Chapter 18: A Vow Never Broken


Iris grew used to the motion of school life. The terror she'd felt at being at coming to Hogwarts for the first time turned out to be worthless; she began to enjoy the process of waking up next to Harry, then getting ready for the day, and going to class. It was far more enjoyable than sitting around Malfoy Manor doing essentially nothing.

She found that she was good at class, when she tried. It was fun to learn something new and then see how much knowledge she could build on top. It felt like she could do anything, if she set her mind to it. It struck her that that was exactly what all the teachers always said, but she'd never felt the words until now.

After class, she and Harry socialized like everyone else, sometimes in the common room, sometimes in the library, sometimes outside. Sometimes, she even left Harry and went with Astoria and her friends, whom she was fast befriending herself. It didn't feel terrible to be away from Harry. After all, she got to meet him again at bedtime.

At bedtime, all the other students went to sleep, but not her. Harry brought her into his room with his strange sleeping trick, making her invisible and bringing her to his room and they both snuck out, going to the Chamber of Secrets. There, the second part of their day began.

Harry had her read about the history of Salazar Slytherin, and by extension, the Chamber of Secrets and its basilisk. Most books spoke about Slytherin creating the Chamber in order to "cleanse" the school's population of those with muggle blood, but Iris learned quickly that that wasn't actually the case. The Chamber and the basilisk had been placed for the school's safety.

"In those days, the other Founders were mad about getting as many students into Hogwarts as possible," Harry had told her. "This meant anyone, from those who respected magical culture to those who had zero knowledge, or indeed, any care for it. Slytherin was against this, and so he put the basilisk in the school—for its own safety."

Iris could understand the ancient wizard's reasoning, strangely enough. If she had created a unique magical school, only for it to be flooded with people who didn't respect or care about it, she would be quite suspicious, too.

At the same time, she could see the opposite side of the argument. Putting a giant, dangerous snake deep inside a school because you were afraid someone might do something was a bit rash.

Regardless, she learned. That was the first step in formulating a plan, Harry told her. First gather information. Then, you could see what to do with that information after.

Months passed, and Iris began getting used to her new life. Learn during the day, talk with her friends, then spend the night with Harry planning. It sounded strange to think of it as planning, but that was what it was, and she didn't let herself use any other word.

Oftentimes, she saw Harry's pet raven Bella down in the Chamber with them. How the bird got into the deep cavern, Iris did not know, but she seemed to enjoy being near Harry, always on his shoulder and nuzzling the side of his head. If the bird was a human, Iris might have felt jealous, but since it was just a pet, she let it be. She wished Siril would be so friendly with her, sometimes.

Harry said that the best way to get the basilisk out was in a rush. Have the snake break out of the chamber, cause a big stir, then get it out of the castle and make it disappear. She thought that sounded impossible, but breaking it down into small steps made it easier to create a plan, at least.

Getting the snake out would be easy. Harry could command it using Parseltongue, and it would create a commotion when it got out nonetheless. But getting it out of the castle, then making it disappear? How were they going to do that? By all accounts, the snake was massive. Harry said it was bigger than the Great Hall.

When she asked him, Harry only told her to let him worry about the details. He was aiming to get the snake out later in the year, so they had plenty of time yet.

"This will teach you about plans and how to execute them," Harry said one night. They were in the side sitting room, the one made of stone. The cobwebs and dust had been cleared up, leaving the room looking decidedly exotic. "Putting everything in place before the plan starts will make sure nothing goes wrong when you don't want it to."

They went on, and things went on. But what Iris didn't expect was for them to be called to Dumbledore's office one day. Things had been going like normal, only for her and Harry to be called to the headmaster's office one morning before class.

Iris went, holding Harry's hand. They earned stares in the hallway. People were always weirded out by how Iris held her brother's hand or sat close to him, but she didn't care. Just because they all hated and fought with their brothers and sisters didn't mean she was the same way.

Stone gargoyles stood where the headmaster's office was supposed to be. Harry spoke the password to them, "lozenges", and the statues jumped to life, stepping sideways and revealing a spiral staircase that led down. Harry took Iris down the steps, and they met a door at the bottom.

They waited outside a moment. Harry did not knock.

"Come in," the headmaster's voice came.

"He can see us?" Iris whispered to Harry.

He nodded, then put his finger to his lip in a shushing motion. Now wasn't the time to talk.

They went in, and Iris saw the headmaster's office for the first time. There were shelves on the left and right, both filled with various instruments that Iris did not recognize. In the center of the room was the headmaster's desk, and behind him, a large arched window that looked out at the distant scenery.

