The light crowded behind my closed eyes making me see the red screen. I closed my eyes tighter. But the red won't go away. Was I bleeding? Had I become blind?
My eyes flew open and I sat up in that state of panic to see light streaming in from the window. I rubbed my eyes in a state of confusion staring around the strange room trying to gain my bearings. Where was I? My head felt like an overheated cauldron that would burst any moment. It felt like a pain in the ass to move my arms and even more to get off the bed to walk around and check where I was. My muscles all hurt and ached like there was no tommorow or even yesterday and I was born with sore muscles. Even my bum felt sore from the little sitting up I had done.
I raked my brains for any events I could remember but nothing came to mind about this soft bed and warm blanket. All I remembered was losing control and falling unconscious.
I looked out the open window at the huge maze garden sprawling out. Drew Manor? Was I in Drew Manor? Whose room was this? What was I doing here? Who brought me here? A hundred and one questions buzzed around in my head fluttering around creating nothing more than even more confusion and noise. The door opened and a girl walked in, her expression serene. She held a syringe and a vial of renervate potion in her left hand. Her thick cherry red hair flowed in soft curls straight to her hips.
She transfixed me with a stare from her emerald green eyes, looking just as confused as me at first. And then her lips stretched into a kind, relieved smile adding dimples to both her cheeks. My jaw dropped open in surprise. How could anyone look so perfect! The freckles adorning her nose and cheeks added some imperfection to her otherwise perfect face.
"Iris! She's awake." she called out in a sweet mellifluous voice that reminded me of the wind chimes. But her voice was no ordinary wind chime, it was a wind chime that rung in the heavens wherever they existed. I stared at her and she stared back, glancing out every few moments to check out for Mom. But everyone else called mom Mrs. Black. Who was this? Wait a minute! This was... but it couldn't be! She looked around my age or hardly a year or two older. My open mouth remained wide open as I made the connections. Fuck! She hadn't aged a day over twenty. My brain struggled to comprehend the new knowledge. I felt lightheaded and I realized I hadn't inhaled in a long time. I tried to breathe in but the air won't enter my windpipe. My eyes widened in fear and at the same time so did hers. I clutched my throat desperately trying to claw in some air. She moved forward trying to help but not knowing what to do. Neither did I. What was she? Ghost? Poltergiest? Apparition? Hallucination? Or was I dead? The bed was soft. It couldn't be hell.
"Don't worry dear. She will be here in a moment." she assured me but her voice sounded very worried as she tried to claw away my hands.
"IRIS!!" she screamed and mom was in the doorway. Worry lines creased her forehead. She looked at the both of us confused and noticed immediately what was wrong. I tried yet again to breathe in but the air was too heavy.  It couldn't be heaven either the way my lungs burnt. And why would she call my mother? Was she dead too? Were we all dead? What happened? How did I die?
Wait a minute... If I died why was I dying again? Why was I hyperventilating? Why could I not breathe with panic? I inhaled mouthful of air and gulped it down forcefully imagining the air going down my lungs. I pushed back my shoulders and expanded my chest to accommodate as much fresh air as possible. Mom appeared in the doorway, a panic stricken look on her ashen face. Her eyes wide open in fear, her hands balled into fists to stop their shaking, sweat glistened on her forehead making hair stick to her face.
"What happened?" she asked breathless, her eyes landing on me immediately. Her eyes widened further in horror seeing me struggle to breathe.
"What did you do?" she snapped,  taking quick, angry strides towards me.
"I didn't do anything." Lily replied accompanying her with long strides.
"I think she's having a panic attack." I heard as if from some badly tuned far off radio. My brain gas now gone into a freeze and I could feel pressure around my head as I suffocated away to my death. Black spots danced around my eyes and I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek. I had no energy left to open my eyes but I opened them, this time to a sharp sting on my right cheek. My blurred vision showed me a dark haired woman leaning over me rakh sing her hand back and SLAP!! With another crack like a whiplash resounding through the air I felt my left cheek burn.
I tried to raise my hand in retaliation, exhaling the earlier stale air and inhaling a sharp intake of breath.
The oxygen hit my bloodstream and with the carbon dioxide out of my system my vision focused. I inhaled and exhaled a few more breaths. The spinning in my head stopped and so did the burning in my lungs. My arms didn't feel heavy anymore but I felt another burn on my right cheek. I raised my hands in self defence.
"Mom! Stop! Wait, it's okay. Stop." I shouted earning one more slap to my arm. Tears rolled down her devious green eyes, her determined features turning soft.
"You sc-scared me." she sobbed, her voice faltering and broken by her crying. I sat up and pushed a pillow behind my back.
"I guess that means I am alive." I muttered making her scrunch her eyebrows and look up at me. I shook my head at her questioning and concerned look. "I just assumed you know, with her alive and all-- let it be. Tell me something... how did I end up here?"
"Severus brought you here." Lily replied for Mom. I looked at her and she merely nodded along with her answer.
"And how are you still alive?" I questioned her cautiously. She could be an impostor. Merlin knows how they got her stuff to put in the polyamide potion, but if they did how were they manipulating age? There was something definitely wrong.
"I revived her." Mom answered. "The deathcheater potion you were working on?"
I nodded to tell her to continue.
"I perfected it. I found the charms and other rituals one would have to perform. And I found a necromancer friend of mine from India. She was living here last month. I wanted you to meet but you don't have time anymore for your old mother."
I resisted my urge to roll my eyes. "Aww... C'mon now, Mom." I cooed. "You know I love you. I want to come here. But he's piling me with jobs. You said Dad brought me here, right?"
Iris nodded. "Dad?" Lily interrupted. "I thought you and Sirius.." she looked at Iris.
"Biologically, yes. But Severus was the one who raised Shine and Remus raised Vega while Sirius was in prison." she replied, her eyes filling with a strange emotion, I caught hints of pride but there was something else I couldn't figure out. Sadness?
"Where were you?" Lily nosed in further.
"As good as dead. The Janus Thickney ward at St. Mungo's." she replied casually. Lily's face whitened and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh my God! Rissie! I had no idea." she hugged Mom from behind and tears adorned her eyes. "I am so sorry. You know I would have done everything to get you out, right? I would have taken care of both of them too. I am so sorry, Rissie."
My eyebrows rode up. "You were, er- dead, to be honest. You couldn't have taken us in or done anything. The best of the healers had given up hope. There was nothing you could have done. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore they would have mercy killed her long time ago." I muttered in consolation but it only seemed to make the situation worse. She gasped.
"That's horrible. Oh, Rissie! I am so sorry you had to endure all of that alone." she said hugging Mom tighter.
"It's okay, Lily." Mom tallied, patting her head and loosening Lily's grip around her waist. "Really, it's all over now. We have larger problems to face."
"I won't leave you all alone to suffer through them." she beamed, optimistically, letting go, then brought up a hand to cup Mom's cheek. "I promise."
Mom nodded, both sisters sincerely looking at each other, hope and some old bonding rejuvenated in both their eyes. I smiled and then I heard the next words.
"I promise James will stop acting like a kid and troubling you anymore. You are right. We need to work together. Just like that day when we thought it was an intruder but it was just dear old Sni- Severus." she added further. Mom nodded too, her eyebrows knitting together again at the mere mention of Sni- Severus.

