Chapter 6 - A Word Or Two From Sirius
"Well, how are classes going, Ivy?" Dumbledore asked as Ivy paid him a visit after her class with Hermione, Ginny and the rest.
"The first years were easy to impress," Ivy's eyes glinted as she spoke. "As the classes wore on, I had to be more creative. Had to bring out the big guns in my last class."
Ivy handed Dumbledore the small cell phone for his inspection.
"These things amaze me," he mumbled, turning it over in his hand. "No wires at all?"
"Well, you have to plug it in to charge it, but other than that, no wires," she said as he handed it back to her.
"I'm glad they are getting acquainted with muggle technology. We have so many talented students who would do well living in both worlds. You will be making their future transitions a lot easier, Ivy," Dumbledore sensed that there was something Ivy wanted to speak with him about. "How is the staff receiving you?"
"For the most part, very well," Ivy paused and tilted her left eyebrow at Dumbledore. "There was no reason for Professor Snape to be observing my class today was there?" Ivy didn't want to tattle on Snape, but at the same time, she was annoyed enough with him to mention it to Dumbledore.
"No reason I can think of. I didn't authorize it. Why?"
Ivy shrugged nonchalantly. "He must have been feeling nostalgic for his class."
"Severus? Nostalgic for a Muggle Studies class? I doubt that, Ivy. Is there anything you want me to say to him?"
"No," Ivy said slowly, as if planning out her own strategy. "I can handle him. I think he's a bit put out by me. He doesn't seem to like my family all that much," Ivy smiled slightly. "Nothing big, Albus. I was just making sure I hadn't made a mistake in asking him to leave."
Dumbledore nodded, his keen wisdom showing through his bright blue eyes. "Would you like to talk about something else, Ivy? I couldn't help but notice that you brought your family up in conversation."
Ivy laughed. "I'm not going to get anything past you, am I?"
"Probably not. You didn't while you were a student here, why should you being a professor be any different?"
Ivy laughed again. "I promised Remus that I would run this by you before I talked to Harry." "There is no need to run anything past me. I believe in your ability to make the correct choices in your life, Ivy. You are an adult and you can defend yourself. There is no need for me to protect you anymore," Dumbledore had interrupted Ivy's speech, but what he said cause her to flinch just a bit.
"Ivy, there is no reason to be scared. You have not had wards around you since the day you finished your training with The American Society and you have been perfectly fine since then. I support you in telling Harry what he needs to know."
"If he'll agree to be in the same room as I am ever again," Ivy muttered.
"He will come around Ivy. Do you know why I asked you to come back here?"
Ivy looked at Dumbledore with the question 'why' written all over her face.
"Because not only are you a fabulous professor, but I knew you needed a reason to come back. You and Harry are an awful lot alike in certain ways. He needs a reason to speak with you. And, if I am not mistaken, between Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley, some sense is sure to seep through Harry's brain."
Ivy nodded, a smile on her face. "Thank you for the opportunity, Albus, I appreciate it more than I can say."
"I know you do. I must confess that I do have a few selfish reasons for asking you to come back," Ivy cocked her head to the side, intently listening to Dumbledore. "I feel that Harry would benefit from having some family around him right now. Voldemort seems to be growing stronger and I cannot predict what his next move will be," Dumbledore continued with a shadowed look on his face. "I do know that he will stop at nothing to reach Harry though. He has proven that many times in the past."
Ivy nodded her head at the fact that Harry had fought face to face with Voldemort three times already in his young life, and she hadn't been around for any of them.
"You are an extremely talented witch, Ivy, we could use your intelligence and knowledge. Which brings me to my second selfish reason for wanting you back here. I was hoping that you might be able to help me with something."
Ivy's stomach turned. She would do anything to protect those she loved so the past would never repeat itself, but that didn't stop her from being apprehensive. Gathering her courage, she addressed Dumbledore like the Hogwarts professor that she was.
"Anything, Albus. What do you need?
"I was hoping that you would have some privileged information about your sister's death."
This was not what Ivy had been expecting. "What do you mean?" her eyes narrowed as she spoke very slowly. She was still dealing with her own issues about Lily and James' deaths.
"We need Sirius Black more than ever right now," Dumbledore stated. Ivy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Did Lily ever give you any information or physical proof that Sirius was not their secret keeper? I know that without Pettigrew, we cannot clear Sirius' name completely. But if we have information that would somehow be leaked to the public to make Sirius more reliable, it would be for the best in the long run."
Ivy shook her head slowly. She wanted nothing more than to help Sirius in any way she could. She looked through any letter Lily had ever sent her, anything that might contain a hint, but she consistently came up with nothing.
"I will look through my things again, Albus, but I don't think I can help you with anything. I've looked through everything I have every time I hear Sirius' name just to make sure I didn't overlook anything. Of course I will look again, but I don't want you to expect anything."
"Thank you, Ivy. I appreciate it," Dumbledore paused. "And so does Sirius."
He knew that would strike a cord in Ivy. She looked at him and smiled slightly.
"I'll start looking right away. I should be going though," Ivy didn't have a reason to leave, other than she wanted to sit on her bed and think, but Dumbledore seemed to know this and gently nodded his head.
"I will see you at dinner then," he said as Ivy rose and walked to the door, already deep in her own thoughts.
