Iris didn't even bat an eye when three seconds after entering the cafeteria, an Alpha (Savanaclaw, by the uniform) tried flaring his pheromones in her general direction. She was so used to this crap that she didn't even hesitate with her response, not even breaking stride or pausing.
Her pheromones caused the wolf beast-kin to openly flinch and vanish from the room with his tail between his legs.
He wasn't the only one...several alphas fled the area staring at her wide-eyed and terrified.
She heard an impressed whistle from her left. She turned to see...a hyena beast-kin? His scent read as another omega, so she eased off a bit on her own.
"I haven't seen someone book from a room that fast since Leona let off his scent to some idiots causing trouble in the dorms while pissed."
"Too many alphas in my last school mistook the word 'omega' for 'weak'. I had to develop a method of telling them to get lost without hexing their balls off."
By the end of the war, no one would dare call her weak simply because of her secondary gender. The fact it curtailed the majority of her potential suitors didn't bother her in the least...she had already decided she wasn't mating with anyone from the UK or even Europe unless they could prove worth her time.
Iris took the time to properly observe the hyena omega, and immediately pegged him as a survivor like her. Admitted one who likely had a better childhood than she did, but still a survivor.
He probably sensed the same from her, and from the way he smelled, it was likely he already had a mate or had found an alpha to attach himself to as a way of surviving.
A silent communication passed between them. He knew what she had likely inferred, as those who had strong survival instincts also tended to be extremely sensitive to scents. His grin didn't diminish in the least.
"Tell any alphas in your dorm that if they try to dominate me, they're going to get their balls hexed off," said Iris cheerfully. "My mother was very good at charms and she left a rather amusing explosive castration spell that I find very...useful...in getting my point across. And my aim is very good."
"Shishishi... I'll be sure to let them know. Be an entertaining sight to watch," said the hyena. "The name's Ruggie, by the way. Ruggie Bucchi."
"Iris," she said, holding out her hand. She was pleased when he shook it firmly. "I'm fixing up the small greenhouse outside my dorm, so if you have any requests for fruits or veggies let me know."
Ruggie perked up at that, as she had guessed.
"Well I wouldn't say no to that!" he said cheerfully.
"Yo, Iris!" Ace called out.
"Nyahaha...you're late, slowpoke!" said Grim. Iris had been nice enough to get him some food too, and he was already chowing down.
"How did you beat us to the cafeteria?" asked Deuce.
"Unlike you two lazy bones, I get up early. It took me about fifteen minutes to reach the cafeteria and five to get my food," said Iris. "Grim, eat with your mouth closed."
Grim took the polite reprimand with aplomb, and was a bit neater in his eating.
The two got their food and joined Iris and Grim, and chatted about classes. It was nice, and she honestly wished Hogwarts had been this pleasant.
"So what's our first class today?" asked Iris.
"Alchemy...man, Professor Crewel is ridiculously strict," said Ace in dismay.
Iris snorted at that.
"I'd take his habit of calling us dogs over that greasy haired bastard any day. At least he actually gives a shit about his students and isn't arbitrarily changing their grades because he's a spiteful, petty prick," said Iris.
"Care to repeat that? I'll not have any of my puppies talk about me with such disrespect," said a voice. It was Professor Crewel and he looked pissed. He likely only caught the tail end of her comment.
Iris looked the Alpha dead in the eye as she explained.
"I stand by what I said. You're still a vastly better teacher of the subject compared to the dickless, spiteful, greasy haired bastard Snape."
Crewel blinked.
"Wait. Snape. As in Severus Snape?" he said slowly.
Iris nodded.
"I was one of his least favorite students and he was particularly vindictive towards me because he had a thing for my mother, but his greatest bully ended up marrying her instead. I'll never dignify that man as a teacher in any sense of the word."
Crewel seemed to look at her for a moment.
"...I'll forgive that comment you made, but if I ever catch you talking about me in such a manner I'll insure the remainder of your years here will not be pleasant."
Iris gave him a lazy, but respectful salute.
Ace and Deuce stared at her. And they weren't the only ones.
"Did I miss something?"
"If you ever had to deal with Severus Snape in the classroom or in a professional setting, you'd understand why people hated him," she said deadpan. "I wouldn't be surprised if Professor Crewel had a few run-ins with him...they're polar opposites in nearly every sense of the word."
"That bad?" said Deuce.
"We called him the Greasy Haired Dungeon bat for a reason. I've never seen him wear anything but black and he used to do this thing where his cloak would flare out behind him...and the sneers he used to give us when we screwed up a potion... the man hated children and yet he was forced to teach them because of a debt he owed. So he made us suffer with him," said Iris disgusted.
Either way, Crewel kept a sharp eye on her for the next month because of that comment. She was so used to Snape's bullshit she didn't even notice it.
After classes...
"Okay Grim, today we're working on the repair charm. The incantation is reparo. Can you say it with me?" said Iris.
"Repayro," said Grim.
"Ree-paa-ro," she repeated slowly, making sure to enunciate.
"Repaaro," said Grim, trying again.
Iris repeated it, and this time he was able to get it mostly correct.
