It was Saturday again, and Iris was in the library with Hermione, being distracted from her arithmancy homework by the absolutely incredible brunette in front of her. Every time Iris saw Hermione, she thought she'd seen the limit of her genius, and every time, she was wrong.
"–and the third-year textbook is just so interesting! I loved mathematics in school, you know, so arithmancy really is ever so wonderful, and it just comes so naturally! But anyways in the third-year textbook we actually begin to cover more complex charm effects, like that antler-growing charm your brother tried to cast on Professor Quirrell, and oh my word the way they use the sixth dimension is so ingenious! Oh but I'm so sorry Iris, I've been talking this whole time, and we haven't even been talking about you!"
"Oh no Hermione, it's fine, I love listening to you talk!"
"No Iris, I'm serious! I feel like I never even let you finish a sentence! I can't believe you want to hang out with a know-it-all bookworm like me…"
"What, who's calling you those things?!"
"Oh it doesn't matter Iris, it's true! I bet you're bored out of your mind every Saturday, passing the time until you can get homework answer out of me! You're just… why would you want to hang out with me?"
Iris was stunned. How could she not…
"Hermione don't say that about yourself! I love hanging out with you! You're so smart, it's ridiculous, I just love hearing you describe how you think through any problem you get your hands on. I'm not friends with you for your homework answers, you know that, I just really like being around you!"
Was that… oh Merlin yes, that was the cutest blush ever!
Cute, y'know, in a general way, but still, it was so fetching! Er, uh… aesthetically pleasing!
"I mean… I don't know Iris, but thank you. I really like having you as a friend."
They both sat there, blushing and sending shy glances at one another, until Hermione suddenly broke the silence.
"Oh, that's right! Iris, tell me something that's happened to you! I don't wanna monopolize the conversation!"
"I told you Hermione, you're n–"
"I know, I know, but you're my friend! I wanna hear about you too, y'know!"
"Oh, uh, thanks…"
Iris reigned her wildly blushing hair in, and looked back up at her study-mate.
"So, this really funny thing happened, actually. I was sitting in the common room with my friends, and this random boy comes up to Draco, and starts heavily flirting. Like, heavily."
Iris was pleased when Hermione's face didn't show any shock or disgust at hearing that. In fact, a mild blush seemed to tint her cheeks. It was, of course, because she eventually wanted to introduce Hermione to her Slytherin friends, none of whom subscribed to Christian sexual mores, and for no other reason. That's all.
"So yeah," Iris said, "He just straight up walks up to Draco, starts flirting, and tells Draco he wants to… y'know… and Draco accepted!"
"What?!"
"I know! They just went back up to the boy's dorm, and then came back down an hour later, with their clothes and hair all ruffled!"
Hermione's cheeks were pink, and she was gnawing on her lip in that absolutely ador– normal, average, everyday way that Iris did not pay attention to at all.
"I-It's… it's not that, well blatant in Gryffindor Tower, at all. Danny and his crew try to stop… y'know from happening, but it definitely does, a lot. Is Draco so blatant because they're… well, you know, a Veela?"
Iris narrowed her brown in confusion
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Draco explained it to me once, he said that Veela can't actually take on a permanent lover, their magic doesn't work like that."
Hermione's eyes lit up: "Oh, what do you mean! How does that even work?"
"Well", Iris said, "Draco didn't really say, but Dante told me that Veela actually absorb the small amount of magic that mages release when they… y'know… reach… um… their 'peak'. Apparently if they have the same partner for a long time, they start rejecting the magic, and so they can't, um, enjoy… oh fine, they can't enjoy sex anymore."
"Oh." Hermione said, her blush highlighting the tiny freckles on her nose, "that's um… yeah. Uh, wait, you said 'Dante'? Who's that?"
"Oh!", Iris said, still looking down at the table in embarrassment, "Dante is another friend of mine, I can't believe I haven't mentioned him before! He's a wyvern, and Blaise's bond-mate. You know Blaise, right? She's that really smart and fantastic vampire friend that I talk about."
"Wait, 'bond-mate'? What do– WAIT DID YOU JUST SAY THAT BLAISE IS A VAMPIRE!"
