"I, er, yes. I was in the year below Regulus at Hogwarts," Barty forced himself to reply. "I was in Hufflepuff so we weren't close friends, but we knew of each other."
Home hoped that Regulus had meant that he would be warning Snape not to kill him on the spot. Unlike Regulus, Barty had come into direct conflict with Snape when he had been trying to achieve the Dark Lord's resurrection. He did not expect Snape to be as sympathetic as Regulus seemed to be.
"It must be good to work with your family," Barty said to Gaius.
Turning back to Regulus he asked, "When would you like me to start? Is there anything you would like me to do today?" The 'anything' Barty was willing to do included whatever Regulus might think he should do to prove his sincerity in wanting another chance.