Published: 11/02/2021
Normal
"Talking / Talking (flashback)"
'Thoughts / Thoughts (flashback)'
"Spanish / French / Italian / Russian / etc."
- Flashback -
(**Author's Note)
Author's Note: Hello Everyone!
Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy these past few months with job-hunting, work, writing current stories, etc. But I have not forgotten GotR. So, let's get down to business.
Right now, I'm open to ideas for Goddess of the Rainbow to help keep the writer's block away. If there are any ideas or adventure-like situations you can think of for GotR, please send them to me via PM, or mention them in this chapter's reviews. (Example: Relic Hunter or Indiana Jones situations) The only limits are nothing too explicit, I want to keep this story rated T, not rated M.
Now on to the story!
I do not own Harry Potter or Katekyo Hitman Reborn, only the story idea.
"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."
― J.K. Rowling
Chapter 11
'The weather has been good the last few days since we left Rome,' Iris thought as she stared out at the open water.
The sounds of Skull cursing and Verde's machines were heavily ignored.
Ever since Iris met her above-mentioned second soulmate, it's been…different. Verde was calculative, observant, and logical; a combination of Slytherin and Ravenclaw (leaning towards the latter). But she could see he cared in his own way.
All her life up to Hogwarts, she never met anyone else that had more than one soulmate. Only her closest friends knew she had multiple. With all the shit she dealt with in the Magical World, she could only imagine what they'd do if it became public.
On another note, there was a reason why the trio had left Rome early, well three reasons.
While they were still in Rome, the ship got damaged from two rival famiglias fighting. The ship was still usable but the exterior had several holes from shrapnel and the old engine had to be replaced. Verde had a research base in Venice and could repair the boat there.
The second reason was the only way to easily get to Venice was going to the Port of Pescara and travelling the rest of the way by sea. The trio had rented a truck and boat trailer, with Skull acting as driver.
The last one was Iris' desire to visit the City of Water. It was one of Italy's most beautiful and ancient cities, and was on Iris' list of destinations.
Upon finding out the duo were travelling by boat; Verde had designated himself as ship mechanic. Any attempt to help was given a stare down, which reminded Iris heavily of the disappointed looks Luna and the Twins gave her on occasions (which was rare considering it was the Twins and Luna doing it).
As someone of great resources, Verde immediately set about on stabilizing the ship with temporary repairs until they arrived in Venice. In return for his help, Iris made sure he ate enough and got a decent amount of sleep. She learned from experience whenever the Twins were experimenting in their workshop. As long as Verde took some time for himself, Iris was happy.
Though Iris was thankful the previous owners were wise enough to subtly enchant the ship, in case of mundane visitors or long-term guests being nosy.
As to why Skull was cursing; well as an ex-travelling circus performer, he was experienced in a few European languages. He was fluent in French, German, and some Italian; but Russian was hard for him. Mostly due to the alphabet and pronunciation. With how Iris planned on travelling across Europe, Skull was brushing up on the most difficult languages, hence the cursing.
"Why the hell are some of these words hard to say?!" Skull complained, "Only a genius can speak this!"
"Any language is hard you simpleton, it's called practicing," snarked Verde, having heard that last comment.
"That's enough you two! Not everyone is great at anything. Need I remind you both of what happened in the galley (kitchen)?" Iris told them.
The two men stayed silent. The galley incident was the reason why no one except Iris was allowed to cook. Skull nearly started a fire by just prepping the cooktop. Verde was no different when he was caught experimenting in the galley when he shouldn't have been. Needless to say, the pair were given the boot to the deck with Iris taking damage control.
At least the galley wasn't on fire.
"So, how is the repairs going along Verde?" Iris asked the scientist.
"Hmph," he huffed, "Sufficient, but well enough until we get to Venice. My lab is near the edge of the Venice archipelago. We should be there by sundown," he calculated.
"Does the lab have any place to sleep?" Skull asked.
"Unfortunately, I only have a cot in the lab, so we'll have to find someplace to stay," Verde answered.
That's when Iris remembered something. During her parents' and Sirius' will readings, there was a property she inherited from her Dad that the Potters owned for years. Ironically, some of the properties she owned were actually in countries she was going to visit too.
At least they had a place to sleep when they get there.
"I may have a place. I inherited it from my parents," she revealed to the men, "It's next to Rio del Vin, close to San Giorgio Maggiore."
"That's roughly 3 km from my lab, it will be efficient," Verde replied.
"Awesome!" Skull cheered, "Sounds like it's a place with a view!" he said happily, looking forward to a place to stay and exploring the city.
"Indeed," Verde agreed, "Studies say that the sound of water is very soothing to listen if someone has trouble sleeping."
