Closed No More Hiding

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy had thought about the yule ball a lot. She had enjoyed herself, but after reflecting on it more and more she was unsure if she had done something wrong. It was clear now that Ivy's veela powers at least worked, she had semi-intentionally used them on Sawyer. But was that wrong of her? What if she accidentally used them? Ivy knew she couldn't talk to her parents about this issue, she knew exactly what either of them would do. Her father wouldn't hide his disappointment and her mother would tell her she hadn't done anything wrong. She had slipped some make-up as well as some perfume into Ivy's trunk again, and she had experimented with both only privately so far. Was it wrong to want to feel pretty when she could use her looks against other people?

She needed a second opinion, but that meant telling someone. Ivy had decided that someone had to be Delilah, there was no one else she trusted more. Brooke was out of the question, she wouldn't give the Slytherin anything she could use against her. It was too sensitive a topic, and in Brooke's hands anything sensitive could be turned into a subtle weapon. Ivy was lingering outside the Ravenclaw common room, hoping Delilah would show up soon. She had been pacing back and forth, stopping at one point to pet a student's cat that was passing. But the longer she waited, the more anxious she got. Maybe she should look for her elsewhere? But she hadn't seen the Ravenclaw in the student lounge or in the library, and Ivy had no idea where she could be. When she finally spotted the Ravenclaw coming out of the common room, she quickly waved to draw her attention. "Delilah!"

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was glad to be back at school. Her holiday had been fine, more of the same tense dinners when her father was in town but at least this time she didn't have to deal with Caleb pestering her with questions about school. Instead she had to deal with him telling the same stories over and over until Simon snapped at him. But at least at school the distance between the towers and the dungeons brought her some peace. She was just about to head to the library, her history book tucked neatly in her bag when she heard someone calling her name. She smiled when she saw Ivy and was genuinely glad to see her. It was rare that they spent much time together just the two of them and she noticed immediately how much more relaxed she felt. "Hey Ivy!" she said brightly. "Where you waiting for me?" she asked once she realized how odd it was for her to come all the way up to the towers. For a moment she thought Ivy might have come to see Sawyer but she pushed the thought away quickly.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy smiled at her friend, glad she seemed happy to see her. She nodded at her question, nervously pushing some of her hair behind her ear. "I was." She admitted. "I was hoping to talk to you, do you have a moment?" She asked, glancing around. "In private, I mean." She added quietly.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

