HP: The Twin Serpents of Slytherin

On September 1, 1971, aboard the Hogwarts Express, Ryan Lost saw that boy for the first time.

When the black-haired boy in the old coat walked into the compartment with a red-haired girl, the first thing he looked at wasn't a person. It was the ancient book on Ryan's lap.

“Could I borrow it?”

Ryan agreed, making an offhand promise.

Not until the book was returned, stuffed with densely packed annotations, did he realize what the boy had done. Some of the insights were ones Ryan himself had never considered.

The boy's talent for Potions surprised Ryan even more.

Later, he watched as the hand that wrote those annotations and brewed perfect potions was trampled into the mud.

He handed the boy a piece of parchment with nothing but an improved spell written on it.

That parchment became the only thing they shared.

Later, they became Death Eaters. At the very heart of the dark years, they became the only people with whom each could be themselves, without pretense.

One watched from the sidelines for seven years. The other was hunted for seven years.

One never offered a helping hand, only passing a blade in a corner where no one could see.

The other never said thank you, only adding one more line of notes to the books he returned.

They never spoke of trust.

But some things carry more weight left unsaid.