When is there ever enough time...

[foxwillow]

Time seemed to tick by so slowly, each second taking hours to pass as the brunette thought about the oncoming seasons. It was getting colder it seemed, or it could just be her imagination, nothing was certain. For the first time, in a long time; Ashlynn felt alone. Ryan was out doing something or other, and Regulus.. Had that night been real? No, of course not. She hadn't even seen him since that night.

The subtle sound of grass crunching beneath her was all that was keeping Ash grounded to reality. There was nothing keeping her mind from wandering. Carefully she went over her mental list of things she needed to do. The essays were done, each written with perfectly; aided with the surplus of time that seemed to have settled around the brown-haired Gryffindor. Inside her head she knew that each step pulled her farther and farther away from the castle, but it didn't matter much. No one would be waiting for her today.

A soft yawn served to pull Ash's thoughts back into the present, she was only yards from the Whomping Willow now. Like the Forbidden Forest, this place served as a sanctuary. Not to many people strayed this far from the castle, nor this close to the infamous tree. She never got to close, not wanting to risk her life in the process of exploration. Today was a weekend, no classes, and no uniform required. Today Ash was dressed in a simple green long sleeved shirt, and a pair of light, faded blue jeans.

A soft melody caught her ears, and the second she realized, she stopped humming. Has she been humming this entire time? No, she would have realized it by now. A heart-wrenching smile flickered over her plump lips as she recalled what song it was she had been sub-conscientiously humming. It was her mother's Lullaby...

"The night is barely falling, the birds have stopped their songs
Tonight the fairies dance above your head.
Dream deeply darling one, of fireflies, magic and time
The night is yours to keep.
Be carried on feathered wing, safe and unafraid.
To a place where trees grow stars, and the moon is your friend
Slumber peacefully as the sky is your canvas, your dreams the many colors.
Tonight is yours to create... "

She paused. 'What was that next line? Hell I probably messed it up anyways.. it's been so long since..' she thought to herself. She hadn't been singing it loudly, but anyone in the immediate area would have heard Ash carefully singing the song of her memories. Her voice had been soft, calm, unafraid. After all, she was alone. Looking down into her lap, she looked at her drawing pad in confusion.. When had she pulled it out? Dismissing the confusion, she pulled a pencil from her pack and began sketching, from memory, a picture of her mothers' face.

[brett]

"Your going to ask a tree for forgiveness?" Regulus muttered to himself as he trudged across the grounds towards the infamous whomping willow. "Your losing it, dude...besides if anyone should be apologizing it should be the tree...God what am I saying," he continued his confused conversation with himself. Anyone who saw him would surely think he was a crazy person, muttering to himself, but his arguments always seemed more convincing out loud. Of course he knew the motivation behind today's little adventure had very little to do with whether he spoke out loud to himself of not.

No, this trip was about one thing and one thing only, love. Yes the 16 year old had fallen hard for the Gryffindor beauty Indigo Grace and now, he could finally call her his girlfriend. Just the thought made butterflies rise in Reg's stomach. So what did Indi have to do with trying to make peace with an ornery piece of lumber? Well, Indi had mentioned her relationship with the tree during one of the conversations, how the two had an understanding. Regulus also had an understanding with the tree, he understood that the tree hated him. Why, Regulus wasn't sure after all the tree had had to go to the hospital wing to mend bruises and heal broken ribs. Maybe it was because Regulus lasted longer against the tree than it had wanted.

'Tree's don't think Reg' he reminded himself surprised at his own stupidity. Finally though, he was nearing the tree. He saw a figure a few yards off form the tree, out of the reach of it's branches. Seeing the long brown hair Regulus immediately thought Indigo, but quickly discard the thought as he took in the rest of the girls shape. Still he was behind her and it was hard to make out just who it was, though they certainly had a familiar vibe. Regulus changed his path so that he now approached at more of a slant to make out the girls face better, "Ashlynn?" Regulus asked stunned. It was the girl from his dream, well no, he supposed now that she was here that hadn't been a dream, it had been real. Hadn't it?

[foxwillow]

It was almost finished now, the improvised pencil sketch of her beautiful mother. This drawing would never do her justice, none of them ever did. As much as it looked like her, it didn't at the same time. Nothing would ever be good enough. With a soft, strangled sigh, she continued with her drawing, afraid not to finish. A warm drop landing on her wrist as she darkened the curve of her mothers cheek. No. 'No. Stop crying you idiot... she thought, chastising herself once again.

In the background the sound of crunching grass, and muttering was heard, well if would have been if Ash was listening. No, to her it was just the wind and the sounds of the Whomping Willow. It had to be. Gently tapping the end of her pencil against her paper, she pondered what she was forgetting to add. Something was different in this one.

