Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven: New Years Party
THE THIRTY FIRST OF DECEMBER WAS QUITE chaotic in the Evans house. Octavia was baking and cooking as quickly as she could while Petunia helped half-heartedly. Craig was setting up some lights on the walls and other decorations. The twins, Iris and Lily, were cleaning up any parts of the house that seemed to be even remotely untidy. Though Iris really only cleaned her side of the bedroom as she had a feeling that she would spend most of the night with the Marauders, and she knew that they would need a place away from the muggles to talk about magic and such. Even little Shadow was helping out, in his own regard, by eating any scraps that Octavia and Petunia were throwing out. He couldn't let any edible food go to waste.
Petunia was grumbling under her breath as she placed some trays of batter into the oven. "Mum," she turned to her mother who was working on cutting up some ingredients for a dish. Octavia hummed in acknowledgment, "are you sure that you should have let the twins invite their freakish-," she quickly corrected herself through a cough, "-magical friends." Octavia glanced at her questioningly. "We're going to have everyone here who's… not magical. Don't you think that they shouldn't let their friends come?" Her words were bitter like the term 'magical' had left a sour taste on her tongue.
It was obvious to just about everyone that Petunia had a strong dislike for the magical world. Nobody was certain why she held such disdain for the twins friends or the magical world in general. Though it was clear that she did hate them with a passion that rivaled that of the passion Iris had for pranks.
"Nonsense," Octavia shook her head while tossing some vegetables in a bowl. "Your friends get to come over, it doesn't make sense for the twins not to invite their friends over."
Petunia rolled her eyes, "my friends are normal," she stressed. "Theirs are…" Her lanky arms flailed slightly as if she was mimicking a drowning bird but she really meant that she didn't have the words to describe the wizards without earning a scolding from her mother.
Octavia huffed, "Petunia, you need to stop this. The people from the magical world are obviously... different but that doesn't mean we should exclude them from anything."
The girl grumbled under her breath and shook her head. Her hair dangled in front of her face and shielded the gloomy, frustrated crease in her eyebrow from Octavia. The older woman nodded her head, satisfied, as she had thought Petunia had finally dropped the subject. Yes, Petunia did drop the subject as she thought there was no reason for her to argue with her mother about the twins guests. Her parents were fine with that fact that Iris and Lily were bringing around strange people into their home that would no doubt act abnormally and whatnot. She shivered harshly at even the thought of another one of those freaks stepping foot through the threshold of the front door.
---
Iris chomped happily on a sugar cookie while lounging on her bed. Lily was bustling around their room and cleaning up her already pristine side of the room. Of course, she had tried to get Iris to clean her own room which only earned her a whine from the girl and Iris' half-hearted attempt to tidy up her desk. Iris bopped her head in time with the Beatles song Yellow Submarine as it played from the girls' record player in the corner of their room.
She was looking forward to seeing all of her friends after not seeing them for nearly two weeks. Ida and Matilda, her best friends from Beauxbatons, would also come to the party along with their friends from Hogwarts. She couldn't wait to catch up on the two girls lives after she left. Iris especially wanted to know what the two girls had gotten up to since last they saw each other because of... obvious reasons to her. If the two of them hadn't seen the longing looks that they gave each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, they were completely blind. Iris was always there to see it. Her last year at Beauxbatons was full of trying to avoid the obvious sexual tension that had grown between her two friends. And Merlin, there was a lot!
"Aren't you worried about the others seeing our room as such a mess!?"
Iris lazily stuffed the remainder of the cookie into her mouth and stared at Lily blankly. "Mm," she grunted around the cookie while shaking her head 'no'.
Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to the clothes that she was putting away in her dresser. "You should really clean up your side of the room," she smirked, "you definitely don't want to disappoint Sirius, right?"
With the cookie finally swallowed and her head still nodding to the beat of the music, Iris scoffed loudly. "As if Sirius could be disappointed by me." That boy could never be disappointed in her, never. Iris was certain the Sirius would be able to find some sort of excuse to not be disappointed. Just like how I'd never be disappointed in him, she paused, did I just think that?
Lily huffed and continued on with her work, "still, if you do decide to bring him in here, just remember that this is my room too." She most certainly didn't want to walk into their room to find her sister and Sirius "catching up" with each other while the party was going on. Honestly, she didn't think that her sister would even try to do… something like that, especially when there would be quite a lot of people coming over, but you never know with Iris.
