I thought I should make a quick a/n about the recent J.K Rowling ickiness. I want to make it extremely clear that I DO NOT support her or her views, most especially when it comes to transgender and non-binary people. It absolutely breaks my heart to see her treat people so horribly for simply being themselves.

With that being said, I have decided to continue with this story only because Harry Potter has become such a massive part of my life and I love it and my OCs too much to part with them.

To anyone and everyone who identifies as transgender or non-binary, YOU ARE VALID.

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In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, multicoloured lights flickered across the stone walls, no sounds echoing throughout the room beside the loud crackling of active spells being fired. The sole two people standing within the four walls were the source of this magic, and though they each aimed at the other, no intentions were harmful.

It was nearing the end of July, and as the last few days of the month ticked away, two of the only Summer inhabitants of the large castle whiled away the time the same as they had been doing every day since Iris Potter had arrived. The younger girl and her newly coined mentor, Dumbledore, worked day-in and day-out to heighten her skills. The elder wizard would admit that he was surprised at the progress she was making. It was as if a spark had lit within her and the young Potter couldn't sit still, she could only absorb all the new information given to her.

Iris enjoyed attending Order of the Phoenix meetings– it made her feel like she was doing something useful. On top of that, she liked spending the limited time she had at meetings with Sirius. The only person who threw fits every time she came was Mrs Weasley, but Sirius always fought her back in Iris' favour. It wasn't that Iris minded Mrs Weasley, as she knew the woman was only doing it because she cared, but Iris was glad Sirius could see that she wasn't helpless.

Besides training with Dumbledore and Order meetings, Iris didn't do much. She managed to keep herself busy at all times of the day, though, doing even the most mundane tasks to keep herself occupied for she knew that if she let herself have time to think, all of her emotions would come crashing down once more. Instead, she bottled it up to focus on the tasks ahead of her, such as helping form plans to keep the prophecy safe and learning as much from Dumbledore as she could in the short time they had before school would resume.

In the midst of her stifled loneliness, every few days, either Kai or Khalee would come by Hogwarts and keep her company. Iris thought that perhaps they could tell she was avoiding thinking about any of her current problems. She didn't mind their presence though, as they didn't press her or deter her from whatever she was doing at that moment. They often would teach her Shielded history, mixing in the occasional lesson here and there.

They hadn't visited in a few days so Iris kept busy with Dumbledore. The mentor and mentee were launching nonverbal spells back and forth at each other in the wide-open Great Hall. The Headmaster had made all of the house tables vanish with a simple flick of his wand. Throughout their time training, Iris had begun to pick up speed as she had gotten smarter with her fighting. Dumbledore continuously matched her pace everytime they practice duelled, and though she sped up each time, Iris knew that they were no where near his normal calibre.

After a while, they finished and Dumbledore magicked the tables back for them to sit at. They each took a seat on one of the benches at the usual Hufflepuff table, facing into the aisle. Sitting there brought back memories from the previous year when she would occasionally hang out with Cedric, Maddie, Issac, and Kasper.

After a moment of silence, Iris looked to the elder Headmaster beside her.

"Professor... do you mind if I ask you something a bit personal?" He gestured for her to continue. Iris bit her lip hesitantly before asking, "Did you ever love someone?"

The old man's eyes clouded with melancholy and he sighed carefully. Turning to look at Iris, Dumbledore spoke, "Yes... there was someone... a very long time ago. We were quite close, but eventually, I realized that when you love someone you can become blind to their faults. It took my own sister dying as a byproduct of my obliviousness to finally get me to see who he truly was." He looked away, "What you and Mr Diggory had was the kind of love I see only once every few years here at Hogwarts. Your parents had it too," Dumbledore then chuckled lightly, "Of course, it took your mother a few years to come around to your father's advances, but once she did... they were something quite special."

Iris smiled at that, a warm feeling overtaking the sadness that had come with the mention of Cedric. "I didn't know you had a sister," Iris said quietly.

