If Ivy had not left the pub that night in the company of Zack Zonko, she would have heard that Harry Potter had been chosen as one of the champions for Hogwarts school. As it was, she heard it from Rose, who'd heard it from one Ludo Bagman, head of the Ministry's Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ivy'd only heard the Triwizard Tournament explained by Hagrid, but she remembered quite distinctly that he'd said there were to be only three champions. What Bagman said brought the total to four. Either way seemed to spell danger for young Harry Potter.
The next day she listened to Bagman repeat his theories on how the extra name got past the Goblet of Fire. Excusing herself from the conversation, she went upstairs to write Harry a letter.
Dear Harry,
I heard about you being picked as a champion for Hogwarts. Sounds a little scary to me. Have you written to tell Blackie? I think he should know. I'll leave that up to you, though. (Since you were picked as champion, not me.) Come down to the pub and fill me in, soon, won't you? I've got to keep my promise.
Your friend,
Ivy Ollivander.
She rolled the parchment up and hid it in her robes, then told Rose she was going for a walk.
There was a hint of frost in the air as Ivy made her way to the post office. Handing the correct change to Mr. Cornelius, the Postman, she watched as he tied the letter to a large brown barn owl, who took off immediately.
"Have you heard about the Triwizard Tournament, Ivy?" Cornelius asked. "And Hogwarts havin' two champions?"
"Yes, I did," Ivy nodded. "Ludo Bagman is at the pub this very minute, telling Rose and the others all about it. He's a very... erm... happy fellow, that Bagman."
"Ludo is here, in Hogsmeade?" Cornelius continued, oblivious to Ivy's take on the man.
"Oh yes. And he's on the panel of judges for the Tournament. You know how it is... the pub's the best place to hear the latest. And I better be getting back there. Lots to do, and all."
"Yes... yes of course, my dear. Didn't mean to keep you. And do give my regards to your great-grandfather next time you see him, won't you?"
Ivy's eyes lit up at the mention of her great-grandfather. "I will," she promised, then she was out the door. Only her feet didn't take her back to the pub. She pulled her cloak around her against the November wind, and headed down the street toward the little house that belonged to Zillius Zonko.
"Zack said I needed to see it in the daylight," she whispered to herself, as she made her way down the cobblestone street. She was a little apprehensive. Surely it couldn't be that bad. She could still feel the coziness that had enveloped her there in the dark, and hoped fervently that a little sunshine did not have the power to drive that feeling away.
Stopping at the front gate only made her heart beat quicken. The thatch-roofed cottage, though dilapidated from sitting empty, still seemed to beckon to her. It's windows winked sunshine back in her direction, and the stones that made up the bottom half of the walls spoke to her of sturdiness and peace. Her hand was working the gate latch when an all too familiar 'woof' met her ears.
"Blackie!" Ivy called in disbelief. She turned around and spotted him on their familiar meeting place across from the vulture tree. Turning from the gate, she headed toward him, running down the street.
"What on earth has brought you back to Hogsmeade?" she asked, smoothing her hands down the length of his body. She sat down on the rocks and pulled him into her lap, totally forgetting that he was anything more than a pet she'd missed terribly. After considerable time spent scratching and hugging, she looked into his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" she asked again. "What if somebody sees you? You could get caught." That thought brought a sudden sharp intake of breath, and she sat back from him a bit, face reddening. It was one thing to be so familiar with a dog... but now Ivy knew that Blackie was more than just an ordinary pet.
"Sirius," she whispered. "Not Blackie. Sirius." She shifted positions so there was even more space between them, but the dog only whined and sidled closer, pushing his head up under her hand. Giving up her worries, she wrapped her arms around his neck, glancing across his shoulders into the forest. The path she'd seen Hagrid use was just across the street. She knew the woods held danger, but she also knew she had to talk to Sirius, not Blackie.
"Come on, then," she told him, pushing herself off the rocks and across the street. She jumped the little stream and headed up the path and into the woods. Blackie followed at first, but once under cover of the trees, he moved past her to lead the way. Ivy stayed close until they found another rocky outcropping, and for the first time she watched as Blackie transformed into Sirius Black. His nose shrank and began losing its furry appearance even as his ears lengthened and became shaggy, jet-black hair. As he stood up on his hind legs, they got longer, his forelegs shortening into robe-covered arms. Arms with hands instead of paws. Hands that reached out awkwardly to take Ivy's.
