Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 5 – Hogwarts

Iris' first few days at Hogwarts were interesting to say the least. Whispers followed her everywhere she went, with people actively going out of their way just to get a look at her, but she was getting better at ignoring all the attention.

The castle itself was easily the most amazing place she'd ever been. It was vast, chaotic, and seemed to house thousands upon thousands of secrets just waiting to be discovered. It was initially hard to find her classes, but there were always ghosts and paintings to point her in the right direction, and she was learning her way around quickly. It had its drawbacks too, such as Peeves the poltergeist and Filch the caretaker, but she'd still take seeing Filch's ugly face every day over seeing Dudley's.

Ron Weasley had taken to hanging around her often and sitting next to her in lessons – not that she was complaining – it was nice to have a friend for the first time in her life.

The lessons themselves were a very mixed bag, though.

Astronomy was exciting at first, being able to leave the common room late at night and all, but there was only so much fun you could have staring up at the sky for an hour whilst you were tired from a full day of lessons beforehand.

History of Magic was somehow even more boring than the Muggle equivalent subject Iris had learnt in primary school. This was completely down to the monotonous voice and teaching style of Professor Binns, who also happened to be a ghost. Iris found this to be a terrible shame as she found some parts of the class textbook (A History of Magic) to be extremely interesting.

Herbology was not Iris' favourite subject. Whilst learning about magical plants was a cool concept, it reminded her too much of long hours out in the sun doing all of the Dursleys gardening, whilst they all sipped icy lemonade indoors and laughed at her.

Charms was an enjoyable class. Professor Flitwick was a tiny Professor who was rumoured to be part-goblin, but he was an excellent teacher. After her first Charms lesson, Iris was able to cast the Lumos spell, which conjured a small ball of light at the end of her wand. She loved the feeling of doing magic – it felt like a current was flowing through her and out into her wand – it just felt right.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a bit of a joke. On paper, it sounded like the most awesome class, but Professor Quirrell could hardly say a sentence without stuttering, therefore listening to him became tiresome very quickly. In addition, his room smelled strongly of garlic, apparently to ward off a vampire he met in Romania which he feared would be coming back to get him at some point.

Transfiguration was without a doubt the toughest subject of them all so far, with only Hermione Granger managing to make any progress on the class assignment to turn a match into a needle. However, Professor McGonagall made a very impressive demonstration at the start of the lesson and Iris was determined to work as hard as she possibly could to improve.

Iris found she wasn't as far behind the rest of her classmates as she suspected she would be. Surprisingly, Hermione the Muggleborn was top of most classes – although that was probably owing to the fact she had memorised every school textbook. They also hadn't had any lessons with the Slytherins yet, but that was about to change as this morning they had –

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," Ron groaned. "Snape's Head of Slytherin house. They say he always favours them – we'll be able to see if it's true."

Just then, the post arrived, with hundreds of owls flooding into the Great Hall to deliver various items of mail to the students. For the first time, however, Iris spotted Hedwig among them, with a note clutched in her beak. She dropped it on Iris' plate and recognising Hagrid's messy handwriting, she read it.

Dear Iris,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

Iris borrowed Ron's quill, wrote 'Sure, see you later' on the back of the note and sent Hedwig off again.

After finishing off breakfast, Iris and Ron hurried down to the dungeons for their Potions lesson, arriving just on time. The classroom was dark, cold and decorated with various pickled animals floating in glass jars around the room.

Professor Snape began by taking the register. He paused when he reached Iris' name.

"Ah yes," he said softly. "Iris Potter. Our new – celebrity."

His eyes lingered on her for a moment before taking the rest of the register. Once he finished calling out names, Snape stood, surveying the class with his cold black eyes.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began, speaking softly, but loudly enough for the class to hear every word. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses … I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

There was a short silence after he finished his speech. Iris had to admit he gave a pretty enticing advert for his subject.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Taken aback, Iris blinked. "I don't know, sir."

Snape sneered at her.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything."

Hermione waved her hand around a bit more, trying to get his attention, but to no avail.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

A bezoar … Iris knew she'd read that in one of her textbooks during her last month in Privet Drive. She tried to think, finding it difficult with Snape sneering down at her condescendingly and Hermione bouncing up and down on her seat with her hand in the air.