Iris smirked as she figured out the underlying worry in her twins words. As if she would try anything like that when not only an array of people would be in the other room but also their parents. She most certainly would wait for some more privacy than that. Plus, Iris held some modesty as she would never do anything with any boy, let alone Sirius if she wasn't in a relationship with said boy. Besides she thought that she was too young for such… activities.
"I promise you, nothing like that will happen while the others are over." She shook her head in faux disbelief, "you act as though I have no decency!"
Lily bristled, "I'm only reminding you, Iris! You have a tendency to ignore things that I tell you not to do."
Chuckling was the only reply that she got, "yeah, that's true."
"You are unbelievable."
---
"Oh, you've grown so much!"
Iris cringed at the way her cheeks were pinched harshly. She didn't doubt that she would be sporting red cheeks for the rest of the night thanks to her great aunts and uncles. She pushed the withered hand away from her abused face. "Hi, great aunt Wanda."
The old woman was decked out in a thick, fur coat that was a sleek black. Iris didn't doubt that it was made of some sort of animal. Iris only had a few great aunts and uncles due to both her parents being only children, but she was sure that Iris disliked Wanda the most. She attributed the mild hatred to the fact that Wanda was well known for wearing animal furs and such. Mainly fox. Iris didn't like that, not at all. Iris also had the tendency to refer to the old woman as Cruella de Vil.
The old woman, who stood ridged and tall, had a large smile that stretched across her face that was painted dark red. She was a boney woman and most likely would break in half if she so much as carried something that weighted more than twenty-five pounds.
"Oh, Iris, sweetheart, you look so pale," Wanda's husband, Thomas, commented as he took his wife's huge coat from her and threw it to Craig who caught it before it could fall onto the floor.
Iris nodded her head sarcastically as her voice was monotone, "I'm aware, great uncle Thomas. It comes with being ginger."
Thomas scoffed, "you need to spend more time outdoors, being cooped up inside is not healthy."
"I'm aware."
"Hopefully you don't do the same at that boarding school of yours." The stocky, plump grey-haired man commented with his large nose turned upward as he and his wife ventured into the living room that was slowly filling up with more people. "If so, I'd be surprised if you had any friends."
Iris scowled at their laughter and growled under her breath. She hated some of her family. She couldn't wait for the day she could move to an area surrounded by magic and away from any annoying muggles. She grumbled under her breath as she closed the front door and walked into the living room.
There were quite a few family members and friends who had already arrived for the party. There were some of the twin's great aunts and uncles, older cousins and grandparents sitting around the home. Some of their parents' friends had arrived as well and of course, brought alcohol for the adults to drown themselves in.
Oscar and Samantha had appeared a few minutes ago and instantly dragged Lily away to spend time together. Petunia's new beau, Vernon Dursley, had also arrived and Iris was surprised that the man was able to fit through the front door! He was incredibly boring and acted as though he was better than everyone. Merlin, Iris could already tell that he was an obnoxious and stuck-up man that she could barely stand. Craig also noticed that and spoke to Octavia about trying to scare him away. Though Octavia wouldn't allow that. Unless Vernon had done something horrible to Petunia or anyone else, then he was allowed to stay.
Iris was left by herself. None of her friends had yet to show up which left her to be the one to open the door whenever the shrill bell rang. Of course, she had greeted each of her family members and had short conversations with some but overall, she was left by herself. All she could do was wait for someone she truly wanted to spend time with to show up.
Like Sirius, a smug voice in the back of her head commented. She couldn't help herself from becoming internally flustered. Yeah, because he would be more entertaining than my family, she wanted to brush it off with that excuse. Sure, Iris wanted Sirius to show up so they could hang out but that was only because there was no one else to hang out with. It wasn't because of any other reason! Not at all! It wasn't because she missed him more than she'd like to admit and was both excited and nervous to see him again.
Yes, that was it, she was just really, really bored. Though she had to question why her stomach wasn't as queasy at the thought of seeing James, Peter or Remus again but it was whenever Sirius took over her mind.
The bell rung again and dragged Iris out of her mind that she was slightly thankful about. She jumped at the door and wrenched it open to be blasted with a cold wind and a few snowflakes. "Ida! Matilda!" She exclaimed in happiness once she got a glimpse of who was waiting on their doorstep The two French girls who waited to be let in smiled at their friend who they hadn't seen in a few months.
"Iris!" Ida was the first to launch herself at the English girl which nearly knocked them onto the ground. Iris laughed as she steadied them and moved further into the house so they could get away from the cold. The blonde who continued to hang onto her squeezed her tightly. Though it couldn't rival the hugs that Lily or Quinn gave.
