Author's Notes:
In this fic, a galleon is the equivalent to 20 pounds or 25 dollars. Also, Hermione is straight. There will be no Iris/Hermione, ever. They're just best friends. There are already a few fem!Harry/Hermione stories out there. I didn't want to do the same thing.
Chapter 2
Daughter of Prongs
1994, November 1, Girls' Dormitory
"Iris? Where in the world did she..."
When Iris woke up on Tuesday morning, it took her a moment to figure out why she had a sense of building dread in the pit of her stomach.
Oh yes, she was thrown into a deadly tournament the day before. Great. She tossed her blanket over her, only to realize it was her invisibility cloak. In doing so, Hermione gave a great jump of surprise at her sudden appearance.
"Iris! Please don't tell me you're sleeping under that damned cloak again — you know how annoying I find that. The whole second half of first year," she muttered under her breath as she went back to her bed to grab her toothbrush.
As Iris was making her way through her morning ritual, she noticed Hermione watching her closely as Lavender, Parvati, and Fay made their ways into the showers. Iris didn't respond to this, but internally, she was irritated.
Fine, Hermione figured it out, but must she act as though I'm a pervert?
It wasn't as if Iris necessarily stared at Lavender, Parvati, and Fay.
She tied the top half of her hair into a messy bun at the back of her head, letting the bottom half hang free, a favorite hairstyle of hers. Quick and easy, practical for all classes except potions, and she thought it looked rather nice. Finishing up, she met with Hermione by her bed. Hermione had the Marauder's map with her. Iris raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I was thinking..."
"Lord help us all."
"I was thinking that we should make a list," Hermione continued, ignoring Iris. "We didn't really know what would happen exactly in the last few years when it came to you and trouble, but we've got a rough idea now. We should make a list of things to do to prepare you for this year, and to be honest, the rest of the years as well, because we both know this won't be the last year where..."
"Shit happens?" Iris supplied.
"Yes, exactly," Hermione agreed. "So why not organize our thoughts, you know? The map can be used as a blank parchment as well, right? And you can save and hide whatever you write? We should do that so no one else can see it. I mean, I really don't think everything we write down will be…" Hermione laughed nervously.
"Lawful? Ethical? Honest? No, probably not. I've already come up with five different things we can put on the list that would make McGonagall have a stroke."
"Which is precisely why I will be writing it."
"Fine by me," Iris said quickly.
"Talk to McGonagall about dropping useless classes and taking useful ones," Hermione murmured already writing on the map. "There! We can cross it off once we're done with it. Now let's think of more before we go talk to her."
"Well, that was utterly pointless," Iris said after they had finished a short list.
"It was not! We'll add to it as time goes on!" Hermione said defensively.
"No, I mean it's so simple — couldn't we have just remembered all this?" Iris asked.
"How many times have you said that only to completely forget it?"
"Whatever, let's get started on this. Time to have a chat with Minnie."
"She's going to kill you if you use that name, you know."
They made their way to McGonagall's office, chatting about random subjects, and Iris was not surprised to see people insulting her as she walked by. It got to the point where a hex was thrown. By the time they had made it to McGonagall's office, Iris was having trouble controlling her anger.
But why should she care anyway? This wasn't the first time the school turned on her, especially when it came to the Hufflepuffs, who were especially cruel in their insults. Again, she asked herself, why should she care? What did she have to gain by caring what others thought of her? Nothing. She took a deep breath and let it all out, the anger slowly ebbing away.
She knocked on McGonagall's door.
"Enter."
Iris and Hermione both entered her office and sat down in front of the desk.
"Potter, Granger, what may I do for you?" McGonagall said, not looking up from her papers.
"I'm dying, Professor," Iris said tiredly as she sat down.
"She is not dying," Hermione said in exasperation. "Not exactly, at least."
"Oh?" McGonagall asked, still glaring at Iris.
"Yep," Iris said. "We're here for a few things actually — you probably won't be able to help us with everything and that's fine, but whatever you can help us with will greatly appreciated, Professor."
"Oh?" McGonagall asked, obviously wanting elaboration.
"Do you have a vibrator under there or something?"
"Excuse me?" McGonagall asked, with a look of confusion on her face.
Iris heard skin slapping against skin, and looked over to see Hermione with her head in her hands, her neck blushing.
"Nothing. We really do need your help. I want to look into the Animagus transformation — for educational purposes, of course, I understand I'm not old enough to really —"
"Absolutely not," McGonagall interrupted. "You are too young to start the process on your own, and I don't have the time to guide you — and don't think your 'for educational purposes' tripe will make me help you."
"I mean it, Professor," Iris said, sounding genuinely indignant. "I'm not going to risk permanently disfiguring myself. There's no way I'll be able to do it even if I wanted to anyway. I think serious meditation is involved, right?" Iris asked, putting false confusion into her voice. The truth was that she and Sirius had already discussed the Animagus process over the summer and Sirius had suggested that she start on meditation as soon as possible. And so she did.
McGonagall stared at Iris.
"I won't lie to you," Iris lied, "I do plan on eventually becoming one, but I'd like to get started on the theory and all that before starting on the actual process."
"You're still too young, Potter. I started my process at the age of nineteen and only finished at twenty-one," McGonagall said.
"Fine, off to the owlery to owl Sirius then," Iris said as she stood up.
"Go ahead, helping you myself will still be incredibly foolish. Might as well let you do the foolishness without implicating myself. Good day Miss Potter, Miss Granger."
"Wait! We still have the other things to ask!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Oh, right. I need to go to Diagon Alley, to get some things to prepare for the tournament and all. I'm forgetting something else…" Iris said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"You're unbelievable," Hermione said. "Professor, she wants to drop Divinations and take on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy instead."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow and looked at Iris again. "And you believe you can take on two extra classes, Miss Potter?"
"Well, it's really one extra class if I'm dropping Divinations, isn't it?" Iris said.
