Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Now they're going to bed, and my stomach is sick

And it's all in my head, but she's touching his chest now

He takes off her dress now, let me go

And I just can't look, it's killing me

May 8th, 1978

Regulus was having a hard time staying upright due to that morning's downpour. Having already slipped on the slick grass only minutes prior, he still felt the embarrassment of getting mud all over his arse. Although a quick spell had banished it, it didn't banish the memory from his classmates' minds.

To make matters worse, he'd not only slipped in front of the sixth year Care of Magical Creatures class, but also the seventh year Herbology students that were joining them on their trek back up to the castle.

Overall, his day had been completely rotten, as Professor Kettleburn's idea of a fun surprise had turned out to be Thestrals in the Forbidden Forest. While Ivy seemed to enjoy herself immensely, as the entire herd flocked to her upon arrival, Regulus stayed as far away from the creatures as possible. The memories that resurfaced at their appearance were too much for him to think about.

Letting out a yelp, he fumbled for stability as his feet slipped from beneath him again.

Instinctively, he grabbed Severus, who was walking beside him as they neared the castle.

"Oi!" Severus shook himself free of Regulus. "Stop trying to take me down with you!"

His face reddened as Ivy and Theya, who were ahead of the pair, looked back and giggled.

"Careful where you step, eh?" Ezra Wilkes jogged from the stragglers behind and slowed as he reached them. "Ground's wet."

Regulus let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Can you believe that DADA lesson this morning, Severus?" Ezra swiped a hand through his ginger hair. "Brilliant!"

Severus had told him they'd learned about the Unforgivable Curses, of which there was nothing brilliant about. Regulus wanted to tell Ezra as much, but he bit his tongue, wondering if this was how Ivy had felt around him when she started questioning the Dark Lord. Granted, his conversations with her, Theya, and Severus rarely revolved around blood purity. He preferred it that way, as Death Eater talk had started making him feel very unsettled.

"Excited to graduate?" Wilkes spoke in a low tone, nudging Severus as they walked up the steps into the Entrance Hall. "Just think – in a month's time, you, me, and Rosier will be free to use Unforgivables whenever we want on whoever we want. You'll help us hunt down some halfbreeds, right?"

"Right," Severus tensed.

Wilkes grinned, clapping Severus hard on the back before jogging down the corridor to meet Mulciber.

Regulus thought to ask if Severus was alright due to the halfbreeds comment, but decided better of it as they headed for the Viaduct Courtyard and stepped onto the grass. Sybill Trelawney, a seventh year Ravenclaw, and Davey Gudgeon, a sixth year Gryffindor, were playing a game of Gobstones in the middle of the area.

Theya waved Regulus and Severus over from her seat on a stone bench across the way, though Ivy didn't appear to notice them, as she was leaned against a stone column, engrossed in a book.

Circling around the game, he watched Severus take a seat beside Theya and grasp her hand. Ivy didn't acknowledge their arrival, evidently fascinated by Wandlore: What is Fact and What is Fiction? The white strands of hair that had escaped from her low bun were blowing gently in the breeze along with her black ribbons and skirt.

Eyes drawn to her bare legs, he recalled the last time they'd been wrapped around his waist.

Regulus cleared his throat. "You thinking about becoming a wandmaker?"

"Hm?" Ivy murmured absently.

"Why're you reading that?" He reiterated.

"I'm going to steal a wand," she said casually, flipping a page.

"Why?" Severus asked.

"Plausible deniability," Theya said at the same time.

Ivy put away the book. "No reason."

Theya shook her head. "Whatever. Does anyone know how hard the Apparition test is going to be? I've been trying to find out all day."

"Blimey," Regulus ran a hand through his hair. "That's tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Theya sighed.

"If you've managed to Apparate a couple times," Severus said. "You'll probably pass. If you splinch yourself at all, you're disqualified."

"That's not fair!" Theya gaped.

Feeling Ivy staring at him, he caught her eye.

Before he could feel flattered, she gave an indicative nod, and he followed her gaze over his shoulder to where Potter and Evans were walking hand in hand through the courtyard towards the Viaduct Entrance. Their faces were flushed and happy as they talked spiritedly. They didn't look in the Slytherins' direction once, despite all four of them watching.

"They're not… dating?" Ivy looked confused. "I thought she hated him."

"Hard to hate someone who worships the ground you walk on," Regulus snorted. "They've been together for ages. How have you not noticed?"

"I don't exactly have a personal interest in their whereabouts."

