The compartment's door slammed open, startling both girls sitting quietly inside. Without any word, Barty took the space beside Madeline after a series of forceful steps, a fearsome scowl donning his face. When he finally sat, he had his arms folded and his eyes boring at his own shoes. Madeline immediately put her book away.
"Barty, Is there something wrong?"
"Evan is angry at Regulus. Rabastan takes Regulus' side, but I tried to be neutral. And now Evan's angry at me too."
The words were spat, glaringly bitter, and Madeline narrowed her eyes. "Did they cast you out?"
"Of course not. They wouldn't dare," Barty said darkly. "I walk away. They're arguing about something stupid."
Madeline nodded. That's what she thought. Those boys would face consequences if they cast out her brother.
She took a moment to observe Barty's seething figure. Her brother was in a mood, that was painfully clear, but consoling him by saying that he was welcomed here anytime would not help - it was obvious that he didn't want to be here. She glanced at Orpington who looked very uncomfortable - the other girl had minimum interaction with Barty and was very reserved with him - though she could see that Orpington was concerned too.
"That's unfortunate," she said after some time, not knowing what to say.
Barty's scowl deepened.
"Is that all you have to say?" His tone was harsh, too harsh, and he knew it. He looked away as his shoulder slumped. "Never mind. I'll just sleep here. Don't mind me."
He closed his eyes and that was that. Silence.
She knew he couldn't be asleep immediately but any attempt to sleep would require steadying one's breathing, so she let him, hoping he would calm down after some time. She shook her head at Orpington when the other girl gave her an inquiring gaze, as if asking 'what are you gonna do about it?'
So much for a peaceful ride to Hogwarts.
At the feast, she could see that Evan sat among the upper year students. He looked like he got along well with Mulciber and the likes, sharing snickers on some jokes. She had noticed this before of course, but only just now that she saw how at ease he was with them. Which means he did spend a lot of time with them previously - Barty was right. Her eyes accidently landed on Macnair who was sitting nearby and the boy sent her a smirk. She immediately tore her gaze away.
Barty, meanwhile, was still sulking as he listened halfheartedly to Otto's retelling of a quidditch match he watched during the holiday, occasionally sending glares both to Evan and Regulus Black's directions. The steak in front of him was cut unevenly into tiny pieces in his rage.
Should she give them a talk? Barty had told her before that he didn't want her to intervene, but she hated to see her brother feeling miserable.
"How was your holiday, Crouch? Anything interesting?"
Her head turned in surprise at the mention of her name. Parkinson sat between Horston and Hornby, the three of them looking far interested for this to be a casual pleasantries. A practiced smile readily perched on her face as she replied to Parkinson.
"Certainly. I read a book on animated transfiguration - do you know that we can essentially conjure any creature with certain bodily modification in mind?"
She didn't read this recently - it was just the first thing that came to her mind.
Parkinson also had a smile on her face, one that was hard to discern. But Madeline could tell that it was strained. "Ah.. yes. Interesting." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I heard that you have received a courting gift?"
Ah... so that was the girl's aim. Gossip.
She frowned. Did someone spread a rumor about her? What on earth would they gain from a rumor like this? "I'm not currently betrothed, nor have I entered any courtship, so you must have heard wrong. May I ask from whom you have heard this?"
Hornby let out an awkward breathy laugh as the two girls on her right glared at her.
"Ahaha, yes, I must have heard wrong. It's just something I heard in passing - never mind, then."
Madeline eyed them curiously as they moved on, clearly wasn't interested anymore. Hornby looked disappointed and confused though. Orpington, of course, asked her quietly, "do you know what they're on about?" To which Madeline only shook her head cluelessly.
It was then that she noticed Regulus Black's half-lidded gray eyes on her. Like he was pretending he was not currently watching her.
She glared at him, hoping he would look away. He did.
That's what she thought.
She huffed, looking down her plate. Seeing the boy brought her mind back to the confusing gift she received from him. Barty had told her that Regulus Black didn't mean anything malicious with the necklace. She had her reservations of course, though she had belatedly realized that Regulus Black couldn't have known that she had been a muggleborn in her previous life. It was riddiculous to think the necklace was some kind of a blackmail tool, a 'i know your secret' declaration that was intended to scare her.
With that cleared up, she had gone back to her previous assumption: the necklace must have been a bribe. He knew she was mad at him for ignoring her, and he thought he could buy her forgiveness while also reminding her of his most ancient and noble family. All without asking for forgiveness outright.
