Reporting for duty. [OPEN]

It was a weekend, and Iris walked through the thick trees of the forest, following the motion of the wind and the bright sounds of the birds. She had been at the Owlry just a while ago to send a letter to her parents. And here she went around, alone in the forest with just her pet as the companion. Vee followed obediently by her side as it swished its white and fluffy tail on the sides about. The leaves crumpled beneath the girl's feet and the wind grew stronger. Perhaps it will rain soon. Lucky.

Iris walked on for what seemed like for eternity and gazed above the tallest trees. The sky was a cloudy grey. Maybe that was an omen she had concluded quite right. She sighed and stopped her tracks when she took the full view of the forest clearing. She dashed towards the middle, breaking twigs and made the small rocks tumble as she slid down while Vee jumped soundlessly and aimed for the damp ground. Once Iris stood up, finishing her long journey, she patted her jeans and her pet's fur. Taking out her wand, she sat by the center of the clearing and steadied her Healing Spells book on the leafy ground.

Iris sighed and sat, opening the book and flipping the pages to where she had stopped days ago. She put the cat on her lap and removed the bookmark from the destined page. She read and read while practicing the wand movements then muttering the spells.

Ella was bored. Technically, it was not the best idea for her to be out here in the forest clearing, but she didn't really care. Boredom was something she will not put up with, so she decided to take a walk. She had already made her parents mad by being sorted into Slytherin, so what else could she possibly do to make them even more mad at her? Well, they told her they didn't want her back for Christmas, so she was definitely sure she wasn't welcome home for the next couple of months. Ella didn't mind though; she wanted to spend Christmas at Hogwarts anyway.

It was cloudy today, and boy did Ella love that. She liked it because it wasn't sunny and rain wasn't pouring down from the sky like bricks. She hated it whenever that happen because rain made her hair wet. And Eleanor Andromache Sloper did not do wet hair particularly well, as evidenced by a birthday party at the age of five. It rained, and Ella's hair turned frizzy as soon as she dried it with the hairdryer. Mrs. Sloper had said the hairdryer was more the problem, but Ella insisted it was her hair.

As Ella was walking daintily in the forest, she saw a cat jumping to a damp spot. Ella liked cats, since she found them cute and fluffy. "Here kitty kitty!" she grinned. She then continued to watch the kitten for a couple of minutes, resting her chin on her head. Her eyes then flickered to the owner, who she had never met before. "Hello!" she grinned. "Who are you?

---

Outfit!

Iris felt that Vee was not by her side anymore, so she closed her book and retreated her wand, then looked back to find that her pet was with another girl. She stood up and walked over by them. She grinned and waved at the smiling stranger, "Oh, hey. I'm Iris. Call me Eye."

She sat on the opposite position and decided that this one chance to make a new friend again. On the other hand, the first impression was quite great for her. She reckoned that this girl was indeed a nice person. And she loves cats.

"So, what brings you here? Cloudy isn't it? Love it when it would rain. That's Vee by the way."

Ella had been busy stroking the ball of fur which was the cutest cat she had ever seen. She looked up earnestly when the wonder introduced herself. "Eye?" she asked. "Like the body part? Why on earth would I call you that?" She pondered for a moment before adding, "Anyway, my name's Ella Sloper. I've turned twelve, and I'm sure I'm the oldest First Year there is. My dad's Jack Sloper. He was a Gryffindor. You should have seen his fit when he saw that I was in Slytherin. Well, I couldn't see it but he sent me a Howler." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I was bored," Ella replied, fiddling with her nails. Last time she had checked them, they had been an immaculate shade of green, though they had chipped quite a bit since then. Maybe the sun had something to do with it, "so I took a walk. And here I am." She grinned, all of her shiny white teeth showing.

Ella, once again, stroked the cat. "Vee? Is that a boy or a girl?" she asked. "Whatever. He's so cuuuuute!" She then pursed her lips in thought. "Or is it a she?"

Iris laughed softly and explained. She was quite used to the asking around about her nickname. It was intimidating at first to say it. Well, she can blame her Slytherin friends for that. And having a Gryffindor Iris as her close friend too. She was after all baptized as Eye once she reached second year.

