The Story of Regulus Black - Years 5-7

LII. Watch the Moon

CW: unhealthy consumption of alcohol

Professor Yang was standing upfront when Regulus and Barty arrived.

They were walking a bit closer now. Different polarities, if you will. As though the sameness of it all had just been a flicker. And now, they were back to normal, and it was as though nothing strange had happened in their Potions lesson at all.

"Hello, boys! Can I please get names to the faces?" He had a clipboard in his hand and grin on his face that showed off the pearly white teeth that were hidden within his mouth.

"Barty Crouch Jr.," Barty introduced himself first, looking toward Regulus when he was finished speaking and waiting for him to do the same.

"Regulus Black," said Regulus, and Professor Yang nodded his head as though that made the most sense in the world.

"Yes, that does make sense. I had your brother this morning. You two do look quite a lot alike, you know." He looked up, and he was smiling, and Regulus was doing anything but.

The frown was coming back, that same one that had showed up because of Sirius that morning. Barty was quick to lead Regulus to one of the desks in the back and sit down, hand ghosting over Regulus's back as though he wasn't sure whether to touch him or leave him be.

He couldn't very well do the latter, so he anxiously chose the former.

"Alright?" It was a rehearsed question asked with a gentle tone and Regulus could feel his chest warming itself again at once; as though Barty's words had been enough to thaw him from whatever catatonic state the mention of Sirius Black had begun to put him in.

"Yeah, fine." It sounded convincing, and at least a bit of the color had returned to Regulus's cheeks, and Barty smiled a bit as he withdrew his hand.

"Good." He laced his fingers together and put his hands on the desk for lack of a better thing to do with them. "Are you excited for this class?"

Regulus perked up a bit, as though he was a dog that had just seen a rather tasty bone. "Yeah, I am. I know that we work on wordless magic this year, which is gonna be dead useful when we actually know how to do it."

Barty raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. "And what, exactly, will you be doing with this newfound skill?"

Regulus hadn't exactly thought that far. Barty could see the moment that Regulus's eyes unfocused, watching him scrunch his lips from one side to the other and bite at the skin on the inside of his cheek i between. Finally, he looked back at Barty, and he spoke. "Maybe hex Rosier."

Barty smiled that soft smile. "Yes, that would be quite useful against Rosier. Though, you're forgetting on thing."

Regulus's eyebrows came together in the middle. "What?"

Barty pointed over his shoulder in the general direction of the other table were two boys in green-trimmed robes sat. "Rosier will be able to do it, too."

Regulus frowns a bit. "Shit." He thinks for a moment and then simply waved a dismissive hand. "He's stupid, he won't be able to figure it out."

"You know I can hear you, right Black?" Calls Rosier, turning around in his seat and scowling so intensely at Regulus that he might have cowered. Well, he might still cower, he hadn't quite decided yet.

Regulus settled for a rude gesture that earned a disapproving scoff from a Ravenclaw and a quiet choked out laugh from Barty. Regulus smiled, focusing more on the latter than anything else. After all, if he could make Barty laugh, Regulus felt like he could do anything in the world. Perhaps it was just the love talking, but he didn't necessarily care.