They arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins early enough to grab four seats in the middle of the room, the twins plopping down in the aisle seats, the girls placing themselves in the middle ones between them. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the row directly in front of them, whispering amongst themselves as usual.
The teacher had not yet arrived and the students were speculating wildly about who it was going to be.
Shawn took her textbook, some parchment, and a self-filling quill from her bag and began to arrange them on her desk to hold her nervousness at bay, letting the chatter wash over her.
She was always nervous on the first day of classes- all those variables that couldn't be divined, like what the teacher would be like, how hard would the subject be, how well she was going to fit in with the other students- she hated it.
'Well, not so much the last one,' she mused as Izzy giggled at some of Fred and George's antics. She didn't so much care what anybody thought if she had Izabelle beside her.
She and Belle had always been close, ever since their first serendipitous meeting when they were 14. But this last year, fighting a war in a foreign country, practically on their own, nearly dying every other week, had bonded them closer than sisters and made both of them fiercely independent from most people.
'Especially Belle' Shawn speculated silently, idly doodling on a corner of parchment. There had been a moment, near the end of the war, where Belle had truly thought that Shawn was going to die. And Shawn had to admit that it'd been a pretty narrow escape from death on her part. But she had survived and that was the important thing!
Unfortunately, Belle had been completely and utterly devastated and terrified by the experience, and had become even more ferociously protective and exclusive than she already was, which was really saying something.
Shawn sometimes liked to think of Izabelle as her very own guardian dragon, complete with occasionally fire-breathing.
But the worst part of the whole thing, Shawn decided, was that it had made her so frightened of losing someone she loved that she now refused to get close to anyone at all. She'd never exactly taken to most people, but these days Belle kept her heart tightly locked in an iron box, and she only took out the key when her and Shawn were alone.
Which was why Shawn was so happy to see her opening up and letting some guards down with George and Fred. Hell, she was amazed that Belle was willing to spend so much time with other people at all (though she should've known cute boys would be just the thing to help snap her out of it).
'And it's not exactly a chore, hanging out with Fred and George,' she thought when Fred doodled a little arrow through the heart Shawn had been unconsciously tracing. Her green and gold flecked eyes snapped up to his mischievous blue ones and he jerked his ginger head towards the front of the room, where an older witch with a medium build and dark hair, obviously the so-long awaited for professor, was waiting for everyone to settle down.
Shawn came to attention immediately, just in time to hear Harry whisper in surprise, "That's Hestia Jones!"
"She's one of the Order, she helped get the Dursleys to safety." He explained quickly at everyone's curious stares. Harry knew everyone; which was possibly fair, as everyone knew him. He didn't have a chance to say any more as Hestia Jones began to speak in a somewhat husky voice.
"As some of you already know"- she shot Harry a little smile-" I am Hestia Jones and I will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I was a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the war and have seen my fair share of battle, as I know a lot of you have."
Several of the students plastered smug grins on their faces, proud at their defense of the school. Several other students' eyes had taken on a haunted look, lost in memories of the horrors they had seen.
Professor Jones continued. "Keeping such things in mind, and the fact that while the war may be over, Dark wizards still lurk in the shadows and constant vigilance must never waver- and while we will still have occasional lectures, and you will be required to do homework- this class will focus mainly on dueling."
An excited wave of chatter broke over the room at this announcement- this was what had been hoping for! No copying out of textbooks or being forced to learn the Dark Arts, but a skill they would actually need, something that could save their lives! In the aftermath of such times, nothing was so enticing as a skill that could ensure one's survival.
Shawn was absolutely elated- dueling, she could do as easily as breathing.
As a start up exercise to gauge everyone's proficiency, Professor Jones began to separate them into four groups that would duel each other in pairs- two sets of Gryffindors and two sets of Slytherins. Perhaps she felt that pitting Gryffindor against Slytherin was tempting fate a little too much, with tensions and nerves still strung so sensitively after the war.
A lot of these students had watched others fight and kill their parents and loved ones, and grudges born from war are vicious and deep. Pit them against each other and the whole class was liable to end up in the Hospital Wing.
