Chapter Four: The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its affiliated characters, places, or things. Those are owned by JK Rowling and affiliated companies. However, this plot is mine, and sadly for me, I can't/won't make money off this. Such is life.

A/N: Thank you to all those who have reviewed. Sadly, those that reviewed anonymously your reviews were deleted. Just saying the story sucks is not a review. If you give me a reason why I will let it get posted. Just because Harry chose to be a girl is not reason enough. If you want to complain about that, talk to my Muse. To everyone else, keep the reviews coming; that is what drives me.

Astoria was sitting there in her sister's hospital room. She was a bit scared now that they had thrown her father under the Knight Bus. She actually loved seeing the Patrol officer talking the two of them away. It was just sad in her opinion that the Dementors were not going to be the guards for Azkaban anymore. It would have only been fitting in her opinion for them to be sitting in a building filled with Dementors. Then again, them being watched over by fully armed witches and wizards was good enough for her. If the Dark Lord was still around, then there this was a good chance. The last thing this world needed was an easy break out of Bellatrix LeStrange. Just the idea of that madwoman breaking out still scared her. Her father used to use her as a threat to keep her in line. Astoria was actually amazed that Daphne was talking to the Ministry. Their father didn't want the way he treated them, leaving the house.

"Hey, are you okay, Astoria?" Daphne asked. Astoria looked over at the bed her sister was lying on. Well, that was a mistake to say it was just her. Iris Potter was lying next to Daphne, messing with her ear. There was a smile on Potter's face as Daphne looked at her. "Would you stop that?"

"No, you know you like it," Potter said with a smile.

"Not on public display, I don't." Daphne protested.

"I could be nuzzling against your precious ear," Iris said as she nipped at Daphne's ear.

Daphne huffed in response. "Iris, really." Daphne swatted Iris on the hip. "Mind your manners."

"I am no longer the Viscount of Kirkwall, so that is pointless," Iris said with a smile on her face.

"That may be true, but you are still the Boy-Who-Lived, although I guess that is now the Girl-Who-Lived, so you are still in the public eye. It would be in your best interest to stay on the straight and narrow now." Daphne said this with a coy smile on her face.

Iris sighed. "Do you have to remind me of that NOW?"

"Yes," Daphne said as she rubbed Iris' cheek. "Besides, if I didn't, what kind of wife would I be?"

"The nice kind," Iris said with a cheeky smile on her face.

Astoria could help but laugh at this point. This was funny to her. She'd never seen Daphne act this way. It truly was like the two of them had known each other for a long time. Astoria wished she'd meet someone like Iris herself. Although she thought her chances of finding a boyfriend as awesome as Iris was asking for too much. "Are you to like this all the time?"

Daphne nodded her head. "Iris may act all tough and everything, but she is a big softy if you play it right. Granted, she cannot be fooled so easily. Trust me, I've tried to give her surprise parties before, and it is a very tricky thing to do."

Astoria smiled at her sister. "So, does she have you wrapped around her little finger?"

Daphne looked over at Iris and had this piercing gaze on her face. "I wouldn't say so."

Iris chuckled at this. "NO, I'd say she has me wrapped around hers. Though I do have my limits."

Daphne moved over and positioned herself over Iris, looking her in the eyes. Her right hand was placed really close to Iris' head. "What would that limit be? Hmmm."

Iris laughed a little at this. "Well, for starts, I will never run for Minister of Magic. I have led one government already. I will not do that again."

"But what if they NEED YOU?" Daphne asked with this cheeky smile on her face.

"Then I'd say: too bad. I've done enough public service for these people already," Iris said coldly.

Astoria looked at her, more than a little confused. "What are you talking about?"

Iris sighed. "My first school year, I stopped a possessed teacher from reviving Voldemort. In my second year, I stopped Voldemort's ghost from riving itself through a possessed book. Last year I saved my godfather from a horrible fate. The stupid Minister didn't want to listen to me concerning Siris Black because the 'great' Severus Snape said I was Confundus. The Bastard didn't even ask Madam Pomfrey if that was true. So, I have no desire to help a government that is too stupid to support itself."

Astoria sat there, more than a little shocked. "That is a bold statement, Iris."

"I would agree with you, Astoria, but the Minister is sucking on Malfoy's teat. Though how deep Malfoy is buried in the Minister is yet to be seen."

Iris' face, too, on this blanched look. "That is something I don't want to think about, Daphne."

Astoria shook her head. The idea of Minister Fudge being the lover of Lucius Malfoy was an unpleasant thought. "I am with her on that one, Daph. Please don't say that again."

"If the shoe fits, wear it," Daphne said with a smile. "Besides, I don't think the Minister is the top in the situation."

"Daphne!" Iris and Astoria said as one.

"Ok, ok, I give," Daphne said, holding up her hands.

"I swear Isabella rubbed off on you," Iris said with a stern look on her face.

Astoria looked at the two of them as they laughed. She knew this had to be a name from one of their other lives. "Who was Isabella?"

"Hermione," Iris said with a smile. "You would think that because she was so straight and narrow in this life, it would be the same in her other life."

Daphne shook her head. "That is free will for you. I am just wondering how much of her life as Isabella will rub off on Hermione."

Iris just laughed. "So long as she doesn't turn into a 'loose cannon, we should be fine."

Astoria looked at the two of them, more than a little confused. "What do you mean?"

Iris and Daphne looked at each other and smiled. Daphne then looked back at Astoria. "As tight-laced as Hermione is, Isabella was the opposite. Let us just say Isabella didn't mind 'sleeping around'."

Iris spoke up next. "Before you say anything: No, she didn't have a preference."

Before Astoria could say anything, another voice filled the air. "Hopefully, you are not talking about me."

