Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but my OC's are mine.


Chapter Seventeen

Besides members of the staff sitting at the High Table, the Great Hall was visibly empty for the most part when Ira took her seat at the Slytherin table early the next morning. Her head throbbed from a hangover that she tried curing with several different foods and drinks laid out for breakfast. However, none of the things she ingested worked. Groaning, she placed her pulsing head in her hands, looking at the table regretfully.

"Well, somebody doesn't look too bright this morning," a voice said.

Ira peeked through her hands at her father. He still had that look on his face that said he was better than everyone there, maybe including his own daughter. Her eyes narrowed as she tried picturing him with a pleasant look on his face—one that involved a genuine smile over something good. The only thing she could think about was the grin he had the night before when Harry got chosen as a Triwizard champion.

Ira gritted her teeth. "I'm fine."

He noticed the change in her attitude and smirked. "Is there something wrong?"

He knew. He knew she knew which meant that she couldn't let him get under her skin so easily. He was manipulative and cold, and he was good at what he did. Sigrid Soares was a man made of determined steel. He could very well break you if he wanted to. Ira knew that his hard façade wouldn't last long, however. Here in Hogwarts, under observant eyes of the staff members and students, Sigrid wouldn't be able to let the veil drop and allow his real face to be shown. He tried hard not to become another Lucius Malfoy, but when the two were best friends, their mannerisms were bound to rub off on one another. Her father became a stranger within a span of three years. But then again, wasn't he always?

Sometimes he was okay, but then other times he wasn't. Ira understood that his past left his outlook on life completely strained, unable to mold back into how it used to be. There was a time where Ira could proudly say her family was in a good state, but that picture only painted itself for the public eye. Behind closed doors, hardly anyone heard from Sigrid unless it was over family dinners or public appearances, maybe some time spent during outings away from the manor. His work was always more important than his children and wife. Not just work in the Ministry, but something else left hush-hush for only Lucius' ears.

Other than that, Sigrid wasn't a bad father to his kids. He didn't raise his voice too high or hit his children. He spoiled them and gave them everything they wanted. It probably helped him out and kept their noses out of his business.

Now, he knew that Ira would start prying for information. He knew that expensive jewelry or clothes wouldn't keep her at bay. She needed to know more about her family, but most of all, herself.

Ira plastered a fake smile on her face suddenly. "Nothing at all, father dearest."

Sigrid's lips set in a firm line, knowing full well how cunning Ira could be when need be. She did take after her father the most, didn't she? He turned on his heel and continued his trek up to the High Table, letting her eyes burn holes into his back.

Ira let out a breath when Sigrid focused his attention on a conversation with Barty and Ludo. Hopefully he'd leave her alone from now on.

While she picked at her food, Lily finally walked in and sat next to Ira quietly. She reached over and grabbed a pitcher of water, fidgeting as she poured it into her goblet. Something was wrong.

"You okay?" Ira asked.

Lily shook her head. "Sally didn't come in last night. I think she might've…you know…with one of those Durmstrang boys."

"What do you mean? She didn't come to bed last night?"

"No. She left with the Durmstrang boys to their ship."

"And you let her?" Ira didn't want to put the blame on anyone, but if Lily kept a close eye on her—like she should've been—that wouldn't have happened.

"No, of course not. I tried getting her to stay, but she refused and shoved me away. Hard."

Ira made sure to never aggravate a drunk Sally-Anne Perks.

"I'm worried," Lily voiced.

Ira placed a comforting hand over Lily's shaky one. "I'm sure she's fine, Lily. Next time, though, keep an eye on her. Sally makes very rash decisions and is too careless sometimes."

Lily nodded numbly, trying to eat her breakfast without another word on the subject.

But it was hard to do when the said girl bounced up to the table in high spirits, dressed in her Slytherin uniform and her face freshly painted with makeup. Her face brightened with a wide smile.

Ira chewed her food slowly, watching Lily's face form into disbelief. "So, uh, how was your night, Sally?"

Sally's grin never faltered. "Perfect!"

By some miracle, the girl was far from hungover. She seemed to have her movements and thoughts in check while stirring her porridge.

"Any…uh…late night encounters?" Ira questioned, feeling Lily tense up beside her.

"Besides dancing the night away with a few handsome Durmstrang boys?" she smirked. "I don't kiss and tell."

Ira's fork dropped. "Sally, did you—?"

