Crimson river, but Evan meets Barty
"So, I died huh?", Barty grinned, eyes taking in a brighter world. Seemingly devoid of the war breaking out in his real world.
His arms seem to be fine, his clothes are no longer stained in blood, his own blood. The soot on his face has disappeared too, but the heaviness in his heart remained.
He left Regulus behind.
He had to leave behind his only friend.
Barty Crouch Jr was a lot of things, but what he wasn't, was an idiot. He knew Regulus will go through a lot, he knows Regulus will mourn his death like no other. He knows, the little king will triumph. Because it's Regulus, his Regulus.
He knew Regulus would survive, that had never been the question.
Regulus Black survived everything.
The question was whether he would forgive himself for losing another person he loved.
He walked further in the meadow like setting he ended up in, cursing under his breath. The world had no right to look this peaceful, almost like a fever dream.
There seems to be huge trees around, not like a forest but like they're surrounding the space, protecting it perhaps.
Barty huffed and sat down beneath one, laying his head on the trunk. The peace was almost disarming.
Almost.
"Oii"
A voice interrupted his thoughts, seeming to come from above him. He looked up, trying to find the source and when he did. He recognised the boy almost immediately
It was Rosier. Evan Rosier.
"You", He looked down accusingly, "that's my tree you're laying down on"
Barty knew how Evan looked, he remembered thinking how it was a shame he never got to meet Regulus's best friend. He remembered his heart clenching for days whenever he remembered how the lights in Evan's eyes slowly left until he was a corpse in Regulus's arms.
He never thought he'd ever have a chance of meeting Evan, he was already dead of course. There is no way he could ever meet him, right?
That was until he showed up looking so pretty, so angelic, up in a tree. Where he seemed to thrive, no one ever thinks of looking up, he had said.
But Barty would keep looking up at every tree if it meant he could glance at that pretty face.
"We can share", He offered simply, hiding his shock with a smirk, "You can be at the top, and I at the bottom. Although we'll have to switch for....other activites"
Evan chuckled, the sun almost forming a halo around his blonde hair. He didn't seem surprised to see Barty, just expectant.
“You’re Barty Crouch Jr huh?”, Evan asked, swinging down to a branch to hear his response, although he seemed like he already knew the answer to that
“Unfortunately”, Barty grinned, almost like a cat
“I heard you were insane.”, He chuckled, as if confirming it
“I heard you were dead.”, Barty retorted almost petulantly, why did his reputation of insanity precede him?
“...”
“Fair”, Evan huffed, getting down swiftly, like a man who has been climbing trees for a long time. Barty supposed that's all he could do in the seemingly endless meadows, “You always look like you’re about to bite someone.”
Barty turned his head towards him, “And you always look like you’re about to annoy someone.”
Evan smiled, “Good. You remember how conversations work.”
They sat in silence for a while, just gazing at the tall grass where the sun rays seemed to hit ever so softly. Barty was not used to silence, not the way Evan was after he made the meadow his home.
"You know-", Barty sighed, "-he always spoke about you"
"I know" was his response, almost breathy, like his emotions caught up to him
"He misses you", Barty continued, "He still looks up when he sees tall trees"
For a moment, Evan said nothing. The smile he had worn so easily before faded, not completely, but enough for Barty to notice.
Barty was good at noticing things.
People often forgot that.
They saw the madness, the violence, the unpredictability. They saw the boy who laughed too loudly and loved too fiercely and burned too brightly. They forgot that Barty Crouch Jr. noticed everything.
"He always hated that I climbed them," Evan finally said
Barty looked over, almost sadly, "He said you would fall."
A small laugh escaped Evan, "He still says that?"
"He said a lot of things about you."
"Good things?"
Barty raised an eyebrow, "Do you think Regulus Black was capable of saying bad things about someone he loved?"
He paused for a bit then added, "Well, unless it's James or Sirius, he always has something to complain about them"
Evan let out a surprised laugh, the sound almost unfamiliar in the quiet meadow, "Still?"
"Especially them."
"Even after everything?"
"Especially after everything."
A gentle smile tugged at Evan's lips, "Some things never change."
"No," Barty agreed, looking down at the grass between them. "He could forgive someone he loves for nearly anything."
"Except James Potter being James Potter."
Evan laughed again, properly this time and for some reason, that hurt more. Not because it was sad but because it was normal.
Because for a moment, sitting beneath a tree in a place where nothing could hurt them anymore, they weren't two dead boys remembering a war.
They were just two people who loved Regulus Black.
HAI HAI HAI IK IK IT'S DEPRESSING BUT I JUST COULDN'T FIND ANY FIX IT FICS OR ONESHOTS RELATED TO THIS AND NEEDED TO WRITE IT.
lemme know if you want pt-2 and i'll tag youu <3 do feel free to like and comment.
