Ivy's eyes went wide. "Selina! I-" Selina held up her hand to cut her off, still panting slightly.
"As fascinated as I am to hear why you've been missing half of yesterday and all night, and now smell distinctively of the lake, I'll have to delay my curiosity and you will have to wait to tell me what I'm sure is a truly brilliant story until another time. Harry and Ron are in the hospital wing and they aren't looking well."
Any thoughts of whether she should make an excuse or be honest disappeared from Ivy's mind and she grabbed Selina's hand, pulling her behind her as she sprinted up the hill.
Ignoring her friend, who was muttering something along the lines of, "sure, no problem, not like I've just spent an hour searching the entire castle for you then run down the hill to meet you. That's fine though I can bloody sprint back up, no need to worry about me or my lungs." Ivy pressed on, her mind spinning rapidly.
What had they gotten themselves into this time? Based on their track record, nothing good. She skidded down hallways and around corners and finally busted through the doors to the hospital wing, panting heavily with Selina gasping for air behind her.
At the loud noise from the entryway, Madam Pomfrey jumped slightly with a hand on her heart and whipped around to face them. When she saw Ivy's face flooded with concern, her fury ebbed, but she still let out an exasperated, "honestly Ivy, what do I have to do to help you understand the sanctity of the silence of this space. You'll turn me into Madam Pince the way you run about."
Ivy smiled sheepishly at her and walked into the room considerably more calmly. "Sorry Poppy, but I heard that Harry and Ron are in here, and I had to check on them. Are they alright?" Her voice held slight notes of desperation, and Pomfrey smiled kindly at her.
"They will be. Mr Weasley should be awake any minute now. He had a nasty spill but apart from a few bumps, bruises and broken bones he got off alright. Mr Potter went through something much darker, I'm afraid, but he too will be fine with a little more rest. I don't expect him to wake up until about later this evening, however."
Ivy smiled and nodded, at least they were both alright. She would ask them for details later. From a bed in front of her, surrounded by a sheet cover, Ivy heard someone stirring, and she gently moved the sheet aside to see Ron lying on the bed, starting to wake up. Hermione was sleeping curled up in a chair next to him, and Ivy smiled softly at the pair.
Selina squeezed her hand, "I'll give you a moment. If you need me, I'm sitting by Harry, alright?" Ivy nodded in response, then slipped into the space where Ron was now blinking and sitting up with a groan.
She smiled at him and hoisted herself up onto the end of his bed, sitting cross-legged so she could face him. "Morning carrot top, how are you feeling?"
He returned the smile. "Rubbish. How's Harry, have you heard?" Ivy nodded. "He's fine, he's in the bed next to us. He'll wake up tonight sometime. The important question is what scrape did you get yourselves into? Honestly, I'm gone for one night and you both go mental. If you wanted my attention that bad, you could have just asked, not tried to get yourselves killed."He chuckled again.
At the talking around her, Hermione started to wake up. Seeing Ron awake, she shot up and seized his hand. "Oh Ronald, you're alright! I was so worried. I- Oh! Ivy, I didn't see you!" Ivy saw Ron smile at Hermione, but he groaned slightly. "Godric, 'Mione, keep it down or you'll wake Harry."
Hermione's eyes widened, "How is he? How is Harry?" Ivy chuckled at her friend and repeated what she'd said to Ron a few moments earlier. After that, the two took turns telling Ivy their adventures from the last night. They talked over each other and corrected statements so much it was almost hard to understand what they were saying, but by the end Ivy's eyes were wide.
"Let me get this right. Dumbledore was gone, so you went past the three-headed dog, whose name is Fluffy, through devils snare, violent winged keys, a game of life-sized wizards chess, where you got clubbed by a sword made of marble, Ron, a passed out troll, and a confusing potions puzzle? And then Harry went through the suspicious-looking fire alone and came out unconscious?!" Ron ticked the things off his fingers as they went, then he shrugged and nodded along with Hermione.
"Yeah pretty much." Ivy pressed her thumb and index finger to her temple and rubbed her forehead, trying to fight off a migraine. "You Gryffindors really just can't help yourself, can you? You could have died. Dumbledore set up those tasks specifically to keep people out, and you lot just waltz through. Absolutely mental." She was smiling now, slightly. They may be crazy, but it was pretty cool in retrospect. And to think she'd thought her night was the craziest. "The worst part is that Hagrid named the ruddy dog Fluffy when Cerberus was right in front of him."
