Finding an empty stone corridor out of the sight of any enchanted portraits, Rowan closes her eyes and teleports to an empty corridor near the location of the four boys. With care, she slips down the hall, before abruptly opening the door open. Both Barty and Sirius freeze before Rowan, while Regulus is leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and scowling. Sitting down on the floor next to Regulus is Lorcan, who quietly studies the textbook in his lap.
"What exactly is going on here?" Rowan suspiciously growled as she pointedly eyed Sirius and Barty. Barty may be a Crouch, but he definitely was a Black through his grandmother. And considering that Sirius lacked any self-preservation skills and that Barty was incredibly devious, the two obviously were far too dangerous to be permitted to be together for prolonged lengths of time.
Regulus's handsome face smirks and rolls his gray eyes at Rowan's words. "Finally, some common sense," he muttered earning a glare of betrayal from his older brother, Sirius.
"Well, I am waiting," Rowan impatiently tapped her foot against the ground.
Naturally, the pale, Barty wrinkles his freckled nose and innocently toys with his straw-colored hair with his hand. "Well, Sirius is just helping me learn some quidditch moves."
"Firstly, why? And secondly, I don't see any brooms," Rowan arched her brow pointedly at the 4th-year Hufflepuff.
"Well with so many younger cousins now, I thought to teach them how to fly on children's brooms," Barty bluntly responded. "I could use the practice especially now that I'm going to be a big brother to Lycoris come this summer."
"Lycoris?" Rowan tilted her head in confusion.
"Mm, after all this time mother is expecting another male heir," Barty proudly hummed. "He'll be named Lycoris Crouch."
"Right…" Rowan's voice trailed off. It was a bit of a shock considering that Barty Crouch Jr. was an only child in the previous timeline much like Remus had been. Yet both boys were about to have a younger brother. It was a chance that she would have never ever anticipated.
"Fine, I understand your excuse Barty, but what about you, Sirius?" Rowan shrewdly eyed the heart-breaking figure of who tossed his lustrous, silky black hair at her.
Tall and handsome and fully knowing it too, Sirius drew himself up proudly to his full height. Batting his eyelashes coyly at Rowan, he peered up at her with striking gray eyes. "I am only doing my duty as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and helping a poor lad out."
"Considering that Barty is in Hufflepuff, I highly doubt that," Rowan dryly said. "But I suppose that he is your cousin, and the help truly could be used."
"Precisely," Sirius proudly preened very much like one of the arrogant, Malfoy white peacocks.
Rowan barely refrained from rolling her eyes and moved past the boys towards Regulus and Lorcan. Sirius happily returns to show Barty how to practice several movements that could be tried on a broom. And not to brag, but Barty had a gift that made Sirius truly lament the loss of a truly great quidditch player.
Taking a seat next to Lorcan, Rowan glances up at Regulus who is leaning against the wall steely gazing at Sirius and Barty. "I presume that you are here a nursemaid, Regulus?"
"Of course," Regulus grumbled as he glanced down at Rowan with a mutinous gaze. "Sirius can never tell when enough is enough." He huffed. "I can't tell you the number of times as children that I ended up getting hurt because Sirius never knew when to stop."
"That is not a surprising fact at all," Rowan deadpanned, before glancing down at Lorcan, who had a parchment letter open on top of his textbook. "Is that from Dorea Black, Lorcan?" She kindly asked recognizing the handwriting from the letters that Aunt Georgine received via owl post.
Lorcan raises his pale face revealing soulless black eyes. Yet his pale face had a pinched look to it with growing eyeshadows. Unconsciously, Lorcan tucked a loose string of raven-colored hair behind his ear. Pressing his pale, mauve-colored lips together in thought, he hesitantly replies, "I guess you must have heard how I have been taken in by the Black family." He paused, "specifically Dorea Potter, um, she been writing to me every other day and I have as well. Uh, she said that we are family now, and asks that I call her grandmother."
Seeing Lorcan's embarrassment and nerves, Rowan wordlessly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a blood lollipop. She carefully unwraps the sweet and holds out the blood lollipop for Lorcan to take.
"Thank you," Lorcan gratefully murmurs, before hungrily eating the blood sweet. He had been more and more hungry as of late. He did not know if it was because of being under emotional duress or it was because he was growing. He wished he could ask mum…His thoughts trailed off and his body instinctively stiffened in old pain.
