𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎-𝐹𝒾𝓋𝑒

----------------------------------------

"Does anyone have a tampon!"

When anyone was not only awake before Iris but up and dressed… something was severely wrong. And the severely wrong thing that morning was the first day of exams, the one thing that sent Valeria Collins into a frenzy.

Shouting and cussing as she stomped her way around the room, she awoke her roommates with a start. Iris even shot up to frantically look around, lost as to what was happening. And when she realized it was only Valeria, she groaned as she plopped back down, "I have a box under the sink."

Valeria could be heard as she stomped into the bathroom, rummaging under the sink as she muttered about the injustices of the world.

From there, Tracey would get up, grumbling about losing an hour of sleep. Adding to the needless noise of the room as Sally attempted to force herself back to sleep.

Iris, on the other hand, would just lay there in bed. Mind-wandering as she allowed herself a moment to recognize a growing pit in the bottom of her stomach… something was coming…

~~~~~~

When Iris hadn't spent any time studying for exams, not one person around her thought to worry about it much. Iris was a horrible student. That, anyone could see. That, everyone knew. She couldn't sit still more than a minute, constantly slept in classes, argued with teachers… a horrible student. And yet, she was great at doing just enough to still be in school. She wrote essays, she performed in the actual practice of spells, she answered questions. Hell, she could even recite word for word the events of any Goblin Rebellion.

Iris Blackwell was terrific at magic, and she knew the wizarding world. Maybe it was the years of homeschooling. Maybe it just was natural to her. Realistically it was a combination of the two…

But no one worried when Iris didn't study because she knew it all and would perform in exams because it was necessary to pass along. And she knew how to pass along. It was annoying to everyone around her how easy it would be for her, but they didn't worry…

Until she walked out of the Transfiguration exam, announcing that she refused to do said exam…

Apparently, transforming a teapot into a real, breathing turtle was against her own moral code. It was, in her opinion, cruel to the turtle that would be given life only to eventually have the spell wear off and switch back to a teapot. Which, to be fair… making life out of inanimate objects… does seem fairly complicated and, well, wrong.

But she did instead turn the teapot into a turtle plushie… she even handed it off to Theodore at lunch with a smile, "McGonagall called me back to take it. She still doesn't seem all too impressed."

He deadpanned her when she gave it to him, "Power is wasted on you."

Giving him a big grin as he placed aside the plush, she corrected, "Safer."

And then she turned to eat, the scolding from her roommates as they joined the table falling on deaf ears.

Their hopes for Iris passing third year would be somewhat restored when they went to Charms after lunch, her a bit too eager when Flitwick asked them to pair off and perform a Cheering Charm.

To the surprise of the girls, Iris and Theodore choose not to pair up. Iris pairing with the nervous Gryffindor Neville Longbottom and Theodore with Vincent Crabbe. An outstandingly intelligent decision on both of their parts… or stupid, maybe. Because each clearly chose to take the route of a guaranteed messed-up spell being sent their way, but neither would have to worry about having to laugh uncontrollably. A risk that would give good results.

Because while both nearly had their heads blown off, both Theodore and Iris did, in fact, avoid being hit by a Cheering Charm.

Care of Magical Creatures would be a much-needed break for everyone, their only task being to keep a flobberworm alive for an hour… and luckily, flobberworms did best when left alone.

As her roommates and Theodore went off to cram some more before their potions exam, Iris directed her worm over towards Harry, keeping a close eye on it as she settled beside him. "Hagrid has the appeal for his Hippogriff coming up, right?"

Harry nodded, sending his flobberworm a sour look when it wouldn't eat its lettuce, "Thursday, but they are bringing an executioner."

Iris scoffed, putting her foot in front of her flobberworm before it could wander off, dropping some cabbage by it, "Already decided then, the Ministry is a joke."

Harry was then pulled into a conversation with Hagrid, while Iris spent the rest of her hour chasing after her oddly aggressive flobberworm, having to prevent multiple fights with others.

The next few exams went by effortlessly. A Confusing Concoction in Potions, which really wasn't as confusing to make as the name would suggest. An essay on Witch Hunts in History of Magic; it turns out they did never get a real witch. Tracking the planets in Astronomy at far too late of an hour. Properly tending to some wiggling plant in Herbology, the air far too hot to be okay.

There was a snag for Iris in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The exam consisted of running an obstacle course. The students had to wade across a pool with a grindylow, cross potholes of redcaps, and work their way through a marsh without being misled by a hinkypuff. All that to end up in front of a truck… the task to climb in and face a boggart.

Iris made it to the trunk before just simply stepping aside and making her way to Remus, "I am not putting myself through that again for a grade… you know I can fight one if it ever truly mattered."

Stolen story; please report.

He smiled weakly at her, "I still have to mark you down."

Shrugging, Iris spent the rest of the exam watching as her friends fought their way through.

