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EVEN YOUR PRECIOUS SNUFFLES KNOWS THAT GRYFFINDOR IS THE BEST TEAM.

"ANY REASON YOU BOYS ARE HERE, heckling me, instead of at the last Hogsmeade trip?" Ivy asked.

The grounds of Hogwarts were practically abandoned. Final exams were only a week away, meaning everyone was either cooped up in the castle or on the last trip to Hogsmeade. Ivy opted to not attend and instead set up by the Black Lake to study. No one really studied outside, thinking it might be more distracting, meaning she was all alone — aside from Snuffles, of course.

At least until the Weasley twins showed up.

They had bounded over, practically halting all of Ivy's progress as they loudly messed around.

"McGonagall caught us trying to sneak into the Slytherin common room to pull a little prank," George explained.

"Instead of detention, she banned us from the last trip," Fred finished. "We thought about sneaking out, but then heard from your friends you weren't accompanying them and decided to come annoy you."

"I'm honored," she said, scoffing. She tried to look back at her Potions book, but Fred started tugging on the braid in her hair. "Why'd you wanna prank the Slytherin's last-minute anyway? They're already miserable with you winning the Quidditch Cup."

"Well, we wanted to rub it in even more," George said, puffing out his chest. "By the way, how's it feel knowing two members of the best Quidditch team at Hogwarts?"

"I'd say the same as it did last year when you had the exact same team and still didn't win," she teased.

"Hey, watch the attitude, Cottontail," Fred said, chuckling. "That's our department."

"All I'm saying is that it's taken what, nine years—"

"Eight years," George sharply corrected.

Ivy giggled and leaned back on her elbows. "Gryffindor hasn't been in the running for the Cup for eight years. You've only won once in your five years of going here, boys. Not much to brag about. Hufflepuff won my first, fourth, and fifth year," she reminded them, smirking. "Really, it's a bit embarrassing that it's taken your house so long to win again."

Both Fred and George playfully glared at her, bringing their hands to their chests in mock hurt. Even Snuffles let out a whine and joined their side.

"See!" Fred said, pointing to the dog. "Even your precious Snuffles knows that Gryffindor is the best team."

"Well, even if that's the case, it's not because of the lousy couple of Beaters they've got. Not really even that impressive of a position," she continued to joke, rolling her eyes. Unknown to her, she was making fun of three Beaters, not two.

"I've had enough of this. Either give us our sweet little Cottontail back or face the consequences," George threatened.

"What consequences?" she asked, tilting her head.

A moment later, Ivy squealed as George picked her up and started towards the Black Lake. "No! Georgie, seriously, put me down. Do not throw me in! Stop!"

"I'm not going to throw you in," he promised, grinning evilly.

Of course, that was a lie. Once his feet reached the edge of the lake, he heaved Ivy up and tossed her into the water. Snuffles and Fred ran over, watching as she splashed around, trying to get to her feet.

Ivy pushed her sopping dark hair out of her eyes and glared at the laughing twins. She looked down at her sweatshirt and skirt that were soaked and sticking to her.

"I hate you both," she muttered as they practically doubled over. Ivy pulled her wand out of her waistband and pointed it at them. "Accio."

Fred yelped as he was pulled into the water. Now it was Ivy's turn to laugh as he floundered around in the water, spitting it out of his mouth.

"I'm not the one that threw you in!" Fred shouted, huffing. A moment later, Ivy repeated her actions but with George, which put a smile on Fred's face. "Never mind."

"I'm not going to be the only one in soaking-wet clothes," she said, crossing her arms. But a moment later, the proud smirk slipped away, and her cheeks heated up. "W - what are you doing?"

Fred shrugged as he continued to unbutton his shirt. "Already in here. Might as well go for a swim."

"Don't look so red, V. You've been swimming in the Black Lake before," George added, now also removing his shirt.

"In a - a swimsuit," she said quickly, looking down at the water.

"Boxers are basically swim trunks," Fred told her, throwing his clothes to the shore. "Oh, come on, Ivy. We've seen you in a bikini before. This isn't any different."

Ivy sputtered for a moment, thinking that there was in fact a big difference between seeing someone in a swimsuit compared to their underwear. "What if someone sees?"

"Who's gonna see?" George asked, looking around at the deserted area. "Everyone's at Hogsmeade or in the library. C'mon, Cottontail, live a little."

After a moment, despite her heated cheeks, Ivy gave in. "Fine, but turn around."

