The Heiress of Slytherin

More Depresso than an Espresso

Nothing on earth could have persuaded Ivy to leave her bed and go to classes the next day, and when Pansy and Selina flicked on the lights in the morning she pulled her covers over her head and closed her eyes tighter.

They didn't question it once and their poorly concealed attempts at hushed whispers told Ivy that the news about Griffin and Justin had spread through the school already.

She pulled her pillow under the blanket with her and used it to cover her ears, trying desperately to block out their concerned voices. She loved them, and she loved that they cared, but she truly just wanted to be alone.

The bed sagged slightly behind her and the covers were pulled back, letting in beams of light that made Ivy scrunch up her face in a frown and groan.

Selina spoke gently and softly, as though Ivy might fall into pieces at any moment. "Hey gorgeous, how are you holding up?"

Ivy paused for a moment, then reluctantly flipped around and plastered a small smile to her face. "I'm alright. Just want to take the day. You two go ahead, don't worry about me."

Her smile was so forced it hurt and her voice felt like it belonged to someone else, but Pansy, who was standing next to Selina by the bed, just nodded understandingly and placed her hand on their blonde friends shoulder to tell her that they should let Ivy be.

She truly couldn't have been more grateful for the action as Selina nodded and smiled at her, dropped a kiss on her forehead, then stood back up and walked out to the door with Pansy, both of them only speaking to say goodbye and that they'd talk to the Professors for her.

She grabbed her wand from her nightstand and magicked the lights off but couldn't muster the energy to place it back, so she just rested it on her pillow and curled up as tightly as she could with her eyes open.

She didn't want to close them. All she saw when she did was Griffin lying on the floor. She lay there for so long that the minutes and hours blended together. The only thing that reminded her that it was still moving was watching the lake outside with its various inhabitants swimming past.

Around midday Pansy came and sat with her for a while. She set a plate of food on the nightstand and slipped under the covers next to Ivy after kicking off her shoes. She didn't speak or lay down, she just sat there, smoothing Ivy's hair in silence.

She eventually had to leave for classes, softly telling Ivy to eat before she went. Once she was gone Ivy realized just how much her company had been appreciated, but she didn't eat the food on the table. She wasn't hungry. She was just numb.

The rest of the day passed in this manner, with Selina taking the next turn at dinner to keep her company, her and Pansy whispering to each other when they saw the untouched food.

Ivy heard the door close and wondered briefly where they'd gone, but she couldn't hold onto the thought for long.

A few minutes later the door opened again and seconds later Ivy was surrounded on all sides by people. She was very gently pulled into a sitting position and she looked around to see Pansy, Selina, Theo, Blaise and Draco crammed into various seating positions on the bed, all looking at her.

She frowned at the three boys, "how'd you three get up here? The stairs turn into a ramp for boys." Her voice was dry and croaky from lack of water and use that day, so Theo reached for a glass of water by the bed while Draco jumped up to make her tea.

"We managed," said the latter with a small smile, "but never mind that. How are you? We heard you weren't eating?"

His eyes flicked over to the two plates of untouched food from lunch and dinner. Ivy dropped her eyes to Stheno, who was curled up in her lap. "I'm fine, just not hungry."