《Harry Potter: Rise Of The Spiral》


 Chapter 1 - 1: Edmund Vulpis

    Naruto Uzumaki, a man who was once a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato stood atop a mountain as he looked at the vast lush of green forest. He had lived for more than 500 years and had been through many wars, risking his life multiple times to save the ninja world.


    Being able to heal from any kind of injuries and sickness, he had grown tired of living while all his friends and family had long since perished.


    Now, he had a smile on his face as his time with Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, was finally coming to an end. He was about to free his friend from his prison and in the process, pass on to the kingdom come. He was happy, he was content.


    "Kurama, I guess its time," he said quietly.


    "Do you really have to do it?" The beast replied with a sorrowful tone. "This world might still need you. You are Naruto Uzumaki, a legend. Even though chakra is dying, there are people who look up to you. You are their hope. Are you sure you want to give it all up?"


    "Those people will die and I''ll be the only one alive to wallow in sorrow. My descendants have already left the Elemental Nations. I have nothing left here. I want you to be free and live with your siblings. I have lived for far too long. I never wanted to be immortal. Though I''ll never be able to repay you for saving my life for god knows how many times, but no, I never wanted this. I wanted to grow old like ji-chan and die of old age. I have made up my mind and I am ending this once and for all."


    Kurama kept his silence. Though he wanted to be free and be with the rest of his siblings, he didn''t want Naruto to die. He was Kurama''s first friend and was the man Kurama respected.


    "When you reform, I want you to go where the rest of the eight are. Together you can''t be captured. Goodbye old friend, I really cherish every memory you were part of."


    Kurama grunted as his eyes welled up.


    Naruto made a few hand seals, grabbed the seal on his stomach and twisted it to release Kurama.


    As Kurama was being expelled out of the seal, Naruto''s life flashed across his eyes. He smiled wistfully as he saw all his people smiling back at him. He was going to see them again.


    Darkness took over Naruto as Kurama was finally expelled and he fell down the cliff never to wake up again.


    Edmund Vulpis woke up with a start, gasping for air. He had been having dreams about that man for years, ever since he touched an ancient looking scroll in his mother''s possession.


    Clair Vulpis, Edmund''s mother belonged to the House of Whirlpool that was nearly wiped out in the war against Grindelwald. She was a loving woman and she loved Edmund more than anything else. She was married to Altair Vulpis, a blood purist who used to be a Death Eater and avoided Azkaban by underhanded methods, through an old marriage contract.


    When Edmund was born on 24th April 1980, Clair was ecstatic as he looked nothing like his father. She genuinely hated Altair for what he was. Edmund was born with golden blond hair and electric blue eyes like hers'' and naturally tanned skin just like Clair''s father. But the most striking feature were the whisker like marks on his cheeks just like she had seen in her house''s progenitor''s portrait. Her ancestors had moved to Medieval England back in 1200s from a far away land where her progenitor was born. They had interbred with the wizards and thus the House of Whirlpool was born.


    Altair was quite hostile towards Clair when he saw not a single thing in his son that resembled him.


    Since that day, Altair made sure to make their lives miserable. Extended exposure to Cruciaticus curse from the Dark Lord had twisted his mind. When the Dark Lord was vanquished, he had no output left for his madness. So he took it out on the mother-son pair.


    Although Clair was a talented wizard, she was unable to defend herself and Edmund from Altair. After seven years of torture, she succ.u.mbed to her physical and psychological wounds.


    Edmund had sworn for revenge that day. He would kill his father and his Dark Lord if he ever returned as his father hoped he would. After a tear filled good-bye to his mother, he was rummaging through his mother''s belongings as he was told by her in her dying breath. That was when he found the ancient scroll.


    When he touched the scroll, he felt a similar kind of warmth rush into him which happened only when his mother hugged him and all his wounds would heal. He knew it wasn''t magic as his mother told him, but he was quite familiar with this kind of warmth. He knew he had the same kind of warmth in him but no one else seemed to have it. He could sense it in his mother, but no one else.


    Quite similarly, the warmth from the scroll healed his wounds and beyond. He opened the scroll and looked at the scribblings carefully. They were in the foreign language which Clair had taught him. As he read the scroll, he learnt briefly about his mother''s house and its history. Following the instructions, he pricked his thumb and placed it on a circle with strange symbols on it.


    He woke up two days later in St. Mungo''s. After being discharged from hospital, he attended his mother''s funeral. Nobody noticed the looks of un-a.d.u.l.terated hate he was sending towards his father who was casually talking to Lucious Malfoy, another death eater who avoided Azkaban by throwing galleons away. That was the night when he first had the dream about Naruto.


    Since then, he had been having dreams about Naruto''s life. He learnt that the strange warmth was called chakra, a mixture of spiritual and physical energy that people in Naruto''s era used to do all kinds of stuff and was essential for their survival. In some ways, it worked just like magic. But, it was more dense, more saturated and much rarer form of energy.


    He learnt how Naruto became the jinchuriki of the kyuubi, how he spent his early life, his life as a genin and the various shinobi wars he was part of.


    Naruto was hailed as a hero by his people. For hundreds of years he had lived and fought for peace in his land. But nature itself seemed to be against him. A highly mutable virus came into existance that fed on chakra. Slowly, everyone died due to loss of chakra and children were being born completely devoid of it. The last of the ninjas died as Naruto''s descendants left the Elemental Nations after a lot of persuasion.


    Four years of having dreams about Naruto''s life, Edmund learned how he finally ended his life, thus freeing his friend from his prison.


    In those four years, Edmund had grown into a healthy eleven year old despite all the torture from his father. Since the day he awakened his chakra, Edmund was rather tolerant to pain. His senses became stronger, he had faster reflexes, heightened awareness and a sturdy body with denser muscles. Although he was still a kid, one could see that he had a rather defined body and was taller for his age.


    Having seen the life Naruto lived, he knew how important it was to be able to control chakra. So, he began practicing chakra control. At eleven, he was able to run on water for hours before he was down to twenty percent of his chakra capacity. To increase his reserves, Edmund would drain himself to exhaustion before going to sleep and use chakra whenever he got a chance.


    Since he didn''t have any scrolls for how to perform different ninja techniques as his mother had very scarce amount of chakra because of dilution of genes, he had to postpone his plans for them till he could access the Whirlpool family vault in Gringott''s. The scroll had told him that there were some scrolls based on various ninja arts stored in the vaults. He recalled how Naruto learned Rasengan and was able to perform it after a few weeks of training. He knew that the technique would be rather lethal if used on normal humans as they didn''t have chakra enhanced bodies.


    He was able to do some other simple ninjutsu techniques such as Kawairumi, bushin and henge. He had learnt them with little effort and was quite proficient in them. He had seen ninjas perform them without hand seals in the dreams and trained in doing so himself. He was rather envious when he learnt that his chakra reserves were nowhere near as huge as Naruto''s, but he knew he could compensate it with heightened chakra control and gradual increase of chakra capacity.


    He was broken out of his musings when an owl arrived with his Hogwarts letter. He quickly sent his reply and went downstairs to inform his evil father about the letter.


    Altair was waiting on the dinning table for breakfast. He noticed Edmund approaching him and understood that the letter had arrived.


    "The letter came. I''ve sent the reply already."


    He only received a nod with a grunt.


    They had their breakfast quietly. Just as Edmund was about to leave, Altair spoke up, "Go to Diagon Alley yourself and buy what you have to." He threw a pouch towards Edmund rather arrogantly which he easily caught, and continued, "I don''t have time to babysit you so get what you want yourselves. The pouch has around 2000 galleons and that''s all you''ll need."


    ''Pompous shit,'' Edmund cursed in his mind as he nodded and left the dinning room with a menacing glint in his eyes. ''Just you wait, I will rip you apart with my b.a.r.e hands, but before that, I ruin your life and dissolve the Vulpis house that you''re so proud of.''


    After about an hour, Edmund changed into his public robes and used the floo network to go to diagon alley.

 Chapter 3 - 3: The Sorting Ceremony

    Iris Potter was completely overwhelmed by the events that had happened recently in her life. Her aunt and uncle were not good people and always treated her harshly. They never harmed her physically, apart from occasional slaps from her aunt if she messed up while cooking or cleaning. Her uncle would shout at her everytime Dudley broke something. They''d treat like a servent. But what made her miserable was that she had no clue why they hated her.


    The day of her birthday, she discovered that she was a witch and her aunt had been lying to her for all her life. Her parents were not some drunkards who died in a car accident, they were powerful wizards who sacrificed their life so that she could continue to live. She was happy that she had such wonderful parents but sad that they were truly gone.


    The day she went to get her school supplies with Hagrid passed as a blur. When she arrived at the Leakey Cauldron, she was hounded by the crowd as they thanked her for something she didn''t know. She got scared seeing so many people trying to shake her hand. Upon learning the name of her patents'' murderer and how terrible he was, she got worried when Hagrid told her that he believed he was not dead. She was fascinated but somewhat cowed when she saw the goblins. She liked Hagrid. He was a good person according to her and even baught her a beautiful snowy owl. She had never seen such a beautiful owl in her life. She was peeved by the man who sold her a wand but what terrified her was the fact that her wand was a sister wand to the one that killed her parents and gave her the scar.


    Iris was not happy when Hagrid disappeared without telling her about the platform from where she had to ride the express. She thanked whatever Gods were up there when a family of red-heads helped her get through the barrier.


    The platform was noisy, much to her discomfort, but she liked it when no one really recognised her.


    When she entered the compartment where a boy was sitting, she prepared herself to be hounded by questions but much to her delight, the boy gave her no mind and kept on reading his book. He was tall from what she could see and thought he was a year or two ahead of her. But she noticed that he did not wear any of the house colours, so he must be a first year like her. She wanted to introduce herself, but could see that he was not interested in talking to anyone. So she kept quiet and enjoyed the scenery outside the window. He didn''t even take his eyes away from his book till she introduced herself to Ron.


    Iris was not happy when Ron asked about the night her parents died. She was relieved when Ron focused his attention to the boy sitting opposite to her who had been at her without even blinking. She looked at him expectantly and was desperate to take Ron''s attention away from her.


    She noticed the boy''s expression soften upon looking at her when he finished scaring Ron by what she could say the scariest poker face she had ever seen.


    "Edmund."


    Edmund, he said. The boy was not very social. His spiky hair were not blond, they were golden. One could say they were the brightest of yellow. His sapphire eyes reminded her of the ocean. She could see a faint glow in them but didn''t try to pry upon it. His skin was tanned, but she could tell that it was natural. What surprised her were the faint whisker like marks on his cheeks. They reminded her of a cat, or a fox. Maybe it was a family trait, she didn''t know.


    "Do you know which house you''ll get in? I bet I''ll go to Gryfindor. My whole family was in Gryfindor. Anyway, I guess we''ll know at the sorting. Do know any magic? My brothers taught me a spell. It turns my pet rat''s hair yellow. Wanna see?" Ron babbled and began reciting a spell.


    Both Iris and Edmund shared a look. Ron was talking a lot and Iris noticed that Edmund was starting to get annoyed.


    Before Ron could finish his spell, a girl with bushy brown hair entered the compartment and said, "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville have lost it."


    When eveveryone shook their heads, she eyed Ron and noticed he had a wand out. Her eyes lit up and she asked, "Oh! You are doing a spell, let''s see."


    Ron cleared his throat and recited the spell again, only for nothing to happen.


    "I don''t think that''s a spell," the girl started. "I''ve tried some on my own. But they worked for me." She took out her wand and chanted, "Lumos."


    "Anyway," she continued as she said Nox. "I''m Hermione Garnger. And you are?"


    (ROTS)


    Edmund was really getting annoyed. First, the red-headed weasel couldn''t keep his mouth shut when he was trying to read. Even upon using his Tenzo face, he couldn''t get the weasel to shut up. Then he uttered a completely rediculus spell which was obviously a prank by his brothers. Edmund didn''t know what to say about that.


    The girl that had entered their compartment, Hermione Granger, was obviously a muggleborn. The way she showed off how much she had read and demonstrated a first year spell, she deffinitely didn''t have many friends. Not like he had any say in that.


    When Iris introduced herself, Hermione squealed and went on a diatribe about how much she had read about Iris. Poor Iris had nothing to say for that. She didn''t even know of any books being written about her. Hagrid had been highly cryptic and bought all the books for her. She didn''t notice it, but Hagrid hadn''t told her anything about the wizarding world.


    The rest of the ride was uneventful except when Edmund bought everything from the food trolley and asked Ron to stuff it in his mouth and stop talking. He regretted saying that as Ron quite literally stuffed his mouth with food.


    It was night time when the train arrived at Hogsmade train station. All the first years were asked to sit in the boats as they were taken to the castle.


    Edmund marvelled at the beauty of the castle. He could feel the magic around him.


    Upon reaching the castle, they were asked to stop at the stairs for a professor to come and escort them to the great hall.


    "I heard the Girl-Who-Lived was coming to Hogwarts this year. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," The annoying ferret said as he went in front of the crowd of first years, facing Iris.


    The weasel couldn''t control himself and snickered. The ferret took offence of that and retorted, "Find my name funny, do you? Let me guess, red hair, hand-me-down rags, you must be a Weasly." He again looked at Iris and said, "You must choose wisely who you hang around with. Stay away from the wrong sort."


    Well, that''s that. Realy smooth. The chap lost his chance to be a friendly. Edmund was sure that Iris would respond in an unkindly way.


    "No thanks. I think I know what the right and wrong sort are."


    ''There you go. And so it begins. The enemity between the ferret and the raven.'' Edmund sighed. ''Well, I guess school years won''t be too boring with these two around.''


    By the time the ferret could retort, a stern looking professor came and introduced herself and escorted all the first years to the Great Hall.


    As Edmund looked around, he heard Hermione tell someone about the enchanted ceiling and where she read it. The sorting hat sang a song and the students were then asked to go one by one on the platform and get sorted.


    The Bones heiress was sorted to Hufflepuff along with the Abbot heiress. The Greengrass and Davis heiresses were sorted into Slytherin. When it was Hermione''s turn, Edmund was certain that she''d go to Ravenclaw. But, to his surprise, she was sorted into Gryffindor. Just like the rest of his family, the gluttonous weasel was sorted in Gryffindor while the pompous ferret into Slytherin along woth his two trolls.


    ''Great! Way to make a child comfortable.''


    It took seven minutes for Iris to get sorted. Edmund wondered what kind of conversation the two were having. She was finally sorted into Gryffindor.


    "Vulpis, Edmund."


    As he was going towards the hat, Edmund heard the weasel say something to Iris and those sitting around them that ruined his mood.


    "He''s Edmund Vulpis, the Vulpis family Heir. Dark ones they all are. Hid father was a known death eater. Bet he''ll be sorted into Slytherin. Slimy snakes."


    ''Comparing me to my father, good one weasel. But, it''ll be a bloodbath if I am sorted into your''s or that ferret''s house.''


    Edmund quietly sat down on the stool and placed the hat on his head.


    ''Hello, wise hat.''


    ''Hmm, hello to you too, lad. Let''s see where you might belong... hmmm.. you certainly are a whirlpool. I have never seen a spiral as strong as you since the first one. He was able to combine magic and chakra into one and became the strongest wizard for two centuries. They all were Gryffindors. But you, the first thing you''ll do is perhaps kill all of them for how stupid they might act some times. Anyway, though you are very ambitious and cunning, you won''t be able to tolerate the Slytherins. Same goes for Hufflepuff for their overly friendly acts. Ah! You seek knowledge. I know just where to put you..''


    "Better be... RAVENCLAW!"

 Chapter 4 - 4: The Mirror of Erised

    When Edmund placed the hat back on the chair, he looked around to see various reactions of the students. Some Slytherins felt betrayed while others were conflicted. The Ravenclaws clapped politely while the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors remained indifferent. When he looked at the weasel, he smirked. The weasel was looking embarrassed because Iris was looking at him while raising an eyebrow.


    Edmund sat down next to a first year who introduced herself as Padma Patil. After some brief introductions, they continued looking on as the rest of the students were sorted.


    The dinner was served and Edmund ate his food while making idle conversations, but he mostly kept to himself. The old coot, or the Headmaster known as Albus no-shits-given Dumbledore gave a closing speech. When he mentioned about the third floor and how dangerous it was, Edmund had only one thought in his mind.


    "This old coot has gone absolutely barmy. Who the hell allows life threatening stuff in schools anyway? Maybe I should anonymously contact St. Mungo''s to get him checked for brain damage... "


    After the feast, the prefects were asked to lead the first years to their dorms.


    (ROTS)


    Months went by as the classes began.


    Edmund studied diligently while he continued his training in jutsus. When he reached his dorm on the first night, he was greatly relieved to see that he did not have to share it with anyone. Before going to sleep, he took out a chakra paper from a stroage scroll and pushed some of his chakra into it. He had three affinities: Earth, Thunder and Fire. That was certainly surprising. Having three affinities was extremely rare and he was ecstatic to know that he''ll have an easier time mastering three of the five elements.


    Thus far he had made good progress in his elemental manipulation. Since he had clones and a lot of time, he refrained from learning any elemental jutsus and focused on simple manipulation and control. He wanted to have perfect control over his elements and wanted to make it instinctive. So, he had his clones practice elemental control and sealing while his real body went for classes and did further physical training. It was a good thing he knew expansion charms otherwise training would have been a lot more difficult. He had been looking for a suitable place to train where he would be able to train without being found. So far he had no luck which frustrated him.


    Edmund had made a few friends who he liked to stay around. He would create a clone to spend time with them while studying in the library or in the common room to play exploding snap. Since they were mere children, their slaps on the back or a punch on the arm felt like a feather brushing past his skin.


    He barely had any contact with Iris Potter. He would see her in classes as she hung out with the weasel and Granger. He never understood why she was letting the weasel stay around her. He was a rude and stupid child with a pea sized brain and the stomach of an elephant. Edmund would say a hello or nod to her whenever they would cross each other in corridors or in classrooms and nothing beyond that.


    Edmund had seen Draco ''ferret'' Malfoy trotting around in the corridors trying to pick a fight with Iris. Sometimes, he was stalking her and did everything to get her into trouble. He loathed the ferret. He was everything that Edmund found repulsive. He had heard incidents of the ferret being blatantly favoured by Severous ''greasy'' Snape which further made him angry. All in all, Draco Malfoy was making his way into Edmund''s shit list as he called it.


    (ROTS)


    Soon it was Christmas and Edmund was scaling the walls of the castle while idly practicing chakra control. Nothing noteworthy had happened since he joined the school except the troll incident on Halloween. It was quite amusing to watch fumbling Quirrell faint right in the middle of the hall. Sometimes he wondered if the rest of the teachers knew about his act. Edmund had caught upon it in the first DADA class. He knew the difference between a real stutter and a fake one. A certain Hyuuga was quite famous for it in her younger years.


    Edmund had sensed the troll going to the girl''s restroom but he missed Hermione being there. He was quite relieved to know the next day that she didn''t pay for his error with her life. When he heard that Iris along with the weasel had saved Granger from the troll, he was actually surprised. It was quite brave and foolish on their part to try and take on a troll on their own.


    Since then he began noticing the subtle pattern in the way Iris acted in the classes. She always held back and he knew that she was purposefully sabotaging her own work so as to not come out as a show off and a glory seeker as many had thought her to be. The determination to keep her friends was so strong in her that she was downplaying herself in every single way so that they do not get jealous. She always kept her work similar to that of the weasel''s and let the Granger satisfy her ego for being at the top. He finally deduced the reason behind it, Iris Potter probably had no friends back at her place. She was so desperate to have friends that she was willing to let the weasel be around her even when he got her into loads of trouble. Edmund for the first time in his life felt guilty, guilty for misjudging her.


    Edmund always kept a close eye on her movements from that moment on. He learnt of all the trouble they got into, mostly due to the weasel. He learnt what was hidden behind the door on the third floor corridor, about the wraith that had been drinking unicorn blood in the forest and about their foolish yet understandable accusation of Snape trying to kill Iris during the Quiddich match against Slytherin. He knew it was Quirrell who was behind all those attempts and his purpose behind it. The dark aura that reeked off of Quirrell was proof enough to deduce that Lord Moldyshorts was somehow still alive. He had sensed a similar yet milder aura coming off his father''s arm where the dark mark was located. He had planted a clone, henged as a fly, on Quirrell so that he could always remain informed about his whereabouts.


    Edmund was shaken off his musings when he heard footsteps leading towards the library. Curiously, he followed the sound as it lead to the restricted section.


    Edmund raised his eyebrows slightly as the owner of the feet that made the sound revealed themselves to be none other than Iris Potter. ''What the hell is she doing here? That too in the restricted section?''


    Then he heard her muttering about Nicholas Flammel. ''Flammel, why the bloody hell is she looking for him in the restricted section? Just check the book about famous witches and wizards in twentieth century!''


    Then he heard Mrs. Norris snarl at Iris and Filch coming towards them. He followed Iris as she ran away from him and witnessed the brief confrontation between Quirrell and Snape before they were led away by Filch.


    Edmund followed Iris into a room that had a large mirror placed at the centre. Iris stood in front of the mirror for a long time and reached out to it. Confused, Edmund silently henged into a fly and sat on her shoulder to take a look at the mirror. What he saw next surprised him. He saw himself, standing beside him was his mother who was smiling at him. She looked strong and healthy, unlike the sickly pale complexion and starved appearance she always had. He looked at the carvings below the mirror and understood what the mirror was.


    Looking at Iris, he guessed what she was seeing. And it was probably correct. She was seeing her family, alive and happy. Deciding that it was enough, he flew out of the room and appeared once again, this time as his usual self.


    "Potter, what are you doing here?" He asked in a very convincing manner, startling the girl.


    (ROTS)


    Iris enjoyed the best Christmas she''d ever had. She was woken up by her dorm mate and best friend Hermione telling her that she''d got presents. For the first time in her life, someone had given her presents for any occasion. Going through the gifts, she found out that many of the students had gifted her with sweets, some gave her books, she even received a pullover from the Weasleys with an ''I'' knitted on it. Last but not the least, someone had given her a cloak that belonged to her dad. It was none other than an Invisibility cloak.


    Although she was sad that Hermione was going away for the holidays, atleast Ron was staying behind. Hermione had hinted her to look for Nicholas Flammel in the library''s restricted section and that was what she was doing that night.


    When she was found out by Filch''s cat, she ran into a confrontation between Snape and Quirrell. Snape was warning him about something which Iris couldn''t understand. She found a room somewhere on that floor after the professors were distracted away by Filch. There was an odd looking mirror in the room. When she looked into it, she was surprised to see her parents standing behind her in the mirror. She was so happy to see them, standing behind her, looking at her with love and pride.


    Soon, a voice broke her away from the trance she had fallen into. When she turned around, she was surprised to see the same boy who she had met on the train. He was not much of a talker and she didn''t see him around much. He''d always greet her or nod to her with a neutral look on his face.


    Deciding that she had been staring at him long enough, she replied, "I was looking around and found this room."


    "Trouble sleeping?" He asked.


    Iris replied with a nod. Then suddenly, she got a lot more excited, grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the mirror. "Come! Look! Can you see that? I see my parents in the mirror!"


    She didn''t notice the sad frown on Edmund''s face. He sighed and patiently replied, "Yes, I can see. But not your parents. Read carefully what''s written beneath the mirror. It shows your heart''s d.e.s.i.r.e, which in your case must be your parents. From what I know about the mirror, it actually siphons away a person''s magic till there is nothing left of them. Many have lost themselves to the mirror. I don''t know why it''s still here."


    Iris was shocked upon learning how dangerous the mirror was. Then she grew sad upon understanding that what she saw was not real. She got curious about how Edmund knew so much about the mirror and asked him.


    "My mother used to tell me stories about her school days. Once she told me about this mirror which she had stumbled upon and saw her mother who had died a few days before. She warned me about it."


    "Oh.. you said used to, doesn''t she tell you now?"


    "... I.. lost my mother when I was seven."


    Silence followed after that. Iris felt guilty of reminding him of his mother.


    "I''m sorry."


    "It''s alright. I''m sorry too for.. you know.. destroying your hopes," Edmund said as he gestured towards the mirror.


    They talked for an hour about anything they thought of when Edmund noticed someone approaching them. Although the person was out of sight, the amount of aura the person had unnerved him a bit. He knew that only one person could have that kind of aura and he had no wish to talk to the old coot. He quickly asked Iris to go back to her dorm as it was too late and a teacher may find them. As soon as they left the room, Dumbledore arrived to find it empty and frowned. He was sure that Iris Potter had been there but now she was nowhere to be seen. Sighing to himself, he left the room without taking a glance at the mirror.

 Chapter 5 - 5: End of Year 1

    Edmund was in his room, thinking about the meeting he had with Iris Potter. It was... interesting to say the least. They had not shared much of their life at their homes but he knew her life with her relatives was anything but pleasant. He was smart enough not to ask much about it as this was the first time he ever talked to Iris properly. They mainly kept to their lives at school. Iris shared her doubts about the third floor corridor that the old coot had warned the school about. While talking about the teachers, she told him about the blatant hatred that Snape showed towards her, which had her confused. She had never met the man and had never given him any reason for such hate towards her. Even Edmund found it odd.


    When Edmund had reminded her of the time, she thanked him with a bright smile. He felt heat coming off his face as he recalled that. It was a beautiful smile and she looked very cute. He quickly shook it off and focused on trying to sleep. ''Cute huh? Well, all kids are cute, nothing special about her, right?''


    Then the image of the weasel eating his food appeared in his mind, "Gaah! Kids are horrible! Now I''m fully awake! Damn you weasel!"


    (ROTS)


    The school year came to an end and Edmund was sitting beside his group of friends on Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. Rumor had been going around that Quirrell had left his job as their teacher while some said he died a horrible death. Somehow, and no one knew why, well, maybe some did know, but Iris Potter was discovered quite injured the previous night. He didn''t understand why, he felt a bit concerned about her even though they were mere acquaintances, but, on the other hand, he was brimming with anticipation because he finally confirmed that his next greatest enemy after the Vulpis family was indeed alive. It was time to up his training and work on finding balance between magic and chakra.


    Edmund was there when Iris confronted Quirrell in front of the Mirror of Erised. He had to try his best not to expose himself when Iris was getting hurt by Quirrell. His morals screamed at him to aid Iris but he held himself back. He was not ready. After Voldemort''s wraith had escaped, Edmund was about to appear and help Iris to the infirmary when he sensed the old coot approach the chamber. He waited, henged as a fly on the wall as the old coot checked her pulse and heaved a sigh of relief. When Iris was taken away by the old man, Edmund quickly shunshined away.


    When he got back, he meditated to calm himself and went to sleep. Now, what bothered him was the fact that the dark asshat was able to infiltrate a school full of students that was known to be the most secure place in Britain. He had possessed a person and was walking the very corridors other students used on daily bases. He could have easily done so much harm. One look at the old coot who was giving away points to Gryffs for literally breaking every rule told Edmund that the man was least concerned of what grave error he had made due to lax security.


    As the feast came to an end, Edmund took a glance towards Iris and observed that as she talked, her smile never reached her eyes. She was dreading that fact the she had to spend her summer at her aunt''s home. He felt a small amount of emotion well up in the pit of his stomach as he realised he too had to spend his summer with his mother''s killer. He narrowed his eyes and unknowingly let out a low growl. The students around him were sending him uneasy looks as he frowned in distaste and stabbed at his food while eating.


    (ROTS)


    Edmund spent the summer after his first year evading his father with genjutsu and working harder on gaining harmony between his chakra and magic. His progress was slow but was steady. He kept working on ninjutsu and learnt many high rank ones. Due to constant use of shadow clones, his chakra levels had shot up quite significantly.


    Edmund wanted to get stronger, as much as possible. Things in his first year have been quite strange. Moldyshorts had infiltrated to steal the philosopher''s stone in the same year Iris had started her school. Even more strange was the fact that Dumbledore had brought an artifact highly sought after by many all over the world, in a school. He had exposed the children to potential danger and the traps that were put in place were anything but difficult. Hell, three first years were able to easily get past them. Why would the Flammels give their priceless artifact to be guarded by Dumbledore at a school? Were they so naive to trust it with him? And why only now? They could have done it at any time before. He recalled overhearing Iris telling her friends about Hagrid taking something out of a vault at Gringots. That must have been the stone. Why withdraw it right then? And In front of a student of all people. He still remembered the beaming smile on the old coot''s face when he looked at the stone in the unconscious Iris'' hand. Dumbledore was not a man he could trust. His trust further pummelted when he learnt that of all the wizards in the world, Lockhart was given the job to be their defence teacher.


    Edmund had been working on seals and was just a few steps away from recreating the Hiraishin. That technique would prove to be a life saver some day. Recently he had been working on barrier seals and was trying to find ways to mix wards and barriers. But for that, he had to find a balance between the two energies. It would take time, but he was sure he would be able to do it.


    His investments against the Vulpis family were yielding great results, if the look on Altair Vulpis'' face was any indication. The former death wanker had been distraught for quite a while. His vaults were constantly losing money due to constant expenditure and he had lost a lot of stocks in many businesses. Moreover, he couldn''t find a way to vent his frustrations as he could never find his son anywhere so that he could curse him. Even the house elves were not responding to him. He had wanted to talk to his son about it, but, for some reason, he was unable to do so. Unknown to him, Edmund actually made Altair free all the elves using genjutsu and had bonded with them in the name of Whirlpool family. Edmund closely and patiently watched as his murdrer of a father slowly descended into madness. Killing a mad man would be so easy. He would wait, and then strike at the opportune moment.


    (ROTS)


    It was Sptember 1st of 1992 and Edmund was visiting the apothecary to buy some ingredients to practice for potions at school. While on his way, he noticed a lot of commotion at the book shop.


    Edmund made his way to the shop and saw people flocking towards Lockhart as he flaunted his books to them. Edmund shook his head in disappointment. Wizards really acted like sheep and believed everything they read in books. Just when he was about to leave, he saw a bunch of red heads enter the shop accompanied by none other than Iris Potter and the Granger girl with what looked like her parents. He didn''t understand why, but something interesting always happened around the girl-who-lived. So, he decided to wait in the corner of the shop.


    (ROTS)


    Summer for Iris was not very pleasant. Uncle Vernon was cruel as ever and had locked up all her stuff in the cupboard. He didn''t even allow her to have her wand with her. Atleast Hedwig was spared and was allowed to stay with her. Her uncle went even further by putting bars on her room''s window.


    At first she thought her friends had abandoned her as they didn''t contact her at all and never replied to her letters. But, he worries were vanquished when a house elf Dobby appeared and confessed that he had been stealing the letters. She was a bit annoyed when he told her to not go to Hogwarts due to some danger. How could she even do that? And stay with her so called family for the rest of the year? She shuddered to think of the consequences.


    Iris was really angry at the stupid elf when he levitated the cake and threw it on Vernon''s guest. He tried to get her expelled. She even got a notice of warning from the ministry of magic for underage use of magic.


    When the Weasleys came to rescue her from her hell, she was eternally grateful.


    Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were really kind to her. They even volunteered to go with her to Diagon Alley to buy her new books. Never had anyone shown so much kindness to her and for the first time in her life, she got the feeling of belonging to a family. She wondered if her mother was just like Mrs. Weasley. It all felt too good to be true.


    On the day of their departure, she, along with the Weasleys, arrived at Diagon Alley and spotted Hermione with her parents. Together they went to the book store and saw a lot of people crowding up in the shop. The amount of people made her feel uneasy and she wanted nothing else but to get away as soon as she got her books.


    Her fears were realised when Lockhart grabbed her shoulder and pulled her in front of the crowd. She got very scared and stood stupefied as the reporters took pictures and later she was handed a bunch of books.