***
Harry was happy for the first time in a while as Hedwig swooped down onto the windowsill ledge of his dormitory. He smiled at her and gave her a crumb of left over Cauldron Cake.
"Thanks, Hedwig," he said excitedly as his fingers ran over the letter. He walked over to his bed and opened the letter, tearing the envelope in his haste to see what Sirius had to say.
Dear Harry,
Ivy Evans has returned. I have a lot of explaining to do, and I would rather not do it in a letter, but I don't think I can get away to meet with you right now. I am very sorry that I never mentioned her to you before. I think everyone thought it best not to worry you with information about her. Also, we didn't know if we would ever see her again. She took the news of your parents' deaths very hard and made it known that she was done with the wizarding world right after she was sent to America. I personally did not mention her to you because I didn't want you to dwell on what might have been.
With that said, Ivy is an amazing person, Harry. I've told you before that the true measure of a person is how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. At Hogwarts, almost everyone was Ivy's inferior, though you would never have been able to tell her that. I'm sure you have heard by now that she is one of, if not the, smartest witches to ever come through Hogwarts. I wouldn't put it past her to be one of the smartest witches in the world. She has this easy way about her magic that just cannot be learned. It's ingrained. It doesn't come with years of practice or mountains of books. Ivy's magic is natural. This is not to say that she didn't perfect her techniques by studying or practicing, I'm just saying that she doesn't have to try as hard as the rest of us might.
But, by looking at her, you would never know this. She is one of the kindest people I've ever known. She is patient and caring. She is the perfect professor material, and I honestly am surprised that it has taken Dumbledore this long to invite her to teach at Hogwarts. I suppose timing was a factor in that decision. I know he would have wanted to make sure that Ivy was ready to return to the magical community.
I think you have a very smart girlfriend. I've always liked Ginny. She was right when she told you to give Ivy a chance. Ivy has her own reasons for doing what she did. Some of which I know and others no one but Ivy knows. I know that this may hurt you, or make you angry, but sometimes people have to think about themselves. Ivy was devastated by her sister's death. When Lily and James died, Remus left to who-knows-where, and I was sent to Azkaban, she was left with nothing. She was shipped off to a strange place where she was undoubtedly scorned for what she was. Much like you, she lost everything to Voldemort. People deal with things differently.
I understand that these words may not comfort you. I also understand your anger, Harry. I was angry with her as well. But eventually, I realized that what she did was something she had to do for herself. If she is back at Hogwarts, she must feel confident enough to take on many challenges. Teaching, Voldemort, and yes, you. She may not have been able to even look at you without reliving that night before now, Harry. Much like you see your mum when you look at her and it hurts. Think about that, Harry. She wants to get to know you, right? She must be in a good place to do that. And if that is the case, now is the best time to get to know Ivy. She is a fascinating creature, but most of all, one of the best friends, biggest fans, and closest relatives you will ever find.
I am sorry if my words are harsh. I am not intent on hurting you; I just know you and Ivy deserve each other. Make your own decisions, and I will not be disappointed in anything you decide to do. You asked for my advice, so here it is: get to know her, give her a chance. She may surprise you.
Let me know what you decide to do, and remember that you have to do what is best for you. You have never, ever disappointed me, so please do not think this time any different. I trust your judgment and ability to make the right decision for you.
Sirius
It was the longest letter he had ever received from Sirius. Harry reread it, puzzled by the sentiment he could sense coming through. There was a tone in this letter that Harry hadn't ever heard from Sirius before. He couldn't put his finger on what it was though, and decided not to think about it but to focus on the advice he had been given by everyone on the subject. The general consensus was that Harry should give Ivy a chance. He frowned and sighed, not willing to give in just yet. Everything in Sirius' letter was true. He knew it wouldn't be very fair to hate Ivy without letting her give him a verbal reason to do so. Harry's thoughts turned abruptly to his parents. They would have wanted him to give Ivy a chance. That much he knew was true.
He placed the letter under his bed in a box and grabbed his robes. "I suppose I shouldn't postpone the inevitable," he murmured rather sullenly as he walked out of his dormitory room and down the stairs.
***
Ivy was sitting on her bed, looking at the wizarding pictures taken at Lily and James' wedding. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at a particularly poignant picture that had been taken of the two sisters. Ivy was wearing the light peaches-and-cream-colored dress Lily had picked out for her wedding party and Lily was looking radiant in her traditional white muggle wedding gown. It had been one of the happiest days of Lily's short life. In truth, it has also been one of Ivy's happiest days. She had been so carefree that day, thinking that nothing could ever interrupt her perfect life. She had been proven so wrong. Ivy's chest hurt as a sob worked its way up her throat. She trailed her finger lightly over her sister's face.
"I miss you so much, Lily."
Being at Hogwarts had begun to take its toll on her. Not to mention the stress of her nephew's lack of communication with her. She wasn't sure how to get through to him on any level just yet and everything she had learned in school had not prepared her for the practical lessons of everyday life with someone who hated you.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her light purple sweater, checking her reflection in the mirror over her dresser on the way to her door. Stepping over books as she approached the door, she noticed an owl outside the window. She held up one finger to the owl, indicating that she would be there in a minute. Opening the door, she found the last person she would ever have expected to be at her threshold.
