Welcome to the Black Parade My Chemical Romance
A world that sends you reelin'
From decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end, we hear the call
April 7th, 1974
Ivy made it into Mrs. McKinnon's arms before passing out. When she awoke a few hours later, she was in a room of what she assumed was the McKinnons home. Sitting up on the bed, she noticed that there was a bandage wrapped around her head and dried blood in her white hair. Marlene was curled up in a beige armchair to her left, watching her silently.
"Hey, Selwyn," McKinnon said warily.
Still disoriented, Ivy looked out the window to her right, where the sun was setting behind hills of half-melted snow. Locating her backpack at the foot of the armchair, she frowned.
"I believe a thank you is in order," she prodded.
"Thanks."
Her head pounded in response to speaking and she sucked in a breath through her teeth.
"Still hurts?"
"Yes."
McKinnon eyed her. "Mum and Dad think you should stay overnight while your head heals. You've got road rash all down your arm, too."
Indeed, there were deep scrapes across her right arm. By the look of them, they were definitely going to scar.
"You didn't tell my parents I'm here, did you?" Ivy asked cautiously.
"'Course not. But they're probably wondering where you are."
"I told them I was spending the night at Theya's. I was planning to go home early with an excuse, but…" A thought occurred to her. "You know why I was at the march, then?"
"Well, it's not like you were counter protesting."
"How do you figure that?"
"Aside from the fact that you were on the ground, bleeding from the head? When I picked you up, you looked way different than you do now. There's no need for a disguise if you were counter protesting."
"You can't tell anyone."
"I'm not daft."
"I didn't say you were."
There was a knock at the door and Mrs. McKinnon slowly stepped inside. Marlene was the mirror image of her, as they shared the same sandy hair, blue eyes, and round face. She held a tray of steaming food, which she set at the foot of the bed.
"Hello, Ivy," Mrs. McKinnon leaned against the doorframe. "How're you feeling?"
"Better than I probably should."
"Ah, well, that'd be the Murtlap Essence."
"Thank you. And thank you for… um, not contacting my family."
"Of course, dear," she smiled warmly. "And you can call me Pamela. Marlene filled Robert and I in on your situation. Your secret is safe with us."
Ivy was relieved to hear those words from an adult's mouth.
"And," Pamela continued, easing the door shut as she departed. "We're glad that you now have an ally on the right side of things."
Staring after her, she turned to McKinnon to test the waters. "An ally, huh?"
"Apparently."
She tried to hide her disappointment at the noncommittal response. "Do you know if Benjy Fenwick made it out alright?"
"Dunno," she gave her an odd look. "I can owl him in the morning and find out."
Ivy ignored the tray of steaming lamb and vegetables at the foot of the bed, not feeling very hungry. A glance out the window told her that the sun had all but gone down, as there were only dark shades of blue and purple left on the horizon.
"Why were you protesting?" McKinnon asked.
"Because Squibs deserve rights."
"Obviously," she squinted. "You know what I mean. You're a Slytherin. You only hang out with blood purists. I've heard you use the M word on multiple occasions."
"Because Mudbloods steal magic," she said frostily.
"Don't use that word," she snapped. "They don't steal magic."
"Yes, they do. My parents have been telling me that since I was born."
"They're wrong. Like, really wrong. Muggleborns don't steal magic, they're born with it. Same as you and me. Besides, where would they steal it from?"
"Purebloods."
"I hang out with Mary MacDonald and Lily Evans all the time," McKinnon folded her arms defiantly. "They've never stolen anything from me. Muggleborns stealing magic is a load of nonsense, purebloods just say it to feel superior."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Ivy supposed she could be right, as she'd never felt her magic decrease when a Muggleborn was performing a spell nearby. And, now that she thought about it, she'd never been taught in class that Muggleborns were thieves. All of that had come straight from Avdima and Rhaen. The same people who thought Hazel being born wasn't something to be celebrated.
"Speaking of Squib rights," McKinnon added. "You didn't answer my question."
"I don't want to answer your question."
"Why not?"
"It's a stupid question."
"No, it's not. Answer it."
"Merlin," Ivy huffed agitatedly. "You Gryffindors really are stubborn."
"Why don't you want to tell me why you were marching for Squib rights?" McKinnon demanded.
"It's none of your ruddy business," she said through gritted teeth.
"It is now."
"Drop it," Ivy growled warningly.
"No," McKinnon leaned forward, glaring.
"For fuck's sake!" She burst out. "I went because they killed her!"
Bright blue sparks shot from her open bag and the door flung itself shut so hard that the wood cracked straight down the middle.