With a soft, round, pale face that was complemented with dazzling, light blue eyes, Ida was a vision. Though that could only be as expected due to Ida half-veela. She was bouncing in excitement which caused her long blonde hair that was in a french braid to bounce on her shoulder as her light pink lips moved at a mile-a-minute, "we've missed you so much, Iris!" Her accent was quite evident when compared to the English ones that were dominating the house. Though it wasn't as strong as a few other French people Iris had met while schooling at Beauxbatons. Plus, out of the two of them, Ida knew how to speak English a tad bit more fluently than Matilda and was the brunette's appointed translator most of the time. She also was Iris' translator at times whenever Iris had trouble with French as she wasn't fluent in it like she should have been
Matilda smiled fondly at the excited nature of the blonde and tried to make sure that she didn't suffocate their friend. "Calme-toi, Ida," she commented as she pulled Ida off of the redhead before pulling Iris into a hug of her own though it wasn't as tight as Ida's. "C'est bon de te voir, Iris."
Her voice wasn't as light as Ida's. It was slightly more alto and gruff but still held a tone of beauty that quite a few people loved. Matilda had shoulder length chestnut hair that framed her slim and distinct face. Not only was her face slim but so is her nose, lips, and eyebrows. She was the tallest out of the three while Ida was the shortest where the top of her head barely reached Matilda's chin. Matilda's hazel eyes were smiling at the reunion between herself and her former classmate.
"C'est bon de te voir aussi, Matilda." Oh, Iris had missed her best friends so much! She missed the days at Beauxbatons when they got to walk around the school grounds and enjoy each others company during the day. She missed how she had to listen to Matilda scold her for doing pranks or not doing school work. She also missed laughing with Ida about nothing in particular but just being content with their life at school.
Was it tough to have to leave them and the few other acquaintances that she had at Beauxbatons behind? Yes, it really was. However, she had to admit that she was quite happy with how things at Hogwarts were going. Though she would love to see the girls more often if she could.
"Come on," Iris said as she leads the two into the living room. "I've been sitting here for the longest time by myself." They weaved through people who spoke and laughed with each other towards the twins' bedroom. Iris was hoping to spend as much time as she could hidden in her room with a few of her friends before her parents forced her to socialize with their family.
The French girls surveyed the home with curiosity swimming in both of their eyes. They never truly had been near a muggle town let alone in a muggle home. They only ever knew about muggle life through stories from Iris and other muggle-born witches and wizards. To see so many muggles in one place… was fascinating for the two witches.
"This is your whole family?" Ida asked as they pushed through a small group of Iris' older cousins.
Iris tilted her head back and forth, "most of them. Great uncle Will said he couldn't come, cousin Eve said the same and a few people haven't shown up yet."
Before the trio could get to the safety of Iris' shared bedroom, Oscar and Samantha appeared behind them. Iris groaned when she was able to get a glimpse of the bleach blonde hair and thick-rimmed glasses. She flashed them a tight-lipped smile, "Samantha, Oscar, hi!" The French girls behind her snickered from behind their hands as they heard the sarcastic bite in her words.
With her nose held in the air, Samantha scowled slightly at the older twin. "Iris," she glanced at Ida and Matilda behind her, "and friends? I didn't think you were able to make friends."
Iris rolled her eyes and snapped, "why does no one in this town believe I have friends?"
Oscar pushed up his glasses as his eyes shined smugly, "you're a tad bit irritable Iris." The redhead glowered at his words as he took in the girls behind her. "I suppose these are the only friends you have, I'm certain that no more than two people can stand forming a friendship with you."
Ida and Matilda shared an annoyed glance with each other, "Ils sont assez stupides, n'est-ce pas?" Matilda asked her friends rhetorically with a cool voice. They nodded their heads as Samantha and Oscar stared at them in confusion.
"Plus que tu ne le penses," Iris commented which caused the girls to share a laugh.
Oscar tsked though it was obvious that he had no idea what the trio had said, "If you think that speaking in another language makes you superior," He adjusted his glasses with a glare, "you'll find yourself completely wrong."
"Comment gérez-vous cet enfoiré, Iris?" Ida asked with irritation seeping into her voice while she stared at the two muggles in distaste.
Iris shrugged her shoulders as she pushed through the pair blocking their path and finally made it to the door of her bedroom. "Aucune idée, je trouve que les ignorer est la meilleure chose à faire," she commented offhandedly as they left two confused muggles in the hallway and Matilda shut the door in their faces with a satisfied smirk. Samantha and Oscar shared a look with each other that displayed their confusion. They didn't want to admit (well Oscar didn't want to admit it as it was already well known that Samantha didn't know many things) that they had no idea what the trio was talking about. Though they brushed it off and turned to find Lily or some kind of entertainment to deter them from the confrontation they just had with Iris and her friends.