"Harry!" she said softly. Harry noticed that Ivy's eyes were bloodshot and her face was a pale shade of light pink. He felt a little sorry for her. If nothing else, Sirius' letter had instilled in him that life hadn't been easy for Ivy either. If anyone knew what the other had gone through, it was the two of them.
"Please, come in. I'm sorry my office is in such distress. I've been searching for things," Ivy smiled slightly at Harry as he stepped over the books, files and papers, taking a seat on the plush couch in the corner of the room. Ivy had split her office so that there was a sitting area in the corner with two couches, a chair, end tables and a coffee table in the center of it all. There were pictures and candles set on the end tables and an array of muggle magazines on the coffee table.
"Let me just get this owl and I'll be right with you, Harry."
Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. The magazines caught his attention as he looked at the coffee table. There were muggle fashion magazines with beautiful women on the covers looking at him with sultry pouts; there were also muggle entertainment magazines, movie titles jumping out at him from the cover. Harry looked through all the magazines and noticed one called The Journal of Psychiatric Medicine. He was about to open it when he heard Ivy's footsteps on the carpet. He looked up at her as she sat down in the chair opposite him and curled her jean-clad legs under her. She dropped the letter, unopened, upside down on the coffee table. Harry had the sudden urge to know whom it was from. He tore his eyes away from the letter and remembered the magazine in his hands. He leaned over and put it back on the table, Ivy watching him closely.
"That's one of the more academic muggle magazines I have," she said, smiling inside at the fact that out of all her magazine options, Harry had chosen that one. Harry nodded at her as he sat back against the couch once more. He sat very upright with his hands clasped together in his lap. His legs were pressed tightly together, knee to knee, and he was staring just to the right of her. Ivy shifted her legs to the floor.
"So, what can I do for you, Harry?" she asked as she inconspicuously began to shift her body to mirror his.
"I just."Harry looked down. His face told Ivy that he was second-guessing his even being in her presence, let alone the fact that he had been the one to initiate it.
"I thought we could talk," he said suddenly, looking her straight in the eye. Ivy gave a little smiled. Typical Gryffindor, she thought. Carefully, she brought her hands from the arms of the chair to rest in her lap. She consciously did not clasp then together as Harry had, hoping that would send his subconscious the message that it was okay to relax a little.
"Of course we can talk. What would you like to talk about?"
"You," Harry stated with a bit of an edge to his voice. He seemed taken aback when she didn't flinch. He had meant it to startle her, but she didn't move and never changed her facial expression.
"What would you like to know about me? I'll tell you anything you want, Harry."
Ivy could tell this wasn't going as Harry had expected. She was cooperating and she knew the Ivy in his mind wasn't supposed to do that.
"Why didn't you come back for me?" he asked, his stare never faltering from hers.
Ivy nodded. "A lot of reasons, Harry."
When she paused she could see the wheels turning in Harry's brain. He thought she wasn't going to answer him after she'd told him she would. He thought he had caught her.
"Most of my reasons were purely selfish and while I have never forgotten that I was letting you down, I had to stay in America." Ivy sighed and shifted her legs so that she was a little more comfortable. Ivy took notice that without realizing it, Harry did the same.
"Harry, the night your parents died, I lost my best friend, my sister and the only family I had. I've never considered Petunia family. She is a lot older than I am, and we never got along. Especially after Lily and I were both accepted to Hogwarts. You see Petunia is a type of squib. She has never shown any signs of being capable of doing magic. After Lily was accepted, Mum and Dad asked Dumbledore to evaluate Petunia. She was born with the gift of being able to do magic, she just can't wrap her brain around the concept enough to actually do it. She was so jealous of Lily and I," Ivy looked at Harry. He seemed interested in this tidbit of information about his other aunt. "That is why she acts the way she does when it comes to magic. And that husband of hers just perpetuates her anger," Ivy shook her head.
"But that is not about me is it? What I was trying to say is that I had no family left except you. And then they took you away from me and placed you with the people I despised the most. Petunia and Vernon made it very clear that I was not allowed to see you. I was never going to be permitted inside their house. Their excuse to Dumbledore was Dudley. That he was being inconvenienced enough by having you there without me adding to the mix of confusion. I was banned from their home. Dumbledore asked me to regard their wishes, and I did. Not because I didn't love you, not because I thought it was a good idea, but because I trusted Dumbledore. I still trust his decisions, Harry.
"My other reasons are the more selfish ones. I was feeling sorry for myself. I had been shipped off to America, to a muggle school where I was told to renounce my abilities. I had done well at Hogwarts, very well in fact. Magic comes easy to me, while muggle life didn't. I had a horrible time readjusting. I didn't have any friends; I had no way to get in touch with anyone; I was in a boarding school with people who would never begin to understand why I was there in the first place. For a fourteen-year-old witch, going back to muggle life was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I wasn't allowed to leave the grounds of the school, so I couldn't very well go out and find the Society," Ivy paused, making sure Harry knew what she was talking about. He took that opportunity to make a biting comment.
"But you still had time to come get me after you got out of school," he said defiantly. Ivy nodded.
