A/N: I apologize for the way I had to portray the Priest and other people in the Church. It is necessary for the story, and I can assure you that it has no bearing on today's Priests that I know of. I'm pretty sure they would be put in jail so fast that their heads would spin if they tried something like this nowadays.
I've finally managed to post this as its own chapter. I tried to upload another, but the stupid error message popped back up. Check my profile for updates on the situation and to see if I've added a chapter to another already up.
Chapter Two: Preparations and First Meetings
Iris stared at Griphook as he led her over to a cart. She was only going to visit the Peverell vault today. She knew that if she went into any of the others, that she would spend the rest of the day in them.
"Hey Griphook, what's the date?" The Goblin turned to look at her in confusion.
"The twenty-fourth of December." At her still expectant look, he added "1932."
Shit! I'm so fucked.
Climbing into the cart, she held on as it sped off into the depths of the bank. She savored the feeling of the wind on her face, grinning and let out a laugh of delight.
They descended deeper and deeper into the bank, passing increasingly high security vaults. After going through a magical waterfall to strip all disguises, the cart continued for another five minutes before coming to a screeching stop outside of a vault that had…nothing guarding it.
Iris looked at the vault in suspicion. Why would such a high security vault not have a dragon or some other fearsome beast guarding it? Something was wrong with this picture. She glanced at Griphook, dread spreading through her at his carefully blank expression. He had a strange looking rod in his hand as he gingerly stepped out of the cart.
Iris followed Griphook, eyes darting around to try and locate the source of her sudden increased unease.
"Be prepared to cast fire…or the Patronus charm."
Shit! Wait, I can't sense a Dementor, so what…Lethifolds.
Iris tensed as rippling black cloaks drifted out of the darkness. The creatures didn't attack however, opting to stay far away from Iris, making their way towards Griphook instead.
Pressing a rune on the strange rod, a large flame leapt out, licking at the advancing creatures. They screamed, sounding far too much like a Dementor for her peace of mind. So absorbed in watching the creatures flee the flames, she was unaware of the Lethifold sneaking up behind her. Her magic blared a warning, but no attack came. Instead one of the strangest things occurred. The Lethifold brushed up against her legs, simply hovering there, not actually doing anything but gently brushing against her.
"The fuck!" With a scream she leapt backwards, only to trip and fall on her ass. Griphook had whirled around at her scream, gaping at the sight that met his eyes.
The Lethifold had draped itself along Iris's back and lap like a demented cloak. She clawed at it, panicking. The creature didn't move, nor did it hurt her. A strange rumbling sound emitted from the large Lethifold. Iris stopped trying to pry the creature off, as it wasn't trying to suffocate her. Deciding that it was just one more thing to add to her list of the impossible becoming possible, Iris pat the Lethifold, jumping as it purred.
Did it just purr?
Moving stiffly, Iris stood, her wand flying back into her hand from where she had dropped it. The Lethifold covered her back and most of her waist. It was soft, surprisingly so. It was also warm, something that she would not have equated with the cousin of the Dementors.
Fucking Hallows.
There was no other explanation for it. She closed her eyes, growling under her breath. She was probably all sorts of insane to let the Lethifold continue draping itself all over her, but she really didn't care at the moment. Ignoring the other Lethifolds now swarming her, vying for her attention like puppies, she stopped and stared in disbelief as the large Lethifold on her back hissed and attacked the other smaller ones. It chased the others off, which was hilarious to watch seeing as they looked like floating blankets or cloaks.
Iris had the impression that the Lethifold was smug as it resumed its previous spot on her body. Poor Griphook was still frozen in shock, rod continuing to spew out fire. He snapped out of his shock when the other Lethifolds began to get too close for comfort again.
He jogged to catch up to Iris, aiming the rod at the following Lethifolds. Iris paid Griphook little attention, focusing instead on the large vault door. The sign of the Deathly Hallows was engraved on it. She waited for Griphook to catch up before actually doing anything.
"You will have to put some of your blood on the door, it will either accept you, or reject you…violently." She narrowed her eyes at Griphook. The Lethifold tightened around her briefly before loosening again.
