Acclimating to a completely new identity took some time. It was a difficult process going from nineteen years old to twelve-going-on-thirteen. Whatever fucked up mess this was, at least I was allowed minute details from my old life to stay the same. I was still a dancer and a singer and was well-known for that around the orphanage. It was nice to be able to do something that brought me comfort – even if I didn't have access to some of my favorite music.
While Iris was a background character (person? I wasn't sure if I could meld both identities into one person just yet) in the orphanage, I began to stand out for my quick wit and outgoing nature, courtesy of being older and not as awkward as most twelve year olds. I began to feel at home with the other teenagers in the building and they let me hang out with them.
The first month was an easy routine. I was assigned chores in the orphanage and I did them quickly and first thing in the morning. It must not have been at the top of Iris' priorities before as the Matron was surprised in the sudden twist of nature. I thought back to my mother, waking me up early on the weekends with her favorite Vicente Fernandez songs and making sure that my siblings and I were put to work. I used to hate that, but I often found myself humming Por Tu Maldito Amor or Las Mañanitas just to get rid of the heavy feeling that I felt often in the pit of my stomach.
It was during this first month that I began to explore the memories of Iris Potter.
Iris was born on July 31, 1980, making her – or me I suppose – the twin sister of Harry Potter. Iris knew nothing about her parents, other than a candid picture of James and Lily Potter on their wedding day. It was a muggle style picture – something I found pretty interesting – with James sitting at a table with a large grin on his face, eyes downcast to his new bride resting her head on his shoulder whose own expression was drawn to something beyond the camera.
I studied the picture frequently, realizing that I was an interesting mold between Lily and James. I had James' sharp jaw as opposed to Lily's softer, round structure. Apart from that, my face was much more like Lily's. I even had her freckles and bright green eyes. I did inherit James' black hair. I wondered how Harry and I would stack up against one another.
I thought of my "brother" constantly. I wondered how he was doing and if I should have sought him out. In the books, Harry Potter did not have a sibling. In this alternate universe I existed. Did he know about me? Iris did not know about Harry Potter or Hogwarts.
In fact, at first I thought I might have been a squib. Iris did not attend Hogwarts, but I realized Iris definitely had magic. While sleeping, I had dreams about Iris' life I assumed were memories filtering through my mind. Iris was terrified of her magic and suppressed it. She was able to control her emotions and urges so that accidental magic was rare. She allowed her magic to come out in the form of parlor tricks, like creating a flame from her fingers by snapping. I wondered if this suppression made it so that she fell between the cracks of the system?
This was just one of many questions.
Who else knew of Iris' existence? In fact, who placed her at the orphanage? I figured it could have been Dumbledore since he placed Harry with the Dursley's. I asked the Matron and she awkwardly evaded the question saying I was just dropped off at the stoop. Considering the way she spoke in a high-pitched tone and avoided my gaze, I figured she was lying.
I sighed and looked at the picture of James and Lily again. Despite all my thoughts and questions, I knew one thing was clear. I had to find Harry Potter.
Summers at Hogwarts were often a source of peace and comfort for those who remained on the site during holidays. The staff often relished the long, slow days without any children.
This summer, however; three particular staff members were in complete disarray. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall stood in the Headmaster's office, staring blankly at a board covered with a map, pins, and various scraps of parchment. For the past month, they had been relentless in their search of attempting to discover the identity of Iris Potter.
The third staff member entered the office just then, black robes billowing around him like flapping bat wings.
"Ah, Severus, welcome. Any news?" asked Dumbledore, waving his hand to the third seat in his office. Severus sighed and sank into the chair.
"None, Headmaster."
"Again, I do suggest that perhaps we can alert the Ministry," interjected Minerva. "We are at our wit's end. Perhaps additional eyes looking out for the girl will be helpful."
"No, Minerva," said Dumbledore slowly, shaking his head. "I'm afraid if we alert the public, she might be targeted for violence. Particularly now that Mr. Black has escaped from Azkaban."
