AN: I will be spending NaNoWriMo working on A Noble Lord's Duty, with the goal of finishing it. As I've not been able to write as much as I'd like over the last few weeks, I don't really have a buffer, which means that I'm going to skip one update for Pairing Oneshots. This means the next update will not be on November 16 (as I had wanted) but instead on December 14, with the potential of being delayed to December 21. The plan for Riddle of the Ages is to continue uninterrupted, but that does rely on me writing two chapters in the coming 12 days, if not the November 30 update will most likely be delayed to December 7.
AN: On a related note, I am seriously considering slowing down the schedule for Pairing Oneshots on the long term, because the oneshots are both longer than I had expected (the first two are both 14k, while I had expected to average 10k, and for this one I had estimated 8k when I started it) and they're also slightly harder to write than other chapters because of the density of the plot. I haven't made any final decisions on that yet, however.
AN: And last, specifically related to Pairing Oneshots, this chapter should make abundantly clear that the only connection between the various oneshots is them being a oneshot with a certain pairing. You need to look no further than Draco Malfoy's characterization in the two to see that.
Idiots
Pairing: fem!Harry/fem!Draco
Summary: Despite their different upbringings, Iris Potter and Lyra Malfoy recognize they are the only ones to truly understand each other. They might not be friends in public, but in secret, they certainly are – if not more than that.
Summer 1991
Iris Potter was having the best day of her life. Finally, she had proof that magic was real, and not only that, but there was also an entire magical world out there, and she was in the middle of it right now. The giant – or whatever he was, clearly not human – Hagrid had taken her to Gringotts, and had now dropped her off to get her uniforms fitted while he went to get her some ice cream.
Inside, she was led to a stool to stand on, next to another girl, with blonde hair and grey eyes.
"Hello," Iris said.
"Hi," the girl replied. She took one look at Iris's clothes. "What are you wearing?"
"Boy's clothes," Iris grumbled. "Passed on from my cousin."
The girl's eyes widened. "Really? You're muggleborn then?"
"No," Iris said, "but I was raised by them."
"Oh. So, you're going to Hogwarts too?"
"Yes," Iris replied.
"What House do you think you'll be in? I want to go to Slytherin." The girl turned wistful.
Iris slumped slightly. "You'll hate me if I say I want to go to Gryffindor, right?" Hagrid had told her about the Houses briefly, but it wasn't hard for Iris to see, after meeting Hagrid and a few people in the alley, that the Wizarding World operated on quick assumptions that were maintained as the truth at all costs.
"No," the girl replied, to Iris's surprise. "I don't mind. So, what's your name, actually? I'm surprised a magical child was raised by muggles."
"Iris Potter. And you?"
The girl turned wide-eyed for a moment but didn't react further. "Lyra Malfoy," she said. "Pleased to meet you, Potter. Or can I call you Iris?"
"Of course," Iris immediately said.
"Then feel free to call me Lyra."
"Okay… Lyra," Iris said, a little confused at the girl's formal wording.
"And that's done," the girl working on Lyra's robes said. Lyra was ushered off the chair and made her way to the exit, where she waited until Iris joined her a few minutes later, pulling her to the side.
"Listen, you sound to me like you're a lot smarter than most wizards and witches, so let me give you some advice. People in the magical world really don't like it if you're not what they expect. You're going to have to act the hero they think you are, or they'll start hating you. And just like that, I'm going to have to be the Slytherin bitch everyone expects me to be. But you know better, right?"
Iris nodded. "I'd figured out that much already."
"So, you want to be friends?"
"I'd love to have a friend."
"Then we'll be friends," Lyra said. "But we can't be friends in the open, my father is a servant of Voldemort who bribed his way out of prison, people would expect us to hate each other – and if we don't, they'll hate the both of us."
Iris turned sad at that, but Lyra hugged her.
"We'll manage, Iris. You and me."
Iris nodded. "Thanks. See you at Hogwarts?"
"See you there."
They parted.
First year (1991-1992)
"I heard Iris Potter is in this compartment," Lyra drawled as she opened the door. She looked at Iris. "So that must be you then. My name is Lyra Malfoy."
Ron snorted.
"What?" Lyra said, turning to him. "You think my name is funny? I can guess who you are – red hair, freckles, poor, more children than you can count, you've got to be a Weasley."
Ron bristled, but Lyra turned back to Iris. "You'd do well to make the right kind of friends, Potter. I can help you with that."
The blonde winked and held out her hand, but Iris didn't take it. "I think I can decide for myself who make for good friends," she instead said coolly.
Lyra sniffed haughtily. "Have it your way then." Without another word, she turned and left.
On the second day of classes Lyra walked past Iris after the last class and pressed a note in her hand. It told Iris to come to the library in five minutes and look for Lyra. Iris did so, however it took her some time to find the blonde, who had found a very remote corner.
"Hey, Iris," Lyra whispered as Iris approached. "How have your first few days been?" She invited Iris to sit down.
"That was an act right?" Iris said, hesitant to take the chair.
"On the train?" Lyra asked. "Yeah. It's the kind of fights we need to have so that no one suspects anything. I hope I didn't say anything that hurt you?"
Iris shook her head as she sat down. "Ron was angry about what you said though."
"He'll get over it," Lyra said. "We'll have to keep these meetings brief until we find something better, as we don't want to be seen, so let's just get to the things we actually want to talk about. How has your time been?"
"Oh, it's amazing," Iris gushed. "There's just so much to learn and everything. I can barely stop reading my books! Magic is awesome! What about you?"
"It's nice," Lyra replied. "I grew up with magic all my life of course, but apart from a few spells my mom and dad taught me this is the first I actually get to use it myself."
"So what do you think about the third-floor corridor Dumbledore mentioned?" Iris asked.
"There's something going on there," Lyra said. "I say we look into it when we get the chance."
Iris raised her eyebrows. "You don't want to stay far away from there?"
Lyra snorted. "I'm not saying we should run in like a Gryffindor. We're not in any kind of hurry, Iris. Just give it some thought, I'll do so as well, and then we'll decide something."
Iris nodded. "That sounds like a smart idea."
"So what's your favorite subject so far?"
"Defense," Iris replied immediately. "Quirrell's an idiot, but I can't wait to get started on the spells."
"I'm looking forward to Potions," Lyra said. "Professor Snape is a friend of my father though, and apparently he hates you, so I'm not sure whether you'll have a good time."
"I'll manage."
"Of course you will. Hey, shall we meet again… Friday after dinner, again here?"
Iris nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See you then, Lyra."
"Bye, Iris."
Time went by quickly, and as it happened Ron became invested into the mystery surrounding the Third Floor Corridor as well, which magnified further when Hermione was added to their friend group on Halloween. Still, they didn't advance nearly as quickly – despite Hermione's tendency to devour any books she came across – as Iris did with Lyra in search of the same secret. The moment Lyra heard the name Flamel, she knew it was about the Stone, and the rest was easy to figure out.
That was when Lyra told Iris that her father believed Voldemort was not gone for good – just like Hagrid said Dumbledore believed – and that the Stone might be a way for him to come back to life.
And then Iris got an invisibility cloak for Christmas.
The very same day, she donned the cloak and made her way to the library. She was in luck, as Lyra was doing homework by herself.
"Lyra, it's me," she whispered. "I got an invisibility cloak for Christmas! Apparently it belonged to my father."
Lyra looked around surprised for a moment, but then the words got through to her. "Iris? That's amazing! Now we can finally meet for longer."
She immediately packed up her books, and Iris draped the cloak over her, bringing them very close together. Lyra happily hugged her.
"So… where do we go?" Iris hesitated.
"We could just go for a walk through the castle together," Lyra proposed. "I bet we both know of nooks and such that the other doesn't. And I could show you where the Slytherin common room is. Maybe I could even sneak you inside for a bit."
"Then I'll sneak you into the Gryffindor common room," Iris replied.
"Let's go to Slytherin first," Lyra said, leading the way as they carefully walked under the cloak.
"I'm happy to have you as a friend," Iris said. "I mean, Ron and Hermione are good friends too, but they suffer from the same idiocy almost everyone in the wizarding world has. I subtly tried suggesting that perhaps not all Slytherins were evil, but they just refused to even think about it. And they didn't even realize it!"
"I get what you mean," Lyra replied. "Slytherin's even worse. Everyone is obsessed with being powerful and in charge. Of course I pretty much win by default because of my last name, but it's constant scheming. And while someone like Pansy is nice to me, she's a total bitch to everyone else. It's always Us versus Them."
Iris hummed in agreement.
While exploring with the cloak, Iris and Lyra had found a mirror that Lyra had – after a day of research – managed to identify as the Mirror of Erised. And though she had explained Iris the dangers of the mirror, Iris still went back there in the evening, while it was dark in the castle, hidden under her cloak.
To her surprise, when she arrived at the door to the classroom that held the mirror, Lyra was there too.
"Lyra?" she hissed.
"Iris?" The girl looked around for her, so Iris took her cloak off. "You couldn't resist either?"
Iris shook her head. "We shouldn't make this a normal thing, but I figured just one more time…"
Understanding each other, they entered the classroom and sat down next to each other. Iris was enjoying the image of her family – which included Lyra, who she figured was probably accepted into it after being rejected by her own family for daring to have her own thoughts. Lyra, in the meanwhile, saw herself as Minister of Magic, Iris at her side while they forcibly made the wizarding world think before judging – no matter how much it resisted.
