I'M NOT A BAD GIRL.

"OH, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT, SNUFFLES. It was just dreadful," Ivy went on. As usual, the dog had found her sitting outside on the grounds of Hogwarts. As she fed him some ham she had nicked from the kitchens, she told him all about the Quidditch match from the day before. "Of course, Flint got Slytherin out of the match because their Seeker still needed to recover, but you were right here when Draco said his arm was fine. They just didn't want to fly in that weather."

And while pretty much everyone had been annoyed with the Slytherins for dropping out last minute, Ivy could understand why. The rain was coming down so heavy that they could barely see a foot in front of them. Really, she thought, that they should have just postponed the game to prevent anyone from getting injured.

"So, Gryffindor had to play against Hufflepuff, who weren't prepared. I mean, we still won, but it's only because those Dementors showed up. Dumbledore sent them off, but boy was he mad. And poor Harry," Ivy went on, sighing. "He fainted because of them and fell off his broom. He's alright, but the wind blew his broom right into the Whomping Willow. He absolutely loved his Nimbus 2000, Snuffles."

Ivy glanced at the looming tree in the distance and grimaced. Then she ran a hand through Snuffles' fur. "Make sure you stay away from that tree. Can't have you getting hurt." He licked her fingertips after eating the piece of ham she had been holding to get her attention as if hearing her talk was the most riveting thing in the world.

"Part of me wants to buy him a new broom, but I don't know that I can afford as nice of one as a Seeker as good as he deserves. What he needs is that Firebolt that just came out, but not even Lucius Malfoy would shell out that much money for a broom for just the Inter-House league. I'll figure out something else to get him for Christmas."

"Speaking of," she said, perking up a bit. "I was a little worried about getting you food over the break if I had to go home, but my father has business in Madrid, so I'll be staying here. I'll make sure to bring you a huge portion of the roast on Christmas. Maybe some potatoes and scones and carrots. We'll have a feast of our own."

"Maybe I'll bring Fish, and you can meet her. I think she smells you on me and gets jealous." Ivy laid back to look up at the clouds, and Snuffles moved to rest his head on her collarbone. He looked at her curiously when she snorted. "Speaking of jealousy, Val is jealous of me always bringing cookies to Professor Lupin. She's been joking that I've been trying to steal her man, which of course, is ridiculous. But I can't just tell her that I do it because he's a Werewolf and the chocolate makes him feel a little better."

"I just can't believe she still has a crush on him. And the way she talks about him, Merlin," she said. Her cheeks went red just thinking about some of the things Val had said about the man, but not as red if she had been around others. She had no reason to be embarrassed around a dog. "I suppose I get it, but I'd never be able to admit it to her. It's silly, but the idea of having a strong, handsome, older man to take care of you is..."

Sirius knew that if Ivy knew what he was, who he really was, there was no way she'd be going on about a secret fantasy of being with an older man while biting that pouty little lip. Merlin, she didn't even talk to her actual friends about kissing — something she'd never done, which he'd been surprised to learn during a conversation that Ivy had with Ginny Weasley.

Ivy had trailed off after saying something about said older man teaching her — his brain had gone a bit fuzzy for a moment, causing him to not hear what was being taught — and then cut her eyes to Snuffles with an almost playful glare.

"Don't go telling any of your animal friends that live in the forest about all this," she threatened jokingly, knowing he couldn't actually spread her rather embarrassing secrets. Then she looked back at the sky and smiled. "That cloud kinda looks like a turtle."

Snuffles looked up in the direction she pointed, spotting said cloud that he thought looked more like a shoe, but he couldn't exactly argue with her about it. He also couldn't argue when she showed him a cloud that was very clearly a giraffe and not a flower.

The pair's nice afternoon of cloud-watching was interrupted rather suddenly by two rambunctious boys barreling toward them. Ivy sat up just as Fred and George reached her, practically throwing themselves on the grass in front of her.

"Finally, we found you," Fred said, taking in a breath as if they'd run all over the castle.

"Blimey, what're you doing out here, V? It's freezing," George said, rubbing his arms.

"Heating charm on the blanket," Ivy replied, patting the large yellow blanket that was spread under her and Snuffles. The twins wasted no time in crawling on top as well. "Now, what can I do for my favorite Weasleys?"

"First, can you tell Charlie we're your favorites?" Fred asked, grinning. But then the grin fell and a playful scowl took over his face. "How could you not tell us that you're an Animagus? An illegal Animagus?"

