Chapter 6: Golden Days

Harry awoke the next morning thinking of horcruxes. The one inside of Iris, and the ones out of his reach: the Goblet, and the Diadem. He was one step closer to the Goblet of Hufflepuff, now; he had Bella. It wouldn't be in his hands soon, of course, as there would be an uproar when Bella's cell was found empty in Azkaban. There likely was one happening in the Ministry right now. Taking her to Gringotts would be extremely dangerous.

That was alright. The Goblet was safe, and he could afford to wait a bit longer. The Diadem would be in his hands the instant he reached Hogwarts.

Just two more pieces of his soul to absorb. Then, Iris would be his. He would know her location at will, her feelings, everything.

Harry's bluster lasted the total of about five minutes. When he reached Bella's room, he was greeted by the musty smell of someone sleeping in an unventilated room, along with the odor of her unwashed body when he neared the bed. Yesterday, he'd put a charm on Bella to mask the scent, but it had obviously worn off overnight.

It didn't bother him, but it did contribute to showing him how weak Bella really was. She was breathing steadily as she slept, but in her current state, she would not be able to go to the bathroom by herself, let alone all the way to her Gringotts vault.

Harry sighed, and waved his wand in the air—it was the new one he'd purchased from Ollivander, the twin—clearing away Bella's odor. He'd waited eleven years to get to where he was now. He could wait a few more months.

Narcissa came to the room soon after, hair tied in a hasty bun and still dressed in her nightgown. Another person who'd woken up early to visit Bella.

She froze when she saw him. Harry raised his eyebrows, and she resumed her approach, coming to stand next to him.

"My lord? How is she?" Narcissa whispered.

"Fine."

She must have mistaken his short reply for displeasure, as she immediately went quiet. Harry shook his head and retreated, giving her space to go to Bella's side.

"Make sure to feed her well," he said, "and at regular times. Even if she says she's not hungry."

Narcissa nodded. Harry put his wand into his pyjama shirt's pocket, and left the room. When he came back to his own, Iris was sitting up on the bed, rubbing one eye with the back of her hand.

"Where were you?" she mumbled.

"I was visiting an old friend," Harry said, and got back into bed next to her. It was still early morning; he wanted to just lay and think.

Iris laid down and snuggled into his side, resting her head on his chest. "Which old friend?" she asked. He put his arm around her and stared at the ceiling.

"No one. Shh. Go back to sleep, Iris."

As he laid, Harry gently tapped his thumb against Iris's shoulder in a slow rhythm, like a heartbeat that let her know he was there. Within a couple of minutes, his sister was sleeping soundly.

Harry thought of Bella and the horcruxes. He thought about Hogwarts. But he also found himself thinking of Iris. It was soon to be her birthday. He had some ideas as to what he could do on that day.

Iris watched the dressing table mirror with interest. Harry was combing her hair, standing behind her, and the similarities between their faces stood out starkly in the reflection. She and her brother had the same skin tone, a pale white, and the same hair color, jet black. Their eyes were identical shades of green, and their faces had the same shape. She almost looked like a girl version of Harry. That thought filled her with joy.

He finished the combing quickly. Iris could style her hair herself, but Harry had always done it, and she'd never stopped him. It was a time for them to be together, just with each other. He was focused completely on her (or her hair, at least), and she was focused on his reflection.

It felt right. This was how things should be.

"There," he said, setting the comb down on the dressing table. He put his hands on her shoulders, and looked at the mirror. His head was right above hers.

"You look very pretty, Iris."

"Thank you, Harry," Iris whispered. In the mirror, she saw herself beaming at his reflection.

"I had something for you," he said. "An early morning gift, just from me to you. Can you close your eyes?"

Iris closed her eyes. She heard the shuffling of clothing; her brother had pulled something out of his pocket.

"Okay, you can open them."

She opened her eyes, and saw nothing at first. Then, she looked at her side, and saw Harry's hand. Inside it was a locket.