A grin stole over Ivy's face as she beheld him. No matter how shocking it was to watch him change from a dog into a man, she was still excited to see him. She stepped forward and threw her arms around his bony shoulders.
"It's really you," she murmured. "I thought..."
"You shouldn't have thought that, Ivy. I told you I'd come back."
"I know, but... it's been so long. Blood and ashes it's good to see you."
"Ivy Ollivander!" he scolded. "You've been working at that pub too long. You've started sounding like a drunken giant."
Ivy's grin faded at that, and she turned away, suddenly studying the rocks to find a place to sit down.
"What's the matter, Ivy?" Sirius asked, moving around in front of her, so she'd have to look him in the eye.
"Nothing's wrong," she lied, although looking up at him made her extremely uncomfortable with her untruth. "It's just... well... " She toyed with the idea of telling him about Hagrid and Maxime, then rejected the idea. If Sirius was in Hogsmeade it was probably because of Harry. And the young wizard needed his guidance through the Triwizard Tournament a lot more than she needed counsel on her love-life.
"Have you heard about Harry?"
"I haven't seen him yet," Sirius admitted. He rubbed a hand across his face as he sat down beside her. "Getting close to Harry is a lot harder than getting close to you. One 'woof' and you come running. With Harry, I've got to get past enchantments and ghosts, poltergeists and Dumbledore."
"One woof, huh?" Ivy asked, her smile returning. "I'm an obedient human, then, aren't I?"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," he protested. "So what's to hear about Harry?"
"He's been chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament," Ivy said, feeling inadequate to explain the events revolving around the current term at Hogwarts.
"The Goblet of Fire chooses the champions, I think. And somehow Harry's name got put in the hat. Goblet, I mean. Nobody knows how, but I just heard Ludo Bagman going down a list of reasons why and how it got there. And one of those reasons was that maybe somebody's trying to get him killed. Bagman laughed that one off, but I'm worried. Hagrid said the tasks are extremely difficult. And all the other champions are older and more skilled than Harry. I..."
Sirius held up a hand. "Harry's name got placed in the Goblet of Fire?"
"Yes," Ivy said. "Even though there were enchantments around it to prevent under-aged wizards from trying to enter. I don't understand it all, but Bagman says that Harry insisted he didn't put his name in the Goblet. That somebody else dropped it in."
"Poor Harry," Sirius said, standing to his feet to pace the forest floor. "The Triwizard Tournament is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. That's why there hasn't been one in such a long time. Too many students getting killed." He turned back to Ivy and took her hands in his.
"We can't let that happen to Harry," Ivy sputtered, unable to hold his intense gaze.
"This is the Triwizard Tournament, Ivy. Do you realize how many witches and wizards will be here to witness the tasks? I'm going to have to find a good hiding place, just to stay nearby. I don't know how much help I'll be to Harry hiding out in the woods."
"Just knowing you're here will help Harry," Ivy told him. "And I think I know a place where you can hide. I'm buying that house from Zack and his dad. You can hide there."
"What house?" he asked, a little confused.
"The house on the edge of town, the one I was looking at when you called me. Just one woof, remember?"
Sirius smiled, but it seemed to take some effort.
"I'm going to see my Grey-Grand this weekend. To get the money to buy that house. Once it's mine, you'll have a place to stay. People around here are already used to seeing you with me. It'll be perfect. They'll just think I'm finally giving you a home."
A crimson blush stole over Ivy's face as her words hung between them.
"Home," Sirius murmured. The look of open longing on his face made her heart hurt.
"And on Hogsmeade Weekends Harry can come visit us." Everything stopped as Ivy watched a range of emotions cross Sirius's haggard face. For a moment he looked as though he might give in to tears.
"It's alright," she told him. "As much as I've cried in front of you..." She stood up and reached for his arm. He turned toward her, dry-eyed and serious.
"I can't let you do that," he said simply. "It's called 'Aiding and Abetting'. If they ever found out, you'd go straight to Azkaban with me. I won't put you in that danger. You, or Harry either."
