-- party first meets; marauders' era! regulus black, evan rosier, barty crouch jr. (separately) wherein one meets them at a party for the first time.
cw: fluff!! bartender evan, own characterization of evan and barty (kinda influenced by t*kt*k oneshots), flirty barty, probs a little ooc reg? pandora mentions in evan's and throwing up mentions in barty's.
[ i don't know what to tell you guys about this one. au where it's a perfect world and no one is fighting? haha. anyway, my characterization isn't perfect and it isn't 100% tiktok based, but yeah. it's a you like it or hate it moment. i've had this in the back of my notes app for so long too so the characterization is also months old. ]
masterlist | rules
[ evan rosier ]
"just how sure are you that that's even safe to put in your mouth, pandora?" i ask, eyebrows raised as i eye the cup she had in her hand.
"well, i trust the bartender, so," the blonde shrugs and takes a swig from the cup, a look of satisfaction on her face when the initial bitterness wears off.
"the bartender?" i ask, mouth agape, "you mean to tell me there's a bartender during slytherin house parties?"
"you would know if you came around when i would invite you to them," pandora says in a singsong voice, taking another sip and making a sound of satisfaction before offering the cup to me, "want a taste?"
"i don't know..." my eyes squint in suspicion, "do i?"
"it's really good,"
"i don't care what my mother says, you are a terrible influence on me,"
"one drink," she whines, "just one and i'll never peer pressure you into taking another one again,"
"you're terrible," i shake my head, sighing, "but fine - i better not have magically ended up face first in someone's toilet when i wake up tomorrow,"
pandora squeals in excitement, clapping happily before taking my hand and weaving through the crowd of students in the slytherin common room all the way to the back, where a transfigured mini-bar stood and behind the bar stood one of the handsomest (and most terrifying) students in slytherin -- evan rosier.
it was hard not have heard about him, or the rumors about veela blood running through his veins. maybe it had nothing to do with veelas and good looks just ran in their blood, we will never know. as i watched him pour out drinks, i suddenly understood why a multitude of students - male and female alike - developed some sort of liking for him. (okay, maybe i did too at one point in time during my early years in hogwarts but that is not the focus here, okay?)
pandora walks over to him, and he nods in acknowledgement to her before looking at me up and down.
"you remember them, right? i tell you about them?" pandora pats my shoulder, "well, they have never had a drink by you before, so, i obviously had to drag the over here to have a taste,"
"you say plenty pandora," evan deadpans, raising an eyebrow and smirking when pandora makes a noise of protest.
but evan nods, finishing off one drink before leaning against his palms on the counter, looking over me again in a way that had me shuffling behind pandora.
merlin, he was intimidating.
"you have any preferences?" he asks, voice smooth like butter.
"preferences...?"
"how hard do you want your alcohol?" pandora supplies.
"are you a lightweight? wouldn't want you passing out in the middle of the school hallways, merlin knows pandora won't be able to lug you all the way back to your dorms with how drunk she'll be at the end of the night,"
pandora makes another offended noise and her hand lightly swats the poor man's arm but he doesn't flinch. that alone was enough to tell me that he might have been already used to her antics.
"you're painting me in a bad light here rosier," she grumbles, "how am i supposed to convince her to come over to the next party now?"
"have you tried asking nicely?"
"...i've tried dragging her here with a bag over her head but who really keeps track - oh, there you are!"
i have little to no chance to protest before pandora latches onto one of her ravenclaw friends, the latter throwing his arm over her with loud laughter before they disappear into the crowd - presumably to disturb someone else in that friendship circle, but what mattered to me in that moment as that despite all her promises, pandora had left me unattended with one of the most intimidating students in hogwarts and he was watching me like an ant under a microscope, his arms flexing as they glided over the makeshift bar.
"she'll be back to check on you eventually," evan drawls out, sliding a dark glass that hid the color of the liquid inside over to me.
i went quiet and he must have sensed my apprehension to pick up the cup.
"pandora would strangle me if i slipped anything less than savory in there," he calls over his shoulder, pulling out bottles from a shelf behind him, "plus, i wouldn't want to scare you away already, not when i think that it'd be nice to have new faces to learn about,"
"meaning?" i ask quizzically, the first time i ever actually properly acknowledged him, pulling the glass closer to me.
he shrugs, "i know every single slytherins' - the ones old enough to drink, of course - order by heart, it's the same old, same old, party after party, new face means taking time away from that bunch -" evan nods towards the other side of the common room where pandora and the rest of their group stood, presumably causing havoc, with a fond smile, "- to help someone figure out just exactly what they want," his eyes find mine and i can't help the heat from warming my cheeks and the bastard didn't even try to hide the smirk he had on.
i hum in faux contemplation, looking away awkwardly and taking a sip before my eyes widen at the burst of flavors, "oh wow," i say simply, taking a bigger sip.
evan's head drops as he laughs to himself at my reaction and he lifts it again as he extends his hand towards me, "evan rosier, by the way,"
i smile back, shaking his hand, "nice to meet you,"
honestly, all i could think about was how nice he looked when he smiled - and if i should indulge pandora the next time she invites me to a party in the slytherin common room.