Dumbledore nodded, looking across at her with a sad smile, "Yes... I have a brother as well. We have never been quite close, not like the bond you and Harry share, but the one thing we could both always agree on was our love for our sister. I am only sorry that she had to pay the price of me not realising that sooner."

Iris looked down at her lap, her hands fidgeting together, "I'm sorry..."

The elder wizard's crystal blue eyes ran over the girl in front of him with a grandfatherly kindness, "There is nothing to be sorry about, Iris, we all have tragic moments in our past. We have both lost many people important to us. This is just one more thing that you and I have in common."

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Later that evening, Iris attended yet another Order meeting alongside Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall accompanied them that time and when they arrived, Iris noticed that a large majority of the Order was present. She liked these rare meetings when timing worked out and most everyone could come. Of course, they never discussed pleasant things during the meetings, but before, after, and in between when they were talking about serious stuff, the atmosphere was livelier than usual when there were more of them.

They droned though the usual business: designating watch shifts for the prophecy, naming both known and possible Death Eaters, debating whether or not they thought they could get certain Ministry employees on their side. Iris rarely spoke during meetings as there wasn't much she could actually do.

Finally, towards the end of the meeting, they got around to talking about the subject that always made Iris fidget uncomfortably in her chair: Harry. They sorted out who would be watching him for the next few days– a mix of Mrs Figg, Emmaline Vance, and Mundungus– before turning to Iris. The Order members would often glance at the young girl when this subject came up, but now they were all looking directly at her at once.

"Iris," Remus began gently from across the long wooden table, "Is there anything you want to add?" His eyes flickered around making contact with the other Order members. "You know Harry best."

She noticed a slight pang in his voice, expressions of old regret echoing off the walls of his thoughts. Iris sat stiff as a board in her chair, eyes wide resembling those of an owl as her hazel gaze shifted back and forth between the many adults staring her down.

After a moment, Iris spoke quietly, "I know my brother like I know my own mind... which makes it easy to say I can predict almost exactly how he is feeling and exactly how he will react when he finally learns about everything. Harry he— he's impulsive, easily irritated, resentful... it's gotten worse in the last few years." Iris inhaled through her nose, suddenly feeling rather emotional as she looked down to her lap where her hands were fidgeting, "He's only going to get angrier the longer he's left out."

No one spoke as the group exchanged downcast glances. Iris felt a comforting hand land on her shoulder and she looked over, following the attached arm back to Sirus who gave her a sad smile.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

One look at her face gave him the answer and Sirius squeezed her shoulder gently as a response, as though letting her know he was there for her.

A minute or two later, Dumbledore called the meeting to an end and most everyone stood, gathering their things to leave if they weren't planning on staying later. Iris had stood up as well, just in time for a familiar redhead to beeline straight for her.

"Iris! Are you joining us for dinner?"

"Oh– not tonight, Mrs Weasley..." Iris responded uncomfortably, "Thank you though."

The kind woman looked disappointed at her answer but not entirely shocked, as it was the same one she had been getting since the very first meeting. Giving in, Mrs Weasley wrapped Iris up in her arms and held her tightly for a moment before releasing her with a goodbye.

The brunette then stood before Sirius for the last farewell of the night. He, too, pulled her into a hug before pulling back and looking the young girl in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked somewhat hopefully.

Iris nodded dejectedly, "I'm just not ready to see them... not yet."

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Just days later, Iris was once again walking idly through Hogwarts with nothing to do, though now with a companion by her side. Kai had come to visit once more after a few days of absence and was following Iris around as she led him through the maze-like corridors.

The raven-haired boy was strolling along leisurely as she pointed out different classrooms and the like as they passed. Every so often he would stop and glance inside one with interest, making Iris watch him with amusement.

"How come you and Khalee don't go to Hogwarts?" Iris finally asked as she led him inside the huge library.

As he walked inside, Kai slowed to a halt as his eyebrows schrunched together in mild disbelief, turning to look at the overwhelmingly absurd amount of books kept lining every inch of the walls.

