bittersweet history

Chapter Twelve - Al

Halloween was coming. According to the calendar above Evan's desk, the day itself would be a Sunday, which meant that it was going to be a long weekend, starting out with a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday and ending with the Halloween feast Sunday night.
    Barty was so wound up he was practically vibrating and it was only Tuesday. Evan had kept up with him for Monday, but now he was getting snappy and withdrawn- overwhelmed, most likely. They'd all switched around seats in their classes so that Barty could bounce and Evan could not lose his mind, which meant that Barty was sitting with either Pandora or Al in every single class which was... a lot. He'd go through spikes of energy, and then promptly crash into apathy, take a twenty minute nap and be back up and at it again. If he hadn't been paying attention before, he certainly wasn't now.
    They were in herbology, repotting bubotubers. Al had Barty on one side, staring into space and tapping out a rhythm on the metal table, causing all of the pots to rattle. On his other side, Evan's jaw was clenched as he threw dirt around his plant. Al elbowed Barty. "Hey, can you pass me the soil?" Barty stopped tapping to grab the bag, dropping it in between their workspaces, grabbing a pot and a plant for himself. With Barty's hands busy, Evan was still tense, but at least there wasn't the constant sound of terra cotta on metal to deal with.
    When they got back to the dorm, Evan went straight to his bed and drew the hangings, blocking them all out.
    "Soundproofed," Regulus said.
    Barty looked around like he hadn't noticed anything, which maybe he hadn't. "Was I being too much again?"
    "Just a little," Pandora said. Barty frowned. "Don't worry about it," Pandora reassured him, "We all know you can't help it."
    It was going to be a long week. Al used the tension in the dorm as an excuse to be out more often, heading up to the room of requirement to work on creating something toxic enough to kill a horcrux. Jamie'd gotten him a more advanced book on basilisks from the library, but Al didn't have the knowledge sufficient enough to completely understand the composition of basilisk venom. For now, he was just throwing the most toxic things into a cauldron and hoping. The room of requirement had adapted by providing him with several vents and a gas mask.
    It was also helpful enough to provide him with a clock, so that he did not miss dinner. He was a little bit late though, and the gang was already at the table when he arrived, out of breath.
    "Lose track of time?" Regulus asked, and Al nodded.
    "Yep. Got too deep researching the side effects of the befuddlement draught."
    "You've got a hole in your sleeve," Barty pointed out, and Al looked down quickly. Sure enough, there was a charred hole in the sleeve of his robe.
    "Shit. Reparo." The hole closed itself and Al let out a breath of relief. He didn't know what he'd do without magic. He looked up, and noticed that Evan wasn't actually there. "Where's Evan?"
    "Napping," Pandora said. "He's always a little rough before holidays."
    Al thought that Evan was likely like Scorpius, sensitive to sensory input, which was often much higher during celebrations. He knew Scorpius used a spell to help, but he couldn't remember-
    Jamie walked in, and Al got distracted watching him. He'd ended up in the Hospital Wing for a day after collapsing, which was actually terrifying. Al had thought he was doing better.
    "Hey Al, what do you think?"
    "About what?"
    "Look," Regulus said. "Ravenclaw table, third from the end, blond."
    Al followed his gaze and found the boy that they were talking about, who was currently staring into thin air, neglecting the food on his plate. "What about him?"
    "That's Xenophilius Lovegood," Barty said. "What a mouthful. Anyway, that's who Pandora has a crush on. What do you think?"
    "I dunno," Al said. "Is he nice?"
    "Yes," Pandora sighed.
    "A bit weird is what he is," Barty scoffed. "A complete loon-"
    "Barty," Regulus said. "Don't."
    Pandora was looking rather upset. "Well it's a good thing your opinion doesn't really matter here, Bartemius."
    Now Barty looked equally upset. "Hey-"
    "Both of you, leave it," Regulus snapped. "Barty, pick a different topic."
    Barty opened his mouth, but before he could speak Regulus said, "Not that topic," and Barty shut his mouth.
"So Hogsmeade this weekend?" Al asked, to try and save the conversation. Regulus and Pandora glanced at each other.
"If you want to go, we will," Pandora said, looking back at Al.
"But-?" Al asked, and Pandora nodded.
"But we usually don't go if Evan isn't feeling up for it. And based on this week-"
"I get it," Al said. "It doesn't really matter to me, I was just wondering."
Barty had crashed again, staring blankly into space.
"Oh," Pandora said, "Back here again, that makes sense. We'd better get back before he falls asleep in his pasta." She nudged him in the ribs, and he jerked, looking around.
    "What?"
    "We're done here," Pandora told him. "Time to go."
    Barty got up and followed her out without question.
    Regulus was still picking at his soup, so Al stayed to keep him company.
    "The game last weekend was good," he said. There'd been a whole party afterwards, but Al hadn't been a part of any of the post game discussions, so he figured that this was a good enough conversation topic.
    Regulus gave him a small smile. "You were drawing the whole time."
    "Well yes," Al admitted. "But I can multitask. And I did see you catch the snitch. Very nice. And I was listening to James's commentary."
    "And what did James have to say?"
    "Ravenclaw should've risked a new seeker instead of three brand new chasers."
    Regulus barked a laugh. "He's right about that. It was kind of sad to watch."
    "But we won, so that's good for us right?"
    "I think it's a better win when it's an even match. If it's too easy, it's not fun anymore." Regulus said. "It is good for us though, because it means that we are closer to the Cup."
    "Do you think we'll win this year?"
    "It depends. Gryffindor is looking good, even with their new seeker. And Lily-" He paused. "Evans tells me that they're practicing hard, though that's all she'll tell me." Regulus cleared his throat. If Al had thought Barty was joking, but he didn't think he was anymore. "And your brother is no new player. He works well with McKinnon, which is bad for us," Regulus went on, "Because Nelson and Greengrass are so new."
    "They're the Slytherin beaters right?" Al asked. He remembered seeing them flying around- Nelson the stereotypical beater, and Greengrass deceptively small.
    "Yes," Regulus said. "They're getting better, but they really have no aim. I don't blame Narcissa though, they really were the best options."
    "What don't you blame me for?" Narcissa asked, appearing behind Regulus. She'd been sitting farther down in a knot of seventh year girls, which had broken up as the food started disappearing off the tables.
    "Nelson and Greengrass," Regulus said. "In comparison to McKinnon and Delacour."
    Narcissa gave a very ladylike scoff and lowered her voice so that the Slytherins around them couldn't hear her.. "Oh, you'd better keep a watch out for bludgers as well as the snitch, Reggie, if the Gryffindors get a good shot at you, we're screwed." And with that she walked off.
    "So," Regulus said, "There's that." He pushed back the bench and stood, gathering his discarded cloak and his bag. "I'm going up to the astronomy tower, I'll be back..." He paused, then gave a non committal wave of his hand. "Eventually. Keep them alive for me?"
    Al knew he meant the other three. "Of course," He said. "I'll make sure they don't set the place on fire."