"Ah," Headmaster Dumbledore said, as if just spotting them for the first time. "There you are, Harry and Iris. Come, have a seat." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

Harry took her there, and they sat next to each other. Iris scooted her chair closer to Harry's, earning an eyebrow raise from Dumbledore.

They sat in silence for a moment. Harry was the one to break it. "Why did you call us, Professor Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore looked at him and gave him a smile. "Why did I call you. Don't worry, neither of you are in trouble. There was just something I wanted to ask you about. I've learned that you two now live with the Malfoys."

"Yes, that's correct," Harry said. "We moved there just a couple years ago."

"I see, I see." The headmaster propped his elbows onto the desk, and put his chin over his hands. "I wanted to ask, however. What exactly caused this move? Did you not like living with your aunt and uncle?"

"Well… our aunt didn't like us much, Headmaster," Harry said. "She always treated us like we were a burden. When Lucius came to us, offering us a place in his home, a place where we wouldn't be hated, we decided to take the chance."

Dumbledore didn't respond. He looked to his desk, and slid out a piece of parchment. "And what about this, Harry? An emancipation. This document pronounces you an adult, and the legal guardian of Iris."

"Lucius suggested I do that so I wouldn't have to go to Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon for signing forms and things."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "'Signing forms and things'? Harry, you are a smart boy. Surely, you can see what he is doing? He has removed you from the care of your aunt, both legally and physically. You are in his domain. You may think yourself free because of the emancipation, but that process was sponsored by none other than Lucius himself. He is manipulating you. Does that not worry you?"

Harry met the headmaster's gaze, and took a deep breath. "Honestly, sir? Not really. Lucius and Narcissa have been far kinder to us than our aunt and uncle ever were. Being with Draco is enjoyable as well. Not to mention, we get to live in a magical home, rather than a muggle one."

"And is that very important to you?" Dumbledore immediately asked, looking at Harry pointedly.

"Well, yes, because we're magicals," Harry said. "I wish the best to my aunt and uncle, but I think the best place for me and Iris is with the Malfoys."

Dumbledore watched Harry for a moment, then turned to Iris. "And what about you, my dear? What do you think of all this? Does it not worry you that your brother is placing the both of you so close to a man who worked for Lord Voldemort? The very man who killed your parents?"

Iris pursed her lips. Suddenly, she found herself feeling very angry at Dumbledore.

"My brother knows what is best," she said, meeting the headmaster's gaze unflinchingly. "And the Malfoys are far better than our aunt and uncle."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at her, looking disappointed, for some reason.

There was silence for a moment. "Very well," Dumbledore eventually said. "You both may go. That is all I wished to talk about."

Iris blinked. That was it? But… the atmosphere in the room… the headmaster had brought them here like they'd broken a holy law, interrogated them like they were about to imprisoned, and now he was just letting them go like nothing had happened?

Harry got up, and Iris with him. They went out the door without looking back and closed it.

Iris tried to speak up, but Harry shushed her. He led her up the stairs without saying a word. When they were finally outside the headmaster's office proper, he spoke.

"Now you can talk. He can't hear us anymore."

Iris nodded slowly. "Harry?" she said. "What was that?"

"He was testing us," he said.

"Testing us? But he already knew everything. He barely asked us anything except for if we like the Malfoys better than Aunt Petunia."

"That is exactly how he was testing us. He probably knew about us moving in with the Malfoys a long time ago, but he wanted to see how we felt about it."

Iris went quiet. She and Harry walked through the hallways, no longer holding hands. She didn't need to always touch Harry. Being close to him was enough, and lately she'd been thinking it was immature to always cling to him like a baby.

That didn't mean she would stop hugging him or holding his arm. She would always do that; it felt right. But she gave Harry a little space so he wouldn't feel like she was needy.

They went back into the common room, and Harry took a seat by the fire. He pulled out a notepad from his pocket.

Iris sat next to him, snuggling into his side. "A new note?" she said.

"Hm." Harry took out a pen and wrote down a new entry. Dumbledore speaks to Iris and I. – Oct. 4th, 1991.

Iris looked up the page, reading the other entries backwards. Dumbledore doesn't comment on Iris's sorting. Dumbledore does not speak to me during summer break. Dumbledore does not comment on my school performance.

It was a timeline of the headmaster's actions, going all the way back to the night Voldemort had killed their parents. Reading all of it, Iris felt like Harry expected Dumbledore to do something he wasn't.

"Was that not how the meeting was supposed to go, Harry?" she said. She went quiet, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you did fine. The meeting actually tells me a lot, such as why Dumbledore hasn't seemed to care about us these past years."