In the bedroom, Iris plopped down on her desk chair while Ida and Matilda crawled onto her bed and sat on the edge of it. "So…" Iris smirked, "anything new happen since I've last seen you."
The French girls shared a glance with each other as Ida gnawed at her bottom lip. Matilda looked completely neutral though there seemed to be an edge of a challenge in her features. Iris was certain she knew why they reacted that way.
"Well…" Ida started as a bashful smile crawled onto her lips while a rosy hue blossomed on her cheekbones. "Uh, Matilda and I are… we're…" She looked to said girl for help.
The brunette chuckled lightly as Ida's inability to speak and turned to Iris, "we're dating."
Instantly, Iris squealed happily and hopped up from her seat to jump on her friends. She attacked them with a tight hug that choked them to the point they felt like they couldn't breathe.
Ida wheezed, "Iris! Nous ... ne pouvons pas ... respirer!"
After a few more moments, Iris let go of her best friends while she beamed brightly, "finally!" Her bright smile nearly blinded both Ida and Matilda, "I've been waiting for years for one of you to make a move!"
Ida blushed at her English friend's words, "really?"
Iris rolled her eyes as if her blond friend had asked an obvious question, "'course, you two have been eyeing each other since third year, and last year, Merlin, I could barely stand being in the same room as you two."
Matilda's eyebrows furrowed, "it could not have been that bad."
The redhead eyed her with her pale face void of any emotion, "yes."
The two other girls chuckled and giggled as Matilda tucked Ida under her arm and pulled her closer. Yes, it did take the two girls a while to realize that there was a mutual attraction between them. Each girl had gone to Iris, separately, to reveal their crush on the other. They never realized that they both had a crush on each other and confessed it to the same person. Iris tried her best to nudge them towards each other but nothing worked. At one point, Iris just wanted to lock them in a closet and leave them in there until they confessed to each other. She had nearly torn her hair out towards the end of their fourth year. If she had to be honest, she was slightly relieved to have to be away from them and their lovey-dovey staring contests. They could be suffocating at times and Iris usually felt like a third wheel when they hung out even though they weren't dating them.
Matilda rolled her eyes as Ida giggled and burrowed herself into her girlfriend's side. Iris shook her head while trying to seem unimpressed with their disbelief in how unbearable they were though she couldn't help herself from smiling. Sure, they were slightly annoying to be around whenever they were so affectionate with each other though unwilling to see what was right in front of them, Iris was ecstatic. She was overjoyed that they had finally made a move(she still wasn't sure who made the first move, but she'll find out eventually) and dove into a relationship.
Ida eyed their smiling friend as suspicion and questions started to pop into her head. Her baby-blue eyes were glued to the necklace that was Iris wore while also flickering her eyes to the bracelet she wore. "I did not think that you would ever wear jewelry."
Iris' eyes were blown open as she glanced down quickly at the two pieces of glittering jewelry. She cleared her throat in embarrassment, "yeah, well, I thought it was a good time to do it."
"Who gave them to you?" She continued her interrogation with a raised eyebrow.
"No one!" She exclaimed before realizing that she answered too quickly and quite loudly, "no one special."
Matilda scoffed, "menteur!"
"Hey!" Iris bristled, "just some friends, honest."
The girls dropped the subject when they saw Iris was surprisingly flustered. Matilda and Ida decided to retell how they got together while Iris told them all about Hogwarts. Just as Iris was in the middle of telling the girls about the Shrieking Shack, the door to the bedroom opened.
The trio turned to see a short, pudgy blonde standing in the doorway while wringing his fingers together in anxiety. Iris smiled at the teen, "Happy New Year, Peter!"
The mousy boy smiled, "Happy New Year, Iris." His gaze turned to the girls that Iris was sitting with, more specifically, Ida. It was no surprise that his gaze had lingered on the girl. Neither was the expression of wonder and awe. Matilda noticed how the boy had yet to tear his eyes away from her girlfriend and just about growled in protectiveness.
"Qui est ce garçon?"
Peter jumped at the tone of her voice and tore his eyes away from Ida to look at the brunette who was glaring at him with her arm wrapped around Ida's shoulders. "Matilda, Ida, this is Peter Pettigrew, a friend from Hogwarts and he's apart of the Marauders." She knew that Matilda was going to be growling at just about everyone due to people staring at Ida. She should suspect that. It usually happens when you date someone who's half-veela.