McGonagall pursed her lips in dissatisfaction while Snape looked as if he just swallowed a whole lemon. "And what of Mr. Potter? He is relentless in his questions! Not that I can condemn him for this. How could we have missed this?"
Dumbledore sighed and looked back at the board.
"Perhaps we did not know the Potters as well as we did. I just hope that if they did tell someone about the girl, they did not place their faith in the wrong person."
Harry sat down on his bed surrounded by gifts from his friends. While he appreciated all the gifts, he clutched one letter in his hands with a feeling as though he had just been gut punched.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I assure you that we have been relentless in our search for your sister. It is at the top of Headmaster Dumbledore's priorities also. Unfortunately, we still have not found anything.
Please inform me if you have any more visions regarding her despite if they seem menial. Anything can help us.
Regards,
M. McGonagall
Harry had waited weeks to hear from his professors after having had that first dream. He still couldn't completely understand what happened. He just remembered dreaming about Ripper – Aunt Marge's dog – growing two more heads and attempting to eat him before he saw his mom. His mother stroked his cheek with an open palm and suddenly his father was there too, running a hand through Harry's unruly hair. They began to speak to him.
Then Harry woke up with an empty stomach, tears running down his face, and a name: Iris Lillian Potter.
After that, he had written straight to Professor McGonagall about everything – only to realize that she was unable to do anything. He understood they were trying their best, but a month without news? How hard was it to find one person? Harry often thought of asking his Aunt Petunia if she knew about Iris, but he knew better than to ask. His Aunt Petunia seemed repulsed by any attempt to start a conversation and would likely just smack him with a pan. He wondered if he should have told Ron or Hermione. They could help, but they were also enjoying their own summer vacations. He thought better of it and decided that it was time for him to go for a walk, especially since he wanted to escape Number 4 Privet Drive before his lovely Aunt Marge arrived.
Severus Snape ran throughout the halls of the school. He arrived at the office of the headmaster out of breath and mind racing 100 kilometers an hour. Dumbledore was standing at his desk in a muggle suit and nodded at Snape.
"You really found her?" asked Snape in disbelief. Dumbledore nodded.
"Indeed I have. We should not waste any time, Severus," stated Dumbledore, waving his wand. Severus' robes transformed into a black suit also. Dumbledore offered his arm out. "Come Severus. We must fetch her as soon as possible, before something happens." Snape took his arm and the two disapparated.
Snape took in his surroundings. They were obviously still somewhere in the United Kingdom, judging by the street signs. It almost looked to be near London. "Come Severus." Dumbledore's voice broke through his musings and Snape jumped. The two men walked to a large, looming building with two fog lights on the front. The windows had bars on them and the dirt yard in front of the building was nestled with weeds. It reminded Snape of a muggle prison. Dumbledore knocked on the door and a young man opened the door.
"Hello," spoke Dumbledore kindly. "I was wondering if I could speak to the person in charge here?" The boy blinked.
"MRS. WHARTON," the boy shouted before running away, leaving the door ajar. Snape winced in disgust. Muggles.
A woman walked up the door. She was in her late 50's. She was a thin woman who at once had red hair, though it was now streaked with gray. She had a kind face, though her eyes were wide and filled with uncertainty. "Well, hello there. How may I help you?"
"My colleague and I were wondering if we could step in for a brief moment and speak to you about Iris Potter?" The woman wiped her hands on her dress.
"Little Ritzy? What has she done now?" Snape could only empathize with the woman. If this new Potter was anything like her brother or father, she would be a tyrant.
"We just have a scholastic opportunity for her," spoke Dumbledore. The woman allowed them to enter. The inside was not much better than the exterior. Everything looked old: toys, furniture, light fixtures. Even the air smelled old. Snape impatiently waited as Dumbledore made simple chit chat with the woman. If Snape had his way, they would have confunded the woman and been on their way.
"So what's this about a scholarship for Iris? It's because of her dancing, innit?"
"Not exactly," responded Dumbledore with a patient smile. "Iris' parents went to our private boarding school and had made arrangements, before their untimely demise, that secured Iris' place at our institution."