She pressed her index finger against one of her fangs, pulling away when the taste of blood filled her mouth. She pressed her finger in the middle of the door in a small depression. A curious sensation washed over her, like her magic was being tasted of all things.
The door suddenly melted away, revealing the treasures hidden within. Iris gaped at the amount of gold she saw.
Stepping into the vault, she began to sift through the many items hidden within. She zeroed in on a section filled with scrolls and books, eagerly looking over each. She grabbed a chest, carelessly dumping out the jewels in a pile so that she could put books in it instead.
She turned to the Goblin that was taking sanctuary inside the vault with her. "Is there a way for me to get money without having to carry it all around with me?" The Goblin looked at her in surprise. She felt like she was missing some vital information.
"Yes, there are leather purses that you can buy starting at twenty Galleons, there are different options for both men and women. They will transfer the requested amount of currency to you directly from the vault you set it up to. It can be set to multiple vaults. Three drops of blood will bind the purse to you, preventing anyone from stealing or opening it."
"I would like to see what the options are." Nodding at Iris, Griphook pulled out a box similar to the one she had seen on Axegrinder's desk, only much smaller. Tapping it with his finger, it grew in size until it looked exactly like the one Axegrinder had used. He tapped it again before opening it.
Iris looked at the options critically, immediately rejecting the flamboyant ones. She chose a black dragon leather purse with gold stitched into it. Showing it to Griphook he smiled a toothy smile.
"That will be fifty Galleons." She sighed at the price, but still bought it. Pricking her finger again with a fang, she let three drops of blood fall onto a small rune located on the bottom of the purse. It glowed green, showing that it had accepted her blood and bonded with her magical signature.
She went back to scouring the vault, picking up things here and there, while steering clear of others. Especially the skeletons. She didn't want to know why they were in the vault.
She soon decided that she needed to start shopping if she was going to get everything done today.
Battling, in Griphook's case, their way back to the cart, Iris tried futilely to pry off the Lethifold still clinging to her. She tossed in the towel with disgust as the beast started to strangle her. She cast an illusion on it with Griphook's permission, making it look like a fancy cloak.
The ride back to the surface proved harrowing as the Lethifold clung desperately to her, trying its level best not to get blown away. Iris eventually had to give in and hold the thing as it shivered in her arms, wrapped tightly around her waist and legs. She glowered at it, annoyed that she couldn't get rid of the pest. Griphook kept shooting it wary looks, uneasy with the Lethifold so close to him.
Iris wasted no time in hopping out of the cart, untangling the Lethifold and letting it re-attach itself to her back. Rolling her eyes at the grumbles the creature was emitting, she suddenly had the humorous thought of the Monster Book of Monsters and the Lethifold battling. She wondered who would win in such a situation, the killer cloak or the vicious book.
Making her way out of the bank, she cast a warming charm when a rush of cold air smacked her in the face. Setting off, she made her way to Zamara's Robes. Madam Malkin's apparently didn't exist yet. If she remembered correctly, it wouldn't be built until her parents went to school.
Entering the shop, she was met by an old woman. She had black, graying hair pulled up into a bun and dark brown eyes. Her skin was a darker color, but looked more like a dark tan. She still retained a sort of youthful beauty, just less noticeable.
"I would like a full wardrobe." The woman's eyes lit up. A magical tape measure began taking her measurements. The woman scribbled down the results.
"I would like Acromantula silk robes in several colors that will complement my skin, hair, and eyes." Iris wanted to make a good impression on the Purebloods of this time.
After delivering her requirements, Iris was told that the clothes would be ready in two days, seeing as Madam Zamara was closing the store on Christmas, which was tomorrow.
Hurrying across the street, Iris entered a surprisingly busy Flourish and Blotts. Deciding to pick up a few books for herself in order to catch up on the recent history and current events, Iris weaved her way through the last minute shoppers. She grabbed a basket and went to town, grabbing book after book. She was passing by the children's section when she came to a halt.
Tom Riddle.
Her breath hitched and she felt a hysterical bubble of laughter threaten to escape her. She leaned against the shelf, her eyes staring at the children's books across the aisle from her current position. The sound of murmured conversations dimmed as she lost herself to her thoughts.
