The train ride was actually lovely. Iris had settled herself into her seat and was stroking Esmerelda. She chatted with the gang and enjoyed the changing views out of the window. The lady with the trolley remembered her, and much to Ron's happiness, topped up the sweets for the group.
Iris remembered the first train journey to Hogwarts. She looked around at her friends. Ron was chomping on a chocolate frog. Harry and Neville were playing a card game. Daphne and Draco sat next to each other, murmuring about the holidays. Hermione and Iris were making final plans for the holidays.
The silver snakes had tucked themselves away. Equi magic was in the air. Some from Iris but partly from the others in the carriage.
Trevor and Lily basked in it.
They had all noticed an increase in their magical strength. Lavender and Parvati had commented on it. Dean and Seamus had too. The first years from the other houses all had a noticeable improvement compared to previous years. The professors had noticed this phenomenon. Iris would be making a trip to the Burrow over the holidays to take the rest of the Weasley's to Equilibrium. Harry was very intrigued by it all. He was adamant he would wait. His parents still visited him regularly. It could backfire if he went through. Harry was well aware of this. This part of Voldermort wasn't like the werewolf that Remus had managed to separate from. As long as Riddle roamed the Earth, Harry was connected to him. By destroying that, Harry may not be able to come back. He could lose a connection that could prove invaluable in the future. Dumbledore seemed to think this connection could make all the difference.
Iris was inclined to agree. They needed every advantage they could get and Harry was ready to do what it took. They had a way to control it to a point and if it was a way inside Riddle's mind, then Gabriel could pull what they needed from it.
Draco would be collected from Kings Cross station with Bella and Walburga. They all agreed it was too dangerous for Narcissa to be out in public. Draco had warmed immensely to his Aunt. Her flagrant disregard for most things sat very well with him. Iris would take him with her on her Saturday visits. He had found a kindred spirit in both of them. He was gradually becoming more like his true self. He was intelligent. He knew he was in a form of shock and was stressed. Draco also realised with unnerving clarity, that with whatever happened in the future, he had made the right choice.
Iris was taking him to the next world. They would be spending the day there. Hermione had said going there was giving her a whole new perspective on everything. For the better. Daphne had been wonderful. She never pried but was quietly supportive of him. It was much appreciated. He had found his humour starting to return. A snort here. A laugh there. It was more than he had mustered in the last five years. There had been dark days when he thought he would never smile again.
Draco looked across at Iris who was giggling about something with Hermione. His cousin. His brilliant, foul-mouthed cousin. A girl who had told the scariest Wizard on the planet exactly where he could shove his wand and then sent him packing out the school gates with a stunner. Draco would always hold that precious memory close to his heart. He would be rewatching that many times in the Black Pensieve over the Christmas holidays.
Neville caught his eye and gave him a grin. Draco had apologised profusely to him for the train incident. Once Neville had been told the details he had greeted Draco warmly. The more Purebloods in their world who could unite against Riddle, the better.
Frank and Alice had been very open with Neville from a young age about the problems in their society. The change had to start with the old families.
They held the wealth and influence. The laws were in their favour. If they had stood together in the first place Riddle would never have got as far as he had. So many of the Purebloods back then had gotten greedy. That infamous week that the Potters had been attacked and Riddle regenerated had been emblazoned on Neville's mind. The week his parents had been tortured so badly their minds had been broken.
Iris had introduced Neville to Gabriel so the boy could thank him personally for his help. When he was younger Neville would sometimes have bad, vivid dreams where his parents had never recovered. A lifetime spent in a bed in . He would always just check on them to make sure they were still there and be more relieved than he could say when he would see them asleep in their own bed. The older he got, the less he dreamt of that, but the impression those dreams left made their mark.
Marcus Flint had driven home the extent of Riddle's reach. That this was the driving force behind his mother and father rejoining the Order with his now young Gran registered profoundly with Neville. His Grandmother was even more frightening than she had been. She was raring to go. She had been involved in the second world war and was delighted to get another go fighting Nazi scum and Death Eaters. Her greatest ambition was to take out Grindelwald personally. She was teaching her family and her now youthful, old friends all the dirty tricks in the book.
