𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝒾𝓍𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃
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“Hide, hide, hide!”
A five-year-old girl’s legs stumbling up the stairs as she followed after the just barely older boy, the two in giggles as their better ears listened to the boy’s mother counting down from twenty.
The first memory she could remember with the boy. Such a vague memory, a fog of a memory. But the childish joy of it was everything. It was the earliest she could think back on him without the help of pictures and the stories of others… the first memory she had of a boy that had been a part of her whole life before she was capable of holding onto those memories.
“They are making cherry pie in the kitchens.”
A six-year-old girl sat at the top of the stairs, listening to the yells of her parents down the hall, staring blankly ahead as the boy next to her holding onto her smaller hand… stressed as he tried to make it better.
The first time she had been forced to greet the world head-on. A day with such strange emotions for her back then… such strange ones even years later. A child too young to fully grasp what was happening but for the first time feeling that sense of dread that something was happening. A child far too young to hear those things that would really start to taint how she views the woman she was supposed to idolize… he did his best to make it better.
“I’ll stay with you.”
A seven-year-old girl sitting next to the boy as he sobbed for the loss he had just experienced… far too young to know what could comfort him as her own tears fell… so she just held his hand as he would for her.
The first time she experienced such heavy thoughts in others. Everyone around her is so… broken. The boy’s mother was gone so quickly, so suddenly. The woman she had so desperately looked to, a young girl trying to fill a hole in her life… gone. From her own emotions to that of the boy, it was all so much… but she stuck through for him.
“You still look pretty.”
An eight-year-old girl holding a chunk of hair she had just cut off… the boy behind her looking on with wide eyes but cheering her on all the same.
The first crisis of a child. So angry about the lack of control she felt she had over what to wear to her own birthday party, she grabbed a pair of scissors and took her hair from her lower back to just above her shoulders. A father laughed, a maid gasped, and the best friend, through it all… encouraged.
“Why can’t I open it now?”
An eleven-year-old girl holding one of her many presents, curiously eyeing it while the boy next to her shyly scratched his head, sharing a glance with the girl’s father… receiving a small smile.
The first time that it became so clear that no matter what rules there were… you couldn’t stop two children from their own hearts. A day of her first kiss and the day he had gifted something that meant a great deal. Only 11 and just off from 13… two kids that cared for one another so deeply and slowly were developing those silly childish crushes. The path their hearts were on would only be complicated one day… but they deserved to be lost in their youth.
“It’s you and me forever.”
An eleven-year-old girl clinging onto the boy’s back…
The first time they lied to each other… unknowingly… but—
A hand ghosted over her back, snapping Iris right back to present. Right back to the fall breeze. Right back to the excited whispers of all the students as they caught their first sight of the visiting schools. Right back to looking at the boy who had sent her on a spiral.
Eyes wide, she looked at Theodore, suddenly very aware of her shallow breaths, her body paralyzed, her mind all but gone… Theodore had been calling her name, trying to shake her. And when that failed, he had to try and push her… as he did once in the summer, push her away to at least follow the rest of the students who were retreating back inside.
And she allowed. Trusting that leading hand on her back, she dropped her eyes closed… trying to get herself together.
~~~~~~
Theodore had wanted nothing more than to just leave the crowd and take Iris back to the common room. Keep her from having to stare down Ryker Peverell anymore than she already had today. Save her some of the stress on her mind from having to share the same space as him.
But life wouldn’t be on his side, just as it never seemed to be on hers. Watchful eyes of the teachers everywhere as they corralled the students into the mandatory feast… the beginnings of the tournament that was to blame for shoving Iris straight back into her past.
Theodore tried not to get annoyed, especially as he felt her peeking into his head. And on that note, he tried to keep his own head away from Ryker and the way he looked at Theodore and the way that he had caught the boy’s attention with a lie—
He focused on Sally-Ann, the loudest of the girls, “But did any of you see that Durmstrang boy that winked at me!?”
She had received a few disbelieving laughs, something she wasn’t entirely fond of for the way she doubled back, “I’ll point him out to all of you, and you won’t be laughing then. He was tall… and his arms and, and he had that stupid smirk that is nothing good, and I think he had black hair—”
“Oh? So really moving on from blonds?”
Sally-Ann looked slightly proud of herself, “I call it personal growth.”
Then he focused on a certain Cedric Diggory. Talking excitedly just a bit away with a group of Quidditch players. Their point of conversation was none other than Victor Krum… the Bulgarian Team Seeker and Durmstrang students that everyone seemed to be talking about.
“Would it be rude to ask for an autograph?”
“Think we could drag him out to the pitch?”
“I would die to see some of his moves in person.”