"Is that – is that the thing that works as an antidote to poison?" Iris asked.

"Anybody could have told me as much," Snape said coldly. "My question was where you would find one."

Iris racked her brains again – then the answer came to her.

"A goat's stomach!" she said, happy to wipe the smug look off of Snape's face. "Right?"

Weirdly, Snape was now looking at her with a sad expression on his face, almost wistful. He got a hold of himself quickly though and fixed his sneer back in place, although it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkhood and wolfsbane?"

This time, no bells were rang in Iris' head – she had no clue. However, she was beginning to grow irritated. Why was Snape only picking on her? She'd had enough of letting people walk all over her. She was a witch now, she could stand up to people, whether they be Muggles like the Dursleys, or greasy-haired Potions professors.

"Why are you asking me, sir? I just got one right, and there are sixteen other people in this class, you know!"

A couple people gasped, and Ron and Seamus snorted. Snape, however, looked livid.

"Five points from Gryffindor for your rudeness, Potter!" he barked. "And you sit down!" he instructed Hermione, who had stood up with her hand raised in her attempt to attract his attention and answer the questions.

"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you copying that down?"

When the lesson came to the practical portion, which was to brew a cure for boils, Iris paid extra close attention, ensuring every instruction was followed perfectly. She didn't want to give Snape another reason to target her. Unfortunately, Snape was determined to, even without a real excuse. Neville managed to make a mistake whilst brewing his potion, melting Seamus' cauldron and covering himself in his failed mixture, causing boils to erupt all over his face. Once he was sent to the hospital wing, Snape rounded on Iris and Ron, who had been working next to Neville and Seamus.

"You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor, Potter."

Iris was fully prepared to argue back in his face, but Ron kicked her leg behind the cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered. "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

An hour later, Iris left the classroom and headed out of the castle towards Hagrid's hut, Ron in tow.

"Thank god we don't have that for another week," spat Iris. "What's his problem with me?"

"I dunno," said Ron, thoughtfully. "Maybe he's angry at you for defeating You-Know-Who. He is a Slytherin, after all. Wouldn't surprise me if he was a supporter of the Dark Side."

A minute later, the two of them reached what Iris could only assume was Hagrid's hut. A crossbow was outside his door, leaning against the wall. Iris knocked. A moment later, the door swung open.

"Yeh're early," said Hagrid, coming into view, holding a big black dog by the collar. "'S no trouble, come on in."

"This is Ron," Iris told Hagrid, who let go of his dog, which immediately bounded at Iris. She moved out of the way – she had never liked dogs – probably due to how Aunt Marge's favourite dog, Ripper, used to chase her around, attempting to bite her.

"Back, Fang!" said Hagrid to his dog, before turning to Ron. "Another Weasley, eh? I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the Forest. So how's yer first week been? Enjoyed yer lessons?"

Iris and Ron told Hagrid all about their first week of classes. When they got onto the topic of Snape's lesson, Iris asked if Hagrid knew why Snape clearly hated her.

"Don' worry abou' it," he said. "Professor Snape hardly likes any students, but Professor Dumbledore trusts him and says he's the best man fer the job."

"He seemed to hate me a lot more than any of the other students," argued Iris. Ron nodded in agreement.

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

But Iris noticed Hagrid didn't quite meet her eye when he said that.

"You know something," she said confidently. "Why does Snape hate me?"

Hagrid looked uncomfortable, but sighed in defeat.

"All righ', but don' let anyone know I told yeh. Truth is, Professor Snape and yer dad weren't really the best o' friends. Yeh probably remind him of yer dad, that's all."

He promptly changed the subject to ask Ron about how his brother Charlie was doing working with dragons in Romania.

Was that really all it was? Iris thought it was pretty pathetic to hate a student just because you didn't get on with one of their parents when you were in school.

While she was wondering exactly what happened between her father and Snape, Iris noticed a piece of paper lying on the table. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Cogs started turning in Iris' head as she read the article. Thirty-first of July … vault emptied the very same day … she had a feeling she knew exactly which vault had been broken into.

She slipped the newspaper cutting into her robe pocket without Hagrid noticing.

