Spiracle by Flower Face
I want your quiet, your screaming and thrashing
The salt on your lips and the hands that god gave you
And I want your violence, your silent sedition
Your moon eyes, your telescope, morbid fixation
November 3rd, 1979
The floor-length mirror before Ivy had been freshly cleaned before her arrival, as had the rest of Theya's notoriously messy bedroom.
Smoothing down her gown, she scrutinised her reflection.
The slimming gown was simple; black as night with a plunging v-neck that accentuated the few curves she had. Her white hair was loose and curled aside from two strands on either side of her face, which had been pulled back and meticulously braided with Hazel's black ribbons. All other adornments were perfectly in place, accompanied by sleek silver opera gloves. The only thing she lacked were earrings, which Doe had insisted on hand-delivering from the jeweller.
Gaze shifting in the mirror to Theya, she couldn't help a soft smile. The white halter gown she wore was equally as simple, her golden hair twisted into a knot atop her head. Primping a bouquet that contained four white-flowered, black-stemmed Moly flowers, she looked very much like a Muggle bride.
"I can't believe I'm getting married," Ivy mumbled.
Theya raised a sceptical brow, though her gaze remained focused on the blossoms. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts."
"'Course not. It's just hard to fathom someone loving me this much…" She turned away from the mirror. "What if the time comes and he gets cold feet?"
"Who? Regulus Black?" She snorted. "You think that man's fool enough to get this far along and then fuck it up? No, Iv, that's your prerogative."
"It used to be, but I'm not fifteen anymore."
"Yeah, because two years makes such a difference."
"Going on three," Ivy reminded her. "And it does make a difference; I don't want to fuck things up anymore."
Theya lifted her gaze. "You really thought no one loved you this much?"
"Some days."
"I'll try not to be insulted by that."
"You seem to forget that deep down," Ivy drawled. "I'm a crotchety eighty-year-old man."
"I haven't forgotten," her hazel hues glittered. "I like you because you are a crotchety eighty-year-old man. You're a wonderful source of entertainment."
She rolled her eyes.
"But for the record," Theya added more soberly. "Regulus isn't the only one who loves you that much; don't discount myself, our parents, and Severus."
"I had no idea," Ivy smirked. "That many people were willing to marry me - while I'm flattered by your advances, I ought to tell you that I think of you as a sister."
"You know what I mean."
"Do I? 'Cause that sounded an awful lot like a proposal."
Hearing footsteps from the hallway, Ivy watched the doorknob turn.
Doe pushed the wood open to reveal that she, too, was wearing white. Her blue eyes went wide as they locked onto the bride. "I hope you're prepared for widowhood; Regulus is going to have an aneurysm when he sees you."
"Think so?" Ivy looked back at her reflection, giving her ensemble its thousandth once-over. "I was worrying that it might be too simple."
"Fuss and frills are for the fussy and frilly. I wouldn't describe you as either."
She almost laughed, as fussy and frilly perfectly defined the gown she would be wearing to the public ceremony the following weekend.
"The outfit is perfect. Well, almost." Doe stuck a hand down the neckline of her white gown to withdraw a small red box.
"You keep a lot of shite in there?" Theya laughed.
"Yes," Doe gave a lopsided smile and fiddled with the box. "Would you mind if I talk to Ivy in private for a moment?"
"Sure." The golden-haired witch delicately placed the bouquet in its vase on the windowsill. With a quick smile, she left the room and the door clicked shut behind her.
Ivy eyed the red box in Doe's hand, which surely held her earrings. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well," she tucked a strand of reddish hair behind her ear. "I wanted to let you know that I'm joining the Order of the Phoenix."
Gobsmacked, Ivy tried to think of something to say.
It was an altogether strange conversation to be having on her wedding day and for that reason, she considered feigning ignorance. However, Doe was more discerning than most; Ivy wouldn't be able to lie her way out. And anyway, she respected her too much to try.
"Alright," she eventually said. "I assume you're saying that we can't be mates anymore?"
"Not at all," Doe smiled radiantly. "I wanted you to tell you personally so I could add how I don't want our friendship to change."
"Why not?" Ivy narrowed her eyes. "You're only telling me because you know that I'm… the opposite of an Order member. Which makes us enemies."