An Order meeting was to be arranged in the spring. Augustus wanted Frank and Alice ready.
They were getting near to London now and started packing up. Iris put Esmerelda back in her tank and prepared. The Hogwarts Express made its way into the station and came to a stop. They could see all the people waiting on the platform.
They all unconsciously stuck together as they got off the train. The silver snakes drew all eyes to them. Iris could see quite a few people who she had taken through the veil. They all looked surprisingly young to have teenagers at boarding school. They waved over as she waved back. Many eyes were looking at these parents with jealousy.
People started bustling about to meet up.
Iris spotted her mother making her way over immediately. In a moment she was pulled into a warm hug, 'Hi, darling, how are you? Oh, it's been so long.'
'Mum. I saw you less than a day ago,' Iris grinned.
'I know. But it's tradition to ask,' Hayley said smiling. She hugged Daphne and welcomed her home. She looked at the other children with interest.
Iris took the hint, 'Here are my chums. This is Hermione Granger,' Hermione smiled and held her hand out as Hayley shook it.
'Hello. Iris has told me all about you,' Hayley said, smiling as the girl went a bit shy, 'It's lovely to finally meet you,' Hermione blushed and smiled back.
'Neville Longbottom. Draco Black,' Hayley smiled politely as she shook their hands.
Draco looked at her curiously. Hayley looked much more like she should be Daphne's mother. Iris looked very different from both of them. Only the same nose confirmed any family resemblance. Hayley commented on his eyes and Iris's. It really was incredible how much alike they were.
Hayley turned and saw Harry, 'Harry. Hello,' she said with a strained voice.
Harry was staring up at Hayley. He knew this was hard for her. He was the child Sirius had chosen to raise instead of his daughter.
'Pleased to meet you,' he said awkwardly.
Hayley gave a sort of grimace.
Iris felt her toes curl in anxiety.
Hayley seemed to shake herself, 'Iris told me about the troll incident. Thank you for helping her. She can be very reckless sometimes.'
Harry nodded cautiously.
'Mum,' Iris whined, blushing a bright red.
Hayley grinned when she saw Ron, 'Hello again.'
'Hi,' Ron smiled at her. They had met several times.
Hayley smiled, 'Thank you also for helping Iris with the troll. She said you did the spell to knock him out. I'm very impressed.'
Ron puffed his chest out with pride, 'Hermione helped me with that,' he admitted.
Bella and Walburga approached the group. Bella and Walburga looked very haughty and distinguished as they sashayed through the station catching many men's eyes as they embodied the legend of the formidable Black women.
'Draco. Iris. Hogwarts is still standing then?' Bella smirked, 'You haven't blown it up yet?'
'Not yet. Maybe next year,' Iris said drily. She introduced them to the group. Hermione was paying very close attention to the two women.
Neville observed Bella with a certain level of interest. He had been told she had been as much a victim of Riddle's cruelty as his parents. Bella was very intimidating regardless. If the rumours were to be believed she was also Lucifer's girlfriend. Neville focused on his breathing. He could get quite nervous sometimes.
When Iris introduced him to Bella the older women took a moment to observe him. Her face softened a little as she gave him a small smile.
'So. You're friends with Iris then?' she asked him.
Neville nodded. His throat was dry as he looked up at her.
'Good luck, Neville,' Bella said to him, 'Try and stop Iris causing too much devastation, would you? There's a dear,' she said with a mocking look towards Iris.
Iris rolled her eyes, 'Honestly. You make me sound awful.'
'Have you got them each a motorcycle and started an official gang yet?' Bella said with a grin, 'Swapping Hogwarts robes for leather jackets and upsetting the locals with barroom brawls?'
'Actually, that isn't a bad idea,' Iris mused as she glanced around the group and pictured it with a smile on her face at the image.
Bella looked genuinely concerned at that joke backfiring and moved swiftly on. Iris introduced her to Ron and then Hermione. Iris stared at Bella as if daring her to comment.
Bella surprised her by being perfectly polite to the young muggleborn.
'I've been told you have been a tremendous help to Iris this term. Thank you, Miss Granger,' Bella said simply.
Draco looked at the scene with a smile as Hemione gazed up as Neville had. Bella, even being nice to you, was incredibly disconcerting.
