The fireplace glowed green in Albus Dumbledore's home and three people tumbled out spinning in the emerald flames. Shine felt dizzy with the floo and stood on her spot for two seconds before trying to walk in a straight line in her rotating world.

“Steady there, insolent girl." Snape caught her forearm and steadied her. They entered a small room with the pensieve. Dumbledore summoned a wooden crate as large as a phonebook. The box had hieroglyph carvings on it. It looked ancient and the wood had a musty, mossy feel to it.

Dumbledore carefully tapped the right hieroglyphs in order with his wand. They glowed different colours and the lid pushed itself up. He picked up the lid and set it aside.

“So, should we start?" he asked turning to face Shine. She looked at her father. He looked confused, but she was sure he wanted to solve this just as much as her. She nodded. And with that one gesture of permit, Dumbledore picked up the first of two vials and poured it in.

“All three of us, if you don't mind?" Dumbledore asked. Shine shook her head no to show she had no problem with the other two seeing these memories. Dumbledore knew of them most probably and they would have her father in them, so no harm in them watching the memories.

Shine had no words for what was happening actually, no words for what was going on... never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her mother would leave her memories and Dumbledore would keep them from her this long. Sure, she understood the maturity condition but she always thought herself mature for her years.

“Let's just get this over with." she said taking the vial from Dumbledore. She uncorked it and poured it in the pensieve. A mist of silver blue airy liquid floated in the white marble bowl with rune carvings on its edges. She touched her nose to the surface and was sucked in. They flicked through the memories as they swirled and mixed following up. The childhood memories of her father, her friendship with Severus and her father's death, her growing closeness to Lily and Severus and then the memory shifted. In the next memory she was considerably older.

A young girl of thirteen walked along a lonely street, her short dark hair mussed up by the wind. The church bell tolled attracting Shine's attention. She recognised the church in Godric's Hollow.

But the street looked younger, the elm tree by the corner was much shorter, than now. She walked calmly, sure of her feet carrying her in the right direction. The chilly wind of Christmas blew her jacket away from her body, but she trudged on through the snow covered road, stopping to face a house with red bricks. Snow capped the roofs of all houses, they were decorated with tiny fairy lights, giving the whole place a perfect Christmas postcard village look.

“Isn't that your home?" Shine asked even as she knocked and a similar looking Dumbledore opened the door with a mug of hot cocoa in his hand, wearing red and white earmuffs.

“Iris!" he smiled at the young girl his eyes crinkling up.

“Hello Albus!" she greeted without a smile.

“C'mon in." he welcomed her into the warmth. She walked in and pulled off her leather jacket as she entered.

“You wished to talk about something?" he asked. Shine could see her hesitation. She nodded.

“You see, after my father you are the closest thing to me, I think." she paused, then corrected herself. “Or at least the closest person with who I can discuss my magical origins with."

“I have to say I was flattered for a moment there." the Dumbledore of now chuckled. Shine was busy observing the changes in the interior.

“Why am I not more like her? Why can't I be a witch too?" she complained suddenly capturing Shine's attention. “All he cares about is Lily. They are closer than ever. I want to be with them. I want to attend Hogwarts."

“That is unfortunately not possible, my girl. Officially you are a squib. Hogwarts denies you entry." memory Dumbledore said pausing from making her a mug of cocoa. “And who is this he?" he asked delicately pouring the cocoa into a cartoon themed mug.

“Thanks." she said taking the mug from him. “Severus Snape. We used to be best friends before Hogwarts." she sighed.

“Ah, so what is the problem now?" he asked.

“It's as if I don't exist." she snapped. “All they can talk about is Hogwarts. And all I can do is draw blanks. We can't even have a conversation where I am not excluded anymore." Dumbledore sighed.

“You could start the conversation on a different level, talk about Muggle things." he suggested.

“And then Eros keeps drawing blanks."

“Who's Eros?" he questioned.

“Severus, Lily calls him Sev. So I started calling him Erus, which turned to Eros.... I know, sounds cheesy." she muttered. “But I know it annoys him, the god of romantic love." she giggled. “And that scowl looks almost sexy on him." memory Dumbledore chuckled this time.... and the memories swirled again into silver foggy mist...

