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"Iris! IRIS!"

A distant voice was calling her name, an echo through the dark bringing her back from the depths of her consciousness.

Her eyes snapped open wide as she looked around frantically trying to recall where she was.

"I-I... I thought I saw..."

She was taking in rapid heavy breaths as she felt like there was a massive weight on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Iris, honey, you're okay, you're safe." It was Queenie, sounding very worried.

Iris' head was pounding as her breathing slowly calmed down. She stared across the hallway in front of her, at the shattered window fragments which were, like her thoughts, scattered everywhere.

"Oh, Queenie... that was awful," Iris whispered to her friend and mentor.

The older woman nodded in understanding, "But the voices, you can't hear them anymore, can you?"

Iris shook her head, relieved with the freedom of a clear mind.

"And now? You can find Professor McGonagall," Queenie questioned, already knowing the answer.

Iris hesitated, scared of being sucked in again.

"I'll be right here the whole time, you don't need to be afraid," Queenie reassured her.

Iris only had to focus for a second before she could connect with her Professor, something that had never happened so quickly before.

It was like her eyes had been opened. A simpler way of approaching her ability, it was like she was drifting on a cloud, swaying through minds with ease.

She was still in her own body but could see clearly through the minds of those around her. It was peaceful, serene.

Iris felt something hot on her upper lip, something shaking her arm, trying to get her to snap back.

The fog in her eyes cleared as she automatically reached up to wipe under her nose.

A trickle of blood was running down.

Queenie looked scared as she hurriedly pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket on her fur coat, and gently pressed it up against Iris' nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

"The mind is a powerful thing, Iris. But it is also fragile. Too much pressure and it could snap," Queenie warned, "you could barely handle this many people... you could imagine how bad the damage would be if it was a whole castle full of students and teachers."

Queenie helped her off the ground, Iris still applying pressure to the handkerchief over her nose.

"People who go too far can get lost in their own minds forever, Iris. Don't let yourself be one of them. Keep everyone out, and just remember, one at a time and you'll be fine."

They stood in the corridor and looked over at the shattered window.

Queenie then spoke up, "Well then, I think we should clean this up, hm? I don't suppose Dumbles would like it too much if we left it like this," she said with a hint of a smile.

The older witch took her wand out from a pocket inside her coat and waved it in front of the window in a straight line. All the glass shards lifted themselves off the floor, and more came floating up from outside the window, sealing themselves back in to place with one another, until the window was complete and in one piece again.

Queenie checked her watch and sighed when she saw the time, " I can't stay for much longer, so why don't you show me the rest of the castle before I gotta leave?"

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"I wish you could stay longer, Queenie. You're the only one who knows how I feel all the time."

The two witches had been wandering around the castle for the last hour, with Iris pointing out her favourite places to hang out at, and where all her classes are.

"I know, I wish I could stay with you too," Queenie said, as they walked arm-in-arm back to Dumbledore's office.

"What do I do? If it does happen again?" Iris asked quietly.

Queenie smiled down at her, "You've got so many good people around you, there to catch you when you fall. Your brother, and all your friends. That boy Cedric seemed to do the trick last time," she let out a tinkling laugh.

Iris blushed. Queenie always knew how to lighten the mood, it was one of the many things Iris admired about her.

That and her American accent had always fascinated Iris. She loved hearing about Queenie's adventures in America from when she was younger. Though her hair was no longer a vibrant blonde but a light grey, Iris had always found Queenie beautiful, inside and out, and her ability to make Iris feel better never went away.

She was going to miss her friend, not knowing when they would see each other again. Of course, they would frequently send letters, but it was hard to coordinate visits like these.

They soon reached the gargoyle that would take them up to Dumbledore's office, and Queenie turned to Iris with a bright smile upon her face, "Thank you for showing me around Hogwash, honey," Iris let out a laugh, "It was very nice-- of course Ilvermorny is better."

"Of course it is," Iris played along, chuckling.

Queenie leaned down and wrapped Iris into a tight hug, before turning to the gargoyle and speaking the password.

Once they got to the office door, Iris knocked and waited for a response.

When they heard the "Come in," the two opened the large wooden door and walked in, seeing Dumbledore sitting at his desk.

"Ah! How was your walk? I presume everything went well?" He asked.

"All good, Mr Dumbledore! If there are any problems again, I'd be happy to help Iris," Quennie informed him with a smile.

Dumbledore smiled, standing up from behind his desk and walking over to the large fireplace that was absent of a fire for the moment.

"Anytime, of course! I suppose it's time then," he said, looking at an old looking clock hanging on one of the walls.

Iris and Queenie shared one last embrace before Queenie stepped up to the unlit fire and took a handful of floo powder from a jar Dumbledore was offering towards her.

She carefully stepped inside the stone indentation and turned back to Iris, giving one final smile and a wink before throwing the powder down at her feet shouting, "Goldstein Residence!"

A large green fire burst around her as she disappeared into the flames.

Dumbledore cheerily turned back to her and spoke, "Well, I trust you had a good day then, Iris?"

Iris nodded with a grin. Her face lit up when she remembered why she had come to his office earlier that day.

She unbuttoned her cross-body bag and reached in, pulling out the small wrapped gift. It was a cube, decked with festive red and green dotted wrapping paper and a silver bow stuck on top.

She held her hand out towards her Headmaster, the bow resting on her palm.

"What's this?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he took it from her grasp.

Iris giggled as she turned and started walking out of his office, "You know what it is."

She heard him chuckle, "Is it stripes like last year?"

She turned her head as she reached the door, "Nope, these ones have little reindeer stitched in."

With a grin from both, Iris turned back around and walked out, closing the door behind her.

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Hi guys! Merry Holiday Season!

I know Hanukkah started tonight, so Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates it!

I probably won't be able to upload for a few weeks, but I'll be back soon!

Also, I'd like to thank @Girl-Of-Many-Wonders for reminding me because I totally forgot to mention that Queenie is about 90 years old when Prisoner Of Azkaban happens, so she definitely doesn't still look like Queenie from back in the day, and also wizards and witches have longer lifespans than muggles, so she's not really too old in magic standards I suppose. 😂

Anyway, thanks for reading! ~Elle