She and McKinnon were silent, staring wide-eyed at each other.
Hazel, eh? Wonderful wood, that, Ivy remembered Ollivander saying. It's known to absorb negative energy and disperse it at random so do be careful in times of stress.
Someone knocked on the door, making them jump.
"We're fine!" McKinnon called quickly. "Accidental magic, I'll fix it tomorrow."
Ivy listened to footsteps retreat.
"Who killed who?" The blonde came to sit cross-legged on the bed beside the tray.
"My sister was a Squib," Ivy looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink her tears away. "My parents had her murdered last August."
"Your parents murdered your sister?" She whispered in horror.
"Well, they had someone else do it," she wiped her eyes. "Cowards couldn't even do it themselves. They made me tell everyone that Hazel was sick, but she never was."
"You have to tell someone."
"No!"
"Why not? My parents are right in the other room! We could tell them and get you out tonight!"
"Please," Ivy cried. "Don't. They had my sister killed just for being born without magic, McKinnon! You have no idea what they'd do to me if I told!"
"First of all, I think you can call me Marlene. Second, we can protect you."
"This isn't just a matter of my parents or the Lestranges. This is a matter of pureblood society, which spans all throughout the Ministry, Hogwarts, Europe; it's everywhere."
"But-"
"Think, Marlene. My parents didn't commit the murder, they'll just claim Imperius. The Lestranges would be tried in court, but would they go to Azkaban? They'll also claim Imperius, and believe me, the Ministry will buy it. The Selwyns and Lestranges are some of the oldest wizarding families in Europe and we both have connections that run to the other side of the world."
"We'll figure out a way," Marlene said adamantly.
"You Gryffindors always want to charge right in, wands ablaze, before even having a strategy. You want to be heroes and fix everything, but not everything can be fixed."
"Yeah, well, you Slytherins always want to run and hide!"
"Yes, I want to run and hide!" She wiped her eyes angrily. "I don't want to lose everything, which I will. I don't want to be alone, and Slytherin or not, there's nothing wrong with that. I don't want to lose my friends."
"Your friends aren't exactly good company. You know they believe the same as your parents, right?"
"Watch it," Ivy said icily. "Regulus and Theya are not the same. That might have some bad beliefs, but so did I until a few months ago. Or even a few minutes ago when you told me Muggleborns don't steal magic. I won't lose them like I lost Hazel."
"Your stupid friends aside," Marlene scowled. "You need to say something about your sister."
"No!"
"Come on-"
"I said no. This isn't your secret to share."
Marlene threw her hands in the air out of exasperation. "Fine! I won't tell anyone."
"Thank you," she grumbled.
"But you can't just sit around doing nothing."
"I know," Ivy took a breath. "I've been trying to think of something to do but the best I've come up with is going to a Squib Rights march. It's not like I'm of age and can go work for the Ministry. If you have any suggestions, please, do share."
Marlene was silent.
"Not that easy, is it?"
"Shut up," she muttered, taking a moment to think. "If you're not going to do anything public, why don't you just… I dunno, fuck things up from the inside?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have a point," Marlene said pensively. "About being really deep in pureblood society. Why not use that to your advantage?"
"How?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure we can figure something out."
"We?"
"Yeah," Marlene rolled her eyes. "If I'm the only other person who knows about this, I can't very well abandon you."
"So we're, like, friends now?" Ivy raised a brow.
"Only in private," she smirked, stealing some of the steaming cauliflower from the tray her mother had dropped off.
"I can live with that."
June 9th, 1974
Ivy yawned, her head propped up on a hand as she stared unseeingly at her History of Magic textbook. She'd been reading all weekend in preparation for final exams, and the words were starting to swim off the pages.
Rubbing her drooping eyes, she glanced at the others.
Regulus sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace with Ariadne and Theya on either side of him, Bogey Girl having fallen asleep on his shoulder as he read his book. Ivy sat to the right of the sofa beside the fireplace, Snape having taken a seat opposite of her. The five of them created a near perfect semicircle around the mantlepiece.
"Snape," Ivy tilted her textbook toward him. "Are these letters moving?"
"No," he gave her a mildly contemptuous look before scrawling on his parchment.
"That's what I thought," she grumbled.
Eying Regulus, she squinted at Ariadne's head on his shoulder and decided that she very much did not like that. Ivy laid her thick textbook open on her lap, then slammed it shut loud enough that Bogey Girl snapped awake.
Everyone looked at her.
"Oops," she smiled innocently. "Snape, are you almost done? I need help with my Potions essay."
"Ask Ariadne."
Ivy glared at him.