Her name was called, which was definitely not supposed to be happening. Once her mind actually registered that simple fact, she instinctively tensed and turned to look at whoever it was. But not before scattering her art pad to the grass, and her pencil in the opposite direction. Ice hued eyes caught on the person who had found her, Regulus.

This had to be some kind of dream. He wasn't here, and he wasn't talking to her.. right? Ash stared at him for a minute before her muscles relaxed, and she was able to form a sentence that didn't have to do with this not being real. "Hello Regulus." she said, which was mostly all she could think to say at the moment. And for a moment, she was free of her memories; the picture left unfinished for the moment.

[brett]

Those crystaline blue eyes lock Reg's for just a moment reawakening the night in the forest, the soft kiss. It was something that Reg knew could never happen again. There was no question now, Indigo was his girlfriend and he would not betray her. He already felt he didn't deserve her, he didn't need to go proving it. Still that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy Ashlynn's hypnotic gaze, he just couldn't give into it was all.

"Uh, How are you?" Regulus said realizing he had forgotten to speak. "It's nice to see you again," he added realizing this should have gone first, but not much he could do about it now. He just didn't want Ashlynn to misunderstand his shock. He was glad to see her, even if it did mean awkward conversation and delaying his initial. Ar least the tree hadn't noticed him yet so he didn't have to deal with that. Though they seemed to be out of the tree's range it was probably best not to try testing this fact.

How long ago since their night in the forest. Up until now Reg hadn't even been sure it was real, which only made it more difficult to tell. A week? Maybe two? Yes, that seemed about right. A week or two and now here they were again, in the open daylight. Ashlynn still looked as beautiful as she had by the light of the rocks that night in the forest.

[foxwillow]

It didn't take to much longer before small flashes of the night with the green glow. So it hadn't been a dream after all, they had.. She couldn't think of that now, but she couldn't help looking up at his eyes at least once. They were still that lovely shade of green. Once her head cleared she realized that her sketch book was still lying open on the grass, and with a slow movement she had it back within her grasp. "Grr I can't my pencil." she mused, looking around for a minute.

Looking back at him when he spoke, she dismissed the act of looking for her stray pencil for the moment. "I'm well, to say the least. Things are still as hectic as ever." she replied, still sitting cross legged on the grass. Slowly she motioned to a place on the grass. "You can sit you know, unless you have something else to do." she stated, before looking down for a minute. Of course he had something else he was doing, he hadn't come looking for her anyways.

A small breeze flowed over them, and before long flowing thought the leaves of the Willow. A annoyed look crossed her pale face as the wind licked at her hair making it flutter all over the place. Sighing she carefully ran her slender fingers back through her tawny locks making sure to put everything back into place. Though at his next remark, the muscles on her face calmed, and a small smile licked at her lips. "I can say the same. I nearly believed you were a dream." she agreed. Her eyes moving over his face, recalling the darker setting. "You look much better in the light, just so you know." she mused before smiling a bit more.

Slowly she flipped the page over in her sketch pad, and began laying down some soft lines of her sketch of the Whomping Willow. It was a hard subject to draw, but for the moment it was still, the perfect time to try.

[brett]

Regulus sat as he was instructed, leaving maybe a foot or two of space between him and Ashlynn. He wasn't sure exactly how close you were supposed to get to a cute girl when you already had a girlfriend, but he figured he would be fin where he was. He had already promised himself that he wouldn't allow anything to happen. "Well I had come to talk to the tree, but now I think I'd prefer talking to you," Regulus smiled.

Regulus laughed at Ash's next comment. "Thank you, as do you," he said graciously accepting and returning the compliment. Regulus loved the dark and Ashlynn had looked gorgeous that night in the forest, but in the daylight he could make out the finer details of her face. And her eyes shone bright blue as they reflected the golden rays of the sun. Why was he doing this to himself?

Why was it that he had to choose now to run into her? Why did it seem that now that he had a girlfriend he was meeting all these beautiful girls for the first time? But when he thought about it Indi still won out, she was just to cute. And as beautiful as she was, Ashlynn didn't invoke the same feeling in him that Indigo did. Should he tell Ash he and Indi were now dating? No, it would most likely just ruin what could be a pleasant conversation. "You like to draw?" Regulus asked looking at the beginning sketch of the willow.

[foxwillow]

Ice blues watched him sit for a moment, before looking out into the vast green that was the grounds. Spying the small trails that etched across the hills and flat space, each traveling to a different place. Oh how she loved it out here, the calming breeze and the openness. Remembering that he'd settled down near her, she looked over at him with a careful gaze. In truth she'd heard that him and Indigo had begun dating, it was all that the girls in Gryffindor could talk about. Ash contemplated bringing it up and congratulating him, even though she really didn't like the idea.