Well. Now he knew his necklace didn't work, she thought in relish.
.
On the first DADA class, Madeline entered the room with a sense of deja vu. There was a cupboard in the middle of the room, shaking and rattling and unsettling almost every student in the class. A memory rippled in the front of her mind, of a black cloaked non-being that sucked every joy and warmth of every flesh and bones around it -
A dementor. The physical manifestation of Harry's worst fear.
They were going to face a Boggart in this meeting.
Madeline eyed the cupboard warily as the professor began the class, inquiring them about the non being inside the cupboard. She still remembered the class on boggart - Remus's first practical class. Her fear then was failing her classes. She doubted it would turn into Mcgonagall this time.
"No one knows, sir," Regulus Black answered the Professor as he put his hand down. "Boggart is a shapeshifter, and with this ability, it assumes the shape of whatever most frightens those who encounter it."
The Professor let out an approving hum. "Two points for Slytherin. I'll make it five if you share to the class how one might defeat a boggart, Mister Black."
The cupboard shook again.
"With the riddikulus spell."
The professor hummed again, this time in pity. "Almost there. Take one point for your effort. Would anyone else like to try?"
Regulus Black's eye twitched.
Madeline had to bite her lip to stop her smile.
"Laughter," she voiced when it was clear that no one would speak up.
The professor turned at her, his silence and inquiring gaze allowed her to continue. She did.
"A boggart can only be defeated by laughter. A boggart is a non-being that thrives in the feeling of fear, not unlike how dementor is a non-being that thrives in the feeling of despair. Those negative feelings, after all, are how they come to manifest." She paused, taking all their attention. "To defeat a non-being that thrives in fear, we must feel the very opposite of fear. But what is fear? Fear is the emotion that arises when we are threatened. The opposite to fear, according to Coranthius Burke in Dark Dweller Defense, is confidence to the point of mockery, manifested in our laughter."
"Isn't the opposite of fear courage?"
She gave Mobius Grant - the Gryffindor who just interrupted her - a look. "Courage is not the opposite of fear. Confronting a boggart despite the presence of our fear is an act of courage - but it wouldn't have been enough to defeat said boggart."
"Black is right to a certain degree though," She continued, "as it is extremely difficult to laugh in mockery in the face of our worst fear, one needs the riddikulus spell to help them laugh."
The boy she mentioned nodded at her direction, a gesture she pointedly ignored. She didn't say that to defend him. It was merely the truth.
"And how does the riddikulus spell help us to laugh, Miss Crouch?" The Professor asked, eyes locked on her curiously.
She regarded the professor with a slight frown. Did the man wanted her to lecture the class in his place? But of course, Madeline would always answer when she was directly asked.
"The riddikulus spell in its creation is fundamentally designed to trigger the shape-shifting ability in a boggart so it shifts into whatever the caster has in mind. The most difficult part of the riddikulus spell, however, is the mental component. The mental component of the spell requires the caster to think of funny things into which they may turn the boggart. Failure in this mental component would instead give the caster a backlash. If the caster fails to think of something funny when casting the spell, their mind might open the door to another fear for the boggart to access, which would make it harder for them to laugh."
She paused, remembering her own failure to cast the riddikulus charm. "It is very hard to think of something funny when our fear is so profound, though. I doubt a mother would find it easy to think of something funny when she is faced with the corpse of her children, one after the others... In any case, if we manage to do the mental component right, the riddikulus spell will turn the boggart into something we find funny, thus making us laugh."
A couple of students in front of her looked thoughtful at her answer as they observed the rattling cupboard. Meanwhile the professor had grinned in satisfaction, both hands tucked on his back as he addressed the class.
"Excellent. Take ten points for Slytherin, Miss Crouch. A boggart manifests from a place full of fear, and it will reside in places that hold fear. A dark attic that children feared, dark places that filled even the adult's mind with threats of the unknown. What makes a boggart so dangerous is that one might not realize that they are facing a boggart, consumed in their fear as they are."
The professor droned on about boggarts, before guiding them to pronounce the riddikulus spell correctly and instructing them on the spell visualization. When he told the class to stand in line, Madeline immediately dashed to the back, knowing that they would face the boggart one by one.