Madam Pomfrey pulled open the curtains and smiled at the group before either of the Gryffindors could protest Ivy's first statement. "How are you feeling Mr Weasley?"
"A bit sore, but my arm doesn't hurt anymore and my bruises are gone."
"I think you're alright to be excused then. Just try to take it easy and don't push yourself. If you need anything feel free to come back and ask." Ron beamed and hopped out of the bed at these words. He and Hermione checked on Harry, but they got bored quickly when he didn't miraculously wake up, and when Ron suggested they get him some candy for him, Hermione readily agreed. They rushed up to the Gryffindor common room, chattering excitedly about the events of the night before.
Ivy stayed behind and smiled fondly at Selina, who was dead asleep next to Harry's bed, snoring loudly. As the single worst morning person Ivy had ever met, she knew her friend must have made a very concentrated, selfless effort to find her and stay awake that morning. It was no wonder she was exhausted. Ivy pulled another chair around to the side of Harry's bed and sat down, exhaling for the first time in a while.
She was grateful for the peace and silence, as she turned over everything from the last day in her mind. There was so much to process she felt positively buried underneath it, and the next many hours passed in a haze. A lot of people came in to visit Harry, bringing with them all sorts of flowers and candy. Apparently, rumours had been flying around the school about what he had been through the night before, but Ivy ignored all of it. She'd find out directly from him later, but for now, she had her own things to deal with.
The first thing that pulled her out of her reverie was Fred and George Weasley trying to sneak in a toilet seat to Harry. Madam Pomfrey had descended upon them from out of thin air, and after a long, hysterically funny argument, she kicked them out along with their odd present, making them grumble and collude over where to stash it to give to him later.
Ivy was laughing so hard by the end of it, that Poppy couldn't help but chuckle as well as she saw the girl clutching her stomach with tears rolling down her cheeks. The commotion made Selina wake up, and she sat up grumbling slightly, peering out at Ivy through narrowed eyes. She snapped at the girl to shut up and laid her head back down, falling immediately back asleep.
Unable to keep herself from giggling, Ivy decided to go for a walk to the kitchens. She knew the final feast was only a few hours away, but she was growing increasingly aware of the fact that she hadn't eaten in forever. She passed Ron on the way out, his arms loaded with chocolate frogs that he said were for Harry, but Ivy knew for certain would be gone before he woke.
She went to her common room first to get Stheno, but she didn't make it even halfway through the room before she was jumped by Pansy and Draco who were clamouring over each other with questions as to where she'd been and what she'd been doing. She just laughed at them and slung an arm around Pansy's waist, laying her tired head on her shoulder. She mouthed a silent "thank you" to Blaise and Theo, who nodded understandingly and smiled from where they were sitting together nearby. Draco caught the exchange and narrowed his eyes at them - Blaise just winked in response.
"Listen, I'm famished. Can we talk about this later? I'm getting Stheno and going to the kitchens to grab a snack before the feast, and anyone who would like to is welcome to come, under the requirement that it doesn't turn into an inquisition." Ivy groaned out, and Pansy rolled her eyes smiling, while Draco grumbled.
When Ivy descended the stairs with Stheno wrapped tightly around her chest and neck, they seemed to have gotten over themselves, and Draco took up an unmoving position next to Ivy as they walked out of the common room. Theo and Pansy were chattering away about something behind them, while Blaise held Theo's hand and listened in quietly, smiling contentedly.
Ivy had noticed that Theo and Blaise were almost always like that now; always around each other, hugging, holding hands, lying with their legs or heads on each other's laps, or just being around one another. It made her happy to see; they both looked so contented. On the rare occasion that they were separated, it felt sort of odd to see. Like a puzzle that's missing half its pieces. They didn't talk about it, but you'd have to be blind to miss that they were mad about each other. As she thought about it, Ivy realised that looking back, they always had been.
The shy yet eager way that Blaise had greeted Theo when he'd arrived at school late. The way that his voice had been desperately trying to hide the tone of worry and fear when he asked about Theo going to Durmstrang. The way that Theo would watch Blaise with a very particular look in his eyes whenever he was talking. His habit of slipping Blaise into every conversation, whether through a joke, an anecdote, or just a musing about how he'd like or dislike something they were discussing.