"Now this is a surprise," a voice behind them suddenly said, making them both jump. In tandem, they recognized none other than—
"Professor Dumbledore!" Iris exclaimed. "Uh, I—we…"
He held up his hand. "Please, calm down, Iris. And you too, Lyra. Do the two of you know what you are looking at?"
They glanced backwards at the mirror in unison. "Yes, professor," Lyra replied. "It's the Mirror of Erised. I promise we won't come back here again."
Dumbledore chuckled. "You must have figured that out quickly. It cannot have been more than a day or two since you found the mirror. But what I find perhaps more interesting is that the two of you are peacefully sitting side by side."
They looked at each other guiltily.
"We don't believe in all that Us versus Them that the wizarding world is so fond of," Lyra said.
"But we're also not stupid enough to think we can get away with showing that openly," Iris added.
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. It is indeed too rare in our world that people are willing to look beyond their initial assumptions. Twenty points to each of you."
"You… you don't mind?" Iris asked, flabbergasted.
"Of course not," Dumbledore said, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Where do you think my reputation for giving second chances comes from? I can tell you one thing, and it's that I don't give unlimited chances to people. But too many wizards and witches do not give people even a first chance."
"Thanks, professor," Iris said.
Lyra nodded in agreement. "Thanks."
"I hope nothing will come in between your friendship," Dumbledore said. "As for the Mirror, it will soon be taken away to a safer place. Please do not look for it."
"We won't," Iris said. She hesitated a moment. "Sir… we suspect Voldemort is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone."
Dumbledore looked at the two of them in surprise. "Hagrid let something slip, didn't he?"
"Well, yes," Iris admitted. "We figured the rest out together. So, you know?"
"One day, he will come back," Dumbledore said gravely. "I hope that this chase can help us determine where he is on that path, to help us prepare."
"And the Stone, sir?" Lyra asked.
"The Stone will never be in danger of being stolen," Dumbledore replied.
"Hagrid has a dragon," Iris said. Exclaimed, more like. "A dragon."
"Are you kidding me?" Lyra replied.
"I wish I was. But I'm not."
"Are you certain?"
"He showed me the egg himself. Ron and Hermione also know."
"You need to figure out a way to get it away from him," Lyra said. "As fast as possible."
Iris nodded. "Maybe Ron has ideas. Can you look into ways to get rid of a dragon too?"
"Yeah," Lyra replied. "Maybe I could add some extra pressure by discovering the dragon too? Peek through a window or something?"
"Sounds like a plan," Iris said.
Iris tapped Lyra on her shoulder while still hidden under the cloak.
"Yes?" the blonde asked innocently.
"Did you really need to rat us out to McGonagall? It cost us 30 points for being out of bounds!"
Lyra smirked at the nothing that hid Iris. "You're far too comfortably in the lead for the house cup, Iris. And I made sure she wouldn't catch the dragon. Besides, I have to maintain my bitch image."
Iris couldn't help but snort. "Yeah, if she'd have found the dragon we'd have been in for far worse." She took off her cowl to glare at Lyra. "But I'm going to get you back for this."
"Are you insane?" Lyra demanded from where she was hidden under the invisibility cloak – Iris had loaned it to her a few days before.
"I could hardly tell Ron and Hermione that the Stone wasn't in danger," Iris defended herself, looking around to make sure Madam Pomphrey wasn't nearby to start wondering why Iris was talking to the air and why the air was talking back with a voice that sounded suspiciously like Lyra Malfoy.
"You confronted Voldemort! What's wrong with you? You're a first year!"
"I didn't know Voldemort would be there! I thought it was just going to be that idiot Quirrell. And besides," she smirked, "I told you I was going to get you back with the points. You can bet we're going to win the house cup from this."
Lyra groaned. "You Gryffindors are crazy."
"Are you generalizing an entire house now?" Iris teased.
"You deserve it."
"All right," Iris said, holding her hands up defensively. "I'll be more careful."
She suddenly felt herself wrapped into an embrace, which she somewhat awkwardly returned, still unable to see Lyra.
"I don't want to lose you, Iris."
"I'm happy that you care about me so much, Lyra. Thanks. Now, I think you should get out of here, Ron and Hermione were going to visit too and they can be here any moment."
"You're right," Lyra said, sounding dejected. "In case we don't get to talk to each other again, happy summer holidays, Iris. I'll write."
"Happy holidays, Lyra."
Second year (1992-1993)
A pop heralded the arrival of what Iris assumed had to be a house-elf. She had never seen any of the creatures before, but Lyra had described them.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Dobby!" he replied enthusiastically. "It is an honor to meet Miss Iris Potter! Dobby has heard much about you!"
"Really?" Iris asked, giving him a big smile.
"Yes," Dobby replied. "Mistress Lyra wanted Dobby to give you this letter." He held it out, and Iris accepted it.
"Did she say anything else?"
"Not much," Dobby replied. "But Mistress Lyra told Dobby he could take some time off after delivering the letter. She's always kind to Dobby, not like—" he stopped abruptly, grabbing his ears and wringing them, though Iris stopped him immediately.
"Dobby, no need to talk about that, hm?" she said kindly. Lyra had explained the tendency of house-elves to punish themselves.
"Thank you, Miss Iris. Mistress Lyra also said that Dobby should wait until you have a reply for her."
Iris nodded in understanding. "Then I'll read the letter immediately."
Said letter contained the usual things they'd been writing about during the summer, but also something else – Lyra's father was apparently going to try something sinister, though Lyra wasn't exactly sure what, and it was going to happen at Hogwarts. Anything else they'd have to figure out together.
Iris penned a quick reply, that she would be on guard as much as possible, and gave it to Dobby, who disappeared with another pop.
The moment Iris took off her cloak in the compartment that Lyra had taken for herself, the blonde sprung up and grabbed her into a hug.
Iris, realizing that someone could look in from outside, immediately wrapped the cloak around both of them.
"I've missed you," Lyra said.
"I've missed you too. So, your father's up to something?"
"Yeah," Lyra replied. "But he's extremely tight-lipped about it. Normally he's boasting all over about his plans, at least to me."
"Probably afraid you'd blab your mouth," Iris teased. "You're maybe acting a little too much like a Gryffindor when in your bitch persona, Lyra."
Lyra slapped her shoulder. "I am not a Gryffindor, you heretic."
Iris grinned. "I've missed you."
"You… heard a voice?" Lyra questioned.
"From the walls," Iris replied. "It talked about killing and ripping and… I don't know, it sounded extremely ominous. And Ron and Hermione couldn't hear it."
"You think it might have to do with what my father's planning?"
"That's what I figured," Iris said. "Do you have any idea what the voice could be?"
"No," Lyra replied. "Well… I mean, there's Parseltongue, but there's no way you're a Parselmouth."
"What's that?"
"Talking to snakes."
Iris fell silent.
"Iris?"
"I talked to a snake once. At the zoo."
Lyra gasped. "You're a Parselmouth! You must be the first since… since Voldemort!"
"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that Parseltongue is viewed as Dark?"
"Right in one."
"Thought so. Wizards really are idiots."
"Back on topic," Lyra said, "whatever you heard must have been a snake, then."
"Any clue how your father ties in to this?"
Lyra shook her head. "Nothing here. But I suspect we'll see."
When Iris heard the voice again on Halloween, Ron and Hermione wanted her to follow it, however she refused, not wanting anything to do with a killer snake.
She suspected that was a good idea, as just a few minutes later, Mrs Norris was found petrified. Lyra was truly hamming up her performance with a loudly shouted "you'll be next, mudbloods!" which led to Ron having to explain to Hermione what mudblood meant.
It also did a nice job of convincing Ron and Hermione that Lyra was behind this. No matter that she'd be an Heiress, not an Heir. Of Slytherin, as they soon learned when the myth of the Chamber of Secrets made it's way through the school.
It took Iris and Lyra less than a day to determine that the monster had to be a basilisk – all they needed to do was look at magical snakes and figure out which of them could petrify. However, actually finding the entrance to the Chamber turned out to be a much bigger challenge, and they were still at it when Ron and Hermione came up with the idea of brewing polyjuice and infiltrating the Slytherin common room - which Iris couldn't dissuade them from in any way.
Lyra had a good laugh when Iris told her about that. "I'm looking forward to it."
When the day came, Iris used a hair from Parkinson, Ron used a hair from Nott and Hermione used a hair from Bulstrode. They'd considered having Ron use Crabbe or Goyle's hair, but those two never went anywhere without the other, and neither Iris nor Hermione was willing to take a guy's polyjuice. The people they were impersonating were currently stashed in a broom cupboard. Iris had almost burst into giggles when Hermione had initially objected to that after being so enthusiastic about the ridiculous plan of impersonating them in the first place.
Iris led her two friends to the Slytherin common room with the claim that she'd done some scouting while under the invisibility cloak, up to and including 'overhearing' the password.
Once inside, she was immediately – as planned – assaulted by Lyra, who grabbed her into a big hug. "Pansy! Where have you been?"
"I was out of bed late," Iris said. "So I was still at breakfast."
"Oh," Lyra replied, looking at the other two, who looked dead scared Lyra would do the same to them. "Hey Milly, Theo." She pulled Iris to a couch and immediately engaged in girl talk, leaving Ron and Hermione to stand there very awkwardly.
It took them several minutes before they recovered enough to join Iris and Lyra, but by that point the two were happily exchanging strategies to apply make-up.
"So, Ma—Lyra," Hermione butted in eventually. "What are your thoughts about this whole Chamber of Secrets business?"
Iris almost burst into giggles at Hermione's bluntness.
