Hit Me Like a Man by The Pretty Reckless

It's a version of perversion that is only for the lucky people

Take your time and do with me what you will, I won't mind

You know I'm ill, you know I'm ill

So hit me like a man, and love me like a woman

Buried inside, look me in the eyes, I want it

April 6th, 1979

The Great Hall had been transformed into a spring wonderland. Strings of wisteria hung from the ceiling, falling in between the candles, while garlands of yellow and white blossoms had been strung along the walls, filling the space with the scent of flowers. Enchanted instruments played zestful music in the centre of the Hall while students revolved around them in an uncoordinated mass of ever shifting colour. Drinks sat available on a large table near the open double doors leading into the Entrance Hall, amidst three-tiered trays of sweets that magically replenished every now and then.

While Ivy and Regulus had taken to the dancefloor a few times already, Theya had been slumped in the same chair for hours, arms folded moodily as she sulked about Severus's absence. Ivy had been trying to get her to dance the entire night as she thought it a pity not to watch her bright orange gown blind their classmates.

"You really need to quit pouting," Ivy giggled into her goblet of nutmeg-flavoured pumpkin juice, which she regretted spiking with Firewhiskey, as the taste was dreadful.

"No one's going to ask you to dance if you keep glaring at the wall," Regulus sat leisurely in his chair with one arm propped on the back of it as his long legs stretched underneath the table, looking exceptionally sleek in his expensive, well-fitted black dress robes.

"I don't want to dance," Theya grumbled. "I want to go to bed. And, anyway, why don't one of you take me for a spin, if you're so eager to watch me flail about."

Ivy quirked a brow and got to her feet.

Running her hands down the black off the shoulder gown she wore, she did so under the pretence of making sure it was falling correctly. Her true intentions, however, produced the desired result; Regulus's dark eyes were aptly roaming her body over his drink. She proceeded to adjust her long black gloves and pat her hair, which had been amassed atop her head and threaded with pearls.

Once satisfied with the pining look on Regulus's face, she offered a hand to him and Theya.

"I was being sarcastic," the golden-haired witch scowled. "I told you I don't want to dance."

"Would you at least try to enjoy yourself? I don't have all night."

"Yes, you do," Theya huffed testily, taking her hand as Regulus did the same.

The trio muddled in with the crowd, which bobbed to the lively, feverish guitar riffs. As Ivy and Regulus bounced along, Theya stood with her arms folded rigidly, growing more irritable by the second as unbeknownst students knocked into her. Ivy was trying to think of how to make her laugh when the music eased into sweet, delicate violin strokes.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I guess we're doing a threeway slowdance."

"Please never say we and threeway in the same sentence again," Theya said crabbily, moving to leave the dancefloor.

"Just one dance," Ivy stepped in her path. "Please?"

"No," the brightly-coloured witch said through gritted teeth. "This sucks, I'm going to bed."

"Oh, come on," she turned around to wiggle her butt at her, ignoring the looks she received from couples slow dancing around them.

When only Regulus laughed, she turned back to see Theya stomping her way to the open double doors, violently yanking pins out of her hair and tossing them aside as she went.

Ivy sighed. "I'll go get her."

"Leave her be," Regulus caught her arm. "You can't force her to have fun."

"Yes, I can. She does it to me all the time."

"That's because you want to have fun, you're just bad at making it happen."

She shook him off to fold her arms, though she was only playfully vexed. "Are you saying that I'm not fun?"

Regulus appeared to be pushing down a smile, as though that was precisely what he was thought. "What I'm saying is that Theya doesn't want to have fun right now. You wouldn't be in the mood either if I hadn't come."

"You're obnoxious when you're right."

"I must be obnoxious pretty often, then."

"Funny." Ivy noticed that many of the pureblooded couples around them were engaging in more advanced styles of dance. "Did your parents ever make you take dance lessons?"

"What kind of question is that?" He scoffed. "They're high society snobs. Of course they did."

"Ever learn the tango?" She spread her hands.

"Again with the stupid questions," Regulus teased, wasting no time as he pulled her in close, placing one hand in hers and the other on her upper back.

As Regulus spun Ivy out, he listened to her light, airy laugh, admiring the glowing smile that graced her ample lips. Twisting her in, her back landed against his chest, and he held her there for longer than necessary, breathing in her lavender perfume.

It was only with reluctance that he manoeuvred them to face one another again.

Gliding about the dancefloor, their hips twisted fluidly with the rhythm of the euphonious violin notes and he eventually dropped her into a dip. As her head hung back, he appreciated the curve of her breasts, wishing to see her in such a position without the confines of clothing. When he brought her back up, her elegant gloved fingers slid sensually up his chest. She straightened in his embrace, hand gracing the side of his neck, then moving to caress the dark stubble of his jaw.