"Then I'll put me there all by myself. I just told you that everybody in Hogsmeade has seen me bringing you scraps from the pub. So there, I've already incriminated myself. If they ever find out that you're Blackie..."
"I'll tell them you were a soft touch for an occasional ham bone, nothing more."
"And I'll tell them you're a liar!" she all but shouted. "A liar, maybe," her voice softened. "But never a murderer. You don't have to go this alone, Sirius. I want to help you. And Harry. And the two of you will be helping me, as well."
"And what about Hagrid," Sirius teased, reaching out to pull the ribbon out of her hair. "He might not appreciate you taking in a roommate."
"Hagrid is occupied with a certain visiting Headmistress at the moment," Ivy said, letting more bitterness leak into her words than she'd meant to. "He wouldn't notice if a whole football team moved in with me."
"Are you talking American football, rugby, or soccer?"
Ivy couldn't help but laugh. "All of the above."
Sirius sighed and pulled her into an embrace. "There's got to be a light at the end of this tunnel we're in, Ms. Ollivander. You can always ditch the giant in favor of faithful Padfoot."
He pressed his cheek against hers, and Ivy had to smile when she caught the faint odor of dog in his hair.
"I believe you are suffering from clinical schizophrenia," she told him. "How can I ditch the giant for the dog, when the dog doesn't want to be seen with me? I mean... I love the dog. But the giant...." She took a step backward, biting her lip, and the sudden gap between them spoke volumes.
"It's alright, Ivy," Sirius tried to breach the distance. "Truth is... love is a luxury I can't afford at the moment. But that doesn't mean I don't treasure our relationship. Every minute of it. And I'd take over your spare bedroom in a heartbeat, if I thought I could give you more than Hagrid can. But I can't. Not now. Maybe not ever. Maybe... I'm just here to help you get to where you're going."
Ivy released a sigh and raised his hand to her cheek. She couldn't take her eyes off Sirius, but the sadness that pooled in them caused even Black to tear up. There was no way she could explain the feeling she felt when she looked into his eyes, versus the way she felt when she looked up at Hagrid. Black was her best friend in the world besides Rosmerta, and in her heart she knew she could live with him, happily ever after, and be comfortable. But he'd never steal her breath away like Hagrid did. He'd never make her feel like she'd felt the day she'd ridden Gingerfoot. And he deserved to be loved by someone who felt just that way, every time she glanced in his direction.
They argued back and forth about the house for nearly an hour, until Ivy realized she needed to get back to the pub. She promised to bring Sirius something to eat as soon as she could get away, and everything she could find out about Harry and the Tournament. Walking out of the woods, she jumped the stream and bounded up the bank. The first thing she set eyes on as she crossed the street was her little stone-and mortar house. She let her hand slip along the tips of the picket fence that surrounded it as she traveled down the street. Then breaking into a run, she made her way back to the Three Broomsticks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let's try a pink fence, Ivy." Madam Rosmerta pulled out her wand and flicked it a few times to warm up.
"No, wait," she paused, taking in the entire front of Ivy's new house from across the street.
"Maybe white with a pink rose on every picket. Or better yet... some ivy."
Ivy smiled Rose's way absently, afraid to take her eyes off the place. She still found it hard to believe it belonged to her. Her great-grandfather had given her the money to buy it without hesitation, and she hadn't even had to come up with a story to get the sum from her father.
Now the little house sat cozy and inviting - its tiny garden trimmed and cheerful. Rose had given the outside a powerful cleaning spell, and Willa was inside polishing windows.
"Speaking of ivy..." Rose pushed open the gate. "Vivarium Porticus." She flicked her wand at the corners of the house and tendrils of English ivy began to unfurl.
"What about blue?" she turned to Ivy. "We could trim it out in blue around the windows. What do you think?"
Ivy turned her full attention on Rose.
"Blue trim," she agreed. "Powder blue, like the sky. And I'll want a rosebush or two growing in amongst that ivy."
Rose cocked her head studying her friend for a moment before throwing her arms around her.
"It's going to be lovely, Ivy. Absolutely adorable."
Ivy nodded, returning her embrace. "I'm going to check on Willa. I'll have her make us some tea. You come inside when you feel like a break."
