"Hmmm… That's odd…"

It was around a month into the semester, and three weeks after her absolutely brilliant first defense class, Iris was getting her annual health checkup from Madam Pomfrey.

"What is it, Madam Pomfrey?"

"Oh, nothing dear! I'm just running a general magical scan of your head, and there seems to be a slight anomaly. It's probably nothing, but I'll have to run some more detailed and specialized diagnostic spells.

Iris nervously wrung her hands as the witch returned to prodding her forehead and muttering.

"It seems… No, it couldn't be…"

Well, that didn't sound good.

"Madam Pomfrey? Is… is there something wrong with me? Do I have a disease?"

"Oh! Oh most definitely not! Ms. Potter, we wizards and witches almost never get sick, the strength of our magic prevents our bodies from succumbing to illness!"

"So…"

"Well… Ms. Potter, you are a metamorphmagus, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm a ch– metamorphmagus."

Well then, this is peculiar. It seems as if there's a bit of powerful magic concentrated into the area of your metamorphmagus mark. It's almost as if… no…"

Iris waited, her fear growing with each second of silence.

"I'll have to consult the Headmaster, he's an expert of strange and peculiar bits of magic."

Iris's eyes widened.

When it came to the Headmaster, she was undecided, yet… well, "wary" would be putting it lightly. She hadn't forgotten how much of an interest he'd taken in her sorting, and how his account of her coming to live with the Dursleys was completely different than James's. James was many things, but he was far too guileless to convincingly lie to her face.

Also, it hadn't really come up, but Iris knew that her friends had a deep dislike for the Headmaster, seeing him as emblematic of the Nic political philosophy.

Madam Pomfrey's door opened back up, breaking Iris out of her thoughts.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Iris! Alas, dear girl, I wish it was under more fortuitous circumstances, but it is a true pleasure nonetheless! How are your classes proceeding?"

Well, if she'd have to act the good little light princess, at least Dursley-space would be getting some use again. It had been growing dusty.

"Um… well, H-Headmaster. I r-really like Defense, P-Professor Quirrell is a really g-good teacher."

Fucking annoying stutter.

"Ah yes, Quirinus is an old colleague, and one of the lightest wizards around! You'll do well under his tutelage, I assure you! And have you any news on that subject which we discussed as you were leaving my office?"

"N-no sir, I h-haven't heard anything. The h-house is m-mostly keeping away from m-me."

"Oh, really? A shame, but not unexpected. Just remember to let me know if you see anything suspicious out in the common room!"

"I w-will sir, I w-want to be helpful."

"Excellent, excellent! Now, Poppy, could you describe to me what exactly this medical anomaly is?"

"Well, Albus", Pomfrey said with barley-concealed annoyance, "as I was trying to tell you, that gift-mark on her head contains the remnants of powerful dark magic, almost as if there was a piece of someone's s–"

"Ah yes Poppy, I know exactly what this is!"

Was that intentional? She'd noticed he'd done the same thing in his office, when the sorting hat mentioned something about a ritual.

"You see", he said, smiling at the healer, "that scar is not dark magic at all! When I examined it on the night of Voldemort's defeat, I found that it was actually the remnants of powerful light magic, fueled by the sacrifice of Lily Potter!"

He turned to Iris, eyes watery.

"You see my dear girl, your mother had something that Voldemort could never understand: love. She loved you and your brother so much, and so deeply, that she used her own life to protect both of you, casting a set of powerful wards."

"Iris," he said, ignoring her flinch as he touched a finger to her scar, "this is the mark of the powerful wards around the Dursley residence, powered by your mothers love. As long as you live with her blood relatives, those wards will always serve to protect you from Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Pomfrey looked unconvinced.

"I assure you Albus, I wasn't born yesterday, nor am I ignorant of magical theory. The type of wards that could be fueled by a sacrifice of a mother's life are most certainly not the type of–"

"Ah Poppy, I understand your concerns completely. But shall we take this into your office, behind its silencing ward? I would rather not disturb young Iris by recounting the grisly details of her mother's valiant sacrifice."

Poppy scowled, but then looked at Iris, her eyes softening.

"That… that's probably for the best. Alright Albus, follow me. But make no mistake, I will be questioning you as to this… light magic love ward."

