My name is not JK Rowling; I don't own Harry Potter, although I enjoy playing around in her sandbox. However, any grammar issues are from Grammarly and my own.

Iris smiled as the two girls stopped at the Grimmauld Place front parlor's doorway. Besides being beautiful, in her humble opinion, it was the second largest room in the house and a showplace for the Black family. Among the comfortable couches were antiques and numerous decorative items that symbolized the high status of the house.

There was also plenty of room for the girls to have a quiet conversation and finish their homework. Although the two paintings on the far wall, all former heads of House Black, didn't make the two girls feel particularly welcomed.

After a few seconds, Hermione finally stepped into the room, nervously dragging Ginny behind her.

"Have a seat; there's plenty of room." Iris motioned to the two girls as she closed one of the books the Tonks had gifted her.

"Is that a healer's book?" Ginny asked. "Olivia, one of the seventh years, always has one on her."

Hermione frowned. "I thought you wanted to be an Auror, Iris?"

The former 'Girl-Who-Lived' shrugged. "Can't say I am enthusiastic about chasing after Dark Lords for the rest of my life. Plus, Nimmy keeps complaining about the paperwork."

The nickname brought smiles to both girls' faces, and then it became uncomfortably quiet.

For her part, Iris was a bit apprehensive. Hopefully, she could pass off any inconsistencies to the Dementor visit. The whole pretending to someone else could go terribly pear-shaped in the next few minutes. Sadly, for the girls, their friend was actually gone, so explaining the truth to the two teenagers without a vow would be inadvisable; even having them take one wasn't a good idea.

"You're angry with me," Hermione finally said.

The former 'Girl Who Lived' laughed dryly. "And why would I be angry?"

"Because we didn't write to you, but you have to understand, Dumbledore was worried that if we sent you letters, Death Eaters could find you." The bushy-haired witch looked contrite as she explained.

Iris didn't even bother not to roll her eyes; Dumbledore indeed. "I have been told numerous adults were watching me during the summer hols. Did anyone think about tagging along? Or maybe have them pass me a note? As for Death Eaters finding me by following an owl. I don't know, Hermione; how about picking up a phone or posting something? I do check the letterbox."

"Here Here!" One of the paintings called out, which caused Ginny to snort.

Hermione looked back, holding back an angry retort, and sighed. "You're right."

"And goodness knows, it's not like we don't have a history of not following directions. But now was the time you listened?"

Iris nodded as both girls cringed.

"Sadly, it didn't matter. My address wasn't a secret because of what happened during my third year. Now, I don't know why someone sent Dementors to kill me. Thankfully, they did because it could have easily been a group of wizards to burn down Privet Drive."

She continued raising her voice a little, but the disgust was obvious. "Worst of all, you don't think I might have wanted to speak to someone after watching one of our classmates murdered or being forced into a ritual that brought back the person who killed my parents?"

As she watched Hermione hold back a sob, Iris admitted that maybe she was being a bit unfair. They were still children, but this isolation could have easily broken her doppelganger. Plus, she sure as hell would have spit in Dumbledore's face if something like this had happened to Luna, and he told her to stay away.

"Well, now you know my thoughts. I am not angry as much as disappointed, considering what the two of us have gone through. And I don't know why the headmaster kept me isolated this summer, but it wasn't to keep me safe."

"Ron, don't you come in here covered in food!" Ginny suddenly screamed, which caused both girls to jump.

The redhead boy stepped back from the entrance to the parlor to brush off his shirt before growling, "Why didn't any of you wake me up?"

"Because we're not your mother," Hermione growled back, wiping the tears from her face.

Iris stared at the food on the floor before asking, "Can you take this argument into the kitchen and maybe not so loudly."

"Right, sorry," Ron stammered. "What are you all talking about anyway?"

"Why we didn't contact Iris over the summer," Ginny replied.

"Oh, well, Dumbledore told us not to," he said with a shrug. "You know how it is."

"No, I don't know how it is. Can you please explain it to me?" Iris asked, causing Hermione and Ginny to shiver, feeling as if the temperature in the room had plummeted.

Nymphadora Tonks groaned with satisfaction as she kicked off her boots, closing the front door to her apartment behind her. It had been a long day; no, it had been a long couple of weeks since that Unspeakable caught her napping.

When no one from the office took her to task, she figured that whatever happened would keep between the headmaster and Croaker, but in the middle of her shift, one of them caught her at her desk. The questions baffled her until she realized they wanted to study her shapeshifting ability. That was a hard no, and the Unspeakable seemed satisfied as it wandered off, but the damage was done.

An hour later, she found herself standing in front of Director Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"So, what did the Unspeakable want, Junior Auror Tonks?"

"They were interested in studying my Metamorphmagus ability, ma'am. My mum had told them off back when I was little, so I don't know why they were asking again."

"Not questions about what you and Dumbledore's little group were guarding?"