Lyra was better at keeping up her act and just shrugged. "Why should I care? It's not as if the Heir's going to target me, right? Or any of us. Say, Milly, what do you think about push-up bras? Should I get one?"
Hermione turned very bright red and Ron looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here – which had been the case since they'd entered, really.
Iris and Lyra just went back to talking together, covering whatever topic they felt like now that they had the better part of an hour to talk interrupted and right in the open, though they of course stayed away from anything that could betray Iris as who she was, because even Ron and Hermione would think it weird if Lyra didn't pick up on something that obvious.
"We have to go," Ron said suddenly – almost the first thing he'd said at all – just when Iris started feeling an itch under her borrowed skin. Without any subterfuge whatsoever, they bolted from the common room, their forms already changing by the time they slipped through the portrait hole.
"I can't believe it!" Hermione exclaimed. "Iris, are you alright? She kept you talking for the entire hour! That must've been horrible."
Iris nodded, doing her very best to not break character. "I… I need a moment alone," she said. "You should get away from here in case Malfoy decides to leave or come looking for us." She put on her cloak and Ron and Hermione left quickly. Seconds later, Lyra exited the common room. Iris threw her cloak over the other girl and they barely made it into an abandoned classroom before they both collapsed in laughter.
It took some time before either of them could talk.
"That – was – amazing," Lyra said. "Their faces! When I hugged you…"
"I know!" Iris agreed. "And Hermione when you asked her about push-up bras, I don't think I've ever seen her that embarrassed!"
They gave each other another hug as they resumed giggling.
"This was the best thing ever," Lyra said, wiping away tears from her eyes.
"You should've heard Hermione after we left the common room. I mean, they think I hate you, and then I had to act nice to you for an entire hour."
Lyra started giggling again, Iris joining in.
Reliving the experience was almost as much fun as the first time around, and it even had the added advantage of being able to actually laugh at the funny things.
"I hope you at least convinced them you're not the Heir," Iris eventually said.
"Hopefully," Lyra replied. "Keep me updated on your progress in discovering the Chamber."
"Will do," Iris said, throwing on her cloak and leaving.
"What did I tell you about not doing anything dangerous?" Lyra demanded.
"I'm sorry?" Iris offered.
Lyra cuffed her on the head. "A basilisk is worse than a Dark Lord to face, Iris."
"Good thing I've got a year more experience then."
Lyra violently facepalmed.
"Hey, I'm fine," Iris said. "And sorry for disappearing on you like that."
"You're fine," Lyra exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "You got bitten! By a basilisk! You're not fine, you're a Merlin-be-damned miracle. You should've been dead a dozen times over!"
"Sorry," Iris said again.
Lyra grabbed her in the tightest hug she'd ever given Iris, who suddenly noticed her friend was starting to develop some curves. Luckily, Lyra didn't notice the slight blush that rose over her cheeks.
"Next time you're doing something dangerous," Lyra said, "at least take me along to watch your back. Or, preferably, to tell you that you're being an idiot."
"Alright," Iris said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Lyra finally let her go. "And I guess…" she ground out, as if it were the hardest thing ever to say, "congratulations on… winning the house cup… again."
Iris smirked. "Better luck next year, Lyra."
"It's not fair," Lyra grumbled. "This is the second year in a row Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor more than a hundred points because you're being an idiot."
Iris snorted. "That just evens out Snape's bias."
Lyra glared. "The thing I hate the most is that you're right."
"What if we start sitting together during potions?" Iris offered. "Like, Snape can't very well give me a T if I'm working together with you, right?"
"I think you'd give everyone an aneurism if you would willingly sit down next to me in class," Lyra said.
"Fair point," Iris conceded. "Let's think about it."
They were silent for a few seconds.
"So, that diary," Lyra said.
"Yeah, something's up with it," Iris agreed.
"I can do research during summer, see if I can figure out what Voldemort did with it?"
Iris nodded. "That'd be nice. By the way, I forgot to tell you, but I freed Dobby."
Lyra's face lit up. "You did? Oh, he's going to love that! Maybe I can bond him again once I'm out of Hogwarts."
"Do you think we can meet up over the summer?"
"Fat chance. Dad's not going to let me meet up with anyone if he doesn't know who they are."
Iris grimaced. "Well, then I guess we should say good-bye until next September."
"See you then."
Third year (1993-1994)
The day after arriving at Hogwarts, Iris – while under the cloak – made her way over to the Slytherin table near the end of dinner and tapped Lyra on the shoulder, then exited the Great Hall to a nearby corridor. Several seconds later, Lyra appeared, and Iris threw her cloak over the girl. They huddled under it against the wall, and Iris couldn't help but notice – once again – that Lyra was turning into a woman. In fact, she was starting to think she might in general like girls more than guys.
"So, how are you doing?" Lyra asked.
Iris snorted, focusing on the conversation at hand. "There's a murderer out for me. What do you think?"
"Actually, there isn't," Lyra said. "Dad told me that Sirius Black isn't a Death Eater at all. He doesn't know whether Pettigrew is still alive, but he does know that Pettigrew is the one who actually betrayed your parents."
"Really?" Iris asked, surprised. "We should tell Dumbledore, if nothing else. I can send him a letter, tell him I need to talk about Sirius Black."
Lyra nodded. "Do that."
"So, what about your research into the diary? Found anything?"
"Not yet," Lyra said. "I'm pretty sure it's dark soul magic, but I haven't been able to find anything that matches yet. I'll take a look in the library here, but if it's this hard to find in the Malfoy Library, it's probably not going to be in the Hogwarts Library at all."
Iris nodded. "By the way, about Care. Please don't bring out the bitch too much during the first few lessons, I'm worried that Hagird might lose his confidence if something happens and then we'd end up working with flobberworms or something equally boring."
"You're right," Lyra agreed. "I might have to do something else though. Wait, you fainted on the train, right?"
"Yeah?"
"I could just act that out all the time. It's bound to annoy some Gryffindors."
"Go ahead." Iris gave the girl a hug. "See you later?"
"Bye, Iris." Lyra slipped out of the cloak and left for the dungeons, while Iris couldn't help but stare at her swaying hips from under her cloak.
"Come in," Dumbledore's voice sounded.
Iris entered the office, Lyra right behind her.
"Hello, Iris. And Lyra, what a surprise. Though, I guess I shouldn't be."
Iris smirked. "You shouldn't." She took a chair. "To get right to it, according to Lyra's father, who is of course known for having absolutely lovely company, Sirius Black was never a Death Eater, but Peter Pettigrew was, and he was also the real Secret Keeper of my parents."
Dumbledore's eyes widened. He turned to Lyra. "Do you have any reason to assume he might have been lying to you?"
Lyra shook her head. "He was boasting about it, how an innocent man had spent thirteen years in prison."
"I see." Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought. "Perhaps it is best if I go and fetch Professor Lupin, he was familiar with Sirius Black in school. Wait here."
The girls looked at each other when Dumbledore left.
"If he knew Sirius Black, wouldn't he have known your parents, too?" Lyra questioned.
"That's what I thought. Why didn't he say so on the train?"
"He did look kind of scraggly," Lyra noted. "Maybe he couldn't care for you and is ashamed because of that?"
"I guess we can ask him about it," Iris said. "I hope he'll be able to look past appearances, because otherwise it's going to be really awkward with you here."
"Dumbledore would've thought of that, right?" Lyra replied unconvincingly.
"Maybe you should put on my cloak at first," Iris said, handing it over.
Lyra disappeared beneath the fabric and – Iris presumed – made her way to a corner of the room. Dumbledore returned a few minutes later, Professor Lupin right behind him.
"How much did you explain him, headmaster?" Iris asked.
"I figured it would be better if you would do that," Dumbledore replied.
"Well then, Professor Lupin. Before anything else, I would like to ask you to drop your preconceived notions of other people. I realize they're popular among wizards, but things are more complicated than that."
He nodded. "I know, Miss Potter. Better than most, I dare say."
Lyra threw off the cloak. "That resolves that, then."
Lupin turned around in shock. "M-miss Malfoy?"
"You said you would drop your preconceived notions," she said, glaring at him.
"I… had the impression you and Miss Potter did not get along well," Lupin replied. "At all."
"Well, yeah, obviously," Iris replied. "Imagine how Lucius would react if he knew we were smarter than that Us versus Them mentality. Or anyone in either Gryffindor or Slytherin, really."
"And the… acting?" Lupin asked. "From what I've seen throughout the last week, I had the feeling Miss Malfoy was rather getting on your nerves, Miss Potter."
Iris snorted. "If you ask me, it's dead funny how she falls to the ground all the time. But, you know, keeping up appearances. So I grumble about it a little while trying to hold in my laughter at Ron's rants."
"So… what did you want to talk about? Albus only said you had news for me."
"Yes," Lyra said, taking over. "The headmaster said that you were friends with Sirius Black in the past. Well, according to my father, he was never a Death Eater, and it was in fact Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters."
Lupin's mouth opened in shock, and he staggered to the nearest chair. "It can't be. It can't be. I thought…" He put his head in his hands. "It never made sense. The Sirius I knew… but yes, Peter I could see. Merlin, Sirius, I abandoned you."
"So what do we do?" Iris asked.
"We look for him," Lupin replied. "He's… he has an animagus form, a large black dog, could be mistaken for a grim."
"I've seen him!" Iris exclaimed. "After I blew up my aunt, he was watching me when I called the Knight's Bus."
"How do we find him?" Lyra asked. "Actually, why did he break out if he's not after Iris?"