Faintly scowling, Pomfrey walked briskly into her office, with the Headmaster following at a more sedate pace.

"Worry not!" he said, turning to Iris with his hand on the door, "this issue requires only minor clarification. I assure you, we'll be out in less time than it takes to say 'oddment'!"

Iris gave a tight smile. What on earth was he trying to hide from her?

Fucking silencing ward.

Behind the Headmaster, Iris heard the door swing shut… and then voices?

Fucking silencing ward?

Well, Iris wasn't one to bemoan her good luck, it looked like it was time to find out what was really going on.

"You can skirt around the details all you want Albus, but the fact is that any magic which requires a sacrifice like that is Dark Magic, and most certainly magic which requires the sacrifice of a human life!"

"Now, I don't know if you're right about the protective aspect or not, but regardless, I'm not going to let it sit there unexamined! Dark Magic is dangerous in part because of how wild and uncontrolled it is, that little fragment could be doing anything to her!"

"And besides, it doesn't even look like a shield. It bloody well looks like someone sheared off a piece of their–…"

"…"

"…"

"Poppy, you will not remember finding anything dark about Ms. Potter's scar, nor will you remember any of your suspicions about what it is. You will instead remember you being absolutely convinced by my arguments as to its protective nature. All you will remember of our conversation in this office is that I made a series of very reasonable arguments that lay any doubts you have about the nature of Ms. Potter's scar to rest. If you ever notice any irregularities about Ms. Potters scar, you will feel the need to report them to me immediately."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…oh, sorry Albus! I must have just lost myself for a minute there!"

"Ah, quite alright Poppy, it happens to me all the time!"

Holy shit. Holy shit.

Did Dumbledore just do what she thought he did? What the fuck was up with her changeling mark, and why did Dumbledore erase the memories of a school nurse in order to cover it up!

Oh shit, they were coming out, time to act the hardest she'd ever acted. Nothing was wrong, she didn't just discover that the Headmaster knew crazy secrets about her life, and wiped people's memories to keep them, not at all! All that happened was that she sat here for a few minutes, bored out of her mind, waiting for the brilliant and fantastic headmaster to… Shit, SHIT. She didn't know if she could do this. Would he wipe her memories too? Had he done it before? Oh god, oh god, Iris felt–

"Iris, my girl, are you well?"

"U-um… y-yes Headmaster, j-just n-n-nervous. I-is th-there a-anything wrong w-w-with m-me?"

Fucking stutter, WHY NOW! If Iris lived through this with her memories intact, she promised herself the very first thing she'd do is demand that her friends force her into uncomfortable situations until it was gone.

Madam Pomfrey cut Dumbledore off with a beaming smile.

"Oh, Ms. Potter, no! The Headmaster made some very reasonable arguments, and he's reassured me that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that scar of yours!"

Iris expected Pomfrey to look dazed and vacant, but she didn't at all. Her smile was wide and natural, just like it was at the beginning of the appointment.

Somehow, Iris thought this was much more terrifying.

"Oh, g-good! C-can I g-go then?"

"Well, give me a minute to finish the routine part of the exam, and then you're free to go! Thank you very much Headmaster, I appreciate your aid!"

"Oh, it's no problem Poppy dear," Dumbledore said, "I'm always happy to help! Make sure to call me next time you find anything unusual you'd like my advice on!"

With that, the Headmaster left, and Iris barley prevented herself from collapsing in her bed in relief. Was this some sort of nightmare?


The minute Iris stepped into the common room, her friends immediately knew something was wrong. She was bone-pale, and shivering almost uncontrollably, with wide eyes and a terrified expression.

Not even pausing, Blaise immediately packed up her work, and shepherded their group up into the girls dormitory. Once she'd confirmed that they were alone, Iris turned to them, and shivered.

She opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"H-hey g-g-guys. Is th-there s-some s-sort of s-spell to erase m-memories?"

With that, Iris's knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing hysterically.

"h-h-h-h-h-he t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-ook-k-k th-the n-n-n-n–"

"Iris, Iris! What's wrong!"