Ivy quickly threw her hand over Fred's mouth to shut him up. She nervously looked around the empty area, thankful that no one but her, the twins, and Snuffles were around. "How do you know that? You're not supposed to know that."

"Overheard you and Lupin," George stated, crossing his arms. "Was walking to meet Fred in the dungeons and heard him praising you because of how hard it is to do something like that so young and unaided."

Fred let out a "tsk" while shaking his head. "Ivy Arora, you naughty girl. You bad, bad girl."

"I'm not a bad girl," she said, scoffing. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Ah, so if it's not a big deal, you have no problem with me telling the whole school," Fred said, moving to get up.

Ivy grabbed his hand and pulled him back down on the blanket. "Freddie, you can't," she whined.

"Fine, but in order to buy our silence, you have to use your ability to help us with a prank. You'll be perfect for sneaking around the castle," George said.

"I'm not helping you full a prank. I can't. I'm a Prefect and I don't want to get into trouble," she said in a firm tone. "Besides, what do you need help sneaking around for? You've got that map."

"Well, we kinda gave it away," Fred told her.

She couldn't believe her ears. "You're telling me that you parted with your beloved Marauder's Map? Why on Earth would you give that away?"

"Gave it to Harry so he can sneak off to the next Hogsmeade trip," George explained. "Was his early Christmas present."

"Oh," Ivy said, relaxing. None of them noticed the way that Snuffles perked up at the mention of the Marauder's Map. "That's actually really thoughtful of you both."

"We can be thoughtful sometimes," Fred said, puffing his chest out. "So, out with it. What can you turn into?"

Figuring there was no harm in it, Ivy was honest. "A bunny rabbit."

"Awe," Fred cooed while George tugged on one of the braids in Ivy's hair. "She's a wittle bunny rabbit." Ivy groaned and rolled over to lay on her stomach.

"Go on then. Show us," George said excitedly.

"No way," she said quickly.

"Why?" Both boys whined together like children.

"One, because I don't want anyone to see. That defeats the purpose of it being a secret," she said, rolling her eyes. "And two, while I do love and trust Snuffles, he is still a huge dog with a monster appetite, and I am not fully convinced he wouldn't try to chase or eat me."

The three of them looked to the dog who innocently rested his head on his front paws.

"You're no fun," George huffed. "We're gonna see you do it one day, though."

"Just keep telling yourself that," she said, smiling and shaking her head.

"Well, you may not show us, but we're at least going to find a fun nickname for you," Fred decided.

"Freddie, giving me an animal-based nickname sort of defeats the purpose of it being a secret."

"Calm down. It's not like we're going to roam the halls referring to you as Babbity Rabbity," George said, referring to the popular character from The Tales of Beedle and Bard. Ivy simply shook her head and rested her forehead on the blanket, knowing they weren't going to stop any time soon.

Fred was the first to suggest a name. "How about something simple like Bunny? You can be our little Bunny, V."

Snuffles was the only one with a good view of Ivy's face, which had gone red with a familiar blush that only appeared when talking about something intimate. The dog tilted his head curiously as she shook her head, keeping her pink cheeks from their view.

"You can do better than that, Fred," Ivy managed to mumble. "S'not very original."

"Yeah, she's right, Freddie. Let's find something else. What's that name of the Muggle rabbit Hermione told us about once?" George asked.

As the twins moved on with names, Ivy's skin slowly returned to normal. She was thankful they hadn't picked up on her discomfort at the name or the reason why she wasn't comfortable. Ivy didn't hate the name — quite the opposite actually — but she certainly didn't want Fred and George using the term that up until then, she had no clue got such a reaction from her.

Eventually, the twins started arguing about which name was better, begging for Ivy's attention and for her to choose one.

"What's better? Cottontail or Flopsy?" Fred asked, giving her a pointed look. She hadn't really been paying attention, so she didn't know whose contribution was whose.

"Well, Flopsy is probably a little more inconspicuous, but I think I like Cottontail better," she decided after thinking it over.

Cottontail was better than Bunny, at least coming from Fred Weasley's lips.

| | |

When Christmas came, so did one of the biggest arguments between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. That morning, Harry had woken to a brand new Firebolt from a mysterious stranger. Of course, the boys were too excited to put any real thought into who it could be from. In Ivy's opinion, Hermione had done the correct and safe thing by bringing it to McGonagall's attention.

But any time Ivy voiced her side, everyone shouted that she just wanted to make sure Gryffindor lost the rest of their games for the year — which was ridiculous, as her house had already defeated them.

