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The night before they were due to leave back to Hogwarts, Iris slept unsoundly. Her parents' faces wove in and out of her dreams, never speaking; A green flash and Cedric's empty gaze stared straight through her, and in a dream new to her, Iris found herself walking down a corridor ending in a locked door. 

Her feet carried her towards it involuntarily, her vision flashing rapidly back and forth from the strained face of her brother to the door. The static sound of dozens of whispers slowly grew louder and louder in her ears until it was deafening. Green lightning struck behind her hazel eyes, blinding Iris as she stumbled down the corridor, feeling like the door was pulling her closer.

Harry

Cedric

The door

Mum

Dad

The door

Sirius

People were screaming... so many of them...

Iris grabbed her head, wishing she would wake up from the nightmare. There was a pressure building up behind her eyes that was growing nearly unbearable. She stumbled, crying out in pain as a hundred voices rushed through her ears and her sight flashed with green once more. The girl finally let out a shattering scream, the dream falling apart as the horrible face of Voldemort leered at her.

Iris awoke abruptly, gasping for air, her scar prickling for the first time in ages. She sat up hyperventilating, unable to catch her breath, her mind repeating one name over and over again: Harry. Her heart was pounding in her chest at an intense speed.

There was a light knock on her door. Iris took a shuddering breath and called out for them to come in. The handle twisted and in peeked Hermione, already dressed.

"Morning Iris, you'd better get ready quickly, Mrs Weasley's beginning to panic, she says we're going to miss the train..."

There was a lot of commotion in the house. From what she heard as she hurriedly got dressed, Iris deduced that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs Black and Mrs Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.

"— COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS —"

"— FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS —"

Iris rolled her eyes at the yells of the portrait, exiting her room with her trunk in tow. She carefully made her way downstairs and set her luggage by the front door. The corridor was more chaotic than usual, with everyone either standing around waiting to leave or rushing between rooms trying to make sure they had everything and everyone. Iris walked past them all in search of Sirius.

She found him leaning against the counters in the kitchen, a brooding look on his face as he stared at the floor.

"We'll be back for Christmas," Iris said, startling him, "and I'm sure Dumbledore would let me come to some of the Order meetings."

Sirius looked sad, loneliness pouring off of him in waves.

Iris walked over to him hesitantly, "Isn't Remus living here now too?"

Sirius sighed, a sad smile covering his face as he stepped forward to pull her into a hug, "I'm just really gonna miss you, kid."

"It won't be for forever," Iris murmured, holding her godfather tightly.

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A half-hour later, they— minus Sirius— were at King's Cross station. Mad-Eye Moody had insisted that a few members of the Order accompany them as a guard. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood emitting sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. Iris inhaled the familiar smell and felt her heart drop. . . Last time she had stood there was earlier that Summer, just after Cedric had died.

"I hope the others hurry," said Mrs Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

"Oh good," said Mrs Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look . . ."

A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks.

"All okay," he muttered to Mrs Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed. . ."

Seconds later, Mr Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Remus.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Remus. He then turned to the waiting kids. "Well, look after yourselves," said Remus, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a tight hug. "You too, Harry. Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you— careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Iris, Hermione, and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice. "Write. . . Be good. . . If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on. . . Onto the train, now, hurry. . ."

Iris turned to Remus before she left with the other teenagers, saying, "Take care of him."

Remus, knowing she meant the moody raven-haired man on house arrest, nodded sincerely, easing Iris' guilt and worry only a bit.

"See you!" Harry called from beside Iris out of the open window as the train began to move, while she, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly.

Mad-Eye looked directly at Iris as they slipped away, giving her one final sullen nod. Iris got the message: She was Harry's closest layer of protection now.

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Iris, Ron, and Hermione.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Er," said Ron.

"We're— well— Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.

Iris grimaced towards the back of Harry's head, trying to gauge his reaction. Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.

"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there the whole way," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

Iris had briefly thought about this trip to Hogwarts after Hermione and Ron got their prefect announcements, but it was obvious that Harry hadn't considered it.

"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather— but we have to — I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.

"We know you aren't," said Iris and she grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks, and a caged Pigwidgeon off toward the engine end of the train, she could feel Harry's disappointment. He had never traveled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron, even in their second year when Dobby had caused the boys to miss it. The house elf hadn't been able to stop Iris in time and she had spent the entire train ride panicking about her brother. . . that felt like a lifetime ago to Iris.

"Come on," Ginny told him, "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."

"Right," said Harry, picking up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other. They struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-paneled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Iris couldn't help but notice that a lot of people stared back at her and Harry with great interest and that several of them nudged their neighbors and pointed the twins out. After she had experienced this behavior in five consecutive carriages she remembered that the Daily Prophet had been telling its readers all summer that they were a pair of liars enabled by Dumbledore. Iris had been made out as a delusional and mentally unstable puppet, scarred by the death of her boyfriend and covering for her brother.

Iris flinched every few seconds, trying to stop herself from listening to their thoughts. She had never been more glad that Harry wasn't born with the same capabilities as her.

In the very last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, one of their fellow fifth-year Gryffindors, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.

"Hi, Iris, Harry," he panted. "Hi, Ginny. . . Everywhere's full. . . I can't find a seat. . ."

"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here—"

Iris' eyebrows raised at the mention of her friend, though she was disappointed by Ginny's use of that nickname. Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's all right."

She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside it. Iris, Harry, and Neville followed.

"Hi, Luna," said Iris politely. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"

The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Luna gave off her usual aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry.

She nodded.

"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her.

Harry and Neville helped stow the four trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. Iris was looking forward to seeing her cat, Buttercup, again when they arrived back to Hogwarts where she had left her. Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans.

Iris was about to sit down when something caught her attention.

"I'll be right back, guys," Iris said before leaving the compartment.

As she closed the door behind her she caught a glimpse of Harry's face, aghast that she was leaving him. Luna was staring owlishly at Iris' brother, clearly making him shift uncomfortably.

Iris smirked as she walked away, looking through the windows of other compartments on the train until she found the one she was searching for. But as her eyes wandered through the window her mouth tipped into a frown, eyebrows shifting downward to match.

There was a single boy sitting inside, hair dark as night and eyes sea green, though their color was clouded by a fog of tears. It was like a rainstorm on his face as waves of tears rolled down across his flushed cheeks.

Iris pushed the door open, cautiously saying, "Isaac?" His head shot up, hands quickly attempting to dry his face so she wouldn't see.

The brunette girl stepped inside, closing the compartment door behind her, pulling the curtains over the corridor window. She turned back to Isaac, her vision blurring as she sat beside him.

"I miss him too," she whispered, throat raw. Iris met his gaze, "Where are Maddie and Kasper?"

Isaac wiped at his eyes, "Mads is doing prefect stuff, Kasper's walking her rounds with her. . ." He shuddered, withholding a sob, his face screwed up, "It's never going to be the same here again."

A tear rolled down Iris' cheek and she bit her bottom lip. The teenage girl wound her arms around the boy beside her, pulling him close to her. His head rested on her shoulder as his sobs broke free. Iris held him tightly, pushing her waterworks back with all her might to stay strong for Isaac.

She brushed back his hair soothingly, a quiet whisper breaking through her lips, "No, it's not."

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having a bad week, bon appetite, hope you guys enjoyed ❤️

AND AND I would super appreciate it if you guys would all go drop a follow on my best pal on wattpad, daniellawrites02 bc she's so close to reaching 700!!