The Forgotten Twin

A few days had gone past and Bard still couldn’t forget what Ron said about him; what Harry didn’t say about him. He continued to mope around the common room and sometimes could be seen skulk behind his fellow Slytherins. Pansy suggested he go to Professor Snape for some advice on how to skulk better. Draco was by the end of his rope.

“Bard,” Draco exasperated. “Quit pining this instant. It’s an ugly sight, especially for a Slytherin. We don’t pine.” Bard glared at him through his sulk. Draco thought it was progress.

“I’m not pining, Draco.” He ignored the look several people gave and continued, “I just didn’t expect to have a brother that’s so…” He couldn’t find the words.

“Helpless?” Theodore Nott offered.

“Ignorant?” Blaise.

“Narrow-minded?” Pansy.

“Unenlightened.” Bard glared at them all.

“What’s there to expect? He was raised by muggles.” Draco snorted inelegantly.

“I was raised by muggles.” Bard countered but Draco continued on as though he didn’t say anything.

“Changing the subject, we have flying lessons today! I personally can’t wait to fly a broom again. I just wished they allowed us to bring our own broomsticks. It’s certainly unfair that everyone else can bring their own but not First Years -bet I have the fastest one if we could...”

They had just entered the Great Hall for their customary breakfast when Draco stopped and noticed the Longbottom boy open up a package containing a small glass ball. Their other friends had already headed for their table but Bard, with Crabbe and Goyle followed behind Draco’s little detour. It wasn’t hard to guess what Draco wanted to do and fell behind the three when he saw his doppleganger seated just right across Draco’s target.

It was a good thing that the strict Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, interrupted them when she should, he wasn’t at all ready to confront his dear twin brother. Bard raised a censured brow once Draco came back to him.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Charles. I just wanted a closer look.” Draco told him, but they both knew better. Draco even had the audacity to grin at him.

Bard gave a light shove on the blond's back as his response and turned a look back to give a somewhat regretful apology -- a little too late it seems, as the damage had already been done. Harry was staring accusingly at him. Draco tugged his arm and they both walked away, flanked closely by Crabbe and Goyle.

“Can you believe him?” He heard Ron mutter loudly. He was starting to really hate that kid..

[Hogwart’s field]

To avoid early confrontation with the Gryffindors, nearly all of them agreed to go down the grounds right after their last class ended. Bard was in a bad mood but Draco thought to lighten it up with talks of his adventures with his broom back home. A funny story about helicopters did manage to make the trick.

“And here they come.” Pansy announced to them all when the Gryffindors arrived. There went instantly Draco’s hard work. Thankfully, their teacher, one Madam Hooch -an appropriate name for she reminded Bard of a bird, what with that light cropped blond hair of hers- came marching down right after.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she barked. “Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up!”

Once everyone was situated beside a broom, Madam Hooch called up again down the front of the two formed lines. “Stick your right hand over your broom and say ‘UP’”

“‘UP!’” Everyone shouted.

As expected, Draco was one of the first to succeed in the first try. Harry, Bard could see, was just as successful. He almost sneered when Ron had also gotten his broomstick on his first try.

“What’s the matter with you?” Draco frowned at him. “This is suppose to be easy.”

Bard glanced down on his broomstick. It simply rolled on the ground much as the bushy haired girl, Hermione Granger’s broomstick did. He heard a snicker from across the line.

He glared arrows, “Up!” And the broomstick shot up like a bullet to his hand.

When everyone had gotten their broomstick off the floor, Madam Hooch then showed them each how to properly mount their broom without sliding off the other end. Harry and Ron both sniggered when Madam Hooch told off Draco about how he had been doing it wrong for years.

“Can you believe her?” Draco muttered to him once she left him. “I know perfectly well how I ride my broom, thank-you-very-much.” He grumbled but still left his hands the way Madam Hooch instructed him too. Bard smiled cheekily at him.

“Now,” she called in attention after instructing each one, “when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard.” Bard once again glanced down on the rickety old broom he held in his hands.

“Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly.” Bard bent his knees and crouched slightly to prepare. “On my whistle -three -two-”

He almost stumbled when the boy, Neville Longbottom, suddenly shot up in the sky, rising higher than what Madam Hooch intended for them. “Come back, boy!” she yelled, while everyone just watched the frightened boy fly higher than he liked. Bard, appalled by how little their teacher tried to do, tightened his hold on his broomstick, bent his knees and kicked himself up from the ground.

“Charles!” Draco called after him, gaining the other’s attention on him.

“You, boy! What’re you--!” Madam Hooch yelled at him but he was much too far up to hear their teacher and frankly, he didn’t much care. He stopped some feet underneath Neville Longbottom’s broom, not wanting to scare the boy any further lest he let go of his grip but unfortunately, the boy was so scared of his predicament that he fainted and slid off his broom.

Bard was so shocked by the sight that he froze for nearly a second and paid for that moment’s hesitation when the boy’s figure blurred past him. He yelled out a curse and unhesitatingly dived down after the boy.

The people from below watched with bated breath and unblinking eyes. They all wanted not to miss a single moment of this frightening yet exciting development; even the teacher. Bard thought they were all idiots.

The boy was falling faster than the old broom can keep up. Neville Longbottom’s body was heavier than what Bard first thought and when the ground rapidly came nearer than anticipated, he bolted from his broom. The gasps from below was so loud, it penetrated through wind.

He managed to wrap his arms around the boy’s frame and tuck both of their heads in while turning on his back before they could break their necks. He forced his body to lean one side making them roll on the ground to soften the otherwise, crash landing.

“OUT OF THE WAY!” Madam Hooch yelled, shoving the crowding first years around the two boy’s crashed forms. She crouched down next to the both of them and immediately check on their prone frames. Bard painfully rolled away from Longbottom to let Madam Hooch access the the other boy first. Draco crouched next to him while the other Slytherins hovered around.

“Are you alright, Charles?” Pansy asked. Though Bard could hear the genuine worry in her voice, he choked out a laugh at the most stupid question he ever heard.

“Of course he’s not alright!” Draco yelled at her. Count on him to always be more sensible in any given situation. Bard groaned in pain but willed himself to stand back up.

“Lie back down, you idiot! You just fell from the sky!” Draco hissed angrily at him, but Bard wouldn’t listen. He was more concerned about Neville at the moment that he limped a few paces to the other boy. He could hear whimpering and groaning from the crowd of hovering Gryffindors and saw it as a good sign. The boy wasn’t anymore badly damaged than he was.

Madam Hooch was wrapping an arm around the traumatized boy when he reached them.

“Alright now to walk, are you?” she ridiculed. Bard gave a weak smile in return.

“Nothing broken, just bruised. And him?” he nodded to the boy.

“Poor boy’s traumatized.” she answered. “Well, if you’re good enough to walk, follow me to the hospital wing then. And you lot!” She barked out loudly to the hovering crowd, “You leave those brooms where they are or you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘Quidditch’, am I clear?” It seemed nods were good enough for her and so started climbing back up to the castle with Neville still wrapped in her arms. Bard gave a pointed look at Draco as if telling him to behave before he hobbled up after them.

Bard clearly shouldn’t have expected that from Draco.

[Hospital Wing]

“I clearly shouldn’t have expected any sort of behavior from you.” Bard uttered out loud on his place on the bed. Draco made a sound as though he should have expected nothing else from him. Bard couldn’t help the smile on his face.

“You should have seen it! They all thought you were at fault and not that Longbottom.” He gestured to the bed next to him. Thankfully, the nurse -Madam Pomfrey-, gave the boy Sleeping Draught to sleep away the traumatizing event. She offered some to him but Bard insistently declined.

“And so you deliberately provoke them still with Neville’s Remembrall?” The glass ball that Draco had wanted to get a closer look at got left behind after it had rolled away from Neville's robes right before they headed towards the infirmary.

“And now Potter is probably being expelled at this very moment. I can’t wait to see his miserable face at dinner, it will doubtless be his last.” Draco grinned maliciously. Undisturbed by his friend’s expression, Bard merely raised a brow.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think that you hated my brother.” Bard teased with a grin, not at all worried about his brother’s fate. Draco gave him a pointed look.