    Relieved that she got away from Lockhart, Draco Malfoy appeared out of nowhere and further ruined her mood. When Mr. Weasley arrived and she felt the tension lift of her shoulders, Draco''s father arrived and began sharing jibes with Mr. Weasley. It got so far that it appeared they were about start a fight. Just then, a voice was heard which she recognized very well. She breathed a sigh of relief and for some reason, she felt the tension leave her altogether.


    "Are you two trying to start a fight here? It''s highly unbecoming of a Lord of a Noble House and a ministry official to act like their children. Perhaps you two should go to Hogwarts in their place and learn some discretion. There are reporters present in this shop. Are you two so desperate to appear in the paper that you completely disregard the fact that you are Lords of your families?"


    Although the voice didn''t sound very pleasant for the two men.

 Chapter 6 - 6: The Chamber Opened Again

    Edmund watched as Iris and the group entered the shop. He knew that Iris didn''t like crowds from his observations at school. When Lockhart grabbed her shoulder and forced her beside him, Edmund had half the mind to put a kunai up his arse. He could clearly see the terror in Iris'' eyes and he did not like it. He liked when those vibrant and beautiful emerald eyes were calm, full of positive emotions and he liked to see them smile. They were quite enchanting. But seeing fear in them made him angry. He quickly took out a kunai from a storage seal on his gloves and was about to go and ram the kunai into Lockhart''s smiling face when the git released Iris.


    Composing himself, he resealed the kunai and stood at his place silently observing as the ferret princess Malfoy opened his sewer of a mouth and confronted the group. He thought the situation was handled when elder Weasley came in to diffuse the tension but he clenched his fist when the former death wanker and possible walking advertis.e.m.e.nt of Veela hair products entered the shop and confronted the elder Weasley.


    He could see Iris tense up and back away from the angry a.d.u.l.ts. Before the situation got any worse, he decided to interfere.


    Deciding to take advantage of the presence of so many people around, he spoke in a cold and disapproving tone, "Are you two trying to start a fight here? It''s highly unbecoming of a Lord of a Noble House and a ministry official to act like their children. Perhaps you two should go to Hogwarts in their place and learn some discretion. There are reporters present in this shop. Are you two so desperate to appear in the paper that you completely disregard the fact that you are Lords of your families?"


    He knew the daddy ferret was not foolish enough to start throwing hexes in public. So he continued.


    "And learn to put a lid on that sewer you call your mouth princess Malfoy. Sometimes I wonder what the sorting hat was thinking when it placed you of all people in Slytherin. Were the effects of the Imperious your father was placed under by the dark lord so much that his offspring turned out to be a complete dork?"


    Silence followed after he finished. The Mafoys were brimming with rage while the elder Weasley looked embarrassed. Edmund himself just stood there, next to Iris and briefly greeted her with a nod.


    "Uhh... hi," was she could say.


    "Why you insolent whelp. When your father hears this..," but daddy ferret was interrupted by laughing fit from Edmund.


    "Hahahaha...Ohh... *gasp*.. this is priceless.. *gasp*.. now I know where princess Malfoy here got that from. Is that a Malfoy catchphrase... oh Merlin!.. *gasp*.. my sides..."


    Soon, those around him too started laughing.


    Not wanting to be further embarrassed by a twelve year old, the Malfoys trotted out of the shop after daddy ferret returned a book he had taken from little weaselette''s cauldron.


    After Edmund sobered up, he saw the gluttonous weasel sneer at him. He raised an eyebrow, smirked and turned to Iris, "Good to see you here Potter. Hmm, what were you doing to get your clothes so dirty?"


    In response, Iris just blushed with embarrassment.


    "Hey leave her alone Vulpis. We don''t want to here from your dirty mouth," the weasel squeaked with a face as red as his hair.


    "Anyway, Scourgify. There, all cleaned up. I suggest you learn the spell Potter. It''s quite useful. See ya on the train," he said, patted on her shoulder and went away.


    "Yeah... bye.."


    (ROTS)


    He approached them and asked, "What are you standing here for? The Express leaves in five minutes."


    Before the weasel could retort pitifully, Iris responded in an almost panicked manner, "We tried to get to the other side but the gateway seems to have closed!"


    Nearing the pillar, he examined it and felt the magic. It was different than normal wizard magic, almost elven.


    "Its elven magic blocking the gateway. Toffy," he said, softly calling a house elf that had bonded with him as he cast a wide area notice-me-not charm.


    Immediately, a house elf in quite elegant clothes appeared with a crack, startling the other two. "Master Eddy be calling Toffy?" The elf squeaked excitedly.


    Smiling slightly, Edmund spoke, "I need you to remove the barrier on the gateway and rearrange the stuff of these three back in their trolleys."


    "Yes master Eddy!"


    Toffy snapped his fingers and quickly did what he was asked for.


    "Good work Toffy, you may go now."


    Edmund nodded towards them and went through the gateway without saying anything. The three just stood there gaping at him. Breaking out of their stupor, they quickly followed him.


    (ROTS)


    The second year was very similar to first year. Charms, potions and transfiguration were always interesting. DADA was just like the previous year, complete waste of time. Lockhart was a huge disappointment. Edmund''s view of the peac.o.c.k couldn''t be any lower. History of magic was the usual, he studied seals and runes along with reading his ancestor''s notes on chakra and magic harmony in that class.


    Soon, it was Halloween again and the students were in the Great Hall enjoying the feast. Edmund noticed that while everyone was enjoying themselves, a certain green eyed girl was slowly eating her food with a sad look on her face. He really felt sad for her. The girl never knew what parental love was like and her relatives weren''t much of a consolation.


    As the feast came to an end, the students departed to their destinations. Knowing that Iris had a detention with the peac.o.c.k, Edmund had created a clone to keep an eye on her just in case the git tried something funny. Not that he really cared ofcourse. The memory of him and Iris standing before the Mirror of Erised flashed in his mind. Shaking off a blush threatening to appear on his face, he refocused on the book he was reading in the library.


    Suddenly, he heard a hissing sound. At first he ignored it but when he heard it again, he got up and tried to follow the sound. Reaching the second floor, he noticed that the whole floor was flooded and a group of students were standing beside the wall. A metallic smell assaulted his nose. It was that of blood. He quickly approached the group and saw none other than Mrs. Norris being hung by her tail on the wall. The cat was not moving at all, but by the slow laboring movements, he knew the cat was alive. He then noticed the writing on the wall, in blood.


    Just then, he heard the ferret open his mouth and spew nonsense, "The Chamber of Secrets has opened again. Beware Mudbloods, Slytherin''s monster will finally rid our world of you."


    "Ah.. princess Malfoy, what did I tell you about putting a lid over your mouth. Everytime you open it you just spew sewage waste and dirty our poor ears," Edmund reprimanded the ferret, not a least bit happy with what the boy just said. The rest of the students laughed as the ferret turned red with embarrassment and anger.


    Argus Filch came over to the group and began accusing Iris of all people.


    "But I didn''t do it! I just saw her hanging on the wall while returning from my detention with Professor Lockhart. You can ask him!" Iris replied, offended that she was being accused of doing such a thing.


    But Filch didn''t listen. Iris got scared and tried to back away from him when he reached out to grab her collar. Edmund''s anger erupted and he grabbed his wrist in a crushing grip. Filch screamed in pain and desperately tried to free himself, but Edmund didn''t even budge.


    "You old fool, who do you think you are to try and grab a girl''s collar? Try that again and I''ll rip your arms out," he growled, eyes zeroed upon the now cowering and completely terrified Filch. Edmund''s eyes were glowing with power and he subconsciously let go of some of his aura.


    "What is going on here!" Mcgonagall said as she neared the group, her lips thinned into a firm line. "Mister Vulpis, thirty points from Ravenclaw for assault on a school employee!"


    "Well tell you employee to refrain from trying to grab a student''s collar. Its incredibly rude and can be dubbed as physical assault. This piece of shit just accused Potter for killing his damn cat. If he had enough brains he''d notice that the cat is still breathing," Edmund snarled.


    "Language Mr. Vulpis. That''ll be twenty more points from Ravenclaw."


    "To hell with your points lady, I am trying to defend a student here. Someone has written a whole sentence in blood on the wall with a cat hanging from its tail and the first thing you do is take stupid points away? Are you going senile or are you just plain stupid?"


    The students around him gasped in shock as Mcgonagall''s expression turned stormy.


    "Mr. Vulpis! Never have I been treated with such disrespect! Two months detention for you with Hagrid while you take care of magical creatures with him. Perhaps extensive manual labour would teach you some manners."


    Edmund just stood there with a deadpanned expression. Of all the things to punish him with, manual labour would be the easiest punishment. He was a boy who could punch a boulder to pieces. Manual labour was a leisure activity.


    Dumbledore took the silence between them as an opportunity to pipe in, "Mr. Vulpis, you should not disrespect your betters. I hope this won''t happen again. Now, Argus, your cat has been petrified by the looks of it. It''s perhaps a prank by a sixth or a seventh year student. Young Iris is a second year student. She''s innocent until proven guilty."


    "Innocent until proven guilty?! The hell are you playing at you old shit?" Edmund narrowed his eyes at the old coot. That sentence had a hidden meaning in it. He just declared that Iris was a suspect, which Edmund clearly knew she wasn''t. The memory from his clone had proved it.


    He looked at Iris and noticed that she was on the verge of tears. The students around them were staring at her with accusing looks, clearly making their own assumptions. Edmund was about to lash out at them when the students were ordered to go to their dorms.

 Chapter 7 - 7: Petrifications and Parseltongue

    Edmund was trying very hard not to try and shove a Rasengan down Dumbledore''s throat. He dismissed the situation as a prank, which clearly was not one. The Chamber of Secrets, he needed to do some research on that. The only thing he knew was that the Chamber was rumored to have been opened fifty years ago. His maternal grandfather liked to keep a journal, who used to go to Hogwarts at that time. Perhaps he had recorded something in it.


    Reaching into his multi compartment trunk, he searched for the journal in the library section where he usually kept most of the jutsu scrolls and his books from the Whilpool vault. After rummaging for a minute he found the diary. He quickly scanned though the journal and found what he was looking for.


    [Entry #387:


    Something very strange and unsettling has been happening recently. Students are being petrified all over the school. Even more strange is that all the victims are muggleborns. A girl from Ravenclaw, Myrtle Warren, was found dead in the second floor girl''s washroom yesterday. Not a single wound was found on her body or any spell damage was seen. Even any traces of the Avada Kedavra were absent.


    It is being rumored that Slytherin''s fabled Chamber of Secrets was opened by a student, Rubius Hagrid, a third year, and the monster that stayed in the Chamber for a thousand years has killed Myrtle. But how? Anyway, apparently Tom Marvolo Riddle, a sixth year Slytherin was able to confront him and now Hagrid has been expelled and his wand snapped. Being a minor, he''ll probably be spared of being sent to Azkaban.


    Riddle has quite a personality and imposes the image of an ideal student and is considered to be the brightest of his batch. A muggleborn Slytherin who possesses the ability to talk to snakes. He lives in an orphanage in muggle London. He''s been awarded a special reward for services to the school as he apprehended the culprit that caused a student''s death.


    The whole situation is so bizarre. The only animal who could have killed anyone without leaving any mark on the victim is perhaps a Basilisk. But the snake is generally way too big to freely roam around and go killing people. And it''s gaze does not petrify it''s victims, it kills them. It could be a gorgon but I am not certain. Everyone is pretty scared. Maybe with the culprit being caught, the attacks will stop. No one has been able to find the chamber though. Nobody knows what really is happening, but I hope it all stops soon.]


    Edmund re-read the entry again. After confirming he didn''t miss anything, he returned the journal back in the trunk. He rubbed his forehead and felt a headache coming. If it all was true, if the chamber did exist and had been opened again, it could spell disaster for everyone. And this time, there was no Riddle to save the day. "First that f.u.c.k.i.n.g wraith of that megalomaniac dark asshat and now this blasted chamber, what next, a post owl rebellion? Malfoy promoting muggleborn rights? Or the weasel actually having brain? F.u.c.k it, I''ll just sleep and think about it tomorrow."


    (ROTS)


    The day started with a Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. As usual, Iris was chasing the snitch and was struggling as princess Malfoy was trying his best to push her off her broom. Suddenly, a bludger went rogue and specifically targeted Iris.


    Iris was able to get the snitch but fell from her broom, holding a broken arm. The bludger didn''t stop even as the game ended and Granger finally had to destroy it with a Bombarda to stop it. When Iris was about to be escorted away to the infirmary, the peac.o.c.k Lockhart decided to mess things up and vanished the bones of her broken arm. Edmund still couldn''t understand why the ponce was still allowed near students.


    Later that night, Edmund was feeling uneasy and couldn''t sleep. So he went for a walk on the walls after curfew. He ended up walking inside the infirmary and saw Iris sleeping on the bed. He was contemplating whether to go nearer or not when a house elf appeared near her bed thus waking her up.


    "Dobby! What are you doing here?" Iris whispered, looking surprised by the elf''s sudden appearance.


    "Mistress Iris Potter should not have be coming to Hogywarts!" Dobby replied firmly. He continued, "That''s why Dobby tried to force Mistress using his bludger."


    Edmund narrowed his eyes at the elf. "This little thing of flesh and bones wanted Iris away from this school. But why?"


    "Your bludger!" Iris growled. "So you were trying to kill me."


    Alarmed, the elf quickly replied, "Not kill mistress, never kill. Dobby be never doing such a thing to the Great Witch Iris Potter. Dobby just wanted mistress to be safe."


    "And how does attacking me with a bludger implies keeping me safe? And why are you trying to protect me? From whom? Is this about the Chamber of Secrets?" Iris asked, thinking furiously.


    Poopy Pomfrey, McGonagall and Dumbledore were carrying a boy who looked around eleven or twelve years old. They placed him on a bed beside Iris''. Dumbledore pried a camera off the boy''s hands and opened it, only to find that camera had been completely burnt on the inside.


    "What does this mean Albus?" McGonagall asked, the fear easily noticable in her voice.


    "It means that the Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened," he replied patiently.


    "But who Albus? Who could have done it?"


    "The question is not who, Minerva, the question is, how?" He said while looking at the sleeping form of Iris. The other looked at her with wide eyes. Edmund was furious. "What the f.u.c.k you piece of shit! What do you think you are implying? Is this son of a bitch accusing Iris? What kind of sick person is he?! On one side he comforts Iris and shows a grandfatherly persona while on the other hand he accuses her. Cleary, he does not shit light out of his arse. There''s much more to him that he let''s on."


    (ROTS)


    Edmund was contemplating if he should actually kill Lockhart or not. The peac.o.c.k was masquerading in posh dueling clothes and showing off what little spells his stupid brain could actually remember. Well, the greasy bat showing him how much mother earth loves him was a bit satisfactory. But nothing beats the joy of a fist and a broken nose.


    He watched as the ferret and Iris were called to participate in the duel. Iris was good, she packed quite a lot of power for a twelve year old. Suddenly, princess Malfoy decided to summon a snake. To make it worse, Lockhart used a very inconvenient spell to further anger the snake.


    Then, something happened that made everyone gasp in surprise. Iris hissed, like a snake at the serpent. The snake looked at a Hufflepuff boy whose name Edmund didn''t bother to remember.


    The snake looked at Iris and it''s possible victim when Snape decided that it was enough and destroyed the snake. Students all around looked at her with fear and backed away. Poor Iris looked quite confused and glanced back and forth. The students were then dismissed and her friends decided to drag her away.


    Edmund had only one thought in his mind, "Well, that complicates the matter to a whole new level."


    (ROTS)


    Everything was going as normal as it should have for Iris. But everything went downhill on Halloween.


    When Filch''s cat was found petrified, he had accused her out of all the students that were standing there. She had sighed in relief when Edmund had come to her rescue and stopped Filch from grabbing hold of her collar. She found Edmund to be quite amusing. He was snarky and always had something to say about someone whenever they behaved in a manner he disapproved. He didn''t even care what would happen when he openly insulted Professor McGonagall and called her an idiot. All to defend her. She felt warmth erupt within her when he did that. Professor Dumbledore had called her innocent until proven guilty. Which meant that she was a suspect.


    Things seemed to have calmed down when no other incident took place. When the bludger had turned rogue and targetted her during the game, she went all out with defiance. When Professor Lockhart vanished the bones in her broken arm, she got really scared. But it was for naught as Madam Pomfrey told her about skelle grew potion. It tasted horrible and the pain caused by regrowing bones was almost unbearable.


    After Dobby vanished away with a snap of his fingers, Iris had rushed back to her bed. Another student had been petrified. It was Colin Creevey, the first year who had been pestering her for photographs.


    During the dueling club practice, Malfoy had summoned a snake who seemed quite angry for being summoned. Iris tried to order it to not attack anyone when Snape destroyed to snake. She knew she could talk to snakes and thought it was quite a normal thing among wizards. Turned out that only Salazar Slytherin and Voldemort were known to have the ability of parseltongue and now her.


    The next day, Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy who was being stalked by the snake summoned by Malfoy the previous day, was found petrified along with the ghost Ser Nicholas. It was Iris who had found them and was dubbed to be caught in the act.


    The whole school seemed to have turned against Iris after that. Even her friends, the weasel and Granger were trying their best to distance themselves away from her. Although they had helped her with polyjuice potion to spy on Malfoy they were really not proving to be of much help. She was being openly bullied and hexed behind her back. The teachers were not helping either as they had turned a blind eye to her.


    After what felt half an hour, she heard a noise of someone coming towards where she was sitting. Quickly wiping her tears from her red puffy eyes, she washed her face with the lake''s water. As soon as she was done, the person began speaking, "Potter, what are you doing out here? It''s dangerous to be out of the castle at night. Come on, let''s go back."


    Iris instantly recognized the voice. It was Edmund Vulpis. He was the only one who was yet to try anything against her. Usually his voice was full of sarcasm and blunt ruthless insults, but whenever he talked to her, he sounded somewhat warm, but still a bit rough. This time though, he sounded concerned for her safety. She couldn''t understand why. There was no curiously in his voice like that in Professor Dumbledore, indifference as in McGonagall''s or dismissive like Hagrid. It was just genuine concern.


    Hope building up in her fragile heart, she shook her head and spoke as her voice quivered with emotion, "I-I don''t want to."


    "Wanna talk about it?" Edmund asked as he slowly walked closer. When she didn''t reply, he sighed and sat down next to her. Even in the dim light of the moon and the stars, he could clearly see her red eyes and tear stains on her flushed cheeks. His heart pained for her. It was so cruel. Iris never found happiness anywhere be it at her muggle home or at Hogwarts.


    After a few minutes of silence, Iris began, "I always thought that I''ll find my true home in the Wizarding world. At my aunt''s house, I am an outsider, a freak, a burden. I thought that being away from my relatives would help me find happiness. But now, I am being shunned away by my own friends. Is being able to talk to snakes such a bad thing? I guess I really am just a freak."


    "Whoever said that is a prat. You are Iris Potter, a twelve year old witch and a brilliant one at that. You are the youngest seeker of the century. No one can deny that. I agree that everyone at school is being rather cruel, but they are scared. Two students have been petrified and no one knows who did it. You are just a scapegoat. Since you are an orphan no one will fear any kind of opposition from your family."


    "What am I supposed to do then?" She sounded desperate.


    Edmund smiled softly and placed his hand on her head and a blush crept on her face when she saw him smile. "Don''t give in. I know you hold back in your classes, ahah! Don''t try to deny it," he softly reprimanded when she was about to protest. "I have been observing and you do slip up sometimes. If you are afraid that your friends will leave you if you show that you are better than them then they really aren''t friends. Use this as an opportunity to learn to protect yourself. And being able to talk to snakes doesn''t make you evil. Do you know what the worldwide symbol for medicine is?"


    Iris simply shook her head, but seemed interested.


    "The muggle symbol for medicine is the Caduceus ¡ª two serpents going up around a staff with wings ¡ª for a reason. I think you should try and learn parselmagic and using it would help others accept your ability. Parselmagic was widely known for its healing effects, among other things. Ofcourse, Voldemort ignored the healing part of it as he only wanted to hurt people."


    Iris was slightly surprised that he used the dark lord''s name so openly, "You are not afraid to say his name?"


    Edmund chuckled and replied, "No, why should I? It''s not like he''s alive is he?"


    Inwardly, he cursed himself for his slip. His abilities needed to stay hidden. He sighed when he saw Iris accept his reasoning.


    "So, parselmagic is not bad? I can learn it and use it to heal people?" There was hope in her voice and Edmund had no intention to ruin it.


    He got up and replied, "Exactly. Find more about it. I''d suggest going to the library and learn what you can about it''s history. You can search the Diagon Alley to find some books on it. Anyway, I guess it''s time for curfew. Better get back to our dorms."


    Iris smiled and shook her head, "I''ll stay for a few more minutes."


    Edmund just nodded.


    When he was about to leave, Iris quickly reached out for his hand and grabbed it. He looked curiously at her when she gave him a tight hug, kissed him on the cheek and thanked him.


    Edmund nodded with a dumbfounded expression and rushed back to the castle with bright red cheeks, not noticing the furiously blushing Iris he left behind.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Showdown in the Chamber of Secrets

    Edmund found it really hard to focus for the next few days. The memory of Iris kissing his cheek was still fresh in his mind and he had no plans of forgetting it any time soon.


    Oh he knew what was happening to him. But, he was insistent on denying it. He was just twelve after all. There was no need to rush. "Get a hold of yourself Ed, there are more important things you need to focus on. All that can wait. I need to find where the chamber is."


    His expression hardened and his eyes were focused. Creating a bunch of shadow clones, he asked them to search every nook and cranny of the castle to find the entrance for the chamber. After a half hour meditation session, he got into his bed and went to sleep, hoping no more students were targeted that night.


    (ROTS)


    Edmund was angry, not at Dumbledore or Lockhart or the rest of the student body. No, he was angry at himself. Talking to Myrtle was eye opening. It was so simple, just ask the victim how she died. The taps on the basins had snakes engraved on them. He had searched everywhere to find a way open a doorway, but nothing happened.


    The abuse Iris suffered had diminished to almost negligible ever since Granger was found petrified in the library, with a mirror in her hand. It felt so ridiculous at first, why would anyone take a hand held mirror to library. Then realization hit him. Every victim had one thing in the common. They had something reflective around them or they looking through something else when they got petrified. Filch''s cat had water on the floor. Creevey was looking through his camera, the Hufflepuff boy was looking through Ser Nicholas and Granger had a mirror. They never looked at the attacker directly. A Gorgon''s magic did not work that way. It could only be a Basilisk.


    And so, he was sitting on the floor, glaring at the taps, think what else he could do to open the damn entrance. He could just punch the damn thing but that would be very risky. Any curious student could fall into it and die while he was in the chamber. If only he was a parselmouth. He couldn''t, in good conscience involve Iris in this. The girl had enough shit to deal with on her own. Just then, two figures came running towards the washroom. Edmund quickly henged into a rat and ran away to hide behind a stall, after quickly asking Myrtle to remain quiet about him.


    To his utter surprise and worry, it was Iris herself, accompanied by the weasel and Lockhart. She asked Myrtle about the night she died.


    Iris then looked at the taps that Myrtle had pointed out and traced to snake engravings on them. Then, she hissed. The entrance to the chamber opened and they threw Lockhart down the slide. If he could, Edmund would have chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt. Then they followed him down to the chamber. Quickly, Edmund jumped behind them as the entrance began to close.


    Down in the chamber, he marveled at the sixty feet long snake skin that was shed by the Basilisk. He sped ahead of the three and reached a door with snakes radiating out of it.


    They entered the main chamber. It had numerous statues of snakes and a large face with flowing beard and hair carved into the wall opposite to the entrance. It was probably Salazar Slytherin himself. Then, he saw a young girl laying still on the floor, next to Iris who was trying to wake the girl up. To his surprised and annoyance, it was Ginerva bloody Weasley. The girl had been a complete pain in the rear. She acted so strange for the whole year and fangirled over Iris for most of her time at the castle.


    Suddenly, a teenager in school clothes appeared out of thin air and picked up Iris'' wand that was lying beside her. Edmund inwardly frowned. Who was this guy?


    He listened intently as Iris and the boy, who was now recognized as Tom by her. His eyes widened in surprise when he revealed to be the one behind all attacks. But when he revealed who he actually was, Edmund was shocked to his core. Tom Marvolo Riddle was Voldemort.


    Suddenly, Edmund faught the urge to point at all the pureblood supremacists and laugh his lungs out. The fools were following a muggleborn or a possible half blood preaching pureblood rights and killing muggleborns, a delusional man who believed he was the Heir of Slytherin. There were thousands of parselmouths all over the world. Only England, and by extension, Europe was the region where they either died out, were killed or stayed hidden due to the stigmas. A phoenix suddenly came flying towards them with the sorting hat in it''s claws.


    Suddenly, Tommy hissed at the giant face and it''s mouth opened. Edmund hearded a slithering sound coming from the opened mouth. His eyes widened in panic when he realised what was coming. Just as the snake''s head emerged from the mouth, Edmund hid behind a wall, dispelled the henge, unsealed a pair of kunai, charged them with lightening chakra and with all his might, threw them, aimed at the serpent''s eyes. When the kunai struck, the snake half hissed and half roared in pain as it''s eyes were destroyed by piercing lightening chakra.


    "No! Who did this?!" Tommy boy screamed. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down and said, "Doesn''t matter, my basilisk can still smell you. Run Iris, run for you life but you will die tonight."


    Iris ran away from the Basilisk but it followed her, listening to the sound of her footsteps. Edmund hurriedly coursed the walls  when he saw Iris throw a stone away in another direction to distract the snake.


    Successful in her attempt, she hurried back to the main hall again resuming her futile attempts to wake the stupid girl up. Tommy hissed again and the snake emerged from the water surrounding them. Edmund began charging his chakra and released his resistance seals at once. Even if he would be exposed, he would not risk Iris getting hurt badly or worse, end up dead.


    Edmund never saw a sword appearing out of the sorting hat and was surprised to see Iris draw it from beside her. She swung it at the snake desperately trying to keep some distance. Backing away, she climbed Slytherin''s face as the snake rammed into the stone.


    "Doton: Dosekiry¨±!"


    A massive wingless dragon made of rock emerged from his side and sped towards the unaware snake. Tommy saw the construct of earth and stone and tried to warn his snake to move out of the way but was too late. The earth dragon rammed into the snake''s spine and shattered it. The basilisk shrieked in pain as its body began to bend at odd sharp angles. Iris took the opportunity to strike and shoved her sword through the snake''s upper jaw and it''s brain. The snake wailed for a few moments and finally dropped dead.


    Tommy wailed, "Who did this?! I command you to show yourself!" He was livid. Not only was his weapon dead, but someone had helped his enemy from the shadows with strange but powerful magic.


    Iris stumbled back near the weaselette. Edmund''s eyes went wide in horror and his face lost all its color when he saw a basilisk fang lodged in her arm. Tommy boasted that Iris was as good as dead due to the venom of the basilisk. Iris looked up at him in defiance. She pulled the fang out and struck a diary next to her with it. Tommy screamed as a magical hole appeared in his c.h.e.s.t. Iris stabbed the diary again and again until Tommy was left to nothing but tiny specks of light. The weaselette began to stir when Edmund sent a silent stunner at her.


    Iris looked around in panic and fear but relaxed when Edmund emerged from hiding.


    "How did you get here Ed.. Vulpis?" She said hesitantly, not know how to address him.


    "I followed you down that slide and went ahead while you were marveling at the snake skin. Sorry I stunned her, I didn''t want anyone to see me here."


    He looked at the puncture wound on her arm and lowered his eyes with immense regret. He was feeling miserable. "I''m sorry for that. I could have provided better help but I was afraid." Of catching you with a deadly jutsu in the cross fire. Great load of good that did. He didn''t say the last part out loud.


    When she was about to ask him about the strange thunder and earth spells, the phoenix came closer to her and shed it''s tears on her wound. Miraculously, the wound healed as her face regained a rosy tinge.


    Iris gasped, "Of course! Phoenix tears are known to heal any and all kinds of ailments and wounds. Thanks Fawkes!"


    Edmund breathed in relief. If Iris had died of his stupidity, he would have never forgiven himself. Probably end up killing himself and taking the Vulpis family with him to hell.


    The phoenix thrilled. Iris giggled and looked at Edmund, "Thanks for tonight, Edmund."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." He shifted nervously on his feet as tried to dismiss it.


    Iris just smiled and looked at him knowingly and shook her head.


    "Ar.. are you alright? I know you must be happy that you are alive and saved little Weasley but when it sinks in.." Edmund trailed off.


    "I know," she replied quietly. "It will be hard to get around it for a few days. I was really scared and knowing I could have died today many times over, it''ll take time but I''ll be fine."


    She stopped for a moment and said, "Let''s go."


    "No, you can leave without me. I''ll be on my own. Just don''t tell anyone I was here."


    "Are you sure?"


    He nodded. After that he went away as she focused on enervating the weaselette.


    (ROTS)


    All the affected students were healed by potions made from m.a.t.u.r.e Mandrakes. Dumbledore had returned after he was forced away from the school by the death wanker Malfoy and the minister. No one knew what caused the petrifications. As always, the old coot had put everything under the rug. The Weaselette got away without any repercussions. But the best part, Malfoy senior got his rear handed to him by his former house elf, Dobby, the elf who had tried everything to keep Iris safe, atleast what he thought was safe. What angered Edmund was that Malfoy senior was responsible for all of it. But he couldn''t do anything about it as there was no subtle proof.


    The year came to an end and the old coot told half and twisted truths about the petrifications. Like always, his word was accepted without any complaints. The Gryffs won the house cup again, courtesy to Iris for her services for the school. Some had seen Gyrffindor''s sword in the headmaster''s office and Iris was the one to find it and return it to the school.


    It was time for the students to return to their homes. Edmund, as usual, was ready to spend another summer training hard for any upcoming surprises the next year. Little did he know, a surprise was waiting for him at his home, a very unplesent and eventful one.

 Chapter 9 - 9: Killing an Enemy

    As he entered the lobby of his manor through the fireplace, Edmund felt something was off. His instincts were screaming at him to release his resistance seals and be prepared for a battle. He felt someone''s presence behind him and swiftly turned around. His eyes widened as he saw his father standing next to a man in his early sixties. He was a head taller than his father and had a more sinister and dangerous aura around him. Of course he would. The old man was Edmund''s grandfather. The mastermind behind the destruction of Whirlpool family.


    Aldrich Vulpis was a ruthless and a sinister man who strived for power, much like his dork lord Moldy. Unlike Altair, Aldrich had a much saner mind. The man''s presence was enough to put Edmund on the edge.


    Aldrich looked at his grandson, critically analyzing him. After a few tense moments, he began, "Edmund, it''s been such a long time since I saw you. Won''t you greet your grandfather?"


    Edmund''s mind was going into an overdrive. "What the f.u.c.k is this asshole doing here? The whole Europe is after him. I have to be careful. If he sees something wrong with the Vulpis vaults, he''ll suspect me and will try everything to force the truth out of me. The f.u.c.ker is a good occulomence. Normal genjutsu won''t really work on him. Shit! Now what do I do?"


    Outwardly, Edmund showed no emotion and replied, "Hello grandfather."


    No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t bring to put a smile on his face. The man in front of him was someone who didn''t deserve any respect or love from him.


    Aldrich snarled, "I guess I''ll have to teach you some manners while I stay here boy. Your mother was just like you, a disrespectful bitch." He looked at Altair and continued in a harsh tone, "You didn''t raise him well did you? He''s too much like the Whirlpools. Good thing we got rid of them. You did well on killing your whore of a wife."


    Altair happily nodded, pleased that his father liked his actions so far.