Reminded of Theya's personal interest in the redhead, he spared her a glance and was surprised to find that she looked smug. Severus had wrapped his arm around her shoulders as though to reassure her.

"Excellent," Ivy whispered.

Regulus was about to inquire of her when she took off across the courtyard and vanished through the stone walkway that led to The Quad.

"What was that about?" Theya raised a brow.

"Dunno," Regulus said. "Maybe she spotted-"

A loud shriek sounded from where Ivy had disappeared.

"-Ariadne."

The three of them exchanged a knowing look and hurried to the Quad. They didn't have to step far into the grassy courtyard before locating the source of the noise. Ivy was in the middle of the lawn, duelling Ariadne. Or, rather, disarming her while a smattering of first years looked on excitedly.

"I'll never understand why she's like this," Theya giggled as the white-haired witch caught Ariadne's wand. "But I won't complain."

Regulus stifled laughter as Ivy tossed Ariadne's wand at her feet.

"That's detention, Ms. Selwyn!"

He looked up to find Professor Slughorn on the balcony above the Quad, looking disappointed.

"Looking forward to it!" Ivy curtsied.

Making the mistake of looking in Ariadne's direction, Regulus made eye contact.

His entire body immediately went numb.

As memories of them in bed flashed into his mind, he rounded on a heel and made a beeline for the Viaduct Entrance. Entering the massive, sun-filled room occupied by clumps of meandering students, he made an immediate sharp turn and pressed his back against the cold stone wall beside the large wooden double doors. Closing his eyes, he tried to ground himself and fight off the memories, despite fear tightening around his throat.

"What are you doing?"

Regulus jumped, opening his eyes to see Frederick standing before him, his uniform unkempt in a way that looked intentional.

"Breathing in the refreshing summer air," he said dryly, though he was secretly thankful for the distraction, as the images of Ariadne began fading.

"Right," Frederick looked him up and down suspiciously.

A rush of white hair whisked past them into the vestibule, followed by Theya, then Severus, who spotted him first and nudged Ivy.

"There you are," Ivy looked worried, then apprehensive when she noticed her boyfriend. "Frederick, we've been looking everywhere for you."

Regulus was glad for the lie, not wanting to draw any more attention than he already had.

"Arithmancy ran late," he kissed her on the cheek, though her silver gaze was still on Regulus.

He gave her a small smile and her anxious expression softened.

Severus looked at Ivy expectantly. "Do you want to tell us why you keep ambushing Ariadne?"

"I told you," Ivy smiled as Frederick wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I'm stealing a wand."

"But you didn't steal her wand," Theya pointed out.

"Yeah, not yet. I have to win its allegiance first."

"And you think that'll happen if you keep jumping her?" Frederick laughed.

"Yeah," Regulus said sceptically. "I'm not sure that'll work."

"Me either," Ivy admitted. "But I've got to try."

"But why?" Severus pressed.

"Plausible." Theya spoke through gritted teeth. "Deniability."

"She's right," Ivy smirked. "You're all better off not knowing."

"But-" Severus started.

"Do you want to be an accomplice to murder?" Ivy narrowed her eyes at him.

They all stared at her.

"I'm just taking the mickey," she rolled her eyes.

Regulus, Severus, and Theya exchanged doubtful looks.

"You're always a laugh," Frederick chuckled, shaking his head. "Skive off your next class with me? I've got a surprise for you."

"You bet," Ivy beamed.

Theya smiled dreamily while Regulus shot an exasperated look at Severus, who shrugged.

"So Arithmancy didn't run late," Ivy breathed, rolling naked off her equally naked boyfriend onto the cushions.

She could only assume that Frederick had been planning the excursion for a while, as when he'd led her to what she assumed would be an empty classroom, it was quite the opposite. The windowless room had been filled with lit candles that sat atop abandoned desks, which had been draped with black cloth and pushed against the walls. He had assembled a pile of cushions and blankets in the middle of the room, which he assured her had been thoroughly cleaned beforehand.

It was one of the most romantic things she'd experienced.

"Yeah," Frederick sat up, reaching over her to grab something. "I was organising this."

He handed her a thin black box.

Ivy propped herself up on an elbow, narrowing her eyes teasingly. "Another surprise?"

"Just open it," he smiled sheepishly.

Abiding by his request, she opened the box to find a silver bracelet studded with tiny opals that shifted colour in the dim lighting.

"I thought I'd get you something to match Theya's ring," he said quietly. "Do you like it?"

"It's lovely," she whispered.