That's right, Tom Riddle will be turning six years old on the thirty-first of December at midnight. I had completely forgotten about him until now. Though I have had a lot on my mind. Should I adopt him? I know he didn't have a good childhood and that helped twist him into a monster. But how much of a monster would be have been had he had a good childhood?
She knew no one was born evil, and couldn't stomach the thought of hurting a child.
Iris took a deep breath, knowing that despite everything Voldemort had done to her, that she would be adopting Tom Riddle. A humorless smile stretched her lips. She never thought that she would one-day vow to protect and care for Voldemort, or his younger self, Tom Riddle.
Looking at the children's books, she chose a few promising looking ones, and books for learning to control magic at a younger age than eleven. She would need to get him a practice wand from anyone but Ollivander.
Grabbing a few more books, she got in line, reading one of them while waiting for her turn to pay. The clerk shrunk the books and placed them in a bag for her. She had declined the offer to wrap them, wanting to wrap Tom's presents herself.
"Do you know where I can get a training wand?" The clerk paused as he went to call for the next customer.
"Ollivanders and Tiny Magic both carry training wands. The second store is one that also carries items for children and infants." Smiling at the tired looking man, she wandered around looking for Tiny Magic. Finally spotting it next to a pet store, Iris wandered inside. The building looked fairly new, having yet to gain that ancient vibe that most of the other stores gave off.
She was assaulted by bright, vibrant color and noise. She wondered if Fred and George had modeled their joke shop after Tiny Magic.
Wanting to spend as little time as possible in the store, Iris stopped a harassed employee.
"Excuse me, can you please point me to the training wands?" The woman shifted on her feet.
"They are over near the counter in a glass case. I'll have to retrieve one for you if you wish to purchase one." Iris smiled and nodded her head. The employee led her over to a huge glass case with hundreds of training wands inside it.
"Which one would you like?" Iris gave the woman a confused look. Weren't the wands all the same? She peered in the large glass case a little more closely and gaped.
Was that wand pink and sparkly?
Creepy.
Extremely creepy.
So creepy and disturbing that I want to Oblivate myself.
Oh gods! I can't even look at it without being blinded.
Why would you give a small child a wand encrusted with precious gems?
Oh hell no!
Argh! Are there no simple black, brown, or white wands?
That one strongly resembles Umbitch's stubby wand. It needs to be destroyed.
Maybe I should just take Tom to buy a real wand in Knockturn Alley.
Looking almost frantically for a nice, normal looking wand, her eyes alit on one that was a pale white, with a little painted black snake coiled around the handle, tongue flickering out every now and then.
Oh, Tom will love this one. It's event the same color of his future Yew wand.
Pointing at the desired wand, Iris watched the woman tap her wand against the glass. The training wand vanished and reappeared in the woman's empty hand.
"This one is five Galleons, do you want to pay now, or shop some more?" Iris looked at the store full of chaos and shook her head. Iris traded the woman five Galleons for the wand on the spot and booked it out of there.
The poor Lethifold was traumatized by the light and noise, nearly strangling Iris. She herself was traumatized, more so by the wands than the actual store.
Neither of them were as happy to see snow as they were at that moment.
Ah, the glorious muffling ability of snow.
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Iris wandered down Knockturn Alley, ignoring the lustful looks she was receiving. She let the dark part of her aura flood the area, practically suffocating others in its intensity. The Lethifold lashed out when a particularly brave Vampire reached for her in a daze. With an unmanly shriek, the Vampire sped away from her and her vicious…pet. She pat the Lethifold, stroking it as it purred proudly.
Imagine Dumbledore's face if he saw me now.
She cackled mentally, making her way into Borgin and Burkes. A bell tinkled as she opened the door. She wrinkled her nose in disdain, the place was every bit as filthy as it was in the future. She walked in further, picking up the Hand of Glory on her way. Borgin Sr. came out of the shadows, beady eyes watching her every move.
"I plan to buy this Mr. Borgin." She set the Hand of Glory on the counter, glancing down as she did. Her heart stopped, eyesight narrowing to focus on the heavy oval locket made of gold with emeralds forming an S under the glass.