Both boys sighed dramatically, as if she had asked something rather inconvenient of them, but did so nonetheless — all jokes aside, they understood why she wasn't comfortable undressing in front of them.

Ivy peeled off her sweatshirt and then unzipped her skirt before moving towards the shore. She sat the garments on the grass near Snuffles and muttered a drying charm. She also glanced down at her simple black bra and underwear, glad she hadn't worn white as it would've made them translucent with the water. Even so, she still made sure to go where the water covered her chest before telling the boys to turn around.

The thing about the Weasley twins was that they were relentless when it came to splashing wars. Ivy stood no chance as they sent huge waves her way. But she made up for it by charming seaweed to wrap around their ankles and keep them in place as she dunked their heads underwater.

It was a fun day and a nice way to relax. Ivy hadn't realized how stressed she was with graduating and exams and Sirius Black and Buckbeak and the trouble Harry couldn't seem to avoid. She could always count on the twins to make her feel better and forget about the concerns in her life, even for just one afternoon.

After Ivy felt like she had swallowed half the Black Lake, she made her way back out of the water and laid out on the grass, not quite ready to get dressed and go back to studying yet. She soaked in the sun with her eyes closed.

Naturally, she was clueless to the three sets of eyes taking in her smooth skin and the way her cute little black underwear with pink bows hugged her.

"Is this creepy?" George asked after a moment. He and Fred were half out of the water, leaning on the dirt as they watched her.

"Nah," Fred managed to mumble.

George narrowed his eyes. "Feels a bit creepy."

His brother scoffed, not taking his eyes off Ivy. "The dog's watching her too." George looked at Snuffles, who was leaning on his front paws and watching Ivy intently, as he always did.

"Yeah," George said, rolling his eyes. "But unlike you, the dog doesn't want to fuck her, Freddie."

"I mean, I don't just want to fuck her," Fred said. "Wanna date her too, but that's not exactly a secret."

"Just stop looking at her like that, mate," George said, clapping Fred on the shoulder. "You know she'd be mortified if she knew you were looking at her like that with so few clothes on."

"You're right," Fred mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Alright, let's go back to trying to drown each other."

Ivy could hear when Fred and George went back to splashing around, both yelling profanities at the other as they fought in the water. She turned her head to the side to watch for a bit, noticing that they were much more violent without her, making her laugh. Then her eyes traveled to Snuffles, who was still by the shore.

"Here, Snuffles," she called, patting the grass next to her. Snuffles quickly bounded over and sat next to her, letting his head rest on her shoulder. "Gimme a kiss! Kisses!"

A delighted giggle left Ivy's lips as he licked at her cheeks and collarbone, not seeming to care about the saltwater taste left from the lake.

And okay, maybe Sirius felt horrible for invading Ivy's privacy and watching her shimmy out of that wet skirt. Maybe he felt ashamed as he watched her lay out in her underwear. And maybe he was disgusted at himself for loving the feeling of cuddling up close to her, but when she ran her hands through his fur and asked for kisses, he found he didn't care.

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End-of-term exams came, and with them, the scheduled execution of Buckbeak. Ivy, ever the emotional support, accompanied Hermione, Ron, and Harry to visit Hagrid just before the time came. With their tests behind them, all they wanted to focus on was being there for Hagrid. When they passed the Executioner sitting in the courtyard sharpening his axe, Hermione leaned closer into Ivy's hold as they rushed past.

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak. It's too horrible," Hermione mumbled, still not wanting to accept his fate.

"It just got worse," Ron said as they crossed the grounds. He had spotted Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle, watching Hagrid's hut from a distance while snickering. He was tossing ferrets to Buckbeaks, letting him enjoy his last meal.

"Did I tell you? Father said I can keep the head," they overheard Draco boast. Hermione stormed towards them with a furious look in her eyes. "Ah. Come to see the show?"

"You! You foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!" Hermione had cornered Draco back into a tree, pointing her wand right at his throat. Draco cowered away in fear.

"Hermione, no!" Ron called. "He's not worth it."

Hermione seemed to think for a moment, considering her options while Draco whimpered with her wand to his neck. After a moment, she nodded civilly and lowered her wand. She turned away, and Draco made the mistake of laughing in relief.

As quick as lightning, Hermione whirled around and punched Draco right in the face, knocking him to his feet. Hermione, with her head held high, stormed off, a stunned Harry and Ron at her heels.