"We'll find out," Dumbledore said.
"A completely different question, Professor Lupin," Iris said. "If you were friends with Sirius Black, you must've at least known my father. Why have I never met you before?"
The professor looked very reluctant. "I… wanted to," he said. "But there were… personal issues."
Lyra had walked over to a window on the east. She glanced back and forth between Lupin and the horizon.
"You're a werewolf," she concluded.
"How did you know that?" Lupin demanded, so shocked he didn't even consider how Iris might react.
"You look much better now than a few days back," Lyra said. "Just as the moon is waning."
"You also said you're very aware of the wizarding world's tendency towards prejudice," Iris added.
Lyra took over again. "And there aren't that many personal issues that might keep you from visiting the daughter of a friend."
"Your boggart was a moon, even if I didn't realize it earlier."
"It also explains why you wear clothes that show you're barely getting by while you are - if the first week was any indication - a capable professor," Lyra finished.
"So… you don't mind?" Lupin asked.
"What?" Iris countered. "That you're a guy with monthlies?"
Lyra snorted. "His monthlies are a little bloodier than ours. Well, unless you have Wolfsbane of course. You do have Wolfsbane, right?"
"Severus will be brewing it for me every month."
"Guess he's good for something then," Lyra muttered.
"Miss Malfoy," Dumbledore reprimanded. "Show some respect towards your Head of House."
"I will when others are around, but you have to admit he personifies everything that is wrong with our world."
"I think we're done here, right?" Iris interrupted. "Professor Lupin, perhaps I could visit you sometime?"
"Of course, feel free to hop by, Iris. And you're welcome too, Miss Malfoy."
A few days later, the reason for Sirius's escape from Azkaban became clear when Ron's rat disappeared and everyone connected the dots. Drawing out Sirius Black took a few weeks longer, but after some brainstorming they had come up with a plan.
On an early October evening Lyra chased an underwear-clad Iris into the Forbidden Forest, sending curses everywhere while taunting the girl. Unsurprisingly, it did not take long for a black form jumped out of the shadows, roughly pinning Lyra to the ground.
Iris immediately turned around, while Lyra was doing her best to convince the grim-like dog she was surrendering. To Iris, it didn't seem very effective.
She walked over and put her hand on the dog's back. "You can let go. We set this up because we needed to find you."
Sirius yelped in shock, but before he could bolt, Iris added, "we know you're innocent. Come on, let's go find Dumbledore."
She pulled Lyra up. "Are you alright?"
Lyra stretched some muscles. "Nothing serious."
The dog barked.
"Yes, we were warned," Iris commented dryly.
Lyra cast a finite at the Slytherin cloak she was wearing, upon which it returned to Gryffindor colors, gave it to Iris for warmth, then put on the invisibility cloak herself.
"Can't be seen together," Iris answered Sirius's questioning look.
With Sirius at her side and Lyra following under the cloak, Iris made her way straight to Dumbledore's office.
"Good evening, Iris, Lyra, Sirius," Dumbledore greeted.
Sirius turned to human form. "You know I'm innocent?" he asked weakly.
"My dad bragged about it after your escape."
"And can someone tell me why my goddaughter and a Malfoy appear best buds?"
"Pot, meet kettle," Lyra parried.
"What?" Sirius asked in confusion.
"A Black in Gryffindor? Really? You're just a less subtle version of me, one generation older."
"Let's save the rest for later," Dumbledore intervened. "We need to get you pardoned first, Sirius."
"And before you get your hopes up," Iris added, "Pettigrew ran away several weeks ago."
Summer 1994
The rest of the year went by rather quietly, and to Lyra's very vocal relief Iris did not run off into danger around exam-time. Thanks to Iris and Lyra working together, Sirius had been declared innocent – of course, no one knew Lyra had been involved – and that meant Iris could now live with him. That is, after talking to Dumbledore about Iris's mutual dislike with the Dursleys and the Black family's ability to ward a house to keep out death itself – well, figuratively.
When Lyra learned her father was taking his Death Eater outfit along to the World Cup, that information immediately made it's way to Iris, then Sirius and then the aurors – where Sirius was now working.
As a result, Lucius Malfoy and his accomplishes were arrested, which in turn gave Lyra the freedom to floo to Grimmauld Place whenever she wished to, as her mother didn't care to know who she was visiting.
So about a week after the World Cup, she stumbled out of the floo, ending up splayed all over the rug Iris had forced Sirius to buy.
Said black-haired girl looked over the cover of her book - NEWT level Arithmancy, not that anyone else knew she was anywhere near far enough along to study that - disbelievingly. When she realized Lyra had fallen while flooing, she started laughing uncontrollably.
"Did you - actually - fall on your - face?"
"Yes," Lyra grumbled, lying on the Rug of Shame in utter defeat.
"I thought you were an expert at flooing!" Iris couldn't say the words with a straight face.
"I was excited, okay?" Lyra said, now finally getting up.
Iris put her book away. "What about?"
"The diary! I figured it out. It's a horcrux!" She proceeded to explain what a horcrux was. Halfway through, Sirius joined them, though it turned out Lyra didn't need to repeat her explanation, as he was already aware of the vile magic and what it did.
"So, what do we do now?" Iris asked.
"Inform Dumbledore?" Sirius proposed.
"That might be a good start," Lyra agreed. Sirius was already moving to the floo to call him.
As it turned out, Dumbledore also knew what horcruxes were – and not only that, he was aware the diary had been one. He also explained that he suspected Voldemort had made more than one horcrux, and that he was trying to find them.
Later that month, when Iris found her eyes once again drawn to Lyra's chest the moment the girl stepped through the floo, she decided she should just go ahead and ask what she's been thinking about for most of the summer holidays, and before that whenever they'd huddle up under the Invisibility Cloak and she'd notice Lyra's breasts pressing into her.
"Hi Lyra," she greeted with a smile.
Lyra immediately returned it. "Hi Iris. How's your day going?"
"Been reading," Iris said, holding up her book. "Kind of waiting for you to come by."
"Are you lonely?" Lyra asked, sitting down next to her on the couch.
"Not really," Iris shrugged. "But Sirius is an auror now, so he's away for most of the day, and it's not like I get to see Ron and Hermione every day."
"Which means you're stuck with me," Lyra teased.
Iris snorted. "I wouldn't call it stuck with you, considering you're my favorite company."
"Thank you," Lyra said, smiling at the compliment.
"There's something I wanted to ask, though," Iris said, her voice turning more serious.
"Oh? What is it?"
Well, if anyone was going to be fine with it, it was definitely Lyra. "How does the wizarding world view same-sex relationships?"
Lyra looked confused for a moment, then realization dawned. "Oh, no one cares, really. At least, ever since they developed potions that allow same-sex couples to have children a few centuries ago no one has cared. Why? Do you like girls?"
"Well, yeah," Iris replied, not feeling any less nervous.
"Do I need to start feeling jealous?" Lyra asked in a teasing tone. "Perhaps I don't get to pick fights with Granger anymore? Or is it Patil? Hoping for twins?" She laughed, again with a teasing undertone. "Surely you aren't interested in a gossip like Brown?"
"Well, no," Iris said, a blush creeping up. "None of them. Uh…" Suddenly, Lyra's words got through to her. "Wait, jealous? What do you mean with that?"
Lyra smirked. "Wrong question."
Iris was very quickly growing flustered, even more than in the past, when they were touching under the Cloak. Then again, they were touching right now as well, their shoulders and most of their arms. Lyra really was sitting quite close.
"Are… are you into girls too?" Iris asked hesitantly.
"I thought you were the Gryffindor here," Lyra muttered before suddenly leaning forward and kissing Iris straight on the mouth.
For a moment, Iris was frozen in shock, but then she brought her arms up around her friend and answered the kiss, stomach fluttering.
By the time Lyra pulled back, Iris had recovered enough to make a quip. "I told you, you're basically a Gryffindor."
Lyra sideways tackled Iris so that Iris ended up lying on the couch on her back, with Lyra on top of her. As a result, Iris was getting really hot. And a little turned on, she realized to her embarrassment.
"I am not a Gryffindor," Lyra said decisively. Which… wasn't really in line with what she just did, but whatever. "So, try again with the question."
"Uh…" Iris found it hard to think right now, with Lyra's grey eyes hovering inches above her face.
"You want to ask me something, don't you?"
Oh. Oh, of course. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Lyra gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'd love to, Iris."
Iris brought her arms up around the blonde to make sure she wasn't going anywhere. After a few seconds, she spoke. "You have to admit, it's rather daring to just kiss me without knowing if I am interested in you."
Lyra smirked. "But it was so obvious. You told me you weren't interested in any of your roommates at Hogwarts, and on top of that you got very red when you realized I used the word jealous. Besides… I wasn't exactly sure you were into girls, but I also wasn't very surprised."
"What's going on here?" Sirius's voice suddenly came from the door.
"Oh," Lyra said, totally unbothered, "Iris finally figured out she likes me."
"And that's why you're…"
"Girlfriends now? Yes."
"Not what I meant," Sirius said. "But I suppose I should be happy I don't have to protect my goddaughter from some pervy teenage boy."
Lyra attempted to climb off of Iris, who gripped her closer and made a disappointed noise.
"C'mon Iris, we don't look very decent right now."
Iris harrumphed – or as close to it as she could without sounding like Hermione – but let her brand new girlfriend go, and they sat next to each other on the couch like they'd been doing before – well, they interlocked their fingers now.
"So what now?" Sirius asked.
