𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑜

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The House Over the Hill belonged to a sweet old lady named Marie; she rented out her home for far under its real value. And when Remus Lupin tried to explain such to her when he first sought out renting... well, she just gave him a smile and lowered the price even more.

And so that is how Remus found himself taking up residence in that small town in the countryside.

A quiet community, far away from any of the hustle and bustle. A secluded community, far from the minds of the rest of the world. A distant community, far unlikely one would have to worry about nosy neighbors.

A perfect community for Remus Lupin to settle into.

When he moved into the little two-bedroom, one-bathroom home just on the other side of the hill, no one so much as blinked an eye his way. No one paid mind to his ratty clothes, his old scars. No one noticed when his appearance grew sickly at a particular time of month.

To the people of that quaint little village, he was just the polite man that lived over the hill, the man who showed into town very rarely but always with a kind smile. The proper man who wore sweaters in July. The quiet man who minded his own business.

And so the town paid him no mind. It was a perfect community when one needed to stay away from the eyes of the world.

And so, a perfect community for Iris Blackwell.

When she moved in with Remus, a few people had turned an eye their way. For one, just in reactionary questions that people tend to have more of when children are involved. But part of the little burst of attention was easy to put to Iris being Iris. Or maybe just Iris being a Blackwell, rather.

Iris and Remus had settled into a pattern within the few weeks of living together. One of which the two seemed like distant roommates rather than two people who had otherwise shown to be close.

Iris up by sunrise, going about her morning routine before taking off unannounced for her morning walk. It nearly gave Remus a heart attack when he saw her missing one morning. But after a few days, he settled into her way of just vanishing off, now aware that she only took walks down to the stream nearby.

Remus would typically be out by nine. Off to continue his endless attempts at job hunting. Still eating away at his already small inheritance, he denied any financial help from Iris.

Iris would stop by the house briefly at about ten to freshen up before taking off into town. Insistent on grocery shopping in small amounts as big purchases all at once would bring complaints from Remus.

From there began the real uncertainties. Remus sometimes would be out until late at night. Iris would come and go as she pleased, sometimes home all day... other times out worryingly late. Sometimes dinner was spent alone for both residents of the house. Other times they ate together and talked like friends.

It was an endless cycle of poor communication... and for Iris, went far beyond that. Being a teen girl... it was reckless to be out on her own; even more so to be out on her own without informing anyone.

But Remus struggled to find his ground. Sure he was her guardian on a technical level... but... officially... how much control did he really have over her?

So his worry and... annoyance continued to grow and build... just waiting for a moment to explode out.

~~~~~~

Clunk

Iris waited a moment, tossing a rock into the air as she allowed a second to pass. Eyes locked onto that second-story window. Catching her rock, she shifted her weight, sending it up to that same window.

Clunk

And as she had done every time, she waited... just a moment. Eyes locked onto that second-story window. Iris puffed her cheeks when the moment passed, scuffing her shoe against the grass as she straightened up. Glancing down, she would only find that her collection had all been spent. All of her rocks directly below the window.

It would only take a moment to recollect them, but at the same time... so far, she had attempted at this thirteen times, and well, clearly, it was not working. So Iris sat.

Just sat down and looked up at that second-story window, waiting. Humming a tune to herself... until finally, she got what she had wanted.

"Why are you incapable of giving up?"

Smiling up at the boy in the window, Iris lifted herself up, "Was starting to believe you were really going to ignore me."

The boy rolled his eyes, choosing to move past whatever banter the girl below was seeking from him with that stupid smirk on her face, "What do you want, Iris?"

Side-stepping away, Iris shouted out as she began walking off, "Well, Theo, you and I are going to London. And we need to use your fireplace."

Theodore Nott scoffed as she disappeared around the corner, slamming his window shut as he muttered to himself, "Lunatic."

~~~~~~

Theodore was not really quite sure what he had been expecting when Iris said they would be making a sudden trip to the city. Well... no... many things crossed his mind. Some ideas were legal, he supposes, so he didn't have a complete lack of faith in the girl he had allowed to drag him along. But he had most definitely expected a bit more adventure... adventure that at least brushed against the line of legality. Or just adventure at all.

After all, they were in London on a Sunday evening, still a long way away from school. On their own, no authority to restrict them... a whole city to explore.

And yet Iris decided she would rather spend two hours browsing in dress shops... but Theodore wasn't complaining.

If anything, a few hours of dress shopping was the most pleasant surprise he had ever experienced. It was not even close to making his list of what "we are going to London" meant, and yet it beat everything that came to mind.

And so he enjoyed it all, without any complaints. Well, no, there was one complaint. It happened in the first shop. When following Iris rather aimlessly, a nice older worker pointed him off to a section of chairs just outside the changing rooms, calling it the "Boyfriend Section." And he found himself rather comfortable in a chair... until another one of the "boyfriends" attempted conversation. Theodore ran back to Iris with a sneer on his face within minutes. A string of complaints about how he had to socialize fell out of him.

