Taking the Potters to King's Cross Station for the first time was rough. I remember the sad looks on Iris and Harry's features when they learned that Vernon was the one who would take them into the station. It seemed as though they knew I'd visited at some point in my life. I could tell through the look the girl gave me. Her eyes seemed to taunt me, saying that they knew my little secret. It hurt to watch them go but I knew they would be better off. It would be like losing Lily all over again if one of them did not return at the end of the school year.


August 31, 1991

"Where are we taking you tomorrow?" Vernon asked from his spot on the couch. Iris, Harry, and Vernon were watching the television. The Dursleys spent most of the week ignoring the Potters. The twins missed hearing the chatter of the family but, at the same time, it was nice to not have someone screaming at them for every little thing.

Iris sat at the foot of the couch. A small calico kitten rested on her lap. The kitten was a gift from Hagrid. Petunia allowed the pet, since Harry she told Harry he could keep his snowy owl, as long as it didn't smell and get in the family's way. Vernon was told that the animals were staying. It was up to Harry and Iris to keep the animals away from their uncle.

"It's at Platform Nine and Three Quarters." Harry murmured in response to his uncle. Iris' face paled as a new thought came to mind. There probably wasn't a platform nine and three quarters. She didn't dare voice her thought though. It would make the week's events seem even more like a dream.

"Platform nine and three quarters?" Vernon chuckled. "Quit making things up, boy."

"It's on the ticket though." Harry sighed.

"Just get out of my sight you two." It was the longest conversation the twins had carried with anyone in the family since Dudley was given a pigtail.

"Harry stay back." Harry timidly turned around.

"Yes sir." Harry's voice was a whisper. Iris paused at the doorway. Emerald green eyes bore into the face of her uncle while she gulped back the urge to shout at him. She pressed Periwinkle closer to her chest and bit her lip.

"Iris." Vernon barked. "Out of the room now. Go... Go upstairs."

She gave Harry a nervous half smile then darted up the stairs.

"Good, good." Vernon grunted. "Now boy, you go off to school tomorrow so I thought it best I give you a little err... Going away gift so you don't forget where you come from." There was a glint in Vernon's eye as he undid his belt buckle and pulled it from around his waist. He snapped the leather belt once he fully removed it and glowered down at Harry. "Your sister already has a lasting mark so this will have to do. Get over my knee boy."

Harry shook his head. "A-aunt Petunia s...said..."

"Your aunt is out with Dudley for the afternoon. What she doesn't see won't hurt her. And you won't tell now, will you boy?" He snapped the belt again. Harry whimpered and gulped.

"N-n-not a s-soul."

"Good boy." Vernon smirked and dragged Harry over his knee. "I think ten will do. One smack for each year we were kind enough to care for you." He lowered the boy's pants and dragged his boxers down. He then pressed Harry's face to a pillow and hissed, "Not a sound."

Harry closed his eyes. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands as his body tensed up in preparation of receiving the first blow. Thwack. The first blow landed. Several more followed in quick succession. Harry bit down hard on his lips to keep back the cries of pain that threatened to spill out of his mouth. He whimpered into the pillow and stiffened in his uncle's grasp.

Vernon let out a deep breath and gave three more swats. Harry cried out when the last one hit. The pain felt overwhelming to his small form. His bottom stung. It was red and smarting from the hits. Vernon gave one final hit, this time harder than the last, and pulled Harry upright.

"Don't forget how you were raised." He smirked. "I don't want any letters from teachers. Otherwise it'll be twice as bad next time."

Harry grimaced at his uncle and tugged his pants back up.

"Not a word to your Aunt." He whispered. "Now get out."

"Yes sir." Harry whimpered. He disappeared from the room and stopped at the bottom step of the stair. It hurt to stand. Every step made his body shake with pain. Hissing, he slowly and cautiously made his way up the stairs. He smiled slightly once he reached the top and limped to his bedroom. Harry collapsed on the bed and let out a sniffle.

"Harry?" Iris whispered. Her brother shook his head and closed his eyes. Iris curled up beside him and gently hugged him. The two stayed there, sleeping, until the next morning when Petunia's knuckles tapping against the door awoke them with a start.


September 1, 1991

"You're lucky we were going to London anyway." Vernon muttered. The family was piled into the car. Dudley whimpered from the backseat but the sound went ignored. It took Petunia half an hour to coax him into sitting between the twins.

"Why are you going to London?" Harry chose the seat behind Petunia that day since he would be out of Vernon's arm's reach. He forced a happy face and had to sit on the edge of his seat to keep from hissing out in pain.

"We need to get Dudley's bloody tail removed." The uncle snapped. "No more questions."

The car was silent until they arrived at the station. Uncle Vernon was kind enough to bring Iris and Harry's trunks into the building.

"AuntPetuniawhydontyoucomewithus?" Iris voiced the question just before exiting the car. Petunia must have been to the platform at least once, she figured, since her sister was a witch. The words were rushed and unclear yet her aunt managed to figure out what the abnormally quiet girl asked.