"Should he care about us?"

"He knew our parents well. He was the one who took us to Aunt Petunia. And yet, when I got emancipated, he didn't say a word. When we went to the Malfoys, he didn't say a word. I think I now know why."

"Why?" Iris said, completely lost. What had the headmaster done that she wasn't seeing?

"He doesn't trust us," Harry said. "I don't think he ever has trusted us. He likely suspects that one or both of us were affected by Voldemort's magic on that night. He probably thinks I'm a little dark lord in the making."

Iris blinked, putting her head back a little. What? The headmaster thought Harry was… evil?

"Us getting sorted into Slytherin and fraternizing with the Malfoys probably didn't help either," Harry said. He was looking ahead, completely unperturbed by his revelation. In fact, he looked somewhat pleased.

How could he be so happy? Dumbledore knew about them. He knew the truth that Harry was using Voldemort's magic. They were done. Dead. He would… he would come take Harry away, and she would be alone. All alone, with no one to hold her hand or smile at her…

Harry looked over at her and gave her a strange look, as if she'd just said something silly. Iris felt her face grow hot. She hadn't said anything. Harry always knew, though, like he could read her mind.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "No one will ever take you away from me, Iris. No one."

They stayed like that for some time, staring into the fire together. Eventually, Harry spoke again. "This is just the game, Iris. It's been played since before we were born, and it will continue to be played long after we die."

Iris nodded, tightening her grip on his arm. The fire continued to crackle in the fireplace.


The semester came to an end. Iris soon found herself in the Hogwarts Express with Harry, Daphne, Astoria, and Tracey, all of them in the same compartment. They were heading home for winter break.

The compartment was abuzz with conversation, all the girls talking with each other. Harry was the only one who did not speak.

Iris worried for him, sometimes. He barely talked to anyone, and didn't have any real friends, only acquaintances. Still, he did not seem to care for social interaction much, and looked out the window with a calm expression.

She often saw Daphne staring at Harry, as if considering something. Looking at the girl made Iris's fists clench. She wasn't clueless; she knew how pureblood society worked, with their arranged marriages. The way Dahpne looked at Harry, as if judging his worth, as if he would make a good partner for her…

If the older girl thought Harry was going to be her husband, she had another thing coming. Iris would end her if she so much as touched Harry.

They reached the station. Everyone began to get out, and outside, she and Harry found Lucius and Narcissa waiting for them. Draco was also approaching from the side, after waving goodbye to his gang.

Upon seeing her son, Narcissa was radiant. She cooed his name and pulled him into a hug, making the boy yell uncomfortably.

"My Draco," Narcissa said, kissing the side of his head. She pulled him back into a hug. "Oh, my Draco. I missed you so much. How was school?"

"It was… good…" Draco said, his face red. Iris found it cute how he never told his mother to go away no matter how much she embarrassed him.

"I see you've been getting along well too," Lucius said, nodding to Iris. "How was your time at Hogwarts, dear?"

"Good!" Iris said. "It went well. I'm excited to go back."

"Well, don't be too eager," Narcissa said. She still had her hand on Draco's shoulder. "Your break just began."

Harry rolled their trunks closer, and upon seeing his pet raven, Narcissa finally let go of Draco, going to the bird's cage and opening it. The raven hopped out onto her arm, and Narcissa scratched under her beak, beaming at the bird. She whispered something to her that Iris didn't quite catch.

Maybe she just really likes birds, Iris thought.

They soon apparated back to the manor, with Dobby taking their trunks. Iris had looked around before they left, and she'd seen many people giving them stares, like they were a group of celebrities. Luckily, Lucius didn't brook any nonsense when it came to going out in public, and no one approached them.

Back in the manor, they went up to their rooms, finally getting a much needed breather. Iris sighed in relief at seeing her and Harry's room again. The place was familiar and lovely.

She went over to the wall behind Harry's desk, where another table was. On that table was a glass cage, and inside, a beautiful blue snake.

"Hello, Siril," Iris said. "I'm back."

The snake raised her head, her forked tongue slipping in and out of her mouth. "Missstresss?" she said. "Misstresss! Oh mistresss, there you are. Narcissa told me you were to come back soon, but I had begun to think she was lying to me. Please, take me out of this cage. The woman never lets me free!"

Iris scoffed and opened the top of the cage. Siril slithered out, coming onto her forearm, spiraling around it. She came up to her shoulder, then nuzzled the side of her head. "Missstresss," she said. "Breathing your scent once more pleassses me greatly."

Iris stroked the snake's head, then turned to Harry, Siril still on her arm. She went over to him.

