Wands and Wishes

A Deal and Duels

Upon coming from the dormitories one morning Iris found a crowd formed around the message board. She and Eridanus shared a look before curiosity compelled them to join the gathering.

"This should be good."

As they got close enough to be able to read the message board the two girls understood what all the commotion was about.

"A dueling competition?" Eridanus muttered.

"It says here you have to be sixteen or older to enter." Iris pointed out, looking over to her best friend with a frown, "Sorry Eri."

"What kind of a cheap trick is that?" Eridanus exclaimed.

"Well, mostly everyone from fifth year and up will already be sixteen by May so I guess they just never stopped to think of any fifth years born after that."

"You better give them hell for me Iris."

"Who says I'm going to enter?" Iris laughed as the two of them left the common room.

"Don't try to play coy with me, I saw you write your name on the entry list." Eri answered with a smirk.

"You were too busy brooding; how did you see me do that?"

"You just told me!" She exclaimed then laughed as Iris scowled, "Like I said, you better give them hell."

The two Slytherins made their way out of the dungeons and weren't even half way to the Great Hall before they were joined by their friends.

"Did you hear the news?" Ronan asked excitedly.

"If you're talking about the dueling competition then yes." Iris remarked.

"James and Sirius already entered." Lily sighed.

"As expected." Iris snickered.

"Our little Iris joined as well." Eri informed them.

You could have heard a quill drop with the silence that immediately fell over the group. Lily's face immediately turned from content to displeased but it was the look on Sirius's face that really caught everyone's attention.

"You entered the dueling competition?" Lily inquired.

"Well yeah." Iris answered with a shrug, "I mean it said anyone sixteen or older was allowed to join."

"You do realize that you'll be going up against older students, right?" Lily added.

"So what?"

"You may even have to fight James or Sirius." Remus pointed out.

That was one possibility that Iris had not thought of. Of course she knew that the two boys would be first in line to sign up for the competition but she never thought she may have to duel one of them. Her sapphire eyes flickered to Sirius, who still had yet to say anything, and her stomach churned.

"If-"

"You can't do this Iris." Lily exclaimed.

"Well too bad because I am doing this." Iris snapped then stormed off with Eridanus and Ronan following behind her.

~*~

It had been a week and a half since Iris had spoken to anyone aside from Eridanus and Ronan, all anyone ever did when they saw her was attempt to convince her to drop out of the competition. Deep down Iris had a bad feeling about all of it, it just felt like something was going to go wrong and nothing around her seemed to lighten that mood any.