Round 13 – Spreading the love

Round prompt: Pairing – Barty Crouch Jr./Regulus Black

Optional prompts: 6. (word) gruesome / 7. (quote)"Life is life, fight for it." ― Mother Teresa / 13. (poem) Love, What is Love by Robert Louis Stevenson

A/N: I. Love. BartyReg. Fics. That's the truth. I just had no idea how hard it would be to actually write one. So I apologize in advance.

"Love - what is love? A great and aching heart;

Wrung hands; and silence; and a long despair."

Rust

Barty slouched forward, his shoulders hunched and the slush soaking his socks and shoes. It was the end of December, wet and cold and disgusting. The sound of his own feet on the wet snow was getting on his nerves and so was the silence between him and Regulus. The shorter man walked before him, seemingly unaffected by the current weather conditions. Barty huffed and buried his nose on the dark green muffler. He didn't even get started on Regulus Black. The man was so damn secretive and straight-faced sometimes that it was irritating as hell. It didn't mean he didn't like Regulus, though. It was the complete opposite actually. And it made everything more awkward.

Everything had started in the very beginning of the school year. Professor Slughorn had told him the unembellished truth downright after the first week. Barty was failing in Potions right after he had barely managed to get through the cursed subject in his OWLs last year. With luck, he could have added when standing in front of the Potions master but he kept his mouth shut. Why Slughorn had let him continue the subject was a completely another matter.

"I know your father and I have kept in touch. He had an Outstanding in Potions", Slughorn had said, fondling his mustache thoughtfully. "Maybe we could get someone to tutor you? To see if there's no need to mention these little incidents in the class..."

Without even rolling his eyes Barty had agreed to that; there was no way letting his Father know about the bad grades if there was even the smallest of chances to keep him completely oblivious. Not that Crouch Sr. would care anyway. Not very much at least. The old man Crouch was too busy being important to care about his son's grades.

And that had been the moment when Regulus Black had stepped into Barty's life.

They had been on the same year all the time but being sorted into different Houses had kept the communication between two in minimum. Not that Barty would have wanted to have anything to do with Regulus Black anyway. And the tutoring didn't actually make him change his opinion.

"I wouldn't choose butterbur for this draught."

"The book says need to crush it, not cut it."

"Three stirs clockwise and one anti-clockwise, not two times."

"It should be carmine red. This is turning purple. What did you put in here?"

Blah-blah-blah. Potions had never been Barty's favourite class but now he was getting closer to the point when he could declare he hated it. Regulus had made it sound he didn't know bladderwrack from monkshood. Maybe, if he was lucky enough, Slughorn could choose him another tutor. Someone who didn't make him sound like a bloody idiot. Based on the number of Gryffindor's coming from the dungeons old Slughorn had ended the lesson early. It had meant there was almost a half an hour till the next class. Barty had stopped outside the Professor Slughorn's office to knock but he had stopped abruptly to listen the conversation on the other side of the door.

"Is he... making any progress?"

Barty had pricked up his ears to hear who Slughorn was talking to. The voice he had heard made him crinkle his nose.

"Crouch? I wouldn't call it progress", Regulus had drawled and Barty had been sure he heard Professor Slughorn sigh in disappointment. "Because", Regulus had then continued. "he already has it in him. He has a lot of potential and a great intuition when it comes to alternating the ingredients, usually for the better. He doesn't really need to make progress, not in the way you put it."

Barty hadn't been able to believe his ears. Was Black praising him to the professor?

"But Regulus", Slughorn had huffed. "In the class he has shown no sign-"

"Polyjuice Potion."

"Excuse me?"

"I believe", Regulus had said firmly. "that Crouch is fully capable to brew a perfect Polyjuice Potion. Give him a month."

Slughorn had coughed nervously. "Brewing Polyjuice Potion is very advanced potion making, Regulus, and it's not something included in the sixth year curriculum, I don't think he-"

"With all due respect, Professor", Regulus had said in a pleasant tone, though in the ears of Barty it had sounded like the younger of the Black brothers had been compelling rather than persuading the professor. "I have a class to attend. We see the results after the Christmas holidays."

Regulus had closed the door behind himself. He had frowned when he had seen Barty there. Barty instead had hoped he would be anywhere but there. He had been sure Regulus was going to turn him in for listening in to their conversation. But Regulus had made no attempt to do so.

"Eavesdropping, weren't you, Crouch?" he had stated instead. His tone had been plain but there had been this small, mischievous glint in his eyes. He had been amused, that much Barty had been able tell. Barty had looked away, his ears turning red, hoping Regulus Black of all people wouldn't notice his embarrassment. After all, he hadn't planned to eavesdrop. And even less he had wanted to get caught red-handed.

"No", he had muttered.

Regulus had chuckled. "Well, I expect to see you for our next tutoring session tomorrow. The full moon is still almost two weeks away but I think we could try the Wiggenweld Potion before it."

A week had passed and the Potions lessons had stayed the way they was - horrible and brain numbing, but mainly just because Ravenclaws shared the class with Hufflepuff and not with Slytherins. The tutoring sessions instead hadn't turned out to be as bad as they had been. Barty had actually started to like them. And moreover, even with all the frowning and half-assed advice he had gained, he had started to like Regulus Black.

In a completely platonic way, the rational part of his brain had screamed the very moment the thought had for the first time find its way into his head. Sure, they had became something what could be called friends: they spent time with each other in the library between and after classes, worked on potions to make sure Barty wouldn't fail, and sometimes they were seen hanging around the Hogsmeade together. Barty had even cheered for the Slytherin team in the first of the year's Quidditch games. He had also been the first to get a victorious smile from usually so restrained Regulus after the Slytherin had caught the Snitch.