From there on, Theodore stuck close to Iris, giving a cold look to the dreaded "Boyfriend Section" in every store they visited. And it was his decision to stick close to his friend that allowed him to notice it.

Theodore thought himself observant. With everyone. So being as he spent most of his time of the previous school year with Iris attached to his hip, he thought himself rather observant towards her. Spend enough time with someone, and their habits do tend to stick into your brain. A "normal" is created for them. And any deviation from normal can stick out like a sore thumb.

And as he followed her from shop to shop, rack of gowns to rack of gowns... something was off. She was... well, most worryingly... quiet. But not the quiet of a troubled mind, no, a calm quiet.

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It was a side of Iris that he had only seen on a handful of occasions and only ever in small bursts. The first time had been in the common room, the first week back, one quiet night when he sat reading. That small moment of playful quips, smiles, hums... that airy laugh... those few seconds of just existing in the moment.

A calm quiet. One that comes from... safety and ease.

Theodore would never admit it, but he struggled to tear his eyes from his friend as she went about shopping. It was just such a... curiosity.

Watched as this rare side of Iris had its moment. The way she brushed her fingers over the gowns as she walked, humming a tune to herself, so quietly he would have to strain to make sense of it. The way she went about with the most neutral of faces, only to have it broken when a smile pulled at her lips, always in response to the silliest of dresses. The way she showed Theodore anything odd she noticed, that airy laugh singing into the air followed by a comment.

It was a side of Iris that rarely showed to those around her, shadowed by the excitable kid still within her, shadowed by the deadly anger that came out far too often. And yet... at least to Theodore, this quiet calm... it felt most natural.

And Theodore Nott would never admit it and most certainly never think it in her presence but...

"I think I can safely call it quits on this for today. Should we go get something to eat?"

Theodore blinked, spurring himself from his daze, "All this walking around, and you won't even try one on? If you wanted to just look, I could have given you a catalog."

Iris turned on him, a smirk jumping into her face, "Seeing how different fabrics look in person is among the most important of things to do. It is also good to feel them; an uncomfortable fabric can ruin even the best dresses. But," Iris held onto the word grabbing at three dresses, "if you insist, you can help me decide a few things."

Rolling his eyes, he followed a few steps behind Iris as she sped off to the dressing rooms. Losing sight of her as she rounded the corner, Theodore glanced over to what was supposed to be his designated seat. But finding the Boyfriend Section already occupied, Theodore took to just standing to the side, ignoring any form of eye contact.

Theodore rose an eyebrow as Iris returned a minute later, settling herself before a full-length mirror, eyes narrowing at her reflection. When Theodore took a few steps closer, her eyes flew to him through the mirror, "Ignore the style. I know it is dreadful, and most of these dresses are. I am going to a designer with some ideas for my actual dress. Just give me your opinion on how the color looks on me."

Standing a few feet away to take in the whole look as she moved and twirled for herself in the mirror, Theodore took a moment, scanning the royal blue dress. Nodding, he provided his feedback, "Go a bit darker," he then locked his eyes onto the poof of the skirt, "What is the opening dance for the Yule Ball?"

"Just a waltz, an easy-to-teach version for those without a background in dancing. So the skirt won't be a problem," Iris smirked, "not for us."

Raising an eyebrow, Theodore scoffed, "Us? Not sure when I agreed to attend the ball."

Walking back to the changing rooms, Iris smiled as she passed by Theodore, "I decided for you."

Hearing her door slam shut, Theodore scoffed, "Going to have to drag me to that ball," he stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets, sneering at the wall, "Absolute lunatic."

A moment later, Iris lightly bumped him to the side as she walked back to the mirror, "And I would succeed in dragging you out." Her attention was on her reflection, "I actually don't need an opinion with this. This neckline is definitely the one."

Still, she took the time to twirl and look herself over some more, mostly watching how the black worked on her skin. Eyes shifting to Theodore again in conversation, "You have to wear actual clothes, by the way. I refuse to dance with you if you show up in wizard robes."

"So I get what I want?"

Iris hummed, "Nope, I will find you a different date. So the options are either me or," her eyes flicked to the man sitting in a chair nearby, "you have to talk to someone new." Iris patted his shoulder as she left back to the changing room.

"Wouldn't you rather some date to go off and snog anyways." It was his last defense, his last hope to get out without too much of a fight.

...

She was taking longer in the changing room...

Theodore glanced over, noticing the extra long beat in the silence. But before a question could arise out of him, she rounded the corner... Theodore watched her every move as she approached the mirror. The mood had shifted.

He was lost on in what way it had shifted, but there was a most definite change. The way she walked, stood, the way her eyes moved. A certain air had taken over her.

And maybe it was just the green and gold of the dress... but there was a very sudden regality about Iris Blackwell.