"Merlin... so many bloody books," he shook his head, turning to look at Iris, "Our parents died when we were young, same as yours. Luckily Mira and Audrey found us and took us in," He pulled a random book off one of the shelves and glanced at the cover for a second before putting it back uninterested, "We've been homeschooled ever since."

Iris leaned against one of the towering bookcases watching with mild amusement as Kai pulled more books off of the shelves, face contorted in confusion mixed with disgust.

"Not the bookish type are you?" Iris asked, folding her arms across her midsection.

He looked up, replacing the books, "Not particularly— that's more of Khalee's thing." Suddenly, as if a bell had gone off in his head, Kai turned to Iris with a grin, "Happy Birthday by the way."

Iris' stomach lurched, "How'd you know?"

The hazel-eyed boy shrugged, "Everyone knows— you're part of the family now."

Family. Her heart twisted at his words— she had left hers. Now her best friend in the whole world had no one to spend his birthday with besides the Dursleys. Iris had never felt so selfish. "This is the first time I haven't been with Harry on our birthday... feels a bit odd without him."

Iris felt the familiar pang in her chest as she thought of her twin, but pushed it back, swiftly changing the subject, "So when did you two develop your abilities?"

Kai understood the sudden change and embraced it, crossing his arms casually as he leaned back on the shelf across from Iris, "Well, ours came when we were eight, but most of us get them about halfway through our teens. Khalee and I are legacies though, so we developed a bit quicker."

"Legacies?"

"Every generation on our mum's side has been born a Shielded. Our ancestors gave us the name and formed our society. You know the Shielded crest?" He asked and Iris nodded, remembering the very first note they had left her, "Well, my Great-great-great-something grandfather was the founder and had the same gift as I do so that's where the lightning bolt comes from."

Iris stared at him for a moment, fascinated, "Wow... that's pretty cool."

Kai shrugged nonchalantly, the corner of his mouth pulling up slightly. He then suggested they go down to the Great Hall for dinner as it was getting late. Iris readily agreed and once agin took him back through the long Hogwarts corridors.

As they neared the Front Entrance Iris turned her head to the side and asked Kai the question that had been on her mind all day, "Why can't I read you?"

The raven-haired boy didn't look surprised, as though he had been expecting the question to be asked at some point. Not missing a step, he promptly explained, "Just as you yourself are naturally guarded from attacks, whether physical or mental, I, and the rest of our Shielded peers, are immune to your gift. Now, you can sort of turn this on and off by circumstance— for intance, none of us want to be guarded against Lucas' gift because he can heal people within seconds," he paused, a quick smirk appearing, "Khalee blocks me so I can't zap her all the time."

Iris had a small smile pulling across her face as the Great Hall doors swung open for them magically.

"What else can we do?" she asked enthusiastically.

Kai hesitated for a split second, looking away before answering, "Not much."

They sat down at the end of the usual Gryffindor table as Iris let out a light scoff of amusement, "Okay, I don't even have to use legilimency to know that's a lie."

The boy beside her didn't appear to have the same joking manner as he somewhat awkwardly smiled, though it looked more like a grimace, avoiding eye contact.

"Mira didn't want me to tell you yet... she didn't want you to be upset..." Kai said quietly.

Iris' smile faded at the serious tone of his voice; it was the first time she had heard it that way. Her body unconsciously shifted on the bench to face towards him as he sighed heavily, seeming to realise that there was no use not telling her whatever it was now.

Kai cleared his throat, taking a moment before looking into Iris' concerned eyes, "Well you know that our shields are very strong..."

Iris nodded carefully.

"Okay, and so everyone knows that nothing can stop unforgivable curses... Well... that's um— that's not entirely true."

Suddenly Iris' mouth felt very dry.

"...what?"

Hazel upon hazel collided, though now the emotions in the two teens' eyes had been reversed. Kai's stared into her in concern while the brunette's slid out of focus as her breath caught.