Iris smiled and shook her head. "Of course not. We were talking about Isabella."

"That's still me," Hermione said sternly. "I'll have the two of you know I am not going to be that 'loose' in this life."

"Sure, you're not…." Iris said with a smile. "I'll give you a week before you find a guy or girl at Hogwarts to snuggle up next to."

"Why you…" Hermione said as she charged at Iris. By the time she'd jumped on the bed, Iris had moved Daphne slightly infront of her. This did not stop Hermione from punching Iris on the shoulder. "Do you honestly think I am that soulless?"

"Ouch…" Iris said in protest. "No, but I do think you are an aged Cougar at this point."

Hermione hit her a couple more times. "Not help your case."

"Alright, you two enough," Daphne said sternly. "We are going to have a press conference tomorrow. The last thing we need is one of us having bruises on to explain."

Hermione huffed. "Fine, but I am telling you the next time you say that there will be no mercy."

Iris smiled and chuckled. "Fine, I look forward to it."

Daphne huffed, and Astoria laughed at this disaster, waiting to happen. "Is this how it always was back on Thedas?"

"Yes." All three of them said as one.

"Interesting," Astoria said with a smile.

XoXoXoXoX

July 30th, 1994 9:24 AM

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmasters Office

Albus Dumbledore was pacing around in his office. He more than a little worried about what was going on in the world. The Ministry was now transparent to the muggle half of the United Kingdom and Ireland. This was a bit of a sticky situation. Given that the witches and wizards of Ireland had been afraid that there might be another witch hunt if they went public. They stayed with the Ministry when it came to government years ago. This aside, neither government was happy that the Nazi-like Death Eaters had originated from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It took some hard talking with both governments to ensure that the Ministry didn't support Voldemort or his Death Eaters. To ensure this, the Ministry was going over and removing all the laws that even slightly supported these ideals. He was even being asked to choose what he wanted to do. Either he had to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock, or the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. This would make his job at Hogwarts easier, but it would take his eyes off the other threats he was trying to protect the world from.

Thinking about this brought his mind to another problem he now faced. Somehow Harry had gone from being a young man to being a young woman within a month. This was impossible. No potion would change a person's gender. Nor was there a curse that would achieve this. He'd looked over Potter's Medical paperwork. The muggles and the Mediwitch all came to the same conclusion: Harry Potter had become a young woman. What complicated this, she seemed to know things that only one of the Heroes of Thedas would know. This made him happy to a small degree. In that life, she had a better childhood than the one she had here.

On the other hand, she had lived a whole life now. It was one he had no control over, and that seemed to change Potter's outlook on life. She was no longer this cheerful, kind-hearted, and good-natured person he remembered. To know who she'd become, he would have to get some historical books from Thedas to understand who she became.

Albus sighed at this point. "What could have happened in her life on the other would do this to her?" A knocking on the door grabbed his attention. The sound of someone clearing their voice caught his attention. Albus turned around and found McGonagall standing there with this annoyed look on her face. "What is wrong, Minerva?"

"Ms Potter wishes to talk to you. Before you say anything, Albus, I don't think it is a good thing. She did not seem happy." McGonagall said this with a sour look on her face.

Albus just nodded his head. "I know that, Minerva. Whatever life the poor girl lived completely changed her."

"She said the same thing," Minerva said with a disappointed look on her face. "She said that during the life, she had time to look back at what you've done, and she is disappointed by it. Albus, what could you have done?"

"She told me the same thing." Albus sighed at this point. He was going to admit to something he didn't want to. "Minerva, I knew that Severus was lying about the kids being Confundus back in June. Instead of doing something about it, I did nothing. For that, I lost her trust. Whoever she was on Thedas is nothing like the person we knew here. I think we both need to learn about that life."

Minerva just squinted her eyes at him. "How are we supposed to do that, Albus? I don't know if they have a book concerning that life. We also have to worry about the lives of the other children. The eight of them seem to be well connected in those lives. So, if there is a book on one of them, there must be one on all of them."

"That is a bold statement, Albus. What if one of them didn't want their story written down?" Minerva said with a raised eyebrow.

Albus nodded his head. "Well, we have to work off of what we do learn."

"Well, if that is what you want to do, then I would talk to the representative from Thedas. Maybe they would know if such a thing exists." Minerva said calmly. "As it stands, this all we have to work with."

"You are right, Minerva," Albus said calmly. The sound of a bursting flame grabbed Albus' attention. Albus turned around to see Sirius Black standing behind him. The look on his face was one of concern. Albus smiled at this point. "Ah, good to see you, Sirius. Did you drop Buckbeak off with Hagrid?"

Sirius nodded his head. "Yeah, I did. Why did you need to see me so badly, Albus?"

Albus looked over at Minerva, but before he could say anything, Minerva asked: "Harry has lived another life on the world of Thedas. Albus is concerned that that life has changed Harry. To be honest, it has in the literal sense. Harry is now a girl."

The look on Sirius' face was one of sheer shock. "What?"

Albus sighed. "Harry has met God, and according to her, God gave her the choice of keeping things from her other life. One of the things she chose was keeping the gender of the life she lived."

Sirius stood there for a moment without saying a word. He then started laughing. "Well, damn. I know some young men want to look at a young woman, but to live as one is a bold action."

Minerva huffed. "Sirius, not everyone is like you."

Sirius held up his hand. "Touché, Touché Professor." Sirius then looked over at Albus. "So, Harry's really a girl?"

Albus nodded his head. "Yes, Siris, and she is rather upset with me for letting Severus have his way back in June."

Sirius looked a little shocked. "I told him that it didn't matter."