Then he just focused on getting Iris and himself to their seat. Entering the Great Hall and fighting the meandering crowd all too lost to their curiosities to remember that they were supposed to be somewhere. Eventually, he pushed through, able to gently guide Iris into her seat as best he could. The rest of their friends still talking amongst themselves excitedly as they sat on the opposite side.
Tracey was the first to catch how quiet Iris was, shooting Theodore a questioning gaze that he just ignored. And he would ignore as Sally-Ann, Jane, and Valeria all noticed. A sign for them all to just let it be… to just let Iris be without the doting of anyone else.
So Theodore just did what he did quite well, watching the world.
The students of Hogwarts all shuffled to their tables, to the places so natural for them to sit after not just the weeks back at school… but for some the years doing this same dinner routine.
The Beauxbatons students had found a temporary home at Ravenclaw table, their bitter faces from the chilly air outside warming up just barely… probably growing the most pleasant the French could manage. Their own silky blue robes had fit in with the Ravenclaw ties… a sense of familiarity for them, no doubt. One girl had caught Theodore’s attention. One older girl who had removed her muffler from her head, hair cascading down… many boys could be found staring down the girl…
Silky blonde hair that just seemed so in place, every strand exactly where it should have been… large, blue eyes that captivated souls even as far as people who couldn’t truly see the color… and goodness, that smile with those perfectly even teeth… so white… so, almost…
Iris—
Theodore cleared his throat as he broke from whatever trance he had just been put into. He heard a snicker and had, just, in instinct, looked to Iris… not sure whether he was glad that it was not, in fact, from her or not. Nonetheless, he looked back up, meeting Jane’s pale eyes, catching the knowing look in her eyes as she quickly looked back to the Beauxbatons girl who had every Hogwarts boy in a trance.
“She has to at least be the daughter of a Veela or some close family. Swear I can even see a bit of that glow.”
“Sally, I know we give you so much trouble for it, but… I really do understand the blonde hair.”
“Really seems to be sparking some jealousy in some of the other girls.”
It was all at once, as always with the girls. All talking at the same time and while they could follow each other… Theodore still could never make out who said what. Maybe he could know who said what with some logical guesses, but it didn’t seem to matter for such fleeting thoughts.
The Durmstrang students had been standing about lost for quite some time. Shedding their large fur coats as they curiously picked at some of the gold plates at empty spots on the tables. As more students filed into the hall, their group had just grown slowly larger. Two of the boys had caught Theodore’s attention for but a moment. One, the esteemed Victor Krum, a big bear of a guy that stood with his head down… someone who you would have expected to lead the room but seemed more ready to fade into a wall instead. The other was the true natural leader of the group… shorter, a bit smaller, but so… something. Something in that second boy and how he stood and carried his eyes over the room made him feel bigger, more important, and like the one you needed to look at.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
That second boy had reminded Theodore of… something. And he had that black hair; he probably just found Sally-Ann’s newest obsession.
But he thought little of it as he looked to the last place where new faces were. The teacher’s table. There were six new seats put out. Two belonged to the Headmaster of Durmstrang and Headmistress of Beauxbatons, both of whom were still in their small conversation with the Hogwarts staff. One was already occupied. A man in maybe his mid 30’s, stubble on his face and dark eyes, silently scanned the room as he carried an easy conversation with Mcgonagall next to him.
It confused him at first… who this one was, then he saw the troublesome Ryker Peverell take the seat beside him—
Theodore looked back at his friends. Just in time for Sally-Ann to grasp Tracey’s arm, shaking it aggressively as she pointed to the Durmstrang boy, “See! Him! He was the one that winked.”
Tracey snatched back her arm, shooting Sally-Ann a glare before glancing back to where she was being directed to look, “Nearly ripped off my arm for him? Hardly worth writing home about, is he?”
Valeria butted in, “How can you care about that when Victor Krum is right there.”
Sally-Ann wasn’t all that thrilled at the lukewarm responses she had gotten, rolling her eyes as she continued to ogle him, “It’s not just how he looks. It’s how he… confident he seems. How comfortable and approachable he is while everyone else just looks angry or lost,” she gave off a rather lovesick sigh, “And any new face is a beautiful face when you are surrounded by the same boys for years.”
Theodore looked back to the boy, Sally’s description bringing him back to mind. That something that had stumped him… it was the confidence… mixed with those watchful eyes… it was so…
Dumbledore clapped everyone to attention. The hall that had finally all settled in movement fell silent, all eyes from old to new going to the Headmaster straight out of a children’s book. His eyes shone as usual: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts — and most particularly— guests. I have the great pleasure of welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable.”
Someone let out a rather snide sort of laugh. Raising a few eyebrows before everyone realized it was that one Beauxbatons girl… course, it was the French girl. As some other Slytherin students snickered along… you almost did have to think that the French would have fit in quite well with the snakes of Hogwarts.
