Just Tonight by The Pretty Reckless

Just tonight

I won't leave

And ill lie and you'll believe

Just tonight

I will see that its all because of me

October 9th, 1976

Ivy sat on one of the stone benches in the Viaduct Courtyard, having gotten up early with Marlene to squeeze in a study session before breakfast. The sun had started rising, the sky marred by dark shades of purple and blue. The only source of light came from nearby lanterns.

Fresh as the autumn air was, the Astronomy textbook in her lap only reminded her that she could be asleep. Although she considered herself an early riser, the crack of dawn was too soon to be anywhere but in bed.

"Remind me to never get up this early again," Ivy sighed pointedly.

More than getting up early, they'd only been studying for an hour and she was already bored. There were certain subjects that she found fascinating and enjoyed doing homework for, but Astronomy bored her to tears.

Marlene silently tucked a strand of sandy hair behind her ear as she continued her essay beside Ivy.

"Do anything fun for Summer Hols that you haven't told me about yet?" She prompted.

"Ivy," Marlene warned without looking up.

"Oh, come on. It's not like we've got mountains of homework piling up."

"We will within the next few weeks."

"Just take a walk with me around the grounds," Ivy pleaded. "There's something I need to talk to you about anyhow."

Marlene stopped writing and raised a brow. "Green, yellow, or red?"

"Red," Ivy used their code to express the severity of secrecy.

"Red?" She pursed her lips but began rolling up her parchment. "Fine. But if I find out you're using this as an excuse to not study, I'll start with the Cheering Charms again."

She groaned as they got to their feet, bookbags over their shoulders. "Some Ravenclaws have started a rumour that I was abusing Calming Draught. Not to mention the other one about someone slipping me Essence of Insanity."

"It's not my fault you have such a sour disposition," Marlene smirked.

Ivy rolled her eyes as they left the Courtyard for the grounds.

The sunrise was one of the most beautiful she'd seen, as the sky was starting to lighten with brilliant violets and pinks beyond the snow capped mountains.

"What happened, then?" Marlene asked as they crunched their way over the frosted grass towards the Black Lake.

"I met him."

"Who?"

"Him."

Marlene's gaze snapped to her sharply. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Yeah," she frowned. "He's more frightening than you can imagine."

It was only once she'd met the Dark Lord that she realised she had seen his face before. But the most fretful part was when Lord Voldemort used Legilimency on her. She'd had a hard time defending her true thoughts, emotions, and memories to instead show him the life of a dutiful and devoted pureblood daughter. As far as she could tell, he was none the wiser, but she'd doubled down on practising Occlumency nonetheless.

"Did Avdima make you meet him?" Marlene asked.

"Yes and no…"

"What does that mean?"

"I wanted to go," Ivy pressed her lips together, knowing it was time to have the dreaded conversation. "I'm going to become a Death Eater. An inner circle Death Eater."

"What?" Marlene halted, blue eyes having gone dark. "Why? You're not actually into the Dark Arts, are you?"

Ivy scoffed, despite knowing that she absolutely adored the Dark Arts. She wasn't about to use that kind of magic on someone who didn't deserve it, but her desire to learn about the forbidden had always been there. And the deeper she delved, the more fascinated she became. She tried not to think about what she would've become had Hazel not been a Squib.

"I'm not into the Dark Arts," she said defensively. "I'm taking the advice you gave me second year, to fuck things up from the inside. If I get a Dark Mark, I'll be receiving all of the most important information."

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard," Marlene told her flatly, folding her arms. "You can't do that. I won't allow it."

"Allow it?" Ivy echoed. "You think that you, under any circumstances, allow me to do anything?"

"Just under this circumstance. Obviously, you're not in your right mind."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer -you taught me that Muggle phrase. Phrases of which, by the way, you're going to have to stop explaining to me. I said one in front of Ariadne the other day and she was suspicious for a week."

"You could just not be friends with those people," she replied dryly.

"Not this again," Ivy felt her temper flare. "I'm not giving up my friends! And I am going to get the Mark; I'll be useless otherwise. I've already been useless for years because I haven't fully committed like I need to!"

"Why can't you just leave it all behind like Sirius?" Marlene retorted resentfully. "You saw how he was welcomed by Gryffindor with open arms."

