The Heiress of Slytherin

For Merlins Sake

The day passed in a blur of laughter, butterbeer, candy and a consistent lack of decorum so great that Lucius Malfoy may very well have felt his head pop off had he been present to witness it.

Even Athemar could be regularly seen smiling, laughing or, most delightfully of all, interjecting his own intelligent quip into the ongoing conversation.

The one thing he firmly would not do, however, was engage in the snowball fight the group found themselves in at lunch, choosing instead to watch, in ever the elegant manner, from the relative safety of the entryway.

He chuckled as his wife battled fiercely alongside their daughter, and fondly brushed the snow out of Kyria, Ivy and Theo's hair once the cold and exhausted group trouped back inside.

But as the night wore on Ivy couldn't help but notice his demeanour shift. He laughed less, his smile grew tighter, his fingers drummed rapidly on the table, and she found herself frequently catching him regarding her with an unreadable expression on his face.

It was only after nearly two hours of this behaviour that Kyria finally placed her hand over Athemar's restless one and whispered something in his ear. He closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, then gave his wife a short nod and rose to his feet.

"I believe it is time for us to return to our lodgings. Ivy, if you would join me, I have something I wish to discuss with you. And Theo, Kyria would be glad of your company."

Theo shot Ivy a weird look, as though trying to understand if she knew what was going on. She returned it with a nearly imperceptible shake of her head as she rose to put her cloak on.

Theo did the same, and after properly wishing everyone goodnight, the family stepped out into the snow under the bright starry sky, climbed into the elegant carriage, and set off towards Hogsmead.

All of Ivy and Theo's undiscussed intentions to ask their parents what was going on fled from their minds as the landscape started to blur outside the crystal windows.

The uncontainable excitement at the prospect of finally getting to visit the legendary, all-magical town bubbled forth in a spring so full and sudden that it left them somewhat breathless and full of giddy anticipation.

They clasped their hands tightly together on the bench as they each took to their respective windows, narrating anything of interest they saw from their side to the other as they passed.

For a while it was only landscape, and the narrations were far fetched hopes that the flash in the distance was the light from a house, not just the moonlight on the snow.

Then all at once their anticipation was slated as the carriage pulled round a turn and went swiftly over a cobblestone bridge, revealing the most wonderful sight to Ivy and Theo.

The street was winding and irregular, and the houses that lined the sides followed suit. They leaned and slanted, twisted and shifted, yet all fit together as though they were pieces of a delightful puzzle.

They were painted every colour imaginable, from buttery yellows to cherry reds, meadow greens to bellflower purples. As breathtaking as they looked under the night sky, with their cheery windows twinkling from the candlelight within, Ivy knew they would only be more so when they shone in the daylight.

They did not drive along the Main Street where all the shops lay, but Ivy was a little glad of this. She wanted her first sight of the famous road to be when all the shops were lit up and bustling.

Instead they pulled their carriage around the back of the tavern, so that the groomsmen could put them away, and walked in through a quaint back entrance into the pub.