(Iris Potter - PoV)
Sighing at Dora, Daphne answers the question regardless. "Well, not long after a certain event here at home, our parents decided to take a bit of a tour around Europe, meet various business associates and contacts personally. Astoria and I accompanied them."
"Oh, that sounds lovely. I have been to France with my parents several times, and it is usually quite interesting," Hermione speaks up.
Daphne makes a face.
"Oh, it was...for Astoria. Aside from an incident or two with some of the brattier kids she had loads of fun. I got to spend the entire time sitting with our parents, looking pretty and pretending to be interested in their discussions."
I haven't exactly spent much time around Daphne, but even I can tell from the glint in her eye and the subtle shift in her posture she appears to be working up to start a rant.
"Most of it wasn't even business! That at least I will need to know one day, no matter how dull it may be. Why in Merlin's name do I need to spend three hours discussing the Sternwight's garden, and Mrs. Sternright's "famous" magical strain of giant Chamomile flowers?"
And there she goes.
She continues on in that fashion. ("And don't even get me started on the Ensoleillé family!") I try to pay attention, I really do.
Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. But little things like "oh, my summer was really annoying because old people were rambly" just seem so inconsequential when we are all still sitting next to a murder cart. And no one seems to even care.
Coeus almost DIED.
Just now.
And everyone just, moved on. Dora, and maybe Phoebe, at least sorta did something about it. To prevent it from happening in the distant future. But no one does anything about the thing that almost killed him.
The bloody trolley.
That is still just sitting there in the corner. Being ignored, like it didn't just try to murder my friend!
My wand trembles in my hand from how hard I am gripping it, forcing me to loosen it slightly. I certainly don't want to hurt the thing.
...
When did I draw my wand?
Why did I draw my wand?
...
Well, if no one else is going to do anything about the cart, I should, shouldn't I?
Daphne is still ranting, the others making occasional comments.
I could ask, but everyone will probably argue. And have good arguments.
I don't want to hear it.
It tried to hurt...no, it tried to kill my family.
My eyes narrow, my grip shifting on my wand before tightening once more.
Unacceptable.
Breathing in and out, I use a technique I learned from one of Coeus's books.
Feeling my magic I draw it up in preparation...
"REDUCTO!" I yell, casting across the room at the offending entity.
Some part of me notes Dora pull her wand instantly, casting a shield. It also notes that my projectile impacts the trolley before her shield comes up.
*Crack**Splat*
Candy flies everywhere, making a complete and utter mess of the entire far side of the compartment, covering everything in a sticky deluge.
..Oops?
Sorry everyone, but it was...worth...it...
...
Ignoring the sudden shouting, I focus through the raining debris of candy and wood chips to see the trolley...almost entirely intact.
...
An outer layer, most likely for decoration is shattered and broken away, but the actual cart is entirely intact! Barely a scratch!
Even the bloody candy is already replaced!
Narrowing my eyes, I lift my wand again.
"*R-"
Dora snatches my wand out of my hand.
"What the hell Iris!?" she yells at me.
Staring blankly at my suddenly empty hand for a moment, I exhale before collapsing backward into my seat, exhausted.
Ugggghhhhh...
That book really understated how much that technique takes it out of you.
...
And it still didn't even work...
I look up at Dora when she pokes me with my wand.
"Iris. What the hell?" she repeats.
I shrug.
"It tried to kill Coeus," I explain. "Our family. And you all just, ignored it. Left it there."
I shrug again.
"So I tried to do something about it."
Sighing, I close my eyes.
"Didn' work..."
"Tried to-, Iris, that was a Reductor! An overpowered Reductor! How the hell do you even know that curse!"
"Book."
"I...Ok, obviously, a book. How did you cast that?"
"More books."
I can hear the facepalm.
Can you stop asking questions Dora? I want to sleep now.
When I wake up, maybe I can try fire? I mean, I am sure the thing is fireproof, but how fireproof? Because I found out during the bed incident that that fire "proof" is usually more like fire resistant.
And I can make a lot of fire.
(Coeus Black - PoV)
My eye twitches slightly.
Half the room is covered in a complete disaster of a mess. A sweet, sticky, terrible mess. Dozens of types of candy mixed with wood chips and who knows what else. Ugh, it is awful.
It also came from my new trolley.
Now, yes, the two of us got off to a rather rocky start, what with it almost eating me and all, but such dangers are the price you pay for the really interesting things with magic.
Iris, unfortunately, having been raised Muggle, doesn't understand that.
Anyone else. Anyone not family, and I would be quite upset.
Mine. My new awesome magical artifact and they tried to destroy it.
But...it's Iris.
Not only that...but she was acting, well, exactly as a Black should.
She identified a threat, a danger, someone or thing who had dared strike against family, and decided, to hell with everyone else's thoughts and opinions, she will take action to remove it.
So here I sit, covered in slurry, irritated and proud.
"You!" Turning away from the apparently somehow now sleeping Iris, Dora points at me for some reason.
"I know this is your fault somehow. Spill."
I blink at her before trying to wipe the gunk off my face.
"I...what?"
What is supposed to be my fault?
Giving up on wiping it away, I begin trying to shake it off instead.
Draco, Daphne, and Hermione sit mostly frozen, seemingly still trying to process the situation. Phoebe seems to be waiting for something?
Oh.
"Damnit, could you clean this up? Or at least help clean us up?"
Dora continues glaring at me for several moments before waving her wand and muttering some words I don't quite catch, and at least some of the mess is gone. At least I am not dripping anymore.
She sighs.
"Magical candy is a bitch to clean." She hesitates. "And I am pretty shit at household spells, never really practiced them much."
I nod in understanding. Andy usually takes care of that kind of thing.
She shakes her head.
"Now, answers Mr.!"
I shrug at her.
"I still don't know what you are asking about?"
She points at Iris.
"That! Where the hell did she learn how to cast that? Most first years, especially pre-first years can't cast a Reductor, much less an overpowered one. How?!"
I shrug.
"I dunno. I mean, we have all the school books, I assume she learned the Reductor from there. I don't know about overpowering it, could have been anything. She has access to all my books, and you know how many I have. We don't spend all our practice time together, we do other stuff, like when I study Runes."
Dora stares at me.
"You are studying Runes?"
I nod.
"Of course. I need Runes and Arithmancy for Enchanting."
Dora runs a hand down her face.
"First years my ass..."
A.N. The initial plan/assumption, was that part way through Daphne's story Iris would yell at everyone for ignoring the cart. Apparently she is rather more direct than that.