"Please," she laughed bitterly. "You Gryffindors are the worst of the lot; you've been turning the whole school against Slytherins for years. It's hypocrisy at its finest."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" Ivy rounded on her. "Haven't you noticed how at the Sorting Ceremony every year, whenever a first year is put into Slytherin, people boo? I shouldn't have to tell children on their first day at Hogwarts that they're going to be bullied and hexed in the hallways for the next seven years, just because they wear green and silver. As you well know, I have quite the issue with anyone who antagonises eleven-year-olds."

Marlene opened her mouth, looking positively outraged.

"And then," she cut her off, not finished with her rant. "You have the bloody audacity to wonder why all the Slytherins are joining the Dark Lord's side! They spend years at school being harassed and belittled by their peers -sometimes even staff members- so when someone offers them power and revenge, it's no wonder they accept!"

"You sound an awful lot like you want to join up," Marlene spoke through gritted teeth.

"You're not listening to me!" Ivy let out a frustrated scream. "The point is that I can't cross over to your side of things and I won't abandon my friends. Not when there's a chance I can help them understand the truth of things too."

"You're just being a coward!" Marlene seethed. "Sirius-"

"-Is an arsehole," Ivy hissed. "He abandoned Regulus!"

"He couldn't stand it anymore and I don't blame him! Yet, you seem to thrive in the pureblood world."

"Because it's thrive or die. I'm doing what I have to do. Not that you'd know a single thing about duty."

"Duty?" She scoffed harshly. "Like your duty to Snape, the git who called Lily a Mudblood to her face just last week?"

She was very much not in the mood to talk about Severus. He'd been a right arse since Evans ended their friendship the week before, randomly flying into rages and outright avoiding Theya.

"I've been consoling that poor girl since," Marlene continued angrily. "She's bloody devastated and it's not like you're going to say anything."

A movement over Marlene's shoulder caught her eye and she squinted, noticing four shapes at the base of the Whomping Willow. There appeared to be some sort of altercation going on, as the figures shoved each other and distant shouting reached her ears.

"Marlene," Ivy sighed.

"I'm not done yet!" She hollered, stomping a foot furiously. "You've cut me off plenty during this conversation, now I'm going to have my say! You need to cut all this pureblood shite out before-"

"Marlene," Ivy forcibly spun her around and pointed to the Weeping Willow.

"Is that Snape?" Marlene's anger dissipated into confusion. "And… James and Sirius. Looks like Peter's there too… Ah, bugger, we'd better break it up before they tie Snape to the trunk again." She broke into a sprint with Ivy at her side. "But we're not done talking about this."

"Agreed," Ivy said between breaths.

As they descended the dewy hill, slipping multiple times on their way down, one of the figures departed towards the castle. Once they reached flatter land, a minute or two of running had them arriving a good distance away from the tree. Fortunately, the scuffle had moved far enough away from the vicious branches that none of them were likely to get mauled.

"You prick!" Severus shoved Sirius. "I'm going to Avada you!"

"I dare you to try, Snivellus," Sirius got up into Severus's face. "See what happens!"

"Cut it out, both of you!" Potter was trying and failing to insert himself between the two. "Snape, he didn't mean it-"

"What the hell's going on here?" Marlene demanded breathlessly.

"Brought another Gryffindor to watch me get killed, Black?" Severus snarled, before noticing Ivy, which seemed to bring him out of his palpable rage a smidge. "What're you doing here?"

"Doesn't matter," Ivy said quickly. "What's going on?"

"Lupin's a-" Severus started.

"Don't you fucking dare," Sirius had his holly wand at Severus's throat in a flash.

"Werewolf," Severus smirked.

"Expelliarmus!" Potter's spell hit Sirius's wand and he cast another Disarming Charm as Severus drew his own. He then rounded on Ivy. "Don't make me take yours, too."

"As if you could," Ivy said snidely. "Does someone want to explain what Lupin being a werewolf has to do with any of this?"

Potter groaned. "He's not a-"

Severus lunged for Sirius and they fell to the ground together, rolling and swinging at each other. Marlene rolled her eyes and drew her own wand, quickly fixing them both in Full Body-Binds.

