A/N: The Harry Potter books, world and characters belong to JKR. I take no credit for any repeated quote or event from the original source.

Bad Faith

Chapter 5

Nefeli was feeling incredibly sorry for Iris.

They had just finished the first day of school and the girl was already hiding under her bead cover's. Not that she could blame her. Even she had felt unease when every single person and portrait had started at her as they started to whisper with each other. Amber, the amazing feline that she was, purred from inside the blankets as Iris -most likely- stroked her fur.

"Iris, you do know you can't hide there forever, don't you?" Nefeli called out, receiving no response from the girl.

"We have potions tomorrow, you don't want to get on Snape's bad side right?" She continued asking as some moving sound came from the bed.

Surprisingly, Snape had been civil towards Iris, not having asked her any questions and instead, having immediately gone towards 'teaching'. That alone didn't change the fact that Iris was still terrified of him.

For the most part, Nefeli had been helping Iris adjust at Hogwarts, helping her out in class whenever she needed it. In all her planning and studying, she hadn't thought of the possibility of being bored in class. That's how bad things had gotten, I whet from either helping Iris to self studying by myself.

Letting out a sigh, she when back to reading the letter Iruk had sent her this morning. It would be her first step for her economical empire In the magical world, so she was being incredibly careful as to how she handled it.

She would be constructing from scratch a complete shopping district. Shed already arranged the basic diagram, and was now working out the price that it would cost to even build the whole thing. Since, unbeknown to most, she was Lady Black, the highest authority - and pretty much the only authority - of the family, she could do anything she wanted with her land. Of course, Diagon ally would be a huge amount of competition, but it had been the only district - not including Knockturn ally - for all of Britain history, a little bit of competition would do wonders for the economy. Or mine, but meh.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a gentle tug on her sleeve. She turned around to see Iris, who was looking incredibly awkwardly at her.

"C-Could you read through?" She whispered nervously as she showing Nefeli her potion essay.

Leaving the folder on her desk she started reading through the potion essay, pointing out bits and pieces that she could use to improve her work. While never having taught, her teacher had been at the level that it was good enough that she could simply imitate him to teach Iris. But the end of the year shed be finishing second year material.

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Day's quickly became weeks as time passed. She couldn't help but want to jump in excitement whenever she started a new subject, some being exactly like the books, while some others being massively underrated, particular Herbology and Astronomy. Defence was the joke they had built it to be, but Nefeli was still careful whenever she was close to Quirrell.

The only other problem was Iris herself. The girl was quickly driving Nefeli crazy. The girl was shy when she was alone with her, but she did speak. The problem was that she froze and hid behind her whenever someone tried speaking to her, which granted, may have been half the problem. Weasley's attempt had been less of a 'I wondered if we could be friends?' and more of 'You will be friends with me', which added to the fact he had shouted at her the first time they met hadn't left her with a positive opinion. Draco had... well, he'd been himself, no need to specify.

Thought there where some few people that she wasn't completely terrified, which was progress in her books, even if she had yet to speak to anyone that wasn't Nefeli.

"Something wrong, Iris?" She asked curiously as the girl read the letter.

"No. Hagrid invited me for tee." She said softly as she looked up.

"Oh? Mind if I accompany you?" Nefeli asked, realising that it was probably what Iris wanted. If Iris nod was any clue, she was right.

Surprisingly, it was Iris who lead her towards Hagrid's house. A surprisingly comfy looking wooden house with a slight spherical style, slightly distanced from the forbidden forest with a crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

Holly reached out, having to starch on her tip toes as she knocked on the door. Within a blink she disappeared behind Nefeli as several barks and scrabbling noises came from within the hut.

A voice that she guessed was Hagrid's was telling Fang of from within before he opened the door.

"Hang on. Back, Fang." He said as he let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. Any progress that had been made on Iris's independence as they walked downed had been lost.

"Make yourselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Nefeli and started licking her face. Lucky for him, she had always loved animals, so she could let that one slip.

"This is Nefeli." Iris said quietly to Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. The man tenses slightly but said nothing, introducing himself to the girl kindly. At least he didn't immediately assume she was a death eater, which was much more than most did.

The cakes where an experience from childhood. They where quite literally rock cakes, and she would happily admit that she enjoyed eating them even if they had hurt a little bit.

Unsurprisingly, the subject of the conversation soon went to academics. Say what you would about the man but he knew what he was talking about when it came to magical creatures. Any weariness he had having disappeared as they talked of the many magical creatures he had met over his years as Gatekeeper.

