Year One at Hogwarts
Chapter 13: Divided Snakes and Lion Reunited
Tyler got to his bed that night with a complete set of emotions weighing on his chest. It seemed impossible that the day started with him annoyed with Reggie, then laughing with his three friends, then excited for the elemental training they went through, to the joy of finding his flying potential, the distressing news of the recent deaths and his argument with Jacke.
"How could the day go from great to bad and then to worse" he mumbled to himself.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but did spend an hour of twisting and turning before he finally settled.
After he got up, he found a few Slytherins lounging in the common room and relaxing as if things were normal. Severus was even there happily chatting to a fellow seventh year. Regalus looked as if he was writing a letter and Matt was sitting in a chair reading the Transfiguration book.
'It seems that Jacke was a little right' thought Tyler. 'But still, there wasn't a party. I can't believe that he would think we were ALL going to celebrate the recent death.'
It seemed that all the anger he had toward Jacke fell upon his cousin Tom Riddle the next second. Tom Riddle, his own cousin, was ruining his time at Hogwarts and even ruined his childhood. And he didn't even know that he had family existing. Also, he stared at Severus and knew that he didn't like muggleborns and that his father was a Death Eater but still couldn't believe Severus. Severus was like a big brother figure to Tyler for watching out for him and respecting the fact, even though he didn't like it, that he had friends in other houses.
'Though,' Tyler thought. 'Severus could've shown a bit of compassion for what happened.'
Maybe Reggie was right about him. Maybe he shouldn't be around Severus anymore. But just when he just decided he should, he caught Severus looking at him, in the eye, and saw him with a look of sympathy through his eyes and not his face before he walked out of the common room.
'Maybe there's hope for him yet' thought Tyler with a faint smile.
He followed Severus' example and left the common room toward the Great Hall for breakfast. He found that Jacke was already there, eating with some of his fellow Gryffindors. He caught Tyler's eye and they both just looked at each other before they just turned away. Tyler was still mad at how Jacke asked his questions the previous night.
He sat down and tried to eat peacefully but was still showing signs of him being unhappy. His expressions were obviously noticeable of how he was feeling because he was joined by Regulus across from him.
"Tyler, are you okay? You look like you came across a dementor."
Tyler shuddered. Dementors were foul creatures that drained the happiness out of their area and were the guards of Azkaban. He had been frightened of their "kiss" ever since his father Simon had told him the sad story of his great grandpa.
"I'm just not feeling happy right now Regulus."
"Why? What's wrong? You can tell me."
Tyler looked at Regulus' face. He had the expression that told him that he could tell him.
"Okay, well, Jacke and I had a little row last night after dinner about...stuff."
"What stuff? Is it about what happened last night?"
He was good. "Sort of. He...he thought we were having a party in the common room about what happened to the Bones."
"Really?...How did he get that idea?"
"He said that he heard stuff from the other houses so he just forgot the vow that we including Reggie and Brad made."
"What vow?" Regalus looked very interested.
"Sorry Regulus. That's kind of a private thing between us. I can't tell you." he said with a small voice.
"Oh, okay, I understand...Look Tyler, I'm not going to tell you what to do but give you an insight. I still fail to see why you stay friends with Jacke Walker. It seems it would be easier for both of you but there's probably something behind it that I just can't see and it's up to you to know if it's worth keeping or if it's okay to let it go."
Tyler stared back at his food and went into thought. Regulus had made a good point. Why hadn't they called off their friendship sooner? Ever since they arrived in September, Tyler and Jacke had received nothing but a hard time because of their friendship. They had been treated like outcasts, thought to be house traitors, and ridiculed. The bad thing was that this was only in the first seven months of their first year.
But then Tyler's mind flashed to when they first met. To when he first experienced what it was like to be with someone your own age and have fun. Jacke was the first friend he had in the world and this was before they were even sorted. They made the vow so they could still have that feeling of friendship because Jacke had said he didn't have friends or siblings.
He still blamed Jacke for asking the question the way he did. Regulus pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I mean, it's not like the other houses' nature is making you fight with Jacke is it?" Regulus said that more as a mocking point of view instead of comfort and he was right. "You can't help that Jacke's following the rest of the Gryffindor herd."
Tyler did get upset by the other houses reactions of the news. All the stares to the Slytherin table did get to Tyler. It was like they just said, "Everyone at the Slytherin table was responsible."
And the thing was that Tyler did feel responsible for what happened. His cousin's followers did this. Although he never met his cousin, in fact, the only member of the family that had actually saw him was his aunt Gladis, who gave birth to him right before she died. His family knew that Riddle was family because AuntGladis managed to send a letter to Tyler's grandparents saying she was expecting and was going to name the boy Tom Marvolo Riddle (she performed a spell to see what gender it was). The point was that his blood was involved and he was guilty. Maybe he was just as responsible as Jacke for their fight last night.
"Regulus, okay stop. I don't need to hear any more of your reasons for me to call off things with Jacke."
"Was I?" Regalus was smiling to Tyler's anger at him.
Then Tyler realized. Regalus was using reverse backtalking to him. He said those things to get him to think that the friendship he had with Jacke was not worth losing.
"Thanks Regulus. I appreciate it. I really needed that talk, you have no idea how much that helped. Also, that was a sneaky way to fix it, I must admit."
"Sure Tyler." Then he leaned in to him. "Don't worry. I know how you feel about this."
