"You've fallen in love with a girl you've never met?" "Yes, but we play chess!" 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐨𝐜 𝐱 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗 ©

"We all die in the end, McKinney." James Potter. cover by @noahwyles © 2021, gentleblues

[prequel to the "badlands" series] •Searching for something that I can't reach• It was ironic that the girl named after a virgin goddess had lost her own in first year. Artemis Avery was known for one thing: sleeping around. The witty Slytherin girl had a bad reputation, and did nothing to save it. On the contrary, she slept around with anyone. But more than anything, she had a secret. One that threatened to shatter her life, and herself. When Regulus Black accidentally walks into Artemis Avery with his best friend one night, he doesn't think much of it. But when she storms off in the sobbing for no obvious reason, Regulus becomes curious. Artemis is more than curious; she finds herself plagued with a strange dream that shows herself and Regulus near a shadowy lake. The moment she wakes up, she finds a terrible pain, one that never ceases unless she is standing near Regulus. Driven by pain, Artemis allows herself to grow closer to the boy with dark eyes, and is alarmed at how quickly she grows to care for him. After a life of chasing ghosts, Artemis finally feels like she's found someone that won't disappear at dawn. But nothing can last forever.

To grow into the most magnificent plant, one needs to plant their roots in solid ground. To keep from going wild and overgrown, vines must wrap themselves around a rock. Regulus Black was Ivy Walker's solid ground that allowed her to grow into her magnificent self. He was her rock that kept her from going wild. And Ivy Walker was Regulus Black's solid ground, his own rock that kept him steady through the worst of circumstances. They were forever entwined. {connected to WITS series}