"Iris' parents are dead?" questioned Mrs. Wharton with a look of surprise.
"Yes," said Snape quickly. "Why do you look so surprised?" Mrs. Wharton sighed and folded her hands upon her desk.
"Well, it seemed like a simple moment of teenage abandonment. Her mother and father dropped her off personally. It was kind enough of them to do so as most just leave them on the doorstep. They seemed a little upset about leaving her, but mentioned something about the circumstances of her birth being… well, I had always assumed they were just teenagers who made a mistake…" she trailed off. "In any case, I'm sorry to hear they're dead." Snape felt frozen to his seat. His mind attempted to process the information, but he looked up at the headmaster who also looked uncharacteristically perturbed. Lily had given up her child willingly? Why?
"Thank you for the information, madam," spoke Dumbledore finally. "The only catch about our program is it requires a special talent."
"Oh! Well, her dancing is a talent if I've ever seen one."
"No, dancing is not exactly a talent we're looking for. Has Iris ever done anything inexplicable or weird?"
"Er, well, no. Nothing weird per say. The thing with Iris is that she is very… strong willed. It's great for the little kids at school because she isn't afraid to stand up to them. Unfortunately, she didn't get along well with the couple and their children. It's just a problem with authority. She just tends to distrust others. It's not an uncommon trait in many of our children, you see." Dumbledore and Snape shared a look. Was Iris Potter a squib?
"Well, we would just like to see if she would be a good fit for our school program," said Dumbledore. "Is it too late to speak to her?"
"No, not at all," said Mrs. Wharton. She pursed her lips and sighed. "She's not here though."
"Where is she?" inquired Snape. Mrs. Wharton sighed and grabbed a pen. She ripped a slip of paper and jotted down an address before sliding it across the desk.
"She's here every night." Snape and Dumbledore peeked at the paper and shared a look.
"We'll take your leave, Mrs. Wharton," spit Snape very quickly. Both men rose up out of the chairs and whisked themselves out of the building before Mrs. Wharton could even blink. Dumbledore held the crumpled piece of paper in his left fist, raising his right arm. Severus grabbed onto it and they both disappeared into the night with a pop.
The two men arrived behind a building vibrating with sound. They walked to the front where they were stopped by two rather large men at the door. As Dumbledore attempted to speak to them congenially about getting in, Snape sighed and whispered a spell that allowed them to enter right away. Dumbledore raised a chastising brow at him before they both entered.
Latin music blasted throughout the club. It was barely lit by flashing, colorful lights that centered on the dance floor. It was so packed that Albus grabbed Severus by the elbow and peered at him over his glasses. Severus scowled at a nearby muggle who stared at them with raised eyebrows. Albus supposed dressing in all black suits might have been a mistake. Albus quickly made his way towards the bar.
"Excuse me? I'm looking for someone. I was told Iris Potter would be here, uh, that she's usually here…" trailed off Albus. The barkeep shrugged.
"I don't know anyone named Iris Potter, man, sorry. Can I get you a drink or something?" Severus sighed loudly and turned to his old headmaster with a finger in his ear.
"Sir, I told you it was a mistake. Can we get out of here now?" Albus turned to his companion and looked around before acquiescing with a quick nod.
"As always, you're right, Severus. Come along." Albus began to waddle through the crowd of people but halted as Severus Snape tugged on his sleeve. Albus never thought he'd see the day Severus' jaw would drop, but as he turned to see what caused his friend to feel such shock, he nearly did the same.
Upon the balcony, a young Harry Potter stood on the railing of the balcony and danced along to the music to the chanting of those on the dance floor below.
"GO RITZ! GO RITZ! GO RITZ!" The young Potter danced rather well, even if his feet balanced precariously on the wooden rails.
"I think we found Iris Potter, sir," yelled Severus wide-eyed. Albus nodded slowly, as realization hit him. He was not staring at Harry Potter, but a female lookalike. Iris Potter existed.