Ivy looked down at Draco and grimaced, watching the blood run from his nose. She cursed her nice nature and bent over to check on him.

"You deserved that," she mumbled. Then, feeling a bit mean, she lightly pinched his broken nose, making him howl in pain. Afterward, she pulled out her wand and muttered a healing spell to fix it before going after the others.

"That felt good," she heard Hermione say as she caught up.

"Not good — brilliant," Ron said, grinning.

Hermione smiled bashfully before the four of them continued down the hill to Hagrid's hut. The half-giant welcomed them into his house while the Hippogriff remained outside, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited him. While Ivy started a pot of tea to try and help comfort him, Hagrid gazed out his window at the creature.

"Look at 'em. Loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows."

"I say we set him free," Harry told him.

Hagrid quickly shook his head. "They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble. Gonna come down, yeh know, Dumbledore. Says he wants ter be with me when it... when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," Hermione told him.

"You'll do no such thing!" he interjected. "Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this! No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off. But before yeh do — Ron."

They all exchanged glances as Hagrid moved across his hut to get something. He opened the lid on a tin box and pulled out the old rat they never thought they'd see again.

"Scabbers!" Ron said in disbelief. He took his pet and grinned down at him. "You're alive!"

"Want ter keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron," Hagrid told him in a slightly scolding tone.

"I think that means you owe someone an apology," Hermione said, getting to her feet.

"Right," Ron said, a fake sympathetic look on his face. "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."

"I meant me!" Hermione seethed.

"Now, calm down you two," Ivy said, getting in between them. "Both of you have been absolutely horrible this year. Just be thankful to have each other and that your pets are alive. This is the last place to be arguing over something so silly!"

Both Hermione and Ron seemed to think her words over, knowing she was right. Hagrid, after all, was about to lose his beloved animal. But before either could even think about apologizing, a jar behind Hermione broke, the flour inside spilling all over the table.

"Blimey! What was that?" Hagrid asked, looking around.

Hermione and Ivy both looked over the mess, the younger of the two picking up a rock. They shared a confused look, now knowing where it came from or if it was what broke the jar. A moment later, something hit the back of Harry's head, causing him to cry out. Luckily, it caused him to look out the window and see who was approaching.

"Hagrid," he called. Dumbledore was walking to the hut with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and the Executioner.

"Yeh got to go! It's almost dark. Anyone sees yeh outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry," he said, panicking a bit. Then there was a loud banging on his door as they arrived. "With you in a moment!" he called, throwing blankets over his more questionable creatures living in the hut. Then he ushered the four of them out the back door. "Quick!"

"Hagrid," Harry said in a whisper. Ivy stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright. It'll be okay."

"Let's go," Ivy said quietly as the banging on the door continued.

They nodded to Hagrid apologetically before slipping out the back. Once Hagrid let Fudge, the Executioner, and Dumbledore inside his house, the four students snuck through the pumpkin patch, careful to not be seen. They crouched down and watched through Hagrid's window for a moment, paying all the crows swarming around no mind.

The silence surrounding the four of them was broken when they heard a stick snap behind them. Hermione whipped around quickly and an odd look overtook her face.

"What?" Ivy asked, wanting to make sure she was alright.

"I thought I just saw..." Hermione trailed off and continued to watch the trees, unsure of what she was looking at. "Never mind."

"Let's go," Ron said after a moment.

"He's right," Ivy said, gesturing for the three younger ones to get moving. "I'm still a Prefect for a few more days and don't fancy getting caught. Ron, keep hold of Scabbers this time."

They rushed up the hill, looking back at Buckbeak as they fled, knowing it was the last time they'd see him. They reached the same spot where Hermione had punched Draco, the Slytherin and his friends long gone.

Just as the bell from the clock tower began to loudly toll, the Executioner exited Hagrid's hut. The four of them stood with grim expressions on their faces. The Executioner parted from Dumbledore, Fudge, and Hagrid, moving through the pumpkins to where Buckbeak was still resting, just out of their sight.

Slowly, he raised his axe to the sky. He brought it down with a loud, sickening chop, and the surrounding crows scattered, cawing loudly. Ron and Harry looked on numbly while Hermione gasped, turning away and into Ron's chest as she cried. A small whimper escaped Ivy's lips, drawing Harry's attention. A tear slipped down her cheek but she didn't look away from the Executioner. Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly, comforting her as she had him so many times.

"It's not fair," she said quietly.

"I know," he told her. "When is anything ever fair?"