    Edmund was seething inside. The man insulted his dead mother right in front of him. Unable to control his anger anymore, he lashed out, "How dare you! How dare you insult my mother! She was the kindest and the most loveable woman. I consider myself blessed to be given birth by her. She was there for me and loved me till her last breath and I won''t let you talk shit about her!"


    Edmund''s magic and chakra flared. He was engulfed by a blue aura and the objects in the living room started shaking violently.


    Altair was about to reprimand Edmund harshly when Aldrich whipped his wand out of it''s holster and snarled, "You dare talk back to me boy?! Crucio!"


    Aldrich gave a sinister cackle, "Able to endure it are you. Truly astounding. That wench, your mother, screamed so delightfully whenever my son used to discipline her. Ah! I truly miss those days, watching her writhe in pain and listening to her screams. You ungrateful waste of space, how dare you mouth off Lord Malfoy in public! I''ll teach you how to respect your betters."


    He ended the spell and spoke to Altair, "Go and look for what is causing our vaults to lose so much money so quickly. I''ll deal with this little shit."


    "Yes, father." Altair walked up to his son, bent down next to his trembling body and whispered, "I don''t know how you escaped from me for the past two years, but we''ve got you now. Father will make sure to compensate for two years of punishment. I hope you live through it because when he''s finished with you, it''ll be my turn and I''ll be even more vicious."


    Edmund looked up at his father, no the man didn''t deserve the title, he looked at Altair with utter fury and una.d.u.l.terated hate. If he could move right then, he would rip and tear the man apart. Seeing Altair smirk, Edmund spat at him. Altair''s face was priceless for a second. Then he shouted, "You insufferable brat, you''ll pay for such an insult!"


    Altair kicked him in the ribs and in the back multiple times. When he got tired he kicked Edmund in the face one last time, walked towards the fireplace and flooed away.


    "Ready for the second round you son of a whore?!" Aldrich snarled.


    Edmund in the mean time was bidding time for his nerves to get more stable. Altair''s kick didn''t hurt at all. Edmund had channelled as much chakra as he could to stimulate his cells and reverse as much damage done by the torture curse as he could. He got up on his with his legs trembling. Making a ram seal, he whispered, "Release."


    The seals on his body flared and moved. The constant resistance to his muscles and chakra vanished and he exhaled.


    "Kaimon: kai"


    "What is this? What are you doing boy!"


    "Ky¨±mon: kai"


    The aura around Edmund turned green and his skin began to get flushed with blood. His muscles were being stimulated to unimaginable levels as he felt his strength increase by multiple times.


    "Seimon: kai"


    The very floor of the living room began to tremble as his power grew. Windows shattered and cracks appeared on the floor beneath him. He felt the strain in his bones as the marrow in them produced cells as a very high rate and his pulse reached beyond the safety levels.


    Aldrich watched on in astonishment and was a bit unnerved at the display of Edmund''s power. He took a step back and shouted, "What is all this? I ask you again, what are you doing?"


    Edmund stopped, looked up in Aldrich''s eyes and smirked, "Preparing to give you a very painful death."


    Aldrich laughed, "Who do you think you are? I was one of the chief enforcers of the Dark Lord. I killed many so called master wizards in battle, like your grandfather, Dominic Whirlpool. What can a pipsqu-"


    He never said the word fully as air was forced out of his lungs. His eyes grew impossibly wide as they bulged out of their sockets and blood rushed out his mouth as Edmund rammed a knee in his stomach. Altair was sent through a wall and into the armory.


    Aldrich grunted in pain and got up. Pointing his wand at Edmund he snarled, "I was gonna torture you slowly and break you, but now I''ll just kill you."


    "Avada Kedavra!"


    Edmund easily dodged the curse by just bending his head to a side and kept walking.


    "Why don''t you just die you piece of shit!"


    "Reducto""Bombarda""os fractionis""Incarcerus""Avada Kedavra!"


    Aldrich kept throwing all kinds of curses at Edmund be he was easily able to evade all of them.


    Aldrich was by no means a pushover. He was known as a master dueler and had killed many prominent members of the wizarding world in the first war. A man known to rival Mad-eye Moody, Aldrich had a lot of power to back it all up. Edmund began feeling the strain of opening three gates. This was the first time he had opened three and he was not prepared for it. The effects of the cruciaticus were still there and the technique was not at all helpful. He dodged a couple of hexes and unforgivables and got closer to Aldrich. Delivering a powerful kick on the man''s wand arm, he crushed the bones of his arm and sent him flying across the room.


    He cancelled the technique and his skin returned to it''s normal color. Placing his hands on the ground, he yelled, "Doton: Doryuusou!"


    Spikes of earth appeared from all over the ground and impaled Aldrich''s knees. The effects of the potions he had taken were beginning to wear off. He violently thrashed on the ground as his knee caps were pushed out of his skin followed by the spike.


    Putting his wand away, Edmund made a few hand seals and yelled, "Raiton: Denji satsujin."


    Large amount of bolts of blue electricity erupted from his hands and latched onto Aldrich''s prone body.


    Aldrich screamed as he felt his flesh burn. The pain he felt as electricity violently burnt away his flesh and blood was unbearable. As the jutsu ended, Aldrich was left twitching on the ground, barely breathing.


    "I told you didn''t I? I''ll make your death very painful," Edmund growled, panting, feeling the effects of the gates.


    Aldrich turned his head towards Edmund with great effort. "Y..you.. won''t.. do... th.. that. I a..m yo..ur gra... grand.. father. Your blood."


    "That is a curse I''ll have to live with forever. It''s tainted with your darkness. Vulpis was a family that branched out from Whirlpools six centuries ago. Your ancestor was jealous of his own brother and betrayed him. You got consumed by that same darkness and destroyed them. Now I''ll have to live with for the rest of my life. But don''t you worry, after I kill your sons, I''ll disown myself and by magic, this cursed family will be extinct and the world will be rid of it''s taint."


    Aldrich''s eyes grew large in horror as he mumbled coherently. Edmund walked over and sat down next to him. He closed the distance between them and then whispered in Aldrich''s ear, "Let''s begin, shall we?"


    Reaching out, Edmund grabbed Aldrich''s jaw and snapped it. The older man screamed as tears and snot rushed out of his eyes and nose.


    "Now you won''t be able to bite your own tongue and give yourself an easy death."


    He made a gesture with his hand as Aldrich g.r.o.a.n.e.d. A bright yellow orb appeared between his fingers and he put his fingers in the man''s open mouth, as if feeding him the yellow orb.


    "Do you feel it? The warmth as the orb goes down your throat. It has reached your c.h.e.s.t, right? Slowly reaching where your heart is. Now it''s slowly latching onto your heart. You feel it right? Feels like your heart has been thrown into boiling water. Let it burn."


    Aldrich kept crying and screaming as he felt his heart actually boil. To his utter horror, he felt the heat spread from his heart to his lungs.


    "Feel it in your lungs. Feel the heat as it fills them, burning them from the inside as your breath becomes erratic and blood takes the heat all over your body. Feel it as it burns your organs, feel it reach your bones and burn away the marrow. Feel it under your skin, crawling and expanding it. You must be feeling bloated."


    Aldrich''s stomach, his c.h.e.s.t, his face, his arms and legs began to swell up.


    "Do you feel your skin tearing apart? Feel your organs crying to expel themselves out of you."


    Aldrich convulsed and screamed, his voice already hoarse. His skin began to tear from the inside and blood began to pour out of the torn areas. His convulsions became erratic as his guts began to spill out of his abdomen, his bones began to sprout out oh his body and his skull began to crack.


    "FEEL IT! FEEL ALL THE PAIN YOU HAVE INFLICTED ON OTHERS IN ALL THESE YEARS! MAY YOUR SOUL ROT IN HELL FOREVER. MAY THE DEMONS FEAST UPON IT TO ETERNITY AND MAY IT FEEL THE PAIN EVERY SECOND IT SPENDS THERE WITH THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"


    Aldrich gave one last cry as his body blasted apart from inside out. The energy released threw Edmund away into the furniture but he didn''t care. He quickly got up, picked up the now dead man''s wand and blasted it away into pieces using raiton chakra. Not wanting to leave any evidence, he retracted the earth spikes using doton jutsu just in time as Aurors rushed out of their floo.


    Down on his knees and heavily breathing, he shakily turned around to face them and spoke weakly, "You took your sweet time to come here huh?"


    With that, he fainted. The last thing he saw was the Aurors rushing over to him telling him everything will be okay.

 Chapter 10

    Waking up with a headache and a sore body was not at all pleasant. But, waking up knowing you''ve been pardoned for murder due to a bout of accidental magic in self defence against a wanted criminal was something to celebrate for, even if you did murder the said criminal out of vengeance.


    Edmund had stayed in St. Mungo''s spell damage ward for the past three days. His exposure to cruciaticus was quite a lot. And using gates had only increased the amount of damage to his body. Altair Vulpis was on the run as he was suspected to have provided safe haven to a criminal, even if the said criminal was his own father. Edmund laughed but then winced in pain. Altair had dug his own grave. He still had a hard time trying not to laugh when he read the prophet again.


    ''Vulpis Heir attacked in his own home, tortured by grandfather. Head of the family on the run.''


    After being discharged, Edmund decided to stay at Leakey Cauldron for the rest of the summer. It was the last place Altair would ever decide to stay at due to the regular inflow of aurors and other wizards and witches.


    Some time in the middle of August, word went out that Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban. The whole magical Britain was on alert. Even the muggle government was informed about him. Edmund just shrugged in indifference. He had other important stuff to focus on. Like looking at Iris'' beautiful eyes widening in surprise upon seeing him outside her door as he was about to talk shit to his neighbor for causing noise when he was meditating. Apparently, the girl had opened her Care for Magical Creatures book without stroking it''s spine.


    "Potter, didn''t stroke it nicely did ya?"


    Oops, that did not sound right.


    "Wh..what?"


    Yeah.


    "I meant your magical creatures book. You have to stroke it''s spine and then open it. Didn''t the person at the shop tell you?"


    Iris fidgeted and looked down. Edmund wanted to reprimand the girl as it made her look weak. A girl brave enough to face Lord Moldy at eleven and a Basilisk at twelve was by no means weak.


    "Um, I.. kinda blew up my.. aunt and ran away. The minister had already baught my books for me so I didn''t know about it," she said. Looking up, she noticed him smirking at her. She again looked down and closed her eyes, expecting something snarky and insulting.


    "Hah! Blew up your aunt. Now that was some impressive piece of magic wasn''t it?"


    She hesitated and then nodded, still looking down.


    "Come on Potter, look up," he reprimanded. "You just killed a Basilisk three months ago. Fidgeting like that and looking down at the ground makes you look weak. Are you a weak witch Potter?" Not getting any response he gently grabbed her chin and pulled her face up which was now completely flushed. Tilting his head, he looked into her wide innocent eyes and asked, "Or are you afraid of me?"


    Iris'' breath hitched in her throat as she frantically shook her head.


    "Shy then?"


    She again looked down and nodded once.


    "Hey! None of that. Look up. Don''t hide your eyes from me." Her head shot up and her eyes widened again. Edmund closed in, their faces only a few inches away from each other. His voice was soft as he said the next few words, "Do you even realise how beautiful your eyes are?"


    (ROTS)


    Iris Potter''s summer was going much better than the previous one. She was not starved, there were no bars on her window and no house elves to cause her trouble. She was behaving properly and in just a few days she would have gotten her guardian''s signature on the consent form to visit Hogsmade. But it all went down the drain when Aunt Marge came for a visit.


    The woman not only insulted her but she went as far as to calling her father a drunk and her mother a whore. Unable to take the insult, she lashed out and lost control of her magic, causing Aunt Marge to blow up. Afraid that she would be punished, she ran away.


    The knights bus was a very new experience and she had been scared for her life. The driver was very reckless as he drove and she had to fight the momentum for balance. It was a miracle she wasn''t hurt.


    Arriving at the Cauldron, she was taken to the minister and was informed that no action was to be taken against her.


    The next day she woke up and decided to read her new textbooks. Intrigued by the odd looking and animalistic magical creatures book, she opened it, which was a big mistake. The book snapped it''s teeth at her and she had to try her best to subdue it without destroying it.


    Then, someone knocked on her door, probably to scold her for causing too much noise. She opened the door any to find a very angry Edmund Vulpis, standing at the entrance of her room with a scowl on his face. But surprisingly, it all vanished when he looked at her.


    "Potter, didn''t stroke it nicely did ya?"


    That sounded very wrong, and it completely surprised her. After that, he quickly corrected himself and she briefly gave him the reason of her presence at the Cauldron and why she didn''t know about the book.


    She was expecting to say something demeaning, as he usually would say to anyone else. But he just laughed it off. She still remembered the conversation they had last year at the lake and was feeling very embarrassed due to what happened at the end of it. Her emotions were erratic in the chamber so it didn''t affect her much. But now, it was a tad bit overwhelming.


    When she did not respond to him he had grabbed her chin, pulled her face up and looked into her eyes. The gesture was too much for her and her eyes widened in surprise. He then asked, "Or are you afraid of me?"


    No! She wanted to tell him. There was a tinge of worry and uncertainty in his voice as he asked that. She was just surprised by the way he was acting. But no voice could come out of her mouth so she shook her head frantically. She could bet every galleon in her vault that she was blushing.


    "Shy then?"


    Then he repremended her for looking down again and asked not hide here eyes away from him. Shocked by what he could have meant by that, she looked up. To make matters worse, he brought his face closer to hers and she could feel his breath just inches away from her mouth.


    Then he said something that completely floored her. He said her eyes were beautiful. She could feel heat coming off her ears, face and her neck. He further closed in and she could almost feel his lips upon hers. Her heart was pounding violently against her c.h.e.s.t. Almost subconsciously, she parted her lips a bit and inched forward, quite possibly giving him permission to kiss her. She couldn''t understand what was happening to her and while her mind was shouting at her to back away, her body was did not want to.


    A smirk slowly grew on his handsome face and his electric blue eyes shone with mirth, "You look very cute when you blush, Potter."


    Then he backed away and released her chin. She felt a bit disappointed, though not wanting to admit why.


    He just said goodbye and left after that. Iris kept standing a there for a few minutes and dumbly went back inside her room. When she reached her bed, she let her body fall into the bed, hiding her blushing face in the pillow. "How will I ever be able look at him with a straight face again?"


    (ROTS)


    It felt so good to embarrass Iris that Edmund skipped on his feet as he walked out of the Cauldron in the alley. He was in a very good mood. Bouncing on his feet, he decided to explore. The accounts were being handled by the goblins and Vulpis family was almost bankrupt. Furthermore, with Aldrich now dead, his uncle and Alrair were not much of a challenge. But before he did any of that, he needed to up his training in magic. He could easily pass as a jounin with the amount of skill he possessed with chakra. But his magical skills were sorely lacking. Making a decision, he went to the book shop and showered galleons from his trust vault to buy many books. He still had a few hours before the Express left the station.


    (ROTS)


    The figure closed in and opened it''s mouth. Immediately, Edmund remembered what it was. A dementor. Of all the things to attack him, a dementor was one of the last things he wanted to face. Soon, the dementor''s action started to affect.


    ''Don''t hurt him! Please! He''s your son..''


    ''Disgraceful..''


    ''Ed!..''


    ''Demon brat..''


    ''You are the kyuubi!..''


    ''Look around you... so many dead.. what will you do now.. Naruto!..''


    ''Goodbye old friend..''


    ''...descendant!''


    Edmund immediately snapped back and snarled, "Get away from me you disgusting scrap of cloth!"


    "Katon: Rasengan"


    A red colored fiery spiral of chakra formed in his hand and he slammed it into the dementor''s face. The dementor screeched as it was thrown back and hurried away from Edmund. His rasengan had scorched the wood around him. Thankfully, he had powered it down to prevent any of the wood catching fire.


    A man rushed towards him from another carriage. Edmund was panting, his breath trembled due to the after effects of his encounter with the foul being. The man took his arm and helped him up. Taking him back to his cabin, he helped him sit down and asked, "A dementor did this right?"


    Edmund looked up. The man was around Snape''s age and had a gentle but worn out look on his face. Nodding his head, he replied, "Yeah, it was a dementor alright. I used an incendio to drive it away. Stupid shit brought some bad memories with it."


    "Well, seeing you are rather out of it I''ll not reprimand you for you language young man," he then took out a piece of chocolate from his overcoat and continued, "here, eat this. It will make you feel better."


    "You keep chocolate in your pocket? Either you are as barmy as the headmaster is for sweets or you have woman you want to impress," Edmund joked good naturedly.


    The man gave a barking laugh, "You are funny. Eat it and stay inside till the train starts moving."


    Edmund nodded as the man left. His thoughts went back to the dementor. The last word he heard was not in english, it sounded japanese, and very real to be just a memory. It was gruff, and deep, like it belonged to something big. He''d think more about it later in his dorm. For now, he needed to enjoy the chocolate in his hand.


    "Hmm... it''s a bit too sweet."

 Chapter 11 - 11: The Nine Tailed Beasts

    The man from the train turned out to be the new DADA professor. A man named Remus Lupin. He didn''t look too impressive and was not very well off given the state of his clothes.


    As the barmy old coot announced the presence of dementors in search of one Sirius Black, needless to say Edmund had been left speechless by the amount of stupidity the minister could show. Dementors given free reign around a school full of children, Fudge''s intelligence must have take a long term leave for him to even think of this. He could have appointed aurors to do the job but no, common sense was quite a rarity among wizards and witches.


    As dementors were being mentioned, Edmund looked towards a certain raven haired, green eyed witch he had known for the past two years. The expression on her face told him she had experienced the foul things. Edmund narrowed his eyes in anger and frustration. Another year filled with danger for the poor girl. It seemed as if fate itself had something against her. He tried to recall all the time he had seen her laugh or even genuinely smile. He couldn''t. The girl had suffered a lot in her short life and it seemed that she had yet to suffer a lot more. Even though he had his own fair share of suffering at the hands of his father, he was well fed, had proper clothes to wear and most of all, had known the love of a mother.


    Shaking his head, he resumed eating. As much as he wanted to help her, he was powerless. Being a minor he had very little privileges. Shaking his head again he focused on his friends as they shared how they spent their summer, after he was bombarded with questions about his wellbeing.


    The feast ended with a warning against dementors and the old man''s usual nonsense. Edmund knew that there was a possibility he''ll be facing one again. He needed to learn more about them and if there were any spells other than incendio that worked against them. Perhaps he could ask the new DADA professor but then again, if he was competent enough.


    (ROTS)


    Edmund always wondered what his worst fear was. He had watched all kinds of things in Naruto''s memories and there was nothing out there that could actually make scare him. But now that he looked at the boggart in front of him, or rather, himself, he realized his actual fear.


    It was the first DADA class and the professor was teaching the students how to deal with boggarts. Edmund''s boggart took the form of the boy himself. The only difference being the eyes, red with slits instead of blue with normal pupils. The boggart had long fangs and claws and was surrounded by a red sinister aura in the form of nine translucent tails. The air was thick with killing intent. Everyone was finding it hard to breath and were looking at the boggart with absolute fear. The professor himself was shocked and his legs were trembling from the sudden appearance of such massive killing intent.


    Edmund tilted his head and smirked at the growling boggart, "So that''s my fear huh?" ''Becoming a bloodthirsty killer. Giving in to my demons and letting my sanity fade away. I need to reign myself in. Killing Aldrich really felt good. If I give in to the bloodl.u.s.t I am developing then there''ll be no difference between them and me.''


    With a wave of his wand and a chant the boggart was transformed into a ferret running after it''s own tail. A collective gulp and sigh was heard in the room as some hesitantly laughed.


    "Al-Alright, Um, I guess we''ll continue next time. Class dismissed."


    The students quickly rushed out of the classroom, leaving a clearly agitated professor and a smirking Edmund behind.


    "Uhm, can I help you with something, Mr. Vulpis?"


    The man was clearly uncomfortable and the grin on Edmund''s face was making it worse.


    "Actually, professor," Edmund started. "I wanted to know if there are any spells that could work against dementors other than incendio or fire based spells."


    "Oh, um, well, there is one but it''s a highly advanced spell and only few can perform it."


    "Really? Does this highly advanced spell that only few can perform has a name?"


    "Uh, it''s called the patronus charm. The incantation is Expecto Patronum. Basically you focus on a happy memory and say the incantation. If the memory is strong enough and you put enough magic in it, the cham takes the form of an animal that represents you or the person you regard the most."


    Edmund was impressed. "Very nice professor, it''s good to finally see a competent DADA teacher in this school. Thanks for telling me about it. I''ll be on my way now. Good day professor."


    Remus just stood there and watched as the young student walked out of his classroom. He breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair. The boy''s boggart was really scary. His inner wolf was urging him to run away from the boggart as it scanned the room and bared it''s teeth. The feeling of fear that coursed through his spine was so primal as it looked into his eyes. Remus shuddered as he tried to forget that feeling. Oh well, he now had to prepare for his next class.


    (ROTS)


    Christmas holidays had begun and Edmund was on a journey to the hidden island near Japan what once used to be known as the Elemental Nations. The planning to go on this journey began when Edmund was exposed to dementors during a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. During that time, he had once again heard that very realistic gruff animalistic voice that was most definitely in Japanese language.


    Edmund was somewhat overwhelmed when he reached to a conclusion after he searched through his memories. The voice quite possibly belonged to none other than Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune himself. He knew that the chakra beasts were very much alive, as they were entirely made of potent chakra. What he couldn''t understand was why the bijuu were trying to contact him. Perhaps because he was among the few who could use chakra? All he could do was make a guess.


    Standing in front of the nine tailed beasts, Edmund had the first hand experience of what true power was like. From controlling the very elements of nature to causing tsunamis and reducing mountains with a swish of a tail, the bijuu were the epitome of power. He found it difficult to breathe in their presence.


    The Ichibi glanced at him and spoke in an unexpectedly high pitched voice, "So this is Naruto''s descendant huh? The resemblance is uncanny."


    "That it is Shukaku," the kyuubi began. Looking at Edmund, he continued, "It was really tough getting through to you kid. Now that you are in front of me, I can feel my chakra signature in you. You''ve had a very tough and interesting life, little Uzumaki."


    Edmund was quite surprised, "Yo-You can read my mind??"


    Kyuubi smirked and replied, "We all can. Since we shared our chakra with Naruto to help him win the Shinobi War against Madara, he always carried some of our chakra with him and he passed it on to his kids. Why do you think that every other Uzumaki that became a wizard ever had one of the nine transformations? What do you wizards call it? Ah! Animagus forms. It''s a shame that Naruto''s descendants lost most of their chakra and were killed off by their own sub family."


    Edmund was stupefied. No one among his ancestors had ever recorded this in any of the scrolls. They had the ability to transform into one of the bijuu. But since their chakra was pitifully low in amount, they could only transform into the miniature forms of the bijuu and couldn''t use any ability that they might have had access to.


    "S-So, you''ve trying to talk to me. May I know why?"


    "We''ll be training you and help you in harmonizing your chakra and magic." Gobi replied.


    "That so called dark lord of yours," Sanbi continued, "Though not much in front of us poses a great threat as we are susceptible to mind control. The Uchiha could do it with their sharingan, it is possible that this Voldemort could do it with his magic."


    "Kid, your father''s family joined him in that war of you wizards and perhaps have told the mad man about your family history. We don''t want to risk our freedom granted to us by Naruto. I don''t want to be controlled by a vile man and be used however he pleases," snarled kyuubi as he violently swished his tails.


    Edmund''s mind was going overdrive thinking of the possible terror Voldemort could cause if the bijuu fell under his control. The tailed beasts had stayed hidden for centuries but he was able to find them by following the maps and his memories. What if the Vulpis family had something that could guide them to the bijuu and Voldemort was made aware of them? He shuddered thinking what the bijuu could do if they were let lose. They couldn''t be killed and there were no ninjas left who could deal with them. Only some wizards and witches who weren''t even close to being the monsters who lived in elemental nations centuries ago. The muggles couldn''t possibly do anything to the chakra beasts. If Voldemort got hold of them, humanity could be at a risk of total enslavement under a mad man.


    Taking a few deep breaths, Edmund looked up at the nine bijuu and spoke, "I can understand the danger Voldemort poses and will do anything to eliminate the monster for good. I have been training as much as I can but I know it''s not nearly enough. Please, train me."


    Kyuubi nodded, "Good that you understand. You already know quite a lot of ninjutsu. We''ll help you increase your chakra reserves. Since you already know shadow clone jutsu, training will be a lot easier. We don''t have much time since you have to return to your magic school. Let''s get started right away."

 Chapter 12

    Training with the tailed beasts was nothing short of torture, both physical and psychological. Edmund was constantly bombarded with their killing intent while he worked on his chakra control and dodged deadly sand shuriken for hours every day. The bijuu used their chakra to forcefully expand his chakra coils to increase his chakra capacity. They helped him understand magic and chakra and harmonize the two energies.


    Magic, as Edmund now understood, had some similarities with Yin chakra. Magic was used to bend reality and allowed a person to create and do pretty much anything if one had enough understanding. While Yin chakra, if one was proficient enough with it, could make illusions a reality. So Edmund''s affinity with Yin chakra was increased by the influence of bijuu chakra. This allowed him to understand magic better and was now able to mix both chakra and magic together. His ninjutsu power had increased exponentially as it was reinforced by magic and so did the potency of his magic due to its constant use. Achieving harmony allowed Edmund to create shadow clones that had chakra and magic. Now he could practice both with shadow clones while he focused on physical aspects of being a ninja.


    When his time of staying with the bijuu came to an end, all nine of them shared their chakra with him. One could say he now had as much chakra as Naruto had when he returned from his three years of training with Jiraya. Bidding them farewell, Edmund returned back to Hogwarts just when the winter holidays were over.


    (ROTS)


    Edmund was busy reading magic theory in the library when he sensed killing intent coming from the forest. His clone that had been riding Iris'' shoulder henged as an insect dispersed and memories flooded into his mind. Looking around, he didn''t see anyone near him so he created a clone who kept reading in his place while he slipped away.


    As he approached the whooping willow, Edmund saw none other than his DADA professor transforming into a werewolf. A man was trying to hold him down as Iris had her wand pointed at a rat like man and her two ''friends'' stood near the violent tree, supporting an injured dungeon bat. ''Well, I guess this one''s time at Hogwarts is over.''


    (ROTS)


    Third year was like a whirlwind for Iris. From a mass murderer out for her blood to dementors ready to eat her soul, Iris would sometimes contemplate if it''s really worth it coming to Hogwarts at the risk of her life every other day. But it was the only place where she could go to escape her prison at her aunt''s house.


    She had chosen Care for Magical Creatures and Divination as her electives as they were recommended by Dumbledore to her. She never understood why Didvination was necessary. It was such a dodgy subject and she had no interest in it. But she had to keep appearances. She had learnt to do what was expected of her to avoid trouble. But trouble found her wherever she went. From trolls and possessed professors, basilisks and sentient books to escaped killers and soul s.u.c.k.i.n.g wraiths, every year there was some danger and divination could hardly help her defend against these threats.


    Edmund Vulpis had asked her to study more and had tried to tell her that sabotaging her own education was not right. But Iris feared losing her friends. They were the only ones showed they care. Even though they practically abandoned her in second year after the heir of Slytherin fiasco, she was ready to give them another chance. Perhaps Edmund also cared as he had helped her many a time in the past two years.


    Thinking about the golden blond haired boy, Iris always got fl.u.s.tered as it always reminded her of their little intimate moment at the Leakey Coldren. She would gain a full blown blush whenever their eyes met at school and his teasing grin was not helpful at all. She''d always get bashful and look away trying to ignore but only to fail every single time.


    Aside from her moments with Edmund, she learnt the patronus charm form her DADA professor who was also a friend of her parents. She wanted to ask him why he never tried to look for her but held it back, not wanting to alienate him. She also found out that not only was Sirius Black a friend of her parents, but was also her godfather. She was extremely angry at the moment she learnt the fact. She wanted to know why he betrayed them and when she finally got the chance at the Shreiking Shack, she was shocked when the truth was told to her. Peter Pettigrew was alive after all these years and was hiding as none other than Ron''s pet rat.


    After finally getting a confession out of him and when thinking all was good, Remus Lupin began transforming due to the full moon. Taking the opportunity to flee, Pettigrew transformed to his rat form and ran away. She was really scared at that moment. Remus was losing all rationality as he was transforming and the process seemed very painful. Sirius was trying his best to help his friend but it wasn''t helping. Right when Remus was about to pounce at her and her friends, a deafening roar was heard, coming from the forest.


    (ROTS)


    The wolf on his part was ready to flee, if not for his legs freezing due to fear. It was reminded of a certain boggart it had seen through its host''s eyes. The feeling was similar, only this time, it was much stronger.


    Edmund rushed towards the group and stopped in front of Iris, his tails swishing wildly behind him, blocking the wolf who was whimpering in front of the superior predator. The transformed Sirius behind Remus was already lying down with his paws over his eyes and was whimpering and whining. Edmund roared again, this time much closer to the wolf''s face, making the wolf to piss on itself and fall on it''s back, while curling in a fetal position.


    He stopped when his rational side took over. He had just exposed one of his secrets and was now dreading it. He didn''t want Iris to be afraid of him. Releasing that much killing intent recklessly must have affected her. Fearing the consequence of his error, he turned around, only to see Iris staring at him with wonder in her eyes. he had instinctively excluded Iris from his killing intent. Even though Iris was unharmed, it could not be said for her companions. Granger, weasel and the dungeon bat had already fainted, the latter foaming from his mouth.


    Iris stepped forward, with her hand raised towards the kyuubi. Edmund remained still and allowed her to approach him. He understood what she was thinking. For her, he was just a rare magical creature who had helped her. Iris touched his muzzle as Edmund took a sniff of her hand. Perhaps it was due to his transformation and hormones but he was finding her scent to be very addictive. Iris kissed his muzzle, whispered a thank you and moved back.


    Edmund took this chance and sped away towards the forest. He needed to clear his head. He kept trying to reason with himself that what he did was to protect his Iris.


    ''...to protect my Iris.''


    ''...my Iris.''


    ''my... Iris.....''


    ''Shite...''

 Chapter 13

    Hearing the deafening roar from the forest, Iris involuntarily trembled in fear. The transformed professor was already very dangerous and from the sound of the roar, whatever it''s source was, it was much more dangerous. In the next moment, all she saw was a blur of orange and a massive creature stopped in front of her, facing the werewolf. It''s long tails swished behind it as it moved towards the professor, snarling at the now subdued and cowering wolf.


    Iris wondered how such a massive creature could be so fast. Looking behind her, she saw that her friends and Snape had already fainted somehow with the latter foaming from his mouth. She was startled when the creature roared once again, this time much louder than before. She feel slight tremors beneath her feet because of it. When the transformed professor was incapacitated due to fear, the creature turned towards her.


    She was amazed when she saw what the creature was. A nine tailed fox, a mythical beast from what she had read in the introductory book for Care for Magical Creatures. It was said to be native in Japan, so it''s presence at Hogwarts confused her. It''s blue eyes stared at her, devoid of any malice or hostility. The only emotion she saw in those intelligent eyes was fear and uncertainty. But when the fox''s gaze settled on her, it''s eyes were relieved. She felt oddly attracted to it. Remembering her lesson with Hagrid, she slowly approached the fox. When she didn''t see any hostility, she started petting it as it sniffed her hand. It''s fur was soft as silk and despite of it''s large size, she found the fox to be incredibly cute and when she rubbed it''s small whiskers, the fox purred.


    Iris smiled and kissed it''s muzzle, whispering a thank you and moved away. As much as she wanted to play with it, she knew and understood that it wanted to get away.


    Just like she assumed, the fox ran away at blindening speed and withing a moment, it was out of her sight.


