Blaise's voice broke through the morning chatter at the Slytherin table, as Iris and Daphne were animatedly talking about their favorite charms in the first-year textbook.

"Looks like you have a letter, darling."

Iris turned away from her newest friend to look at the bright white owl perched on the tabletop.

"What? Oh, it's probably from James"

The rest of the sixsome looked at her in concern.

"Relax guys, I… I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle whatever he says to me. As long as he's not here, yelling or anything, I think… I think I'll be able to handle it."

Dante's mouth turned downward in a small frown. "…alright, Iris, if you say so. Just remember, we're all here for you if you need to get away from everyone, or just need to talk. Promise me you'll come to one of us if you start to have another panic attack?"

Having friends was nice, Iris thought. She could get used to this.

"Y-yeah… You g-guys are my… friends… I promise I'll tell you…"

Iris told herself that the tear she was wiping away was due to nervousness at the letter. Based on the softening expressions of the rest of the six, they wouldn't have believed her.

Steeling herself, and gripping a worried-looking Blaise's hand for support, Iris reached to open the letter, when her thought process was stopped in its tracks.

"Wait, dearest, before you start, you'll have to translate for me"

Was… was Blaise's head on her shoulder?

Wow, was this really what her hair looked like when she blushed?

And why was Daphne rolling her eyes and mouthing something at Dante?

"B-B-B-Blaise, wh-wh–"

"Oh relax, Iris darling, I'm just trying to read your letter. Unfortunately, my English isn't all that good, so I'll need you to read it to me. Don't worry, I'm an excellent listener…"

Suddenly, Blaise's smirking head was jerked away by an amused Daphne.

"Down, girl!"

"Damnit Daphne, why do you have to ruin my fun?"

"Wh-wh-wh–"

"Potter, snap out of it!"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Iris centered herself, and faced Daphne.

Wow, Daphne was really close to her face.

Iris blushed, and closed her eyes again.

"Wh-what did you mean about needing me to translate?"

Blaise smirked from the seat across the table that Daphne had shoved her into. "Darling, Dante and I are from Italia, not Britannia; Genoa to be exact. The only other language we speak besides Latin is Ligurian Italian. Dante knows a little bit of English, but I don't speak any."

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. I'm not to good at translating though, I'm still integrating the potion…"

"Get Daphne or Theo to do it, darling, they both speak English. If I recall correctly, Daphne will let off some fascinating English profanity when she gets… excited. And don't even get me started on the Welsh!"

Iris turned around, pointedly ignoring Blaise's attempts to embarrass her, much to the rest of the group's amusement.

"Hey, Theo, would you mind reading this out for me? I assume your family is from England?"

"Oh, you're no fun, darling."

Theo chuckled at Blaise's pout. "I'd be happy to. And yes, we've lived in Yorkshire since the thirteenth century."

Pausing as he grabbed the letter, Theo frowned. "Iris… this letter probably has some pretty personal stuff in it. Are you sure you're alright with the five of us hearing it? You won't be able to omit certain parts if you're not the one reading it out."

Without a seconds thought, Iris pushed the letter into his hands.

"Theo… You, Blaise, Dante, and Draco—and Greengrass right after—were some of the very first people to ever show me kindness in the magical world. For someone raised like me, that means a lot. Read out the letter."

Damnit, those soft, caring expressions were back again.

"Hey, Potter? Feel… feel free to call me Daphne, if you'd like. I'd really like to be your friend too."

And those weren't tears, she just had a strong reaction to the caramelized onion in this pudding.

"Th-thanks… Daphne."

With one last glance at Iris, Theo unfolded the paper—not parchment, Iris noticed—and began to read.

Dear Iris,

We'd just like to say for the very first thing, that we're not angry, we're just disappointed. We thought you were more than mature enough to not try to purposefully botch your sorting just to get back at us, but apparently, that was a mistaken assumption. Do you really hate us that much, that you'd try to go into Slytherin of all places just to spite us? Is this about leaving you with the Dursleys, and not growing up a celebrity like your brother? We know you're better than that.

