Chapter 20

November 13th, 1994

"Really, have nothing better to do than stalk me to all my classes?"

Dante pushed Theodore aside just as always, with a big smile as he watched the expected glare get sent his way. Straightening up his back to feel taller as he stood next to Iris, he announced to the world, "Father sent me here to make connections. So naturally, my time is best spent getting in the favor of my—"

"No more of that," Iris' eyes were cold as she locked eyes with Dante… you know, funnily, he was, if anything, just a smidge shorter than Iris, "And funny way to gain someone's favor."

At that, the girls following behind would share a bit of a giggle, the four of them glancing at Theodore, who just had to deadpan… all very aware of the irony of Iris knocking someone for being a bit of a pest. She did follow after Theodore for months once upon a time… and well….

Iris shot them a look back as they reached the stairs leading down into the dungeons for their potions class… not as amused with the way their heads were calling her out. And everyone would just smile to themselves at that… just happy their friend was starting to come back out.

The two weeks since Ryker Peverell left Hogwarts grounds were a slow adjustment. Things were starting to settle… but were far from normal. The mix of the approaching winter chills and the excitement of the twenty or so new faces from the visiting schools had everyone both locked inside and filling up the usual quiet places in Hogwarts. Dante Marcella was still an ongoing headache. His life's goal was to be a pest to Iris… his side mission was to charm every girl who looked his way. And Iris…

Well, Iris was seemingly pushing all her worries away. She was constantly off on her own in the woods and slowly starting to gain the energy that had been typical of her. It was… nice to see but also deeply… worrying.

And with Dante's pestering… it left Theodore at a loss whether he too wanted to add on… so much of his newfound time alone was spent weighing whether he should just tell her about Ryker. But… they were never alone anymore, so the opportunity never seemed to arrive.

Reaching the door to the potions room, the group joined the awaiting students. Iris' gaze firmly locked on the door as she looked the most ready for that door to let her inside… anticipating a potions class with Snape if it meant some freedom from Dante.

But instead of an open door, she would receive the awful sound of a second irritating voice, "Nott, I have a gift."

Everyone. Everyone but Dante rolled their eyes, said boy raising an eyebrow as he surely felt the shared dread spike in everyone. Watching as the blond git that was Draco Malfoy approached Theodore Nott with a box in hand, a horrible little grin on his face.

Theodore stepped back up to Iris' empty side as he blandly met Draco's grin, the girls popping around to watch the unexpected interaction. Sally-Ann jammed an elbow into Valeria's side with a hushed, "I only ever liked his hair, you idiot."

Draco would pay no mind to any of it, his attention solely on Theodore as he dug into the box, shoving something into Theodore's grasp a second later, "Thought you'd like to see what I have been making in the dorm all week."

Theodore did, in fact, not want to see it. Unable to even spare a look down at the badge in his hand, just waiting for Draco to continue as he always would. And as he did as he pointed to the badge on his own shirt, his grin growing a bit malicious as he let it play out.

It was a simple thing at first. Large, bold red lettering that read out "Support Cedric Diggory— The Real Hogwarts Champion!" Wasn't much to it really… until it started spinning, the lettering blurring into itself before it started to slow… the spinning coming to a halt to really explain everything, "Potter Stinks."

Giggles came from behind Draco, the rest of the Slytherin fourth years behind him… all proudly adoring their badges. No one in front of Draco would be quite as amused. Boredom and raised eyebrows all around.

Still, that would do nothing to deter Draco Malfoy. Looking away from Theodore, he grinned at Iris first, then moved his eyes to each of the others, "Slytherin is taking the side of the real champion. Not Potter, who always needs more reason for people to look at him." He looked smugly over to Dante, "Even you can have one if you want to support the future winner instead of the seeker that cost Bulgaria the World Cup."

And while he never really seemed to have him… Draco lost Dante right there, the boy's brows furrowing, "Actually, it was a fail on the part of the chasers. Viktor, if anything, made the most admirable play in history—"

Whatever rant Dante was about to go on about Quidditch was thankfully interrupted as Draco spotted something… or someone more interesting in the direction of the stairs. Paying the boy no mind as he pushed through some of the crowd… leaving Dante astonished at being ignored.