The girls looked at each other. "We… hadn't gotten that far yet," Iris said. "I guess we'll have to keep this secret." She looked dejected at that.
"We'll have to make even better use of that Cloak," Lyra said, trying to cheer her up.
Iris smiled. "I suppose so. You know, that's how I first realized I might like girls."
"I'll be back when dinner is ready," Sirius said diplomatically, letting the girls continue their talk about things he did not need to know.
Iris looked up as soon as the floo flared and Lyra stepped through – quite a bit more dignified than on that day last week. She immediately put her book away to greet the blonde – which meant giving her an enthusiastic kiss – and guided her to the couch.
"So why are you visiting?" Iris asked. Lyra hadn't come by much the last few days, being engrossed in her research into horcruxes – the Malfoy library was something Dumbledore couldn't access, and it contained a wealth of information.
"I found a spell that can find a horcrux in it's vicinity. Perhaps we can use it to locate one, if we're lucky."
"How does it work?"
"It's pretty simple," Lyra said, explaining the wand movement and incantation. "It kind of looks like a colored lumos after casting, if it's dark red, there's a horcrux very close, the further away you are the lighter it is, and if there's none nearby, it's white."
She cast the spell.
"How sensitive is it?" Iris asked dubiously. She gave the wand a critical look for good measure.
"Uh…" Lyra seemed stunned for a moment. "That should be like, next room over or something. Maybe even closer. When I tried it at home it was white."
They looked at each other.
"There's a horcrux in this house?" Iris questioned.
"Either that or the spell doesn't work properly."
"Let's discuss this with Sirius."
Sirius didn't have a clue where to look, so Lyra proposed they call Kreacher, no matter the being's dislike of it's master, it's master's goddaughter and – ever since he learned she didn't subscribe to her family's beliefs – it's master's goddaughter's girlfriend.
It took some convincing and asking a number of questions related to Voldemort, but eventually he told the story of Regulus and the object he had stolen but could not destroy. On Sirius's orders, he bought them the locket, and Dumbledore was floo-called in to confirm that it was indeed a horcrux.
A few minutes later, it was destroyed by Lyra wielding – ironically enough – the Sword of Gryffindor, which Iris was certainly going to tease her about until the end of time.
"Well," Sirius said when Dumbledore had left, "I say that warrants a celebration. I'll go get some butterbeer for the two of you."
Surprising everyone, Kreacher popped away, returning with the butterbeers a moment later, then disappeared without a word.
"That's new," Iris said, inspecting her glass critically. "You think he poisoned it?"
Lyra snorted. "I think he's grateful we helped him destroy the horcrux, actually."
Still, she cast a few detection spells before taking a first sip.
"So what does the horcrux detection spell look like without a horcrux nearby?" Iris asked.
Lyra cast it.
The two shared a shocked look.
"You could have told me!" Iris shouted at a very contrite Dumbledore.
"I thought you would be better off not knowing until it was relevant," he defended himself. "You already have so much to deal with, all the fame, school, the things you went through in your first years, your secret friendship – and now relationship – with Lyra here. I did not want to add yet another burden on top of that. My apologies."
"So… what, you're not even looking for a way to get a fucking horcrux out of my scar?"
"I am looking," Dumbledore immediately replied. "Though, I have so far not found anything. Perhaps Lyra could look through the Malfoy library? I was unaware of the existence of a spell to locate horcruxes as well, so there might be more information in there."
The blonde nodded. "I'll look as much as possible. Won't have a lot of time before Hogwarts starts though."
"Well," Dumbledore said, "hopefully we have more time before Voldemort becomes a threat again. Though your recent vision, Iris, and Pettigrew's escape leave me worried."
"So," Iris said, still miffed, "anything else you need to tell me?"
"Perhaps I should," Dumbledore said. He told the two girls – and Sirius, who was along as adult supervision – about the prophecy, stressing that it's primary significance was that Voldemort considered it so important. Which was something Iris completely agreed with – she wasn't going to let a prophecy determine her entire life, in particular not considering so many prophecies never came true at all.
Later that afternoon, Iris was lying on the couch, her head in Lyra's lap, and she was enjoying the other girl playing with her hair.
"I've been thinking," Lyra started.
"Always dangerous."
Lyra snorted. "I'm the Slytherin here, I'm supposed to do the thinking, Iris. You can charge in after I've done the brainwork for you. Anyway, I was thinking, you said Granger feels uncomfortable about her appearance, right?"
"Yeah?" Iris replied, unsure where Lyra was going.
"What if I look for a spell that would grow her front teeth? It would barely be more than a prank spell, and then when she gets it fixed up by Pomphrey, she can let them shrink a little further. And I could point you towards a few good brands of shampoo that might help with her hair."
Iris hummed. "Might be a good idea. I'm saying yes to both."
Fourth year (1994-1995)
Iris, hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, sneaked through Hogwarts until she arrived at the previously agreed first floor classroom. She slipped inside and, without a word, threw the Cloak over Lyra.
Immediately, their lips met each other, making up for a few days of lost time.
"I had no idea I could miss someone this much after just three days," Iris said.
"But now we can meet every evening," Lyra smiled, guiding them to a wall to lean against – sitting was impractical with the Cloak.
They had always had a lot of close contact while hiding together, but Iris had never appreciated it as much as now, with the two of them practically forced to touch each other – not that they wouldn't have done so if they hadn't needed the Cloak.
They spent several minutes just snogging, exploring each other's lips as if they had forgotten everything about them, and a few hands roamed down in similar fashion.
"This is going to be extremely annoying," Iris said. "Not being able to sit down and talk to each other like in summer. I mean, it wasn't too bad when we were just friends and walking through the corridors together, but we can't walk while snogging."
"I know," Lyra agreed. "We kind of need a better place. Where we won't be interrupted. Just an abandoned classroom won't do, we only need to be seen once and all hell will break loose."
"But is there such a place in Hogwarts? The Map sure doesn't show any."
"Doesn't Dobby work at Hogwarts now?" Lyra suddenly said. "Perhaps the house-elves know something."
"Talking about house-elves," Iris said, "Hermione has got it into her head that they all need to be freed from slavery. Can you help supply me with some arguments why that isn't a good idea? Well," she backtracked, "I assume it isn't."
"It indeed isn't," Lyra said. "I'll tell you after we've looked for better place to meet. Dobby?"
The house-elf appeared with a pop.
"The nice mistress Lyra Malfoy called?" He looked around, trying to find her.
"I'm invisible," Lyra said. "And I'm not your mistress, Dobby, though I'd be happy to bond you after I've finished Hogwarts. I can't be seen because I'm with Iris, but we wanted to ask you something."
"The great Iris Potter is here?" Dobby asked, excitedly.
"Yes," Iris said. "Do you happen to know a place where Lyra and me could meet without the risk of being seen?"
"Dobby knows a place," he said after a few seconds of thinking. "The Come and Go Room, or Room of Requirement, on the seventh floor. You need to walk back and forth in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls how to dance three times while thinking of the Room, and then it will appear however you want it to look like."
"Thank you," Lyra said. "Have fun with your tasks, Dobby. We'll come visit you sometime."
The house-elf popped away.
"Well," Iris said, "let's take a look."
"I'm waiting here," Lyra said. "Once you're five minutes away, I'm going to try the horcrux spell, perhaps there's one hidden in Hogwarts."
"In Hogwarts?" Iris asked. "Sounds unlikely. But I guess it can't hurt to try. I'll see you there."
Indeed, about five minutes after Iris arrived – and had created a nice, cozy sitting room – an enthusiastic Lyra entered. "I think there's one nearby. It might've been your scar though, but it seemed a little too bright for that."
"So I have to leave?"
"Yes," Lyra said. "Just go downstairs to the Great Hall or something, after five minutes I'll cast the spell to judge the location. Or perhaps judge that I was wrong. I'll then come get you, and maybe Dumbledore if there's indeed a horcrux. Give me the Cloak so I can find you."
Iris did so, and an even more excited Lyra picked her up in the Great Hall some ten minutes later, explaining that she suspected it was hidden in the Room of Requirement.
"So let's go find Dumbledore," Iris said.
The biggest issue was getting past the gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office, but rattling off all sweets they could think of eventually had effect, so they entered the office to find a very surprised Dumbledore. However, upon hearing what they had found, he immediately came along with them and a few checks of the nearby area showed that the horcrux was likely hidden within the Room of Requirement – which wasn't very surprising.
Asking the Room for the location of Voldemort's horcrux gave it the configuration of a gigantic cathedral-sized room, and it was an hour of looking around for noteworthy objects before Dumbledore recognized Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem and confirmed it a horcrux.
Just a few minutes later, another horcrux lay broken and destroyed at their feet.
"I think we can, at this point, determine how Lord Voldemort has hidden his horcruxes," Dumbledore said. "He hid this horcrux in Hogwarts, gave a second to a close follower, and hid a third in a cave. Now, if I am not mistaken, this cave was likely the same one where he, as a child, did something to some other children from the orphanage he grew up in. No one knows what, and I only know the story in the first place because the matron of the orphanage told me when I came to bring him his Hogwarts letter.
"Presumably, he hid all his horcruxes in places important to him. Judging what I know from Tom Riddle, I also suspect he went with a magically important number of soul pieces. As we have already found three horcruxes, three is no longer an option, because that would mean four pieces. Thirteen is arithmantically very unlikely, I suspect a soul would be torn into nothingness if someone were to attempt that. That leaves seven as the most obvious number, which means we have three more pieces to find. Two, if he has never made his last horcrux."