"There's Peryton's in the forbidden forest?" Nefeli asked in amazement as Hagrid nodded.

"Yeah, surprised me a great deal when I found them as well." He explained cheerfully as Iris listened to they conversation as she nibbled on the rock cake.

The books didn't do this world justice. There hadn't been any magical creature books in the Malfoy library, so the few books she had gotten her hands on where OWL and NEWT one's that only went through the common ones. In other words? Most of the ones she was interested in.

By the time they left Iris was half asleep, slightly falling before waking up and straightening herself before the same thing happened again. That being said Nefeli couldn't help but feel pride at the girl, who had hardly been the terrified girl she usually was at school.

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"Ms Malfoy, may I have a word in private?" Professor Snape asked as the class swiftly packed they books. Iris was the only one that was unsure weather she should leave or stay.

"Would you mind waiting outside, Iris?" Nefeli asked the girl who nodded nervously as she left the classroom, closing the door quietly.

"She wasn't what I expected." The professor finally stated, in a tone barely above a whisper as Nefeli nodded in understanding.

"She never really met her parent's, and the fact that she hasn't said a word about her life before school speaks for itself." She commented.

Professor Snape looked at her analytically, much the same way as he usually did whenever they spoke. Not that it surprised her, she wasn't exactly a normal eleven year old.

"I have yet to figure out how you do it." He commented thoughtfully before shaking his head lightly. "None the less, that wasn't why I asked you to stay." He explained as he stood.

"Very few student's at this school show any talent in the arts of potion making. Even fewer manage to impress me. You managed to achieve both at the mere age of three." He said as he looked at the potion cabinets, in a manner as if he where talking to himself rather than towards her. She couldn't help but think that the books simply did not do him justice. His talent in dramatics where almost admirable.

"Every two or three years, I find a student that is worthy of my time. The work you have to do is clearly beneath your talent, as such, I am willing to spare you my own time to give you more advance work. If you prove capable of coping with it, I wouldn't be surprise that you become a Potion Mistress by the start of your seventh year." He said as he sat back down, looking at her intensively.

Nefeli blinked in surprise, not having expected Professor Snape out of all the teachers to allow her to start working on more advanced work. Then again, it was probably either Dumbledore or her own surname which could be a reason behind that problem.

"I have a indirectly related question, and a completely unrelated question that I was hoping you could answer before I give you my decision." She finally commented as she sat down on one of the desks. A brief flash of surprise flashed through the mans eyes, but quickly disappeared as he nodded for her to continue.

"I'll ask the unrelated one first. What side are you on? Or more precisely, what is your overall objective?" She asked, leaning forward as the man raised his eyebrow at the question.

"I don't understand what you mean with that question." He said.

"The blood war, Dumbledore, Voldemort and Iris. What is you position in it? That's what I want to know." She explained.

"Why don't you enlighten me with your own theory?" He said after a moment of thoughtfulness.

"I already know the basic outline of you Hogwarts years, so Ill skip directly after your graduation." She stated. "You are a former Death Eater, if my guess is correct, highly likely the only one that didn't do the marking ritual but was a member of his inner circle." She continued as the Professor betrayed no emotion. She would have to be careful what she said after that. It had to come from a logical conclusion, rather than prior knowledge.

"October 31st, 1981." She said before leaving a thoughtful gap as she considered her wording. "I find it highly unlikely that any Dark Lord would be defeated by a one year old, no matter how powerful that one year old has become." She finally commented.

And it was true, Iris was incredibly powerful, the fact that she could keep up with Nefeli was proof to that.

The reason a child under the age of eleven wasn't given a wand was because they magic was unstable, growing at a rapid rate much like they body did. A child's growth depends at a much greater scale on nutrients, exercise, sleep and what not at a much greater scale than that of an adult. The same could be said about magic, using it under the age of eleven made it grow slightly more than what it would have without. Riddle, for example, was incredibly powerful since he used wandless magic practically the whole time. She herself was probably more powerful than what Riddle had been at eleven because she had used magic as an extension of her own body since the day she had been born. Worryingly enough, Iris had used magic subconsciously since her parents death, and if Nefeli was correct, it was so powerful because of the shear number of times she had used it for her body to survive, thought she hoped that last part was wrong.

"You are asking me weather I am Dumbledore spy or the Dark Lords?" The potion master finally asked.

"No." She stated simply as a small smile formed on her lips. "I know you don't support either, and I can pretty much guess when and why you left the Death Eaters." She said as the Professor inhaled sharply.