"If one was to actually consider Divinations as a real class, yes," McGonagall said, making Hermione giggle. "Are you sure you want to take the classes? You'll be placed in third year classes, at least until you catch up, if you ever do that is. Not to say it isn't possible, of course. May I ask what brought on this change?"
"The classes will open up new doorways for me, and all that rubbish." McGonagall frowned at her. "So, new classes, Diagon Alley, and anything that might help me survive a hypothetical dangerous tournament?" Iris added in a hopeful tone.
"It's too late to pick up the classes now, term has already started," McGonagall said briskly. "You could still drop Divinations, however. I'll give you an offer, Miss Potter: if you can pass the fourth year Arithmancy and Ancient Runes exams at the end of this year, you can take the fifth year classes with Miss Granger. Miss Granger, would you —"
"Yes, Professor! I'd be happy to help her," Hermione said excitedly.
"Excellent then."
"Professor?" Iris said. "Why do you keep your glasses? Why does Professor Dumbledore for that matter? I got my eyes fixed over the summer —"
"A few reasons, Potter. One, how much did you pay to get it fixed? Three hundred and fifty galleons, was it? Some people don't think it's worth it, some people can't afford it. Two, it's a new procedure. Before a year ago, there was no fixing eyesight at all. I've worn them for years now and I am used to them. I also don't go looking for trouble enough to the point where my glasses become a distraction," she said, looking pointedly at Iris. "Three, people can charm their glasses to do certain things. Mine, for example, can see if something was recently Transfigured. It allows me to see who is trying to cheat in class. Professor Dumbledore's can see through certain objects."
"Is that why he knows who's outside his door?" Iris asked.
"Yes, it is. They can't look through thick walls, but doors are not a problem."
"Why not? Moody's eye can see through walls, can't it?"
"Not the walls of Hogwarts, no. Professor Moody's eye has its limit too, though I daresay it's more capable than Professor Dumbledore's glasses. Now, if you wish to go to Diagon Alley, you need to ask the headmaster," McGonagall said, dismissing the two with a wave of her hand.
"Professor?" Iris asked in a tone that Hermione knew all too well. "About the whole Animagus thing..."
"I still can't believe you got her to actually give you the books on Animagi. What're they called again? Oh, let me see them!" Hermione pleaded as the two of them made their way towards Dumbledore's office.
"Later, Hermione," Iris said, waving her off. "You won't be able to get past the first chapter by the time we get to Dumbledore's office and then you'll be stuck in suspense. And the first one is called History and Theory of Animagi. Supposedly goes over the first Animagi in recorded history and then all the kinds of animals people have turned into over the centuries — the theory too, obviously. The second one, Spirit Animals and What They Mean, goes over what your Animagus form means about you, what it symbolizes, stuff like that. I hope I'm a dragon."
"You're not going to be a dragon," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I remember reading about it before. There have only been five recorded magical Animagi in history. A bowtruckle. Then there was a thestral, but they were visible to everyone so that suggests that magical abilities don't transfer over. So even if you became a dragon, you most likely wouldn't be able to fly or breathe fire. Then —"
"Why wouldn't I be able to fly?"
"Because the wings of a dragon are magical themselves. It's the same with hippogriffs, griffins, and plenty of other large animals with wings. The wings themselves wouldn't be enough to keep something like a dragon in the air, not realistically anyway. So magic helps out there."
"Hm. Had no clue. What were the rest?"
"Hmm, there was the Wampus cat one. They could use Legilimency in their form but it might be possible that any Legilimens can do this in any form..."
"What's Legili — whatever?"
"Legilimency. It's a form of the mind arts that lets you read minds."
"How do I do it?"
"Iris... You don't just do it. It takes years of practice. And I think you might need to learn Occlumency first, which is protecting your mind from intrusions, whether they be Legilimency probes or compulsion charms or the like. Occlumency and Legilimency can go hand in hand and they're both very difficult to learn, or even learn about. I haven't even read that much about them."
"But I could learn it? Reading minds would be incredibly useful," Iris mused.
"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione said. "Though, it's like the legal part of Animagi too. You have to register yourself as a Legilimens. If you're not, and they find out you are one, you'll either get a heavy fine or go to Azkaban for a limited amount of time. I think you can choose. It won't do you any good in this tournament anyhow, it takes very long to master. But you are right, things aren't likely to get peaceful for you. Learning both of those would be a smart idea. I should look up the Legilimens register. Oh, I'm so excited!"
"Er — about what?" Iris asked, confused. "And you know I'm not going to register myself as either, should I actually accomplish it, right?"
Hermione ignored the second statement. "You're finally looking to learn as much as you can! I can't wait to see what you can do."
"What do you mean what I can do?"
"Oh, isn't it obvious? You produced a Patronus strong enough to send over a hundred dementors away! Don't blush, you did! Do you understand what kind of power that takes? Most adults can't even produce a Patronus to send off a single dementor. Most can't even produce one with no dementors around — and you! — you produced one to repel over a hundred dementors. You have no idea how in awe I was when I saw you do it. What you did is unheard of!
"Why do you think you managed to shut the entire room up when you produced it for Fleur? Because I almost guarantee the only adults that could have produced one in that room were Dumbledore, McGonagall, Moody, and maybe Crouch, seeing as he dealt with Azkaban matters. I doubt Professor Snape has any happy memories. If you could do what you did at the age of thirteen, I can't wait to see what else you could do. I wouldn't be surprised if you become an Animagus before the year is up! Most likely not Occlumency or Legilimency though, that requires a lot of mind discipline and well…"
"Oi! Actually, I won't argue with you there. But I'm working on it. I think my meditation is coming along," Iris said.
"You're two months in, right?"
"Almost two months in. I'm getting close, I think."
"Already?" Hermione asked skeptically.
"What are the other magical Animagi?" Iris asked, not wanting to get into this argument.
