The one with the sisters - Year three [COMPLETED]

Chapter 11 - The one with the old grudges

"Iris."

The red headed girl stopped dead in her tracks once she recognized the owner of the voice who had just called out her name. She turned around, hoping to heavens she was wrong, but apparently, she wasn't. He was standing there, walking toward her and, as almost every other time the two had exchanged more than a few words, he didn't seem happy to be seeing her.

"Severus?" She asked, unsure of what else to say.

"We need to talk." Was all he said. She frowned.

"Alright?"

Severus took a good look at Iris and then around them. They were in the middle of the hallways, her best friend – Dorcas he thought she was called, he never really cared enough to learn – was standing just a few feet away from her and a lot of random students were walking down the corridors. He was sure that when he said what he needed to talk to Iris about, she would make a scene, 'cause that was just who she was... A façade of a sweet, funny girl, but who deep down was unsure of herself and quite aggressive if provoked. He could talk about that other part of Iris Evans – the part she fought every day to hide – because that was the only part of her he had ever been in contact with.

"You know Lily is mad at you, don't you?" He said, his tone dry and monotone.

"Mad at me?" She asked, hurt by his apparent disinterest in the matter. "Why?"

"You don't know?"

"No. Why's she mad at me?"

"Because she's seeing now who her sister really is." He answered, his face still expressionless, but he would be lying if he said he didn't take any pleasure upon seeing Iris' whole mannerisms changing to some very annoyed ones.

"Excuse me?" She scoffed and he raised an eyebrow.

"She's realizing the girl she knew a few years back is not there anymore, since, in her own eyes, she's walking with the wrong people."

"And you're one to talk, are you?" She rolled her eyes.

Severus' whole though exterior crumbled, but just for a split of second, so fast that neither Iris nor Dorcas took notice.

"If that's what you have to tell me, Severus, thank you very much, but I don't need your opinion. I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself. I can pick with whom I walk and who I befriend. And for your information, I'm the same Iris I have always been."

Just as she was about to turn around to leave, Severus spoke up.

"Now I can see it." He nodded and Iris frowned. He was agreeing with her? "You are the same Iris as before. You're still that selfish, annoying brat."

"I'm sorry?"

Suddenly, the whole world around her seemed to freeze and she saw herself, but she was younger; more freckles across her exposed skin under the fresh clothes she had picked for the rare hot day of summer, longer and wavier hair, shorter stature. The situation was so similar it was almost scary. Young Iris and young Severus were both face-to-face like they were now, merely inches apart like they were now, both with puffed chest and reddened face, snapping at each other and trying to prove a point, just like they were now.

The only differences being the fact that instead of the hallways of Hogwarts, the scenery of this argument was the woods near their houses and that Lily was present that particular time about five years ago.