"I don't think so."
"Again, why?"
"Because," she held her gaze steadily. "I know that you're not what you seem to be. You, Regulus, Theya, even Snape. I don't know why the four of you are outliers, and I won't ask. I just know that you are."
"Marlene didn't think so," Ivy's mouth twisted bitterly. "What makes you so sure?"
"Marlene is set in her ways," Doe told her. "She fell into the same trap as everyone else; believing what's easy to believe. Once I realised that you were leaning into your reputation on purpose, I understood."
At a loss for words, she merely gave a nod.
"I also want you to know," she went on. "That I meant what I said about not wanting our friendship to change. I won't ask you for intel and I won't provide any. Whatever you need to do out there, on the battlefield or off, I accept it. Just as I know that you'll accept the same for me."
Doe paused and held out the red box.
Ivy eyed it, but did not accept the box.
Something about the action of taking it from her felt like an agreement. Perhaps it was all in her head -and in all likelihood, it was- but Doe's piercing, ever watchful eyes made the interaction feel weighted.
After a moment of consideration, she accepted the box.
The former Ravenclaw gave a quiet exhale as the object passed between them.
Choosing not to dwell on their accord, Ivy proceeded to open the container to find long, dangling earrings. They were made of solid silver with runes etched into the surface. "These aren't-"
"What you decided on for your wedding day?" Doe finished for her confidently. "I know. The diamond droplets would've clashed, so I bought you these instead. I'm hoping you might add them to your collection."
"I have to say," Ivy drawled. "This was all very risky to try on my wedding day… Fortunately for you, I love them."
"Wicked," Doe grinned.
She hooked the earrings through her lobes. "What're the runes for?"
"Protection and success."
"I could certainly use that."
The greenhouse was breathtaking.
Magical plants grew tall and lush everywhere she looked. Even the wildflowers were in full bloom despite the frigid weather outside. Past the expanses of glass that encased the intimate wedding, snow fell slowly in large flakes. All she could see beyond that, was an endless sea of grey sky, as though they were trapped the most exquisite of snow globes.
Just knowing that they were essentially cut off from the rest of the world, from society and all its trappings, was enough to make her glow. Only her and Regulus's favourite people would be in attendance, which set her wholly at ease.
Directly behind Ivy was a set of instruments, which had been enchanted to play without anyone guiding their strings. The violin strung up a note, beginning an ethereal tune that sprawled goosebumps all over her. Something about the sound made her want to close her eyes and lose her mind to the music.
But there were more important things to focus on, like the stretch of black carpet underfoot that led forward. The path crossed a trickling pond where fish of all colours and sizes lingered.
Beyond the pond was a single row of chairs that held their guests, who were all cloaked in white. Only one chair was vacant.
Regulus stood just beyond the spectators, wearing a very expensive set of black dress robes. His black hair was shaggy as ever, just as she'd hoped it would be. He positively beamed at her, dark eyes unmoving from her silver ones as she took Severus's arm and started forward.
Ivy hardly noticed her surroundings as they went.
At least, until she heard sobbing.
As they began to cross the pond, her gaze followed Regulus's to Theya, who had utterly lost it. Her face was deep red and a mess of runny mascara. Evidently, she was trying to keep quiet, as she gave the occasional choking sound whilst furiously fanning herself. Doe, seated beside her, was biting the back of her hand in an attempt to keep from laughing.
But Theya wasn't the only blubbering mess; Reginald sobbed wholeheartedly into the hand he'd placed over his mouth, while Sere soothingly rubbed his back and sent a wink in Ivy's direction.
Casting a sidelong glance at Severus, she expected to share an amused look. However, he was blinking rapidly at the ceiling in an attempt to contain his own emotions.
Ivy squeezed his arm and whispered: "Not you too."
"I'd tell you to bugger off," he grumbled under his breath. "But Theya said I'm not allowed to be unpleasant on your wedding day."
Laughing quietly, they reached the end of the black carpet. Severus gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, before walking to his seat. Theya immediately buried her face in his shoulder.
Taking a breath, Ivy turned to her beloved.
The sight of him, misty-eyed and grinning, crushed her.
