Bejeweled: A Draco Malfoy Fanfic

06. Ravenclaw's Grave

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect." - luna lovegood

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On Christmas morning, Ivy woke up with a mission - today, she was going to find a pearl for sure. Nobody was going to get in the way of that this time. She found a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed, most of them from her parents, and smiled to herself, deciding to open them later. She headed to the Common Room, where she found Harry and Ron tearing through the wrapping paper of their own gifts.

"Happy Christmas!" she exclaimed.

"Happy Christmas!" said Harry and Ron in unison, not looking up from their gifts.

"Blimey, another knitted sweater from Mum," mumbled Ron, as he lay the "R" emblazoned sweater across the floor.

"I'm going to go outside - for some fresh air," said Ivy, trying to sound as convincing as possible. She had no time to waste; the sooner she found a pearl, the better.

Harry looked up. "You're going outside?" he asked with an air of suspicion. "For fresh air? On Christmas?"

Ivy nodded.

"Something's not quite right here," Ron squinted at Ivy and stroked his chin, evidently trying to appear in deep thought. After a few moments, his eyes widened in fear. "Are you..." he pointed to his private area, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Are you on your p-p-period?"

"Ron!" shouted Harry.

Ivy's jaw dropped and she threw a nearby pillow at Ron, trying to hide her laugh. "I just need some fresh air!" She walked towards the portrait hole and swung it open, revealing the corridor on the other side. "I'll be back before you know it!" she called back as she climbed through and closed the portrait shut.

"I have chocolates!" she heard Ron call out after her. "Girls like chocolates, right? When they're on their-" his voice was muffled and Ivy knew Harry was covering Ron's mouth with his hand. "Be safe out there!" he called.

Ivy laughed and headed down the spiral staircase. A few minutes passed and she found herself in the Entrance Hall. She opened the oak doors without hesitation, half hoping to see Draco on the other side. She scanned the castle grounds, and instead of Draco, she found a girl kneeling over something in front of the Black Lake. Ivy's curiosity got the best of her, and she descended the marble steps and approached her to get a closer look.

There, on the ground in front of the girl, were several small mounds of dirt arranged in rows, with names scribbled on pieces of parchment that were laid in front of them. There were at least a dozen of them, and Ivy recognized some of the names: Seamus Finnigan, Colin Creevey, Lee Jordan...

"Hello," said the girl softly. She had long, wispy blond hair, and large misty eyes. Ivy glanced at the badge on her robes - she was a Ravenclaw. Ivy was startled at being caught staring, but she wasn't frightened. For some reason, she knew the girl wouldn't hurt her. Probably because her hands were full of strange-looking flowers that she was now carefully placing on top of the mounds.

"Hello," said Ivy, kneeling next to the girl. "Are these..?" She scanned the rows.

"They're graves, yes." said the girl. Her voice was small and airy, and she didn't sound sad. In fact, she seemed to be smiling. "Students have been dying all year, for some odd reason. I suspect Nargles," she added thoughtfully.

Ivy didn't know what a Nargle was, and she didn't have the heart to tell the strange girl the truth about the students' deaths - that they were killing each other over the very thing she was currently searching for. Instead, she extended her hand towards the girl, pointing at her flowers. "May I?"

The girl nodded and handed Ivy a small bunch, and for a few peaceful minutes they decorated the makeshift graves in silence.

Finally, the girl stood and looked down at the graves. "All done," she said, and she knelt to place the last flower on top of a mound belonging to Parvati Patil. It was then that Ivy noticed a pearl ring on the girls' pinky finger.

Ivy's heart pounded. There was no mistaking that magical glow.

"Your ring," she said. "It's lovely. Where'd you get it?" She chose her words carefully, not wanting to startle the girl.

"Oh, this?" The girl took off the ring and held it into the sunlight, observing it as if it were the first time she'd seen it. Ivy had a feeling she had forgotten she was even wearing it. "I found it... in one of the dungeons," she said dreamily.

Ivy wondered what this seemingly innocent girl could have possibly been doing in a dungeon, but knew better than to ask. Speaking of which, how was she even supposed to ask for the pearl? It's not like it belonged to the girl - she said she'd found it, after all, so maybe she wouldn't be too upset if she had to part ways with it. Still, Ivy struggled to find the right words.

"Would you like it?" said the girl with a smile. It was as if she had read Ivy's mind. "A mean Slytherin boy tried to take it from me... but I threatened to turn him into a Crumple- Horned Snorkack." She read Ivy's puzzled expression. "You can't turn someone into a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, of course. They're magical creatures, and they like to hide, you see. Have you ever seen one?" she asked eagerly.

Ivy shook her head. Nargles? Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? She began questioning the girls' sanity.

The girl leaned in close, as if she was going to tell a secret. "I haven't either."

Ivy cleared her throat, trying to get back on track. "Y-You wouldn't mind...?" she nodded towards the ring, hoping the girl would get the hint.

"Oh no, not at all." She smiled and handed the ring to Ivy. "I trust you to keep it safe. You don't seem very mean, like the Slytherin boy. I don't think he would've put flowers on peoples' graves. No, you're a very nice girl. I hope we can meet again soon."

Ivy began to grow very fond of the strange girl. She also grew suspicious of the identity of the Slytherin boy she was talking about.

"You're very nice too. Thank you for the ring," said Ivy gratefully. "I promise I'll keep it safe. What's your name, by the way? I'm Ivy."

Ivy looked up to face the girl, waiting for a response, but the girl had already disappeared.

a/n: luna makes me very proud to be a ravenclaw. Lowkey wish ravenclaws and hufflepuffs got a bit more attention, especially hufflepuffs?? All they got is deadri- i mean cedric. If ur reading this and ur a hufflepuff ily