"So where would they be hidden?" Iris speculated.
"The location of his old orphanage is a possibility," Dumbledore said, "but I consider it unlikely. However, I will go and check. Another possibility would be the ancestral homes of either his father or his mother, both near Little Hangleton. I will also inspect those locations when I have the time."
"Sir?" Lyra offered. "Perhaps it might be a good idea to take along Sirius when searching? I mean, the diary had compulsions to write in it, the locket had compulsions to wear it, and the diadem here also had a compulsion to wear it, right?"
Dumbledore nodded. "That might be a smart idea. He already knows about horcruxes anyway. Well, perhaps it is time for me to go. Enjoy your time together, don't do things you'll regret, and don't forget your homework."
He left two blushing girls behind as he left.
It was the tightest hug Lyra had given Iris in quite some time – maybe ever.
"How could that possibly happen?" she exclaimed, not giving Iris any space to move – and barely enough to breathe.
"Moody had a theory," Iris said. "He said perhaps someone confounded the Goblet to think four schools were participating, and then added only my name for the fourth school."
Lyra scoffed. "That shouldn't work in the first place. But anyway, what happened, happened. I guess we're going to be training. Well, beyond the utterly insane self-study you've done over the years."
Iris snorted. "Just give me my NEWTs now. But yeah, I should probably start practicing."
"How did Gryffindor take it?"
"A lot of them believe I put my own name in, but they're supporting me anyway," Iris said. "Ron somehow got it in his head that I put my name in for fame, so I hit him on the head a few times and explained that it was more likely someone was trying to get me killed, which straightened him right out."
"It's probably Voldemort, isn't it?" Lyra said.
"Probably," Iris replied. Death Eaters on the move, the visions Iris had gotten, Pettigrew most likely on the search for Voldemort, it was kind of obvious.
"And how'd Granger take the spell?" That had happened several days ago.
"Well, she thinks you're a total bitch, obviously. But she recognized the opportunity, and I have to agree, it looks much better."
Lyra snorted. "Mission accomplished."
"You know," Lyra said, "I was thinking we should do something to commemorate the event."
"What do you mean?" Iris asked.
"You getting entered into the tournament."
"Well, I won't mind an extra snog."
"Can do that too," Lyra said, delivering immediately. "But not what I meant."
"So, what did you mean then?"
"I was thinking something all of Hogwarts will remember. Perhaps with some insulting buttons or something."
"That sounds like it has potential," Iris said. She mock glared at Lyra. "You just want to be Slytherin's queen bitch again."
Lyra snorted. "Hey, you're an acceptable target."
"That I am," Iris agreed. "So, what would the badges say?"
"I don't know. Something like, 'Support Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts champion'?"
"I guess that'd work. And then if you press it, it turns into, I don't know, 'Potter stinks' or something?"
"A little unimaginative, but something like that," Lyra agreed.
"Well, the bitch version of you isn't all that imaginative."
"You know, I feel like I should be more offended by that than I actually am."
"That's because you know it's true," Iris teased. "So, I guess we get to work? I'm already looking forward to the reactions."
"A fucking dragon!" Lyra exclaimed. "They're completely crazy! Iris, I'm taking the Cloak, I am not going to try and maintain my persona while you're going up against a dragon."
"Imagine how awkward it would have been if they'd put me down there," Lyra said.
Iris snorted. "That would raise a few inconvenient questions. Good thing Dumbledore isn't stupid. And hey, I really do care about Ron, even if he can be a stupid buffoon at times."
"Like at the Ball?"
Iris shrugged. "Well, I mean, to Hermione, yeah. But with him not wanting to dance it was much easier for me to get away and see you, so I can't say I mind too much that I went with him. Besides, he knows I'm into girls, so that wasn't an issue."
The fake Moody never saw the curse coming – unsurprisingly, considering even his magical eye was unable to see through Iris's Invisibility Cloak. Lyra dashed forward, her legs strangely appearing and disappearing as the cloak fluttered around them, and pulled Iris close to her.
"What happened?" she demanded to know.
"Voldemort," Iris croaked. "He's back. And it seems this guy here is an imposter. Stay close, but under the cloak, Lyra, I don't know who'll be here."
Indeed, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall appeared in the doorway a minute later.
"What happened here?" Dumbledore asked Iris, who was sitting on the floor where the fake Moody had thrown her down, though she had made herself comfortable since.
"It seems Moody was being impersonated," Iris said.
"And how did you overpower him?" Snape asked suspiciously.
Iris shrugged. "It seems I have something of a guardian angel."
"Perhaps it is best if you come with me," Dumbledore said. "You can tell your story in my office, without any interference. Severus, please find Sirius and send him to my office as well, he is Iris's guardian after all. I believe he is on-duty as auror tonight. Minerva, please stay with the imposter here and keep him – or her – subdued for questioning. I'm sure the aurors will want to learn more."
Fifth year (1995-1996)
Neither Iris nor Lyra had much appreciated their summer. With Voldemort staying at Malfoy Manor, there had been absolutely no chance for Lyra to floo over to Grimmauld Place, and as that had been expected, Sirius had not objected to Grimmauld Place being turned into the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, which meant the Weasleys and a few other people were there for the entire holiday – and Iris liked the Weasleys, she really did, but there was never some peace and quiet with that many people. And the presence of Voldemort also meant it was dangerous to send too many letters, so Iris always had to use Lyra's owl, and Lyra often couldn't reply immediately, not to mention that sensitive topics had to be avoided. Of course, Lyra had it much worse, as she had to spend two months in the same house as Voldemort.
Iris had barely had time to take off her cloak in the Room of Requirement before Lyra barreled into her with the most enthusiastic snog she'd ever received. It took a minute before she let go enough for Iris to say something.
"How are you holding up?"
"It was terrible!" Lyra exclaimed dramatically. "Two months with that snakeface! In all honesty, if he's not gone by the end of the year, I might just come with you instead for summer."
Iris hugged her closer – insofar as that was possible. "We'll just have to get rid of him before then, don't we?"
"Yes," Lyra agreed, a broad smile breaking through. "On that topic, I found a ritual to get rid of the horcrux in your scar!"
"You did?" Iris exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do we go to Dumbledore or first to Sirius?" Sirius was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.
"Sirius knows the password," Lyra argued. "But after this we're taking some private time." Iris quickly agreed, and they fetched Sirius before making their way to Dumbledore's office – Lyra once again hidden under the Cloak, of course.
The ritual to change the container of the horcrux wasn't all that hard – just a little tricky to use. However, Dumbledore's experience with all forms of magic made it seem trivial, and an hour later, the horcrux was permanently removed from Iris's scar.
"How is the search for the last horcruxes going?" Iris asked.
"It's coming along well," Dumbledore said. "Lyra, Voldemort indeed stayed at Malfoy Manor, correct?"
"He did," Lyra confirmed. "Ugly snakeface. I could also give you the names of basically all Death Eaters."
"That could be very useful," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Even if we don't have proof to arrest them, just giving Amelia the names to watch would already make her job much easier. And with that knowledge, I also think it is safe to search the Gaunt and Riddle ancestral houses, which I believe I mentioned last year as a possible hiding place for horcruxes. Sirius, can you accompany me this weekend?"
Sirius nodded.
"Then, Lyra, would you be able to make some time for an extended meeting in the near future, so that you can tell me everything you have picked up? I'm sure you have much more to share."
"Of course, headmaster."
"And Iris, with the horcrux gone, your connection to Voldemort is gone. Now that there is no risk that he gains information through that, I would like to give you private lessons throughout the year, as we all know he will come after you."
"Can Lyra join?"
Dumbledore hesitated.
"I suppose you two barely do anything without one another. Yes."
A week later, yet another horcrux had gone down – this time, the Gaunt family ring. Apparently, Sirius had only barely stopped Dumbledore from succumbing to the compulsion to wear it, though Dumbledore was unwilling to reveal why this particular compulsion had affected him so strongly.
After talking to Lyra, he had apparently also come to suspect that Voldemort's snake, Nagini, was likely another horcrux. As he hadn't had the snake before his fall, Dumbledore suspected this would be his newest horcrux. That left one last horcrux unaccounted for.
They had various theories. While Riddle manor had come up empty, the former location of the orphanage Riddle had grown up in had not yet been checked. Gringotts was also considered an option, though Dumbledore wasn't sure if Voldemort even had his own vault. Another option was Bellatrix Lestrange or, less likely, Augustus Rookwood having a horcrux, though with both of them in prison, they didn't know where to look.
"It does feel like we're getting somewhere," Iris said. They were in the Room of Requirement again, though this time Lyra had her head in Iris's lap instead, and Iris was playing with her blonde hair.
"It does," Lyra agreed. "Just two more to go… Okay, that's not great, I guess, two items that make Voldemort immortal until they're destroyed, and can be anywhere, but it seems clear by now they can't actually be anywhere."
"Once this is over," Iris said, "I don't want to hide anymore."
"You mean once Voldemort is dead?"
"Yeah. Fuck narrow-minded idiots. I want to snog my girlfriend in public. And if they don't like it, they can go screw themselves."
Lyra hummed appreciatively. "I like what I'm hearing." She rose and repositioned herself to sit on Iris's lap. "Perhaps I can get an advance payment on the snogging?"
Iris chuckled and gave her a nice strong kiss that would not be appropriate in public in the first place.
She'd have to get back to the Gryffindor common room eventually to not raise too much suspicion, but that was a problem for later.