"Right. How do we always get so off topic? There was also a Kneazle Animagus and the last one was a hippogriff. Apparently the wings of the hippogriff Animagus could absorb spells like a normal one could. It's all very confusing and since there hasn't been a magical Animagus in over a century, it's impossible to find out more on them. Not that I blame them necessarily, I mean, imagine how many people would want to experiment on you if you were one. It would be incredibly annoying, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, I reckon. Speaking of hippogriffs, we're here," Iris said as they arrived before the statue of the hippogriff which lead into Dumbledore's office.
"That's a griffin."
"Whatever. Lemon drops, sherbert lemons, Acid Pops, Dumbledore has the best beard, toffees, Fizzing Whizbees, Iris Potter is the best student, Iris Potter is my favorite student —"
"Iris."
"Right, sorry. Uh, pear drop? Chocolate Frog? Sugar Quill? Damn it, move, can't you? I need to see the headmaster," Iris exclaimed, kicking the gargoyle and achieving absolutely nothing but pain and an angrier Hermione.
"Liquorice Wand? I hate my job? I suck at my job? Ow, don't hit me Hermione. I haven't a clue though. Cockroach Cluster?"
The gargoyle looked down at Iris, rolled its eyes, and sprung to the side.
"Cockroach Cluster?" she said, amazed. "I was only joking…"
Iris walked through the gap and hurried up the stairs, an amused Hermione trailing at her back. Iris knocked once she was at the door, and after waiting a moment, entered on her own, much to the dismay of Hermione. The office was empty. Hermione, never having been in Dumbledore's office before, stopped her complaining once she entered the room.
It was a beautiful room; a very large (substantial enough to hold a meeting for nearly two dozen people) rectangular room, except at the far end where the room ended in a half circle, an exceptionally large window right in the center of it. Before the window lay Dumbledore's desk, Fawkes's perch standing tall to the right of it with the bird in question on top of it.
There were two staircases against the circular walls on either side of the desk that led to a small second story which looked to be connected to the balconies on the other walls, but Iris wasn't too sure; she had never been up there. There was one doorway on the left wall that most likely led to the second floor which could be seen through the balconies, the balconies of which went around all three straight walls. On the right wall was a large fireplace.
There were also many bookcases and display cases lining up the two walls, filled with ancient looking books, and, above it all, in the spaces the fireplace, bookcases, or balconies didn't cover, were the many portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses who were gazing down upon the two intruding students. There were many tables, desks, chairs, even couches around, most of them filled with odd trinkets, large and small vials which held different kinds of potions, parchment containing all sorts of symbols, maps, writing, and so many more objects that Iris did not know how to even begin describing.
All in all, Iris thought the place was very cozy looking. She went to greet Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, while Hermione looked around in awe.
"Hello Fawkes, it's good to see you again. Help slay any other basilisks recently?" Iris asked kindly to the phoenix, who she had always admired greatly. Fawkes let out a trill in what sounded like pleased agreement.
"Is that Fawkes?" asked Hermione from behind her. Hermione looked as if she was on overload from everything. "Wow! He's beautiful. This whole office is amazing, Iris! I know we shouldn't be here, but oooh, I just want to examine everything here! There are so many books…"
"That they are, and remember Hermione, they're just that. Books. Not love."
Hermione swatted Iris's arm playfully and went to pet Fawkes while Iris made to go take a look at the Sword of Gryffindor. Before she could open the case, however, a glint of silvery light caught the corner of her eye. Looking over, she noticed a slightly open cabinet with a silver glow peaking from within the darkness. She glanced at Fawkes, who was staring back, as though daring her, then back at the silver glow, then back at Fawkes again, who Iris could swear had widened his eyes in mock indignation. She stared innocently at Fawkes as she strolled over to the cabinet, opened it, and pulled out the interesting basin, all while keeping her eyes on Fawkes.
Taking her eyes off him, she looked down to examine it. The basin was shallow and filled nearly to the brim with a silvery liquid. Or was it a gas? It looked more like a mix of liquid and gas, like a mass of clouds swirling around.
"Hey, Hermione, should I touch it?" Iris asked, pleasurably entertained by the strange substance.
"What? Touch what?" Hermione said, looking at what Iris was just about to touch. "Iris, no! What's the matter with you? We don't even know what it is, it could be —"
But what it could be Iris did not find out because she had taken Hermione's hand and shoved it into the bowl. Hermione's whole body was suddenly whisked away into the bowl. Iris stared for a moment, wondering if she had just killed her best friend or forever trapped her inside a strange bowl. Realizing that something lethal would not be so accessible in Dumbledore's office and that the portraits could tell Dumbledore if they weren't able to get out on their own, Iris shrugged and dipped a finger in.
She felt an almighty lurch and suddenly, she was falling... and then she felt her bottom smack lightly against a wooden bench. She took a look around. Apparently no one had noticed her fall from the window above — wait, no, there was no window. The ceiling was stone. She looked around once more and then she noticed she was sitting right next to Hermione, who was fixated on what Barty Crouch was saying — Barty Crouch? She looked again and saw that it was indeed Barty Crouch, and not only was he also here, but Dumbledore and Moody were right in front of her.
"Er — Hermione?" Iris said uncertainly.
"Quiet, I'm listening!" Hermione whispered back.
"Where are we? Why is my foot going through Moody's back?"
"Stop trying to kick him, you can't. I'm fairly certain this is a memory. No one can see the two of us, we're just viewing a memory — of Dumbledore's, I imagine — it's quite neat. I've never read on anything that could do this before."
"A memory of what exactly?"
"I think a trial. This is obviously a courtroom."
And before Iris could question Hermione any further, the door burst open and a man flanked by two dementors walked in — or in the case of the two dementors, floated in. Iris's insides went cold. For a second, she had to assure herself that she was in only a memory, and that the coldness was from her fear, not from the dementors themselves. She felt a warm hand grip her wrist and she looked over to see Hermione giving her a warm smile. Iris took Hermione's hand in her own, surprising both Hermione and herself as she was never one to initiate contact like that, and turned back to the scene.