But Dumbledore brushed it off as if it had never happened, smiling brightly as always, “The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink and make yourselves at home.”
As food appeared on the tables, the Durmstrang students still remained quite uncertain of where they should be. An extreme contrast from the snobby students of the other visiting school that had squeezed in with the Ravenclaws altogether.
Eventually, that leader like one that so captivated Sally-Ann, had whispered to his classmates, patting one on the back as he started walking. Five had started following while the others split off to find available seating elsewhere.
Filling up a plate, Theodore watched the Durmstrang boy closely, raising an eyebrow as he noticed something, “He’s coming over here.”
Sally-Ann’s head snapped around, turning back with wide eyes when it was made clear that not only was he coming to the Slytherin table… he was smiling right at Sally-Ann, “Oh, I am not ready at all.” She looked wildly at Valeria, “If I start to say something stupid. Hit me.”
But her ask had to fall on deaf ears, Valeria and even Tracey both gawking at Victor Krum behind the boy.
Theodore rolled his eyes as he looked down at his plate, going to grab his… where was his lamb?
And for a second time since he sat down… Theodore went where his instinct took him, eyes falling right onto Iris’ plate where his perfectly picked lamb sat. Both happy to see her… well, doing something, but also very annoyed with this habit she had developed; he had almost acted on the latter emotion… but spotting the exhaustion on her face, he just left it for another day.
He watched her closely after that. Only half aware of Sally-Ann freaking out as she tried to prepare for meeting the approaching boy.
He watched as Iris focused more than she ever did at picking out a nice plate for herself, scrunching her nose at a foreign food on the table… Quenellas, something Theodore had once and was okay with avoiding this time.
He watched as she was cutting herself off a bit of lamb as she eyed her roommates curiously, almost… almost sparking back when she saw Sally-Ann switch to her calm, collected persona for the boy, turning to smile at him.
And he watched as she looked over to catch a glimpse of the boy, both him and her looking up in time to watch as this foreign boy leaned on the table between Sally-Ann and Valeria, first smiling down to Sally with an all too troublesome smile, “Mind if we join you here.”
Sally-Ann played it off casually, glancing around to her friends with a teasing grin, “I don’t know….” She met his eyes again, straightening up a bit when she seemed to just notice the color, almost a void of black, “If you sit here, how can we keep talking about you?”
His eyes started jumping from person to person, ignoring Theodore rather blatantly as he used his charming smile on the girls… a success on two out of four so far as he moved to last, “Well, this could give you more to…” the words faded off as his dark eyes locked onto Iris.
The hairs on Theodore’s arms rose as he watched the smile on this boy’s face fade. Something so horribly off in the air, in the way the color from his face drained, in the way Iris had shifted in her seat… growing taller.
Theodore spared the girl a glance, watching as she stared right at this boy. The exhaustion masked away as everything about her slowly grew darker. Her shoulders tensing, her jaw tight, her eyes so… dark. Her head tilted.
“You… how are you…” the boy’s gaze shot to the front of the hall for just a moment as he whispered… “Ry—”
“Sit.”
The boy dropped into his seat as he, the girls, and Theodore all flinched back…
Iris Blackwell was back to life.
~~~~~~
If you asked anyone in that little group what Dumbledore had been talking about… you would receive only the emptiest of silences. Hopefully, not one quite like the silence they sat in, though… for that silence was among the most stressful things they had suffered.
Sally-Ann, Tracey, Valeria, Jane, and Theodore were all such innocent bystanders that were all so lost and wanted no part of watching Iris Blackwell stare down this one Durmstrang boy… and with time, watching him stare right back.
It took a few minutes for him to come back from his shock, and when he had, he actually was fairly admirable… or stupid. Fixing himself right up and matching that stern gaze he was receiving. The two looked nowhere else. They shared no words. They hadn’t even moved, him without a plate as hers lay untouched.
There was such a heavy tension in the air… one you thought would suffocate you. A tension so thick it trapped them all who had witnessed this strange meeting. Keeping them just as still, just as quiet. Uncertain what they were supposed to do.
It was a tension that held until everyone had started leaving for bed. Iris and the boy both up and striding away on their opposite ends of the table so fast it could have given anyone whiplash.
And as they all watched Iris meet the boy at the end of the table, firmly grabbing his arm as they disappeared from sight… the air seemed to return. Everyone was almost released from the invisible hold as their own tension vanished. But their worry quickly replaced it… shared glances as they tentatively left their seats… no one in any way wanted to get involved in whatever that was.
…
Meanwhile, the tension just carried with Iris and that boy. Following down a hall, up some stairs, left and right, and down another hall… following them away to a dark corridor where no one would find them. Where no one would hear them.
