Chapter Text
CW: Misgendering, Blood Purism, Coming Out, Child Abuse mention, Transphobia
~~~~~ Ivy ~~~~~
I: The Room
~~~~~ Ivy ~~~~~
July 5th, 1995
“Ugh… I'm exhausted,” Ron groaned, running a hand down his face.
“Oh! Well, we should probably get everyone to bed,” Molly said, fretting. “Ron, Harry, I set a room up for you both upstairs while you were out.”
“Ah, um. Thanks,” Ivy said, smiling thinly. Well, whatever - she could deal with it. Just hide under covers or something and—
“Hermione, Ginny, dears - I saw a girl’s room while I was up there. I think a second bed should—”
“NO!” Ivy shrieked before clapping her hands over her mouth.
Everyone looked at her in shock and Ivy wondered if it was possible to disappear.
“Harry?” Molly said uncertainly. “Are you… Alright, dear?”
Ivy swallowed the lump in her throat. “N-not… Not that room. Please just. Any other room but that one,” she said softly.
“Harry—” Hermione began, but when her hand touched Ivy’s back the smaller girl flinched away and fell to the ground cursing when she realized her friend might feel the bra under her clothes.
“Mate, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost,” Ron said anxiously.
“Is there… Something wrong with that room? Is it your secret girlfriend's or something?” Fred asked, half-joking, though the fact he didn't twinspeak with George showed his heart wasn't in it.
“No, just— it—” Ivy made a frustrated sound as she rose to her feet, dusting herself off. “I…” She crossed her arms, groaning a little. “It's… It belongs to someone. It's just… Not my girlfriend’s.”
“Well… Whose?” Ron asked, frowning. “What, Sirius got a secret daughter or something?”
“Not last I knew,” Tonks remarked, shrugging. “But then again he was apparently pretty wild back then, so maybe? We can ask when he gets home.”
“H-he doesn't,” Ivy mumbled, tugging at her collar a bit.
“Is that a bra?” Ginny asked.
Fuck.
“N-no,” Ivy replied quickly. Too quickly.
“No, that was definitely a bra. Why are you wearing a bra?” Ginny asked.
“Ginny, I don't think that's—”
“It's none of your business,” Ivy said firmly, cutting off Hermione mid-rebuke. “And it's not a bra.”
“This is getting out of hand. We're all tired,” Molly suggested a bit furtively. “Ron, Harry, why don't you head to bed? And I'll set up another room for the girls—”
“Why? If nobody's using it, we may as well,” Ginny countered.
“And this isn't our home, Ginny. If the room belongs to someone then we shouldn't use it without asking,” Hermione countered diplomatically while Ron started slowly getting up and Ivy worked on putting herself together a bit.
“It's just a bloody room!” Ginny cried, obviously fed up.
“IT'S NOT JUST A ROOM DAMMIT!” Ivy shouted, now thoroughly angered. Ginny’s eyes had gone wide as she looked in shock at the raven-haired girl who was a full head shorter than her.
“Okay, but—”
“Fuck! It's mine, okay? It's my bedroom!” Ivy shouted. “Happy?! Glad you kept on fucking asking? It's my bedroom! Mine!”
She let out a loud, frustrated shriek before turning around and storming out, slamming the dining room door shut as she did so.
“MUDBLOOD FILTH—” Walburga’s portrait began.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FUCKING BINT!” Ivy shouted back, causing the portrait to go silent in shock, allowing Ivy to yank the curtains shut before she stormed up the stairs and to the very same room.
She opened the door, went inside, and slammed it shut as well as hurling a secure locking charm at the knob before she turned around and sunk to the floor, back against the door as she let out a frustrated half-groan half-sob.
Four walls, one floor, one ceiling. A room to call her own - in a safe space, even. Her bedroom for the last year now.
The walls were painted a pale pink while the floor was made of polished cedar. The same wood was used for her desk, dresser, bedframe, vanity, the sofa’s frame, the frame of her wall mirror, and the hope chest she'd retrieved from Lily Evans’ vault.
Ivy slowly rose to her feet, shedding and tossing Siri’s old jacket into the hamper she used for her dirty clothes. She looked around at all the signs of her presence. The rack full of shoes, the drawers full of a girl’s wardrobe, the walk-in closet that finished it off with style and also held her trunk, the stuffed animals littering her little alcove window and bed, and even the Holyhead Harpies poster on the wall. Honestly, she was surprised the cat towers for Rose and Tulip somehow didn't tip Molly off.