The day after Lyra had come back from Christmas break, Iris found herself once again in Dumbledore's office with her fellow horcrux hunters.
"I talked to Bellatrix over the break," Lyra reported – Bellatrix and a bunch of other Death Eaters had been broken out of Azkaban in November. "I managed to get out of her that Voldemort indeed gave her something to protect, a cup of sorts, and she had orders to put it into her Gringotts vault."
"With a badger on it?" Dumbledore asked.
"She wouldn't say," Lyra said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it's Hufflepuff's Cup, which you told us about."
"Sirius, could you perhaps convince Amelia to join us at Gringotts? I suspect it will be easier to get a hold of the object if we have pressure from the Ministry."
"Of course," he replied, nodding. He immediately left for the Ministry via the floo.
"The two of you can come along considering everything you've done so far," Dumbledore said. "Today should be nothing more than talking. We will take the floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Perhaps Lyra should don the Cloak beforehand?"
About fifteen minutes later, they stood in the atrium of Gringotts on the side, making clear they weren't in a line to speak with a goblin. It only took a few minutes for Sirius and Amelia Bones to arrive.
"Amelia," Dumbledore said, "it is good to see you."
"Mutually so, Dumbledore," Bones said. "Sirius did not explain why you wanted to meet me so urgently, however."
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said. "We've… made some steps in the fight against Voldemort, and we'll need to convince the goblins to hand over an object from the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, which needs to be destroyed in order for Voldemort to become mortal."
"He currently is not mortal?" Bones asked sharply.
"I would think that is rather obvious, given he did not die the last time he lost his body," Dumbledore said calmly.
"That makes sense," Bones said, sounding a little disgruntled. "And if we do manage to get this object, he is mortal then?"
"To the best of our knowledge, nearly," Dumbledore replied. "We suspect the last… object that needs to be destroyed is actually his snake familiar."
"We will need a very good argument to convince the goblins to search for an object in a vault in the first place," Bones said.
Dumbledore nodded. "Let's find ourselves a more private place first, our informant is with us, but currently under an Invisibility Cloak to not give away her identity."
Dumbledore led them to the counter, where he requested a private room and for a high-ranking goblin to meet them as soon as convenient – something someone of his position could apparently just do, no questions asked.
They followed a goblin to the room, where they were told to wait. Iris of course held the door open for Lyra, who shed the Cloak as soon as the goblin left.
Despite having heard they had an informant, Bones' hand still went to her wand when she recognized the young Malfoy.
"I can personally vouch for Lyra," Iris said, stepping between Bones and her girlfriend as soon as she saw the movement. "She is… how did you compare yourself to Sirius again, Lyra?"
"He's an older, less subtle version of me," Lyra said. "With him being sorted into Gryffindor and everything. Way to stay under the radar."
"Here now!" Sirius said indignantly. "I am perfectly capable of subtlety."
"No you're not," Iris said before turning to Bones. "Surely you wouldn't want to risk repeating Sirius's case by simply assuming Lyra is on Voldemort's side just because she's a Malfoy?"
Bones nodded tersely, relaxing her hand. "So what proof do we have?"
"I got the information out of Bellatrix during the holiday," Lyra said. "She got something from Voldemort before she was first incarcerated, and was told to place it in her Gringotts vault."
"That's all?" Bones asked.
"I got out of her that it's a cup," Lyra said. "We suspect Voldemort stole Hufflepuff's Cup half a century ago, but I couldn't get a description out of Bellatrix."
"We also have reason to assume Voldemort would have hidden the object we seek here, rather than somewhere else," Dumbledore added. "And we have a spell that should be able to detect the presence of the object even when cast from outside the vault."
Just then, a goblin entered.
"Greetings," Dumbledore said, turning to him. The rest of the group stayed back. "I have a highly unusual request to make, as we suspect Lord Voldemort has ordered Bellatrix Lestrange to store an item in her Gringotts vault for him. This item, until destroyed, grants Lord Voldemort immortality. We would like to request permission to remove the object so it can be destroyed."
"It's not your business what other people store in their vaults," the goblin said. "Request denied."
"As you may have noticed, Director Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is with me. This request is backed by the Ministry."
"The Ministry does not have the right to inspect the vaults of private citizens."
"Then, perhaps, let me put it in another way," Dumbledore said, unfazed. "Would the general populace be understanding if the Daily Prophet revealed that Gringotts is actively hindering the fight against Lord Voldemort?"
The goblin paused. While the goblins controlled most of the money, they stood no chance in a battle against wizards because of the simple fact that they did not have wands. Yes, they could deal a heavy blow by destroying the economy, but if it came to a war – a rebellion, the wizards would call it – it would be goblin blood covering the halls of Gringotts, not human blood.
The reason there had been no wars in the last few centuries was because both the goblins and the humans knew that if the goblins lost one more war, they would have to relinquish control of the gold – the one thing goblins could still pride themselves on.
"Would you slander us like that, Chief Warlock? I was under the impression you were a fair and forgiving individual."
"It would not be slander," Bones interrupted, "for the simple reason that it would be true."
"Perhaps… I could offer a compromise," Dumbledore said. "If we are brought to the vault, we can cast a spell that would reveal whether the object is indeed nearby. If that spell comes up negative, we will leave, and will not even need to check the vault. Only if the spell comes up positive do we request the vault is opened."
"None of you will enter," the goblin said. "You will describe the object to me, and if your spell comes up positive, I will be the one to get it."
Dumbledore nodded. "We can accept those terms."
The goblin led them directly to a cart, and they started their rapid journey down while Iris was thinking about how Dumbledore had played the conversation, coming in with a lot of demands and then offering the horcrux revealing spell as a compromise – if he had come with this plan immediately, there was a good chance the goblin would never have accepted. And yet, the current agreement was everything they needed.
They had to scare away a dragon before actually being able to access the vault – "I'm getting flashbacks to last year!" Lyra moaned, though Iris wisely held her tongue. She'd enjoyed that particular event. Once her feet were off the ground, at least.
Lyra cast the horcrux detection spell, and indeed got a nice red color, so Dumbledore confirmed the positive result. Still grumbling a little, the goblin opened the vault and entered, looking for a cup with the description Dumbledore had given. Indeed, he returned a minute later with the object in question. Without a word, he closed the vault and gestured the group to the mine cart, leading them back upstairs.
"Thank you for your support, Amelia," Dumbledore said once they were back in the main building – Lyra had put the Cloak on again. "We will destroy the item at Hogwarts. As soon as Voldemort's snake dies, he should be as mortal as any man."
"You sent for us?" Iris asked, taking off the Cloak as she entered Dumbledore's office. Lyra had been just ahead of her, and Iris had put on the Cloak so no one would notice the two of them going to Dumbledore's office shortly after one another.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, just as Sirius entered. "As we've discussed previously, Voldemort has been eyeing the prophecy. According to the information we've gathered, he will try to break into the Ministry tonight to obtain it. Of course, we have already discussed most of our plans for when it does come to a confrontation. Lyra, you should get ready to floo to the Ministry, while Sirius, Iris and me will take a portkey to meet up with Remus, and we will move as a group. We will be seeking the confrontation with Voldemort, while another group of Order members will keep the Death Eaters busy. Auror backup may take up to half an hour to arrive, as their absence is the entire reason Voldemort has chosen today. Everything clear?"
All three nodded.
"Then we shall leave."
Lyra turned to the floo, but Iris grabbed her arm and pulled her back in for a kiss. "Be careful, Lyra. I don't want to have to scrape you off the walls."
"He won't know what's coming for him," she promised.
Iris looked hesitant as Lyra stepped through the floo, yet at the same time she had to accept that this was the best course of action. They'd discussed it numerous times.
But that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.
"Iris?" Dumbledore queried.
She shook out of her thoughts, turning and grabbing the rope Dumbledore offered. Moments later, the familiar feeling of a hook behind Iris's navel appeared, and the Headmaster's Office faded away, replaced by a room in the Ministry, where Remus was already waiting.
They exchanged brief greetings, but almost immediately Dumbledore led them into the Ministry halls, deserted in the evening. "Remember," he said as they walked, "the snake needs to die first."
As they walked down to the atrium, Iris imagined how Lyra had flooed in and ran up to Voldemort, warning him that she'd overheard Iris and Dumbledore being on their way to the Ministry. Hopefully, Voldemort would keep her with him, and hopefully – as they were expecting – he would have his snake with him.
It didn't take long for them to actually reach the atrium, which was just as empty as the rest of the Ministry thus far, so Dumbledore led them further down, to where the Department of Mysteries was located – as far as Iris had been told, at least. The general layout of the Ministry had been explained to her when the prophecy had been discussed, with a focus of course on where the prophecy could be found.
They entered the room that had been described to Iris, the spinning round room that led to the various research divisions. Dumbledore was not fazed by the room, and confidently picked out one door.
"Stay away from the Veil down there," he said as they stepped through. "This is most likely where we'll be fighting."
Indeed, on the other side of the room, sounds could be heard. They weren't halfway through the room when the door burst open and Voldemort and Lyra ran through. Behind them, more fighting could be heard – most likely, the Order was engaging the Death Eaters in the Hall of Prophecies, while Voldemort would try and get away as quickly as possible. Iris expected him to have already picked up the prophecy – not that it would matter.
And behind Voldemort, slithering into the room, was the snake.
"Malfoy!" Iris shouted with as much disgust as she could muster. "What are you doing here?"
She gave a haughty laugh. "What does it look like, Potter?"
On their side, Iris, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius were fanning out, while Lyra remained close to Nagini.