Your father just got out of the floo with the Headmaster, and he's assured us that he's already suitably chastised you, and we feel he can inform you of the severity and consequences of you actions better than we ever could. Rest assured though, come winter break, we will be having a long talk about responsibility and trust.

Iris, we all know that Slytherin isn't the place for you, so we don't know who you were trying to fool with your little stunt. Did you think we'd try to bring you closer, trying to keep you in communion with the light? Shame on you Iris Potter, abusing our love and care like that, shame!

The only thing that seems to make this situation slightly better for you is that the Headmaster told us you did seem honestly shocked that a resorting wasn't possible. We hope we assume correctly that you didn't plan to permanently stay in Slytherin. If you did mean to stay in Slytherin, for whatever unfathomable reason, we assure you that our talk this break will be very different, and we will make good on some of those promises your Dad made to you on your first visit to the manor.

However, assuming you haven't cut off your nose to spite your face, it's very likely that you're panicking right now, because you have no idea who to associate with, if anyone, in a house so filled with darkness. Luckily, we've scoured or allies in the Wizengamot with the help of the Headmaster, and we've produced a list of suitably light company for you to keep. Lord help you, if your little mistake leads you into temptation, and you begin to associate with the darker wizards of that house, or worse, the dark creatures, we will do whatevernecessary to prevent you from falling into temptation.

We want to convey to you the gravity of the situation your foolishness as placed you in, but we don't want you to lose all hope. It is fully possible for you to have a wonderful and exciting Hogwarts experience living in the Slytherin dorms, as long as you ensure you have plenty of Gryffindor friends, stay close to your brother, and only associate with the lighter elements of your house when necessary. Despite all the nastiness of this letter, we do quite dearly love you, and we wish you the happiest of Hogwarts experiences, despite your situation.

Light and Light-Neutral Slytherin Students: Lucas MacGoawan, Simon-Peter Lévêque, Luke Honeysett, Maria Albrici, John McDougal, Marcus Graciano, Clement Long, Mattieu von Adelsburg, and Matthias Protz

Love,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Iris, this is your dad. I know more than anyone that pranking can be fantastic, but I need you to understand that this is toofar. I know how guilty the Headmaster can make you feel, so I know that getting our letter right after that talk must be making you feel really awful, but I hope you understand that we're only doing this because we love you. Iris, being a Potter in Slytherin is going to be dangerous, even if you only stick to the light and light-neutral kids.

That said, you know I'm not one to leave one of my kids miserable, so I'll say this: your new sorting could actually be a great pranking opportunity! If you want to unleash that pranking spirit that made you trick the Sorting Hat (and I still can't believe you managed to fool that old rag), try collaborating with your brother on something to release in the Slytherin common rooms! He has my old copy of the Marauder's Grimoire, so he has a whole library of pranking spells to use. I don't want to give you too many ideas, you should come up with them yourselves like a proper prankster, but may Sirius and I suggest a little spell in section seven that turns people's clothes invisible? Imagine placing that on the common room door for people leaving!

P.P.S. Iris, honey, this is your mother speaking. I hope that both our letter and your talk with the Headmaster have adequately conveyed the enormity of your mistake, and you feel suitably penitent and horrified at your transgressions against both us and God. Consorting with darkness, even in jest, is a sure path to temptation, and we both love you far too much to allow you to be tempted. In this vein, I've included a second letter after this with a talk I believe is far past due, from mother to daughter. It's not another chastisement, don't worry, but it is some advice that my own mother gave me when I was around your age, and that I believe you need to hear as a young woman already well on her way to adulthood.

Theo looked up at Iris, who was absolutely seething in her seat. Even though he'd seen her anger when talking about her parents before, especially her father, it was another thing to come face to face with it.

"Should I c–"

"Don't you dare fucking stop reading."

"Well, alright then, that's settled."

He opened the second sheet of paper.

Iris, my dearest,

This is a difficult letter to write for any mother, but I believe that it contains advice that can help you on your path through life, and which may even end up saving your immortal being on some dark night of the soul a few years down the line. My mother sat me down and told me this in a talk when I was nine, and I believe it helped me enormously an uncountable number of times during my early, confused years as a teenager.