He leaned into her hand and once again had to remind himself to breathe, as Ivy was so unbearably luminous with her pink cheeks and silver eyes, which were fixed on his mouth. He recommitted every part of her to memory while he was still allowed to drink her in for as long as he wanted. Eventually, his gaze fell lower, locking onto the scar on her collarbone, which matched his.

Before he could remember that he was leading them in a dance and was thus responsible for their next move, the music shifted back to loud, upbeat guitar swells. Couples around them broke apart and those who didn't have dates came flooding back to the dancefloor with excited hollers, surrounding them with fabric and limbs.

Ivy gave a breathless laugh and pushed out of his embrace to pat her hair.

"I don't think so," Regulus yanked her back against him, arms locking around her waist posessively. He didn't want to let her go, not ever, but especially not right then.

"Now who's impatient?" She slung her arms around his neck and they eased into the next dance, which was more or less just bobbing while pressed against one another.

"Still you," he buried his face in her neck affectionately.

"Mmm," her fingers slid into his hair and she gave it a tug.

Feeling himself harden unexpectedly, it was evident that she had noticed too, as her hips subtly pushed into his and her warm lips made brief, hot contact with his neck. One of her hands slid down his back, succeeding in reminding him of how exquisite it had felt to have her nails draw blood from his shoulder blades while she writhed and moaned his name.

Regulus pulled back, voice low and throaty. "Are you sure you want to play?"

"Very," her teeth tugged gently on his earlobe.

Despite the crowd they were on the fringes of, he slid his hand down to her arse and gave it a punishing smack. Before she could react, he spun her round to grind her arse against his groin, releasing a quiet, pleasured breath as he did so. Clutching her hips hard, they swayed to the music and it was all he could do not to move his hands a little lower to punish her further.

As though sensing this desire, Ivy bent forward slowly, looking over her shoulder at him as his length made contact with an area he very much wanted to relieve of clothing.

When he smacked her arse again, hard enough to bruise, she straightened to lean back against his chest. Grinding into her with near abandon, he slid a hand down her thigh, then back up the inside, skirting around her core to come back to her hip.

Her breath hitched and her head fell back onto his shoulder. He watched hungrily as her gloved fingers trailed leisurely up her thighs, over his hands, and along the sides of her breasts. When her hands reached high enough to slide over his shoulders and yank hard on his hair again, he was sorely tempted to bend her over and take her right there in front of everyone.

But before he could put another second into the idea, he made eye contact with McGonagall, who was already making a wrathful beeline for them. It was then that he recalled his status of Head Boy; even though others nearby were imitating their licentious behaviour, he was the one who was going to be in heaps of trouble.

"Shite," Regulus snatched one of Ivy's gloved hands. "We're about to get suspended."

She squealed as he towed her in the direction of the open doors. Breezing past the table of sweets, they skidded into the corridor, McGonagall shouting after them that they'd each lost twenty-five points for Slytherin.

Breaking into a sprint, their shoes slapped against the floor, locked hands swinging between them as they laughed hysterically, running as fast as their feet would carry them.

Regulus didn't even dare to think until they were two floors away, where they slowed in a random corridor, lit by a few torches and several bay windows that let in the moonlight. Bent at the knees, he breathed heavily around his laughter, listening to Ivy do the same.

"You're so screwed," she said after a moment, taking a seat in one of the windows as she fanned herself with a hand.

"So are you," he pointed out breathlessly.

"They expect that kinda shite from me, you're an absolute swot."

Regulus rolled his eyes.

Hot from running, he began taking off the outer layers of his dress robes, discarding them to the floor. His vest and tie followed into the pile, leaving him in a silky black oxford shirt and suspenders that were attached to his dark trousers.

"Undressing now, are we?" She tilted her head, white hair practically glowing in the moonlight.

"That depends," he smirked, unbuttoning his cufflinks to roll his sleeves up his forearms. "Are you done misbehaving?"

Ivy considered him, then looked out the window. "What if I am?"

Taken aback, Regulus stared at her.

Knowing his seduction skills had improved since the last time he'd actively pursued her was a nice stroke for his ego, but he remained hesitant. He'd expected her to break, but not this quick, making him understandably sceptical.

"Go on then," he said softly, leaning against the wall between her window perch and a tapestry as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Behave for me."

"Well," she continued gazing out the window whilst simultaneously removing her gloves. "You want to know what I'm thinking, right?"

"Mhm."

Ivy turned to look him in the eye.

