So, fleshing out Dorea a bit here, it's short yeah but hey, three updates in four days after months of silence? Hope you all enjoyed, please read and review!
The two Ladies of Black walked down the halls of Potter Manor in silence, the elder content to leave the talking for later, the younger feeling decidedly uncomfortable with the stifling lack of sound. Harry had never been good at small talk, one of the varied reasons he'd just let Ron and Hermione go at each other really, it filled the void despite how annoying their bickering could get and it freed him from having to do anything regardless. Sadly, Iris had no such distraction and after a few minutes she couldn't take it anymore.
"Sooo..." she began lamely, not quite sure how to spark up a conversation with the woman that would eventually be Harry's grandmother. It wasn't like she didn't have access to Iris's memories of Dorea, which there were many and all of them pleasant, it was that she was trying to reconcile those memories with the stories Padfoot had regaled Harry with.
With a Drunk DogFather
"Now pup this fine lady was your grandmother Dorea! She was the best, she and Uncle Charlus took me in when I ran away from home when I was fifteen. My mother had decided that using the cruciatus curse on her children was the best way to get me to agree to becoming a Death Eater you see, I cordially disagreed and cut ties."
The soon to be fourteen year old gaped openly at his Godfather upon hearing this, having recently been introduced to the horrors of the unforgivable pain curse by said Godfather's rants about Dark Magik.
"Your own mother did that to you!? How could she?" Sirius's somewhat manic grin faltered a bit before he shook his head quickly, quite dog like really, which was rather fitting.
"Doesn't matter, not talking about the hag that birthed me we're talking about Prongs and my mum! Anyway she was great, embodiment of everything the women in my family were supposed to be before they became Voldemort fan girls. Cultured, cunning, kind and cruel where needed, she was the best." The rather haggered former prisoner leaned against the far wall and slid to the floor staring up at the smiling middle aged woman's portrait, now lost in the past, lost in better times.
Feeling uncomfortable at the sudden silence Harry coughed into his hand gaining Sirius's attention once more, "What was she like? As a person?"
Sirius stared at him a few moments before grinning, lifting the half empty bottle of scotch he'd been clutching in his hand the man took a pull then offered it to Harry who took a sip, for politeness sake if nothing else.
"All right, this is the best way I can define Auntie Dory in a single story. Heh...that rhymed...anyway... Right, it was Yule break of our seventh year, James and Lily had finally become the thing we all knew they were destined to be and I was enjoying the hounds life. In short, Prongs and I were living up the last year of our freedom to the hilt, because we knew with...the war...the fighting...the deaths to come..."
He trailed off as a growl escaped from deep within his chest, a moment later he was startled out of his growing anger by Harry who gently gripped his shoulder giving the man a kind smile in turn. Shaking his shaggy head Sirius patted the floor next to him and Harry obliged plopping down beside his Godfather who accepted the bottle of scotch back while taking another pull before continuing.
"Right, anyway we were home for Yule and when we entered Potter Manor we were assaulted by the most delicious smells, your grandmother loved baking for the holidays, and even though she was getting on in her years she was as spry as ever. Prongs and I went into the kitchens sneaking about as was our wont, when we saw both Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus sipping from mugs as they leaned against each other, staring out the window."
Sirius sniffed a bit at this before burying the unshed tears with more liquor, "Anyway, Prongs and I, we didn't want to intrude so we just snuck in and grabbed a couple cakes when Aunt Dorea spoke up."
The woman let out a dreamy sigh as she dropped her head to her husband's shoulder, "I miss the Nazis dear," she opined with a slight pout.
Charlus took a sip from his mug chuckling as he nodded his agreement, "Me too love."
Dorea lifted her head once again taking a sip from her own drink as she stared out at the falling snow, "We could kill as many of them as we wanted, and no one said a damn thing about it. We even received medals for it in fact, ah well... better, simpler times."
Charlus snorted at that as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist pulling her close, "Ah the Third Reich, the gift that kept on giving."
Harry just stood there goggling at Sirius who began chuckling as he finished off the bottle, tossing it down the hall he met Harry's flummoxed gaze evenly.
"He was a Potter who managed to win the heart of a the lady of Black Harry, you shouldn't be surprised that they were both bloody brilliant."
Back in the Past
"So," Dorea began with a knowing smile, "you've kept up on your blade training it seems, not that it is surprising or anything like that. You always were a bit..."