As you most likely know, you began maturing into your teenage years a few years ago, and perhaps, at that time, began to experience certain desires that were new to you. Now Iris, don't stop reading! I know this may be uncomfortable to discuss with your mother, but I promise you, this is advice you need to hear!

Theo turned to look at Iris silently quirking an eyebrow.

Iris glared. "Well, it's a good thing she's not anything close to resembling a maternal figure, so this conversation isn't awkward."

He turned back to the letter without comment.

Now, as I was saying, there comes a time in every young woman's life where she begins to experience certain desires, desires which may pressure her into performing certain acts which have devastating consequences. Now, I know that the Dursleys are an upstanding Anglican family, so you most likely never had the opportunity to act on these desires before now, but I was a young woman in Hogwarts at one point as well, and I know the temptation to act out now that you're free from their—and our—protective wing.

Iris, I must warn you, while it may seem appealing, sexual intercourse at your age, before marriage, is never worth it. Your virginity is something incredibly precious to you, gifted by God himself, and to lose it to the first sweet-talking boy who charms your knickers off would be an unfathomable tragedy. Sex is the sacred union of the male and the female in flesh, created by God in the union of Adam and Eve in Eden.

I cannot describe to you the utter joy and fulfillment that comes to submitting yourself to a righteous, honorable man after your nuptials, coming together as one in the flesh with the knowledge that you shall never be separated. I want that for you, Iris, and listening to your baser, fleshly instincts will only guide you off of the path of the spirit.

Now, for the more difficult conversation. Now Iris, while your flesh may indeed lust for the attentions of young men, there are other, even more dangerous desires to consider. I know that as a young woman, in a dorm surrounded by other young witches, you may be presented with certain temptations, particularly temptations to engage in certain unmentionable, unnatural acts with said witches. Particularly, as a witch with metamorphism, you may even be pressured to change your God-given gender, and attempt a poor caricature of God's righteous creation.

Now, unlike the desire for unwedded union, these desires are entirely unnatural, and a perversion of God's righteous order. The fallen state of man has left many temptations of the flesh for young women of the light to consider, and many tempters who would seek to ensnare those considerations. The desires you feel may seem beautiful, natural, and full of God's vivacity, but I assure you, they are not. Scripture is very clear: "feminæ [peccantis] eorum immut[ant] naturalem usum in eum usum qui est contranaturam."* (Rom. 1:26).

I pray fervently that you heed my advice Iris, for momentary fleeting pleasure of the flesh is no substitute for eternal salvation! I warn you Iris, there are indeed many temptresses who seek the flesh of young maidens of the light, especially those who would resort to dark magics to gain a hold on your heart.

Many of the dark creatures you now call 'classmates' thanks to your foolish decision have perverted the natural magics given to them by God, turning them from serving humanity to controlling humanity. I know in particular there are several vampire and veela students in the dorms you now reside in, and any one of them could use their foul magics to ensnare you in the form of a mind-altering allure or devious dark enchantment.

If all my arguments prior have not convinced you, perhaps this shall: I myself had an experience with these fleshly lusts, and almost paid dearly for it, not only with my soul, but with my life. In my second year in Ravenclaw tower, I feel deeply under the spell of my own corporal sinfulness, leaning be into unnatural desires, and so fell victim to the seductions of my yearmates, Solveig O'Connor.

We had a brief, unnatural 'relationship' that lasted around a month, and by the end of it, I was so ensnared by my bodily lusts that I had prepared myself to hand her my virginity! I am forever grateful that my roommate, and dear friend to this day, Felicity-Perpetua, had realized something was amiss with our overly-amicable nature, and was able to contact my mother and parish priest before my sin compelled me to take that final step.

If you are wondering how this experience would jeopardize my life, than listen to this, and understand the moral characters and futures of those who would embrace sin and temptation: in my sixth year, that girl began to seriously date Cygnus Trask, along with several other men and women, and after Hogwarts, ended up marrying him. From your father's rants, you should know who Cygnus Trask is, but if you don't: he's one of the most prolific Death Eaters that escaped charges by hiding their mark. In your father's time in the Order of the Phoenix, he crossed wands with both Trask and Solveig many times, both seeking nothing more than to brutally murder him for his advocacy for truth and justice. Thanks to their service to You-Know-Who and the forces of darkness, their souls are irrevocably bound for the fires of damnation, with no hope of salvation or light.

