A/N: Hello to all my readers. This is an English translation of my fic: "Un Verano Diferente". I hope you enjoy reading it. I did my best to write this chapter in this language, which I'm not very good at.
Title: A Different Summer.
Main Pairing: Florian Delacour (male Fleur Delacour) / Iris Potter (Fem Harry Potter)
Genre: Friendship / Adventure / Family / Romance.
AU Story.
Summary.
AU: Set in the summer of the fifth year. Tired of always being left in the dark and having everyone control or have a say in her life except herself, Iris Selene Potter (Fem Harry) finally decides to take control of her life with the help of an old friend. This decision will aid her on the path to winning the war and freeing herself from those who wish to keep her under their control.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. All credit goes to its creator, J. K. Rowling.
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Chapter 1: Unexpected Help.
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Around four in the afternoon, the summer sun lazily filtered through the old curtains of Iris Selene Potter's room, faintly lighting the small room of the young witch. The young girl lay in her bed, staring at the faded ceiling, while her mind wandered through dark thoughts about her miserable vacation and Voldemort's return. Her friends' letters, filled with trivialities and evasions, piled up on her desk, a constant reminder of her isolation by all those she had trusted, who were now only disappointing her more and more with the discouraging and uninformative responses written in each one of them. The young raven-haired girl had felt very unhappy since the start of that summer. Voldemort had regained a body and was out there, maybe causing chaos or secretly killing Muggles for fun with his Death Eaters, while gathering his strength. She feared the day he would come to the Dursleys' house to finish what he started on October 31, 1981. So far, no one had informed her about what was happening, absolutely no one, and that both troubled and angered her equally. There were days when her letters were ignored, and when they finally deigned to respond, they only sent short messages with empty words of encouragement, or warned that her letters might be intercepted.
"Why are they doing this to me?" she murmured to herself, feeling a mix of anger and despair. She felt so abandoned, alone, and defeated. Her eyes stung from the tears that were starting to fall, one by one, down her cheeks. Suddenly, a faint pop broke the silence of the room. Iris sprang up, wand in hand, and saw Dobby, her house-elf friend, standing next to her bed with a serious expression.
"Dobby, what are you doing here?" Iris asked, surprised, wiping away her tears as she sat on her bed, seeing there was no danger.
"Dobby comes to help the great Iris Potter," said the elf with determination. "Dobby has been hearing many bad things said by the Ministry of Magic about Iris Potter, and Dobby cannot allow the name of the great Iris Potter to be tarnished," he declared.
"What do you mean by that, Dobby?" she asked, feeling a bad premonition.
With a sad grimace, the little elf snapped his fingers, and levitating in front of her emerald eyes appeared a copy of the Daily Prophet. Eager to know what it would say, the girl began to read its contents, and the more she read, the more shock, disbelief, anger, and helplessness took over her being. When she finished reading the awful newspaper, she threw it to the floor, trembling with rage.
"This… this!" She couldn't even speak because of the fury that overwhelmed her at that moment. They were slandering her, calling her a brat just trying to get attention, a delirious, lying, disturbed girl, and many other horrible things! 'How could they?'
"Do you see, Miss Iris Potter?" the elf said softly.
"And what can I do about it, Dobby?" the young witch asked, distressed. She didn't want to go through the same thing she had in her first, second, and fourth years. The cold stares, the cruel whispers, the veiled insults… she could already imagine that her fifth year would be a complete nightmare because of Fudge and, even worse, because of the sheep in the wizarding world who couldn't think for themselves.
"Dobby has already thought about that," said the elf excitedly. "Iris Potter needs to call Maddy, the house-elf of the Potter family. She has answers for Iris Potter."
"The house-elf of my family?" asked the emerald-eyed girl, stunned. 'No one had told her anything about her! They hadn't even mentioned her!'
"That's right," the elf confirmed. "Miss Potter needs to know who she is, she needs to understand how important her family is. She must claim her inheritance," Dobby said, with a serious look.
"M-my inheritance?" the last Potter felt her head starting to spin from all this information.
"Miss Iris Potter doesn't know it, but Miss Iris Potter is the heir to one of the oldest and most noble families in the magical world, the House of Potter," Dobby explained, with clear pride. "The House of Potter has a long and illustrious history, full of powerful, brave, and influential wizards and witches who have done great things for magic and for the world. The Potter family also possesses a great fortune and plays a role in the defense of magic itself. This is common knowledge among the noble houses and most of the magical world, Miss Iris Potter."
"H-how?" the emerald-eyed girl felt a surge of anger rising. So much… so much she hadn't known about her family… and everyone knew about it, except her… But Dobby was providing the information she needed to change this. Iris felt a spark of hope. Here was her chance to leave her horrible relatives forever, no matter what Dumbledore ordered!
"How do I call her?" asked the young Potter.
"You just have to say her name and ask her to come, Iris Potter," Dobby explained.