Smiling softly she looked at him again, a distant look in her eyes. "Talking to the tree? As much as some people would enjoy watching you try, I don't think the tree likes Slytherins. Besides, why would you want to talk to it anyways?" she inquired, brushing a bit of her hair from her eyes. Sub-conscientiously her fingers played with the edges of her emerald shirt as a strange nervousness crept up her spine.

As much as he'd looked completely astonishing in the dark with the strange green glow, he looked even better now that she could see the finer points of him. His eyes were a more vivid green in the sunlight, and his hair still looked so soft, but he was out of reach now. Ash was never one to get in between relationships, even if she hated Indigo with a fiery passion. Ash would be nice, she wasn't normally mean anyways, but she wasn't about to be nice to the girl herself. Sighing softly she decided to say something. "Your girlfriend doesn't like me you know." she stated softly, before quietly uttering out a polite thank you.

Carefully the sketched the outline of the rugged tree, the bark drawn out with carefully made bumps. Now that she looked at it closer, it really did have a personality. Smiling softly at the comment that referred to her art, she looked up for a moment to look at him. With excited eyes, she nodded her head softly. "Yes, I really do. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't draw.. When you draw things, you have to really look at them. I think that's how I come to respect and really understand what I draw. Like the Willow, it has a mean outer disposition, but inside it's really not that bad." she said in a dreamy voice.

Turning her head to look at the tree, a small silver star-shaped pendent was revealed. Feeling the next-to-nothing weight shift around her neck, she looked down and gently fingered the silver star. It was weird, but she felt like she could trust Regulus somewhat. So, with a hesitant sigh, she flipped the page over to reveal the nearly finished picture of her mother. "I was drawing this when you came by. It's my mother.. or as close to her as I can get just by memory." she said softly, turning to look at Regulus with a soft smile

[brett]

"It's kind of a long story," Regulus said smiling sheepishly. 'I need to apologize to get the tree to like me because it likes Indi,' he thought. It actually wasn't that long at all, but somehow Regulus doubted Ashlynn would want to hear about his now girlfriend and her strange relationship with the overly aggressive tree. He could have told the story of why the tree was upset, but he really wouldn't care to apologize if not for Indigo and he felt that Indigo would know he wasn't the type to apologize, especially not to the shrubbery.

Ashlynn's next comment caught Reg a bit of guard. "So you've heard we're dating then," Regulus said looking down at the grass then back to Ashlynn. He had almost been hoping to keep the fact from her, but in reality he had fully expected she would find out sooner rather than later, seeing as she was in the same house, and no doubt word was spreading throughout the school, let alone the Gryffindor commonroom. "She doesn't know about the kiss does she?" Regulus asked concerned that this maybe why Indi hated Ashlynn. If she did it wasn't the end of the world but Regulus needed to know whether or not he should be expecting his head to be bite off...even if the kiss had been before they were dating he doubted Indi would take to kindly to the news.

Regulus held his tongue (something he was becoming more accustom to) when Ash mentioned the willow not being all that bad on the inside. Then again she was now the second person to make such a claim so perhaps there was something more two it. 'Mean disposition, but wasn't too bad on the outside,' that sounded familiar for some reason.

"She's beautiful," Regulus commented politely. Obviously he wasn't trying to his on Ash mom, but the woman in the picture was in fact quite beautiful...it was easy to see where Ashlynn got her looks from. "The detail of the drawing is amazing," Regulus admired. He'd always envied those who could draw as it was one of the few things he was quite bad at. 16 years old and he still needed to use stick figures. "When did she die?" Regulus asked after a moments hesitation. He wasn't normally one to pry into peoples family lives, but he was hypnotized by the image of the woman on the page in front of him that the words had just come out.

[foxwillow]

The current conversation topic got her to look once more in the direction of the still tree. Which was a miracle that it wasn't moving as much. "A long story eh?" she mused, thinking of the many reasons you'd need to talk to a tree. "Wait. You don't have a death wish do you? Cause being beaten to death by a tree doesn't sound to heroic you know." she teased, looking at him again. As the laughter stopped she lifted a hand without noticing, and began to look around inside her school bag.

Gently her fingers caught on something. It was smooth and cool to the touch. 'Oh! It's that apple I stored in there for later.' Smiling , she absentmindedly played with the grass near her leg. "Yeah I know about it, there was a lot of talk of it right after it happened. People still talk about you two. Congratulations." she said softly, looking at him with a happy smile. It was a bit faked, but in all truth she was a bit happy. Upon hearing what he said she flushed a bit, but quickly recovered. "No, I haven't told anyone. I think I'd be mauled if I did. No, the reason Indigo doesn't like me is she thinks I'm stuck up... or something." she responded, studying her shoes like there was actually something interesting there.

