Iris needed an excuse to leave the room as Harry followed her. Hermione joined them as Draco and Ron also left the room. The others needed time to get their heads around this.
They made their way to the infamous trunk and headed down the steps to the Black pensieve. Iris quickly took the other memory out and blushed a little. Ron looked a little suspicious but moved along swiftly as Iris pulled memory after memory out of her mind and placed them inside. There was room for five as they all headed in. Iris clutched Hermione's hand. She knew what to expect but it still scared her. She thought she was brave but even she had her fears.
'Hey, that's me,' Ron said when the first memory surrounded them. It was really quite unnecessary. Ron looked much the same.
'This is November 15th. We had just got the news that China had been attacked. We hadn't found the snake. Riddle had taken her somewhere. She had last been spotted in Albania in Europe at the start of October. Filius Flitwick and the others had been helping us in the Astral plane by spying. That's all we know. The snake is key to all this. We can't finish him without ending her,' Iris informed them.
They were standing in the Great Hall. It was very hectic. People were running around. They could make out the words nuclear. Salazar had been there. He had looked very serious. They followed Salazar and Iris through a portal. They both had protective bubbles around them. They could see they were in Paris. The Eiffel tower was in the distance. Everything looked normal from a distance until they got close. Harry felt sick. Everywhere he looked were deformed child-like creatures writhing on the floor. Salazar himself looked wretched. Iris was stunned into silence. Those in the pensive had their eyes wide as they looked at the carnage in Paris.
Next was Berlin. That was the same. No damage to the buildings but thousands of people in agony. They flew through portal after portal. Madrid. Vienna. Warsaw. Moscow. They got closer to China. Hermione gasped. They could make out the aftermaths of the mushroom clouds dispersing into the winds. Hundreds of them. They stood in what was left of Tokyo. Draco was trembling with rage at all of this. He had been here as a boy. The buildings were destroyed. Fires burnt and raged. Thousands of burnt bodies were strewn everywhere. There didn't appear to be any survivors. Ron could not believe what he was seeing. Harry was numb at the sight of all of this.
They were in another memory. Iris was with Albus for this one. Portal after portal. South America. Hermione's legs almost went. Iris had to hold her up. They were in America now. Like China, it was flattened. Decimated. Bodies were everywhere. They could see the poison in the air.
Another memory. Iris was in the tunnel. The portal wasn't opening into limbo. She was punching it with frustration. Tears were rolling down her face.
London now. Death Eaters were running amok. Iris taking killing curse after killing curse. Getting back up only to get knocked down time after time trying desperately to get people into the portal. Ron stood and stared at his lifeless body as Death Eaters trampled over him to grab Ginny. Harry had only just managed to pull Ginny into the portal with a split second to spare.
Scotland now. Edinburgh was burning. Death Eaters had let Fiendfyre lose. They were destroying everything.
Draco grimaced. These were just the main events. How much more had there been? He glanced at Iris who looked weary and unlike herself.
Draco watched other battles. Remus had gone down. Even with all his Equilibrium power, he couldn't stop them. He was simply outnumbered and faced with weapons of such fierce strength he could no longer stand. He watched Tonks get killed. Bella had fought to the end. She lay there now, dead with all the others. Severus had been killed by Nagini.
They were at Greengrass Manor now. The wards were smashed to smithereens by the magical technology of the Death Eaters. Anti-apparition wards of such strength prevented the phoenix portkeys from working. Hermione clenched her fists. It was a slaughter. She watched both her counterparts fight against ridiculous odds as hundreds of Death Eaters ran like maniacs through the estate. Neither of them made it. The Greengrass family were wiped out in a few minutes. Iris had gone rigid at this. Both Luna's died within a few seconds of each other.
Longbottom Manor. Frank and Alice hadn't survived. Weasley Manor was next. Iris had gotten there in time and with the two Harry's had killed two Death Eaters and managed to get the survivors out. They could only stare in distress at Molly and Arthur's motionless bodies lying next to a murdered Bill and Fleur.
They were with Hermione and Iris in the tunnel as they could see hundreds of lost souls floating through the endless stars. They were shrieking in confusion and heartbreak. Their souls would never be at peace.
Eventually, they were at the Battle of Hogwarts. They noticed the strangely grey sky and the air seemed to be thick with swirls of some sort. Riddle was there. Word had got out clearly that Iris lacked the magical power she used to have. They were sitting ducks without the power of the ring. They had to turn their heads when the unicorns were destroyed. The elves had been magnificent but the magical technology had been overwhelming. Albus had been killed from behind by Riddle. Sirius, Minerva, Hagrid. James. Neville. Draco. Cedric. Pansy. Milicent. Lavender. Parvati. Percy. Fred. George. So many others. They looked around at the carnage. Unicorn blood seeped through the stone floors. Death Eaters were draped over Centaurs. Elves lay dead alongside goblins and students. The castle itself had been decimated by bombs. It was mostly rubble.
