Chapter Four: Tour grid

"Please! Let me go! Please!" Came a girl's voice strangled by tears.

"Where is she?" A mans angry voice yelled; there was a sound of a slap then a body hitting the ground.

"I don't know! Please! Don't kill me! I don't know where she is!" Came the girl's voice again this time even more strangled by tears. There was the sound of a foot moving then colliding with the side of a body. Silence filled the room except for the sounds of the girl crying. The man pulled out a long dagger and the girl screamed.

"Don't scream it'll only make it worse." The man said in a sickly calming, caring voice. When she didn't stop he slapped her making her stop. He toyed with the dagger sliding the side slowly on the sides of her neck.

"I know you know where she is. So tell me, do your self a favor and tell me. That way you won't die and we can all live happily ever after." The girl spit at him. "Very well have it your way." He pulled out a piece of parchment out of him coat pushed it onto the dagger then looked at the girl with a blank face.

"Don't worry this won't hurt...much" The sound of a girl screaming with death filled the room before it became almost deadly silent except for a girls strangled breaths to hold onto life.

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"Hey Iris." Harry said cautiously walking up to Iris who was leaning against the wall near the great hall after classes were all finished.

"Hey Harry, so ready to show me around Hogwarts?" She asked mock enthusiastic. Harry chuckled as well as she did before they started towards the big oak doors that lead outside.

"Ron wanted me to ask you something." Harry stated as they began walking around the lake. Iris turned her attention to him locking her eyes on his, he now noticed how shockingly beautiful her eyes were. Cold and cruel looking, but they were a beautiful shade of grey with a tinge of blue mixed in with a dark blue circle around her pupil.

"He wants to know whether you're a Death Eater." At this she burst out laughing. Harry made a dorky grin when he heard her laugh. He liked her laugh, it as lively. 'Hmm...I'll have to make her laugh more often. Wait! No! She's a Slytherin! Stop thinking such things!' Harry yelled at himself but snapped to attention when he realized that she was waving a hand in front of his face.

"Harry you there? I was asking why he would think that." She asked a little breathless from laughing so hard. Harry shrugged and looked out onto the lake. "It's beautiful here." She stated after calming herself down but still giggling slightly. Harry smiled and followed her gaze to the other side of the lake looking onto the grounds of Hogwarts since they had walked a long ways mostly in silence.

"It is; you know I never really noticed Hogwarts' beauty till now...Standing here with you." Harry said after a few seconds of just staring out over the lake slowly turning his head over to look at Iris again. The sunlight was shining on her in such a way that she looked almost unnatural or supernatural in a way. He felt that if he blinked she would disappear and that he must have been hallucinating or something like that. He just had to make sure she was real. Before his mind could overrule him his hand had reached out and touched her arm gently slowly sliding it down to her hand.

Iris was in awe at how beautiful Hogwarts was that she had forgotten Harry's presence until she felt his gentle touch on her arm slowly sliding it down the her hand. Her skin crawled under his touch making her uncomfortable and slightly nervous. She never really trusted men, well, at least since her father started beating her and her mother which seemed to go back since she could remember. She'd seen to much pain and hate in her life to ever become more then a little friendly with men at her school and in her town. Everyone in her school knew she was still a virgin and would probably die one. No one knew that truth except her close circle of friends, blokes in her school had always asked her out or tried to seduce her. But most stayed away. She had a bad reputation and no one wanted to get on her bad side for fear of the worst. She moved her arm away from his touch folding both her arms over hr chest glancing over at Harry before continuing to walk around the lake.

Harry's eyes frowned when he saw how uncomfortable she looked when she glanced over at him. She didn't have to say anything it was her tell-tale- eyes that told him everything. She did not trust men at all. She probably hated them for all he knew. 'Maybe she's a lesbian and the girl Erin was he lezzy mates. God I hope not.' Harry thought when she seemed to be less friendly towards him for a while after they started walking back to Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry if I seem stand offish. It's just...I haven't had the best of luck with relationships with guys. Didn't have a very happy childhood." Iris said when they reached Hogwarts finally. "And don't worry I'm not a lesbian." She added slyly giggling a little making her way back up to the large oak doors of the castle. Harry stared puzzled at her for a few moments before realizing that she was almost at the doors before running up the stairs to catch up with her.

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Iris entered the Slytherin common room and made her way up to the girl's dorms rolling her shoulders and taking off her school robe as she walked rather quickly up the stairs. She entered and closed the door looking around seeing that no one was there. She breathed a sigh of relief, threw her robe onto her bed and pulled out her charmed boom box. She then pulled out her CDs looking for an appropriate CD for what she was about to do. She picked out P.O.D. and put it in. Nodding her head to the music she pulled out an extra bag that was well hidden under her bed (thankfully by the house elves), she placed it on her bed and opened it to an assortment of swords. Starting at the Foil for fencing to a Samurai sword that she got form her Japanese Aunt (related by marriage) on her moms side for her 14th birthday. Her Aunt Hokkaido had taught her how to use the Samurai sword and some of the ways of the Samurai since her ancestors trained in the Samurai ways for centuries passing it down through the generations. Iris decided to start with the medieval sword that was once her grandmothers that was passed through the generations.

Iris had always had a fascination with swords, always wanted to be able o work them to be one of those strong knights in those medieval movies she used to watch as a child. She used her wand to make a target and started with target practice, since her aim was always off by a few inches. She had moved on from target practice and was practicing other things when the door opened and Draco stepped in. She hadn't notice since she had to have full concentration on what she was doing. She lunged just as he opened the door and her sword went through the door missing his torso by a couple of inches.

"Careful there, you could have killed me!" Draco yelled over the music since she had it up rather loudly. Iris pulled her sword out of the door and flicked her wand to turn the music off.

"Sorry I should have put a sign on the door or something eh?" Iris asked good naturedly giving him a small smile to which he had to return.

"So, are you some type of sword master or something?"

"Yeah, my mum was ecstatic when she found out I had a fascination with them. She was very supporting when I started my lessons. All the kids were older and better then me, but I ended up being the star student. No one could beat me." Iris explained proudly her smile becoming even bigger.

"So Erin left?"

"Yeah." Silence fell over the room and the only sounds were from Iris putting her swords away. When she turned Draco was standing very close behind her. She froze and fear engulfed her body. He must have sensed this somehow because he backed up a couple of inches.

"I'm not going to hurt you." When she didn't answer he continued. "I just can't seem to stay away from you."

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"Fly to her and give her my message girl." The mans cold voice ordered, when she didn't move he kicked her making her groan.

"I can't." She whispered attempting to stand but just collapsing back onto the floor.

"You'll do what you are told! Stand and go to her! I will find her, now go!" The man ordered again his voice even harsher then before. There was the soft sound of feathers and the girl took off out of the small window in a drunken flight to find her.