Iris's mouth dropped open. It was beautiful. The locket was made of gold, and there was a large clear gem in the center. Inside that gem was a plate of gold, upon which was engraved the letter "S" in green. Intricate carvings surrounded it.

"This is for you," Harry said. "It's not new, but it has a lot of history. Do you like it?"

"Yes," she breathed. "I like it. It looks amazing, Harry!"

Her brother chuckled. "Let's see what it looks like on you, then," he said. He put it around her neck—Iris lifted her hair so he could get the chain underneath—and locked it into place.

The metal felt cold on her neck, but that only seemed to add to its grandeur. Iris fingered the clear gem, feeling its smooth texture. Then, she noticed something at the side. A hinge.

"Harry? Does it open?"

"It does if you tell it to. But you have to look at the letter in the center first. Try it."

Iris did as he said, and looked at the "S". She focused on it, and strangely, she felt… different.

"Open."

Immediately, the locket snapped open, like a great force holding it together vanished at her words. She gasped. A magic locket, she thought, just for me. She looked inside. There were two pictures, one of her and one of Harry. They were moving; her picture version smiled up at her, and Harry's picture version gave her a curt nod. Iris looked on with astonishment.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked.

"Harry, this is amazing."

"Hmm. Maybe I should have gotten you a book as well, to expand your vocabulary," her brother admonished. But there was no anger on his face. He was smiling at her.

"Happy birthday, Iris."

Iris beamed up at him again. "Thank you, Harry," she said. He really was the best brother in the world.

Harry made her wear a hooded cloak before they left. He wore one as well, and didn't say anything other than "We'll need them for where we're going".

Narcissa was the only one who saw them off. It was early enough in the morning that Draco wasn't up and about, and Lucius had some work to do.

Iris didn't mind. It was just her and Harry right now, and she preferred that it stay that way.

The Lady Malfoy smiled kindly and waved at them as Harry threw down the floo powder in the fireplace. Both Iris and her brother disappeared in green flame, and appeared in the Leaky Cauldron. As they passed the dining area to go to the brick wall at the back, Iris saw only a few figures quietly sipping tea and having breakfast.

Harry tapped the sequence on the brick wall with his wand. It opened to reveal Diagon Alley, but there were no crowds of shoppers peering at windows and shops, as there had been on her last visit.

"Come," Harry said, and led her down the alley. They passed shop after shop, and Iris wondered where exactly Harry was leading her, until they reached the end of a dark looking pathway. There was only one path to the left, and a sign on the wall there read KNOCKTURN ALLEY in foreboding looking letters.

Iris had read about Knockturn Alley in some books, and every one of them said to stay away unless you had business there. She felt some fear settle in her stomach, and grabbed Harry's arm.

Harry looked down at her. "Keep holding my arm," he said. "Just walk, and don't look at anyone. Don't reply if they say something to you."

She nodded. What business did her brother have in Knockturn Alley? More importantly, why was he taking her here on her birthday?

Iris pulled her hood down lower as they went through the place. There was no sense of wonder here, as there was in Diagon Alley. She didn't try to look at any of the shops, and kept her eyes away from the few people that were there. They looked shifty and suspicious even out of the corner of her eye.

All went well until someone hobbled up to them.

"What do we 'ave here? Two kiddies in Knockturn Alley," the person slurred. It was a man, and Iris already hated him. "Who's this little princess?" he said, and came closer—he walked to her, she saw—then stopped.

Iris waited, and then looked up. The man was as ugly as he sounded, and he was choking. His body shook, like he was being forced to stand up, and his face slowly lost its color. Then, he flew off to the side, into a dark alleyway. She heard a distant crash and someone desperately gasp for air.

Iris immediately looked to her brother; sure enough, Harry's hand was held out, the fingers clasped in a choking motion. He muttered something that sounded like "bloody vagrants" and led her further into the alley. Eventually, they reached their destination.

Apparently, it was a pet shop.

"Harry, there's a pet shop in Diagon Alley."

"They don't sell what I wish to purchase."

