Written For:

- Flying Lessons #6: You have your friends, your teammates, and you also have your opponents. Your opponents will be aiming to hurt you from the get go and we should have this shown by incorporating another member into the relationship that is causing problems. This can be someone having an affair, someone trying to get your pairing to have an affair or both of your pairing cheating on the other. / Extra prompt: a wardrobe

- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Secret Diary: (word) Weird, (dialogue) "Call me when you've learned to share.", (word) Threesome, (word) Bizarre, (occupation) Hotel receptionist, (word) Lucky

- Gringotts Prompt Bank/OC Names: Ralph Irwin

Word Count: 1,895

Chapter Six
Three's Company, Four's a Crowd

Life had suddenly changed for Barty and Regulus after they left Hogwarts. They were both used to their luxurious, Pureblood upbringings—as stressful as each of their lives were at home, neither could deny that they had ever wanted for anything. Both of them lived comfortably until they went off to Hogwarts, and continued to live so once they started eduction.

So it was inevitable that they would be extremely surprised by their new living standards once they had left school.

As they were essentially running away from Regulus's mother after the incident at King's Cross, they hadn't been able to really settle down anywhere. They scurried from place to place, trying to stay in areas that were heavily Muggle populated—which was difficult enough on it's own as all three of them had been raised in wizarding families and weren't that good at blending in. When they checked in to each dingy, low-rent hotel, they were always given odd looks from the receptionists.

If it wasn't for Barty's great idea talent at transfiguring pebbles and rocks into very convincing Muggle money, they would've been forced into living on the streets. It was lucky that their Muggle Studies class had taught them about the current British currency, and that Barty had been paying attention (whereas Regulus admitted he hadn't).

"You could just go home whenever you wanted, Luna," Barty whispered to Luna during the night on many occasions, when Regulus had fallen to sleep. "Why don't you just leave? Turn your Time-Turner and go back to your own time. You won't have to suffer anymore."

"I'm not suffering," she replied. "It is partially my fault that you're in this situation." She never admitted it, but she couldn't bear the idea of leaving Barty and Regulus in this situation on their own. She had seen them going tooth and claw at one another whenever the slightest bit of stress arose. Barty became neurotic and out of control, and Regulus was moody and sarcastic. The two of them didn't mix well when they were angry. They needed Luna, though she knew they wouldn't confess it. They needed her to be their healthy medium.

She cared too much about them, now. Even though she knew how big of a mistake she had made getting so involved with two criminals of the past, she couldn't help it now. She just had to see it out. Every night before she went to sleep, Luna would make a promise to herself: as soon as Barty and Regulus were home and safe and back to the lives that they would unfortunately have to lead, she would go back home. But until then, she would just make the most of the time that she had with them.

Even though Barty and Regulus both found the dingy Muggle hotels dire and horrifying, Luna actually found it quite fun. The beds were always a little uncomfortable and the covers were cold, the coffee that the hotel provided was stale and every room they had stayed in so far smelt a little funny. But they played cards with the pack of Exploding Snap that Regulus had in his school luggage, they laughed, joked, and every night, they found themselves curling up in the same bed, regardless of how many beds they had in a room.

It was an island just off the Scottish coast where they found a hotel that wasn't really like any of the other hotels they'd stayed in. Instead of all being in the same building, the reception and breakfast hall was a separate building completely from the rooms. Upon entering, they were given a room at the very back of the building with a double and a single bed, a desk and a wardrobe, and Luna was pleased to discover that it was clean and spacious enough to cease Regulus and Barty's incessant complaining.

They did well to stay there for longer than they usually settled, as Regulus insisted that his mother would rather die than cross the sea to find him, especially not somewhere that didn't have a level terrain. The rocky Scottish island was full of hills and cliffs—perfect for hiding out, not so great for a woman in her forties to be climbing around in five-inch heels.

Everything seemed fine for them to spend a few days—maybe even a week. At least, Luna thought it was fine. It soon became apparent that the male hotel receptionist had a bit of a thing for Regulus.

It started off harmless enough. The skinny, long-haired receptionist was maybe just a couple of years older than Regulus and Barty, and he was always dressed informally in jumpers and jeans. At first he was just providing little extras for the trio—letting them keep their key if they were going on a walk (as it was a small, family owned hotel, the rule was that the keys had to be handed in if any visitors went out), sometimes he gave them an extra handful of mini milk cartons for their coffee. They thought nothing of this guy, and assumed that he was a Muggle. This changed quickly when he brought up Hogwarts, one evening when the three of them had gotten in from a late night walk.

"How do you know about that?" Barty had challenged immediately, and the receptionist had only smirked, keeping his gaze on Regulus.