Harry had clenched his fist and punched Riddle, but it just went through air.
All around them was death. Hermione gave a cry as she saw herself. The light had left her eyes as she lay motionless. She watched Iris scream in the memory at the sight. They were in what was left of the Great Hall. Just as Iris had said. The snake, Riddle, Harry and Iris were the only living souls left in the castle.
They watched Riddle gloat and brag about how he would inherit the Earth in a thousand years and be the ultimate ruler. Harry took out the sword and decapitated the snake but the look on their faces was not one of triumph. The Horcrux remnants swirled around them. It was the deepest, most desolate look that flashed across their drained features. Riddle had a temper tantrum as he was momentarily distracted as, in rage, Iris jumped on his back and kicked the razor into the back of his leg. Riddle screamed and Harry, looking as deranged as Iris ran up and strangled him. The burning increased. They watched him die. As Iris said, Riddle had an expression of astonishment. He simply fluttered away to dust. Like Iris, there was no sense of accomplishment on Harry's face. It was all for nothing.
They could see their world crumbling. Judgement day. Iris opened up the tunnel but they could all see it falling apart. They just looked at each other. Their eyes were dull. Morose.
'If you get back then stop this. If we can't change this, take us through the veil,' Harry said in a strained voice, 'All of us.'
Iris had looked at Harry with the most haunted look on her face, 'I will,' she had promised. The castle crumbled in the memory as they watched the world collapse and Iris and Harry fall into blackness.
They each emerged out of the Pensieve in shock. Iris went over to the cage and greeted Esmerelda. She picked her up and stroked her for comfort, hissing platitudes of affection to her familiar who nuzzled her back.
They sat on the sofa and stared at each other and then Iris and Harry.
'It's a lot. I know,' Iris said, 'But can you see now? Why Harry asked me to do this?'
They all nodded slowly. Ron looked at them all with tears in his eyes which he tried to brush away.
The others were not faring any better.
'I'll show the others those memories. They will understand better what is at stake,' Iris said flatly, 'It's the last resort, taking you all to Equilibrium permanently. But anything is better than that future.'
Harry gave Iris a firm hug, 'We know,' he said softly. He hissed at Esmerelda who hissed back and nudged his hand with her head.
'You can still speak parseltongue then?' Iris asked.
Harry nodded, 'I can,' he shrugged, 'Nothing else. No visions or anything.'
'Mm. Odd. Not the strangest thing though. Probably just a residue of some sort or you had an ancestor a few thousand years ago who could speak it,' Iris said. She hissed again at Esmeralda. She noticed Hermione blush a little beside her. It was this that gave Iris a small smile.
It was a quiet group who returned to the Greengrass living area. Hermione bought up the Pensieve for them all to observe the memories. It was vital they knew and understood what the consequences were if Riddle was not defeated quickly.
The two Luna's were curious to see this nightmare future and went into the Pensieve immediately with Sirius, Bella and the other Harry.
There was still no news from Dumbledore.
'No news is good news,' Ron said, trying to be optimistic. They all gave watery smiles.
'We'll give them a few more days,' Arthur told them, 'It is best to wait for the most opportune moment rather than rush these operations. It is common for a task like this to take two, three, maybe even four days. Albus has to be very delicate here due to the time travel factor.'
They had relaxed a little at this. They had some time. They finished the buffet and waited till everyone had seen the memories. It took a while.
'I'm going to see mum tonight. Do you want to go with me?' Iris asked Hermione who nodded and smiled.
'Of course. It will be lovely to see her,' Hermione told her, 'And after, shall we go to our waterfall?'
Iris smiled, 'Yes. I think it will be much needed.'
Their eyes darkened a little.
The young and the now only slightly older had all regrouped in the room.
Iris felt a little better. It was a bit selfish but the phrase a problem shared is a problem halved was correct. They all needed to know though. The truth. The expressions on their faces varied. Some looked more determined. The Weasleys were looking ready for battle already. Some more skittish. The Greengrass family looked resigned. Whatever side you were on it was a fate worse than any they could have imagined. The Longbottoms looked contemplative.
Hagrid was being comforted by both Minerva's. The fate of Valinor had knocked him for six. Fangs looked mournful. He sensed Hagrid's misery.
Iris, not for the first time, wished Albus was here. His presence was soothing. Sirius ambled up to both her and Harry and gave them both big hugs.
'Are you alright Padfoot?' Harry asked in surprise. Everyone else looked like a truck had hit them. Bella strode up with a grin too.
'You two were fantastic. I knew you had it in you,' Sirius exclaimed, 'I know we have our work cut out for us, but Iris, I cheered when you jumped on that bastard, and as for you Harry. Awesome. I have never been so bloody proud of you both,' Sirius started to cry, 'You vanquished the filth,' he stammered out. They smiled back shyly.
