𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐄｡ // a harry potter fanfiction

i.vi

After that night, Iris continued on as if nothing was wrong. During the first week of classes, she realized that she had taught herself the entire year's curriculum already. The new witch decided to practice the execution of all the spells. She had a late start since she couldn't practice before she came to school. Iris never bothered trying to find the Room of Requirement, but instead used empty classrooms as her study space.

Sometimes Iris would spend her days in the library. The books and the movies did not do the library justice. It was enormous and beautiful. If Iris could, she would spend all her days reading all the books within the library. It had seemed like that was her main goal. Madam Pince, the librarian, had already gotten to know her by name since she was checking out books every other day.

Even though she had learned all the material, each class was still exciting. Iris excelled at transfiguration and herbology, but she struggled a bit with the other classes. Though, that did not mean she wasn't doing well. Within Ravenclaw, Iris was at the top of the class, but Iris tried not to let it show. She asked all her professors not to call too much attention to her, even when rewarding her points. Many of her fellow Ravenclaws were wondering where these accumulation of points came from, but Iris kept quiet. It was easy to be the quiet girl that didn't talk to anyone else... That is until she found out that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw took Charms class together.

During the first class, Iris was hoping that Harry wouldn't recognize her. It was too much to ask for. The famous boy immediately ran up to her to strike a conversation.

"Hi Iris! I was hoping we would have some classes together," Harry smiled with a cheery attitude.

"Hey Harry. Good to see you again," Iris responded lazily. Harry shifted a little uncomfortably, a little shocked at Iris' response. This was different from the cute, happy go lucky girl that he met at Diagon Alley.

"How have classes been? They've been a bit overwhelming for me," Harry awkwardly said, not knowing what to do next.

"Oh, they've been fine for me. The classes seem easy enough. Anyways, I've got to go now. Bye Harry." Iris quickly dashed off before Harry could respond. Iris couldn't take the awkward atmosphere and it was getting really hard for her to keep acting mean. It wasn't in her nature! Plus she was a bad actor.

The next class was even worse! It was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell. Iris couldn't focus in the class because she was too preoccupied staring at his turban. It really creeped the girl out, knowing that there was a face under it and it was Voldemort's face. Every time Professor Quirrell called on her for a question, she would stutter as much as he did!

The final straw that broke Iris was when the Ravenclaw first years had their first flying lesson with the Hufflepuffs. When Madam Hooch blew her whistle, Iris was able to call the broom up within 3 tries. She had a little bit of hope. Maybe since she was in a new world, she suddenly gained some athletic skills.

Boy, was Iris wrong. The girl was able to lift off easily enough, but once she was in the air, Iris had no control over the broom. She quickly tumbled over as soon as she hovered a foot in the air. The Ravenclaw girl was determined to succeed in flying because it was one of the coolest aspects of being in Hogwarts. Unfortunately, Iris fell so hard the last time, she was forced to the Hospital Wing to be checked on by Madam Pomfrey.

Iris was utterly humiliated. Sometimes her classmates would mention it to make fun of her. She then swore that she was never going to ride a broom again. Iris was afraid of heights anyways!

The worst part of it all was the fact that Iris couldn't share this with her best friend. Both girls were too stubborn and refused to talk to each other. She felt awfully lonely without anyone to speak to. Even if Iris sent a letter to her family, they would only send back a letter that she was wasting their time by making them write.

But, Iris channelled all her energy into her studies. The days were passing by slowly. One night, Iris couldn't fall asleep. She didn't have her cellphone for her to mindlessly scroll through things until she fell asleep. The little girl tossed and turned in her bed until she had enough of it. She was going to have a little stroll to work off her energy.

She tiptoed into the common room, making sure to grab her wand. If she was going to sneak out, she would have to take some precautions before Filch or Mrs. Norris catches her. Iris decided that the Disillusionment charm would do the trick. The spell was a little advanced for her, but she had to practice it anyways.

"Nullius," Iris whispered as she circled her wand around her body. The little witch was amazed to see that her whole body began to blend into the background of the common room. She didn't know how long this was going to last, so she quickly snuck out. Since Iris was so busy with her studies, she wasn't able to explore Hogwarts as much as she wanted. Honestly, she had been saving it for when her and Aria made up, but it didn't seem like it was happening anytime soon.

The sound of her beating heart seemed to resonate throughout the halls. Iris had never been much of a rule breaker. When she was a teenager, she only focused on studying and volunteering in order to get into medical school. So, she never had a rebellious phase.

Well, if I'm going through the teenage years again, might as well be a rebel this time around.

Hogwarts was a lot creepier at night, but the views outside were stunning. The one perk about going into the past was that the night sky was a lot clearer than it would've been in her world. Every once in a while, her illusion flickered a bit, revealing the girl's image, but she paid it no mind. Her focus was on the amazing view. Iris didn't know for how long she was staring up at the stars, but the sound of footsteps broke her out of her stupor. She quickly looked down and saw that her spell had run out.

"Oh, Mrs. Norris, I hope we catch some students tonight. I've been thinking of some new punishments that are 'acceptable' within the rules."

Filch! Iris tried to run as quietly as she could, but she could hear his footsteps getting closer. She reached for the nearest door knob and turned it. Fuck! It's locked. Iris pulled out her wand and whispered, "Alohomora."

Once it was unlocked, Iris ran inside the room. She crouched down into a little ball and covered her mouth to prevent herself from breathing too loudly. The last thing she needed was for Filch to know who she was. Iris held her ear to the door as she listened the footsteps slowly fading away.

The witch breathed a sigh of relief and finally looked around the room. She then saw something that she didn't expect to find at all. It was the Mirror of Erised. Iris didn't think about where it was since Harry found it during the holiday break. The little girl felt a little hesitant about approaching it.

What if I never want to leave the mirror? What if I forget about everything else? What if I can see my family?

Iris shook her head. She was being ridiculous. The medical student acted as if she had never said no to temptation before. All she wanted to do was just catch a glimpse of her family. Who knows when she would be able to see them again.

Slowly, she walked up to the mirror and stood directly in front of it with her eyes closed.

On the count of three, I'll open them. 1... 2... 3...

Iris opened her eyes. There she saw herself, but instead of the little girl, she was in her adult body. She was wearing her white coat and a stethoscope around her neck. In her hands was her medical degree. Her mom was lovingly holding her into a side hug. She looked exactly as Iris had remembered. She was a tall woman, with her long hair tied into a bun. Her mother had those laugh lines around her eyes, but she still looked young. Her brothers were standing around her, waving back at her.

Iris began tearing up, the loneliness eating up at her. She was alone in this world with none of her family and the only people she knew were either imaginary characters or weren't speaking to her. As if she was a little girl again, Iris began bawling her eyes out in front of the mirror. It was then that sleep finally overtook her, as Iris rolled into a ball.

When the morning sun shined into her eyes, Iris got up and stretched. Well... I found a way to sleep. The girl looked out in the hallway and snuck back into her dorm, not even bothering to cast any spells on herself. Maybe things will get better for her.