"Nice to meet you!" Ida yelled out, completely oblivious to the daggers Matilda was shooting at Peter who cowered back slightly.
Peter gulped, "y-yeah, nice to meet you too."
"These are my best friends from Beauxbatons, Matilda," she motioned to the slightly taller, glowering girl, "and Ida." She pointed to the smiling half-veela. Peter just nodded his head mutely as he tried to ignore the heated glare Matilda had yet to pull off of him.
Iris tried to look around Peter to see if anyone else was behind him, "are any of the other boys here yet?"
"Remus is. He's talking with your dad," Peter commented as he cleared his throat.
Iris nodded her head and jumped up from her spot on her bed while heading to the door, "come on, let's save him from some sort of awkward conversation."
The four teens headed out of the room and maneuvered through people before making it into the kitchen where Craig stood with Remus. The two noticed the other teens walking over and smiled at them. Though Remus' was obviously more of a grimace. Iris could already tell that her father was trying to intimidate him in some way.
Iris huffed, "dad, leave Remus alone."
Craig shrugged his shoulders, "what do you mean, Iris? I've done nothing!"
"Sure," she grabbed Remus' arm and pulled him away from her father, "let's go outside." She could already tell that her father was watching the go with narrowed eyes. You would think that he would get used Iris having male friends. Sure, she mainly did have female friends though she did have male muggle friends from when she was younger, wizards from Beauxbatons and, now, male friends from Hogwarts. She was certain that her father was aware of how she… interacted with guys, teasing them and what not, but she was more than capable of scaring them if they ever tried to hurt her like her father feared they would. If she ever did get into a relationship with a boy(which is a big if), and he so much as stepped a toe out of line she would have no trouble with hexing him.
Iris plucked a coat off of the rack that rested in the corner of the kitchen as she passed it and opened the back door. There were a few people outside enjoying the night even though it was quite chilly. It was significantly less stuffy outside when compared to inside.
"Don't mind my dad, boys," Iris commented offhandedly while burrowing herself into her coat. To be honest, she really didn't want to be outside where it was cold and lightly snowing. But she would endure the weather it meant that she was further away from Samantha and Oscar while simultaneously avoiding her father's need to interrogate her male friends. "He's barely any bark and no bite. All he can really do is annoy you or embarrass himself." Remus and Peter nodded their heads.
The tall, sandy-haired teen turned to the girls he had never met and nearly gaped at Ida. He tried to keep his staring subtle though both Iris and Matilda already noticed it which cause Matilda to slightly stand in front of her. She'll have to get used to that more often now. Sure, people had stared at Ida in the past due to her being half-veela, however, now, Ida was Matilda's and no one else's…
Remus turned away and smiled shakily at Iris, "I guess this is Ida and Matilda from Beauxbatons, right?"
Iris nodded her head, "yup," she turned to the couple, "and this is Remus Lupin-"
"Another member of the Marauders, yes?" Ida asked happily.
Remus chuckled as he looked at the short girl, now able to deter himself from staring too long, and smiled, "yeah," he then turned to Iris, "how was your break?"
The redhead shrugged, "fine, I guess. Petunia's been annoying, Oscar and Samantha are infuriating, and I've had quite a lot of time to work on more pranks."
"That you will no doubt use at school," Remus chuckled.
As the group started to talk with each other more, the back door opened. Derek appeared in the doorway and waltzed over to the group once he recognized Iris.
He flashed her a large, charming smile, "Happy New Year, Iris." Once again, his undivided attention was on her and her alone. Everyone could see that.
"Derek, hey, Happy New Year." Iris' voice became laced with sugar. She was happy to see Derek there. She wanted to hang out with her new muggle friend and get to know him better while simultaneously having fun teasing him.
Remus and Peter stared the newcomer with critical eyes. They could already tell that the muggle was going to prove to be an obstacle for Iris' and Sirius' progressing relationship. Things were going to get far more complicated…
"These are friends of mine from school," Iris said nodding to the wizards and witches. "Remus, Peter, Matilda and Ida, guys this is Derek." All of them smiled at the muggle and greeted him accordingly.
"It's nice to meet some of Iris' friends from school," Derek commented as he turned his gaze back to said girl, specifically her wrist. It didn't seem possible, but his smile had grown wider at the sight of the silver bracelet on her wrist. He blushed slightly at the fact that she wore his gift and had to admit that it looked perfect on her.