She looked at herself in her vanity mirror and sighed before pulling out the stool and sitting down. Everything had fallen apart, so she may as well abandon the facade. She pulled out a pack of magical makeup wipes and started to systematically remove the boyish makeup she'd been making use of since the end of second year when the hormone potions began to take root.
With each wipe, the ways she'd sharpened her features vanished and the true softness of her face became evident. Not to mention the clearness of her skin. It wasn't long before the little wastebasket was occupied by a pair of the wipes and Ivy was getting up to change.
“Harry?” A familiar voice called from the door, somewhat muffled. “Mind if I come in?”
“I'm changing,” Ivy replied coolly. “And I don't think you fancy seeing me in my knickers, Tonks.”
“Knickers, eh? Not boxers?” The metamorphmagum teased, though it was obvious to Ivy her heart wasn't in it.
“Wouldn't really suit the vibe,” Ivy said as she removed her shirt and jeans, tossing them into the hamper as well, soon followed by the rather constrictive ‘magically flattening’ bra and the knickers she'd worn. She then opened up her dresser’s top drawer, picking out a normal set of underwear.
“That so? And what vibe is that?” Tonks asked gently.
“My vibe,” Ivy replied, hooking the bra and stepping into the knickers before she began looking at her pajama bottoms drawer. It was hot, so she was thinking shorts tonight. May as well. She smiled a little when she saw her body’s progress - her hips had been widening, her chest was developing really well (no duh, she needed the flattening bra), and the visible curve of her waist made her hum happily.
“I suppose you have me there,” Tonks said, laughing. “You decent yet?”
“Hardly,” Ivy replied, a weak chuckle bubbling out of her as she stepped into some black shorts and began looking at the shirts. The big and loose ones - she didn't feel like skin-hugging clothes right now. Like this, her scars were far more visible than usual - the lichtenberg marks reaching down around her legs and arms until her ankles and wrists, the reddish starburst on her left bicep, and the old scars from her time at the Dursleys that had mostly faded away.
“Siri’s probably gonna be out for a week, by the way. Something in Italy,” Tonks added, probably to effectively warn Ivy she was on her own in explaining things. Lovely.
“Great,” Ivy muttered, pulling the shirt over her head before she went to her desk and opened the drawers. She ignored the holly and phoenix wand that hadn't obeyed her since the Chamber and instead withdrew the alder and dragon heartstring wand she'd begun to favor, using it to loosen her hair from the complicated style she used to hide its true length. She then tied the hair in a loose ponytail using the hairtie she always kept tied around her right ankle.
She stepped into her favored brown moccasin-style slippers before opening up the bedroom door.
“Woah!” Tonks exclaimed as they fell back into Ivy's room, looking up in surprise at the Girl-Who-Lived. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Ivy replied dryly. She glanced out into the hallway - empty.
“They're all still downstairs,” Tonks said as she got up, brushing herself off. “I asked them to give you some space since you, ah…”
“Blew up?” Ivy said, arching an eyebrow as she closed the door behind them.
“Yeah, sorta,” Tonks agreed, smiling weakly. “Pretty nice digs, I gotta say. And… You uh…” She waved a hand at her own chest.
“Hormone potions,” Ivy replied. “That and some magic bras that make me look flatter.”
“I see…” Tonks shrugged and looked around, grinning when she saw the bookshelves that were full of Ivy’s taste in romance novels, Hermione’s taste in mundane fiction books, Susan’s taste in fashion magazines, and more from Ivy's many other girl friends. “Merlin, Harry - I don’t think I've seen a girlier lineup of books since I slept with Emmie Vance.”
“Ivy,” the smaller girl replied. “It's Ivy - not Harry.”
“Huh… It suits you,” Tonks replied, smiling genuinely before she gestured to the sofa.
“Go for it.”
Tonks sat down and hummed, taking the room in. “I can see why Molly figured the girls - er, other girls - should use the room. It's really… pink,” the metamorphmagum said, smirking as her own hair turned a bit paler than its usual bubblegum tone.