He eyed the snake. "Siril," he said, then went over to his trunk, opening it and beginning to unpack.

"He's just tired," Iris said. "Don't worry about him."

"Yes, mistresss," Siril said. The snake had moved her head back, as if trying to avoid getting too close to Harry.

Iris went over to the bed and flopped down onto it, letting out a sigh of pleasure. It was good to be back home. She moved her arms, feeling the silky bedsheets. Hogwarts was magical, but nothing compared to the comforts of Malfoy Manor.

Siril moved to her chest, and she hugged the snake, curling up on the bed. Harry went about the room, doing various things. Iris thought about calling him over to the bed, but they would sleep together at night anyway. She could cuddle with him all she wanted then.


The break went like normal, but at New Years, the Malfoys did something Iris had never seen before.

At New Year's, there was a big party at Malfoy Manor, where a bunch of important people showed up. The manor was decorated, and the entire place glowed, as if every wall and ceiling had been implanted with crystals. The place looked grand to begin with, but now, it looked like a palace from heaven.

Inside the grand ballroom, Iris went through the party, looking at everyone. There were a bunch of men and women in suits and dresses, all of them of rich quality. Everyone looked so gorgeous. She herself was clothed in a fancy black dress that had little emerald droplets on the neckline and waist. The clothing was expensive, but Harry had brought it for her nonetheless, saying she needed to dress for the occasion.

Iris got the impression that she would be wearing a lot of expensive clothes from now on. The days of her and Harry living with the Dursleys were over.

Iris went through the party till she found Harry. She spotted him almost immediately; he was wearing a sleek, all black suit, and his hair was done up nicer than usual, with a middle part. A smile came to her face. Her brother was going to be so handsome when he grew up.

Harry was talking with three men, one of them Lucius. She went over, their conversation becoming audible as she neared.

"—me you are the best at every subject. I must say, Harry, you are not quite what I expected. I knew your father from school, and if I may say, you are very different from him."

"From what I hear, he was quite the mischievous youth," Harry said.

Another man who'd been sipping at his drink scoffed. He was tall and wiry, with an elderly face, and Iris thought he looked familiar. "To put it lightly." He spoke with an insulting air, as if looking down at everything. "Your father was quite the troublemaker. He had a charm to him, though."

The original man who'd been talking—a blonde man with a handsome face and big looking muscles—frowned at Harry, looking a bit disturbed. He was also familiar looking to Iris. "Harry, apologies for bringing up your father. I didn't mean to bring any negativity into the conversation."

"I know you meant no offense, Lord Greengrass," Harry said. "And besides, we were simply stating facts. While it is true my father may have been mischievous, he was also a capable wizard and flyer."

Iris blinked. Huh. So that was Daphne and Astoria's father. No wonder he'd looked familiar; he had the same blonde hair as his daughters.

It was a more natural color than the Malfoys. Standing next to Lucius, Lord Greengrass's hair looked more… alive? Homegrown. Lucius's long blonde hair was closer to white, and perfectly straight, giving the impression of something… above regular human hair.

"Yes," Lucius said. "It was never easy to get the win against Gryffindor when James Potter was on the team."

Lord Greengrass raised his eyebrows at Lucius, and the other older man—Iris still didn't know who he was, but she knew that face from somewhere—looked disgusted.

"I am alive on the day Lucius Malfoy compliments James Potter," the older man said. "What has this world come to?"

"One would think, Edgard, that you would know to be more polite when speaking about someone's deceased parent in front of them," Lord Greengrass said, giving the older man a dirty look.

The older man—Edgard—scoffed. "Yes, yes." He looked at Harry. "I apologize. I did not mean any offense."

Harry, strangely, gave him an amused smile. "None taken, Lord Nott."

Nott. That was it! Iris remembered now. The man looked like Theodore Nott, Draco's friend. So that was his father? But he looked old enough to be Theodore's grandfather. Maybe he was, and the boy's real dad was around here somewhere.

Harry turned his head to Iris as if she'd just spoken. Iris flushed. She hadn't meant to stand there and snoop on their conversation. She'd been going to join them. And how did Harry turn to her like that, like he'd known she was there the entire time?

He smiled. "Iris," he said, raising his hand towards her. "Come here. Meet Lords Greengrass and Nott."

Iris's heart began to hammer in her chest, but she smiled and made her way over. Lord Greengrass, Astoria's father, smiled at her, looking friendly. Edgard Nott, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow, like he was judging her and finding himself not very pleased with the results.

"The Girl-Who-Lived," Lord Nott said. "In the flesh. I must say, you are less radiant than I had expected."