---
The group had brushed off the snow from the table that was in the Evans' backyard and sat around it. Matilda had Ida sitting on her lap with her arms wrapped around her middle to make sure that anyone who gaped and stared at her(though they couldn't really help it because of her heritage) knew that someone already claimed the half-veela. Peter and Remus grabbed a pair of chairs to sit in around the round glass table. Meanwhile, Iris had taken the liberty of seating herself on Derek's lap.
The muggle boy had been flustered once she had hopped on top of him, but he took it in stride. The two of them seemed quite comfortable with each other despite only knowing each other a short time. Once again, Iris had compared her developing relationship to the one she already had with Sirius.
She and Sirius had barely known each other a short time before she started to have… more sentimental conversations with each other. She felt a high level of comfort with Sirius and built a strong trust with him that was forged in such a short time. She didn't think that it was the same with Derek.
Yes, Derek was obviously a nice guy, trustworthy, and Iris wasn't uncomfortable with him… but Iris hadn't established that same level of comfort with him as she did with Sirius. Just another difference between them, she sighed to herself. She still didn't know why she was comparing them so much. It shouldn't matter to her!
"I never thought that you went to school in France," Derek commented. His warm breath tickled the back of the redhead's neck which caused her to shiver slightly.
"Well, it was only for four years, now I go to school in Scotland."
Derek hummed, "what made you change schools?"
Iris chuckled as she shifted herself so she could look back at him properly, "got expelled." She shrugged her shoulders, indifferently.
"Must of done something really bad," said Derek with a raised eyebrow as he wanted her to elaborate.
She waved her hand dismissively, "it wasn't that bad, honestly."
Matilda scoffed, "bad? Madame Maxine was furious with the prank you pulled!"
Iris rolled her eyes, "it wasn't meant for her, she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Remus chuckled lightly, "which got you kicked out."
"It was bound to happen at some point!" The group laughed with each other loudly.
A cough interrupted their laughter which caused the group to look up at the pair of teens who stood off to the side with their arms crossed. Both Sirius and James stared at them with raised eyebrows. Sirius was glowering at Derek. He most certainly did not like the fact that his Iris was situated comfortably on another boy's lap. James was also peeved off though it wasn't due to Iris but rather her sister.
James had graciously gone over to greet the girl only to have her insult him(like usual) which he took in stride because nothing would deter him from even being annoyed with her. No, he was completely annoyed with the two muggles who had flanked her side. Especially that Oscar boy! James had certainly found his newest enemy.
"Ah, Sirius, James," Iris smirked as she saw their irked expressions, "glad you could make it."
The others greeted them warmly despite the cold weather as they pulled up their own chairs and the group with the newcomers delved back into a conversation. They all made sure the keep magic out of the conversation when it became apparent that Derek was, in fact, a muggle. Though Sirius had yet to pull his glare off of the other boy who still has Iris sitting in his lap. Derek shrunk slightly and did his best to ignore Sirius' grey-eyed stare that was burning a hole in his body. The conversation continued on despite both Sirius and Derek being slightly tense while Iris bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from laughing. She could tell that a rivalry would already start to form between the two teenage boys.
As the Evans family and friends got drunk on alcohol and stuffed their faces with food, the magical teens plus Derek spoke with each other happily. Eventually, Lily, Oscar, and Samantha came out of the house to join them. James and Sirius had both been glaring at Oscar and Derek who appeared to be too close to their girls(even though they weren't their girls… yet!). Overall, the night was going well so far and there was only about one hour until the new year.
---
As midnight drew closer, Iris and Sirius had gravitated towards each other. At the moment, Iris was curled up against Sirius in an attempt to stay warm. Lily had grabbed the record player from her room and a few records to play outside. Both Marlene and Wendy had shown up at one point, Iris wasn't sure because she hadn't been paying attention. The pair were the only ones sitting while the other teens danced to the music and had fun. Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around her middle and tried to keep her as close as possible. Every once in a while he would send a smug glare at Derek to mentally brag to him that he now had Iris.
Iris tucked her head underneath Sirius' chin as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to help her stay warm. It certainly wasn't in an affectionate was, he was certain… mostly. He was just glad to finally see her again after being away from her for the break, there was no doubt about that. He wasn't completely thrilled to see her with another boy, but he forgot about that the moment she hopped onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He revealed in the scent of lavender and vanilla that surrounded the redhead while smirking. "I didn't think you were someone to be interested in a muggle, love." His words were slightly bitter to think of Iris possibly being interested in someone else… Merlin, he was sounding completely clingy.