~~~~~~

On Thursday evening, Iris and Jane walked together back from their Muggle Studies exam.

Jane rambling on about how horribly she must have done on the essay, a notion Iris found herself very much in agreement with. After all, it could only go one way when Jane panicked and picked a screwdriver as the most essential item a muggle could have in day-to-day life… Iris's mind started to numb as she listened to Jane try to justify that choice.

Relieved that exams were finally finished and that maybe everyone would finally begin to move on and enjoy life again, Iris just patiently listened along. Humming to herself, calm as could be. For soon, it would be over.

They were just reaching the stairs when someone slammed into Jane, knocking both themself and the poor blonde to the ground.

Iris raised an eyebrow to the culprit, watching as he stood and quickly helped Jane up, "Divination that bad, Harry? Running away pretty fast."

Apologizing to Jane, Harry sparred Iris a quick smile before turning to rush off once more…

Iris went rigid as she snatched Harry's arm. Her face expressionless as her eyes grew darker, glazing over. Harry attempted to take back his arm out of instinct and nearly shouted out as he turned to Iris, but upon seeing her face… her eyes, he stopped. Silently waiting as she held him there. Sharing a glance with Jane, who could only shrug.

…

Iris would stir from her daze slowly, her voice still distant, "Trelawney…" shaking her head, Iris gripped Harry tighter, eyes wide as she asked, "she said that just now?"

Harry nodded quickly, about to say something when Iris abruptly released him, rushing down the stairs.