“C'mon let's dance Lily am bored." Iris insisted pulling at her cousin's hand. Lily laughed and consented. Her lovely cherry coloured hair was tied back up in a ponytail. They were at the Evans' place. Severus sat on the sofa, his arms crossed. They had all grown significantly and over an year had passed since the last memory. Iris put on the latest music on the radio.

Lily started swinging to the tune, her emerald eyes glittering in the light filtering through the partially curtained windows. Iris partnered her. Both girls giggled as Iris played the boy and whirled and twirled her around. Lily then turned her attention on Severus. He had been watching her hungrily for a while. His eyes feasting on her. He cracked a smile and shook his head no as she tried to get him to dance.

“No Lils, you know I can't dance." he groaned pushing back his hair.

“C'mon Eros, it will be fun." Iris insisted pulling him up. Severus scowled but got to his feet. Placing his hands on her waist he danced awkwardly trying to maintain his balance.

“We need to teach him sis." Iris laughed taking his hand and guiding him through the music. At the next song Lily started teaching him a few moves, he followed his cheeks tinting red with blush.

“That summer was spent on teaching me dance. It was before my fifth year at Hogwarts." Snape caught up. Shine nodded, he hadn't yet uttered a single word. “And now I think of it I do remember, every one of these memories, somehow. It's as if I had forgotten these things ever happened." The memories swirled again and were replaced by new ones.

“I still don't get it." Iris whispered quietly. “How could you?" Severus stood on a branch of the tree, he had first rescued her from. His greasy black hair fell in his eyes. His pale face was dirty and most probably tear streaked. Iris stood at her windows. It was night and everyone was asleep. She had woken to scratching and tapping on her window.

“It slipped off." he hissed aggressively. “I was angry. Lily was trying to help me. But everytime I accepted help from her I was mentally tortured back down in the dungeons. I couldn't take it anymore. And Potter was making fun of me in front of the whole school." he snapped. “What did you expect me to do, take help and look weak?"

“You don't take that tone with me, Severus Snape." Iris snapped back. Shine smirked, she liked the firm side of her mother even more than the playfully annoying side.

“Well, for starters I don't think you should have used 'mudblood'. As for what you could have done different, you could have explained this to her."

“She wasn't ready to." he started but Iris snorted.

“Oh please, you think you will feed me bullshit like that and I will eat it up? I have talked to Lily. She did give you a final chance, a choice between your toxic friends and her. It's not her fault you chose them." she hissed back and looked over her shoulder to check for approaching movement.

“Please Iris, try to convince her. She won't even look at me anymore. I can't take it Iris. I- I think I love her. Please." her expression changed rapidly from anger, annoyance, betrayal, hurt, jealousy and back to anger but from his position Severus saw none of those changes. She nodded finally. “I will do it. But don't blame me if she says no." he sighed in acceptance.

“Good night." Iris said starting to close her windows, as he climbed down. She dunked a glass of water and lay on her bed waiting for sleep. But Shine was sure she couldn't with the burning insides.

The memories swirled again. Snape looked perfectly shocked at the turn of events. Dumbledore looked content, as if he knew what happened all along.

The two stood at their regular spot, under the oak tree.  The sun was going down casting long shadows. The lake was bathed in the gold, pink and orange glow. “What did she say?" he asked again with a heaviness in his voice.

“She said she had no desire to see your face ever again, that she didn't care. She didn't know why she should be any different." Iris said and he hid his face in his hands. “So er, I took the liberty to tell her you love her, and she was blank for a whole minute. And then she tells me, it is too late for that Iris. I don't love him. He is just lying to get me to talk to him again, so he can insult me again."

“But that's not the truth. I do, I really love her." he croaked helplessly.

“I know, that's what I told her. She told me to stop defending you and see you for what you really have become. She said she is tired of covering up for you and told me that even though it is my personal choice, her advice would be to stop seeing you." Iris relayed on exactly what Lily said when she tried to convince her.

“She said that?" he asked looking at her, his coal black eyes looked blank, lost.

“Yes. And I agree with her, especially after what she told me. Are you going to join the dark lord?" she asked calmly.

