18Fix You 2
Chapter 2: Hogwarts
Iris, Rose and Lily stood nervously in the front of the great hall as they waited to be sorted. All three shared a giddy smile before they turned to find their brothers smiling back from the Gryffindor table.
"Rose Weasley!" McGonagall called out.
Iris watched as her sister made her way up to the stool and smiled as the hat was placed on her head. She wondered what it felt like, and couldn't wait to find out.
"Gryffindor!" The hat called out only seconds later, and she cheered and clapped along with the rest of the school as Rose made her way down the aisle and sat next to Hugo, who hugged her tightly.
"Iris Malfoy!"
Iris took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before walking up to the small stage and sitting down on the wooden stool.
"Well, well. A Malfoy, are you? Hmm, tricky. As I recall, your mother was particularly hard to place."
"My Dad had the fastest sorting of his year." Iris reminded the hat proudly.
"Your father would have done well in other houses. Slytherin... is that what you wish? You'd do great things in Gryffindor, you know."
"I'm proud of who I am." She defended.
"Ahh, Yes. Your name has little to do with which house you belong in, child."
"Then why are you so quick to claim me as a Gryffindor?"
"I can see the fight in you. The loyalty you possess. Yes, Gryffindor would be a great house, but maybe not so great for you... you have a great desire to prove yourself..."
"Why do you think it's taking so long?" Rose whispered to Scorpius.
The boy chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? She arguing with it!"
"You have pride and drive, and a desperate desire to demonstrate your worth. I think I know just what to do with you..."
Before Iris could protest, she heard the words-
"Slytherin!"
She beamed as the hat was removed and saw her brothers on their feet cheering for her and clapping like lunatics. She rolled her eyes but gave a subtle wave and made her way to the Slytherin table.
"Iris! This is great!"
"Toby!" She squealed as she sat next to him. Tobias Nott was two years older than her, and she had always thought he was a good looking boy. The sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes made him stand out as a Nott. He began to speak but Iris cut him off. "Wait, Wait. I want to watch Lily." She turned quickly to watch her sister who had gotten called up right after her and stared at her while the hat was placed on her head.
She watched nervously as time went on, wondering how long she had actually been up there. "Did I take this long?" She whispered to Toby.
"Yes. I thought for sure you'd end up in Hufflepuff."
She whipped around and shoved him in his arm when she saw his smirk. Turning back to the front of the room she waited what seemed like hours until she saw Lily's posture change.
"Slytherin!" The hat boomed.
The entire great hall went silent for a few seconds as the hat was pulled off of Lily Potter's head. All at once though, Iris jumped up at the same time as four members of the Gryffindor table did, whistling and clapping as Lily stood up. The rest of the hall followed in claps and loud whispers, clearly in shock that a Potter would be in Slytherin.
"Lily! We did it!" Iris squeaked as she hugged her.
"I'm really nervous." Lily said a quietly.
"We'll talk later." Iris assured her.
"Welcome to Slytherin." Toby said happily from the other side of Iris.
"Thanks, Toby!"
As dinner was served Lily and Iris talked with Toby and a few other Slytherin's that were in his year. Everyone seemed welcoming for the most part, except for a few boys a ways down.
"Hey, Toby. Who are they?" Lily asked.
Toby glanced further down the table and scowled when he saw who she was referring to. "Andrew Bletchley and his stupid goonies. They're in my year. Hot heads, the lot of them, always looking for an argument. Don't give him the time of day."
Iris eyed them up as the boys continued to glare at her. "What's their problem?"
"Who knows. They're not too bright, just pretend they aren't there. That's what the rest of us do."
The few people sitting around Toby nodded in agreement. Iris tried to put it out of her mind, but silently told herself to watch out for him.
Everyone finished dinner and the first years were led down to the dungeons to their dorm rooms. Lily and Iris shared a room, since they were the only girls that year to be sorted into Slytherin. Which couldn't have made them any happier, this meant they would have a private room for the next seven years! Iris looked around, trying to take everything in, from the amazing view of the lake to the the classy common room. After being shown around it was quite late and the excitement of the day turned into exhaustion rather quickly. Their trunks were already in their room and both girls changed for bed and barely got a smile out between them before they were asleep.
Iris woke the next morning early and giddy with excitement. This was her first real day at Hogwarts! As quietly as possible she unpacked a few things from her trunk, and got ready for her day. She set her writing supplies on the desk provided so she was all ready to write a letter to her parents telling them all about her first day. She turned when she heard Lily moving around in bed.
"You're awake!"
"Not really." Lily groaned.
"Well get up anyway, we have just over an hour before we have to be at our first class!"
They walked out into the common room together when Iris stopped suddenly. "Blast it! I think I forgot my charms book, I'll be right back."
"Haven't you checked your things like fifteen times already?" Lily mocked.
"Shut it and wait for me."
"Fine." Lily smirked but stayed where she was. Walking around looking at everything in the common room she smiled to herself. She'd heard stories from her Uncle Draco of course, but neither her mom or her dad knew what to expect if she really was sorted into Slytherin. She felt good about this, knew that she was supposed to be here, and was thrilled that Iris was here with her. Although that would be a surprise to no one. Iris always yammered on about being in Slytherin whenever they talked about it. Rose was so obviously Gryffindor and that left Lily, with a little of both in her, wondering where she would end up.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Lily whipped around to see a tall boy coming towards her with two of his friends behind him.
"Looking around my common room." Really, wasn't it obvious what she was doing? Her Aunt Hermione would scold her if she didn't at least try to be nice though, so she held out her hand. "I'm Lily Potter, and you are?"
The boy sneered at her hand and the two boys behind him stifled laughs. "We know who you are. What's the spawn of Saint Potter doing in Slytherin House? In case you didn't notice, there's no room here for people that are obnoxiously stupid."
"Funny, that's not the impression I'm getting." She huffed out and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"What's going on?"
Lily smiled when she heard Iris coming from behind her. Now they were in trouble. Iris never was one to hold her tongue.
"Oh, look who it is." The boy turned and glanced at his goonies. "The Malfoy girl. So are you a know-it-all swot like your mum or a Death Eater like your dad?"
"Beat it, Bletchley." Iris said sternly. "You don't know anything about my family."
"I know your mum was a goody two shoes that stuck her nose where it didn't belong." He smirked. "And your dad was an idiot Death Eater who is just hiding behind her name now." He continued with satisfaction.
Iris knew this might happen, and she was prepared. "Yea? Ever stop to think about where you would be if my mom didn't save all of your parents sorry asses?!"
Lily glared at the three idiots before her, who didn't have the good sense to shut up.
"Or if my Uncles hadn't chose to fight a war that shouldn't have been their problem in the first place? You know who we are, and what we're capable of. I'd watch it if I were you." She threatened. "Let's go, Lily."
"Really? On the first day! Come on." Lily groaned as they walked towards the great hall.
"I know! I'm so mad!" She huffed. "Why do people have to be so... so stupid?!"
"We really shouldn't be making enemies, Iris. We're already outsiders." Lily added as an afterthought, in true Potter fashion.
"No, we're not. I'm not going to just let them walk all over us."
Lily wanted to desperately point out that they now lived with these people, and would see them twenty-four seven, but she kept that to herself.
When they got to the great hall Lily looked around. "Ugh. I thought the boys would be here."
"Me too." Iris said a little defeated. She really wanted to talk to her brothers. "Well we can't sit at the Gryffindor table by ourselves, that would look stupid."
"Iris! Lily!" Someone called out.
Both girls looked over to see who it was and relaxed as they saw Toby waving at them.
"Hey, Toby." Iris said as she sat down next to him, while Lily took the seat across from her.