Iris looked at Hermione cautiously. "I mean… yeah. I haven't mentioned that before? I know the mu– muggles have left you with a lot of nasty stereotypes, but they're all wrong, vampires are just… well, normal people."
"…really? I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that an idea that seems to be almost universally accepted in both worlds is, well… just flat out wrong."
"But that's the thing, mu– ggles were afraid of vampires and all the other races, so they started inventing all those absolutely awful stories!"
"But then why were muggles afraid of vampires in the first place! There has to be some basis!"
"Because they're magic! I mean, hello Hermione, I don't know if you've seen muds recently, but they even hate each other, just for things like skin color or language! How do you think they felt about actual, living, breathing mages walking near them?"
"…alright, I guess that makes sense. I'd appreciate you not using that word, but I know your childhood was… not pleasant, so I can forgive that. I hope I can convince you, in time, that not all muggles are like the ones who raised you."
"That's… Hermione, you don't get it, it wasn't just my r-relatives, it was everyone. I don't… no, we're…"
"Oh no Iris, I didn't mean to make you relive those memories! Let's change the subject!"
"So," she said, biting her lip "are all the things I've heard about vampires really just stereotypes? Like the Jews in Germany?"
"The who in Germany?"
"…nevermind. Do they really drink blood to live?"
"Oh, yes they do have to drink blood to survive, but it's nothing like the awful things the mu–… er, sorry, muggles show. It's actually an incredibly intimate experience for them, they really only do it to people they really care about. They can feel the emotions and feelings of the people they feed on, so they only do it to people they love."
"Is that what a 'bond mate' is? Like your friend Dante?"
"Sorta? It's more like a marriage, than anything. Dante and Blaise were raised together as children, and as soon as they reached maturity, Blaise bonded Dante to her. They're actually really cute together, you should see them!"
"Wait, they're married at our age!"
"Well, yeah, marriage works differently for vampires than it does for humans."
"But… that's just… they're too young! How on earth do they know what they want out of life! Wait, what do you mean, 'sorta'? What exactly is this bond?"
"Oh! Well, the way they explained it to me, a bond can only be formed with someone who a vampire absolutely loves and trusts, that's why vampires and their future bond-mates are raised together. The bond basically encourages and emphasizes feelings of love, trust, devotion, and protectiveness, and makes it so that the bond-mates have a spiritual connection, and can't ever leave or betray each other."
"Wait, they're… Dante was raised from birth to be this 'bond-mate' to Blaise? So she could feed off of someone who feels affection for her?"
"Well, I guess? It's kinda like having a really close friend from childhood, who you grow up to start dating. It's pretty… well, don't tell Blaise or Dante I said this, but I think it's pretty romantic, honestly. Just knowing that you'll always have someone by your side, who loves you completely, and will always take care of you…"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Iris's wistful expression.
"That's… interesting. So, does this bond do anything else?"
"Not much, I don't think. Oh! It does make the non-vampire bonded immune to anyone's allure but their bond-mate's."
Hermione's eyes narrowed further, a suspicious gleam entering them. "And what is this… allure?"
"Oh, it's like this aura that some races can project, that encourages certain feelings in people around them. Like Draco has an aura that encourages people who are attracted to them to try and impress them."
"And what exactly does a vampire's allure do?"
"It encourages the same type of stuff that the bond does: love, trust, feeling protected…"
"Iris… has Blaise ever used her allure on you?"
"Yeah, she uses it when I'm having a panic attack, and need to calm down."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "And how do you feel about that?"
"Honestly, it's… oh Merlin Hermione it's wonderful. It feels like I'm just so loved and cherished and safe, and Blaise's arms are like these big walls that can block out all the bad stuff in the world, and her voice is this soothing–… Uh, sorry, yeah. It's just… good. Really, really good."
Iris was snapped out of her daydream's by Hermione's worried expression.
"Iris…"
"Hermione, you don't think– you can't–… don't even think that! Blaise would never use her allure to try to control me! Yeah, allure can be used for bad things, but so can every piece of magic! Are you going to say that I'm some sort of sneaky traitor because I can look like other people?"
Hermione let out a great sigh, and slumped back into her chair.