"Iris— I"

She cut him off in a chilling whisper, agony buried in layers beneath the surface, "You're telling me that I could have saved him... I could have saved him but I didn't."

Abruptly, a strong gust of wind blew through the Hall, blowing the hundreds of floating candles out in a sudden blink. Iris' hair flew around into her face as she felt a lump rising up the back of her throat. In only the light of the setting sun reaching in through the many windows, Kai's eyes were wide as he spoke frantically:

"It's not your fault—"

Suddenly every window in the room blew inwards with a loud crash at the very tempo of Iris' eratic heartbeat.

With a second to spare, Kai lunged at the girl, tackling her off the bench and sending a vivid electric blue dome up around them. Thousands of shards of glass rained down across the Great Hall.

Iris was breathing unsteadily at a rapid pace, her eyes darting around wildly. All she could see and think about was that moment.

Green flash.

Cedric on the grass.

Green flash.

A chilling laugh.

Green flash.

Her own voice, screaming in pain.

Kai carefully grabbed her by the shoulders, speaking firmly, "Iris— listen to me. It isn't your fault."

Slowly gasping for air, Iris fell against him and let the boy pull her into his embrace as she reached out for something to latch onto. Kai stared down at her with worry as the two teenagers were left on the floor, surrounded by broken glass.

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With the weight of this new discovery on her shoulders, Iris carried on the next days as usual. Though she had lost what little remained of the pep in her step as she thought on repeat of how it all could have been prevented if she had just been a little smarter or faster or better.

Dumbledore had noticed the change in her since the night of her birthday, but chose not to comment on it, instead using it to feul the rest of her training. They both knew that once regular classes resumed, they would need to halt Dumbledore's practical lessons. So with little less than a month left until September first, they pushed harder than ever.

On the particular evening of August fourth, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Iris and Dumbledore had gone up to his office for afternoon tea and ended up staying later, carried away with conversation.

"I actually have a propostition to offer you, Iris." Dumbledore spoke lightly.

Iris looked away from where she had been watching the sun set over the Black Lake and turned towards the Headmaster curiously.

The older man continued, "As you are aware, every year, two fifth-years from each of the Houses are chosen to become Prefects. I would like to offer you the position."

The brunette's face furrowed slightly with thought as she considered the offer. Finally, Iris said, "What about Harry?"

Dumbledore gave her a regretful look, "I do not believe it wise to make your brother Prefect... he has too much already to worry about, and with the chance Voldemort could be lurking beneath..."

"And I don't have too much to worry about as well?" Iris asked, returning her gaze to the burning sunset. She shook her head slightly, "Give it to Hermione— she deserves it more anyway."

The Headmaster hummed in approval, "As you wish."

The sequence of events that occured next happened so quickly that Iris barely had a moment to think.

Dumbledore's grand fireplace roared to life as the worried face of Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared out of the flames.

"Dumbledore! We've just recieved notice of underage magic performed by Harry Potter— the Ministry is trying to expell him from Hogwarts!"

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yes, I was listening to hamilton when I wrote this chapter in case any of you caught that reference

man school SUCKS. I thought I'd have plenty of time to write but turns out that when you have a job, dance classes, and a bunch of homework for your college courses, free time no longer exists.

in conclusion, I apologise for the wait but I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! the reunion of the Potter twins is next chapter! also, I just want to say a quick thank you for all the support I've recieved on this story recently! we hit 250k reads which is SO cool! a quarter of a million guys!

in addition to that statement about all the amazing support, I want you guys to know that I read every single comment you guys leave and they all absolutely make my day! it makes me feel so guilty not responding to all of them but I honestly just don't have the time :'(

however, that being said, I'm going to be going back through this book starting from the beginning so I can plot for the future/work on editing and adding little scenes here and there for character development that I wish I had put in originally and I'm going to be replying to as many of the recent comments as I can along the way. So if anyone wants to reread for fun and comment, there's a 97.8% chance that I'll reply to all of them.

anyway, love you guys the most <3 c u next update