Shawn had hoped to be paired against Fred, if only to get a look at his skill and to show off just a little, but as luck would have it she was paired with none other than Hermione Granger.
Hermione was sizing her up with a calculating look on her face, and a smirk appeared as if she had already won when she caught Shawn looking at her.
'Oh, we'll see about that honey.' thought Shawn, gleeful with anticipation, 'The term 'appearances can be deceiving' was invented for me.'
Professor Jones brought the class to attention. "Now this is just a simple exercise to get a good idea of everyone's current level of skill. The only spells you are allowed to use are stupefy and protego!" she said sternly. "Anyone caught dueling in anything resembling a serious matter will be sent straight to Professor McGonagall!"
Some of the Slytherins muttered darkly at this, but there were no objections and half of the students marched quickly to the other side of the room, where they waited for Professor Jones to call their names.
The first few pairs of students were Slytherins who all managed passable Stupefying Curses, but deplorable Shield Charms. Harry's Stupefying Curse only just managed to break through Ron's Shield Charm, and Ron amazingly managed to stun Harry before he could even get his Shield Charm in place. An astonished Ron blushed darker than his hair when Hermione beamed proudly at him and Harry shot him a shout of "Well done Ron!"
Shawn bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet- there didn't seem to be any discernable order to the names being called and therefore she had no idea how long she was going to have to wait. Two Gryffindors named Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were up next. They were both rather good, though Seamus did somehow manage to singe a bit of Dean's eyebrow off.
Izzy grabbed her arm and bounced excitedly in place at the next pair- Fred and George against each other. Shawn knew she'd been dying to found out how good their fighting skills were- for Belle almost nothing was so revered as combat capabilities and grace in battle. Belle had always loved war- the strategies, the weaponry, military hierarchy, even the politics that ran it all. But the war had made her an out and out warrior herself, and she had fallen into that habit that so many warriors often do- she couldn't respect anyone as an equal that she didn't trust to watch her back in battle, which disqualified everyone that couldn't match her own abilities. And in the past year her already note-worthy abilities had grown by leaps and bounds.
If Fred and George held any chance at proving to Belle that they were worthy of her true friendship and admiration, this was it. Shawn fiercely hoped their war hero statuses weren't just idle gossip based on their good looks and family name.
The twins were facing off on opposite sides of the classroom, wands hanging loosely at their sides. Rather than the jokes Shawn had expected them to be shouting at each other, a few choice insults perhaps, they were staring at each other in complete seriousness.
For one…two…three long moments they just stared at each other, each one of their gazes neither blinking nor wavering from his twins'. Then there was a flurry of movement, so sudden and fast Shawn barely caught it.
Fred's arm swept up in an astonishing blur, no sound leaving his lips as the red jet of his Stunning Curse burst from his wand tip. As fast as Fred had been, George was faster, and a nearly opaque Shield Charm was in place before the curse was halfway across the hall, and it bounced off harmlessly when it hit. It was a nearly identical performance when they switched roles, though Fred was a touch slower getting his Shield Charm up.
They moved almost seamlessly as one, with the grace of having fought more times than could be counted.
There was a round of clapping, Belle loudest of all, as the twins grinned at each other and shook hands in the middle before stepping back to join the group of students that had already gone.
"War does wonderful things to men" said Izzy with a little sigh, a huge, impressed smile on her face. Shawn laughed at her silliness, but internally she was extremely relieved that the twins had done so spectacularly well. Not only was she impressed at their prodigious skill, but Izabelle was impressed, a feat in and of itself. Yeah, there was definite hope for those two.
Then the moment she had been waiting for arrived.
"Hermione Granger and Shawn Vulpis" called Professor Jones.
Izzy squeezed her hand for good luck and gave her an eager smile. Even though she knew how good Hermione had to be, fighting Voldemort with Harry and Ron like that, Izzy knew how extraordinary Shawn was.