"Yes, I did, Harry. But I wanted time to myself. I spent the rest of my time in the boarding school being angry that I was there. I was a very troublesome student and I was not well liked in muggle school. When I left school, I spent some time finding out who I was. In that time, I was allowed to be myself. I grew stronger, I found out I had other talents besides magic that were helpful to other people as well as myself. I was accepted to a university in America around the same time I found the Society. I sort of fell into both worlds at once. I was accepted again for the things I was, not scorned or berated for them. It took a while, but I learned how to balance muggle life with magic. It's a tricky balance, but eventually, it became second nature to me. I began to make friends for the first time in almost five years," Ivy paused and looked at Harry who was scowling.
"I never forgot about you Harry. While at university, I was given the chance to come to England and bring you back to America with me. It was the hardest decision I have ever made. I chose to keep you at Hogwarts and stay in America by myself."
"You were right," Harry spat bitterly, as he rose off the couch. "You are selfish."
"Please let me finish?" Ivy questioned, her tone calm and soothing, not irritated like she knew Harry expected. He scowled again and sat back down, throwing his left ankle over his right knee with an insolent attitude in his actions.
"I chose what I did because I had to work on me. It was what I had to do. I would have been no help to you, Harry. I had no job, no real money to speak of that didn't belong to someone else. I knew that I would never be able to subject you to muggle life again. You were born to be a wizard, not a muggle. I had no connections to the wizarding world in England besides Dumbledore and I didn't feel it was right to uproot you to an entirely new country," Ivy sighed, gathering her courage for the next part of her speech.
"But the biggest reason was me Harry. I had just begun to like myself again. I was working on both my muggle education and my wizarding education. I needed to work on me; I needed to be comfortable with me before I could ever bring someone else into my life. Especially someone who would depend on me so much. As much as I was thinking about myself, I was thinking about you too. It wasn't until Dumbledore offered me a position here that I felt ready to return."
Harry's eyes narrowed the more Ivy spoke until they were barely green slits. He rose again, this time not saying anything and walked out of the room, letting the door slam after him. Ivy sighed and hung her head.
***
"This seems more and more like an uphill battle that I am destined to loose."
"How much did you get to tell him?"
"Not enough. Nothing about his parents."
"Petunia?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah? Where did that come from?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ivy was not in the mood for Remus to pick on her accent. "Are my Americanisms getting to be too much for you? Yes."
"Wow."
"I'm sorry, Remus. I'm frustrated and I'm taking it out on you. And I know I shouldn't," Ivy rose from her seat and began to pace the length of the room. Remus sat and watched her from his position on the couch. Suddenly she growled angrily, picked up a pillow and threw it hard against the wall. "That kid is going to drive me INSANE!"
Remus tried to hide his chuckle behind his hand but was unsuccessful. Ivy rounded on him.
"Do you want a piece of me right now? 'Cause we can go."
Remus was shaking in his chair, trying not to let his laughter break through his lips. Eventually, it got the better of him and he hooted loudly in his office. Ivy stared at him with her hands on his hips.
"Where.are we.going?" Remus managed to squeak out. Ivy closed her eyes and began to laugh with him. They both caught the laughing bug and it was a few minutes before they were calm enough to try speaking.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Remus said, his eyes twinkling.
"I was just standing up for myself," Ivy smiled back.
"Ivy, honestly, I had no clue what in Merlin's beard you were talking about," Remus cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I still don't."
Ivy laughed harder at this statement. "I guess in my own way I was challenging you to a duel."
"I'll have to use that one."
"Thank you for letting me vent out my frustrations on you. I really appreciate it."
"I know you do, and you don't have to thank me. I can see how infuriating Harry is being right now. His mother would have his hide if she could get to him."
Ivy knew Remus meant nothing bad by his comment and it did feel good to actually talk about Lily.
"She's probably rolling over in her grave right now," Ivy stated reverently.
"And don't, for one minute, think James isn't right there with her," Remus shook a finger at Ivy playfully. Ivy smiled.
"So, should we start this again?" Ivy nodded at Remus' question. "How far did you get with Harry today?"
"I was at least able to tell him about Petunia. Maybe it will bring him some peace to know that how she treats him has nothing to do with him as a person but it's all about her own shortcomings. Wouldn't it have been great if Dudley had been able to do magic?" Ivy's eyes lit up. "I would pay money to see that boy do anything magical!"
Remus laughed. "So you weren't able to get to tell him anything about your." he trailed off.
"Connection to the deaths of his parents? No, I wasn't able to get that far."
"Ivy," Remus' voice warned.
"What? I'm fine with it, Remus. If I had to do everything over again, I would do exactly the same thing. It has taken me a while to come to grips with that, but I think that Lily and James would agree with me."
"I think so too, Ivy, it just sounded like you still felt you were responsible for their deaths."
"Everyone knows who killed them and it sure as hell wasn't me. I know that all I did was earn them a few more precious months with Harry."
"Those were probably the most important months of their lives."
Ivy shook her head in agreement, not trusting her voice. She noticed Remus had tears in his eyes as well.
"Well, aren't we pathetic?" she joked. "How about I teach you a few more Americanisms so that you can actually understand me when I talk?"
Remus laughed and nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Do you come with a translator dictionary? American to British English?"
Ivy picked up the pillow and swatted him across the shoulder with it.
A/N: Thank you all for being so patient with this story and me! My vacation was nice, but as usual, it's great to be home...I don't understand how people can live without a computer. I was sweating it towards the end there. ( Anyway, enjoy and review. Let me know what you think and as always, thanks for taking the time to read The Missing Link!