She noticed Hermione looking at their conjoined hands out of the corner of her eye and she wondered if she should let go. Maybe Hermione was uncomfortable now that she — most likely, at least — knew her sexuality. She glanced at Hermione, down at her hands, and began to loosen hers. Hermione held on though and scooted closer to Iris, wrapping her arm around hers. Iris's heart skipped a beat.
You're over her, Iris. You promised yourself you'd move on. Get over yourself.
"Iris, it's Karkaroff!" Hermione gasped. And sure enough, it was Karkaroff... in shackles. What came next was a lengthy interrogation in which Karkaroff proceeded to name off several Death Eaters. Then, to Iris's and Hermione's complete surprise, a trial for Ludo Bagman came, and Iris had a good time chuckling at Bagman's antics. The third and last trial shocked the both of them. Crouch's son was one of the four accused, and he had apparently taken part in torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into...
"Those… sick... fucking... bastards," Iris whispered angrily. "They tortured Nev's parents into insanity?" Hermione had tears pouring down her cheek. "No wonder Neville always clams up whenever they're brought up. Christ, I feel terrible. I once asked him why his grandmother was the one who took care of him…"
"You couldn't have known, Iris," said Hermione softly.
"I know, but still. I should have realized the war was involved... Why hasn't he said anything?"
"Would you have? You hate the pity when it comes to your parents, maybe he does too. I imagine it's not a pleasant thing to talk about anyway," Hermione said.
It did make sense.
"Yeah, I suppose so… We should get out of here, we've been here far too long. How do we leave?" Iris asked.
"I'm not sure."
"You just do," came a voice from behind them. The two girls jumped and turned around. It was Dumbledore. Iris knew they weren't in trouble from the familiar expression on his face. It was the same one he had when she had come to McGonagall's office after rescuing Ginny from the Chamber. A somber expression because of the situation, yes, but a slight twinkle in his eyes to show they weren't in any trouble.
"Professor!" Hermione said in a panic, "We didn't — I mean, we — we didn't know, I — I — it was an accident!"
"Hermione, calm down. We're not in trouble," Iris said calmly.
"W-we're not?" Hermione stuttered nervously.
"Well, probably not. He'll tell us that we didn't mean any harm, that we were just curious but then say in some unnecessarily cryptic manner of how curiosity killed the cat, then proceed to tell us to get the hell out of his office," Iris said dryly.
"Iris! You don't know that —"
"On the contrary, Miss Granger, that is exactly what I was going to say — of course, except the very last part — but knowing you, my dear girl, it was only the last part that was the joke," Dumbledore said, smiling.
Hermione's jaw dropped and she looked back at Iris, who was smiling back smugly.
Once they were back in Dumbledore's office, he said, "Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"A few things, sir. Hermione and I were talking and we decided to actually prepare for the chaos that will undoubtedly be thrown my way this year. The last three years, it usually came out of nowhere. Well, for the most part. This year though, we know I'm going to nearly die if not outright die —"
"Please stop saying that, Iris," Hermione whimpered.
"Sooo…"
"You wish to go to Diagon Alley," Dumbledore finished for her.
Iris looked up at him, her mouth still open. "How do you do that?"
Dumbledore ignored her question. "And you'd like more on the Animagus process?"
Iris stared for a moment. "We are interested in the Animagus process, purely for educational purposes of course. We're far too young to actually — you know what, bugger it — we want to become Animagi," Iris said to the shock of Hermione, the amusement of Dumbledore, and the even greater shock of Hermione once she realized Dumbledore didn't have a care in the world.
"Very well, I could use a break from all this political drama," Dumbledore said. "I'm glad you mentioned Animagi. You see, I was the one who held onto Sirius's belongings when he went to Azkaban. I was hoping to find something to make it easier to believe he had really turned your parents over. Of course, I found nothing. But since Sirius did confess to the murders —"
"Still can't believe he did that," muttered Iris irritably.
"It was understandable. He believed his actions led to their deaths, and after losing two of his best friends and seeing the betrayal of another, it's quite understandable that his mind was not in the right state. I believed he had a trial, so I believed he was guilty. I was so busy during the war, and especially right after, that it was not uncommon for me to not attend every trial."
"Sir?" Iris asked, wondering where Dumbledore was going with this.
"My apologies. I have Sirius's and your father's old journal that contained the process to become an Animagus," Dumbledore said. "They shared it, I believe. They added their own notes as well. I've looked over it and it's all correct, so it should help you. I must warn you now, though, the Animagus process is not easy and it can be dangerous. Come see me or McGonagall if you two have any problems — or three, if Mr. Weasley will be involved."
Iris was too dumbstruck to do anything. She had not expected him to be this carefree about this particular branch of magic.
"You're okay with this, sir?" Hermione asked.
"You'll find out anyway," Dumbledore said, giving a light shrug. "After three years, I've come to expect you three to do dangerous things regardless of what you're told. Speaking of, let me make three portkeys for you. One for Mr. Weasley should he also participate. Sirius has one of these."
"I thought Portkeys and Apparition wouldn't work within Hogwarts and the grounds?" Iris asked, thinking of all the times Hermione had mentioned it.
"Oh, they don't, usually. But being headmaster has its perks." Dumbledore smiled. "Should you encounter danger wherever, simply use the portkey. You must have your skin touching it and the activation phrase will be Phoenix Wings. Push a little magic into it too, of course. It'll bring you to this office."
As Dumbledore was talking, he went to fetch the journal, which excited Iris greatly. She didn't have anything her father had written in and the idea of having the chance to learn from her own father thrilled her. Before she had a chance to open the journal, Dumbledore had given them three portkeys, which were necklaces — where the ends of the chains connected to a silver phoenix, or more specifically, the tips of the phoenix's wings.