While Izzy may have had a tendency to be extremely protective of her Pixie (Izzy snorted as she imagined what would happen if Shawn ever found out that was her secret nickname), it was only because it was in her nature to be so and because she was still so paranoid from the war, not because Shawn needed the protecting. As Hermione Granger was probably about to find out, Shawn Vulpis could take care of herself very well indeed.
Shawn and Hermione stared at each other appraisingly; Shawn's wand hanging at her side in a loose grip, Hermione's drawn up and at the ready. Shawn smirked at her- going immediately rigid and on the defensive like that made her easier to read than a 'Run Spot Run' book and it seriously limited her ability to change her aim quickly. Instantly factoring this in with her plan of attack, Shawn brought her arm up and arced her wand through the air with liquid grace. Hermione blinked in surprise and ended up being a hair too late to stop the Stunning Spell from hitting her.
Fred, George, and Izzy (whose proud smile literally stretched from ear to ear) whistled and clapped wildly; Ron and Harry were staring at Shawn with astonishment written all over their faces, and several people were now looking at Shawn much more seriously than they had been before. Tiny and pixie-like she may be, but she packed one hell of a punch!
Hermione looked absolutely furious when she was revived, but her face settled into stony determination as she took her place across from Shawn once more. Now it was Hermione's turn to attack, and she took her time with it, drawing out the seconds as Shawn studied her for any signs of movement. When she finally attacked, it was only by the softest flicker of her eyelash that Shawn was able to anticipate it in time. As it was, her Shield Charm sprang to life at the very moment Hermione's Stunning Spell hit it.
Smiling widely in relief (that had been a close one- Hermione did have skill, no doubt about that) Shawn strode forward to shake Hermione's hand, the sound of applause ringing in her ears.
"Well done" Shawn complimented her sincerely. "If I'd been even a hair slower on that Shield Charm, you would've gotten me for sure!"
Hermione wanted to hate her and say something scathing, Shawn could tell, but looking down into her earnest face she didn't seem to have the heart for it.
Shawn wasn't surprised; people usually seemed to want to hate her for some reason, but very rarely did anyone ever actually manage it. Izzy said it was because she was just 'so damn bright and pretty and just plain nice' that no one could resist being friends with her for long and Shawn was happy to see her proven right once more.
Hermione grasped Shawn's hand, smiled at her, and said, with only a slight grudge in her voice, "Well done you too. That's one of the fastest stunning spells I've ever seen."
"Thanks!" beamed Shawn. "I had a lot of opportunity to practice recently," she said dryly, referring to the year of guerilla warfare she had survived. A surprised Hermione joined her in a small laugh, then they dropped hands and returned to their respective group of friends- Hermione to Ron and Harry, Shawn to Fred and George.
"That was bloody brilliant" Fred told her when she reached them. He had a broad grin on his face as he tucked a fat, gold galleon into his pocket; for some reason George had a sour look on his face about it, but he gave Shawn equal praise and she dismissed it. Now they just had to wait for Izzy's turn.
They sat through another 20 agonizing minutes as the students faced off, some of them showing remarkable skill, others surprising incompetence, before Professor Jones finally called Izzy's name and that of her partner, the one and only female of the Weasley clan- Ginny.
"One galleon on Ginny to win" murmured Fred to his brother.
'So that was what that galleon thing had been about!' realized Shawn. 'They made a bet on me and Hermione's duel and Fred won!'
She couldn't help but be a tiny bit pleased that Fred thought so highly of her when he had known her such a short time- not very many people would have bet on her to win that duel.
George shot Fred a speculative look- he had no idea how well matched his sister and Izabelle were, not enough that he was sure he wanted to bet on it anyway. Ginny was an absolute hellcat but Izabelle had displayed some insane skills in the short time he'd known her. Before he could decide on whether the bet was worth it, Shawn piped up from beside them.
"I'll take that bet Fred Weasley" she declared confidently. "You haven't seen a duel until you've seen Izabelle Lyon fight one."
Fred and George blinked at her in surprise, eyebrows identically quirked, but Fred shook her hand on it and managed to keep the patronizing shake of his head to a minimum- he'd learned to never make a bet against his sister the hard way; Shawn would too.