"Yes, he is," Ivy retorted. "Tonight's a full moon and Severus already told me ages ago; you're not getting out of this."

"She's right," Marlene added grudgingly. "Did Sirius sic Remus on Snape or something?"

Potter glowered at them both, running a hand through his messy hair. "Essentially."

Ivy stared at where Sirius was on the ground, immobile and glaring at Severus beside him. Sirius's best mate had just confirmed that he'd been trying to get Severus killed. He had just tried to murder one of her best friends.

As Marlene began worrying to Potter about where Lupin was, Ivy slid her wand out of her sleeve and into her hand. She subtly pointed it at Sirius and whispered a quick Reparifors.

Before the eldest Black son could react, she was on top of him, throwing fists. Unleashing the cold fury that always seemed to be festering in her chest, she barely even felt her knuckles bruising as she whaled on him. Listening to the brilliant sound of a broken nose, she had just raised another fist when shouting reached her ears.

A glance over her shoulder told her that Pettigrew was headed towards them behind an alarmed and thoroughly incensed Professor McGonagall.

Sirius took her distraction as a chance to roll her onto her back, and soon enough they had matching bloody noses.

One Episkey, two disappointed scoldings, and twenty lost points later, Ivy found herself outside the Headmaster's office. She'd been waiting for several hours, as Dumbledore had spoken individually to each of the students involved in that morning's altercation. Due to Severus's rantings upon leaving, she pretty much knew what to expect.

When Sirius departed from the office, casting her a loathsome look as he swept past her down the stone stairs, she got to her feet.

Entering the light, circular room with haste, she hoped to get in and out as quickly as possible. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, soul-piercing blue eyes fixed on her, giving off his usual aura of calm serenity as the portraits dozed in their frames. A massive red and gold phoenix sat on a perch beside the Headmaster, looking rather ill.

"I already knew about Lupin," Ivy walked up to the desk and folded her arms impatiently. "Severus told me over the summer. I'm not going to tell anyone, and proof of that lies in the fact that I haven't said a word about it until tonight. And McGonagall already administered my punishment, so if that's all you need to speak with me about, I'm very tired."

"I would imagine so," Dumbledore smiled. "I was going to speak with you about those matters, but I trust that you understand the seriousness of the situation, given your conviction and fairly sound judgement."

"You think I have fairly sound judgement?" She laughed in disbelief.

"Indeed."

"Odd, that," she drawled, not sure what he was getting at.

"Perhaps it is, I hadn't thought so."

"Why not?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that question," his eyes twinkled mischievously.

Theya was right, Ivy thought. He does speak in riddles.

The phoenix on the perch made a gagging noise and promptly burst into flames.

Dumbledore glanced over as the resulting pile of ashes made squawking sounds.

"I had a feeling," the Headmaster said thoughtfully. "That would happen during our chat."

"Why?"

"I believe you know the answer to that, also, Miss Selwyn."

"Thestrals are omens of death," she said quietly, reaching a hand up to graze the pin in her hair.

"Close, but not quite."

Narrowing her eyes, she pointed a finger at herself.

Dumbledore nodded wistfully.

It was then that Ivy noticed someone poking at her mental defences. Her eyes went wide as she realised he was attempting Legilimency on her. Instantly throwing up shields around her mind, she quickly discerned that he had not been trying very hard to infiltrate her mind. Nor could she sense any malicious intent. If anything, his attempt was a playful nudge, like Theya when she tested Ivy's defences to keep her on her toes.

"Headmaster," she frowned, deciding not to address it. "I was wondering, how much can you do to protect Hogwarts students?"

"Are you in need of protection?" He asked calmly.

"No." There was an inexplicable feeling in her gut that told her she could trust him and she wondered if it was another Divination sensation. "McGonagall once told me that I could trust her or you with anything."

"She did."

"While I'm not stupid enough to do that," she watched the corners of his mouth quirk up. "I wanted to know if there's some way you could force Sirius Black to move back in with his parents."

"Why do you ask?" If Dumbledore was surprised, he didn't show it.

Ivy decided not to divulge her most important motive, which was that Sirius could potentially help her convince Regulus to change sides in the war. Even though Regulus had flat out told her he regretted getting his Mark, she couldn't be certain that he felt differently about other beliefs that had been forced on them.