“I like pink,” Ivy said defensively before frowning. She reached under her shirt and pulled out the voice modification necklace. “Oh, right,” she muttered, undoing the clasp and carefully putting it away in the jewelry box she kept atop the vanity.
“Something wrong?” Tonks asked idly.
“It deepens my voice,” Ivy explained, her voice having gone from a somewhat creaky baritone to a smoother alto.
“Oh, shit! Alright then,” Tonks replied, laughing. She sighed a bit and gave Ivy a thoughtful look. “How long have you…?”
“I've known since I looked into the Mirror of Erised - first year,” Ivy replied, sighing as she took her wand and tucked it behind her ear. “I started hormones not long after that. A bit risky with my relatives, but I made it work.”
“Uh-huh… And you didn't tell your best friends?”
“How was I supposed to?” Ivy asked testily, rounding on Tonks. “Just ‘hey, I wanna be a girl’? Tonks, I tried mentioning gay people once and Ron made a face like he'd swallowed a lemon! I love them, but I couldn't… I couldn't risk it, okay?”
“Ah… Well… People do change,” Tonks said gently.
Ivy sighed. “I know, okay? I know. People change all the time, just…” She gripped her biceps a bit before wandering over and leaning against one of the posters of her bed. “If they didn't accept me I wouldn't be able to handle it.”
Tonks got up and gently wrapped an arm around Ivy’s shoulders, rubbing the opposite shoulder a little. “I think if you go downstairs… Maybe your new look would help,” Tonks suggested. “It shouldn't have to be what it takes to convince them, but…”
Ivy sighed, pushing her bangs up as she ran a hand through her hair. “Why couldn't they have just realized the room belonged to someone and left it be?” She asked softly. “It's clearly lived in.”
“Eh. The Weasleys are used to hand-me-downs. Maybe they just thought borrowing the room of someone who ‘wasn’t there’ wouldn't be a big deal,” Tonks suggested with a shrug before she detached herself. “Now then. Ready to go talk to them?”
“No,” Ivy replied dryly.
“Too bad - let's rip off the bandaid,” Tonks said cheerfully, heading to the door and pulling it open.
Ivy sighed, detaching herself from the bed poster and heading over, grimacing at the open door. “No matter what, they're not using my room,” she said firmly.
“Don't worry, kid. I've got your back. Privacy’s the most important thing, yeah?” Tonks patted Ivy’s back and followed the smaller girl out as they made their way down the hall.
As they made their way down the stairs, Ivy couldn't help her increasing anxiety. “Think they'll react funny?” She asked, trying to keep the mood light.
“To you suddenly getting long hair, tits, and a girly voice and face? Yeah, probably,” Tonks teased, poking Ivy in the center of her back and causing her to squeak a little.
“Hey! I could've fallen!” Ivy objected, though her heart wasn't in it.
“Mrow?” A small voice came from her feet. Ivy looked down and giggled before picking up her fluffy auburn cat.
“Hello, Rosie,” she murmured. “Where's your sister? Off causing trouble?” She asked, scratching Rose behind her ears. Rose purred happily and crawled up to drape herself around Ivy’s shoulders, though remaining alert and looking about.
“Bloody weird cat,” Tonks muttered, a hand over her mouth and nose.
“You alright?” Ivy asked, bemused.
“Allergies,” the older wix answered.
“Ah. Siri’s the same. Think all the Blacks have it?” Ivy asked wistfully. “Would be real useful against Malfoy if he got it from his Mum.”
“Heh, maybe,” Tonks replied as they got to the bottom of the stairs and looked at the closed dining room door. “Ready?”
Ivy sighed, gently lifting Rose off her shoulders and setting her down despite the cat’s protests. “No, but let's get it over with,” she muttered, tugging her wand out from behind her ear and carefully stuck it through her ponytail’s hairtie as though it were some manner of hairpin.
“Who taught you that trick?” Tonks asked, grinning as they made their way to the door.
“No one. I just copied Hermione,” Ivy answered truthfully. She put her hand on the knob and took a slow, deep breath. “Here we go,” she muttered before twisting and pushing.
“Oh, Tonks! Did… Harry?” Hermione said, puzzled when she saw Ivy enter. “Wait… H-Harry?”
