The Heiress of Slytherin

Fah lah lah lah lah, lalalala

Ivy didn't respond, she just put her head in her hands and shook her head, mad at herself that she'd started crying. She was sick and tired of crying over those boys. Draco put his arm around her and pulled her into his side, running his hand up and down her arm as they sat in silence, interrupted only occasionally by the sound of Ivy furiously sniffling and wiping her eyes.

She saw Harry and Ron in the halls a few times in the next few days, but true to her request they said nothing to her. Harry would look at his feet and shuffle quickly away, while Ron would give her an odd look and then follow Harry. Hermione was in the hospital wing, apparently looking like a cat, but Ivy didn't go to visit her. She couldn't handle any more confrontations if she could avoid them.

The only run-in she had with one of them was after dinner one night as she was leaving the Great Hall, laughing with her friends.

She hadn't noticed Ron following her out until he called out from behind her, "Why did you fix Harry's glasses?" Ivy stopped and turned around, her friends surrounding her from behind with looks of venomous hatred written over their faces: they didn't know the exact events of what happened, but they knew enough to know they wished they could cover him in enough curses to set a world record. "The other day, in the hall. Why did you fix them?" He expanded when she didn't respond immediately.

Ivy just stared at him for a moment, slightly bemused by the supreme lack of self-awareness he was showing. Finally, she responded in a tone so icy it raised the hairs on Ron's arms, "It's called taking accountability for what one breaks. Something you could learn from." Before he could respond she whipped around and parted her way through her friends, who shot Ron one last hate-filled glare before they followed her protectively, leaving the redhead looking more perplexed than ever in the hall behind her.

Apart from that one exchange, and despite Draco treating her like she was made of glass, Ivy managed to pull her mood out of its depths in those few days. It was hard not to, with her friends running around manically, pulling together last-minute Christmas gifts, pulling her outside into snowball fights, and procuring so many late-night Christmas cookie snack sessions that she was in a perpetual sugar coma.

Having her parents, Narcissa and Antonella around helped massively. Her father was still absolutely lost on how to act normal in social situations, but it was incredibly endearing to watch him try. Kyria, as always, made Ivy feel safer than ever and said all the things Ivy had wanted to hear when she came clean about her falling-outs with her friends and subsequent fears. Narcissa and Antonella were quickly becoming like aunts to Ivy, with Narcissa being the calm, caring one who you'd want to turn to if you needed comfort, while Antonella was practically as rowdy as the children - two personality types that offered a great deal of insight into why their sons were they way they were.

——🐍——

At last, Christmas came on a beautiful day when snow fell thick and glimmering on the school grounds, filling every part of the landscape with an ethereal shimmer.

The Great Hall was bedecked beautifully as always with at least six trees, innumerable garlands and green, red, gold, silver and blue bobbles floating in the air above the tables.

The Slytherin common room had one massive tree that had been enchanted to keep snow on the boughs without melting and was practically dripping with candles, garlands and the same various magical creature ornaments as the prior year.

Ivy awoke early to the sound of the door slamming open followed immediately by Draco, Blaise and Theo's voices shouting a loud "MERRY CHRISTMAS". Grumbling slightly she sat up and hurled a pillow with lethal force at the doorway, hitting Blaise in the stomach hard.