thekingofsweden1: Dumbledore and Voldemort would be capable of preventing entry by house elves if they really thought about it and cast the appropriate spells. It would just take a great deal of effort, time, and dark magic that Dumbledore would not use because he doesn't cast dark spells and Voldie wouldn't see a point in expending effort against elves.

a1993: How would they know?

Akuma-Heika: Iris' disputed ancestry is a nod to the recently revealed parents of James in Pottermore. We thought Charlus was his father until recently only for the previously unmentioned Fleamont to make an appearance. The Philosopher's Stone is (among other things) a catalyst that allows you to make the Elixir of Life easily and repeatedly. Heal-everything potions without the Stone still exist but are much harder to do, such as the Regeneration Potion - or Paracelsus' Panakea.

Vukk: Physical abuse can be easily healed by the Elixir, though as both Potters stopped being abused at the age of six (Iris due to Paradox), they have revocered normally. Brain damage is physical so it can be healed - but the lost memories and personality traits would remain lost. Lycanthropy is a curse on the body rather than a fully physical condition, so only the premature wear and tear on the body could be restored. There is at least one canon way to heal both, but Iris isn't skilled enough in the Dark Arts for it.

everyone else: can't answer to everyone, every time, but thanks for all the reviews.

Disclaimer: was every Slytherin student in the books either a total git or total unknown for the majority of the series? If yes, I don't won Harry Potter; it belongs to JK Rolwing.

...

"Trouble in paradise?"

Pansy did not bother giving an answer, despite the giggling, whispered commentary, and mocking smirks from all over the Slytherin common room that followed the question. As she'd recently learned the Black Heiress might have less than impeccable manners or looks, but could and would use her station and personal power to make up for the deficiency. It just wasn't fair! Pansy had trained for years to be good-looking, connected, and skilled enough to take Slytherin by storm only for someone else to be born in an ancient and wealthy but fading family everybody knew would never continue their line... and said someone to steal Pansy's place!

"I don't think she heard you, Black." Blaize Zabini commented in his usual oily, mocking manner. "She's too busy pining after those who don't even notice her. Rather pathetic, if you ask me."

"Everte Statum!"

Pansy's Knockback Jinx struck right into Zabini's overly large mouth, slamming the boy off the armchair he'd been sitting on and leaving him prone on the cold stone floor. Even the weakest known offensive magic could be dangerous if one knew how to use it and old grampa Parkinson had been a good teacher; Zabini would be regrowing his broken teeth overnight if he wanted that perfect, stupid smile of his back.

"Could you please return to following Malfoy around like you usually do?" Iris Black said, twirling her wand in an oh-so-casual manner. "I've just had several hours of Quidditch practice and I'd like to enjoy some peace and quiet, thank you." Pansy scowled at the non-request but said nothing. Everybody knew by now that the Black Heiress could be neither intimidated nor outmaneuvered in the usual verbal fencing practiced by everyone who was anyone in Slytherin House. On the other hand, she kept to herself and was mostly reasonable so avoiding confrontations with her was advisable. Except Pansy didn't feel very reasonable. She wanted to snarl and rage, hex people, smash things and cast them into a fire.

Draco had been ignoring her for months now - ever since Potter had made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was so focused on getting the Golden Lion banned from the matches, or even expelled, that he no longer even cared about anything else. Their families had been allies for a century, Draco and Pansy had been friends for as far back as she could remember, they'd practically grown up together for Morgana's sake! How... how could he forget her birthday...

"OK, Parkinson." Black interrupted her ever-darkening thoughts. "Let's hear it."

"E-excuse me?"

"You've been moping for hours." A heavy tome on Potions reagents well above their level was set aside as the short, athletic girl with the messy hair, piercing green eyes, and Hogwarts sized ego frowned at her. "And your 'beaten pug' expression is getting on my nerves. So spill; what has his ferrety highness, Scion Malfoy, done to you now?"

"You...! Don't you dare mock Draco!" Throwing caution to the wind, Pansy drew her wand. She didn't care how powerful or rich the bitch was; she'd hex her if it was the last thing she did! Except... where had her wand gone? Why was she holding a quill?

"Switching spell." The bitch said as if she'd read her mind. Maybe she had; who knew what skills the Blacks had? Legilimency was certainly not beyond them.

"Pansy..." the other girl sighed tiredly, as if goading Pansy in this humiliating position with everyone in the common room watching hadn't been her goal all along. "Why do you even like Draco?"

"...what?" Pansy's mind scrambled to make sense of the intent behind that question, but couldn't.

"It's a fair question." Black rubbed her temples as if Pansy was giving her a headache, which made even less sense. It was Pansy who had the headache after all. "Draco is a rather horrible person, don't you think?"

"Oh." Yes, 'oh'. Pansy's expression cleared minutely. For all her wealth and power, the bitch was not exactly smart, was she? Draco was loud, obnoxious, and terribly direct. But he was also insecure, when he thought nobody was looking. Not cold, like Nott, or oily false, like Zabini. And he was cute too, especially when he was being petulant. As long as she had him, and some acceptable targets to hex, Pansy could be content. "You'll never understand, Black." She finally said.

"Riiight..." The Black scion gave her a calculating frown, then nodded. "Fourth floor, eastern corridor, third door on the left. Be there tonight at seven."

"What for?"

"Because Draco will be there." Black explained with a roll of her eyes, Zabini and Nott feigning disinterest as they listened. "I won't suffer through another day of your moping even if I have to set up the meeting for you."

...

