Written For:

- Flying Lessons #4: This is a test of your pairing. There are always going to be downs in your relationship and this is where we discuss a very deep down. Both of your pairing should be feeling the problem and should overcome it. The problem must be an obstacle that is perceived as difficult and could be a family member dying, an assault or a past history of abuse. / Prompt used: (dialogue) "I will never let you down."

- Flying Lessons Extra Prompts: (dialogue) "You seriously think that this is enough to get rid of me?", (action) cuddling in bed, (word) Hide, (action) giving a tissue, (word) Pretend

- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Poems Porn: "No matter how strong a girl is, she has a weak point. And sometimes, all she needs is a hug.", "I admire people who choose to shine, even after all of the storms they've been through."

- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Frat Pack: "This has been an emotional day for all of us. I think we should get naked."

- Gringotts Prompt Bank/My Mad Fat Diary: "It's fucking embarrassing how good I look some days.", "His arse is so beautiful that sometimes I have to stop myself from crying when I look at it."

- Word Prompt Express: Strength

Word Count: 2,097

Chapter Four
A Place to Hide

Regulus sighed as he walked through the empty halls of Hogwarts, kicking various items of debris out of the way as he walked. The months had passed quickly, and now it was the Easter holidays—most of the students of Hogwarts had gone home for the holidays. Of course, Regulus had the option of returning to Grimmauld Place for the fortnight, but he chose to spend it keeping an eye out for his friend.

The Easter holidays weren't a great time for Barty. He had been about nine when his mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and had announced it over their Easter supper. Since then, his life at home had gone downhill. He had told Regulus all about it in confidence, once he had been sure that he could trust Regulus as a true friend—and a lover.

Mr Crouch had brought a nanny into the household, someone who was put in charge of looking after Barty and teaching him from home, as most Pureblood wizards didn't go to any kind of school before going to Hogwarts. It had been Barty's mother who had taught Barty before she came down with sickness, but she just didn't have the strength anymore, mentally or physically. Whilst Mr Crouch spent his days and most of the evenings working at the Ministry, Mrs Crouch would be bedridden on the top floor of the Manor, and Barty would be forced to spend all of his time with the nanny.

She was a young woman, around eighteen or nineteen, and was a family friend. They called her Polly, though Barty never knew exactly which family she came from, and wore pretty flowery dresses and always fastened her mousey-brown hair on top of her head. When Barty first met her, he was sure that she was going to be a great sitter, as she seemed intelligent and kind, with her smiling face and tender disposition.

However, things soon went downhill when his parents were out of the way. It became quite clear that Polly had no interest in children, she was only bothered about the stacks of gold that Mr Crouch was paying her to look after Barty. She would lock Barty in the library alone, leaving him to do nothing but read and re-read the books that lined the shelves. She wouldn't feed him, and would only let him out at dinner time, so that he could make her dinner. It was whilst he was struggling to manually cook up whatever she requested when he would try and sneak mouthfuls of food to ease his hunger.

If she caught him, she would lose her mind. "What do you think you're doing, getting your slimy hands all over my food?" she'd scream, and Barty would be forced to cower. The pretty, smiling girl with the dimples would be gone, replaced by a raging demon, ready to devour Barty.

It started with slaps, but she eventually started hitting him harder, causing him to bruise. Before long, she would wrap her fingers around his throat and throttle him. Eventually, she apparently didn't think that her fists were hurting him enough, and she started using her wand to inflict pain upon him.

Regulus had seen the scars that covered Barty's back and torso, and knew that there were a lot more mental scars that couldn't be seen so easily. He was always plagued with flashbacks and nightmares, moreso at this time of year, and Regulus had learned how to deal with it. But Barty didn't always want to let Regulus in, and would find somewhere to hide when he wanted to be alone.

With a loud sigh, he took a seat in a nearby archway, staring into his reflection in a mirror on the wall opposite. He'd had his fair share of childhood difficulties, what with the way that he had been brought up, but Regulus's pain was nothing in comparison to Barty's.

He was distracted from his thoughts as a familiar face loomed into view. Luna was standing in front of him, smiling sadly, her usually glittering eyes looking quite downcast. She sat down next to Regulus, and met his eyes in the mirror.

"It's fucking embarrassing how good I look some days," Regulus chuckled, winking at Luna through the glass. She laughed, knowing he wasn't being deliberately narcissistic. "Are you okay, Luna? You look...off."

"Do I?" Luna replied vacantly, looking away.

"You can't pretend there's nothing wrong with you around me," Regulus went on. "I can see though anyone. It's both a blessing and a curse."

"Oh..." Luna murmured, looking down at her fingernails, which she was fidgeting with. "Well, I'm worried about Barty."

Regulus cocked an eyebrow. "You are?"

"He...he told me about...what happened to him, with the nanny."

Regulus almost breathed out in relief. He knew that if their friendship was to continue, Luna would eventually have to know about Barty's past and understand him. He hadn't wanted to be the one to tell Luna, so he was glad that Barty had chosen to divulge her.

"Luna, you're sweet. But you don't need to worry about him. He gets like this every year, but we just have to keep an eye out for him."

"I've been looking for him all morning. I haven't seen him anywhere. Was he in the Slytherin Common Room?"

Regulus shook his head. "He must have left in the early hours of the morning, because when I woke up he was gone. Luna, please try not to worry. He will come to us when he needs help. I know from experience."