Regulus was immediately blindsided by her demeanour, which was that of raw honesty. Her slender fingers began fidgeting in her lap and her shoulders had gone loose, while her eyes reflected his longing. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek, and he could tell from her expression that in some way, she was deeply sad, but also deeply relieved.

It was a sharp contrast to what he usually observed, as her countenance was predominantly rageful, irritated, or flat out unreadable. And while she was, a considerable amount of the time, angry or annoyed, he'd always known that this countenance was purposeful. She was concealing something, something that she didn't want anyone to glean without her express permission.

In fact, he could remember a time before she strung up her iron veil, in which she'd been grumpy, yes, but also terribly playful and, at times, remarkably thoughtful.

The Ivy before him, lacking in her usual aggressive gravitas, reminded him of when he'd first met her. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her gravitas, and it wasn't that she didn't seem confident; there was simply a calm, certain sort of freedom about her.

It was enough to make his mind spark with the hope that perhaps, this was finally it. Perhaps she was done with her veil of detachment and half-truths. Perhaps she was simply ready.

"I'm thinking," Ivy said searchingly. "That you are everything that I want and more. I'm thinking about how long I've wanted you. How desperately I've wanted you. How I can and will burn everything to less than ash if you're ever taken from me."

"What else?" He asked before he could stop himself, as he wanted to know every hidden thought in her brilliant mind.

"I'm thinking," she smiled softly. "That I'm ready to say the words you want to hear. And I'm ready to add that I will never take them back."

Regulus moved to sit with her in the window. Looking at her in the moonlight, he was once again struck by her beauty, by the complete and total vulnerability that she was choosing to let him, only him, see.

"I love you." Ivy took his hands in hers, kissing the back of them gently, reverently. "You are the only man who will ever touch me again. I have accepted catastrophe, because you were right, I want nothing more than to burn and rage and destroy. With you."

"I want that too," Regulus whispered, an ache in his voice. "I want you, like this."

"Then me, like this, is what you will get." She pressed her forehead against his. "I know you're still waiting for an explanation as to… why I am the way I am. I'll tell you anything you want to know once we're on Holiday. Explaining here and now is too dangerous."

"If I'm getting you in the meantime," he murmured with a peaceful hum in his throat. "I can wait."

"You have me," Ivy pulled back and there was no longer anything gentle in her flickering, crackling silver eyes. "You should know that you always have. You always will. There isn't a single thing that could take me away from you now."

Regulus didn't waste another millisecond, he took her face in his hands and leaned forward, kissing her hard. She let out a preemptive whimper as her soft, plump lips responded with more intensity than the burning sun and the raging sea.

Mouth crushed against hers, he sucked on her lower lip and bit it hard as his hands moved to her jaw, holding her firmly in place. Her fingers found his forearms, gripping them to let him know that he was doing exactly as she wanted. When her mouth opened, he took the offer greedily, massaging her tongue with absolute relish as he felt himself begin to grow hard again.

Needing more, one of Regulus's hands slid over her bare shoulder to find her hair. He rolled her head gently to grab a fistful of her white locks, then roughly pulled her head back. Eliciting an excited gasp from her, he opened his eyes to take in the smooth, sweeping expanse of her neck.

"Do you want to know what else I'm thinking?" She mumbled, hands gripping the back of his shoulders as he placed biting kisses along her jaw and throat with every intention of marking her as his.

He murmured his assent, the sound rumbling in his throat.

"I'm thinking about how badly I want you to fuck me," Ivy let out a shaky moan as his mouth sucked hard on her sweet spot just below her ear. "Because, dammit, Regulus, you are going to fuck me and you are going to fuck me in this corridor."

He pulled away to trace a thumb over her swollen lips. "What do you say?"

"Please," her eyes fluttered.

"Good girl," Regulus grinned.

Giving her another deep, lingering kiss, he helped her to her feet. Pulling her flush against him, his large hands slipped over her hips and arse, then moved lower to put pressure on the backs of her thighs. She gave a little jump, wrapping her legs around his waist and lowering herself slightly with a satisfactory smile as her core rubbed his hard length.

Letting out a groan, he leaned back against the tapestry, which they promptly fell through. Landing on his back in what appeared to be a well concealed alcove, he released another groan, though this one was far less pleasured than the last.

"Fuck," he croaked. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" She was straddling his lap and carefully stroking the sides of his face. "You broke the fall, are you alright?"

"Just peachy," he muttered, working on regaining the wind that had been knocked out of him.

The only light making its way into the space came from the sides of the tapestry and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he could see that the alcove was roughly a metre and a half deep, though quite wide. Thankfully, he could see Ivy well enough to enjoy every filthy thing he'd just been thinking about doing to her.