"Because . . . there's also another Iris from Gryffindor. You wouldn't want to be tricky. But she's a close friend."

She gave a concerned look and tried her best to understand the girl's problem. It was nothing. What does it matter if you were sorted in the wrong house? It was in fact your destiny to be in that house. There's no turning back. Besides, everything happens for some reason. At least. And what's the most important thing to remember is your performance to make your loved ones proud.

"There's nothing bad about that. That doesn't mean something negative. I'm a Slytherin. Mum and dad were Huffles. They weren't disappointed about it. They would always say that it doesn't matter and that there's a purpose behind the situation. I stopped wondering about why I was put that house. Don't care. Just be true to yourself and find your fate."

Iris said nicely and beamed at the sight of her newfound friend and her pet having a time together. She answered Ella's question and chuckled,

"She's actually a she. Had her since first year. And love her."

"Weeell, do you call the other Iris then?" asked Ella. She liked being curious about these sorts of things. "Do you call her just plain Iris, or something else?" Ella then shrugged her shoulders. "I wish I had close friends. Everyone just ignores me 'cause I'm a Sloper and I come from a family of Gryffindors. It's annoying." Ella pressed her hand to her temple, thinking and worrying about all the rejection she has been getting. People sneered at her in the Common Room, wouldn't sit with her in breakfast, and in classes nobody wanted up to partner up with her. It was like Ella was some sort of vermin or something.

"I wish my parents were that lenient," Ella nodded, listening to Eye's every word. Then again, Hufflepuffs tended to be a lot nicer than Gryffindors. "My parents have always been anti-Slytherin. Well, guess what? I really like Slytherin. My favourite colour is green now, thanks to it." Ella then looked down at herself and shook her head. "Okay, I don't have much green in my wardrobe right now, but as soon as I get my brother to get me something for Christmas from Diagon Alley I'll wear green every day of the week!"

"Darnit!" Ella replied in mock disappointment. She then cuddled Vee close to her chin, rocking her gently on her arms. "Sorry, Vee! I really had no idea!" She then let her arm out to see if Iris wanted her back. "D'you want to hold her?"

"I call her Grayson by her last name. And other times, we call her the Gryffindor Iris. Especially the professors." Iris said with a quick shrug and a small smile. Sh reacted rather irritatingly after Ella told a story about being ignored and rejected. That was just plain pathetic. People these days. They're too choosy and annoying when it comes to relationships and friendships. Wish they can change.

"Hey! That is one really bad thing! Why would they do that to you? What's up with family names and thinking you belong to the wrong house? That's . . . frustrating. So immature to think of. Anyway, don't put all of your efforts taking in their actions. Think of them as loners and insecure kids. Don't get disappointed just because of that. No one can ever change who you are."

The girl grunted and do felt concerned for her friend. Well at least she's there to be with her around. She's always accepting new people as her friends. Not because of some ridiculous reasons. But because she wanted to be with them as her loyal companions. No other. People are not meant to be thrown away.

"Yeah. Suit yourself. I'll play with her later." She said with a shy nod.

Iris was wandering around the forest aimlessly. She always thought of this as a good place for thinking and simply to enjoy the silence. All her dorm-mates were having a bit of a party in the Common Room and had invited her as well, but she wasn't in the mood. She never actually felt she had a couple of 'best friends' as such but it never bothered her. She loved talking to everybody.

She continued walking, not caring about the time. The weather felt great and she smiled to herself, while humming a tune. After what felt like ages, she stopped in her tracks as she noticed two figures a distance away. As she got closer, she noticed Eye and another girl she didn't know.

"Hey Eye!" Iris shouted and ran to hug her friend. "What brings you here?" Turning to the other girl, she introduced herself with a grin. "Hello, I'm Iris, but you can call me Grayson."

Iris beamed hugely once she caught sight of her friend. She hugged back tightly and gestured for her to take a seat. She laughed softly and explained her reason why she was after all wandering in the forest,

"Nothing really. Just a couple of duties to be done. You know, in the Order. I'm quite practicing to be a healer. Getting ready somehow for the . . ." she trailed off, not wanting to ruin the pleasant mood she's having and turned to Ella instead,

"Told ya. Call her Grayson. There are both Irises in front of you just so you won't be confused. Kidding."