"I'll take the locket…for no more than the ten Galleons you paid the woman you bought it from Mr. Borgin." She turned her head slowly, eyes glowing. Her magic caused the air temperature to drop. Their breath fogged in front of them, ice crawling over the glass in the shop. It felt like a Dementor was in the room with them. Borgin paled, swaying under the pressure of Iris's magic. The Lethifold tightened around her, seeking her warmth.
"Y—yes my Lady. He scurried around the counter to give her the locket. He was trembling so badly that he almost dropped it.
"Put only the Hand of Glory in a bag. I plan to wear the locket." The man nodded vigorously, rushing to comply with her demands. The bell tinkled, and several men walked into the shop, only to stumble and pale drastically.
Iris had yet to pull in her magic, letting it diffuse through the shop instead. She began reeling it in when she saw who had stumbled in. Abraxas Malfoy and his father, along with the Black and Lestrange Lords and their respective children were staring at her wide-eyed. The small children looked at her in awe, while the adults in an entirely inappropriate manner.
"M—My Lady?" Iris turned back to Borgin, noting that he was holding out the locket for her to take. She accepted the heavy locket from him, slipping it on over her head. She pulled her long curly hair out from under it and tucked it into her robes.
She reached into the money pouch, mentally thinking about ten Galleons. She handed the money over to Borgin.
"How much is the Hand of Glory?" Borgin looked from the Hand of Glory to her several times. He looked indecisive, and she arched a brow at him.
"Ten Galleons my Lady." The men behind her gasped at the outrageously low price; the Hand of Glory was worth at least one hundred Galleons.
"Excellent." She once again handed over the required amount of money, done with her shopping in Borgin and Burkes. She turned to leave after shrinking the bag, only to come to a halt due to the live barricade at the door. Pursing her lips, Iris gracefully glided forward, the Lethifold rippling along her skin.
"Excuse me Lords Lestrange, Black, and Malfoy, but I would be very appreciative if you could let me through to the door." She put on her 'Pureblood bitch' attitude, acting like any other Pureblood Lady would.
The men parted automatically, before Malfoy snapped out of it.
"Pardon my rudeness my Lady, but who are you?" Iris paused, then with a smirk that they couldn't see with her back to them, she turned, face now blank.
She smiled a very sinister smile. "Iris Peverell-LeFay-Ravenclaw-Gryffindor-Emrys." With that bombshell, she swept out of the shop, laughing at their stunned faces when they caught sight of the rings on her hands. She let the rings disappear again, only to re-appear on the bracelet.
Unknown to the occupants of the shop, she cast a silent geas on them, preventing them from telling anyone but their families. The geas was also set to jump on the rest of the family once they found out. They could talk about it, but only if they were alone. She didn't want the whole world to know just yet. She really did not need Grindelwald or Dumbledore on her case until Tom was older and could defend himself adequately.
She continued laughing as she made her way deeper into Knockturn Alley. She was aware of the men and their sons rushing to catch up to her. She rolled her eyes, gods they were obvious. She knew her titles would gain instant attention, which she needed politically.
If she was stuck in this time, then she was damn well shaking things up and making waves. She had noticed a few different things since arriving here, leading her to think that she had inadvertently created an alternate timeline. So, she could mess around with the past all she wanted.
She walked into a promising looking pet shop, sparing a brief glance at the old Hag staring at her intently. She meandered through the store, peering into various cages and tanks. She came to a stop at the back wall of the shop, aware that the men and their children had followed her the entire time. She glanced at a tank, watching them in its reflection.
Malfoy was opening and closing his mouth, unable to form the words he wanted to say.
"Are you really Lady LeFay?" Abraxas slapped a hand over his mouth, blushing. His father scowled at him. Iris gave a small smile, marveling at just how much Abraxas looked like his future son and grandson. Considering that Abraxas's mother was rumored to be a Pureblood Veela, it was no wonder that the Malfoy genes were so strong if it were true.