Iris and Ron stayed at Hagrid's hut for quite a while longer – Hagrid told Iris a couple of stories about her parents' time at Hogwarts, but she felt like he was hiding certain bits of information from her even in these stories, as he never revealed the names of any of their friends.

When the two first-years left to make it to dinner on time, Iris' pockets were filled with rock cakes which she felt bad refusing, and of course the newspaper cutting she'd taken off of Hagrid's table.

-o0o-

Iris' second week at Hogwarts was just as enthralling as her first.

She and Ron spent the weekend exploring the castle, finding several rooms and passageways which were concealed in some way or another. When Ron bragged to Fred and George about a hidden tunnel they had discovered behind a portrait of a group of wizards partying, they had seemed slightly impressed.

"Nice work," said Fred seriously. "I don't know of anybody else who knows about that stairway aside from us and Filch."

"Clearly Iris is a good influence on you," said George. "You'll never find a place me and Fred don't know about in this castle though."

"You don't know that!" said Ron, looking determined.

"We're pretty confident," smirked Fred. "Although consider me impressed if you manage to find a hidden passageway out of the school this year."

At this, Ron looked even more determined.

Classes had been much the same as the first week. Iris was enjoying learning more about magic and after practising for a while as part of her homework, she had managed to turn her match all silver and pointy before her second Transfiguration lesson.

However, a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room informed the first-years that a new class was starting on Thursday morning – flying. Therefore, when Thursday morning arrived, there was tangible excitement in the air at breakfast.

"… and then I swerved out of its way and landed back in my garden – the Muggle didn't even see me!" finished Ron impressively. He had just been telling his fellow Gryffindor first-years about the time he'd narrowly avoided hitting a hang-glider whilst riding his brother Charlie's old broom.

"Wicked," said Neville. "I wish I knew how to fly. Gran would never even let me go near a broom!"

Privately, Iris thought Neville's gran had the right idea – Neville had already proven to be extraordinarily accident prone with both feet on the ground.

"Well, you'll get to ride one today," Ron pointed out, picking up another forkful of bacon. Neville paled at his words though. He had been nervous about this lesson ever since it had been announced – probably largely down to the fact they were sharing the class with the Slytherins. Draco Malfoy had largely avoided Iris since their encounter on the Hogwarts Express, but he seemed to have identified Neville as an easy target and had taken every possible opportunity to mock or insult the boy.

Iris' train of thought was interrupted as Hermione Granger sat down besides Neville and dropped her book on the table in front of her. It was hardly an unusual sight to see the Muggleborn girl with a book, but she seemed to be reading this one even more frantically than usual. A glance at the top of the page told Iris the book was Quidditch through the Ages.

"Is there anything helpful about flying in there?" asked Neville.

Hermione wasted no time in telling Neville about all the tips and tricks she had found and Iris was pleased when the post arrived and interrupted her lecture. There was no mail for Iris as usual, but Neville had received a small package which turned out to be a glass ball full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" said Neville. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh … you've forgotten something."

The smoke inside the Remembrall had indeed turned red, but before Neville could figure out what he had forgotten, the Remembrall was snatched out of his hand. It was Malfoy.

Ron jumped to his feet, presumably to fight Malfoy on Neville's behalf, but thankfully Professor McGonagall arrived on the scene quickly to defuse the situation.

"What's going on?" she asked sternly.

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Malfoy scowled and dropped the Remembrall in front of Neville.

"Just looking," he said, and he skulked off with Crabbe and Goyle following in his wake.

Professor McGonagall looked pointedly at Ron, who promptly reddened and sat down. She nodded and walked away.

"He's really asking for it," said Ron gruffly. "I swear if he starts something during the flying lesson …"

"He wants you to react like this," said Iris. "That way he can make sure he comes off as the victim and you're the one who gets in trouble." She knew that much from growing up with a common bully like Dudley. Then again, even if she didn't fight back, she'd still be the one to get in trouble with the Durlseys.

"Well, someone needs to stand up to him," said Ron stubbornly.

"Iris is right," said Hermione. Iris raised her eyebrows in surprise. She didn't think Hermione liked her very much and didn't expect her to take her side. "By fighting back, you're sinking to his level and being just as childish as he is."

Ron's ears turned red and he glared at Hermione, who didn't even raise her eyes away from Quidditch through the Ages.