If a simple smile had made Barty's heart beat so fast he should have known he was falling for Regulus Black. And he eventually did.

"Where're you taking me, Black?" Barty finally asked, after trudging in the slush for another 15 minutes. It was the Christmas break and it had been Regulus' idea to meet during it. However, Barty hadn't assumed it would mean walking around London.

Regulus looked over his shoulder. "You should trust me, Crouch", he said with a small smile playing on his lips.

"I do trust you", Barty mumbled, the heat rushing to his face and making his freckles stand out even more. Regulus hummed confidently at the sight.

"No, you don't", he said. "But I can live with that. We're almost there anyway."

The awfully cheery music became slowly clearer as they walked towards the Thames. The bright lights, noisy children, rush and overcrowding followed soon after. Barty wrinkled his nose at the sight.

"You're taking us to a muggle fair?" he asked, looking dubiously at Regulus. They weren't the greatest muggle supporters; not even close to that to be exact as they both were respectable pure-bloods.

Regulus crossed his arms. "Have you been in one before, then?"

"Not even once", Barty replied, mirroring the action and crossing his arms as well.

"Good."

"...Huh?"

"I said 'good'", Regulus repeated. "Neither have I." He rolled his eyes. "Come." And without asking he had grabbed Barty's arm and started dragging him along the way.

"How did you find about this?" Barty asked, taking another bite of an candy apple.

"I found a leaflet from my brother's old room", Regulus told easily though Barty knew Regulus preferred not speaking about his family. Another thing they had in common, Barty had noticed. "It's an annual thing", Regulus added. "I thought that muggle or not we could give it a try."

"Mmm, but no telling about this little trip to anyone", Barty said and tossed the rest of the apple into Thames.

"Littering", Regulus scoffed. "Really, Crouch?"

"It's not littering if it moulders", Barty countered with a grin.

For a moment Regulus just stared at Barty before he started giggling - actually giggling - uncontrollably. It was such a delighting sound Barty would have hugged Regulus then and there but he didn't.

"You're unnaturally cheery today, Black", Barty remarked, grinning.

"Am I?" Regulus asked, still giggling a little.

"It's not... a bad thing, I guess", Barty added a little too quickly. He swallowed. "I actually... I actually like your smile more than that constant frown of yours", he stated quietly but hoping Regulus would catch his words anyway.

The giggling stopped. "A constant frown?" he asked, his brows knitting together.

"That's what I was talking about", Barty groaned. "You're getting a wrinkle. Right. Here." He grazed the spot between Regulus' eyebrows. "It doesn't really suit you."

Regulus pouted. "I don't think people should pay attention on how I look."

"Too late for that", Barty muttered.

It was Regulus' turn to blush but Barty couldn't see it since the sudden, blinding flash lighted up the sky. The fireworks had started.

"Life is life, fight for it", Regulus said, suddenly very close to his friend. "Anyone, any day, can face a gruesome death. But life is, in one way or another, always worth living." He gave a smile. "Isn't that right?"

Barty nodded and offered a half-smile in response. "Yeah..."

"You're shaking", Regulus said, intertwining their cold fingers to share the warmth. "Better?"

"Where're you going with this?" Barty asked, hoping the words wouldn't get stuck on his throat. Holding Regulus' hand was more than he had bargained for but...

"We should live a little while we still can", Regulus whispered.

Just holding hands had been more than enough, more than Barty could have asked for. But having Regulus Black to kiss him was like one of his deepest, though also one of his most innocent, fantasies had come true. It was clumsy and short for a kiss but it had left Barty breathless.

"The Polyjuice Potion will be ready next week", Regulus said, looking straight at Barty's eyes. "And I won't tutor you anymore when it's done."

"I know", Barty panted, his cheeks aflame. "But we'll still be together, right? As friends or something..."

Regulus didn't answer immediately and they stood there in silence for what felt like hours.

"Do you trust me?" Regulus asked at last.

"I do trust you", Barty replied and offered a reassuring smile.

"And what I now tell you will stay between us?" Regulus pressed.

"I swear it on my mother."

Regulus nodded. "I already... have plans for the future", he said with a small smile, grasping his sleeve and pulling it up to reveal his forearm. "I don't think you could be my friend, a part of my life, when those plans happen."

"It's interesting, the way you say that", Barty hummed, looking at the tattoo on Regulus' arm. Sure, he was a bit shocked to see the Dark Lord's mark there. After all, Regulus was just 16 years of age, not even adult yet, and he was already chained to such a fate. Barty shook his head and let his eyes meet Regulus'. "As if you had made that that choice for me already."

Regulus pulled his sleeve down and avoided the eye contact with the Ravenclaw. He didn't say anything, he didn't have words that would change anything. He would become a full Death Eater. It was his dream. If it meant he and Barty couldn't stay friends then so be it. But the thought hurt so much if he hadn't been so good at concealing his feelings he would have just broke down then and there.

"I guess I just need to follow you there, then", Barty said, pushing his hands on his pockets. Regulus gazed at Barty in shock. Had he just...? Had Barty just...? Barty grinned widely. "I will find you, alright? Don't change your mind about this. We'll be the best Death Eaters around."

Regulus gave a smile. A real smile. Bright and relieved. "Alright. My friend."

Regulus didn't compete his final year. And was needless to say it was already too late when Barty joined the Death Eaters in 1979 after his graduation from Hogwarts. Regulus Black was nowhere to be found and that was the crucial piece on the puzzle how Bartemius Crouch Jr. fell from his grace.

"Life - what is life? Upon a moorland bare

To see love coming and see love depart."

For his rusted love for a man who had changed his mind.