Bella nodded vigorously, 'You may have lost one power Iris, but all those hours with me paid off. Sometimes you can't beat simple brute force. That razor jammed into his leg was beautiful, darling. And Harry. Strangulation of your enemy? Glorious. Traditional. Vicious. Nice to see your Black blood still alive and kicking. Dorea will be very proud. Perfect for scum like that. Well done, both of you.'
'Thanks, Aunty Bella,' Iris said pleased, as Harry murmured his thanks as well. It was nice to see at least two people had taken something positive from the whole ordeal.
'I'll see Gabriel later. Let him know what has been happening. Hopefully, he may be able to track Albus, Kingsley and Severus down. I'm getting worried,' Iris said.
'They will be fine,' Sirius said in a calming voice, 'You're been through trauma. It will take a while to get back into your stride properly. You're bound to think the worst. They are three of our best. Put it out of your head.'
Iris nodded. It was a wise thing to do.
Sirius turned to the others in the room, 'Right. Now everyone is up to speed, first things first. The future is not going to happen like that. Everything we can do to prevent that big pile of shit is going to be done.'
Everyone's faces relaxed a little.
'As a last resort, we all check out on planet Earth early. We will not become Inferi or split souls or lost souls even, floating through the cosmos in agony for all eternity.'
Both Ginny and Hagrid burst into tears.
'Tone it down, Sirius, for fucks sake,' Arthur said angrily.
'Sorry. Yes. Tact,' Sirius bit his lip, 'We are going to fight this with everything we have. We have knowledge now. We're going to be smarter.'
Arthur nodded, 'Better.'
'I suggest we all try and make the most of the next few days,' Sirius said, 'We're going to have to move certain plans up. Discuss this with others. Once Albus returns we will make a concrete plan to remove Riddle permanently. It is the only way to stop this.'
'But, his time travel,' one of the Luna's said, 'He's always going to be one step ahead, isn't he?'
The mood in the room turned sour.
'Do you always have to say every little thing you are thinking?' older Daphne hissed. Both Astoria's were starting to cry.
Iris couldn't help but agree with this concise observation by her sister.
'I don't always,' Luna said, 'I hold a lot back.'
They all stared at her in consternation.
'I mean. Can't we do it too?' Luna said in her detached way, 'That way we can get ahead of him. I mean, anyone can time travel.'
'We need time turners and they were all destroyed in the battle at the Ministry. Tom has obviously found another way to do this,' Hermione told her bitterly. 'Anyway. Even if we had hundreds of them, two time-turners operating in the same area at the same time would make it all implode and send everyone crazy.'
'Isn't that just a theory though?' Luna asked.
'Well. Yes,' Hermione said, 'No one has ever been suicidal enough to try it. Anyway. It's all a moot point. We don't have a time-turner.'
'The mirror worked just fine,' Luna said.
'Iris is not going through that again,' Hermione almost shouted, 'And it did not work just fine. We can't set it for a particular time anyway. It's not a proper time turner. We don't know how to use it. We don't know what it is. You think it's a bomb anyway. Iris can't get back here until the world ends even if she could go forward in time. We wouldn't learn anything new anyway. Riddle knows the future. The only advantage we have is he doesn't know Iris has seen it too. He seemed surprised he died as well. Something he may have miscalculated. I expect he will make changes to the timeline to prevent that.'
Both Luna's looked confused, 'How?' one of them asked.
'Pardon?' Hermione said.
'If he was dead how would he know to go back?'
'Because he's in the future.'
'I get that. But there is no Earth in the future. How can he go any further forward if there is no Earth? And why didn't he go back to prevent his death?'
Hermione pursed her lips and had to admit to herself she didn't know, 'He must die then with everybody else,' she admitted, scowling.
'Well. That's good news,' Luna frowned, 'Why did he seem so very sure there would be a world in a thousand years from now.'
'Riddle is known to be a very proficient blagger,' Hermione said shortly. Luna always made her temples ache.
Iris squeezed Hermione's hand in support.
'We get the snake,' Harry said, 'That's all his Horcruxes gone. Seven is a magical number. Gabriel thinks he can't create anymore. I don't know what he was playing at with all the mirrors. Possibly decoys. We get the snake and then it's just him. It's our last chance.'
Luna sighed, 'But he'll know from one of his future selves if we succeed. There are just over five months in this Earth's timeline that he knows all about that we don't know that he can change. He'll just go back and stop us,' her Doppelganger nodded in support at this.
The faces fell all around them. Neither Luna had ever felt so unpopular in their lives.
'Why does this all have to be so fucking complicated? Why didn't the bloody mirror come with a manual?' My said as Cedric rubbed her back.
Hermione gave a small smile of appreciation at the correct pronunciation of the expletive.
Draco sat up sharply. His grey eyes narrowed. His eyes were darting back and forth. Hermione recognised this as meaning Draco was in the zone. He put his hands out to both Luna's who took them without comment and he then nodded to Hermione to follow them as they all wandered out the room.
The others went to follow but Hermione shook her head.
'Leave us for now. I'll go. That's Draco's thinking face. We may be some time.' Hermione told them as she left the room.