So next chapter is going to be very Tom-centric as the Potters teach him the ins and outs of operating in Pure-Blood circles while Iris gets used to having family that actually cares about her. This is unfortunately a bridging chapter, it needed to be written but not much honestly happens and for that I apologize, I promise next one will be longer and funnier. As always, please enjoy and if you have a few moments drop a review!
Harry was immediately made wary by the fact he was not in pain, not feeling any sort of ache, be it stomach pangs due to near starvation, or the twinge of old scars courtesy of Vernon's belt let him know he very well might be dead for real this time. His brief stint as Iris Black hadn't changed this mindset in the slightest, the shit she had endured was surreal and nothing a child should ever have to experience. With that thought he snapped his eyes open and found himself staring down at an adorable little girl.
"Hello Harry, it's nice to finally meet you in person," the child stated as she gave him a brief curtsy, her dark satin dress absorbing all the surrounding light as its ebony weave shifting between alien shades of black.
Bowing lightly in return Harry belatedly realized he was wearing an equally dark set of dress robes as he nodded to the girl, "A pleasure, Iris." Giggling she grabbed his hand and soon the girl was dragging him forward as she gestured towards the shattered fragments of thought drifting around them.
"Neat, isn't it? Not the memories themselves obviously but rather the display. Both our lives were horrid so they shouldn't be gawked at, still the presentation is ever so well done." They both took in the various moments of abuse they'd suffered through as memories drifted by, eventually she spoke again, "I really can't figure out who had the nastier childhood no matter how much I think on it.
"On one hand, while I was cared for and trained in the arts of blade and politics I was always aware that...that I would likely be cast out if I could not perform magic. When that came to pass, well...the streets are not a kind place for children..."
Harry released her hand and wrapped his arm around the little girls shoulders pulling her to his side as he replied, "On the other hand you have me. A boy who was ritually abused, starved, and belittled to the point that he blindly accepted the wizarding world despite how...idiotic it really is simply because it wasn't Privet Drive."
She nodded at this and after a moment Harry continued, "Honestly I think you had it worse then me, you had your mother giving you a perverse hope that you would be accepted if you could just perform magic. Something you had no control over no matter how hard you tried, and her disappointment and hate burned you deeply. Me?" He scoffed lightly, "The Dursleys never hid the fact they hated me, it was almost a reassurance really, knowing that no matter what I did I'd never be good enough for them. So why bother trying, taking Sirius's training to heart helped in that I admit."
She nodded sadly at this, "True, I do have to say I really love your sense of humour, the way you've been torturing poor cousin Arcturus today has been most amusing, though you may wish to tone it down a bit. A touch of Black madness is perfectly acceptable in a Lady of Black, encouraged even, unfortunately you're bordering on being obnoxious at the moment."
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he laughed nervously. "Yeeeah I may have been playing the part of Hamlet a bit too thoroughly but in my defense up until I put that damn ring on I really was just playing it all by ear."
She nodded in understanding, "Death works in mysterious ways, when He asked me if I was willing to allow you to take my place at my passing I admit I was initially hesitant to agree. I wanted my failure to live up to my families expectations to die with me, but...but He was rather persuasive. After I agreed He warned that my knowledge would pass on with me, you lost your body, and gained mine, I gained your knowledge, yet retained my own despite existing only in the ether. Equivalent Exchange He called it," with that she let out a sad sigh as she stopped before a rather prominent memory shard.
"The point of the entire exercise was if you were ever reconnected with the Family Magic, or, rather, connected for the first time since I was a squib, you'd regain what was lost and I'd fully move on. If I agreed that you could finish what I could not that is."
Staring at the memory of Harry in Iris's body promising to always be at Tom's side, she eventually turned her gaze to the hate filled visages of Voldemort and Harry as they killed each other. Sighing she leaned against the young man as she played with his flowing sleeve a moment before continuing.
"I want to move on, I think you can change everything, the family, the Blood War, the needless deaths...I honestly think you can do it." Looking up her round emerald eyes met Harry's equally intense gaze, "Give them Hell Potter."
With that she pulled him down to her level and kissed his brow, as she faded away a final warning drifted past Harry's ears, "There will always be someone to fill the vacuum left by a fallen Dark Lord, do not rest on your Laurels, Heiress Black..."
As Iris came to, and yes, Harry had finally come to terms with it he was Iris and this would most certainly help with his constant identity issues, she felt a pair of warm presences hovering over her.
"Is she ok?" A clearly worried Tom asked, Dorea made a tsking noise as her voice shifted, ostensibly due to her turning to face the gathered family.