What was that supposed to mean? Iris gave the man a weak smile. "Hello, Lord Nott," she said. She looked to Daphne's father. "Hello, Lord Greengrass. I'm friends with your daughter."

She wanted to bite her lip. "Friends with your daughter?" Was that the best she could come up with?

Lord Greengrass held out his hand to her, still smiling. Iris shook it. "Please, call me Cyrus. And yes, I know. Astoria has told me much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Harry said.

"Of course," Cyrus said. "My Daphne speaks much of you too, Harry. I think the girl has a crush on you."

Iris kept smiling, but inside, she felt a wave of indignation. Harry glanced at her.

"I must say," Lucius said, sipping his drink and looking at Edgard, "your manners have withered even further since last we spoke, Edgard. The man I knew was not always in such a foul mood."

Edgard raised an eyebrow. "'Foul mood'? I don't know, Lucius. Perhaps being wrongfully accused and put on trial has a negative effect on one's psyche."

Iris looked between the Lords with wide eyes. Were they having a fight? But Harry and Lord Greengrass didn't look worried at all; Daphne's dad sipped at his drink peacefully. Maybe Lucius and Edgard just talked like that to each other.

"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," Harry said, taking Iris's hand. "There are some others I wished to meet."

The lords gave him a nod, and Harry began to walk away. Iris walked with him, gladly taking his hand.

"What was that all about?" she said, going closer to him and taking his arm. "Is Lord Nott in a bad mood, or is he always like that?"

"Oh, he's always like that," Harry said, as if he'd known the man for years. "Tonight's worse, though."

"What was that he was saying about being put on trial?"

"He used to be a Death Eater," Harry said. "He escaped charges by pleading the Imperius Curse."

Iris stopped for a moment, then the realization came to her. She glanced back at the group of Lords they'd just left with wide eyes. A Death Eater. That man used to work for the dark lord who'd killed her and Harry's parents.

And he was just walking around freely?

Iris felt a rage building up in her. She'd read about the Death Eaters. They had been a terrible group, murdering innocents and the like. How could someone be part of that and then just walk around freely, as if the only crime they'd committed was public littering?

She looked back, forcing herself to calm down. Harry did say the man had pled the Imperius Curse, just like Lucius. Maybe he was telling the truth.

"He really was, Iris," Harry said.

Iris didn't register what Harry had said at first, and then she did. She looked to him sharply. The way her brother had said it…

Harry met her eyes, smiling with a pitying look. "He really was a Death Eater. He was one of the first, in fact. He had to pay a fortune in bribes to cover it all up. That's the real reason he's in a bad mood nowadays, I'd wager."

Iris focused on breathing, trying to keep her anger in check. How was this possible? And how dare that man talk so rudely to her and Harry?

They'd reached a small, circular table off to the side of the room, cut in half with a hole in the center. There was a house-elf in the center—not Dobby—who served as a sort of bartender.

"Orange juice, please," Harry said. He glanced at Iris, and she nodded at him. "Two glasses."

Barely a few seconds after Harry had finished his sentence, there were two glasses full of orange juice floating down in front of them. Harry handed her her glass, then took his own. They thanked the house-elf and went off, walking towards the ballroom's exit.

They went to the garden, which was as resplendent as the manor's interior; there were floating lights all throughout, and tiny specks of glowing purple in the air, like glitter. Iris did not know how Narcissa got such decorations, but whenever there was an occasion, the woman seemed to pull an encyclopedia's worth of knowledge out of her head.

Harry led her to the fountain in the center. There were people here too, and Iris recognized many of them from Slytherin. In fact, she'd been recognizing people from her House all through the evening. Some waved at them, and Iris waved back.

They looked down into the fountain's waters, gently being moved by the stream flowing out of the top.

"Harry, was Lucius also a Death Eater?" Iris asked. She felt strange inside. Surely, the man who'd offered them a home wasn't actually evil? Lucius was so kind to them.

"He was a Death Eater, but not a completely willing one," Harry said.

"W-What? How can you not be a completely willing one…"

"You have to understand, Iris. Lucius joined with the dark lord because his father had associated heavily with him. Abraxas Malfoy went to school with Voldemort, in fact. It was less of a choice of him joining than it was a tradition."

"But he was a willing participant? He wasn't Imperiused?"

"The dark lord held his family hostage, Iris. He didn't need to Imperius him. This manor we're living in used to be the center of Death Eater activity. Voldemort used it as his base. There wasn't much Lucius could do about it at that point. Like I said, he was essentially coerced into joining because of his father's association."