'It's nothing, really,' Hermione said modestly.
'Nonsense. You have shown strong character traits already. Thank you for befriending her. That in itself deserves a medal. Iris can make life very difficult sometimes,' Bella said with a smirk to Iris.
'Yes. Well, it's lovely to see you too. I have missed our cosy little chats so much,' Iris said in a heavily sarcastic voice.
Bella gave a wild sort of laugh that sent a chill down Nevile's spine.
Hermione kept standing there with a bewildered look on her face until Bella reached down and gave Iris a big hug, 'It's so good to see you again, darling. How are you feeling after last night? Albus has been keeping us updated. I heard Riddle interrupted dinner. He is such a savage.'
'I know,' Daphne and Iris chimed in together.
'Such bad grace,' Neville added. Draco nodded alongside him.
'I still can't believe he interrupted your dinner. Hasn't he any etiquette?' Hayley said in scorn.
'It was just before pudding too,' Iris said in a distasteful tone as Harry patted her arm in support. The Purebloods all shook their heads in dismay at this atrocious behaviour.
'It's simply not done in polite society,' Ron said as he shook his head in dismay.
Hermione looked shocked at that coming from Ron. Wizarding customs she supposed. At least she knew that one now. Never, ever interrupt a Witch or Wizard at dinner without prior notice. She supposed Muggles were not a fan of it either, but still. They seemed more upset over that than the killing curse.
Hermione spotted the familiar sight of her own parents and Gran who were making their way towards her, 'My family are here,' she said to the group as she waved to them and walked up to meet them. Lucas slithered behind her. She had informed them of this gift as she hadn't wanted them to have a shock on arriving.
Iris smartened herself up. She wanted to make a good first impression. The Wizarding World could seem very odd to Muggles and she wanted to seem as normal as possible.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sirius walking up with Frank and Alice Longbottom. He looked like he was being very cautious. Iris froze. She looked at her mum who was watching Sirius approach. Her jaw seemed to be locked as her blue eyes pierced his. Iris took her hand.
'Shall we go to meet Hermione's family, mum?' Iris asked.
'In a moment,' Hayley said cooly.
By this point, everyone had realised what was happening. Draco looked with extreme interest at Sirius. His closest living male relative who he may actually want to be associated with in the future. He saw immediately the similarities between father and daughter. He saw his own eyes in Sirius's face. Draco had to admit the obvious. Sirius was exceptionally attractive. Many of the women on the platform had turned to look at him, causing much consternation with their husbands.
Sirius right now looked very meek though, as he looked at Hayley warily.
She hadn't bolted which was about the only good thing he could think of.
Harry hadn't dared to breathe for the last minute. Even Ron looked uncomfortable.
Daphne was looking at Sirius with a look of disdain.
Frank and Alice greeted Neville which filled the silence for a moment as Hayley and Sirius stared at each other.
Even Jasper and Ethan had stopped swaying. Poised at the tension in the air.
Bella stood with a grin on her face at the discomfort of the group.
Walburga kept looking back and forth between her son and Hayley.
Iris dare not move. She could see some of the Weasley families' red hair a little further down the platform, making their way down to them.
A scream ripped through the air to break the tension as Iris's head whipped towards the sound.
In a split second Iris was running across the platform. Hermione and her family looked to be surrounded by a group of aggressive, drunk men who were taunting them and shoving them around. Iris could only quickly register they were each wearing the silver Death Eater masks they were so fond of. Mr Granger had been put in a headlock as another man punched him hard in his face as Lucas slithered up to prise the man off of him.
The Wizard punching Mr Granger kept firing stunners at Lucas who hissed. They were too drunk to comprehend what the snake embodied. One of them had grabbed Hermione's arms back so she couldn't get to her wand as Iris felt the rage grow as blood pumped through her body. One of the men was grabbing at Hermione's mum who was trying desperately to get to her husband and another had cornered Hermione's Gran and was holding her by her throat as she trembled with fear.
'Muggle filth,' slurred one of the men as the others laughed disgustingly, 'When will you realise you're not welcome here. Maybe this will make you understand.'
Iris saw one of the men grope Hermione's mother with a lecherous look. The few people nearby pretended not to see the calamity and were running away quickly. Not one of them helping. The station was becoming deserted.