"I can help," Ariadne said eagerly. "I am top of our class in Potions."
Regulus let out a laugh that he quickly tried to cover up as a cough. Even Theya looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes and Ivy wondered when Theya was going to stop forcing them all to hang out with Bogey Girl.
"I've even gotten better than Severus," Ariadne added boldly.
Snape halted the movement of his quill, looking deeply offended.
"Ariadne," Ivy said slowly. "What grade did you get on your Potions exam last year?"
"An Outstanding," she said smugly.
"Huh. Snape, what was it that Slughorn told you after last year's exams?"
"That I'd bought myself a one-way ticket to Slug Club come sixth year," he replied easily."
"And what year are you again?"
"Third."
"Ariadne," Ivy smiled. "What ingredients do you need for a Befuddlement Potion?"
"Easy," Ariadne smirked. "Sneezewort, Moonstone, and Lovage."
"That's not the right order," Snape said. "Or the right ingredients. It's Scurvy grass, Lovage, and Sneezewort. Then you stir clockwise once."
Ariadne glowered at them both.
"And what other potion is Sneezewort used for?" Ivy inquired of her.
"The Draught of Peace."
"A Strong Invigoration Draught," Snape corrected immediately. "If you mix it in with the ingredients of the Draught of Peace, which are powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered porcupine quills, and powdered unicorn horn, it'll explode in your face. Unless, of course, you use a very tiny amount, say, a quarter teaspoon. Then you'll just change the colour from turquoise to grey and render the mixture completely useless for anything other than a substitute for manure."
Ivy grinned. "And Ariadne, do you know-?"
"Bugger off, Ivy!" Ariadne got to her feet and stormed off in the direction of the Girls Dormitory
Ivy bit back her laughter until Ariadne was out of sight. Then, it burst out of her.
"Little harsh, Iv," Theya frowned.
"I'd say just harsh enough," Regulus looked enamoured. "She's been bragging about how supposedly good she is at everything for months; I think we can all agree we're sick of it. She's probably a lot more pleasant to be around when she's not trying to prove she's better than us."
"You're not wrong," Theya sighed. "How did you even know all those answers, Ivy?"
"She didn't," Snape said.
"But she knew Ariadne wouldn't either," Regulus interjected. "And that Severus would."
"I'd better go after her," Theya packed up her things.
"That was all for you, Snape," Ivy said as the golden-haired witch chased after her. "Well, it was a little bit for me. Alright, it was mostly for me. But you reaped the rewards."
"You," Snape said mildly. "Can call me Severus."
Finally redeemed from her social blunder the year before, she allowed herself to look as smug and satisfied as she felt.
"You know," Regulus scooted nearer to her. "You've gotten meaner."
Ivy arched her brow.
"Don't worry," he grinned. "I like it."
August 28th, 1974
"AND NEXT UP WE HAVE OUR HOGWARTS CHAMPION, SEVERUS SNAPE!" The commentator for the eighty-second Wizarding Schools Potions Championship said, voice booming throughout the massive enchanted garden.
"He's up!" Theya hollered, getting to her feet and cheering wildly.
Ivy followed suit, as did Regulus and Ariadne, and they collectively screamed Severus's name as his distant form, cloaked in black, emerged into the garden. The roaring crowd surrounding them was deafening, but Theya seemed determined to be the loudest of them all.
The arena was massive.
It was encircled by rows and rows of stone seats that held people from Europe, Russia, Japan, and Africa, who had all come to cheer on their school's representative. The garden itself was beautiful but, apparently, lethal. It had a number of walls, temples, and other obstacles, while still maintaining a magical, if not luminous, appearance. There were more plants of various colours, sizes, and degrees of deadliness than she could comprehend.
"Think he'll win?" Ivy yelled.
"If not by skill, then certainly by pride!" Regulus shouted back.
Laughing, she lifted her binoculars to her eyes. She scanned the bystanders, as Theya had tasked her with looking for other Hogwarts students.
"AND MR. SNAPE IS NOW FACING THE BANSHEE - VIOLET AS WE LIKE TO CALL HER - HE APPEARS TO BE CONCOCTING A LAUGHING POTION IN OPPOSITION!"
Moving her binoculars to the garden, she quickly located Severus. He was running at full speed, gathering ingredients from the garden and throwing them together in the cauldron he held against his chest. If he hadn't been in danger, she would've found him bumbling about like that rather funny.
"He's going to be so shocked to see us after!" Regulus yelled.
"Still think surprising him was a good idea?" She hollered back, dropping her binoculars.
"It wasn't my idea, it was Theya's!"