Ivy reckoned they'd just needed a slight push to be able to show each other how they felt, and as morbid as it was, Theo's grief and Blaise's commitment to staying by his side through it was just that push. Their relationship had shifted since, and it made Ivy's heart feel warm to see two of her favourite people in the world glow so brightly in each other's company.
She pointed this out to Draco quietly as they walked, and he smiled, glancing behind him to his two best friends. "Yeah. I reckon they took a fancy to each other the second they met, I was just too thick to notice till now. It's no wonder they both only admitted it after Theo found out he was getting away from his dad. He'd be an absolute menace if he found out his pureblood son was more interested in his male, half-veela friend than any of the pureblood daughters around."
Ivy chewed her lip as she thought about this. She reckoned Draco was probably right. Pureblood mania was ridiculous, but it did seem to have a particular knack for ruining peoples lives.
Draco meanwhile, had mentally moved on from that part of their conversation, and he was focused on watching Ivy as they walked. He'd been worried sick all night, and now that she was back, that worry had turned to exasperated frustration. It was clear Theo and Blaise knew whatever Ivy was keeping from him, and it was driving him up the wall. He so desperately wanted her to trust him as she did them, but she didn't, and he was clueless as to how to fix it.
Something about him was keeping her from being honest about this mystery. He just had to figure out what and change it. Quickly, at that. He didn't care what it was; he would change for her. As he watched her eyes swirling wildly, a clear indicator that her mind was loaded with thoughts, he groaned internally. Salazar, he really liked this girl.
Blissfully unaware of the turmoil she was unconsciously causing in the white-haired boy next to her, Ivy reached up and tickled the pear on the fruit bowl painting when they reached it. The whole group went in and talked amongst themselves for a while, nibbling on different snacks without spoiling their appetite for the feast, until Ivy checked her watch and realized that they were meant to be gathered in the Great Hall in the next hour.
She hurriedly said goodbye to her friends and dashed off to check on Selina. When she got to the hospital wing, she saw that her friend and Harry were talking and laughing happily. They smiled at her as she approached, and Selina informed her that Harry had just woken up about half an hour ago. Ivy barely had time to say she was glad he was alright before the doors opened again and Dumbledore swept in.
He made his way over to the bed and smiled warmly at Harry. He nodded at Selina and Ivy, "Ms Stone, Ms Moore, if you don't mind, I was hoping for a word with Mr Potter alone." Selina patted Harry's arm and stood up, linking arms with Ivy who winked at the boy and told him she'd see him at the feast. As they left the room, Ivy was incredibly aware of the eyes that were boring holes into the back of the head, but it only made her stand straighter and hold her head higher. Whatever Dumbledore's issue was with her wasn't going to affect her mood today. She was too tired.
Arm in arm with her friend, she walked down to the Great Hall for the final feast, talking idly about what a year it had been.
They walked into the great hall in wonderful moods. Silver and Green banners hung from the rafters as evidence of their hard work that year, and their friends waved happily at them from the Slytherin table. Ivy slid into a seat in between Pansy and Selina, facing Draco, just as she had been for their very first feast. Of course, this time dumb and dumber were relegated to further down the table as Blaise and Theo filled their seats, but that could only be considered an improvement.
Ivy smiled as she thought about how far she'd come since that night. She'd gone from being sweaty at just the sight of a crowd, to laughing merrily even as people swarmed about her. She'd gone from having no friends but her mother and Stheno to having nine close friends, and innumerable acquaintances.
At the beginning of the year, she'd been ready to hex Malfoy into next year, now she returned his fond smile, and thanked Merlin they'd become friends. She had found the strength to tell not one, but two people about her parentage, and had become deep friends with two selkies.
Hell, she'd gone from relatively normal, to prophesied only in the last day, although she was trying not to dwell on that for now. She mulled sentimentally for a while over all the adventures she'd been on during her first year when her attention was pulled away from her thoughts to the blonde boy across from her.
"Alright Stone? You seemed a little lost there." Ivy smiled at him, "Alright, Draco, just reliving this past year. I wish it wasn't over quite yet." He smiled at her and nodded in agreement, not taking his eyes off her face even when she looked away to watch a certain black-haired boy run into the hall and sit down next to Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table, turning around to shoot her a smile and wave which she mirrored back.
Draco didn't even look away from Ivy's face when Dumbledore took his place at the front of the room and called for silence.