"Well, she doesn't seem to want you are living as a fugitive," Albus said calmly.

The floo network came to life at this moment. If Albus was hoping for a good thing, that was dashed. Stepping out of the floo was Minister Fudge. He did not look happy. He looked angry at first, and when he saw Sirius, he looked scared. "Albus, when did he get here?"

Albus sighed. This was going to be hard to explain. "Not long-ago Cornelius. Before you say anything, what you've heard about him is true. What Severus told you the last term was a lie. I think he was trying to get revenge on Mr Black because of their childhood rivalry."

Cornelius looked a little confused. "What are you talking about?"

Minerva interjected at this point. "Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew used to bully Snape while at school. Sure, Remus backed down a little as he got older, and James stopped entirely by his seventh year, but Sirius never did. So, what you were told by Snape may have been an attempt to get his revenge on Sirius. Though why Snape would hold this grudge is beyond me. Snape has been treating Harry Potter like the boy was his father. So, it could be that Snape would say anything to make them suffer. I know he was the one that told the Slytherin students about Remus' health condition."

Cornelius looked more than a little worried. "That does not change that if this hits the news, I will be called out on this. If I continue hunting him down, then I will be called a tyrant. If I just stop doing it, there will be those that think I bow to the whim of a child."

"I don't think Potter is a child anymore, Cornelius. I know the people of Thedas aren't treating her that way." Albus said, more than a little annoyed at his admittance. "Iris Potter, as she calls herself now, has made it crystal clear to me that she will do whatever she can to get Sirius his freedom."

Cornelius looked more than a little shocked. "What can she do?"

Albus sighed. "According to the people from the United Free Marches, she is one of the greatest heroes of their history. Before you ask, yes, that would have been the life she lived while she was trapped in the crystal, they call Lyrium."

"I know what that was, Albus. I was there when they were telling you about it." Cornelius said, more than a little annoyed. "My question is: Why do you believe this?"

Albus sighed. "Because three of the girls came back as elves from Thedas."

Cornelius' mouth fell open. "You mean they have physically changed to match the lives they lived?"

Albus shook his head. "No, only four of them. Susan Bones, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass came back as elves. Harry Potter truly changed gender, and now goes by the name Iris Potter."

"Why?" Cornelius asked, sounding more than a little confused.

"That was her life when she lived on Thedas." Albus sighed. "I think it was this reason that she chose to change gender. She said she lived for a hundred and twenty-six years. My concern is that this is true. If that is the case, then the Trace might not work for her or the other children."

"Because they would count as over seventeen magically speaking." Albus nodded. "What could they have done in these lives?"

"I don't know. According to the ambassadors, they were heroes. I think there would be some record of their actions. This happened during a time where a written record would have documented their actions."

"Would they be accurate?" Cornelius asked.

"We could always bring them before the Wizengamot and ask them if they would testify to this under Veritaserum," Albus said calmly.

Cornelius tapped his chin with his index finger. "That isn't a bad idea. We should stress to them that it is to confirm the stories we are being told."

Minerva coughed to grab their attention. When they looked at her, Minerva said: "You gentlemen are placing too much confidence into this. If they were the heroes, they are being tested to be, we will be fooled by this. Or rather, YOU will be made fools by this. So, if I were you, I'd be cautious about what you actually do."

Albus nodded his head. "Thank you, Minerva. I think we need to hold council with them concerning this before it is done."

Cornelius coughed. When Albus looked back at him. "We are all forgetting that they are going to be having a press conference before they leave the hospital. So, if the people believe what they say, WE may be powerless to stop them. We couldn't stop the change of some of our laws. That Wandlore Restriction has been removed; we may have to all those children that now elves into the school."

Albus nodded his head at this. "I was thinking about doing this."

"So, am I a free man now?" Sirius said.

At hearing his voice, Albus jumped a little. Albus looked back at Sirius and nodded his head. "I would say so, Sirius. I don't think Amelia will take Severus at his word in this case. I think we need to release the news to the muggle world before you go and visit Ms Potter, though."

Sirius nodded his head. "I agree with that. The last thing I want is to be arrested again."

XoXoXoXoX

July 30th, 1994 12:05 PM

Hospital

Iris was watching the telly at the moment with a smile on her face. The news that Vernon had wanted to watch was filing the air with good news. The muggle government had called off the hunt for Sirius not too long ago. It seems that Dumbledore was finally doing what he should have done weeks ago. The look on Vernon's face as this news was breaking made her smile. It was nice to see that just the idea of her godfather being a free man scared Vernon. Well, it was either that or the story that played before that. The fact that the news was playing the story of what they had accomplished on Thedas. Seeing that might have been unnerving to the whale of a man.

"Are you alright, Uncle Vernon?" Violet asked with a smile on her face.

Vernon looked at her with an upset look on his face. "You are going to be staying with us, right?"

Sadly, Iris nodded her head. "Yes, sir, I don't think Dumbledore would make it an easy life if I didn't. So, for right now, I will be staying with you. If Dumbledore ever comes clean with me about WHY I have to do it, then I will be staying for as long as I have to."

"Surely, the stuff they said about YOU couldn't all be real," Vernon said with a worried look on his face.

Iris frowned and shook her head. "Sadly, Uncle, it was mostly true. They should have stuck to the book The Tale of the Champion by Varric Tethras. He was an eye whiteness to the things that I did. Granted, he was not an eye whiteness to my love life, but he did know who I fell in love with and that we got married." Iris held up her hand when Vernon went to say something. "All that aside, Uncle Vernon, there is nothing I need to hide from people. That being said, I will not be telling people the things they don't need to know."

"And what would that be?" Vernon asked coldly.