"Hey, guys. How's the first day going?" He asked with a smile.
Lily just groaned. "We're gonna get into a fight before the day is done, I'm sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Bletchley decided to open his mouth and spew some nonsense about our family." Lily answered him.
"Is that right?" Toby said tightly.
"It's nothing." Iris tried to assure him. "I may have said some things, but really, it's fine."
Toby rolled his eyes. "Iris you always say some things. When was this? Do your brothers know?"
She shook her head. "No, it was just this morning before we got here. In the common room."
"What? In the common room?!"
Iris thought Toby looked furious.
"We're supposed to support each other, not make enemies. Especially not with the other people in our own house!"
"Toby, it was nothing! Don't make a big deal out of it! We can handle ourselves." Iris hissed at him.
"What are you lot arguing about?" Scorpius asked playfully from behind Lily. He took one look at Iris and sobered up instantly.
"What's wrong?"
Just as he asked Iris heard that idiots voice from a few seats down. She turned and saw the three boys from earlier sneering back at her, and none looking too pleased that a Gryffindor was at their table.
"Bletchley is what's wrong." Toby said, following her gaze.
"Oh, he's a prat. He giving you trouble?" Scorpius asked as he sat down next to Lily.
"He was giving Lily trouble, and I stepped in. Honestly, you guys are making this out to be a big deal!"
"She's right, we should just let it go." Lily said to them.
"Stick with them, will you?" Scorpius said to Toby, who nodded.
"Scorp, I do not need a babysitter!" Iris burst out.
"No, but your mouth does!" Lily shot back. "We can't be getting into arguments all the time! We've been here one day."
Lily, who had been her partner in crime all her life, was now telling her not get into trouble. The irony.
"You're all against me." She huffed, but conceded to having Toby stay close for the rest of the day.
The rest of the day went by without incident, and Iris decided to leave dinner early to go back to her room and write a letter to her parents.
Dear mom and dad,
Sorry I didn't write last night. So much happens so fast on the first day. I got sorted into Slytherin! Lily did, too! We share a room. The common room is nice, it's full of really fancy things, I'm almost afraid to touch anything! What if I break it! Our room faces west, and when the sun sets we are able to see the lake so clearly! All of the colors of the fish are amazing! I could stare at it all day. I mean how cool is it to have a room that's practically under a lake! Rose promised to show us the Gryffindor common room one day, but I bet ours is better. Lily and I had breakfast with Toby today. It was nice to see him. He seems like he's doing much better. Dad, remember when he told us about his parents having some trouble? I didn't bring it up but he seems happy. Scorpius thinks I need a babysitter and Toby walked us to nearly all of our classes. Kind of stinks that I don't see him much now. I didn't get to see James or Hugo until dinner. I like all of my classes so far. I think I really rocked it in astronomy, thanks to dad. And in charms I did well, too. Defense against the Dark Arts seems a little intense, but I'm sure I'll ace that, too. I miss you, both. I promise to try and write as often as I can. Love you! Iris
She finished her letter then sent it off with her owl, that she had named Atlas. She got started on reading her defense against the dark arts book, since it was the class she was most worried about.
The following morning she had received a letter from her dad.
My Sweet Iris,
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his greeting.
I am beyond thrilled that both you and Lily made it into Slytherin. I am very proud of you. I assure you that you will not break anything in the common room, since everything is charmed to simply bounce off the floor. Feel free to give that a try! The boys dormitories faced the opposite direction, I hated it when the sun glared into my room. Theo had insisted on keeping the drapes open, drove me nuts! I'm glad that you and Toby have reconnected. You two were always close. I regretfully haven't kept in touch with his father that well, but I do still see him at work from time to time. I am thankful to hear that Toby is doing well. May I ask why Scorp thinks you need a babysitter? Has something happened already or is he just playing the protective older brother? I'm sure you will do well in all of your classes, and I wouldn't worry about defense against the dark arts. Even though your mom thought she didn't do too well in that class, she kicked some serious ass later on (Don't tell her I used a curse word in your letter, she wouldn't be too pleased). I miss you very much, I hope you are enjoying your time at Hogwarts. I love you, Dad.
She wondered if Scorpius would tell their parents about Bletchley. Probably not. He knew that it would only make their dad worry more. She rolled up the letter and put it in her bag and continued to eat breakfast with Rose, Lily and the boys at the Gryffindor table. When they had finished Toby insisted on walking Lily and Iris to their charms class, seeing as how it was on his way to history of magic. Iris knew that was a nonsense thing to say, since charms was on the third floor, and history of magic was on the first; but for once she didn't argue.
The rest of the week went by without incident, and Iris had nearly forgotten about Bletchley and his insult. Before lunch the following Thursday the girls decided to stop back at their room to change out their books before heading to the great hall. When they got to their door a message was charmed to stick on their door.
Slytherin Rejects reside here!
"Well, that's lovely." Iris grumbled. She tried a few spells to see if she could remove it, but couldn't.
"How are we going to get it off?"
"Maybe Toby could do it?" Iris offered.
"Iris, don't be daft. He'd never get passed the wards. He's a boy."
She just shook her head. "Dad said the wards are only up at night. If we ask him before curfew he should be able to get in."
Lily gaped at him. "Why would your dad ever tell you something like that?! I mean really! That's just asking for it!"
Iris giggled. "I don't think he realized I would remember that. He said it a long time ago when him and mom were talking about their school days. Way before Scorp even got his letter." She said with a wave of her hand.
"Okay, we'll ask him, then. Maybe he's in the great hall now."
With a nod they left and went to find Toby.
"Hey!" Iris rushed out as she sat down next to him.
"Hi." He said surprised. Where did she come from?
"We need your help with something." Lily said quietly.
"What happened?"
"Someone charmed a nice little message on our door, and we can't remove it."
Toby scowled. "You should show it to Professor Slughorn. He's the head of house."
"No, I don't want to cause any trouble. Can you just see if you can remove it?"
"I won't be able to get through the wards. You should really report it."
"The wards aren't up yet, trust me." She rushed out.
"Iris-"
"Toby! You guys were the ones that told me not to do anything!"
"This is different, Iris! You need to report it!"
"He's probably right, Iris." Lily agreed.
"No. You guys told me not to make enemies, how well do you think that's going to work out. I'll just ask-"
"Who?!" Lily countered. "Who will you ask? Because everyone will tell you the same thing."
"I'll do it this time, but you need to promise that if something else happens you WILL report it." Toby warned.
"Yes, I will report it." Iris promised.
Toby looked her over, seeming to think if she was lying. He nodded then.
"Alright, hurry up and eat and I'll see if I can get off before next class."
Iris had never seen Toby's face turn so red before as when he stared at their door.
"Toby?" Iris said carefully.
He took a deep breath before he spoke. "You'd think this damn house would be thrilled to have a Potter and a Malfoy in it, and not call them rejects."
"Well, it's not even that clever, really. They could've thought up some better insults than that." Lily smirked.
"More like Gryffindor rejects gather here." Iris giggled.
"Or blood traitors unite!" Lily said back, making them both laugh.
Their laughter seemed to calm Toby down a bit, and he was able to concentrate and remove the message from their door.
"Thanks, Toby."
"Promise me you'll report it the next time." He sighed.
"We promise." Lily nodded.
"Alright, let's go. You guys will be late if we don't hurry it up."
They headed out of the dungeons and nearly collided with Bletchley.
"Look who it is." He sneered. "Get your little message?"
"Not very clever if you ask me." Iris said as she stood up straighter. "A simple charm removed it."