Regulus was reminded well enough of this when she spread her thighs a little, pressing the soft spot between her legs against his groin. His pelvis rose into her reflexively and she rolled her hips forward, then back down the long length of his rehardening cock, as though to remind him that she still wanted to be fucked.

"I haven't forgotten," he laughed quietly. "Come here."

Ivy leaned over him, pressing her delicious lips against his, before returning his earlier favour and placing her hot mouth against his jaw. His hands slid beneath the fabric of her black dress and over her soft thighs to palm her sides, then grip her robust arse.

As she began to grind against him, she took the flesh of his neck in between her teeth, stinging him deliciously, then placing sweet kisses atop the bruising wounds. He let out a little whine as she licked up his neck and gave her arse a smack, lifting his hips to meet hers as she quickened her undulating.

When Regulus moaned for more, she brought her mouth back to his as though to claim the sound, and began to undo his silken shirt, though she got stuck on the third button. When he gave a particularly spirited thrust, she let out a low growl, ripping the rest of the buttons straight off and tugging the fabric away from his hot skin impatiently.

He sat up and leaned against the wall with Ivy in his lap as she humped him with shameless abandon, her fingers exploring his leanly muscled torso, roving and clawing as they went. His own hands quickly found their way to the neckline of her off the shoulder gown and he roughly yanked it down, revealing her perfect, perky breasts to his wanting eyes.

He sucked a nipple into his mouth, moaning covetously as a hand palmed her other breast. Ivy arched into him and gasped satisfactorily as he bit down gently on the soft nub, fingers pinching her other nipple and rolling it slowly, savoringly.

However, before Regulus could lavish upon her breasts all the attention they deserved, she rolled off his lap. Making quick work of removing his trousers and boxers, she got to her knees with a wicked little grin.

"Stand up," she demanded.

Not needing to be told twice, he did so, and immediately felt her hands on his hip bones, shoving him hard against the wall. He barely had time to yelp upon his skin making contact with the cold stone, as she had already taken his cock in her hand.

Ivy looked positively ravishing with her breasts out and her silver eyes boring into his as she stroked him slowly, teasingly. Maintaining eye contact, she licked from base to tip, swirling her tongue around the end, though she didn't take it into her mouth yet, as she seemed set on wringing out every second of frustration. When she sucked on his balls, his dick twitched and he let out an agonised growl.

"So impatient," she whispered mockingly, digging her nails into a breast tauntingly.

Before Regulus could conjure a response, she sucked him fully into her mouth and his eyes rolled back as he felt his length touch the back of her throat. Seemingly done with teasing, Ivy began to move her head back and forth along his cock and he grabbed ahold of her hair, feeling the tension build and pump through his veins as she sucked him off so skillfully. When he pumped his hips and she gagged, he hurried to pull out of her mouth, worried that he'd hurt her.

"Do it again," Ivy immediately told him. "I've never… I want you to do it again, I liked it."

Staring into her eyes as she tilted her head back expectantly, he gleefully obliged and reentered her mouth. She held still, eyes encouraging him to continue, and he began to shallowly rock forward. When her eyes fluttered and he watched her hand slip between her legs, he held her head more firmly and let his dick slide all the way to the back of her throat.

She released a loud moan, the sound humming through his hardness, and he watched her hips roll against her hand. It was the encouragement he needed to begin thrusting deep into her mouth, though as he began to fuck her face harder, rocking her knees hard against the floor, he began to teeter dangerously close to an edge he was not yet ready to tumble over.

Quickly removing himself from her mouth, he knelt down to kiss her, relishing the mess he'd made of her mouth. Then, he hauled her to her feet, effectively reversing their positions, and reached beneath her gown to run a finger slowly along the wet fabric concealing an area that he'd been wanting to touch all night - well, he'd been wanting to touch her there for years, really.

Hitching one of her toned legs over his shoulder, he had the other quivering in no time, as he moved beneath her gown and pushed aside her panties to place an open-mouth kiss against her clit. Feeling her tremble at his touch, he lapped eagerly at her sweet taste, tongue flicking over the little nub as her thighs tightened around his face.

Regulus chuckled a little and she slapped the back of his head warningly. It only made him want to laugh more, but she was right, she had waited long enough. Amidst the hot air contained under her gown, he inserted two fingers and ran his tongue from her entrance through her folds, then sucked her little nub into his mouth. Her quivering hips pressed against his face, thighs nearly suffocating him in the most tantalising way as he rolled his tongue, pumping his fingers into her hard.

"Regulus," she breathed. "I'm getting close- oh no. Fuck - get out of there!"

Ivy yanked his head out from beneath her skirt and pulled him to his feet.

It was then that he heard laughter in the corridor beyond their hidden alcove. There was a group of at least four unidentifiable blokes on the other side of the tapestry, snickering about the discarded clothing he and Ivy had left behind.

