Wands and Wishes

Waiting For the Sun

The summer holidays had come to an end and the time had come for Iris, Eridanus, and Ronan to return to school. It was with a heavy heart that Iris looked down at Sirius as he slept. The three of them had told everyone the time they were leaving but it was a lie so that they wouldn't have to say good-bye. Iris leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Sirius's lips before leaving a note on his bedside table then left the room.

"This sucks!" Eridanus exclaimed when Iris entered the sitting room.

"I wish we didn't have to go." Ronan sighed.

"Things will....get better." Iris stated grimly, "Let's just get to the platform and-"

"Do you really think us so thick that we wouldn't know what the three of you were up to?" Sirius remarked, crossing his arms over his bare chest as he looked down on the three of them.

"Why would you lie to us?" Lily asked with hurt clearly etched on her face.

"Can we not do this, please?" Eri pleaded with a sad expression of her own.

Iris and Sirius were locked in a silent battle, staring intently at each other with emotions hidden away behind dull eyes. It was then that James came in wearing a dressing gown and scratching his head. He took one look between the five of them and sighed.

"Alright Sirius, you were right." James said then looked at Eridanus, Ronan, and Iris, "You know this isn't good-bye."

"We have to go." Iris hurriedly said then grabbed a flower pot from the mantel of the fireplace.

"See you at Christmas!" Ronan said to them with a forced smile as he grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"We're not going to die." Sirius called out as Iris grabbed her own handle of the green powder.

All three of them froze, it was the unspoken fear they all shared and to hear it voiced made everything feel so real. They didn't want to go to Hogwarts and be left to wonder if they would ever see the ones they cared so much for again but there was nothing they could do.

"Is that what all of this is about?" Lily asked tentatively.

Iris dropped her floo powder back into the pot and ran across the room to throw her arms around her sister and Sirius. It was a struggle to force away the tears that burned at her eyes but she managed.

"I swear if anything happens to you, I'll kill you myself." Iris threatened then let them go, "That goes for you too Potter, and Remus as well."

"Understood." James chuckled.

"Sirius-"

"I know." Sirius said, pulling her into another embrace, "Try not to get yourself into any trouble this year."

"No promises." Iris said wrapping her arms around him while wishing she could stay there until the end of time.

"Riss, we really do have to go." Eridanus called from beside the fireplace, floo powder in hand.

Sirius let go of Iris, sharing one last kiss before he watched her grab a handful of floo powder and disappear into the fireplace.

~*~

"Prefect duty?" Eri asked knowingly.

"Of course." Iris sighed, "I'll find you two later."

"I wonder what this year has in store for us." Ronan commented as he and Eri walked off to find a compartment.