Sally scoffed. "No, of course not, silly. I kissed that one Durmstrang boy senseless and then went back up to the castle."

Lily crossed her arms. "You never came in to sleep."

"Erm…right."

"So, where were you off to all night?" Lily continued, her scowl twisting even deeper.

"Okay, fine. I slept on the Durmstrang ship last night, but nothing happened. Fredrik was a perfect gentleman," she insisted.

It was Lily's turn to scoff. "Fredrik."

"Yes, Fredrik, his name. Seriously, Lily, what's your problem?"

Lily's gaze turned cold and she shrugged carelessly. Ira recognized it as the same look Theo had given her the night before. Bells seemed to go off in her head while she watched Lily rise from her seat, bidding them a farewell and that she'd be see them later. Sally watched her leave with a confused and sad look on her face.

"Okay, what was that about?" Sally finally asked. "She's getting weirder by the day."

Ira shrugged. "We care about you, Sally. We don't want you getting hurt."

The rest of Slytherin made their way into the hall, followed by the Durmstrang boys. One of them took a seat next to Sally, and Ira watched her ogle him with flirtatious eyes. Ira tried not to gag.

Instantly, she found Theo's dark hair in the mass of students. He sat quietly around Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle—who all talked adamantly about something he clearly wasn't interested in. He felt her watching and met her gaze. Ira found it to be entirely absent of emotion. She wondered what was going on in his head. Some time ago, she'd be able to tell you because she knew Theo that well. Yet, she didn't really know him anymore.

A snicker came from behind and Ira turned to see Pansy standing there with Daphne and Millicent on either side of her. The hard-faced girl smirked, and Ira braced for impact. She knew that face well and it wasn't one she'd seen in a long time. What was about to come out of Pansy's mouth was anything but good.

"Soares," Pansy greeted. "Is it true?"

Ira swallowed thickly. What was true? Had Theo told them she was a Seer? Her face drained of color and she sat there internally gawking at all the possibilities.

In a higher voice, to draw attention from the rest of the Slytherin table, Pansy smiled as she declared in a strong voice, "You, Ira Soares, shagged Theodore Nott last night!"

A murmur of voices started around her, all mocking the possibility of it all with laughs and jeers. If it wasn't for Daphne's fake tears running down her face or the slight smile tugging at Theo's lips, nobody would believe it. But they all seemed to believe it was possible, since Theo did help Ira to her dorm the previous night. She realized that they had planned it—from Theo helping her after her fall to this mornings confrontation. It was staged for the Slytherin table's entertainment.

Ira's heart hammered against her ribcage. Her best friend—the boy who she looked at as a brother—was betraying her. Right before her eyes, he laughed with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle like it didn't affect her. This had to be a nightmare.

"First Potter, then Neils, and now Theo? Who's next? Draco?"

His name seemed to make the joke more enjoyable, because the laughs only got stronger.

Ira felt a surge of anger rile inside her like a storm. All she could see was red.

"I mean, aren't purebloods supposed to save themselves until marriage?" Pansy asked, cocking her head to the side. "How disgusting."

Sally came to Ira's side at once, guarding the girl. "Well, then I'm sure your parents are real proud with your extracurricular activities lately."

Pansy's brown eyes narrowed, and people hushed to hear more. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you are saving yourself for Malfoy, correct?" Sally's eyes moved to Draco, whose gaze got hard. "How do you think he'd feel knowing you've been meeting up with Noel Harwich since third year in the abandoned classroom on the fifth floor?"

Noel was a Ravenclaw that dated Sally for a brief time during second year. They also kept in touch nowadays, finding themselves on pleasant terms. That must have been how Sally gained this piece of information.

Pansy's scowl vanished—in its place horror as she found Draco. He looked downcast at his plate of food. Although they weren't exclusively dating—he never called her his girlfriend for that matter—they remained bestowed to each other for their parent's sake. He made it clear before that they weren't going to be together, but through many conflicts between Lucius and Draco, he had no choice but to do as his father wished. Ira heard enough about it over dinners, hearing Sigrid drone on and on about how sacred it was for purebloods to marry each other. She remembered feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought of her own father doing something like that to her. Thankfully, he didn't say a word on the subject where she was concerned.