Once the broom had been confiscated to be stripped down and examined for deadly hexes, the trio's friendship was torn asunder. Hermione spent all her time away from Harry and Ron, who couldn't see her acts as anything other than betrayal. That led to her often being found in the library or with Ivy and Snuffles. On Christmas night, she had even eaten outside with them instead of in the Great Hall in order to avoid the boys. Snuffles seemed to like Hermione well enough, but he never warmed up to others like he did Ivy.

Once the New Year came and passed, everyone else returned to Hogwarts, and Ron and Harry were quick to spread their woes about losing such a fine broom. That led to everyone else in Gryffindor glowering at Hermione when she passed in the halls.

Draco Malfoy, of course, had waltzed up to Hermione and thanked her — earning a smack in the back of his head from Ivy.

Despite siding with Hermione, Ivy still agreed to help Harry when Professor Lupin asked it of her. So, she found herself in the History of Magic classroom, arriving just as Harry had. A few moments later, their teacher arrived carrying a large trunk, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.

"What's that?" Harry asked. "And why's Ivy with us?"

"Another Boggart," Remus told him. Ivy knew all about Harry's fear of them, which had only gotten worse after the Quidditch match. He wanted to learn how to cast a Patronus charm to defend himself, and considering Ivy was one of the only seventh-years capable of doing the same, she came to the session. "I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him. There's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"And Miss Arora is here because I thought having a friend with you might help encourage you."

Harry nodded, and Ivy rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. After a moment, Remus took out his wand and Harry followed suit.

"The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm," he explained.

"How does it work?" Harry asked, almost nervously.

"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus, which is a kind of antiDementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor," Remus started. "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it. Though I am not surprised at Ivy's ability to cast it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" Harry asked them.

"Depends. Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it," Ivy told him, smiling. "But corporeal Patronuses take on the shape of animals that best represent its caster."

"And how do you conjure it?"

"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."

"Right," Harry mumbled. Ivy could tell that he was somewhat struggling to find a happy memory, knowing there weren't many from before he came to Hogwarts. But eventually, he seemed to settle one and nodded to continue.

"The incantation is this: Expecto patronum," Remus said, speaking clearly.

Harry repeated the spell under his breath a few times before testing it out more clearly. After Ivy reminded him to keep focused on his happy memory, he said it again and a small silver wisp came out of the end of his want.

"Did you see that?" Harry said excitedly. "Something happened!" Ivy grinned at him and kissed the top of his head while Remus simply smiled.

"Very good," he said. "Right, then. Ready to try it on a Dementor?"

"Yes," Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. Ivy made sure to stand far back as Remus opened the trunk. A shudder ran down her spine at what came out. A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry as all the lamps in the room dimmed greatly. As the Dementor floated towards him, Harry raised his wand and shouted the spell.

However, after saying it twice, Harry seemed to lose focus and then started to fall over. Ivy acted quickly, catching him while Remus forced the Boggart back into the trunk.

"HJ," Ivy said in a soft voice, lightly shaking his shoulder. He jerked back to life and looked around the room. He didn't have to ask what happened.

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up.

"Don't apologize," she assured him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, getting to his feet and readjusting his glasses.

"Here," Remus said, handing him one of the chocolate chip cookies baked by Ivy. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time. In fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

"Yeah, it took me weeks to do it completely," Ivy added, holding his free hand.

"It's getting worse," Harry mumbled, biting off half the cookie. Ivy knew what he was referring to — hearing his mother's dying scream when in the presence of Dementors. "I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort—"

Remus had gone pale at the mention of Lily Potter. "Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand—"

"I do!" Harry interrupted fiercely. He was still holding Ivy's hand and gripped it tightly as he shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth. "I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game, we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"All right then," Remus told him. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on. That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough."

"Maybe if I saw a real one," Harry also suggested. He looked to Ivy expectantly. "Can I see yours, V?"

She looked to Remus, who nodded. Then she pulled her wand out of the waistband of her skirt and stood straighter. "Expecto patronum," she said clearly, a soft smile on her face.

A moment later, a silvery figure shot from her wand so fast that Harry almost couldn't spot it. He turned in a circle and watched as a misty rabbit that looked like it was made of clouds bounded around the room, jumping on desks and shelves, never slowing down.

"Woah," he breathed out, his eyes wide. And then Ivy lowered her wand and the Patronus disappeared.

