Going Back

Dominique watched her aunt as she sipped her tea, waiting for her reaction to the news.

"You really think this professor will have information about us?" the older woman asked, trying not to look too hopeful.

"Well, that's what we are hoping for," Dominique said. "Honestly, if he doesn't know anything helpful, I'm not sure the information exists. We've been looking through the archives for a few months now and this is the first substantial lead we've had." Iris nodded.

"Well I suppose all we can do is try to find and him and hope," she replied. "If it's not much trouble, I'd like to go with you when you find him." Dominique was a bit taken aback.

"Of course," she said. Iris smiled.

"It's nice to get a bit of a good news," she said. Dominique took a deep breath.

"I was wondering… you never really told me how you started to feel Harry," Dominique said. "He was the first – after Lily – right?" Iris nodded.

"I could always feel Lily, but for whatever reason, Harry didn't come until later. Maybe I was too young before," she said.

"Do you mind telling me about it?" Dominique asked. Iris smiled.

"I can show you," she said. Dominique nodded and closed her eyes.

A teen-aged Iris stood in a dingy room looking out a dirty window with tattered curtains. Dominique resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose at the tiny flat, remembering that her aunt was only about 15 or 16 and it was probably the best she could afford. She was watching the people on the street down below, her hair now reaching her shoulders. A chemistry set was on a table nearby that looked as though it would collapse at any moment under the wait.

It was about midday, Dom guessed, judging from the light that filtered in through the window. Iris was playing with the collar of her shirt, her head tilted to one side. Suddenly she gasped and clutched her chest, her eyes going wide as she appeared to be somewhere else for a moment. Just as soon as it started, she was back, panting slightly. She looked to the floor, confusion written on her face.

"Harry?" she whispered. She looked around the room, as though she were looking for something that wasn't there. She then walked over and sat on the bed, stunned. "Harry, was that you?" A determined look came over her face as she stood and closed her eyes.

They were suddenly transported somewhere else. A normal, rather mundane muggle neighborhood. Iris was standing in front of a house, staring at it. She quickly walked back towards the back gate before anyone could notice her. Dominique followed as the the sound of voices grew louder. Iris looked around and then quietly opened the gate, stepping into the yard. Dominique couldn't help but think it was rather reckless of her.

Iris crept around the corner of the house, hiding behind some bushes. She gasped quietly, her hand flying to her mouth as a tear streaked down her cheek.

"Harry," she whispered again. Dominique crept around behind her and looked into the backyard. A small boy with dark, unruly hair and broken glasses was busy trying to rake leaves into a pile.

"When you're done with that, you can come in and do the hoovering," a tall, stern woman said. Iris' eyes flickered to her as she froze. Dominique realized this must be the first time since she was much younger that Iris had seen her older sister. The two looked absolutely nothing alike. The woman walked inside, leaving the small boy to continue struggling with the garden instrument. Iris started to stand, as though she were going to step out of the bushes. But then she stopped and shook her head. More tears streamed down her cheeks and she started to back away. She covered her mouth as though she needed to hold in her sobs and quietly disappeared.

Dominique blinked and looked at her aunt.

"What were you thinking?" Dominique asked. It wasn't judgment, more so she wanted to understand what was going through her aunt's mind at the time.

"I was thinking that I wanted to take him away with me. Away from that. The desire to rescue him only grew stronger the more I watched him. But… I knew that I could not," she said. "It would be too dangerous. Not to mention, I was still very much a child myself. And… I had no clue if he even knew who I was. I didn't expect Petunia to mention me or if she did, she most likely would have told him that I was dead."

Dominique sat quietly contemplating. She couldn't imagine what her aunt must have been feeling in that moment.

"I felt rather helpless," Iris said. "I could feel everything he was feeling and I was powerless to do anything about it."

"You could feel everything, from a distance?" Dominique asked.

"Yes and no. It wasn't constant. And it's strongest when nearby. But if I concentrated, I could," she said. "It seems Jamie and Daisy can only feel from a distance when danger is nearby."

"I suppose Daisy told you that she felt John," Dominique said. Iris nodded.

"And that she's moving in with him," she replied with a frown. "Still not sure how I feel about that."

"She said that she hopes it'll make it stronger," Dominique said.

"If only it did work that way," Iris said with a sigh.

"It doesn't?"

"Not sure how it works, to be honest, but I think it's a bit more than just being close to someone," Iris said. She frowned again.

"What's wrong, Aunt Iris?" Dominique asked softly. The older woman looked up at her.