Iris looked into the water, feeling… strange. On one hand, she wanted to feel pity for Lucius. She could understand what Harry was saying; if an evil wizard was holding her family hostage, and she'd been forced to join his organization because everyone just thought she wanted to, that would be a pretty unfair situation.

On the other hand, her parents were dead because of the Death Eaters. Which was the right way to think?
"There is no right way to think, Iris," Harry said.

Iris nodded, then froze. Her eyes went wide.

She looked to Harry, disbelieving. There was no way. There was no way he'd just said that. It must be coincidence.

But Harry was staring into the fountain, as if lost in thought. There was no indication he'd done anything.

"In life, there are often no good choices. Choosing one side means denying the other, and in war, that can have dangerous consequences. Sometimes, you just have to stay where you are and make the best of it, like Lucius did. It seems to have done him well enough, I'd say."

Iris nodded slowly, looking back at the fountain. That made sense. Just because Lucius had been a Death Eater didn't mean he was a bad person himself.

"Harry, Iris," a familiar voice said behind them. Iris and Harry turned, finding Daphne Greengrass strolling up to them. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress, and though Iris was loathe to admit it, she did look gorgeous. Her blonde hair was done up in a bun, with one wavy curl hanging near her cheek.

She was smiling at Harry, a familiar smile, as if they were old friends. Iris felt irritation bubble up in her. She normally liked Daphne, but the girl had this tendency to act like Harry was… hers, or something. It was so irritating that Iris wanted to slap her. How wonderful it would feel, to strike her cheek with her palm, and knock that smile right off her face…

Daphne joined Iris and Harry. "What are you two doing here? Looking at the fountain?"

"Just thinking," Harry said. "I was talking with your father."

Daphne continued smiling, but Iris saw a shift in her eyes, like a rush of nervousness. "Oh, that's nice. What did he say?"

"We talked about my father. Your father went to school at the same time as him, so he was telling me about him."

"Oh," Daphne said, nodding and chuckling. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but Iris swore the older girl looked relieved. "That's good. Yes, I heard your father was pretty famous in his time. He was in the Gryffindor Quidditch team, right?"

"That's right. I don't have much of an interest in Quidditch, so I can't say I care too much, but I can respect the achievement on a fundamental level."

"Hm." Daphne clasped her hands behind her back, smiling. She looked to Iris, acknowledging her for the first time since the conversation had begun. Her eyes went down to Iris's dress, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Merlin," Daphne said, grinning. "You two really love black, don't you? I don't think I've ever seen you wear any other color."

"It's a powerful color," Harry said. He sounded absent, like his mind was on other things. He was looking around the garden.

Iris did not miss how intently Daphne stared at his face. She gave the girl a dirty look, but Daphne was so preoccupied she didn't even notice.

A silence fell on them. Iris waited, feeling increasingly awkward. Should she say something? Daphne shuffled on her feet, glancing at the floor.

"Want to take a walk, Daphne?" Harry said. He sounded like he hadn't noticed the awkwardness at all. "The weather's too nice to pass up."

Daphne nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

Iris grabbed Harry's hand. No need to sound so eager, Daphne, she thought. And why did Harry have to say her name like that? "Daphne", like he was used to saying the word. When had he gotten so much practice saying her name?

As they walked, Iris inserted herself between Daphne and Harry, holding her brother's arm, making it look as natural as possible. She noticed Daphne glance at her and purse her lips, but Iris smiled as if she did not notice. By the time they were out of the main center section of the garden, Iris was feeling quite pleased with herself.

She had to admit, Harry had been right about the weather being too nice to pass up. Though most of the land surrounding the manor was covered in snow, the manor's grounds were bare, with green grass still visible. The air was heated with magic, letting only a small, pleasurable chill stay in the air. Whenever wind moved, the air felt so cool and refreshing that Iris found herself sighing.

They went through the hedges, which felt like a maze in the darkness. Iris forgot about her earlier irritation at Daphne. In truth, she found herself somewhat ashamed of herself. Daphne was always so kind to her, and this was how she repaid the girl?

The grass scrunched under their shoes. They kept walking, and Iris was surprised when Harry led them to the door at the garden wall, opening it. He went through, and Iris followed him.

She looked down. There was still grass near the wall, but just a few feet off, snow began to grow, starting as a soft layer, and quickly building to well above a foot. How would they go through that?

There was a tree in the distance, the only one in the plain nearby. It stood, solitary, with its skeletal branches reaching out, full of snow and barren of leaves.

Harry began walking forward. Iris followed him, uncertain. Were they really going to go into the snow?