It was a double class, consisting of the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, so naturally, the Gryffindors all stood at the front of the line while the Slytherins observed from the back. Madeline stood behind Orpington as the Gryffindors all faced the fear - and a part of her felt ashamed. She should have been there, at the front. Since when did she become a coward?
The fears of the Gryffindors were a reminiscence of her future - spiders, banshee, mummy, snakes, werewolf. The most disturbing fear was Candice Owen's, whose boggart turned into herself with her mouth sewn shut. She failed to cast the riddikulus charm and was sent to the hospital wing for a calming draught, accompanied by two of her friends. But aside from Candice Owen, the general atmosphere was joyful. Their laughter rambunctious once the riddikulus spell was casted.
And then it was the Slytherins' turn, and the laughter was subdued. Warrington's boggart was a fire chasing after him - which looked suspiciously like a fiendfire. He turned it into a bucket which fell pathetically, leaving a puddle of water. Only he laughed. Wilkins's boggart was a huge cauldron with a sickeningly black substance inside it, something suspiciously looked like the top of a human's head peaking on its surface. Pyrites' was an elderly man with a severe case of dragon pox. Dowson's was a man with a cane. Orpington's was her mother, telling her that the family didn't expect anything from her, preferring her cousin to carry on the legacy of their family.
And then it was her turn.
"Ready, Miss Crouch?"
Madeline took a few steps forward as she readied her wand arm, nodding at the professor in assurance. Distracted by everyone's fear, she still hadn't figured out what her worst fear would be.
She just had to face it.
The boggart turned amorphous in the air with a crackling sound, its magic permeated the air and started to caress her, gauging her heart. It left goosebumps on her skin.
With one last crackling, the boggart had assumed a form. A mop of blonde hair - on a snarling Barty.
Her fear.. was her brother?
"Who are you?"
She startled at the hostile tone. Barty stood in front of her, the same Barty that she saw just this morning at the great hall. But now his eyes were accusing, looking at her like she was a stranger. She didn't understand this at all. She knew she should cast the spell right away. But... Did Barty forget who she was? Was that her fear? "What do you mean? I'm maddy."
"You're not my sister," Barty hissed, his face morphed in an ugly sneer, "You're nothing but a parasite. "
She flinched, taking a step back. "I'm not.. a parasite."
He knew.
How did he knew?
"Are you having a laugh, living in this world? Playing pretend with your pretty dresses and your filthy lies."
Her jaw was caught in a harsh grip and she couldn't help but look into his crazed eyes. His tongue lick the corner of his lip in a tick and she froze. Every inch of her turned ice cold.
"What? Can't come up with any more lies? How useless. Maybe I should turn you into a ferret."
"The spell, Miss Crouch," She heard the professor. A voice a distance away as her eyes stuck in her brother's snarling face.
"I hate you. You should have just died that day. The world will be better off without you. I will be better off without you."
Her face stuttered close as she occluded.
This was the accumulation of her fears, she realized. Barty turning into the Barty from her future. Barty hating her for her lies. Her fear of making everything worse with her presence, coming out of Barty's mouth, confirming it. And that Barty much preferred his life without her.
Now that she had occluded, she became fully aware. Aware enough to separate the figure in front of her from Barty. Because this was not her Barty. Her Barty was away, in the dungeon, brewing swelling potion while being mindlessly bored. She was in DADA class, facing a boggart.
Something funny. She needed something funny.
A part of her thought of Barty in a tutu - But she quickly removed that idea from her mind. She didn't want to humiliate her brother like Neville did to Snape.
She didn't want to humiliate her brother.
She wanted to humiliate the boggart , who dared to assume her brother's form.
"Riddikulus."
There was a crack, and Barty no longer stood. On the floor, right by her feet, it laid. Blue eyes vacant and face unbreathing. A flesh without a soul.
She stared.
Breathe .
This Barty was dead - or was it kissed? Still not her Barty though. As if she would let her Barty die. No, her Barty was safe. This Barty was a poor imitation of him. A mere Boggart to taunt her of her fear.
And now it's dead.
A giggle escaped her and her hand moved to cover it. What a pointless creature. Coming to haunt her only to end up dead. She tried to subdue her giggle, only to snort and start cackling.
A dead boggart. She killed a boggart.
She fell apart and laughed, next to the dead body of her not-brother. A tear rolled on her face as the boggart exploded and hid.
She laughed harder, her laughter cutting the air among the stunned silence.
.
"I would never say those words," said Barty the very next day. His words filled with enough conviction to move mountains.