"I don't agree with that," said Iris, "but fighting him is bound to get you in more trouble than it will him, so just try not to let him bother you."

-o0o-

The morning lessons dragged by at a snail's pace, but eventually three-thirty came, and the Gryffindor first-years arrived on the grounds outside Hogwarts to find their Slytherin classmates, Madam Hooch, and some old-looking broomsticks arranged in neat lines on the grass.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" barked Madam Hooch. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

The class hastened to do this. Neville now looked a sickly colour of green, but Iris was starting to get excited.

"Stick out your right hand over the broom, and say, 'UP!'" called Madam Hooch.

"UP!" shouted everyone. Iris' broom shot right up into her waiting hand. She smiled, especially after noticing hers was one of the only ones in the class to do so.

Once everyone had succeeded, or at least physically picked their brooms up off the ground, Madam Hooch began showing everyone how to mount them without sliding off the end.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," Madam Hooch instructed. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"

But she never reached one. Neville, who had been nervous and jumpy all day, had kicked off the ground too early and was now rising rapidly into the air without any semblance of control over his broomstick. Madam Hooch shouted up at him, but to no avail, as a moment later, the poor boy slipped off his broom and came crashing down on the ground beside Iris with a nasty cracking noise.

"Broken wrist," muttered Madam Hooch, who had rushed over to check on him. "Come on, boy – it's all right, up you get."

She turned to address the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear."

Neville clutched his wrist and waddled off with Madam Hooch's arm around him.

The silence that had taken hold of the class lasted until Madam Hooch was just out of earshot, then it was broken by the sound of Draco Malfoy's laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" snapped Parvati, as the other Slytherins had started to laugh too.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl who often liked to chime in with her own opinion. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy, rushing forward and grabbing something off of the ground. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Hand it over, Draco," said Iris, speaking up for the first time, causing the rest of the class to fall silent as though expecting a show.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect – how about – up a tree?" said Malfoy, grinning nastily and mounting his broom.

"Hello Professor McGonagall!" said Iris loudly, staring at a spot over Malfoy's shoulder. The Slytherin boy quickly hopped off his broom and spun around, only to find nobody was there. The Gryffindors burst into laughter and Malfoy's pale cheeks turned pink.

"I warned you hanging around with riff-raff like Weasley and Longbottom would rub off on you," said Malfoy, glaring. "You ought to pick your friends better, or you'll end up just like your parents."

The class of first-years fell completely silent once more, staring at Iris to see her reaction.

"What's the alternative? Hanging out with you and your pair of trolls?" she asked mockingly. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly but didn't move. "From what I've seen, all you are is a bully – and you're not even good at that! My Muggle cousin is a better bully than you are."

Malfoy's face reddened again and his hand shot towards his pocket, pulling out his wand. However, before he could do anything, a voice rang out behind him.

"What appears to be the problem here?"

This time, Professor McGonagall really was there. Malfoy hastily shoved his wand back in his pocket.

"Malfoy's got Neville's Remembrall!" said Ron quickly. Malfoy shot him a furious glare, but gave the Remembrall to Professor McGonagall, who had held her hand out expectantly.

"This is the second time you have taken this today, Mr Malfoy. Stealing others' property is not tolerated at Hogwarts. If I hear of you stealing from somebody again, you will have detention with me. I will ensure this is returned to Mr Longbottom – and if you truly wish to possess a Remembrall so badly, Mr Malfoy, I advise you ask your father to purchase one for you."

The Gryffindors all burst into laughter once more and Draco stormed off to Crabbe and Goyle with a murderous expression on his face.

Professor McGonagall waited with the class until Madam Hooch finally returned from the Hospital Wing. The flying instructor apologised to and thanked Professor McGonagall before turning to the class.

"We haven't got long now, unfortunately, but can each of you mount your brooms the way I showed you and we'll do what I said before Mr Longbottom's accident. Remember, push off the ground, rise a few feet, then lean forwards slightly to touch back down. On my whistle this time. Three – two – one –"

Her whistle sounded and Iris pushed up off the ground. Immediately, she noticed the feeling of weightlessness, combined with a feeling similar to the one she got when she held her wand – flying on the broomstick just felt right.