And then, they were off. After he travelled with them through the Floo, Dumbledore told Iris and Hermione to go visit whatever shops they'd like, as long as they stayed in Diagon Alley, since he'd have someone pick them up. Iris had a feeling who it would be. McGonagall had said she was busy...
They visited Gringotts to withdraw money from Iris's vault, and then went to Ollivander's shop.
"Mr. Ollivander?" Iris called out in the dark of his building. She was fairly certain he was going to pop out from the shadows and start whispering the word 'curious' repeatedly, but she was wrong. He showed up in the doorway that leads to the back of the store.
"Ah, Miss Potter! Holly, eleven inches, and phoenix feather. Good to see you. And Miss Granger! Ten and three quarters inch long, vine wood, and a dragon heartstring core. Nice to see you as well. I hope your wands are suiting you fine, or are you here to buy accessories perhaps? A wand holster to get your wand in your hand with a simple flick of your wrist — or to give your wand a new look, hmm?"
"No, I'm really just here for wand holsters. Figured a quick draw would be useful for the tournament. I'd like three of 'em."
"Iris —" Hermione started.
"Shut up, Hermione. I'll stun you."
Hermione sighed knowing Iris would have no problem actually stunning her, even if they were outside of school.
"Very well, very well," Ollivander said. "Each wand holster will be fifteen galleons."
"Deal!" Iris said happily without hesitation or a thought as to if Ollivander was pushing his luck.
"Iris, I can't —" Hermione tried again.
"Shush, Hermione, think of it as an early Christmas present."
"You — you already said the omnioculars were an early Christmas present! And you'll end up buying me a present anyway!" Hermione whispered furiously.
"Hermione, my trust fund is enough to make me not have to work a day in my life. When I become legal, three things will happen. One, I'll be able to threaten you with magic without the worry of being expelled. Two, I imagine a thousand marriage contracts are going to come pouring in — obviously they'll all be ignored — and three, I'll gain access to my main vault and have enough money to buy Hogwarts. At least that's what Hagrid told me. Now, shut up before I cast a Silencing Charm on you and get myself expelled for underage magic use."
Again, knowing Iris would probably do it, Hermione kept her mouth shut.
"Oh, can I get myself a spare wand? Y'know, just in case?" she asked Ollivander.
"No no, unfortunately not. The Ministry only allows one wand per person, for the obvious reasons, I suppose." Ollivander said, not sounding very happy about it.
"More like they just want more control and don't want anyone having a spare wand should they decide to toss someone into Azkaban without a trial," Iris said, her tone laced with bitterness. She really had no pleasant things to say about the Ministry. They had tossed Hagrid into Azkaban with hardly any evidence whatsoever, just so they could appear to 'be doing something,' and they had put Sirius into the same prison for over a decade. She knew Sirius would never really be the same person he was before Azkaban, and while she had only gotten to know Sirius for not even five months and only through letters, she still saw him as an uncle of sorts. He didn't seem like a father figure type to her.
She also knew she'd have to write him a letter soon to tell him about the tournament, but she wished she didn't have to. He came back into the country because her scar itched, she expected he would barge in through the front doors of Hogwarts once he found out she was thrown into a tournament that's already killed far too many people in the past.
"That'll be a total of forty-five galleons, dear," Ollivander said.
Iris paid the price, which was the equivalent of around a nine-hundred pounds. Iris couldn't help but calculate the equivalent every time she made a purchase in the wizarding world. She had grown up in the muggle world after all, and wasn't quite used to the monetary system of wizards and witches. It didn't help that money meant nothing for her in the wizarding world. She always had to quickly calculate the equivalent in pounds to see just how much she was spending. She had begun doing so in her first year, and had asked around to see if the prices were supposed to be so high.
And apparently they were. The wizarding world was bloody expensive. Then again, the items she had just bought would not only most likely last her entire life, as most magical items such as these do, but also had the chance of saving her life. Besides, she was only able to spend thousands in a day because she was apparently filthy rich. Not something Iris really cared about, but she wasn't going to complain about it.
After Iris paid for the holsters and left the shop, the two girls left Ollivander's shop and visited Flourish and Blotts.
Twenty minutes later, they left, Hermione carrying several new books in her bag, and ran right into none other than Snape.
"There you two are," he said angrily. "I've been looking for the two of you for the last five minutes. Be silent, Potter," he said after she opened her mouth to speak. "I've been tasked," he sneered, "with the lovely job of taking you two back to Hogwarts. Hurry now."
"Hey, Hermione?" Iris whispered as they walked their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Yes, Iris?" Hermione answered irritably.
"What are you angry at me for? You're the one who wanted to go to Flourish and Blotts!"
"I wasn't the one who spent ten minutes trading insults with a goblin," Hermione snapped at her. "We could have had plenty of time —"
"Oh, relax, we're not in trouble," Iris said. "Snape would have been angry even if he found us the second he walked into Diagon Alley. He's just sexually frustrated."
Hermione stopped, and looked at Iris seriously. "Iris, has he really? I know you've joked about it before, but has he —"
"No, of course not. You kidding? He'd probably consider a disfigurement from the tournament an improvement to my looks. It's not what I meant anyway. Oh, and if Ron asks, Ollivander had a sale. Buy two, get one free. You know how he gets about these things, more red-faced than Snape's knees after he's done slobbering all over —"
"Iris!" Hermione whispered, a panicked look on her face as she glanced at Snape to see if he overheard.
"Oh, he definitely heard," Iris said cheerfully. "Speaking of colors, his face is probably completely purple from anger. But it's not like he's going to start screaming at me in the middle of Diagon Alley. Besides, it makes sense, doesn't it?"
"What makes sense?" Hermione said warily.
"Why he still has his job. I mean he has to be doing something to keep his job despite the fact he's a terrible teacher, and the only thing that makes sense is —"
"Potter, if you finish that sentence, crowd or not, I will murder you," Snape seethed in a quiet voice, knowing he couldn't give Iris a detention or take away points because they weren't at Hogwarts. His barely constrained anger showing, he continued walking. Unbeknownst to Iris, all Hermione could think about as they entered the Leaky Cauldron, took the Floo back to Hogwarts, and went to lunch was how in the world Iris hadn't already been brutally murdered.