I shall close my letter on that horrifying note as a final example of the horrors and tragedies that arise from falling to temptation, and the awful fates which await those who submit to them in place of their rightful Lord and Savior.

I will always love you Iris,

Mum

By the end of the first letter, Iris was fuming, and by the end of the second, she was ready to murder James, or Miriam, or both, no matter the consequences.

"Those absolute, utter BASTARDS!"

"Iris…" Blaise said, wide-eyed, "are you…how are you doing? That was absolutely horrid."

"Oh, I'm doing just fine, let me assure you, no panic attacks today! No, it's just cold, unrelenting fury! How dare they condescend to me like that? How dare they try to child me, as if they were loving parents who'd been there all my life?"

"Oh, they "know" I didn't belong in Slytherin? That I'm a good Christian girl who resist temptation and sin? How! They've seen me five times in my life, and barley spoken to me in each!"

"And you guys, too! I can't believe they said those things about you! I knew they were bad about other races when we went to Ollivander's, but Je– Circe, this is insane! Talking about how you'd use your 'dark powers' to seduce me!"

After a few seconds of silence, Draco spoke up, still reeling. "I… I knew the Potters were bad, even for Nics, but I never knew just how bad. I mean, holy shit guys, did you hear that? Miriam Potter is a fucking psycho!"

"I know, she's fucking insane! I'm telling you, when I was at Potter Manor, I actually saw a flog in her study! She fucking beats herself to ward of 'unnatural desires'? Why, because she fell in love with a beautiful witch in her dorm, like a normal per–"

"Breathe, darling." Blaise's arm snaked around Iris's shoulder, and pulled her into the other girl's not-insignificant bust. "Just breathe."

Strangely enough, Iris found it quite hard to do that at the moment, all her breath apparently having gone to fanning the red-hot bellows that seemed to be inside her cheeks and hair.

Well, at least she wasn't angry anymore.

Wow, this was really nice.

Why didn't she do this more often?

She just felt so safe and secure wrapped in Blaise's arms.

She couldn't believe that Blaise's chest really was as comfortable as it looked when Iris stared at it.

Wait! Wh–

For the second time that week, Iris snapped out of an allure-induced calm, and jumped back from Blaise.

"Welcome back, darling! This seems to be becoming a regular occasion."

Iris regained control of herself, sitting about a half-foot further away from Blaise than she was during her rant.

"S-sorry Blaise, I don't know what came over me. I was just so angry… Thanks for snapping me out of it."

"Oh I don't mind at all, Iris dear. I have to say, you have an adorable sigh."

"…"

"…"

"You know what, I'll take it."


*[sinful] women exchange natural practices for those practices that are against nature


AN: Isn't Iris adorable! She's very quickly becoming the one smol friend that everyone needs to protect.

Fanfic Rec is The Cult of Dionysus, by Ynyr. It's a very strange fic, with a fascinating concept, and brilliant execution.

Don't worry, this'll be the last you'll see of the overt, crazy-devout Catholicism for a while, if you're getting tired of it.

Title comes from one from the King James text of one of Paul's Epistles, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5: "possess [your] vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence"

Paul is by far the most influential ideologue in the early Christian Church, and as a result, many of his ideas form the basis of Catholic ideas about sanctity and purity today. I'm actually basing Miriam, in part, directly off of him.

I think the full, more readable quote (from the NIV) will provide you a much better understanding of why I chose this particular quote from Paul, out of many he has concerning sex and sexuality: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God."

And if you're wondering, Draco does speak English, but he had to learn it the hard way, so its only at a very basic level. His other two languages are Parisian French and Breton, using a language potion for the former.

Same with Daphne, she was raised speaking Latin and Welsh; remember from Chapter 6, you can only take one language potion every seven years. Out of all of them, Iris was the only one raised speaking English.