"I'm worried," she said. "About Daisy. She's… too much like me. Struggling to control it. Everytime she gets angry or upset, things explode. I'm worried that she may… that…"

"You're worried that she'll go into a coma like you," Dominique said. Iris nodded.

"Or that she'll hurt someone or herself. Well… it won't let her get hurt, but… I know Daisy. She won't be able to live with herself if she hurts someone," she said.

"It's just been some glass and a television. I doubt it could be that serious," Dominique said. Iris studied her for a moment.

"Let me… let me show you something," she said. Dominique furrowed her brow, but nodded, closing her eyes.

She was standing in a muggle pub. A young Iris, perhaps around 19 or 20 - Daisy's age - stood at the bar, shyly talking to a young man about the same age. Her hair was short again. Dominique stepped over towards them so she could better hear the conversation.

"So, you enjoy working in the coffee shop?" the man asked. Iris nodded and smiled.

"It's not much, but it pays the bills," she said before taking a drink of her beer. "You get to see all sorts of interesting people."

"What sorts?" the man asked, leaning closer to her.

"Well… there's the wannabe writers who come in with their notebooks and pencils, scratching away for hours after ordering just one coffee," she said. "And then the couples on first dates, nervously talking and twittering about. The businessmen who come in to get their morning coffee before work…"

"The university students studying for their exams?" he asked. Iris laughed and nodded.

"I enjoy people watching," she said. "Sometimes I imagine who they are and what their lives are like." The man looked around a moment and then pointed at a couple sitting at a table in front of the window.

"What about them?" he asked. Iris looked over and studied them a moment.

"First date. He suggested the pub so he could get some liquid courage. She's wondering how long she has to wait before it's socially acceptable to make an excuse to leave," she said, looking back at the man. Dominique suspected that it wasn't just guessing. Rather her aunt had most likely read his mind. The man laughed and looked at the couple.

"Suppose so. Poor bloke looks like he's about to cut and run himself," he commented. "What about them?" Iris looked over at a table of rowdy men in the corner.

"Businessmen reliving their glory days. They had a rugby game earlier and won so are now out celebrating and convincing themselves that they still have it," she said casually. She locked eyes with one and quickly looked back at the man at her side. He laughed.

"You have an interesting mind, Jenny. Ever think of being a writer?" he asked, tucking a curl behind her ear. Iris shrugged and smiled shyly.

"Not sure I have any interesting stories worth telling," she said, her eyes flashing. A confused look came over the man's face. "What?" she asked, straightening.

"Oh nothing. Must be the lights or the alcohol playing tricks on me. Could have sworn your eyes just flashed," he said with a laugh. Iris blinked and laughed with him, though a bit nervously.

"Must be," she said. She then suddenly went a bit rigid, as though she was expecting something.

"Excuse me miss, but could I tempt you to join us by offering a drink," a man slurred slightly as he stepped in between the two. It was the man she had temporarily locked eyes with earlier.

"Excuse me," the younger man said, looking up at him. The older man turned and smiled down at him.

"Sorry, mate, you snooze, you lose," he said with a sloppy grin. He then turned back to Iris. "Whaddaya say?"

"I'm… no thanks," she said, smiling nervously and trying to back away.

"She's here with me," the younger man said.

"Come on, love, I saw you lookin' at us all longingly," the man said, stepping closer to her.

"I'm afraid you were mistaken," Iris said, furrowing her brow as she continued to try and back away. She ran into another couple and turned to apologize. The man took the opportunity to grab her arm and attempt to lead her over to the table.

"C'mon, just a drink," he said. Iris froze a moment, her eyes wide, before she started to try to pull her arm free.

"Let her go, she doesn't want to go with you," the younger man said, trying to grab the man.

"I don't hear her complainin'," the man said with a grin.

"Please… let me go," Iris said, her voice starting to sound frantic. She looked around wildly, noting that the pub was rather crowded, which only seemed to add to her distress. She tried harder to extract herself from the drunk man.

"Look, mate, I think the lady would like you to let her go," the younger man said, grabbing a hold of his other arm.

"Leggo of me!" the man shouted, seeming to strengthen his grip on Iris, who was looking around more and more frantically.

"Please, just let me go," she cried, her eyes starting to fill with tears. The glasses on the bar were starting to shake. The fire in the fireplace started to spark and grow. "Really! Please!"