"Another year, gone! And now, as I understand it, the house cup needs awarded and the points stand thus. In fourth place: Gryffindor, with 312 points! In third place: Hufflepuff, with 352 points! Second: Ravenclaw, with 426 points! And in first place, with 472 points: Slytherin house!"
Ivy and her friends banged their hands on the table, whooping and hollering loudly. She caught sight of Draco, who was still looking at her, but instead of reacting embarrassedly, he sent her a wink and a grin. She rolled her eyes, feeling slightly flustered and wondering what he was playing at.
"Yes, well done Slytherin, well done Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into account and I have a few last-minute points to award. To Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of intellect while others were in grave peril: fifty points!"
Ivy's eyebrows shot up but she clapped politely for her friend. Surely Dumbledore wasn't trying to pull the stunt she thought he was.
"Second, to Mr Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years: fifty points! And third, to Mr Harry Potter, for pure love and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house: sixty points!"
"That wanker," hissed Pansy. "It's obvious what he's doing. What they did was brilliant for sure, but he's specifically given out the points to make us tied, and I'm betting he's not done." Ivy rubbed her friend back soothingly as she muttered angrily about Slytherinphobia and favouritism. She was happy for her Gryffindor friends, but she wanted to throttle the headmaster.
He loved to talk of house unity, but then he pulled stunts like this, fully aware of the wedge that it would drive between the houses. Slytherin had earned every single one of their points fairly. Every point unfairly gained by Snape, they lost from the teachers who barely hid their disgust towards the students of Salazar's house.
"And finally: it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. I award ten points to Neville Longbottom! Assuming that my calculations are correct, I believe that a change of decoration is in order!"
"Fuck. Dumbledore." Hissed a very angry Selina, and the whole group murmured in agreement as the banners above them turned to red and gold.
As Dumbledore returned to his seat, he caught Ivy's furious gaze. He held it for a moment sternly, but she only deepened it. She wasn't about to back out of a fight that she knew she was right in. His gaze changed to icy and he broke the stare-off, looking back at the rest of the students with an infuriatingly condescending smile on his face.
"I don't even want to hex him. I just want to give him a good old punch to the teeth." Growled Ivy, and Draco snickered.
Her rage faltered as she looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Neville's face, completely shocked and entirely elated as his peers swarmed him with congratulations and praise.
Theo unclenched his jaw and shook his head slightly, trying to calm himself down. "Whatever. Who gives a shit about some cup that doesn't do anything. We won in reality. Besides, I'm not letting that creepy old codger ruin my last dinner."
He gestured at the table which was now laden with food and reluctantly the rest of the group agreed. After piling their plates with round after round of food, they actually did manage to shake off their annoyance, and they all laughed and joked for the remainder of the night.
Slytherin threw a mental party that night, and as a special treat, the first years were allowed to attend. They would still be hexed if they ventured near the alcohol, but none of them cared as they danced wildly through the night.
Ivy danced first with Pansy and Selina, spinning and twirling with the girls till they were all dizzy and giggling. Then Blaise stole her away and carried her off in a dramatic tango that made her laugh hysterically. Theo was next, grabbing her for one of the slower songs and swaying with her slowly.
As they danced, he leaned in and talked quietly to her. "I don't know how to thank you, Ives. All year, every time I started to feel happy, I tried to suppress it. I didn't think there was a shot in hell I'd ever come back to Hogwarts. It nearly killed me just getting here for this year. Then you changed everything. Every day since we sat under the chestnut tree by the lake I've been able to breathe a little clearer than before. I have hope again, and I didn't even remember what that felt like."
Ivy wiped away the tears that were spilling quietly from her eyes and kissed Theo on the cheek. "Careful Nott, you're going to make people think I've gone soft." Theo laughed and pulled her into a hug. They weren't even dancing anymore, but nobody around them seemed to notice.
"I meant what I said that day, Theo. I didn't have anyone growing up. I had my mum, and Stheno, but I never liked any of the other children, and they all hated me. We interacted occasionally at parties that my parents dragged me to, but it only left me feeling hollow. I craved a friendship where I could trust someone with everything about me; where they wouldn't run when I showed them the ugly bits. And I found so much more in you. I mean it. I didn't find a friend in you, I found a brother.