She was itching to fly higher and faster, but she decided to heed Madam Hooch's instructions, leaning forwards slightly and landing gently back on the grass. Once she dismounted her broom, she looked around at the rest of the class. A couple of the Slytherins had already done as instructed like Iris had, but Malfoy was still up in the air. He was hovering slightly above the rest of the class, holding his broom steady and smiling smugly at the Gryffindors who were struggling. Iris had to admit he looked a very competent flier. Ron touched town beside her, stumbling slightly as he did so, but grinning all the same. Hermione Granger was having much less fun – her broom was shaking violently and she was clinging on tightly as it carried her sideways in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Madam Hooch told the rest of the class to come down and mounted her own broom to fly off after Hermione and help her get her broom under control. Malfoy ensured he was the last person to land, but when he did, he wasted no time before sneering in the direction of Hermione, who was still being helped by Madam Hooch.

"How pathetic is that?" he drawled. "Not even able to ride a broom. Just goes to show – her kind shouldn't be allowed in here."

"She's still better than you in every other subject," retorted Ron, who didn't even like Hermione.

Malfoy scoffed. "And Weasleys are hardly better. My father says they're all Muggle-lovers with no money and even less common sense."

In a flash, Ron had tossed his broom aside and rushed at Malfoy, crashing into him and knocking them both down to the ground. Before he could attack him any more, Goyle grabbed him from behind and dragged him away from Malfoy roughly. Goyle raised his fist to hit Ron, but a shrill whistle interrupted him.

"What is going on here?" shrieked Madam Hooch.

"Weasley attacked me for no reason," said Malfoy, picking himself off the ground.

"No I didn't!" shouted Ron, wriggling free from Goyle's grip.

"Malfoy insulted his family," added Parvati.

"No he didn't!" lied Pansy.

"Enough!" said Madam Hooch. "Ten points from both houses and be thankful that I am not giving you detentions. I believe that's enough for today's lesson anyway. Lay your brooms back on the ground and off you go."

They did as instructed then walked off towards the castle. The Slytherins were walking behind them and Iris could tell Ron was still tense.

"I've changed my mind, by the way," Iris said to Ron quietly. "Landing a hit on Malfoy is definitely worth the punishment."

"That's not a good attitude to take," interjected Hermione. "It's not worth breaking the rules and hitting somebody just because they say something mean. You shouldn't have done that," she added, addressing Ron.

"Actually, I see Ron's point now. Bullies like him need to be stood up to. They need to be shown they're not all-powerful and someone can hurt them too."

Iris said this all with Dudley firmly in mind. He had relentlessly bullied her for her entire childhood, until someone bigger and stronger than him showed up and gave him a pig's tail. Maybe Draco Malfoy needed his ego slapping down like that too.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," said Hermione in a superior tone.

"You know Malfoy was insulting you before Ron attacked him?" Iris asked her. "He was telling everyone how he didn't think Muggleborns should be allowed to come to Hogwarts. You should be thanking Ron for sticking up for you."

Hermione looked at Ron in surprise but stayed silent.

When they reached the Great Hall, Iris and Ron sat near the end of the Gryffindor table and wasted no time before tucking into their dinner. To Iris' surprise, Hermione took a seat close to them and was sending glances over at them. Iris decided to ignore her presence and made small talk with Ron about the flying lesson they'd just had.

"I can't wait 'til the next lesson though," said Ron, finally finishing off his plate of steak and kidney pie. "I might try out for the Gryffindor team next year. I prefer playing Keeper but Wood is the captain so that's impossible, but if the Seeker this year is really rubbish, then maybe I'll have a shot."

"Longbottom's more likely to pass Potions than you are to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team," said a drawling voice from behind them. Unsurprisingly, it was Malfoy.

"Do you not have any friends in Slytherin?" Iris asked him seriously, "because that would explain why you've spent so much time talking to us today."

Ron laughed loudly and Malfoy instantly scowled at Iris.

"When I first met you, I thought you had the potential to make a good witch," he said, fixing his grey eyes on Iris. "Instead, you made friends with a Weasley and speak to your betters with no respect at all."

Ron scoffed. "Iris is a better wizard than you'll ever be," he said confidently.

Now, Malfoy smirked.