Most of the people in the pub seemed more concerned with what was going on with the two men and Iris than what was happening in the fireplace. Dominique forgot for a moment that she was in a memory and started to reach for her wand in her pocket to put the fire out before it grew too large and engulfed the entire building.

A crowd had formed around the two men and Iris had grown increasingly more panicked. She had finally managed to pull her arm out of the man's grip but it was too late. She was breathing heavily and looking around for an exit, her eyes wide, but she couldn't manage to get through the people.

"Are you alright?" a man said, trying to pull her out of the crowd to a quiet corner. She jumped when he touched her and yelped. At that moment, the fire roared and spread from the fireplace, quickly engulfing the wall. Screams rose as everyone began to run towards the door. Iris looked around frantically, seeming as though she couldn't breath. She backed into a corner as people seemed to forget she was there. She closed her eyes and quietly disappeared.

They were then standing on the street, looking as people poured out of the pub and the distant sound of sirens pierced the air. Iris stood gasping for air from where she stood at the entrance of an alley across the street.

"Jenny!" someone yelled. The young man from earlier was running through the crowd. "Someone! There's a young woman still inside!" He started to run back to the door, but was knocked to the ground as the front window exploded and a rush of flames flew out. Iris jumped and stepped back into the alley.

"Henry? Where's Henry?" one of the businessmen shouted. Iris quickly shook her head and then disappeared.

Dominique felt like all this popping around places was going to give her a headache. She watched as Iris frantically packed everything into a worn suitcase, objects zipping around the room at a rapid pace. Dominique had to duck a few times even though she knew b. Iris was staring into a mirror, quickly cleaning the soot from her face with a cloth. She then stopped and stared at herself a moment before she smoothly transformed. Her red curls lengthened into long, straight brown locks and her eyes changed into a muddy brown. Her petite and sharp features rounded out as her face plumpened slightly. Once finished, she looked nothing like Iris Evans and was as non-descript as one could be. She turned and shut the suitcase, locked it and then picked it up. Looking around the room, she then closed her eyes and disappeared.

Dominique gasped slightly as she opened her eyes, the intensity of this latest memory a bit more than the earlier ones. She looked over at Iris, who was wiping her cheeks.

"A man nearly died in the fire," she said softly. "Of course the young man, Roger, he thought I had as well and I thought it best to let it stay that way. I never went back to that town again."

"Do you think… is Daisy that dangerous?" Dominique asked quietly, concern filling her blue eyes.

"I don't know… I hope not," Iris said, frowning. "But I do worry."

"Has Daisy seen this memory?" she asked.

"No… I try not to show her too much. I don't want her to become even more worried and unstable," she said. "Jamie and Alan try to keep her calm, but she puts so much pressure on herself."

For the first time, Dominique realized just how difficult things were for Daisy. She had to admit, part of her had always been slightly jealous of her cousin. She had always been popular - without even trying - and it had always seemed that things came easy to her. People always followed her - even during their Hogwarts days.

"Not everything comes easy to her. She works hard," Iris said. "She pushes herself hard. Too hard sometimes. Always has. And this… I worry this might just break her." Dominique looked down at the tea that had now long gone cold.

"Don't worry, Aunt Iris," she said, looking up. "We won't let that happen." Iris smiled.

"She's going to need us more than ever," Iris said softly.

"Isn't that what family is for?" Dominique asked, smiling.

"I suppose so. Sometimes I still forget," she said.

"I'll make sure you don't anymore and she doesn't either."

And another chapter! Been trying to get as much work on this as I can. ^_^ I've got some scenes written in book 7, but still haven't quite figured out the entire plot, which I should probably work on... I know what happens in the end, but I'm going back and forth on something and still trying to figure out exactly how to get there... Ah, the woes of a writer...

twilightlover427: Yea, it was a leftover idea from the original plotline that I decided to keep. It made more sense there (they had been together a few years and it was a natural step in the relationship). And it makes sense here as well. She's still a bit unsure as to who she felt or how the whole connection thing works - which are some questions that will get answered later on. So she thinks that if she moves in with him, it'll make it stronger or at the very least, let her know if it was in fact him. Not to mention, she really does want to get away from Remus a bit. He has a super asshole moment coming up that I'm toying with changing, just because it's really bad and I feel like a horrible person writing it... It'll still be an asshole moment, but a little less so.

AleenaBean: I'm glad that you're enjoying them! It's been a labor of love. Haha, I feel you. It seems with every story, the teams change a bit and even I have trouble keeping up with them and change my mind constantly.

As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!