"Consider yourself warned, Bletchley." Toby said in a low voice. "Next time this will get reported to Slughorn. And think of how upset he'd be at the mention of the only Potter in his house getting harassed by a nobody."
Iris didn't miss how he only mentioned Lily's name and not hers.
"Let's get out of here." She yanked on Lily's arm and left the two boys standing there.
"What was that about?!" Lily said as she struggled to keep up with her.
"Nothing." Iris grumbled.
"Iris, you suck at this. You're my sister and I know you! Why are you so upset?"
Iris stopped suddenly and Lily slammed into her.
"Iris!"
"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "I just-"
"Iris!" Toby called from the end of the hallway.
"Ugh. Let's just get to class." She yanked on Lily's arm again. Lily was sure her arm would be dislocated by the end of the week.
Lily didn't miss how for the next two days Iris ignored Toby. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table like they usually did for dinner when James had decided to stick his nose in it.
"What's up with her? She seems ticked off." James whispered to Lily as he nodded in Iris's direction.
"Oh she's ticked alright. I just don't know what about. She's really mad at Toby for some reason."
"You should write mom."
"And say what? Iris is being a twit, please help?"
Her statement made James laugh, so hard half the table looked in his direction.
"James!" She hissed, but couldn't hide her amusement.
"Sorry! That was funny." He said after he composed himself. "Just ask her how to deal with... boy problems."
"Iris does not like Toby that way." Lily said decisively.
James just shook her head. "Clearly, you got the Potter genes. You're oblivious."
"Weasley genes aren't that bright either, mate." Hugo said to them, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. "It took my dad forever to do something about liking Aunt Hermione back in the day. And didn't even realize my mom fancied him!"
"Ha!" Lily said to James.
"Lils, that's a jab at you, too!" He said with laughter again.
After dinner the girls headed back to their room. Toby had gotten the message loud and clear that Iris didn't want anything to do with him and left her alone. They stretched out on Lily's bed and she waited for Iris to start talking.
"Did you hear what he said?" Iris finally asked.
"Who?"
"Toby. When he was talking to Bletchley."
"How he was going to report him next time? Of course I did, I was right there. You're upset about that?"
Iris looked down and fiddled with the hem of her pajama top.
"No, he didn't say anything about me. Just about what Professor Slughorn would say about the only Potter in his house getting picked on. Nothing about a Malfoy."
"Oh, Iris. You have to see why he did that. Slughorn was really fond of my dad."
"He liked my mom, too! He left my name out on purpose! Who would care about a Malfoy?"
"Iris, stop this." Lily said sternly. "You're being ridiculous. He was just playing his trump card with Slughorn, you know that."
"It still hurt." She said quietly.
"Iris Malfoy, no one can ruffle your feathers, why are you acting like this?"
"I told you, it hurt." She pouted. "It's not fair that rubbish follows me around. My dad is different now."
"And no one is disputing that. Forget this, it's silly. I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you." The words James had said earlier suddenly popped to her head. "Truthfully, I think he follows us around because of you. I doubt he'd be walking me to potions if you weren't there."
Her comment made Iris blush a little.
"What?! Seriously?! James was right! You do like him!" Lily shouted.
"Lily!" Iris scolded. "He cute. Nice. Older than me."
"Everyone is older than us." Lily said while she rolled her eyes, which made Iris laugh.
"Stupid school girl crush." Iris said as she wrinkled her nose. Good Lord, she sounded just like her mom.
"Don't keep being mad at the poor boy. He obviously wants to be your friend. Just talk to him tomorrow like nothing ever happened."
"Right." Iris said with a nod. "Thanks, Lils."
"What are sisters for?" She smiled back.
Iris decided to head out to breakfast while Lily was still in the shower. Maybe she could talk to Toby beforehand. She couldn't just let it go, she needed to know why he said what he said. She walked out of her room and into the common room and saw Toby leaving. She hurried out the door to catch up with him.
"Toby!"
He whipped around. "Iris?"
"Hey..." she breathed out. "Umm... walk me to breakfast?"
"Sure."
They began walking, but at a slow pace.
"Are you done being mad at me?" He asked bluntly.
"A little."
"Care to tell me what I did?" He asked softly.
She sighed. "Why did you threaten to tell Professor Slughorn about a Potter getting picked on, and not a Malfoy?"
Toby stopped walking. "That's why you haven't talked to me for three days?!"
"Yes." She said tightly. "Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I'm not worth defending!"
"Iris!" He said exasperatedly. "I know that! You know darn well that your Uncle Harry's name has weight, that all it was. I never meant to insult you."
"But you did!"
"I didn't mean to! I just wanted that bloke to stop harassing you!"
"You mean Lily, right? Since she's the Potter!"
"You are so stubborn, Iris Malfoy!" He shouted.
"Oh, now you remember my name." She shouted back.
Toby opened his mouth to say something then closed it quickly. He took a deep breath and walked away.
"Where are you going?!"
"To breakfast."
She rushed to catch up with him. "I'm not done!"
"Well I am. See you around."
She stopped and watched him walk away. "Ugh!" She ran her hands through her long hair and stomped back to her room.
"Rough morning?" Lily asked sarcastically as Iris slammed the door.
"I'll meet you at breakfast in a bit. I have to write a letter."
"Did you blow it with Toby?!"
"Lily!"
"Ugh, fine. I'll see you there."
Dear Mom,
I'm very upset with Toby. He said something hurtful and Lily is telling me that I'm taking it the wrong way. I tried to talk to him but I think I just made it worse. Like being a Potter is better than being a Malfoy?! They just don't get it! Our family is amazing, and I will defend my name to all of these idiots! Tell me how to handle this. I like being friends with Toby, but he shouldn't have made what he said sound like that. How do I apologize without telling him I'm sorry? That's sounds bad... how do I explain to him why what he said upsets me? I didn't mean to get into an argument with him, Lily told me to just let it go, but of course I didn't. Please help. I love you, Iris
She attached the letter to Atlas and watched her fly away. With a deep breath she walked down to breakfast, fully expecting to see Toby sitting with the other Slytherin's like he had been for the past three days, but he wasn't there. Without looking too obvious that she was looking for him, she went and sat down next to Scorpius.
"Hey, where've you been?"
"I was just writing a letter to mom." She said nonchalantly.
"Hey, quidditch tryouts are next week. Gonna come cheer me on?!" He asked her excitedly.
"Of course." She smiled. "Wouldn't miss it. I'm so jealous that you get to fly. I'm sure you'll make the team." She rubbed his arm.
"Next Saturday. Hey, you guys should come up to Gryffindor tower and see our common room tonight!"
"Sure you want some Slytherin's up there?" Iris said in a mocking voice.
"Well after I drag you up there I'm going to to see yours and check out if this view of the lake is as amazing as you say it is. Sure the lions won't get eaten by the snakes?"
"As long as your out before the wards go up, otherwise your stuck there all night."
Scorpius just shrugged. "I wouldn't care. I never get to see you anymore. Maybe Lily should stay with James or Rose or something one night."
"Oh, that would be so nice!" Iris beamed. "Let's do it!"
Back at the Ministry Hermione heard a knock at her door.
"Come in!" She called out without looking up.
"Mrs. Malfoy."
"Theo!" Her head snapped up at his voice. "Come in! How are you?" She asked as she stood to hug him.
"Quite well, thank you. It's been a while."
"It has." She said softly. "I'm sorry we don't get together more often."
He just waved his hand. "No worries, really."
"So what brings you here?" She asked as she sat in the chair across from him.
He pulled out a letter and handed it over to her. "Know anything about why Toby would send me this?"
Hermione looked confused as she took the letter.
