Chapter Five, Rising Questions
Harry ran back to the common room feeling his confusion and anger drown out all other thoughts from his brain.
"Who is she," he said aloud when he finally reached the entrance to the room.
"I've no idea my dear, but do tell me the pass word and go in." The fat lady grumbled sleepily. "I was getting some well earned rest before you tromped noisily down the hall."
"Sorry. Uh, Ursa Major."
The portrait swung open and Harry managed to stumble into the room. This had been an overwhelmingly strange night. There was a girl in the infirmary who could not possibly be a Gryffindor. He knew everyone in Gryffindor. Well, he at least know of everyone in Gryffindor. She looked his age well around his age. He should know her.
Harry stopped in his tracks suddenly realizing that he was pacing the common room with extreme fervor and making little grunting noises.
Someone groaned from the couch and Harry saw movement. Quite suddenly Hermione's head popped up.
"Harry?" she drawled sleepily, "I thought you were going to spend the night in the infirmary. What's going on?" She stood up not seeming to be aware of her surroundings in the least. A book fell promptly from her lap to the floor. "Oh!" she looked down at the book in confusion, "I was in here...studying?" She looked as though she would fall asleep right where she stood.
Harry momentarily forgot his extreme curiosity over the girl with the bright red hair and went to help steady Hermione where she stood. "Go to bed Mione," He urged gently, "I'm fine, but what do you say about a trip to the library tomorrow? I need some extracurricular help."
"What?" he pushed her softly in the direction of the dorms, "Oh, that's a wonderful idea Harry! I wanted to show you something really interesting about flobberworms when you put honey on them. They don't catch fire with the sun anymore. Not if you sprinkle..." She continued her completely incoherent chatter as she closed the door to her room.
"Well, I think we have established that you may be a morning person, but you should be locked up at sunset." Harry chuckled to himself. "Hermione will help me sort this out. Whatever this is." He headed down to the common room. Sleep didn't seem a realistic option tonight.
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Iris felt her body freeze as the man gently set her back on the bed. What is going on? She had expected some sort of violence, but he simply helped her to her originall position. She stared down at the bed unable to make sense of her newest location and unwilling to look up into the face of this man with Severus' eyes.
Her jaw tightened, "Where the hell am I?" She had to sound unafraid. That lesson had not taken too long to learn. Things went much worse much more quickly when people could sense your fear. Better anger than fear, always. She needed to look up. She had to become the predator not the victim and quicker was better. She should stare mercilessly at him and assert whatever power she could in the beginning, but the thought of those eyes made the lump in her throat grow three times bigger.
"You are at Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, do you remember it at all," the voice was like velvet filled with sympathy and tenderness.
"I do," Iris looked up shakily. Could it be true. She forgot his eyes in a moment of hope but went cold when confronted with them a second time.
She had no reason to trust him, but she wanted to believe that this really was Hogwats. She wanted to finally be home. Hastily Iris reached out and grabbed the wrist of the man standing in front of her. Her fingers pressed into his pulse. She closed her eyes and felt the rhythm of his heartbeats enter her body. Chills ran up and down her arm and her hand grew icy cold. She began to tremble and sweat. Feeling her eyelids flutter uncontrollably the visions poured so rapidly into her brain that she could not get a clear picture of even one of them. She shook her head harshly telling the visions to cease. They were replaced by an extreme sense of calm and openness. Her heart picked up his pace as her own. "Tell me again where I am."
"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." His hand stiffened but he did not pull away.
His pulse remained steady. Iris's brain was filled with pictures of hallways full of students, cauldrons bubbling, and finally visions of herself laying helpless in a hospital bead. She felt confusion, fear, and extreme warmth. He was telling the truth.
She took a deep breathe and slowly released his hand. Iris felt his heartbeat slowly recede from her body as she picked up her own rhythm again. She sighed audibly as tears entered her eyes. "I'm back" she smiled softly to herself almost forgetting the ghostly presence by her bedside.
"You're an empath," he stated this so coldly that Iris was momentarily startled out of her reverie.
She could only smile mysteriously as exhaustion crept over her once more. "I am many things." Iris allowed her gaze to become softly penetrating. "I'm sorry. I don't usually begin conversations that way. I..well, what's appropriate to say in this situation?" Closing her eyes to regain a little strength Iris breathed in deeply. "Who are you?" She paused and slowly reopened her eyes, "You remind me of someone." Although she tried with all her inner strength to control her voice allowing no emotion to show, it sounded strangled and on the verge of tears. Her face was cold but her eyes held a passion that burned a hole right through Severus.
"I am no one of consequence." He turned abruptly, but Iris caught a look of sorrow and contempt in his eyes as he stormed out.
Iris leaned back against her pillow and for the first time in many years real tears fell from her aching eyes. They were tears of happiness to be at Hogwarts once again, but they were also tears of sorrow and exhaustion. "Don't look for him Iris. You stupid girl." She closed her eyes allowing her body to give in to the tears, and yet she could not help but try to talk some sense into herself. "He is gone and seeing him in faces of strangers will only drive you mad." She chucked softly, "As if you weren't mad already!"