"There you two are!"
Iris and Hermione turned to look at Ron as he came down a set of stairs.
"I've been looking all over for you two! Where in the bloody hell have you been?" he asked agitatedly.
"Language —"
"Hermione, shut it. Do you ever get sick of saying that over and over?" Not waiting for an answer, Iris continued: "We were at a lot of places, Ron. First, McGonagall's office so I could ask about dropping Divinations and picking up the other two classes we talked about last night —"
"Oh, you're dropping Divinations, huh?" Ron said, trying to sound casual.
"Nah," Iris said. "McGonagall gave me the choice but I'll stick with you til the end of the year. I've got to pass the fourth year exams for both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes before the school year ends though if I want to join fifth year classes on those subjects. I know, I know, but hey, I don't have to take any other exams so it's not like it'll be a big deal. I know you'd rather me stick with Divinations and as tempting the easy O sounds, it's not like it'll be much good for anything, nor can it help me create spells. And quite frankly, if I spend more than one more year being told I'm going to die, I'm going to prove self-fulfilling prophecies exist and jump out the window."
Iris took a deep breath. How in the world did Hermione say more than twice that without breathing?
To Iris's relief, Ron looked more than a little happy at Iris's words. He suddenly gave Iris a brief hug, something they had never really done before. Half hugs sure, but full on Hermione-esque hugs? Never. Iris thought it was very odd behavior. Iris hugged back awkwardly and raised her eyebrows at a very bewildered looking Hermione. After a few seconds, Ron let go — his face completely red.
"Er — sorry. I just — you know — I — I really appreciate that. Divinations would be incredibly dull without you, you know," he stammered out.
"Yeah, sure, no problem. But I am still dropping it next year. And whatever time I have in there where I'm not goofing off, I'll probably be studying," Iris replied.
"So, where else did you two go?"
"Diagon Alley. McGonagall also gave us two books on Animagi, not how to actually become them but some interesting stuff I suppose, and told us to see Dumbledore to see if we could to Diagon Alley. You were asleep so we went on our own. Ollivander had a sale for some stuff. Buy two, get one free for wand holsters. So, here's a wand holster." She pulled out a wand holster and gave it to a surprised but pleased (to Iris's relief) Ron.
"Cool! Wait, does this mean I can flick my wrist and the wand flies out? You got one of these for free?"
"Yep," Iris said, receiving an all too familiar look from Hermione.
Iris also gave Ron the portkey and told him why she had been given them. Ron was nearly jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of becoming an Animagus.
"Ron, you know that it took Sirius, my dad, and McGonagall all two years to do it, right? I'm just saying, it'll take a long time, require a lot of work, and definitely won't be easy. None of us might even able to do it at our age. But I have my dad's old journal on becoming an Animagus — Sirius wrote in it as well — so it should be a bit easier," she said.
"You know," Hermione said, "McGonagall became an Animagus after two years with the tutelage of Dumbledore so —"
"For the love of god, Hermione."
"He shouldn't get his hopes up, none of us should!"
"Whatever, I'm going to be a dragon."
They made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch, and after, went to send Sirius a latter.
Dear Snuffles,
I don't know if you've heard, but I've been entered as the fourth champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Yes, we were both correct. No, I didn't enter myself. Obviously. Moody reckons someone wants to do me in. It's also a magically binding contract so I've got to compete. We should have tossed in Voldemort's name into the Goblet, that would have solved a future headache.
I've no idea what the five tasks are besides the fact that the first is on the 24th of November. I don't know what it is.
Viktor Krum is the Durmstrang Champion, no surprise there. Fleur Delacour is the Beau-whateverthefuck's Champion and she's a bitch. Cassius Warrington is the other Hogwarts Champion. He's in Slytherin. Most of the school was surprised that a Slytherin was picked, but I think most people (at least outside Gryffindor, where the Slytherin hate runs wild — see Ron) are okay with him or at least don't hate him. He's a prefect and apparently a fair one. I saw no sneer on him when he looked at me, so that's something I suppose.
Speaking of sneers, Snape is a git as always. I'm getting so sick of him. His hate runs so deep for me that he actually believes I put my name in. As if! His loathing blinded him to the point of thinking I was smart enough to outsmart Dumbledore and powerful enough to cast a Confundus Charm on an ancient artifact.
Oh, and Dumbledore gave me the journal you and my dad wrote in, the one to become an Animagus. Took me on a trip too, got myself a wand holster (figured a quick draw would be useful for the future). Hermione says I can't become a dragon but I'll show her. And don't you dare dash my hopes! That's all I've got to say, I think. I wish there was an easier way for us to talk right now. Get those mirrors soon.
Or else,
Iris Vivienne, Daughter of Prongs
After the owl had left to find Sirius, they went outside to sit by their favorite tree, a large oak next to the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake. The hanging leaves blocked them from the view of those up the hill or in the castle. All three sat down. Ron and Iris closed their eyes as they enjoyed the breeze flowing around them, and Hermione opened a book to read.
"What else do we have today?" Iris asked.
"Defense Against The Dark Arts. The twins said Moody was giving a special lesson today. The Unforgivables apparently — he somehow got permission from Dumbledore to show us them," Ron said.
"A special lesson? Er — you don't think the whole yearly defense-teacher-tries-to-kill-me thing is going to happen really early this time around?" Iris asked, opening her eyes.
"Moody is an Auror, he's not going to try and kill you," said Hermione.
"I wouldn't be too sure, Hermione. You know what the three Unforgivables are, right?" Ron asked.
"Yes, of course —"
"Uh — I don't. No idea what you're talking about actually," said Iris.