Iris smirked as she turned her gaze to meet Dorea's, "A bit...stab happy perhaps?" Dorea chuckled as she pulled the girl closer to her side while nodding slowly at the quip.
"Quite so dear, I'm not going to pretend to not know about the dozen blades you had on you when you came home last night but I am disappointed in their quality. To rectify that situation we are going to head back to Black Manor and nick what you want from the armory, no one should be there at the moment so no fears of any unwanted interference love."
Iris nodded at this and after a journey through the floo they found themselves back in the Black ancestral home. Taking Iris's hand Dorea led her through several halls and flights of stairs before reaching a massive set of double doors, pulling out a small knife from...Iris had no idea from where, Dorea pricked her finger and rubbed the welling blood across the wood grain frame.
Moments later the doors emitted a series of heavy clunks and thuds before the egress swung open, leaning her head in Iris's eyes widened as she took in the rows upon rows of blades, poisons, traps, and wands.
"Great googly moogly..." was all the small girl could utter at the bounty of potential violence before her, which in turn earned a delighted cackle from her cousin who gripped her shoulders squeezing them knowingly.
"Indeed love! Now shall we get you outfitted?" Iris nodded not really paying attention as she began walking down the aisles, hefting blades at random as she absently accepted an expanded bag from Dorea, and soon began hastily shoving dozens of throwing knives and spikes into it along with several holsters. Grabbing various punch knives and shivs Iris meandered down the aisles humming to herself before she came to a stop, turning abruptly she walked down to the far end of the room and froze before a rather large blade stabbed point first into a shelf thick with dust.
At first it was reminiscent of a elongated kitchen knife, but it wasn't a blade for preparing meals, not by any means. The thing was nearly the size of a dirk, its pure silver blade was blackened with etchings of looping vines, the handle chased bronze depicting ancient, incomprehensible runes of an unknown origin.
Gripping the handle with both hands Iris pulled the weapon free and lifted the blade to eye level, ignoring the flecks of long dried blood that fell along with the dust of ages as she did so.
A moment later, Hermione's voice echoed through her mind;
"One, Two! One, Two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back."
Iris nearly dropped the blade as she brought a hand to rest to her brow, fighting back the echoes of the future long past. Shaking her head she stared at the blade in her hands for a time and after a moment of clarity smiled serenely.
"You were right 'Mione, Through the Looking-Glass was most definitely worth the read..."
Looking around absently Iris eventually found a sheath for the blade, while it was far too large for her now, in a few years it would be the perfect offhand weapon to be used in the middle of a war. Turning to Dorea, who was sifting through a bin of old garrote wires Iris felt her resolve solidify and nodded to herself as she came to a decision.
War was coming, the greatest, most terrible war humanity had ever bore witness to, and even if she wasn't of age, she would fight alongside her family regardless of their wishes... She just hoped Tom would agree with her decision...but that was a few years from now. Today...today it was time to begin her training. Approaching Dorea Iris lifted the Vorpal Blade to the woman's attention earning a raised brow from her cousin in the process.
"I know I'm too small to use it properly now, but can you teach me how to use this?" Dorea stared at the blade a few moments before dropping her lazy gaze to the small girl before her.
"How the bloody hell did you even find that thing? It only presents itself to those who..." Dorea paused, met Iris's eager eyes with her own, then shifted her gaze back to the sheathed blade. Letting out an exasperated sigh she eventually nodded slowly earning a delighted squeal from the younger girl, "Yes, fine I'll show you...but you don't tell Charlus about this, all right?"
Iris threw the elder Black her most innocent doe eyed stare, "Tell him about what dear cousin?" Dorea cocked a brow at her a moment before letting out a cackle, pulling Iris close Dorea made for the door still giggling a bit.
"Oh you are going to fit in just perfectly with us! Now, first things first we need to figure out a way to hide that rudding cursed thing when you get to Hogwarts..."
I actually really enjoyed the original Alive in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass stories by Lewis Carrol, Disney and Burton didn't do them any real justice. Oh, and expect Iris to reflect on Hermione whenever she uses the thing, I think it fits their characters at least. Things are moving on and while short, it is a fast update. Don't expect another one for a few days, I have to help relatives move...ugh... Regardless, I hope you enjoyed!