Dead Mouse?

"Barty? Brother Regulus?"

Lucretia watched in confusion as the compartment door slammed shut. The two of them disappeared down the corridor, tugging and pulling at each other, leaving only her and Luna staring at one another.

She pursed her lips and looked down at the beautifully wrapped gift box Regulus had left behind.

The pale purple wrapping paper was dotted with silver stars. She remembered casually mentioning once that she liked star-and-moon patterns, and Regulus had remembered it.

Lucretia carefully untied the silver ribbon.

Inside the gift box lay an exquisite set of quills.

Three quills of different thicknesses were arranged neatly inside. Their silver nibs glittered in the light, while the sky-blue feathers were as soft as clouds.

The ebony shafts of each quill bore her initials, "L.C."

The lettering was elegant and refined. It was obvious that Regulus had designed it himself.

There was also a small card attached to the inside of the case, written in neat handwriting: "For my dear sister. I hope these quills will accompany you through your first term at Hogwarts."

She sighed softly, her fingers brushing over the delicate feathers. "They're beautiful! Don't you think, Luna?"

Luna was very interested in the shining nibs. She stretched out her pink little paw pads and carefully touched them, as though inspecting the quality of these new toys.

Then she nodded her little head in satisfaction and looked at Lucretia with her emerald-green eyes.

Little Barty grabbed Regulus by the tie and dragged him toward the connection between the two carriages without another word.

Regulus stumbled along behind him, straightening his rumpled clothes as he protested, "Hey, hey, hey, there's no need to be so rough, is there? It's not like I'm going to run away."

Little Barty did not let go until there were no other students around.

Regulus rubbed his neck, but the smile on his face did not fade in the slightest. "You nearly strangled me. What, are you afraid your revised Bedtime Story and Survival Guide will be discovered by our sister?"

Little Barty gritted his teeth. "Shut up, Regulus. If you dare mention that in front of her..."

Regulus sighed dramatically. "You're actually going to murder your best friend for our sister's sake. Ah, Barty, when will I ever get to experience such a gentle side of you?"

Little Barty curled his lips and looked at Regulus. "I get it. You're itching for a beating, aren't you?"

Just as he was about to have a proper talk with Regulus, a familiar voice from the other end of the corridor interrupted him.

"Hey, dear Lily! I saw you walking with Miss Lucretia earlier. Were you helping her get used to Hogwarts? Do you need any help?"

It was James's voice, the idiot who seemed to be missing a screw.

Little Barty turned around and released Regulus's tie. Both of them looked in the direction of the voice.

"No need, Potter."

Lily's voice was icy, but then she seemed to realize something, and her pitch abruptly rose.

"Wait, how do you know her name is Lucretia?"

James looked as though he had been struck by a heavy object. "Uh... isn't she Mr. Crouch's daughter? I heard it from... from Regulus... from Regulus..."

Lily frowned even more deeply. "Potter, I'm warning you, don't get any ideas about her. She only just got on the train! I can't believe you'd joke around with a new student. That's too much."

Little Barty and Regulus exchanged a glance and quietly moved closer.

James looked as though someone had cast a Confundus Charm on him. "What? No, how could I possibly joke about her? We were at the—ah!"

Sirius stomped hard on James's foot, physically cutting off the words he had not managed to say.

Peter Pettigrew suddenly turned toward James and inserted himself into the conversation in a shrill voice. "Crouch? You mean the family of that Mr. Crouch from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? James, do you know them?"

Regulus stopped adjusting his tie and leaned close to Little Barty's ear. "Pettigrew's reaction is a little strange. No one in his family works at the Ministry of Magic, so why does he care? And why does he know so much about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

Little Barty nodded slightly, his face cold as he continued observing the corridor.

James opened his mouth to speak, but Lupin quickly interrupted him.

"Oh. We met once at The Three Broomsticks over the summer. Sirius was talking with his brother at the time, and we just exchanged a simple greeting."

James suddenly understood and stamped his aching foot. "Oh, right! That time you were playing chess, and Moony and I happened to be drinking Butterbeer nearby."

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Little Barty sneered and stepped out of the shadows, his footsteps especially loud in the narrow corridor.

Regulus followed behind him and shrugged at Sirius.

The atmosphere in the corridor instantly grew tense. Several younger students sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly dragged their luggage away.

"If you're going to make up a story, at least make it logical, Potter. Are you sure you were drinking Butterbeer and not getting smashed over the head with a glass?"

James's expression grew even stranger.

Why did he feel as though he had wandered into the scene of someone catching a cheater?

Sirius was not surprised in the slightest. He leaned lazily against the wall, having known they were there all along.

Peter jumped at Little Barty's sudden appearance and took several steps back.

He instinctively wanted to hide behind James for protection, only to find Sirius's arm stretched right in front of him like a barrier, exposing him directly to Little Barty's gaze.

Sweat began to bead on Peter's forehead. His eyes darted constantly between the others like a trapped rat.

"I... I only heard that Mr. Crouch had recently been arresting a lot of..."

Little Barty took another step forward, and Peter's words caught in his throat.

"Arresting a lot of what, Pettigrew? It sounds like you're particularly interested in my father's progress at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

Peter's voice grew quieter and quieter. "I only... heard..."

Little Barty swept his gaze across the four of them before finally settling it on Sirius.

"It seems your friend is very interested in our family, Black."

Sirius shrugged. "Don't mind him, Crouch. Peter's curious about everything, especially other people's business."

Lily looked completely baffled.

She first looked Little Barty and Regulus up and down, then turned to Sirius, whose arm was hooked around James's neck. James's expression was clearly a little pained.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Little Barty merely gave her a cold glance.

Regulus was the one who responded politely. "Evans, did everything go smoothly while you were looking for the cat? Luna is a very clever little cat."

"Ah, speaking of which, that white cat was really amazing. She found Annie almost immediately!"

After saying that, Lily still looked suspiciously at the boys.

"But what are you arguing about here? Fighting between the carriages isn't allowed."

Lupin calmly glanced at James. "It's just a misunderstanding, Evans. Aren't we supposed to go to the prefects' compartment? I need to pack up my things. Could you report in for me first?"

Lily nodded, though she still glared at James before leaving.

"All right, then hurry over later. Potter, remember what I said. If I catch you bullying or teasing a younger girl after term starts, I'll tell Professor McGonagall."

After Lily left, Peter tried to slip away after her, but Little Barty stuck out his leg and blocked his path.

Peter looked up in alarm and met Little Barty's icy gaze.

"What is it, Pettigrew?"

Little Barty's voice was low and dangerous, every word seeming to emerge from an ice cellar.

He took another step forward and looked down at Peter.

Little Barty's lips curved into a cold smile. "Weren't you very interested in the Crouch family just now? I'm right here, so why not ask me directly? Or do you only dare pry behind people's backs, then tuck your tail and run like a dead mouse when you meet the real thing?"

Peter shrank back, his voice trembling. "I really only... only asked casually..."

James nearly laughed when he heard the description "dead mouse," but Sirius's hand tightened on his shoulder, forcing him to swallow the laugh with a flushed face.

Sirius glanced at Lupin, and Lupin nodded slightly, as though confirming something.

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