Dear Dad,
I need your help. Over the last few weeks I've become kind of close to Iris again. I've been trying to keep her out of trouble with these idiot Slytherin's and now she mad at me. At me! For not defending her properly! What does that even mean?! How is that even possible?! She thinks that I think less of her because she's a Malfoy or whatever. What a load of rubbish! I was just trying to keep her from making things worse, you know how she can get. You always used to tell me that her dad never thought before he opened his mouth and she's the same way! I want to fix it, but I don't feel like I did anything wrong, she's taking it all the wrong way. Tell me what to do. I want to be her friend. I thought about asking Lily but I don't want her to get the wrong idea, since Lily's last name is Potter. Ugh, she's so dense! Maybe I'll ask Scorpius or something, I'm certainly not asking the rest of her brothers. I await your reply, and please hurry. At the moment we're not speaking to each other. Again. I love you, Toby
Hermione looked up. "Draco never thought before he opened his mouth?" She teased.
Theo just rolled his eyes. "That's the only thing you got from that letter?"
She shook her head then pulled out the letter she had received from Iris earlier that morning and handed it to him. She watched him while he read it.
"I'll be damned." He looked up. "They've got it bad."
"They do not." Hermione said dramatically. "She's only eleven, and he's only thirteen."
"If Ginny had her way she'd be married to Harry by fourth year, and you know it!" He said with a wicked smile.
"I wonder what these idiot Slytherin's are saying?" Hermione wondered.
"No idea. I take it Draco doesn't know?"
"Of course not. He's been a nervous mess for weeks now, thinking this very thing would happen."
"Well it can't be that bad, you haven't gotten any letters from any professors have you?"
"No. I'm sure Iris is blowing the whole thing out of proportion." Hermione said with a sigh. "She takes after her dad."
Theo let out a snort. "She's exactly like her dad. What should I say to him?"
Hermione thought about it for a moment. "Tell him to give it a couple of days. There's no point in trying to talk to her when she angry. You know he's going to have to be the one to apologize. That damn Malfoy proudness is a real pain the ass to deal with sometimes."
Theo chuckled. "And what will you say to her?"
"I'll just tell her that she has to go to him first and not to get upset when he tries to explain himself. I'm sure he didn't mean it the way she heard it. That there's nothing wrong with being proud of her name, and I'm impressed with her willingness to defend it."
Later that night Scorpius was laying on Iris's bed, listening to her ramble on.
"Like being a Malfoy is not something to be proud of!" She huffed out as she snatched away one of his sugar quills. "How do you even have all of this candy?!"
"Uncle Ron sent a bunch to Hugo. I wrote him and begged for some and I got a package the next day." He smiled as he shoved a chocolate frog into his mouth.
"So what are you going to do about Toby?" He asked.
"Mom says I should wait until I'm not so upset by it then go talk to him, and not get mad when he tries to explain himself."
He nodded. "So the exact opposite of what you did last time."
She shoved his leg. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
"I am on your side, but right now you're being ridiculous."
"You sound like mom." She scowled at him.
"And you sound like dad." He countered. "I can't believe you fancy someone, you're my baby sister."
"I don't fancy him, I just want to be his friend, I've always liked him."
"Mhm." He laughed as she swatted him again.
"What about you? Anyone you fancy?"
"God, no. I have to concentrate on quidditch."
They stayed up late talking and eating way too much candy. Iris felt loads better now that she had vented to Scorpius. She took Lily's bed and he stayed in hers as they settled down to go to sleep.
"I miss you, Scorp." She said with a yawn.
"Miss you, Iris." He mumbled.
She shook her head as he began snoring just seconds later.
Iris waited until the Friday before quidditch tryouts to try and talk to Toby. Again. She waited in the common room for him to come out for dinner, and nervously played with hem of her sleeve. She heard a door close and shot up when she saw him.
"Hey." She said quickly as he tried to walk passed her.
"Hey." He said quietly.
"Can we talk? Please?"
Toby just nodded. He walked to the door and held it open for her, then followed her out.
They walked slowly to the great hall. Again.
She knew she had to apologize for her outburst.
"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time, making them stop walking.
"What?" They said in unison. Toby smiled and nodded to Iris.
"I'm sorry I got so upset over what you said. I should have known that you didn't mean anything by it. I know that you don't think that way."
"I'm sorry that what I said, and didn't say, hurt you. It was not my intention at all."
"I know." They began walking again. "Before I came to Hogwarts, my dad told us that he was worried that the Malfoy name would follow me around. That I would get punished for his mistakes, and people wouldn't be able to see how much the name has changed. It just stuck with me I guess, that I have to defend it."
"I didn't realize. But you've always been Iris Malfoy to me, I would never treat you differently because of who you are, or what your name is. It bothered me that you thought that."
"I know, I was just overwhelmed with it all. He was really upset by it, I thought he was just being overprotective. Then I get here and the second day someone is already trying to drag me through the mud. And Lily, too!"
"I'll be more considerate the next time I'm threatening someone in your honor."
She looked over and laughed at him. "Friends?"
"Friends." He repeated.
She let out a deep breath. "Good."
They walked for a few moments is silence. "Do you have to try out for the quidditch team again this year?"
He nodded. "We do every year, no spot is guaranteed."
"Oh. I'll cheer you on then." She said with a smile.
"Yea?" He couldn't keep the excitement off his face.
They reached the great hall and sat at the Slytherin table since none of her family was there yet. They didn't even notice when they all showed up and chose to sit at the Gryffindor table.
"Looks like they made up." Lily said to Scorpius.
He turned around. "About time."
Saturday morning brought on the quidditch tryouts. Slytherin was first, followed by Gryffindor. Iris, Lily, and Rose had all planned to watch their brothers tryout, but Iris wanted to watch Toby too, so she went early. She had sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast by herself eating her cereal. She was very excited for some reason. After tryouts she wanted to send a letter home and tell her mom that her and Toby were friends again, and nothing has really happened with the idiot Slytherin's since her last letter.
She had already grabbed her hat and scarf, just in case it was colder out on the pitch and left the hall to see if she could find Toby and wish him luck beforehand.
"Hey, Malfoy!" Someone called from behind her. She didn't recognize the voice, and no one she knew called her Malfoy. She turned and tried to draw her wand but wasn't fast enough.
"Expelliarmus!"
Iris watched as her wand flew right into Bletchley's hand.
"What are you gonna do now?" He taunted.
Good thing her mom taught her how to throw a punch. Without hesitation she slammed her fist right into his face and watched in satisfaction as he screamed out about his broken nose. She had turned to pick up her wand which he and thrown on the ground but was grabbed from behind.
She tried to break free but whoever had her was too strong. She was hit with a silencing charm when she tried to scream, and they dragged her to the closest door.
"See how long it takes you to get out of here!" The boy said as he shoved her into the dark closet and locked the door. It was very dark and cold and she was furious. She heard more silencing charms muffle the air around her and knew that even if she threw herself against the door no one would hear her. And that blasted idiot still had her wand!
Trying not to panic, she attempted an alohamora, but was unsuccessful. She had practiced simple wandless magic, but nothing that could be helpful now. She cursed herself for not learning more.
She figured she'd be here a while, so she plopped down on the floor and tried to reverse the silencing spell around her. After several attempts and no progress she began getting frustrated. She couldn't even scream in agitation! She was missing tryouts, and she was happy about going, and now no one knew where she was.
Toby waited as long as he could for Iris to show up before tryouts started. He didn't understand, they were back to being friends, weren't they? With a disappointed sigh he went down to the quidditch pitch by himself.
He played well, he thought. He was sure to make the team, either as a keeper or a chaser, he had played both positions before. He decided to stick around and see who was going to get the spot of seeker, Scorpius or James. He spotted Lily and Rose in the stands and walked up to them to sit with them while he watched.
