Iris Lily Potter (Harry Potters Sister) Book 1

Chapter 4

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around us. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.

She and Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and me and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor we could find and share the most thinnest and ragged blanket. I let Harry use the blanket and just sat on the floor criss-crossed .

I pull James from my pocket and try to warm him up in my hands. He squeaks and looks up at me while he shivers from the cold. "I know...I know..." I whisper as I try to warm him as much as I can with my frozen hands.

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. I watched as Harry shivered and turned over constantly as he couldn't sleep. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight.

Me and Harry looked over at Dudley's fat wrist to where his lighted dial wrist watch was and told us that we have ten minutes until we turn eleven. I sat James down and crawled over to Harry and lay next to him.

I drew a birthday cake in the dirt and Harry added in the candles and words that said, 'Happy B-Day Harry & Iris.' I looked at the watch which told me one minute left. I waited until it struck midnight and looked over at Harry.

"Happy Birthday, Harry." I say.

"Happy Birthday, Iris." He said back in the same sunken voice as me.

We blew at the same time just as the door came falling in. Me and Harry jumped up in fear as Dudley rolled off the couch with a thud. "Huh..? What..?" He asked stupidly and still tired.

I bent down quickly as James came running at me. I scooped him in my hands and held him to my chest, wanting to protect him as best I can. We looked up at the doorway and saw a giant man standing there. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard. But I could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned and looked at all of us.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..." The man said as he strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen in fear. "Budge up, yeh great lump." He said and Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind Petunia, who I just realized was there, crouching behind Vernon terrified who was holding a rifle.

"Ah, here's Harry and Iris!" Said the giant. I looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled into a smile. "Las' time I saw you two, yeh were only babies." He said and then turned to Harry. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but you've got yer mom's eyes." He then turned to me. "And you look like yer mom, the eyes and all." He said and I smiled softly yet still very confused.

I look over hearing Vernon making a funny rasping noise. "I demand that you leave at once, sir!" He shouted. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune." Said the giant and I held in a laugh as he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it were made of rubber, and threw it into the corner of the room. Vernon made another funny noise.

"Anyway-Harry, Iris," He said turning his attention back to us. "A very Happy Birthday to yeh. Got summat fat fer yeh here-I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." He said as he pulled out a slightly squashed box from an inside pocket of his black over coat.