"Oh, really? Well if you're so confident, then how about we put Potter's abilities to the test?" he looked straight at Iris. "Wizard's duel. Tonight. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before?"

"Of course she has," said Ron, "I'm her second, who's yours?"

Malfoy turned around to look at Crabbe and Goyle for a moment, before turning back to face Iris and Ron.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room, that's always unlocked."

The moment the three Slytherins had walked off, Iris and Ron looked at each other.

"So what have I gotten myself in for?" she asked him.

"It's a wizard's duel," said Ron. "Basically, you and Malfoy just shoot spells at each other until … well, it's usually until one person dies – but the most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse anyway."

"Well, I reckon I should probably learn a spell or two before tonight anyway, just in case," said Iris thoughtfully.

"Excuse me."

They both looked up to see it was Hermione who had spoken.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really very nosy of you," said Iris.

"Goodbye," said Ron.

-o0o-

Iris and Ron spent the next few hours learning and perfecting the leg-locker curse on each other. Iris figured that it was good she had at least one spell up her sleeve to use on Malfoy. As much as she was nervous for her first ever wizard's duel, Iris couldn't deny she was also very excited. The thought of Malfoy on the ground, defeated by Iris' magic, was very appealing to her.

Once they returned to the common room, they played some wizard's chess before splitting up to their dormitories with plans to meet back in the common room at half-past eleven. They didn't want to just stay up in the common room, as Ron's Prefect brother Percy was bound to send them to bed anyway.

Iris heard voices as Lavender and Parvati came up to bed, then footsteps that were presumably Hermione's. Iris was glad she would be out of the way and had chosen not to interfere with their plans for the night.

The watch she had borrowed felt like it was moving ten times slower than usual but at long last the time read 23:25 so Iris made sure her wand was still in her pocket, pulled back her curtains, then stood up as quietly as she could. She was about to creep out of the room when she spotted a pair of eyes through the darkness. Iris pulled her wand out hastily, but paused when the mystery person spoke.

"I can't believe you're doing this, Iris."

"Seriously?" Iris asked incredulously. "You waited up for me all this time?"

"I would have waited in the common room, but I thought you were more likely to hear me out than Ron," said Hermione Granger quietly, making sure not to wake Lavender or Parvati.

"I know we could get in trouble," said Iris impatiently. "We'll be careful, alright?"

"I don't want you to be careful, I want you to not go at all!"

"How is it any of your business?" Iris asked, starting to get annoyed now.

"It's all of Gryffindor's business! Don't you care about Gryffindor? Do you only care about yourself? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"Oh, gosh, that would be such a tragedy," Iris drawled sarcastically.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, but took a deep breath before continuing.

"Have you not considered the possibility that this whole thing could just be a trick by Malfoy, designed to get you and Ron in trouble?"

That gave Iris pause. What if it was a trick? That would certainly be a Slytherin move.

"It doesn't matter," said Iris confidently. "If it's not a trap, I'll look like a coward for not showing up, and if it is a trap – well, like I said: we'll be careful. We won't be caught."

"I won't let you go," said Hermione, a little louder. She stood up and blocked the doorway. Iris gritted her teeth. Hermione was really starting to grind on her nerves.

"Why are you so insistent on butting your nose into other people's business?" Iris asked seriously. She wondered if this was just a misguided attempt for the girl to actually make a friend.

"I'm not!" Hermione hissed, "I just don't like seeing people act like idiots and getting our house in trouble!"

"Well, you're starting to remind me of my aunt, and that's not a good thing," said Iris. "Maybe if you want some magical friends, you should stop acting like such a Muggle."

"Stop saying that like it's a bad thing!" said Hermione angrily. "I don't think you realise how many people listen to you, and you're making people think all Muggles are monsters!"

"Well, in my experience, they are!" spat Iris. "You're lucky you grew up with them believing you were a Muggle. Maybe if the Dursleys thought I was like them, they would have been nice to me too, and they wouldn't have encouraged their son to beat me up, or locked me in a cupboard without meals for weeks at a time!"

Hermione's eyes had widened and she bit her lip.

"I'm sorry – I didn't realise they were that horrible to you, and you didn't deserve to be treated like that at all," said Hermione more gently, "but I promise you not all Muggles are like that. My parents –"

"I haven't got time for this right now!" said Iris angrily. "Move out of the way!"