People continued to laugh and comment, finding the whole scene quite amusing. Draco and Co. were going to wish they hadn't started anything, because now truths were coming to light while they brandished Ira for lies made up for their own enjoyment. Their plan backfired, and neither of them seemed very happy about it.

Ira still felt like her heart was going to jump from her chest. Although some attention was off her back and focused on Slytherin's 'it' couple, people were far from forgetful of what just transpired. They fed off gossip and loved a good fight between housemates. They practically lived for it, watching most of Ira's downfalls over the years as the height of their amusement. This would only top recent years' doings.

She loved Theo, and she always would, but this was too far. He and his friends pulled something off that they knew would harm her mentally. And for what? A few laughs, maybe, but hurting Ira like that wasn't worth it.

Rising to her feet, Ira collected herself and fought back the tears forcing their way down her cheeks. For the longest time, she believed the days of crying and wallowing in her own misery were behind her. She thought that these kids would have let up on her by now, but it seemed like Draco wasn't done with her.

The only person she could blame was him. If it wasn't for his blatant hatred for Ira and constant teasing growing up, nobody would cast Ira a second glance. But since everyone in their year looked up to him, what he did they did. So, if he teased Ira and harassed her, the rest would follow.

The laughs followed Ira on her way out. Her blood boiled at the sound, her face heating up to an all new degree of embarrassment. She should've stood her ground and defended herself, maybe by cracking Pansy in that upturned nose of hers, yet she allowed Sally to do it for her. As thankful as Ira was, it made her look like a coward.

"I hate them, I hate them, I hate them," she repeated through gritted teeth. I want them dead.

She stopped short on her way through the entrance hall and paused her train of thought. No, she didn't literally want them dead, but she felt a powerful darkness cloud her thinking. It made her think irrationally.

Continuing outside, Ira pulled her cloak tighter while a burst of chilly air whipped her hair around her face. She didn't know where her feet would take her, but soon she came upon the Durmstrang ship moored on the lake.

"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious? He's jealous!"

Ira turned her head to find Harry and Hermione talking. They didn't see her yet, and Ira considered going back inside or finding another place to wallow without anybody around. But seeing their faces made her feel a bit more comfortable after what just happened.

"Jealous?" Harry said. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"

Ira started walking in their direction, wondering what was getting Harry so fired up.

"Look," Hermione said patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault. I know you don't ask for it…but—well—you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous—he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many—"

"Great," Harry spat. "Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it...people gawping at my forehead everywhere I go..."

Harry stopped when he saw Ira approach. He didn't smile.

Hermione did, however. "Oh, hello, Ira."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Ira said cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

Harry shrugged. "Everything would be okay if Ron wasn't a jealous prat."

"Harry! You know he can't help it," Hermione scolded.

"Tell him that—"

"I'm not telling him anything," Hermione said. "Tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out."

"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!" Harry said loudly.

Owls in a nearby tree got startled, taking flight into the air by his dramatics.

"Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or—"

Ira frowned. "That's not funny, Harry."

"That's not funny at all," Hermione added anxiously. "Harry, I've been thinking—you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?"

Hermione and Ira looked at each other in sync, knowing exactly what he should do.

"Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the—"

"Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me—"

"Come off it, Hermione," Harry said. "He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone's entered me in the Triwizard Tournament—"

"Quit being stubborn," Ira suggested. "He'd want to know if you're in danger, Harry. He'll find out anyway."

Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets and sulked. "How?"

Hermione got serious. "Harry, this isn't going to be kept quiet. This tournament's famous, and you're famous. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the Daily Prophet about you competing. You're already in half the books about You-Know-Who, you know…and Sirius would rather hear it from you, I know he would."

"Okay, okay, I'll write to him," Harry said defeatedly.

The three of them then returned to the castle, walking up the giant staircase to the owlery. Along the way, Harry asked which owl he would use, to which Hermione suggested asking Ron for his. His immediate reaction wasn't good, and he settled on one of the school's owls that were open for anyone to use.

Hermione and Ira left him to write his letter a few feet away, allowing the girls to engage in a conversation.

"What happened in the Great Hall today, Ira? I saw you facing off against Pansy before I left to get Harry."

"The same old stuff, you know. She just wanted to pick a fight," Ira said quietly while petting her owl that sat perched on a ledge.

"That wasn't just any old fight. I saw the look on your face, something must have really gotten to you to look so upset."

"Let's just say if you hear any rumors about Theo and me, ignore them. They aren't true."

