The one with the sisters - Year Four [COMPLETED]

Chapter 2 - The one with the identical differences

Iris could barely keep her eyes open. She was tired and annoyed and Merlin help anyone who decided to talk to her right now. She'd been revising Ancient Runes and had just finished her Potions essay when she heard a commotion outside the library. She huffed annoyed, but decided it was time to wrap the whole thing up. Perhaps the noise outside was a divine sign to tell her she had done enough already. Or maybe she was just looking for a reason to finally put her books away and get back to her Common Room.

So, with a sigh of relief, she closed her books, put away her notes and freed her hair from the tight grip of her bun, causing it to fall down around her shoulders as she moved through the empty and very dark library.

She said her good night's to Madam Pince and thanked her for her patience with her, before pushing open the heavy doors of the library. But as soon as she did, the sound of voices that had interrupted her studies became clear to her and she recognized one of them.

"You know I can't do anything about it." A young boy's voice said and Iris frowned.

"Of course you can. You just don't want to try." Bambi responded, quite exasperated.

"I..."

"You're mum's favorite. Her baby, Nico... If you could just..."

"What? Tell her to stop yelling at you? Ignoring you during meals? Pretend you don't exist? Come on, Bambi... You know pretty well you should be thankful she even allows you in the house."

"Nicodemus!" Bambi shrieked.

"A Ravenclaw and a blood traitor..."

"I'm not a blood traitor!"

"Aren't you? Then are you denying you enjoy walking around with that mudblood friend of yours?"

"Don't you dare call him that!"

"Or what?" Nicodemus challenged and Iris could almost see Bambi hesitating. "That's what I thought. Now... If you'll excuse me..."

Iris heard some footsteps and then, there was silence. That was, until she heard cries and quiet sobs. She gasped and ran in the direction of the sound. When she saw her, she bit her lip.

There she was, her long sandy-blonde hair falling around her as she leaned against the wall, her face buried in her knees. Iris sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. She wasn't sure Bambi recognized her touch or was just so desperate for warmth that she leaned against a total stranger, but either way, Iris held her as she cried, crumbling into pieces right in front of her.

"Shhh... Shhh, Bambs, it's alright..." Iris cooed gently, stroking her best friend's hair. "I'm here."

For a few more minutes, she continued to cry, but as soon as she calmed down enough to even her breathes, she looked up. Iris tried not to notice her puffy red eyes, her swollen face, her sniffing nose.

"You've heard?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"How much?"

"Enough."

"You heard him calling you a..."

"Yes." She interrupted the Ravenclaw. "And it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean, it doesn't matter? Of course it matters! You've heard yourself, my family thinks..."

"I know what your family thinks." Iris said, as Bambi sniffed and wiped the tears from her face. "But I also know what you think, and as long as you don't call me a mudblood, what they think doesn't matter."

Bambi stared at Iris for a second, before she gave the red headed girl a sad smile. Iris returned the gesture and the both of them stayed like that for a second, sitting alone in a corridor in a Wednesday night with their arm draped around each other.

"Is it true, though?" Iris asked, after a few minutes of nothing but silence.

"What?" Bambi frowned, turning to look at the girl beside her.

"What your brother said? That your family mistreats you?"

"Yes, I've already told you that. Since I was placed in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin and since I've befriend you and Milla, they don't care for me anymore." She shrugged sadly and Iris bit her lip.

"But the way he said it... He made it sound like he believes in that too, I mean... That your parents should do what they do..."

"He does." Bambi whispered, probably afraid that if she spoke up louder, her voice would crack. "He thinks I'm a blood traitor."

"But, oh... Oh, Bambs... No one should go through something like this... I know what it is. Having your parents there, but not really, like... Like they're there for you just in body, right? Like, no matter what you do, they won't see you, they won't care. It hurts a lot."

"It does." Bambi nodded.

"But you do have us, you know? Me, Dorky and Milla, I mean. And we'll do our very best to help you. In whatever you need, whenever you need it."

"I know that." She smiled once more, the usual shine of her brown eyes finally reappearing in her orbs after all that crying. "I know that and I can't tell you how thankful I am."

"You don't have to." Iris shook her head. "Because I know the feeling. The feeling of being so grateful but not finding the words, or even the gestures, to show it."

"Yeah. You really know how it feels then."

Iris looked at Bambi and they smiled at each other. After a few seconds of silent exchange of affection, Bambi's eyes traveled to Iris' bag, that laid open beside her as she had just thrown it aside clumsily in the rush of getting to her friend.

"What are you doing out here?" The Ravenclaw asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Nothing!" Iris rolled her eyes at the mockery. "I just lost track of time. I was finishing my Potions essay and I..."

"Oh, shit!" Bambi cursed under her breath, before throwing her head back in frustration. "The Potions essay! I didn't even start it! Is due to when?"

"Hum..." Iris mumbled. "Tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep. Second class."

"Oh, crap!" The girl groaned and Iris laughed. "Can I copy yours?"

"Again?"

"Come on, Irie, please... You said you'd do your best to help me."

"Ah!" Iris exclaimed surprised. "That's... Blackmail! It's unfair."

"Life's unfair. You Hufflepuffs never seem to get it."

Iris breathed out a laugh as she shook her head at her friend. But even so, she reached for her bag and pulled out the six pages essay she had just finished minutes ago and gave it to Bambi. The Ravenclaw beamed.

"You know the rules... Change the words and don't score a grade better than me." She rolled her eyes as Bambi laughed.

"You've got it. Thank you, Irie. You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah..." The red haired girl laughed, getting up and picking up her things from the floor. "Good night, Bambi Nott."

The Ravenclaw girl smiled as she too, got up from her seat on the floor, the stains in her cheeks now being the only evidence of her ever even crying that night.

"Good night, Iris Evans."