𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

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"Happy Birthday."

Iris's lips pulled back in the beginnings of a sneer, "Don't go just shouting that out."

Theodore rolled his eyes as he turned the page of his book, "Brought you a plate. And Lupin sent you a letter."

Iris hummed as she sat herself on the floor next to Theodore's legs at height with the coffee table. She grabbed for her letter.

The Slytherin Common Room was never particularly full. Even on the coldest and rainiest of days there tended to be warmer spots to lounge inside than in the open air of the dungeons. And on the warmer and sunny days, lives were better spent soaking in the heat and stretching your legs out on the grounds.

So when it was a Saturday and a perfect day to be outside… the common room may as well of been a wasteland. At least on Sundays, there was the rush to get an assignment done, but on Saturdays, no one was there after breakfast. There were always exceptions, of course, maybe just a group who wanted to have a lazy day or enjoy a game of chess inside… but with it so early in the school year. No one was quite ready for a lazy day.

So the only two exceptions that Saturday were Iris Blackwell, who had slept until ten, and Theodore Nott, who promised their very persistent friends that he would ensure Iris got her breakfast. As his plans would have been to sit in the library and read, he was least inconvenienced, just settling for reading in the common room while waiting.

So it was quiet, but in the best way really. The Slytherin Common Room was partially under the lake. Without any direct access to the outside, the room itself never screamed with the intensity of the sun. Instead, the water distorted the light, bringing in the gentlest of blue glows that washed over you. Near the windows, you could almost hear the muffled rumbles and whispers of the water, as if you yourself were submerged within.

It could be haunting… cold… lonely… water can be a scary place after all. But to some, it was the truest form of serenity. To let the water wash over you as you sink into the unnatural peace it provides.

The dungeons… just as they were at night, were a sort of haunting beauty in the day. Not everyone can appreciate it, but those who could... would find few places better.

"Perks mentioned they were all heading off to the Quidditch Pitch. Some of the older years have permission to still practice to keep up with the game for students eyeing going professional."

Iris's lips quipped as she bit into a blueberry. Eyes still reading through Remus' letter, she mumbled, "Sally-Ann is helping Tracey explore options now that she is allowing herself to do so." Iris laughed briefly, tilting her head back onto the couch to get a view of Theodore, "She is going to be a monster once Sally-Ann corrupts her for good. Finally realizing that you weren't all that great has broadened her worldview."

In typical Theodore Nott fashion, Theodore didn't react to the personal attack… but in typical Iris fashion… that never stopped her. Still staring him down from where her neck had awkwardly laid, she smiled wide, "It's as if she is just seeing the world for the first time. She called McLaggen's butt cute the other day. And has been nonstop about how Cedric's hair is fluffy, and how those Weasley twins have nice arms, and—"

"And I was the one who had blinded her to it all."

Iris blinked. Not really quite sure how to take that for a moment. Not when he had made direct eye contact as he said it. Not as he was so sure. Not as his eyes shined in his own pride.

He was right after all… something about Theodore Nott had blinded Tracey Davis to every other boy on the planet. And as Iris was slowly learning… he at least wasn't shy. But except for that surprising level of confidence from the token loner, Iris still didn't see it.

So, brushing aside her initial hesitation, she shot back, "Well, yes, women receive one kind act from a man, and suddenly it's a love story for the ages."

And Theodore couldn't even argue that. So he just rolled his eyes back to his book. Iris returned to her breakfast, letting the space fall quiet as she waved her hand aimlessly, some paper and a pen gracefully falling onto the table a moment later.

She hummed to herself as she pushed her plate aside, searching for the words she needed to respond to Remus. Eyes locked to his letter as she mulled it all over, smile long faded from her lips.

The extended period without the sound of her scribbling would drag Theodore's eyes back to her. The boy raised an eyebrow when he noticed how she was almost frozen in time, "Forgotten what words are? Never thought my wish would come true."