"Well, how are classes going, Ivy?" Dumbledore asked as Ivy paid him a visit after her class with Hermione, Ginny and the rest.
"The first years were easy to impress," Ivy's eyes glinted as she spoke. "As the classes wore on, I had to be more creative. Had to bring out the big guns in my last class."
Ivy handed Dumbledore the small cell phone for his inspection.
"These things amaze me," he mumbled, turning it over in his hand. "No wires at all?"
"Well, you have to plug it in to charge it, but other than that, no wires," she said as he handed it back to her.
"I'm glad they are getting acquainted with muggle technology. We have so many talented students who would do well living in both worlds. You will be making their future transitions a lot easier, Ivy," Dumbledore sensed that there was something Ivy wanted to speak with him about. "How is the staff receiving you?"
"For the most part, very well," Ivy paused and tilted her left eyebrow at Dumbledore. "There was no reason for Professor Snape to be observing my class today was there?" Ivy didn't want to tattle on Snape, but at the same time, she was annoyed enough with him to mention it to Dumbledore.
"No reason I can think of. I didn't authorize it. Why?"
Ivy shrugged nonchalantly. "He must have been feeling nostalgic for his class."
"Severus? Nostalgic for a Muggle Studies class? I doubt that, Ivy. Is there anything you want me to say to him?"
"No," Ivy said slowly, as if planning out her own strategy. "I can handle him. I think he's a bit put out by me. He doesn't seem to like my family all that much," Ivy smiled slightly. "Nothing big, Albus. I was just making sure I hadn't made a mistake in asking him to leave."
Dumbledore nodded, his keen wisdom showing through his bright blue eyes. "Would you like to talk about something else, Ivy? I couldn't help but notice that you brought your family up in conversation."
Ivy laughed. "I'm not going to get anything past you, am I?"
"Probably not. You didn't while you were a student here, why should you being a professor be any different?"
Ivy laughed again. "I promised Remus that I would run this by you before I talked to Harry." "There is no need to run anything past me. I believe in your ability to make the correct choices in your life, Ivy. You are an adult and you can defend yourself. There is no need for me to protect you anymore," Dumbledore had interrupted Ivy's speech, but what he said cause her to flinch just a bit.
"Ivy, there is no reason to be scared. You have not had wards around you since the day you finished your training with The American Society and you have been perfectly fine since then. I support you in telling Harry what he needs to know."
"If he'll agree to be in the same room as I am ever again," Ivy muttered.
"He will come around Ivy. Do you know why I asked you to come back here?"
Ivy looked at Dumbledore with the question 'why' written all over her face.
"Because not only are you a fabulous professor, but I knew you needed a reason to come back. You and Harry are an awful lot alike in certain ways. He needs a reason to speak with you. And, if I am not mistaken, between Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley, some sense is sure to seep through Harry's brain."
Ivy nodded, a smile on her face. "Thank you for the opportunity, Albus, I appreciate it more than I can say."
"I know you do. I must confess that I do have a few selfish reasons for asking you to come back," Ivy cocked her head to the side, intently listening to Dumbledore. "I feel that Harry would benefit from having some family around him right now. Voldemort seems to be growing stronger and I cannot predict what his next move will be," Dumbledore continued with a shadowed look on his face. "I do know that he will stop at nothing to reach Harry though. He has proven that many times in the past."
Ivy nodded her head at the fact that Harry had fought face to face with Voldemort three times already in his young life, and she hadn't been around for any of them.
"You are an extremely talented witch, Ivy, we could use your intelligence and knowledge. Which brings me to my second selfish reason for wanting you back here. I was hoping that you might be able to help me with something."
Ivy's stomach turned. She would do anything to protect those she loved so the past would never repeat itself, but that didn't stop her from being apprehensive. Gathering her courage, she addressed Dumbledore like the Hogwarts professor that she was.
"Anything, Albus. What do you need?
"I was hoping that you would have some privileged information about your sister's death."
This was not what Ivy had been expecting. "What do you mean?" her eyes narrowed as she spoke very slowly. She was still dealing with her own issues about Lily and James' deaths.
"We need Sirius Black more than ever right now," Dumbledore stated. Ivy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Did Lily ever give you any information or physical proof that Sirius was not their secret keeper? I know that without Pettigrew, we cannot clear Sirius' name completely. But if we have information that would somehow be leaked to the public to make Sirius more reliable, it would be for the best in the long run."
Ivy shook her head slowly. She wanted nothing more than to help Sirius in any way she could. She looked through any letter Lily had ever sent her, anything that might contain a hint, but she consistently came up with nothing.
"I will look through my things again, Albus, but I don't think I can help you with anything. I've looked through everything I have every time I hear Sirius' name just to make sure I didn't overlook anything. Of course I will look again, but I don't want you to expect anything."
"Thank you, Ivy. I appreciate it," Dumbledore paused. "And so does Sirius."
He knew that would strike a cord in Ivy. She looked at him and smiled slightly.
"I'll start looking right away. I should be going though," Ivy didn't have a reason to leave, other than she wanted to sit on her bed and think, but Dumbledore seemed to know this and gently nodded his head.
"I will see you at dinner then," he said as Ivy rose and walked to the door, already deep in her own thoughts.