Hermione scoffed. "Well, of course not. Everyone knows who you have your eyes on."

Ira stayed quiet.

"Ira, we know you like Harry," Hermione said in a small voice, eyes darting from her to Harry. "Ron and I talked about it and we think it'd be good for the both of you to have a little happiness in your life. With Harry's scar hurting all the time and now competing in the tournament, he's going to need something in his life to take the stress off his shoulders. And I know he has both Ron and I, but right now Ron isn't acting like a good friend and I'm stuck in the thick of it, so I'm not a great candidate in helping him much without causing more tension between him and Ron. You, on the other hand…"

"What?"

Hermione gave her a light smile. "You make Harry smile. If he's ever in a bad mood, you always seem to do the trick. The mere mention of you gets him smiling. It's magical, really."

Ira's stomach twisted into knots. At least she had Ron and Hermione's approval. The only people she'd need to convince were Lily and Sally. But it would be awhile before Ira managed to find the courage to ask Harry anything of that nature. And who knows, maybe Harry didn't feel the same way despite his friend's approval.

"Finished!" Harry declared while walking to them. Instantly, Hedwig landed on his shoulder and offered her leg to him. He shook his head. "I can't use you. I've got to use one of these."

He motioned to the other owls and Hedwig hooted angrily at him. She took off and a talon dug into his skin, earning a wince in reply. Ira watched as he tied the letter onto the leg of a large brown owl. When it took off out of sight, Ira held out her hands for the supplies Hermione had given him.

"Writing to someone in particular?" he asked enviously.

"Yes, I'm going to write to Neils and confess my undying love for him," Ira replied sarcastically. "No, I want to owl Freya. I miss her."

Harry blushed and handed over the parchment, quill, and bottle of ink.

When she finished sending her letter off, she and her Gryffindor friends parted ways. For the remainder of the day, she shut herself out in her dorm with the curtains drawn, working tirelessly over schoolwork and distracting herself from the gossip that was bound to continue circulating well into the school week.


Ira,

I miss you, too. Gran has kept me busy these past few weeks with Dad gone. She bought me a whole new line of paints and canvas' that'll keep me from dying of boredom while you're at school. It feels lonely without you here to talk to. I wish I could be there with you. I heard Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament! That's so exciting. I tried asking father if I could attend the third task, but he refused for some reason. Rhys told me he's going. Have you seen him lately? He doesn't look very good. I try asking him what's wrong, but he brushes it off. Oh well. Tell Lily, Sally, and Theo I miss them.

I love you,

Freya

Ira tucked the letter into her Care of Magical Creatures notebook while walking down the grassy terrain leading to Hagrid's hut. Lily and Sally followed suit, talking about something they experienced in last period. They swept whatever outburst Lily had the previous day under the rug and acted as if nothing happened. If only it was that easy with Theo.

Despite recent claims that Ira and Theo shagged in her dormitory on Halloween night, it was apparent by the way Daphne clung to his side that nothing had arisen between the two. Or, Daphne was desperate enough to turn a blind eye against a cheating boyfriend. After a few hearty chuckles and a day's worth of gossiping about Ira and Theo, people quickly realized how fake the whole thing was and turned their attention to another couple—Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy.

The two seemed to distance themselves from each other since yesterday morning's scene in the Great Hall. His sulk got even deeper and he didn't so much as smile over anything if it wasn't related to foul play against students. However, quite shockingly, Pansy got along swimmingly since then. She focused all her attention on other boy's when it seemed fit.

Ira would've felt bad for Draco, but she couldn't find a reason to care.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," Draco drawled to Theo, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle when the girls got closer to Hagrid's hut. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer; half the Triwizard champions have died. How long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."

Ira made it to Harry's side just in time to give Draco her best glare.

"I'd watch yourself, Malfoy," Ira threatened. "Do you want a repeat of yesterday?"

He marched up to her, noses nearly touching. "Do you, Soares?"

If Sally and Lily hadn't pulled Ira away, she very well could've fulfilled her dream of punching that ferret in the face. Gods, she envied Hermione more than anything. The Gryffindor got to do that to him in third year, and witnessing it was by far the best thing Ira experienced. She only itched to do the same.

Tucking her hands inside her pockets, Ira listened as Hagrid explained they'd be walking the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Since last lesson, the creatures were now three feet long with a body of shiny black armor that replaced their slug-like appearance from before. They were anything but cute and Sally absolutely refused to have anything to do with them.