Iris chuckled as Sirius shifted under her which obviously meant he was comfortable. "Hm? Problem, darling?" They moved so they could look at each other properly. "Need I remind you, I am a muggle-born witch, I grew up with muggles."
Sirius snorted, "I know."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment while gazing into each other's eyes. The sounds of their friends' laughter and excited shouts were drowned out as they kept eye contact. Iris smiled softly, "I really liked the letter that you sent me." She couldn't help the maroon hue from crawling up her cheeks.
"Really?" Sirius asked as a stupid smile consumed his face. He wasn't sure about the letter. As soon as the Potter's owl had taken it and flew away he had become far too nervous about what she would have thought about it. He knew that it was completely sappy and something that he most likely wouldn't say out loud. For the first time ever, Sirius was completely anxious about what a girl would think about him. Though Iris was something new and obviously drew out so many different emotions that Sirius was going to have to get used to if he wanted to continue to try and woo her. It also was the first time that Sirius had taken the liberty to send a letter to any girl that he had shown any sort of interest in.
"Yeah, it was…" she looked for the right word for a moment, "sweet, really sweet, Sirius."
Sirius ran a hand through his shaggy hair arrogantly, "well, I knew that you would like it."
Iris rolled her eyes and smirked, "imagine if the boys saw what you wrote, wonder what they'd think."
His eyes narrowed, "you wouldn't."
"Wouldn't what, darling? I don't know what you're talking about."
Sirius continued to glare at the girl in his lap as she started to laugh. At the sound of her contagious laughter, a small smile of his own started to form on his lips. It grew, even more, when he reached to her neck to brush the moon shaped necklace she was wearing. He had noticed it the moment he saw her when they arrived at her house. He most certainly didn't want to admit to how his stomach had flipped, his heart soared, and an unmistakable feeling of joy swarm in his chest when he saw it. He would sound like a softy if he did. Sirius isn't one to send a girl a gift. Iris was different and special, however. She deserved to be treated as such.
Iris' breath hitched when she felt his hand brush gently against the nape of her neck as he looked at the necklace. "I guess you liked my gift."
She shrugged her shoulders and looked away in hopes that he wouldn't see her rosy cheeks. "It's better than a few others that I've gotten."
"10!" They heard from inside and startled them slightly from their embrace.
"9!" It appeared that the new year had snuck up on them without them knowing.
"8!" Everyone was shouting loudly, whether they were drunk or sober.
"7!" Iris and Sirius stared at each other for a moment as the same idea ran through their minds.
"6!" Their heartbeats sped up.
"5!" Anxiety swarmed each of their stomachs as their nerves started to become erratic.
"4!" Iris leaned up as Sirius leaned down.
"3!" Their breath mingled with each other as their eyes flickered down to their lips.
"2!" In the back of their minds, there was a slight hesitation as their lips ghosted over each other.
"1!"
The world seemed to stop for the both of them as their lips melted together. They had kissed quite a few people in their teenage lives though they did not compare to what they were currently experiencing. The music and shouts were gone as their ears seemed to ring and their attention was solely on the other. Sirius placed a hand on Iris' cheek and held it while the redhead in his embrace wrapped her arms around his neck.
Iris' mind was swimming and she was unable to make any sort of coherent thought. Contradictory to what Iris heard about him, his kiss was slow and soft. She had heard many stories about how… rough Sirius was known to be when it came to kissing. But at that moment, his slightly chapped lips moved slowly over hers and made no attempt to deepen it.
Sirius was being slow. He wanted to be. This was Iris, she deserved slow and sweet from him, he thought. Her lips were soft despite it being cold outside and he was able to taste her vanilla lip balm. Yes, Sirius had kissed many girls while at Hogwarts and had to admit he thought he was quite a good kisser. He knew how to make a girl hot and bothered. But that wasn't his intention with Iris. This was their first kiss together and he wanted it to be a sweet, memorable moment for both of them.
After what felt like an eternity, the pair of teens pulled away and tried to take in a gulp of air. Despite it being short, slow it left them completely breathless. Idiotic smiles blossomed on their faces as their hearts soared and their lips tingled.
"T-that was," Iris giggled(actually giggled and stuttered which is something that she never does) as she tried to collect herself, "that was good, yeah, good."
Sirius was just as flustered, if not more. He laughed, "it was very, very good, love."
Nothing else had to be said as neither of them could find any other words to describe the sensation that they just felt. It was heaven, complete bliss for the both of them. They certainly would have no problem with doing it again in the near future.