Madeline smiled at her tea. Barty had found her in the kitchen, away from the other students. House elves buzzed around them, attending to every meal they were preparing for the feast tonight. The warm light from the fireplace casting a gentle glow on their figure. "The Hogwarts' rumor mill finally got to you? I'm a bit disappointed with them this time. I thought you would have known about it before yesterday ended."
"I would never say those words," Barty repeated, taking the seat next to her. "I love you. I'm glad you survived. That you live, with me. You are my sister."
She smiled at him fondly. "I know that."
For the longest time, Barty's eyes lingered at her, assessing if she truly meant it. He seemed satisfied by what he saw in the end.
"Right." He looked down. "Er, I also heard that you were laughing over my corpse?"
She sighed.
At the time, her action made sense to her. But now she realized the appearance of what she did did not paint a pretty picture about her.
"Why?" Barty blurted out. "Why is my death funny?"
She frowned. "Your death is not funny."
"But you laughed at my corpse. Everyone saw it."
She shook her head, exasperated. "It's not your death that i thought funny. It was the boggart's death."
"The boggart.. that looked.. like me."
"I was able to separate the real you and the boggart in my mind," Madeline told Barty gently. "When I became fully aware that it was just a boggart pretending to be you, I was angry. So I wanted to mock the boggart. When i cast the spell, i said to it 'do your worst', and then it showed me your corpse. And I laughed. I still laughed despite its best effort."
She shrugged at Barty's curious look. No doubt he found this mechanical detail on defeating a boggart fascinating. "Anyway, it was easy for me to laugh at it because it was simply ridiculous. There is no way I would ever let you die as long as I still live. It made it easier for me to think that it was just a boggart, pretending to be dead. The idea of a dead boggart amused me so i laughed some more."
"Oh." Barty paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "I suppose that explains it, then."
She hummed, sipping her tea.
With his curiosity satisfied, Barty requested some biscuit to the house elves in high spirit, and the house elves all ran, eager to do his bidding. The siblings enjoyed the sweet delights in silence until Barty spoke again.
"People are saying you are unhinged, you know."
She turned to Barty with one brow arched, unbothered. "How does it feel to have an unhinged older sister?"
Her brother grinned. "I get to say outlandish things about you and people would believe it. You would do well to do as I say, dear sister."
She snorted. "Really? Blackmail is the first thing that came across your mind at my circumstance?"
"Aren't you proud? The student has become a master."
"Sure, Barty."
It wasn't obvious, but Madeline could see that some tension melt off his shoulder at her reaction. Her brother must have been worried about her, worried about what she might have felt being rumored to be unhinged. She smiled, sliding the plate of biscuits closer to him. "I thought you would have approached me yesterday."
Barty shrugged, picking up his fourth biscuit. "I got the occasional weird pitying look since yesterday, but no one told me anything to my face. Regulus and Rabastan were reluctant to talk about it when I questioned them. When they finally told me the full story, I went to search for you right away."
Madeline sighed. Why couldn't she banish the boggart the normal way?
"Have you talked to Evan?" She asked, changing the subject.
Barty rolled his eyes.
"Am I not sharing a room and all my classes with him?"
"I mean," she glared at her brother's sarcasm, "have you talked to him about your feelings on his new friends?"
Barty and Evan quickly made up on the first day of classes after their disagreement on the train. Such was the fickleness of a little boy's ire. Barty said Evan was still quite put out with Regulus though - it turned out that Regulus lost Evan's cloud and Evan wouldn't take his excuses. Boys, really.
This little conflict, however, was just a small display of the existing problem. The problem that was Evan's new friends, and how quickly Evan could replace his old friends with his new ones.
Barty tutted at her inquiry. "Boys don't talk about feelings, Maddy. Don't be cute."
Her eye twitched.
Not only did he avoid her question, he also patronized her with that word.
Her hands quickly grabbed each of his cheeks and she pinched.
"Aw, stop pinching my cheeks!"
"Then don't be cute!" She returned the words with relish.
Her brother held her hand, making an attempt to peel them away from his cheeks. A futile attempt. She would not let them go that easily. Honestly, she kind of missed pinching those adorable cheeks. She watched amused as his cheeks got pulled when he tried to pull away her hands, making it redder.
Barty huffed, annoyed. He looked at her in the eyes as he paused, thinking.