But as they reached the border of the grass, where the snow started, Harry held out his hand. In front of them, snow began to melt in a circle. They walked forward, and stepped into the newly melted area. Harry kept his hand out, and as they went on, snow continued to melt in front of them, creating a path.

Iris looked down in wonder, her mouth dropped open. How was he doing that? And not even with a wand. With his bare hands. She didn't even know what spell could be used to melt snow.

It's just Voldemort's magic, Iris thought. Not really his.

But she found that that didn't matter. Somehow, she knew it was Harry doing this. The power might have come from that accident where some of the dark lord's essence went into Harry, but it was still his own technique and skill.

Grass rustled next to Iris. She looked over, and found Daphne hurriedly coming to her, looking just as amazed. Iris grinned at the girl.

Harry was taking them up to that lone tree. The snow was so deep here that the path he melted for them created nearly waist high walls of snow off to their sides. They walked, and Iris realized that the grass was not squelching underneath them. She looked, and at places where the moonlight fell on the grass, nothing shined back. There was no moisture on the grass. It was completely dry.

He melted everything away. Not just the snow, but the water it created, too. With just one hand.

They reached the tree trunk, and Iris glanced back. The manor was quite a ways away now, a glowing palace in the night. The path they'd taken through the snow stood out starkly, a deep line that was perfectly cleared. The edges were perfectly straight, without any jaggedness. It looked so satisfying.

Daphne was looking back as well, face completely awed.

Harry went around the trunk, the snow still melting in a circle around his feet. Iris walked with him, holding his arm. They went a few feet away from the tree, and Iris suddenly felt a glee, because she knew where Harry was taking them.

They stopped at the edge of the hill, with the lands that were hidden beyond now visible. Iris involuntarily took a deep breath.

It was gorgeous. A vast, rolling field of pure, unblemished white. A few trees here and there, like the one behind them. The sky, a shade of dark blue, with wispy clouds scattered throughout. The moon shining brightly. And all through it, little flecks of snow, drifting lazily down. They were far enough away from the manor's heating that they'd reached snowfall.

"Wow," Daphne said from behind them. "That's… beautiful."

Iris smiled upon hearing her words. Yes, this was beautiful, and Harry was the one who'd brought them here. Her brother.

Daphne came up to them, going on the opposite side so she was standing next to Harry. Iris was so happy that she didn't even care. She grinned, and looked at the horizon. The scene looked like it was out of a painting. She'd remember this. No matter how old she got, she would remember this, coming here with Harry.

Harry himself was not gawking at the scenery. He looked neutral, like always, but Iris thought his eyes were content. He looked more pleased than she'd seen him for a long time.

"A beautiful sight indeed," he said. He took a deep breath, then began to walk backwards, turning around mid-stride. When they reached the tree, he put his hand on it.

Iris could see that his finger was glowing orange. She watched, as Harry wrote on the trunk, his finger burning letters in.

H & I

The last day

of 1991

Daphne came over to them, leaning in to see what Harry had written. She reached her hand out, running it across the letters Harry had emblazoned into the wood.

Iris smiled again. It felt good to see that awe on the older girl's face.

"Can you add me too?" Daphne said, looking to Harry.

Iris's smile fell off her face.

Harry glanced at the girl. He put his hand up again, finger glowing once more, and added a letter onto what he'd written.

H & I & D

The last day

of 1991

Iris stared at the text, her lip quivering. She felt a cold, uncomfortable feeling come to her chest. She looked to Daphne. The girl was looking at the text, a pleased smile on her lips.

You're an idiot, Iris thought. You're an idiot, you're an idiot. How could she have let Daphne come here? She'd been right to suspect the girl. She wanted to hurt her again. Not just a slap; that wasn't enough. She wanted to put her nails into her throat, and squeeze till the flesh ripped—

Harry put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her back the way they'd come. They walked down the path. Iris realized she was almost growling. She sounded like some kind of wild animal.

Harry stroked her shoulder, staring ahead. Iris swallowed, suddenly feeling ashamed. She always told herself to be mature, but she only acted like a child…

"Is a little walk something to get so riled up over, Iris?" Harry asked. He glanced at her briefly, and his face looked disappointed.

"No," Iris said.

"Then behave yourself," he said.

Iris nodded, looking to the ground. Why was she so stupid, like a baby

They went back to the garden, going through the door. Daphne came with them, and the girl did not seem to notice how Iris had gotten. She looked content, having enjoyed the walk.

"You go on ahead," Harry said. "I have to meet with someone."

"Oh," Daphne said. "Okay. Harry, that… was a nice walk. Thank you for taking me."