Iris snapped back, lips quipped as she rolled her eyes. Her words came out in a drawl, "My wish is that you would drop that nonsense," she shot her head back to him, eyes light, "Thought we long moved passed you being annoyed with me. Want to repeat that thing you said…."

"Shut it. You weren't any better with that talk in the dress shop—"

Theodore hissed when Iris pinched his leg, shooting her a look that maybe implied he was still annoyed with her. But before he could say anything, Iris returned to her letter, "Remus just mentioned in the letter that he is having something sent tomorrow." Iris sighed as she began writing, "It's his subtle attempt at a birthday present."

Now if there was one thing Theodore Nott understood, it was a hatred for birthdays… what he didn't quite get was why she hated them, though… and although he had no intention of asking, it slipped into his mind.

And well… that may as well of been asking aloud. Iris glanced back to the boy, but then just kept writing… it almost seemed she would ignore it until she finished her first paragraph with a flourish. Then sitting back to start considering her next part… she answered.

"Birthdays were both just horribly boring and just… the most obvious show of how different my life was… is." She tapped her pen against the table a few times before dropping it and laying her head back against the couch… catching Theodore's eyes again.

"They were just always big events and celebrations of my life by millions. I was a spectacle to people. My birthdays were an event for the people, not me. And then it was such a show of the divide from me and… them," she paused, eyes squinting as she considered how to explain. "To everyone that would attend, I was the princess. And in royalty, you are taught young that everyone wants something from you… that there is always a motive. Even the other kids just want to be your friend because their parents want something. Otherwise, they would all be too scared to talk to you."

Another long period of silence fell, Iris, staring… not quite at Theodore… just staring. This was one of those things… one of those things where she was quite apathetic to what she was saying. Thoughtful and a tinge of pain… but ultimately, it was one of those things that just were. And things that just were… she could feel the wrong of the situation but ultimately just had to accept it.

"Guess I just see my birthday as a duty… one I would rather just forget about." She blinked, snapping back to herself as she turned back to her paper, "When I was little, I always wanted a pool party. My father tried one year, but when Ryker was the only guest my age… he tried, but it was not what you see in movies."

She went back to writing. Her scribbles loud in the quiet. Etching into Theodore's mind… this whole moment burning into him. Her life was just an ongoing series of a lost childhood. Burdened by her family name… her blood… in every aspect of life. Denied even the childish joy of a proper birthday party.