So, she went for a half-truth. "Sirius protects Regulus."

"I see," Dumbledore gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately, the matter of Sirius Black living with the Potters is out of my hands. But I can keep an eye on Regulus Black's situation."

"Thank you, sir," Ivy straightened a little.

One good thing that had come from her meetings with the Dark Lord was finding out about a group opposing the Death Eaters, called the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore was the leader, so she hoped that if anyone could provide Regulus with a little extra protection, it was him.

She could only hope.

December 29th, 1976

Ivy's eyes started to glaze over as she entered her third hour of torture.

She was in a Muggle's beige and brown kitchen under the cover of night, blood splattering her robes and features. A man knelt before her, screaming in agony as she lashed out with bright, deadly spells. His wife laid on the kitchen table, being tortured by Regulus, though Ivy barely heard anything going on around her.

There was only her, the Muggle, and Lord Voldemort, the latter of which was continuously probing her mind. It was taking an immense amount of effort to torture the man and simultaneously keep the Dark Lord from delving too deep into her subconscious. Revealing enough to seem barbarous but concealing the rest was starting to make her dizzy.

Knowing she couldn't keep it up much longer, she forced her eyes back into focus. Her victim's body was mutilated and his face was revoltingly unrecognisable. What was left of his eyes were empty and she lifted a foot to his chest, kicking him back into the pool of blood, which sprayed.

"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted hoarsely.

The blast of green nailed him in the chest, but the Muggle didn't even twitch, causing her to wonder how long she'd been torturing a dead body.

A cold haze had fallen over her and she turned to take in the rest of the kitchen, fighting to stay on her feet. The Dark Lord hadn't moved in the past three hours, as he remained a few metres away by the counter, ghostly pale fingertips pressed together as he revelled in the atrocity.

Lord Voldemort's red eyes were on Regulus, who had paused his torture questioningly.

"Finish her," the Dark Lord hissed.

"Avada Kedavra!"

As the victim exhaled her last breath, an unnatural smirk came unbidden over Ivy's features. Still focused on protecting her mind and playing the role, she hardly even heard when Voldemort asked her to kneel before him in the pool of blood.

She did so without thinking, pulling up her left sleeve to reveal her bare forearm.

The pain that came next was unbearable. It felt something like a scorching blade digging in and carving out her flesh. She clenched her jaw tight, trying to focus on the sweat dripping down her back and the damp hair stuck to her neck.

When the cutting stopped, she let out a staggered breath and opened her eyes, which she hadn't realised she'd closed. Chunks of flesh had been removed from her forearm, and amidst the bloody mess, she could see bone.

The Dark Lord hissed out another incantation.

Black liquid flowed from the tip of his wand, filling in where her tissue had been intricately and carefully cut out. The fluid was intensely cold but it immediately relieved the pain flashing throughout her, and a frigid electric shock ran through her nerves. The liquid filled the gouges in her arm and then turned solid.

Her arm was whole again, the exact same as before, aside from the dark grey snake and skull that now slithered there.

Ivy beheld her Mark, feeling oddly revitalised. The anguish and exhaustion had gone, replaced by a feeling of cold strength and an eerie calm. She looked up into Voldemort's red eyes as he opened his mouth with a rasp.

"You remind me of Bellatrix."

Regulus accompanied Ivy to Selwyn Estate, all the while trying to get a sense of her mental state. After leaving the Dark Lord, she had grabbed tight to his hand, but hadn't uttered a word, even when he asked her a direct question. Upon Floo'ing into the Estate's dark drawing room, Ivy remained silent as the dead they'd left beneath a glowing green skull and snake in the sky. Her cold fingers remained in his as she guided him through the dim halls until they reached her bedroom.

As Regulus locked the door behind them, Ivy immediately began shedding her robes and changing into nightclothes. Momentarily shocked, he watched as her robes slipped off her svelte body and only remembered to turn away when she was in her knickers.

Diverting his gaze, he cast a Muffliato and made a move to light the room, as the only source of light was the moon just beyond her window.

"Don't," Ivy said hoarsely.

Glancing back at her, she had changed into a black negligee and was sitting on the edge of her bed, hands in her lap as she stared at nothing. The Muggle man's blood had dried all over her face and neck.

