2 | CONFESSIONS° HARRY POTTER

18 | THE ESCAPE

ACT THREE, loss
CHAPTER EGHTEEN, the escape

      "About?" Iris asked in an exasperated tone. She was tired and upset that she had to leave her parents again and wasn't in the mood to listen to Pansy.

"Where have you been? You disappeared in the middle of the night without a word and no one heard from you at all over the holidays. And don't think I didn't notice you disappeared the same night Potter and the Weasley's did and came back when they did. Is there something going on there that I should know about?" Pansy asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Iris with a raised eyebrow.

If Iris was anybody else, she probably would've frozen up and crumbled under Pansy's inquistiveness and her harsh gaze. But Iris wasn't just anyone and Pansy didn't scare her or make her nervous. She was prepared to handle whatever accusations Pansy threw at her and she knew how to get out of situations like this with ease. 

"Do you realize how idiotic you sound?" Iris asked. She dropped her things onto the ground by her bed and looked at Pansy with an equally as harsh stare. She could already see the hesitation building up in Pansy's eyes. "Are you seriously asking me if I spent my holiday's with Harry Potter and the Weasley's?"

"Well . . ." Pansy glanced around the room as Iris stared at her with an unwavering glance. "It's no secret that you're friends, or friendly, with Fred and George. And you always get mad whenever Draco or I say something about Harry or his friends."

Iris looked at Pansy with an unimpressed expression on her face.

"So, because I don't condone bullying that means I'm friends with them?" Iris asked. She remained calm and collected as she spoke. She could see Pansy beginning to doubt herself.

"Why didn't Oliver go with you then? To visit your grandmother? Why didn't he leave when you did?" Pansy asked. Iris could see the triumph on Pansy's face when she asked the question. Iris made a show of pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out an annoyed sigh. The triumphant look on Pansy's face slowly fell.

"Oliver didn't leave when I did because he didn't want to. Something you would know if you even bothered to ask him before interrogating me. Now, if you would get off my bed so I can go to sleep, that would be very much appreciated." Iris sent Pansy a sarcastic smile and she scrambled off of Iris's bed and back to her side of the room. 

Iris secretly smiled to herself as she slipped underneath the covers.

Iris sat in the library, hovering over a book, when a shadow loomed over the page. She hesitantly glanced up and was surprised to see Harry standing over her. His face was bright red and his hands were shoved deep in his pocket. His hair was even messier than it normally was as though he had been running his hands through it. 

"Yes?" Iris asked curiously wondering why he looked so nervous. 

"I  — er  —" If possible, Harry's face became even redder as he spoke. Iris looked at him with a concerned expression. Was he sick?

"Are you well?" She asked. 

"Yes! Er . . . yes, I'm fine." Harry nodded his head. Iris glanced over his shoulder and could see Ron hiding behind a bookcase, facepalming himself as Harry spoke to Iris. "I was wondering  — um  — well, you know the next Hogsmeade weekend is coming up soon."

"Right . . ." Iris frowned, wondering where he was going with this. "Are you planning a D.A. meeting that day?"

"Um  — no." Harry said. He looked down at his feet and mumbled something that Iris didn't hear.