Chapter Text
King’s Cross, the 1st of September 1995
It was finally time. The summer had felt way too long, drowning in endless, sweaty days and books that had been read countless times before. For months, Ivy Grawn had hoped for the day she would stand in this very particular train station, heading for another year at Hogwarts. Far away from this forlorn world with its stern muggles and colourless skies. As she reached platform nine and three-quarters, Ivy released a breath she had been holding all summer. But now, it was finally time to return back home.
Ivy Grawn immediately recognised the people on the platform and was overwhelmed by a strange sense of familiarity, even though she had never even talked to most students.
Not far away from her, she saw Harry Potter surrounded by his many friends and fans. He looked almost as relieved as Ivy felt to return to Hogwarts. But Ivy didn’t pay him much attention as she headed further back. Some people looked at her, but few really saw her.
Pansy Parkinson gave her a nasty look that suggested she hadn’t grown to like Ivy any more over the summer. She was standing with her fabulous, chic friends, Madison Taylor and Jada Kimmins, who chatted so loudly about their fancy holiday in high-end places that probably half the student population of Hogwarts was already annoyed by them.
Ivy gripped her luggage and went past them, shushing as Dew, the grey stray cat she had adopted years ago, meowed loudly.
“I know you don’t like people,” Ivy said while gently patting the cat’s head. “Neither do I, but keep it down, yeah?” She gave the cat a few remains of cat food she found somewhere in the many pockets of her old cloak and sighed.
Ivy was happy to be back, of course, she was. There was nothing worse than summer break. But she also knew that life at Hogwarts was never easy.
And she also didn’t look forward to seeing one specific person again, who just wouldn’t leave her alone, no matter what she did and how hard she tried.
Just as she finished that thought, she heard a voice calling her name.
“Ivy! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Ivy sighed. She had really, really hoped that she wouldn’t have to meet her before arriving at Hogwarts. But today, she seemed to be totally out of luck.
“Astoria.”
Astoria Greengrass came to stand before her, smiling like it was her birthday, and petted Dew, first of all things.
“I’ve been writing you thousands of letters, why didn’t you answer? I literally have so much I want to talk to you about, you won’t believe what happened this summer! I learned how to surf, down in France, can you imagine? It’s such a muggle thing to do, but Daphne insisted.” She chuckled happily, and Ivy’s mood sank even further.
“I told you not to write me,” Ivy said dryly. She did, in fact, know everything about Astoria’s trip to the south of France. She had received all the letters, and it really had been a lot of reading. Sometimes Ivy wondered if Astoria had done anything but write to her during the whole summer.
“I know, but you know, I thought it might be a bit boring in the orphanage, that maybe a letter or two would cheer you up.”
“Well, it didn’t.”
Astoria sighed. “Why are you always so grumpy?” She said, sounding like a reproving mother.
“Just leave me alone, yeah?” Ivy said in a tired voice. “Go talk to your friends.”
“Wait, Ivy, come on, I haven’t seen you since what, June?” She more or less grabbed Ivy’s arm and started talking to her about things Ivy couldn’t care less about.
She sighed.
Ivy didn’t mean to be mean. She did not dislike Astoria. It was probably impossible not to like Astoria, pretty, smart, kind Astoria, who always had a smile ready for everyone. She skipped a grade a couple of years ago and was now in Ivy’s year because she was so intelligent and hardworking and staying humble through it all. Ivy had never seen her angry or annoyed. She was perhaps a bit ignorant and self-centred, but even though she always hung out with Draco and his friends, she wasn’t nearly as cruel as they were.
But that was what bothered Ivy: Who she hung out with. Astoria Greengrass was a pure-blood witch from a noble House and only spent time with like-minded people, even if she didn’t seem to do it consciously.
Ivy wanted nothing to do with people like that. People who came from money, from powerful families with dark histories. She thought it was better to be alone than to befriend people who would only look down on her, and that’s exactly what awaited Ivy with Astoria’s repeated attempts at friendship.
Ivy also couldn’t understand why Astoria even wanted to be friends with her. Ivy didn’t know anyone. She didn’t do much to earn people’s attention.
