Despite my first two chapters, this fic isn't going to be much about how Ivy grew up. It is really supposed to be more about what happens after fourth year when Voldemort returns. So the first few years will be going by rather quickly. Ivy will be referred to as 'Ivy' when she is her normal red-headed self, and as 'Stella' when she had her blond and Malfoy-ish glamor on.
In the two years Stella had been a Malfoy, she had been cultivated to be a beautiful and talented young girl. Aunt Cissa had made certain that she had all of the training a young lady needed. She could play the piano and violin, as well as sing. She was taught etiquette until her execution was flawless in almost everything she did. Many of the purebloods they associated with had commented on her impeccable manners and sense of place in the home. She acted twice her age when it came to company and hosting.
But the minute the adults were gone, she changed. Her dresses were shed for trousers and violins were traded for broomsticks. It drove Aunt CIssa crazy that Stella seemed to have a split personality.
"Come on, Draco, you have to keep up!" She taunted her brother as she made a spectacular dive on her Comet Two- Eighty. She had nearly given Uncle Lucius and Aunt Cissa heart attacks the first time she got on a broom almost two years ago, and caused her Uncle to mutter something about 'Potter Blood'. Her Aunt had quickly learned not to watch Stella as she flew to keep her blood pressure in order, but her Uncle had gotten used to the death-defying stunts. That didn't stop him from placing every sort of softening charm he could recall onto the ground when his charges went out to fly.
"You know I can't do all that crazy stuff as well as you can." He huffed. "Can we do Chaser practice now?"
Stella sighed and yelled out the password to the practice snitch. Unlike professional snitches, it was charmed to come back to you when the players needed to stop. The golden ball zoomed into her hand, and she went to go put it into the box while Draco got out the quaffle.
Aunt Cissa's voice brought them to a halt.
"Draco! Stella! Come inside please!"
"Just another hour mother?" Draco pleaded. "We just started playing my position!"
"Well, if you would rather do that than open your Hogwarts letters..."
Both of the blonds gasped and hurried to put the quaffle away in the ball box, and place both that and their Comets inside the broom-shed before running inside.
Three letters were waiting spread out on the table. One was addressed to Draco, one to Stella, and one to Ivy. Draco tore into his, and Stella patiently opened both of hers. They both said the same thing to an extent. The only thing that changed was the name of the addressed.
"This is so cool! We are going to Hogwarts!" Draco exclaimed, visibly restraining himself from jumping up and down. Stella smiled back at him, just as excited, but then turned to her parents to voice the more important question that was pressing on her mind.
"Who will I be going to Hogwarts as? Ivy? Or Stella?"
"Well, dear, that is up to you. If you go as Ivy, Dumbledore will be alerted to the fact that you no longer live at the Dursleys. If that happens he could become aware of your current living conditions."
Stella snorted. She had been worried for a long time that someone would discover that she had run away with the Malfoys, but no one had even bothered to ever check on her. If they wanted a say in how she was raised they shouldn't have neglected her and left her to rot. The mark the Dursleys left on her was deeper than it seemed. She was still painfully meek around those she did not know, which was a part of the reason why she was able to fit into the demure pureblood lady profile. Her humility was just as deep rooted and was very friendly with 'lesser' beings such as animals and muggles. She even went out of her way to be polite to the house-elves. She knew what it was like to be treated like one of them. Normally elves would not permit a human to lower themselves to their standards, but the Malfoy elves knew of her background, and would be broken hearted if she was unable to treat them like friends. So both they and her Aunt and Uncle allowed it. She even made the house elves cards every Christmas, which they did in return. She made friends with them all, particularly young Dobby.
Uncle Lucius had given her Dobby as her own personal elf just last Easter to do as she pleased. She immediately went out and bought a shirt to free him, and offering to pay him a galleon a week from her allowance to stay and work for her. Dobby had cried with joy and then insisted he be paid one knut a month. They eventually settled on a sickle a week and three days off a month.
It had been very surprising for the rest of the Malfoys, who had no idea the elf had wanted to be free.