"You do? How?" He knew Regulus was pretty much a loner. The only people that he saw Regulus chat with were Matt, Severus and himself.
"What I'm going to tell you is a very personal thing that I haven't told anyone before."
"So then why are you going to tell me?"
"I honestly don't know. I just think I can trust you and that you would understand. Just don't tell anyone. Okay?"
"You have my oath." he said putting a hand to his chest for dramatic effect.
"Alright, you know that Sirius Black, in Gryffindor, is my older brother right?"
"Yeah, I knew that."
"Well before he went to Hogwarts, he and I got along fairly well. When he got sorted into Gryffindor then that's when everything blew apart. My mother and father started to make him an outcast and put their attention on me. They started to pressure me but I wasn't as resistant to them as Sirius was and I kinda pushed Sirius away too."
"How? You could've still have been close to him even though you were pressured at home. Your parents couldn't have interfered at Hogwarts."
"Yeah well, when I arrived at Hogwarts it became more complicated then that. I was sorted into Slytherin like my parents wanted and Sirius had been trying to get me into Gryffindor. Once there, I befriended Severus and I talked to him a few times but Sirius accused Severus for talking to me just to spite him."
"Was he?"
"I think in the beginning he was. But overtime, he took my hand in regular friendship. Anyway, Sirius was the only friendly face I knew going into Hogwarts and now he went cold on me for talking with Severus. We secluded ourselves and didn't even chat privately here or at home. Then, after school last year, he ran away from home and my mother took him off the family tapestry. I didn't stand up for him because I didn't want to be in that position, I was scared. To be honest, I'm still scared to do anything that my parents wouldn't approve of."
"Wow", Tyler said quietly. Now he understood why Regulus was always alone. He was scared of temptation especially from his parents. I guess he didn't have to worry about that with Matt, Severus and him around. But what exactly did this have to do with him? "What does this have to do with me and Jacke?"
"I don't want you to do the same mistake I did and lose a relationship that means so much to you."
"Why do you care so much about my friendship with Jacke?"
"Because Jacke reminds me of Sirius...He has the same fun nature and open friendship expansion that I remember Sirius had. I really liked that Walker when I first met him."
Tyler then remembered the day that Regulus stepped in to protect him and Jacke and his happy reaction to meeting Jacke.
"Seeing the two of you together that day kinda brought back repressed memories. When I saw the robes that the two of you were wearing, I knew there was something about him. He didn't even take into account that I was a Slytherin when he tried to shake my hand in friendship. You also reminded me of the position I was in. A Slytherin with a friendly connection to a Gryffindor, a friend to Severus that seems to affect the relationship. You have what I had and I don't want you to lose sight of it like I did."
Regulus, then, got up and went to sit near a few fourth years leaving Tyler there speechless. A part of him did want to make up with Jacke but it was battling with his Slytherin stubbornness. He reflected on Regulus' advice and then realized that it was his fault and he shouldn't have blown at Jacke for how the school treated his house. He just wanted to make up with Jacke right then and there so he looked at the Gryffindor table but found Jacke had left.
He caught sight of Jacke leaving the Great Hall and he dropped his fork and went after him. He saw Jacke meet with Reggie (probably on their way to History of Magic) and went up to them.
"Hi Reggie. Do you mind if I have a word with Jacke, please?"
"Sure. I'll meet you later Jacke and I'll save you a seat."
"Okay thanks."
Reggie left the two in a heat sort of suspense. Tyler was nervous and was looking the part while Jacke looked annoyed and hesitant. Tyler decided to go first.
"Look Jacke...
"Look Tyler...
They had both tried to start talking at the same time.
"Look Jacke...
"No Tyler, let me...
"No! I'll go first."
"Okay." Jacke became very timid.
"I just wanted to say that what happened between us was my fault. I shouldn't have blasted at you like that."
"No, I should be apologizing. I shouldn't have said that to you. I don't know what got into me. The ones in the table said that your house all knew this would happen and probably had a party ready for it. I know I shouldn't have believed it but I remembered the fights that we all get into with the Slytherins and I guess I fooled myself to believe it. I mean, you're not like that, I know it. I guess Regulus isn't like that either. I'm not too sure of Severus Snapeand Matt Carroway."
"Don't worry about it. I know Matt and Severus can get out of hand but you don't know them as I do. Believe me, they feel the same about you guys but they don't know you like I do."
The two just looked at one another and just burst in a friendly laugh that Hogwarts hadn't heard since the death announcement. If anyone came by then they would've died from shock seeing a Gryffindor and a Slytherin in a brotherly hug. It was the first hug that Tyler had that wasn't from a family member.
"I gotta go" Jacke said after they were finished.
"Me too. Bye Jacke, mate."
Tyler felt better than he ever did starting at Hogwarts. Everything was good: He and Jacke were back together, all four were catalysts and he lots the guilt he was feeling. He then headed to join Brad in going to their Charms class.
End of Chapter 13
Nightlit: Glad you're keeping up with my story and I hope to see that your story gets updated soon because I'm dying with suspense.
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Author Notes: That's it for chapter 13. I know it seems soon for them to make up but they are eleven and I know young friends who get into fights make up fast. Also, I thought that Regalus should have a confusing life because in OOTP Sirius told Harry that his brother tried to back out which made me think that Regalus might've been pressured into joining him and not had done it at his own will. The next chapter will be up "Full Fledged Elementals" where the power the four elementals have is discovered to be complicated then they thought. PLEASE REVIEW!