Iris sighed. "That I have fought a dark wizard in this life twice. The first time I was eleven, then again at twelve. Same wizard both times. The funny thing is he claims to be the strongest dark wizard of all time. Yet, he was beaten by a kid twice. So much for being the Dark Lord."

"Was this the same wizard that killed Lily and your father?" Aunt Petunia asked.

Iris nodded her head. "Yeah, and for some reason, he couldn't kill me. Wish I knew why that was, but this is another thing Dumbledore isn't telling me." Iris wished she could keep the bitter tone out of her voice, but her displeasure with the old man was too strong. "The old man is treating me like I am some kind of chess piece. I don't know why the magical community blindly follows him, but after living the life I did, I never will."

"You said that earlier," Vernon said with a curious look on his face. "So, did everyone blindly follow that man?"

Iris shook her head. "I wouldn't say blindly follow so much as respect. He defeated a very dangerous dark wizard back in the 1940s. After that, he had many people's respect cause the man was considered the Darkest Wizard of all time. A title I am sure has shifted from one person to another over time."

"How many people have had that title?" Petunia asked.

Iris shrugged. "I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was over a hundred. Wizards and Witches tend to be a little exaggerative about such things." The sound of someone tapping on the doorframe. Iris looked over and saw that standing in the doorway was Sirius. He had this shite eating grin on his face. "Sirius!" Iris said as she got out of the bed and ran up to him. Once she was next to him, she gave him a bone-crushing hug. "So, when did Dumbledore get a hold of you?"

"Around 9:30 this morning," Sirius said as he returned the hug. "You know I didn't believe him regarding you until now. So, your name isn't Harry anymore, eh?"

Iris backed away and looked him in the eye. "So, he didn't tell you?"

Siris smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I think something about Harriet?"

Iris hit him on the shoulder. "Arse, I'm not that shallow. Name is Iris."

Sirius laughed as he patted her on the back. "Yeah, Dumbledore said that."

Iris squinted her eyes and nodded her head. "So, what else did he say?"

Sirius smiled. "He said that you had done something on the other world and that people respect you for it."

Iris nodded her head. "Yeah, that's the safest way to put it. I am called the Champion of Kirkwall. I am not the only one to hold the title, but the only one to die of old age with it."

Siris whistled at this. "Wow, I don't know what you did to earn it, but if it was a good thing, I think your mum and dad would be proud of you."

Iris nodded her head. "I would think so. I may not have done things the way Dumbledore would have liked, but they were still the right thing to do."

"I take it you had to do some unsavoury things?" Sirius asked as they walked into the room.

Iris nodded her head. "Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about them. If you want to know, I will."

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, there's no need for that. I know what you're going through."

Iris nodded her head. "Thanks." Iris sat on the bed and smiled at Sirius. "I have a question."

"Hopefully, it isn't a bad one," Sirius said with a smile.

"Nope. Well, not one for you. How well did Snape take to this?" Iris asked with a smile on her face.

Sirius laughed at this. "I wouldn't know. Cornelius was there in Dumbledore's office when I was there. If it wasn't for McGonagall, I don't think he would have believed Dumbledore."

"So, McGonagall said Snape shouldn't be believed?" Iris asked.

"That's the short of it. After that, I was given Veritaserum and asked some question. Once that cleared my name, I was free to go. I spent an hour going through my old stuff to find something that would fit. Thankfully my muggle clothes still fit."

"Yes, those clothes make you look like a real gentleman," Iris said with a smile. She looked over at Petunia and Vernon. The both of them looked scared. "Where are my manors," Iris said with a smile on her face. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, this is my godfather Siris Black."

"Iris, please tell me he won't be moving in with us," Vernon said with this look of horror on his face.

Iris closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew that Sirius moving in with them would only cause problems. "No, I don't think that is wise, but if we need a new safe place to stay, it would be nice if you had one."

"You think that their place could be compromised?" Siris asked.

"Not by the Death Eaters, but there are other forces that could threaten us. Going after Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would be the last thing those forces would want to do."

"Who would those forces be?" Uncle Vernon asked.

Iris sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I really don't know, but I can guess that the Qunari are still a bit sore about what I did. Then there are Blood Mages from Tevinter that MIGHT want to kill me. So, Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed my mum and dad, is nothing compared to them. He has only, what, twenty people following him?" Sirius nodded his head. "Right, compared to national governments, religious organization, and rogue agents, they are nothing. These 'Death Eaters' are not as seasoned as these people. Nor do they have that level of training."

"That doesn't take away from the fact that they have killed lots of people, kid," Siris said with a sad look on his face.

"True, but by comparison, they suck. The Qunari within one day had killed the Viscount of Kirkwall and had corralled all the nobles into one location. Like the viscount, they were going to be killed. The other citizens were going to be forced to join the Qun or die. Granted, all of this would have started a war with the rest of Thedas."

"The rest of the planet would have fought them?" Aunt Petunia asked.

Iris shook her head. "No, at the time, Thedas was just the European continent. The rest of the world would have been out of it. The island where the Qunari come from would have stayed out of it. They disagreed with the action of the leader of the forces in Kirkwall."

"So, like the Death Eater, they were just out to kill people?" Sirius asked.

Iris nodded her head and looked around the room. Everyone looked entrapped by what she was talking about. It was like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia was curious about what Iris had done. That she had captured her relatives by her words alone surprised her. Vernon didn't look happy at all. It was like everything she was saying had been said before. Iris wouldn't be surprised if the news covered most of the stuff she had just said. Petunia looked genuinely concerned about what she was saying. This actually worried Iris. The last thing she wanted was her relatives living in fear of things that would not be here. Darkspawn, hopefully, would not be able to get over here. "The only difference between the Death Eaters and the Qunari is that the Qunari are a 'religious ideology. Granted, what they believe in is just a set of rules. No god, no spirit worship, and no dragon worship. Even who you married was chosen for you."