"What do we-" she started softly.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered, a hand pulling her skirts up to stroke her clit. "Just let me worship you."

"But-"

Regulus clamped a hand over her mouth, and reinserted his fingers, rubbing her in slow circles with his thumb. Despite the voices outside, her eyes rolled back, making him grin.

The only thing he was going to let stop them was her, but as she moaned into his hand, he knew she didn't want to. He had waited too long to have her again like this, and he'd waited far longer to have her like this with the knowledge that she was definitively his.

As the blokes continued speculating on where the couple had gone off to shag, he hitched one of her legs up again. When it wrapped around his waist, she lifted the other as well, locking her ankles, then her arms around his neck.

One hand still covering her mouth, he moved aside her underwear and slid into her in one fluid motion. Her gasp was muffled and barely audible, but nonetheless, the sound went straight to his cock. Letting the wall bear some of her weight, Regulus began to thrust into her, nearly losing his mind at the feel of her clenched tight around him.

Her breath was hot against his hand as he bounced her and he had to stifle his own grunts as shockwaves of pleasure pounded through him, threatening to take him before he could fuck her properly. Slowing so he didn't come too so soon, he latched onto one of her breasts, sucking and nipping at her lush skin.

Her nails dug into his bare shoulders and as he felt her draw blood, he snapped his hips hard into her. His hand slid a little, but Ivy took the opportunity to suck his index finger into her mouth, making hard eye contact with him as she dug her nails in harder, sending a shiver of intermingled pain and rapture through him. With her other hand, she grabbed a fistful of his dark, silky locks and pulled with licentious appreciation.

When Regulus listened to the voices begin to fade, then disappear entirely, he lowered them to the floor. Ivy shed her dress and panties furiously, as though she'd been waiting to do so. Now both in the nude, he gave her a bruising kiss that split her lip.

She threw her head back and laughed, the sound as devilish as the blood in her teeth.

Ivy then shifted so her back was against his chest and he positioned himself at her entrance. She sat back on his cock, releasing a slow sound of relief as he sheathed himself in her all the way down to the base. He took hold of her throat from behind as she fucked herself on his dick wildly. Lavishing kisses on her shoulder and back, he brought his other hand around her slender form to rub her clit, quickly falling into the rhythm he knew would get her to come.

As anticipated, her breathing became harder and deeper as she bounced brazenly, eventually leaning forward and bringing him onto the caps of his knees. He devoured the way her arse rebounded with every stroke, the way her back arched as her hair, half undone, slid entirely out of place. Thrusting hard as his hand continued to massage between her legs, Regulus quickly found himself close to that blissful edge again.

Feeling her walls start to clench around him, he grunted: "Come for me, Ivy."

The second the words were out of his mouth, he felt himself topple into oblivion. Pleasure spiralled and crackled through him like the rapid weaving of a spiderweb, and as he spilled himself into her, she let out her loudest cry, pulsating around his throbbing dick. He continued to snap his hips into her, riding out both their orgasms as she repeated his name like a prayer.

Only when they both took deep breaths of exhausted satisfaction did he pull out his softening length. Watching his cum ooze out of her, he nearly came again.

"What a mess," he murmured.

"Aren't we always?" She fumbled around in her discarded gown and withdrew her wand.

"Where were you hiding that?" Regulus asked as she murmured a spell, effectively cleaning both them and the floor.

"Well," she ran a hand through her hair, sending pearls rolling. "I thought we might end up doing something like this tonight, so I sewed in a pocket."

"Is that so?" Regulus propped himself against the wall, this time welcoming the coldness of the stone as it cooled his hot skin. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto him and taking possessive gratification in her pleased hum. "Just how long were you thinking this might happen?"

"A couple weeks," Ivy's arms wrapped around him as she nuzzled his chest, white hair splaying all over the place.

"You've been ready to tell me you love me for weeks," his tone was teasing as he stroked her hair. "And didn't say anything until now?"

"Maybe," she sounded a little embarrassed.

"You do know," he chuckled. "I've been waiting to hear you say those words for years, right?"

"I know," she sighed. "I just thought this would be more romantic than blurting it out in the middle of class. I'll have you know that not doing so was an everyday struggle."

"You wanted to tell me that badly?" He smiled.

"I've wanted to tell you for as long as you've been wanting to hear it," Ivy shifted to look him in the eye. "I've always loved you. I've never known anything different."

"What about…" Regulus trailed off, realising it probably wasn't the right time to inquire about her deceased ex lover.

"It's alright," she said softly, a finger playing with his chest hair. "Ask me."

"What about Frederick?" He asked quietly.