Harry Potter had appeared, Hermione Granger in tow. Harry was rather unpopular with the school these days… no one was much a fan of the boy who had seemingly cheated the system to join the tournament.

And as Dante would so happily make a note of as he spotted the boy with that world-famous scar… "Oh, that one has a temper."

That should have been a warning. But no one seemed to make note of Dante's growing smirk as they instead focused on what would be one of Draco Malfoy's and Harry Potter's famous squabbles.

The students awaiting the door to open would find entertainment in becoming the mindless crowd of bystanders. Iris circled around to better center herself, specifically watching Harry react to the spinning badge… watching how his neck burned red.

Hermione jumped to the defense… Ronald Weasley was back against the wall with some other Gryffindor boys.

Then was Draco's aggravating voice again, "Want one, Granger?" He held out a badge with the faintest sneer, "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. You see, I've just washed it; don't want a mudblood sliming it up."

Harry was reaching for his wand before anyone else could think, Iris' eyes going wide as she shot Dante a look, "Calm him down."

Dante would just laugh, his smile wild as he watched the show unfolding before him, "Why would I? Blond bastard deserves it, doesn't he?"

Narrowing her eyes, Iris stepped forward, Draco's wand coming out as he teased at Harry some more… but before she got anywhere, the spells were cast.

"Furnunculus!"

"Densaugeo!"

In an impressive display of light, the spells shot simultaneously, meeting in the middle with flashbang to ricochet in unattended directions— Gregory Goyle and Hermione Granger caught in the crossfire. Both bellowing out as they each covered their faces. Goyle, his nose as boils broke out. Hermione, her mouth as she whimpered.

The next moments were chaos. Iris' eyes widened as she walked over to Hermione, reaching for the girl before Ronald Weasley pushed past with a shout. He had dragged her hand from her mouth… putting the problem on full display. Hermione Granger's front teeth were growing at an alarming rate.

A comment came from Dante, of course, as he cringed, "Well, that hits a bit close to home."

Giggling was coming from elsewhere, then a rather annoyed Sally-Ann as she snapped at Pansy Parkinson and the other giggling Slytherins, "Real funny until I do it to you!"

And slowly, Hermione was being crowded around, one by one, Tracey, Jane, and Valeria all shuffling around with concerned looks.

And then, just as a cherry on top, Snape finally decided to show up. Draco rushes to make excuses, and Harry and Ron jump to explain what really happened. So much noise and movement.

Until Snape finally turned to Hermione to see for himself if Draco had really had any part in the attack…. Everything went quiet as she showed him her teeth that had grown past her chin and got one cold response back, "I see no difference."

It was a slap to the face. For Hermione Granger's uneven and larger front teeth had been the brunt of many jokes before…

Hermione whimpered again, eyes filled with tears as she took off down the hall… loud pig-like laughs grew louder with Draco's crowd of friends. Anger rises in everyone on the side of the girl… specifically in the girls… all of them overtly aware of how insecurities are no joke.

Iris was first, one cold glare directed at Snape, not even wasting energy on a comment before she took off in the direction of Hermione… and one by one, Tracey, Valeria, Jane, and Sally-Ann would follow. Not one of them friends with Hermione Granger… but all are more than ready to jump in for any girl.

More shouts rang out from Harry and Ron.

Theodore Nott, who had taken a back seat as always, looked up to the ceiling with a deep sigh before too taking off in the direction of the girls.

Dante left behind with his stupid grin as he eyed the potions professor… waiting until Snape's dark eyes met his own… "Are you allowed near open flames with that hair?"

XxxxxX

Iris was just steps behind through the bathroom door, grabbing her wand from her boot as she sped up to Hermione at one of the mirrors. Ignoring the girl's shocked cry, Iris spun her around, pulling down her hand and tapping her wand to the teeth already at the girl's collarbone, "Finite Incantatem."