"Wow, that is weird," Sirius said with a sad look on his face. "So, there was no talking your way out of that fight?"

"I think I told this to Dumbledore. No, the Qunari don't want a peaceful conversation with other cultures. They want their way of life to be spread around the world. Now, that may not be the way they are now, but that was how they functioned in the Dragon Age. Don't ask me to explain the Chantry calendar. That is too much of a headache. Suffice to say, each century is named after the big event of the previous century."

"Wow, that isn't how it is done here on Earth," Vernon said sternly. "At least our people will want to sit down and talk."

Iris shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but I do know about the Death Eaters. Those people don't want to talk to you if you're a muggle or a muggle-born. Those people are best called Magical Nazis. The only thing they care about is: are you born with magic, and does it come from a magical bloodline. They also think they can conquer the Muggle world. Yes, they are fools." Iris said this last part with a smile on her face.

"What's funny about that girl?" Vernon asked.

"Nothing really. I just know a few of the Death Eaters, and their arrogance will be their downfall." Iris said calmly. She really wanted to jump in Vernon's case for calling her 'girl', but that was a childish thing to do. Iris was beyond such things. She would let Vernon fall on his own sword.

A knocking on the door grabbed everyone's attention. A doctor was standing in the doorway with a worried look on his face. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Iris shook her head. "Not really; I am just informing them of the things I've seen and done. Is there something wrong?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, ma'am, but I was asked to see if you and you're… associates would be willing to be in a press conference?"

Iris sighed. This was inevitable, she thought. Both worlds would want to know how Iris and her friends were doing. Earth might want to know how she went from a boy to a girl. Iris looked back at the doctor. "Look, if my friends are on board with doing it, I will, but I won't do it by myself."

"Well, that makes all of you. I don't know when the conference will be held, but you will be informed when it will happen."

"I'll go and get you something to wear." Aunt Petunia said. She looked over at Vernon. "We will need to get her something more… accepting of a girl."

Vernon looked between Petunia and Iris. It took him a few minutes to grunt with a disdained look on his face. "Do we have something she could wear?"

Iris sighed. "Uncle Vernon, we are not the same size. Aunt Petunia's clothes would look odd on me. Secondly, being that I am the Champion of Kirkwall, I expect to look a certain way. I'm not fully grown, and I DOUBT that I will be the same size I was as Iris Hawk."

"What kind of expectation?" Vernon asked with a worried look on his face.

"To look tougher than your average girl. So, wearing a skirt or a dress is out of the question. Also, wearing the robes of your typical witch is out of the question as well. I'll need something like a business suit. Or if I really want to stand out to dress like I used to, but that would take too much time." Iris said this with a smile on her face.

"So, you just want to look like a businesswoman?" Vernon asked.

Iris nodded her head. "If a suit is too much. A simple long sleeve shirt and trousers will do."

"Any particular colours?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"Dark blue and black," Iris said with a slight smile.

"Is there a reason for this?" Vernon asked.

Iris shrugged her shoulders. "They were the colours I wore as Iris Hawke. It'll be another way I prove who I was. Also, it keeps me distant from the 'Boy-Who-Lived' expectation of this world. They will be expecting me to wear robes and all of that silliness. Hell, I think even Daphne will avoid wearing them. The only one who won't be is probably Susan." Iris said with a smile.

"Alright, Iris, we'll be right back." Aunt Petunia said with a worried look on her face.

"Thanks, Aunt Petunia," Iris said. Iris watched the two of them leave. 'I know the Ministry won't like this, but it has to happen.'

"You want me to buy this stuff, kid?" Siris asked.

"Nah, just having you hear is good enough," Iris said with a smile on her face.

"That I can do," Siris said with a wicked grin on his face. "So, I hear you have a girlfriend."

"Oh, Maker," Iris said as she brought her hand to her face.

XoXoXoXoX

July 30th 5:35 PM

Iris was shifting around, standing there in her new clothes. Iris knew that her aunt would be getting the things she needed, but she didn't think she'd have gone bake a dozen times to get the proper bra she would need. If Iris could have had a much better say, Iris just wanted a sports bra. It would have still taken time to find the right size, but she wouldn't have embarrassed herself so much. Iris was thankful for one thing, though. She was just glad that Daphne was there to see all of this. She would have never heard the end of it if she was there.

"What's wrong, Iris?" Susan asked with a smile on her face.

Iris fidgeted around with her the sleeve on her right arm. "Nothing. I am just thinking about all the things I have to learn to fit in this world."

"I could have warned you about that, love," Daphne said with a smile on her face.

Iris laughed. "I was thinking you'd be laughing at me," Iris said with a coy smile.

"Oh, I would have laughed at you, but I would have also helped you," Daphne said with a smile on her face.

"Thanks, love," Iris said in defeat.

"Yeah, at least she would have helped you," Neville said with a smile on his face.

Iris looked over at him with a death glare on her face. "I would have killed you."

Neville laughed at this. "No, you wouldn't. You love me too much."

Iris hit him on the shoulder. "I love what you do," Iris said sharply.

Neville laughed at this. "Of course, you do. Without me, the truth wouldn't be known."

A soft cough grabbed everyone's attention. Looking towards the doorway, everyone found Dr Fir standing there looking a little worried. Iris couldn't help but ask: "Is something wrong, Dr Fir?"

Dr Fir let out a held breath. "I don't know Ms Potter. I do need to speak to you before you go out to the press, though, ma'am."