    (ROTS)


    It was the end of the year feast and Edmund was eating his food while silently fuming at the old piece of shit known as Albus f.u.c.k.i.n.g Dumbledore. Being a master leglimens such as him and the Chief Warlock of the Ministry, he had let an innocent man suffer in Azkaban prison. Sirius Black was innocent and was thrown into the prison without any trial.


    The Potters had been hiding behind the Fidelius Charm with Peter Pettigrew as their secret keeper. Who had casted the spell? Why were the Potters targeted by that dark asshat anyway? What danger could a new born pose for him to try and kill Iris with the killing curse? That too after killing off her parents. The Longbottoms were attacked a few days after the attack on Potters and they too had been hiding just like Potters.


    Another thing he had noticed was the dark aura emitting off of Iris. Specifically the famous scar on her forehead. The aura had been getting stronger over the year and that worried Edmund. He knew that the scar was somehow connected with the dark asshat as it would begin hurting whenever Quirrell had his back turned towards her. The aura getting stronger meant that the megalomaniac was gaining his power back and it was just a matter of time when he''d return.


    Edmund felt a need of urgency and prepare for a war to come. But first he had to know what the connection was between Iris'' scar and Moldy. Perhaps tinkering with the dark mark on some death wanker''s arm could shed some light. But who should he target? If only he knew where Altair or that damned uncle of his was.


    His mind went back to Dumbledore. The man had shamelessly told Iris and Granger to use a time turner and rescue Sirius Black while he could very well force the minister to give the poor man a trial. How could he have not known that Peter Pettigrew was a traitor? Was he so trusting of everyone around him? If so then the old coot was going senile. But Edmund dismissed that idea as quickly as it popped up in his mind. No, there was a bigger ploy behind all this and he wanted to uncover it if he wanted to survive the oncoming war.


    (ROTS)


    The Quiddich World Cup match was a really boring affair. Edmund never enjoyed the game. He was there at the match only because the minister had personally invited him, but he couldn''t understand why. They weren''t close at all. Fudge had even given him a special seat, slightly away from the spectators. The minister knew Altair quite well as he was a major supporter of Fudge during his election campaign. Edmund''s expression froze when he thought about the possibility. Could this be a plot against him?


    Suddenly, a sense of warning washed over him, just as last year when he faced Aldrich. He sensed killing intent from behind him and dodged just in time to see a pale green light pass above his head and dissipate in the air. Jumping backwards, he elbowed the attacker into the stomach and tripped it down. He heard an explosion and people screaming around him, but he ignored it all and began pursuing his attacker who was now trying to flee.


    "Oh no you don''t," he snarled and threw a kunai at the attacker who was about to use a port key and get away. The kunai stuck it''s hand and made it lose the portkey. The attacker, who was a man considering the pitch of his voice as he screamed fell onto the ground and held his bleeding arm.


    Edmund approached the man and when he removed his death wanker mask he was greatly pleased with what he saw, "Well, well, well, look who entered the lion''s den. Never knew you were this brave ''uncle'' Alden. Trying to kill your own nephew, tch tch tch... what a dark era the world has entered into. How could you be so cold? What has this sweet and innocent nephew of yours done to garner such hate from you that you want to kill me?"


    Alden snarled, "You filth! You killed your own grandfather and have the gall to ask me what you''ve done?! When I learnt what happened to him I swore revenge!"


    "And you decided to attack me at the match while the other wankers attack the crowd. Tell me, what''s your purpose behind this attack?"


    Alden just spat at Edmund''s feet and refused to speak. Sighing, Edmund kicked the man in the gut, making him cough a mouthful of blood. "I won''t kill you Alden. I''ll give you a fair chance to fight. Without wands. A muggle brawl. How about it? Are you man enough? Or should I assume you are just a p.u.s.s.y and afraid of your fourteen year old nephew?"


    Being an impulsive and damaged man, Alden quickly agreed, already thinking of ways to make Edmund suffer with his b.a.r.e hands.


    Edmund''s smile turned into a feral grin, though it wasn''t visible in the dark, "Let''s get out of here Alden. I promise a fair brawl to you."


    Without waiting for any consent, Edmund grabbed Alden and disappeared in a flash of yellow.


    A/N: Apologies for this delayed release. I''ve been busy and had little time to type. I haven''t really planned this story properly and have been releasing whatever ideas came to my mind. Although I have some ideas how it will progress but, well, you get it. Again, sorry for the delay. I''ll try to be more punctual with the chapter releases and will try to make the chapters longer.

 Chapter 14

    A/N: I don''t know if the torture scene in this chapter will be considered too graphic for some readers but for me it isn''t that much gory. You may have already understood that I don''t hold back while using profane language in this fic. so no warnings for that. Anyway, WARNING: TORTURE SCENE IN THIS CHAPTER!!!!


    (ROTS)


    Alden woke up in an unfamiliar place. Wondering where Edmund had brought him, he looked around to see the boy sitting on a chair, looking intently at him.


    "So you finally decided to wake up. I''ve healed you already, fair fight and all that."


    Alden cackled and replied, "You''ll regret this brat. I''ll enjoy watching the life fade away from your eyes when I have your throat in my hands."


    "That''s how you killed my aunt right? My mother''s little sister. You r.a.p.ed her as you choked her to death. Mom had left her memories for me to see what happened to the Whirlpools."


    Alden threw his head back as he laughed, "Yes! I killed that bitch as I ravaged her! I remember her screaming and begging me to stop. Your whore of a mother begged for mercy. Too bad she was taken by Altair. I''d have enjoyed breaking her. What will you do? Kick my ankles? You think you can beat me with your hands?"


    Edmund stared blankly at the beast laughing as he boasted. Focusing on his seals, he whispered, "Kai."


    The seals flared and removed all the resistance on his body.


    "What was that, boy?" Alden snarled as he rushed towards Edmund with his fist raised, ready to clock him in the face.


    Edmund easily blocked his punch and rammed his knee into Alden''s gut, making the man spit blood.


    Edmund grabbed him by his neck and threw him at the wall. What followed afterwards was thorough beatdown. Alden was thrashed and tossed around like a rag doll. Edmund was careful not to break any bones, except the jaw. It only took a minute for Alden to faint from the pain and blood loss.


    Edmund healed him again and strapped him to a chair while tearing off his clothes. Waking him up, Edmund said, "I''ll be asking you some questions and if you answer them truthfully I''ll give you an easy death."


    Alden tried to speak but his mouth was closed firmly by a piece of cloth. Moreover, his jaw was broken so he could utter little to no words.


    Edmund ignored him and began asking his questions. "Why were the Potters targeted by Voldemort?"


    Not getting any answer from the man Edmund decided to start his torture. He had been working on various kinds of poisons and had concocted many in the past three years. He filled a syringe with his special torture poison and injected it into Alden''s arm.


    "When this poison will show its effect, all the nerves in your body will become hypers.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e. Then the skin on your body will begin to wither away as gashes will appear all over your body. Next your muscles will start breaking, slowly. You''ll feel every fiber of your being tearing and breaking apart. Your stomach will produce acid in such high quantity that it will start burning through the stomach and escape into the cavity of your gut, burning everything inside. But don''t worry, it''ll slow. You''ll feel your organs burning as you''ll writhe and scream in pain. But it won''t stop."


    As Edmund was describing the effects of the poison, Alden''s skin was beginning to peel off due to the poison and disintegrate. Gashes began appearing all over his body, exposing his muscles to the environment. Terror stricken, Alden screamed in agony. It felt much worse than the cruciaticus curse.


    "But you won''t die," Edmund continued. "After two hours the poison will fade away along with its effects. Everything will return back to normal. Then we''ll have another enjoyable session of you being injected with another dose of the poison. But it will last longer. We''ll keep doing it until you are ready to give me the answers. But don''t worry, I''m not cruel, uncle. I will never kill you, directly, as you are part of my family. I won''t touch a single hair on your body."


    Finishing saying what he wanted to, Edmund left the room as Alden continued to suffer.


    Two hours later, Edmund returned after having a filling dinner. Seeing a fully healed Alden, he grinned. "Ready for another dose uncle?"


    Alden screamed and tried to free himself from the chair. The last two hours were so agonizing that the thought of suffering through all that pain again terrorized him. The process of healing back to normal was much more painful and he was horrified of the thought of experiencing it again. He was ready to answer any question Edmund wanted to ask but couldn''t speak as his mouth was bound.


    Edmund injected another dose of the poison into him, this time more concentrated than the last. "This one''s effects will last for six hours. It''s effects will be slower but the pain it''ll cause will be much worse. Enjoy."


    Alden struggled to get free and tried to beg for mercy, but Edmund had already left the room.


    (ROTS)


    Two days of continuous agony had completely broken Alden and had left him as a trembling and sobbing mess.


    Edmund didn''t hold back and exhausted all his supplies of the special poison. Approaching Alden, he undid the cloth on the man''s mouth which was now soaking with blood. He then healed Alden''s jaw and sat on a chair in front of his uncle.


    "Now that you''re subdued, let''s begin. Why were the Potters targeted by Voldemort?"


    Alden answered immediately in a shakey, monotonous voice, "A prophesy was made that said about a child being born who will kill the dark lord."


    A prophesy? Hmm... "Who made the prophesy and how did Vodemort learn about it?"


    "It was Sybil Trelawney while giving her job interview to Dumbledore. Snape eavesdropped on their conversation and was able to hear the first half of the prophesy. It was him who informed the dark lord."


    "Does Dumbledore know about this?"


    "Yes."


    Crap. Dumbledore knew Snape was responsible for Potters being killed and had still defended him, saying Snape was his spy.


    "How does one obtain the dark mark? Can someone be forced to accept it?"


    Alden answered in the same monotonous voice, "The dark lord used to cast a spell in parseltongue. Then we were required to kill an innocent soul for the mark to appear. It cannot be forced upon anyone. The dark lord wanted his followers to be loyal to him."


    Moldy had used a spell in parseltongue to give his dark mark to all the followers. Thus, it was a dead end for him. There was something in the dark mark that caused it to have a similar aura as that of Moldy''s soul. This similarity was even shared by the scar on Iris'' forehead, but it was much denser than the dark mark''s aura.


    Deciding to think more about it later, Edmund asked Alden of all those who took part in the destruction of Whirlpool family. He wasn''t surprised to know that Snape was there. He had personally killed one of Clair''s brothers and her new born nephew with a cutting curse. Undoubtedly, Snape was added into his kill list.


    Edmund had been getting frustrated day by day before the World Cup. He had to kill Altair before he turned fifteen to get emancipated by activating the end of line clause. With Alden in his grasp, he could finally get the location of Altair and get his revenge.


    "Where is your brother hiding? Where is Altair Vulpis?"

 Chapter 15

    Edmund was in a dilemma. Even Alden was not aware of Altair''s location as he always moved from one place to another after two to three days. He gave a frustrated sigh. What a waste. After getting further answers from Alden, Edmund decided to to put the man out of his misery, with more misery.


    "You''ve been very helpful with this information uncle. So I''ve decided to let you choose the way you die," he chirped. "I know, I know, you want a swift and painless death right?"


    Alden eagerly nodded.


    Edmund tilted his head and smiled, "I don''t think so."


    He created an all too familiar yellow orb of light between his fingers, looked at the now pathetic man begging for mercy and continued, "This is kinda like poetic justice isn''t it? You''re begging for mercy, just like my aunt did all those years ago when you r.a.p.ed her and strangled her to death. I want to see you scream as you die, I want to see the horror in your eyes as you feel yourself burn from inside out. I give you the same curse as the one I gave your father. I wish you eternal damnation. May you rot in hell."


    He shoved the orb down Alden''s throat and watched from behind a chakra-magic barrier as the man screamed in terror, his organs burning from the inside, his body bloating from everywhere, his bones popping out of his skin, his gut spilling from his stomach, his melting brain leaking out of his scattering cranium and finally exploding into a bloody mess of bone and flesh.


    Removing the barrier, Edmund left the room as his house elves cleaned whatever was left of Alden. He rushed outside his manor and puked and started crying.


    Killing someone in such a horrible way, Edmund felt like he was a monster. The last time he was in too much pain and exhausted, but this time, he was clear headed which made the experience much worse. He had gotten revenge for his aunt but at what cost? He had become a cold blooded killer and a monster. Wiping his tears away and gargling away the after taste of vomit, Edmund hardened his eyes with resolve.


    ''No, I may have become a killer, but I have to end this or I won''t ever get any closure. I have to make him suffer for all the wrong he has done to me. I have to make him suffer for taking away my humanity. I have to make him suffer for killing my mother.''


    (ROTS)


    Hermione Granger was trying to read her book and miserably failing to do so, Weasel boy was fuming with his ugly face while bound to his seat and moving his mouth, failing to make any sound, Weaselette was meekly looking around, trying to ignore her embarrassment of a brother, Longbottom, such a funny name to have, was trying his to best stay unnoticeable, Iris Potter was sitting with her back straight as a stick and an extremely flushed face and Edmund was enjoying the discomfort his appearance had caused.


    When Edmund had entered their compartment, his first action was to quickly approach Iris and say, "Ah, sweet Iris, you look ravishing today."


    Grabbing her head, he kissed her on her cheek, a little too close to her lips and took a seat beside her.


    Iris was ready to faint but held onto her consciousness and remained seated with a dazed look on her face. Weasel sprang up in action, "You filthy death eater! How dare you-"


    But was stopped from saying anything further, "Expelliarmus, Incarcerus, Silenco."


    Any attempts to undo his spells were quickly stopped by a stern warning from Edmund, "Try to undo my spells and I''ll prank you for the whole goddamn year. And you may already know that those infamous Weasley brothers have tried and failed miserably to prank me. You might also know how I retaliated by adding a potion of my own concoction in their food and made them dry hump each other in McGonagall''s class."


    Ofcourse the twins were spared from any major punishment as it was rather clear that they were victims of a prank. Suffice to say that they never targeted Edmund ever again upon knowing who pranked them by the prankster himself.


    (ROTS)


    Tri-Wizard Tournament, the way the old coot advertised it made it look like a lifetime opportunity for someone to reach greatness and be forever recorded in the annals of time. Who was the last winner again? Edmund had no idea.


    Sitting among his friends at the Ravenclaw table, Edmund was getting bored as the manipulative goat continued his drabble. His friends and pretty much everyone else was excited and were talking amongst themselves about the tournament.


    Having nothing else to do, he sneaked a peak at the girl he had been having feelings for, only to see her quickly look down and avoid eye contact. Edmund smirked, perhaps she was still feeling bashful for what he did in the train.


    He was feeling really bold during the day and couldn''t stop himself when his eyes fell on Iris, sitting in her compartment and having small talk with her ''friends''. She didn''t look anything like he had first seen her three years ago. Seemed like she had been taking her potions regularly, which were given to her as gifts during third year by Edmund. Her face looked really youthful and had a constant tinge of pink to it. Her shiny raven black hair were tied neatly into a ponytail. When Edmund had entered the compartment, her eyes sparkled and she smiled with her reddish pink lips that made her look really cute and entrancing. The result of this was a kiss. He wanted to snog her right then but refained from doing so and diverted from his intended target at the last moment.


    Iris tried to take a peak at him again but quickly looked down when she noticed him still looking at her.


    Edmund wanted to laugh and pinch her cheeks because of the way she was acting. With his mood lightened he focused on having his dinner and ignored whatever his friends were saying about the unfairness of not being able to enter the tournament because of the rules. Like he would want to enter a stupid tournament for public entertainment. He wasn''t a circus animal.


    Suddenly a loud bang was heard which startled him to almost arm himself with a weapon. The doors of the Great Hall were flung open and a man entered with a limping gait, his artificial eye scanning every nook an cranny of the hall as he rushed towards the old coot.


    The man was introduced as none other than Alistair Moody, commonly known as Mad-Eye Moody, a retired Auror who had actively taken part in the last war against that dark asshat. What surprised Edmund was that he was the new DADA professor.


    Dumbodork had really outdone himself this time. Looking at his record of hiring incompetent professors or a professor with glaring concerns to public safety, Moody was a really big improvement. Or was there a catch to this one too? Just like the rest of them? Meh, why should he care. It''s not like this one could do much damage, right?

 Chapter 16

    Edmund was absolutely livid and on the brink of snapping some necks. Alastair Moody, he had assume that Moody would be a good teacher, but no, he was the worst. Casting unforgivables right in front of naive fourteen year old teens, it made Edmund despise him. From what he had heard, Moody tortured a spider with cruciaticus right in front of Longbottom, whose parents were still in a magical induced coma at St. Mungo''s.


    Edmund growled again and slashed his wind chakra coated sword at a training dummy. It all came back to one stupid man. Albus the-ever-so-eccentric-medlesome-asshole Dumbledore. Oh Edmund hated him. He had understood the old man''s game. Since the moment Iris stepped into the walls of Hogwarts, she had been in many life threatening situations and had to take the full brunt of sheep mentality of wizards. She had to face danger every single year and at the end of it, she was sent back to her relatives who prayed for her death everyday.


    All of this was caused by one barmy delusional old f.u.c.k. He had left Iris on the doorsteps of magic hating muggles, had constantly pushed her against the odds by testing her in his own twisted way and had manipulated her into looking up to him as her saviour. But, what could Edmund do to make Iris see the reality? Her two stalkers were always around her and did their best to isolate her and pushed away whoever tried to get close to her. His feelings for Iris were extremely clear and it pained him to see her getting hurt, both physically and emotionally. All he needed was one opportunity, just one, and he''ll expose everyone who had tried to harm her, control her and use her for their benefit.


    (ROTS)


    "I believe you."


    The moment the words left his lips, Edmund wondered if they were the wrong ones. The look on Iris Potter''s face as she whipped her head around to stare at him was¡­ heartbreaking, to say the least.


    When the goblet selected Iris as the fourth champion, Edmund could see the shock and fear on her face. It was so very clear that she was caught completely unaware and had no intention of entering the tournament.


    But, being the naive teens and a habit of behaving like sheep, Iris was blamed for being a glory hound and a cheat. Many students had wanted to participate in the tournament and it was a big deal for them. For a fourteen year old to trick the goblet and then claim innocence, they felt wronged. Even her best friends, Weasel and Granger, had abandoned her, the former accusing her for cheating and having all the glory and money, while the latter just followed the crowd, sparing a look of guilt at Iris and leaving without a word.


    Edmund, allowed a smile to appear on his face and said in a reassuring tone, "I believe you. You didn''t enter your name in the tournament."


    I believe you. Three little words. In three words, Edmund Vulpis had managed to accomplish what Malfoy and Snape had been trying and failing to do for the past few years. He''d broken Iris Potter. She all but collapsed forward into his robes, her sobs and wails muffled by the high-quality fabric, but he could most definitely feel the trembling of her body as he wrapped his arms around her.


    Edmund quickly got to work on calming down the ''Savior of the Wizarding World''. Rubbing circles into the small girl''s back with one hand, he stroked the other through her tangled mess of hair.


    As he held Iris Potter''s too-small body close and began to carry her along, he spoke up, "Potter¡­ Samhain really isn''t a good day of the year for you, now is it?"


    Her grip on him tightened, and she shook her head into his shoulder, even as her sobs lightened up a bit, her focus turning towards hearing him speak rather than her own current, overwhelming issues.


    "First you lost your parents to the Dork Lord¡­"


    "Then, your first year here, you end up facing a Troll of all things. Safest place in all of Magical Britain my arse."


    Iris was shaking in his arms a little. Was she laughing, perhaps? Or more likely, she was laughing and crying at the same time. Edmund smiles slightly, even as he considered his own current big dilemma. Where was he going? He couldn''t take her to the Ravenclaw dorms for incredibly obvious reasons. Nor was he going to take her to the Gryffindor dorms. Not only was he not intending on leaving her in her current state, he wouldn''t likely get a word out before he was hexed for the mere crime of touching a crying Gryffindor, much less the Girl-Who-Lived, despite everyone in that House currently shunning her.


    In the end, there was no choice but to use the Room of Requirement, which he had found by accident last year. So with that decided, Edmund started making his way up to the Seventh Floor, taking the long way around to avoid running into people.


    "You took that Troll down, Potter. Even though I thought you were reckless and disapproved of it, I thought the books about you might have some truth in them. You might not have had all those crazy adventures they made up about you while you were growing up, but you do have the heart of a lion beating within your b.r.e.a.s.t, now don''t you?"


    He was speaking conversationally, but Edmund would have to be a fool not to feel her reactions, given he wass currently holding her quite close to him. She was hanging off his every word, even as he paused for a moment, watching the staircase before him shift about until its connected to the landing he wanted to go to.


    "¡­ Then came second year, and the Heir of Slytherin. Obviously, it was never you. People can be so¡­ small-minded. Especially in large groups. Still, being able to speak parseltongue is nothing to be ashamed of as I told you that night beside the lake. It might have garnered a bad reputation here in the United Kingdom, but it is greatly valued in places such as Egypt, India, Africa, and elsewhere around the world. You could probably make a lucrative and exciting career out of nothing but translating what magical serpents across the globe are saying, given how rare the ability is."


    By the time he was done speaking, Iris wasn''t hiding her face in his shoulder anymore. Instead, teary emerald eyes are staring up at him in honest curiosity and even a small amount of wonder. Edmund smiled down at her, even as he continued his journey to the Seventh Floor.


    "It''s no mark against you that you don''t know about all of this. You would need to order books from outside of Britain to find any of this sort of stuff out. You might have asked for help but were turned away, clearly they don''t want you to learn something they see as dark and are too scared of. I can lend you a few later, so long as you promise not to let Granger set her eyes on any of them. She''d likely get them confiscated, like I heard she did with your broom last year."


    Edmund lets out a sigh, even as Iris'' eyes sparked and hardened at the reminder.


    "Last year¡­ last year was the Dementors. Let''s not even get into that mess. No, let''s talk about this stupid tournament instead."


    "¡­ Stupid?"


    For the first time, Iris spoke up, her voice quiet but very notably surprised. Edmund grinned down at her at that.


    "Very stupid. Don''t think I don''t know that, and don''t let anyone else try to convince you otherwise. The Triwizard Tournament was discontinued for a reason, Potter, and the fact that its been brought back without even a single attempt at revamping the rules and working more safeguards into the entire thing is a travesty of the highest order. Oh, but wizards do seem to love to look back on the past with rose-colored goggles several inches thick, don''t they?"


    He''d finally reached the painting of Barnabas the Barmy. As Iris considered and processed his words, Edmund paced back and forth before it, all while focusing his hardest on what he would need for the night to take care of the small slip of a girl in his arms. A bed, certainly. A bath as well. Clothes and various hygiene products were also a must. Anything else, Edmund knew he could call upon the House Elves for. He had an entire stable of elf names that he used whenever he needed their assistance, never making sure to call on the same one too many times in a row.


    The door to the Room of Requirement had appeared, and Edmund felt Iris stiffen in his arms as he reached out and opened it, pushing his way inside. Whatever she might have said about the door not being there before was caught in her throat when she saw the beautiful interior of the room. Even Edmund is impressed by what his imagination has wrought and left to wonder if perhaps the Room of Requirement had some sort of mind of its own that was inclined to spruce things up a bit.


    Regardless, he doesn''t let his own surprise give him pause like Iris did with hers. Instead, he made a beeline towards the extravagantly large bed that took up the center of the room, letting her sit at it''s edge.


    "The seniors talk about it sometimes. Every single year since you''ve arrived, its been one thing after another. Something you need to learn now is this; once is happenstance, twice is coincidence¡­ but three times is enemy action. Someone is trying to plot against you, Potter, and they''ve thrown all subtlety out the window with this latest attempt. Why anyone can think you would have willingly put your name in the Goblet¡­ well, it just goes to show how STUPID most of Hogwarts'' residents truly are."


    Iris looked up at him, alarmed by what he just said. "Someone''s plotting against me? But who?" ''Could it be Voldemort? I''ve been having dreams of him being in a shack, along with Pettigrew and another person.''


    Edmund sighed, this will be a long night.

 Chapter 17

    Just as Edmund was about to explain Iris about all the shit she had to face, Iris spoke up in a low, quivering voice, "It''s professor Dumbledore isn''t it?"


    Edmund''s eyebrows rose up to his hairline as he slowly nodded his head.


    "I always suspected," She continued. "I have never trusted a.d.u.l.ts due to my experience with my family. When Hagrid brought me to Diagon Alley for the first time, he kept me extremely close to himself. Whenever I tried to ask him about my parents or the wizarding world in general, he was very tight lipped about it. All he ever told me was that my parents were good people and all dark lords were from Slytherin. At first I thought he was hiding things from me at his own volition, but, as I interacted with him I knew he was acting under orders."


    She looked up at Edmund who wasn''t trying to hide his surprise from Iris. Looking into her eyes, he confirmed her thoughts with a nod and indicated her to continue.


    "Then he suddenly disappeared when I was about to ask him how to reach platform 9 and 3 quarters. I was lost at the train station when out if nowhere this lady rushed past me and proclaimed loudly, ''There are muggles everywhere. Where was platform 9 and 3 quarters again?'' Her daughter, Ginny, replied, ''Right that way mom.'' I followed her and she helped me get through the gateway. I didn''t know at first, but now I understand. Mrs. Weasley broke the statute of secrecy that day when she yelled out about muggles and the platform. She was also a student here so why did she need to ask her daughter about the platform? It was for me. She was probably ordered by someone to help me reach the platform. That someone was none other than Dumbledore."


    Iris continued to amaze him. The girl was really clever to have deduced all that. He kept quiet and sat down on a chair that had just appeared behind him.


    "Ron was a git at first. But when he saw that I didn''t like his attitude towards Hermione, he changed within an instant. When I did much better than the two in our first test, I could see the loathing and jealousy in Hermione. Ron on the other hand was angry that I did better than him when Professor McGonagall had praised me. He didn''t express it, but he did nothing to hide his anger. I didn''t want to lose my only friends and so I decided to drop at Ron''s level. You were right, I shouldn''t have done that."


    All the time Edmund kept looking intently at her. A small tear rolled down her rosy cheek as she sniffed. Reaching forward, he gently wiped away the tear with his thumb and cupped her cheek. Iris looked at him, her watery eyes were red with all the emotions welling up inside her. Edmund nodded again, showing his support with a smile.


    "They kept others away from me. I don''t really talk to others or have many friends because they are always nearby and drag me away or change the conversation. I used to think they were being protective. How naive I was," Iris chuckled bitterly.


    "At the end of first year I, along with Ron and Hermione went after someone who was trying to steal the Philosopher''s stone. Do you know what they were hiding at the third floor corridor?"


    Edmund nodded and interrupted her, "Yeah, I know. I was there when you passed all the obstacles and confronted Voldemort."


    Iris was shocked and shouted, "How?! I didn''t even see you there!"


    Crap. Nervous about her next possible reaction, Edmund rubbed the back of his head and replied, "Well, you see, I... may have been following you since the night we met in front of that mirror..."


    Iris narrowed her eyes at him while he averted his eyes away.


    "How were you able to follow me without anyone seeing you?"


    "I will tell you once you are finished telling me about past three years, I promise." Edmund replied with a sincere expression.


    Iris continued staring at him. Not noticing any lies, she nodded and continued, "As you had seen, the traps were really easy. Three first year students were able to get through them, how could they possibly stop anyone who wanted to steal the stone? That was when I first suspected Dumbledore. Before second year Ron and his brothers rescued me from my relatives and took me to their home. When Fred and George told Mrs. Weasley about my living conditions, she outright dismissed them. She coddled me and fed me a lot. It was overwhelming. I didn''t realise it before, but now I do. She always made me sit with with Ron and made him go wherever I went, to accompany me. She did the same last year at the Leakey Coldren. She was never too subtle about it and kept mentioning how cute we looked together."


    Edmund was seething by this point. ''How dare she! That no good lard of fat!''


    Iris continued, not noticing the storm brewing in his eyes. "She''s been trying to get me closer to Ron, in more than a friendly way. Well, second year started like the first, just with a house elf creating problems for me."


    ''Problems, she''s moderating that elf''s involvement. I''d wring that stupid elf''s neck for hurting her.'' Edmund narrowed his eyes.


    "It all started when Filch''s cat got petrified. I really wanted to thank you for helping me when he accused me for what happened to his cat. When Dumbledore claimed me being innocent until proven guilty, I felt betrayed. He all but said that I was a suspect. Why would he do that to me? He had been so good to me. He even returned my father''s invisibility cloak!"


    She was welling up but calmed herself by taking a few deep breaths.


    "After Colin was petrified, everyone was so scared. It escalated when I talked to that snake which was summoned by Malfoy. I was really trying to stop it from hurting anyone! But, I was accused by the whole school for being the Heir of Slytherin. How could I possibly be? Then everyone started bullying me. Why didn''t the teachers stop them? Why did they turn a blind eye to whatever I went through? I was cursed regularly behind my back. Even Ron and Hermione kept their distance. But then, you helped me understand. It''s because of you that I could continue to face them."


    Her eyes were sparkling, enhanced by the small amount of tears. Edmund could feel his face heat up. Her smile was so enchanting, he could just sit there and look at her smile all day long. Merlin how much he loved her. Gulping down whatever urges he had, he flashed her a smile and said, "I, uhm, couldn''t just sit around and do nothing. I always knew you were innocent."


    "Because you''ve been following me since first year. Aren''t you bit of a stalker?" She asked, again narrowing her eyes at him.


    Edmund laughed nervously and quickly replied, "I''ll explain, please continue."


    Iris pouted. ''Damn. You''re killing me Iris! Please, for the love of Merlin, don''t pout like that!'' Edmund looked away, not trusting his control over his urges to show his love for her.


    Her pout intensified but she relented, "Alright, you promised! Well, when I was in Dumbledore''s office after I returned from the chamber, I couldn''t help but think how it was possible for him not to know about the chamber or the basilisk. Even in first year, he left for the ministry on the very day Voldemort tried to steal the philosopher''s stone, that too on a broom when he has a floo network in his office."


    Edmund agreed, "Yeah, I had the same suspicion. And, I want to apologize for not helping more down in the chamber. If I got more involved in the fight, you wouldn''t have got bitten by the snake."


    "Hey, it''s alright. Because of that I am now immune to every poison in this world."


    Edmund smiled and shook his head when she instantly forgave him. He then asked her to continue.


    "Third year, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. I was really scared when they told me that he wanted to kill me. The dementors were the worse. I was really angry when I learnt that Srius was my godfather and everyone hid the fact from me. When I confronted him in the Shrieking Shack, I just wanted to hit him with every offensive spell I knew. But, turned out he was innocent and Ron''s pet rat, who was an animagus, was the real culprit. I was happy when we caught Pettigrew. I thought that I finally had the chance to have a real family. But, Professor Remus transformed into a wolf and Pettigrew escaped. I was scared when he was about to lunge at me. But I was saved by a nine-tailed fox. You saw it too right? It was so massive!"


    Edmund was fidgeting in his chair. Should he tell her that he was the fox itself?


    "Um, about that...."


    Iris narrowed her eyes again.


    Shite! "You see, I happen to... have an animagus form...."


    Iris'' eyes went wide like saucers. She jabbed her finger at him and said, "That was you?! How?! That was a magical creature! Wait, usually their eyes are red. But that fox''s eyes were blue. I always thought it''s eyes looked familiar. They were so beautiful..."


    Iris blushed heavily and looked down. Gaining some confidence back, Edmund smirked, "So you think my eyes are beautiful huh?"


    Iris pouted again, "Oh shut up."


    "Anyway," she continued, trying to ignore her blushing face and the teasing smirk on Edmund''s face which kept on widening. "I tried to explain to the minister that Sirius was innocent but he didn''t listen. We even told Dumbledore but he said he couldn''t do anything. In the end, I and Hermione had to save him using a time turner."


    Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Finally, this year it was the death eater attack at the world cup. Even after that the officials decided to hold the Tri-Wizard Tournament, after so many years. I don''t know what I was expecting as I got involved into a dangerous situation this year too. Someone put my name into the cup and confounded it to select me as the fourth champion. It''s second year again. Everyone has expressed their loathing for me. Why can''t I just have one peaceful year. Why didn''t Dumbledore put more security around the cup? He has known that I face danger every year but all he did was put an age line around it. He even asked me if I put my name in the cup!"


    "Alright," Edmund took a deep breath and began. "Yes, you are right about suspecting him. Let me tell you what you don''t know. Perhaps it will answer the questions you have in mind."

 Chapter 18

    Edmund began, "I was there when those good for nothing death wankers attacked at the world cup-"


    Pfft.. "Death wankers?"


    Edmund chuckled, "Yeah, I have a habit of making fun of some things I don''t like. So don''t be surprised when I call them death wankers or as in our Headmaster''s case, Dumbodork."


    Iris giggled, ah, the sound of bells.


    "Continuing with what I was saying, a death wanker was captured by me, not before he was hit with a withering spell. Turned out, it was my father''s brother."


    Iris gasped, "Wh-What happend to him? Is he alright?"


    Edmund knew she was conflicted. One one hand she hated everything related to Moldy but on the other hand, the one caught was his uncle, his family.


    He smiled, trying as he might, he couldn''t stop a gloomy expression appear on his face. "Iris, I... have no love for my family on my father''s side. Every single one of them are, or were part of that dark asshat''s group of wankers. The Whirlpool house, my mother''s house was destroyed by my grandfather, my father, my uncle and their fellow wankers. The day after my mother was married to Altair Vulpis, was the day they all but exterminated the Whirlpools. When I was born, Altair hated me for not having any physical traits like him. Instead, I looked like a typical Whirlpool, the house he loathed. He tortured me and my mother with crucio since as long as I can remember. He killed mom when I was seven. She died in my arms, telling me how much she loved me. I swore revenge that day. So, I did nothing to save my so called uncle."


    Iris'' face had gone white as sheet. To think someone could do that to his own wife and child.


    "The worst part, they enjoyed doing what they did. Vulpis was a branch family of Whirlpool. They killed their own kin."


    "He was going to die anyway, so, I administered a few drops of veritaserum in his mouth and asked a bunch of questions. The first one being, why did Voldemort target your family."


    Iris widened her eyes and sat straight, looking at him with rapt attention.


    "There was a prophesy, about a child who will be born as the seventh month dies. That child will bring the downfall of the dark lord. Can you guess who heard that prophesy?"


    Iris just shook her head, too shocked to give a verbal reply.


    "The prophesy was made by Sybil Trelawney, on her job interview with Dumbledore. A death eater eavesdropped on it and was only able to hear the first half of the prophesy. That death eater was none other than.."


    His expression turned stormy, "...Severus Snape."


    Iris stared at him, her mouth hung open and her eyes grew even wider. Snape was the reason why Voldemort came after her. He still had the gal to insult her on every chance he got and insulted the memory of her father.


    "The snake was there when the Whirlpools were killed. He personally murdered my mother''s brother and his newborn son. After all the crimes he committed, Dumbledore vouched for him, saving him from being sent to Azkaban. He told everyone that Snape was his spy."


    By this time, Edmund was growling and did nothing to hold back his anger. Iris on the other hand was so shocked she felt numb.


    "Then I asked him about the dark mark. No one can obtain it without their own consent. They need to be willing to get it. A death eater had to commit murder of an innocent soul, that means they had to kill a child. Then the mark would appear on their forearm. And guess what? Dumbledore knows about this. He is the Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump in ICW, still, he did nothing to stop the death eaters from claiming being imperioused."


    "B-But why?" Her voice was quivering with a feeling of betrayal and rage.


    "I don''t know what his endgame is. But I do know it''s somehow related to that prophesy. There''s another thing that worries me."


    "What''s that?"


    "It''s your scar. I can feel the taint in it whenever I am near you. It gives off the same feeling as the dark mark, but stronger. It''s also similar to what that dork lord''s soul felt like when he was here in our first year. So did that diary in our second year."


    Iris was scared, "So does this mean..."


    Edmund nodded, "Yes, you share some form of connection with him. More specifically, your scar. That fact that the aura around your scar is similar to that of his soul, it indicates that soul magic was involved. I have been thinking about this for a while. His diary, it could influence Weaselette to open the chamber and granted her the ability of parseltongue, temporarily. No simple memory can do that."


    They sat in silence as they thought of the possibilities.


    "Since you said soul magic was involved," Iris said. "Could it be that the diary contained his soul after it escaped?"


    Edmund shook his head, "No, it was weaker than what his soul felt like. Perhaps it was a part of it?"


    Iris was shaking as her breath quickened, "N-No, there is a part of his soul in my scar! That''s why I have been having dreams about him being somewhere! Edmund get it off me! Please!"


    She began clawing at her scar as tears rolled down her face. She felt disgusted. Edmund himself was stupefied. He was reminded of a snake faced freak who lived during his ancestor''s time, back in the Elemental Nations. The curse mark!


    Frowning, Edmund resolved to help Iris who was bawling with her face in her palms. Getting up, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said in a soothing tone, "Don''t worry Iris. I''m here. I''ll help you get rid of it."


    "Now! I want that.. thing out of my head now!" She shouted.


    "Alright, we''ll do it now."

 Chapter 19

    Iris looked at him with desperation as Edmund concentrated on finding a method to get rid of the soul piece in her scar.


    He recalled Sasuke Uchiha telling Naruto how Itachi Uchiha helped him get rid of his curse mark. But before that, he had already killed that snake face.


    Orochimaru designed his curse mark in such a way that he could possess someone''s body, killing the person''s soul. The curse mark helped him during the soul transfer. But he could come back from the dead and have a new body for himself just with the help of the curse mark, as he did with Kabuto''s mark.


    Voldemort''s diary was somewhat similar. It was draining Weaselette''s soul off it''s energy and with it he could revive himself. But, he couldn''t revive himself just with a diary as there was no soul to drain power from.


    That was not the case with Iris. She was a living being and his soul piece could have possessed her completely. It was a miracle that she was still herself.


    Orochimaru had a dimension for himself where he would kill the other person and take over the person body. But there was no such thing in this case.


    Magic, was there some spell that he could use? For years he had been studying different kinds of magic and there must be something that could help him. The killing curse. It shredded the target''s soul into oblivion. If he tried that on her scar, could he kill the soul piece while Iris remained unharmed? Would she even trust him to cast such a spell on her? No, there had to another way. The mind scape! He had to try that option.


    Looking at Iris, he said, "Iris, hold out your fist."


    "Why?" She asked as she c.o.c.ked her head sideways.


    "Just do it. I have to try something. Trust me, if this works we won''t have to deal with this the hard and more dangerous way."


    Nodding, Iris held out her fist which was met with Edmund''s. He closed his eyes and Iris could feel herself being pulled somewhere.


    "How did we get here?" She asked, looking around trying to find if anyone saw them suddenly appear in the middle of the street.


    Edmund looked around the dark and gloomy place and replied, "This is what your mind scape looks like. A place where you keep your memories. But, why does it look like this? Do you know this place?"


    Nodding, she replied, "Yeah, I live here with my relatives."


    Pointing towards the house in front of them, she said, "That''s No. 4 Privet Drive, her house."


    With a grim expression, Edmund said, "Iris, this house reeks of malice. The aura around it very dark and deathly."


    Iris gasped and her head snapped towards the place.


    "Come on." He beckoned her to follow, cautious with every step he took forward.


    The murk inside was very intense. It intensified when they moved towards the kitchen. It was the maximum near a door under the stairs. He immediately knew that the source of the murk was inside the cupboard. As he was about about to open it, Iris grabbed his wrist and rapidly shook her head. Her expression was that of panic, as if she was trying to hide something from him.


    "What happened Iris? Why did you stop me? I can feel the source of all this gloom behind this door."


    "L-Let''s look somewhere else. I think we should look upstairs. That''s where my room is."


    Edmund looked intently at her and freed his wrist from her grip. Despite her protests, he grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. What he saw made him want to puke. A dark, shadowy infant was lying on a torn bloody mattress, hissing at him.


    Suddenly, the shadow released a burst of darkness and flung Edmund and Iris out of the house. The darkness gathered onto the roof of the house and condensed to form a hooded figure, which eerily looked like a disembodied Voldemort.


    Gathering her courage, Iris shouted, "Voldemort!"


    The figure looked down at them and shrieked, releasing a massive amount of dark intent.


    Edmund flared his chakra and battled with the intent to push it back.


    Voldemort pointed his hand at them and a wand materialized in it. He hissed, "Avada Kedavra!"


    Edmund tackled Iris away from the spell and charged at the dark wizard. Making a horse hand sign, he breathed, "Katon: Majestic Destroyer Flame."


    A stream of fire was exhaled out of his mouth as it rushed towards Voldemort to burn him asunder. Voldemort waved his wand and summoned a huge amount of water to counter Edmund''s flame jutsu. Needless to say there was a lot of steam. Edmund quickly maneuvered through the steam.


    Closing in on Voldemort, he slammed a Yin release: Rasengan into his back which grinded through his cloak. Voldemort shrieked as he was thrown spinning into the air due to the sheer force of Edmund''s attack. Having added Yin chakra into his rasengan, the damage it dealt was immense.


    Iris was shocked to say the least. One moment Edmund was standing beside her, somewhat guarding her from Voldemort and in the next moment, he released a stream of fire from his mouth which had really high temperature. Then he created a spinning ball of magic and with unimaginable speed he slammed it into Voldemort''s back and sent him flying. How did he get so fast? How was he able to do such strong and peculiar wandless magic?


    So entrapped with Edmund''s prowess, she didn''t notice Voldemort casting a killing curse at her.


    Suddenly Edmund appeared right next to her and slammed his hands on the ground, making a wall of stone rise behind her. The curse struck the wall and shattered it. The force threw them several feet away.


    "Snap out of it Iris! I''ll answer all your questions. Fight him!"


    Iris quickly got up and held onto her wand, getting ready to join the fight.


    Voldemort sneered and fired one dark curse after another. To counter them, Edmund threw kunai coated with yin chakra and magic. Not one to stand back from a perilous situation, Iris joined the fight and began casting her own cutting and blasting curses.


    Seeing that the battle was at a standstill, Voldemort snarled, "Fulmin!"


    A ray of plasma came rushing at them at high speeds. Edmund pushed Iris out of the way and sped through hand signs and shouted, "Purple lightening!"


    A widespread stream of purple thunder met Voldemort''s spell as it destroyed the pavement and street below it.


    Sensing his jutsu losing it''s power, Edmund snarled, "Shadow clone jutsu!"


    Sensing mortal danger, Voldemort ended his spell and quickly aparated away. He focused on his magic and casted, "Terra Golems."


    Numerous earth golems sprouted out from the street and rushed towards Edmund who had created several clones to fight them.


    Meanwhile, Voldemort focused on Iris and sent a stream of killing curse at her. Seeing the offensive magic coming towards her, Iris gathered all the magic she could and casted a disarming charm to push the curse back at her adversary.


    The spells met and entered an impasse. They pushed all the magic they could possibly push. Since Voldemort just had a fragment of his power, Iris was successful in pushing the spells towards him.


    Edmund was desperately fighting the golems that kept healing themselves by absorbing the rubble around them. When he saw Iris and Voldemort fighting each other, he and his clones got desperate and roared together, "BLACK CHIDORI STREAM!"


    Large amount of black lightening struck the earth golems and blasted them into cinders.


    Just as he was about to rush towards the two, Voldemort''s spell was pushed back at him and struck him, destroying the soul piece.


    Iris fell backwards but was caught by a heavily breathing Edmund, "You were brilliant Iris!"


    She smiled up at him and fainted.


    Edmund pulled himself and Iris out of her mind scape. He found himself sitting on his chair while Iris had fallen back on the bed, black goo dripping from her scar. Getting up, he washed away the goo and asked the room to change the sheets. He then tucked Iris into the bed and kissed her forehead, "Rest for now my sweet Iris. I won''t let anyone hurt you. I''ll be there for you, forever. This is a promise of a lifetime, and I never go back on my word."


    (ROTS)


    A/N: I tried to create a great battle scene but I don''t know if I did it any justice. I''d appreciate if you could tell me whether you liked it or not. I''m a complete amateur and just write for fun, well, in this case, type for fun. Ciao~

 Chapter 20

    Waking up, Iris found herself in an unfamiliar place. Looking around she found Edmund sleeping on a chair. Smiling, she got out of her bed with mischief in her her mind. She turned around and was about to walk up to him but just saw an empty chair. Suddenly, she heard someone speak right next to her ear.


    "Glad you''re up."


    Iris screamed and jumped onto the bed, only to find Edmund laughing at her. Scrunching her nose she huffed and looked away, blushing with indignation.


    "How did you get behind me? How are you so fast? I want answers and I want them now." Iris huffed and crossed her arms below her b.r.e.a.s.t.


    "Aren''t you a little too eager princess? It''s six in the morning. We need to eat something and pacify my friends'' worries and in your case, your so called friends'' interrogations about your whereabouts last night."


    Iris g.r.o.a.n.e.d. She was not in the mood to be at the recieving end of Hermione''s endless questions and her mothering and Ron''s jealous self throwing insults. Moreover, she didn''t want to be in a hall full of bitter children who would throw curses at her the moment they see their chance.


    Reading the situation from her expression, Edmund smirked as an evil idea came to his mind. "Wanna play a prank on the sheep of wizarding world?"


    Iris tilted her head and asked innocently, "How?"


    Keeping his smirk, Edmund replied, "Like this."


    A clone puffed beside him and then henged itself into an identical looking Iris wearing casual clothes.


    Iris jumped when she saw Edmund''s twin suddenly appear out of nowhere and perform some kind of wandless shapeshifting magic to look like her. "You.. Wha... This... How?! That''s the same thing you did against Voldemort! Only without the... transformation thing."


    Edmund just smiled cheekily and said, "I have a unique ability that allows me to do some things wandlessly. I''ll explain everything later. How would you like to see everyone react to an Iris with an attitude like mine?"


    Edmund smirked and created another clone. Both clones nodded and went outside.


    "Let''s sit down Iris. I share a mental link with my clones so I can see whatever they see and do." He held his fist towards Iris as they sat down. "We''ll do it the same way as before. I''ll pull you into my mind scape and we''ll watch whatever happens like watching a movie on a big screen."


    "But my arm will get tired if I hold it up for so long~" Iris w.h.i.n.ed like a child.


    Amused by her antics, Edmund shook his head. He wondered just how could she possibly act her age after suffering though all the misery in her life. She was really strong and he admired her for it. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Edmund closed in towards her. His face was just inches away from her''s and he could see her getting fl.u.s.tered with her cheeks flaring up with heat.


    "Then why don''t we just hold each other''s hands?"


    Iris'' face was so red by that point Edmund got worried it might start bleeding. She gave a shakey nod and quietly said, "...ok."


    Edmund was a bit surprised by her approval but then his face bloomed as he gently grabbed her hand. For a moment, he marvelled how soft her hands were despite all the Quidditch she played and all the work her relatives made her do. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and could feel her body getting hotter.


    "Ah, sorry about that. Your hands are really soft for someone who does a lot of physical work."


    His pathetic little attempt did nothing to ease her heart which was beating rapidly against her c.h.e.s.t. Cursing himself inwardly, Edmund just forcefully pulled her inside his mind scape. He quickly freed her hand from his gasp and walked towards a large couch that had appeared facing a giant white screen.


    "I have another clone that has transformed as a small bug and is following clone Iris closely. We''ll be looking through the bug clone''s eyes, without the mosaic vision."


    Iris got even more curious about Edmund''s strange ability.


    In the great hall, Edmund''s clone henged as Iris walked up to the Gryffindor table and sat in an empty seat with no other student nearby. Soon, Hermione entered the hall and upon seeing Iris, she walked swiftly towards her with a book help against her b.r.e.a.s.t.


    Hermione sat right next to Iris and bombarded her with questions. "Where were you last night? I was looking all over the school for you. Obviously I returned before curfew. But I never saw you in your bed. Were out of the dorms after curfew? You shouldn''t do that. You should follow the rules. Why did you enter the tournament by cheating? How did you even do it? You''re not that good in studies. Who helped you put your name in the goblet? You told me you wanted nothing to do with the tournament. Did you lie to me? I was very hurt last night. You shouldn''t have lied to me."


    Finally she was out of breath and stopped. Every other student in the hall was listening to Hermionie as she was quite loud while asking her questions. Even the teachers and ghosts were intently observing Iris for her reaction. Looking completely bored, clone Iris eyed her and asked blandly, "Huh? Did you say something?"


    Hermionie, "..."


    Students, "..."


    Teachers, "..."


    Ghosts, "..."


    Filch, "..."


    Mrs. Norris, "..."


    Original Iris, "..."


    (ROTS)


    A/N: Well, that happened..... Clone Iris pulled a Kakashi. Hope you liked the chapter.

 Chapter 21

    Hermione was in a bit of a dilemma. Iris had always listened to her and answered to her questions. It''s not like she asked a lot of them! She just wanted to know how Iris got accepted as the fourth champion. But to think Iris completely ignored her and kept eating!


    Hermionie huffed, "Iris, that is not the way to talk to someone! I was just asking what everyone wants to know."


    Smirking, clone Iris replied in the same bland tone, "Well I can''t help it if I don''t have any manners. My parents were killed when I was one year old and then was abandoned at the doorstep of muggles who hate magic and everything related to it."


    The silence in the hall was golden. McGonagall sent a glare towards Dumbledore who paled a bit when Iris claimed to being abandoned as a toddler.


    "Anyway," The clone continued. "You''ve known me since the day we met in the Express before our first year and have been my dorm mate ever since. Tell me one, just one instance where I acted like a bitch who seeks attention and wants, as our dear friend Ron stated last night, all the glory and fame for herself and don''t want to share it. Well let me remind everyone here why the hell am I famous among wizards."


    As the clone stood up, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown could have sworn that it did a sneer in front of which Snape''s sneer looked like an infantile smile. "I survived a f.u.c.k.i.n.g killing curse while my parents were murdered by a self styled lord who is nothing but a lunatic. You all call Loona Lovegood loony? Well Voldemort-" and everyone flinched. "-Oh come on! The dork can''t hear us. Where was I? Ah, Voldemort is the living definition of the word loony. He tried to kill a baby with a killing curse and got himself defeated. How laughable. And thus, I was given the moniker of Girl-Who-Lived."


    The clone paused as the sheep digested whatever it had said and resumed, "You all celebrate that asshole''s demise every f.u.c.k.i.n.g year and forget one important fact. I lost my parents that very night! You dumbasses celebrate the death of my parents. And Ron, you, you had the gall, to ask me why I wasn''t celebrating and eating a freaking pumpkin pie, which by the way was already half stuffed into your pig of a mouth, on Halloween in our first year. You all envy me for my fame. But think, for once think with your pea sized brains, what was the price I had to pay for it."


    "You want to know how I became the fourth champion? I have no f.u.c.k.i.n.g clue you shitheads! If you feel salty over it then it''s your fault that you all suck! Oh I laugh at you, in your face! You assholes are so pathetic to not even get selected in this tournament which moronic in it''s own right and think that it''ll earn you the so called fame and money! The prize for the winner is just 1000 galleons! My shit is worth more than that. So why don''t you just take those sticks out of your sorry asses and sod the f.u.c.k off!"


    The clone then turned towards the teachers table and said politely, "I am very sorry for my uncouth behaviour today. It''s not my fault! I was a baby who had lost her parents and was abandoned at the doorstep of magic hating muggles few hours later."


    Turning around, the clone walked out and just as it reached the doors, the great hall thundered with shouts of indignation, shock and disbelief.


    Back in Edmund''s mind scape, Iris was gaping like a fish. She turned towards Edmund and began rapidly slapping his arm, "What has your clone done?! This is a disaster!"


    Edmund was laughing his a.s.s off. His clone had outdone what was originally expected of it. Getting control of his laughter, he grabbed her arms and spoke in a calm voice, "That was to show that you''re not someone they can mess with. If they try to push you around, they''ll get the fangs. Iris, those morons have done nothing for you and you owe them nothing. They worship you when they need you to stand between them and danger while they condone you and curse you when they need a scapegoat to take their shit. You were thrown away and forgotten for eleven years with a magic hating family. Then they introduced this, magnificent world of magic as an escape from your family. You face every kind danger here and are sent back to you aunt, just to repeat the process next year."


    Iris herself was analysing whatever had happened until now. "Don''t you see it? They are grooming you to be a pig for slaughter. We both know Voldemort will come back some day and so does Dumbledore. Why hasn''t he done anything about it? Every year he tested you with his tasks of saving the day and grooming you to be reckless and put your life in danger for others. He is grooming you to be a martyr in the coming war against Voldemort because believe it or not, he will come back and bring war upon us."


    The gears in her head were turning as she saw clarity of what Dumbledore had been doing. She slumped into the couch and rubbed the sides of her head. "What do you suggest Edmund? What should I do now? I''m completely lost. Who should I trust? I can''t even trust Hermione given the way she was asking those questions so loudly. How am I supposed to defeat Voldemort and get away from Dumbledore''s grasp?"


    Edmund smiled at her and replied, "By becoming more powerful than them, magically, mentally and politically. It''s time to lose the mask you''ve created to hide away your brilliance just to appease others. It''s time to think for yourself and embrace what you''re capable of. You have extraordinary courage that is rarely seen in anyone. The world has been cruel to you and manipulated you at every turn. Use your courage to become so strong that the world knows never to mess with Iris Potter."

 Chapter 22

    Edmund pulled them out of his mind scape and watched as Iris made a decision. He had gambled with his stunt in the great hall. Now, everyone will be actively against Iris. But she''ll be able to see through them, their lies and their attempts to control her.


    For the past three years, Edmund waited, trying to understand Dumbledore''s game. But he still couldn''t get what Dumbledore would get out of getting Iris and Voldemort kill each other. He already had the fame and the money. He was regarded as the second coming of Merlin for f.u.c.k''s sake! What more could the old goat want?


    He asked one of his house elves to bring some food for them. "We should eat now. There''s no class today so we don''t need to leave this room."


    Iris nodded and remained seated on the bed, her eyes focused on the floor.


    As they ate their food, Iris was thinking about what Edmund had said to her. She did not owe anyone anything. She had suffered enough already and if Edmund was right, all that awaited her was more suffering, more lies, more manipulations and more danger. She was really naive to think that she''d be accepted among people like her. But, all she got was disappointment.


    Her only connection to her parents, their two friends still hadn''t contacted her. She could understand it was difficult for Sirius to send her a letter, but Professor Remus, he was a free man with no ministry after him and no kill on sight orders. Still, she hadn''t received any word from him, even during summer vacation. Was this another one of Dumbledore''s tricks to make her life difficult? How far had he gone to make her so submissive and be ready to put her life in danger for the sake of others?


    All she ever wanted was to have a family that loved her. Love, it was foreign concept for her. All her life she had been berated and loathed just for being alive. When she came to Hogwarts she was looked at with awe and hate.


    Ron had befriended her because of her title as the Girl-Who-Lived. The Weaslies helped her because the were Dumbledore''s puppets and wanted to look good in her eyes. They had been good to her to get her money. Last year Mrs. Weasley bought new clothes, books and wands for all of her children. Where did she get the galleons from? From the Potter trust vault. Of course she did. She had the key to it which Dumbledore had given to her in second year. She had the key even before Iris was brought to the Weasly house. Iris didn''t pay any attention to it but now, after being enlightened by Edmund, she could see it clearly.


    Hermione on the other hand, she turned out to be a disappointment as a friend. Iris risked her life to save Hermione from the troll only to be hated by the said friend when Iris scored higher in tests. How petty could one get? Iris had to dumb herself down to Ron''s level to appease her friend. Even though she tried to help Iris by brewing the poly juice potion to spy on Malfoy, Iris knew it was just an attempt to show that she cared. There was no way Malfoy was the heir. Then she got herself petrified because she thought of herself to be so superior to others, she didn''t need anyone''s help and could solve the mystery of the chamber on her own.


    Now because of the tournament, both of her friends have abandoned her labelled her as a liar. They had been through so much together, faced giant dogs to dementors, what did all that amount for? The betrayal of her friends, their distrust in her and their accusations had hurt Iris the most.


    She felt miserable. She didn''t belong anywhere, be it the muggle world with her aunt or with the wizards that would chew her up and spit her out if it''s for their benefit.


    She didn''t know what to do anymore. Then, Edmund''s voice resounded in her head. Why should she allow someone get the better of her? She had faced danger every single year and triumphed at the end. She was not some weak girl and she wouldn''t let anyone trample her. No, she''ll work hard and get stronger. She''ll be much more than just the Girl-Who-Lived. She''ll become an amazing witch whom her parents could be proud of.


    Iris looked at Edmund who was now sitting opposite to her with his eyes closed. Perhaps he was meditating. Thinking about it, Edmund had helped her whenever she was in trouble. He talked to her when she felt lonely in first year. He protected her when Filch was about to grab her and accused her for harming his cat. Edmund helped her understand and comforted her when she was about to break in second year. He saved her from being attacked by Remus when he transformed into a wolf and lost all rationality. And now, he opened her eyes to the treachery of Dumbledore and even risked his life to get rid of Voldemort''s soul piece in her scar.


    Taking a few calming breaths, Iris asked, "Edmund?"


    "Yeah? Have you made your decision?"


    "I wanted to ask you something. Why are you helping me? You even risked your life! What do you get out of it?"


    Edmund stared at her and gave her the most charming smile she had ever seen. "I thought it was quite clear by now. It''s really simple. I love you."

 Chapter 23

    "Wha.. You... You... love me?"


    Iris stared at Edmund in disbelief. All her life, she was told she didn''t deserve anyone''s love. Her aunt had beaten it into her mind that she was an unwanted, worthless freak. But here he was, looking into her eyes, smiling and claiming he loved her. She couldn''t comprehend it.


    "Yes," Edmund confirmed, still smiling. "I do love you. Why is it so hard for you to believe it Iris?"


    Iris felt a bit overwhelmed. Edmund had expressed his love for her in the simplest way possible. She didn''t know how to respond. Frustrated, Iris replied, "But why?! I''m a freak! No one wants me. How can you say you love some worthless freak like me?! I-I don... I don''t..."


    Edmund placed a finger on her lips as he stood up and stopped her from saying anymore. He wiped away her tears and cupped her cheeks lovingly, "Shhh... You are worth more than everything to me. You are not a freak. And if loving you will make me one then I''d gladly be called a freak for the rest of my life. My love for you is as real as a river flowing to the sea. I just can''t help falling in love with you."


    Overwhelmed with emotions, Iris jumped at him and hugged him tightly. As she cried into his shoulder, Edmund gently stroked her hair and spoke with a soothing voice, "You''ll never be alone Iris. You are loved, you are wanted. You are priceless to me. I love you and there''s no power in this world that can make me say I don''t. No matter what crisis you face in your life, even if the whole world is against you, I''ll be there for you. That, is a promise of a lifetime. And I never go back on my word."


    Iris was wailing as he finished speaking. There was someone who cared for her, who loved her. Sniffing, she spoke with her mouth hiding in his shoulder, "Yes..."


    "I''m sorry? I didn''t hear you."


    "YES!!..." Came a muffled cry.


    "Yes what."


    "Yes, I love you too, Edmund."


    His felt over the moon. In that moment, Edmund forgot all about his revenge. Iris'' words kept repeating in his mind. He tightened the hug and savored the feeling of her body against his. He could feel her heartbeat against his c.h.e.s.t. Iris had reciprocated his feelings.


    Mustering immense willpower, he broke the hug but immediately felt the emptiness. He grabbed Iris from her waist and brought her closer. Cupping her rosy cheek, he rubbed it with his thumb as Iris leaned in to his hand.


    Looking into each other''s eyes, they leaned forward while slightly parting their lips.


    Edmund could feel her warm breath against his mouth. His lips brushed hers, softly, delicately, just long enough that he could inhale her breath, feel the warmth of her skin, and the feeling lingered even after they parted.


    Not wanting to end it, Iris kissed him back. It was soft and moist and hot and breathy, not trying to win a battle but seeking closeness and sharing that one timeless and passionate moment. The heat rose in her cheeks as her tongue touched Edmund''s, quick and electric and sweet, then firmer, more determined.


    It was their first kiss, and it tasted like breakfast.


    They embraced each other, with their hands intertwined as they sat down next to the fireplace that was conjured by the room. Edmund told Iris about the history of his family and it''s origins, about the Elemental Nations, about Naruto and his ancestors who escaped to medieval England to save the lives of their children. He told her about chakra and what it was capable of. Lastly, he told her about the nine tailed beasts and how they contacted him in the previous year.


    "So that''s how you were able to do all that wandless magic. It was all chakra. But how could it hurt the soul piece? A soul is not something physical right?"


    "You are right about it, my sweet little raven," Edmund teased her while she pouted. It wasn''t her fault she was so short!


    Doing his best to ignore those soft, slightly swollen lips, Edmund continued, "But chakra is made of two energies that complement each other. They are the Yin and the Yang. I am able to separate my chakra into them and add more Yin chakra to my attacks. Since Yin chakra is more spiritual in nature, I could hurt Voldemort."


    They sat in silence and enjoyed being close to each other. A house elf who was given the duty to remind Edmund of his daily training appeared in front of them. "Master Eddy, it is time to train."


    Edmund g.r.o.a.n.e.d, "I completely forgot about that. Thank you D.i.c.ky, you may go now."


    Looking at Iris, he asked, "Do you want to watch me do my daily workout?"


    Iris smiled and nodded.


    Iris was amazed by the speed at which they moved. She could barely follow their attacks while Edmund breezed through the training session. She could feel the force behind their attacks even while standing so far away from them. But for Edmund it was just a daily workout.


    Two hours later, Edmund finally stopped used a scourgify spell to clean himself off the sweat. He approached Iris with an excited smile and a strange glint in his eyes. Iris watched him cautiously as he spoke, "So let''s talk about your training, shall we?"


    Iris could swear she saw two horns sprouting out of his head with a pointed tail behind him.


    (ROTS)


    A/N: This was the first time I tried to type a romantic scene and needless to say I took some inspiration. Forgive me if it was too cheesy or not that magical for you. I''m just a writer for fun. (Sorry, couldn''t help myself doing that).

 Chapter 24

    A young teen walked up to an old man''s office who was fantasizing about his imprisoned lover while enjoying making out with his pet bat.


    Edmund forced the door open. This sudden act surprised Dumbledore and Snape who was half way through removing his clothes.


    "I''m here to avenge my family."


    Dumbledore smiled and replied, "Edmund my boy, why don''t you forget about revenge and join us?"


    "..... No."


    With that, Edmund rushed forward and decapitated the two abominations. He has finally done it, for his lord father and all that''s good and holy. When he goes back, he was sure he''d rise among the ranks of his fellow religious fanatics.


    .


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    .


    .


    .


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    Just kidding~:D


    The chapter starts now. Enjoy!


    Iris dreaded agreeing for help with her training. Sweet as he maybe, Edmund was an absolute devil when it came to training.


    For the last few days, Iris had to train her magic, do arduous physical workouts, meditate to build defences for her mind scape and manage attending the regular classes. Edmund forced her to eat triple the amount she used to eat to compensate the massive calorie loss everyday and trained her till she felt so tired she would fall asleep the moment she''d sink into her bed.