"I am not touching that!" she squealed when Hagrid laid a cage down in front of her. "You blasted oaf, I'm not risking my life to…to what…walk it? It isn't a dog!"

Many Slytherin's agreed with her.

"They're not that bad," Lily admitted while fastening the leash around the middle of her Skrewt. "I practically helped raise them."

"Congratulations, I'm so proud of you," Sally said sarcastically.

Ira made several attempts to latch the leash around the middle of her own Skrewt with no such luck. It kept dodging her movements and Ira nearly gave up if Lily hadn't come to help her.

Many of the students had a tough time getting theirs to cooperate as well. Ira scanned the lawn to see some students being dragged along the grass and some Skrewt's ends exploding. She would've laughed if hers hadn't started tugging her away from her friends.

"Sally, is it me or is Malfoy giving you an awful lot of side-eye today?" Lily questioned.

Sally, tugging on her leash with so much force, ended up on her backside. She pouted and raised an eyebrow. "I haven't noticed anything."

Ira wrangled her Skrewt into staying in place for a few seconds, watching as Draco tried the same thing with his. He did seem to look at Sally during the lesson more than a couple times. It made Ira do a double take.

Lily sighed. "Maybe he's thinking about that scene you made yesterday."

"Oh, that? It was merely for my own pleasure of putting Pansy in her place. And we all know Malfoy didn't really like her. He just liked the attention, you know?"

"They're prefect for each other, though," Ira mused with pursed lips.

Sally tugged on her leash. "Why do you think Theo did it?"

The two others stopped and shrugged.

"He's become a completely different person," Lily stated. "This is exactly what we were afraid of…"

Ira nodded. "I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"And you're going to forgive him?" Sally asked.

Ira turned that thought over and over again in her head before responding. Theodore would always have a place in her heart, they were best friends before, and she couldn't say no to rekindling their friendship eventually. She was a sucker for second chances. If he deemed himself worthy of it, of course. But right now, things seemed hopeless for the four of them.

"I'll probably never forgive him, the trust is absolutely gone," Ira said sadly. "But there could be hope for redemption if he proves himself worthy of it in the future."

"Well, if he ever pulled a stunt like that on me, I would hold a grudge for years before allowing him back into my life," Sally said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sally, you're the biggest hypocrite to ever exist. If Theo came to you right now, begging for your friendship again, you'd forgive him in a heartbeat."

"Okay, and you wouldn't?"

Lily chose not to comment.

After the lesson, the girls followed Gryffindor and Slytherin back inside for dinner. They ate and talked over their studies and planned on returning to the common room to mull over their homework.

"Ergh, this is impossible!" Sally groaned when they sat down in the common room that night.

"It's because you're not waving your wand correctly," Lily pointed out.

Since the hedgehogs for their Transfiguration lesson were locked away in McGonagall's classroom, Sally made do with a balled-up piece of parchment that she tried turning into a pincushion.

"I don't know how you're so bloody good at this," Sally pouted.

Lily went stiff but didn't say anything. Sally didn't know just how good Lily had gotten, or how she managed to become so within a few short years. It was apparent that Lily rarely talked about it, even with one of her closest companions. It was a touchy subject that only Ira knew about.

Sally failed again and gave up, moving on to her Potions homework. The rest of them did the same and compared notes. That's when someone invaded their privacy.

"Perks?"

Ira tried not to gape as Draco walked to their table. The nerve!

"Yes, Mal-foul?" Sally asked blankly while scribbling on her parchment.

"Could I—uh—talk to you for a moment?" His eyes narrowed when Ira and Lily glared at him. "In private?"

"Oh—uh—um—no," she replied snottily. "Go crawl back to wherever you came from."

Draco's face hardened. "It's important, Perks."

Sally slammed her Potions notebook shut and groaned. "Whatever. I won't enjoy this, just so you know."

He cracked a smirk.

"Something's up," Ira said after the two walked away.

Lily wrote another line in for her poison antidote and sighed. "Something's always up with him. I've just learned to get used to it."

For as long as Ira had known Draco, she wished she was used to him by now.

Instead of focusing on him, she turned her attention to their potions assignment. At any moment, Snape could poison them, and he'd need perfect antidotes to cure it. Ira was on a good streak so far in Potions so she doubted she'd fail in making the best cure in class. After a few more lines, her recipe was complete, and she placed it neatly into her bag.