"Yes. Can I help you gentlemen?" Her eyes were sharp; she knew that she had their full attention. Hopefully they would be willing to form alliances with her. She had a Wizengamot Seat for each of the titles she carried. At a total of five, she had a lot of political voting power.
"Is there a time that we can meet, my wife would be delighted to meet another woman of outstanding pedigree?" Iris stared at Black in disbelief.
Did he really just say 'pedigree'? I'm not a dog!
"Yes, I will send you a letter later this week. I have just recently joined the British community and would like the chance to get my affairs in order before socializing Lord Black." She forced herself not to growl. She hated acting like this. Maybe politics weren't such a good idea.
Lords Malfoy and Lestrange both expressed similar requests, to which she agreed. Finally, they wandered off after grilling her for more information.
Iris turned around, looking at the eggs lining the shelves along the back wall. There were several, each being in a stasis. A blue and silver snake egg caught her eye, she looked at the tag.
Silvertongue Snake. 250 Galleons.
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the price, she shrugged, deciding that since she was filthy rich, she might as well buy it. What horrible logic.
She carefully picked up the egg, noting the anti-theft wards surrounding it. Ah, so it could only be picked up if one was willing to pay for it. There was a flaw in intention wards though. If one was a Master Occulomens, then their true intent could be hidden and could therefore trick the wards.
Iris ran her eyes over the rest of the tags, handing the egg to the Lethifold so she could pick up two more. One was a basilisk and the other a phoenix. She had plans, big plans for the basilisk egg.
She made way back to the front of the store, her Lethifold still holding the Silvertongue snake egg. She placed the two eggs on the counter, then took the one from the Lethifold, which promptly spread out over her body again. She was surprised that the men hadn't noticed the beast. Though, it did still resemble an expensive cloak rather than a ferocious creature even when moving. The Hag flinched away from her, hurriedly packing away the three eggs, wanting the dark creature away from her.
Iris withdrew the required two thousand, four hundred Galleons and handed them over in a sack. The Hag placed the sack on a scale, not daring to try and cheat Iris out of her money. Satisfied that her customer had paid the required amount, the Hag handed over the box, which Iris promptly shrunk and placed in her pocket.
Stepping outside into the freezing cold, Iris reapplied the heating charm that had since worn off after applying it when she first left Gringotts. The Lethifold purred and burrowed against her, seeking the heavenly warmth she was emitting.
Iris stroked the Lethifold, slowly making her way back towards Diagon Alley. She needed to stop by the Ministry, which was open even on Christmas Eve, and schedule to take her NEWTS.
Iris cursed and hexed the few who were foolish enough to attack her. After killing two Vampires and one Werewolf, the other inhabitants of Knockturn left her alone, giving her a wide berth.
Re-entering Diagon Alley was disconcerting. It was almost like going from night to day in a matter of seconds. Making her way swiftly to the Leaky Cauldron, Iris hurried inside, the Lethifold snuggled tight against her.
Dropping three knuts into the small pot on the mantle, Iris was rewarded with a handful of floo powder.
"Ministry of Magic!" Speaking clearly and concisely, Iris tossed in the powder. The flames turned green and she hurriedly stepped into them.
The world spun around her at a dizzying speed. The poor Lethifold nearly strangled her to death in its terror. It chittered in anger when she stepped out of the floo.
"Shh, I'm sorry that I forgot to warn you, now pipe down, I don't want you discovered." The Lethifold grumbled a bit, nipping her before relaxing and falling silent. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the Atrium. Glaring at the fountain as though it had committed some grave offense against her, Iris longed to blast it to smithereens.
She came to a stop at the security check. She handed over her first wand to the sleepy guard. He ran it through the records, giving her a slip of paper with the results. She continued on, leaving her wand behind, knowing that she had other wands and could use wandless magic anyways. Besides, she had blood bound all of her wands to herself, enabling them to respond only to her and always come at her summons.
She entered one of the golden elevators, smiling at the half-asleep occupants. She reclined in the corner, the Lethifold shifting to find a more comfortable position. She was glad that the illusion was still holding on the animal. If it moved too much however, the illusion would shatter, revealing the monster hidden beneath.