Iris looked at him, a little worried. "Is something wrong with my tests, sir?"

Dr Fir shook his head. "Do you want to talk about this infront of these people?" Iris shook her head 'yes.' "Well, it isn't your test, ma'am. It is the lyrium that encompassed you. They found something within it." The doctor walked up to her and withdrew something from his pocket. "They pulled this from your forehead area. They just want to know what it is. They know it is magical, but they don't know what kind of magic it is."

Iris looked at the man's hand as he opened it. What was in his hand looked like a piece of lyrium, but instead of blue or red, it was black. In all her years on Thedas, this was the first time she'd seen lyrium this colour. She picked it up, and it felt cold to the touch. Iris, to make sure this wasn't Tainted, brought it up to her ear. Instead of hearing the 'song' of Tainted lyrium, she heard whispers. "You are weak. There is nothing you can do to beat me." Iris moved the lyrium away from her ear. The 'voice' sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. If this came from her lyrium. Then maybe this had something to do with the 'magic' that Voldemort had done to her all those years ago. This scared Iris. If the lyrium encased her had entrapped this, she wondered what it could have done to her. This had been inside her head. Though how this was possible, she didn't know. Though this did bring a question to her mind. "Have you brought this close to your ear?" Iris asked, looking at Dr Fir, a little worried.

"Not really. Just holding that thing, I feel uneasy. The coldness of it is unnatural. I've held other pieces of lyrium, and none of them is THAT cold." Dr Fir visibly shook at that thought. "Not to mention, it appeared to 'move' a couple of times."

"What?" Iris asked.

"Look at it more closely." Dr Fir said softly.

Iris looked back down at the lyrium. For a moment, the black 'mass' seemed inert. Then it shifted, but just slightly. This caused Iris to drop the lyrium. She quickly tried to catch the lyrium. After juggling the lyrium, she finally caught it. After catching it, Iris breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to happen caused a minor explosion. Iris handed the lyrium back to Dr Fir.

"Your best bet, sir, is to go to Professor Dumbledore. I think he might know what is going on here. I also think it would be a good idea not to tell anyone about this." Iris said this about a calmly as possible. This could have been something Dumbledore knew about but never wanted to tell Iris. If this was the case, then the old man had a lot to answer for.

"All right, thank you for the advice." Dr Fir said calmly as he took back the piece of lyrium. "The meeting will begin in a few minutes. Just so you all know; Rita Skeeter is the representative of the Daily Prophet."

"Lovely," Susan said coldly.

Iris looked over at Susan, a little confused. She noticed that Susan wasn't the only one who looked upset about this. "What's got all of you look upset?"

"Rita Skeeter is not the… nicest of reporters," Neville said. "She writes rather colourful articles. The best we can expect from her is lies or embellished stories of what we have to say. She will also try to paint us as bad guys if she doesn't like what we have to say."

"That's being too nice to the cunt." Daphne said coldly. "Sure, she doesn't paint the Ministry that well, but she never does it over stories that matter. Skeeter always has a 'source' for the information she shouldn't have, and the people that were aware of the information she was reporting never talked to her about it. Most of the information was a private matter. It's usually the good people, like Madam Bones, that get the shaft in her stories."

"That's good to know," Iris said calmly. This was going to take a little more finesse than she'd initially thought. "If that is how she operates, then we need to answer the question in a way that makes it quite clear what we are talking about. Let's not about the Maker that much. If asked, we only saw Him and Andraste after we lived on Thedas. Before that, it was JUST the Maker."

"Yeah, we weren't given special insight," Tracey said. "We were just given the CHANCE to live other lives, and we took it."

Dr Fir whistled. "You kids have lived other lives. I didn't believe you at first, but the more I see you operate, the more I believe."

Iris looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah, well, when you've had to deal with politics as long as we have, you get used to it."

"That being said, I will never want to be the Minister of Magic," Susan said with a smile.

"Agreed," Iris said with a smile

There was a soft knock on the door by Dr Fir. "Right, I think they're ready for us." Everyone nodded their heads.

Dr Fir opened the door and walked through it. They all started following him through it. Susan and Ginny were the first to follow him through the doorway. Then it was Iris, Daphne, and Neville. The last of them through the doorway was Tracey and Fleur. As Iris walked to her seat, she could hear tons of cameras going off. The flashes of light were almost blinding. As Iris turned around to take her seat, she finally could see how many people were crammed in this room. It looked like there was a news crew here from every region of the world. It would surprise her if there weren't people here from Thedas as well. It took a few moments for the noise to die down. Once this was done, it was Dr Fir who spoke first: "Alright ladies and gentlemen, we are trying to keep this short, so try to keep the question relevant to what has happened. From right to left, we have Mrs Susan Bones, the Hero of Fereldon. Ginny Weasley, formally Lilliana, the Left Hand of the Divine. Iris Potter, the Champion of Kirkwall. Daphne Greengrass, wife of the Champion of the Kirkwall. Tracey Davis, Inquisitor of the Inquisition of Thedas. Lastly, Fleur Delacour, the ambassador of the Inquisition of Thedas."

At this point, everyone raised their hands up, and some of them started talking. Susan took the initiative to point at one of the men on the right-hand side. The man stood up and asked: "Can any of you tell us why this happened to you specifically."

Susan took the initiative on this question. "The Maker, God, said that this was supposed to happen. He said that we were supposed to do this. He didn't tell us why per se, but he did assure us that this was His intentions."

Another report stood up and asked: "Did you see Jesus?"

They all shook their head. Neville said: "No, ma'am. I couldn't tell you why we didn't. All I can say is that after we lived on Thedas, we did see Andraste. Maybe it was because we were never meant to see Jesus."