It was then she knew the jig was up. Bonesy obviously knew a lot more about what was going on. So, in the end, joining the Order would come at the cost of her job. Just as her mother foretold.

"Who do you work for, Junior Auror Tonks?"

"You, ma'am."

"Do you believe what Iris Potter said, that 'You Know Who' is back?"

"Absolutely, ma'am."

"Due to your position, you would not be aware that I know something is happening. I have trusted people looking, but it's like catching smoke. Old groups are moving about, whispers in dark alleys, things that were common in the last war. So Junior Auror Tonks, if you want to continue to work for me, you will sit down and tell me everything that is going on with Dumbledore's little group."

And Tonks complied; she wanted to continue being an Auror. She was also shocked to learn that the headmaster had not confided with the Director. Apparently, the two didn't get along because she blamed him for the death of his brother. However, things were going on that Bonsey should have been told about.

"You seem upset, Nimmy, hard day at work?" A voice called out as she dropped her keys off the kitchen counter.

In a flash, Tonks had her wand out and started to move, cursing how the long hours had dulled her senses, then stopped. Sitting comfortably on her couch was an Unspeakable with two containers of rocky road ice cream and a bottle of fire whiskey.

"Oh, before we start," the Unspeakable announced, then with a wave, a Raven and Scythe appeared.

"You!" she snapped, then stepped back, cursing.

"Language Nymphadora," the Unspeakable scolded while filling two shot glasses of fire whiskey. Taking one, it disappeared in the hood of its cloak and returned empty. Seconds later, a small flame and a puff of smoke followed.

Lowering her wand, Tonks mumbled, "Don't call me that, and how did you find me?"

"Phone book."

With a sigh, Tonks collapsed on the couch. Grabbing the shot glass, she threw it back, savoring the taste, then cursed again. "Listen, I'm not interested in working for you, nor am I interested in being some sort of test subject so you can study my Metamorphmagus ability."

"So Carnal's spoke to you too?" The Unspeakable nodded, grabbed one of the spoons, and opened one of the ice cream containers. "I'll talk to her. Don't want her pouching someone I am interested in."

"Except I am not interested in working for you either," Tonks insisted, then reached for a spoon.

"Fair, and unless you can hear voices coming from the veil or understand Neo-Babylonian, you can't do much for me except make tea." The Unspeakable sat back. "However, that doesn't change the fact that I need your help."

"Well, sorry, I am already in enough trouble as it is with Bonesy," Tonks replied, taking a spoonful of ice cream and chasing it with a shot of fire whisky.

Nodding, the Unspeakable did the same thing, then explained, "Actually, I need your help speaking to the Director."

"Why?" Tonks asked with another spoon of rocky road in her mouth. "You just need to make an appointment. Although, from what I have been told, you don't exist."

The Unspeakable laughed, which was rather creepy. "So, Junior Auror Nymphadora Tonks, what do you know about time travel?"

"Don't call me…wait, you're a time traveler. Won't you being here like destroy the world or something?"

"Or something," the Unspeakable agreed, then giggled, which was even more creepy.

Flipping her hood back, however, revealed a familiar face. "You wanted to know how I knew how to side Apparated the two of you."

"Iris, holy shit, what's going on?" Tonks yelled as she started to stand, then crashed back down on the sofa.

If she wasn't an Auror junior or otherwise, she might have thought this was some elaborate prank, but the Unspeakable charms were genuine.

"I was minding my own business, closing a gate to the Mayan Underworld, then poof, fifth year again." And then the 'Girl Who Lived' proceeded to tell the entire tale of how she ended up back in Surry.

"So that's how ended up wearing the Black family ring."

"The family magic still recognized my future claim."

The two sat silently, until Iris whispered, "You know, Dora, you taught me this little pleasure of ice cream and fire whiskey a little over two years from now, right before you were killed by your Aunt Bella."

Nymphadora just stared, then shakenly grabbed the fire whiskey bottle and took a long swig. "Well, fuck."

"Do you know what I see when I walk down Diagon Alley? I see dead people," Iris sighed. "So many people were killed because the Ministry is corrupt and filled with Death Eaters or those sympathetic to their cause."

"Yea, Bonsey told me she had the same worries."

"She would know, so will you help me?"

"Why don't you go to Dumbledore, " Tonks began, then stopped. The conversation was once again turning eerily similar. "The headmaster, he doesn't do anything, does he?"

"Nope, other than to get himself and a lot of people killed," Iris answered, popping her 'P.' "Albus secrets have secrets, and he keeps them all to himself. Hell, he has known about Voldemort's spirit been hanging around for the last decade or so for years. And not including that little scuffle a few months ago, I fought him twice since that Halloween."

"The Director doesn't know any of this, does she?"

Iris shook her head. "I would be surprised if she did, as I said, Albus keeps his secrets, and anything that happens in Hogwarts stays in Hogwarts. With all that has gone on, even after this year's tournament, I have never been interviewed by the DMLE; the headmaster had made sure of it."