***
Harry was happy for the first time in a while as Hedwig swooped down onto the windowsill ledge of his dormitory. He smiled at her and gave her a crumb of left over Cauldron Cake.
"Thanks, Hedwig," he said excitedly as his fingers ran over the letter. He walked over to his bed and opened the letter, tearing the envelope in his haste to see what Sirius had to say.
Dear Harry,
Ivy Evans has returned. I have a lot of explaining to do, and I would rather not do it in a letter, but I don't think I can get away to meet with you right now. I am very sorry that I never mentioned her to you before. I think everyone thought it best not to worry you with information about her. Also, we didn't know if we would ever see her again. She took the news of your parents' deaths very hard and made it known that she was done with the wizarding world right after she was sent to America. I personally did not mention her to you because I didn't want you to dwell on what might have been.
With that said, Ivy is an amazing person, Harry. I've told you before that the true measure of a person is how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. At Hogwarts, almost everyone was Ivy's inferior, though you would never have been able to tell her that. I'm sure you have heard by now that she is one of, if not the, smartest witches to ever come through Hogwarts. I wouldn't put it past her to be one of the smartest witches in the world. She has this easy way about her magic that just cannot be learned. It's ingrained. It doesn't come with years of practice or mountains of books. Ivy's magic is natural. This is not to say that she didn't perfect her techniques by studying or practicing, I'm just saying that she doesn't have to try as hard as the rest of us might.
But, by looking at her, you would never know this. She is one of the kindest people I've ever known. She is patient and caring. She is the perfect professor material, and I honestly am surprised that it has taken Dumbledore this long to invite her to teach at Hogwarts. I suppose timing was a factor in that decision. I know he would have wanted to make sure that Ivy was ready to return to the magical community.
I think you have a very smart girlfriend. I've always liked Ginny. She was right when she told you to give Ivy a chance. Ivy has her own reasons for doing what she did. Some of which I know and others no one but Ivy knows. I know that this may hurt you, or make you angry, but sometimes people have to think about themselves. Ivy was devastated by her sister's death. When Lily and James died, Remus left to who-knows-where, and I was sent to Azkaban, she was left with nothing. She was shipped off to a strange place where she was undoubtedly scorned for what she was. Much like you, she lost everything to Voldemort. People deal with things differently.
I understand that these words may not comfort you. I also understand your anger, Harry. I was angry with her as well. But eventually, I realized that what she did was something she had to do for herself. If she is back at Hogwarts, she must feel confident enough to take on many challenges. Teaching, Voldemort, and yes, you. She may not have been able to even look at you without reliving that night before now, Harry. Much like you see your mum when you look at her and it hurts. Think about that, Harry. She wants to get to know you, right? She must be in a good place to do that. And if that is the case, now is the best time to get to know Ivy. She is a fascinating creature, but most of all, one of the best friends, biggest fans, and closest relatives you will ever find.
I am sorry if my words are harsh. I am not intent on hurting you; I just know you and Ivy deserve each other. Make your own decisions, and I will not be disappointed in anything you decide to do. You asked for my advice, so here it is: get to know her, give her a chance. She may surprise you.
Let me know what you decide to do, and remember that you have to do what is best for you. You have never, ever disappointed me, so please do not think this time any different. I trust your judgment and ability to make the right decision for you.
Sirius
It was the longest letter he had ever received from Sirius. Harry reread it, puzzled by the sentiment he could sense coming through. There was a tone in this letter that Harry hadn't ever heard from Sirius before. He couldn't put his finger on what it was though, and decided not to think about it but to focus on the advice he had been given by everyone on the subject. The general consensus was that Harry should give Ivy a chance. He frowned and sighed, not willing to give in just yet. Everything in Sirius' letter was true. He knew it wouldn't be very fair to hate Ivy without letting her give him a verbal reason to do so. Harry's thoughts turned abruptly to his parents. They would have wanted him to give Ivy a chance. That much he knew was true.
He placed the letter under his bed in a box and grabbed his robes. "I suppose I shouldn't postpone the inevitable," he murmured rather sullenly as he walked out of his dormitory room and down the stairs.
***
Ivy was sitting on her bed, looking at the wizarding pictures taken at Lily and James' wedding. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at a particularly poignant picture that had been taken of the two sisters. Ivy was wearing the light peaches-and-cream-colored dress Lily had picked out for her wedding party and Lily was looking radiant in her traditional white muggle wedding gown. It had been one of the happiest days of Lily's short life. In truth, it has also been one of Ivy's happiest days. She had been so carefree that day, thinking that nothing could ever interrupt her perfect life. She had been proven so wrong. Ivy's chest hurt as a sob worked its way up her throat. She trailed her finger lightly over her sister's face.
"I miss you so much, Lily."
Being at Hogwarts had begun to take its toll on her. Not to mention the stress of her nephew's lack of communication with her. She wasn't sure how to get through to him on any level just yet and everything she had learned in school had not prepared her for the practical lessons of everyday life with someone who hated you.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her light purple sweater, checking her reflection in the mirror over her dresser on the way to her door. Stepping over books as she approached the door, she noticed an owl outside the window. She held up one finger to the owl, indicating that she would be there in a minute. Opening the door, she found the last person she would ever have expected to be at her threshold.