Uncle Lucius brought her out of her drifting train of thought.
"But if you go as Ivy, you will have to act a stranger to those you know, and lie about how you were raised to anyone who asks." He warned.
Stella thought for a moment. Blaise already knew about her, and she didn't trust Crabbe and Goyle to understand if she drew them a diagram. Pansy and Daphne couldn't see past their own reflections. She didn't really consider any of them her friends besides Blaise, but even then he was closer to Draco. Besides her brother and Zabini, she didn't really think she would miss having to interact with them. And she could always make 'friends' with Draco and Blaise later.
"Watch out, Hogwarts. Here comes Ivy Potter."
The next day, they all went to Diagon Alley. There was no need for a trip to to Gringrotts, all they had to do was say their name and their vault would be billed.
"Alright. I will start in Florish and Blotts and get your books. Narcissa, perhaps you could take the kids to Madame Malkin's. And Stella, dear, you should change how you look. It might raise questions if you are getting fitted for Hogwarts robes when we have told everyone that you will be attending Beaubatons." Lucius said. She nodded and stepped into the shadows, running a hand over her face and hair. It was the only magic she could really preform, but was still impressive since it was both silent and wandless. She came out of the shadows as Ivy Potter, with her bright green eyes and messy red curls.
"You two ready?" Aunt Cissa asked.
"Please let us go on our own!" Draco pleaded. "We can do it by ourselves, we've done it before!"
"Well... I suppose..." Aunt Cissa frowned. "I will meet you at Ollivander's then?"
"Thanks mum! Er, I mean, thank you mother." Draco said after a look from his father. "Come on Stell- Ivy." He said, grabbing his sister by the sleeve and pulling her down the street. Madame Malkin was finishing up on a round faced boy. Draco gave Ivy a wink and started his act.
"So. I suppose you two are going to Hogwarts as well?" He asked. Both she and the other boy nodded.
"My name is Draco. Draco Malfoy."
"I'm Neville Longbottom." the boy said nervously. If his arms hadn't been spread wide while Madame Malkin fixed his sleeves, Ivy imagined he might have been wringing his hands.
"I'm Ivy Potter."
Neville's mouth opened, and then he yelped as Madame Malkin accidentally stuck him with a pin. Draco did his best to look surprised as well. Ivy shifted uncomfortably. Draco might have been pretending, but the other two's looks of awe were real. Madame Malkin recovered first and continued to fix Neville's robes.
"Potter, huh? What house do you think you will be in?" Draco asked.
"I'm not certain. I'm sure I am biased when it comes to my own character. But my parents were both in Griffyndor."
"So were mine." Neville said. "Gran really wants me to go into that house, but I think I'm more of a Hufflepuff."
He said this rather dejectedly, and Draco snorted. Ivy gave her brother a glare before turning back to the boy.
"Being in Hufflepuff is nothing to be ashamed of. Being loyal is very important. I think Hufflepuffs are very cute."
Neville blushed, and Draco rolled his eyes heavily. Ivy paid him no mind as Madame Malkin completely finished with Neville and sent him on his way. Only when the robe-maker dipped into the back did Ivy turn to her brother.
"What?"
"You, toying with the future Puff's emotions."
"I was not. I do think they are cute."
"Not in the way he took it. Puff's aren't your type."
"My type? What would you know about my type? Besides, I'm eleven. I'm pretty sure I don't even have a type yet."
"Whatever. But if you had a type, that wouldn't be it."
"So would your type be brown eyed, button-nosed egotists?"
"I do not like Daphne!"
"Whatever you say." Ivy grinned as Madame Malkin came back and fitted them both.
After they were done, they went to go meet Aunt Cissa and Uncle Lucius at Ollivander's.
"Mother, Father, I met a new friend in Madame Malkin's. This is Ivy Potter." Draco said when he saw the curious stare of Mr. Ollivander.
"Well, what a pleasure to met you dear." Aunt Cissa told her.