"Well I hope you weren't waiting long." Delilah said apologetically and felt a little silly. It wasn't like she could have knowing Ivy was out here. But her thoughts were derailed when she noticed how nervous her friend seemed. "Of course." she said quickly. "Yeah, I know a perfect spot." Delilah said with a grin and looped her arm through Ivy's before leading her down the corridor. She had found this spot last year and it was located far enough way from the stairs and the Ravenclaw house so hardly anyone ever walked by. It was a simple cushioned bench right next to a window with a lovely view of the cliffs. "Is something wrong?" she asked as she sat down, her voice full of concern and it too nearly everything she had to keep her mind from running through every possible thing that could be wrong.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy shook her head. "Not too long." She said quickly, glad Delilah didn't seem too busy. She followed the Ravenclaw to the spot she said, which really turned out to be a good spot to talk or study. Ivy filed it away for later. "No, nothing is wrong, really." She said, swallowing nervously as she sat down. "I just have to tell you something about... me." She said, playing with her hair as she looked down. "I'm not... completely human. My mum, she's half-veela. So I'm a quarter." She said, glancing at Delilah through her lashes to see her reaction.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was glad Ivy hadn't waited for her long but that relief was lost on her racing mind. She turned to face her friend and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when she confirmed it wasn't anything bad. It only made her more confused but Delilah did her best to listen attentively. She watched Ivy fidget with her hair and she wound up holding her breath again. When the truth was finally out Delilah let her breath out with a big sigh. "Oh." she blurted out and blinked several times as the confession sunk in. "That's..." she started before she had figured out what she was going to say. What were you supposed to say to something like this? "That's cool." she said finally. It was kind of a lame reaction but it was all she could think of to say. Delilah didn't know if she had met a part veela before so it was rather exciting, but there was a part of her that felt a little hurt it had taken Ivy this long to tell her. But a more important question popped into her head first. "Does Brooke know?" she asked softly.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy tucked her hair behind her ear nervously as she awaited Delilah's reaction. She felt more and more nervous, wondering what she would do if the Ravenclaw reacted badly. She glanced at her when she started to speak, not sure what to make of her response. "I... you think?" She asked uncertainly. At her question about Brooke, Ivy shook her head at once. "No one knows. I only told you." She admitted quietly.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah nodded quickly, her mind racing as she tried to process this information while still wanting to seem calm and collected to her friend. "Yeah, I mean I've never met anyone who's part Veela before." she explained. "I couldn't even tell." she added, but wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say or not. Was there even a way to tell if someone was Veela? Delilah wondered briefly if Ivy had ever used her exceptional charm on her or anyone they knew but quickly thought of the brash way she talked to most people and figure that wasn't the case. But she was also surprised but relieved to know that she was the first person Ivy had decided to tell. It was kind of an honor and she didn't want to take it lightly.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy shrugged, playing nervously with her hair as she listened to Delilah. "I mean, technically you met me two years ago." She said, unable to resist the urge to correct her. "But... yeah, it's not very obvious I think." She admitted. "But I'm worried I accidentally used my powers on Sawyer and freaked him out." She added with a wince, not wanting to admit she might not have been that accidental with her powers.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah smiled as Ivy corrected her. "Well before you." she amended. She was still thinking over the past two years trying to come up with anything that could been a clue when the Gyriffindor mentioned using her powers on Sawyer. "You what!?" Delilah asked quickly. Her voice coming out sharper than she meant but she couldn't really hide her surprise. Even if it had been an accident it felt like a big deal and again she wondered if Ivy ever used her power on her. Would she have been able to tell? Would Ivy even tell her about it? "When?" she asked in a slightly calmer voice this time but she waited impatiently for Ivy to explain what happened.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy flushed brightly after Delilah asked her about it. Mostly because of her tone. She spluttered for a moment. "I don't know for sure!" She said quickly, holding up her hands. "I was just... I was talking to him at the yule ball and- well," she ran a hand through her hair with an annoyed sigh. "After that he started avoiding me so... I wonder if I did it by accident and scared him." She admitted, looking down. "But I don't even know if it worked." She muttered under her breath. "So maybe he's just avoiding me because he doesn't like me."

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah felt herself relax slightly as Ivy explained herself and even felt bad for assuming anything in the first place. She didn't have a right to feel one way or another about Sawyer and Ivy, even if she had mentioned him first. She gave Ivy a sympathetic look as her friend confided in her. Delilah felt a tightness in her chest and smiled before, nudging Ivy's knee with hers. "I'm sure he's not avoiding you." she said reassuringly even if she had nothing to back that statement up. "How could he not like you?" she asked rhetorically. "You should try talking to him." she said finally. "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy smiled slightly when Delilah reassured her, even though she wasn't entirely sure if she was right. She had seen Sawyer spot her and run away at the dance, she knew she hadn't made it up. But it made her feel better to have a friend who would at least try to cheer her up. "I mean, there's plenty of reason not to like me." She said softly, shrugging with a slight smile. "But... that's not a terrible idea. Thanks." She said softly. "Please don't tell Brooke yet, I want to tell her." She paused. "Eventually. About the Veela stuff, I mean." She added, as Brooke was already kind of aware of the Sawyer stuff, unfortunately.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah sighed at Ivy's self deprecating comment but didn't try to disagree again. Ivy could be difficult but she didn't see that as a bad thing, or not always a bad thing. She knew she would be grateful to have even a fraction of that confidence sometimes. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so invisible all the time. "No problem." she said with a smile when Ivy thanked her. "Of course not." Delilah said completely seriously. The last thing she wanted to do was to get between Ivy and Brooke with a secret like this. She also know if Brooke was in her shoe's she would see this situation differently. Which was probably why Ivy told her first.