The Heiress of Slytherin

Home, Home on the Range

After laughing lovingly at him and saying goodbye to everyone Ivy slipped the mirror back in her back and sighed contentedly. Feeling immensely heartened by her first talk with her father, then with her friends she swung her legs out of bed, woke Stheno to wrap her around her shoulders, slipped on her shoes and left the room to continue exploring.

The door to Athemar's room, which was just across the hall from Ivy's, was slightly ajar when she stepped out of hers so she walked over and knocked before swinging it open and stepping inside.

Athemar was sitting by the fire in an armchair, in a shocking turn of events. The familiarity of the scene made Ivy smile and idle for a moment before walking over to him. Some days it seemed that the whole world could burn down and Athemar would still be there, sitting in a chair by the fire. The unshakeable reliability of it made Ivy feel safe in ways she couldn't quite explain.

When she walked over to him, he looked up at her with a smile and nodded his head to the chair opposite himself. She settled in it, feeling a little silly at how the padding enveloped her small frame while her father looked as commanding as ever across from her. He picked up something from the small table beside him and handed it to her; another journal.

"This belonged to our ancestor, Saoirse Sayre. It is her account of the loss of her family, her avoidance of her aunt and the hunt for her sister, among other things." He smiled softly as his gaze rested upon the tired leather journal. "I suppose that families are wont to be connected, even as they are separated. Saoirse wrote this journal just as Rionach wrote hers; together I hope they will supply some missing clues about the Chamber of Secrets."

He bent forward towards her now, a look of grave solemnity in every feature. "But Ivy, you must promise me that when you find those answers you are looking for, you ask for help. Your mother and I would be there for you in an instant, as would many others I'm sure. You must promise me that you will not try to save the world alone."

Ivy smiled and nodded at him, but when his expression didn't relent she decided she needed to be a touch more concrete. "I promise that I will ask for help."

Athemar exhaled deeply as though he'd been holding his breath, then stood and extended his hand towards Ivy. "I think we've spent more than enough time holed up in our rooms, let us go and see the rest of the school, shall we?"

Ivy beamed up at him and took his offered hand, leaping to her feet with his assistance and they set out into the castle together. For the rest of the day they wandered about, admiring the large statues of each of the houses: Pukwudgie (which looked suspiciously like William), Wampus (whose bright yellow eyes were so lifelike Ivy felt a little unsettled), Firebird (an image of Selina flashed in Ivy's mind and she had to bit her lip to keep from laughing), and Horned Serpent (it looked exactly like the beast that had stared up at her from the lake, making Ivy shudder and turn away; she had too much to dwell on already).

They even managed to find where the wands were crafted, being made for each student inside the school instead of purchased before arrival, and Ivy beamed when she thought about how excited Mr Ollivander would be if he could see it.

As they walked Athemar narrated for them, proving to be a better tour guide than Ivy had ever expected. She was loving how much she was learning about her father on this trip, and she mentally added "history nerd" to the list, right underneath "capable of apologies" and "has a sense of humour". The day ended up, after all of the havoc of the morning, being one of the most enjoyable ones Ivy had had in a long time.

That night, as she tucked her feet under the blankets as tight as she could and shivered (not helped by Stheno's cold body being curled upon her torso for warmth), thinking miserably of the warming blankets from the common room that she'd commandeer on the coldest nights, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't know how she knew, but something inside her told her that this would stand out in her mind as one of the most significant days of her life.