“‘Lo,” Ivy replied a bit sheepishly, her cheeks a little pink as she made her way over to the kitchen. Making some tea would help her focus without blowing her top like she had earlier.
“Wait… What?” Ron asked. “You having us on, mate?”
“No. I'm not,” Ivy replied a bit stiffly as she pulled out the kettle. She could have done it magically, but the mundane method would help her keep focus. She turned on the tap and started to fill it. “This is who I am.”
“And… Who is that, exactly?” Ginny asked, sounding completely lost.
“The same person you've known,” Ivy said, turning on the stove’s burner as she set the kettle down and began to side through her labeled tea caddy. “I still like Quidditch, tea, romance novels, cats, the like. I’m just…” She shrugged, pulling out the darjeeling and setting it on the counter while she examined her teapots. “A girl.”
“Oh!” Hermione exclaimed. “Of course! That explains so much,” she said, smacking herself in the forehead. She then gave Ivy a sheepish smile. “Sorry you didn't feel like you could tell us.”
Ivy gave Hermione a small smile of her own as she set down the teapot and began measuring the leaves out. Once that was done she put the case of darjeeling back in the caddy and closed the caddy itself.
“Oh… So… Was the guy thing to protect you?” Ron guessed, sounding puzzled.
“Huh… Pretending to be a bloke to protect yourself? Awful clever,” George said approvingly.
“Indeed, indeed,” Fred agreed, grinning.
Ivy sighed. “No,” she said, stepping back toward the teapot when it began to whistle.
“What?” Ron asked, lost. “So… You aren't a girl?”
“Of course she is, Ronald,” Hermione said sharply, swatting his shoulder. “She just… Wasn't always aware she was a girl.”
Fred blinked. “Well… I think it would be awful easy to check, no?” He said, puzzled.
“Fred!” Molly chastised.
“Well I'm right, aren't I?” Fred objected, holding his hands up.
“My sex is still male,” Ivy said through gritted teeth as she started to pour the boiling water into the teapot. “But my gender is female.”
“How does that work?” Ginny asked, frowning. “Sex and gender are the same.”
“Well…” Hermione began before glancing at Ivy.
“Go for it,” Ivy replied, putting the emptied kettle back atop the stove - on an unused burner - and turning off the heat.
Hermione hummed. “Well, one’s sex is purely biological, you see. It actually relates to the chromosomes - one from the father, one from the mother. The mother always provides an X, the father has a fifty-fifty chance of either X or Y. If someone has two X chromosomes, they're biologically female. One X and one Y means they're biologically male. Mind, there are exceptions known as ‘intersex’ which can lead to people whose sex falls outside the established binary,” she explained in her usual rushed way before she flushed a smidgen. “Actually, I'm intersex.”
“There’s no opposing term for one who isn't intersex the same way there is for alternative and binary genders,” Ivy added, pulling out teacups. “But I've been tested to be sure, and I'm not intersex. Though, my father was intersex.”
“Oh!” Hermione exclaimed, sounding pleased. “How interesting. I wonder…” She shook her head. “Anyway. Gender, unlike sex, is not biological. It's mental - and more, but one’s gender identity doesn't always line up with their biological sex and natal appearance. We call that transgender. Of course, gender expression is far more likely to be varied. ‘Tomboys’ may act and behave more traditionally masculine while still being physically female and identifying as female, for example. One’s name and pronouns - such as he/him, she/her, they/them, and so on - are also part of that, same as clothing, body language, hobbies and interests, really anything that can be gendered. Of course,” Hermione’s nose wrinkled, “I have thoughts about gendering things and pretending people have to fulfill arbitrarily decided roles all because of their chromosomes - which nobody can control. But I won't delve into that now.”
While the Weasleys sat in stunned silence, Ivy poured cups of tea for herself and Hermione. She brought other cups along with the pot, some sugar, milk, and honey to the table, setting it down. “Thanks, ‘Mione,” she murmured softly to her best friend. Hermione squeezed Ivy’s hand gently just before the shorter girl went to add some sugar to each of their cups. Three cubes for Hermione, four for herself.
“Oh, right! Do you have a new name chosen out?” Hermione asked brightly.
“Ivy,” the girl in question replied, smiling brightly as she handed Hermione her cup of tea.
“Ivy… It suits you,” Hermione said, grinning.