"You'll be able to do that too," she assured him. "Can't wait to find out what yours is."

Harry nodded and then looked down at his wand, thinking hard while searching for a better memory. Once again, he took up his position in the middle of the room, and Ivy stepped away.

"Ready?" Remus asked, placing his hand on the trunk.

When Harry nodded, and the trunk was opened, the Dementor reappeared and the room went cold and dark once more. It glided over to Harry, extending a bony, claw-like hand.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat—"

And then he was passing out again.

It took a little longer to wake him up, which worried Ivy. It took several moments of calling his name and tapping his cheeks, and it seemed to take him a moment to register why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor.

"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled, not even getting to his feet. "That's the first time I've ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it."

Harry hadn't seemed to realize he was crying until Ivy was wiping the tears away. Remus pretended not to see them, and for that, the young boy was grateful. Crying in front of the sweetest Hufflepuff in school was quite different from crying in front of a teacher.

"You heard James?" Remus asked. Both students picked up on the strain in his voice.

"Yeah. Why? You didn't know my dad, did you?" Harry asked, looking up at him once his eyes were dry.

"I - I did, as a matter of fact," Remus admitted. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry, perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced. I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this. Ivy can work on it with you in the future—"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, quickly getting up. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is. Hang on. Ivy, what do you think of?"

"There's lots of little memories of all the people in my life that I love that flash through my mind together. My first sleepover with Val, Hermione taking me to see a Muggle singing movie, Fred and George chasing me around the garden. You—" Ivy playfully prodded Harry's shoulder. "—when you pushed Ron and me into the Black Lake."

"I didn't push you," he said, chuckling. Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. "Alright, I pushed you."

Harry racked his brain for a really, really happy memory. It took a while, far longer than he would admit to anyone outside that room. Eventually, he seemed to find one, and after assuring Ivy that he was alright to go again, he faced the trunk.

"Ready?" Remus asked. It was clear from his expression that they were continuing against his better judgment. "Alright. Go!"

For the third time, the room fell dark, and the Dementor rose out of the trunk. It hadn't been out for two seconds before Harry was shouting "Expecto patronum" at the top of his lungs, a determined look on his face.

After saying it a second time, the Dementor halted and a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand. It didn't form a shape, but it hovered between him and the Dementor. Of course, the spell couldn't actually hold off the Boggart, so Lupin stepped in, calling out, "Riddikulus!"

He forced the Boggart back into the trunk as Harry sank into a chair, feeling exhausted. Ivy moved to his side and wrapped him in a hug.

"I am so proud of you, HJ!" she exclaimed.

"Excellent!" Remus said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more go?"

"Not now," Remus told him firmly. "You've had enough for one night." Then he handed Harry a large bar of chocolate. "Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?"

"Okay," Harry agreed while eating the chocolate. "Ivy, will you come back?"

"Are you sure? Looked like you had that covered, HJ," she said, smiling. "I definitely couldn't have done that at thirteen."

"I'm really glad I had you here," he told her. Then he looked to Remus, who was prepared to lug the trunk out. "Professor Lupin? If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

Remus turned very quickly to look at him with alarm. "What gives you that idea?" he asked sharply.

"Nothing I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too..."

Ivy noticed how Remus seemed to relax, almost like he had initially thought Harry was accusing him of something. "Yes, I knew him," Remus admitted, keeping his face blank. "Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, Ivy, it's getting late."

Ivy remained a moment longer than Harry, studying Remus carefully. He didn't say anything, nor did he look away.

"D'you know something, Professor?" she began, tilting her head. "Growing up, I'd heard my father complain often about this annoying group of younger boys that went to Hogwarts with him. They had a silly name and were always messing with people. And I know for a fact that James Potter and Sirius Black were a part of that group — Peter Pettigrew too, which was what made Black's betrayal so horrible."

"Yes, what Black did to the people who were supposed to be his friends was horrible," Remus said after a moment. He was starting to dislike the way Ivy could seemingly study him for only a few minutes before figuring out his secrets.

"I never did catch the name of their fourth member," Ivy continued. "But I'm guessing that was you."

Remus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You really are a bit too intuitive for your own good, Miss Arora."

Ivy smiled sadly. She couldn't imagine the things he had gone through, the things he had felt. To watch your two best friends die because of your other best friend's treachery. Perhaps at one time, as a young boy, he thought those three would be in his life forever, only to have that life ripped away.

"I'll bring you some fresh cookies in the morning, Professor. Right out of the oven."