Coming to her stop, she quickly made her way to the door labeled NEWTS. Knocking, she waited for the affirmative before opening the door.
An old lady looked up at her from her knitting. She had a kind face and gentle demeanor. Looks could be deceiving though, and this little granny had a core of steal where her family's safety was concerned. Never underestimate little old ladies, especially those with deadly knitting needles.
"Hello Mrs. Marabellen, I would like to schedule a date to sit my NEWTS." Mrs. Marabellen smiled at the polite young lady.
"Of course dearie. There is an opening on the tenth if that will work for you at eight in the morning."
"Yes, that will be fine. Do I just come back to this office at eight then?" Mrs. Marabellen nodded.
"Yes, I will take you to the examination room where examiners will test you." Mrs. Marabellen handed over a packet of forms for Iris to fill out.
"Is it ok if I fill these out now?" Mrs. Marabellen nodded once again, turning her attention back to the baby booties she was knitting.
A half hour later, Iris had finished filling out the last form before handing the stack back to Mrs. Marabellen
"I suppose I'll see you on the tenth then. Have a Happy Christmas and New Years."
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The portkey dropped her unceremoniously in front of a massive set of gates. A large manor sprawled across the impeccable grounds. She grinned, well the stasis charms seemed to be in effect. The parchment from the vault was right. She grimaced as she mentally calculated just how many House Elves the manor was going to require.
The Lethifold was hissing and growling at her.
"Oh stop it."
Giving some of her blood to the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on the gate like she had the vault, Iris made her way up to the Manor. Actually, she was incredibly lazy and just flamed to the front door.
Entering the manor, Iris decided that choosing and preparing rooms for herself and Tom was more important than exploring the manor, Iris made her way up the huge staircase. Her footsteps echoed on the marble floor and stairs. The marble was black with white veins running through it. She eventually succeeded in finding the Master bedroom and Heir bedroom after what felt like forever, she decided that her room was perfectly fine the way it was. Tom's was going to need some changes though.
She chose a room close to hers for Tom to stay in. She used her wand to change the blue walls to a crème and the bed hangings to an emerald green. The duvet also changed to a black with the Slytherin Crest on it in the middle. The pillowcases and decorative pillows became crème and dark green respectively. There was a Slytherin Crest in the middle of each pillow as well. Satisfied with his bed and walls, she turned to the furniture.
The desk she enlarged and turned a dark color, its wood gleaming richly. She transfigured the chair to match the desk. Its seat cushions became a crème color to match the walls.
Iris peeked into the bathroom, grinning at the sight of the magical toilet. She had no idea why Hogwarts made the toilets look and act like Muggle toilets when their magical counterparts where so much better.
She changed the towel color to black rather than the original brown. She left the bathroom after that, seeing noting else that needed to be changed.
She decided to get something to eat, grinning as she did so. She would take Tom some food and books for Christmas. She wasn't sure yet if she would show herself to him or not before being ready to adopt him.
She was too tired to go see him tonight on Christmas Eve though, she had had a long day and still had to unpack all of her purchases.
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Iris yawned, stretching as she woke. The sun streamed into the room from the large glass window. She groaned, turning over and pulling the pillow over her head.
Casting a quick Tempus, she gaped at the time. Ten, ten! How the hell had she managed to sleep so late? She always got up at seven at the latest. She wondered if it had anything to do with her traveling through time and not really having the time to just relax recently.
So today was Christmas, the day she was going to go see Tom for the first time. She had had the strangest dream last night. She wondered if it meant anything. Shrugging, and deciding that dreaming about giving Tom cryptic messages and a pendant were unimportant, she flipped back the covers.
Getting out of bed, she decided that she might as well explore the rest of the manor and make changes. She also needed to make sure that none of the stasis charms had failed. She thought it would be best if she went to see Tom that night so that she wouldn't run into the Muggles. She pushed aside the niggling feeling of foreboding.
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Iris appeared under her invisibility cloak outside of Wool's Orphanage. It was Christmas night and few people were out on the snow-covered streets. The snow crunched under her feet, and she cursed. She was lucky that there were no Muggles around to see the anomaly.