“Can you come to dinner tonight?” Draco asked, hopeful but frowned in disappointment when Bard shook his head.

“Madam Pomfrey wants me here until she gives me an all clear. I wouldn’t be surprised if she puts a sticking charm on me if I even tried to get up off this bed.”

“And indeed I will, Mr. Potter.” A female voice from the door at the other end of the wing declared. They both looked up and sure enough the stern witch-nurse in charge of the Hospital Wing was watching them down the hall.

“Mr. Malfoy, my patient needs rest and if you don’t go now, you will miss your dinner.” She advised but both knew that it was anything but.

“I’ll let you know when they announce Potter’s expulsion.” Draco told him, heading for the entrance, surprisingly obedient.

“Then I’ll ask Pansy to tell me what kind of face you made when they don’t.” Bard responded. Draco looked like he wanted to say more but a glance at the hovering nurse only gave him time to glare at Bard before leaving.

“It’s a wonder how you’re friends with him, Mr. Potter.” Madam Pomfrey said once Draco had gone.

“He’s not as bad as you perceive him to be, Madam.” He answered with a winced smile. “And please, call me ‘Bard’.”

Madam Pomfrey simply stared back at him.

[Midnight]

After some pleading from Neville, Madam Pomfrey finally -reluctantly- allowed them both freedom from the Hospital Wing. They had a fulfilling dinner in the wing but both agreed that they would rather much sleep in their own respective houses rather than in the surrounding smell of tonics in the room. It was just their luck to have been given reprieve just when all the students in the castle was already in their common rooms. Neville couldn’t remember the password to open the door to his common room and Bard was reluctant to leave the quivering mess of a boy alone. Who knew what sort of trouble he would get into if he left him alone? And just after his fainting ordeal? He wouldn’t even try.

Bard wanted to wander about the castle, hopefully to bump into a prefect and explain their situation. But Neville was far too afraid to leave the premises of the Gryffindor hallway and Bard was too worried to leave the boy alone. In the end, they agreed to sit and wait near the portrait until someone passes by to help them with their predicament.

“Tha-Tha- Thank you for waiting with me.” Neville stammered quietly and Bard wondered if they boy was simply nervous or if he was too cold.

“No problem.” Bard told him. There was shifting next to Neville and the boy thought that the Slytherin was about to leave him. He jumped when an unexpected weight added on his shoulders and blinked in confusion when he felt a lot warmer.

“Not too cold anymore are you?” Bard asked and settled down beside him again. “The headmaster should really think of putting some heating charms on the hallways. A student is bound to get sick just from standing in it.” Bard commented.

“Are-Aren’t you cold?” Neville worried but Bard simply gave a smile.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m used to colder stuff than this and I don’t get sick easily.” Neville, who hadn’t ever expected such kindness from a Slytherin, of all people, didn’t know what to say.

A few hours went by and besides the Bloody Baron, whom had stopped for a conversation with Bard which no one ever dared to do, even from his own house, not one student or teacher was seen passing down the hall. Neville was half-asleep, leaning on his shoulder and Bard was close to deciding to just bring the Gryffindor with him down his house, no matter what Draco had to say, when at last, the portrait of the pink fat lady -whom had gone on a midnight excursion- opened from the inside. Bard gave a massive yawn and jerked Neville awake.

“There’s your chance,” Bard told him, gesturing to the opened portrait. Neville hurriedly moved to get up while Bard took his time, stretching out his sore muscles.

“--care about yourselves? I don’t want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you’ll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about the Switching Spells.” Bard let out a loud snort at that, which turned all three bodies’ attention to him.

“Why’re you here?” Ron sneered at him. Bard was too tired to greet the redhead back and it seemed that only Harry noticed the presence of Neville. Hermione hurriedly shut the portrait door behind her, as though to cover evidence about their sneaking out. Bard simply looked at them.

“Thank goodness you’re here! We’ve been waiting for hours for someone to come. I couldn’t remember the password to let me in. Charlus was kind enough to wait with me here,” Neville rushed to say. Bard scrunched his face at the mention of his ‘name’ but to Ron and Harry, they thought it was on the mention of doing something ‘kind’.