[ regulus black ]
bathroom lines pain me immensely.
you'd think that with the amount of students they have in this damn school they'd build more efficient bathrooms, but no.
true, there were more bathrooms around this floor, but those were too far away and far too hidden in dark hallways patrolled by the professors for half-drunk people to wander to so here i was, standing in line for the bathroom that i was positive held the same person for 15 minutes and counting.
i sigh, checking my watch and tapping my foot impatiently, the music blaring in the common room too loud for me to even think properly much less think to kick the door down just so i could pee.
the man behind me echoed my sigh, and he moved to stand beside me in the cramped hallway in such a way that i was pressed against the wall and i could catch every detail of his side profile plus the smell of booze and his cologne, a hint of a tattoo on his arm peeking out of his rolled up sleeves - and i catch myself gawking and i shake my head as if to rid myself of my delusions. but that's not the point, the point was that he reached his arm past my head to knock impatiently at the door.
then again, and again and i remained in the same position until he sighed and looked over at me.
"sorry about that," he says, leaning down so i could hear his voice.
"'s no problem," i murmur back, the alcohol in my veins increasing the chances that i would say something stupid if i kept staring at him, so i lowered my gaze to the shoes on my feet, "guess i'm not going to the bathroom anytime soon,"
with the dingy lighting in this part of the hallway plus the music pounding in my ear, it was hard to tell who exactly it was i was conversing with, not that it mattered at the moment - i was at this party to enjoy myself, not overthink about the identity of a strange man i met by the bathrooms. doesn't that just sound wrong?
"unfortunately, yes," the man grumbles, "but - nevermind,"
i raise my head to look at him, head tilting it to the side curiously, "hmm?"
"...i don't want to make you uncomfortable," he answers gruffly.
"ah," i smile tightly, "right, i see, thanks,"
the music fills the silence between us again and we both stay where we were, not moving a bit even though we knew there was no chance in hell whoever was in the bathroom was not coming out any time soon.
soon enough, he sighs again, "there's a bathroom in my dorm, if you're up to going in there,"
"well, why'd you line up in the communal bathroom instead of go up to your dorm to use the bathroom there?"
'so he was a slytherin then', i thought to myself. that narrowed down the possibilities but the list of slytherin students old enough to be partying (plus the ones that snuck in) was still pretty broad, but i needed to be on guard - a stranger at a party? no one can be too safe. i pat my wand through my clothes to make sure it was still in my pocket.
"my friends are barring the path to the dorms like a bunch of cavemen," the stranger says irritatedly, "they think i'm going to lock myself up in the dorm again,"
i stay quiet, mulling over this information, "would you have? locked yourself up in your dorm? no offense, but i'm guessing you aren't a big fan of the party scene,"
"i would have, and don't worry, i am indeed not a fan,"
silence again.
"well?" he asks, starting to fidget.
"hmm?" i look up at him and it takes a while for his earlier offer to register in my brain again and when it does, i start to sputter a little, "are you sure you won't mind? your dorm mates won't mind?"
"you've been waiting longer than i have and those morons are probably wasted somewhere," he shakes his head, "we'll slip in and out quickly, they won't notice and i don't mind,"
i think for a bit and my bladder decided to remind me that i was in desperate need of a bathroom so i nod, "sure - yeah, if you're sure, i'd appreciate it, thanks,"
"c'mon then," his head jerks in the other direction and i follow atfer him, almost getting lost in the crowd of people, but he was nice enough to glance back every once in a while to make sure i was still following after him.
the lights were brighter when we got to the main room, but he never turned around long enough for me to see who he was, but i could tell he was well dressed. extremely well dressed for a house party but dishevelled enough that he didn't look too out of place. i shake my head again, realizing that i was getting to lost in my own drunk thoughts, and when a pair of dancing students nearly separated me from him, i instinctively reached for the back of his white button-up and he looks back immediately and my hand drops as quickly as i reached for him when i realize who he was.
"regulus black," i murmur, my hand drawn to my chest like i had been burned.
no one was immune or deaf to the rumors about him, about his family. as unapproachable as he seemed, he was a decent enough person inside of the classroom in the sense that as a partner, he was more than capable of carrying his own in a task, basing on rumors, of course. it didn't help that he was also a beautiful man, though i would never say that out loud. i totally understand why the girls in our year found him attractive even though he was intimidating.
"still need the bathroom or do you not wish to be seen with me?" regulus deadpans and i am reminded that we are standing in the middle of the dance floor.
"aren't you worried about the rumors that could start if someone saw you taking me into your room? regardless of the real reason - which people will totally ignore,"
"i don't care at this point," he rolls his eyes, "hurry up if you still want to,"
i did. i still wanted (and needed) to use his bathroom. worries about rumors be damned.
his friends - crouch and rosier - had intercepted us at the steps and the music was too loud for me to comprehend what they started teasing him about, plus the way that i was still reeling from the fact that regulus black just offered for me to use his bathroom.
he taps on my shoulder and i look up at him, blinking and trying to ignore the looks barty and evan were giving us both out of the corner of my eye.