Sometimes… sometimes Iris Blackwell just started to make sense.

~~~~~~

"Hey, Harry!"

Harry Potter jumped, going rigid as he was shocked in place by the sudden shout from behind. Snapping his head back, he took only a moment to spot the familiar face jogging his way. And being awkward as always… he just nodded in greeting.

Iris smiled as she reached his side, the envelope in her hand a clear sign of what she was up to, and yet… With his outstanding observational skills, Harry asked, "Are you sending a letter?"

Iris really did just have to smirk, her eyes flickering over to the large tower of the Owlry only just a few more steps ahead, nothing else around except for the castle behind. But she spared the boy as she just nodded, "Sending one back to Remus." She looked him over, head tilting as she started walking up the steps, "Why are you heading up?"

Harry took the mental cue to follow, seeming slightly annoyed when he sighed a response, "Sending a letter back to Sirius."

Iris bobbed her head absently, not even a hint of interest crossing her, but she humored the conversation, "He still sending letters with those tropical birds?"

"Hedwig brought the newest one. I wrote him about my scar hurting," Iris' eyes glanced to him for a moment before returning to watching her steps, "and now he is overacting and coming back up north. Hoping this letter reaches him first to tell him it isn't a big deal."

The rest of the walk up the Owlry was silent. Neither of the teens even looked to the other; both just focused on their steps up the winding staircase.

Iris held up her arm as the two walked through the doorway at the top, whistling once before Sam the Owl flew down from above. Smiling as she cooed at him, Iris went over to one of the windows… archways? None of the windows had glass, so they had convenient little ledges. Setting Sam on the stone as she turned to sit, fiddling with her letter and some string.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Harry went off to hunt down his owl. Apologizing for his treatment of her the night before and ultimately sending her off. Joining Iris at her window, he pet Sam, "What's his name?"

Leaning over to tie the letter to one of his legs, Iris hummed, "Sam, his favorite food is ham, so it felt right. Also, Sam the Eagle and Sam and the Firefly… it is just a bird name. Valeria calls him Samwise.” While Iris seemed amused by such… the reference flew over Harry's head.

Tapping him once on the beak, Sam took off. Iris looked over her shoulder to watch him grow smaller with every bit of distance put between him and them. She watched even when he could no longer be seen, staring out at nothing. It almost startled Harry when she looked at him, staring at his forehead, studying the spot where his lighting bolt scar was hidden behind the mess of his hair.

"Does it hurt often?"

It… the scar. The thing that made Harry Potter… the boy who lived. It was a well-known story in this world. One with many opinions… not all positive, but most were. One of the worst dark wizards in history, the leader of the bad guys in the Wizarding War, one who had performed a killing curse countless times… twice on the boy's parents just before he had turned his wand onto a year-old Harry Potter. But that night, the curse had failed on the baby, rebounding straight back at Voldemort and weakening him to a powerless state, making him flee. A war brought to an end by a baby… the only mark left behind is a scar.

Harry shrugged at the question, thinking it over, "Last time it hurt like that, Voldemort was nearby."

Seemed wrong for that to be such a casual answer… knowledge that this monster was still hiding away in the shadows… still on a mission to complete what he had started all those years ago. It was a chilling thing… the implications of Harry's scar hurting again. Was The Dark Lord hiding in the shadows? Watching Harry and waiting for his moment to strike? Doing just what everyone had feared Sirius Black was doing a year ago?

There was definitely an extreme lack of concern on either of the teen's faces. Iris's eyes glazed over as she dug into his head… Harry was quiet as he recalled the moment his scar hurt just two weeks prior, "The dream felt so real."

Iris nodded solemnly, returning her eyes back out to the grounds, "Dreams like to do that."

Harry just sighed again, joining in just watching the perfect day outside… the world unplagued by anyone's worries, constantly still spinning… ignorant to the dangers growing in the shadows.

~~~~~~

Every table.

Every damn table was empty.

Iris walked the entire library maybe three times before she started to get frustrated. Five times before she just gave up, steps quick and heavy as she started her beeline for the exit. Her hand clenched around the strap of her school bag, eyes set in a glare. Turning out of the shelves, she came to a quick halt. Finally, finding another soul in the wasteland of a library.

Just not exactly one she would have liked to see. But still, Iris approached the table.

"Seen Theodore anywhere?"

Hermione jumped impressively high in her seat, turning on Iris with wide eyes. She was quick to process the question that was asked, shaking her head silently as she tried to calm her startled heart.

Iris grumbled, eyes darting around the library again, "If he ever comments about me not doing my school work again…." She looked back to Hermione, or rather the table Hermione sat at. Books surrounded the girl, a paper filled to the edges with notes, and a quill was in her hand. Iris narrowed her eyes briefly at the paper… she even almost opened her mouth to make a quick comment, but then her eyes caught a word.

Head falling into a tilt, her eyebrows rose, "Studying House Elves?"

The question startled Hermione into another round of silence… or maybe not the question but rather, perhaps, the interest that seemed to shine in her strange eyes. Hermione and Iris had bad history with Hermione's studying… granted the year prior, Iris had been Hermione's hyper fixation. They had okay moments, but so far, there was always a tension in the air when the two were together.

That tension still existed, but… immediately, this felt calmer. Hermione remained frozen until Iris's questioning eyes met hers, "Er, yes. I am starting an organization," she cleared her throat as she grew a bit more confident, "Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or S.P.E.W."