It knocked the wind from her lungs and made her brain go fuzzy with something like fear mixed with devotion. Seeing him there, eager to marry her, hurt. And she wanted it to. She wanted all-consuming, all-devouring pain.
And she had it.
It made her smile.
Regulus stepped forward.
He took her hands delicately in his own and pressed them to his chest. Placing a quick kiss on her lips, he then leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
"Ivy," he began softly. "You are… the most complex person I've ever met. You're vicious, yet kind. Beautiful and harrowing. Tumultuous, but centred."
When she felt Regulus pull away to look at her, she brought a hand up to caress his face.
"Anyone else," he leaned into her touch. "Might think that I'm standing here insulting my future wife. But you, my Ivy, know that I don't love you in spite of those qualities; I love you because of them. Your contradictions don't keep me on my toes. They allow me to understand you like I've never understood anything before."
Theya released a particularly hearty sob.
"You lie and reveal the truth like no other." He continued as though he hadn't heard the sound, and with the way he was looking at Ivy, perhaps he hadn't. "Because you are the depth of the world. You are the grey area in which all life dwells. You are divine chaos and I…" He choked on his words. "I cannot think of a more beautiful thing."
Regulus took her hand from his face and kissed her palm, before showing the same reverence to her waiting lips. He lingered longer than before.
The contact made her eyes flutter and she let the moment cleanse her. More than ever, she was certain of him. Of the way he would love her, unabashedly and wholly, never thinking of her as a burden, but only as his unquestionable match.
Ivy released a small laugh of contentment before beginning her own soliloquy.
"Growing up, marriage was nothing more to me than a contract, an obligation that would lead to a life of imprisonment. I pictured myself saying vows to a faceless husband and then being silenced every day after… Until I discovered you. And once I had, marriage was unearthed as something else entirely. Something I wanted, so desperately that it hurt."
Swallowing thickly as his eyes began to shine, she looked at the empty seat.
A plaque had been embedded into the wooden chair, reading: HAZEL CATALYN SELWYN.
For the first time, she could see her little sister there - not as she was the night she died, but as she would have been if she'd been allowed to grow up. Frizzy, ashen hair piled atop her head and cheeks flushed with the sweetness of youth. Her blue eyes gleaming, her stature as tall and lanky as her older sister's had been at the same age.
"Hazel would have loved you." She looked back to her betrothed, whose face was streaked with tears. "She would have loved you and how good you are to me. She would have approved of you. And that is the highest compliment I can give you. You… My love. My Regulus. The man who bears the same scars as me, but who handles them with far more poise than I could ever muster. I love you more than the sun burns."
"And I love you," Regulus's voice was uneven with emotion and he wiped his eyes. "More than the sea rages."
Still holding tight to his soft -albeit sweaty- hands, Ivy leaned in and kissed him lightly. She remained where she was for a moment, savouring the taste of him, the softness of her future.
When they broke away, Reginald was standing beside them with his wand drawn. In his other hand, he held Ivy's bouquet. He proceeded to hand two Moly flowers to each of them, and they both grasped one in either hand.
Wordlessly, the couple got to their knees. In sync, they held their arms out in front of themselves and crossed them to form an X. Still holding the Moly blossoms in hand, they clasped each other's forearms.
Reginald, standing silently over them, placed the tip of his ash wand on their linked limbs.
"Will you," Ivy began. "Regulus, love who I am now, and who I will become?"
"I will," Regulus whispered.
A thin streak of glowing flame emerged from the wand, coiling itself around their joined arms and the four black-stemmed flowers.
"Will you," Regulus said. "Ivy, always be faithful to me?"
"I will," she smiled.
Another ribbon of fire shot forth, interlocking itself with the other and causing the tether to brighten.
"Will you," Ivy said. "Let me have Ya'aburnee to the best of your ability?"
"I will," he said clearly.
A third bout of red flame wound itself with the first two, glowing ever more strongly.
"Will you," Regulus said. "Bind yourself to me for eternity, as I have bound myself to you?"
"I will."
The fourth and final streak of flame emerged. It entwined itself with the other strings of fire, burning blindingly bright until Reginald removed his wand, at which point the strands sunk into the blossoms and their skin.
