Author's note : I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with the books or movies, only the original character of Ivy.
Please review, I need some constructive criticism to help me in my writing.
Ivy
Six year old Harry Potter heard a small voice cry out in pain and looked up from his spot in the flower bed in the front yard, where he was planting something his aunt told him to. Scanning the area, he saw a young girl in the middle of the road on her hands and knees, and then he heard the car coming. In the blink of an eye, he reached the girl and pulled her to safety on the sidewalk in front of his aunt and uncle's house. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded through her tears. "I didn't know that I was so close to the curb, and I fell off of it. Thank you." She was staring off blankly in front of her. He looked at her curiously, wondering why she was just staring off like that. Sensing his unasked questions, she spoke, "I'm blind. I forgot to bring my stick with me. I just needed to get outside for a while. Strange things have been going on and it's really scary." She explained.
"Oh." He said, wiping the dirt off of her knees. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
"Ivy Mitchell. It's nice to meet you Harry." She said and stuck out her hand. He took it and shook it like he had seen his uncle do with other adults. Feeling silly, he let go.
"What kind of strange things?" he asked.
Taking a deep breath, "Well, apparently when I get angry or upset things start flying around the room or blow up. I don't really know since I can't see anything. I don't do anything on purpose. The caretaker at the orphanage keeps saying that I need to go away and not come back." She said, sadly.
"Those things happen here, too. My uncle tells me that I'm a freak and doing it on purpose. I swear I don't. I don't even know how I'm doing these things." He told her.
Harry jerked his head up as he heard his aunt screech his name from inside the house. "Can you make it back okay?"
"Sure, just point me in the direction of the playground." She said. He helped her stand and turned her to face the direction of the playground.
"Straight ahead." He said, and then ran inside, so that his aunt and uncle wouldn't have any reason to yell at him.
Ivy began a slow walk back the way she had come. By the smell of the orphanage, she knew that she was back. Not that it was a bad smell; it was just different than other houses. She could tell the difference in stores and other buildings that she went in by their smell and sounds. "Where have you been?" a sharp voice yelled at her.
"Just out for a walk." She answered and climbed the five steps to the front door. She heard a snort and then heard the lady move out of the way so that she could go inside. In the days following, Ivy found herself in front of Harry's house more often than not. She would wait for him to come out and then they would talk and she would help him with all the work that his aunt and uncle made him do. They became fast friends and as the years passed got closer as they realized that they could do special things without even thinking about it.
On the day she turned 11, she had a visitor at the orphanage. The caretaker showed him to her room and left, not really interested in what this strange man wanted. "Ah, Ivy. You are quite lovely, as I knew you would be." He said, sitting in the chair opposite her bed.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, sorry, my name is Albus Dumbledore and I'm the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I've come to offer you a spot in this year's class." He said, pulling out a letter to hand to her. When she didn't reach out of it, he looked at her with concern. "You did realize that you are a witch, Ivy?"
"No, sir, I had no idea. Is that why I've been able to do things without knowing that I'm doing them?" she told him.
"Well, yes, it is. Read your letter and let me know if you would like to attend." He said, holding the letter out for her again. Still she stared at a spot on the wall, not taking the letter in his hand. "Is something wrong, dear?" he asked.
"Do you realize that I'm blind?" she asked him, folding her hands in her lap.
"That is something I did not know, Ivy. I'm very sorry. We can make accommodations for you at school, I'm certain. I will speak with the other professors once I return there. Would you like to attend school with us and learn about magic?" He said, returning the letter to a pocket in his robe.
"Oh, yes, I would. I have no money for supplies, though." She nodded eagerly.
"Well, now, you don't think that your parents would leave you with nothing, do you?" he smiled.
"My parents? You know my parents?" she asked, inching closer to the edge of the bed.
"Oh, yes, I did know them. Very tragic what happened. Your mother dying in childbirth and your father dying a week later of a broken heart. They loved each other very much." He answered.
"So, that's why I've been in this orphanage. I always wondered what happened to them." She said, quietly.
"In a few weeks, someone will be coming to take you to Diagon Alley and get your school supplies, and then they will take you to the train to come to school on September 1st. I will be looking forward to seeing you then, Ms. Mitchell." He said as he stood to leave.
"Thank you, Headmaster. I hope I don't disappoint you." She said, holding out her hand to him. He grasped it in both hands for a moment and then she heard a loud crack and he was gone.
'A witch? Me? Wait until I tell Harry.' She thought as she groped around the floor for her shoes. She wasn't able to tell Harry, though. He wasn't allowed out of the house for several weeks, and then they just disappeared for some reason. Frowning to herself, she kept to her room. On, August 31st, someone came to get her for the trip to get her school supplies.
"Ivy? I'm Professor McGonagall; I'm here to take you to Diagon Alley to get your things for school. We will be staying there over night and I will then take you to the train station." The woman told her, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
Ivy turned slightly at the touch and nodded. She suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe, as if something was squeezing all the air out of her lungs. Then it lifted and she smelled all sorts of new scents and heard new sounds around her. "Is this Diagon Alley?" she asked.