Harry ran back to the common room feeling his confusion and anger drown out all other thoughts from his brain.
"Who is she," he said aloud when he finally reached the entrance to the room.
"I've no idea my dear, but do tell me the pass word and go in." The fat lady grumbled sleepily. "I was getting some well earned rest before you tromped noisily down the hall."
"Sorry. Uh, Ursa Major."
The portrait swung open and Harry managed to stumble into the room. This had been an overwhelmingly strange night. There was a girl in the infirmary who could not possibly be a Gryffindor. He knew everyone in Gryffindor. Well, he at least know of everyone in Gryffindor. She looked his age well around his age. He should know her.
Harry stopped in his tracks suddenly realizing that he was pacing the common room with extreme fervor and making little grunting noises.
Someone groaned from the couch and Harry saw movement. Quite suddenly Hermione's head popped up.
"Harry?" she drawled sleepily, "I thought you were going to spend the night in the infirmary. What's going on?" She stood up not seeming to be aware of her surroundings in the least. A book fell promptly from her lap to the floor. "Oh!" she looked down at the book in confusion, "I was in here...studying?" She looked as though she would fall asleep right where she stood.
Harry momentarily forgot his extreme curiosity over the girl with the bright red hair and went to help steady Hermione where she stood. "Go to bed Mione," He urged gently, "I'm fine, but what do you say about a trip to the library tomorrow? I need some extracurricular help."
"What?" he pushed her softly in the direction of the dorms, "Oh, that's a wonderful idea Harry! I wanted to show you something really interesting about flobberworms when you put honey on them. They don't catch fire with the sun anymore. Not if you sprinkle..." She continued her completely incoherent chatter as she closed the door to her room.
"Well, I think we have established that you may be a morning person, but you should be locked up at sunset." Harry chuckled to himself. "Hermione will help me sort this out. Whatever this is." He headed down to the common room. Sleep didn't seem a realistic option tonight.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Iris felt her body freeze as the man gently set her back on the bed. What is going on? She had expected some sort of violence, but he simply helped her to her originall position. She stared down at the bed unable to make sense of her newest location and unwilling to look up into the face of this man with Severus' eyes.
Her jaw tightened, "Where the hell am I?" She had to sound unafraid. That lesson had not taken too long to learn. Things went much worse much more quickly when people could sense your fear. Better anger than fear, always. She needed to look up. She had to become the predator not the victim and quicker was better. She should stare mercilessly at him and assert whatever power she could in the beginning, but the thought of those eyes made the lump in her throat grow three times bigger.
"You are at Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, do you remember it at all," the voice was like velvet filled with sympathy and tenderness.
"I do," Iris looked up shakily. Could it be true. She forgot his eyes in a moment of hope but went cold when confronted with them a second time.
She had no reason to trust him, but she wanted to believe that this really was Hogwats. She wanted to finally be home. Hastily Iris reached out and grabbed the wrist of the man standing in front of her. Her fingers pressed into his pulse. She closed her eyes and felt the rhythm of his heartbeats enter her body. Chills ran up and down her arm and her hand grew icy cold. She began to tremble and sweat. Feeling her eyelids flutter uncontrollably the visions poured so rapidly into her brain that she could not get a clear picture of even one of them. She shook her head harshly telling the visions to cease. They were replaced by an extreme sense of calm and openness. Her heart picked up his pace as her own. "Tell me again where I am."
"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." His hand stiffened but he did not pull away.
His pulse remained steady. Iris's brain was filled with pictures of hallways full of students, cauldrons bubbling, and finally visions of herself laying helpless in a hospital bead. She felt confusion, fear, and extreme warmth. He was telling the truth.
She took a deep breathe and slowly released his hand. Iris felt his heartbeat slowly recede from her body as she picked up her own rhythm again. She sighed audibly as tears entered her eyes. "I'm back" she smiled softly to herself almost forgetting the ghostly presence by her bedside.
"You're an empath," he stated this so coldly that Iris was momentarily startled out of her reverie.
She could only smile mysteriously as exhaustion crept over her once more. "I am many things." Iris allowed her gaze to become softly penetrating. "I'm sorry. I don't usually begin conversations that way. I..well, what's appropriate to say in this situation?" Closing her eyes to regain a little strength Iris breathed in deeply. "Who are you?" She paused and slowly reopened her eyes, "You remind me of someone." Although she tried with all her inner strength to control her voice allowing no emotion to show, it sounded strangled and on the verge of tears. Her face was cold but her eyes held a passion that burned a hole right through Severus.
"I am no one of consequence." He turned abruptly, but Iris caught a look of sorrow and contempt in his eyes as he stormed out.
Iris leaned back against her pillow and for the first time in many years real tears fell from her aching eyes. They were tears of happiness to be at Hogwarts once again, but they were also tears of sorrow and exhaustion. "Don't look for him Iris. You stupid girl." She closed her eyes allowing her body to give in to the tears, and yet she could not help but try to talk some sense into herself. "He is gone and seeing him in faces of strangers will only drive you mad." She chucked softly, "As if you weren't mad already!"