Ivy raised her eyebrows, looking past Regulus at Theya, who stood beside Ariadne, grinning from ear to ear. She wondered briefly whether the golden-haired witch had a crush on Severus before deciding better of it. Theya had always been a good friend and Ivy knew she would do the same for any of them.
That still included Bogey Girl, unfortunately.
"LADIES AND GENTS, HE'S DEFEATED VIOLET! BUT CAN HE ALSO FEND OFF VICTOR? THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS OUR TROLL! HARD ON THE EYES, BUT HE CAN ACTUALLY BE RATHER SWEET!"
"What's the plan for after?" Ivy asked loudly, watching as Severus began a new potion, whipping around the arena to throw ingredients together.
"We're going to the tent!" Regulus hollered.
"The tent?"
"Yeah! Theya set it up!"
The ugly, massive troll made a swing for Severus and Ivy screamed.
"AND HE EVADES VICTOR! HE'S MIXING THESE POTIONS FROM MEMORY, EVERYBODY! HE'S NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO USE THE BOOK! AH!"
Even the commentator was alarmed as Severus turned on his heel and threw his potion into the troll's face. Its grey skin began to melt right off its bones as though the potion was pure acid. Severus darted out of the way as the troll swayed and slammed to the ground.
"DAMN, HE'S KILLED VICTOR! AH, WELL, C'EST LA VIE, ONTO THE NEXT!"
Ivy watched Severus climb a temple and fly right off the top to the ground. He also successfully sliced off a Manticore's stinger, though he barely escaped from the debacle alive. He did, however, manage to follow that up by turning an Erkling into a shrub. It wasn't until Severus reached the gigantic serpent that Ivy clung to Regulus's arm, half in terror and half in anticipation.
"AND WE HAVE REACHED VICTORIA, WHO IS HALF BASILISK AND HALF DRAGON! A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT HER: SHE'S DEVOURED THREE-HUNDRED AND SEVEN CONTESTANTS SINCE 1407 AND ENJOYS LONG SLITHERS THROUGH THE ORCHARDS – THAT'S WHERE WE TAKE HER FOR NAPTIME!"
The snake was taller than the temples and had six black, beady eyes that, fortunately, didn't seem able to kill. Its fangs, however, were another story. The serpent had an opalescent, spell-repellent hide, which they quickly found out as Severus's curse rebounded, nearly taking his legs with it.
"WE ACTUALLY LOST POOR HENRY TO VICTORIA JUST YESTERDAY! QUITE A SHAME, HE WAS A NICE CHAP! OH – SORRY EVERYBODY, THOUGHT THE MIC WAS ON MUTE!"
Not particularly interested in watching Severus die, she went back to looking for Hogwarts students. She ignored the sound of a massive explosion and the crowd's collective, panicked gasp, assuming all was fine when they began to cheer again.
Turning her binoculars toward the family stand, which had the best seats in the place, she was disturbed to not see anyone there. Zooming in, she ignored the crowd, even as the commentator praised Severus's victory over the serpent, which apparently involved a modified Draught of Living Death, Erumpent Potion, and him diving into a pond.
Still seeing no one in the stands, she dropped the binoculars with a frown, wondering where his family could be, as the sound of cannon fire reverberated around the arena.
"AND SEVERUS SNAPE HAS MADE IT OUT ALIVE! OUR YOUNGEST PARTICIPANT YET AT FOURTEEN-YEARS-OLD AND HE EVEN MANAGED TO BLOW A CHUNK OUT OF OL' VICTORIA!"
"There he is!" Theya squealed, still high off the crowd's excitement.
Ivy spotted Severus emerging from the stone archway that led out of the arena, a giant golden cauldron in tow. There was a vial inside filled with murky liquid alongside a jar that held a fleshy, unidentifiable thing. His black hair seemed greasier than usual and she assumed it was due to sweat.
"Hey!" Theya shouted at him. "Youngest ever Wizarding Schools Potions Championship Winner!"
Severus scowled and looked around as though preparing to face an enemy before spotting them. As Theya ran to him and flung her arms around his neck, his face turned bright red, stuck somewhere between confusion and astonishment.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked as the group convened.
"We're here for you," Ariadne rolled her eyes and helped him put down the cauldron, jostling the vial and jar as she did so.
"Careful," Severus said anxiously. "They let me keep the Manticore stinger and Basilisk venom as prizes… You're all here for me?"
"Obviously," Ariadne said. "You didn't think you were friendless, did you?"
By the look on his face, he did.
A confusing protectiveness and defiance crawled in her chest.