"Likewise, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Well, I suppose Mr. Malfoy should go first." Mr. Ollivander said. After twenty wands, Draco found a wand that responded to him positively.
"Wonderful!" the wandmaker cried. "Hawthorn with unicorn hair, 10 inches, and reasonably springy. A fine wand. That will be fifteen galleons."
Uncle Lucius paid, and they waited while Ivy seemed to go through every wand in the shop.
"Tricky customer, eh? Don't worry we will find one for you yet. Now I wonder..." the old man said, pondering for a moment before disappearing. He returned with a worn box in hand. "I have been holding on to this want for over fifty years. 11 inches, holly with phoenix feather. Nice and supple. Perhaps..."
He handed her the wand, and an immediate warmth ran through the length of her body as a soft glow appeared around her and a breeze whipped her hair around her face.
"Curious... very curious..."
When Ivy didn't ask him what was curious, he continued on anyway.
"I remember every wand I ever sold, miss Potter. The phoenix who gave the tail feather that resides in your wand gave one other feather. Only one other. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand, when its brother gave you that scar."
Aunt Cissa made a noise as she tried to contain a gasp. Even Uncle Lucius looked pale. Or paler than normal.
"Oh... Right..." Ivy said, not quite sure how to reply. "Erm, how much did you say it was?"
"Fifteen galleons."
"I'll pay for it." Uncle Lucius spoke up.
"Oh, no, Mr. Malfoy, I couldn't-" She pretended to protest.
"Nonsense, my dear." He said, handing Mr. Ollivander the money. Then they left the shop, Ivy pretending to thank 'Mr. Malfoy' the whole way. They went to all the shops together, pretending that Ivy was a new acquaintance. They got their cauldrons, potions ingredients, crystal phials, and brass scales at the apothecary that Lucius said his potion master friend Severus went to, and telescopes at an astronomy shop.
"The only thing left is a birthday present for Ivy." Aunt Cissa smiled. Her real birthday was not for another two days, but it was a tradition for the children to personally pick out one present each year.
"I want a familiar like Draco!" Ivy smiled. Draco had hand picked a beautiful eagle owl the month before.
"Wonderful. Eeylops Owl Emporium, or the Magical Menagerie?" Uncle Lucius asked.
"The Menagerie first, I think." Ivy said. "But perhaps you should give me the money before hand so it looks like I am paying for it."
Her uncle consented and handed her the galleons before they went inside. Ivy carefully looked around the gem crusted tortoises, skipping rats, and oozing snails... She even saw a box of fobberworms. Who would want a fobberworm as a pet?
She looked at the dogs and puppies, but knew she would never be able to bring one to Hogwarts. She patted a black puppy that struck a familiar cord, bringing images of a loping dog that could have been a memory or just something from a figment of her imagination. She let him lick her hand before she went on. Ivy looked carefully over the cats and kittens, and seriously considered getting one of them. But for some reason she felt compelled to pass them by. And then she came face to face with a beautiful albino cobra. One of the employees saw her looking.
"Between you and me, I wouldn't get that one. She bit one potential buyer. Nearly died." he said before walking away. Ivy bent down closet to the glass.
"Hello there, beautiful."
The snake looked at her and fanned the skin around her neck.
"You speak?" the snake hissed. Ivy jumped sharply.
"You understand me?" she asked.
"Obviously."
"Wow. I never knew I could speak to snakes."
"It isn't very common. Did you call me beautiful?" she asked.
"I did. You are the most beautiful snake I have ever seen."
"Why thank you. I have never been called beautiful. Other snakes think I am strange."
"Why did you bite that one person?" Ivy asked.
"He was going to keep me in a glass cage forever." She said petulantly. "I want to be free from cages, thank you very much."
"What if you come with me? I wouldn't keep you in a cage, except when we were traveling." Ivy offered.
"Really? I would like that very much."
"Just promise not to bite anyone." Ivy said, putting her hand into the cage. She heard her Aunt give an undignified shriek.
"I promise." the snake said, wrapping herself up the young witch's arm.
"My name is Ivy."
"My name is Hedwig."