“Keep your voice down, Neville. The password’s ’Pi-” Ron covered Hermione’s mouth before she could continue on.

“Are you crazy?!” Ron hissed. “A Slytherin is standing right there.” He pointed rudely at Bard.

Bard was too sleepy to even look affronted.

“I’m too drained to care what your password is, and anyway it can’t be opened even if you yelled it out loud.” He told them. It was Harry, this time, who gave him a look.

“And why’s that?” he asked. Bard then gestured to the portrait.

“Look behind you, genius.” He scoffed. As one, the four Gryffindors turned to look behind. They finally noticed the missing lady. Hermione shrieked under her breath.

“Now what?!” she shrilled at her house mates. Bard gave a shrug, he was certainly too sleepy to care or to even ask why they came out in the first place. He wasn’t used to being up so late at night since he starts his morning routines very early in the day. And it was nearing midnight.

“I don’t know about you but I really want to go sleep, so I’ll just go now.” He announced to the party. “You’re alright with these guys, right Neville?” At the boy’s nod and smile, he turned and left. Out of sight, Harry spoke -probably thought that he was far enough away not to hear them speak.

“Good -well, look, Neville, we’ve got to be somewhere, we’ll see you later--”

“Don’t leave me! Bard’s left. I don’t want to stay here all alone. The Bloody Baron passed by once--”

“Fine!” Ron disrupted, “But if either of you get caught, I’ll never rest until I’ve learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and use it on you.”

Bard couldn’t help it. He was too curious not to follow them. But once they reached their destination, he regretted the idea.

“He’s late, maybe he’s chickened out,” Ron whispered.

“Maybe.” Harry whispered back.

“Don’t you think this is suspicious? If he really intended to meet you for the duel, he’d be here by now.” Hermione told them.

“Then what about Charlus? Why would he have waited all that time outside the portrait if not to make sure that we actually went?” Ron answered back. Neville bristled, though was unseen by Bard.

“I already said--, Charlus waited there for me. We came out the hospital wing together. He was just worried--” A noise suddenly made them all freeze. It was Filch, the caretaker, speaking to his cat, Mrs. Norris and Bard was forced to reveal himself as he made a dash in the trophy room.

“Why’re you--” Ron started but Bard ignored him and pulled the first person closest to him by the arm -Neville.

“Hurry!” He urgently hissed. The sound of footsteps were coming nearer the door of the entrance and they all didn’t have the time to think about Bard’s sudden reappearance. Bard slowed down once they had gotten out of sight and Ron opened his mouth once again to say something only for Bard to start hurrying off again. They had all thought about Filch giving up the search when they moved out of the Trophy room but unfortunately had forgotten about his four legged feline. Neville was so frightened about being caught that when Mrs. Norris gave a sound, he jumped and broke into a run. He accidentally bumped into Ron and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

Bard flinched on every clang and bang the metal armor made. It was just his luck to remember only now what sort of room they had entered too. The voice of his master filtered in his brain, ‘you need to work more on your tunnel vision.’

“RUN!” Harry suddenly yelled.

The five of them sprinted down the gallery, with Harry in the lead, not knowing where the boy was taking them. A look back at the corridor and Bard got a glimpse of Filch’s shadow marching nearer towards them before they turned to another corridor and another, until they managed to find themselves on the hallway of their Charms classroom.

“I- told - you,” Hermione kept saying through her pants.

“We’ve got to get back to Gryffindor tower,” said Ron, apparently having forgotten the Slytherin with them, “as quickly as possible.”

“Malfoy tricked you,” Hermione told Harry, “You realise that, don’t you? He was never going to meet you- Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off.”

“The girl’s right you know,” Bard couldn’t help remark, “I can’t believe you actually believed--”

“Isn’t he your friend?” Ron spat out at him.

“’Course he is, but even I wouldn’t take his word for it unless he has good reason to keep it.” And Ron gave an ugly sound.

“No wonder you were sorted in Slytherin.”