Rose patted Ivy's shoulder, nearly pushing her aside to get back to re-planting Ivy's garden.
Ivy went inside, where Willa was now attacking the wooden floors while Zack peered under the kitchen sink at the plumbing.
"Still sure about this old place?" he asked as Ivy strode into the kitchen.
"Yes, Zachary, I still like it. New curtains and chairs will have it feeling like home in no time. It already feels like home, to me."
"I'll take your word for it," he mused, straightening up and trying out the new faucet. "Feel free to work around me. Just whip out your wand and go to town. I won't be in your way."
Ivy choked, caught off guard by his statement. She'd been in Hogsmeade for over a year and no one had ever actually made any kind of reference to the fact that she was never seen wand-in-hand.
"I think I'll wait for Rose," she told him. "She's got more of a flare for decorating than I do."
"Come on, Ivy. Just a little swish and flick I want to see what you come up with. You can change it quick enough if you don't like it." Ivy knew he meant to flatter her, but he only succeeded in getting on her nerves.
"Really, Zack. I'd rather wait for Rose."
Zack scratched his head, peering intently at her. His next words sounded as though they came directly out of Ivy's own head.
"You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen your wand. I mean, it must be a beaut, you being an Ollivander and all. Did you get to help create it?"
Ivy fidgeted under his jovial gaze. He'd done more than she'd ever imagined in helping her buy his father's house, and lately he'd rarely left her side, but something about him made her hesitate.
"I forgot it," she stated. "At the pub. It's up in my room, along with the other things I'm packing."
"Your wand, Ivy?" he questioned. "Packed away like your hairbrush and slippers? Funny... mine never leaves my side. And that's really not what I asked. I was wondering if you got to help your great-grandfather create it. You know, did you choose the wood? Or pick which magical element would be its heart? Tell me about it. Did you choose something lofty and fanciful, like a hair from a unicorn's tail, or go for something with more power, like a dragon's heartstring?"
"Well, I..." she stared at him, mouth opening and closing of its own accord while her brain raced for something plausible to say. As much as the warning bell was sounding in her head, another part of her -- the part that was standing in her very own first home -- wanted to finally come clean. Surely Zack Zonko wouldn't judge her harshly. He'd been there as her defender when she'd introduced Cajun food at the pub. He'd taken care of her when Hagrid showed up with Madam Maxime. And he acted as though he'd have no trouble taking care of her in the future, should she mention she had need of him. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Come along then, Ivy. Show us your wand. I'm curious now."
"I can't," she said, squaring her shoulders.
"You can't?" Zack questioned again. "Why not?"
"I don't have one," she ventured quietly, her heart beat roaring in her ears.
Not for the first time, he spoke to her as though she were a child. "What do you mean you don't have one? Everybody has one. We're wizards, Ivy. If we're going to do anything magical that's what we do it with. A wand."
"I don't have one," she repeated. "Not a wand made of willow with a unicorn's hair, or one made of oak with a dragon's heartstring. And even if I did happen to pick one up, it wouldn't do me any good. I'm a..." Even now she could not bring herself to say the word.
"I'm not..."
The silence between them began to bear down upon her shoulders.
"I can't..."
She gritted her teeth and wrinkled her nose in frustration.
"I'm not magic."
Her hand flew to her mouth, but it was too late to recapture her confession. Zack took a step backward, as though she was somehow contagious. His lip curled a little, although, to his credit, he did try to hide it. The light she always saw in his eyes when he looked at her dimmed a little, then went out entirely.
"A Squib, huh?" he said, twisting his beefy hands together. As that word hung between them he suddenly found it hard to look her in the eye. To himself, he finished. "That definitely changes things.
"Does anybody else know about this?" he wondered aloud. "I mean, Hagrid? Rose? Do they..."
He glanced at her and she got the distinct impression that he was examining her from a distance, out of morbid curiosity, as one would feel drawn to look over a large and hideous bug. Or something dead.
Ivy closed her eyes - the realization that's she'd just made a serious mistake settling over her shoulders like a heavy, sodden blanket.
"Rose knows it," she murmured, his gaze making her feel very small. "Not Hagrid. Umm... Remus Lupin and Si-" she stopped, refusing to put Sirius in danger to somehow validate herself. "I thought you'd understand."