"Someone has to stay with Dudley." Petunia readjusted her sunglasses and didn't give the girl a second glance. "You'll miss the train if you don't leave now." She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. Vernon would scream at her if she even wished the kids a good start of term.


"Well, here we are in between platforms nine and ten." Vernon cheerfully announced. "It looks as though they forgot to build your platform. Oh well. See you in the summer." With that said, he abandoned the children in the middle of the train station and disappeared.

Iris and Harry shared identical looks of fear. They were in the middle of a train station, their first visit to a train station, with trunks and an owl. Hedwig earned them more stares than they were used to.

"Wha… What now?" Harry whispered. "We can't ask… I d-doubt th-that they know."

"Come along dears." A redheaded woman stepped into view. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry up." A group of children all followed after. Iris inched closer to her brother as they watched the family. All the boys pulled trunks that looked similar to theirs.

"Okay, Percy you g-"

"Excuse me?" Harry interrupted. It took all the courage he could muster to interrupt the woman. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset with him. The woman gave him a small smile.

"Yes, love?"

"Do you… What I mean is... M-my sister and I were wondering how to get to… how to get to pl-platform…"

"Platform nine and three quarters?" Harry nodded. "Here, come along with my family. You can go after my Ronnie does. He's starting at Hogwarts this year too. Just watch," She grinned, "You run right at that platform and it will take you to the train."

Harry and Iris grimaced when the first boy, they thought the lady called him Percy, ran at the platform. They expected him to crash into it and draw even more attention to them. Instead, he disappeared through the wall and did not appear on the other side.

"Whoa." Harry gasped. "That was w-wicked." The woman smiled at him.

"Alright, now Fred and George next." A pair of twins disappeared, and then the youngest son. "Okay, now you two. Just run right at it. Don't close your eyes though. You wouldn't want to run into someone on the other end."

"Yes ma'am." Harry nodded then glanced at Iris, "Now?" His sister nodded. "One, two… three." They ran at the brick wall and flinched when they neared it but then they were through it. A steam engine stood sparkling before them.

"We should find seats…" Harry murmured once he and Iris were done gaping at the train. Iris nodded and pushed her cart forward. She struggled a little but was able to slowly move the trunk. Iris turned to talk to her brother but he was nowhere to be found. Her face paled when she came to the realization and continued to push her luggage forward.

"Dad she looks like she needs some help." A black haired girl pointed Iris out to her father. The man was well built and wore some of the fanciest robes Iris saw on anyone so far. His clothes were emerald green in color.

"Here girl," The man grunted and offered a hand toward Iris. She stared at him and bit her lip. "Would you like me to place your luggage on the train for you?" Iris nodded her head. Her hands tightened around the small carrier she had for her kitten as she stepped away from the trunk.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson." The girl who originally acknowledged Iris spoke. She offered her a warm grin and extended her hand forward. Iris gave her hand a shake and slowly pulled it away. "You can sit with a few of my friends and me if you want."

"All set." Mr. Parkinson announced when he returned from the train. "I put your trunk in the same compartment as my daughter's." He sighed, "You two should find your seats now. The train leaves in two minutes." He leaned down and kissed Pansy's cheek. "Have a good term. And write your mother. You know how upset she is when you don't talk to her."

"Okay dad." Pansy grinned and grabbed Iris' hand. "Come on, let's go."

Iris was in a daze. She apparently made a friend without even trying. Pansy led Iris to a compartment. There were three boys inside and other girl.

"Who's this?" A boy with blonde hair asked. Iris recognized him from a store in Diagon Alley.

"I don't know." Pansy shrugged. "She's shy, doesn't speak."

"Well the red hair and freckles makes me think she's a Weasley." A dark haired boy answered.

"Yeah, but she doesn't have hand-me-down robes or a stupid expression." Pansy muttered. "So she can't be a Weasley. And she's much too well dressed for a mudblood."

Iris stared at the group in confusion. She disliked how they spoke about her but there was nowhere else to go.

"Maybe a halfblood." Pansy shrugged. "She looked lost though, so I figured I'd be nice for once and show her around."

"She doesn't say much." Draco studied Iris. "This is boring."

"Shut up Malfoy." The dark haired boy muttered. "I'm Blaise Zabini." He gave Iris a slight smile. "Most likely going to end up in Slytherin with these guys. The blonde is Draco, and then this is Crabbe," He pointed to a boy Iris tried to avoid making eye contact with. He reminded her of Dudley. "And this is Goyle." Iris nodded in greeting. "Oh, and that's Millicent." Blaise turned his head toward the girl who was beside him.

"So do you think you'll be in Slytherin?" Millicent spoke up. Iris tilted her head to the side. "Do you even know what the houses are?" The entire compartment went silent when Iris shook her head. Everyone was staring at her. Iris didn't know what to do so she stood up and left the compartment. The train was already moving, to her surprise, and she did not feel like further upsetting the group. She decided it was time to find her brother.

"Hey!" Draco stuck his head out of the compartment. "Come back. We weren't trying to…" But it was too late. She already disappeared into another section of the train.