"D-D-D-D-D-D-Dum-D-D-D-D-D, h-h-h-h-h-h-he! Oh M-M-M-M-Merlin, i-i-i-i-i-t, h-h-h-h-he…"

Suddenly, she was surrounded by arms, relaxed and protected. She felt warm, dainty fingers threading through her hair, and drawing circles on her clammy palm.

"Shhhhhh darling, you're safe now. You're here protected in my arms, and nothing can hurt you. We'll protect you from anything, keep you safe, keep you warm, keep you loved."

Iris's sobs slowly began to peter out, as she clung tightly to Blaise's taller form.

"I'm using my allure on you right now," Blaise said, slowly petting Iris's hair, "is that alright? I want you to calm down, to relax, to tell us what happened without sending yourself into a panic. Are you feeling better now?"

Iris let out a sigh, and snuggled into Blaise's neck.

"Y-yeah, I'm better. Th-thanks…"

"Do you think you'll be alright if I reign it back in?"

"N-no!"

"I m-mean, I… th-this is nice, I c-can't… I c-can't think…–"

Her voice hitched, as she began to hyperventilate.

"Sh-she, h-he, i-i-i-it w-w-w–"

"Shhhhh, I understand now darling, everything's alright. you can just relax here in my arms, and tell us when you're ready. Do you feel how much I care for you? Focus on that, not what happened…"

After a few minutes, Iris had gone almost limp in Blaise's embrace, and she began to speak, in a relaxed, dreamy tone.

"I went in for my annual medical checkup after class, like I told you all, but there was an anomaly. Madam Pomfrey said she found something in my scar, some sort of dark magic. She called Dumbledore, and he tried to tell her that it was a protection left over from my mother's sacrifice, to protect me, but she didn't believe him. So he suggested they go into her office t-to discuss it, b-behind the s-sil… oh Merlin, oh M-merlin, Blaise, it was so awful, I jus–."

"Hush now darling, and just focus on the warmth you can feel from my allure. Focus on the care, and the love, and the protection, and then just let your story come out. Don't even focus on it, focus on me."

After a minute, Iris continued, voice once again taking on a dreamy quality.

"Dumbledore said that they should go behind the silencing ward in her office to discuss it, and so they went, but the ward malfunctioned, so I heard them. Pomfrey was arguing with him, and then he cut her off, and she just went quiet, and then he told her that she actually believed him, and wasn't going to remember her suspicions, and then she just walked out and it was l-like h-he'd e-e-erased her m-memories."

And with that, Iris turned once again into Blaise's chest, and began to sob deeply.

"I-it was j-just t-t-terrifying, I-I was w-wondering, wh-what i-if h-he's d-done th-that t-to m-me, and… and…"

"Shhhhh, darling, you've told us more than enough. You were so brave today, so very brave, do you know that?"

"N-n-n-n–"

"Sleep now darling, just sleep. Let the warmth and love you feel guide you down into a restful slumber, where you can forget about all your problems, and just rest here in my arms…"

That sounded like a good idea actually, she was feeling really tired, and oh, Blaise was just so warm and snuggly, and she felt like she could just… could just…


The next day, Iris woke up resting on an unfamiliar pillow.

It was a nice pillow, she thought. Soft, warm, large, very huggable, all things Iris looked for when she sought out something to sleep on. Weirdly enough, as she slowly began to blink, her pillow let out a moan, and started to shift in her embrace.

A moving pillow? Would she never stop encountering the wonders of magic? But wait, why on earth would someone design a pillow that moved? And where did she get–

Iris shot up, scrambling to the other end of her bed.

"Awake, Darling?"

Iris felt like she couldn't possibly get any redder.

"I'm s-sorry B-Blaise I d-didn't m-mean to! I m-mean–"

"Don't worry darling," Blaise said, chuckling, her clothes and hair disheveled "I fully realize that I make a very comfortable pillow. At least, that's what Dante tells me. And let me just say, you have the most adorable little snore!"

Whelp, nevermind then. Iris thought she must look like a fire engine.

Wait, what was Blaise even doing in her… her… Oh god, the checkup.

As Iris began to hyperventilate, Blaise was there, stroking her hair, her voice taking on a slightly panicked edge.

