Entwined |r.a.b|

Two

Being on time was never Ivy Walker's forte. In fact, she was notorious for being late. It got her into quite a lot of detention. Especially with Professor Teller, the defense against the dark arts professor and her first class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

She was running exceptionally late that Monday morning, prompting her to take secret routes that her prefect, Meeka Glass, had shown her to get her tardiness in check.

Ivy pushed open the wall and bolted out. Suddenly, she collapsed into a body. A familiar head of curly black hair told her exactly who it was she ran into.

She quickly stood to her feet, dusting herself off. It had been a little over three years since Ivy met Regulus and they agreed to be friends. An agreement that Regulus broke when Ivy was sorted into Hufflepuff.

They had tried being friends, and Ivy believed they were. But they would never hang out in public and he acted completely different in front of others. Ivy grew sick of it and their short lived friendship ended in a massive argument.

"Oh — Er — Sorry," he mumbled.

"He should be!" whispered a lilac.

"Want me to grow thorns and poke him!" Asked a Rose.

"Maybe..." Ivy mumbled to the rose.

"Er — looks like we're both running late to DADA..." Regulus mumbled. He stood for a moment, watching Ivy as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mmhm."

"Maybe... we should just... walk together then?"

"Your fragile reputation can risk that?" Ivy shot out with a glare. "Pass." She turned on her heels, her long auburn hair tossing behind her as she walked quickly ahead of Regulus.

When she walked into class, Regulus closer behind her than she would have liked, she noticed all the students standing against the walls.

"Hm, yes, Ms. Walker. Late once more," Professor Teller greeted. "No need to take a seat quite yet."

"Every year, I give the fourth years an assigned partner to work with all year long. You will be learning a dark arts topic run by me — each pairing needs a different topic. By the end of the school year, you will need to have an essay on the dark arts topic you have chosen."

"This project will take all year and I expect the essays to be close to perfection. Now... when I call your names, sit at the tables I stand before."

He began listing off names, sitting two people each at a table. About half the class was seated when Teller called Ivy's name.

"Ivy Walker and Regulus Black."

Regulus looked across from his place in the room to Ivy as she inwardly groaned. She saw Regulus' friends hold in laughter. Had it not been for Professor Teller, she would have encased their bodies in poison ivy. Unfortunately — she had already been given plenty of detention for doing such a thing to multiple people.

"Tough luck mate," said one of his friends. "Stuck with poison Ivy all year."

"That's enough!" called Teller. "Take a seat Ms. Walker, Mr. Black."

Reluctantly, Ivy sat herself beside Regulus. The tension between the two was palpable and awkward. She wanted nothing more than for the vines to wrap around her neck and end this whole situation.

Professor Teller proceeded to hand out parchment that explained the grading for the exam and what he expected from us. His explanation took the whole class time, many students falling asleep.

When they were dismissed, Ivy tried packing her things as quick at possible as to avoid speaking to Regulus.

"I've been thinking about this project all summer," Regulus said, keeping Ivy from leaving. He was obviously hanging back longer than necessary. "Sirius told me about it — mainly how it forced him and his best friend to become friends again."

"Ariah Lupin?" Ivy asked. "She's the hufflepuff keeper and from what I heard, Sirius didn't deserve to have Ariah forgive him."

"Everyone deserves second chances...." Regulus said, eyeing Ivy.

"From what I heard," Ivy said, slamming her books closed. "She gave him more than just a second chance — at some point you have to draw the line."

Both of them knew they weren't talking about Ariah and Sirius any more. Ivy finished putting her things in her bag, throwing it onto her shoulder.

"Ivy — I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

Ivy sighed, waiting until the last person left the classroom to face the boy in front of her. She took in his overall haggard appearance. Sure, his hair was lightly jelled, creating perfectly sculpted waves along his forehead. And his uniform was ironed with his tie tucked in nicely. But behind those grey eyes, Ivy could see the pain and the stress. She saw the bags under his eyes and the fading bruises on his face.

Upon feeling her inspection, he tugged on his sleeves, looking anywhere but her eyes.

"See, you sound sincere but you never work to change, Regulus," she said.

Regulus had the habit of showing up and apologizing when he needed someone. He would come to her in a moment of need and desperation, crying over never being able to talk with his brother or crying over a rather nasty fight with Sirius before his brother would leave. During breaks, he'd show up in the middle of the night, covered in new bruises and cuts and needing refuge.

He'd never stay too long. By morning the bed she made up for him on the floor would be emptied. She wouldn't hear from him for days, or weeks, or even months.

Ivy hated it. She hated the power he had over her. They're friendship may be complicated and messy, and highly toxic — but he was all she had and she cared deeply for him.

"I want to! I just... it's hard... I don't.. I don't know how..." Regulus said.

"No, you do, Regulus — you're just afraid to."

Ivy sighed again, hating the entire situation. "Look Regulus, I care about you... but this situation isn't fair to me. So this cursed project of ours — is just that. A project."

Regulus glanced up at Ivy, his blue-grey eyes swimming with sadness and despair. Ivy hated that look. "Yeah... I get that.... we should meet up after lunch in the library... if that works..."

"It does," Ivy said, lifting her chin high. This year would be a tough one.