Sally returned. She didn't say anything while picking her quill back up.

"So?" Lily got her attention with a snap of her fingers. "Give us the details."

"He thanked me for yesterday," Sally said.

Ira tried not to scoff. "Thanked you?"

"He said if it wasn't for me ratting out Parkinson that he'd still be with her. He owled his father with the news and I guess his arranged marriage is out of the cards for now."

"I can expect he's not very happy about that," Ira commented. "Lucius will just have to find another bride for him."

"You know that person could very well be you, right?" Lily said suddenly.

Ira shook her head. "If my father respected my mother's wishes, then he wouldn't do that."

"So, you think."

The thought gnawed at Ira. Surely Sigrid was more logical than that. He knew Ira would never agree to something of that nature.

"I know that my father loved my mother, and if she thought arranging a marriage for me was wrong, then I'm sure he'd stick to what she wanted for me." But her fears still made it hard for her to say that with certainty. "All I know is, that I'm going to choose who I'll marry in the future. I can tell you it won't be Draco Malfoy."

"Maybe it'll be Potter," Sally snorted.

Ira's face stayed blank.

"Yeah, we know you like him, Ira. We're not that oblivious," Lily added with a chuckle. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind."

"Neither would I, really. I think it'd be good for you to have a boyfriend…finally."

"Finally?"

Sally grinned. "You've never been in a relationship before! You're not getting any younger and you should make these years count for something, even if it is for a boy."

"I don't know, guys," Ira said uncomfortably. "I don't even know if Harry likes me."

"Oh, he likes you," Lily said. "He's just too scared to approach you about it."

"Much like most of the boys in our year," Sally said under her breath. Then, realizing what she just announced, clamped her mouth shut. "Oops."

Ira shot her a look. "What does that mean?"

"Don't tell me you don't see it?"

"See what?"

"Boys like you, Ira. They really like you. I know because I've talked to a bunch of them about it," she said. "But once they get even a little bit close to you, something makes them back down for some reason."

"Maybe it's because she's a pureblood with a scary father?" Lily offered.

"No. I'm a pureblood with some scary relatives and no guys backed down yet," Sally said proudly.

Lily grimaced.

"Look, all I'm saying is that people notice Ira and they do like her. Something just makes them draw back."

This was news to Ira. She never noticed people wanting her in such a way. Then again, she never cared to watch others besides those closest to her. Her schoolwork, friends, and personal life were too important to steer away from.

"Maybe they were talking about a different Ira," Ira pointed out.

"Right. Because there's several Ira Soares' in Slytherin house with curly brown hair, gray eyes, freckles, and friends by the name of Sally-Anne Perks, Lily Moon —and on rare occasions—Theodore Nott." Sally began packing up her things. "I don't know about you, but there's only one of those in Hogwarts and it's you they're interested in." She looked at Lily. "And while we're at it, we're going to need to find someone for you. Maybe one of those yummy Durmstrang boys?"

Lily glowered. "I'm good, thanks."

"Fine. I offered my help." Sally stood up and yawned. "I'm going to bed now. I'll see you beauties in the morning."

Ira and Lily watched her trot upstairs.

"I should probably follow," Lily said, pushing herself up to her feet and giving Ira a soft smile. "Try getting some sleep, okay?"

Ira nodded, knowing that it'd been a few days since having a good night's rest. Her friends noticed, commented on it, and were reminding her to get sleep. She was thankful for their concern, trying hard to find a way around her mind while laying in bed most nights.

When Lily left, Ira pulled a small vial out of her robes and stared at the dark purple liquid through the glass. It was now the only thing she could turn to for a deep, dreamless sleep totally void of visions. It was probably unhealthy to take on a regular basis, but Ira needed the rest. Her lack of sleep was beginning to show.

The Sleeping Draught kept her at peace throughout the night.


Writer's Note: There's a reason for people to be so cruel—just remember that as you're reading the story. It only gets worse before it gets better. I think that's the saying, right? So, there's a reason behind Theo being so crass lately, and of course Draco's own attitude towards Ira. We'll find that out later in the story, but please don't hate my beloved Theodore. They're just teenagers going through the motions.

I'd like to give a shout out to the two reviewers on last chapter! I'm glad you guys like the story so far!

Until next chapter! xx