"How'd you two hear of the study group?" Hermione demanded, ignoring Ron making funny faces behind her back. The two of them had become friendlier over the past few months but Harry was not sure it was an improvement. Now, instead of fighting once a week and then not talking to each other, they argued constantly... about everything! How many hours a day one should spend studying, whether Quidditch made sense, how far away exams were and what it meant for them, whether tickling the Giant Squid was an allowed extracurricular activity, how many times one must practice a spell to achieve proficiency, whether all the Snakes were all slimy gits... they were slowly driving Harry mad!

"What study group?" Harry asked offhandedly, more focused on trying to remember the way to the fourth floor than the bushy-haired girl's interrogation.

"If you don't want to tell me, fine!" She said waspishly, turning around and briefly flashing a Lumos at Ron's face just as the redhead widened his eyes in another grimace. "I just don't understand why Iris invited you two... or rather him." And with that, she neatly pushed a half-blind Ron into a statue.

"OW!"

"Don't complain." Harry advised as he prevented his friend from toppling, supporting him until he could see again. "You started making fun of her behind her back."

"Yeah, well, she deserved it!" Ron insisted as Hermione easily outdistanced the two of them and vanished around the next corner. "She's been hanging out with that Black girl, learning how to hex people. She gets friskier with her wand after their every meeting together." Somehow, Harry did not think Iris was the cause of Hermione's worsening attitude. His cousin was teaching the Gryffindor girl some extracurricular spells, but she wasn't telling Hermione when to use them - or on whom, Harry was sure of it. After all, Iris had been perfectly friendly and nonjudgemental when she'd been teaching him... unless Harry tried to slack off, of course. Maybe Ron's problem with Hermione was exactly that; slackers and bookworms were natural enemies, weren't they? And after Harry had seen just how intensely the girls studied, there was little doubt in his mind that Ron was a slacker in comparison.

"Maybe if you didn't argue so much..." he started but Ron interrupted him.

"Are you mental, mate?" The ginger shuddered fearfully. "I can't back down now; Fred and George will be teasing me for life."

"Aren't they already teasing you?" He asked, but Ron ignored him.

"Looks like we're here, mate." He said awkwardly, dropping the subject. "That's the door, innit?"

"I guess..." Not wanting to press Ron any further that day, Harry looked at the entrance Iris' directions had led them to. It was rather tiny, practically indistinguishable from every other broom closet they'd seen. It couldn't be one though, especially not if Hermione and Iris were already inside. Two people inside a broom closet wouldn't be that comfortable, even if they were first years. With Ron and Harry making four, space would be a bit tight and Harry really didn't want Hermione as an enemy; she knew more jinxes than he did.

"Think we should go in?" Ron asked, eyeing the apparent broom closet a bit uncertainly.

"Yeah, Iris invited us." Harry shrugged. "We've survived Trolls and three-headed dogs. It can't get any worse than that." And displaying the boundless bravery and incomparable determination of a true Gryffindor, Harry enetered the broom closet, Ron following closely behind. To their great surprise, they found a lot more than the two girls waiting for them.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the secret Hogwarts dueling challenge." Iris announced when it became clear none of the others would talk first. Ron and Harry were too surprised and uncertain, Hermione and Pansy were giving her disconcertingly similar death glares, Draco was so red in the face he was about to burst, Neville was sitting quietly in a corner, and Blaise and Lillian were looking at everyone and everything with a smirk and a gleam in their eyes.

What had once been a broom closet was now the size and shape of an empty classroom, windowless, deskless, and bereft of any furniture or decoration whatsoever. An Unplottable Charm ensured it would not register on locator spells or a certain Map, secrecy spells ensured its occupants would not be interrupted by Prefects or Professors, and several other improvements made it the next best place to hold a certain... volatile type of meetings after the Room of Requirement.

"Why are we here, Black?" Draco blurted before anyone else, and Iris could certainly see the curious mix of entitlement and insecurity Pansy had found so endearing. She didn't quite get what Pansy saw in him but there was not accounting for taste, she supposed. Seeing it during basic Legilimency practice had been bad enough - feeling it was... ugh, if she didn't think about it maybe it couldn't kill her brain.

"To hex each other until only one side remains standing?" Iris said rhetorically. "That's the purpose of Dueling, isn't it? Also, to promote inter-House unity."

"How is that going to work?" Harry asked, Iris getting the idea he'd already half-guessed the answer. Well her counterpart was a male version of her, if far younger. And they had known each other for years, too.

"Simple. Anyone has a grievance, wants to practice their dueling, or just feel like hexing people, can challenge someone else. Whoever wins has bragging ri-."

"That's mental!" Hermione interrupted. "You can't just start an illegal dueling club!"

"I'm not starting anything." Iris said with a smile at the bushy-haired witch. "Hexing will happen whether we do it here or elsewhere. Since the Professors can't or won't stop it, why not repurpose it? That way Filch won't be hunting down would-be duelers in the Trophy room."

"Why should we do anything you say, Black?" Draco interjected again, rather annoyed by the comment. "I don't think Weasley is up to dueling me, anyway."

"House pride, Draco." Iris said, smirking. "Granger is earning twice as many points as you. Your bragging is ringing hollow when a muggleborn is doing better than you in every class. Besides, we might all learn something practicing on each other; it's not as if Quirrel is teaching us anything useful in Defense."

"I'm in." Lillian Moon announced suddenly, cutting off the arguments. Iris had no idea what her quietest Housemate was doing supporting her idea; she'd not even been invited. She and Blaize had just followed Draco in.

"OK. Who do you want to challenge?" Better keep a closer eye on Moon from now on; she was proving to be more of a meddler than Iris had initially expected and Iris' inexpert attempts at Legilimency were still not up to reading the more disciplined first years. Besides, she wanted to see how Moon would do in a fight. The spells she used as well as the opponent she challenged might reveal interesting things about her.

"I challenge Blaize Zabini." The olive-skinned girl said, smirking at the just as olive-skinned boy.