Zack took another step backward, clasping his hands to his chest in revulsion, as though the dead thing he'd been examining had chosen that exact moment to explode.
"Well, Ivy..." he stuttered in a belated attempt to back pedal. "We can't really help how we're born, can we? I knew there was something funny about you, though. I mean... I never saw your wand. And you an Ollivander, to boot. It makes perfect sense though, I suppose."
"What makes sense?"
Ivy and Zack both snapped to attention as Rose's voice invaded the kitchen.
"Well... Oh... Ivy of course," Zack floundered, slicking a shaky hand through his hair. "She's just told me... I mean... it sort of came out... She told me you already knew..."
"What do I know Zonko?" Rose spoke, stomping one foot impatiently.
"She's a squib."
Ivy's head turned toward the window as if she'd been slapped.
"She told you that?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes in his direction.
"Yes, I told him," Ivy said, eyes never leaving the window. "I thought..."
"Thought you could trust him?" Rose finished for her.
"Thought it wouldn't matter," she whispered. "Thought he was my friend."
"Ivy..." Zack whined, taking a step toward her, but Rose quickly positioned herself between them, wand outstretched.
"We've worked very hard to keep Ivy's condition a secret," she spoke through clenched teeth. "And let me tell you something. If this gets out in Hogsmeade you can be assured that everyone will know who's exploding dung bombs set old Madam Koonce's barn on fire last summer. Her hired man nearly died in the blaze, if I remember. You'd best keep this secret just as quiet as I've kept that one. Unless you want to spend some time at Azkaban, getting acquainted with dementors?"
"Madam Rosmerta..." Zonko sputtered, suddenly indignant. "I can assure you I would never embarrass Ivy. It just came out. Accidentally. I asked to see her wand and then... then..."
"She made a serious mistake in character judgment."
"Rose... please." Ivy murmured, placing a hand on her friend's arm.
"Yes, Rose... please," Zack repeated through desperate lips. "I must be going anyway. Father will worry if I'm not at home for tea."
"Go on then," Rose sneered at the rotund man. "Get home to your father, but don't forget what I said."
Zack raised his hands in surrender, pushing past them to leave the house as quick as his stocky legs could carry him.
"Damn," Rose muttered, turning her attention on Ivy.
"So much for our wonderful day," Ivy smiled weakly.
"It's still wonderful, Ivy. Come see what I've done with the fence."
"But Zack..."
"Don't think about him anymore. He's not worth the time. He doesn't deserve you and it's best we found that out now."
"But..." Ivy couldn't put her greatest fear into words for a minute.
"But what if that had been Hagrid? If he ever looks at me that way I'll... just..."
"You know Hagrid better than that," Rose insisted, taking Ivy by the shoulders. She turned her around and pushed her toward the garden. "Come look at the periwinkles."
Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Ivy sighed, resolving to do what her friend had said. She let Rose push her out to the garden, without another word about Zachary Zonko.
The newly transformed garden filled Ivy with awe. Rose had bordered the front path with bright blue periwinkles and the ivy she'd conjured already covered the bottom half of the house. The sunflowers that flanked the front windows were already attracting butterflies - although when a chill November wind bent the flowers Ivy realized that Rose must have magicked them too. Her efforts made for a picture perfect environment that chased away the heaviness in Ivy's heart.
"That was stupid of me, wasn't it? Telling Zonko?"
Rose turned to Ivy with a sigh. "Look, love, he's been shadowing you since Christmas. And I can see how you might have taken him at face value. I've always thought he was the greasy sort, myself. The kind who does nothing without ulterior motives. The bottom line is we can't get that water back again. It's under the bridge. Don't let Zonko's shallowness eat at you. I'm sorry it happened this way, but I hope you won't judge every magical person by his standards. I think you should forget about him and look at your house. It's beautiful. We'll finish the inside tomorrow and you can move in."
Ivy looked around as advised and gave Rose a determined nod, then grinned.
"You'll have to sleep over the first night or two. I don't think I'll be able to sleep without hearing you snore."
"I don't snore, you git!" Rose countered.