"I've got your back, Theo. Forever. I'm so glad that you feel like I've saved you by inviting you to live with me, but I can't take all the credit because it was mostly selfish. I don't want a life without my brother in it. I couldn't stand it. I'd burn Durmstrang to the ground as soon as they sent you an offer letter to avoid it."
Theo was crying now too, and they both laughed and wiped each other's tears away. "Good Lord, we must look a proper sight. Sobbing in the middle of a dance floor at a bloody party." Ivy giggled at Theo's words and looked around. They were still hugging in the middle of the floor, but the song had switched from slow to upbeat.
Theo smiled down at her. "I love you, Ivy." Ivy buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him tighter. "I love you too Theo." He kissed the top of her head, and they stayed there like that for a while.
"Everything alright guys? You've been hugging for like, ten minutes." Draco's voice pulled them back to reality and they loosened their hold on each other, trying to dry the last remainders of their tears while laughing slightly.
"Aces, mate" smiled Theo, and Draco returned it softly, seeing the red eyes on the pair of them.
"Mind if I cut in for a bit, Theo?" The sandy-haired boy smiled and pulled away from Ivy, before smirking cheekily at both of them.
"Not at all. I've spotted a super hot bloke over on the wall. Reckon I'm going to try my luck chatting him up." With a wink he left them and weaved his way over to Blaise, wrapping him in a massive hug when he reached him.
Ivy smiled as Blaise immediately reciprocated the hug and kissed Theo's forehead. Draco gently tugged her hand to get her attention and she turned to him, reaching her hands up and lacing them behind his neck as he dropped his to her waist.
"Are you actually doing alright, Ivy? I won't press you on where you were last night, because I know you don't want to share it right now, but I am a little worried. You seem to have so much going on in your life all the time, but your priority is always everyone else." He shrugged awkwardly, "I guess I just wanted to tell you that it's alright if you're the one who needs the support sometimes."
Ivy smiled at him for a moment, "Thank you Draco. You're a lot kinder than you let on. It's a good look on you." He flushed a rosy pink and she chuckled fondly. "As for where I was. It's bundled up in a rather large secret of mine, I'm afraid. I'd tell you if I could, but just now I can't. And if I'm honest, I'm a bit nervous about when I can. I don't want to lose our friendship, and it's a pretty distinct possibility."
Draco frowned at this, but one look at Ivy's face told him that she was genuinely anxious about that prospect. "I don't have the rosiest background Stone. My family doesn't either. I'm sure there are things I could tell you that would change how you saw me, but I don't believe you'd stop being my friend over them. Try to have the same trust in me when the time comes. I'm riddled with flaws, but you matter to me, and I'm not going to give up our friendship lightly."
Ivy's eyes were watering again, and she dropped her hands from Draco's neck for a moment to wipe her tears for what felt like the hundredth time. "Merlin, what is it with you and Theo making me cry at a party. I'm blaming my exhaustion, but honestly, Draco, I'm supposed to be a badass."
He laughed and Ivy returned her hands to their previous position. Summoning up his courage, he planted a quick kiss on the top of her head, and she smiled at him before resting her head on his chest.
Draco smiled down at her as her eyes fluttered closed while they swayed softly. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he'd changed anything, but he was hopeful enough to believe that he'd started to. Either way, it didn't matter at this moment. Nothing mattered. Whatever there was to come couldn't possibly compare with the peace and happiness spreading through his body, radiating from the place where Ivy's head was resting. He tightened his hold on her waist to support her, and rested his chin on her head, savouring every moment he could.
Exhaustion was beginning to catch up with Ivy after being wide awake the past two nights; the first anticipating visiting the selkies, and the second actually being there. When she stumbled and almost fell from nodding off, Draco caught her and chuckled slightly.
He walked her to the foot of her stairs and sat her down upon the lowest step. "Damn enchantment won't let me take you up, but give me a minute, I'll be right back." True to his word, he returned almost immediately with Pansy and Selina in tow.
The two girls wrapped their arms around Ivy, who was struggling to keep her eyes open and lifted her to her feet. As they helped her up the stairs, she heard Draco whisper from behind them "Goodnight, Ivy." but she shrugged off the tone of his voice as fatigue.
Her last memory was of being placed slightly indelicately, despite Pansy and Selina's best intentions and efforts, on her bed, and feeling her shoes and jacket being taken off before she slipped out of consciousness and into a dreamless sleep.