Hermione was in tears at this point. It was this that made Iris see red.
Iris smashed into the man who was holding Hermione, knocking him forwards as she sliced his leg with the hidden blade in her heel bringing him down.
'What the fuck!' the man screamed as he spun around and then went rigid.
Iris had gone full-on, Hellspawn. Her eyes were glowing blood red as the golden doorway behind her flared up. Scarlet and gold spitting the fires of hell at them. Jasper and Ethan had arrived as fast as Iris to join Lucas. She used parseltongue, hissing to bring the others to her.
Within a moment three men were on their knees in front of the veil as the silver snakes squeezed them. The black magic was booming out of her, swirling around as the masked men watched their wands explode. The power was tangible. No one else could get close to Iris. The black magic was like a shield.
Iris ripped their masks off and glared at them.
Images of these men's crimes came quickly to her.
Her rage at the unspeakable atrocities of these men assaulted her senses. They had been using the camps in South America. She saw their intentions towards the Granger family.
'Throw them in,' she hissed, ordering the snakes, 'Then bring me the other two.'
The Granger family had sunk to the back of the wall and were watching this with eyes wide open and frozen.
The three men were whipped fast into the swirling veil by the snakes.
The two men who remained had wet themselves. The force field around them made them rigid. Iris looked down at them as they appeared to register just who they were dealing with as they looked up in horror.
Once again, she tore their silver masks away. Images of their crimes flashed through her mind.
'Your Voldemort's granddaughter,' one of them said with a look of dread.
'That's right,' Iris sneered, 'That means, to you, I'm your worst nightmare.'
'What is that?' one of them whispered in tears as he glanced fearfully at the veil.
'The express train to Hell. You're done. I have seen the despicable acts you creatures have done in the concentration camps. It is what you all deserve. Fuck those pathetic courts. We're doing this my way. Actual justice. You should have all been given the Dementors kiss years ago,' Iris said to him coldly.
'No. Please!' one of them begged.
Iris gave a manic laugh as her blood-red eyes glinted, 'All those people who begged you to stop. Hundreds of them. Children as well. You didn't listen to them. You laughed at their pain. I see no reason to listen to you.'
Again, Iris saw more images in her mind of the filth she was dealing with. She felt sick. With no mercy, she hissed the order to the snakes to throw them into the veil into hell.
The veil accepted them without hesitation.
Iris bent down and picked the five masks off the floor with distaste.
Sirius had frozen at the sight in front of him. A glint of awe in his eyes. The penny had finally dropped for Sirius. Iris may be using Riddle's tools, but what he was watching was the Black family madness unleashed full throttle for long-overdue justice. Like father, like daughter.
Iris took one last look at the Granger family, 'I'm going to make sure Lucifer gives them all the welcoming they deserve.'
With that, she stepped into the veil and disappeared from platform 9 ¾.
'So much for making a good first impression,' was her last thought.
The golden doorway disappeared. Most people had scuttled out of the area at the first sign of trouble. It was becoming an all too common occurrence in recent months. It was only the Grangers and whoever had been in their original group that remained on the deserted platform.
'Who was that?' Mrs Granger whispered.
'That was Iris,' Hermione answered in a shaky voice, 'I wrote to you about her.'
'She did all that without lifting her wand,' Bella said with a beaming smile. Draco was looking elated. He had recognised the scum when Iris had torn off their masks. He knew for certain they had got what they deserved.
'I think we'd all better get out of here now,' Sirius said quickly as he came to his senses, 'Hermione. You and your family had better come with us,' he was looking around furtively. 'Everyone, grab your luggage. Anyone who can apparate, grab someone who can't. Go to Grimmauld Place. Do it now,' he said urgently.
The Granger's were too dumbstruck to do anything but follow Sirius's advice.
They were each told to hold tight as they were whisked away from the station. Trevor and Lily yowling, as they too disappeared. The eerie quiet of the deserted station showed no evidence of what had just transpired.
The Hogwarts Express sat motionless as the last of the smoke from both the train and hell dispersed.
The trolley lady had a soft smile on her face as she made her way out of Platform 9 ¾.
She was the last one out.