ivy | s. black ✓

12 | KIND HEART

Once they saw Harry's room, which he was very proud to have, they walked her around the house. There were a number of guest rooms on the second floor. The kitchen was quite large, and the living room looked inviting with overstuffed couches and a lit fireplace.

The house that they moved into certainly was nice. Sirius had mentioned it belonging to a distant relative who was no longer around. It reminded Ivy of her own family manor, but somehow it felt warmer, homier, and more lived-in despite it only being occupied for a week. And her house didn't have a barn with an outlaw Hippogriff living in it.

"With that pool, you're gonna have people over all the time this summer," Ivy said, glancing out the window at the backyard.

"I've spent twelve years alone. Having people over all the time doesn't sound so bad," Sirius said, grinning.

He, Ivy, and Harry were sitting in the living room and waiting for Hermione and Ron to arrive. With so much room, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Molly would be offering to cook delicious meals, and Hary would constantly hold sleepovers, something he had never been able to do. And one thing that Muggles and Wizards shared in common was their love for a nice swimming pool.

"You say that, but then the twins will blow up one of your toilets," Ivy said, shaking her head.

"Well, good thing there's three other bathrooms," Harry chimed in, earning a laugh from the both of them. "Really, Ivy, you can come over every single day if you want."

"I think you might get a bit sick of me," she told him.

"You're one of the few people I could stand seeing twenty-four-seven," he said, leaning into her side. "If Sirius gets tired of you, he can just go to his room."

Sirius rolled his eyes and messed up Harry's hair. "I do, in fact, rather enjoy her company. Harry's right. Our door is always open to you."

"That's very sweet of you both," she said, making both of them smile.

"Maybe you could come over tomorrow again," Harry suggested. "Sirius is going to take me to get some new clothes, and you can come along."

"Ah, don't trust his sense of fashion?" she asked teasingly.

"Well, there was a lot of neon trending the last time I had to buy clothes," Sirius said, leaning back. "We could probably both use your assistance."

"Sounds like fun—"

Ivy was cut off by a loud banging on the front door. Harry quickly jumped up and grinned brightly. "That's Ron and Hermione."

They watched him rush to the door and let his two friends in before bringing them to the living room. Ron was looking around with wide eyes while Hermione was a bit more composed as she took in the environment.

"Thank you for having us, Sirius," Hermione told him politely.

"It's no trouble."

"C'mon," Harry said excitedly. "Ivy, do you wanna come?"

"I think I'll stay in the living room for a bit. Give them the tour and catch up," she said, smiling. Ivy watched them run off with a content smile on her face. Then she turned back around on the couch to face Sirius, curling her legs underneath her. "You know, you really are amazing."

"Obviously," he said, smirking. "But why?"

Ivy giggled and rolled her eyes. "For this — all of it. Taking in Harry, getting him away from that awful house, finally getting him some clothes that aren't his cousin's leftovers. He's always been so miserable over the summers. You two have been living with each other for just a few days and he's already so much happier. Thank you."