“Let’s just go.” Harry interrupted them with a show of walking away. He only got a few steps in before they were cornered by yet another troublesome person. This time, one of the dead.

“Peeves!” Ron yelled out in alarm.

“Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut! Naughty, naughty, you’ll get caughty!” the poltergeist rhymed. Bard thought it was quite catchy.

“Peeves, won’t you help us out? I really don’t want to get caught.” Bard pleaded.

“Bardikins!” Peeves squealed out loud, earning a look from the four Gryffindors, but Bard ignored them. He liked Peeves, he was the only one who actually called him ‘Bard’, even if he almost always vandalize it.

“Naughty, Naughty, Bardikins,” Peeves tutted, floating down right in front of him. Neville and the rest of them shivered by the cold draft the ghost brought with him but Bard had already gotten so used to it that it isn't even a bother. “Shall I call Filch on you?” Peeves teased, tapping a finger on his chin as though considering it.

Bard would have gotten Peeves to help them if it weren’t for Ron snapping at him and taking a swipe. “Get out of the way!” And like an alarm, Peeves suddenly bellowed, “STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!” They sprinted down the end of the corridor, only to find the door locked.

“That’s it! We’re done for!” Ron moaned pitifully, only for Hermione to shove him off and grab her wand. Bard almost spilled out a laugh but manage to hold it in.

“Alohamora!” She uttered confidently, waving her wand at the keyhole. As expected of one of the best students in their year, it clicked open and they managed to pile in and close the door before Filch could get a glimpse of them. Bard watched three of them press their ears to the door and shook his head. Why need to listen? They could hear Peeves’ laughter clearly from the other side. It wasn’t a secret that Peeves didn’t like Filch much. Bard knew that the poltergeist wouldn’t say a word on their location just for the pleasure of annoying the caretaker. A hard tug from the only Gryffindor who hadn’t stuck his head on the wall gained his attention. He turned and felt all the blood in his head wash down.

Why didn’t he just left them alone when he had had the chance? He cursed his voracious curiosity.

Staring down at them were three pairs of large, dark, angry eyes. Bard counted three heads attached to one singular, large body. A quick look down on the ground impressed him with two large paws; their nails in need of a good trimming -and something else. Neville start tugging for the other three’s attention.

“--get off, Neville!” He heard Harry whisper irritably. Bard had a good sense to smack his brother for disrespectful behavior. When someone tries to gain your attention, it is always right to oblige, especially when one is in an unknown area. But he held himself back lest the sound trigger something more from the three headed dog. He never imagined that a Cerberus could actually exist within mortal plane. A funny thought entered him; If his pet was here, where was Hades?

When the three dunderheads finally noticed the large, drooling, vicious looking dog, Harry groped for the doorknob, turned and push open the door. Bard heaved Neville with him as they all bolted for the door. Once out, Harry had the sense to slam the door shut before hurtling out the corridor and back to their common room. They didn’t notice -nor care at this point, that Bard didn’t follow them.

After scrambling in through the portrait hall and into the common room, they all collapsed dead tired on the floor.

“What do you think they’re doing, keeping a dog like that locked up in school?” Ron heaved, “If any dog needs exercise, that one does.”

“Nevermind that, where’s Charlus?” Hermione, ever the attentive one, asked, looking around as if expecting that the Slytherin followed them inside. Neville also looked around in worry.

“Who ca--” Ron started to say but was cut off by Harry.

“I saw him got out. He’s probably half-way back to the Slytherin dormitory by now.” He panted. Just because he didn’t much like his brother for befriending his bully, didn’t mean he would wish the boy dead.

Unknown to the four Gryffindors, Bard didn’t scramble away from the rattling door. He stared at the door until it calmed down. He was curious. What could the dog be guarding? It was obvious that it was, just from the trapdoor underneath it. More obvious that even a sensible wizard wouldn’t place a dog that large in a cramped space, so what was it guarding? He almost opened the door to find out but stopped at the last minute, his hand just above the handle.

It wasn’t his business, it was Hogwarts’. And with a guard dog such as that it was clear to him that anything hidden beneath was something very valuable indeed. He turned and walked away, not wanting anything to do with it.

Tbc