"I see," Tonks frowned, clearly upset. "Have you told anyone else? I mean, all of the time travel stuff?"

"Well, Croaker's on my to-do list, but I have to pick up something from Hogwarts before I can speak with him. Oh, I did tell someone other than you, but he didn't believe a word and insisted that I tell the Dumbledore," Iris smiled sadly. "Had to Obliviate him."

"Are you going to Obliviate me, too?"

"Circe, I hope not, Dora. I really need your help," Iris pleaded.

Tonks closed her eyes, sitting back as she played with the fire whiskey bottle. "Did you do it, Iris? Did you kill 'You Know Who'?"

"Took his head with the sword of Gryffindor and burned his body with Backfire," she proclaimed with a feral grin. "And I'll do it again with your help."

"You really are a Black, aren't you," the Metamorphmagus laughed, grabbed the two shot glasses, topped them off, and passed the second off to her cousin. "I'm in."

Sirius Black took a bite of bacon and passed the platter to his goddaughter, who passed it to his cousin. With his eyes full of mirth, he watched the two speak quietly while Iris's best friend sat on the other side of the table, fuming. He didn't know exactly what was going on, knowing better than to get in the middle of teenage drama, but watching it was amusing.

"You disappear all day, then come back late at night, wake us up, and tell us we're leaving early," Hermione complained, spearing her eggs with her fork.

"You knew I had one last check-up before we left for school and some other errands to run," Iris explained, then motioned to the young woman beside her. "Plus, it's not like I didn't have someone with me. Dora was nice enough to escort me on her day off."

"True," the woman in question chirped happily while munching on some bacon.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to go clubbing, "Iris said mournfully.

"No boys," Sirus growled, which caused his goddaughter to grin.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh then jumped in, "Mum was pretty annoyed that you didn't tell her before you left."

Iris delicately wiped her mouth with her napkin after setting down her utensils. "Pretty sure I didn't need to, but I'll apologize when she comes down. Anyway, Sirius gave me permission."

"And why are you dressed like that?" Hermione raised her voice.

"Ok, what's wrong with the way I dress?"

"I think you look lovely, Iris. You remind me a little of Andi when she was younger," Siris smiled, brushing his goddaughter's bangs out of her eyes.

"I mean, yes," Hermione sighed. "You do look nice, but you've been dressing in that retro-seventies look for the past week, but now you're dressed like one of the Greengrass sisters."

"Marlène always had good taste," Sirus commented. "Not surprised she passed that on to her daughters."

"And my godfather said I dressed frumpy, Hermione, so I wanted to try something different."

"I didn't say you looked frumpy," he complained. "I said you dressed like Nimmy."

"Don't call me that, and what's wrong with the way I dress?"

Sirus looked at his goddaughter for help; she helpfully raised an eyebrow unhelpfully.

"Nothing, you also look fine."

Tonks grinned, then said, "That's one of Mum's old outfits. I think she tried to stuff me into it when I went to Hogwarts."

"She gave me most of her older outfits since you won't wear them. Thats what else I did yesterday, Hermione."

"I saw that you even managed to go through Bella's and Cissy's stuff they left behind." Sirus approved then turned to other two younger girls at the table. "I'm sure we can find something for the two of you if you're interested."

Ginny tilted her head, then nodded, "Not really my thing, Sirus, but I wouldn't mind looking."

"Fine, whatever," Hermione grumbled quietly, knowing she had already lost the narrative but feeling as if she had lost was more than that.

Her best friend went missing after being attacked by a group of Dementors, only to turn up right before they planned to return to school. Iris had reason to be angry, sure, and logically pointed it out, which was also weird, but it was as if she hadn't really forgiven her. Not that she wasn't friendly or refused to spend time with her; it all just felt off.

Something also went on between Misses Weasley and Iris too. Suddenly, the older woman turned to her friend like she was her equal, chatting about who knows what. And Kreacher cooked meals without anyone making a fuss, which was also wrong. Even if Sirus pointed out that it was his job. The only good thing was that they were no longer forced to clean the house.

And on top of all that, Iris was now dressing like some pampered pureblood princess. Sure, her old clothes were horrible. Hermione had always wanted to say something but didn't want to embarrass her best friend. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny didn't seem to have an issue with the new look. The twins, who were now at the breakfast table, gave her best friend an eyeful, which annoyed her. Even Ron, who walked in late, as usual, complemented Iris.

But it just was all wrong. Makeup, changing hairstyles, what's next, spending all night giggling with Lavender and Parvati talking about fashion and boys.

Logically, part of her realized she might be jealous, but Iris didn't act well like Iris. Was she the only one who noticed? What if something insidious occurred during the Dementor attack. For a second, Hermione thought about approaching Professor Dumbledore with her fears.

Still, she then realized Iris would never forgive her if she was wrong.

No, it was better to wait.