Luna's eyes suddenly flashed, as though there was a hint of anger in them, but the light passed quickly. "Do you, though?"

"Is this about something else?"

Luna's fidgeting grew a little more fast paced. "I understand what Barty's gone through," she told him quietly. "I understand a lot more than he thinks."

Regulus was quiet for a moment. "Do you mean...?"

"I had a bad experience in my childhood, too. But I've managed to get over my past, and I'm a stronger person because of it. I want...I want to help Barty. I want him to get stronger, too. You love him, don't you?"

"His arse is so beautiful that sometimes I have to stop myself from crying when I look at it," Regulus chuckled, but his face grew sombre when he noticed Luna's serious expression. "Of course I love him. You're a great friend, Luna. I admire people who choose to shine, even after all the storms they've been through."

Luna sniffled, and Regulus noticed tears welling up in her silver eyes. He dug around in his pocket until he recovered a tissue, and handed it to her. She accepted it gratefully, and started dabbing at her eyes. "I'm...I'm not ready to tell you about it yet. But I will do," she promised. "I just don't want you to think differently of me. I don't want you to...to stop being friends with me because of it."

Regulus chuckled, and threw an arm over Luna's shoulders. "You seriously think that this is enough to get rid of me?" He pulled her into his embrace, and she tentatively hugged him back. He could tell that she didn't like breaking down her barriers, and appearing vulnerable in front of him. "No matter how strong a girl is, she has a weak point. And sometimes, all she needs is a hug."

oOo

Luna closed her eyes as she walked back and forth across the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. This room had been a safe haven for her during her time at Hogwarts in the future, and she was hoping that Barty would know about it too.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Regulus asked from behind her, sounding doubtful. He'd never heard of the Come and Go Room, much less tried to search for it.

'I want a place to hide,' she thought desperately, wondering if Barty had thought the same thing. Regulus had told her that Barty often hid out of the way during his more emotional phases, and where else would he find a better hiding place, other than the Room of Requirement? 'I want a place to hide.'

On her third stroll past the tapestry, she glanced up at the bare wall and spotted a large, wooden door that hadn't been there previously. Her heart fluttered with excitement, and she double-glanced up and down the hall, before hurrying into the Room of Requirement.

She had found a Room to Hide, instead of the Room of Hidden Things, which is what she had been expecting. Whenever she tried to hide in her own present, she was presented with the aisles and aisles of shelves, all piled high with hidden things. This room, however, was different. Instead of the piles of junk, she was faced with hundreds and hundreds of screens, the types that you used to duck behind to get changed, should there be anyone in the room with you.

"What the hell is this place," murmured Regulus, looking around in shock. Luna raised a finger to her lips, and leaned in closer to him.

"Let me find him first," she whispered, and Regulus pressed his lips together. "Trust me."

Rolling his eyes, Regulus nodded, and Luna walked through the first gap in the screens, making her way through the makeshift maze.

She came across several wider areas of the maze, as though rooms had been created with the screens, and all of them contained different things. One had a cauldron and a stove in the centre. Another held several short bookcases filed with books. One had nothing but a plush armchair in the centre, and a few just had rugs and cushions thrown along the floor. Finally, Luna found one that looked as though it had been manhandled a little.

There were more screens pulled around the 'room', and there was no easy entrance. Being as quiet as she could, Luna pulled the screens apart and peered through the gap.

A single, four-poster bed was in the centre, adorned with cream coloured sheets and curtains. Luna edged closer and pushed aside one of the curtains, and spotted a Barty-shaped lump under the white blankets. "Barty?" she whispered, and Barty turned over, blinking at her groggily. His hair was scruffy and bedraggled, and his brown eyes looked tired.

"Luna, what are you doing here?" he mumbled, but he didn't sound angry.

"I...Regulus and I were worried about you," she told him. "Barty, I want to help you."

"You can't help me. It happens every year, Luna. I just have to get over it. You don't understand."

"I do understand," she told him, staring at him knowingly, and Barty's gaze softened. They didn't say anything for a few moments.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I didn't realise."

Luna shook her head, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Let us help you, Barty."

"Yeah, babe," another voice piped up, and Regulus suddenly appeared through the gap in the screens. "Let us help."

Barty burrowed his face under the covers. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he groaned, through a thick voice. He sounded like he was starting to cry. Regulus pounced on the bed, digging around until he had joined Barty under the blankets, and Barty squealed in shock. Regulus was tickling him.

"We're your friends, idiot," he told Barty. "We love you."

Barty looked at Luna suddenly, and she felt a pink tinge spreading across her face. "You do?"

"Of course we do," she said quietly, her lip shaking. Barty's sombre expression cracked into a smile.

"Now, come on. This has been an emotional day for all of us," Regulus laughed, grabbing Luna's arm. She yelped in shock as she was dragged into the bed, right into the middle of them. "I think we should get naked." Regulus screeched as Barty pinched him, hard.

"Idiot," Barty snapped, but he was laughing. He wrapped his arm around Luna's waist and buried his face into the the hollow of her neck, and Regulus threw an arm over her torso, stroking Barty's upper arm with his fingers. His face was in her hair, and Luna listened to them both breathing softly, holding her tightly. It was a strange situation to be in, but Luna had never felt more comfortable and safe in her entire life.

"I love both of you," Regulus said quietly, his voice vibrating between the three of them. "I'll never let you down."