    The students stayed away from her as no one wanted to be stripped down of what little pride they had left and the teachers would look at her with a hint of nervousness. No one provoked her. Though Snape had tried to, but the next day he entered the great hall wearing a rainbow colored tutu and danced around while singing about being the ugly a.s.s princess of bats. Of course, he took points from Gryffindor but couldn''t assign detention to the culprit as he had no idea who pranked him.


    Dumbledore had tried to talk to her numerous times but his emissaries could never find her. The reason for this, Edmund had guessed that she had some form of metamorphmagus ability when she had told him about her growing all the hair back when her aunt had shaved her head. Iris had cried to sleep that night but when she woke up the next day, all her hair had grown back. So, they trained her ability so that she could alter her facial structure and change the color of her eyes and hair to look like someone else.


    Furthermore, Iris had stopped sleeping in her dorm and spent her nights in the room of requirement. But, then came a day when Dumbledore finally got a chance to talk to her.


    Iris was called out of her potions class by Colin Creevey to attend wand weighing ceremony. The boy tried to make small conversation but Iris didn''t bat an eye towards him. Dejectedly he escorted her towards the classroom where everyone was gathered. Finally, they reached the classroom, just in time for Iris to overhear Fleur Declaur admitting that she was part veela.


    "Ah, there''s our fourth champion!" Ludo Bagman practically shouted. He moved forward to clap her shoulder and maneuver her towards the other champions but stopped midway when he realised Iris was a girl. Feeling awkward, he slowly moved back as Iris glared at him dangerously. Clearing his throat, he asked, "I hope you don''t mind that we got started without you¡ªI guess old Snape didn''t want to let you loose, eh?"


    The other occupants of the small classroom stared at Iris. A female reporter dressed in gaudy magenta robes and clutching a crocodile-skin handbag was staring at Iris like she was a particularly juicy steak. Albus Dumbledore''s expression was unreadable, but Iris got the impression that he was not pleased with her for continuously avoiding all kind of methods he had tried to get her into his office and talk to her.


    Ollivander examined and tested Cedric''s and Krum''s wands, and then it was Iris'' turn. She handed Ollivander her Holly and Phoenix feather wand.


    "Aaaah, yes," Ollivander murmured, stroking it. He finally shot a stream of wine from the wand, humming in satisfaction as he did so, causing Iris to snort in amus.e.m.e.nt, and then handed the wand back to her.


    After a few photos, Iris tried to make it to the door, but found her path blocked by the headmaster.


    "Iris dear," he said in his usual, grandfatherly manner. "I have been wanting to have a conversation with you about your behavior in the great hall the day after champions were chosen."


    Iris used to be a pretty meek girl before her fourth year. But, due to the constant presence of Edmund in her life recently, she had gained a lot of confidence. The training she did everyday had really done wonders for her character. She was not some pushover anymore.


    "Professor," Iris coolly replied. "I believe I already explained it that day in the great hall. If my behaviour was not to your satisfaction, perhaps you should consider different strategies for the next orphan you try to manipulate. Allowing the entire student body and your professors to shun and abuse me for your failures doesn''t seem to be working out for you. Makes me wonder what exactly you tried with Riddle¡ªwe all know how well that turned out."


    Those still in the room stared in fascination at the tense confrontation; the reporter, who was introduced as Rita Skeeter, was writing franticall. Voldemort''s true identity was not well-known, but Iris was certain that was about to change, because Rita Skeeter was on the case, and she smelled blood. Also, practically everyone in magical Britain had always been under the impression that she was the headmaster''s protege, and Dumbledore had always subtly encouraged that notion, owing much of his postwar reputation to the fact that he was supposedly watching carefully over their precious savior. This confrontation, though, was direct evidence to the contrary, and the tone alone spoke volumes about the ever-widening gulf between the two.


    "Iris, my dear...surely whatever problems you are having can be worked out to the satisfaction of all. There is no need to put aside your classmates and friends."


    "Yes there is. You know as well as I do that they put me aside first. They made their decisions, and I have made mine. This discussion is over, headmaster."


    "Please, Iris, I truly believe that we¡ª"


    "Have you acted on the topic of our discussion from after the Welcome Feast?" She cut in, already tired of Dumbledore''s act. She had talked to Dumbledore about what he had been doing to free Sirius of all charges and he promised her that he was trying his best. She paused for a few seconds, but Dumbledore remained silent. "I didn''t think so. Until then, there''s precious little you can say that I care to hear, and even less for me to say to you. Now get out of my way."


    The headmaster''s shoulders slumped as he fumbled to give a reply. He couldn''t comprehend how that submissive little girl turned out to be so ferocious. Iris pushed past him and strode through the door. She managed to conceal the savage grin on her face until she was back in the ROR. As unpleasant as having the entire school set against her was, and she somewhat resented Edmund for doing it at first, it did have the benefit of allowing her to tell people off. Plus, now she had planted the seed in the public consciousness that Dumbledore was avoiding something that Iris wanted done by him. and she would bet her Firebolt that every reporter in magical Britain would want to know what it was.


    Edmund had been teaching her how to deal with people and it seemed it was working out perfectly for her. She was excited to share what transpired during the wand weighing with him as she skipped on her feet and went straight to the ROR.

 Chapter 25

    Edmund hid in a corner of the room as he saw the door open, not wanting anyone to see him using it.


    Iris entered the ROR and looked around trying to find him. Seeing that it was Iris, he sighed and got down from the wall, landing silently behind her. "How did it go Iris?"


    Iris was startled and turned around to see him standing behind her. Her face blossomed as she exclaimed, "Edmund!"


    She reached for him and pulled him down by putting her arms around his neck. Giving him a firm kiss on his lips, she said excitedly, "I''m really looking forward to telling you how the wand weighing ceremony went!"


    Dazed, Edmund stared at her. She had been getting bolder with her kisses, not that he complained, instead it was very much welcomed. He imagined a comfortable couch and it was conjured in the center of the room.


    Iris told him how she dismissed Dumbledore''s attempts to have a decent conversation with her and put him down a peg. She could tell Edmund was pleased given the way he was smiling.


    "Excellent work Iris! Now, we need to talk about the first task."


    Iris immediately sat straight and look at him with rapt attention.


    "You first task involves you going against a dragon as I, or more accurately my clone, saw four dragons being held by handlers in the forest."


    Edmund could see that she was getting anxious. She looked at him and asked to continue, knowing he had a plan to deal with them.


    Nodding, he continued, "Dragons have a very strong sense of smell and a very strong eyesight along with a very tough and spell resistant skin. It takes a lot of wizards and witches to subdue even one. But, we both know when it comes wizards, logic is thrown out of the window. Tell me, what''s the one thing on a dragon''s anatomy that is not covered with their hard skin?"


    Immediately, Iris replied, "Their eyes."


    Pleased with her answer, Edmund smiled and replied, "Exactly, their eyes are weak to magic attacks. Till the day before the task, you''ll be training to hone the casting speed and accuracy of your spells."


    He ignored the horrified look on her face at the thought of training, especially the kind Edmund might have planned for her. Proving her suspicion to be correct, Edmund unsealed a number of snitches marked with red magical paint. Iris could guess what the training entailed.


    "You have to stun all of them within ten minutes. Once you are able to do that without getting too tired, we''ll move to the next stage."


    Iris paled, there was a next stage?! This exercise alone sounded extremely tough.


    "By the time you are done with this exercise, a muggle sniper will look like a toddler trying to play gobstones."


    Groaning inwardly, Iris released her wand from it''s holster and began casting stunners at the snitches.


    After forty minutes of continuous casting, Iris just wanted to collapse on a soft bed. Even though Edmund had her work hard to increase her capacity to cast for hours, casting spells continuously at high speeds was very tiring. Just as she was about to fall on her back, a very comfortable couch was conjured behind her and she m.o.a.n.e.d with a sudden sense of comfort as she fell onto the couch.


    Edmund was grinning as he approached and offered a pepper up potion, specially customized for Iris by him, keeping in mind the amount of magic she had, her growth rate and her recovery rate.


    Sure enough, Iris was ready to go at it again after fifteen minutes. This time, she managed to stun all the snitches in thirty two minutes and was much less tired than before.


    By the end of the day, she was able to complete the exercise in ten minutes without the need of using a pepper up potion. Incredibly pleased by her progress, Edmund rewarded her with a full body massage, with her wearing all the garments of course. At first, Iris had felt really embarrassed and nervous, but soon she forgot all about it as Edmund worked his magic on her.


    Iris had suggested during the massage that she could try to talk to the dragon with her parseltongue but Edmund dismissed the idea. Dragons may be reptiles like snakes but they had their own draconian language, instead of parseltongue.


    The next day, Edmund sent two clones to attend the classes, one henged as Iris, while he helped Iris further her training. She didn''t need the mediocre lessons taught by those incompetent teachers. Both of them were already much ahead of their peers.


    Edmund unsealed more snitches but this time, they were painted with two colors. Iris g.r.o.a.n.e.d, already guessing what the exercise was about.


    Grinning, Edmund nodded, "Exactly! Hit the red ones with stunners and green ones with disarming charms, all within ten minutes."


    When Iris had mastered the exercise, Edmund decided to take it up a notch. He increased the speed of the snitches and added seals to make them automatically maneuver around the spells coming at them. Iris had a much harder time hitting the snitches.


    It was only two days before the first task that Edmund had deemed her ready to go against the dragon.


    Iris was prepared for the task as she stood with the other champions in the tent as Barty Crouch Sr. explained them the task. The other champions did not look surprised when they heard they had to face a dragon and steal an egg from their nest.


    She waited for her turn as one by one, the other champions were called for their task. Even though they had managed to get their eggs, none of them had escaped unscathed. Edmund had emphasized on her going all out for the task. He didn''t want her to hide her skill and get injured.


    Taking deep breaths, Iris exited the tent and got ready to complete her task. As she entered the arena, she could se the Hungarian Horntail chained near her nest with the golden egg placed right in the middle.


    The spectators watched with bated breaths as she took a stance, ready with her wand.


    The dragon warily looked at her and roared when she saw Iris approaching her nest. She breathed a huge stream of draconic fire that forced Iris to hide behind a rock.


    Still remaining calm, Iris rolled away from behind the rock and threw a dung bomb right at it''s nose. The plan was ingenious. Edmund had hinted her on trying to use the dragon''s excellent sense of smell against it.


    The Horntail reared back as it felt extreme discomfort and apprehension from the foul smell. taking advantage of it, Iris sent a darkness spell towards the dragon''s eyes, timing her spells with every blink of the Horntail''s eyelids.


    The Hortail managed to move her head away when it sensed the spell coming towards her eyes. Iris clicked her tongue with annoyance and sent a barrage of spells at the dragon''s eyes. Eventually, Iris managed to hit the eyes and the dragon thrashed around when its senses got impaired.


    Not wasting any time, Iris rushed towards the golden egg, grabbed it and ran back towards the tent while effortlessly dodging a wildly swinging tail. Just as she was about to exit the stadium, she cancelled the darkness spell and conjured a stream of water up the dragon''s nose to help remove the pungent smell.


    As she entered the tent, the spectators gaped incredulously, thinking the same thing. ''It''s that easy to deal with a dragon?!''


    (ROTS)


    A/N: I guess that went well. Nothing over the top with the first task, except the training maybe. What do you guys have to say?

 Chapter 26

    The night after first task, Edmund and Iris sat quietly in their haven known as Room of Requirement as they watch a few of Naruto''s good memories in an attempt to help Iris understand chakra. Edmund had agreed to it after Iris asked him about wanting to learn more about chakra and the general life of people in the shinobi era.


    They had set aside the golden egg after it screeched upon being opened. Edmund had wanted to blow the egg into bits as it had greatly irritated him due to his high sense of hearing, but was calmed down by Iris as she soothed him later.


    Edmund had told her the kind of person Naruto was and Iris was curious what drove the ancient man to become a legend. There were still many references of the shinobi era in some of the older parts of Japan along with discovered ruins of that era, according to Edmund, and the name of Naruto was as famous in Japan as that of Merlin in Europe. What Merlin was for European wizards, Naruto was for Japanese wizards. Even though tales about him got more exaggerated as years went by, they were close to the actual truth about his life.


    Saving the world when he was just seventeen and defeating ancient inter-dimensional foes known as the Otsusuki were some of the feats he had achieved. Even though he had a rough life in his early years, he was able to conquer his hate.


    Iris sat beside Edmund, awed by the kind of man Naruto was while her boyfriend looked at her, feeling proud of his ancestors when he saw her awed look. He may not be the epitome of goodness and forgiveness, oh forget it, he was a cold blooded killer, but that didn''t stop the pride budding inside him.


    (ROTS)


    It was the night of Yule Ball and Edmund was waiting outside the ROR as Iris got dressed for the event. The ball, from Edmund''s opinion, was a waste of time. He could have been training Iris but no, she insisted he taught her how to dance for the ball. So many hours wasted on such a trivial thing as dancing just for a stupid fancy dress event. But what could he do, the girl could get really persuasive. She had gained a lot of confidence lately and it didn''t help when she got a little bold to get him to agree to her requests.


    Iris had really grown at the right places and looked as beautiful as a fourteen old girl possibly could. So, there were many fools who tried to ask his girlfriend out for the ball, but it didn''t end well for them. One such example was that dumb Weasel.


    Edmund was pulled out of his thoughts as Iris came out of ROR, wearing what Edmund could describe as the most form fitting and elegant dress a girl could wear. Staring blankly at her, Edmund spoke, "On a second thought, this ball''s actually not a bad thing."


    Iris giggled and fondly looked at him. She knew he didn''t like public gatherings and balls as all the balls he had ever attended before had self proclaimed imerioused victims of Voldemort as guests. Not a pleasant company to be around for sure. But, he had agreed to help her with her dancing and had agreed without a second thought to accompany her as her date.


    She gave him a chaste kiss and Edmund offered his arm to her which she gladly accepted. Walking towards the ballroom, they could see the various reactions of students. The school robes hid almost everything from the visible eye. Edmund really couldn''t complain when other boys were eyeing her but he was not a nice person and allow such insolence.


    The boys all around began sweating heavily and they felt their hands and feet go cold. A shiver went down their spines as a dreadful feeling of mortal danger invaded their minds. Edmund really liked this trick with his killing intent.


    When Iris noticed what was happening, she looked at him and pouted while jabbing her finger at the side of his abdomen. Obviously, it did nothing to him which made Iris look away with indignation and she started walking a little faster. Edmund just shook his head and matched her pace.


    They waited outside the great hall as McGonagall explained what they were supposed to do when they entered the hall. Her gaze flickering towards Edmund and Iris as she talked.


    Edmund could hear what everyone was saying very clearly when they were asked to enter the hall. Many were wondering how he had convinced Iris to accept him as her date. Others were jealous of him for getting lucky. Really, even if she was a scrawny and malnourished boy they would want to ask her out due to her fame. How pathetic.


    The champions danced one by one with their partners. As Edmund and Iris finished with their turn, everyone else was allowed to join the ball and dance to the music and a girl band sang joyously.


    They were sitting with the rest of the champions and their dates. Getting up from his seat, Edmund clinked his glass with a fork and amplified the sound with his magic.


    "May I have everyone''s attention please? Thank you. For this lovely evening I had planned a little game for everyone present. I have an ancient enchanted object here that I got from Japan when I visited the country last year. It tells what animal a person resembles the most just with a touch based on the person''s character. So, with the headmaster''s permission I would like to start this game. Everyone can take part in it! Let''s have some fun music!"


    Dumbledore just smiled and nodded. Edmund had approached him earlier and had already gotten the permission.


    One by one, the students and teachers touched the device to see what animal they resembled the most.


    Susan Bones, "A shy Lemur."


    Luna Lovegood, "An owl."


    The Weasley twins, "Otters."


    Lavender Brown, "A meerkat."


    Ron Weasley, "A pig."


    Draco Malfoy, "A weasel."


    Fleur Declaur, "An octopus."


    .


    .


    .


    After a lot of students and teachers had tested the device Edmund decide to end it with the main event. "Professor Dumbledore, why don''t you too have a go at this? Come on guys, who wants to see what animal the headmaster is like?"


    At Edmund''s encouragement, everyone in the hall cheered for Dumbledore to go ahead.


    The old idiot smiled and reached forward to touch the device.


    ".... A smelly old c.o.c.kroach."


    The Great Hall, "..."


    A/N: There you have it. I honestly don''t know what I was thinking when I decided to make Edmund introduce that device but, meh, whatever works to make the ball bearable I guess.

 Chapter 27

    The atmosphere in great hall was really awkward. While some unfortunate ones had protested, most of those in the great hall had the right animals depicted for them. To think the headmaster was like a smelly old c.o.c.kroach, a c.o.c.kroach, smelly and old.


    Dumbledore himself was stupefied. A peac.o.c.k would have been nice, a lion perhaps, but a c.o.c.kroach? For a moment he thought if this was a dream, a really wierd and a bad dream. First Iris Potter had appeared hand in hand with the heir of Vulpis family, a dark family full of supporters of Voldemort. then the said heir approached him to allow him introduce a game he had planned.


    Dumbledore had thought nothing of it and allowed it. Oh what a mistake he made. He should have tested the device himself! He would have obliviated the brat if the device was going to show.... this.


    "...I think something''s wrong with this," Edmund began. "Hey Weasley, wanna test again?"


    The fool nodded snobbishly and trotted towards Edmund. Putting his hand on the device, he shouted when he saw the result. "A dumbass ugly pig?!!"


    "...Wow that''s so accurate," Edmund exclaimed with wonder.


    "..."


    "Headmaster, why don''t you try again? I believe it showed an error earlier." Edmund continued, ignoring the foolish pig''s oinks.


    "Quite right my boy."


    Edmund had to suppress a gag reflex upon hearing that.


    ".... an ugly dung worm."


    "..."


    This was incomprehensible.


    "... I don''t know what''s happening Professor. I think I''ll give it a try."


    Placing his hand on the device, he spoke, "A clever fox. It''s right! Why is it showing such results for you headmaster? Would you like to try again?"


    Dumbledore couldn''t understand what compelled him to, there was no magic interfering with his mind shields, but he tried again, "A gay skunk."


    Everyone stared at the old fart when he smiled. He smiled!


    "Ah! that seems about right."


    "Perhaps it does." Oh Edmund had to imagine Altair''s face to stop himself from laughing out loud. Dumbodork hadn''t noticed but Edmund had managed to place a genjutsu on the device and the man''s ears to fool him. He even placed a wide area genjutsu on everyone in the great hall when everyone was too busy being shocked upon the device showing Dumbledore as a c.o.c.kroach. Actually, the old fart was seeing this, ''A sweet toothed elephant.''


    Ah, the wonders of genjutsu.


    What could he say, elephants are known to be wise. Oh the piece of shit looked so satisfied Edmund just wanted to get out of the hall and laugh with reckless abandon. Iris herself was biting her fist to not make any noise while laughing.


    The rest of the great hall didn''t know how to react. They just remained where they stood with their mouths hung open and their eyes wide with shock. It took them a few minutes to get back to their senses and continue with their evening.


    Iris and Edmund danced till midnight, never changing their partners.


    They danced so much that Edmund had to carry her all the way to ROR when they finally left the great hall, without anyone noticing when they slipped away.


    (ROTS)


    The second task was to find someone they would dearly miss at the bottom of the black lake. But for Iris, there was only one person she could possibly dearly miss and that person was standing beside her, looking ever so murderous.


    Dumbledore, using his all so great wisdom, had deduced that Ron Weasley was that person for Iris. Iris was repulsed even at the thought of it. With a vindictive mind, Edmund whispered in her ear, "How about instead of rescuing that pig you rescue Gabrielle? The sisters can be considered friends given how we talked to them and they even seemed happy that I wasn''t a pathetic drooling mess in front of them."


    Iris whispered back, "But why would I have to rescue her? Won''t she be Fleur''s hostage?"


    Edmund nodded, "True but they are veelas, natural fire creatures. Water creatures are not friendly with them and so there''s a high chance Fleur will unable to rescue her sister. Just leave that waste of a wizard down in the lake. You don''t really plan to win this tournament anyway."


    Iris confirmed with a nod and walked upto the platform. She could see that Fleur was very nervous and agitated. Perhaps worried for her sister and all the creatures she''d have to face.


    A sound of a cannon was made by the judges and all the champions immediately dove into the lake.


    Iris kept a watch on Fleur, remaining just out of sight of the veela. When the French witch was attacked and poisoned, Iris swooped in to save her but the girl had to quit to get treatment.


    With a speed that could make any sea creature envious, Iris swam towards the mermen village, undid the bindings on Gabrielle before any of the merfolk could retaliate and shot upwards, holding the shivering little girl in her arms.


    Iris jumped out of the lake and landed on her feet with a little veela in tow.


    Dumbledore rushed towards her and spoke frantically, "Iris dear, you were supposed to rescue Mr. Weasley!"


    He was still recovering the mass public insult he had suffered from when the daily prophet had published about the events of the Yule Ball. He still couldn''t understand what or who had tricked him. It couldn''t be the boy Edmund. Sure the young one was smart but he was Albus Dumbledore. No kid could trick his mental shields and compel the man to do their bidding. All the male students had started looking at him warily and everyone had started to involuntarily clamped their nose whenever they were near him or passed by him.


    Iris innocently tilted her head and asked, "Are you sure headmaster? The task was to rescue the one person who I''d dearly miss. Gabrielle and I have become good friends and I would miss her if something happened to her-"


    Her voice immediately turned icy cold, "-and there was no one else I cared for in that lake."


    Before any a.d.u.l.t could respond, Edmund rallied the audience, "Exactly, headmaster. Iris has rescued the hostage and so has completed the task. Why are you forcing her go back and rescue someone else? Everyone, we can''t let this ill treatment to continue. Iris has won the second round but the judges don''t want her to win."


    The spectators joined in protest. Iris'' image in the eyes of the public had improved given the way she won the first task and the way she carried herself throughout the ball. Before the situation got out of hand, the judges had to award Iris forty eight points and declare her the winner of second round.


    An hour later, lanky teen with a face so ugly that no mother would claim him was pulled out of the lake.


    Edmund clicked his teeth, ''Why didn''t he die in the lake. Atleast he would have finally been useful by getting the tournament to be canceled forever.''

 Chapter 28

    It was time for the third task to commence. A few days ago, Edmund had suggested to access the room of hidden things and see if there were any lost artifacts that could come in handy. When they went inside the room, Edmund was bombarded with an aura he never thought he would come across any time soon. It was Voldemort''s aura.


    They had found one of Voldemort''s trinkets. They deduced that the megalomaniac asshat might have more of these trinkets and given the fact that the one in their hands was Rowena Ravenclaw''s long lost diadem, it was possible the dork could have used artifacts of other founders as his soul anchors.


    Now, it was just a matter of time for Edmund''s clones to find the rest of them. They didn''t know how many soul anchors the dork lord had, but Edmund was determined to find them all.


    Standing in front of the maze, Edmund held Iris'' hand within his, reassuring her and himself that soon this farce of a tournament would be over. Ignoring the spectators who were gaping at the pair, Edmund cupped her cheeks and kissed her passionately. He couldn''t shake off this uneasy feeling and wanted to reassure himself that Iris would be alright.


    "I''ll be fine Ed. You''ve trained me well. Don''t worry, I''ll be back in no time!" Iris exclaimed and smiled, feeling the warmth of his hands as they c.a.r.e.s.sed her cheeks.


    "I want you to be careful. I trust you and your ability to face anything, but, at the end of every year you''ve faced some form of mortal danger and I can''t shake off this feeling out of my mind. Just, come back to me safely ok?"


    Iris nodded and they kissed again.


    "And remember, don''t let go of this pendant in any circ.u.mstances," Edmund said, pointing towards a beautiful emerald pendant that was hanging gracefully around Iris'' neck.


    Iris nodded again and with that said, Edmund joined the stands with his friends who crowded him, wanting to know how he managed to get the Girl-who-lived fall for him.


    Iris was asked to enter the maze first as she had the highest score among the champions. The whole maze was magical with numerous creatures and plants introduced as obstacles. She ran forward, sensing the magic of the Tri-Wizard Cup. Avoiding a sphinx, she rushed towards an acromatulda. Jumping above it''s body, she hit the giant spider with an overpowered piercing hex, killing it instantly.


    Burning away a devil''s snare, Iris had finally reached the cup. She knew the cup was a portkey to get out of the maze and that''s where she expected herself to be when she grabbed it, only to find herself in an unfamiliar place, which looked like some kind of graveyard.


    (ROTS)


    Edmund was getting increasingly anxious. Iris hadn''t returned yet. It had been an hour and all the original three champions had quit. Iris was already declared the winner.


    Another half an hour went by but there was no sign of Iris. Fearing the worst, Edmund silently switched himself with a clone, donned an ANBU mask that also hid his hair and disappeared in a flash.


    (ROTS)


    Iris was trying with all her might to free herself from the statue''s hold. Upon arriving at the graveyard, she had sensed a stunner coming towards her. She had dodged it and upon seeing her attacker, she got enraged.


    Peter Pettigrew was standing next to a cauldron, pointing a wand towards her as he held onto something beside him.


    Iris had quickly retaliated and defeated Pettigrew within seconds, but left him alive. She could get Sirius a trial with Pettigrew as proof of his innocence. When she was about to bind him, suddenly, numerous death eaters apparated to their location and surrounded her.


    Iris fought well and was able to slay four of them but soon got overwhelmed and was stunned by no less than fifteen stunners simultaneously hitting her from all directions.


    "Iris Potter," the monster began as he turned and faced his minions. "You know of course, that they have called this girl my downfall? You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill her. Her mother died in the attempt to save her, and unwittingly provided her with a protection I admit I had not foreseen... I could not touch the girl. Her mother left upon her the traces of her sacrifice... This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter. I can touch her now."


    He slowly brought his finger towards her scar which had been fading away. When he touched it, the scar began to bleed. Iris gritted her teeth as she tried not to scream in pain. Voldemort''s magic was slowly opening the scar. The monster laughed as her blood fell on his tongue.


    Moving away from Iris, Voldemort freed her with a wave of his wand and said, "You have been taught how to duel. Iris Potter? We bow to each other, Iris. Come, the niceties must be observed.... Dumbledore would like you to show manners.... Bow to death, Iris."


    Casting an imperious at her, Voldemort asked to bow. Iris resisted with all her might and Voldemort could only make her bow partially. Mildly surprised, Voldemort said, "It seems Dumbledore has trained you well. But, let''s see how strong you truly are."


    "Crucio!"


    The spell struck Iris right in her sternum and she fell down, screaming and writhing in pain. Voldemort stopped the spell and said, "It seems you''re not strong enough. Let''s have another try at it."


    Suddenly, a person wearing a wierd mask appeared out of thin air. There was no sound of apparation and there was no portkey in the person''s hand, which every one confused.


    Edmund scanned his surroundings and saw many cloaked figures wearing skull masks. A bald and incredibly pale man stood in front of them, with his wand pointing towards Edmund.


    Looking behind him, Edmund saw Iris down on the ground, shaking from what looked like the after effect of a powerful crucio. Her forearm was bleeding due a deep cut and the scar on her forehead had been forced open. She was in a lot of pain.


    Edmund kept his gaze at the downed form of Iris as his rage took over. Red sinister aura bubbled out of his body as he began releasing killing intent. Drawing the kyuubi''s chakra out, Edmund looked back at the bald man, who he now deduced to be the resurrected Voldemort.


    The dark lord had tortured Iris, and they took her blood to resurrect him. The whole tournament and her involvement was a set up for some loyal death eaters to bring Voldemort back.


    They had hurt Iris, now they shall pay, with their lives.


    Iris looked up at him and her eyes shone with recognition. Edmund nodded and spoke in a gruff voice, "Go."


    When she was about to protest, Edmund shouted, "NOW!"


    Then she saw the red aura bubbling out of Edmund''s body and she understood he was about to let lose. She summoned the cup with an accio and disappeared from the cemetery.


    All the death eaters, as well as Voldemort, even though he may deny it, shivered when they felt Edmund''s intent to kill.


    Edmund then released the entirety of his killing intent, which was equal to that of Sanbi.


    The weaker death eaters died right then with their mouths frothing as their hearts gave out due to absolute fear of death. The stronger ones just fainted or had already fled.


    Voldemort could feel his body trembling at the sight of the man in front of him. He tried his best and used occulomency to calm himself, but he still couldn''t fight the fear.


    Edmund''s rage was fueling his form to reach four tails. His body was entirely covered with blood red aura that had solidified itself. He leapt towards Voldemort, with slaughter and carnage in his mind.


    Panicked, Vodlemort shouted, which turned into a high pitched shriek, "Avada Kedavra!"


    Edmund dodged a streak of such killing orbs of light as he approached Voldemort and swiped his clawed hand at the resurrected dark wizard who was now fleeing away.


    Edmund''s claw slashed Voldemort''s leg just as he was about to apparate away.


    Further angered at not being able to kill Voldemort, Edmund rushed towards the still fleeing death eaters and tore them apart.


    The Little Hangleton cemetery was turned into a scene of carnage. Entrails were spread all over the place with mangled body parts of death eaters lying in a pool of blood.


    Edmund''s rage had begun to cool down as he sensed a familiar aura around him. It was that of Altair Vulpis. A maniacal grin bloomed on his face. Letting go of his aura, he grabbed the fainted Lord Vulpis and disappeared from the cemetery. He finally caught his mother''s killer, and he will enjoy making the man plead for a quick death.


    (ROTS)


    A/N: Well.... I''m not very confident if I did justice to this chapter and this event in the story. Share your thoughts in comments and let me know what you think of this chapter.

 Chapter 29

    A/N: This chapter is not for those with a weak heart. I apologize in advance. I don''t think a language warning is required. WARNING: HEIGHTS OF TORTURE, BRUTALITY AND GORE!!!


    P.S.: I don''t even know how these ideas came to my mind so forgive me if they are over the top. I couldn''t think of other ways of torture other than those I''ve already used.


    Once again, I''m sorry.


    (ROTS)


    It had been two days since Voldemort''s return.


    When Iris escaped to Hogwarts from the cemetery, she had tried to warn everyone about the dark lord''s return. Repeatedly, she tried to convince the minister and the rest of the public but, all of her attempts were put down as delusions and attempts to gain popularity.


    Fudge was convinced that Dumbledore wanted his job and was using Iris Potter as a weapon to create mass unrest among the people of wizarding world.


    When Barty Crouch Jr. was caught, Fudge had reacted immediately and had gotten Crouch kissed by a dementor before the death eater could be interrogated. Even though the said death eater had confirmed Voldemort''s return, with the active dark mark as proof, in front if all the teachers, Fudge had dismissed any kind of such claims.


    And thus started the smear campaign against Iris and to a much lesser extent, Dumbledore. Once again Iris was made a scapegoat by the wizarding world.


    She had recovered from her injuries and Edmund never left her side even for a second. Either it was himself or his clone, he was there with her in one form or other.


    Edmund''s first thought was to just kill everyone who were berating Iris. It would so easy to do so. But this was not a society where the hierarchy was determined by the strong. He would be labelled as a dark lord and wizards all over the world would rally against him if he committed a genocide.


    No, first and foremost he needed to be declared as an a.d.u.l.t in the eyes of the Wizengamot. And for that, Altair Vupis had to die.


    Edmund returned to his manor after informing Iris that he would be away for a day or two and his place was taken by a clone. Entering the dungeons, Edmund looked at the man bound to a chair as Altair glared at the boy in front of him.


    Edmund smirked and picked up a plier from the table. Approaching Altair, he said, "Muggles may not have magic but they do have innovative ideas to make their lives easy. Take this thing for example. It''s called a plier. Do you know what it''s used for?"


    Altair spat at his feet but Edmund''s expression remained the same. Cackling, Edmund exclaimed, "Let me show you!"


    He forced Altair''s mouth open and using the plier, he began pulling Altair''s teeth out, one by one, twisting the plier slowly, savoring the sound of Altair''s screams.