"Oh, it really wouldn't hurt to open up a book every once in awhile. The three Unforgivables are called that because if you use any of them, you go straight to Azkaban. And you don't come out." Iris winced, remembering what Sirius described the place to be in his letters. "So I'd be really surprised if Moody actually uses them. Then again, it's only Azkaban if you use them on another human. There's the Imperius, which gives you total control over someone — you can make them do anything you want, so long as your will is stronger than theirs. There's the Cruciatus, the — or perhaps a torture curse. It's supposed to make you feel the worst possible pain there is to feel. And then… the Avada Kedavra," Hermione finished cautiously.
"The Avada Kedavra? Are you serious?" Iris asked laughing. The other two gave her incredulous looks. "There's a dangerous spell that sounds like 'abra kadabra?'"
"Iris… The Avada Kedavra is the Killing Curse."
Iris stopped laughing immediately and gave Hermione a sharp look.
"Oh."
Hermione and Ron stayed quiet because they understood — somewhat. What they did not know however was that ever since Pettigrew had escaped, Iris had been having more frequent nightmares — sometimes nightly. A woman pleading, a green flash, and insane cackling. She had the nightmares before, but now, the dreams were always so vivid. She was usually a bit more thick-skinned when it came to nightmares and her past. She understood why Ginny went pale every time the Chamber of Secrets or Tom Riddle were mentioned, but Iris never did and if anything, she had more reason to. She had not been possessed by Tom, no, but she had faced him — two times even; she did not count the time when she was a baby.
The last time, she had faced a sixteen year old memory version of him after slaying a bloody basilisk that had injected its venom into her. She had never felt the Cruciatus but she would not have been surprised if it was similar to the pain of the basilisk venom coursing through her veins. It felt as though the venom was acid, dissolving her insides. Her skin had even felt as though it was on fire.
And then there was first year and Quirrell. Quirrell, under the orders of Voldemort, had tossed her around for a good five minutes. She hit the walls, the pillars, the ground, even the Mirror of Erised. Iris had barely been able to defend herself at the end with all the broken bones. Yet, despite all this, she didn't pale or flinch at the mention of Voldemort. It wasn't because she hid the fear or pain. It just didn't bother her to the point where she'd be tempted to have a visible reaction.
Her mother dying however… That was a different story. That was somebody else dying, somebody else getting hurt. For all the traumatic events she had gone through, it was usually just her getting hurt or nearly killed. She hated even thinking about the Killing Curse, for the reason of how it killed her father, her mother, and countless more before them. Realizing she had a stony face, she snapped out of her thoughts. She looked to Hermione, then Ron — and for a second, the lighting had made him out to look like a younger Charlie —
"Charlie!" she exclaimed, looking at Ron.
"Not this again," Ron groaned. "We've been over this before, Iris. I'm Ron."
"No, you prat. Charlie said he'd see us soon remember! It was a hint as to what was going on. Why in the world would Charlie come to Hogwarts unless it was for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and..." Iris trailed off, the full blast of her revelation finally hitting her. "Unless… dragons. They're going to include dragons," she whispered in disbelief. Ron looked at her quizzically and Hermione's jaw had dropped.
"Dragons? They'd be nutters to make you go up against a dragon, Iris! You're fourteen!" Ron said incredulously.
"But the others aren't. No fourteen year old was supposed to be in this thrice-be-damned tournament! Oh god, dragons," Iris said, feeling suddenly very sick. She had read enough to know just what they were capable of. "Dragons. Dragons?! What the — Dragons! Charlie would have no other reason to — DRAGONS?!" Iris stood up with a look of complete disbelief and a hint of anger. Ron was staring at the ground, his face pale. Hermione began shaking her head vigorously.
"We don't — well, okay. You're probably onto something, but before you freak out, you could still be wrong. I'm not saying you are, but we don't know yet. And it might not even be the first task, it might be the very last —"
"He said very soon, Hermione! He said he'd see us next summer too, 'very soon, sooner than you'd think' doesn't mean at the end of the year. The task is supposed to test courage and — and — I'm going to die," she finished, sounding defeated, her shoulders slumping.
"You are not going to die! Look, we'll get you trained. Shields to stop dragonfire and other dangerous things too — okay? — so you'd be prepared either way. We'll talk to the twins soon to know if they've created anything to help us figure out what you're facing. There's no point in practicing or learning any new spells now, especially with what Moody has been making us do. I mean, goodness, our first two years worth of Defense in two months! I understand our first two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers haven't been the best, but we haven't even had time to visit Hagrid outside of Care of Magical Creatures. But after today, for sure.
"That reminds me, let's see your dad's journal, Iris. We don't know if dragons are really involved, and if you become a bird Animagus — well, not like you could become one before the end of the year, much less by November. But get it out, I've been very curious about what the steps would be," Hermione said, in a clear attempt to distract Iris. Nodding, Iris took out her dad's journal and Hermione and Ron gathered around her as she opened it.
The Animagus Process - Notes by Prongs and Padfoot
Below are the steps to become an Animagus. We definitely did NOT steal this information from Minnie. We leave these notes to you, whether it be the one I have yet to win over (and if you're reading this, ha! I told you!) or my future kids. We could include more information than we have already, but that would most likely mean you'd try this all on your own, so nope. Ask us for help. If you're neither my destined one (you know who you are) nor my kids or we haven't given you permission to read this, bugger off.
- Prongs
With help taken from McGonagall's holy book and our own personal notes from experience, the steps to become an Animagus. Be warned, the process is long, tedious, stressful, and likely to kill you.
- Padfoot
It won't likely kill you, probably. But it is dangerous! And if you do it wrong, you may be permanently half-animal. Or simply disfigured. Or yeah, dead. If you think you've screwed up big, grab a teacher or one of us, even if it'll get you in trouble. Now, onto the steps! Since I have the better handwriting, I'll do the honors! READ ALL STEPS FIRST. Study the theory. Read the steps until you bloody memorized every single word.