Extremely anxious and excited, following Dobby's instructions, Iris called for Maddy. With a nearly inaudible pop, a house-elf appeared, with honey-colored eyes shining brightly and a warm smile, dressed in a lovely royal blue tunic with golden embroidery and the family crest on her chest.
"Maddy is so happy to see her dear mistress again!" exclaimed the little elf. In seconds, she regained her composure. "Maddy is here to serve the young mistress, Iris Potter," she said, bowing deeply.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Maddy," the girl said with a smile. Seeing the little elf brought vague memories of when she was a baby, and Maddy had taken care of her in the nursery. The thought made her want to cry again, due to those sweet memories and the affection and tenderness Maddy had shown her. 'God, I really had lost so much because of Voldemort and Dumbledore!'
"So, you are the house-elf who serves my family?" Iris asked, somewhat surprised, just starting to assimilate that she came from a noble house.
"That's right, young mistress Iris. In fact, I am the lead house-elf among eighty elves who serve your family," Maddy informed her, causing the girl's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Eighty elves! Why are there so many?" the emerald-eyed girl asked, still in shock.
"This is due to the size of the three properties that the Potter family owns, young mistress," the elf explained. "Otherwise, it would be very difficult for us to care for them, as it takes a lot of work to maintain them and keep them in good condition."
"I see," the young witch said, slowly nodding her head.
"Well, are you ready to go, Mistress Iris?" asked the excited elf, looking at her expectantly. "Young mistress, you shouldn't be living under these conditions, your parents would be horrified!"
Iris felt a lump in her throat when she heard Maddy's words. She agreed that her parents, from what little she had heard about them, wouldn't like how the Dursleys had her living, especially her mother, since Aunt Petunia was her sister. "Of course, just give me a minute," the emerald-eyed girl told her. She got up, and with determination, left her room, went downstairs, and headed to the living room where the Dursleys were watching TV that Sunday afternoon before heading out for dinner at a restaurant where, as always, they hadn't planned on taking their niece.
She didn't see Dudley; he was probably out with his friends, bothering children and committing vandalism as he usually did these days. The young witch cleared her throat to get her uncles' attention, and they reluctantly focused their gaze on her.
"What do you want, girl?" grunted Uncle Vernon, clearly annoyed.
"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, I just came to inform you that I'm leaving. And if all goes well, we'll never see each other again." announced the young Potter.
The Dursleys were shocked, and in a slightly better mood, Vernon asked Iris: "Is one of your… friends coming to pick you up?"
"Yes, Uncle Vernon. I'll leave the house with the Invisibility Cloak my father left me, in case anyone's watching the house, and I'll meet my friend a few blocks away and we'll Apparate far away," she explained..
"Excellent," Vernon nodded with a smile.
"If you don't want to be bothered by wizards anymore, you could move far away from here," Iris told them.
"Oh, of course we will. Finally, I can accept the promotion that comes with the transfer to Australia that they offered me, Pet," the burly man said.
"Wonderful, Vernon!" celebrated the woman happily. "We need to start preparing everything."
"That's right, Pet," he said happily.
She felt a small pang of pain seeing that her aunt and uncle truly didn't care about her at all. She knew it shouldn't hurt, but it still did, especially because they were her only living relatives. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, one more thing. While you're living at Number 4, you need to pretend that I still live here, but that I'm grounded and that's why I don't go outside, so no one will suspect anything," she instructed them.
"Very well, girl," was all Vernon said, with her aunt nodding slightly in agreement.
"Good." And with that, Iris went back to her room, packed her most precious belongings, talked to her beloved Hedwig, who understood the situation and flew off immediately to find the Potter mansion as quickly as possible and meet Iris at her new home. Then, the young witch said goodbye for the moment to Dobby, who would stay a few minutes to make the Dursleys believe she was leaving with her Invisibility Cloak.
Maddy, taking Iris by the hand, Apparated with her into a spacious foyer with polished marble floors that reflected the light of a fine crystal chandelier. The sky-blue walls were adorned with paintings of charming natural landscapes. To one side, there was a comfortable and elegant white sofa, and in front of it, a glass coffee table with a vase of flowers. At the far end of the room, there was a dark wooden door.
The emerald-eyed girl startled when she felt the mansion's magical wards welcoming her. They felt warm and comforting, like a sweet embrace. She couldn't stop a tear from escaping her eyes, feeling truly at home.
Maddy gave her a knowing smile, which Iris returned with one brighter and more joyful than ever. "Young miss, I will take you to your room so you can settle in and rest a bit while dinner is being prepared," she said.
"Of course, Maddy, thank you," Iris replied.
