The Forgotten Twin

The first Friday of the first week in Hogwarts and already he found the most amazing room that he was sure to use to the best of its advantage, The Room of Requirement. The room of which will appear when one needs it the most, assuming that you were on the right hall, properly conducting the right steps to fully ‘open’ the door.

He was at first skeptical about such a sensational room when he first read about it in Hogwarts, A History but was so intrigued by it that he kept going back and forth three times down different hallways whenever he can. It was only when he came across the resident poltergeist, Peeves, interested in his pacing, that he was led to the correct hallway and was shown the room. (Everyone disliked the poltergeist, but just show him some appreciation of his work and he could be quite accommodating, though he kept that to himself).

Every morning since then, he would use the room as his own personal, magically enhanced, gym.

“Good morning ladies and gents! What class do we have today?” Bard cheerfully greeted sitting himself down next to Draco and started piling his plate for morning breakfast.

“Go away Charles, I hate morning people the most. Where do you get the energy?” Pansy groaned from across him.

Freshly showered and adrenaline pumping in his veins from his morning exercise, Bard grinned at her but said, “Trust me Pansy, you do not want to know.”

Just then, the mail arrived. About a hundred different breeds of owl came swooping down, dropping letters and packages in front of their owners without caring whether or not it dropped on a bowl full of milk. Bard had learned since, to always anticipate something falling above head, whether it be mail or something smellier.

“Incoming,” warned Theodore with a gesture of his spoon. Bard caught his mail before it landed on his plate and Fakhir, his eagle owl, landed on his shoulder soon after.

“Hurts doesn’t it?” taunted Draco, busying himself with opening his daily supply of boxed sweets from his mother.

“I shall never again try to discipline an owl delivering mail.” Bard proclaimed, giving up on trying to let loose his owl. The harder he tried, the tighter the clawed feet dug in.

“Looks like your brother also got something,” Blaise declared and all turned to watch a snowy white owl land next to his brother at the Gryffindor table.

“When are you going to talk to him? You’ve been avoiding the issue since you got here. Slytherins can’t hold back the crowd for forever you know.” Pansy turned to say to him, but even Bard knew that the Slytherins didn’t mind their job of ‘holding the crowd back’. They used the ‘issue’ almost at every opportunity they can get.

The ‘issue’ being about the discovery of the Potter twins. He heard that the only reason there hasn’t been a reporter coming in to bombard the school for answers was because Albus Dumbledore, the genius of a wizard himself has refused to allow any and all questioning until the winter holiday, where Bard was allowed to choose whether or not he accepts to be interviewed by reporters and even the authority. Rumour has it that even the Minister of Magic was declined entrance to the school himself.

“And why is it that Charles needs to approach him first, Pansy? Potter is certainly capable of doing that himself. It isn’t as if anyone is stopping him,” stated Draco bitterly. Ever since the rejection of his offer, he made it his personal vendetta to make his twin’s life miserable. Bard thought it petty of Draco but did not put a stop to it as it seemed harmless enough. A good rivalry always equaled to quality growth, his master once told him.

“Except for that Ron Weasley kid he always hangs around with. He looks convinced that I’ll bully Harry into submission.” said Bard, standing with his fellow classmates on their way to class.

“We do have that kind of reputation now though.” quipped Pansy.

Everyone within hearing distance snickered as they passed the doors of the Great Hall.

[Potions Class; Dungeon Room]

Bard could hardly wait for the class to start. Aside from charms and transfiguration, Potions, in his opinion, was the most useful talent a wizard could have in one’s arsenal. If he could master the art, he could sooner reach his goal than what his master first estimated. The man in black robes -Professor Snape- soon started the class by taking roll calls.

“Ah, yes,” he said softly, “Harry Potter. Our new -celebrity.”

Bard knew that Draco and his loyal bodyguards only let out an obvious display of sniggering behind their hands to add to his twin’s poor humiliation by their Potion’s Professor, but that completely accidental burst of snort he released wasn’t to be excused. He absolutely had no idea where it even came from. He assumed he just found it funny for some absurd reason. His master called it the flaw in his seemingly perfect character. And the repercussions of his action immediately started soon after.

“They’re all glaring at you, just so you know.” Draco helpfully supplied while waiting for Bard to finish crushing the snake fangs to add to their cauldron.

“Thank you for your concern, Draco, really. I can just feel it bleed out your lips.” Cam the irritable reply.

“Don’t take it out on me, Charles. It was your own fault. You didn’t have to laugh.”

“And what? Leave you all alone in your endeavor to torment my own brother?” Bard faked a snobbish sniff, passing the mortar. They fell silent when Snape passed by their desk.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Professor Snape seems to hate Harry just as much as I do. I won’t be alone in making his life miserable.” Draco continued once Snape was far enough away. Bard made a show of rolling his eyes. “So long as he doesn’t hate me.”

“He seems indifferent to you. Didn’t even bat an eyelash when he mentioned your name,” remarked Draco, continuing on with the potion.