"Hey Toby!" Lily said with a smile.
"Hey guys."
"Where did Iris go?" Rose asked.
He shrugged. "She never came. I waited as long as I could for her. I thought she'd be with you."
"No, she left really early this morning, said she wanted to wish you good luck before the tryouts. I haven't seen her since. I just assumed she was here." Lily looked very concerned.
Toby looked back to the pitch, the Gryffindor tryouts had already started. He agreed that something had to be wrong, there was no way that Iris would miss Scorpius and James battle it out.
"I'll go and look for her. You guys stay here, if I don't come back before the tryouts are over we'll find a professor."
"Alright." Lily still looked uneasy.
Toby waved and left the stands to go back to the castle. Where could she possibly be?
Iris had no idea how long she'd been in this stupid closet. Why was there a random closet in Hogwarts anyway?! What was its purpose?! The floor was dirty and cold and she was trying her best not to lose her self control and panic like how she wanted to. She tried to think her way out of the problem, but it only left her more frustrated. She just started praying that someone would realize she was missing and find her.
Almost two hours later, Toby still had no idea where she was. He headed back out to the pitch to tell Lily and Rose that he couldn't find her but as he walked out of the castle he saw them sprinting towards them, with her brothers in tow.
"You didn't find her?!" Lily breathed out hysterically.
"No, I don't know where she could be! Something's wrong."
"We should find Professor Longbottom. Or go to the headmistress." Rose said.
"Right, let's go ask Neville first and see what he says." Scorpius took off at a run towards their herbology greenhouses, with everyone else following him.
"Professor!" Lily shouted as she burst through the door, making Neville jump.
"Lily?"
"Neville!" She painted. "Please... I need... we need you help!"
He looked up at the group of students staring back at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Iris is missing!" Scorpius said frantically. "I know something's wrong! She didn't show up for tryouts today, and no ones seen her for hours!"
"Okay, okay calm down. Are you sure-"
"Please! Toby's looked everywhere." Scorpius interrupted.
They were clearly concerned, and even though Iris was a Malfoy, she was also a Granger and it just wasn't like to her wander off without telling anyone. She always thought things through, had a plan for everything.
"Alright. I know a spell your mom showed me, it should show us where she is."
"Hurry!" Lily and Scorpius said.
Neville withdrew his wand and muttered a variation of a four point spell. Hermione had taught Harry the *point me* spell during his fourth year for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and since then she had modified it so a beam of light trailed out of the users wand to find a lost object. Neville often found it quite useful, since his memory was terrible.
The kids watched in fascination as a string of soft blue light shot out of his wand, heading for the castle.
"Let's go." He said to them and without protest they all followed him out.
They walked into the castle and passed the great hall, then seemed to head back out towards the entrance to the quidditch pitch, when Neville saw that the blue light went to a door that was just outside of the entrance. He rushed over and cast an unlocking charm and ripped open the door, where he found Iris huddled in the corner.
"Iris!" Scorpius shouted.
The blinding intrusion of light made her squint, and she began to cry when she heard her brothers voice. She flung herself into his arms and had never been more happy to see him in all of her life.
She pulled away and pointed to her mouth, trying to tell them that she was unable to talk.
Neville understood at once and cast the counter charm to remove the silencing spell.
"Scorpius!" She said hoarsely and he pulled her to him again.
"Who the bloody hell did this to you?!" He roared.
Neville decided not to reprimand him for his language, since he was very curious and angry himself.
"Iris, I'm taking you to the hospital wing." Neville said to her. "Scorpius, you can come along. She's freezing and needs to be checked over. The rest of you, back to your dormitories."
Rose and Lily hugged her, then James and Hugo gave her a kiss on the head. Toby stood awkwardly to the side, not really knowing what to do.
"Come on. It's okay, I'm here." Her brother said softly as they followed Neville to the hospital wing.
Once there Madam Pomfrey showed her a bed immediately.
"Poppy, please check her over. I will return momentarily with the headmistress."
"Of course." She nodded. "Alright, my dear." She said, turning her attention back to Iris. "I am going to run a few scans, you won't even feel it. Just relax."
She had just finished when Neville and headmistress Mcgonnagall came in.
"What happened here?!" She commanded.
"Other than having a bit of a chill she is fine. A few bruises, but nothing major, most likely from a fall." Madman Pomfrey said to her.
"Iris, please tell the headmistress what happened." Neville said gently.
Scorpius gave her hand a squeeze, and she smiled softly at him.
"I was heading out to the quidditch tryouts." She said quietly. "Then I ran into some kids that have been giving me problems."
"What kind of problems?" Mcgonnagall asked.
"Just teasing." She said quickly. "Bletchley, he..." her eyes grew wide and she turned to Scorpius.
"Scorp, he has my wand! He- he took it from me!" She said in a rush, her voice getting higher and higher. "They shoved me in the closet after using that silencing charm! I couldn't get out! I heard them cast it on the door so no one would hear me!"
"That blasted idiot has your wand?!" Scorpius said, his voice laced with anger.
She just nodded. "I couldn't get out." She cried.
"He came to me earlier." Madam Pomfrey said. "His nose was broken, I healed it and sent him away."
Scorpius smirked. "Good. Bastard."
"Mr. Malfoy." Mcgonnagall said in a weak warning, but a warning nonetheless. "I will handle this. I know you both would very much like to seek retribution for this, but please leave this alone."
Scorpius just stared at her. "You know who our family is, that's impossible."
Mcgonnagall just sighed. "It was worth a try. Professor Longbottom, If you'll come with me, I have a snake to catch." And with that she walked out, with Neville grinning right behind her.
"I will have lunch served here for the both of you, I'll be right back with your trays and a few potions."
"Thank you." Iris nodded.
She looked at her brother with fresh tears in her eyes, wondering what she was going to do about all of this now.
"Hey, don't worry." Scorpius soothed.
"Do you think she'll write to mom and Dad?"
"No. Bletchley's parents definitely, but not ours."
"Should we tell them?"
Scorpius let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure. Mom would be fine, Dad would flip out."
"I know." She groaned. "We'll Wait then, Yea? See how next week goes."
Madam Pomfrey returned with two potions for iris and a floating tray with two plates filled with food and glasses of juice. The two siblings ate in comfortable silence, just trying to get back to normal.
"Toby was a wreck."
Iris glared at her bother. "Stop."
"I'm just saying, Iris. The bloke likes you."
Rolling her eyes she tried to change the subject. "So who got seeker?"
Scorpius gave that classic Malfoy smirk, their father had taught them well.
"You let him have it, didn't you? Scorp!"
"I didn't let him have it, he was better than me. Truthfully, I like being chaser, so that's what position I got. It's always what I play back home. I just like getting James all riled up." He added with a low chuckle.
"Then you're much more like your father than I thought you were, Mr. Malfoy." Headmistress McGonagall said as she strode into the room, trying to hide her smile. She handed Iris back her wand. "It has been tested and ruled not to have been tampered with. Mr. Bletchley as well as a few other students have been reprimanded for their actions."
"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you." She said gratefully.
"If you are feeling well enough, you may head back to your dormitory." Madam Pomfrey said to her.
"Yes, ma'am." Iris said. They waited a few minutes for her panic and anger to subside, then headed up to Gryffindor tower. Scorpius assured her that everyone would be gathered there, since no one really trusted themselves to be around those Slytherin pricks without doing some serious damage.
Sure enough, everyone was gathered in the boy's room. Even Toby, who stood immediately when she entered.
"Iris!" Lily said as she jumped up to hug her.