"My name is Ralph Irwin," the receptionist answered, holding out his hand to shake Regulus's. He offered it to Barty next, but Barty remained stoic-faced, and didn't take it. Ralph shrugged, and Luna tentatively shook his hand as it was presented to her next. "I was a student there four years ago." When he was posed with the unspoken question, he continued speaking. "I overheard you muttering about the school when you walked past the other day."

"I've never hard the name 'Irwin'," challenged Barty.

"My father was a Muggle," Ralph replied, and Barty said no more.

This was only the first of many conversations. Ralph seemed to know when to catch them on the corridors (Regulus especially) and it wasn't long before he was calling up to the room from the reception with the telephone, wanting to engage in pointless conversation with Regulus.

"When are we leaving?" spat Barty one evening, after Regulus had put down the telephone after about an hour of talking. "I am sick to death of that guy."

Luna remained quiet, silently observing the argument that was no doubt about to emerge, and waiting to play her part as the peacemaker. She couldn't help but be on Barty's side in this, however - Ralph had become fast friends with Regulus, and she was beginning to think that the receptionist had a little more than friendship on his mind. She hadn't mention this to either of them yet, however.

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know, Barty. Next week, maybe? I like it here. And having Ralph downstairs gives us a lot of perks."

"Perks like what?" demanded Barty, rearing up to face Regulus.

"Extra milk, for one," Regulus muttered, as he walked over to the dresser which held the kettle and mugs. "Plus we haven't had to go out and get pebbles to transfigure into Muggle money. He's been sorting it out for us."

"Yes, he's been putting his own Muggle money into the hotel, for us, when we've only known him a week," sneered Barty, folding his arms across his chest. "How wonderfully chivalrous of him."

Regulus spun around, glaring at Barty. "I'm starting to think you're jealous of Ralph, Barty. What's your problem? He's just a mate."

Barty's eyes were full of fire—Luna knew that this was time to intervene. She stood up and took Barty's arm, with the intention of leading him out of the room to get a little air. "He does not want to be your friend, Regulus," he said snidely, before allowing himself to be pushed out of the room.

As usual, Barty seemed to calm considerably at a few of Luna's words and a comforting pat of the arm. They walked over to the reception building, intending to take a seat in the breakfast bar if it was still open. Luna immediately regretted her decision—she had hoped that Ralph would have packed up his shift and gone home by now, but there he was, walking towards them on the grass.

"Hey, guys - no Reg tonight?" Ralph was chirpy, and it looked as though he was heading towards the rooms, probably to knock for them. Barty glowered instantly—Luna knew that he hated the way that Ralph shortened his name to 'Reg'.

"Oh, no," Luna spoke, before Barty could bite. "He's upstairs. We're just getting a little air."

"Oh, right. Well, you don't mind if I go up and see him?" Ralph jabbed his finger in the direction of the rooms, grinning.

"Actually, I do mind," Barty snapped suddenly. "What is your deal with him?"

Luna expected Ralph to flush or act embarrassed—but he didn't. Instead he remained passive, merely raising an eyebrow at Barty's hostile comment. "Well, he's single, isn't he?" he nodded between Barty and Luna. "I mean, you two are clearly together."

"I'm with Regulus, actually," Barty confirmed. Luna started to feel a weird, strange feeling growing in her chest—it was a feeling that always appeared when she was faced with the realisation of their odd relationship. Of course they were friends—but she had to admit that things were getting a little bizarre. The three of them spent nearly every night in bed together, ever since that night in the Room of Requirement. They cuddled like they were in a romantic relationship.

She had to admit, that under the safety and darkness of the blankets, she had shared a kiss with each of them.

Both of Ralph's eyebrows soared into his fringe, and his eyes lingered on Luna. "So, you're the single one?"

"No!" Barty said, and Luna was thankful. She hadn't wanted to try and explain the nature of their relationship to him. "Luna is with us, too."

Luna looked up at Barty suddenly, as though she was only just seeing him. His strong facial features were clenched and angry, fed up was he of this bloke who was worming his way into their relationship. She glanced at Ralph, and couldn't even place a single word to his expression - he was a mixture of confused, appalled, and intrigued.

"So you're in some freaky threesome?" Ralph muttered. "That's fucked up, dude."

"No it's not," Barty replied. "And anyway, it's none of your business."

Ralph squared up to Barty, and Luna began to feel slightly wary. She was used to pulling Ralph and Regulus apart, but that was because she knew them both. She knew how to calm each of them down, what to say, how to act. She didn't know Ralph. She didn't know what he was capable of.

"How about you call me when you've learned to share?" Ralph hissed, his voice suddenly venomous. "Because I'm going up to speak to Reg now, and if all goes well, who knows—I might get lucky." He grinned ear to ear, and opened his mouth again to continue speaking.

Luna didn't get to hear what Ralph was going to say next, because Barty punched him in the face, sending him sprawling into the dark, grassy lawn.