Ivy was perhaps a bit afraid that Astoria had chosen her as a charity project, a poor, lonely person to bless with her rare presence. Ivy resented that thought. She wasn’t lonely at all. She just didn’t need friends. Ivy was the kind of person who was best on her own.
“Ivy, don’t look so peevish!”
“I told you to leave me alone.”
“But why?” She sighed exaggeratedly. “Oh, look, it’s Draco!” Astoria then said with an excited sound coming from her lips.
Then she dragged Ivy to meet Draco, Astoria’s childhood best friend and the most annoying person on the planet. Arrogant, witty and far too confident.
Draco was already in his Hogwarts robes, wearing noble black and venomous green. His hair was styled, and his shoes didn’t have a speck of dust on them. He looked expensive like a cut diamond, if not for the nasty look on his face. His eyes only softened a bit when he saw Astoria.
Next to Draco Malfoy stood his parents, who looked even more intimidating than their son. Lucius Malfoy was wearing an expression that suggested he looked down on everyone who crossed his path, his hair looked luxurious, long and shiny, and his cane clanked on the floor whenever he moved, letting everyone know someone important had arrived.
Then there was Narcissa Malfoy, who, for some reason, intensely stared at Ivy with dark eyes. She was a scary-looking witch, Ivy thought. Mrs Malfoy carried herself like a queen and had a never-changing expression on her face that let everyone know that she was always thinking, always judging, and most certainly never feeling too much emotion.
Ivy felt quite small as Astoria joyfully greeted Draco’s parents. But both their eyes were on Ivy.
“And who are you?” Mr Malfoy asked with a raised brow, completely ignoring Astoria like she wasn’t even there.
“You look familiar,” Mrs Malfoy remarked, still staring at Ivy like she was trying to figure out who the girl was.
“That’s Ivy Grawn,” Astoria said swiftly since Ivy was busy glancing at the floor.
“Grawn?” Mrs Malfoy repeated with a strange undertone. “Grawn like—”
That was when Ivy, still with her gaze averted, yanked her arm free.
“I-I’m leaving,” she said quietly and quickly left the family standing, hurrying away towards the back of the train.
Astoria called after her. She ignored it.
She hated all of this.
Ivy didn’t want to talk to anyone or meet anyone’s parents. She hated Astoria for trying to get Ivy to do all the things she didn’t want, despised her for not seeing how unwanted her effort was.
She didn’t want to be befriended, not by anyone, and especially not by Astoria Greengrass. But the girl seemed to be stuck in her own world and wishes, so that she never noticed the feelings of others.
Now Ivy was left feeling strange and uncomfortable, still feeling Narcissa Malfoy’s burning eyes and Lucius Malfoy’s judgmental face telling her that they knew exactly who she was, a little half-blood, a little blood traitor.
Ivy didn’t stop to talk to anyone or even look at anything before she boarded the Hogwarts Express.
In the back of the train, where the chatting was quieter and students seemed more reserved, Ivy found an empty compartment and took a seat. The day had just started, and she was already drained by having met all these people.
She felt quite miserable. She was in cheap clothes the orphanage provided, and the only expensive thing she owned was her mother’s old ring, which she now spun on her finger like she so often did. She was wearing an old, lousy cloak, and even her uniform somehow looked worse than that of her classmates.
She knew she wasn’t as fancy as the Malfoys or the Greengrasses. She knew she read Muggle books and listened to Muggle music and behaved like a lonely Muggle that had somehow found its way into Hogwarts, but why did they care?
Ivy sighed, closing her eyes, telling herself that it didn’t matter. The way that other people looked at her didn’t matter, and she didn’t care what Astoria thought of her. She was alone in her world, Ivy reminded herself.
After what felt like an eternity, the train finally took off, and Ivy could leave London and all its miseries behind. The weather outside was cool for September, and a couple of clouds drifted in the sky and took away from the sun’s brightness. Dew had quickly fallen asleep on Ivy’s lap and purred quietly as the train approached Hogwarts, and Ivy started to feel better bit by bit.