Yet Lorcan feels a gentle pat on top of his head causing him to blink up in surprise. Seeing his puzzled gaze, Rowan withdraws her hand from Lorcan's head. "I know that it is hard to breathe now, but it will get better with time."
Irritated Lorcan opens his mouth to vent his emotions, but Regulus interrupts, "I can't say I understand much about loss beyond losing my aunts and uncles," causing Lorcan to close his mouth in shame. "Yet I am certain that at least Rowan and Severus would understand the pain of losing both parents."
Lorcan's soulless dark eyes are filled with remorse, but before he can speak, Rowan interjects, "You do not need to apologize, Lorcan. I understand, I truly do. Grief is a painful process." She paused to glance at Sirius and Barty, who are laughing as they practice. "But I can promise you the sting will fade away until you remember only the good."
Overwhelmed with emotions, Lorcan doesn't trust himself to speak and slowly nods his head in thanks. Not wanting to push Lorcan any further, Rowan glances up at Regulus and says, "I heard from Terry that there is ongoing courtship in the Black family."
"Oh," Regulus made a face at the ever-knowing gossiper of Terry Greengrass. "Well, it's Aunt Druella," he wryly answered.
"What!" Rowan gaped in disbelief.
"Mm, I mean she's so old," Regulus shivered at the mere thought that his aunt, the mother of his grown and already married cousins was being courted like an unwed maiden.
"She's not that old actually," Rowan drily pointed out especially considering how young Druella Black had been when giving birth to her first child, Bellatrix.
"Still, it positively makes me ill to think of such things," Regulus sickly said with a shudder sounding exactly like Sirius.
Rowan rolls her eyes at Regulus's theatrics. Regulus always liked to say that he was nothing like Sirius. But at times like these, it only showed how alike the two brothers were.
"So, who's the lucky wizard?" Rowan genuinely asked with no small measure of curiosity.
Regulus makes a gagging sound. "Alastor Moody."
Rowan loudly coughs for a minute, before wiping her burning watery eyes. "Are you certain?!" She painfully rasped.
"Of course, I am," Regulus unhappily grumbled. "Mother has been keeping me abreast of their scandalous courtship." He snorts in emphasis. "Still, it's a rather serious business and the Moody's are a renowned pureblood family with an equally long line of Aurors involved in politics. It is a rather good match considering everything."
Rowan can only numbly nod her head at Regulus's statement. It was indeed a good match, but she simply couldn't imagine Alastor Moody marrying anyone for her life of her. He had always been a bachelor, but then again, the man had a thing for dark arts. And well, Druella Black was the mother of Bellatrix Black…. Bellatrix had to learn the dark arts from somewhere.
Tactfully deciding to change the subject, Rowan mischievously says, "So I have noticed that Alchemy and Brahms now have rather comfortable cushions along with the rest of the resident cats."
"As it should be," Regulus matter-of-factly stated. "I am afraid I cannot take the credit alone as it was a joint combined effort of the Whisperers of the Meow."
Rowan loudly chokes again in horror and disbelief. "The what!" She gasped.
"Really, Rowan, do pay attention," Regulus unhappily frowned. "The Whisperers of the Meow is a joint venture of students in the protection of small animals, especially felines."
"Joint?" Rowan mumbled in blatant disbelief.
"Of course, the Whisperers of the Meow now have an active chapter in each house thanks to Terry," Regulus proudly proclaimed. "It has helped greatly in forming relationships between houses including outside of Hogwarts. In fact, last year's Hogwarts graduates have already formed a large active chapter, where upon graduation where members may still regularly meet as Whisperers of the Meow."
Feeling that her sanity was in danger at the thought of an actual cat cult in existence, Rowan makes an executive decision to tactfully retreat. She quickly makes her excuses but not before handing an entire pack of blood lollipops for Loran to take. Sirius and Barty don't even notice her depart too preoccupied with what they are doing.
Fleeing to the safety of the Library, Rowan hurries away, before she somehow ends up a member of the Whisperers of the Meow! It always started with a casual invite and before you know it you are attending meetings and are neck-deep in the thick of things. It was how they always got you!