"No, I suppose… I suppose you're right. There are a lot of things about the magical world I initially didn't understand, and this is probably one of them. I didn't mean to imply anything bad about Blaise, I'm certain she's a fantastic person."
"Thanks Hermione, it's just… vampires get a bad enough reputation from the government, I just… I don't want anyone insulting my friends like that."
"Please don't bring politics into this, Iris, I was just worried for you. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled. Let's let go of the subject, alright?"
"Alright."
"So, do you wanna work on Charms of Transfiguration first?"
"Actually… can we cut our study session off early? There are some… personal things I want to research."
"Alright, sure. Meet here next Saturday, as usual?"
"I'll be there Iris."
"Good. Well… bye then?"
"Goodbye, Iris."
Once Iris had turned and left, gnawing on her lip in worry, Hermione began to pack up her things. Leaving the study section, she browsed through the library's many, many shelves until she found the heading that read "Magical Creatures".
"Pixies… Saci… Shennong… Trolls… Valkyries… Ah, he we are. Vampires."
Hermione sat down to read, her face pinched up in worry for her first friend.
Three days later, Iris woke up to a fuming Dante.
What on earth…
"I fucking told you Iris, I told you they can't be trusted!"
"What? What happened?"
"Your little mudblood happened! She was handing these out in the hallway!"
Iris grabbed a leaflet out of Dante's hand, as he began taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
Join S.A.V.S.!
The Society of Advocation for Vampiric Slaves
Hogwarts students, are you aware that right at this moment, your minds are in danger?
Are you aware that at any moment, a vampire could use their dark aura to ensnare and beguile you, and turn you into their mind-controlled puppet?
Are you aware that hundreds of thousands of innocent witches and wizards are currently suffering as such puppets, magically bound to serve the will of a manipulative vampire?
Are you aware that all this psychic slavery is perfectly legal?
That's right, gentle witches and wizards, the seduction of innocent people by vampires is not a crime. Under numerous creature laws, a Vampire may use their aura to create what is called a "mate bond" with any witch or wizard they please, and turn them to their will!
The vampire first initiates the "mate bond" slavery spell by trapping the victim in their aura, which acts as a strong form of the compulsion charm, encouraging the victim to trust and obey the vampire. Then, the vampire bites the victim, sealing the "bond", and turning the victim into a lifelong mind-slave!
Their whole lives become dedicated to serving their vampiric overlords, without even a space in their minds given for thoughts of freedom. That is not an exaggeration, gentle witches and wizards, it is quite literally impossible for these slaves to wish to be free! Many even become so thoroughly brainwashed over the years that they believe they've grown to love and care for their attackers!
There are currently hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of these mind-slaves in the wizarding world, suffering in silence, forced to do whatever their masters command, but no longer!
Join the S.A.V.S. today, and help us set these poor souls free!
If interested, contact Hermione Granger, First Year, Gryffindor House.
Iris was stunned.
Hermione did this? Her Hermione?
Her Hermione, whose eyes lit up whenever she learned a new fact about the magical world, who seemed to value her magic over the very air she breathed?
She was responsible for this bigoted vitriol?
"…Well, Iris? I told you."
"N-no, this can't… I mean, I explained to her… How could…"
"Iris", Dante said, letting out a pained sigh "this isn't your fault. You tried your best to wash off the mud from her, but her heritage shone through. You made a valiant effort, and no one can blame you for that."
Iris turned to look at Dante in shock.
"No one? No one? Dante, you should hate me right now! I was the one who defended Hermione, I was the one who kept saying she could change! I was the one who told her about bond-mates! And now look, she'll probably have the whole school set on you, because of me!"
"Honestly Iris, it's not nearly as bad as you're thinking."
"What, how can you say that!"
"Just look around at the common room. Do you see anyone else angry?"
"…No? Wait, why not! This is awful!"
"Iris, you don't get it, this always happens. Almost every month after the first, some mudblood or another tries to stir up a racket over the 'backwards' and 'barbaric' parts of the magical world that their little muddy minds can't tolerate, and starts shouting in the halls about it. Usually, one non-sorcerer race or another gets targeted."
"Honestly, Iris, she's a first-year. More than that, she's a lonely, unpopular first year. Most people in the school probably haven't even seen this pamphlet, and probably never will. Sure, some of our Gryffindor year-mates might make a fuss, but that'll probably blow over in a week or two."