                                         ****************
(Snape's p.o.v.)

The cold misty air of Dementors breath swirled around in the castle. It caught on my black cloak as I observed the students entering the school, alighting from the carriages. The Dementors floated above the school at its boundaries and at every entrance and secret passage, two had been stationed. The surface of the Black Lake was covered in thin ice. It had never been this cold on the first day of the first year. Rain fell down in torrents over the groups that moved in huddled under huge black umbrellas. The oaf Hagrid guided the tiny first years into the castle, none of them arrived by the boat this year.
The year at Hogwarts had started, without Dumbledore for the first time in so many years. The cheery eccentric energy that the old man brought to the school was lost, even the first years did not look as excited for school. I sighed and turned around. Today, as the new Headmaster of this school it was my responsibility to make sure these children stayed secure. It was my responsibility to make them feel comfortable, if not at home.
Taking brisk steps as usual I walked to the Great Hall ready to take my position where he once stood. Ready to face them and their accusations which were sure to come from a few brave ones among them.
My own footsteps couldn't be heard over the blood pounding in my ears. A drop of sweat trickled down my pale forehead down my greasy, dirty, black locks. Shine didn't even leave me any time to wash them. A mental groan almost escaped my lips, breaking my composure, my mask of calmness but I stopped it. I strode over to the staff table, a strut in my walk and took my place at the center. The ornate chair made a grating noise against the floor as I pulled it back, the noise scratching my ears and making my teeth grind against each other. I spied the Carrows to my lef and Shine to my right sitting stiffly. 

The students began filing in and taking their place in their respective houses. Mc' gonnagal led the first years in, closely knit and scared. Filch followed in after her carrying the old and battered little Sorting hat. It sat silently on the stool this year, no song or words of advice were sung or riddled. Mrs. Norris mewed impatiently and the first name was called out. A plump scared looking boy steeped ahead. His cornsilk mop flopped around as he waddled innocently to the stool like a penguin. He had just sat down and the hat had barely touched his head when it shouted.

"Slytherin!" it announced so fast he barely had time to consider the idiot child's potential. Mc' gonnagal removed the hat and he ran off to the green and silver table. The Sorting continued in a similar fashion with most of the new students getting sorted into Slytherin.
I felt eyes on me and I got up to address the school. Some of them looked on with hatred while others looked on in pure mirth. There were still a few who looked on in admiration. I gulped down my anxiety and folded my arms protectively over my chest as I walked over to the podium crossing the staff table.
“Welcome!” I spoke, but the monotonous dragging tone of my voice didn't make it sound as warm or fuzzy as Dumbledore. “A new year at Hogwarts begins and you find yourself with a lot of changes. I believe most of you are strong enough to cope with them.”
I paused looking at the faces of Ginny Weasley and other members of D.A. Their stone cold expressions were enough to convey what they thought.
“We are not your enemy. The enemy is out there. Hogwarts will no longer be what it used to be, but it is your home. The rules will be stricter and any indiscipline will not be tolerated. The two new members of our staff, Amycus and Alecto Carrow will be in charge of it.”
The wide eyed expressions on most faces showed they either understood me or they were too confused by my apparently incoherent words.
“Ms. Charity Burbage, our Muggle studies proffesor has been missing and will be replaced by Ms. Alecto Carrow who has kindly agreed to take up the job of educating and enlightening young minds according to the newly required Ministry guidelines. And Mr. Amycus Carrow will take up the position for Defence against the Dark Arts.”
“No student should be seen out of bed after dinner. Groups over five meeting without my permission will be disbanded. The Dementors have been added as extra protection against the groups that are trying to overthrow the rightful government. Any activity supporting them or the fugitives will be strictly punished. And it will do you good to remember this.”