"Harry!" she said softly. Harry noticed that Ivy's eyes were bloodshot and her face was a pale shade of light pink. He felt a little sorry for her. If nothing else, Sirius' letter had instilled in him that life hadn't been easy for Ivy either. If anyone knew what the other had gone through, it was the two of them.
"Please, come in. I'm sorry my office is in such distress. I've been searching for things," Ivy smiled slightly at Harry as he stepped over the books, files and papers, taking a seat on the plush couch in the corner of the room. Ivy had split her office so that there was a sitting area in the corner with two couches, a chair, end tables and a coffee table in the center of it all. There were pictures and candles set on the end tables and an array of muggle magazines on the coffee table.
"Let me just get this owl and I'll be right with you, Harry."
Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. The magazines caught his attention as he looked at the coffee table. There were muggle fashion magazines with beautiful women on the covers looking at him with sultry pouts; there were also muggle entertainment magazines, movie titles jumping out at him from the cover. Harry looked through all the magazines and noticed one called The Journal of Psychiatric Medicine. He was about to open it when he heard Ivy's footsteps on the carpet. He looked up at her as she sat down in the chair opposite him and curled her jean-clad legs under her. She dropped the letter, unopened, upside down on the coffee table. Harry had the sudden urge to know whom it was from. He tore his eyes away from the letter and remembered the magazine in his hands. He leaned over and put it back on the table, Ivy watching him closely.
"That's one of the more academic muggle magazines I have," she said, smiling inside at the fact that out of all her magazine options, Harry had chosen that one. Harry nodded at her as he sat back against the couch once more. He sat very upright with his hands clasped together in his lap. His legs were pressed tightly together, knee to knee, and he was staring just to the right of her. Ivy shifted her legs to the floor.
"So, what can I do for you, Harry?" she asked as she inconspicuously began to shift her body to mirror his.
"I just."Harry looked down. His face told Ivy that he was second-guessing his even being in her presence, let alone the fact that he had been the one to initiate it.
"I thought we could talk," he said suddenly, looking her straight in the eye. Ivy gave a little smiled. Typical Gryffindor, she thought. Carefully, she brought her hands from the arms of the chair to rest in her lap. She consciously did not clasp then together as Harry had, hoping that would send his subconscious the message that it was okay to relax a little.
"Of course we can talk. What would you like to talk about?"
"You," Harry stated with a bit of an edge to his voice. He seemed taken aback when she didn't flinch. He had meant it to startle her, but she didn't move and never changed her facial expression.
"What would you like to know about me? I'll tell you anything you want, Harry."
Ivy could tell this wasn't going as Harry had expected. She was cooperating and she knew the Ivy in his mind wasn't supposed to do that.
"Why didn't you come back for me?" he asked, his stare never faltering from hers.
Ivy nodded. "A lot of reasons, Harry."
When she paused she could see the wheels turning in Harry's brain. He thought she wasn't going to answer him after she'd told him she would. He thought he had caught her.
"Most of my reasons were purely selfish and while I have never forgotten that I was letting you down, I had to stay in America." Ivy sighed and shifted her legs so that she was a little more comfortable. Ivy took notice that without realizing it, Harry did the same.
"Harry, the night your parents died, I lost my best friend, my sister and the only family I had. I've never considered Petunia family. She is a lot older than I am, and we never got along. Especially after Lily and I were both accepted to Hogwarts. You see Petunia is a type of squib. She has never shown any signs of being capable of doing magic. After Lily was accepted, Mum and Dad asked Dumbledore to evaluate Petunia. She was born with the gift of being able to do magic, she just can't wrap her brain around the concept enough to actually do it. She was so jealous of Lily and I," Ivy looked at Harry. He seemed interested in this tidbit of information about his other aunt. "That is why she acts the way she does when it comes to magic. And that husband of hers just perpetuates her anger," Ivy shook her head.
"But that is not about me is it? What I was trying to say is that I had no family left except you. And then they took you away from me and placed you with the people I despised the most. Petunia and Vernon made it very clear that I was not allowed to see you. I was never going to be permitted inside their house. Their excuse to Dumbledore was Dudley. That he was being inconvenienced enough by having you there without me adding to the mix of confusion. I was banned from their home. Dumbledore asked me to regard their wishes, and I did. Not because I didn't love you, not because I thought it was a good idea, but because I trusted Dumbledore. I still trust his decisions, Harry.
"My other reasons are the more selfish ones. I was feeling sorry for myself. I had been shipped off to America, to a muggle school where I was told to renounce my abilities. I had done well at Hogwarts, very well in fact. Magic comes easy to me, while muggle life didn't. I had a horrible time readjusting. I didn't have any friends; I had no way to get in touch with anyone; I was in a boarding school with people who would never begin to understand why I was there in the first place. For a fourteen-year-old witch, going back to muggle life was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I wasn't allowed to leave the grounds of the school, so I couldn't very well go out and find the Society," Ivy paused, making sure Harry knew what she was talking about. He took that opportunity to make a biting comment.
"But you still had time to come get me after you got out of school," he said defiantly. Ivy nodded.