"But still…"
"Iris, c'mon. We get this shit every day, don't worry about it. It isn't shocking that she'd say this. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I should have controlled my temper better, it's just reading this…"
Iris wrapped Dante in a tight hug.
"Dante, trust me, I know. Well, not all of it, but I can sympathize. Do you want me to get Blaise to calm you down?"
Dante chuckled.
"Nah, I think you're doing a pretty good job of that on your own. I think I can see why Blaise is so fond of hugging you, you really are fantastic at it."
Iris blushed.
"No, seriously, this is first-rate cuddling! Maybe I should rent you out, have a pet Iris for sale? Well, the 'pet Iris' part would certainly fit with Blaise's plans, so she wouldn't mind…"
Oh Morgana, she almost forgot Dante could flirt.
"Relax Iris," he said, rolling his eyes, "I'm just fucking with you, I'm not Blaise. But seriously, what are you going to do about Granger? I know you well enough to know you aren't going to take this well.
Iris snorted.
"Fuck yeah I'm not going to take this well. Did you even see what she was writing! Merlin, it's like she doesn't even consider you a person!"
"I'm going to find Hermione outside of a class, and we are going to talk. She's got to have a pretty fucking good explanation for all of this… muddiness."
"Oh Iris, yes! I love it when a woman wants to fight for me!"
Aaaaand she was back to blushing.
Unfortunately, Iris wasn't able to pull Hermione aside until the very end of the day, after dinner in the Great Hall.
As Iris stalked towards a nervous-looking Hermione, her hair and face gradually began to turn a deep, flaming orange.
"We need to talk."
"Iris…"
"Now."
Iris dragged Hermione into an abandoned classroom, near the room where she'd had her confrontation with Danny on the night of the Sorting Feast. Once the door was shut, Iris turned her furious gaze on her former friend, and held up the pamphlet.
"Explain this."
"Um, well… I mean Iris, those are all facts. I saw that the wizarding world was just ignoring slavery right under their noses, and I had to act… I know you think you're friends with–"
"Facts, facts?! You call this shit facts? I can't believe you Hermione! I trusted you, I thought you'd be able to understand! I–"
"Oh Iris, can't you see what she's done to you!"
Iris stopped dead, fixing Hermione with a confused look.
"What? Who's done what to me?"
"That vampire Zabini! She has you in her thrall, she's trying to turn you into another bonded slave, just like that poor Dante!"
"That's not… what!?"
"Oh come on Iris, be logical about this! You've grown very close to your Slytherin friends in only a few months. For God's sake, you're letting Blaise cast some sort of mind-control spell on you, and you don't even see the problem with it!"
As Hermione's tone gradually raised during the speech, her face flushing with anger, Iris decided she'd had enough.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Hermione! I'm friends with Blaise because she's a nice person, not because of any weird mind control! And she uses her allure to calm me down, not to entrap me! for Merlin's sake, I'd have had a panic attack in the middle of the fucking Sorting Feast if it wasn't for her!"
"See, right there! You said 'Merlin's sake'! God Iris, you're even starting to talk like them! You grew up with muggles, but a few weeks into school, you're spouting off about 'muds' and 'mages' because of her!"
"I use those terms because they make sense Hermione, because they reflect my life experiences! All the fucking disgusting excuses for sentient beings on Privet Drive were muds, and so that's why I say it!"
"No, Iris, that's her talking! I talked with your brother, he's worried too! He said you were really different over the summer, but as soon as you met Zabini, you totally changed as a person!"
"I was fucking hiding who I was as a person, Hermione, because I was afraid James and his fucking brood would send me back to the Dursleys! Do you really trust Danny's word over mine? You saw him in Defense, he's a fucking psycho, and James is exactly like him! Do you think I liked laughing at every stupid, idiotic 'prank' James played, or liked hearing about how wonderful and strong and fantastic my brother is?"
"Fine Iris, even if we accept that you managed to fool an Auror Captain and experienced politician with fake behavior the entire summer, how do you explain your sudden interest in dark magic, and friendships with magical creatures?"