Unsure of how to help, he sat next to her, remembering the spell he'd located that blocked out pain. "Did it work, by the way? The spell?"

"He didn't feel a thing," she whispered, before shifting to lay her head in his lap.

Regulus was surprised by the move. Although Ivy was relatively affectionate, putting her head in his lap was an incredibly submissive and defeated action for her. She curled up, looking exhausted, and he gently pulled the black ribbons out of her hair, noting the way her eyelids fluttered at his touch.

If he was being quite honest, he was frightened; Ivy, the control freak that she was, was relinquishing all control. He knew without it being said that this was her lowest point.

"I can see the death," Ivy whispered.

"Me too," he said quietly. "Most nights when I'm asleep."

"That's not what I mean… I can see it. I saw it on you and Severus when you noticed the Thestrals. It was like ash floating away in the wind. It's on me now, too. Like my innocence is fluttering away in pieces."

"I didn't think you had any innocence left," Regulus tried for a joke.

"Ha ha," Ivy said humorlessly, fixing her silver gaze on him. "I need you to do me a favour."

"Oh, sure, anything."

Ivy sat up and led him to the attached lavatory. She went to a cabinet beneath the sink and retrieved a towel, tossing it over to him before going to sit on the edge of the tub. Lifting a shaky hand, she gestured to her face and neck.

Rolling up his sleeves, Regulus wetted the towel before kneeling in front of her.

Gently wiping away the dried blood, he was closer to her than he had been in a long time. As he carefully wiped her face and neck, she watched him with something harrowing in her eyes, a look that he did his best to ignore. Entirely disregarding the curve of her breasts just above the neckline of the negligee, he focused on getting every bloodstain off of her skin.

In a strange way, he found the moment peaceful. Not because of the torture or death or the look in her eyes, but because she was letting him take care of her. Whether it was due to delirium or desire, he didn't know. But he appreciated it. Because although she was silent and still, this was the rawest he'd seen her in years.

Regulus went over the same areas twice to make sure he got everything before setting the cloth aside. He shifted his weight back onto his feet, as his knees were becoming disgruntled.

"We have the same scars now," Ivy broke the silence, sounding like she was talking to herself as she reached out to trace a finger over his Dark Mark. "The exact same scars."

Knowing that she meant more than just physically, he gave her a sad smile. Taking her hand, he turned her wrist to reveal her Dark Mark. Leaning down, he kissed it softly.

"Your scars are much prettier than mine," Regulus said gently.

"And they call Sirius the smooth talker," Ivy gave a half-hearted smile, a little light coming back to her eyes.

"There you are," he let out a low laugh. "I was wondering if you were going to come back to me."

"I don't even know if I'm coming back to me."

"Don't say that," he said softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be fine," she avoided his eyes. "It's not like anyone needs me."

"I need you," Regulus brought a hand to her chin and gently made her look at him. "So does Theya. And the Dark Lord, too, apparently."

"Too soon," Ivy winced, though a bitter laugh came with it.

"Got you to laugh, though, didn't I?"

"You've got a wicked sense of humour," she rubbed her eyes. "We'd better get to bed."

"Probably," Regulus sighed and stood.

"Wait," Ivy caught his hand. "Would you… would you stay with me tonight?"

"Oh," he raised his brows. "What about your mother?"

"Fuck her, I… I can't be alone tonight. Please."

Regulus looked at her expression, her white hair that was made stringy with dried sweat. There was zero chance that he was going to say no to her and he gulped, knowing that he'd very well give her the ocean if she asked for it.

When he nodded silently, Ivy led him back to her bedroom and got under the covers. Respectfully maintaining his distance on the right side of the bed, he inhaled her lavender smell, seeking comfort in it.

He'd only been laying there a few minutes before Ivy snuggled into him.

Regulus knew it wasn't a sexual move and pushed off all thoughts related to the subject. She curled up with her back against his chest, taking his arm and securing it tightly around her. The little movement she made with her hips to get comfortable tested his restraint, but he forced himself to think about anything other than how close she was.

The moment was too precious for him to ruin. And as he fell asleep, holding her against him like he wished he could do every night, he knew there was little he wouldn't do to hold her like that again.