Dust settled quickly in the dark halls of 12 Grimmauld Place, as if taking full advantage of the momentary pause in cleaning. The only noises consisted of the old grandfather clock ticking and windowpanes creaking when the wind blew against them. It was as close to peaceful as the old house, filled with dark artefacts, got.
The scream that ripped through the air tore the peace to shreds. The piercing noise was one of pure terror and it startled awake every person in the house. The painting of the previous owner, Wulburga Black, awoke from where she was forced behind a curtain, screaming profanities and getting louder when realising nobody was paying attention to her. Instead, with wands drawn, ever member of the order in the house and the curious children ran into the room of Iris Potter, seeing the skinny red haired girl withering in her bed in pain, another scream tearing its way from her throat, a mirror on the other side of the room shattering as it did so.
Sirius Black was the first to approach her, needing to wake her up. He saw the tears falling down the girls cheeks and his heart broke further for her. "Iris" he spoke her name, laying a hand on her shoulder. The moment he did she shot up, still in a daze and slashed her hand, Sirius letting out a yelp of pain. It took a few minutes for Iris to come around fully to see the scared and concerned faces of the Weasleys, their mother trying to usher them out. Remus was trying to assist Sirius whom she saw now had a cut across his chest. Her hand loosened its grip on the knife she had kept hidden under her pillow. "Sirius" she gasped his name, tears filling her eyes again. "I… I…"
"No worries" Sirius spoke in a gasp, "Barely a graze" he assured her. Remus's expressions of worry didn't ease her pain. "Come, let's go get a drink. I know Molly keeps a stash of hot chocolate for emergencies" He smiled kindly. The shaking teenager stood to her feet, uncertain footsteps following behind Sirius, her godfather Remus put an arm around her shoulder and led her to the kitchen.
It took Molly only a few moments to help bandage the cut on Sirius's chest, ensuring her he would be fine, but piercing her lips and commenting on how dangerous it was to have a knife with her. "We have it from here Molly, thanks, you should get some rest" Remus smiled at the witch who looked uncertain but nodded and left the two men with the teenage girl who had her legs pulled up to her chest, clutching hold of the warm mug of hot chocolate.
"I'm sorry" Iris apologised again to Sirius.
"I know what it's like, the nightmares" He shrugged "Moony has had his fair few" he added.
"Its true" Remus agreed. "Do you get them often?" he asked her.
Iris hung her head in shame "Only when I'm sober" she admitted. If the two men were surprised by this, they didn't let on. "Usually, when I know it's going to be a bad night, I wait until its dark and I go to some place where the people are already too plastered to care, and I drink and smoke until I know I'm going to be able to sleep. Then I find a corner to crash in. I keep a knife with me, because sometimes people get handsy. I developed a couple reflexes along the way" She sheepishly glanced at the man she had just stabbed. "It wasn't great, but it's still better than the place I was staying before" Iris finished.
Remus let his hand run down his face, tangling it in his hair. He wanted to get mad, he wanted to cry, he wanted to shake Dumbledore and demand to know why James and Lilly's daughter had to grow up like that. "I am so sorry" he told her. "I'm… I should have looked after you. Should have demanded proof. They told us you were dead, that Voldemort killed you and I just believed them. I had already lost everything else" He told her. Iris glanced up. It wasn't the usual pity and sympathy she received. It was guilt he was expressing. He was blaming himself for the things she had to go through. Her green eyes met his brown and understanding passed through them. Reaching forward hesitantly she put a hand on his shoulder. It was a big step for her, to touch somebody.
"I don't blame you" she spoke quietly. "I don't blame anyone here, not even this Dumbledore guy. Plenty of people get put into orphanages and get adopted by lovely people, some of them are good. I just… I got unlucky. I ended up with some of the worst. But I survived" Iris shrugged. She looked at the two men "And so did you" with a barely-there smile she shrugged "I can tell when somebody's had it shit, besides, if this is the house you grew up in, it must have been a fucked up childhood" She spoke boldly to Sirius who snorted into his drink.
Sighing deeply she threw her head back "I'm just dying to get out here. Just to the park or something. I'm not good at being cooped up"
Sirius snorted again "Good luck with that one" he told her, standing to make himself a coffee. "I've been trying for weeks" Iris smirked to herself. The challenge put in place.