"What the fuck, when have I ever said anything about Dark Magic?"
"All creature magic is classified as Dark Magic, Iris! Surprise! Your oh-so-perfect Blaise's 'allure' is actually a dark mind control spell, that she's been continually casting on you for as long as you've known her! Do you want to end up like Dante: a broken toy, only fit to be his mistresses' bloodbag?"
"Fuck you Hermione, I'd be honored to have what Blaise and Dante share, it's absolutely beautiful! They love each other; Blaise would die before hurting him!"
"I know that's what she tells you Iris, but it's a lie. Every single book on vampires I've read from the library backs up what I'm saying!"
"And who put those books there? Fucking Dumbledore! No wonder they're so biased!"
"The Headmaster is a brilliant wizard, he would never censor the facts like that! For God's sake, now you're starting to sound like some crazy conspiracy theorist! What's next, aliens killed princess Diana? This isn't about politics, Iris, this is about getting you out of the sway of that Dark Creature!"
"You fucking mudblood! You're all the same, you try to stamp out anything different, because you can't tolerate it! They were all right about you! I defended you to them Hermione, but they were fucking right!"
"Don't call me that Iris, you're not that type of person! They told you to stay away from me! Can't you see this is exactly what I'm talking about, they want to isolate you off from everyone else, so you can't be saved?"
"What, and you're going to 'save' me? Fuck you!"
"Iris, I just… ugh!"
And suddenly, Hermione was kissing her.
And Iris was kissing back.
Oh Merlin, how had they never done this before? She could feel where Hermione's lips were chapped from that adorable way she'd nibble on them, and–… and…
WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON.
Iris pushed Hermione back, face and hair crimson.
"I'm… Oh, Iris, I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do! I really like you, and I know you like me back, because I see you just looking at me all the time, and I thought that maybe if I showed you someone else could like you, you'd be able to break out of Zabini's thrall! I thought that all those legends about the pretty girl waking up with true love's kiss were based on something! Oh God, I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to just do it like that, I was planning to ask you out properly after the Winter Break, but I was just so angry that you were defending her, because she was just stealing you away from me, and from your family, and from–"
Hermione was speaking, but Iris couldn't hear it.
Hermione had kissed her.
Hermione had kissed her.
…
And she'd liked it.
She liked it.
She wasn't…
Was she…
Was she really… not straight?
No, she couldn't…
Wait.
Why… why was she so against the idea?
…
…
Fucking Dursleys!
Her eyes opened, Iris began to look back on all her past interactions in the magical world, that could have been the signs of an attraction to girls.
Collapsing in Blaise's arms during the sorting feast.
Blaise hugging her when she flashed back to Privet Drive.
Blaise rubbing calming circles on the back of her hand.
The incident with Blaise, Draco, and Dante on the bed.
Blaise spending the night in her bed, just holding her.
Blaise…
…
Oh shit.
Iris had a crush on Blaise Zabini.
A huge, massive crush.
On Blaise, "I flirt with everyone, but am already bonded" Zabini.
And Hermione—sweet, beautiful Hermione—was jealous.
Fuck, she had a crush on Hermione too, didn't she?
Barley managing to hold herself together, Iris rushed past Hermione, stumbling into the hallway. She was seconds away from a panic attack, but she managed to turn back to a still-shocked Hermione, and snarl out one last reply.
"S-Stay the f-fuck away from me, mudblood. You have no fucking idea who I am."
This was just too much.
Shaking, she entered the Slytherin common room, and brushed off her friends.
She needed to think.
She needed to be calm.
She needed to be safe.
She needed… fuck, she needed Blaise.
Collapsing into her bed, Iris decided that if she stayed awake for a moment longer, she might have some other earth-shattering revelation, and promptly passed out.
AN: Uh… sorry?
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Title comes from "Goodbye to Love" by Carpenters. Or, if you prefer a cover, by American Music Club.
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Fanfic Recommendation is The Flamel Experiments by andrescutieri. It has an absolutely fascinating AU, time travel angst, and most of all, realistic poly shipping! It's HP/HG/GW/DG, and it's an actual poly relationship, not some he-man harem! It's more dark and smutty than light and fluffy, so I figured it would be perfect for this chapter.