    Edmund had injected Altair with a nerve stimulating agent making all the nerves in his body hypers.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e. Every tooth pulled out caused pain equivalent to a crucio specifically targeted at the specific site.


    Edmund continued speaking over Altair''s screams, "Teeth can be really dangerous for a person in certain situations. Like biting one''s own tongue. We can''t let that happen can we?"


    Once he was done pulling of Altair''s teeth out, he unsealed a kunai from his wrist guard and began channeling katon chakra through it. When the kunai had turned red hot, Edmund grabbed one of Altair''s hands and said, "You used these hands to hit my mother when she used to refuse to lay with your friends right?"


    Edmund plunged the kunai into his fingers and melted away the phalanges, ripped out the tendons and worked towards his palms. There he burnt away the muscles while pulling out the bones of his palms and wrists, one by one.


    Then, he removed Altair''s shoes and repeated the process. "You used to kick her and step on her head as if you had conquered her."


    Layer by layer, Edmund tore out the muscles in his feet and ripped out the bones.


    Altair''s throat had gone sore due to constant screaming. This was much worse than any kind of pain he had ever felt. A man''s bones had a lot of nerves and the pain of those nerves burning away was unbearable. When Edmund was done with his hands and feet, it looked like they were chewed upon by a rat that had nibbled and powdered the very bones.


    Edmund stripped Alrair n.a.k.e.d and placed him on a table. Then he brought out a device and placed it between Altair''s legs. "Do you know what this is? Another muggle invention. It''s called a hydraulic press. You r.a.p.ed my mother, tortured her, maimed her and killed her in from of my very eyes. You must have thought you were superior to everything, a true man. That you must have balls of steel. Let''s see how true that is."


    Altair''s eyes widened with horror as he cried and shouted, "Nooo... bweese.... don''d do id.... Jufd.. khill be... bweese..." (A/N: You got that right).


    Adjusting Altair''s body in such a way that his crotch was resting on the platform, Edmund turned the hydraulic press on, ignoring the man''s pleas.


    Altair was tied down and could only squirm and scream with utter terror as the press slowly crushed his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e.s. He could hear them crack and burst under the immense pressure of the press.


    Edmund was working on keeping the man alive and awake throughout the ordeal. What was the use of torturing a man who wasn''t conscious or alive? One must not desecrate the dead. He might be monster but he had morals.


    Altair layed on the table twitching and gasping for air. His vocal chords were already destroyed and the pain was so immense that he wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare. He tried again and again throughout his torture to use magic and kill himself but he couldn''t even feel a speck of it.


    "You''ve r.a.p.ed a lot of women and children in your life haven''t you? Let me show you how it feels when it happens to you...."


    "... oh no no, no, no ,NO. I''m not gonna **** you. No, that''s... I don''t even know how to describe it. No, I''ve prepared something special for you."


    Edmund''s clones brought a long pole with a blunt narrowed end into the dungeons. They greased the narrow end and positioned it towards Altair''s bottom.


    Altair, having understood what Edmund had planned to do, tried to shout and free himself, but he was already very tired due to blood loss.


    The clones pushed the wooden pole up his anus, erected the pole vertically with the tip still inside Altair and plunged the pole into the floor.


    Altair slowly slid downwards as the blunt tip of the pole tore his insides. His brain had already gone numb with the pain. His body twitched ever so slightly and no sound came out of his mouth.


    It took an hour for the pole to come out of Altair''s body from his back. His eyes were dimmed and devoid of life.


    In a nearby graveyard, the ripped out head of Altair Vulpis decorated the top of one Clair Emily Whirlpool''s grave, his blood painting the gravestone.


    Edmund cried as he sat outside his manor, looking above as the heavens cried for his lost humanity. He had avenged his mother and the Whirlpools. No matter what they might think of him when he finally died and met them in the afterlife, his heart was at ease. The last of the Vulpises would die with him, forever lost in the annals of time.

 Chapter 30

    Edmund absentmindedly entered the ROR, making various plans with one ultimate goal in mind, bringing the downfall of Lord Mold and Dumbodork. Iris was already there doing her usual training by targeting the different colored snitches. Edmund had increased their flying speed twice more than that of her firebolt broom. Fortunately they were charmed not to hit her.


    He waited for Iris to finish her exercise and sat in the corner of the room. Once she was finished, she wiped off the sweat and cleaned her clothes with magic.


    "Iris," Edmund began as she turned around to see him, happy that the real Edmund had returned. "I''ve got a really good news."


    Seeing her nod and look at him expectantly, Edmund smiled and continued, "I''m finally emancipated! Altair died at my hands in that graveyard. I disowned myself by magic and accepted the Whirlpool name. The Vulpis name is now extinct. Took me some time to get all the legal work done but, now you''re looking at the youngest member of the Wizengamot!"


    Iris squealed and rushed forward to hug him tightly. "You finally did it! What are you planning to do now?"


    "Well first I''ll have to find out how much Fudge has screwed over with the ministry. The fact that he betrayed me I want to know if I''ll have to kill him myself or destroy his reputation and career and make him live on the streets for the rest of his life."


    Iris'' smile faltered which he immediately took notice of.


    "You don''t like the idea of me killing someone do you? Or just the idea of murder, whosoever does it, right?"


    Looking down, Iris meekly nodded. Edmund pulled her face up and gently stroked her jawline, "Hey... I won''t ask you to kill anyone. You''ve learnt a lot of spells and use them in such a way that you can incapacitate someone without killing them. And as of me killing someone, it''s not the first time. I did not enjoy killing them, but they were animals that had to be put down. If Voldemort learnt about chakra, he would have done everything to get that power. Even try and find the tailed beasts. Though I doubt he''d get them under control, he could go around the world looking for people like me. Obviously my ancestors weren''t the only ones to escape from the Elemental Nations." (A/N: Before anyone rants about me introducing others having chakra then no, I am not gonna make someone else with chakra appear in this story. Edmund is the only one.)


    Seeing Iris'' contemplative look, Edmund continued, "The tailed beasts warned me because they knew Voldemort can''t be killed as he has his soul anchors. Until they are destroyed, he is practically immortal. We could destroy his body but his spirit will haunt them and it may find a way to control them and rise again. Then there''s the prophesy. Even though Divination is a debatable subject, visions have proven to be true. You are meant to kill him Iris. Because if you don''t, Voldemort will destroy the lives of billions of people."


    Iris took several deep breaths as Edmund waited patiently for her response.


    "I know," She whispered. "I have to stop him. It is my moral duty to do so. But, that doesn''t make it any easier. That night in the graveyard, I killed four death eaters and, I felt nothing. It was too easy."


    Edmund sighed and brought her into a hug. They stood there as Edmund soothed her. Killing was never easy, even for him. When Iris'' body began shaking and he heard a gasp, he tightened his hug and rubbed her back in circles.


    An hour later when she had calmed down, Esmund sat her down on a couch and asked, "Iris, since I''m emancipated now and am a member of Wizengamot, do you want me to get you emancipated? Because forcing your participation in that tournament they all but declared you an a.d.u.l.t."


    Iris thought for a bit and asked, "If I get emancipated, will the blood wards around my aunt''s house remain intact? They are supposed to be there till I turn seventeen."


    "Hmm, I don''t think so. Once you are declared a.d.u.l.t by the ministry, magic too will recognize you as an a.d.u.l.t."


    Iris let out a deep sigh, "Then no, I will wait till I''m seventeen. I don''t want to leave them vulnerable and let Voldemort target them to get to me."


    Edmund tried to convince her, "But Iris, they don''t love you. They made you live in a cupboard for ten years, called you a freak or girl everytime they addressed you and insulted your very blood. How could you still care for them?!"


    Smiling sadly, Iris replied, "Aunt Petunia might not be the most loving or caring guardian, but she''s all I have left as a blood relative. She''s my mother''s sister. I can''t just leave her and the rest of my family defenceless and let Voldemort kill them. I will have to deal with him before I am seventeen. No one else will suffer like I had to. Even if it kills me, I will stop Voldemort."


    Edmund looked her and for a moment was reminded of someone strangely very close to him. Naruto Uzumaki had all the reson to spite the world for what Konoha did to him. He had all the reason to kill Obito for killing his parents and destroying his childhood, but he chose forgiveness over revenge. Edmund may disagree with some of Naruto''s decisions but he admired the man''s conviction and resolve to do what he thought was right. Iris wanted to kill Voldemort, not for revenge but to stop him from destroying other people''s lives.


    Dumbledore had won.


    Dumbledore had created a martyr out of Iris Potter. She was ready to sacrifice herself to bring down Voldemort. But no way in hell would Edmund allow that. Screw the prophesy, he would kill the monster himself. If he couldn''t protect Iris, there would be no meaning left to his existence.

 Chapter 31

    It was hard for Edmund to let Iris go and continue living with her relatives. He understood her reasoning for it but that didn''t make it any easier for him.


    Edmund knew that Iris would never tell him if she was harmed in any way or was in danger. Curses to her low self worth and self sacrificing mentality. So, unknown to her, Edmund had added intent based seals and runes into her pendant. Anyone wanting to harm her or if she was in distress and panic, the pendant would inform him about it.


    Going back to their homes, Edmund and Iris had shared a compartment and locked it to avoid any interference, wanting to spend as much time together as possible before parting their ways.


    With a hardened glare, Edmund watched as Iris was taken away by her uncle as some wizards, namely Arthur Weasley, threatened the fat waste of space. Were they trying to dare him and make things difficult for Iris?


    Edmund stormed towards the floo and went back to his manor. He needed clear his head to work on getting some alliances.


    (ROTS)


    It had been over a month since he returned from Hogwarts. Alliances were forged, meeting were held and investigations were carried out.


    Fudge had royally screwed the magical Britain. Less funds for the auror department had resulted in decreased quality as well as the number of aurors. Various laws had been passed against all kinds of magical creatures that were considered dark. They were prejudiced against by the wizards. No wonder they were flocking towards Voldemort these days, wherever the shit was hiding. The ministry coffers were at their lowest and were decreasing day by day. Even the Unspeakables department was suffering.


    All this achieved by manipulations of one man, Lucius Malfoy. He had the minister in his pockets. The man had worked for years to slowly cripple the ministry and has done a great job at it. Fudge was just a puppet hungry for galleons and fame. The ministry employees were all prejudicing half wits and boot lickers.


    If Edmund decided to clean up the ministry, more than half of the offices would be vacant.


    Edmund was taking out his frustrations on his clones when he sensed extreme distress. Iris was in danger. Without a second thought, Edmund flashed to her location.


    He found himself in a tunnel. Iris was reaching out for her wand as a dementor rushed towards her while a boy too fat for his own good was struggling as he was pinned down by another dementor.


    What in the world were two dementors doing in a muggle area? Weren''t they controlled by ministry? There had never been cases of rogue dementors since.... Voldemort''s first rise. Furious, Edmund took out his wand from his holster and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!"


    Edmund stared at the patronus in wonder and awe. It was his mother''s animagus form.


    Iris looked at the patronus and then the person it belonged to. Her face lit up and all the tension in her vaporized. Getting up, she tacked him into a crushing hug.


    Edmund''s spell was ended when Iris hugged him. He put his wand back into the holster and hugged her back, a sense of being whole once again budding in his heart.


    Iris looked up him in wonder and asked, "How did you know I was in danger?"


    Edmund sheepishly smiled and replied, "You see, I knew you would never call me for help if you think the situation will put me in danger. So, I kinda added a few seals and runes that would tell me if you were experiencing intense negative emotions."


    Iris narrowed her eyes at him and pouted.


    "You shouldn''t pout like that."


    "Why?"


    "It makes me want to do this."


    Iris was caught off guard and involuntarily opened her mouth. So instantaneous and urgent was that tongue. Plunged like some writhing sea-shape into her gaping maw, it all but overpowered her senses as it sought some unreachable terminus near her uvula. It wiggled, it pulsated, and made contortive sweeps of her mouth.


    Edmund broke the kiss when he felt Iris getting breathless but stayed close to her as he rested his forehead against her''s.


    "I missed you," He said in a low breathy voice. Iris pecked on his lips and buried her face into his c.h.e.s.t, allowing a smile to appear on her face. Living at her aunt''s house this summer was tough. Her ex-friends sent her letters asking her how she was and in return saying everything was alright on their end. Sirius still hadn''t replied to her letters and when she reluctantly asked Hermionie, she got no reply. Various unknown wizards had been patrolling around in the streets. She felt like she was in a prison. Edmund''s presence made her forget all her worries.


    Looking over towards the unconcious boy and an old lady gaping at them from the opposite end of the tunnel, Edmun asked, "Whose the fatty and the squib?"


    (ROTS)


    Edmund walked behind Iris while carrying Dudley like a sack of potatoes. Though carrying potatoes would be much more pleasant. The squib, now introduced as Arabella Figg, walked awkwardly behind them.


    When they reached number 4 Privet Drive, Iris knocked on the door which was opened by a giraffe of a woman. ''This must be Petunia Dursley.''


    Edmund''s eye twitched when he observed at her. ''How can Iris be related to this woman. She''s.. average in every sense of the word. A bit low on the intelligence side maybe. Did Lily Potter inherit everything good from her parents and left the trash for her sister?''


    The human giraffe shrieked when she saw her walrus of a son unconscious on Edmund''s shoulder.


    Already getting annoyed Edmund said, "Stop shrieking like a deranged banshee woman! Move aside so that I can put this son of yours down. I''ll explain everything to you."


    Before the giraffe could reply, a man fatter than a whale rushed towards them, sweating all over. ''Merlin! A walrus, a giraffe and a whale. A whole variety of animals live here. And look at all that sweat. Yuck! so disgusting. I bet it tastes like gravy.''


    "Stop right there Dursley or else I''ll strip your son n.a.k.e.d and drop him outside for your neighbors to see."


    That made him stop moving but the whale still fumed with a face so purple Edmund wondered if he''d burst a vein or two.


    Looking towards Iris, Edmund raised an eyebrow and said, "What a colorful family you have."

 Chapter 32

    As Edmund put Dudley on the couch, his eyes darted towards a familiar looking door under the stairs. His blood boiled when he thought how could someone be so cruel to have a child live in a cupboard. Iris took notice of it and gently grabbed his hand, asking him to keep his calm. Even though they were very subtle, this silent interaction did not go unnoticed by Petunia.


    As the Dursleys sat beside their fainted son, Edmund began, "Petunia Dursley, since your sister was magical she must have told you about the creatures that live in the magical world."


    At Petunia''s nod, he continued, "Did she ever tell you what a dementor is?"


    "N-No."


    "Dementors are foul creatures that feed on a person''s happy thoughts and memories. They eat souls of living beings. That''s all they live for. Your son, along with Iris here were attacked by two such creatures."


    Petunia and Vernon paled and their eyes widened with horror. A moment later, the look on Vernon''s face turned into that of utter rage. He stood up and made his way towards Iris while saying, "It''s all your fault you worthless freak! We should have left you at the doorsteps, right where you belong! If something happens to Duddlers, I swear I''ll..."


    Before he could continue, a voice invaded everyone''s ears, a voice so cold It could freeze their very souls. "You''ll do what, Dursley?"


    Vernon turned around to retort but words couldn''t come out of his mouth when he saw Edmund''s face.


    Edmund''s expression was completely neutral. His eyes were glowing red with slits as pupils. A faint red aura was emanating from his body that strangely made the Dursleys want to flee for their lives. When Vernon looked into Edmund''s eyes, he saw himself die in the most brutal ways he could imagine. He took a step back and lost control of his bowels while mumbling coherently.


    Disgusted by the smell, Edmund used a scourgify to clean Vernon''s mess.


    He turned towards Petunia who was by now on the verge of fainting. "Your sister would be turning in her grave seeing the way you have raised her daughter. You call her a freak. You made her sleep in a cupboard for ten years, only to stop when her Hogwarts letter arrived. You made her cook and clean the house at a tender age of four. You hit her when she scored more than your son. You scorned her very existence. In my eyes, the only freaks here are you and your husband."


    Turning towards the squib who had been standing there quietly, he spoke in the same icy tone, "Dumbledore must have appointed you to keep an eye on Iris while she lived here right?"


    Figg nodded shakily.


    "Did you report any of this to him? Did you tell him how these brutes treated Iris? That they made her life worse than a house elf''s?"


    "I-I did. But, he just said to keep telling him about it."


    Edmund''s head snapped towards Iris who just stood there, her face showing betrayal and sadness. "Did you hear that Iris? The f.u.c.ker knew everything."


    A bitter look flashed across her face. Every passing day Dumbledore''s image in her eyes kept dropping and now hearing that he knew about her life all along? It completely destroyed whatever was left of her trust and respect in him.


    Edmund meanwhile checked for any mental manipulations on the Dursleys but found none. That solidified his hate for them.


    Just then, an owl came flying into the house though an open window. It was a ministry owl that was carrying a letter addressed to Iris.


    Upon reading it, Edmund was struggling between laughing at Fudge''s idiocy and desperation or to curse out at the bullshit the letter was saying.


    Expelled Iris for underage magic? She didn''t even use any! Looking over to Iris and seeing the incredulous look on her face, Edmund figured she was having the same kind of thoughts.


    "Iris," Edmund said, "The wards around this place are set. Grab your things, you''re coming with me."


    Right when Iris was about to respond, the front door was flung open and a man entered with his wand pointing towards Edmund while a woman and another man, who looked so much like Arthur Weasley, stood beside Iris protectively.


    "Get away from Iris young man," The first man, who Edmund recognized as Remus Lupin, growled as he stared into Edmund''s eyes trying to intimidate him.


    "Professor Lupin! What are you doing?!" Iris yelled.


    "Stay away from him Iris," Remus growled again. "He could be a death eater."


    Edmund raised an eyebrow, "Really Lupin? Your trying to scare me while also insinuating that I could be a death eater? Iris is in a much bigger danger being around you than being around me. You almost mauled her in third year when you forgot to take your potion. And if I were a death eater Lupin..."


    Edmund suddenly disappeared from everyone''s view. Panicked, Remus tried to move only to find himself held by a vice grip around his neck and a sharp object touching the top of his head.


    "...You and your little wizard goons would already be dead."


    Edmund allowed Remus to turn around and see his companions being held down with knives pointing towards their throats by two people who looked exactly like Edmund.


    Remus took a deep breath and spoke, sounding defeated, "Alright, I was wrong. But before you try anything I''ll tell you that others will be here any minute now."


    Edmund tightened his grip that made Remus hiss in pain. "And you think I will release you because of it? Tell me, why the f.u.c.k are you here before I snap your neck like a twig."


    "We are here to take Iris somewhere safe."


    "Are you''re saying that this house isn''t safe for her? Then why did Dumbledore force her to stay here every summer?"


    "That is enough young man," A gruff voice sounded from behind Edmund and he felt a wand at the base of his skull.


    Edmund smirked, "So good to see the real Moody here."


    Iris couldn''t tolerate all this and yelled, "Will someone tell me what''s going on?! Why are you all here? No one answered any of my letters for the whole summer. Why am I being kept in dark? Professor Lupin, where''s Sirius? Why hasn''t he answered to any of my letters?"


    "We''re here to take you to him Iris. And don''t worry about the letter you got from the ministry. Professor Dumbledore is working on getting the expulsion revoked as we speak."


    Edmund decided to interrupt, "Wait a minute, she''s not going anywhere without me."


    Moody growled, "You will be coming with me lad. If You-know-who is already recruiting students we need to know."


    "I want you freaks out of my house now!" Suddenly Petunia shrieked. Seeing so many wizards entering her house had overwhelmed her.


    Edmund sighed. It seemed there was no cure for the Giraffe''s simple and underdeveloped mind. Releasing Remus as his clones puffed out, he turned towards Iris while swatting away Moody''s wand. "Get your wand away already. I could kick your a.s.s all the way to Sunday before you even think of sending one of your measy spells towards me. Iris, let''s go see your Godfather. I have a bone to pick with him anyway."

 Chapter 33

    As they entered the Black ancestral home, Remus grabbed Edmund by the back of his collar and pulled him inside. Just when they reached the dining room, Edmund, who was not at all amused by such a cheap intimidation tactic, grabbed Remus'' arm and twisted it hard, forcing Remus to free his collar.


    "You''ve got a lot of nerve trying to rough me up Lupin," Edmund said menacingly. The rest of the occupants of the room immediately pointed their wands at Edmund while Iris, who was struggling to keep her calm already had her wand placed at Remus'' temple.


    "Iris! What are you doing?!" Sirus yelled, shocked that Iris would side with a stranger.


    "What am I doing?" Iris yelled back, finally losing some of her cool. "What do you all think you are doing?! Who do you all think you are?! You isolate me for the whole summer, never answered to any of my letters, had goons patrolling around the street, making me feel like a damn prisoner and when I was finally about to get away from my so called relatives, Remus coerced me to come here because you were here Sirius. When Edmund agreed to come with us despite Moody''s blatant insult upon his person, Remus tries to rough him up and show superiority."


    "I tolerated because Lupin here has some familial relation with Iris," Edmund continued after Iris, ignoring the sickening crack that was heard from the arm he was holding. "But that doesn''t mean you can have your way with me. Being a Lord of a Noble House and a Wizengamot member, I could declare a blood feud against each and everyone of you and legally murder you all right now."


    Before anyone could think of a retort, they felt a heavy pressure bearing down upon them. Unable to bear it, their knees buckled and they fell down, their breath hitched in their throat and their backs were drenched with cold sweat. Their bodies began shivering due to an unknown sense fear.


    Mustering a lot of courage, Sirius spoke in a jittery manner, "Um, w-we can be ci-civil here r-right.? The-the-there''s no n-need for violence."


    "Oh I''m being very civil mutt. The fact that you''re friend wolfy here is still alive says a lot," Edmund growled.


    Sirius looked at Iris and pleaded, "Iris, pl-please. Listen to me. Vol-voldemort has been quiet and w-we are all quite para-paranoid. Al-alright, I''m so-sorry for what Remus did. Please, le-let''s all just, ba-back off ok?"


    Edmund looked towards Iris and made eye contact with her. After a silent conversation between the two, Iris turned towards Sirius and nodded while Edmund released his hold on Remus. The pressure upon everyone disappeared and they collectively gasped for air.


    Sirius sighed, he looked at Edmund who was already healing Remus'' arm, though very halfheartedly, and then towards Iris, "What''s happened to you Iris?"


    "We''ll talk about this later Sirius."


    Finally, everyone calmed down but they kept looking at Edmund warily. Without saying another word, Edmund and Iris went upstairs and locked themselves in a room while throwing out what looked like pig weasel''s stuff. A few minutes later, they could hear some people trying to open the door and some yelling but, since no one had studied chakra seals in their lives, they just kept banging on the door.


    For the rest of the day, they kept their interactions with the order members, Weasleys and teacher-pets to the minimum. No one saw them for lunch or dinner.


    The next day, Iris stormed out the room followed by an equally incensed Edmund.


    The ministry had just informed Edmund about Iris'' trial being pushed forward while no such update had arrived for Iris.


    "We''re leaving for the ministry," Iris began, gaining everyone''s attention. "Edmund was notified that my hearing had been pushed forward by two hours."


    Without wanting for anyone''s response, Edmund grabbed Iris'' hand left the house. Once outside, they flashed to the ministry building.


    As they entered the chamber where the hearing was to be held, they stood beside each other, ignoring how other lords and ladies were looking at them.


    Soon, Fudge entered the chamber and took his seat. He was taken aback when he saw Iris standing in the middle of the room with Edmund and for a moment was lost, not knowing how to proceed. A quick glance towards Malfoy and a nod from the said man, Fudge decided to proceed as was pre-determined. Though this interaction didn''t go unnoticed by Edmund.


    When everyone was settled, Fudge began, "We are here to witness the trial of the accused, Iris Potter, on usage of underage magic in front of a muggle, thus breaking the statute of secrecy. All those who..."


    Eye twitching with annoyance, Edmund decided to interrupt before Fudge made an even bigger a.s.s out of himself. "Minister Fudge! Before you proceed with the ''sentencing'' of Ms. Potter, I''d like to address the Wizengamot upon matters that are very important and very much related to this case."


    Fudge looked as Edmund as he had grown another head. Wasn''t he supposed to be of the dark faction? Even though Fudge had betrayed him and Edmund must still be a bit angry about it, his family was a supporter of Lord Malfoy. Surely he must have been informed about the verdict Fudge was about to pass.


    "Edmund my boy..."


    "... I''m a lord minister Fudge and I''d like to be addressed as such. I''m also a member of this esteemed body and it is my right as a member to be heard by my fellow lords and ladies."


    Fudge cleared his throat and replied nervously, "Of course. The Wizengamot recognizes Lord... Whirlpool."


    Edmund stepped forward while Iris maintained a stoic expression. She had wanted to say a word or two of her choice but Edmund had emphasized that she had to stay quiet and let him handle the situation.


    "Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. We have been called here to witness the hearing of an ''underage'' witch accused of using underage magic. This is an insult to our traditions and the laws set by our forefathers..."


    "... And how is this an insult, ''Lord'' Whirlpool?" Malfoy interrupted.


    "Lord Malfoy, a full Wizengamot hearing is held when the accused is an a.d.u.l.t. This is a case of underage magic. How can anyone justify this trial, it is contradictory in itself! Furthermore, I do not see any interrogator who is questioning Ms. Potter or any evidence that she used magic. Minister Fudge was about to call for vote while Ms. Potter was not even given a chance to defend herself nor was she provided with a defence, which is the right of every witch or wizard that is a part of our magical community. But, before any of that, this is a mockery of our thousand year old laws because the fact that Ms. Potter didn''t cast any protective charm and now she stands accused, makes me question their very credibility."


    The Wizengamot members started murmuring. Fudge started sweating. He glared at his undersecretary who''s head snapped towards him and nodded quickly, affirming that Iris had used magic.


    "How can you be so sure that she didn''t use a protective charm?"


    Edmund smirked and replied in an icy tone, "Because it was I who used the charm to drive away two dementors that were about to give ''the kiss'' to a muggle named Dudley Dursley and Ms. Potter."

 Chapter 34

    Everyone in the chamber was shocked. (A/N: I''ll call it a chamber because this is the wizarding world and it doesn''t have the normal judicial system so no court rooms. I can''t remember what they are called in the movies or books).


    The Wizengamot members knew Fudge had gone a little too far in using his powers as the minister by holding this trial just for a measy case of underage magic. But if she was actually innocent and Fudge had still accused her without any kind of inquiry or evidence, then it was blatant abuse of power and it would be a huge blemish in Fudge''s political career.


    "Before any of you ask me to prove it," Edmund continued. "I am willing to swear a magical oath. I, Edmund Dominic Whirlpool, Lord of the Noble House of Whirlpool, swear upon my life and magic that it was I who used a patronus charm to defend Iris Potter and her cousin Dudley Dursley from two dementors. This I swear, so mote it be."


    With a quick lumos and nox, Edmund provided the undeniable proof that Iris was innocent. Fudge looked like he was s.u.c.k.i.n.g on a lemon, a very sour lemon, as well as chewing on its bitter seeds.


    Before Edmund could say more, the doors of the chamber were flung open and Dumbledore entered the chamber in stride followed by a timid old woman.


    "Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore."


    Silence, that was what greeted Dumbledore. This was supposed to be a trial, or more of a tactic for Fudge to discredit Iris'' claims about Voldemort being alive again. Everyone had expected Dumbledore to try and appear to defend Iris. Many of the Lords and Ladies were assured that Iris was rightfully accused for using magic in a muggle area, but Edmund had proven it to be a lie. This was seen as an insult by many of the members of Wizengamot. They were deceived by the minister. No one acknowledged Dumbledore''s appearance as they were too busy glaring at Fudge who was by now wilting under their furious gazes.


    Edmund looked at Dumbledore with a blank expression and said, "You''re a tad too late for the hearing Headmaster. I just proved that Iris is innocent."


    Ignoring Dumbledore''s sputtering, Edmund turned around and spoke, "Since me being alive has already proven that without a doubt, Ms. Potter has been wrongfully accused, I request this body to give their verdict and end this farce of a trial. I further request Madam Amelia Bones to investigate why were two dementors present in a muggle area and had specifically attacked Ms. Potter. It shows the utter incompetence and stupidity of certain individuals as they couldn''t even notice the absence of two dementors much less control the dementors present in the ministry."


    Edmund was sure Fudge would have a coronary at any moment. He had not so subtley called Fudge stupid and incompetent and Fudge had to force himself from speaking anything against it as it would show his involvement in the matter. Damn that Umbridge, she had promised Fudge that no one would suspect them and it was a foolproof plan.


    Gulping down a very sour blob of saliva, Fudge gritted his teeth and said, "All those who agree with dropping the charges against Ms. Potter?"


    Almost everyone lit their wands in agreement while Voldemort''s supporters stayed from raising their wands. Seeing the overwhelming majority, Fudge sighed in defeat and raised the gavel to announce, "Cleared of all charges," before giving it a bang.


    Iris looked at Edmund as they both shared a smile. Quickly, they manoeuvred through the crowd of reporters and before anyone could catch up to them, they disappeared in a flash of black and yellow. (A/N: No Iris doesn''t know Hiraishin. Edmund was holding her hand when he flashed away and her hair is black in colour. Well, you got the rest).


    Back at Grimrauld Place, Sirius was pacing around, too nervous about the outcome of the hearing while Remus was trying to help him calm his nerves. The other order members were sitting on the couches and chairs, too lazy to bother.


    Iris descended from the stairs and spoke evenly, "Sirius, Remus, can we talk upstairs?"


    In her usual motherly tone, Molly spoke, "Iris, my dear, when did you return? We didn''t even see you. I hope that boy has left? Now, why don''t you join us and have lunch. There''s a seat available next to Ron. You can sit with him."


    Iris'' eye twitched with annoyance as she suppressed a sigh. Even though Molly had been good to her, the woman couldn''t be any more obvious in her futile attempts. "Sirus, please follow me upstairs. You too Remus. We need to talk."


    "But Iris, we''re about to have lunch!"


    Iris scowled and said, "Now!"


    For a moment the pair of mutts gaped at her. Then they involuntarily shivered. Iris reminded them of a fiery red head and they did not want her to be against them. Lily was vicious when they were being petulant or didn''t listen to her. Excusing themselves quickly, the marauders rushed behind Iris.


    When they entered the room, they saw Edmund resting against the wall. The air immediately got tense.


    "It''s nice to officially meet the two of you. My name is Edmund Whirlpool, and I''m Iris'' boyfriend."


    Now they gaped at Edmund. Sirius looked shocked and frantically asked, "What do you mean, her boyfriend? Iris! You can''t have a boyfriend right now. You''re just fifteen!"


    "Um, Sirius..." Remus tried to stop him but failed to do so.


    "Don''t Sirius me Moony!"


    Edmund raised an eyebrow and spoke, "What do I mean by saying that I''m her boyfriend?"


    A duet of thuds were heard. Edmund and Iris turned towards the two men only to see them unconscious on the ground with their mouths wide open.


    Iris glared at Edmund and pouted, "This is your fault."


    Edmund''s only reaction was to nervously rub the back of his head.


    (ROTS)


    A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. But I found this to be a fitting ending for it so I stopped here. Rest will be in the next chapter. Hopefully I''ll be able to release it within twelve to sixteen hours.

 Chapter 35

    Waking Sirius looked around and found a very distraught Remus sitting next to him.


    "Sirius! You''re up!" Iris exclaimed.


    He shook his head and replied, "I just had a bad dream. I saw a boy kissing you and claiming to be your boyfriend."


    A voice cut in, "But that wasn''t a dream. I ''am'' her boyfriend and I ''did'' kiss her. You fainted after that."