- Prongs
1) Take the "Animagus Unlocking" potion to start the process. There is no time limit as to when to start the next step. The potion and how to brew it can be found in a copy of "Advanced Potion-Making" by Libatius Borage. Once you brew it, drink it, and wait at least 24 hours.
2) Take a "Essence of Nature" potion or otherwise known as the "Sensitivity of Mother Earth" potion. This can also be found in the same potions textbook by Borage. Brew it, drink it. It will let you become closer to "Mother Nature/Earth" for lack of a better way to phrase it. Once you drink it, you will become more in tune with nature. This will last 24 hours. Make a ton of these at once as you'll need them, especially if it's not just you doing it. We're talking about at least a dozen for just one person.
3) Meditate. That's right, it's time to meditate. This is one of those steps that has no real clear guide. Take the Essence of Nature potion then meditate in a place of nature, so outside. Find a secluded place to do so. There's not an easy way to describe exactly what you're looking for. Basically, you want to meditate (eyes closed of course) on the potion until you feel… it? You want to enter a sort of trance. You'll just know. You'll hear every single blade of grass swaying from the wind which you feel brush up against every single hair on your body. Moony suggests the "Potion of Heightened Sensitivity" which I suppose could work to let you get a feel for the sensation. Same potions book. You'll want to meditate and meditate until you can reach that sense of heightened sensitivity without any potions whatsoever, including the Essence of Nature one. This will take a long time. Took us months.
4) Once you can enter that trance of heightened sensitivity, you'll need to "expand your feel." Stay in the trance but don't focus on the feel of the wind or the sound of the grass. Instead, reach deep down inside you and feel for something pulling at you. It'll feel as if something is pulling on your very being. This is the beacon attempting to guide you, signal you, whatever. Once you feel this beacon pulling at you, practically asking you to come find it, drink another Essence of Nature potion. Pulling it out and drinking it will most likely ruin your trance however, so it would be best to put the potion in your mouth before you enter your trance but not swallow. Once you sense the pull at your very being, the calling of the beacon, swallow the potion. You'll be able to snap out of the trance but still sense the beacon from wherever it is. You'll have 24 hours to find the beacon. My beacon as well as Padfoot's was a bit in the Forbidden Forest.
5) Drink another Essence of Nature potion and go looking for your beacon. It won't be difficult to feel what direction it's at. Bring a Neutralizing Potion with you.
6) Find the beacon. You'll know when you reach it. You'll just know. The feeling will be sudden and obvious. You'll feel a need to meditate and enter your trance when you're in the beacon's sphere of influence.
7) Meditate at the beacon site for a full 24 hours. You can not use a potion to enter your trance, so drink the Neutralizing Potion and wait until the effects of the Essence of Nature potion are gone. The trance will feel different at the beacon. You must meditate for at least 24 hours! You can not be interrupted during these 24 hours. In this trance, you won't feel outside forces unless they're obvious; such as your wand vibrating if you've set a timer on it, somebody poking you, being mauled to death by a bear, etc. Instead, you'll do a little soul and mind searching. Don't resist! Let the memories wash over you, no matter how bad they are. Let yourself relive all the memories that pop up no matter what. Let whatever you feel inside yourself, your soul, do what it wants. This part is important because it's basically nature going through your memories and deciding what kind of form would fit your personality.
8) Once the 24 hours are up, put a mandrake leaf in your mouth. It doesn't have to be right after. You can wait until whenever to do this step. You're going to keep it in your mouth for a full month. A full lunar cycle, to be precise. So find out what stage the moon is at when you first put your leaf in your mouth. Keep it in your mouth until that same stage passes the next month. Take it out on the same day of the next month, the same stage in the lunar cycle. Do not take it before, do not take it out after. Not following these rules will mean you have to start the month over. A Sticking Charm will work.
9) Take it out and place it along with your saliva in a vial. Place a single hair of you inside as well. Bottle the vial up so nothing else can get in. Place the vial in a place where moonlight can reach it (not through windows). I'm talking about on a roof or something. Sure, some nights you won't get any moonlight thanks to the clouds but it doesn't matter. You'll keep this vial here for another full lunar cycle. You'll have to repeat the incantation "Amato Animo Animato Animagus" once between the hours of midnight and noon, and once between the hours of noon and midnight. That means twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, for the full lunar cycle. Make sure to point your wand at yourself every time you do it. You'll know you did it right if a feeling washes over you. If you miss one day, or forget, you'll have to go back to step 7 . On the same lunar stage after a month, grab the vial and move onto the next step.
10) Bury the vial in dirt. On the same day it's time to take the vial out of the spot where it gets moonlight, bury the vial completely in dirt. Completely. It should be surrounded by dirt by all sides. Obviously, mark the place you've buried it. Then you must wait until a thunderstorm comes, until rain and thunder are both there. The vial must get wet from the rain. Once it has rained and you've heard thunder, you must venture out into the storm and retrieve the vial. Should you fail to retrieve it, you need not start over, but only wait until the next thunderstorm comes.
11) Once retrieved, put the vial over a hot fire for a good hour. Let the insides melt. The contents should turn into a potion the color of your eyes. Once it's a liquid, drink it while it's warm. You can drink it while it's burning hot if you'd like, but Padfoot says he wouldn't recommend it. If it's cool or cold, put it under the fire until it's warm again.
12) Go back into meditation and into a trance, naked. You can't have anything on you on your first transformation. Well, you could, but it's not smart. Do not fight the inner animal, it will come out no matter what. How violently depends on your resistance. You will still have your own mind, don't worry.
After your first transformation, you can have stuff on you. Your clothes, jewelry, even your wand, but not everything. Magically enhanced trunks which have rooms any large than, let's say a dorm room, will cause problems when you transform. Everything in said room will fly all over the place and you'll have a big mess on your hands. Brooms and other large objects you're holding won't transform with you. Only the stuff that can hang onto your body without any assistance from you will transform with you.
Solemnly swearing we're up to no good,
From Prongs and Padfoot.