Hermione pulled away from the girl's grasp, tears still streaming down her face as she turned to the mirror… a big sob racked her as she really looked at the damage.

Sally-Ann, Tracey, Valeria, and Jane all stumbled through the door. Valeria, the voice of reason, "Shouldn't we be going down to the Hospital Wing?"

Iris shook her head as she stared down the side of Hermione's head, "Doesn't want anyone else to see."

A collective wave of understanding flashed through them all… it wasn't exactly a logical decision to make… but it made sense. The jokes about Hermione Granger's teeth would only worsen if anyone else saw this.

"So, does anyone know how to reverse it then?"

The silence was heavy as Hermione continued to cry, Tracey and Jane taking to rubbing her back… everyone else was still a bit awkward.

It almost seemed like no one would have an answer when Iris finally bit at her cheek, leaning back against the sink next to Hermione, "A shrinking charm works fine."

Valeria popped an eyebrow at the confidence in that statement, "Are you positive?"

Humming… Iris tried to bite away a bit of a growing smile, "I may have done the same thing to Dante once when I was… ten, I want to say." She looked over when a few giggles came from some of the girls, "He refused to be seen like that, so let us shrink them back… left them a bit larger than they were."

Hermione didn't have the connection to Dante to find it all that funny… but the lightheartedness between the friends surrounding her seemed to be somewhat of a help. A smile tugged at her lips just for a moment against her will.

Then came another round of quiet as everyone looked expectantly at Iris… who was all too quick to catch on. Her eyes went wide as she shook her head frantically, "Oh no. I didn't say I reversed his teeth. Trust me, the last thing anyone wants is me doing anything remotely related to healing or putting a body part back to normal. I tried to stop a bloody nose with magic once, and that just became a whole crime scene."

And with that came a bit of a hard laugh, half cry from Hermione. Everyone else joined in at Iris' expense. Sally-Ann was quick to pass the responsibility on, "Well then, Val is next in line."

Valeria was shaking her head before Sally could even finish her sentence, "I do not want it on my conscious if I shrink her teeth back into her gums."

"Well, someone has to change it." And yet it should be noted that not even Sally-Ann wanted to volunteer.

"Theo is just outside; I vote he does it."

Everyone looked to Iris, needing a moment to remember that she could hear better than they could… and reminded that she could probably hear his thoughts as she added, "He has been debating whether to come in or not for a few minutes."

Everyone looked back to Hermione, Jane the one to give her a soft smile, scratching the girl's back as she asked, "Are you okay with Theodore doing it?"

Tracey matched that smile, providing some reassurance as Hermione's eyes grew uncertain, "He has always been excellent. Practices and studies a lot… probably right behind you in class ranking."

Iris leaned back to catch Hermione's attention, the most familiar face to help give her the comfort in the boy, "And he has the best patience… kinda vital that this spell is done at a slower pace so you can tell him when to stop."

Hermione was unable to speak… a sad sight with her overgrown teeth, just left to whimper as her head was a mess with emotions. But looking at the calm of Iris' eyes… she would eventually nod…. Looking back at the mirror and herself with her teary eyes.

Sally-Ann was throwing open the door in an instant, met face to face with Theodore just lamely standing at the bathroom door like some creep. Smiling wide at him, she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards Hermione, "Congrats! You get to perform a shrinking charm!"

Theodore didn't really get a moment to process anything, glaring back at Sally-Ann before looking around… the words hitting him as he caught Hermione's teeth in the mirror's reflection, "None of you idiots can figure it out?"

Valeria was quick to snap back at him, "No, I just never signed up to be a healer. The rest of the idiots just can't figure it out."

Theodore rolled his eyes, glancing at Iris' awaiting smile before shaking his head. Pulling his wand out, Theodore gave Hermione a bored look, "Ignore their dramatics, Granger; it really isn't much different than shrinking anything else."

Jane and Tracey continued to hover over Hermione, their smiles gentle as she turned to face Theodore. Sally-Ann and Valeria joined at Iris' side to watch.

