Ivy's journey through Diagon Alley after that was uneventful, except for his encounter with Hagrid and Harry at Madam Malkin's robe shop.
When Hagrid saw him, he paused. It wasn't until Ivy nodded at him that Hagrid remembered he, too, was one of the new students this year.
"Oh—hello," Hagrid said dryly, unsure whether Ivy's handsome face and his magnificent robe reminded him of something—or—something—but it probably wasn't a pleasant memory.
"Hello, Mr. Hagrid," Ivy said, glancing at the small boy beside Hagrid. He was a skinny boy, and the trip to Diagon Alley had him very excited. "This must be Harry Potter, right?"
"Huh? Yes, that's him," Hagrid's furry face showed hesitation, as if unsure whether to let Harry interact with a Slytherin. "But how did you know?"
"When Professor McGonagall reported to Dumbledore that Harry Potter hadn't received his acceptance letter, I was nearby," Ivy said, smiling at Harry, who was looking at him curiously. "And I guess Dumbledore had the phoenix deliver the message? He wrote the note in front of us, and just as Professor Snape and I were about to leave the Headmaster's office, you walked in."
"It wasn't that hard to guess, was it?" Ivy extended his hand to Harry. "I'm Ivy Doom, another first-year student. Just call me Ivy."
"Oh, okay, Ivy." Harry grabbed Ivy's hand and shook it up and down, then curiously asked, "You mean you were at Hogwarts before the school year started? What kind of school is it? Dumbledore has a phoenix that delivers messages? What's that about?"
"Alright, Harry, those questions will be answered when we get to school. Let's keep some mystery for now, shall we?" Hagrid quickly cut off Ivy's response, giving Harry a push with his large, pan-sized hand. "Remember? You still need a wand, and I need to get these things to Dumbledore. We can't delay; the sun is almost setting."
"Well, I won't keep you any longer," Ivy said politely, but he didn't forget to add, "You can find answers to those questions in a book: Hogwarts, A History. If you're curious, you might want to pick up a copy."
"Thanks!" Harry waved at Ivy as he followed Hagrid out of the shop. He struggled a bit to move the owl cage from one hand to the other, overloaded with his things.
Ivy waved back and turned to enter Madam Malkin's robe shop.
Time always passes quickly, especially when you're eagerly waiting for something.
September 1st: the start of the school year for both Hogwarts and most Muggle schools in the Northern Hemisphere.
Ivy had already crossed Platform 9¾ and boarded the Hogwarts Express. He knew that the steam train, over a century old, was almost as old as he was, but unlike him, it wasn't as significant in the wizarding world.
In 1991, the Hogwarts Express could hardly be called "express," but Ivy, as a Dark Arts master, certainly stood among the top wizards.
Ivy knocked on the door to a compartment. Harry, who was leaning forward, staring out the window, turned when he heard the knock. Through the small gap in the window, Ivy could see the Weasley family standing outside.
"May I come in, Harry?"
"Huh?" Harry turned his head and saw Ivy in a short-sleeved T-shirt. "Of course, Ivy."
"Great." Ivy entered the compartment and began directing his luggage to the overhead rack.
During this time, Harry stared at Ivy, his eyes wide open and his breath held.
"Magic!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at Ivy.
"Don't be so surprised," Ivy said casually as he sat down in a chair. "You're a wizard, too. I'm sure you'll be able to master this kind of magic soon enough."
As soon as Ivy finished speaking, the train's whistle blew.
Ivy could feel Harry's mood suddenly drop. He guessed it was because Harry was worried about keeping up with learning magic. Ivy smiled and said, "Welcome to the magical world."
Harry's mood lifted, and he smiled again.
Then the train shook, and the Hogwarts Express began to move.
The compartment door opened again, and in walked a tall, thin, freckled boy with red hair.
"Mind if I sit here?" He pointed to the seat next to Harry. "Everywhere else is taken."
"Of course!" Harry blurted out. Then, looking at the quiet Ivy, he noticed that Ivy gave a small nod.
"Oh." The boy sat down, looking relieved.
"Hey, Ron." The Weasley twins' heads popped through the open door.
"Listen, we're going to the middle carriage—Lee Jordan got a huge giant spider." They both looked at Ivy sitting next to Harry. "Make sure to get along with your classmates."
"Yeah." Ron made a gruff sound in response.
The twins turned their heads and closed the door behind them.
"Fred and George…" Ron explained, his face turning red. "My brothers… they're also Weasleys… I'm Ronald, but you can call me Ron…"
"Harry Potter. You can call me Harry." Harry nodded kindly, recognizing Ron's nervousness. After their trip to Diagon Alley, he was already somewhat immune to such nervousness.
"Then you really—" Ron seemed like he was about to say something, but quickly stopped when he remembered there was a third person in the compartment, his face turning even redder.
"Ivy Doom. Just call me Ivy." Ivy introduced himself, easing the awkwardness a little.
"Are all your family wizards?" Harry asked Ron, clearly envious that Ron had three wizard brothers.
"Oh! I guess so…" Ron seemed surprised by the question, but they quickly continued talking about it.
Harry talked about his horrible relatives, while Ron complained about the difficulties of being in a large family. Before long, they found some common ground.
"Then what about you, Ivy? What are your parents like?" Harry asked, his wide eyes peering over his round glasses at Ivy.
"They're both gone." Ivy's response was simple, and he noticed Harry's gaze softening with a hint of empathy.