"Enough," Voldemort said. "So, you have finally presented yourself to me, Iris Potter. Today is the day you die."
Iris snorted. "I doubt it."
At that moment, with Voldemort's attention on Iris and the Order, Lyra struck. A single cutting charm hit Nagini right behind the head, decapacitating her.
She immediately ran, dodging several of Voldemort's curses as the Order opened fire.
"I'm sorry," Iris shouted tauntingly. "Was that your last horcrux, Voldemort?" With that, she entered the fray as Voldemort turned furious, no doubt realizing now that they were aware of his secret.
He fired several strong curses, and Iris cried out as one of them just barely tagged Lyra's leg, causing an explosion of blood and gore that Iris did not want to think about.
In seconds, the Order was in position, and Dumbledore's masterful spellwork quickly drew Voldemort's attention, which meant he was soon forced on the defensive by the combined spells of Dumbledore, an auror, the Girl-Who-Lived who had received a lot of extra training, and Remus, who despite lacking a title or official position was no slouch either. Whenever Voldemort would make progress towards one door, his attackers repositioned themselves, stopping him from escaping and locking him in the room.
Spell after spell was thrown at the Dark Lord, who did not manage to get in an offensive spell, but did manage to stave off the barrage without getting hit for several minutes before Iris decided to bring out her trump card.
"Bombarda maxima!" A huge blue ball lobbed forward, impacting the ground several meters in front of Voldemort. The explosion shook the building badly enough to bring down some loose plasterwork from the ceiling, and Voldemort – despite having brought up a shield – was thrown off his feet by the shockwave as Iris sank to the ground, this single overpowered spell having exhausted her magical reserves.
However, with Voldemort prone, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius were able to overpower his defenses. Iris pulled herself up again, stalking forward past the crater her spell had left behind as she saw Voldemort's wand fly through the air, ropes binding him moments later.
For a few seconds, she wasn't sure what to say, or do, but then she decided to go with the first thing that had come to mind, and spat in his face. "Fuck you."
With that, she turned to Lyra and knelt down next to her. More people were entering the room now, and Dumbledore was taking charge, but Iris ignored it all.
"Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing Lyra's hand.
"Yeah," the girl croaked. "My leg hurts like hell, but at least that means it's still attached, right?"
Iris pulled her into a hug. "I'm not sure what I'd have done if he'd actually blasted it off. I don't think you can stand, right?"
Lyra shook her head.
"And I'm not going to be able to support you right now. We'll get Sirius over here or something as soon as they're done." From what Iris could gather with her attention on Lyra, the aurors had arrived and backed up the Order, with everyone still fighting in the Hall of Prophecy.
"Miss Potter?" Bones' voice sounded.
"Yes?" Iris replied, looking up.
"We would appreciate your thoughts on how to handle our captive."
"I'm not coming over unless someone's making sure Lyra can come with me."
Bones looked surprised for a moment, but walked over, casting a battlefield healing spell on Lyra's leg before draping the girl over her shoulder, and together they walked back to the captured Voldemort. Remus and Sirius had gone off to aid the Order, but Dumbledore had remained behind.
"So, what do you think we should do, Iris?" Dumbledore asked.
Iris glanced at the Veil behind her. "Why don't we just chuck him through there?"
"Seconded," Lyra said, still hanging from Bones's shoulder. "Can you get me a little closer to him?"
Bones did so, and Lyra, too, spit in Voldemort's face.
Iris snorted. "We really are made for each other."
"What?"
"I did that too."
"Well, if anyone deserves the opportunity, it's you. Why isn't he through yet?"
Bones and Dumbledore looked at each other.
"I doubt anyone would care if we bend the law a little this one time," Dumbledore said.
Hesitantly, Bones nodded. "As the DMLE representative here, I suppose I will be the one to do so, then." She lowered Lyra to the ground – the girl still wasn't able to stand – and then levitated Voldemort, slowly moving him through the Veil.
Iris sat down next to Lyra and shared a victory kiss the moment Voldemort was through.
"What are you doing here?" Ron demanded aggressively.
"Annoying you, of course," Lyra flippantly replied as she approached the Gryffindor table.
Iris's friends had – unknowingly – nicely cooperated, with Ron sitting opposite of her and Hermione sitting to her right, which left a place free to her left.
"Your master's dead, you know," Ron taunted.
Lyra sat down next to Iris and put her head on the black-haired girl's shoulder. "I have no 'master', Weasley."
Both Hermione and Ron – and everyone else – watched in shock at the scene. To add a little extra, Iris leaned down and placed a kiss on Lyra's scalp.
"W-w-what?" Ron stuttered.
"I believe I forgot to mention that," Iris said nonchalantly. "Lyra helped at the Ministry, two days back."
"Helped?" Hermione asked weakly.
"Yeah," Lyra said. "You didn't think I was going to let Iris do everything alone, did you?"
"I… what? You hate each other!"
Lyra raised her head from Iris's shoulder, allowing them to share a completely planned look of utter confusion. "Uh, no," Lyra said.
"Actually," Iris added as Lyra lowered her head on her shoulder again, "we love each other. I did tell you I'm into girls, right?"
"That's ridiculous!" Ron said. "What about second year? What about the buttons? You've hated each other since you first saw one another in the train!"
"That wasn't the first time we saw each other," Lyra said. "We met in Diagon Alley, actually. And we realized immediately how people would react if we'd be friend in public, so we became friends in secret instead."
"Iris hated those buttons!"
Iris snorted. "I made those buttons, Ron. Well, the 'Potter stinks' part was my idea, at least."
"I still say it's horribly unimaginative," Lyra commented.
"The reactions were super funny though."
"You hexed me last year!" Hermione accused.
Lyra barked a laugh. "Do you realize just how utterly specific that spell was, Granger? I spent weeks looking through books with curses to find it."
"Why?" Hermione asked, non-plussed.
Lyra sent her a flat look. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you Gryffindors are dull. What did you do when Madam Pomphrey fixed your teeth up?"
"I let her continue slightly longer," Hermione said, slowly.
"Exactly!"
"You… did that on purpose?"
"Yes," Iris said. "Remember the shampoo I suggested around that time? Also Lyra's idea."
"It's great," Hermione said reflexively, bringing a hand up to feel her now much smoother hair. "But why'd you do that? I thought you hated me?"
"Did I ever do anything to you?" Lyra parried. "Apart from words? No, I didn't. I just did what people expected me to do, because most wizards and witches just can't wrap their head around someone not living up to expectations. The exact same reason why Sirius was incarcerated without a trial. He was a Black, so everyone assumed he was guilty, even though he'd been James's best friend for a decade and hated his family with a passion."
"Also," Iris added, "we regularly met so I could tell Lyra if I was worried you were taking her words too badly. Well, we regularly met anyway, and that was one of the things we talked about."
"But why?" Ron asked. "Why would you be friends with a Malfoy?"
"Because she's nice," Iris said. "And because she's someone with who I can share my exasperation about all the idiots who immediately assume that I must be a hero because of all that Girl-Who-Lived stuff that I can't even remember, or how everyone assumes that Lyra must be an evil bitch because she's a Malfoy."
"She is!" Ron reacted.
"If I was an evil bitch, I would be hexing you right now," Lyra said without raising her head from Iris's shoulder. "But I'll cut you some slack, because I did act the part for a few years. I'm also the reason Voldemort is dead now, though."
"Iris did that," Ron objected.
"I'd never have managed without Lyra," Iris said. "She's the one who, thanks to the diary, figured out how Voldemort had become immortal and how to make him mortal again. Well, and Dumbledore helped out a ton, of course. But Lyra, with the help of the Malfoy library and two months of intelligence gathering last summer, found the important spells and everything."
"Fuck that ugly snakeface," Lyra muttered.
Hermione looked pensive for a few seconds, but then realization dawned on her face. "You knew! With the polyjuice!"
Both Lyra and Iris immediately started giggling. "Yes," Lyra admitted. "That was the most fun I've ever had, I think."
"Remember how I wanted some time alone afterwards?" Iris asked. "That was because I could barely hold in my laughter – and I wanted the opportunity to have a good laugh together with Lyra, of course."
"Also," Lyra added, "I'm not good enough friends with the actual Pansy to hug her. I'm not sure if she'd hug anyone, really. Maybe her parents."
"And… you said you're together?" Hermione asked.
The girls exchanged a kiss for good measure. "Since the summer before fourth year," Iris said. "Once Lucius was sent to Azkaban for that Death Eater riot at the World Cup – which Lyra leaked, actually – she could come over every day that I wasn't seeing either of you. So yeah, we've been together for almost two years now."
"We should leave for class, by the way," Lyra said, pointing at the students all over the Great Hall standing and leaving – though a good part of Gryffindors was still paying very close attention to Iris and Lyra.
"You're right," Iris said. "We have… potions, right? Oh, we can finally sit together now! Let's see if Snape gets an aneurism."
"Even if not, at least you'll get a fair grade."
"That, or he just grades you unfairly. But it should be amusing either way."
Iris slipped her hand into Lyra's, and they left for the dungeons, leaving a lot of stumped Gryffindors behind.
Next entry: Harry/Ginny/Daphne
AN: Check out my Twitter (handle: Leyrann) or Discord (/WzYpyPT) for the latest updates on my writing. Also check out the site-that-shall-not-be-named (creator: Leyrann) if you wish to support me. Benefits include teasers of future chapters, sneak peeks into my outlining and more. Also, the teasers will be made publicly available on Discord two days before a new chapter is posted.