"It's alright Iris, you told us all about it, remember, right? Dumbledore, and Pomfrey, and the memory wipe, you let us all know. And look, you're fine! Nothing happened, you're safe! Uh… Shit, this isn't working, do you need me to use my allure again?"

Iris shook her head.

"N-no, j-just k-keep t-talking."

"Well, you couldn't see it, but we were all horrified last night. We weren't surprised, mind you, but we were horrified. Dumbledore is completely psychotic, most children of Knights know that, or Knight-sympathizers in my case I guess– Oh Merlin, nevermind, I didn't say that. I meant we all knew that Dumbledore was– Iris, what's wrong? Iris?"

Iris began slowly chuckling, as her breathing evened out to something resembling normalcy.

"C-Circe Blaise, did you seriously just admit to me that your m-mom sympathized with the Dark Lord? Y-you really a-are out of i-it, aren't y-you?"

Suddenly, Iris's chuckling was cut off by Blaise's crushing hug.

"Of course I am you dolt, I was worried about you! I can't believe… I mean, it's just so bloody awful that you were caught up in the old man's scheme's like that, and you were just so terrified last night, and I didn't know what to do! Oh Merlin, Iris, we're all out of our minds with worry!"

Iris squeezed Blaise tighter, absolutely touched.

"Th-thanks, but… I'm doing better, I th-think. I mean… yeah, it was really scary, but I think I can deal with it now, not just freak out."

Blaise seemed to relax, letting out a sigh of relief.

Wait, no, she was tensing again.

"Hey… Iris. About that… other thing… Will you… ah… judge me, for what I said? I mean, my mom is a lovely person, she just had–"

"Relax, Blaise," Iris chuckled, "you don't think I already suspected that? Hell, I'm friends with Draco, and their parent was one of the most feared Knights in the war, even if they'd never admit it."

Blaise just looked at Iris in shock.

"I mean, yeah, the Dark Lord did kill my mom, but I hold that against him, not everyone who served him. I'm not going to hate your mom, and I'm most certainly no going to hate you."

Iris sent Blaise a watery smile.

"Blaise, you're my best friend here, and I'm not going to throw you away over something like that. Even if you do… y'know, flirt with me a lot, I still really… like being around you, and I'm not gonna give you up for anything."

"Like, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to calm me down with your allure last night. Seriously, I'm probably only able to function right now because of you. Thank you so much Blaise, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Iris watched as a warm, loving smile spread over Blaise's face. Merlin, why didn't she smile like that more often? It was so pretty.

Uh, aesthetically, she meant. Like, very pretty in an objective sense. Like a sunrise.

Merlin, her smile was like a sunrise, wasn't it? It was just so warm and wonderful, and it lit up the whole room. Wow, her smile was getting a lot closer now. Why was Blaise moving her head so close to Iris? Wait, no, she wasn't moving, Iris was the one that was moving. Oh god, Blaise just licked her lips, that was adorable. She was leaning in now, and Merlin did Iris want to see what those lips tasted like, feel them against–

Merlin, she really wanted to kiss Blaise.

….MERLIN, 'she really wanted to kiss Blaise'? What the hell was wrong with her! Blaise was her best friend, and a girl!

Iris jumped back with a yelp, scrambling off her bed.

"Uhhhhh I gottagoputonmyclothesberightback!"

Scrambling out of the room, Iris missed Blaise's shocked look, as she shakily raised her fingers to her lips.


AN: So yeah, a lot happening this chapter. But c'mon, aren't Iris and Blaise just adorable!

The title comes from the mythical healing staff of the Greek mythological figure, a long rod a single snake twisted around it.

Fic Rec is Harry Potter and the Rune Stone Path by Temporal Knight. This fic has a few rough chapters going in, but evolves to become one of my favorite fics, ever. It's gay, it's bi, it's (realistically) poly, it's filled with magical theory and inventions, and it's just all-around sensational.

No, Dumbledore leaving the door unlatched was not part of some diabolical plot, it was an honest mistake. Even the most cunning and shrewd of figures can be brought low by ignoring something rather simple, like, say, a silencing ward being activated by manual latch, instead of the simple closing of the door.

If you're wondering why Pomfrey didn't tell him, she thought he knew because he mentioned the silencing ward, and had already activated it.