They turned their attention to where Izzy and Ginny were standing at the center of the dueling field, heads bent together, seemingly in discussion. Shawn titled her head, puzzled.
What on earth could they be discussing? You stood on opposite ends of the room, pulled your wands out, and did your best to attack and/or defend. It was quite simple really.
She rolled her eyes- Belle was always making things unnecessarily complicated and dramatic. They were about to see a perfectly planned show, she just knew it. Ah well, at least she'd be one galleon richer in about two minutes.
With a firm shake of hands, Izzy and Ginny turned in opposite directions and marched to their respective sides.
"Traditional, then?" shouted Izzy mysteriously.
"You're on" Ginny responded.
Then each of them very deliberately put their wands into the holsters that were strapped almost invisibly against their thighs. Shawn laughed silently as she realized what Izzy had been planning- an 1800s Wild West style showdown. It was traditional, all right- as traditional as it got in America anyway. Shawn felt she should've seen this coming.
Shawn knew that Belle compulsively wore her holster everywhere, always ready at a moment's notice. Guess Ginny Weasley did too. Smart girl.
Shawn licked her lips in anticipation, her eyes flickering between the red head and the dirty blonde.
They faced each other straight on, hands hovering lightly over their wands in a strange magical mimicry of cowboys. Shawn expected a tumbleweed to come rolling by any second now.
Ginny's fingers twitched slightly, her only betrayal of nerves, and lightening fast Izzy's wand was in her hand, her arm was arcing fiercely through the air and a huge red jet erupted from her wand.
Ginny was only a breath behind her, and managed to create her shield charm before the enormous comet-like curse hit her, but the curse was so powerful that the shield could only weaken it, not stop it, and Ginny was thrown a good foot backwards.
The room was completely silent for a moment, and then a wave of hushed chatter broke from every corner of it. Fred and George gaped at Izzy, stunned and wide-eyed. She looked utterly pleased with herself and she winked at them, then blew Shawn a little kiss as Ginny was revived.
"Ginny's still got her turn" Fred muttered to Shawn when he saw the told-you-so look on her face.
"Again?" Izzy called when Ginny had resumed her place across from her.
Ginny arched an eyebrow at her, shoving her wand into her thigh-holster. "Yes, again" she said as if irritated by the question.
Izzy smirked; Ginny was as good as she had expected her to be but Ginny had obviously underestimated her skill. Izabelle was a show off, but mostly because she had skills worth showing off.
Izzy knew Ginny would not make the same mistake again and holstered her wand with pleasant anticipation, lovely pulses of adrenaline racing through her.
Shawn held her breath as the two girls stared at each other, the whole class completely silent as they watched and waited. And watched. And waited. And then watched some more.
Finally, with a flutter of movement, Ginny grasped her wand, flinging a stunning curse at Izzy as she brought it up through the air, and it sprang from her wand to race across the room.
Izzy's wand was in her hand, again lightening fast, and while the shield charm that appeared instantly in front of her wavered a bit when Ginny's spell hit it, it still held.
Applause burst from all around the room, George's piercing whistle loudest of all, and Izzy gave a small bow as her shield charm vanished.
"That'll be one gold galleon" Shawn prompted Fred, putting out her hand for her winnings. Fred dropped it into her hand, shaking his head in wonder. How had she done that?
"National Duelling Champion, four years running" Izzy said breathlessly as she came bouncing over to them, in answer to his unspoken question and dumbfounded look. "Didn't I mention?" She smiled coyly at George who eyed her with deep admiration.
"Your sister's brilliant" she continued, still buzzed from her duel. "Even better than I thought she'd be." She turned and flashed Ginny a thumbs up where she was being hugged by Harry. Ginny sent her a thumbs up back.
"Well she had the best teachers," said George pompously, gesturing between him and Fred.
Their laughter was interrupted by Professor Jones's husky voice.
"Well done everyone!" she said approvingly. "For homework I want a foot long essay on the benefits and disadvantages of shield and stunning spells, and I want you all to read chapters 1-3 for our next class. You are dismissed."