Theodore directed Hermione to keep looking in the mirror, then raising his wand; he nodded at her, "Tap me on the arm when they are back to normal." And with a bedside manner to be expected of him, Theodore didn't even let Hermione nod before he tapped his wand to her teeth.

It was quick at first, the teeth going from her collarbone to her chin in almost the blink of an eye, making Tracey shout a bit. But, proving calm as always, Theodore didn't waiver a bit. His gaze steady on Hermione's reflection as he watched her teeth slow in their shrinkage.

Everyone watched either curiously or boredly. So many eyes on Hermione's reflection… except for Iris… her gaze locked on the side of Hermione's head…. That glazed-over look in her eyes.

The teeth were just beginning to fit in her mouth again when Iris' eyebrows furrowed, knocking her out of her daze as she lifted a hand… hovering it over Theodore's shoulder as she continued to look at Hermione.

They were just starting to look normal when Theodore kept going. When Hermione made no move to stop it. When Iris roughly grabbed his shoulder, the spell halted.

Everyone. Everyone looked back at Iris. No one is quite certain why she did that…. Well, Hermione seemed to know… if the sheepish look in her watery eyes meant anything.

"Why'd you want to keep going? This is their normal size, right?"

Every pair of eyes returned to Hermione; her mouth was closed, but… Iris wouldn't have stopped it unless she knew what Hermione was doing. The girls all caught on rather quickly to what Hermione was trying to accomplish. Jane smiled sympathetically, "You shouldn't feel like you need to change them."

Theodore cringed a bit at that, dipping out of the conversation as he went to stand on Iris' opposite side. Not really wanting to be a part of a conversation about the teasings Hermione Granger faced about her buck teeth.

Iris' brows were still furrowed. Watching Hermione bitterly look at herself in the mirror. Showing off her teeth… really just normal teeth. Maybe a bit big and crooked but nothing worth being teased about. A sediment Iris had, "Honestly, don't really understand what anyone is on about with them. Do people here just have baby teeth?"

Iris moved to stand over Hermione's shoulder, her own lips pulling apart to show off her annoying teeth, "Mine are just as big. Just had them straightened as a kid to fix the crowding problem." Poking at them once, Iris stepped back, "You don't need to shrink them, get some braces, and—"

Hermione was against it immediately, groaning out her frustrations, "I do use braces during summers. My parents want me to keep with them, and it isn't working."

"Then go ask Pomfrey to use magic," Tracey added in, showing off her own teeth for a moment, "That's what I did first year. Braces really only work if you have them on all the time."

Hermione's cheeks puffed out, her face bitter as she turned around, "That is just all of you. No one is going to make fun of Iris' teeth." She then turned on the rest of the girls. Everything that had been stewing in her came out to lash at the girls.

First was Valeria, "Or your big hair." Then was Sally-Ann, "Or the way you dress." And she finished off by pushing away Jane and Tracey's supporting hands, "No one is ever going to tease any of you for anything imperfect because you are all pretty. And all have perfect uncrooked smiles and well-kept hair, and you are the pretty girls that no boy will ever poke fun at. No one notices anything imperfect because you all are overall perfect. Perfect skin, shiny hair, white teeth, long legs.

"All of you just have this natural respect and are allowed to be silly and to giggle and to be boy crazy. Boys have to respect you, just as all attractive people get respect. You can raise your hands in class, and no one rolls their eyes. You can shine your big teeth and get them to listen. You can just walk through life getting everything you all want. Without having to do anything but exist.

"I'm not pretty. I am the awkward, muggle-born girl who has to work to gain even an ounce of respect by overcompensating. And even then. Even when I try my hardest, I am still shamed. I am annoying, and a know-it-all and my hair is too crazy and my eyebrows too messy, and my teeth are too big. All anyone does is tease and ridicule me!

"So excuse me for wanting to have one less thing for people to make fun of me for!"