"Yes, dear, it is. Now, we will go to Gringotts to withdraw some of your money and then get your things." The professor said, keeping her hand on Ivy's shoulder to lead her in the right direction.
"How did we get here?" Ivy asked her as they walked along.
"We apparated. It's a way for us to travel. You will learn it when you are soon to be 17." The older woman answered. "There are steps now, can you manage?"
"Yes, ma'am. Just tell me when we get to the top." Ivy said quietly, and tentatively placed her foot forward to find the first step.
After several moments, "Okay, dear, we are at the top."
"55 steps from the bottom to the top." Ivy said, mainly to herself. Professor McGonagall held open the door for her to enter and Ivy stepped in and to the side a little. The professor replaced her hand on Ivy's shoulder, guiding her to the counter to present her for identification.
"Miss Ivy Mitchell wishes to make a withdrawal." She said. The goblin behind the counter looked over his spectacles at her.
"And does Miss Mitchell have a key?" he asked.
"Certainly." McGonagall said and withdrew a key from her robe. The goblin examined the key and then gave it back to her.
"Very well. Wait here and someone will take you to your vault." He told them and then disappeared. A few moments later, he reappeared with another goblin and ushered them off to a door on the left.
"Okay, step up here and have a seat, Ivy." The professor told her as they got into the cart for the ride to the vault. Hearing the door of the cart click close, she felt it give a slight jerk and then felt the wind in her face as it sped away down the track towards the vault her parents left for her. The cart slowed to a stop after 10 minutes of hurtling down the track. Professor McGonagall stepped out of the cart and helped Ivy out. The goblin followed and asked for the key. He opened the vault to show piles of gold galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. Although Ivy couldn't see what was being done, she heard the coins clink together as the professor began gather some into a bag for her. They got back into the cart for the wild ride back up to the lobby of the bank. Out on the steps, Ivy counted to herself, taking the steps with ease.
At the bottom, she turned to the professor, "May I hold one of each coin, please, professor? One at a time."
"Sure." McGonagall agreed, with a confused look on her face. She handed Ivy a galleon and watched as Ivy ran her fingers over every inch of the surface of the coin. Ivy handed it back and a sickle was placed in her hand. She repeated the process for this coin and the knut. "May I ask why?"
"They each have a different feel, so I can tell them apart when I need to." Ivy answered.
"Oh, well, that makes sense. Let's go get your robes." Professor McGonagall said and they made their way across the street to the robe shop. After being measured and fitted, Ivy purchased 3 sets of robes, some regular clothes and some shoes. They continued their shopping, purchasing books that had been specially made for her in Braille and parchment, ink and potion supplies and then finally a wand. The wand maker, Mr. Olivander, had a time finding a wand for Ivy. He tried every wand on several shelves before finding one that fit her.
After the exhausting hours spent shopping, Professor McGonagall led Ivy to the Leaky Cauldron where she had a couple of rooms for the night. Levitating the trunk filled with Ivy's school things behind them, she led the way up the stairs. Deciding to have dinner brought to their rooms, the professor asked Tom, the innkeeper, to also bring another package up when it arrived. She had heard about these and had spoken with the headmaster about allowing Ivy to have one at school. He readily agreed and allowed her to order one. An hour after dinner, Tom knocked on the door, with a crate that was rattling. Pushing it into the room, he turned to leave. McGonagall closed and locked the door, looking over at Ivy who had sat up in bed, interested in the new noises in the room.
"I have something for you, Ivy. Someone to help you get around the school; he's been trained and is already acquainted with the school to know where everything is." The professor explained and then opened the crate. Ivy heard a low whine and then the clicking of nails on the bare floor. She felt the bed give to the weight of something sitting down beside her. Reaching out a hand, she touched a cold, wet nose. Venturing on, she felt fur and then using her other hand, she felt further down on the bed and found a wagging tail.
"A dog?" Ivy asked quietly, not wanting to upset the animal.
"Not just any dog, Ivy; a seeing-eye dog. They are specially trained to help blind people get around. He will basically be your eyes when you need to get somewhere. He will protect you and keep you from bumping in to walls and falling down stairs. The muggles use them, and I thought maybe we could train one in a magical place. The headmaster agreed and here you are. His name is Timber." the professor told her.
"Well, thank you." Ivy said with a shy smile. She turned to Timber and placed a hand on his head, "Hello, Timber. I'm Ivy. It's good to meet you." He nuzzled her other hand in reply. "I believe he likes me," she said, laughing.
"Yes, it looks that way, dear. You best get some sleep now. We will be travelling a bit tomorrow to the train station." McGonagall said and made her way to her adjoining room. Ivy slept well, with Timber on the bed beside her. Listening to his even panting lulled her to sleep. She still regretted not getting to tell Harry that she was a witch. Somehow she knew she would be seeing him soon, though.