    Eyes wide, Sirius looked at a very resigned Remus who gave a mock sigh and said, "It''s true padfoot. Iris has grown up now. She has a boyfriend. They''ve been together since last year''s Halloween. She doesn''t need us. She has her prince charming to take care of her."


    Edmund and Iris had already talked to him about his actions. Remus had sincerely apologized to Edmund and was ashamed for his behavior. The truth was, Dumbledore had warned him about Edmund being involved with Voldemort and had asked Remus try and intimidate him and get some answers. It was foolhardy to try and do so. Edmund wondered if the old man was getting desperate with his pawn slipping out of grasp that he took such an action.


    Sirius gasped and yelled with an exaggerated "NOOOOO!!"


    "Exactly!" Edmund said with flare, amused by their antics. Iris on the other hand looked abashed. "I am here to take care of her. She doesn''t need two balding old uncles breathing down her neck."


    Playing along, Sirius grabbed his c.h.e.s.t and turned to a laughing Remus, "Did you hear that? He said I''m getting bald!"


    "So you agree with being old?" Iris laughed.


    "Even Iris is pulling my leg," Sirius pouted, which did not look good on a middle aged man''s face.


    "Alright enough of this. Time to talk," Edmund said. Looking at Sirius, he continued, "Tell me Sirius, when you had Iris in your arms that night in 1981, why did you let Hagrid take her away?"


    Looking somber, Sirius replied, "I was distraught and wasn''t thinking straight. I wanted to kill Wormtail for what he had done. Also, Hagrid said that Dumbledore had asked him to get Iris. I mean, if it''s Dumbledore then he''d be able to protect her. So I handed her over and went after that rat."


    "And what good that did. You were thrown unceremoniously in Azkaban while Iris was left at the doorsteps of her aunt Petunia."


    Both Sirius and Remus looked shocked. Left at the doorstep? That was, unbelievable. Turning towards Iris, they saw a lone tear roll down her cheek.


    Edmund continued mercilessly, "They starved her, made her work like a slave, raised her by calling her names like freak! She didn''t even know what her name was when they begrudgingly admitted her into primary school! They made her sleep in a cupboard. It''s a miracle her eyesight wasn''t affected. Petunia Dursley is a spiteful woman and hated magic. Everyone who knew Lily Potter was aware of that. Still, Dumbledore left Iris with them!"


    Remus sputtered, "Bu-But, It''s Dumbledore! Surely it wasn''t that bad! I mean, it might have been difficult but not to that extent! Dumbledore promised me she was taken care of. That''s why I never tried to look for her."


    "Not that bad? Do you know what they had told her about her parents? About Lily and James Potter?"


    Getting a negative head shake from the two, Edmund continued, "They told her that her father was a drunk and her mother was a whore who died in a car crash. They told her that she carries filth in her veins. They have told everyone in their circle that Iris goes to a juvenile disciplinary school."


    When Iris began sobbing, Edmund hugged her tightly while glaring at the mutts who were shocked numb. "But the reason why we both are at odds with Dumbledore is..."


    Then he dropped the bomb, "... because he knew all about it. He knew exactly how she was being treated and did nothing. Worse is that he''s been forcing Iris to go back to those mongrels who pray everyday for her to die in a pit."


    Edmund knew the two marauders truly believed in Dumbledore and that he couldn''t ever be wrong. If it was upto him then he would have already alienated them. But they were the last link Iris had to her parents. So, for her sake he was ready to give them a chance and change their view of that old dried out piece of shit. If this didn''t work out, Edmund would seal everything about this conversation in their minds forever.


    Sirius mumbled incoherently while crying. Remus, who had better control over his emotions, asked, his voice quivering, "But why? What reason does Dumbledore have to go to such lengths?"


    "I can''t figure out what that man wants. Has anyone told you about her first and second year?"


    By now both Iris and Sirius had stopped crying. When she heard that Edmund was about to share how she threw herself in danger, she got scared. Knowing how the two a.d.u.l.ts in the room would react, she was not looking forward to their mothering and nagging.


    Edmund glanced at Iris and immediately knew what she was thinking. A devious smirk made it''s way across his face as he began recounting the events of first year. The incident with the troll, the dragon in Hagrid''s hut, the Cerberus, the dead unicorns and their blood s.u.c.k.i.n.g wraith and finally, the traps, her confrontation with Quirrell-Mort, the philosopher''s stone and the absence of Dumbledore who had left for the ministry on a broom. Then he broke down those incidents for the two and said how convenient those traps were for the so-called golden trio. A broom and a rusting key, a magical chess set, a troll, first year potions as a riddle and the Mirror of Erised that Iris had seen during Christmas.


    Then he recounted the events of second year. How Dumbledore carefully chose his words to keep the suspicion on Iris, how he allowed the students to bully her and how she fought a Basilisk and how he disregarded her safety, knowing she was stabbed in her arm with a fang of that Basilisk.


    Edmund sat aside in the corner as he saw the three interact like a real family. He was happy for Iris. She finally had a godfather and an uncle who cared for her. Even though she was indignant and was arguing with them, Edmund could see the happiness on her face. He vowed to himself. No matter what, he would protect that happiness till the day he died. That was a promise -ttebayo!


    ''SHHHHHIIIII.....''

 Chapter 36

    Iris stayed at Grimrauld Place for two more days, spending time with her godfather and uncle. Meanwhile, Edmund secretly destroyed all the dark objects in the building and had to convince the deranged house elf to let go one particular trinket of doom.


    When he sensed the familiar weakened aura of Voldemort in the building he sent his henged clones to find it. He could have killed the elf for trying to stop him, but he decided not to and convinced the elf that he''d destroy the locket himself. He also learnt a very important bit of information. Voldemort''s trinkets were called Horcruxes, a very dark type of soul magic in which the caster splits its soul and anchors the part to an object. The process was fueled by murder.


    Now he had the diadem and the locket. Was there any lost item that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff?


    ''Well, time to read some history books.''


    As he was coming back to his room, he heard a commotion down in the dining hall.


    "What the hell are you doing with that death eater spawn Iris?! Listen, you should stay away from him. He''s dangerous. I told you in our first year right? His whole family is dark. I bet Voldemort has ordered him to get close to you. Hermione! Make her see reason!"


    "Ron''s right Iris. I''ve read about it. Vulpis family is very dark and evil. They killed a lot of people in the last war. Vulpis must have been trained like Malfoy. They hate muggleborns like me, like your mother. Iris, listen to us please! He''s not good for you."


    Edmund listened quietly, hidden out of sight of everyone. There were two youngest Weasleys and their mother standing at one side while Granger had flanked the opposite side. The pig had Iris'' shoulders in his grasp and Iris'' eyes were slightly unfocused.


    Edmund frowned while feeling lightheaded, ''Iris would have clocked that shit in the jaw for touching her. Why isn''t she reacting? Ugh, why am I getting so.. confused? I''m dark and evil? Voldemort sent me to get close to Iris... I''m dangerous for her... I''m a Vulpis... I hate muggleborns... I''m not good for... Wait, what''s that smell? It''s perfume, a very strong one. It''s.. messing with my head.


    .


    .


    .


    Oh... no they didn''t!''


    Edmund in a deep menacing voice, "What do you mongrels think you''re doing?! How dare you!"


    Before anyone could react, Edmund jumped forward in a blur and grabbed Ron''s face in his palm. Then he lifted him up and slammed him through the dining table. Ron screamed in pain. Then he jumped towards Molly Weasley and smacked her hard on her face, sending her flying through the kitchen door.


    Sirius, Remus, Tonks and other order members came running into the room. Edmund''s fist was about to hit Ginny''s abdomen when all the men jumped in to stop him.


    "Edmund!" Remus exclaimed, shocked at what the enraged teen was about to do. "Get a hold of yourself! Why you attacking them?!"


    Edmund snarled, "Smell their perfume! Smell it and tell me why I shouldn''t just crush their filthy selves under my feet!"


    Remus moved forward and sniffed. The smell of the perfume was very strong and it had something in it that was making him feel less focused and confused.


    Remus might not have had a mastery in potions but he was good at the subject. So when he smelled it, he immediately recognized a confounding potion. He then eyed Iris and saw that the situation had caught her completely unaware.


    "Edmund... Wh..What''s going on?" Iris asked, bewildered.


    Molly stumbled out of the kitchen and saw the people standing in front of her. She saw Edmund being held by a couple of men and immediately thought of turning the situation on him.


    "Keep holding him!" She screeched. "He just attacked us and said he wanted to kill us! He wants to take Iris to You-know-who!"


    Remus narrowed his eyes at Molly and said in a hushed voice, "Molly, tell me honestly, why are all of you, except Iris and Edmund, wearing a perfume that has a strong confounding potion in it?"


    All the order members turned towards her while they relaxed their hold over Edmund.


    Before Molly could think of a way to get out of this predicament, Edmund growled, "They were trying to compel Iris to break up with me. Saying that I work for that bald snake faced dork. That pig Ron had the gall to touch her with his pig hands. You better keep holding me down Sirius, or I will put an end to their pathetic lives."


    Every order member looked at Molly, dumbfounded by what she was trying to do to Iris.


    But now, she was once again manipulated. Iris looked ar Hermione, feeling betrayed. So overwhelmed with the feeling, she broke down, "How could you do this Hermione? I thought... I thought we''ll be friends again. I was ready to forgive you. I just wanted my best friend back. But you..."


    With a clenched jaw, Edmund hugged Iris, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.


    Molly was trying to mumble her way out. Edmund scowled at the infuriating woman and snarled, "Shut the hell up you cow. Get me Arthur Weasley. I want that man in front of me within the next twenty minutes, or else I do it without him being aware."


    Kingsley just nodded and went towards the floo, understanding what Edmund had meant. Fifteen minutes later, Arthur Weasley came rushing through the floo and went straight towards them.


    He looked at Molly who was eyeing everyone while looking down and asked, "Honey, what''s going on?"


    Then he looked towards Edmund, "Lord Whirlpool, Kingsley said this was urgent. Why did you call for me?"


    "Sit down Arthur."


    "Your youngest children, your wife and Granger used a confundus potion as perfume and tried used it against Iris to have their way with her. It''s so strong that it could damage anyone''s brain who doesn''t have decent occulomency skills."


    "Wha..." Arthur tried to say something but his voice was caught in his throat. He was shocked at what his family was trying to do. He knew Molly always wanted Iris and Ron to be together and was sad when Edmund became Iris'' boyfriend but this was downright criminal.


    Edmund continued, "So, I Edmund Dominic Whirlpool, Lord of the Noble house of Whirlpool, declare a blood feud against house Weasley, and their transgressions shall be forgiven when the right action is taken against the offenders. This I swear, so mote it be."


    Arthur''s eyes went wide like saucers. Weasley family was down to earth and a family that believed in honest living. Never had anyone declared blood feuds against them. Arthur felt like he had aged over decades. His own wife and children had shamed his family name.


    "You are an honest man Arthur, so I''ll give your family a chance. I don''t know what you''ll do with them. But if they get out of this scot-free, I''ll erase every single Weasley''s existence from this world."


    Without giving the man any face, Edmund grabbed Iris'' hand and said, "Let''s go. We''ve overstayed our welcome here."


    Iris just followed him without saying a word. Edmun snapped his fingers and all their belongings were arranged in from of him. After sealing them in a scroll, he, along with Iris flashed away from Grimrauld Place.

 Chapter 37

    Iris stayed at the rebuilt Whirlpool manor for the rest of the summer. Her mood had been at it''s worst for the past few days and Edmund was worried for her. He didn''t know how to comfort her and so he was getting frustrated.


    On one particular night, when they were returning to their rooms after dinner, Iris stopped Edmund by slightly pulling his sleeve.


    "Edmund," She began, hesitant of what she wanted to say.


    He turned around and asked, "Yeah?"


    "Can we.. talk for some time?"


    "Sure!"


    "In my room."


    "...Ok."


    Edmund followed Iris in her room and sat beside her on the bed. He waited for her to start as she took a few deep breaths to gather her thoughts.


    "Growing up with my aunt, I never had the privilege of knowing what friendship was like. I was alone. No one wanted to get acquainted with me in primary school. Even the kids in my neighborhood avoided me. Mostly out of fear of Dudley and his friends."


    She stopped for moment and continued, "When I met Hermione, she was lonely, just like me. Everyone shunned her away for her attitude. But I knew she was just trying to get some friends. So, I decided to be one and extended a hand if friendship. We have been through so much together. What did all that amount for? All I got in the end was betrayal. Why did she betray me Ed? It hurts. Why does losing her hurt so much?"


    Edmund understood her. Even though friendship wasn''t one of his strongest points, he had the memories and experiences of a four hundred year old man who lived for his friends and those he considered precious to him. Without the rookies, without Umio Iruka, without Sarutobi, the Ichiraku, Tsunade, Jiraya, Kurama and all those Naruto had come to care for, he would have been a lost and a broken man.


    For Iris, her friends were her anchors, her strength. And losing them, their betrayal had hurt her.


    Edmund scooted closer to her and gave her a hug. He whispered into her ear as her breath quivered, "It hurts because you loved her as your best friend. It''s the worst kind of feeling when someone you love turns their back on you. It hurts because your love for her was pure and true."


    Iris sobbed, "I don''t want to feel hurt again. Help me forget it. Please."


    Edmund broke the hug and kissed her passionately. He could taste her tears though it so he kissed them away, trailing across her cheeks to her closed eyelids and then back to her lips.


    Edmund gently pushed her onto the bed and she followed.


    "Hush," he said. "Hush. It''ll be alright." And he kissed her eyelids again, then again her lips.


    The kiss continued on past the point where he usually broke off. Then, slowly, he pulled away.


    Iris groped for him, as though she was blind. "Ed, please, please..." her lips touched his.


    Then he kissed her again, slowly slipping her shorty nightgown over her head. His strong and gentle hands began to stroke her, his hands, his lips, his tongue trailed across her body.


    Gentle. Not frightening. Knowing what he was doing. Iris felt her n.i.p.p.l.es rise, and it startled her.


    "Shhh," Edmund whispered. "Shhh, it''s all right, don''t worry, just relax and listen to your body."


    He was slow, rhythmic, gentle, moving down her body, down ¡­


    Iris was nothing but her body.... there was a sharp brief pain... brief... and then a sweet spasm went through her... and she seemed to rise into the air, sitting on his legs.


    There was no more pain. Just the sweetness.


    The incredible... oh, the... and then Edmund, panting...


    Iris pressed him hard against herself. They kissed as she moved her h.i.p.s, her legs crossed behind his waist and her hands pulled the hair of the back of his head.


    Edmund pushed her back to the bed and continued moving, grunting ever so slightly. He inceased his pace, moving his waist a little faster as Iris m.o.a.n.e.d and panted with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.


    (ROTS)


    For the rest of her stay, they did not go beyond kissing and exploring their bodies.


    Edmund increased the intensity of her training and involved his clones to help her get used to cast against fast and intelligent moving targets. Just for the fun of it, Edmund''s clones henged themselves into Ron, Snape, Malfoy and Dumbledore. Iris enjoyed taking out her frustrations and pent up rage at them.


    Meanwhile, Edmund learnt about Helga Hufflepuff''s lost artifact, her cup. Edmund mobilized his house elfs and his clones all over England. He could sense that it was close, but was hidden behind wards. He continued his training with the bijuu through the connection they shared and was able to finally achieve mastery over four of the five elements.


    Finally, it was time for them to depart for their fifth year, one which Edmund was not looking forward to. An unpleasant toad had set her feet on Hogwarts grounds.


    Edmund just wished he wouldn''t have to kill that infuriating woman too.


    (ROTS)


    A/N: So..... SURPRISE!!! Yeah, that happened. Hope you enjoyed it. I didn''t want it to seem smutty and vulgar so I kept it limited. Hope it wasn''t too little... or in some cases too much. I admit it was cheesy, no doubt about it. But I guess it was better than most fafictions where they just butcher it and make the involved parties seem like some s.e.x crazed lunatics out of a stupid p.o.r.no.


    PS. Sorry for the short chapter. Don''t kill me.

 Chapter 38

    Umbridge was the worst DADA teacher to ever walk in the halls Hogwarts, atleast that''s what Edmund thought.


    The first class with her, Edmund was done imagining thousands of ways to kill her by the time class ended. Fudge, in his ever so increasing paranoia of thinking that Dumbledore was trying to take his seat as minister, had unleashed this wretched and hateful woman upon impulsive teens.


    The only thing that helped Edmund keep his calm was his training sessions with Iris.


    The day they came back to Hogwarts, Dumbledore had summoned Edmund to his office.


    He already knew what the old coot wanted to talk about.


    In his usual annoying grandfatherly tone, the old coot said, "Mr. Vulpis, I hope your summer was good."


    Edmund just stared at him, then inclined his head sideways and scowled, showing his disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e at being called what he was not.


    Being the cunning old shit he was, Dumbledore understood that Edmund wasn''t there for small talk so he went straight to the point.


    "Mr. Vulpis.."


    "It''s ''Lord Whielpool'', Headmaster Dumbledore, and you better address me as such."


    "Please forgive an old man for his poor memory, Lord Whirlpool. It seems age is getting to me. I would like you to recind your recent, and I must say uncalled for, drastic action against the Weasley family."


    Edmund quickly interrupted, "Uncalled for? They were using a mind altering potion on Ms. Potter and were trying to turn her against me. They even insinuated that I take orders from Voldemort and was trying to harm Ms. Potter. My action against them was throughly justified. Molly Weasley should be rotting in azkaban for trying to do such a henious thing against an heiress of a Noble and Ancient house. Her youngest children and Ms. Granger should be expelled from Hogwarts for being part of this dastardly and unforgivalbe plot. I took pity on Arthur Weasley and gave him a chance to save whatever face is left of his family name."


    Dumbledore was slightly taken aback. He was not expecting Edmund to come back at him this aggressively in their conversation. He was confident that he could convince the young lord to reconsider. Should he use a memory charm? No, it was too risky. Using mind magic against a lord had severe repercussions. Though it had intrigued Dumbledore when Edmund used the name Voldemort so openly without a hint of fear.


    Over the past year, Edmund had been a wrench in his well laid out plans. Iris was well on her way to become the perfect sacrifice against the forces of evil. Leaving her in Petunia''s ''care'' had been the best decision he had made. Iris had entered the wizarding world as a submissive and malleable little girl. So starved for love, she would have immediately accepted Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley when they would have apologized.


    Initially Dumbledore wanted her two friends to stay with her when the rest of the school alienated her. That way he could easily control what she learnt and who she interacted with. Since her friends would have been there in her time of need, it would have made her more protective of them, so much so that she would lay down her life for theirs.


    But he underestimated Mr. Weasley''s jealously and Ms. Granger''s insecurity. The former was a selfish and a petulant child who craved fame and money while the latter feared being shunned by the rest of the school if she remained associated with Iris. The two were wild cards and he shouldn''t have depended on them to bring Iris deeper into his hold.


    The situation was still controllable, but the appearance of Edmund had changed things. Iris had somehow fallen in love with him and the two spent the majority of their time hidden somewhere in the castle.


    Even the house elves couldn''t point out where they were hidden, or as Dumbledore suspected, didn''t want to tell him. He was the Headmaster and the elves shouldn''t have been able to hide things form him, but they did and he couldn''t understand how.


    The night after selection of champions, Iris had returned as a completely changed girl. She had quite aggressively stated that she did not enter her name for the tournament in any way. Her chatacter was completely changed that what it usually was. She was crass, uncouth and unforgiving in voicing her opinions.


    Then the Yule Ball happened. Dumbledore didn''t even want to think about it. The night had been insulting for a man of his position among the wizarding world. There was no way for Edmund to have tricked him, but somehow he was tricked, masterfully so.


    Edmund was a dangerous person for his plans and Dumbledore wanted him out if the picture as soon as possible. So he suggested Molly to try and dose Iris with a potion to make her push Edmund away. He had even convinced Hermione to help in brewing the potion as Severus was unavailible.


    Though reluctant at first, Hermione had agreed upon being promised to let her keep the time turner and a month long access to the restricted section. He had assured her that it was for the best to separate Iris from Edmund.


    But the boy had once again ruined a perfectly concocted plot.


    Clearing his throat, Dumbledore said, "My boy, you must learn that forgiveness is a man''s salvation. Men make mistakes and one must forgive them. Everyone deserves a chance to come back to the right path from which they have strayed. It is for the greater good. Resentment bodes ill will and darkness."


    Edmund''s eye twitched with annoyance.


    ''Forgiveness is salvation? I call bullshit! Should I just forgive those assholes for trying to take away the only person who matters to me? No, I should have turned them into mashed dog food for trying that. Should I have forgiven all the evil the Vulpises had committed? Merlin''s bloody a.s.s not! This old man is deranged. Forgiveness can only exist in an ideal and a perfect world, and this world is far from being one.''


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, I''m afraid we don''t see eye to eye and I won''t just forgive them. As I have warned Arthur, if there''s no action against them then I have no choice but to take a more drastic action. It was nice talking to you Headmaster, good day."


    With that said, he rushed out of Dumbledore''s office as the old coot sat silently, scowling at his door.

 Chapter 39

    Iris was late for her training. Though Edmund couldn''t blame her as she had a detention with that toad bitch.


    The despicable woman had somehow manage to rile Iris up and started an argument in her first class, fueled by Granger and Weasel. Iris was so riled up that she had loudly exclaimed that Voldemort had returned and she had seen him resurrect through a ritual.


    Finally, Iris came through the door and immediately placed her book bag away. They had been meeting every night in the ROR. They couldn''t spend the nights together since Iris'' privilages as a champion were removed and she had to sleep in her dorm.


    After sharing a quick kiss, Edmund created a few clones and Iris began her routine training. They were now practicing more lethal spells and adding more variety of spells belonging to different branches of magic into spell chains. Iris was progressing steadily and Edmund always sat aside, observing every move and analysing where she could improve.


    But, this time there was something off in her movements.


    Edmund narrowed his eyes and observed more closely. Iris'' wand hand was shaking and it''s back was red, a bit too red.


    Edmund sniffed, there was faint smell of blood coming from Iris. He frowned and dispelled all the clones.


    Iris turned around to look at him, confused as to why he had ended the session.


    Edmund swiflty moved towards her and grabbed her wrist. He brought her hand closer to his eye level while Iris hissed in pain. Edmund''s blood began to boil when he saw the words etched into her hand.


    ''I must not tell lies.''


    "Umbridge did this... didn''t she?" Edmund asked in a hushed voice.


    And right now Edmund was absolutely pissed.


    "Come on, let me heal you."


    Edmund kept an impassive face as he healed her hand, managing to prevent her hand from getting scarred.


    "You should rest now Iris. You''ve had a long day."


    Iris stared at him for a long minute. She knew what was on his mind and it frustrated her that she couldn''t do anything about it. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "Just.... don''t get caught."


    "Never."


    Enough was enough. It was time to take out the trash.


    (ROTS)


    Umbridge was drinking her tea and doing her usual paperwork. She was feeling smug, thinking that she had put that stupid half blood girl down a peg. Served her right for saying things against the minister. The dark lord back from the dead? People didn''t just come back from the dead. It was a ridiculous belief.


    A hand appeared from beside her and grabbed her by the throat. Before she could see who the attacker was, she was pushed against the wall, the hand still choking her as she struggled to get free.


    A sudden sense of mortal danger invaded her mind. It was suffocating and being choked was adding to it''s effect. Her heart was racing at dangerous levels. She wanted to scream and ask for help. But she was out of breath. She cried and tried to ask for mercy. The hand''s grasp was so strong that she couldn''t even turn her neck to see who had attacked her.


    Then, orange fur began to appear on the arm attached the hand. A towering monstrosity entered her field of vision. Long ears, huge sharp canines, large tails violently swishing and destroying her office and those eyes and those red glowing eyes piercing her very soul. (A/N: He''s channeling kyuubi''s chakra, so red eyes. I don''t want to see any comments saying, *Hey you said they were blue!*).


    The monster began opening it''s mouth as the feeling of fear intensified, so much so that she could feel her heart give up.


    It opened it''s mouth wide and brought it close to her face and then it roared.


    A dreadful scream escaped from her mouth and then her throat tore apart from inside and her heart exploded. Her eyes popped out of their sockets and her brain degraded in her skull.


    Dolores Jane Umbridge was dead, died by screaming out of immense fear.


    (ROTS)


    Cornelius Fudge was drinking down his worries. Day by day he was getting more paranoid that Dumbledore was trying to cause civil unrest and get him ousted by the wizengamot.


    With the help of Lord Malfoy, bless the man''s pure soul, he had been able to remove Dumbledore from his Chief Warlock post, thus clipping the man''s wings. But he still held a lot of power and influence on the young minds of students. So he had sent his most trusted employee to Hogwarts to keep a check on Dumbledore''s moves.


    If only that Potter girl was expelled. Fudge had worked really hard over the summer to throw mud at her name. But she was saved by that new Lordling Whirlpool. What could kid like that Whirlpool do anyway? Lord Malfoy was on bad terms with that boy and Fudge had been looking for some way to get back at Edmund.


    Fudge downed another glass of firewhisky. He felt a tap on his shoulder. His head snapped backwards to look what it was but saw nothing.


    He suddenly became conscious of the silence in his office. It was too quiet. Perhaps the nerves were getting him somehow. He needed another glass of alcohol.


    But when he turned around to pour himself another glass of firewhisky, he immediately stopped. In front of him stood a masked figure. It''s red eyes glowing eerily. Fudge was about to point his wand at the figure when he felt immense pain originating from his abdomen. It was expernal but then it turned visceral. Looking down he saw the figure''s hand inside his abdomen, pulling out his entrails.


    Fudge screamed in pain and tried to fight back. But before he could muster enough strength to attack back, the figure conjured a knife and decapitated him.


    (ROTS)


    The wizarding world was in turmoil. Many were now beginning to believe the words of a girl they had slandered mercilessly over the past months.


    The signs were visible.


    He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had quite possibly returned from the dead because the dark mark had appeared in the sky above Hogwarts and the Ministry, filling dread into the hearts of the people of Wizarding world.


    His guts were used to spell terror on the bloody walls of his office.


    ''For the Dark Lord.''


    (ROTS)


    A/N: I think it was a good chapter. Obviously I would think it is. If I didn''t I wouldn''t have released it. Tell me if you liked it or... not. Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 40

    The past few days in magical Britain were perilous.


    With the possible return of Voldemort, a sense of doom had fallen upon the wizarding community.


    Wizengamot meetings were held. When the time to decide the new minister arrived, with hiss shrewd mind, Edmund was able to shift the decision towards electing Amelia Bones, who had recently accepted an alliance with house Whirlpool on behalf of house Bones, for the seat.


    It wasn''t a landslide victory and there was a close competition with Amos Diggory who was selected to be a candidate from Dumbledore''s camp. But the old goat couldn''t do much since he wasn''t allowed back into the Wizengamot. His position was taken over by Augusta Longbottom and Edmund had left no way for that to change.


    Months went by and the ministry was systematically cleansed off the influence of Lucius Malfoy. Edmund enjoyed watching the helpless constipated look on the man''s face. His control over the various offices of ministry were slipping out of his hands and all could do was watch as he hopelessly tried to hold onto whatever was left of his influence.


    Killing Fudge was a decision he had made quite impulsively. Since he had killed Umbridge, Fudge would have tried his very best to implicate Iris. No, the man had to die. And what better way to do so than implicate a megalomaniac and make people believe his return?


    But, Voldemort still hadn''t reacted. There were no attacks, no disappearances and no major commotion among the dark creatures. Was he bidding time for people to stop believing in his return? Edmund couldn''t have that.


    After explaining Iris the possibilty of Vordemort trying to stay low, they decided to provoke the dork in a way they were sure he''d react publically.


    (ROTS)


    Voldemort was standing in his throne room in malfoy manor. He was currently discussing attempts to bring various dark creatures as allies to his cause with Lucius. A streak of bright light shot down from the ceiling and straight into Voldemort''s c.h.e.s.t.


    "My Lord!" Lucius cried in surprise, his wand in his hand.


    Voldemort waved Lucius off as he drew the envelope the light had resolved into off of his c.h.e.s.t. His magical senses told him no harm would come to him from the letter. He examined the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Tom Marvolo Riddle.


    [Dark Assat,


    I hope having a body back finds you well. Thank you ever so much for making it easier for me to kill you, dumb shit. I have been reading a lot about your tactics during the last war. I found it curious that you mainly attacked muggles who couldn''t really defend themselves. You must be one scared little bitch inside to pull the tactics you did. But then we already know this since you attacked me when I was just a baby. You were that scared of me! What a p.u.s.s.y.


    Even now you are hiding in the shadows, not revealing yourself to the magical world. Know that while you continue to hide I am going to make a mockery of you. When I am done with you nobody will fear your name. Have fun buggering Lucius.... or perhaps getting buggered by him. Might as well invite Snape and give him a quickie.


    With extreme loathing,


    Iris Lily Potter


    Kicker of Voldemort''s A.s.s as a Baby]


    Lucius remained silent as he watched Voldemort''s expression start to grow more severe until he could feel the angry black magic permeating from the dark lord like a force of nature. Then something curious happened. A spray of brown substance shot forth from the parchment Voldemort held and coated his body. His lips had been peeled back from his teeth in a silent snarl while reading the letter and therefore he got shit on his teeth.


    Lucius wrinkled his nose at the smell.


    "Potter!" Voldemort snarled.


    He threw the parchment away and made to destroy it but he wasn''t fast enough. A torrent of acid, magically enhanced, shot from the parchment and sprayed all over him. Some got Lucius too and the vile liquid began eating at their flesh.


    Voldemort''s ''s wand twisted through the air in a complicated movement that saw all of the fecal matter and acid vanish from the room along with the letter. He stunned a screaming Lucius before he sent a summons off to Snape. He would need healing potions to treat these burns. He made sure to remove the memory of the cause of the burns from Lucius mind and replace it with the memory of a magical accident while experimenting with dark magic being the cause. It wouldn''t do for Voldemort''s followers to see him suffer such an attack.


    "Potter, I will make you pay," Voldemort hissed into the silence of the room as he cast pain numbing charms on himself while waiting for Snape to arrive.


    His eyes momentarily flikered towards that morning''s prophet lying at his feet which had come with the letter.


    [Dark Lord is a Half Blood Bastard


    -By Charlie Chaplin


    That''s right readers, you read that correctly. The dark wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort is really a half blood bastard born to a muggle Tom Riddle Senior and Merope Gaunt from the town of Little Hangleton. In fact the words "I am Lord Voldemort" is an anagram for the dark lord''s true name, Tom Marvolo Riddle (Junior of course). The tale of Tom''s past is a tragic one involving love potions and a young witch deluded by l.u.s.t and what she believed was love.]


    The article then went on to detail that story. The article was well written with plenty of picture evidence from the scenes and events being described.


    [I don''t know about you readers but this writer finds the fact that the purebloods bow and kiss the feet of someone they claim to fight against rather hilarious.]


    Voldemort snarled in anger, which turned out to be a high pitched shriek. Enough, with his secret out in the public, and in such a shameful way, he had to make a statement.


    (ROTS)


    A/N: I had a test in college so didn''t get much time to type this chapter. Also the reason why it is so short. My apologies.


    Anyway, did you like the chapter?

 Chapter 56 - Im still alive

    F.u.c.k you all haters.


    You ruined my mind with your hate. So much so that I attempted to end my life. F.u.c.k you and may your lives be damned. Everyone who hated my stories, especially ''Harry Potter: Rise of the Spiral'', and made me go mad with self hate, may your children suffer from what I had to.


    To all those who liked my stories... I may or may not continue them. Writing those stories was the best thing to even happen as well as one of the worst moments of my life were a direct consequence of them. All I can do is apologize for disappointing you all.