The house-elf then led Iris out of the foyer through the wooden door into a short hallway that split into two directions, left and right. They took the right path, and the young witch was able to greet some portraits of relatives that were displayed along it, all excited by her arrival. They then took another path to the left, passed by several doors, and entered another hallway that turned left with more doors that connected to the hallway they were in. However, they didn't stop and continued their way until they reached a large spiral staircase made of solid wood, with railings entwined with vines and roses carved into their surface. After two flights of stairs, they walked down a long hallway with windows showing the back gardens, until they arrived at a room, also with double oak doors.
"This is your room, young mistress," Maddy told her. The double doors opened to an elegant adjoining room that would have made Aunt Petunia green with envy.
The walls were painted a soft beige, adorned with oil paintings of bucolic landscapes. The dark wooden floor was covered by a Persian rug with soft colors and intricate patterns. Large windows with golden silk curtains allowed natural light to flood the room.
A cream velvet sofa with cushions embroidered with golden threads was placed in front of a white marble fireplace. Beside the window, there was a red velvet chaise longue. A carved wooden coffee table held a vase of flowers. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, reflecting flashes of light across the room.
"This is the bedroom, Lady Iris," Maddy opened another set of double doors, carved with intricate floral designs.
Iris thought it was beautiful and felt it looked a bit Gryffindor due to the colors. In the center of the room was a large canopy bed with carved wooden columns and lace curtains. White linen sheets and a silk quilt with floral embroidery covered it. Velvet cushions in golden and red tones were piled at the headboard. Next to the bed, on a cherry wood nightstand, there was a ceramic lamp with a red tulle lampshade.
The balcony extended from the bedroom. The sliding glass doors were partially open, allowing the soft afternoon breeze to enter, lazily swaying the long red curtains with golden embroidery on either side of the doors. From there, the raven-haired girl noticed the gardens and the lake could be seen. A small bistro with wicker chairs and a cast-iron table invited one to enjoy tea while taking in the outdoor scenery, and the wrought-iron railing was partially covered with jasmine vines and flower pots.
The walk-in closet was an extension of the bedroom, separated by an arched door with ivory brocade curtains. At the far end of the closet, there was a large full-length mirror framed in gold.
To the right, there was a huge cherry wood wardrobe with beveled glass doors, divided into sections. Inside, the shelves were lined with pale pink velvet. Some dresses and other clothing were already hanging inside, and on the shoe shelves, six lovely pairs of shoes—three for going out, two for walking around the mansion, and a pair of boots—were neatly arranged.
On the wall opposite the wardrobe was a vanity with four rows of drawers, and beside it was a stool upholstered in red velvet. A plush rug spread across the floor, and a small chandelier provided light for the area.
The room had its own bathroom. The cream-colored marble tiles covered the floor and walls. Near the entrance, she encountered a marble vanity with a porcelain sink with golden faucets. Soft towels and natural sponges were placed in a wicker basket.
In the center was an exquisite bathtub large enough for five people, with claw feet, and just beside it, scented candles and bath salts were arranged on an antique silver tray. To the right, the emerald-eyed girl saw a corner shower with a glass partition and a rain showerhead. Lastly, on the opposite side, the WC was discreetly placed behind a decorative partition with a door, ensuring privacy.
"This is too much, Maddy," Iris felt overwhelmed amidst such luxury.
"Not at all, Mistress Iris. This is how all the rooms are for the family members. Only the master bedroom, which you will need to occupy in the future as head of the family, once you get used to your role as Lady Potter, is larger and more elegant than this one," the house-elf informed her calmly.
"Oh…" she said. 'That's true. I must accept the fact that I'm a noble, not a mere orphan dependent on the kindness (note the sarcasm) of her relatives' she told herself.
"Well, rest a bit, Mistress. I'll be back for you in an hour," said the elf. "You can use the clothes inside the wardrobes, young mistress. Taffy would be very happy if you wore one of the outfits she created especially for you."
"Um. Yes, thank you, Maddy. Also, thank Taffy for the clothes, they are quite lovely," she said, inspecting a beautiful sleeveless peach-colored dress with a fitted waist and circular skirt that had caught her attention, along with a pair of light brown sandals with small diamonds.
"I had no idea that you house-elves could make clothes too," the girl reflected.
"Oh, we can, young mistress. Not all of us. There are elves who, at the request of our masters, specialize in gardening, tailoring, cooking, among other skills," she explained.
"Ah, I see," the girl said thoughtfully. "I didn't know that, thanks for explaining, Maddy. I won't keep you any longer, you can go now."
"Yes, Mistress Iris." And with that, Maddy left with a soft pop. After being left alone, Iris sank into the soft bed and began to reflect on the turn her life had taken, thanks to her little friend, Dobby. When Dumbledore realized that she no longer lived with her relatives, he would search for her desperately. She had to act quickly and get ahead of him. Tomorrow morning, she had to go to Gringotts to see if there was anything she could do to free herself from the obsessive control of the Headmaster. No matter the cost, she would take control of her life from now on.
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End of Chapter.