"No problem," he replied, again sounding like he had other things on his mind. What was he planning? There were so many politicians and aristocrats here tonight that he could be meeting with practically anyone. Iris knew her head would start hurting if she tried to figure it out, so she let the matter be.

Harry moved to go, but Iris held to his arm, walking with him. He glanced at her, but didn't tell her to go. They both left Daphne behind.

"What was that about, Iris?" Harry asked as they walked, going back into the manor.

"I don't know," Iris mumbled. She didn't want to think about it. She was trying her hardest to forget about what had happened at the tree trunk. "Can you take me to our room?"

He looked at her, seeming annoyed for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Okay." He turned, veering from their course, and led her up one of the two winding stairs in the hall they were in. There were people all around, and some noticed their passing. A woman saw her, her eyes widening, and quickly turned to her companions, gesturing towards them. They all looked at her and Harry.

Iris put her head down, but thankfully, they left the hall, going up to the second floor. The halls here were empty.

They went to their room, and Iris felt a flood of relief at the familiar sight. This was a safe place. Just looking at it made her feel like everything was alright.

She could feel that Harry wanted to go, but she held to his arm, pulling him towards the bed. He came slowly, but didn't try to pull away from her. Iris thought she heard him sigh under his breath.

Once reaching the bed, she sat down. Harry didn't follow her. He stood in front of her, the arm she was holding held out in front of him.

She looked at his eyes. He did not seem angry at her, just… lightly disappointed? But there was a fondness there too. Iris smiled. Yes, she annoyed him, but he loved her still. And besides, it was a little sister's duty to annoy her big brother.

"Would it be bad if I asked you to forget about your meeting and sit with me?" she said.

Harry smiled. "Yes, it would," he said. All his irritation was gone now, and Iris felt pleased. She'd made Harry's mood change. No other girl could do that. Only her.

"Who are you going to talk to, anyway?"

"Crabbe and Goyle's fathers, and Edgard Nott."

Iris took in a breath. There was a puzzle here, and she could solve it, if she got enough pieces. "Why them? Does it… is it to do with the Chamber?"

"Yes," Harry said. The way he said, short and curt, with his pitch rising at the end of the word, made it sound like he was encouraging her to continue with her thought.

"What do they have to do with the Chamber? They were all in Slytherin, I'm guessing. So maybe they'll help us?"

Harry stayed quiet, still smiling.

"Why Crabbe and Goyle's fathers, specifically? And Lord Nott?"

"What did I tell you about Edgard earlier?"

"What, that… he had to pay a lot of bribes? He lost a lot of money? So he's always in a bad mood."

Harry nodded. "Right. How rare is a basilisk, Iris?"

"Very rare," Iris said, feeling excitement. She was at the edge of something. She could feel it. "They're extremely rare. That one in the Chamber is probably the only one in Britain. No, in all Europe, probably."

"And if something is rare, then…"

Iris moved her mouth. Then what? Her mind scrambled, and she felt like the words were at the edge of the tongue, but no sound came out.

"…it sells for a lot of money," Harry said. "Right?"

Iris blinked. Sells for a lot of money. And… Edgard Nott didn't have that much money nowadays. Was that it? Was he going to sell the basilisk to Theodore's father? But no, the man didn't have much money to begin with. Maybe Harry was going to gift the basilisk to Lord Nott? But no, that was horribly stupid. They would lose so much money if they just gave the snake away.

He broke eye contact, gently taking her arm off his. "Don't stay in here too long. Make sure you come back downstairs in a few minutes, and let people see you. Meet with your friends, talk to them."

Harry turned, walking to their room's door. Iris got up from the bed, reaching after him, mouth opening and closing. "Harry?" she said.

He looked back at her, hand on the doorknob.

"What are you going to do?" she said.

Harry smiled again. "Think about it," he said. He looked towards Siril's cage, to the right of his desk. "In fact, when you come down, bring your snake with you. I think people would like to meet her."

Iris slowly nodded. Harry turned the doorknob and went through the door, closing it behind him. She was left alone in the room, a half puzzle inside her head. The pieces were all there, she thought, but she couldn't figure out what in the world Harry was going to do.

But she had promised to help him. And he'd said to bring Siril down with her. Maybe that was part of the plan.

Iris stood there, thinking. Her brother was smarter than she'd realized. Far smarter. He was playing games with adults, and by the looks of it, getting away with it.

She went back to the bed and sat down. She'd rest here a moment, but when she went down, she would take Siril with her. She'd promised to help Harry, after all, and that was a vow she didn't intend to break.