"And," Ivy walked over to sling an arm around his shoulders. "We've got a tent all set up for tonight. Just the five of us. Think your parents will mind?"
"They won't mind." Severus didn't make a move to nudge away her arm. "You really did all that for… for me?"
"No," Regulus smirked. "We spent a fortune to get here because we wanted to watch Alexei Ivanov get eaten by Victoria. Condolences to his family, by the way. Did you know him?"
"No," Severus still looked in shock.
Ivy exchanged a look with Regulus. "Theya, Ariadne, grab the cauldron."
Within seconds, she and Regulus had hoisted Severus onto their shoulders.
He hissed out words of protest, but was drowned out when the other four Slytherins started chanting his name victoriously. Carrying Severus all the way back to the tent, they hollered wildly with Ariadne and Theya, who were red in the face from carrying the cauldron. Several other groups of European witches and wizards joined in on the chanting when they passed by.
By the time they reached the tent, Ivy was certain she'd never seen Severus so happy.
"And when you chopped off that Manticore's stinger!" Regulus sat up on his knees, making a motion as though he was swinging a sword. "That was wicked! I didn't even know there was a potion that could create weapons!"
Everyone's faces were flushed with excitement as they sat on their separate cots, which had been pushed together to form a circle after dinner. The tent itself was rather lavish, as it was neatly decorated with expensive-looking paintings and knickknacks.
"Just wait until we tell everybody at Hogwarts," Ariadne said from where she laid on her stomach, her cot to the left of Ivy's.
"Yeah," Theya grinned from her spot in between Severus and Ariadne. "All those Gryffindors are going to eat their words."
"They're not going to believe it," Severus looked a little dejected.
"Please," Ivy scoffed. "It's going to be in the Daily Prophet. Not to mention, a quarter of Britain was here as eyewitnesses."
"Don't worry, mate," Regulus said from Ivy's right. "None of us are above cursing a few Gryffindors if they try to turn your victory into something else."
Everyone made sounds of agreement and Severus's face broke into a wide smile.
"Alright," Ariadne gave a clap. "Who wants to play Kiss, Marry, Crucio?"
Severus and Regulus let out groans at the same time that Theya and Ivy cheered.
"Nuh uh," Regulus crossed his arms. "I'm not getting roped into this again. Last time we played, Ariadne ignored me for a week."
"Severus ignored me too," Theya grumbled.
"Because you said you wanted to kiss me!"
"I didn't mean it," she said defensively. "It's just a game."
Ivy wasn't sure she believed her.
"Alright, alright," Ariadne cut in. "We won't use the names of anybody in this tent. How's that?"
Regulus and Severus still didn't look too happy, but when the girls began to plead and bat their lashes, they caved almost instantly.
"Let's start with… Theya," Ariadne grinned wickedly. "Avery, Mulciber, or Rosier?"
"Easy. I'd kiss Rosier, marry Avery, and Crucio Mulciber."
Ivy and Ariadne nodded in agreement, though the boys looked confused.
"Why?" Severus asked.
"Because Rosier has dreamy eyes, Avery is marriage material, and Mulciber is disgusting." This didn't seem to ease the boys' confusion, but Theya had already moved on. "Ivy. Sirius Black, Potter, or Pettigrew?"
"Ugh," Ivy groaned. "I'd rather just Crucio all of them."
"Choose," Theya said in a singsong voice.
"Fine. Don't get mad, Regulus, but… I'd kiss Sirius, marry Pettigrew, and Crucio Potter."
"You'd kiss my brother?" Regulus raised his voice.
"Would you rather I marry him?" She shot back.
"I'd rather you Crucio him!"
"It's not my fault that he's… you know…"
"Fit," Theya grinned.
"I like the sound of Potter getting tortured," Severus piped up.
Regulus scowled at the floor.
"Why would you marry Pettigrew?" Ariadne looked disgusted.
"He'd be easy to boss around," Ivy smirked. "It'd be like having another house elf."
"I pity your future husband," Theya muttered.
Ivy glared at her but let it be. Not wanting to be obvious, she skipped over Regulus. "Severus. Vivienne Parkinson, Delcine Zabini, or Evans?"
He glared at her. "I don't have to answer that."
"Come on," Ariadne whined. "Don't be a spoilsport."
"Fine," his response was clipped. "I'd kiss Vivienne, marry Lily, and Crucio Delcine."
"You'd Crucio my sister?" Ariadne looked offended. "What's wrong with Delcine?"
"You guys look so alike," Severus shrugged. "It'd be like kissing or marrying you."
Theya and Ivy burst into laughter.
Ariadne looked murderous and began shouting.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Regulus said to Ivy.