---
It was close to two in the morning when people started to leave the party. Goodbyes were shared between friends and family as each member of the Evans clan disappeared into the night. Iris yawned as she lounged on the couch while listening to James rant about Oscar. Ida and Matilda had left at around one o'clock after Ida had complained of being exhausted. That then left Iris no choice but to be forced to listen to James.
"He's annoying!" He practically screeched to the other Marauders and Iris as they sat around the living room. Oscar and Samantha had left only a few minutes ago and Lily had gone into her bedroom with Wendy and Marlene. "The know-it-all thought that he knew… everything, he is so conceited!"
Iris snorted lazily as she leaned on Sirius' shoulder, "welcome to my world, Potter."
James rolled his eyes with a huff, "I wish I could just hex him or something!"
The words about cursing the infuriating muggle died on James' lips when Derek came waltzing into the room. All of their eyes moved to him as he smiled kindly to each of them. "It was nice meeting you all!" His eyes shined happily though they lingered on Iris for a few seconds longer than they should have.
Iris stretched as she detached herself from Sirius' side and stood up, "c'mon, Derek," she motioned him to the door, "I'll show you out."
Derek followed Iris to the door where she opened it and was bombarded with a cold wind. The muggle exited the house and stood on the doorstep before turning back to Iris. "This was really nice, Iris."
She smirked while crossing her arms over her chest, "yeah, we should hang out again."
Derek puckered his lips as he seemed to be contemplating something. There was a shine in his eyes that screamed embarrassment and reluctance. Iris barely had any time to ask why he had started to fidget nervously as he bit his bottom lip slightly when he practically jumped at her. He attached his lips onto hers in a rushed manner.
The kiss was a peck and only lasted a millisecond. It was completely rushed and innocent as Iris could tell that Derek had most likely never kissed anyone before. It wasn't like the one she had shared with Sirius a few hours before. Sirius was definitely more experienced when it came to something like kissing. She liked that aspect of Sirius, no she practically loved it. However, there was something that intrigued her about Derek's naivety. She liked it to an extent. Yet she enjoyed Sirius' kiss far more.
Stop comparing the two! She scolded herself.
She abruptly pulled away from Derek who was blushing madly. The boy cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. "U-uh, sorry, I-Iris," he started frantically as he could already tell his decision was not the best. "I d-didn't mean to!"
Iris felt like that was a bit of a lie. She had a feeling that Derek did not regret kissing her though he most likely wished it was less awkward. If she didn't have the comparative thoughts about Sirius and Derek running through her mind, Iris would have smirked and teased him about how nervous he was. But she couldn't do that.
The redhead flashed him a tight-lipped smile. "It's fine," She shook her head, "see you, Derek."
The muggle teen gulped as he realized that he really shouldn't have kissed her. He had an inkling feeling that Iris was quite close to that shaggy-haired boy, Sirius, from the way that they kept each other close. However, he couldn't help but think that she acted the same way with him. He knew that she was quite the flirtatious girl and only thought that the close touching and teasing was something she did with nearly every guy. He was certain that Iris wasn't dating anyone, so he didn't think that there was anyone that could intervene in his obvious pursuit for the girl.
He nodded his head shakily, "right, yeah. I-I'll see you."
With that, Derek shuffled away embarrassed though his heart was pumping out of his chest. He didn't think that his first kiss would end up like that. Yet he still allowed himself to revel in the euphoria of actually kissing a girl. A girl like Iris Evans, man, despite him being completely nervous about it and her reaction he was thrilled with the fact that he got to kiss a girl like her.
Iris watched him go with pursed lips for a moment before closing the door with a thoughtful expression. She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn't notice the pair of narrowed grey eyes staring at her before flickering to the closed door with jealousy burning in them.
Calme-toi, Ida. - Calm down, Ida.
C'est bon de te voir, Iris. - It's good to see you, Iris.
C'est bon de te voir aussi, Matilda. - It's good to see you too, Matilda.
Ils sont assez stupides, n'est-ce pas? - They are pretty stupid, are they not?
Plus que tu ne le penses. - More than you think.
Comment gérez-vous cet enfoiré, Iris? - How do you handle that bastard, Iris?
Aucune idée, je trouve que les ignorer est la meilleure chose à faire. - No idea, I find that ignoring them is the best thing to do.
Iris! Nous ... ne pouvons pas ... respirer! - Iris! We… can not… breathe!
Menteur - liar
Qui est ce garçon? - Who is this boy?
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