Iris saw a Qunari standing up with a raised hand. Iris pointed to the woman. "Are you saying that only the Maker is real?"

Iris shook her head. "No, we've seen the Avvaran gods, met two of the Evanuris, and probably more than that. The Maker was just the one to set all of this up."

The hands went up again in an uproar. Daphne chose someone in the middle. The blonde had to be from the Wizarding world. The way she was dressed looked entirely out of place here. Her green horn-rimmed glass, green robes, and floating quill and parchment just stood out. "Were all of you witches and wizards?"

All of them grunted. "No," the eight of them said as one.

Neville picked it up after that. "The Maker had us all choose the lives we wanted to live. Only four of them were mages. That would be Iris Potter, formally Iris Hawke; Daphne Greengrass, formally Merrill Hawke; Susan Bones, formally Grey Warden Neria Surana; and Tracey Davis, formally the Inquisitor Vasa Lavellan. The rest of us had different job types."

"Can you explain those job types, Mr Longbottom?" the blonde asked

Neville sighed. "Well, I was a businessman, writer, and ranged combatant."

Ginny said quickly. "I was part of Chantry and formally an Orlesian Bard."

Hermione said with a smile on her face. "I was a pirate."

Fleur said calmly: "I was an ambassador for the Inquisition."

Hands shot up again. An Asian woman was chosen next. "Why do some of you look like Thedasian elves?"

Tracey answered the question. "We were given a choice as to what we wanted to keep from the lives we'd just lived. Those of us that were elves chose to keep that part of ourselves."

"So, you don't like being human?" the woman asked.

Daphne shook her head. "That's not why ma'am. We just lived a long life as elves, so we chose to stick with what we knew."

Susan filled in the rest. "We also thought that there was no way of Thedas knowing who we were if we didn't keep that part of ourselves. It would have been a slap in the face of the elves if we chose to stay human."

A man was chosen that was to the right of the woman they just answered. "So, is that why Ms Potter's eyes and gender have changed?"

"Yes," Iris answered. "I wanted both worlds to know who I was. Here I am known for defeating a dark wizard when I was a child. I don't know how this happened, so don't ask."

"Is there any way that this world will know who you were HERE?" The blonde reporter asked.

Iris lifted up her hair, revealing her scar. "I still have the scar Voldemort gave me." The cameras flashed again. "For the non-magical here, this scar came to me for surviving a dark curse. Some say it was the Killing Curse, but I don't know how true that was."

"When did that happen?" A woman with an American accent asked.

"I was one year old," Iris said calmly.

"So, you didn't cast a spell at this person?" the woman asked.

Iris shook her head. "No, ma'am. At that age, we can't learn magic. We are no different than non-magical children at that age. We start learning magic at age eleven."

Susan chose another reporter on the right-hand side. "So, can anyone learn magic?"

Susan shook her head. "No, you are born with the ability to use magic. It is the same way on both worlds."

"Did all of you seek out these adventures you did in Thedas?" A report was chosen by Neville asked.

"No," Susan said calmly. "All of the stuff we did just fell into our laps; we didn't go looking for it. Sure, I chose to become a Grey Warden, but I didn't plan on becoming the one who took the life of the Archdemon. Iris didn't plan on becoming the Champion of Kirkwall. The Inquisitor earned her position after choosing to help the Inquisition."

A dark-skinned reporter asked: "Is the Inquisition on Thedas like the Inquisition here on Earth?"

"No, sir, it was about restoring order to the world. The Templars on Thedas were about protecting and defending against the mages on Thedas." Susan said calmly. "By this, I mean the dealt with rogue mages and possessed mages. If you were born with, they did not kill you. It was not viewed as demon worship. You are just taken to Circle of Magi and raised there from that point on. I was raised in the Circle of Magi in Fereldon. There were some good Templars, but there were those who victimized the mages. Some of the Templars doing this got away with it, so we had to protect ourselves."

"We're any of you hurt in that way?" another reporter asked.

"No," Susan said. "Most of us were lucky. I was the only one of us that was in the Circle of Magi."

Tracey chooses a reporter dressed like Graviel Hawke. "Are any of you thinking of returning to Thedas?"

They all looked at each other and nodded. Hermione answered the question. "Yes. I don't see why we wouldn't. I feel at home on Thedas, and I would want to see where things have gone since we were last there."

"Ms Ganger, would you want another boat?" the blonde reporter asked with a smile on her face.

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe, but that would take a lot of money."

Another reporter asked: "Ms Delacour, would you want to become an ambassador again?"

Fleur shook her head. "Non, I've already done that. I will be looking for something else to do in this life."

Ginny chose a reporter on the left-hand side of the room. "Is there anything we Earthlings can get to learn about these lives?"

"Yes, there are," Ginny said. "Verric Tethras wrote books on our lives. You'll have to learn to read the Common Tongue to read them. The titles are: The Hero of Fereldon, The Tale of the Champion, and All this Shit are Weird. All of these books are first-hand knowledge written down."

"Alright, ladies and gentleman. I think this is enough question for now. We may be doing this again before they leave. We still need to make sure there is nothing wrong with them." Dr Fir said.

Iris was thankful that the man had chosen to step in at this point. Everyone stood up and started walking towards the door. As they made their way out, Iris looked back at the blonde reporter. Her magical quill was still writing. Iris knew most of the reporter would twist what they had said, but she wondered how twisted the blonde would make what they had to say. It would probably be within her best interest to get a copy of the Daily Prophet tomorrow.