She walked him through the charm patiently, as it did require that the caster have a proper visual. And since they weren't using the usual wands, Grim would have to use a looser version compared to her. She showed him the movements, which Grim copied with his tail. While he could throw quick and dirty fireballs with ease, basic household magic required a bit more finesse.
Iris had been stumped until she noticed how long Grim's tail was. It had taken him a few tries, but he was starting to get the hang of casting using his tail to recreate the wand movements. It was still channeled through his magestone collar, so it worked out in the end.
Grim followed the movement, and once he had it down pat, Iris showed him a pane of glass.
"We're going to be fixing the broken glass in the greenhouse. I want you to visualize the broken pieces into becoming whole like this one. Think you can do that?"
"Nyahaha. The Great Grim-sama can do anything he wants!"
"I'll leave the glass pane over here, so you can keep it as a visual aide. Okay?"
Grim nodded, happy that Iris was taking the time to teach him magic.
As Iris went about removing weeds and other clutter, Grim worked on repairing the few glass panes on one side. Admittedly, she could have likely fixed the entire thing by overpowering the spell...but then Grim wouldn't get any practice in how to repair something as delicate as glass.
Grim was exhausted by the time she was halfway through the weeding. The greenhouse had been neglected for some time, and would need a bit of work. Fortunately she was used to this sort of thing.
She gently picked up the tired cat, and made sure he had something to drink. Grim laid down for a well deserved nap as she inspected his work.
Grim had only managed to repair four panes before he became exhausted, but since he wasn't used to casting magic repeatedly that was to be expected. She left the other broken panes alone, as it would give Grim something to practice with.
She made sure there was some fresh tuna available as she knew Grim would practically inhale the stuff.
Iris had become quick friends with Ruggie. After their initial talk with the hyena he had sought her out, and had made a few comments on the sort of plants he wouldn't mind having free access to.
One thing had lead to another and she learned that he enjoyed fishing, but not the cleaning aspect of it. It was dirty, messy work and sometimes wasn't worth the effort.
You could imagine the gleam he got in his eyes when she offered to clean his catch...in exchange for letting her use the 'extra' bits as fertilizer for her greenhouse. He didn't even mind catching a few extra tuna for Grim.
"That's my tuna..." said Grim sleepily. Iris chuckled, and absently scratched his ears, causing him to purr.
He really was adorable, and thankfully didn't remind her of Hedwig. He was more like a little brother who was lonely than a familiar.
When she finished up enough that she could leave it alone for the night, as it was getting dark, Iris picked up Grim in her arms. He was still sleeping off using up all that magic.
It took her a second to register the faerie lights around her.
She knew there were a few fae in the school...the mischievous Vanrouge being a prime example, though she had only heard of him in passing from Cater... but she hadn't actually run into any yet.
Seems she was about to have an encounter with one.
Iris made sure Grim was on a bench, just in case she had to cast some of her spells. Her paranoia from the war hadn't diminished in the least, and it had saved her life more than once.
What walked out of the shadows was tall, and inhumanly beautiful. There was no way she'd ever mistake this being as human...not with those horns. His eyes were as green and vibrant as the ones she saw in the mirror, and his hair was as black as a raven's feather. His skin was as pale as alabaster, and there was an otherworldly gaze in his eyes. It took her a second to register the crest on his shoulder as that of Diasomnia.
The way the faerie lights danced around him suggested he was the source.
"I was unaware this dorm had become occupied. I had noticed there was an unusual amount of activity inside. What a pity."
She stared for another three seconds before replying.
"Do you often walk around this area at night?"
"I come here for the quiet," he admitted. "And to observe the gargoyles."
She...was not going to comment on that last bit. From the way he spoke, something told her he didn't get many private moments to himself. Which suggested he was one of the high fae at the very least.
"I don't mind if you walk around the grounds of the dorm, so long as you don't wake me up at ridiculous hours. If anyone understands the need for a bit of peace and privacy, it's me," she replied.
She could tell he was surprised by that remark. There was a slight smile on his face, as if he hadn't expect her permission to continue his nightly wanderings.
"Thank you, child of man."
"Call me Eir," she replied. She was well aware her middle name was odd, and had looked up legends of the Norse goddess of healing. "What do you go by?"
However when one dealt with the fae, using your given name was a horrible idea. Better to stick with nicknames or something that wasn't used off.
The alpha seemed highly amused, likely because she knew better than to give her name to a faerie so easily. And that rather than ask for his name directly, she was asking for something to call him.
Somehow she had the feeling he was very well known among the school, which explained his amusement.
"You may call me what you wish," he replied, his eyes glinting with dark amusement.
Iris didn't have to think hard, not with that crest on his shoulder and those horns. She refused to call him any variant of the word dragon, as that would only remind her of that prat Draco which would do the faerie a disservice. Besides, her cousin would only preen if he knew she had compared him in any way, shape or form to something this beautiful.
Other common faerie names were out as well, as that might insult him in some way.
Fortunately, the dorm's patron had a very convenient moniker which he was unlikely to take offense to and might find flattering.
"Thorn," she replied.
The alpha blinked, before realizing that was likely her private nickname for him.
"Acceptable. Until we meet again, Child of Man," he said, before vanishing in a flurry of faerie lights.