Then,
"You know I can reach your cheeks too right?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You wouldn't."
He would, it turned out.
She felt it first before she even saw his hands moving. Little fingers grabbing at her cheeks and pinching it. It hurt only a bit. Now they were pinching each other's cheeks, limbs crossing awkwardly. An impasse.
"Let go," she ordered, using every prerogative an older sister had.
Judging from the challenging glint in Barty's eyes, those prerogatives had failed to work.
"You let go first."
"No, you let go first."
Barty narrowed his eyes before he smirked.
"I kind of understand why you like to do this. Your cheeks are squishy. By the way, I licked my fingers when I ate those biscuits."
She was now painfully aware that his fingers had tiny biscuit crumbs and were slightly wet.
"Barty, let go!"
"You first!"
"Should we be concerned?"
The intrusion of that third voice startled her, so much that she let go of Barty's cheeks, her hands returning to her sides in a blink. She glanced to the side, and there, by the kitchen entrance door, were four amused Gryffindor boys who were definitely not there before. A sudden rush of heat rose to her cheeks.
And she could only glance at their direction in panic because her cheeks were still in Barty's hold.
"She started it," Barty immediately said, an automatic response for whenever they were caught fighting.
Madeline glared at her brother.
"Let. Go."
Barty finally did, though slow and reluctant. With a move so quick it would make even the best seeker in the world cry, she pinched Barty's cheeks one more time to have the last laugh.
"Aw!"
She bolted to the door, passing by the Marauders with as much dignity she could muster as she swiped her slightly wet cheeks. Their heads slowly turned as they followed her move.
"You didn't see anything," she said calmly.
She left the kitchen without looking back.
.
By Friday, her supposedly unhinged disposition had become old news. People saw her getting along with Barty and thought they were just an odd pair of siblings, and did not think much of it. Barty was rather surprised at how things work so well in their favor but Madeline only rolled her eyes. Hogwarts denizen was too unbothered by peculiarities, that fact she knew entirely too well.
Professor Slughorn, of course, could not care less about those rumors. As long as she stayed brilliant and the daughter of a rising politician, then everything was just peachy for the Slytherin head of house. The old man indulged her when she approached him after class about the possibility of forming a potion research team, and he promised her to send his best two potion students to her that very evening.
Which was why she was now sitting across a sullen looking Severus Snape and a curious Regulus Black in one of the many brewing rooms in the dungeon.
"Why are we here, Crouch?"
The words were spoken through gritted teeth and Madeline regarded the older boy cooly. "I'm sure professor Slughorn had filled you in."
"Couldn't you have done this research yourself?" Snape sneered. "What, the insufferable know it all needs others' help?"
She stiffened at the nickname for a brief moment, before relaxing her muscle. She should have expected it to come out of his mouth sooner or later.
Why was she doing this again?
"Watch your tone when you speak with your betters, Snape," Regulus snapped, offended on her behalf. Snape sniffed in disdain.
"I don't see any of my betters here."
"What, did my brother damage your sight too?" Regulus taunted. "I thought it was just your dignity."
Snape's eyes glinted maliciously.
"You and your brother ought to watch yourselves. You wouldn't want mommy dearest to hear unsavory things about you, would you?"
The look in Regulus's face could be aptly described as murderous.
"You-"
"Are you two incapable of speaking civilly?" She bitingly remarked, shoving parchments in their face before they started throwing hexes. Their mutual dislike somehow did not surprise her, though she was a bit unsettled by their open hostility. The best way to proceed, she had decided, was to not waste any more time and capture their attention with their favorite subject. Potion. "The ultimate goal of this research is to invent a new potion, so expect this research to go on for years. And as you must have known, inventing a new potion will need meticulous testing. No doubt a mixture of ingredients could be dangerous and volatile if brewed incorrectly, hence the need of some research assistants- and I will require the two of you to give me input. A fresh perspective on the flaws I might miss."
The surprise on their face as soon as she spoke of this research team's aim was expected. Inventing a new potion was not something a novice potioneer should attempt. They took the parchment she offered with a matching calculating frown and quickly started to read it as she continued to talk.
"Your name will be included in the final paper, of course. That is, if you manage to help me and not constantly at each other's throat. I intend it to be published in practical potioneer, so where is your ambition, gentlemen?"
Regulus Black shifted his gaze from the parchment to meet her eyes, intense gray eyes locking her in. "You don't need to remind me of my ambitions, Madeline. I am fully aware of all of them."
