4th year
Barty
Even just stepping one foot inside the Hogwarts Express made him feel free. He was finally away from his Father and back with his friends. His father couldn't do anything to him until Christmas break. He was free.
Barty pushed through the door and walked down the corridor, unconsciously scanning the compartments for the bleached blond dreads and electric blue eyes of his best friend.
Finally, at maybe the sixth compartment he reached, he saw Evan and Pandora. They were pretty much a package deal, you rarely saw one without the other. Although, Barty had had a lot more alone time with Evan throughout their last year. He'd never really stopped to wonder why.
He ran a hand through his hair and slid open the door of the compartment. “Mind if I join?” he asked with a smirk.
A huge grin spread over Evans face and Pandora squealed with joy. They jumped up and rushed at him, nearly knocking him over with the force of the hug.
He laughed and steadied himself against the door before throwing an arm around each of them and sinking into their embrace. He could smell Evan’s lavender scented shampoo, which immediately comforted him, sending a deep sense of calm through his mind.
Evan always seemed to have that effect on him, no matter how bad his father got during the holidays. Even just being near Evan made him feel like everything would be okay, like the world wasn't that bad, and his father could never hurt him again.
“Wow,” a voice from behind them said. “Do I get that warm of a welcome or is it a Barty special?”
Pandora squealed once again, somehow getting even louder and more high pitched than the last one. Barty spun around and held out his arms for a hug.
“Cassie!” He yelled. Evan stepped past him in one long stride and swept Dorcas up for a hug. Pandora flew after him, throwing herself on them both and nearly causing a pile up, again. Barty joined in once they regained their balance, all nearly dying of laughter.
They pulled away and stepped back into the compartment, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their fifth and last member.
Eventually the door slid open revealing the palest boy in the history of boys and Pandora, somehow managing an even louder and higher pitched squeal than the last two, leaped into his arms. Regulus let out a small laugh, somehow managing not to tip over, and let Pandora drag him into the compartment, hugging each of them in turn.
They smiled and laughed together, finally relaxing and setting themselves free for the first time since the holidays started. Barty was beside Evan, his legs resting on the other boy's lap. There was nearly always at least one point of contact between them. That was how it had always been, and that is how it will always be.
Evan
Barty's legs were resting on his lap, he was with his best friends, and he didn't have to think about his parents at all until the Christmas break. This day really couldn't get much better.
Evan glanced over at Barty, seeing the genuine happiness on his face that probably hadn't been seen by anyone at all over the holidays. But he also noted the slight slump that was still in his best friend's shoulders, and felt the familiar anger rising in him as he thought about Barty's father, how he had wrecked his son and didn't give a shit.
Barty looked over at him with a small smile, hand reaching to squeeze his shoulder as if he knew what Evan had been thinking. To be honest, he probably did. Barty had always seemed to be able to read Evan’s mind.
“Anything off the trolley, dears?”
A few minutes later, the table in front of them was buried deep in all sorts of chocolate, jelly beans and pastries, which the five eagerly dug into.
“I got Salazar Slytherin.” Barty mentioned through a mouthful of chocolate. Evan grinned and held up the card he just unwrapped.
They all burst into laughter, though it really wasn't that funny. People got the same cards all the time. But he still couldn't stop laughing.
~~~~
After what felt like barely twenty minutes, but really was roughly four hours, the train pulled into the Hogsmeade station and let every student from second through seventh year off.
They piled into the carriages that were pulled by creatures you weren't supposed to be able to see, but of course Evan and all of his friends could. They were rackety old things, very uncomfortable, but luckily Hogwarts was only a few minutes away.
He was leaning into Barty, feeling his chest rise and fall and listening to his heart beat. They were watching on as Pandora animatedly told Dorcas about one of her dreams. Something involving a dog and a wolf being angry at a rat for killing a deer and a flower? Sometimes he really wondered what was going on in his twin’s head.
Dorcas flicked her dark braids over her shoulder and ‘manspread’, taking about half of the carriage to herself. “So,” she said, ignoring everyone’s protests. “Anything interesting happen over the holidays?”
The carriage was silent for a couple of seconds until Regulus broke it. “Sirius got into another fight with mother.” He had a sad smile on his face.
“Oh, Merlin,” Barty muttered. Evan agreed with him. Nothing involving Sirius and Walburga ever ended in anything good.
“Is he okay?” Pandora asked softly from her position next to Regulus. The boy in question shrugged his shoulders and grimaced.
“He lived.” He looked down. “On another note, Andy somehow found a way to sneak into Bellatrix’s house and cut off half of her hair.” He looked back up, his sadness hidden by an only half-forced smile.
Pandora giggled in shock and Barty snorted in laughter. Dorcas slapped a hand over mouth, her eyes wide, clearly trying to hold in her laughter.
“Oh, Merlin,” Evan laughed.
“How did she manage that?” Barty asked. “I could learn a thing or two from her.”