"Yes, I did, Harry. But I wanted time to myself. I spent the rest of my time in the boarding school being angry that I was there. I was a very troublesome student and I was not well liked in muggle school. When I left school, I spent some time finding out who I was. In that time, I was allowed to be myself. I grew stronger, I found out I had other talents besides magic that were helpful to other people as well as myself. I was accepted to a university in America around the same time I found the Society. I sort of fell into both worlds at once. I was accepted again for the things I was, not scorned or berated for them. It took a while, but I learned how to balance muggle life with magic. It's a tricky balance, but eventually, it became second nature to me. I began to make friends for the first time in almost five years," Ivy paused and looked at Harry who was scowling.
"I never forgot about you Harry. While at university, I was given the chance to come to England and bring you back to America with me. It was the hardest decision I have ever made. I chose to keep you at Hogwarts and stay in America by myself."
"You were right," Harry spat bitterly, as he rose off the couch. "You are selfish."
"Please let me finish?" Ivy questioned, her tone calm and soothing, not irritated like she knew Harry expected. He scowled again and sat back down, throwing his left ankle over his right knee with an insolent attitude in his actions.
"I chose what I did because I had to work on me. It was what I had to do. I would have been no help to you, Harry. I had no job, no real money to speak of that didn't belong to someone else. I knew that I would never be able to subject you to muggle life again. You were born to be a wizard, not a muggle. I had no connections to the wizarding world in England besides Dumbledore and I didn't feel it was right to uproot you to an entirely new country," Ivy sighed, gathering her courage for the next part of her speech.
"But the biggest reason was me Harry. I had just begun to like myself again. I was working on both my muggle education and my wizarding education. I needed to work on me; I needed to be comfortable with me before I could ever bring someone else into my life. Especially someone who would depend on me so much. As much as I was thinking about myself, I was thinking about you too. It wasn't until Dumbledore offered me a position here that I felt ready to return."
Harry's eyes narrowed the more Ivy spoke until they were barely green slits. He rose again, this time not saying anything and walked out of the room, letting the door slam after him. Ivy sighed and hung her head.
***
"This seems more and more like an uphill battle that I am destined to loose."
"How much did you get to tell him?"
"Not enough. Nothing about his parents."
"Petunia?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah? Where did that come from?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ivy was not in the mood for Remus to pick on her accent. "Are my Americanisms getting to be too much for you? Yes."
"Wow."
"I'm sorry, Remus. I'm frustrated and I'm taking it out on you. And I know I shouldn't," Ivy rose from her seat and began to pace the length of the room. Remus sat and watched her from his position on the couch. Suddenly she growled angrily, picked up a pillow and threw it hard against the wall. "That kid is going to drive me INSANE!"
Remus tried to hide his chuckle behind his hand but was unsuccessful. Ivy rounded on him.
"Do you want a piece of me right now? 'Cause we can go."
Remus was shaking in his chair, trying not to let his laughter break through his lips. Eventually, it got the better of him and he hooted loudly in his office. Ivy stared at him with her hands on his hips.
"Where.are we.going?" Remus managed to squeak out. Ivy closed her eyes and began to laugh with him. They both caught the laughing bug and it was a few minutes before they were calm enough to try speaking.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Remus said, his eyes twinkling.
"I was just standing up for myself," Ivy smiled back.
"Ivy, honestly, I had no clue what in Merlin's beard you were talking about," Remus cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I still don't."
Ivy laughed harder at this statement. "I guess in my own way I was challenging you to a duel."
"I'll have to use that one."
"Thank you for letting me vent out my frustrations on you. I really appreciate it."
"I know you do, and you don't have to thank me. I can see how infuriating Harry is being right now. His mother would have his hide if she could get to him."
Ivy knew Remus meant nothing bad by his comment and it did feel good to actually talk about Lily.
"She's probably rolling over in her grave right now," Ivy stated reverently.
"And don't, for one minute, think James isn't right there with her," Remus shook a finger at Ivy playfully. Ivy smiled.
"So, should we start this again?" Ivy nodded at Remus' question. "How far did you get with Harry today?"
"I was at least able to tell him about Petunia. Maybe it will bring him some peace to know that how she treats him has nothing to do with him as a person but it's all about her own shortcomings. Wouldn't it have been great if Dudley had been able to do magic?" Ivy's eyes lit up. "I would pay money to see that boy do anything magical!"
Remus laughed. "So you weren't able to get to tell him anything about your." he trailed off.
"Connection to the deaths of his parents? No, I wasn't able to get that far."
"Ivy," Remus' voice warned.
"What? I'm fine with it, Remus. If I had to do everything over again, I would do exactly the same thing. It has taken me a while to come to grips with that, but I think that Lily and James would agree with me."
"I think so too, Ivy, it just sounded like you still felt you were responsible for their deaths."
"Everyone knows who killed them and it sure as hell wasn't me. I know that all I did was earn them a few more precious months with Harry."
"Those were probably the most important months of their lives."
Ivy shook her head in agreement, not trusting her voice. She noticed Remus had tears in his eyes as well.
"Well, aren't we pathetic?" she joked. "How about I teach you a few more Americanisms so that you can actually understand me when I talk?"
Remus laughed and nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Do you come with a translator dictionary? American to British English?"
Ivy picked up the pillow and swatted him across the shoulder with it.
A/N: Thank you all for being so patient with this story and me! My vacation was nice, but as usual, it's great to be home...I don't understand how people can live without a computer. I was sweating it towards the end there. ( Anyway, enjoy and review. Let me know what you think and as always, thanks for taking the time to read The Missing Link!