But Hermione stood her ground, and Iris had reached the end of her tether.

"Locomotor Mortis!" she cast, and Hermione collapsed to the floor with a crash, her legs fixed together as though bound by ropes. Iris quickly hopped over Hermione's prone body before she could cast the counter-spell, or Lavender or Parvati woke up. She ran downstairs into the common room, which was mercifully empty other than Ron.

"What took you so long?" he asked. "I tried to come up to find you but the stairs kept changing into a slide."

"Hermione," said Iris in explanation. "C'mon, let's go."

However, they had only just managed to leave through the portrait hole when they heard it open again behind them.

"You cursed me," Hermione accused angrily, stepping out into the corridor.

"And yet you still didn't get the hint," Iris retorted, extremely annoyed now.

"Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" said Hermione desperately. "If you get caught, you'll get in big trouble!"

"Why do you care?" Iris asked. "And don't give me that rubbish about Gryffindor losing house points."

"You stuck up for me against Malfoy earlier," Hermione said, her tone more sheepish now. "I don't want him to have the satisfaction of tricking you into getting into trouble."

"Hermione? Is that you?" came another voice from the dark corridor, causing Iris to jump. It was Neville.

"Neville, what're you doing out here?" Hermione asked.

"I've been stuck out here for hours," he said. "I couldn't remember the password to get in to bed."

"Keep your voice down, Neville," Ron said. "The password's 'Pig Snout'."

He turned to give it to the Fat Lady, but was only met with an empty frame.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"It doesn't matter," said Iris, turning to Ron. "We have to leave now, or we'll be late."

"I'm coming with you," said Hermione determinedly.

"Me too," said Neville, sounding a lot more nervous.

Iris rolled her eyes, not having the time nor energy to argue any longer.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learnt that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and used it on you," Ron said.

Together, the four of them hurried through the corridors in the direction of the trophy room, fortunately not encountering anyone along the way. When they finally reached their destination, Hermione suddenly spoke.

"Stop," she hissed. Iris and Ron froze where they were. It took a moment, but Iris then saw what Hermione had: Mrs Norris was stood directly in their path, her yellow eyes glinting up at them maliciously before she let out a loud meow.

"Run!" Ron shouted.

They didn't need telling twice, all four of them setting off at a run in no particular direction, only stopping when they were sufficiently far enough away from the trophy room.

"I – told – you," Hermione gasped, clutching a stitch. "I – told – you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower, quickly as possible," said Ron.

Unfortunately, a doorknob right in front of them rattled and Peeves came flying out into the corridor. Iris groaned at their luck, even more so when Ron antagonised him and he screamed out for Filch, meaning they had to break into a run once more. That was until they reached a dead end, with a door providing their only means of escape – a door that was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as Filch's footsteps drew closer. "We're done for! This is the end!"

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled, pulling out her wand. "Alohomora!"

The lock clicked and the door swung open – they piled into the room quickly, shutting the door behind them. The voices of Filch and Peeves in a showdown of sorts filtered through the door, but Iris lost all interest in them when she noticed who, or rather what, was in the room with them. Facing the four of them, and taking up most of the space in the room, was a humongous three-headed dog, each of the heads snarling at them viciously. Iris was the first to act, grasping for the handle and throwing the door back open, allowing them to escape. Filch had moved on, but that was the least of their concerns as they broke into yet another run. They didn't stop sprinting until they were back inside the Gryffindor common room, ignoring the Fat Lady's questions on the way in.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

Nobody spoke.

"It was standing on a trapdoor," she explained. "It's obviously guarding something. I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have all been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

The boys made no move of their own, but Iris followed after her bushy-haired roommate, catching up to her on the stairs.

"You were right," Iris said, pushing some red hair out of her face and squashing her pride. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you."

Hermione looked slightly surprised by Iris' apology, but nodded to acknowledge it.

"There's something I still don't understand," Hermione spoke, as they entered their dormitory. "What on earth would be so important to justify having that thing guard it in a school?"

"I don't know what it is," said Iris thoughtfully, moving to her trunk and rummaging around for a moment, before pulling out the item she was looking for: the newspaper article she had taken from Hagrid's hut last week. "But I think I know where it came from."