"I'm fine. Everything's fine." She went over to sit on Scorpius's bed, and he followed her and sat down. She leaned into her brother instantly.
"What happened?!" James asked, his anger showing in his voice.
Scorpius told everyone the short version of the story, to spare Iris from telling it twice.
"Those prats!" Hugo said between his teeth. Iris couldn't help but smile at her brothers wrath.
"Did you make the team?" She looked over to Toby, who had been quiet this whole time.
" I think so. I didn't stick around to check."
"I really wanted to watch you." She said softly.
"You can watch me during the first game, and we'll call it even."
"Two can play this game." Hugo said to them. "We need to write to Uncle George."
Rose beamed at the idea. "Yes! Oh, Hugo that's a great idea!"
"Practical jokes?" Toby said in disbelief. "They locked her in a closet for four hours!"
"It's more than practical jokes." James said with a wicked smile. "Uncle George really knows how to get back at someone. I'm sure if we tell him what's going on he'll help. And I know he won't tell anyone else."
"Do it." Lily said with anger. "They're just asking for it and so far we've done nothing. We tried to be nice, and that didn't work."
Scorpius leaned away from his sister to give Lily a high five. "I love it when your fierce."
Two days later Hugo, James, Scorpius, and even Toby received packages from George Weasley. The girls looked a little disappointed to be left out of the fun, but didn't doubt that their uncle had a reason for only sending things to the boys.
"What does the letter say?!" Iris asked quickly.
Scorpius ripped his open and they read it together.
Dear Scorp,
I've sent each of you boys a package full of my best products! Toby has in his trick wands and a portable swamp. To use the wands, just cast a replication charm on it to make it look like whoever your intended victim is, and watch in hilarious awe at the outcome! James and Hugo, I gave you several boxes of my precious Whiz-Bangs. Use these carefully, fore once you decide to use them, everyone will know where you got them. Scorp, I gave you dungbombs and creepy crawlies! You can let those suckers loose anywhere! Hope this helps! And to my dearest nieces, I didn't want you to get caught in the crossfire of this little prank war, but I am honored you came to me, I have been waiting for this moment! Be sure to get good seats when the show starts. I'll always be on your side. Love, Uncle George
Exactly one week later, seven children sat in Headmistress McGonagall's office, looking too smug for their own good.
"A swamp in the only corridor that leads to the dungeons! Dung bombs in the Slytherin common room and third year boys dormitories! Beetles, slugs, worms, and Godric knows what else also in the boys dormitories! Fireworks in the bathrooms! The bathrooms!" McGonagall boomed. "Not to mention the trick wand Mr. Bletchley had the pleasure of using in his transfiguration class! His goblet exploded and he and several other students had to be taken to the hospital wing!"
She glared at the students before her. "What were you thinking?"
"Headmistress." Iris began. "Other than the students that ended up in the hospital wing, everything was rather harmless."
"Miss Malfoy." McGonagall said sternly. "I had warned you all to leave this alone. I had expected a few hexes, a nights detention. Instead I have howlers from parents demanding action!"
At least they had the good sense to look nervous now. "Please wait outside my office, I will call you back in when I have decided on your punishment."
"Yes, Ma'am." They said in unison. They got up and left her office quietly, only chancing talking once the door was shut tight.
"What do you think is gonna happen?" Hugo asked them.
"I don't know. Detentions every Saturday for the rest of forever." Rose said glumly.
"Do you think we'll get expelled? We did send students to the hospital." Iris worried.
"Well they better not ban us from quidditch. That idiot had it coming!" James said bitterly. Scorpius immediately agreed.
"At least we know that our parents didn't send howlers." Lily said in relief. I'm sure we would've heard ab-"
She froze in place the second she stepped out of the winding staircase to see several sets of parents waiting, including her own.
"Would anyone care to explain why we have been summoned to the Headmistresses office?!" Hermione said, looking very annoyed, although she was sure she had an idea.
"Mom?" Iris said from behind Lily.
"Bloody hell." Hugo groaned once he caught sight of his own parents.
Before any of them could scold the children further, a cat patronus walked down the stairs and summoned the four sets of parents.
"We are not through here, Tobias Nott." His mother said sternly as she walked passed him, his father right behind her.
"What now?!" Rose was frantically looking between all of her siblings. "We're in so much trouble."
"I'm sure it won't be as bad as whatever punishment we're gonna face here... right?" Toby asked.
"I don't know, Mate. Aunt Hermione can get really upset sometimes." Hugo answered.
"She just expects better." Iris corrected.
The four sets of parents made their way up the winding staircase in silence, feeling like they all were back in Hogwarts themselves and being sentenced to detention for their idiocies.
"Thank you for coming." McGonagall said the moment they all sat around her desk.
"What is this about?" Hermione asked. "Clearly they're not hurt, so I can only imagine what they've gotten themselves into already."
"What did our kids do?" Ron moaned.
"Several things." McGonagall began. "They flooded the corridor to the dungeons. The swamp took hours to get rid of. Fireworks in the Slytherin bathrooms, dung bombs in the third year boys dormitories, among various other slimy creatures."
"Such as?" Ron asked.
"Beetles, cockroaches, worms the size of snakes, slugs-"
"Slugs?!" Draco burst out in laughter. "Weasel, Tell me you remember that."
"Funny, Ferret. Hilarious." Ron rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide a smile.
"Please tell me that was Hugo, it would make my day." Draco said to her.
"I believe that one was Scorpius, actually." Neville said with a smile, although quickly schooled his features when McGonagall glared at him.
"This doesn't seem all that bad, really." Ginny said to them. "I mean a nuisance, Yes, but other than that it's all harmless."
"The trick wands were the problem. One students wand was switched out with a trick one, and during his transfiguration class his goblet shattered and several students had to be sent to the hospital wing to remove the shards of glass."
"Oh, dear." Lavender groaned.
"Parents are expecting some kind of action, and I have yet to decide what that might be."
Neville cleared his throat and stood from his spot next to McGonagall. "Before we discuss all of that, you should know what's been going on so that you know why they did what they did."
"That is no excuse, Neville." McGonagall retorted.
"Maybe not, but it is a reason." He said calmly.
Hermione looked over to Draco and could tell he was already expecting the worst. Grabbing his hand she looked backed to Neville and waited for an explanation.
"Iris and Lily, but mostly Iris, have had a few... problems with another housemate of theirs, Andrew Bletchley."
"Bletchley?" Theo asked, looking over at Draco.
"Any relation to Miles?" Tracey, Theo's wife, asked.
"Andrew is his son, Yes." McGonagall confirmed.
"Ugh." Draco groaned. He remembered that prat. Miles Bletchley was nearly as bad as Draco in his taunts on Gryffindor's back in their school days.
"The morning of quidditch tryouts, Iris had a run in with a group of Slytherin's. They locked her in one of the storage closets by the entrance that leads to the pitch."
"That's on the outside of the castle!" Ron shouted.
"Yes, unfortunately it was... several hours before she was found."
"What?!" Draco was livid. How the bloody hell could that happen?
"They used a pretty good silencing charm, and took her wand. No one knew where she was, so the kids came and found me, and we found her."
"Damn. Toby had written me about some idiot Slytherin's that were causing some trouble for Iris."
"You knew about this?" Draco said in disbelief. "Why in the bloody hell am I just hearing about this now?"
"When was this?" Ginny asked.
"Last week, I had thought that maybe they would have listened and let me handle it." McGonagall said to them.
"Well, you knew that wasn't going to happen." Harry said with a snort.
"That, Mr. Potter, is exactly what Scorpius had told me. Clearly, your influence on these children has shown."