"wait -" i pause when we're halfway up the stairs, introducing myself with a shaky extended hand and he looks at me curiously.
"i thought i'd introduce myself before i intrude in your private space,"
he looks almost amused, glancing at the ground with a shake of his head and he takes my hand in his, shaking it firmly, "regulus, regulus black," he smirks and i feel my heart beat faster, "delighted to make your acquaintance."
[ barty crouch jr. ]
i was not a party person. maybe half a party person but not exactly the most social butterfly that i go hunting for parties just that if i was invited, i'd be more inclined to attend so long as someone was with me.
and right now, the *insert colorful insult here* that invited me to a party hosted by the slytherin quidditch team for their well-fought win against hufflepuff was no where to be seen.
re-entering the room after not seeing him anywhere outside, i sigh, feeling a dull throb in my temples as i contemplated just leaving without him and pretending to wave away his half-assed apologies for leaving me alone at a party tomorrow morning.
turning back to the door, sudden chanting of his name had my turning back and scanning the room for where the commotion was - a large table in one of the corners that hadn't been occupied by dancing groups and couples surrounded by a small crowd of people. curiously, i approach it. might as well tell him i was about to leave his ass alone here to navigate his way back to his dorm alone.
i worm my way to the front of the crowd, earning more than a few elbows to the side and snarky comments about taking up the good spot, but i could only gawk as i watched my friend chug a glass (an extremely large glass) of some mystery liquid i was glad i wasn't pouring into my mouth if the strong smell was all we were going on.
"seriously?" i groan, catching his attention when he lowers the glass and the crowd cheers, stopping when he hurls his guts out into a bucket.
feeling the weight of someone's stare into the side of my head, i glance in that direction and i immediately avert my eyes when they do indeed meet someone else's.
"that your date?" the person asks in a cocky voice, stepping closer to my date from the side of the table opposite me.
begrudgingly, he nods, clutching his stomach.
my eyes widen, "i am not -"
"barty crouch jr., love, a pleasure," the stranger - now barty, i suppose, sticks his hand out to me and i hesitantly shake it, which earns another round of cheering from the crowd around me and i fix a sharp glare at my friend, pulling my hand from barty's.
"what did you do?"
"made a bet that he now has to pay for - quite a few of them, actually," barty laughs.
"what does that have to do with me?" i ask snarkily.
"let me explain it to her -"
"he bet me 5 galleons i couldn't drink my own glass of that," barty nods at the now empty glass my friend drank from, "and it just built up from that until he ended up promising me a date with you,"
i stare at barty, then back at my sheepishly smiling friend, the moron was already rubbing the back of his head like he was anticipating when i'd hit him, "you absolutely massive piece of -"
my friend tugs me closer by the arm, whispering, "at least he's cute,"
"that is not the point!"
"i wouldn't have done it if he was ugly," he hisses.
i stare at him, the cogs turning in my head until it finally clicked, "you did this on purpose?" my voice goes up a pitch.
"in my defense, you were super into this guy when you first saw him in one of your NEWTS classes years ago, right?" he lifts his arms to protect himself from the barrage of blows i was about to rain down on him, "you were devastated when you didn't find him anywhere after!"
barty clears his throat and my cheeks warm when i thought he heard our conversation.
"nothing has to happen," barty raises his hands in surrender when i turn to face him, "i can walk you to your dorm and we can call it all even love,"
"i doubt it'll be that easy," i say uncertainly, watching the crowd around us disperse to rejoining the rest of the party.
barty's eyebrow quirks up with the corner of his lips, "don'tcha trust me?"
i make a face that makes him laugh, meeting his eyes head-on before i look away, "we've only just met," i shrug weakly, "can you really blame me for being apprehensive?"
"i suppose i can't blame you," he mimics my shrug and i let a small smile form on my lip.
"aha!" the man laughs triumphantly, "i made you smile,"
"i could have been smiling at anything, there's a lot of stimuli around here, the music, the booze -"
"or you could have just been even slightly amused by me," he interjects.
neither confirming nor denying his statement, i look around to look for my friend so we could both get back to the dorm but the sneaky son of a you-know-what had slipped away while i was distracted.
barty must have noticed how i was looking around because he laughed, "he tapped out when we were talking," he muses, "your friend is one sly bastard,"
"he is," i fume, "starting battles he leaves me to fight -" i give up on looking at him, staring at my fingers as they drum on the table and i sigh, my head drooping before i look up at barty again.
i tell him my name, extending my hand, "barty," i say when his hand envelopes mine, his name rolling off my tongue smoothly, "i hope it isn't too late to take you up on your offer?"
"you mean the condition you were forced into?"
"i'm trying to loosen up here," i grumble, pouting for a split second until i spotted his smirk.
he kisses the back of my hand, "i'll protect you from the dark hallways love, don't worry,"
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