…

The five girls surrounding Hermione had to take a moment to process the quick frustrations that Hermione Granger had just unloaded on them. The lashing out they had just taken from someone essentially a stranger to them. This stranger assuming things… it would have angered many… and did anger them…. All of them… even down to the nicest of the bunch.

Jane… Jane looked angry, and yet her voice still remained soft… at first, "Do you seriously think that being pretty saves us from anything? That none of us have faced ridicule or gone without respect? All those things you just said aren't pretty things… they are girl things." Her voice wavered as it gained a bit of an edge, "My parents are trying to force me into a marriage with Theodore, right there, because no matter what… I am a girl in this world and will be used as a tool to raise my family's wealth and status."

Jane stood taller… a very… different side showing in a girl who normally was so soft, "And Val? Valeria is constantly called a know-it-all behind her back. Constantly given no grace from any of the boys in our own house when she makes mistakes. Any slip-up in her academics is a point of ridicule. Her dream is to be an ambassador, and boys laugh at her for it. Anything less than a genius and they make fun of her. Too much of a genius, and they downplay it.

"And Sally is a muggle-born just as you. Constantly ignored in this world and sidelined as just a pretty face and nice flirt. She wanted to join the Quidditch team. First, they called her fat because she wasn't their perfect little stick version of a girl and assumed she wouldn't be able to handle the athleticism. Then when she blew it out of the water at tryouts… they said a girl wasn't allowed on the team. And when she complained to Snape and Dumbledore… they said it was just up to the captain.

"And Tracey. Poor damn, Tracey is nothing but a shy best friend. Super innocent and sweet. She giggles and is called silly, and is given no respect or thought by any of them. She is thought of as nothing more than some silly teenage girl. They would never listen to her. They would cut her off and laugh at her when she was too shy to speak in public. They don't care about her."

Jane was a shock to everyone, heaving as she tried to keep herself somewhat level-headed, "It doesn't matter if we are pretty, Granger. We are all still girls living in a world run by men. Maybe they don't make fun of our big teeth or hair… but we are under just as much scrutiny. They downplay us and ignore us and sideline us just as much as you. Maybe they don't act like schoolyard bullies to us, but we have problems, too… we will never be perfect for them.

"The only differences between you and us… well, for starters, we don't let the meaningless teasings from them change us. And we never." Jane took a breath, calming herself, "We never take out the frustrations caused by them on one another."

Fixing her school bag on her shoulder, Jane bit at her cheek, a pinched look on her face before she just shook her head and walked off, "Hope the rest of your day is better, Granger."

Tracey, Sally-Ann, and Valeria all shared pointed looks before leaving the bathroom, none of them quite as nice to leave any kind of goodbyes.

And so… that left three. Hermione looked rather shocked, Iris quiet as she silently stared ahead of her… and Theodore surprisingly… proud, maybe? He looked impressed, if nothing else.

They stayed like that for an awfully long time… long enough for Hermione to start looking the slightest bit remorseful. Long enough for Iris to finally look at the girl again, "You don't have any girl friends really, do you?"

"Never got along with any of them. Always thought boys were less… drama. Girls have always been too…." She didn't finish her thought.

Iris hummed, finishing Hermione's thought for her, "Weepy, spiteful, mean… silly…. Sad you see it like that… boys really just don't get a lot of what we go through…. And they really were just here to help you."

Iris had moved to leave before remembering one thing and turning back, "And really, just go get them straightened up and fix the crowding issue."

Then without another word, she left, Theodore Nott naturally at her side.

XxxxxX

Iris and Theodore had ended up in the courtyard, sitting at one of the benches as they skipped the rest of their potions class. Their first real time alone in two weeks. It was quiet for a while. Iris let the sun soak into her skin while the cold air nipped away at Theodore. Forcing the boy further and further into his robes. Him glancing over at her from time to time.

Eventually, classes would just end… movement and noise restored as students started their moves to who knows where. Everyone comes from and goes somewhere different.

Iris and Theodore both watched. Sat quietly on their bench as they observed the world around them. Neither of them passed judgment or made comments… just watching.