"Hey, He's Malfoy's kid, too." He grumbled, clearly embarrassed for having been chastised. Draco sent a wink his way.
"Iris had written me a letter saying that she and Toby were arguing, but they've since made up." Hermione said to the group.
"Good thing, all that boy does is go on about her." Tracey said with a smile. "He didn't say what problems she was having though."
"I didn't think it was this bad." Hermione said before she could stop herself.
"Did you know about this?" Draco asked her.
"Well, not really. She said that she and Toby had gotten into an argument about something he said while defending her, but I don't know what was said or who he was saying it to."
"Theo." Draco glared. "Did you know?"
"Toby was just worried about Iris, that's all I know. He didn't go into detail on what was going on."
"Wait a minute, before you idiots go into this anymore." Ginny said sternly. "Why weren't we notified last week when this happened? Iris was surely sent to the hospital wing to be looked over."
"Iris didn't want you to find out." Neville said honestly, looking at Draco.
"She didn't want me to worry." He groaned.
"Of course not, that's probably why we didn't know any of this was going on with the kids." Harry told him. He turned his attention to Neville. "Why just Iris? Lily's a Potter in Slytherin, you'd think that she'd have a rough go at it, too."
"Iris..." Neville looked uneasy, then gazed at Hermione, silently begging her to understand.
"Iris has a mouth." Hermione sighed. "She's hell bent on defending her name. They might have been giving Lily problems too, but you know as well as I do that if Lily backed off that alone would have made Iris keep going and they would push right back."
"Like Idiot A and idiot B for example." Ginny pointed to both Harry and Draco.
Theo barked out a laugh, which earned him a smack in the chest from his wife. "Trace, she's got a point." He said to her, rubbing his chest.
Ignoring him, she turned to McGonagall. "What are you thinking of for a punishment?"
"Detentions for everyone involved."
"How many?" Lavender asked.
"Before you answer, keep in mind that they are just kids, and they were just defending their sister." Harry said to her.
McGonagall sighed. "I cannot show partiality to any one or set of students. May I remind you that I took just as many points away from Gryffindor house for your foolishness as I gave. These children are the the children of some of my favorite students, and I find it quite moving that they have all been raised as they have. This fierce loyalty they have with each other is refreshing, considering everything that you all went through as students in your time here."
"One full Saturday detention each, and the boys will still be allowed to remain on the quidditch teams."
A collective sigh was heard around the room.
"Thank you, Headmistress." Hermione said sincerely. "Although I'm not sure what to do about these boys that have been giving my girls trouble."
"I assure you that Mr. Bletchley has received punishment as well, since his actions were intentionally hurtful and malicious."
"Shall we bring them in, then?" When McGonagall nodded to Neville he rose to call the kids back into the room, as she had transfigured several more chairs to line the side of her desk.
One by one seven children came in and took a seat, none of them making eye contact with their parents.
"Well now, I have informed your parents what happened and have also discussed a fair punishment for you all." McGonagall said to them. "You each will have one full Saturday detention, to be served how I see fit."
"That's all?" Hugo dared to ask. When his mother glared at him he bowed his head.
"One Saturday each?" Toby asked her. When she nodded he looked over at Iris. "I would like to serve the detentions for the girls as well."
"What?" Iris, Ginny, Hermione and Tracey asked him.
"They had nothing to do with this, it's not fair. And Iris has been through enough. If they are to receive detention too, I will take it."
"That's four Saturday detentions, no way!" Scorpius shouted at him. "We can split it."
"No, you lot have quidditch practice. This is your first year, I can make it through."
"You realize what your asking, Mr. Nott." McGonagall asked him.
"Yes ma'am." He nodded.
"No!" Iris yelled. "That's not fair! You'll miss practice and you'll get kicked off the team."
"Iris, I switched Bletchley's wand during transfiguration. I will take the detentions."
With a huff she sat back and crossed her arms, but to everyone's surprise she didn't say anything more.
"Well then. I'll give you all some time to discuss this." McGonagall said as she rose from her chair. "I'll be back shortly."
"Thank you, Headmistress." Harry said as she left, with Neville following behind her.
No one spoke for a few seconds after the door shut. The kids were looking at the floor as if it was the most interesting floor they had ever seen, while the parents exchanged looks of amusement and worry.
"I think Iris and I should take a little walk." Draco said to the group. He stood up and held out his hand to his daughter, leaving no room for discussion. He looked over to Harry expectantly.
"Oh! Right. Lily, Umm... we should have a walk, too." He stood awkwardly and waited for Lily to get up before following Draco and Iris out of the room.
"Real smooth, Dad." James said with a shake of his head, making Ginny laugh.
"Your dad's always been sort of... awkward. Now, why didn't any of you tell us what was going on?"
"It started the second day." Toby said to Ginny.
"Are you serious?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
He just nodded. "That day at breakfast Iris told me she was having trouble with that idiot Bletchley. He's always thought he was better than everyone else, and Iris was an easy target."
"How so?" Ron asked. "That girl has more fire than any of them."
"Exactly!" Scorpius said to him. "He said some things and Iris jumped on it, thinking she had to defend her name and Lily's and it only got worse from there."
"I told them they should report it, but I caved pretty easily." Toby said as he looked at the floor again. "I should have said something to Professor Slughorn."
"No, Iris would have been even more upset and I'm sure this situation would be far worse." Hermione told him before she looked over to Theo and Tracey. "Draco had this grand idea to talk to the kids about the war the night before they went off to Hogwarts. Iris must have taken what he said quite seriously about how she might be judged for his mistakes."
"Well that's just great." Theo said rubbing his forehead. "That girl doesn't need anymore reasons to pick a fight, she has too much Malfoy in her."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scorpius asked, a little annoyed with the comment.
"It means that your dad instigated just as much nonsense as your Uncle Harry and we all fell for it more often than not." Ron said sternly. "It's in that girls blood to argue."
"Thanks, Ronald." Hermione pretended to scold.
"So when Iris got stuck in this closet..." Lavender asked, looking at Hugo and Rose. "Why wasn't something said then? And why in the bloody hell would you ask your Uncle George for help? What on earth made you think that was a good idea?"
"Well, we didn't want to get anyone else in trouble. I know Freddie has all kinds of tricks that we could've used, and Teddy, Victorie and especially Molly would have just told us to report it, blah, blah, blah." Hugo went on.
"So instead, in true Gryffindor fashion you thought it was best to just do whatever you wanted without thinking it through?" Ginny asked her nephew.
"Well... Yea." James said with a shrug.
"Oh Godric, help me." Ginny said, closing her eyes.
"We didn't think anything bad would happen." Rose tried to defend.
"This has Harry written all over it, you know that, right?" Theo smirked.
"Okay, Okay." Hermione said, trying to get the conversation headed somewhere. "From now on, anything that happens will be reported, Understood? I would rather not have any more summons from the headmistress about further antics this year."
"So next year, we're good?" Scorpius joked.
Draco, Iris, Lily and Harry walked until they came to an empty classroom on the second floor. Draco ushered them all inside then shut the door, taking a seat next to Harry and across from the two girls.
"So." He began. "Tell me what happened, from the very beginning."
Iris and Lily took turns explaining what had happened, starting with their first day. They told them both about the message on their door, and how they got Toby to remove it instead of reporting it, and Iris and Toby's fight. Then told them about the shoving in the hallways and snide comments under their breath, and finally about how Iris was stuck in the storage closet and no one could find her.
"So I guess we just decided that we wanted payback." Lily said to their parents.
Draco and Harry looked at each other, both understanding the weight of what Lily just said.