"I guess I'll return to that question and ask you my second one. What is your opinion on Iris?" She asked as the Potion master eyed her strangely. Not that she blamed him. If she wanted to she could have him killed with that knowledge.

"As I said, she was not what I expected." He commented thoughtfully, sighing when Nefeli didn't say anything. "She's quiet, terrified of everything, merlin's sake, she's more terrified of her own shadow than Longbottom is of his." He finally admitted as Nefeli nodded in agreement.

"And her potion skills?" She asked as the potion master raised his eyebrow.

"Adequate." He finally admitted, which coming from the man meant that there was a lot of potential.

"And as someone that has only know about the magical world for less than three moths?" She asked as he now blinked in surprise.

"Mildly impressive, but not enough for me to teach her a one on one lesson." He said, realising where she was going with the conversation.

"And if I not only tutored her, but let her listen to my lessons at the back of the class?" She asked as the man now looked at her in complete surprise.

He seemed to consider the proposition carefully. The only side she had seen of him through the first five books was a bully with an old grudge. However the Snape she had grown to know was a Slytherin through and through, considering every option rather than the 'book' Snape that acted like a Gryffindor… Her mother was rubbing of her.

"I would allow it. However I now have my own question. Why?"

Her lips twitched in amusement. He had just bitten the bate, and now it was up to her to word It in a way that would bring him to her side, or at least start to. Grudge or not against James Potter, Severus Snape would be one of the keys to protecting Iris.

"Which brings me back to the previous part. Voldemort." She said as he indicated for her to continue. "Simply put?" She asked rhetorically as she spreader her arms in a questioning gesture. "I think that it's ludicrous to say that he's dead. I've seen that mark once, and while not something that I'm proficient with, I do know that it involves soul magic. My guess is that two of the members of the golden generation sacrificed themselves, using a ritual to protect they child, which severally weekend him." As he raised an eyebrow she let out a sigh. "The Potter's a an ancient and noble house, I wouldn't be surprise if they had a long list of old magic in they library. And contrarily to what Lucius seems to believe, I know that Iris's mother was the best the generation had to offer.

The room was filled with silence as the man thought on what Nefeli had just told him before he let out an amused snort.

"How did you not end up in my house?" He asked as Nefeli smiled in amusement.

"I was smart enough to know that going into the house of snakes would have not only labelled me as dark, but also made it much easier to be manipulated. As it is, I'm a snake in a nest covered with feathers." She said as his lip twitched.

"Would you be able to tutor her?" He asked as she nodded immediately.

"I'm already am. She's about a moth or so ahead from the rest of her year."

"How far ahead are you anyway?" He asked with actual curiosity.

"On average? I could take all my OWL'S and pass with full marks. I would probably pass Charms, Defence, Potions, Arimathy…" She stopped for a second as a thoughtful look crossed her features. "And... probably Ancient Ruins with a low Outstanding to a high Exceed expectations." She said proudly as the mans eyes actually widened.

"And you don't find your lessons boring?" He asked curiously.

"Actually, they are the perfect time to plot and develop my Occlumency skills." She said with a smirk.

And to her shock, he actually laughed. And it wasn't creepy?!

"Very well, tell Ms Potter that I will expect the utmost effort from her. The lessons will be each Saturday, from five to nine." He said in a still very amused tone as she nodded.

"Thank you, Professor."

"Unnecessary, I am doing what any self respecting Slytherin would. I will arrange for Ms Clearwater to bring a list of ingredients and books for you. You a dismissed."

Nodding, she left the classroom, where a nervous Iris was hiding next to a pillar. Relief washing over her face when she saw her walking out of the classroom.

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"You what?" Iris squeaked, possibly in the loudest tone Nefeli had ever heard her used. Even then it was quiet a quite tone.

"I was offered to work ahead, and I got you into it." She explained vaguely as she read through a small booklet on her financing before righting down some few basic calculations.

"B-But I don't want to have special treatment!" She whispered worryingly as Nefeli put her quill down, letting out a sigh as she indicated for Iris to sit down.

"Listen Iris, this isn't special treatment. Professor Snape would had shot it down immediately had I not said I would tutor you, and even then he only agreed to do so because well be doing so together." She explained as Iris looked tempted at the offer. "Also, the are few people that get a mastery, and those that do almost always a chosen above those that don't. I know you hate being in the middle of the attention Iris, but think where you'll be in ten years. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, not to mention I know that you do genuinely enjoy Potions." She pointed out as Iris nodded slowly.

"I suppose your right." She admitted as Nefeli smiled brightly.

Step one, complete.