"Anyways, drawing has always come natural to me. I started drawing when I was little. I think I was nine when I first started... I needed something to.. well.. keep my mind off things." she said softly. Carefully she pressed back the memories that were slowly resurfacing. Sighing softly she looked from him to the tree, and then back again. What a weird day.

A soft smile graced her full lips as she glanced one more down at her drawing. She really was a beautiful woman, she always had been.. even in death she had been smiling. That night with the snow and the sadness, the night her whole life changed... "Thank you. I think this is the best one that I've ever drawn. I've tried for years to draw her to perfection, but over the years my mental image of her has faded." she replied, blue eyes studying each and every dark line of her sketched face. "If you wanted to learn.. I could teach you how?" she offered. She laughed inwardly at the humor of it all. She'd been offering to teach him a lot of things lately.

Slowly she flipped the page over to the willow sketch she had started. The tree was unpredictable, and Ash had no idea who long it would stay as still as it was. Hearing the next question, her whole body stiffened. Her stomach twisted, and she stifled the want to cry. In truth, she hadn't actually talked about that night in years... but for some reason she felt that she should tell him. He had the guts to ask right? But how had he guessed that she had passed? "She died nearly eight years ago, so did my father.. They were murdered by a man who is still rotting in Azkaban." she admitted, letting the grip on her pencil wane greatly. Thoughtfully she fingered at the aqua stoned ring that still rested on her finger..

[brett]

"Well I've never really considered myself much of a hero," Reg commented smirking. "But, no, no death wish I've already played dodge the willow a few more times than I can remember," he added. Dodge the willow, he had made it sound like a game because to him, it was one. In fourth year he learned that the 'Immobulus' charm could be used to halt the tree's vicious branches and played his first game of dodge the willow a few weeks later. He'd played maybe 3 times total...at least three 'real' times. There had been a few additional dry runs where he would make a mistake just approaching the tree and either roll back, or freeze the tree immediately. But there had been three good runs, the final one being the only one last more than a minute, and it had been the longest minute of his life. Never had just over one minute of his life been so exhausting...and ultimately, so painful.

"Thanks," Regulus smiled, even now finding it difficult to not be happy whilst talking about Indi. Even if he did have a nagging feeling of guilt that felt like it was going to consume him from the inside out. He had kissed Ashlynn, knowing nothing could ever become of it, what was worse he enjoyed it...the immediate sensation at least, not so much the things it had brought with it. But he loved Indigo, and they had not been dating at that time, so he hadn't really done anything wrong had he? "I never thought you to be stuck up," Regulus observed thinking this a bit of an odd reason, and then again, Bella would swear he was a kind person at heart when the general consensus was that he didn't even have a heart. Or perhaps it was just that Reg was so used to stuck up people he barely noticed.

Regulus wondered what kind of things she would have wanted to take her mind off of, but he was asking too many questions as it was. Stresses of life mast likely, Regulus used books and spell work, Ashlynn used drawing. Everyone needed to have some way of escaping reality when life got too tough.

"To draw?" Regulus asked a bit surprised. It was a stupid question really, what else could she be referring to. Did he want to learn? On the one hand Reg had pretty much written off the idea of ever being able to draw and secondly Ash had already taught a spell to make rocks glow in the dark. Which he had actually practiced the previous night, he was getting quite good, but to ask Ashlynn to teach him anything else seemed weak on his part because he would have to show one of his weaknesses...even if it was just drawing. On the other hand, it would give him a reason to Ashlynn on a regular basis...and even that, he wasn't so sure was a good thing. "I may take you up on that," he smiled still needing to make up his mind.

"Oh," Regulus said. "I'm sorry," the words came out almost automatically, did he even mean them...did he even know what they meant? Ever since he was a little boy 'sorry' had been more of a filler than anything. It was used repeatedly when he got into trouble at school (and on rare occasion at home) as well as when given the news of a death. He'd gotten good at sounding like he knew what the words meant, but he was glad Ashlynn could not see the hollowness that reflected in his green eyes. Regulus now knew what 'things' she had needed to take her mind off of.

Another thought creeped into his mind, he knew and in fact was related to, quite a few men who were rotting in Azkaban for similar crimes, perhaps this very one. Until this moment Regulus had never thought much about the repercussions of the murders. He heard that his uncle or second cousin killed two people he never thought about who the people were, or if they had lives...children like Ashlynn who had to grow up alone...