A quick disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or Harry Potter.

Chapter 1

The warm summer night blanketed Privet Drive, silent and still. In the smallest bedroom of number 4, a teenage girl slowly eased herself out of the ball she had curled up in on the bed.

Ivy-Rose Potter was already having a bad summer. She hadn't even been back from Hogwarts a week and Vernon had already beaten her bloody over some perceived slight. Sitting up, she hissed as the action pulled at the raw wounds. Vernon had used the belt, leaving her much worse off than usual. If this was what he was doing to her at the very start of summer, she didn't want to think about what might happen when he decided to escalate. Ivy wasn't going to stick around and find out; she was getting out of here as soon as she could stand up properly.

Decision made, Ivy slid off the bed and reached underneath to pull up the loose floorboards that concealed her hidey-hole. From inside she pulled out the Charmed leather satchel she had purchased the summer before third year, which was significantly bigger inside than it looked. The bag contained all of her important wizarding items such as her invisibility cloak; the Marauders Map; her Gringotts key; her Firebolt; and the photo album Hagrid had given her at the end of first year. Using the bedside table to ease herself upright, she pulled on a fresh t-shirt over her current one to hide the marks that had bled through the material and started throwing clothes into the bag. Catching sight of her wand out of the corner of her eye, Ivy paused. Part of her wanted to take the wand with her; a much larger part told her to leave it behind. Her wand still had the Trace on it – would until she was seventeen – so it wasn't like having it would be any help, since she couldn't use it outside of school. Giving the Ministry any kind of ammunition against her was a really bad idea right now. It was also a way Dumbledore could potentially track her and drag her back here, like he had done after she fled to Luna's house for two weeks the previous summer. No, the wand would stay here, and the little bit of her mind that was whimpering about not having her main weapon on her would shut up. It wasn't like she was completely defenceless without it.

A hoot from the chest of drawers drew her attention to the other problem. What to do with Hedwig? She couldn't take the owl with her. Ivy was planning on hiding in the muggle world and a snowy owl flying after her would attract unwanted attention of the official kind. She wouldn't be able to take proper care of her feathered friend either. Reaching into her bag for paper and a pen, Ivy quickly scribbled out notes for Sirius, Luna, and Neville, explaining the situation.

"I can't take you with me girl, so I'm sending you to Luna's house. You'll be safe there. The notes are for Sirius, Neville, and Luna, in that order. Be good for Luna and Xeno good while I'm gone, OK?"Ivy said quietly, tying the notes onto Hedwig's leg. The owl hooted softly in reply and flew out of the open window. Ivy watched her go until the owl vanished into the night. Slinging the bag strap across her body – hissing as the leather pressed on her injuries over her t-shirt – Ivy crept over to the door. Hopefully Vernon hadn't locked her in, or she would have to go out the window.

Finding the door unlocked, Ivy silently descended the stairs and slipped to the kitchen for food. The Dursleys could easily spare what she had taken; it wasn't like they would notice anything amiss, or they would think Dudley has raided the kitchen for a midnight snack. Satisfied she had everything she needed to make good her escape, she headed towards the front door. The front door was locked, but Vernon always left his car keys on a hook by the door. Unlocking the door was the work of a moment. Giving in to the little imp of mischief, Ivy removed the house key, replaced the car keys in their normal place, re-locked the door from the outside and hid the house key under the rose bushes.

A snore from the nearby bushes made her jump. Ivy froze. Another snore came from the same direction, followed shortly by another. There wasn't anyone in sight, so whoever was snoring in the Dursleys' front garden was either disillusioned or using an invisibility cloak. Ivy hurried up the driveway, pulling her own cloak from her bag. The hidden watcher wouldn't stay asleep forever and their presence meant she needed to get far away from here as fast as possible. Where to though? London would be a good start, but she couldn't stay there; it would be one of the first places Dumbledore would look. Staying in the country with both the Ministry and Voldemort out for her blood – as well as trying to avoid being shipped back to the Dursleys by the old coot – would be difficult, even if she stuck to the muggle side. Maybe she could go to France? She could use her cloak to sneak on the trains to London and Dover, and from there get on the ferry to Calais; the second part would be a bit tricky, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. On second thoughts, it might be worth risking a late-night trip to Gringotts first and seeing if the goblins could help her leave the country. Yes, a holiday in France sounded lovely.

With a swirl of silvery material, Ivy-Rose Potter vanished from Privet Drive.