Especially when Cedric Diggory went walking by… the real it boy of Hogwarts now that he was champion… a crowd always steps behind him… the fame has gone to his head rather quickly. That was the one sight that would leave Iris with a frown… one sight she would pass judgment on. Watching this perfect boy live in the ego-building happening around him. It was normal… but still disappointing.

Iris wouldn't watch for long, standing up and shooting Theodore a smile, "Want to go for a walk?"

Once upon a time, it would have been a hard no. A walk really meant a several-hour-long adventure… excursion if she knew where she was taking him. In this cold weather… this close to dinner… he once would have said no. But then… then he was up and walking alongside her without so much as a second thought.

Following her off Hogwarts grounds and into the forest, they were told that every opening speech was forbidden. Basking in alone time with her… but that dread in the back of his mind as the thing he knew he needed to bring up to her ate at him.

After enough time in silence… Theodore Nott would find himself the one that needed to break it… "Jane didn't say anything about you to Hermione."

She would just nod absently at that, focused on wherever she was leading the two of them, "We are friends, but they do largely have their own group between the four of them. Their own lives. Not sure I have confided in them about anything like that."

Theodore was unfamiliar with where they were going, left to just trust Iris blindly, left to keep leading the conversation, "What would your part have been… if you would have added your own experience?"

That so Iris-like hum sounded out again, "My people's culture has always been better… but I guess with the no maj world, being a young, cute little girl in the public eye led to a lot of creeps. Exposed to a lot of… bad thoughts when I was young… still am now. Really do just feel like nothing more than something to look at sometimes. And watching interviews with women shows where I will be one day… not someone worth asking serious questions. Cause for women, it is all clothes and your husband and children."

Theodore frowned, watching as Iris so casually rambled on. She was way too… accepting of how the world worked for women… for even little girls. The truths she had to take… Theodore got uncomfortable with it rather quickly, moving to a different question, "Do you have any insecurities?"

Her nose scrunched as she spun mid-step, "My shoulders," Theodore had to raise an eyebrow at how serious she was, "They are just so manly and wide for no reason. I always wanted more dainty cute little shoulders." A pout was on her lips as she spun back around. "Instead, I am this giant with more muscle definition than just about every boy in this school."

Theodore bit back his smile, a bit pathetic to be laughing at what would be his own expense as well, "That's more on us than it is on you."

She was nodding far too enthusiastically before she just came to a halt. Grabbing Theodore's arm as she smiled at him, looking just past some trees. It was a dramatic pause that had her companion raising an eyebrow… a dramatic pause that only existed to add flair to her own life.

Leading Theodore the final steps out of the trees at a snail's pace… she was the only one who seemed to be growing excited. Theodore left to just smile in an unwanted fondness against his will.

So slowly leaving the tree line to be met with a small clearing… several of the most fascinating creatures within. And while Iris looks somehow more excited… Theodore's smile dropped.

They were the creatures that pulled the carriages… those strange horse-like creatures. Walking skeletons with inky black leather stretched over the top of them. They had large wings like that of bats… long tails that seemed stiff in place… reptilian features on their faces, and mouths like a beak…. They were abominations. All the strangest pieces of so many creatures thrown together… and yet….

And yet they were fascinating to look at. Captivating. So surreal in the most wrongly beautiful way there could be. Creatures that carried such a sad look on their faces… creatures that just felt so… lonely….

Thestrals. Creatures that could only find company in those who understood the most intense loss there was… a loss caused by death itself. Only those who have lived those hardships… who have lived in that grief… who had that understanding of one of the cruelest fates in life… could set eyes on these lonely features. Their whole existence is an embodiment of grief.

Iris didn't seem to much sit in that fact… far too fascinated by their sole existence. Leaving Theodore behind as she approached one… the creatures were comfortable enough with the girl that this was definitely just one visit of many.

Theodore remained back… an unease overtaking him as he looked at one of those inky beasts. They were off-putting to him. Certainly not something to approach, let alone embrace. But watching that fond sort of look come over Iris as she scratched at one's head… seeing how gentle they were with one another… he did like that.