"Lily, just because you want payback does not mean that you should take these kinds of things into your own hands." Harry said to her.
"Right. Both your dad and I know how out of control things can get, and trust us, even though you think it will solve everything, it isn't the answer." Draco added gently.
"But Dad, you told me that this would happen, I had to stick up for myself! I had to defend our name! And just because Lily and I are in Slytherin it doesn't make us rejects, or traitors, anything else those idiots said."
"I know that, love. I'm afraid this is my fault. I just wanted you to be prepared, and instead I made you think that this was a fight that you had to act in. And for that I'm very sorry."
"Iris, why didn't you want to come to anyone about it?" Harry asked her. "If you weren't ready to talk to your mom or Dad why not talk to me or anyone else?"
"Because I thought that you would just tell dad." She said sadly. "Then he would be worried and disappointed because I couldn't defend myself like I thought I could."
"Iris, sweetheart. I would never think that. I am very proud that you stood up for something that is so important to you. And I know that you were just trying to protect your name and Lily's. I'll tell you the same thing I told Lily, I would never, ever be disappointed in any of my children. You are both my girls and I love you very much. I just worry about you, too."
"Promise us that you won't try something like this again." Harry looked at them both. "If these boys continue to harass you, you will report it, or if not please write to any one of us and we will handle it with the headmistress."
Both girls nodded.
"And also..." Draco added. "Please don't put poor Toby in that situation ever again. That boy fancies you, Iris, and he will break the rules again if asked. So please don't."
"Yes, Dad."
"I told you he fancies you." Lily said with a nudge to her shoulder.
"Shut up, Lily." Iris warned.
"She fancies him, too."
"Lily!"
"Iris, please. I'm not as thick as your Uncle Ron. You think I didn't catch on?"
Harry let out a snort. "Point there. Are we good here?"
Both girls nodded and stood up when their father's did.
Harry and Lily walked a bit ahead, to give them time to talk in private, so Draco took the same opportunity. Before he could say anything though, Iris was already talking. She was more like her mother than she realized.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to cause all of this mess. It's just... I was so excited to be in Slytherin, and then the second day someone tries to tell me I don't deserve to be there? That I'm not good enough because of who my family is? They have no idea, Dad. They don't. And it made me mad."
"They will never understand, sweetheart. And that's their problem, not yours. You know what you do now? You go all Hermione Granger and you beat that boy in everything. You become the better flyer. You study harder and get better grades than him, you move through social circles easier, because you're a kind girl and people will see that if you let them. You don't need a front or mask or anything else to get through these years. Lean on your family and your friends and just try to remember that above it all, nothing else really matters. Be the bigger person, Iris. It took me years to realize that had I just done that, and asked for help when I needed it, I could have been so much farther ahead."
"I'm proud of my name. I'm proud to be your daughter, I just want to make you proud of me, too." She answered quietly.
Draco stopped walking and turned Iris to face him. "I am so very proud of you, Iris. So much more than you will ever know. I will always worry about everything you do, simply because I want you to have everything I didn't. You are perfect, Iris Malfoy. Just... don't let that go to your head, Alright?"
She returned his smile and hugged him. "I love you, dad."
Draco soaked up the moment, finally realizing that his children could protect themselves, and they had amazing support in each other. That alone was something that he took a lot of pride in. Whatever came next, they could handle it, because they had each other.
"I love you, too, Iris."
Four sets of parents sat around a table at the Leaky Cauldron, having several mugs of butterbeer and shots of firewhiskey.
"Well, that was enlightening." Theo breathed out as he slammed his shot.
"That was amazing." Harry grinned. "No thought what soever. Those are my kids, every single one of them."
"Excuse me, Potter." Draco chuckled. "But I believe those are my kids, doing whatever they wanted because they just had to prove they could."
"It's a wonder you two never ended up together." Tracey said as she rolled her eyes.
Ginny laughed at the comment, nearly spitting our her own butterbeer.
"They're all our kids. Clearly they need more of my influence, they could have gotten expelled." Hermione added dramatically.
Ron scoffed at her. "Please, wasn't it you that bragged about how much fun breaking the rules was in fifth year?"
"Is that right?" Draco said curiously.
Now it was Theo's turn to scoff. "And wasn't it you, Draco, that worried all night about said rule breaking Gryffindor. How am I gonna get her out of this one?!" He mocked.
"Maybe." He said with a forced shrug that fooled no one.
"Do you think these boys will continue to give them a hard time?" Lavender asked.
"I don't know." Draco answered as he pushed his hair back with one hand, his other clasped firmly in Hermione's.
"They'll probably try something, I'm sure." Theo said with a nod. "Toby's letters home haven't really mentioned much about it, I'm surprised it escalated this much, really."
"Well, they didn't mean for anyone to get hurt." Harry added.
Draco waved away Harry's comment and looked over to Theo. "What have Toby's letter been about?"
"Oh, Seriously, Draco. They're eleven!" Tracey said exasperated.
"So?" He pouted.
"So other than a hand brush in a hallway they're not getting anywhere. Both of them are way to awkward around each other to figure out what this all is." Hermione told him.
"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they do date down the line. Lily and even James have written to me about the pair of them." Ginny smiled.
"I think it's cute." Hermione said, a little too giddy for Draco's liking.
"Me too." Tracey agreed.
Theo just groaned. "You two can stop the wedding bells going off in your heads."
"Oh please, be in laws with you, Nott? I have enough on my plate with this one." Hermione jabbed a finger in Draco's direction, making the table laugh.
Draco stared at the ceiling as he laid in bed, with Hermione curled up against him as she drew those lines on his chest that she had memorized. He absentmindedly toyed with his necklace from Luna, enjoying the shiver his wife's touches brought him.
"We are you thinking about?" She asked as she kissed his chest. She stilled his fidgety hand and he looked over at her, the light from the single flame Hermione always makes sitting on the nightstand.
"How it makes my chest tight that Iris felt like she had to defend a name that I despised for so long. How I hated it so much for a long time, and now I have a child that is ridiculously proud of it. She's so much like me, and it scares me. I don't want her to think that just because she's a Malfoy that-" he paused to swallow harshly. "I don't want her world to come crashing down on her."
"Draco, you realize why she's so proud of her name, don't you? It because it's your name. Iris is too smart for her own good sometimes, and she knows more about both of us than she will ever say. She's proud of the man you are, she knows the love you have and the protectiveness that you can't help but show. She wants to be good enough for you, not for the name. For you. Scorpius is the same way, only he shows it differently."
"What are you talking about? Other than his hair you would never know that child was mine. He is everything that you are, and I love him for it."
"Confidence pours out of him, just in a different way. He is so sure of who is, that nothing phases him. He is so comfortable in his skin that nothing can tell him otherwise. He is fiercely protective of his sisters, and when he's angry he's a force to be reckoned with. Someone could say anything they want to him, but mess with his family and all bets are off. That is you, Draco."
"They're good kids." He said after a moment.
"They're the best kids, and they're yours."
"They're ours." He squeezed her hand that was still drawing those addicting lines on his chest. "I still don't know how I ever managed to make you mine. I'm so lucky to have all of you. This is more than I ever let myself imagine."
"I know it is. I know this has been overwhelming for you, but they're okay. They are all okay. You've taught them well, sweetheart. We've showed them love, and taught them acceptance and forgiveness and nothing can stand up to them that they can't overcome."
"Hermione Malfoy."
"Draco Malfoy."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
A/N: And there is Chapter 2 :) Depending on if I can get enough ideas together, I might write another chapter with more of Iris and Toby, who knows. But as of now, this story is complete and I just adore it. Hope you all liked it! Keep a look out for other stories :) Thank you for reading!