Theodore didn't get to sit on it for long, finding himself interrupted by Iris. Her voice low... soothing almost. That stupid calm about it that just pulls you in, "Seeing all these dresses, making note of certain details I like, how they would fit on me... it is making me think of what my coronation dress will be."

She smiled, surprising Theodore, "I'll get to work with some of the best designers in the world to make whatever I want to come to life. The colors will be green and gold, of course... and green is definitely my color..." her eyes glazed over in thought. "It will be... breathtaking... worn once and then placed in a museum to be marked away as a piece of history."

She was so soft in the way she spoke... so serene almost. Theodore did just have to stare at her. Words could never have found their way out.

But then her smile slowly grew more and more bitter, "The grandest of dresses for what is going to be the worst day of my life. No dress could ever cure a horrible night."

Her eyes flicked over to Theodore in the mirror, his gaze still locked onto her, "This ball is going to be the only normal dance I have ever attended. And will be the only normal dance I ever attend. The only ball where I am not Iris Blackwell, a princess or a queen.

"For this ball, I get to be Iris, a student like everyone else. I want it to be great... I need it to be great. So why waste it spent with some date I will forget the name of in a matter of days? I would much rather spend it with you...."

Theodore's eyes turned to the mirror, meeting Iris' gaze. And the two just stood, Iris' words sitting in the air. It was almost unfair to have to answer to the unasked question that lingered in the air. To have to hear that, to look at those eyes, and respond to her question.

So unfair, which is why Theodore could only give a single curt nod.

Iris let out a deep breath, a sincerity returning to her smile as she gave back a small nod of her own. The gratitude unsaid, but there. So unfair... how could anyone have denied a request like that?

But no matter how much Theodore Nott would think about the unfairness of the situation, he did have that slight tug at the corner of his lips.

Just a bit.

~~~~~~

10:38 pm.

That was when Iris walked back through the fireplace. Making an immediate path into the kitchen. Walking through the dark house, making as little noise as possible. But for nothing when she turned into the kitchen finding Remus sitting at the table, a cold tea in front of him. The bags under his eyes are prominent even in the low light from above the sink.

Iris tilted her head in question but carried on as normal, going to the cabinet, grabbing a cup, and heading for the sink. It was half full when Remus asked, "Where have you been?"

Her eyes narrowed at the tone, that faint ring of an edge. But she brushed it off quickly, leaning against the counter as she took a sip, "Just out. Was in London with Theo, dress shopping mostly."

Remus closed his eyes, taking a breath, ignoring the feeling of Iris' eyes on him. "I think it is time to put in place a curfew."

A scoff sounded through the room, Iris's jaw clenching, but she held together, not letting the spark of anger grow. Though the edge in her own voice gave it all away, "And why is that?"

Remus would never be ashamed of faltering while in the presence of a Blackwell, especially one that was being pushed. Faltering in front of a Blackwell was natural. If anything, he was just proud that he felt confident enough to be the one pushing.

Proud that he could stand his ground, as that is what he did by turning to meet Iris' eyes. Proud that he could keep his calm, patient demeanor. "The coming and going as you please. Staying out late. It has to end."

Rolling her eyes, Iris took a gulp of water and discarded the glass to the counter, "The sudden concern is sweet, but I am not living by a curfew."

Remus sighed, rubbing at his temples, "I just need to know that you are safe--"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Iris laughed sharply, "Safe? Both of us know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

This was quickly becoming a neverending loop. Remus could see precisely how this would keep going. He tries to explain. She shoots it down without a thought. He tries again. She shoots it down. He started it wrong, and now there was no chance. Because now her anger was growing and would only continue to do so.

Blackwell's were... frustrating. Which is why words just slipped. He supposed it wouldn't have mattered. Whether kept inside his head or said aloud as they were, Iris would have heard it all the same. Reacted all the same. No thoughts could ever be hidden from a girl who could read minds.

But Remus still cringed as he muttered out, "And Leo thought he could take care of himself when he took you off to the cabin without any security detail."

It was the absolute worst thing to say... to do. To throw the death of her father in her face. He wanted to blame a slip of the tongue. The late nights of waiting up for her. The way he let this conversation slide for as long as he did. Holding off, letting the frustrations build on his part. But no. It was just stupid.

Remus averted his eyes, taking what was going to come.

And it came, in the form of a deadly tone and a glare he could feel in his bones, "Who even are you to try and control what I do? Legally you have no hold over me, never wanted to sign the guardianship agreement. I could pack up and leave whenever I damn well please. You have no authority over me."

She left in a hurry off to her room, her last words left in the air. It was something she was good at, leaving words to just sit in the air. To let those they are left for to have to sink into.

And Remus found himself sitting on those last ones for quite some time. Because she was right... he had no blood or legal relations to her. No real ties that provided him any ounce of connection and certainly not a bit of authority.

Remus Lupin did have to ask himself... what was he to her?