"Frederick…" Ivy let out a short laugh that he wasn't able to decipher. "I won't lie to you, I loved him. But I never loved him like I love you."

"Oh?"

"He was entirely unpredictable. With you, I know what I'm going to get. You make me feel safe, even when everything around us has gone up in smoke."

"You make me sound so boring," Regulus grumbled. "I'm spontaneous. I can be unpredictable."

"You're unpredictable in a way that I can trust," she smiled affectionately. "You're calculated, you act with purpose. I couldn't trust Frederick beyond his next impulse. He would've gotten me killed eventually… I knew it would end from the moment it started."

"So if Frederick hadn't died, you still would've chosen me?"

"It might've taken a while, but yes. I'll always choose you. No matter the choice."

Regulus soaked in the exquisiteness of her confirmation, before running a thumb thoughtfully over her lips and watching her eyes flutter.

"I hope you know," he said quietly. "That if I lost you, I would lose my mind. The world would feel my fury and if it begged for mercy, I would slaughter it without another thought. You're my last tie to sanity."

"And you're mine," she lifted her head to kiss him.

Closing his eyes, he kissed her back. With her warm, soft, willowy body against his, he stroked the sides of her face, unable to even think about letting her go. After all, she was right where she belonged; safe and undisturbed in his arms.

For the first time, quite possibly ever, Regulus was content.

April 7th, 1979

By the time Ivy reached Hogsmeade station, she was convinced everyone knew what had occurred between her and Regulus the night before. Students whispered as she passed by and Professor McGonagall took one look at her, then shook her head in disappointment and hurried away as though too embarrassed to bother.

It made little sense to her, as she'd spent the morning fixing herself in the mirror. She'd triple-checked that all her hickeys and her split lip were hidden before leaving and therefore couldn't imagine what she'd missed. Sure, she and Regulus had been explicit and brazen on the dancefloor, but that was hardly anything new, especially to the student body. And she couldn't imagine he'd gone around running his mouth about their sexual exploits.

Reaching the train, she found her reflection in a window and peered at herself from all angles to figure out what was giving her away. But after several thorough searches, she couldn't spot a single thing that would indicate that she'd had the roughest, hottest sex of her life the night before.

A nearby window slammed open, making her jump, and Theya poked her head out. She looked recovered from her hissy fit; although her eyes were a bit puffy, she was grinning ear-to-ear. However, the expression vanished almost instantly as she let out a long, horrified gasp.

"Ivy, your knees!"

Looking down at her legs, she realised that it had been the wrong day to not wear stockings, as her kneecaps were entirely black and blue with bruises. Feeling her face burn, she made to stare wide-eyed up at Theya, but her golden head of hair dipped back inside the compartment, her fingers still on the windowsill.

"Regulus, you fiend!" She could hear her yelling. "Oi! Doe! You owe me five Galleons! Oh, stuff it, Augustus, you're not a part of this conversation, scurry along!"

Hearing laughter filter out into the warm daylight, she shook her head and yanked her trunk onto the train, ignoring the giggles and gasps as she squeezed past her classmates.

Locating Theya's compartment, her eyes were drawn immediately to Regulus, who hadn't bothered to conceal any of his hickeys. He winked at her and she gave him a playfully dirty look despite her uncontrollable smile. Doe's feet were propped in Theya's lap and they lowered their voices as Ivy stowed away her trunk.

Stretching out on the empty seat beside Regulus, she flopped her head into his lap.

"How're you feeling?" He glanced down at her knees and began playing with her hair.

"Wonderful," she smiled lovingly up at him.

Theya made a gagging noise.

Ivy turned her head to raise a brow. "Now you know how everybody else felt when you and Severus got together."

"So you admit it," she squeaked. "You're together?"

"Does this mean," Doe smirked. "That I'm done enduring Regulus's pining silences? No more pretending I'm not uncomfortable when you two eye-fuck each other in Transfiguration?"

Regulus burst into laughter and covered his eyes with a hand.

"Oh, there'll be plenty of fucking," Ivy said slyly. "Just not with our eyes."

Doe bent forward, howling with laughter, while Regulus's face turned a darker shade of red and Theya made a disgusted sound.

"Don't be such a prude," Ivy grinned.

"Prude?" Theya looked deeply offended. "I am not, you take that back!"

"Not until you stop acting like one!"

"Children, children!" Doe giggled. "Ivy - Regulus won't tell us a thing. What happened?"

She smiled innocently.

"Come on," Theya demanded. "Out with it."

"Nothing happened," Regulus smirked. "Neither me nor Ivy can even imagine what you're referring to."

"For fuck's sake," Theya snapped. "Seven years of dealing with the two of you and this is the treatment I get?"