Iris's lips tipped up at the initialism, but she poked further, "What made you want to do this?"

Hermione seemed to perk up. Receiving a genuine interest from someone clearly sparked something in her, "Barty Crouch—"

"Senior?" At Hermione's nod, Iris shifted her weight with her own nod, "He will be running the Tournament." Then she gave a silent nod to urge Hermione to continue.

"Well, we shared a box with him and his house elf at the World Cup. He treated her horribly, and they even blamed her for stealing a wand that had cast the Dark Mark. They aren't allowed wands, so she was fired on the spot and was terribly distraught. Then I learned that house-elves work here at Hogwarts without pay."

Hermione took a breath, "House-elves are mistreated, abused, and have no one on their side. No one in all of history has even tried to help them. So the goals of S.P.E.W. are to secure wages and better working conditions. And someday, long term, we want to get the non-wand use rule changed and get them a representative into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

As Hermione's speech closed, a quiet settled again. Hermione sat tall as she tried to gauge the reaction of the girl standing above her. Iris's stare was unwavering as always, the blue in her eyes dancing against the green… a rare moment where the two colors existed in harmony. Hermione could feel herself beginning to cringe back as the silence dragged.

Iris nearly went to speak when someone entered the library, their footsteps taking her attention away. Her head snapped their way, and her eyes narrowed again. Letting Theodore Nott make his way to talking range, she hissed, "You told me to just meet you here to start the project. Well, I was here, and you were—"

"We are doing that tomorrow now."

Iris's face scrunched, "And why the change of plans?"

Theodore rolled his eyes, "Sally-Ann saved your day. We have to stop by the common room first." He then just turned and started walking out… leaving Iris to just stand confused with that vague explanation.

Rolling her own eyes, she turned back to Hermione, reaching to dig in her bag, "You have badges?"

Hermione blinked, but nodded her head vigorously, "Yes, in green, blue, red, purple—"

"Surprise me with anything but red," she leaned over to the table, shooting Hermione a quick smile as she dropped her coins, "I truly do respect you, Granger, just don't be a pain in the ass this year."

And then she was gone, chasing after Theodore Nott in a hurry. Leaving Hermione to stare at the handful of gold, silver, and copper coins she had hurriedly dug out.

~~~~~~

How did Sally-Ann miraculously save Iris from a day of work? Well, by spreading the word that there was a party by the Great Lake. Was there? No. But tell enough people there is, and they will make one.

The teachers were bound to shut it down sometime before dinner, but until then the students would be given their small bit of freedom… something all kids deserved, even at a boarding school.

Iris practically bounced the whole way to the lake, Theodore keeping pace with much less jumping. By the time they joined, at least half the school was there. Shouting and laughing as they spanned the lake in their loosely built groups. Some laid on towels in the sun, some hid in the shade, some kicked around a ball, some swam, and some jumped off the small cliffs further down the lake.

Students of all houses and ages together in one moment, enjoying one of the last good days they would have for quite some time.

Iris and Theodore found the rest of their friends near the cliffs, the girls having taken firm control of a near-perfect spot. A smooth surface, raised enough for a fun jumping spot, a decent amount of shade towards the back, and enough away from the main action that they wouldn't be crowded in or worry about losing their items.

It was chaos when the girls all were together, speaking hurriedly as they discussed their options, undressing to their swimwear and helping one another with sunblock. Theodore couldn't keep up and didn't even bother. Putting his bag down, he dug around for his book, ready for his afternoon of reading. And just before he could pull out his book… he was hit five times by five different bags.

He turned sharply to scold the girls but, ever the old-fashioned, was quick to dart his eyes away. Having to settle to just listen as they shouted to him before they, one by one, jumped down to the waters below.

"Thanks for watching our bags!"

"My favorite top is in mine, don't lose it!"

When he counted the fifth splash, Theodore finally stood up, book in hand. He settled onto the edge of their little cliff and watched his friends below. Heads bobbing in the dark water. Laughing and splashing. Iris's attention was dragged over to the shore, called over by none other than Cedric Diggory… the girls invited to join him and his rowdy group of friends.

He watched as the chaos unfolded of everyone being directed into some sort of game in the water. Cedric and Iris paired off. She ended up on his shoulders, the two sharing some sort of joke before the odd game commenced. Everyone paired off and supposed to knock down the other teams.

He watched as they yelled and cheered, the competitiveness taking over. He watched his friends laugh, and as the other boys and girls of the group laughed. Watched as they roughhoused and splashed and just wholeheartedly committed to the excitement and fun. He watched one pair… one girl the most… more than he himself would even realize.

Loud and laughing and just so happy. It wasn't his scene. Theodore Nott was the quieter one. The one who didn't really find fun in the big crowds of unfamiliar faces. Who didn't find the odd game all that appealing. But watching… her… be loud and laughing and having fun… that was enough to make his lips quip.

Just for a moment before he cracked his book and looked away.