“I thought so, too,” Tonks chimed in, smirking. “She’s everywhere, feels like.”
“Mmm. I thought it was because we drive her up the walls,” Hermione replied with a cackle.
“Isn't that the truth?” Ivy grumbled into her cup of tea.
Ron was the first to shake himself. “So… You're a boy… But you want to be a girl?” He asked, confused.
Ivy sighed a little. “No. I am a girl. People just thought I had to be a boy because of the parts I was born with,” she corrected patiently. “I obviously look more like a girl now, and it's because I take special potions every week that make my body stop producing testosterone and that introduce estrogen and progesterone to my system in its place.”
“And that's how…” Fred gestured to his chest area and winced when Hermione kicked him under the table.
Ivy huffed. “Yes, Fred. That's how I got my breasts,” she quipped. “Mundanes can do the same thing, mind. Madam Pomfrey introduced me to Healers Insom and Grapelock from St. Mungo’s and they got me the potions I needed.”
“Oh! Was that why you left for spring break in first year?” Hermione guessed.
Ivy shook her head, taking the last sip of her tea. “I actually spent the time at St. Mungo’s since I was malnourished and didn't have any magical vaccinations,” she explained, setting the cup in the sink. “While I was there I just… Asked,” she admitted, shrugging.
“Huh… Wait, malnourished?” Ron asked, alarmed.
“Ron, my mundie clothes made me look like a scarecrow,” Ivy said dryly. “And I jumped at the chance to leave the Dursleys when Siri offered. They weren't good people. Remember the bars on my bloody window? Still, at least that was a bedroom - I used to sleep…” She paused and took a slow, shaky breath. “I didn't always have my own bedroom. I do now.”
“Right nice digs they are, too,” Tonks said cheerfully, trying to bring up the sobering mood.
Hermione got up and set her empty cup on the counter before enveloping Ivy in a tight hug. “Thank you for trusting me. And I'm sorry you felt you couldn't before,” she murmured, squeezing.
“It was just… Me,” Ivy whispered, hugging her back. “But still… Thanks. And thanks for trusting us about yourself, too.”
Hermione chuckled as she pulled away, leaning against the counter opposite the one Ivy was stood against. “I felt it would help. Besides, you and Ron are my best friends,” she said simply.
“Mmm… Ron?” Ivy said, glancing at the redhead she was closest to.
Ron was still looking really confused before he sighed and shook his head. “Ah, bugger it. You say you're a girl? Alright. Just get your butt out of the boy’s dorm this year then, yeah?” He said, grinning.
Ivy laughed dryly. “Maybe,” she said a bit weakly. “Lav, Faye, and Sophia might all be from mundie families, but that doesn't mean they'll be accepting - and Parvati isn't . Nevermind, you know, the rest of Hogwarts.”
“Oh…” Ron deflated a bit before inclining his jaw. “Then I guess I better up my game and make sure I can have your back, yeah?” He said with a firm look to his eyes.
Ivy smiled a little. “Thanks, Ron,” she murmured, to which the boy shrugged. She then looked at the other Weasleys. “And you all? If nothing else, can you at least not tell anyone? The only ones who knew before today were McGonagall, Sirius, Madam Pomfrey, and my Healers - Katrina Insom and Frederick Grapelock. I'd like to avoid more people finding out.”
Fred and George exchanged looks before giving cautious looks at Ivy. Somehow she had a feeling they'd pieced a few things together, considering the rather sad looks to their eyes.
“Well… Can't rightly say I get it, but I'm not about to peeve off the - girl?” Ivy nodded so Fred continued. “The girl who keeps Gryffindor team winning. You're not dropping the team are you?” He checked, eyeing her curiously.
“No,” Ivy replied truthfully. “But I may switch to Chaser after this year ends. I'm not as small and fast as I used to be.”
“Fair enough,” George mused, shrugging. “Gives Gin a chance to be Seeker, eh?” He grinned at his baby sister, who sighed.
“I guess I can live with that,” Ginny said faux-dramatically before smiling weakly at Ivy. “I'll take a bit, but yeah. I can keep your secret. That mean using ‘Harry’ and boy pronouns in public?”
“For now,” Ivy agreed. “I love my new name, but…” She shrugged a little weakly. “My safety takes priority, and there's a lot of prejudice against gay, lesbian, and bisexual people alone. Trans people like me…” She grimaced. “It's not pretty how we're treated.”