There was something in his words that spoke of a promise. She knew then that Regulus Black meant what he said. But must he look at her so fervently when he said it?
"I feel the need to remind you because you seem prone to irritate me." She folded her arms, meeting his eyes challengingly. "Know that one word from me and you will kiss this opportunity goodbye."
Her words somehow earned her a small smile. "Goodbyes go both ways so you'll have to kiss me goodbye too."
How arrogant. She gave him a look. "I could have managed with just Snape. It was Slughorn who spoke for you to join the research group."
Black's smile went stiff. "I am sure I can contribute meaningfully in this research..."
"Are you two done?" Snape scowled, before gesturing at the parchment in his hand. "I must say the originality of this potion astounded me, or rather, the utter lack of it. What kind of name is Painless potion? And hadn't there already been a numbing charm? And the pain relief concoction?"
Madeline frowned. Did he just read the title and find it unworthy to read further? "Those you mentioned work only for moderate and minor pain. The Painless potion is to ensure the drinker does not perceive any pain at all temporarily."
"That's interesting," Regulus commented, reading the parchment once again, more focused than ever. "You use the word perceive, not sense. Both the numbing charm and pain relief concoction affected the pain receptor, working under the assumption that pain is a sensation. You are saying pain needs to be perceived, so I'm guessing it will be a fundamentally different potion?"
Madeline tried not to show her surprise. That was astoundingly quick. She knew Regulus Black was smart, but for him to catch on that quickly..
She eyed the boy appreciatively. "Yes, which is why I'm using the confusion concoction, sleeping potions, draught of sleeping death, wit sharpening potion, and many other potions that affect the mind as my reference."
Snape was now reading furiously after Regulus's intelligent comment, not to be beaten by a boy younger than him. He frowned when he realized that her research proposal was not about some modification of any existing potion, but a truly original potion that would require them to engineer a brewing procedure from scratch. And there had been no research about how the mind perceives pain, so they would be walking in blindly... He put the parchment away from his face and addressed Madeline, "This has never been done before."
Madeline hummed.
"I am aware. Even the cruciatus curse, the only magic that directly causes the feeling of pain, works first and foremost by activating all the pain receptors in one body, and does not alter how the brain perceives the pain."
At the mention of one of the unforgivables, both boys snapped their attention at her. While Regulus looked at her in surprise, Snape's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "And how do you know of it?"
She met their eyes flatly. "What does it matter?"
The older boy didn't look impressed by her deflection. Regulus Black, however, was already moving on as a thought dawned on him.
"Now that you mentioned it, this potion will effectively counter the cruciatus curse," the boy said eagerly, making Snape scoff in disdain.
"Only if they take the potion before receiving the curse. Why would anyone plan to receive the curse?"
Said the future follower of a mad lord that threw around the curse like one might throw around candies.
"There is also the aftermath of the curse," she added instead. "Prolonged exposure to the cruciatus curse could cause the pain receptors misfiring every now and then, especially during the first two weeks after receiving the curse. This potion would help the victims greatly."
The suspicion returned in full force in Snape's eyes. "And you know this how?"
"Again, what does it matter?" She asked again, undeterred. Her blue eyes are cold and unblinking.
They didn't push for an answer after that.
Both boys, as she had expected, eventually agreed to join her research team, the prospect of inventing a new, entirely original potion too tantalizing for them to miss. They started to discuss what ingredients that would produce the desirable effects, and books that could help their research. Her previous assumption was right, Snape and Regulus could tolerate each other well enough when they debate on the uses of valerian sprig.
This project was under one of the many projects she had for the war: Finding the counters for all three unforgivables. For the imperius curse, she had found The Thief's Downfall enchantment as a sufficient counter. It had been implemented in the DMLE, though Father was pushing for the minister to make it a requirement for every ministry employee in all departments to pass by the enchantment each morning when they go to work. The basilisk's eyes were for another research to counter the killing curse. Death magic was a delicate branch of magic and she hadn't made a lot of progress there, but she had considered the possibility of creating a ritual to make an artifact that could contain death magic... She was studying ritual magic in depth at the moment and Regulus's notes had been a great help.
And now, with this potion, she would have her counter for the cruciatus curse, with the added benefit of getting closer to Severus Snape. Hopefully, they could become close enough so the older boy could listen to her suggestion regarding one red headed witch.