Ivy marvelled at the painlessness of it and watched the light dim until it vanished entirely, leaving a band of barely noticeable white around their forearms and Moly flowers. She didn't feel any different and decided that this was a good thing; their feelings wouldn't be determined by any magical force imbuing its will upon them. They would be determined only by the choices they made.
Regulus brought his hand beneath her chin, easily regaining her attention. Lifting her head slightly, he pressed his lips against hers. She pressed back as she had done three times already, but there was something different in this kiss. Something lasting and calming and entirely theirs. Something that joined them in a way they hadn't been before.
When they pulled away, Reginald began to wave his wand overhead, in deliberate and complex movements. "By the magic of three, strengthened by four vows, four embraces, and four natural elements, I declare Ivy and Regulus to be tethered throughout the boundless eternity that lies ahead of them."
With his final word, sparks shattered overhead.
Silver, sapphire, and obsidian flickers of light poured over the newlyweds, shielding their surroundings from view. The brilliant cascade continued as they leaned their foreheads against one another's, the completed ritual magic settling into their bones.
Still clad in her black gown, Ivy unceremoniously flopped onto the soft, waiting bed. Face-down on the mattress, she released a pleased moan into the material. The wedding had been all kinds of wonderful and more or less stress-free, but somehow had still exhausted her.
Though, perhaps her exhaustion had more to do with the reception than her wedding. It was, of course, a merry evening, but the high level of emotion she'd maintained throughout was draining.
Feeling Regulus join her on the bed, she sat up to fluff her pillow before relaxing back down again. "So, anything you would've changed?" When he didn't respond, she eyed him sidelong. "What is it?"
"You'll think I'm a pratt," he sighed.
"I already think that."
Regulus rolled his eyes, but propped his head up on a hand. "I just figured that Sirius and I would be back on speaking terms by the time one of us got married. I didn't even realise that I'd been picturing him in attendance until he wasn't… Ridiculous, right?"
"Not in the least."
"No?"
"No. I understand what it is to have a sibling who can't attend."
"But you were never mad at Hazel."
"I'm mad at her every day," Ivy told him. "She knew what was going to happen to her, and instead of telling me or trying to stop it, she went without so much as an I love you… But that's not the point - the point is, you can be pissed off at someone and still care about them."
Regulus seemed to contemplate her words for a moment, before issuing a reluctant nod. "If there was one day where I wish we could've set everything aside, it'd be today. But even if I thought he'd say yes to something like that, he's incarcerated. Fucking twat… How do you think he's doing in Azkaban?"
"Well," she quirked a smile. "He's probably freezing."
"And miserable," he let out a low laugh. "Not that it doesn't serve him right for being such a wanker, but three years in Azkaban feels like overkill."
"He'll be fine," Ivy sat up to start undoing her hairstyle. "If he can survive Walburga and Orion, he can survive Azkaban."
He snorted. "What do you think he'll be like when he gets out?"
"Humbled, I'm sure."
Regulus grinned at her. "We could only be so lucky."
Once through with dismantling her hair, she set the ribbons on the nightstand beside the bed. Making quick work of the rest of her jewellery -with the exception of her rings- she sprawled out on the bed and released another moan of appreciation at its comfortability.
"Don't do that," Regulus laughed.
"Don't do what?" Ivy frowned.
"Moan."
"Why not?" She smirked.
"You know why."
"No, I don't." With a mischievous smile, she shifted to place her hands on either side of his hips, and leaned forward. "Why don't you explain yourself?"
As anticipated, Regulus's gaze dropped to her breasts, which were in perfect view due to the plunging neckline of her gown. "What was your question?"
"I want you to tell me," Ivy giggled and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Why I shouldn't moan. If you do, you might get something out of it."
"In that case…" His dark eyes lifted to hers and he tucked his hands behind his head leisurely as she pushed his oxford shirt open. "You should know that if you keep moaning, I'm going to make you do it more."
"And what a shame that would be." Pushing the shirt off of his shoulders and tossing it to the floor, she straddled his waist. Feeling him harden a little beneath her, she did a mental inventory to be sure that she felt alright about it.
Luckily, she was only facing desire for her fiance - no, husband.
Husband.
Leaning forward, her white hair loose around them, she captured his mouth as her own. As if this was the permission he was looking for, Regulus responded in kind, but let her set the pace as they sunk into each other for the night.