That pit in her stomach… the one funny feeling that ones gets when something is about to happen; yeah, well, that wasn't just a feeling to Iris anymore.

~~~~~~

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

No where to be found. Not in person. Not in the portrait that hung proud on the wall. Nope, the Headmaster's Office was completely void of the current Headmaster…

So Iris sat, waiting… as she had been for fifteen minutes as she awaited an answer from one of the other portraits about the whereabouts of Albus Dumbledore. Her posture stiff, her face serious, and her fingers endlessly tapping against the table. Waiting…

Her answer would come from the portrait of Armando Dippet, "He is heading off to the Keeper's Hut with the Minister of Magic."

Iris was walking out of the room within a second. Her stride quick, carrying downstairs, across halls… all sure and determined. She didn't stop for anything, for anyone. Not even as she stepped out of the castle into the cooling evening air. She strode towards Hagrid's Hut with one thing on her mind… find Dumbledore.

It wasn't until she was nearly knocking on Hagrid's door that she broke from her trance.

She froze in her spot, eyes going wide as she woke from whatever had overtaken her… and so she listened… Dumbledore wasn't there. No, inside, she would just find Hagrid, Harry Potter, and his two friends.

Taking in a deep breath, Iris closed her eyes, moving her hand back down from the door. Upon reopening them, she would turn around, taking a few steps away from the house and glancing around. Her attention shifted to the beast of a creature laying within a little home garden pumpkin patch.

Buckbeak. The Hippogriff.

Fixing up her posture, Iris stepped towards the feathered winged horse, carefully watching as he turned his big orange eye onto her. Keeping her gaze steady on the creature allowed her head to fall forward into a slight bow, silently asking for permission.

Buckbeak starred her down for what felt like forever, but eventually, his head would casually fall into a bow of its own.

And so, Iris would continue walking over, still under the intense gaze of the orange eye. She would leave some space between them… getting no closer than an arms' length away. Placing herself on a rock, Iris found herself level with the Hippogriff.

Staring each other down for a moment, it would be Buckbeak that ultimately looks away first, biting at an itch on his leg. Iris would continue to look into the side of the creature's head, a frown on her lips, "I could save you."

He looked up, orange eye finding the girl again as she sighed, "All it would take is telling Cornelius Fudge to send the executioner home, give you a proper trial," her lips quipped up, "or at least one where the most powerful person in the room is on your side."

Iris's attention drifted off, her head turning to catch three approaching figures, still a ways in the distance. Turning back to the Hippogriff, Iris continued, "I could save you and prevent whatever Trelawney predicted is to happen tonight. I just have to show myself to the Minister… It should be so easy… And yet…."

Iris reached out a hand as she went quiet… But she didn’t reach all the way. Her hand stopped just an inch from making contact… leaving the final push to the creature before her…

Leaving the choice to whatever those big orange eyes would decide…

Green and orange. The two stared one another down for what felt like an eternity… but in reality only being seconds. Seconds that did not give the Hippogriff the chance to make contact with the girl…

Instead, Iris' head would shoot off to the side, hand pulling back and causing Buckbeak to stomp a foot, startled. Both of them were startled. Buckbeak of Iris… and Iris of… nothing?

Well, clearly not nothing, not with the way she stared into the tree line just a few yards off. Not with the curious look that crossed her face as she moved her eyes between the Hut and the trunk of one tree in particular. And not with how she stood, body going rigid before she could instinctively take a step towards the trees.

Iris's eyes traced from the tree to the Hut, to the Hippogriff, and then finally to the three figures growing closer and closer from the direction of the castle. And then she was moving. Making a beeline into the forest, but not to the tree… no, to her own spot, somewhere to watch.

Because from within the forest, she would watch Harry, Ron and Hermione rush their way out of the Hut, running off back towards the castle, disappearing under a cloak, and going invisible. She would watch Dumbledore, the Minister of Magic, and the executioner be greeted by Hagrid, the group moving into the Hut after taking a look at Buckbeak. And then she would watch… Harry and Hermione?

Harry and Hermione would come from the direction of the tree that had stolen Iris's attention, quickly grabbing Buckbeak before leaving back into the forest. Disappearing from view just as the group from Hagrid's Hut returned outside.

Iris was gone before any of them could even register the absence of the Hippogriff, hurrying her way back to the castle.

~~~~~~

Walking into Remus's office was a common occurrence for Iris. Walking into an empty office… not so much.

Letting out a sigh at the sight of the empty office, Iris clenched her jaw. Frustration and impatience hit her for a second time that day. It was such a good morning. Last day of exams, a step closer to enjoying the last days before she had to leave for the summer. But then Harry Potter just had to go walking by... on his mind, something she couldn't just ignore...

Iris's eyes fell to Remus's desk, more specifically, a blank parchment.

She approached it slowly, her head tilting to the side as she neared. Bringing out her wand, Iris lightly tapped the parchment, the words leaving her effortlessly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The black ink appeared slowly, Iris not even bothering to let the front fill in completely before she was spreading it open. Her eyes searched all over the castle. Looking in every corner, in every secret passageway. And when she couldn't find who she was looking for inside, her eyes moved to the grounds...

And there she found footsteps labeled Remus Lupin, making a quick beeline towards the Whomping Willow... another pair of footsteps labeled Severus Snape not all that far behind.