barty crouch jr. is eleven the first time evan rosier takes his breath away.
he's a second year in barty's house, with warm brown skin and blonde hair and amber eyes that flash gold in the sunlight. he knows regulus. one of barty's dormmates, somehow, and he smiles at barty like he wants to know him, too.
barty is thirteen when he finally figures out what the butterflies in his stomach mean.
they're sitting down at the lake, barty on the grass, soaking up the sun. pandora sits on a blanket next to him, her half of it in the sun, the other half underneath regulus in the shade of a tree. dora's busied herself with making flower crowns, and evan and dorcas are swinging at each other and laughing, both ankle deep in the water of the black lake. evan reaches up to kick water at her, and the silver of his anklet - a thin chain with a silver daisy charm hanging off of it - catches the light.
dorcas ducks away and shoves evan square in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few steps before he finally lands hard on the grass next to barty. it must've hurt, even in the soft green, but instead of wincing, he just turns to barty and grins.
oh, barty thinks. it's so obvious, he thinks.
barty is a fourth year the first time he kisses evan rosier.
it's the first christmas he doesn't go home for. he spends long hours knocking about the castle, staying out past both the regular curfew and the one made later for the break.
"can't sleep, crouch?" evan had asked him, making him jump, polished prefect badge - no doubt pandora's handiwork - sparkling from his collar. and suddenly there was mistletoe and the chance to finally make his fantasies a reality. there was the taste of evan's lips (vanilla) and the smell of his shampoo (cucumber) and the feeling of his arms around barty's waist (intoxicating).
even on that dreary, cold evening, there was hope.
barty is a sixth year when regulus begins going out with james potter.
they're on the train, barty halfway out the window, evan's arms tight around his middle in the fear of him falling, and barty hoots with laughter when regulus jumps into potter's arms. potter's a seventh year like evan. head boy, a gryffindor, and one of pandora's best friends, for some reason.
"leave them be, barty," evan snorts, pulling him back through the window. barty watches him, opening his mouth to speak, only to be swiftly cut off by his boyfriend adding, "we can be as dramatic as we like, but i'm not risking missing this train just so we can kiss in front of it."
barty groans in protest, but by that point regulus has arrived at the door to their compartment with a sheepish-looking james potter in tow, so he decides to annoy them instead.
barty is seventeen the first time he comes to hogwarts without evan, and it makes him feel empty.
he's still got regulus and dorcas, of course, but there's a gaping hole in the group now that the twins have graduated. regulus is quiet without james to bring him out of his shell. dorcas doesn't cheer as hard during quidditch games - ones without regulus in them, of course - without marlene mckinnon there to cheer on. and barty? barty isn't himself without ev there to easy his anxieties.
night after night, barty and regulus curl up in the same bed for nights of bad rest. it gets easier, over time. letters pile up. floo calls happen weekly. and while regulus and dorcas struggle, barty thinks about the future. the one decided by him, and not anyone else.
two days after his eighteenth birthday, barty steps off the hogwarts express for the last time.
regulus and dorcas don't hesitate to sprint past him towards james and marlene, who wait with evan futher down the platform. barty, though, hesitates. gives himself a moment to take a deep breath, smile at evan, and start running.
evan envelopes him in a hug, his arms a reassuring weight around barty.
"you must be tired," he whispers, the hint of a smile in his voice. "eight newts, barty. you're insane."
barty grins into evan's chest. "i missed you too, rosie," he mumbles. he lets out a content sigh he didn't realize he was holding in, and evan hums.
"welcome home, love," he says. "our home."
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re: timing of mentor reaping
ooh both options are delicious. the tragedy of obi-wan operating per usual and volunteering only for anakin to be called soon after is appealing, but i feel like mentor reaping after the tributes could be really interesting.
like on obi-wan’s end, the horror of anakin being called could freeze him in his place, also make him think about the year he put his name in multiple times and wondering if he lied and did it again, thinking about having to mentor someone he wants to die so that anakin makes it out, etc. and then on anakin’s end, i feel like even if he is nonchalant-ish about being reaped, the moment that would create insecurity/break him momentarily would be obi-wan pausing to volunteer as mentor bc he would follow obi-wan anywhere and and kill to come back to him and why is obi-wan not doing the same? when rlly obi-wan is just too shocked/still processing to react in a timely manner
j my thoughts, thanks for listening!
(re: this hunger games au post)
so this absolutely mirrors my thoughts and why i'm torn!
if obi-wan's 'reaping' is first and he volunteers to be the mentor regardless of his name not being drawn because the one chosen is pregnant or just won five years ago and is too traumatized or something, and THEN anakin's name is drawn, it's devastating for obi-wan who now has to be his mentor and maybe watch him die while trying to do everything he can to prevent it. it's also devastating to anakin who will never know if obi-wan would have volunteered for him.
if obi-wan's reaping is after anakin's and he volunteers, a part of anakin can just be smug and satisfied -- and there can be a moment where he's watching the victor section from the stage, eyes locked on obi-wan's devastated face, and he gets to see him volunteer, gets to see him torn to shreds by the possibility of losing anakin and then maybe gets to see a hint of 'killer disassociation' flash over obi-wan's eyes as he stands to volunteer to be the mentor. anakin's obsessed with obi-wan's games and would absolutely adore obi-wan getting so angry and feral over him.
and then there's the option where the victor mentoring reaping is after the tribute drawing but obi-wan's name is pulled and he doesn't volunteer at all - either anakin's latent but powerful control of the Force makes the person drawing choose the slip of flimsi with obi-wan's name on it, or the odds are just in anakin's favor and the galaxy itself knows that where anakin goes, obi-wan should follow and vice versa, aka what anakin's been trying to tell everyone (even obi-wan) for years
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