Meet Me at the Graveyard

Chapter 122

February 3, 1979

Dear Journal,

Today I had Divination class with Barty Crouch Jr. It's the only class that we have together that Regulus doesn't also have. I knew it was my chance.

Once class was over, everyone started pouring out of the classroom. I climbed down the ladder quickly and found Barty talking to Evan Rosier as he leaned against the stone wall. I didn't want to interrupt anything but I had to know.

I walked up to Barty and I tapped his shoulder. He looked over at me and he looked caught off guard, like it was really unusual for me to talk to him. It was. He turned around to look at me and said, "Hey. What's up?"

"Hey," I had said super awkwardly, "Can I talk to you about something? In private? It's important."

He quirked an eyebrow at my request. He seemed really hesitant at first. He exchanged a look of apprehension with Evan but I think that when he noticed my nervous demeanor, he decided it was fine. He nodded and motioned over to a deserted corridor, "Sure, let's go over there."

I followed him the short distance over there, fidgeting with the ring on my fingers the whole time. When we stopped, I allowed silence to fall over us for a moment as I tried to gather my thoughts. Finally, I said, "So... Um... I heard something about Regulus over the summer and... well, I just thought that you're one of his best friends and you might be able to tell me if it's true..."

Barty furrowed his eyebrows and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He was observing my fidgeting and the way my face was contorting with anxiety. He tilted his head slightly in curiosity and said, "What did you hear about Regulus?"

"That he... uh..." I lowered my voice so no one else who was possibly listening could hear, "That he got the dark mark..."

Barty's eyes widened in surprise at my words and I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't know, if it wasn't true, or if he was just confused as to how I knew. His arms fell to his sides and he looked at me like he was searching my face for any sign of deception but all that was there was worry and concern.

"Who told you that?" he asked me in a guarded tone.

"M-my mother," I had stuttered, "She heard it from my father, he's also a death eater so... uh..."

He clenched his jaw, his muscles visibly tensing. He looked down at the floor as he processed the information. After a moment, he looked back up at me and said, "And... you want to know if it's true?"

I nodded, "I swear I won't tell anyone, I just... I need to know."

He pursed his lips together as he debated with himself for a moment and then spoke, "Okay... I'll tell you, but you have to promise you'll keep this a secret. Nobody can know. Can I trust you?"

"Barty, I would protect anything for Regulus at any cost," I assured him.

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Barty's mouth as he regarded me. He nodded and straightened up as he looked me in the eyes firmly, "Yes, Regulus got the dark mark."

I gulped and I stood up straighter. Then I nodded once, "Okay. Thank you for telling me."

Barty nodded, looking relieved at how I took it. But he could still see the shock in my eyes and the way my hands were shaking.

"Of course," he said, "I'm sorry to be the one to officially break the news to you, but I knew you would find out eventually. Are you... are you okay?"

I honestly couldn't believe he cared if I was okay or not but his eyes were genuine. It was a lot to take in and the thoughts that were flying through my head were too much, too loud. I nodded, "I'm fine. I assume you and Evan got it too then?"

"Yeah..." he nodded, "Evan and I both got marked too."

I nodded as I tried to blink back any tears that might have been trying to escape and said, "Can you... can you promise me something?"

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"Can you keep him safe?"

Barty looked at me, his expression serious. He knew what I was asking and he knew how important it was to me. He nodded firmly, determination in his eyes, "Yes, I promise. I'll do everything I can to keep Regulus safe."

"Thank you..." I said quietly, not sure how to end the conversation.

Barty nodded, a small sad smile on his face. He could see the pain in my eyes and the worry that I was trying to hide, I know it. He took a step closer to me and said, "You don't have to worry about Regulus. Evan and I will look after him. We won't let anything bad happen to him."

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him in an awkward but comfortable enough hug, "Thank you."

He stiffened for half a second but then he relaxed and returned the hug. I know that Barty had never been one for hugs. I had literally never seen him hug anyone except for Evan. But he knew how much I cared for Regulus, somehow.

"Of course," he said.

Estella Flint