"And judging by the dark silhouette on the horizon, we're almost there. I can see St. Mark's campanile from here," Iris observed from afar.
Sure enough, a dark silhouette could be seen on the horizon. Even from faraway, a tall tower could be seen from the ship.
-Time Skip-
Arriving in Venice, Skull and Iris couldn't help but be in awe of the floating city. None of the pictures did itself justice, with Venice's ancient buildings and soft pastel colouring. Iris could see the brilliant dome of the Basilica Salute.
It wasn't until they reached Verde's lab and anchored, did the trio finally disembark.
It was difficult, after some time at sea. It felt like every step either Iris or Skull took should be moving under them. They had to cling on to each other, while Verde (the smug asshole) simply strolled pass the pair with no problem.
"Smug bastard," Skull muttered irritably.
"It's called practice you simpleton," Verde said mockingly, as he pressed a few buttons.
"What are you doing?" she asked, as a side door opened, followed by several mechanical arms.
"These arms will guide the ship into my workshop," he explains, "Once it's placed inside, a lift will take it out of the water and I can assess the situation and make the proper repairs."
Iris could understand that, but much has happened today, and she just wanted to relax for the day. She noticed Skull was antsy, likely from excitement.
"How about we start work on it tomorrow?" she suggested, "It would be difficult fixing the ship without some food and sleep."
"We could see some of the sights before that!" Skull exclaimed excitedly.
"Please can we wait until tomorrow Verde?" Iris asked, unknowingly releasing her Sky flames, enticing the scientist to agree.
Shivering at the feeling of his Sky's flames caressing him, Verde couldn't help but agree.
"Alright," he agreed, "But we'll just visit the places towards our temporary residence," he compromised.
The duo cheered in happiness, waiting until Verde locked everything up before leaving. They only took a bag each of clothes, hygiene supplies, and some Euros; just in case.
Visiting the places between were interesting. Skull was showing off his linguistic skills by haggling the prices with a few shops, while Verde and Iris watched. Iris got some excellent pictures of the beautiful city, but couldn't catch a glimpse of anything in the depths of the murky canals they passed over.
By the time they arrived to the building, it was almost dusk. The setting sun was beautiful falling over the city. Nearby streetlights were on, giving the area a mystical aura.
After asking a local restauranteur, they found the entrance to the upstairs apartments located around the corner. Iris, having never visited the inherited apartment before, relied on the directions given to her by Gringotts.
Walking up two flights of stairs and taking a turn, they finally stopped at the last door in a hallway labelled La Tana dei Leoni. Iris grabbed the key, and unlocked the door.
"Welcome to the Lion's Den," Iris introduced as she opened the door, and revealed the place.
It really felt like a 2-storey loft. The living room was painted a butter yellow colour with brown and dark wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. Two red couches decaled with gold stitching and a pale-yellow couch were surrounding a dark brown table over a dark red venetian rug, numerous similar coloured pillows on each sofa.
The rest of the house that Iris could see was mostly decorated in red and yellow; Gryffindor colours, with a bronze and marble staircase leading to the bottom floor of the loft.
"Wow!" Skull said in awe.
Verde didn't say anything, but his eyes showed unsurprise. He knew judging by his Sky's ship that she must have some money, especially if she had a place like this. Real estate in Venice can be up to €1,600,000 or more.
"I've never even known about this place until I went to my family's bank," Iris said, "At least it's tasteful and warmer than other places I've visited," she added, recalling the dark depressing walls of the Malfoy Estate and Grimmauld Place.
Exploring the rest of the loft, the trio found the kitchen, dinning room, and master bedroom on the top floor. A den, and two guestrooms on the bottom floor. All in the same yellow and red colour scheme, each bedroom with its own bathroom. Multiple floor-to-ceiling book shelves covered the hallway, filled with hundreds of books.
Iris could imagine living here with the Twins, Luna, and Neville. Spending their days together and just forgetting about the past. A part of her longed to see them.
"Hey," Skull said, getting her attention, "It's been a long day, let's get some food and sleep," gesturing to the kitchen and his grocery bags.
Verde agreed, "A healthy lifestyle is essential to being efficient."
'Which was ironic coming from a man whose lab only had a small unused cot and a mini-fridge for a kitchen,' Iris thought, but she agreed.
Verde and Skull had noticed their Sky's somber mood, and were relieved by the positive change. Verde knew by her flames, that his Sky previously had Elements, but was unaware of their status.
A few hours later, after the trio ate and went to sleep, Iris couldn't help but wonder; what else her travelling will bring?
Author's Note: Did you really think I'd go on hiatus? Worry not my readers, I won't leave anyone hanging. Updates might be slower due to work and inspiration, but I will do my best to update as much as I can. Until then, take care and enjoy!