"Who was the redheaded girl you were with?" Ronald Weasley asked Harry. The two shared a compartment.

"My sister." Harry murmured. "She doesn't talk… Speaking of, I should try to find her."

"I don't think you need to look far." Ron stated. Just then, the compartment door slid open. Iris, with Periwinkle in tow, slipped into the compartment and sat beside her brother. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. She was already in her Hogwarts robes.

"Are you alright sis?" Iris didn't need to answer since the compartment door was opened again.

"I told you Potter was somewhere on the train." Draco Malfoy sniffed. He brought Crabbe and Goyle along with him. "And look, found the girl from earlier. Maybe she is a Weasley after all."

"Leave my sister alone Malfoy!" Harry growled.

"Sister?" Draco looked at Iris in shock. "That … girl is your sister?"

"Yes, now go." Harry pointed his wand at Malfoy.

"We aren't even at school yet." A bushy haired girl whined. She was wandering the train corridor and was surprised to find two boys with their wands pointed at one another. "You'll be expelled before you even step foot on the grounds."

"Did anyone ask you?" Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance. The girl shook her head and disappeared.


"The sorting ceremony will begin shortly. Get into two lines." Minerva McGonagall waved her hands and entered The Great Hall.

The first years were left alone in a cold room full of ghosts. They spoke in hushed whispers as they tried to get in two straight lines without stepping on the person behind them. Iris was behind Harry. Pansy Parkinson was beside Iris and Draco was next to Harry.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier Iris." Pansy whispered. Iris shrugged and gave Harry a quick hug. The doors to the exit of the room swung open and everyone filed in. The hall was full of older students. The professors sat at the front of the room. The walk felt like forever for the Potters. Harry bit into his lip to keep from wincing as the movement disturbed his still sore bottom. Everyone was staring at them.

"The sorting ceremony shall commence." The woman from before announced. "Hannah Abbott please step forward." A timid looking girl approached the professor. She stuck a hat on her head and waited.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat announced. Iris and Harry gave each other a look of disbelief. The hat talked. That was something neither of them could ever dream of.

"Hermione Granger." The bushy haired girl from the train sat down. The hat barely touched her head before sorting her in Gryffindor.

Draco Malfoy was sorted in Slytherin.

"Harry Potter." Iris squeezed her brother's hand and released it as he moved forward. The students went silent when his name was called. The room stayed quiet for three, maybe four minutes. Iris chewed at her lip. Why was it taking so long?

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin." Harry whispered. Well, if not Slytherin, The hat whispered in his ear, best be…

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat announced. The Gryffindor table erupted with applause. Harry gave his sister an encouraging smile and slowly walked to join his new house. He shivered when he sat down and glanced up at the teachers. One of them, a man with long, greasy looking hair, had his eyes on him. He felt uncomfortable when he made eye contact with him but the feeling was lost when his sister was called forward.

Iris timidly approached the stool and sat down. She placed the hat on her head and waited, unsure of what to expect.

Shy but wanting to prove yourself. The hat spoke in her mind. You'd do well in Slytherin. Yet you have the strengths of a Gryffindor and the meekness of a Hufflepuff. Very tough to place indeed… Iris gripped the sides of the stool. She didn't care where she was placed as long as she was happy. I believe you belong in "Slytherin."

Slytherin. There was a collective gasp from the audience in The Great Hall. Iris' face paled as she handed the hat back to a surprised Minerva McGonagall. She gulped and hung her head, feeling quite ashamed as she sat at the table far away from where her brother sat. She could feel a few sets of eyes on her as she slumped in her seat and stuck her head on the table. Iris was thankful that no one touched her. She only looked up when the sorting ceremony was over and barely ate her food.

Harry hardly ate any of his food. He didn't have much of a stomach and feared making himself sick during the first night at school. There was more food on the table than the Dursleys ever gave him and his sister. Harry made eye contact with his sister at one point during the meal. He smiled at her and tried to give her an encouraging grin. He wasn't upset that they weren't in the same house. If anything, he was more worried about the two of them being separated for the first time in their eleven years of existence.


"HARRY?" Iris thrashed in her sleep. "HARRY? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." A light flickered on in the girls' dorm.

"What the hell?" Millicent grumbled in her sleep. Daphne Greengrass rolled out of bed and approached Iris.

"Sorry." She whispered her apology. "She's having a nightmare." Daphne whispered.

"I'm sorry." Iris' shriek grew to a whimper. Her body shook, entangled in the sheets of her bed.

"That's it." Pansy groaned. "I'm getting professor Snape." She rubbed her eyes and stomped out of the room. "No one touch her."

"Professor." Pansy whined and rapped her knuckles against the door to his quarters. She was barefoot and in only her nightdress. She jumped back when the door opened. A tired looking Snape scowled down at her.

"Sir, it's Potter." Pansy looked down at her feet. "She's having a nightmare and we can't calm her."

Severus groaned. "You could have gone to a prefect."

"She won't wake up and keeps screaming. It's serious, sir. I want to get a good night's sleep."

"Very well." Severus said. A frown marred his features, "Lead the way."