Dropping the boy’s arm, Iris continued walking a few steps, taking a deep breath before she rounded on the still boy, glare firm as she crossed her arms, “You say nothing, Dante.”
And what was his response?
A fucking smirk. That one that was nothing good, as Sally-Ann had put so well earlier. He took a few steps towards Iris as he challenged her, “And why should I help hide you, princess?” He paused a moment, raising his eyebrows as he leaned in, “Or sorry, I guess it is Your Majesty, queen and all.”
He mock bowed, keeping his voids for eyes on her the whole time. Something she found less than amusing. No trace of a laugh as she dropped her arms, taking a step closer and leaning in towards him, “Really want to pretend you have nothing to hide?”
The smirk dropped, but he remained there, pushing even closer, leaving little space between them as he muttered irritably, “Mind freak.”
A fake, cold laugh left her, but the smirk that followed was genuine, “Trying to get me to kiss you? Sorry Marcella, but you can’t amplify emotions that don’t exist.”
He huffed, finally being the one to back off, briefly spinning in a circle as he back-stepped, “Not even the smallest bit of attraction towards me… when we were younger, I really thought I’d have changed that by now.”
Iris’s eyes rolled towards one of the windows, hands finding their way into her robes as she spotted the moonlight reflecting off the lake outside, “What are the specifics?”
The boy… Dante looked to Iris, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her… then his smirk grew again, “You really want to keep hiding away—”
“What are the specifics?” The same words… far different meanings behind them. The first was a question; this was a demand.
A demand that shut Dante up so quickly he seemed annoyed with himself, “Edith Highmore is trying from Beauxbatons and then some nobody also from Beauxbatons. If neither of them is called, they will return to their school. I stay no matter what. And Ryker will only be around for the challenges if none of us are pulled… too much happening for him to just stick around doing nothing.”
She had looked back at him… almost… so close to asking more, but keeping quiet as both she and Dante looked down the hall… their ears caught something.
Dante looked back at her, mischief on his mind as he watched her jaw tighten. Keeping himself steady as her dark eyes moved back to him, he took her firm gaze head-on, “I will ruin you if you let him catch on to anything; got that, Marcella?”
Watching her back-step further down the hall, he just smiled, “No worries, Your Majesty, I am an expert at not lying to his face.”
As she disappeared around the corner… Dante heard the approaching steps of the one person who could scare Iris Blackwell off.
Spinning around with too much flare, Dante greeted the shadow coming his way, “And there is my favorite stalker. Seriously, you must have a sixth sense for me; I’m in the middle of nowhere here. Tell me your secrets on how you always know where I am.”
Stepping close enough that the faint light from the window highlighted his features, Ryker Peverell crossed his arms… Dante couldn’t stop the little chuckle at that, “Why are you here, Dante?”
Huffing again as he was met with nothing but seriousness, Dante moved himself closer to Ryker, making for a more comfortable conversation, “Pretty girl dragged me here. Thought it was going to be a bit steamier, but she really was just all business. Seems a real tease. Stubborn and headstrong too, I’ll get her to come around, though.”
Ryker was perhaps the least interested person in the world, not a single emotion passing over his face as he listened to Dante ramble.
“When I tell you that I think I found something to really keep my interest this year… she definitely makes the tournament more of a side attraction. And I know you don’t really take time to look anyone’s way… but I think this girl would even stop your heart—”
“Any trouble Marcella and you go straight back.”
Dante shut up quickly… his little game of pushing the limits cut off as he looked annoyed, “Don’t worry. Under strict rules from my father already to present myself well.” His eyes rolled, “Can’t lose my trust fund, can I?”
Absolutely nothing from him… Ryker just so perfectly stoic, “Then go to bed.”
He got a scoff back, Dante grumbling even as he listened, starting his walk back down the path he had been led; Passing by Ryker, he gave a mock salute, “Yes, sir. No fun from anyone tonight. I will make sure of that.”
Watching Dante disappear from over his shoulder, Ryker remained just as he was since he arrived until Dante couldn’t even be heard…. Hell, he didn’t move until he counted a minute after he had last heard Dante.
And when he deemed it safe and the headache that was Dante Marcella dealt with… Ryker relaxed. His shoulders dropped as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Rolling his eyes as he took a deep breath,… ending up with his gaze on the window, seeing that moonlight reflected on the water. He muttered under his breath, “If you just walked away from a conversation with Dante Marcella….”
And then he was turning back, guiding his way back to a part of the castle he could remember… leaving that dark corridor… but not empty…
Iris leaned against the wall just around the corner, slowly sliding down as she listened to Ryker’s fleeting steps grow so far. A deep sigh left her as she, too, muttered, “… then you can be certain the worst part of the night is over.”
Iris banged her head back against the wall… not sure Dante Marcella was any longer the worst part of her life.