Holding out her wrist, Frederick slipped the adornment on and kissed the back of her hand. She couldn't help her contented smile as the familiar sensation of warmth spread through her chest.

When Ivy laid her head back down, he followed suit and gently stroked the side of her face, causing pleasured tingles to shoot down her spine. Watching him carefully, she spent a moment trying to figure out what the odd expression on his face was. She'd been seeing the look on him more and more frequently but couldn't quite place it. His blue eyes were soft, his smile lazy and relaxed, like he was completely unaware of its existence.

"You love me," she blurted.

Frederick sat up with a start, looking panicked.

"It's alright," she grabbed his arm. "I love you too."

The sensation in her chest was the same one she had around Regulus, but the feeling terrified her far less when it came to Frederick. She was unsure of why, as her boyfriend was much more dangerous. Regardless, she wasn't in the mood to question it.

"Do you?" He leaned over her with the most brilliant, beautiful smile.

"Yes," she crushed his lips to hers, hoping to convey just how much she meant it.

He let out a goofy laugh against her mouth, eliciting a similar sound from her, before pulling away. "You have no idea how relieved I am."

"Me too."

"You're relieved? What were you worried about?"

"I guess… not knowing whether you'd tire of me was scary."

"I could never tire of you," his eyes widened earnestly. "In fact, I actually put all this together to ask you something."

Ivy sat up, causing the soft blanket to uncover her bare chest and her nipples to harden against the cold air.

"Merlin," he stared at her small breasts. "You're bloody perfect, you know that?"

She rolled her eyes. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Right," he shook himself. "Well, my parents were finally able to break the marriage contract with Ariadne because of the love potion scandal, and I thought I'd ask if you'd be interested in trying to break yours with Regulus."

Ivy's heart stopped and she quickly put on a teasing tone. "You're not just asking because your family is going bankrupt, right?"

"'Course not," he rolled his eyes. "We found a way out of that."

"Greased some palms, huh?"

"What?"

"Oh," Ivy realised she had let slip a Muggle phrase. "It's an American expression, I learned it when I was little and we went to visit a distant cousin. It means to bribe someone."

"Precisely. My grandparents stepped in and took care of it. Anyway, I know I'm not as wealthy as him and you two have a history, but I thought since things are going so well with us, that you might consider it."

In reality, Ivy had purposefully refused to think about a future with him up until then. There was the marriage contract, but there was also Regulus. She loved Frederick, but the fact remained that she loved Regulus too.

"I realise that I'm asking a lot," he said quietly. "Regulus gave you the Thestral pin you always wear, didn't he?"

She glanced over at where the silver, sapphire, and obsidian pin lay amongst her black ribbons. The black ribbons which she hadn't let Frederick tug from her hair, no matter how many times he tried.

"Don't worry," he grabbed her hand and she looked back to find an expression of understanding scrawled across his features. "I don't expect you to stop wearing it. I get it."

"You do?"

"Strangely enough, yes. It comforts you to wear items that remind you of people you care about, yeah?"

She nodded.

"Whose were the ribbons? That's one I never figured out."

Ivy hesitated. "They were my sister's. She gave them to me on her deathbed."

"You must miss her."

"All day," she said softly. "Every day."

"She's always in the back of your mind," he nodded sadly. "I know the feeling. I lost someone I was close with when I was fourteen. Callum. He was my cousin, technically, but I always thought of him as an older brother."

"What happened?"

"He wandered out into Muggle London," his face hardened. "Some man on the street shot him with a weapon they call a gun."

"So that's why…"

"I joined up," Frederick laid back down, looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah."

Ivy watched his face, noting that his exact expression of anger and grief was one she often saw in the mirror. She found it alarming that death had swayed his heart to target an entire group of innocent people, while she had made sure her targeted group of people were truly evil before making it her mission to destroy them. Whether or not it was morally sound, however, she understood how all-consuming and violent grief was. After all, her own anguish had driven her to murder as well.

"Anyhow," he released a long breath. "Just think about the marriage contract. I swear, I'll respect whatever you decide. Even if Regulus did break your heart."

"He really didn't," she flopped back to stare at the ceiling as well. "I meant what I said. I broke my own heart."

"What happened between you two? You never talk about it."

Ivy eyed him sidelong for a moment. "Ariadne had feelings for him for a long time. I ignored them, hoping they would go away, until it got to a point where they had to be addressed. I broke things off with him out of respect for her."

"Well," he sighed. "He still loves you."