“But you're… Well, not exactly a normal girl, but…” Ginny frowned. “Why would…?”
“Because I'm ‘a man invading women’s spaces’, as my Aunt would so eloquently put it,” Ivy said bitterly, sighing and crouching to pick up Tulip when she saw the fluffy golden yellow cat. She meowed in protest until Ivy oriented her to be cradled almost like a baby, at which point she began purring contentedly while Ivy pet her fluffy belly. She looked at Molly, who'd been worryingly silent. “Mrs. Weasley?”
Molly pursed her lips and began to pace a bit. “I'm… I'm sorry, dear. This is just… A lot to deal with,” she said, sounding stressed. “And it's all so very sudden, I—”
“To you.”
“Pardon?”
“It's all very sudden… to you,” Ivy repeated. “I've known I wanted to be a girl since I was a little kid. I knew it for certain that being a boy was painful and wrong for me since first year. My room is girly because I like it. I've always liked it. So… It's not sudden. You're just among the ones finding out after the fact.”
Molly winced and the other Weasleys looked sort of shocked that someone - particularly Ivy - was daring to cross Molly Weasley. But then…
Molly wasn't her Mum. She didn't have the right to impose her views on Ivy.
The Weasley matriarch wrung her hands, sighing frustratedly. “Well… It's just… Is Sirius really okay with this? And would your parents-”
“Molly,” Tonks warned.
“Well, it's probably not the life they imagined for their son!” Molly replied defensively.
“Well…” Ivy shrugged, detaching from the counter and fixing Molly with a cold look. “I saw their shades when I duelled Voldemort.”
Everyone but Hermione and Ivy flinched. Ivy had to use a wandless spell to catch the teacup Tonks dropped, and thankfully the ones Ginny and Ron were using were already on the table. Tulip meowed when her hand moved, but didn't fuss since she wasn't dropped.
“And they knew. They knew my name. What I'm like,” Ivy added as she levitated the cup for Tonks to reclaim. “And they were proud. So I think they don't mind. As for Siri, I don't think he’d fund an entire girl’s wardrobe, bedroom, and thensome if he wasn't okay with ‘this’,” she said, gesturing to herself and fixing Molly with a cold look.
“Ivy?” Hermione asked softly as she took Ivy’s hand gently, squeezing it a little.
Ivy sighed. “Come on, Hermione. I'll show you my room. I'm tired,” she said, half-lying. She wasn't tired as in needing sleep, but she was tired of explaining and defending her own identity.
“Wait—” Molly began.
“If you say one word about ‘a girl going with a boy to his room’ or anything like that, Molly, I won't speak another word to you for the entire time you're here. The entire summer, do you understand me?” Ivy said coldly, causing the woman to flinch and go silent as she and her kids watched Ivy, Hermione, and Tonks leave the dining room.
“You okay?” Hermione asked as the three made their way toward the stairs.
“Not exactly,” Ivy muttered. “Frankly when the Order meets on Saturday I am not looking forward to the questions.”
“You're coming out?” Tonks asked as Ivy set Tulip down and the yellow cat raced up the stairs with her sister.
“I am,” Ivy confessed. “To the Order, anyway. I don't expect it to go very pleasantly, but then again, most things in my life don't.”
Hermione hummed and squeezed Ivy’s hand supportively. The smaller girl smiled back a bit and returned the gentle squeeze as they made it to the room, the door open and both Tulip and Rose play-fighting on the area rug that resembled a ball of yarn.
“Oh, wow…” Hermione murmured, looking breathlessly around the room. “This has to be like… twice the size of my room at home!” She exclaimed.
“That's a mansion for you,” Tonks said, chuckling.
“Mansion?” Hermione echoed, confused. “But… It's not that big.”
“About three quarters of the house is hidden,” Ivy explained. “Part of it is below the first floor, part of it's through that door Siri pretends is locked. Really it's just locked by a Black Family curse. Only Siri, Tonks, and I can open it. Me because he named me Heiress Black.”
