I own none of the Harry Potter world.
Chapter 8 – Ivy's Plan
"Let me know when you are done with your little charity event so we can get back to the things that matter most; makeup, fashion, and boys."
~Macey Gibbons
"Looks like you had a bad day," said Ivy Taggart. She was the sixth year who caught Peek trying to steal his school books from Flourish and Blotts bookstore and chased him down in the muggle neighborhood near Diagon Alley.
Peek and Ivy sat across from each other in the great hall. It was the morning of the second day of school. Peek leaned heavily on the table in front of him because he ached all over from sitting silently in a closet all night. Peek never slept and he would have liked to sit in a comfortable chair all night reading, except Percy - The Patrolling Prefect kept a regular vigil for shenanigans.
Peek did not respond. He stared down at the table and traced a long scratch with his finger.
"Talivsa Reparo," said Ivy as she set her index finger upon the table, which caused a dull flash of yellow and the scratch to heal over and vanish. Ivy, like Peek, could perform common spells without a wand. It was an ability that Ivy had called "special" when she and Peek first met.
Peek looked up.
"Who gave you that black eye?"
"I think her name was Katie Bell."
"Did you fight with her? She was on your quidditch team last year. She's tough."
"No, I didn't fight. It was her and two others and everyone else was watching. I stood and took it. What else could I do?"
Ivy nodded her agreement. "It is probably best. One doesn't make the quidditch team by being a pushover."
Peek let out a heavy sigh.
"Right," said Ivy. "Subject change is in order." She pulled up a backpack from the seat, next to her, and placed it on the table. "I brought you my books like I said I would and I got your backpack from Flourish and Blotts."
Peek rumpled his face. "That's not my backpack."
"Right, I got it, and now it is gone with good riddance. It had a mouse living in it, Peek, and not the happy kind."
"Then, who's is it?" asked Peek.
"It's yours now. Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Did you buy it?"
"No, I stole it." She reached across the table and ruffled Peek's hair. "Of course I bought it."
"Thanks," said Peek. He looked down again.
"Sure, my pleasure..." Ivy frowned as Peek disengaged. If Peek was one of her little brothers, she would know what to do, and it would start with the demise of Katie Bell. But, Gryffindor was not her house and Peek was just some kid she had tried to help in the past.
Ivy gave a bright smile. "Anyway, here you are sorted into the Gryffindors, right where I wanted to be. Can I call you 'Gryff'?"
Peek shrugged.
"You can call me Raven or 'The Claw'." She leaned over to look up into Peek's face hoping to find a smile or at least the start of one. "Or just RC..."
Peek shrugged again.
"Peek, I'm trying here, but this is mostly a one-sided conversation."
"Why?" asked Peek.
"Why am I trying or why is it a one-sided conversation?" Ivy was being silly.
"Why are you trying? You know who I am. You know what they say about me."
"I know, I know. And, I've told you before, twice I think, I'm muggle born. 'He who must not be named' was here and gone years before I knew any of this world existed. Whatever you or others think you're responsible for was before my time.
But listen to me Peek. I don't go in with this 'Blood Traitor', 'Blood Honor', 'Blood Sin', business. There is a saying I heard, 'It is best not to weigh the choices made in war with scales made in peace'."
Peek looked up. "I don't know what that means."
"I think it means that people, like perhaps your parents, may have been forced to make tough decisions in tough times. And, who am I, or anyone else, to judge those decisions if we didn't live through those same tough times? Does that make sense?"
Peek nodded.
"Most of the students here are too young to remember 'him'," Ivy continued. "Even the older students were just six or seven years old at the time. I doubt any of them knew 'hard times' as you and your family must have. And I bet most of the parents didn't either. From what I know, they hid in their homes a lot. That's a great deal different than having nowhere to hide."
Peek couldn't disagree. He had lived in doorways, alleys and Mr. Millwater's back room, off and on, for most of his life. His parents knew no better. Millwater said they spent much of their time looking for work, avoiding the muggle gangs, avoiding mischievous wizards and witches prowling the alleyways for sport, and yes, asking for charity from those who had more. How easy would it have been for the dark lord to coax them to his side?
"But anyway," continued Ivy. "I've thought of a way we can start to fix this."
"Really?" said Peek. But, it wasn't an excited "Really!?" it was a doubting, "Really…?"
"Yes, really," said Ivy with a reassuring smile. "Okay, don't say 'No' until you hear me out, okay?
"Okay," said Peek.
"Good. Do you know who Oliver Wood is?"
"No."
"Well, you should. He's the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team.
"Oh, that Oliver Wood."
'You know him then?" said Ivy as she brightened up.
"No," said Peek dryly.
Ivy sighed and gave a mock-perturbed look. "Okay, How about you find out who he is, wait for a quiet moment, and tell him that your friend Ivy, that's me, says her friend Macey, that's her over there scowling at me, likes him."
"How would that help?" Peek wasn't convinced this was a good plan.
"I know they know each other but he doesn't know she likes him. You, with my help, will set up a date between them. They start dating. They're happy. You get in good with the team captain, and maybe the others in Gryffindor follow. Anyway, Macey's fun and she's smart. I know they will like each other. And then, maybe Katie Bell, who I expect listens to Oliver, will leave off the blackening of your eyes."
"So your plan," said Peek, "is to provide Oliver with a love interest and he will be so happy that he what? Tells everyone to leave me alone?"
"Yes." Ivy gave another of her Ivy-like smiles.
"Okay, I'll try it. Anything has to be better than this."
End of Chapter 8
I have a solid path I am walking with this story but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Will Peek lose it soon and show Hogwarts what a street kid is made of? Will Peek and Ivy hit it off one day? Why are Seamus and Katie so angry? Will Peek find a time-traveling Terminator locked away in some hidden room - and it's still looking for Sarah Conner? Snape is supposed to be in this story - will he ever get here?
