prologue

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Ivy walked down the corridor to the welcoming feast, shoving her way through the crowd. Everyone was walking the same way at once, so it was rather chaotic. She muttered 'excuse me' and 'sorry' as she pushed everyone out of her way.

As the rowdy teenagers pushed each other around, she glanced to the side and saw them. The Marauders. She saw their group as troublemakers, like most people. She thought they were a bit rude, honestly, but she tried not to be judgmental most of the time. She wanted new friends. Ones that didn't only care about grades like the tightly knit Ravenclaw kids she studied with every once in a while.

James Potter led the group, a smirk plastered on his face, a hand running through his hair. He pushed up his glasses and scanned the halls for Lily Evans, his dream girl. Lily hated him, and plenty of girls in Hogwarts would cut off their arm to be with James and he was stuck on this one girl.

Sirius Black followed behind him, striding with confidence as the ladies swooned. Ivy rolled her eyes. Yeah, he was attractive, but it wasn't anything to be impressed about. Besides, he wasn't looking for a serious relationship, so the ladies needed to get over themselves. His fan club was obsessed with him.

Beside him, Remus Lupin. He had a book in his hand, a small smile playing on his lips as he looked around the castle. Lanky and slightly awkward, his brown eyes filled with joy as he walked in his favorite place. It seemed like he was a good balance to the boisterous group.

Then, Peter Pettigrew. He was the shortest out of the group. He was the encouragement the group needed to successfully manage their pranks and the popularity that surrounded them.

Ivy's dark blue eyes scanned the halls for a certain blonde Gryffindor. Eventually, Ivy spotted her and shoved everyone out of the way to say hello.

"Hey!" Marlene exclaimed once Ivy caught up with her. Ivy really liked Marlene. She brought fun into her life of studying. She was a joy to be around, and Ivy supposed she could learn to be a bit more adventurous from her.

"Hello." Ivy breathed out, her short legs barely keeping up with Marlene's rather long ones.

"Sit at my table, please. I want to talk too you about our summer!" Marlene replied, running a hand through her wavy blonde locks. Marlene was really pretty. Ivy had a bit of self-confidence somewhere, but it was nowhere near as strong as hers.

Ivy cringed. "You know Mcgonagall's gonna yell at me."

"It'll be fine. If she does, just walk to the smart people table," Marlene said with a smirk, walking much faster than the short brunette next to her.

Ivy smiled as she rolled her eyes, walking as fast as she could. Marlene was a good few inches taller than Ivy. Most people were, but she could still name some who weren't.

They walked in the great hall. Ivy sighed as she looked up to the ceiling, her favorite part of the Great Hall. She walked with Marlene and plopped down at the Gryffindor table.

"So far, so good," Ivy muttered as she looked around for any signs of McGonagall. Her blue and bronze robes definitely stood out in the sea of red and gold.

"We are taking all the same classes, but we might be organized with different houses," Marlene said as they waited for the feast to start.

"Yeah. Honestly, Gryffindors are probably my favorite house to be with," Ivy said, looking over at where the professors were sitting. Professor Flitwick had a pleasant smile on his face. She really liked him as a person, and he was a good head of Ravenclaw, but she absolutely hated the subject charms.

"Say, Marlene, who's this?" James Potter said as he sat down a few seats away from her.

"Ivy Scott." Marlene spoke. Ivy felt her palms start to sweat as he looked at her. She gave a small smile.

"Never seen you around before," James said with a sigh. Ivy blinked.

"Well, I am in Ravenclaw," Ivy said with a smile as James glanced down at her blue Hogwarts robes.

James let out a small laugh. "That's why I've never seen you before."

Suddenly, Sirius Black himself sat down beside him. He yawned and then looked over to the strange Ravenclaw girl sitting at their table.

"Who's this?" He asked as Ivy and Sirius made eye contact.

"Ivy," Marlene replied sharply, slightly annoyed with the same question.

"I'm really scared McGonagall is gonna notice me soon and then she's gonna come over here and scold me." Ivy said to no one in particular, glancing at McGonagall's seat. They made eye contact. "I think she's spotted me."

McGonagall got up from her seat and made her way over to the Gryffindor table. She was making a beeline for Ivy, who was trying to hide even though she had already been spotted.

"Hello Professor," Ivy said casually as she smiled up at her.

McGonagall scowled and suppressed her smile as she looked down at Ivy. "Go to the Ravenclaw table, Ms. Scott."

"You know, you're my favorite teacher, Minerva," Ivy said with a timid smile as she made a heart with her hands.

"Go. You need to welcome the first years," McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, I'm going," Ivy said as she got up from the Gryffindor Table. She went over to the Ravenclaw table and plopped down.

Remus came and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Peter was right behind him, and sat down next to Remus. "Who was that?"

"That was Ivy Scott. Ravenclaw," James said shortly, giving all the information he knew about her. He nodded, looking past him to Ivy, who was now sitting next to her room mates. Dumbledore walked up to the podium.

"Another year at Hogwarts! I just have a few words for you, then you can be off to eating! Fidget and twiddle!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands as food popped up on the trays.

Ivy wanted to become friends with the Marauders. It would be nice to get some new friends, other than just Marlene and the girls she shared a dorm with. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table and sighed as Sirius let out a laugh. They did seem like a lot of fun. Ivy thought that she would get along with them well.

The girls she shared a dorm with babbled on and on about some seventh year Hufflepuff guy that winked at her, apparently.

"And I was just walking, and he winked! He winked at me!" Chloe as she grabbed an apple.

"He probably has a crush on you," Bella said, smirking at her friend.

"Don't be silly," Chloe replied, blushing ever so slightly. Ivy felt as if she was going to vomit. Most of what they talked about was boys, something Ivy had no experience in.

She finished eating eventually and walked to the Ravenclaw dorm with the rest of her Ravenclaw classmates, who had pushed her at the front of the group for being good at answering the riddles.

"What gets wetter the more it dries?"  The eagle asked, as Ivy thought for a second.

"A towel," She said, confidently as the door opened up, letting her and many other students in the common room.

"Nice choice," The eagle said. Ivy really liked the Ravenclaw common room. It was decorated with blue and bronze, and it had a domed ceiling that was painted with stars. It had a few bookcases, which Ivy loved.

She eventually climbed the stairs to her dorm, and plopped down on her bed, reading a short book about healers and medical care in the wizarding world. She read the book, and was very fascinated by it.

Soon enough, it was getting late. She turned off her lamp and fell asleep, excited about new beginnings and hopefully new friends.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this story! this chapter is kind of boring since it's just the prologue, but I have tried to make this book interesting and funny with strong friendships, while depicting a realistic romance at the same time. I want Ivy to be someone you can relate to, someone to root for and cheer along the way of her years at Hogwarts. I have tried to make all the characters as authentic as possible, and have fine-tuned this story along the way to discard the cliches it was originally filled with. Thank you for your support! Hope you enjoy!!