They discussed their schedule for sometime until it was agreed that they would meet once every two weeks, and Madeline assigned each of them some reading material that would be of use for their project. They concluded their meeting and Madeline had just started to walk to the door when a voice stopped her.
"Crouch, may I speak with you?"
She took a brief glance at Regulus Black. "Were we not speaking?"
Snape, sensing a conflict between the two, rolled his eyes as if he couldn't care less and sauntered to the door first, leaving her alone with the other boy.
Regulus Black quickly caught up with her, stopping right by the door, blocking her way. "You've been avoiding me."
She pursed her lips. "So that's how it is? You can avoid me, but I can't avoid you?"
The boy cleared his throat and looked to the side, before taking a peek at her. "How do you like the necklace?"
That's what he wants to talk about? "You mean the bribe?"
"The bribe?" The boy echoed, and she settled a glare at his direction.
"If it's forgiveness you seek, Regulus Black, you are forgetting the magic word."
There was a pause.
Regulus Black stared at her blankly as if his mind was processing something. And then, as if something finally slapped him awake, he squared his back and blinked.
"Ah.. right. Forgiveness."
She folded her arms, waiting.
The boy looked hesitant. Unsure, like he was out of his element. Glancing at her twice, before looking away. Fingers tapping on his legs, lips blowing a deep exhale.
Appropriately nervous for someone who had been ignoring her for months and suddenly gave her a cursed necklace.
And finally,
"Madeline, I... I sincerely apologize for everything I've done that have offended you."
That apology, she found, was utterly insufficient.
She glowered. "You're apologizing for what, exactly?"
"I'm sorry for avoiding you," he quickly amended. "I'm sorry for ignoring you in those months, after you counted me as your friend. I'm sorry for not being clear with my present, and I'm sorry I took this long to apologize. It was never my intention to treat you so poorly. I was.. not in my right mind."
She sighed. Should she just forgive him? The boy looked repentant enough, unlike the cold, distant image he usually presented. "Why did you send me a necklace with a muggle repellant curse?"
A pause.
"The curse was already there when I took it from my family vault," he carefully replied. "And I am a Black. I learned that a cursed necklace is the best kind of necklace."
Of course. Should've expected this from Walburga Black's offspring. She lifted her chin, "I don't like it. The muggle repellant curse, that is. Now that you know that, you can't plead for ignorance next time."
The look on his face was as if she just offered him water after a day filled with thirst. "Next time?" He said, tone hopeful. "Does that mean you are open to accepting more gifts from me?"
Why does he sound so hopeful? She looked at him hesitantly, "We are talking about birthday gifts, right?"
"...Of course. Birthday gifts. Yes, that's precisely what I mean."
She nodded in satisfaction. "Then yes. I'll be happy to accept your gifts."
Regulus Black gave her a boyish grin pure of happiness and silently offered his arm. She paused, taking the sight in. With a defeated sigh and a roll of her eyes, she accepted his offer. When he smiled like that, who could resist, honestly?
"You understand that this will be the only time I forgive you for this kind of mistake, right?" She said as they walked towards their dorm entrance. "Ignore me again, then our friendship will be completely lost. Try to bribe me instead of asking for forgiveness, and I'll send your bribe back with a permanent curse."
The boy was solemn as he nodded, "I will remember your warnings well."
"..and you never mentioned the reason you were using occlumency so often back then."
She felt the muscles in his arm stiffened.
"...I am not comfortable enough to talk about it yet."
Well. She didn't mean to pry. "That's alright. You can tell me when you're ready."
Their walk was silent after that. Madeline must admit that she was glad Regulus had apologized - Harry and Ron never did, from what little she remembered. Maybe that was why she readily forgive him.
They arrived at the dorm entrance soon enough. She was ready to let go of his arm, but then another of his arm prevent her from doing it, covering her hand softly. She turned to look at him, only to find the boy already looking at her.
"Do you mind if we go to Slughorn dinners together again?" Regulus said, slow and hesitant.
The shadows from the dungeon made his features seem sharp, with deep set eyes, cheekbones high, and jaws angled perfectly. But they still couldn't hide the uncertainty and hope that softly deign his gaze. She smirked teasingly, "I wouldn't mind, if only one of us would promise to be a pleasant company and not just rudely ignoring the other."
A grin erased all the uncertainty on his face. "The two of us should make that promise, I agree."
Madeline chuckled.