The students groaned at the amount of homework, but it wasn't enough to dampen their spirits as they left for their next classes.
Hanging around until all of them had gone, as was becoming their usual, Fred, George, Izzy, and Shawn were the last to exit the classroom.
As Shawn swept through the doorway, she didn't bother to look around at her surroundings, too busy laughing as George imitated one Slytherin student's particularly embarrassing stunning. Which was why she didn't see the large 7th year Slytherin boy skulking next to the doorway in the shadows.
All she knew was one minute she was looking into George's handsome face, then the next moment there was a blur of black and Shawn was on the ground, a huge troll-like figure on top of her, trying to pin her wand arm to the floor.
Izzy did not stop to think or process what was going on- she saw Shawn in danger, a crimson curtain fell over her sight and she simply reacted. Her wand was out and pressed forcefully against the boy's neck before Fred and George could turn around to see what the hell was going on.
The boy stilled as she pushed on his neck with more pressure and Fred and George each grabbed one of his arms and hauled him to his feet.
He glared at Izzy and Shawn with immense hatred on his troll-like face, quivering with rage.
Izzy took a deep breath, her wand pointed at his face, her hand rock-steady.
"You must be carrying one hell of a grudge to attack us after the performances we just gave" Izzy said, her voice cold, emotionless, and calculating. Her head tilted to the side, as it tended to when she was studying something, but her eyes were cold and dead.
Shawn shivered at the sight of it as she picked herself off the floor. Belle was eyeing him like a predator eyes its prey, which meant things were about to get very bad and very dangerous. And she was using the voice that meant she was locking herself away, preparing herself for one of a hundred atrocities that she would be willing to commit for Shawn's safety.
"That was very, very stupid of you" Izzy said with a mocking shake of her head.
The boy growled and struggled against the twins' grip, but he could not break them. They eyed each other nervously over the top of his head- they didn't know what was going on here, but Izzy was becoming quite unsettling. They each looked down a different direction of the corridor- it was deserted. Well, at least there wouldn't be any witnesses.
"I will kill you, you filthy mudblood Yank!" the troll-boy spat at her. "Both of you. For what you did to my parents."
Izzy's eyes widened just a touch and she peered even more closely at the boy's face.
"You're Christopher Montague aren't you?" she asked, a peculiar look on her face, her voice softening just a bit.
Shawn gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, and the twins looked at her, their eyes begging for an explanation. She shook her head silently at them- some things you didn't share with people you'd known your whole life, let alone ones you'd just met.
"That's right," the boy growled from between Fred and George.
Without another word Izzy waved her wand and uttered "petrificus totalus!"
The boy instantly froze in place, his eyes still glaring at her with hatred.
"You can let go of him now" she told Fred and George, and they obediently backed away, not wanting to accidentally trigger an incident that would surely get them all expelled.
Izzy ignored the curious gaze of George as she stepped up to Montague, who was stuck standing with his arms held back, until their noses were almost touching.
"I'm giving you a free pass this one time" she growled softly, staring into his eyes. "Just this once, on account of what I did to your father. But if I ever, and I mean ever see you lay one finger on her again"- Izzy pointed to Shawn and Montague's eyes followed her finger, then snapped back to the blue gray orbs mercilessly holding his gaze-"I will kill you." Shawn knew it was not a threat, it was a promise.
"I will not warn you, I will not wait for a teacher, and I will not show mercy. I will simply kill you." Izzy continued. "Do you understand? Good."
And with that she backed up a few steps, swung her leg up and kicked him in the face with a dragon-hide booted foot. Blood spurted out of Montague's nose as he hit the floor. She turned her back on him and went to Shawn, running her hands over her arms and checking her for injuries. Shawn gave her a wobbly and grateful smile, still breathing harshly. It faded when George asked cautiously, "What, exactly, did you do to his father?"
Izzy regarded him for a moment- the serious face, the earnest blue eyes that held real concern. Shawn held her breath-would Izzy actually tell him what she had done to the man responsible for most of her nightmares?
Finally Izzy spoke, her eyes staring straight into George's, her voice flat and emotionless.
"I killed him."