.
Barty had always been the flirty one, so it was fun to see the boy wasn’t totally unaffected when Evan flirted back. Judging by the fact he’d forgotten why he was on the floor again, Evan thinks he might not remember that insight.
“Why am I on the floor?” Evan asks, attempting to get up and his chest erupting in pain. “Ow…”
“Just don’t move too much, baby.” Barty grimaces, seemingly looking around for someone to help. “Stay awake and we’ll take you to Madam Pomfrey.”
Evan hears footsteps but his eyes are already becoming very heavy. Maybe he should take a little nap.
“Fuck, what happened?” A voice sounds.
Remus? James? Reggie? He wasn’t sure.
“Help me, Remus please.” Barty sounds very panicked now. At least Remus is here to help with whatever he’s worried about. Should Evan be worried as well?
“Okay, help me pick him up.”
Evan’s not sure if they’re talking about him anymore; the world is spinning like crazy. He thinks sleep would be good for him now but he’s sure Barty said something about not...sleeping?
“Evan?? Can you hear me? Open your eyes, damn it.”
Who’s that?
He can’t remember who’s with him now and that panics him a little. Was Barty here? Or was it Regulus? Dorcas? Peter? Hell, maybe it was Mulciber. Merlin, he hoped not.
“Barty?” He manages to whisper. Out of everyone in the world, he hopes Barty is with him. He is, isn’t he?
He’s moving now; he’s pretty sure but he still can’t open his eyes. It’s like they’re glued shut or something. Merlin, he’s sleepy.
“Evan, baby come on. We’re almost there!”
Evan doesn’t hear any more after that, he just lets the sleep take him.
***
“Evan?”
Wow, my head hurts. Evan thinks. Did he get hit by a bulldozer or something? As he opens his eyes, he’s blinded by the bright lights of the infirmary, and it all comes back to him at once.
Snape. The hex. Barty.
Speaking of the latter, as his eyes adjust to the room, the first face he spots is that of Barty Crouch Jr. He smiles as the boy in question has not noticed he’s awake yet; he’s simply looking all around the room protectively as if someone’s going to come and snatch Evan away.
Evan chuckles at the thought. Barty’s head snaps back to him so fast he’s surprised he doesn’t get whiplash.
“You’re awake! Do you need anything? Food? Water?”
“Who are you and what have you done to the Barty I know?” Evan jokes.
Barty lets out a breathy laugh at that, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I was worried about you, you tosser.” Barty teases. “You really panicked us back there.”
“No need to panic; I’m immortal, you know this.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.” A voice sounds to his right.
Regulus.
He was looking slightly more put together than Barty, but still looked like he hadn’t slept since… merlin how long has he been out?
“Reg.” Evan smiles, not sure how to approach this situation as he hadn’t had a proper conversation with the boy yet. “How are you doing?”
“How am I doing?” Regulus laughs. “You’re the one who was hexed here, how are you doing?”
“Never better.” Evan smiles again, trying to move into a sitting position and groaning when he realises the pain in his chest.
“Merlin, who shot me?” He joked, trying to convey the fact that he was in fact not dying and still had his terrible sense of humour.
“Snape.” Barty all but growls, clearly missing his playful tone due to his anger. “He’s paying for it though. McGonagall’s had him in her office all day and it’s looking like another suspension.”
“What about you? Didn’t you hex him?” Evan asks, the events of last night flooding back into his mind. “Are you going to be suspended?”
He feels panic spread throughout his body. Evan doesn’t think he would survive the rest of the term without Barty, let alone the next year and a half. Not speaking to him this term nearly killed him. Literally.
“No! No, McGonagall said it was self-defence.” Barty reassures, grabbing Evan’s hand. “Plus, Remus saw the whole thing and she likes him a whole lot more than she likes Snape. I was just protecting you.”
“My hero.” Evan grins, reaching up to cup Barty’s face with his other hand and enjoying the blush that again spreads through the boys’ cheeks. He could get used to this.
“Well, I’m going to leave before I see something that will make me want to bleach my eyeballs.” Regulus jokes, squeezing Evan’s hand before turning to leave.
“Go find your boyfriend, Reggie!” Barty shouts after him, being rewarding by Regulus’ middle finger. “So dramatic.”
Evan huffs out a laugh and focuses his attention back onto Barty.
“So where do we go from here?” He asks.
“What do you mean?”
Evan blushes, breaking eye contact with Barty and fixing his eyes on the door, anything not to look at the boy beside him. He can see Barty grin out of the corner of his eye.
“Are you really going to make me say it?”
“Yes, of course.” Barty teases. “I want to hear what you’re going to say.”
Evan looks down at his hands, one still holding Barty’s and takes a deep breath, looking back up at Barty.
“What’s happening with you and me, Barts?”
Barty’s eyes widen, hand gripping tighter onto Evan as his face breaks out into a soft, shocked smile.
“And here I thought you were going to ask how to get revenge on Snape.” Barty jokes, but he sees Evan’s embarrassment and tries again. “Fuck Evan, I- I don’t know.”
Sensing he’d yet again said the wrong thing by the way Evan’s face falls, Barty tries one more time. How does he explain what he feels for this boy in front of him?
“You’re everything.”
“What?” Evan’s head snaps up from where he was looking at his hands.
“Fuck Ev, you know I can’t talk about my feelings.” Barty laughs, trying to ignore the blush that coats his cheeks. “And I feel a lot of things for you.”
Evan smiles.
“You don’t have to explain further, Barty.” He reassures. “I like you, even if you’re emotionally constipated most of the time.”
Barty wishes he could say more, but the words fail him. He knows what he wants to say, but looking into Evan’s eyes, he feels like no words can truly describe what he feels for his best friend. So, he just smiles and promises Evan one thing.
“Together?”
“Together.”