~~~~~~

There wasn't all that grand of a view. Still below the trees, their line of sight was as limited as usual, but there is a certain calm of just looking out at the water. The liveliness had finally begun to die down a bit, with more and more people sitting around with their friends as they ate and regained some energy.

He heard his friends returning before he saw them. The tone of their voices teasing, but the volume made it impossible to hear just what. And he saw her before he heard her. Iris appeared in the corner of his eye as she sat beside him. At first, she didn't say anything, just looking out over the water with a slight grin.

It wasn't until Theodore closed his book to join in looking at the view that she spoke, "Thank you."

Theodore kept his face perfectly still like stone, not acknowledging her words in the slightest. And that just made the girl smile a bit wider. Nudging him with her elbow, she teased him, "As if it was a coincidence that Sally-Ann miraculously wanted to swim an hour after we talked this morning."

Theodore… shrugged. Doing his absolute best to play off what he did for his friend. He'd sooner let someone pull all his teeth before he admitted it aloud. And Iris would sooner lose the ability to speak than let him get away with anything silently.

So she had to say it one more time, looking up to him, "Really The—"

Up…

Up?

UP!

Her face fell, going dead serious as she pinched his arm, finally dragging the boy's eyes to her, "Stand up."

Iris was on her feet within the blink of an eye, impatiently waiting on Theodore, who looked beyond confused, even glancing at the girls who looked on just as confused.

She looked down to check they were on even ground and were both barefoot, and her head quickly shot back up. Standing as straight as she could, she ordered him to do the same, and then she just stared, eyes narrowed and looking at what seemed to be his forehead.

The girls seemed to have caught on as they started laughing, Theodore was still perplexed, but before he could even ask… he was very abruptly shoved and found himself surrounded by icy water.

Getting past his shock quickly, the boy pushed himself up to the surface, taking a deep breath as he glared back up at Iris, who looked down at him, and with one great shout, everything was explained, "When did you get taller, you ASSHOLE!"

…

"I could have bloody drowned you, LUNATIC!"

…

The girls joined at the edge, looking down at Theodore as he fumed. If you looked close enough, you could probably see the steam. But despite that, they laughed.

And well, despite her initial dramatics, Iris couldn't stop her own smile from growing. One of her toothy ones. Where only the top teeth shined at you. That signature, pure, unfiltered joy of a smile that seemed to have a habit of engraving itself into the minds of teenage boys in particular…. And that was the day Theodore Nott realized he wasn't completely immune to the charms of Iris Blackwell… that smile hitting deep within him.

His anger dropped, his face dropped… and for far too long a second, he just stared. That toothy grin taking one firm hold over him. That toothy grin the catalyst for everything that would change in how Theodore Nott looked at that girl.

Is that what people mean by your heart fluttering?