“D’you suppose he likes me a little better because I’m in his house?” But before Draco could give him a response to that Bard unceremoniously grabbed his elbow.

“Bard, let go! You’re ruining my--” But the words died on his lips once his eyes fell on the oozing liquid seeping towards them. In panic, his hands clung tightly to Bard and tried to hurriedly scramble up his stool. Luckily Bard was able to maneuver Draco on the stool next to him before the liquid could touch his shoes.

Snape, in the middle of criticising yet another Gryffindor’s potion soon hurried into the act of vanishing the liquid and no sooner scolded his brother who had been unfortunately working beside the failed cauldron. By the time class ended an hour later, Gryffindor lost not only two points but also their good favor for Bard.

“Don’t mind them, Charles. Gryffindors, I hear, are just too sensitive for their own good.” Pansy said.

“I still think I should have said something. He is my brother, after all.” Bard continued to brood with his head on top of the Slytherin table.

“What would you have done if it were En Professor Snape harped to?” Blaise asked.

“Let it be, of course.” Bard answered without a second thought. “En should learn that not all people are fair.”

“Then let Potter be and learn.” Draco waved dismissively. “Not all people are bound to treat him kindly just because he’s famous.” Bard looked at him, the blond had a point.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked him once he stood.

“I’m far too depressed to eat. I’m going to have a jog outside the castle instead, care to join me?” He asked which only earned him pained looks from his fellow lot and took off without another word. Draco picked up his discarded cloak with a disgruntled face.

“He’s such a jock.” Pansy sighed out after the raven head.

[Hogwart’s grounds]

Once Bard had left the stone walls of Hogwarts Castle, he inhaled a lungful of a perfectly good afternoon day’s breath of fresh air. The grounds absolutely looked healthy and stunning under the afternoon sun and Bard didn’t waste one moment and took off on a full run to get his body in motion. After minutes of hard running, he finally slowed enough to a light jog. By then, he had circled a quarter ground of Hogwarts and reached its back courtyard.

“--it is!”

“Whoah!”

“...Did you hear that?”

“Hear what Harry?”

“I thought I heard someone…”

“Probably nothing. Come on, I’m excited to meet Hagrid. I’ve never met a giant before.”

Bard listened as the sound of the two Gryffindors' footsteps faded away until he was sure that they had gone far from his hiding spot near the wall. He looked down on himself and gently moved his feet, checking if he had broken it when he tripped. Thankfully nothing had, he was just sore. He peered around the wall and watched the two boys scamper down a cobbled path towards a small wooden house near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Booming barks was heard when they knocked the door of the house and finally, they were ushered inside by Hagrid, Hogwarts groundskeeper and the blubbering fool that had dropped him as an infant. It didn’t take long for Bard to come to a decision. He hurriedly followed after them once the door was closed and edged quietly near a, luckily, open window.

They were talking about how their first week went. Nothing so much interesting happening there. Aside from Draco tormenting them every chance he got, Ron complained about how the teachers were being unfair to new students, giving so much homework just on their first day alone; Harry talked about how history class was made even more dull and depressing with a ghost as their teacher; and how much the Potions teacher apparently hates him more than average.

“Rubbish!” said Hagrid. “Why should he?” Bard frowned. The tone in Hagrid’s voice alone suggests his otherwise feelings on the subject.

“And your brother?” Hagrid casually asked but even Bard could tell the slight stammer in his voice. He smiled.

Silence enveloped the small room in the house.

“Well, he’s…” Harry tried.

“He’s a friend of Malfoy’s,” Ron spat. The smile on Bard’s face dropped into a frown, offended.

“But yeh’ve talked to him, right Harry?” Hagrid said. “I mean, he is yer brother. Yer twin, even” But Harry said nothing on the subject.

“He laughed at Harry when Snape made fun of him!” Ron accused. “Snape kept asking Harry hard questions but didn’t even bat an eye on his brother. And when Snape scolded Harry on something that wasn’t his fault, that twin of his didn’t even do anything to defend Harry.” Bard was starting to really hate Ron Weasley.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, Ron.” Hagrid defended. “No one can come in between Snape when he’s scolding a student, especially when it comes to a Gryffindor. I’m sure he was just confused as to what to do. I mean, Snape is his Head of House now--”

“And that’s another thing! He’s in Slytherin.” Bard was downright scowling. Even Hagrid couldn’t say anything after that and instead changed the subject.

“So how’s yer brother Charlie? I liked him a lot -great with animals, that one…”

After learning about a break-in at the suppose impregnable, mighty Gringotts, it wasn’t long until the two boys said their goodbyes to Hagrid and left for Hogwarts. Bard waited for a bit before climbing up after them, careful not to be seen or heard by Hagrid. He thanked his lucky stars when he succeeded in his escape for the dog that was with them was too lazy enough to alert them of his spying.

He entered Hogwarts and headed straight to his common room. Draco was the first to notice his sour mood.

“What’s wrong? Filch caught you in your run?”

And like a trigger to the switch, Bard proceeded to rant his anger at an unsuspecting Draco.

Tbc