"Yes dear, we all rather foolishly forgot that she'd had her connection to the family magic severed. Lord Black routing her letter to her as Iris Black rather then Iris No-Name kick started the reconnection, taking the ring had it happen all at once rather then gradually as it should have been done. Hindsight and all that."
"Family magic?" Tom parroted honestly confused, Iris felt thin delicate fingers run through her hair as Dorea responded in a quieter tone then before.
"Yes dear, surely you noticed her behaving differently then normal today?"
Tom gasped at that, "Is that why she's been acting so strange? And why her eyes keep shifting to purple when she gets annoyed? And her hair looking like it's soaked in blood?"
Dorea hummed at that as she continued to stroke her fingers through Iris's hair, "Yes, The Black Madness some call it, more correct then not honestly. It's usually rather intense the first time it connects, or in her case reconnects."
"So that's why Lord Black tolerated her behavior then," Tom stated sounding slightly relieved that his only friend wasn't in any trouble.
There was a 'Harrumph' noise from the other side of the room as said man grumbled out a reply, "I wouldn't say tolerated boy, more along the lines of putting the punishment off till a later date."
With that Iris sat up startling everyone as her eyes snapped open and her violet gaze locked onto Arcturus's wide silver eyes.
"Funny, that inner ear thing is acting up again..." While most of the gathered family looked at her in confusion, Arcturus visibly swallowed as he averted his gaze. Grinning wolfishly Iris shakily stood up as Dorea and Tom took a hand each, both looking at her in worry.
"How are you feeling dear? Nauseous? Vision blurring? Do you have an unexplainable yet oddly comforting desire to take over the world?"
Processing Dorea's rapid fire questions Iris shook her head quickly then paused nodding in confusion, "No, no, and...yes? Huh...that's new..."
Dorea grinned happily at that as she turned back to the seated family members, "The family magic connected fully I believe. I'll have to do more in depth scans when I get them home."
Arcturus sighed as he made a shooing motion with his hand, "Very well take them back to Potter Manor, I'm sure Charlus will be disgustingly enthusiastic about having the brats about regardless. Why you couldn't just accept that contract with the Averys is beyond me."
Iris and Tom both glanced up to Dorea to see how she reacted to this, her grim smile would have made an ice elemental shiver, "Are you suggesting that I made a poor choice in partner "Widdle Arty Poo?" Iris felt her soul twitch as Harry's grandmother sing songed Bellatrix's creepy baby talk towards Lord Black, who for his part seemed deeply unsettled by it.
"N-no cousin, not at all. Why don't you move along now, the children are probably quite worn out after the days events." Tom shot Iris a look and quickly rolled his eyes causing her to have to stifle a giggle, Dorea simply nodded and took the kids hands guiding them out of the room.
As they approached a wide fireplace filled with merrily crackling flames Tom could no longer keep in his questions, "Mrs Potter...Lady Potter? Err...I'm sorry I don't know how to properly address you but, what was with that voice you used back there? Why did it make Lord Black...err..."
"Dorea dear," she laughed out in honest amusement as she grabbed the dish of floo powder off the mantle. "And that was the voice my mother use to use on Lord Black whenever she caught him misbehaving...and when she tortured muggles that looked at her in a way she didn't find particularly pleasant." She paused and stared down at the wide eyed children smiling sadly, "The Black family didn't take up that name because we thought the color was rather fetching little ones. Those are lessons for another day, now Tom take a pinch of this, throw it in the fire and clearly state 'Potter Manor' then walk into the flames once they turn green."
He nodded at that as he took some of the powder in hand, "Thank you but Iris already explained it to me before we arrived here." With that he tossed the powder into the fire while saying "Potter Manor!" With that he entered the flames and disappeared.
Handing the dish to Iris Dorea held it just out of the girls reach taking in the small redheads muddied eyes, caught somewhere between the violet induced by the family magic and their natural emerald.
Shifting nervously Iris eventually spoke up, "Umm... is there something wrong cousin?"
Sighing while giving her a wane smile Dorea tilted the dish forward allowed Iris to take a pinch in hand, "You do realize that boy has bound himself to you dearest, do you not? It isn't magic, it's in the mind, he see's you as his and he'll never let anyone take you from him. Are you prepared to deal with that? To deal with were the Dark drags you?"
With that Iris smirked as she tossed the powder into the fire, "I'm the Heiress Black now, it's fitting that I dwell in the Dark places now, is it not? Besides which, it won't be boring now will it? Potter Manor," with that she stepped through the flames leaving Dorea alone.
Sighing wistfully she repeated the process herself while shaking her head ruefully, "Oh this summer is shaping up to be quite amusing."
Sorry folks, this is where my hand began acting up again, its...something at least, right? Anyway please review!