"It's not a loud annoying snore," Ivy continued, bending over to stick her nose in the periwinkles. "Just a soft little..."
She stopped when Rose pecked her on the shoulder with a finger.
"What?" She straightened up just in time to see Hagrid standing outside her front gate. Her chest tightened at the sight of him, until she remembered how he'd looked at Madam Maxime.
"Got to be going," Rose murmured, grinning. "Duty calls and all." She gave Hagrid a half-curtsy, then slipped out the gate toward the pub.
Ivy stood rooted to the spot, sighing in satisfaction at the view. Hagrid's hand slid over the top of the gate and undid the latch with a simple familiarity that made her heart ache. Her head tilted upward steadily as he drew near - her eyes never leaving his face. When he stopped, she forced a grin.
"Welcome to my new house," she told him, turning to throw her hand out toward the cottage.
And may you spend countless hours here. At my house. Without Madam Maxime.
"New house?" Hagrid asked, taking another step toward the door. "Thought it was ole man Zonko's"
"It used to be. I bought it from him last week. We've been working on the garden. How does it look?"
Hagrid took in the garden with a critical eye.
"Needs a pun'kin patch over there," he gestured. "But that'll hafta wait till spring. All this..." he plucked a periwinkle flower off its stem. "'S pretty, but it'll be gone, firs' frost. Doin' things the magical way's quicker, sure, but there's nuthin' better'n getting yer hands in the dirt and plantin' things yerself. Letting' the seeds an' the dirt an' the sun be all the magic ya need."
Ivy's formerly forced grin turned genuine.
"Without magic?" she pressed, hoping to hear him say it again.
Hagrid leaned toward her. "There's more to magic than flippin' wands 'round, Ivy. And us magic folk ain't cornered the market like we think we 'ave. I learned that much from all these years havin' to get permission to use it. It'd do ev'ry witch and wizard a world a good to hafta do things wi' their own two han's ev'ry once in a while."
He watched with one raised eyebrow to get her reaction.
"Oh..." she started happily. "I agree with you completely. You're right. It would do us all... a world of good."
Hagrid grunted in agreement and rocked back on his heels.
"I stopped by when I saw ya to see if you'll be at the pub, tonight. I'm bringin' a friend by. Maybe you can stay on yer feet this time." He slapped her shoulder in a familiar gesture that nearly sent her sprawling into the periwinkles.
"A friend?" she asked, now off balance emotionally as well as physically.
Hagrid nodded, wrapping his huge hands around his belt. "Thought I'd prepare ya this time."
"Hagrid, I..." she wanted to stomp her foot angrily and ask him how in blazes anybody could have been prepared to meet Maxime, but she clamped her mouth shut on the tirade rising within her.
"I wasn't feeling well that night," she muttered instead.
"Yer feelin' a'right now, ain't ya?"
"Yes..." she admitted, without much conviction. "At least I am right this minute."
"I'll see ya t'night, then."
Ivy gave him a sickly smile and a half-nod of agreement.
"See you then."
Hagrid lumbered up the walk as Ivy watched. As he got to the gate she remembered her own promise to get back to the pub, and ran to catch up. Hagrid turned around to ask her one more thing.
"Yer not gonna be scared... livin' way out here, are ya? It's a long walk from the pub by yerself... in the dark"
"I'm not scared of the dark," she told him. "Besides, the dog I used to feed is hanging around again. Maybe if I feed him well enough he'll walk me home."
Hagrid didn't seem convinced.
"See that path there, leadin' inta the woods?" he asked, leaning over and pointing across High Street. "It leads to my house, if ya ever need..."
"I'll be fine with Blackie," Ivy insisted. "And Rose'll watch out for me too. Honestly..."
Hagrid studied her for a minute.
"Jus' wouldn't want anything to happen to ya, is all. The woods're right creepy at night, but I'll have the critters keep an eye out fer ya. Just stick to the path an' you'll be safe."
"Just like I was when you talked me into riding Gingerfoot, right?" she challenged.
Hagrid gave her a nod and a wink. "Exac'ly."
She laughed as they went their separate ways, Ivy following her feet to the pub, while Hagrid headed home.
"See you tonight," she murmured as he crossed the stream and disappeared into the forest.
"You and your friend."