They went in, and Iris instantly saw what he was talking about. Instead of the cats and toads and owls that were present in Magical Menagerie, there were more sinister animals. Scorpions, spiders, bats, even a few crabs.

Harry led her to the back. This specific section was full of snakes.

"This is why we're here, Iris. Have a look."

"Harry, these are snakes."

"You'll find that they make the best pet. Go ahead, have a look."

So she did. Iris walked through the rows of cages with curled snakes inside. There were ones of all varieties; speckled ones, solid colored, striped ones. But the one that caught her eye was not any one of those. It was a tiny blue snake, curled in the corner of a small cage. Its scales looked like tiny sheets of metal, and its tail faded from blue to orange.

"Harry? What's this one?"

He came over. "Ah. This is a Komodo Island Pit Viper. I'm surprised they have one."

"Are they rare?"

"Not necessarily, but they're aggressive, and venomous. In short, they're not the most ideal pet."

Iris pouted at him. "But you just said snakes make the best pet."

"They do. Do you want her, Iris?"

"It's a girl? Um… will she hurt me?"

"No. Not if she knows what's good for her," he said, giving the snake a pointed glance, as if it was a person.

"Will you help me take care of her?"

"I will teach you, yes."

"Then… yes. I want her."

"Very well."

They went to the counter, still hidden in their hooded cloaks, and found a short, fat man sitting on a chair reading the Daily Prophet. When the man saw them, he started.

"What the bloody—where's your parents, you lot? How did you get here?"

"I want to buy the blue pit viper," Harry said.

"The viper? Do you even know what that snake can do, boy? One bite and all the blood in your veins will turn to glob. Besides, I doubt you could afford it. Run along."

"How much does it cost?" Harry asked.

The man raised one eyebrow. "I doubt your parents give you enough allowance to buy it, boy."

Iris felt Harry's arm tense. "You seem to doubt a lot of things," he said, and turned, leading her towards the door. "Come, we'll just have to spend all these galleons someplace else."

"Wait! Wait, boy. If you're so serious, it's sixty galleons. I'll throw the cage in there too. Do you actually have that much?" He said the last part as if he was asking himself.

Harry led her back. "Sixty? For a malnourished baby and a cheap cage?"

The shopkeeper's face turned dark. "It's female. That species has potent venom."

"I'll pay fifty. Sixty is far too much for the sorry state she's in."

"You expect me to give you a blue pit viper for fifty galleons?" the shopkeeper said, fists clenching on the counter.

"Yes. I can see the dust around the cage. You've had it for a while, mister. No one wants to buy it at such a high price, I'm guessing, and you don't want to lose any money. Fifty is the best you'll get."

The shopkeeper squinted his eyes at Harry. "Fifty-five," he said.

Harry sighed. For a moment, her brother looked so much like a disappointed grown-up. Then, he nodded.

"Fifty-five," he said, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a pouch. The shopkeeper watched with wide eyes as Harry set down eleven stacks of galleons, five in each pile. Iris looked at the money uncomfortably. Harry was spending all of that for her.

"Who the bloody hell are you, boy? Where did you get all this?"

"Do you really care? If you want, I can take the money back and look for a new pet somewhere else."

The shopkeeper let out a derisive scoff, and quickly began gathering up the money. He glanced at the door as he did it. He's probably making sure no one sees it and tries to rob him, Iris thought. People would probably do that kind of thing in this disgusting place.

Then, he got out of the chair and went towards the back, where the snakes were. Harry and Iris followed him. They stopped at the baby viper's cage.

"Now, I am not responsible for any injuries or deaths this snake might cause," the man said, flashing an evil grin at them. "It is now your responsibility."

He took the small clear cage by the handles, and held it out to Harry. When her brother reached for it, the shopkeeper pulled it back.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Give me the cage."

The man scoffed again. "Awfully long name," he said, and gave the cage to Harry. Her brother held it up. She's so pretty, Iris thought, looking at the blue snake. She could see why Harry had said she was in a sorry state, though. The snake looked terribly skinny, like a thin rope.