XoXoXoXoX

Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office

6:50 PM

Albus was sitting at his desk, going over what would be happening in the school this year. Seeing as the Muggle news wanted to be a part of everything, they may have to tamp down on what they wanted to do. If they could convince the Muggle Government that they knew what the children were doing, they might not have to. Given that there was going to be an age restriction on the entry. This might not need to be done. The only thing they may have to do is explain how they were going to keep younger children from entering the tournament. The worst that could happen is that they would have to have some security to protect the children during the tasks.

A knocking on the door grabbed his attention. "Come in." He was expecting Minerva to be walking through the door, but he was shocked when it wasn't her. Instead, he found Dr Chase Fir walking into his room. He was accompanied by an elven woman who he'd never seen before. Albus was wondering why they were here. He was hoping nothing wrong had happened to the children. "Dr Fir, it is good to see you, and who is your young companion?"

"I am Enchanter Mihrill Tabris, Professor Dumbledore," Tabris said calmly.

"Professor Dumbledore, we have a question that you might be able to answer." Dr Fir said with a bit of worry in his voice.

Albus set his quill down. "What might that be, Dr Fir?"

The man walked up to his desk and pulled something out of his pocket. When he sat down on Albus' desk, the old man leaned forward to look at the crystal. It was solid black, and it gave off this cold aura. Just being near it, Albus felt out of place. He didn't know why this was happening, but he had a good guess if this came for Ms Potter's crystal prison. "We pulled that out of the lyrium that was around Ms Potter. It was in the area of her forehead. We figure it came from the area that her scar is located at."

"When did you discover this?" Albus asked as he picked up the crystal and looked at it more closely. The black 'colour' of the crystal moved. Albus set the crystal down on the desk.

"We discovered it about an hour after we got it to the processing location here on Earth. We tried to break it, but nothing we did seemed to work. Since this came from one of the hero's crystals, we thought someone from this world might know. Lady Potter didn't seem to know what it was, but she pointed us to you." Enchanter Tabris said calmly.

"I see," Albus said, rising to his feet. He had an idea what this might be, but if he was right then everything, he had planned for Ms Potter was thrown out the window. Albus walked up to Gryffindor's Sward and took it off the wall.

"Sir, what going to do?" Tabris asked, sounding a little worried.

"Ma'am, I think I know what that is, but if I am right, this is the only way to find out," Albus said as he walked up to the desk. "Is there any way to destroy this thing without it exploding?"

Tabris shook her head. "No, sir. If we have to destroy it, I would suggest we do it outside. Doing it in here might kill us all."

"Alright, then we will take this outside," Albus said passively as he walked back to his desk. He took the lyrium off his desk and gestured to the door. All of them walked out of the door and started making their way out of the building. It took them a few minutes to get outside of Hogwarts, and Albus wanted to do this away from prying eyes. Hagrid bless his soul if he saw this, he would tell someone, so they had to be away from his hut. Once they were a reasonable distance away from the school, Dumbledore put the crystal on the ground. He then levitated the sword over the crystal. He then turned around and walked away from the hit. Once they were about thirty feet away, he asked: "Can either of you protect us from the explosion?" Dr Fir and Enchanter Tabris nodded their head. Enchanter Tabris brought up a wall of ice, and Dr Fir put a Shield Charm behind that. Once these two spells were set, Albus let the sword drop. Once the sword hit the crystal, they all heard a high-pitched scream and then a loud explosion. The shards of crystal and dirt hit the ice and the Shield Charm. When the rubble fell to the ground, Albus said: "It was what I thought it was."

"And that would be?" Enchanter Tabris asked.

Albus sighed and looked at the ground. He didn't want to tell the woman what he KNEW it to be, but they would find out through research if he didn't. The book that contained the information wasn't relegated to Hogwarts a copy of Secrets of the Darkest Arts. "It was a fragment of someone else's soul Enchanter Tabris. They are some the darkest forms of magic created on this world."

"You can't be serious? Lady Hawke seems too nice of a person to make this kind of thing." Enchanter Tabris said.

Albus shook his head. "It wasn't Ms Potter. It was the man that killed her parents that did it. He just made his soul unstable. He made more than one of these things, and it made his soul unstable. So, when he 'died', a fragment of his soul sought out the nearest living thing. That just so happened to be Ms Potter."

"You mean You-Know-Who isn't dead?" Dr Fir asked.

Albus shook his head. "I don't know. One can hope this killed him, but we will never know for sure."

"Is there no way to test this?" Enchanter Tabris asked.

"No, Enchanter Tabris, I am afraid that we may never know. If it was the last piece of his soul anchoring him to this world, then yes, he is dead." Albus said calmly.

"But if it wasn't, then he is still around." Dr Fir said, sounding more than a little scared.

"Yes, but I have been preparing for such an event. Should Voldemort return, I will be helping the world fight him?" Albus said calmly.

"I have more confidence in the eight 'kids' than I do you, sir." Enchanter Tabris said. "All of them have fought thing way worse than this… Voldemort. If he threatens this world, then he might threaten our world too."

"That is unlikely, ma'am. He would never use muggle transportation, and it is unknown if Port Keys and Apparition can make it to your world." Albus said calmly. "Ma'am, is there any book that can give me insight into why you and the others from your world have such confidence in these children?"

"We are working on translating the written form of Common Tongue to your English. You will also have to remember that to us, these 'children have already lived full lives. All of them have done something extraordinary. The one that didn't see combat still managed to be a fantastic ambassador to Inquisition for many years."

"That's good to know. The 'Common Tongue' is what we call English, correct?" Albus asked.

"Yes, sir, and as I said, we will try to get you a copy of all three books as soon as possible.

"Thank you. I don't think I need to tell you two that this needs to stay between the three of us." Albus said calmly.

"Of course." The two of them said

"Thank you," Albus said before he summoned the lyrium shards to him.