Flaming over to the other side of the gate, she cast a notice-me-not charm before removing the cloak. The Lethifold snuggled against her as the cold hit it. It didn't mind flaming around, not that she could blame it. The flames felt deliciously warm and soothing. Plus there were no nasty side effects that other forms of magical transportation tended to induce.
She unlocked the door, silencing it before pushing it open. It was a good thing that she did when she got a good look at the rusted hinges. The building was dark, its occupants asleep for the night. A thunderous snoring roared through the building
Poor Tom. I pity you, I truly do.
Creeping up the stairs, Iris belatedly remembered to silence her feet and the staircase when a stair creaked obscenely. She cringed, eyes darting around as the snoring stopped briefly. She applied the silencing charm to her feet and the staircase, making sure that she would make no more noise.
Once at the top of the staircase, she turned to the left, knowing that Tom's room was number twenty-seven. She counted silently in her head, her eyes easily able to pierce the darkness thanks to her Vampire genes.
Coming to a stop outside of Tom's room, she carefully opened his door, and saw…an empty room. She stiffened, a chill of foreboding trickling down her spine. She wandered further into the room, yet there was no sign of Tom Riddle. Something was wrong.
Iris hurried out the room, several scenarios popping up in her head. She made her way down to the office, hoping that there would be a clue as to where Tom was. She flew down the stairs, wasting little time in locating the office from Tom's memories…wait…his memories!
Iris concentrated on his sixth Christmas, looking for the reason he wasn't in his room that night. Her sense of foreboding grew overwhelming. There was something…the exorcism!
Her eyes snapped open and she threw on her invisibility cloak and flamed to an alley near the Church from Tom's memories. She tore off the cloak and stuffed it into a pocket. Using her Fae and Vampire speed to run to the doors of the Church in a blur, she flung open the doors…only to get a face full of glass that she barely managed to throw up a shield to block before being hit.
In front of the alter, Tom sat tied to a wooden chair. He screamed as his magic lashed out. The Priest was sent flying and all the glass in the building shattered. He heard the others in the room screaming in terror and pain, but he didn't care.
Opening his eyes, which were glowing, he glared at his torturers. The Priest stumbled to his feet, enraged and terrified. He stalked forward on unsteady feet, blood staining his clothes.
"So, the demon has come out to play!" He yelled at Tom, spittle flying from his mouth. He went to hit the young boy, when a red light struck him. He went down, thrashing and screaming, clawing at his skin. The Church went silent except for the now whimpering Priest. Everyone turned to look in the direction the beam of light had come from.
Iris was spitting mad. The Lethifold draped over her sensed her anger and reacted to it. It flared out menacingly.
She stunned the people in the Church more enthusiastically than strictly necessary. Paying particular attention to Mrs. Cole, who she slammed into a pew with the force of her spell. She stalked forwards, her magic causing ice to form on the stone under her. The candles and gaslights began to snuff out, leaving the flickering electric lights as the only source of light in the Church.
Tom stared at the avenging goddess in awe, recognizing her as the woman from his dream last night. Her hair crackled with magic, an invisible wind sifting through it. Her lips were curled over fangs in a snarl. Red outlined her green eyes, glowing in the dim Church.
She began Oblivating the Muggles, then repairing the damage reluctantly. She even more reluctantly healed them, wanting noting more than to add a few more injuries. She erased all signs of an altercation.
Making her way over to Tom at long last, she vanished the rope and healed his injuries. She pulled the boy against her, feeling him shaking in shock. She knew that he would fire question after question at her as soon as he came out of his shock, but for now, he clung to her.
Casting time delayed Ennervates at the others in the Church, set to activate in thirty seconds, Iris hugged Tom even closer.
"Let's get out of here." With those last whispered words, she and Tom vanished into a flash of blue flames, disappearing right as the Priest started to stir.
Fortunately for Iris, she was an adult and had used wandless magic, so the Ministry of Magic remained blissfully unaware of the night's events.
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I'm not happy with this chapter; it just simply did not want to be written. A promise is a promise, so I'm posting it today. I might go back and change parts of it, but I'll mention that in the chapter that I post after doing so.