"Oh, fine," Ivy sat up and leaned forward as the two girls eagerly did the same. "So there was this tapestry, right? And-"

"Nope," Regulus got to his feet. "I refuse to be present for this."

Theya and Doe booed him loudly.

"Piss off," he rolled his eyes, then leaned down to kiss Ivy. "You, come find me when they're done behaving like sexual deviants."

"You're the sexual deviant, ruining her knees like that!" Theya hollered as he slammed the door shut behind himself.

Through the glass, they watched Augustus Rookwood and Josiah Zabini descend upon Regulus, as though they'd been lying in wait. He appeared to argue with them, throwing his hands in the air when Barty Crouch Jr and Dirk Cresswell of Hufflepuff joined the swarm. Ivy watched her boyfriend raise two middle fingers, then storm off, the group following him with loud jeers.

"Poor bloke," Theya shook her head. "Should've covered those hickeys."

"As if Ivy's knees aren't a dead giveaway," Doe snickered. "Now, what's this about a tapestry?"

"Well," Ivy smiled slowly. "After the Ball, we were snogging in some corridor. We leaned against a tapestry on the wall and fell right through; turns out there was a secret alcove behind it. So that's where Regulus and I-"

"Consummated your relationship," Doe said knowingly.

"Consummated?" Theya stifled laughter. "What are you, fifty?"

"Would you prefer I use the term coitus?" She shot back, twirling a strand of chin-length reddish hair around a finger.

"Consummated is fine," Theya wrinkled her nose.

"Anyway," Ivy laughed. "That's where we shagged."

Doe cocked her head. "Wait a moment… Was this on the third floor?"

"I think so."

"Ah," she grinned. "I know that alcove well."

Theya gaped at her. "You're telling me that our Head Girl gets it on in random corridors? I mean, the Prefects Bathroom I understand; it's filthy, but practically a right of passage-"

"What?" Ivy frowned. "I've never so much as been in there."

"Then you," Doe said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Are missing out. And to answer your question, Theya, the Head Girl might get it on in random corridors."

"I want to shag behind a tapestry," Theya pouted. "I wish Severus was still in school… I presume neither of you were caught, then?"

Doe shrugged with a secretive smile.

"Regulus and I were half caught," Ivy offered. "Some blokes found our clothes in the corridor while we were behind the tapestry. They didn't know we were there, so we kept going."

"No way," Theya breathed.

"I'm telling you," Ivy raised her hands. "Hottest sex of my life."

"How voyeuristic," Doe said salaciously. "Can't say I blame you, though. Marlene and I did the same thing, except we actually got caught. By Filch, if you can believe it. A right nightmare, that was."

"Marlene, as in, McKinnon?" Theya's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Doe said nonchalantly, gaze shifting to Ivy. "You two used to be close, didn't you?"

Exchanging a look with Theya, she tried to think of an adequate response, as the conversation was verging on dangerous territory.

"I sometimes wonder," Doe went on. "If she was in love with you."

Theya made a choking sound, as though this was the ultimate gossip.

"Was she?" Ivy leaned forward.

"Might've been," Doe shrugged with a sense of forced nonchalance. "I take it this is news to you, though. Gotta say, I'm a tad relieved. She refuses to talk about you beyond saying that you two shared a special connection. I thought that meant you were lovers, but clearly that's not the case. At least, it wasn't for you."

"Can't say the thought ever occurred to me," Ivy said honestly.

Doe shook her head with a slow smile, as though Ivy were her naive younger sister.

"So," Theya said slyly. "You and Marlene, huh? Are you together?"

"Haven't quite figured it out yet," Doe pursed her lips. "It's been a long journey, like Ivy and Regulus. With any luck, we'll figure it out sooner than you two did."

"How'd you know it's been a long journey for us?" Ivy raised a brow. "You and I only started getting to know each other, what, a year and a half ago? And I can't imagine Regulus confided in you, he has enough trouble talking to Severus about that sort of thing."

"Very funny," Doe snickered. When she saw the look on Ivy's face, however, her eyes widened. "Oh, did you two think you were being discreet? Blimey, now there's a thought that never occurred to me."

Ivy blanched.

"Come on," Theya rolled her eyes. "It can't be that big of a surprise."

"Honestly," Doe teased. "I'm not even in your House and I knew as early as fourth year that you two were hot for each other. Did you not hear me earlier when I mentioned you two eye-fucking in Transfiguartion? That's not a recent development."

Red-faced, Ivy thought back to a conversation she had with Frederick nearly two years prior. "Did Regulus ever… mark his territory?"

"He did nothing but," Theya snorted.

"What did he say?" Ivy frowned. "I never heard anything about it."