“Huh… Guess that'll bug Malfoy,” Hermione mused. She looked around a bit, eyes wide as she took things in. She flushed when she saw Ivy’s little library, though. “Oh, uh…”
“The bookshelf's only part of it,” Ivy explained. “I've actually got a personal selection of Black family grimoires I'm studying behind it…” She flushed a little. “Though I also got a few grimoires as gifts from Susan, Daphne, Theo…” She shrugged a bit.
“Bones, Greengrass, Nott… What's next, you getting stuff from House Turpin?” Tonks asked sarcastically.
“Weeeeeeell…”
“Oh you've got to be bloody kidding me,” Tonks said exasperatedly.
Ivy shrugged a bit. “Lisa and I are friends. Real friends - not like the people who try to get close to her for her money,” she explained, scowling a little. “I made sure early on she knew I’d only accept gifts from her if I had something to give in exchange. I guess that endeared me to her.”
“Not that surprising,” Hermione mused as she looked at the bed and its floral theme. Flower-shaped pillows, dark green sheets with a thorny-vine design, and even the wooden frame had roses carved into it. “Are you planning to tell those four?”
“I am… Eventually,” Ivy said a bit nervously. She sat on the edge of the bed and patted next to herself. Taking the hint, Hermione sat next to her while Tonks relaxed on the sofa again. “I think they'll accept me, but…”
“But after Molly, you're anxious?” Hermione guessed.
“Yeah,” Ivy agreed, sighing. She chuckled weakly when Rose jumped into her lap, and began to gently pet the cat. Of course, Tulip jumped up as well when she realized her sister was getting attention. “Well… I just gotta take it one day at a time.”
“Huh… Well, for the record? I think you're a fantastic girl,” Hermione said primly, earning a smile from Ivy.
“A real dame, this one,” Tonks teased, causing Ivy to flush. “Honestly, I don’t think I've met a girl quite as tough and girly at the same time.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “I'm not that tough,” she objected weakly.
“Yeah, and I'm the Queen,” Tonks replied sarcastically.
Hermione snorted and gently pet Tulip when the cat butted against her. No doubt she was thinking of Crookshanks, who'd taken up residence in Hogwarts as a sort of communal cat.
“Want to get a new one?” Ivy asked. “We can stop by Diagon at some point.”
“Oh, no. I couldn't—” Hermione tried to object.
“Hermione. I got to take a look at my inheritance last summer. My real inheritance. I am obscenely wealthy. Like, pretty sure you have to hate me on principle. If you want a cat, we get you a cat,” Ivy said simply.
Hermione huffed. “What was that tripe you said before about only taking gifts if you can give one in return?” She said half-heartedly.
“Call it an early birthday present,” Ivy said coolly.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Fine, you win.” She shook her head while Ivy grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Oh… Uh, by the way… Do you still like girls? Or boys?” She asked a bit furtively.
“Uh…” Ivy blew a breath. “Good question… I haven't considered it to be honest.”
“What about Zhou?” Hermione asked.
“Zhou?” Tonks echoed, sitting up. “Does Ivy have a crush?” She asked excitedly.
“Oh, no,” Ivy said dismissively. “Qiū’s just one of the prettier girls out there and we both play Quidditch. I figured it made sense for me to ‘crush’ on her, so she was my excuse,” she explained, shrugging.
“Huh…” Hermione pinked a bit. “And… Was it really just platonic at the Ball?”
“Speaking of the Tournament, how'd you hide your chest in the Second Task?” Tonks added, frowning.
“First - it was, I'm sorry,” Ivy said to Hermione. “I haven't ever crushed on a boy or a girl, and while you were lovely, I think I prefer just friendship for us. If that changes, you’ll be the first to know. Deal?”
“Fair enough,” Hermione replied. Ivy felt bad at how she looked a bit dejected, but at the same time she didn't want to give her best friend false hope.
“Right. Second, I got McGonagall to do a temporary human transfiguration on me,” Ivy added. “It lasted two hours. Enough time to do the Task, get checked out, and then changed back into my disguise outfit.”
“Huh… Yeah, that'd do it. If anyone can pull that off, it'd be McGonagall,” Tonks said, smirking.
“Now - how about we pull out some magical Scrabble? I've been wondering if I can't hex the board to be in German or something,” Ivy said lightly, earning laughs from the other two girls as she began to look for the board game.
If nothing else… After that day, the weight on her shoulders felt a little lighter. Just a little.