"Best run back to mummy and daddy quick, boy. And who's this, your sister?" The man gestured to Iris. "Wasn't a good idea to bring her here. You're not a very smart boy, are you?"

Harry didn't respond to the shopkeeper. He handed Iris the cage—she took it without looking inside—and reached inside his cloak.

He pulled out his wand, pointed it at the fat man's head, and said "obliviate".

No one bothered them as they left Knockturn Alley. Iris hugged the cage (Harry had cleaned it with a wand flick) against her chest, watching the sleeping snake inside. The scales were gorgeous, but the animal still looked in poor health.

"We'd best feed her quick," Harry said. His arm was around her shoulder. "She won't grow properly without nutrition."

They went out to Diagon Alley and into Magical Menagerie. Harry bought a box of dead mice. He said that she would need to feed the snake live ones soon, and Iris didn't know whether to look forward to that or not.

Her brother took her to a deserted corner of the store. He waved his wand around the empty isles and then knelt down, setting the cage on the floor. He opened the top. Iris felt fear spike in her chest, and quickly moved behind Harry.

"Wake up," Harry said. "Wake up, my dear."

Iris frowned. Was her brother trying to talk to the snake? He knew how to do a lot of things, but conversing with an animal seemed to be bit of a stretch…

But amazingly, the snake moved. It slowly raised its head, and looked at Harry's direction. Iris's mouth dropped open.

"There you are," her brother said. "I bet you're hungry." Harry reached inside the cage—Iris tensed, edging backwards—and stroked a finger on the little snake's blue head.

"M-Massterr?"

Iris gasped. "She's talking!" she said.

"Of course I am talking. What is this place? Where is everyone? I am hungry…"

"What is your name?" Harry asked.

"I am Siril."

"That is a nice name. Here is a mouse for you, Siril," Harry said, and took one of the dead mice from its box. He set it down next to the snake. "Have it."

Siril slithered over to the mouse and looked down at it. "It's dead," she complained.

"If it were alive, it could hurt you. You are too weak to kill."

"I am not…" Siril pouted. As she began to eat the little mouse, Iris wondered if a snake even could pout.

"Let's take her home," Harry said. Iris's brow furrowed; there was a strange whiplash feeling, like her brother was talking differently. But his words were the same. Why did he sound different?

He set the cover back on the cage and picked it up, handing it to her. Siril was eating diligently inside, seemingly uninterested in more conversation. Iris watched the snake's open mouth with fascination and wondered how long it would take for the mouse to digest.

Harry put his arm around her and led her back to the Leaky Cauldron. They went to the floo fireplace, passing the dining area where were more people than Iris had last seen. One floo journey back, and they were back in the Malfoy's living room. Lucius and Narcissa were sitting in chairs, conversing with each other, and turned to them when they appeared. They looked at the snake cage with surprise.

"Welcome back, Iris, and happy birthday," Lucius said. He'd been too busy to greet her in the morning.

"Thank you, Lucius," Iris said. She turned to Narcissa. "Harry got me a pet snake!"

"That's wonderful, dear. I like the color. What's its name?"

"Siril. It's a girl."

Narcissa nodded and smiled. Harry was swiftly led out of the room and up the stairs by Iris pulling his arm. Once they were back in their room, Iris set the cage down on Harry's desk. Siril had finished eating the mouse, and was lounging around with a bulge in her neck. This time, Iris reached up and took the cage's cover off herself.

"Massterr… I have not ever felt this full. Thank you."

Harry shook his head. "You are indebted to my sister, not me. She chose you as her companion. Thank her instead."

"Thank you, misstress."

"There's no need for that," Iris said. Her voice felt far smoother than normal. "Call me Iris. I was only doing what was right. I'm going to take care of you and make you a majestic snake, Siril, like you should be."

"I do not know what I should be, but I thank you regardless. I vow to be by your side always."

Iris took in a deep breath. There was a strange satisfaction filling her entire being. By your side, always… that was how things should be.

In that moment, she decided: her brother was always going to be with her. She would never let him become distant. They would stay together till their last breath.