Severus looked beyond words but he was in no position to lie, so he just nodded.

“Why?" she asked simply.

“Because he is the only right thing, that has happened to me. He values me, my talents, Rissie. He will eliminate every single person like my father. And he will put my knowledge to the right use. He puts a lot of value on someone like me, even though I am half-blood." he replied in a broken voice.

“So you have already made your decision?" she asked. He nodded looking confused now. Iris nodded in understanding.

“Then I think it would be advisable if we don't talk ever again, Severus. I agree with Lily. You are not good, for either of us. I saw a ray of hope in you, but you aren't strong enough." she got up from beside him. “I will be moving out of my Aunt's home within the week for further education. If you change your decision come see me, otherwise I don't wish to see you ever again." she walked away from him even as the frail boy sat on his spot trying to comprehend what he did wrong exactly. And the memory swirled yet again.

“Iris please, not you too!" he pleaded with her. Severus Snape had sent a note through his owl as Petunia had refused to convey his message. Shine furrowed her eyebrows, intrigued by now with her decision.

“Severus you are wasting my time as well as yours. Have you changed your decision?" she asked him. He shook his head. Iris hugged herself and shrugged. She looked great with her petite yet full figure. Her wide emerald green eyes flashed with anger. Her dark gray shirt was tucked in her light blue pencil skirt, highlighting the curves of her hourglass.

“I.. I can't leave him. I am too far in. I have sworn to join. Please." he tried desperately to convince her. “He will kill me if I refuse to take the mark. Please Rissie, I can't back out now. I love you two. Please, don't stop talking to me. I can't take it. It's torturous for me." Iris sighed looking up at him. His greasy black hair obscured his face. She pushed back his hair out of his eyes. Pimples adorned his oily forehead.

“I don't want to, Eros. I wish we could be friends forever But you have to.... you can't possibly join him." she explained in a much softer tone. He tried to protest but she placed a finger on his lips. “I understand that you can't back off, but you have to understand my side. You can't expect me to be friends with someone who is joining my father's murderer, right?" she whispered. His eyes widened.

“Your father? But he-"

“My father was murdered by a certain Walburga Black, under the dark lord's orders. He wanted my father to join. My father refused, so he murdered my mother. He kept targeting us. Giving him enticing offers. My father took help from Albus Dumbledore. As far as I have learnt, my father was trying to find a way to resurrect the dead in collaboration with him." Iris paused. Severus looked at her like she had gone crazy. “I am not an ordinary muggle, Eros. I am a squib. My family has the squib curse for ages. You do remember, who generally have the curse?" she asked pulling off her leather glove. He shook his head blankly. Iris gave him a wry smile.

“I am a chor." she whispered quietly. “Voldemort wanted my father for his powers. We are the descendants of a very powerful magical family that was cursed by Death for possessing this power. I hope you remember that story?" she smirked and touched his cheek.

He stood staring blankly into her eyes as a whirl of memories hit him. “You are telling the truth!" he exclaimed. She smiled up at him.

“Of course, why would I lie, Eros?" she smirked and the memories dissolved into a silver swirls yet again as he gaped at her.

And the three of them were pulled out of the memories. Even as they landed on the floor of Dumbledore's study, Shine sat on the rich, embroidered red carpet entirely confused at the turn of events.

“That was the first vial." Dumbledore said calmly getting to his feet, helped by Snape. He looked just as dazed and confused as her.

“And why does he remember it all now? Why had he forgotten all this?" Shine asked from the floor.

“You will find your answers in the second vial, won't you?" Dumbledore asked. Shine narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“I have a feeling you already knew all of this, Dumbledore." Snape spoke up.

“Yes I do, my boy. I know what led to her decision to marry Sirius when she so clearly was in love with you." he said with a grim smile reaching for the second vial of memories.

A/N: Okay guys... here's the second chapter, I hope this is good enough. This was supposed to go up yesterday but I was too busy, sorry.

Umm.. tell me what you think of it... plz vote.

I decided to divide it in two chapters as it was getting too long... so er, this is it.

Plz comment and tell me what you think of it... kay?