"It wasn't so much that he said anything," Doe told her pensively.

"It was more that if he caught wind of someone fancying you," Theya chuckled. "He'd put snakes in their bed or turn their cereal to larvae. Once, I told him Amelia Bones was harbouring a secret undying love for you, just so he'd start her schoolwork on fire."

Doe let out a high-pitched laugh.

Ivy shook her head in amusement. "What'd Bones ever do to you?"

"She's just a swotty little know-it-all," Theya waved a hand. "Anyway, Regulus always denied it, but everyone knew it was him."

"No wonder I couldn't get a date for years," Ivy sighed.

"Well," Theya grinned. "It's not like you helped your own case."

"How do you mean?"

"You're not exactly friendly," Doe pointed out.

"I'm plenty nice to you two," Ivy said indignantly. "It's hardly my fault that most everyone else is boring or annoying."

"That exact attitude," Theya said. "Was your problem."

"Easy for you to say," Ivy scoffed. "All you had to do was bat your lashes and someone would appear with a bouquet of flowers."

"I'm sure," Doe said graciously. "She struggled with romance just as much as the rest of us."

"Nah," Theya smirked. "Her description was pretty spot-on."

Glancing out the window, the sun had mostly gone down, and as such, the Head Boy and Girl had been called away a half hour prior. Regulus was due back at any moment, but for the time being, Ivy was glad to have alone time with Theya, as they were able to discuss more licentious details pertaining to her tussle in the tapestry.

"I never would've thought," Theya laid on the seat opposite to Ivy, golden hair spilling over the edge. "That Regulus had it in him to throw you around like that. He's such a gentle soul."

"You think he's a gentle soul?" Ivy asked in disbelief, shifting to lie on her side and prop her head up with a hand as the train bounced.

"Isn't he?" Theya looked over.

"Well, I suppose to you he probably is… But deep down, he's not."

"Thank you for clarifying."

"He's just… He's well restrained. You think I'm a sorry sod, right?"

"Yes," she said seriously. "You're a hateful little nightmare."

"Right. Well, he is too."

Theya sighed deeply. "I'm still lost, Iv. Work with me here."

"Let me put it to you this way: our parents are the original hateful little nightmares. He and I carried some of that on. Think of us as being on opposite ends of the spitefulness spectrum. I'm on the belligerent end because I think, I'm full of rage, I'm going to make sure everyone else is miserable too."

She laughed.

"Regulus," Ivy continued. "Is on the controlled end because he thinks, I'm full of rage, I'm going to bide my time and reap havoc when the opportunity presents itself. He's a Black, remember? They're all mad. He just hides it because he doesn't want people to think he's a nutter. I, however, do; it keeps bothersome people away."

"Huh," Theya eyed her. "I always knew the two of you were a bit fucked in the head, but I didn't think you were feeding off each other like leeches."

"Ugh," she scrunched her nose. "Don't say that."

"I think it's cute."

"You just called us parasites."

"Cute parasites," Theya grinned, shifting onto her stomach. "Do I even want to know what the lovey-dovey rubbish was like?"

"Probably not."

"Ah, what the hell, tell me anyway."

"Well, there was talk of burning everything to less than ash if we ever lost one another."

"He said that?" Her eyes went wide.

"No, I did," Ivy laughed happily. "He said that if he ever lost me, the world would feel his fury. And if it begged for mercy, he would slaughter it without another thought."

Theya gaped. "That's the most fucked up pillow talk I've ever heard."

She shrugged.

"That's what does it for you two?" She shook her head in horrified awe. "Catastrophe?"

"Precisely," she smiled.

"I see why you waited 'til Doe was gone to tell me that," Theya blew out a long breath. "Good thing, too, else it might've gotten back to Marlene. Even if she misses you, I don't think there'd be any coming back from knowing that catastrophe makes you orgasm."

"She wouldn't think it worse than…" Ivy tapped on her concealed left forearm. "Besides, isn't that what pillow talk is? Saying how much you mean to each other?"

"Sure," she rested her chin on her hands. "But usually it's stuff like I'd die for you and never leave me."

Catching movement beyond the door, Ivy watched Regulus begin sliding the door open.

"Or," Theya went on, evidently not noticing him. "If you're still in the mood, there's always the classic if you're a good boy, I'll give it to you just how you like it. But that's…" Following Ivy's gaze, she all but screamed upon spotting Regulus.

"I-" He started, before shaking his head and turning on a heel to hurry off with a distinct air of disappointment.

"Bollocks," Theya got to her feet and shut the door quickly, leaning her forehead against the glass. "D'you think he'll say anything to Severus?"

"'Course not," Ivy laughed into her hand. "He's already working on blocking it out of his memory."