"I know," she said gently. "But it's been over a year since anything romantic happened between us. You don't have to worry."

When he didn't reply, Ivy moved to hover over him. "Off the top of my head, I can think of six ways to prove it to you. Most of them involve how naked we are."

"Is that so?" He laughed, softening. "Show me."

"Gladly."

May 11th, 1978

Ivy walked up the stairs to the Girls Dormitory, flipping Ariadne's yew wand in the air and catching it repeatedly as she went. Even after ambushing her a total of ten times, she was uncertain if she had won the wand's loyalty. However, she was going to be visiting her mother at St. Mungo's in two days, so stealing it was of high priority.

It had been easier than she thought, as Ariadne was surprisingly lax with her wand. It only took a few days of observation to notice that she often left it unattended on her desk during class. She also tended to forget it in the Common Room when she left to use the loo, but Ivy didn't want to be too obvious, so she settled for seizing it during History of Magic.

Entering her Dormitory, she stopped upon seeing a bunch of folded parchment scattered across Theya's bed. She was alone, smiling stupidly at the mess.

Shutting the door behind herself, she approached and stuck Ariadne's wand in her bag.

"What's all this?" Ivy picked up a random bit of parchment and frowned at the barely legible script that she recognized as belonging to Severus.

"You know how Frederick is always giving you those surprises?" Theya grinned madly up at her. "Well, Severus thought he'd give me one of his own. He's been writing me notes every day for weeks and gave them all to me tonight."

"Severus Snape writing love letters," she shook her head in astonishment and tossed the parchment back into the clutter. "Never thought I'd see the day… What the hell are you doing up here? Go snog the boy!"

"Oh, believe me," she said smugly. "I did. He's in detention, though. Got caught turning Sirius's oatmeal into larvae."

"Huh," Ivy set her bag down and laid on her bed. "I assumed that was Regulus."

"Nah," Theya began delicately putting Severus's notes into a wooden box. "You know Severus carved this box himself, too? With his wand, of course, else that would've taken him forever."

Ivy felt a beat of pride knowing that he was treating her well, at long last. "Seems like things are going pretty good between you two."

"They really are," she giggled. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this – him."

"I know better than anyone," she laughed.

"I suppose you're right…" Theya carefully set the box on her nightstand. "I always knew being with him would feel good, but I never could've dreamed that it would feel like this. You know that he actually talked to me about his family?"

"You're taking the piss."

"Nope. He even gave me his address so I can meet his family this summer. He said not to expect much, and I don't; they clearly don't take care of him."

"I'll say."

"It'll be so strange not seeing him here next year," Theya deflated a little. "I mean, he promised he would come to every Hogsmeade weekend he can. But still, not seeing him every day?"

"I truly don't know how you'll survive," Ivy smirked.

"Me either," Theya said seriously. "But you're visiting your mother on Saturday, aren't you? I'm sure that'll be much stranger."

"Honestly," she rolled onto her stomach. "I'm looking forward to it more than the game against Hufflepuff on Sunday."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When I tried out, I thought I'd like Quidditch more than I apparently do."

"But you're good at Quidditch," Theya frowned. "You love being good at stuff."

"It just makes me feel very… on display."

"Since when are you opposed to that?"

"I'm not, I'd just rather be on display when I have any semblance of control over how I'm being perceived."

"Ah, control, the one true love of your life. Speaking of love…"

"Smooth."

"…Do you know what you're gonna do about Frederick's little proposition?"

"I wouldn't call it little."

"Don't try to evade the question."

"I'm not! I mean, I can't really accept, can I? For one, he's…" Ivy tapped her left forearm where her Dark Mark was hidden. While she didn't realistically think anyone was listening in, as the room was empty and not many would care about their conversations, she was admittedly -and rightfully- paranoid.

"No undoing that," Theya agreed.

"Then there's Regulus."

"Then there's Regulus," Theya sighed. "I've gotta say, you're awful at managing your love life. No matter what you do, it always goes tits up." Her voice quieted. "Regulus is changing, you know. I can see it. He's becoming like us."

"I know," Ivy groaned, stuffing her face into the bed and kicking her feet in frustration.

"You really shouldn't do that with your shoes on."

Lifting her head, she glared at Theya and removed her shoes, chucking them angrily at the door. "Just tell me what to do about them, before my head explodes."

"You already know what to do," she said softly. "You already know how it's going to end with them both. But you don't have to do anything right now; you don't even have to admit that you know right now. Just let it be for a while."

"Let it be," Ivy echoed. "I've never been any good at that."