Iris Evans

Chapter 24: Grudge

Draco punched the tree by the Black lake hard. His nerves crawling around his body as word vomit spilled out of his mouth. This was no nervous breakdown, this was rage.

"I can't believe that Potter is to be believed to be the heir of Slytherin. So what the brat can speak a little parseltongue! Anyone can if they try hard enough. I very much doubt it's hard, have you tried speaking French? And what about Egyptian Arabic, I assume that's difficult too! Right Ai?" The quiet hufflepuff squeaked from her spot, where she silently let the boy rant.

Ka rolled her eyes, "we all heard of what he said to the snake, though no one knows what it was." Her gaze turned over to Iris. "So can you talk to snakes too or not?" Iris shrugged.

"The only snakes I know are George and Martha." She said, not looking up from her snake paper origami. "By the way you spelled 'there' wrong." Ka blinked before looking back at her homework. "It's 'they are.'"

"Should we even ask who George and Martha are?" Blasie asked, his gaze trained on the clouds in the sky.

"Caduceus." Nico said from his book, the words were easier to read and not as floaty like English or Italian. They were Greek of course.

"No one listens to me!" Draco exclaimed, throwing himself down onto Blasie's stomach. His face buried in the boy's white shirt as he let out a scream. Draco's blonde head lifted itself from his place, "Well except Ai, she always listens."

Blasie rolled his eyes before pushing Draco off his body. "I've heard enough of your dramatic yapping at the dorms. I don't want to hear it." He scolded. "Just continue on punching the tree."

Draco let out a dramatic groan. "Ai!" He whined, crocodile tears pooling at the corners.

"It's better to ignore vermin so they'll scurry off Ai." Ka hissed, a sharp glare aimed at the boy, his grey eyes widening in shock before he scrambled up to sit up.

"Woah what's with the hostility." Draco asked. "I know for sure I didn't push any of your buttons." His voice rising in defense, a look of panic on his face.

Nico raised his head from the book, and looked between the two. To his side he nudged Iris and shoved Blasie's legs off his lap. "Yo, what's happening?" He whispered.

"Ka!" Ai's purple eyes widened as the three watched the scene.

"Bro is this like those Kdramas Cho keeps mentioning to watch?" Iris asked, the snake origami finished from her lap.

"The what?" Blasie and Nico asked, only to get a shrug in return.

Ka huffed as she looked into Ai's eyes. Though she couldn't read her thoughts perfectly like those other twins who could. But she could see what she was thinking, hear her every single thought, know what she wanted. Ai pulled on her sleeve, pleading for the prideful girl to apologize. "Please? For me?" She begged.

Apologize to the boy who was breaking her sister's heart.

Ka huffed, "fine," she said, turning around she looked over to Draco. "I'm. Sorry."

Draco blinked and silently recoiled at the pure anger in her voice. "It's fine," he frowned. That monotone sound he heard when he was defending his father from his mother leaving his throat. "I'm okay." He inwardly winced at the tone.

Blasie watched silently, before pushing his books back into his bag. "Hey," he said standing up from his spot on the ground. "Let's go, we're going to be late to dinner." Reaching a hand to Draco first he pulled the boy up and ushered him out from the scene.

Ka scowled as the others watch Blasie try to distract Draco from his dark thoughts.

Iris watched Nico pace around in the small room where Fluffy once laid. "So what do you think?" She asked, flicking her wand to change the stone into a comfortable chair.

"I have no idea who my father could be. I have vague memories of him but like you said the Gods change their appearance." Nico pushed back his hair, it was growing out from its recent militant cut.

"Fine let's test something." Iris said, "after you can work on your swordsmanship." Reaching into her robe pocket, she pulled out a lock. Closing it and turning the dial, she threw it at the boy. "Unlock it."

"Excuse me?" Nico asked, catching the metal device in the palm of his hand out of reflex.

"It's a basic Hermes kid skill." Iris shrugged, "You should try it. You never know." Nico shrugged his shoulders before turning the dial a couple of times. The clicks of the combination disc running against the lever was a soothing sound for Iris. She closed her eyes and listened to Nico's frustration as he kept turning it.

After five turns of pure guessing, he turned around back to face Iris, taking in a moment to admire her peaceful face. Nico blinked before letting out an awkward cough. "I don't think we're related." He said.

Iris opened her eyes and stared at the unopened lock and held up at her hand. Nico chuckled before tossing it back into her palm. The girl brought it to her face and turned it once. Slipping in her pointer finger beneath the shackle, she popped it open.

"Haha." Nico mocked, "show off your grand lock picking skills all you want, when I get better at this, I'm going to kick  your ass." He hissed.

Iris rolled her eyes as she pointed her wand over to the pile of hay, and flicked her wrist. Tugging of the wedding ring around her neck and tossed it over to Nico. "Get into your stance loser."

Nico huffed as he widened his stance. His right foot behind his body and left foot foreword. His knees bent and his shoulders hunched foreword and his sweaty hands gripped the handle of Iris' sword.

He took a deep breath in, and moved his weight forward.