Iris glanced back to Theodore, her gaze soft… "Your mom is who you witnessed… pass, right?"

He wouldn't answer immediately, eyes dating away as he shifted uneasily in place… but eventually Theodore would nod, "My earliest memory is watching her die… I understood it, but… the grief never really hit as it should have."

Again with that hum… Iris focused on the thestral before her, her smile sad as she nodded, "I was so different before…." She stepped away from the thestral, watching it walk over to the others, "Used to be just… just… different. Grief is weird. It changes you; the feeling creates this whole new… sadder version."

She shot him a look back, startling the boy with her painful smile, "Sorry, your life had to start with that feeling."

Theodore wasn't sure what it was in that moment. Watching her. Feeling that jolt of understanding… that shared bit of pain. But… something right then became clear. This was his one chance at someone who he could confide in. The one person who looked to know him. The one person it was just wrong to keep things from…

"I lied to Ryker."

…

It shocked Theodore himself how quickly those words came out… and more so shocked Iris. The girl is frozen in place. Nothing flashed through her.

Theodore rushed to explain further, his heartbeat quickening in anticipation, "I met him on that Hogsmeade trip in October. He recognized Remus… asked about the dress, and I told him it was Jane's. And then, the day he left, I was with Dante, and he needed to talk to him. But Ryker then asked me some questions, and I think he will keep doing it until he figures out why I lied."

It had to be the most words the boy had ever spoken in succession. All of it just flew out as he stared at Iris. Her dark eyes locked on him. Nothing. Absolutely nothing on her face. And he hated that. No sign to be found of what would be coming his way. Just her empty stare. He had no way to prepare himself. Left to expect anything.

Anger. Anger that would bring harsh words and a fight.

Sadness. Sadness that would send her straight back into the spiral she had just been escaping.

Nothing. Nothing would end with her just walking away, dropping Theodore, and disposing of him for the problems he had unintentionally brought to her life.

He wanted anything but that empty stare. He expected anything. He was ready for anything.

"I should have warned you…."

Except for that.

An empty stare and that…

Iris took a breath, turning away, breaking her gaze, and allowing Theodore to breathe and blink. Releasing him from the physical hold as she finished her thought, "I assume you know now… I doubt he suspects anything, just a game he has always played. Especially when the lies seem so meaningless. Why hide something like that? Can't blame you for anything you say to him… it's a game he has played for years."

Theodore's anxiety was still everywhere, more words rushing out of him, "I have no intention of giving you away. I won't make the same mistakes and—"

"Can we not talk about him anymore… please?"

He shut his mouth in an instant. Shocked as he burned holes into the back of her head… though maybe he shouldn't have been… it always went back to avoidance.

There were a few painful moments of her just standing with her back turned on Theodore… with him just looking at her, his anxiety still holding over him.

Then, Iris turned around, another one of those serious looks on her face, "Another thing I don't like much about myself is my smile."

He blinked at that, his anxiety washing away as he was hit by that statement, head not even thinking, "Which one?"

Iris' head fell into her signature tilt as she approached Theodore, mimicking the question back at him for clarification, "Which one?"

"You have a lot of smiles."

Iris nodded, reaching Theodore's side once more just to sit on the ground, legs stretching out as her hands supported her weight. Thinking as Theodore joined her on the dirt… "The fake ones… they remind me a lot of my mother's smiles."

Theodore glanced over at her. She watched the thestrals continue to walk about, even playing with one another… just normal creatures despite what they represented. He joined in watching as he continued the such sudden shift in conversation, "Who is the big one from." He explained further as her head tilted again, "The one when you are really happy. Only your top teeth show, but still a wide smile."

Her lips quipped at that, "That one is just me."

"That one is my favorite."

She wouldn't respond, sending the pair back into one of their comfortable quiets. Iris' eyes fell closed as she went back to just soaking in the dying sun, head falling lazily over to Theodore's shoulder.

Theodore would look down at her, unable to stop his smile… happy… just happy. That they were still just okay.