𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑜

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The Leaky Cauldron was an odd place. Not only for the odd people that walked about as they spoke of their strange world. No, the Leaky Cauldron was also odd for the secret world. Hidden through the back door was a small alley closed off with a brick wall. It seemed ordinary enough, but when one tapped a few bricks, the wall would pull back, and it would open to reveal a world unknown to the ordinary.

The world was, at its most basic self, a typical street with shops and a bank. But there was more.

There were creatures. Some looked normal, like any average person. They could walk the streets, and no one would mind. Others were not so human; instead, right out of fiction. Goblins maned the bank. A giant of a man carried around bags. And little creatures dressed in pillowcases and sporting elf-like ears chased after people.

The shops were for the most abnormal of things. The pet store had bats and owls. The clothing store had robes that would never have passed in the modern world. The books told of spells and potions and curses to trick your friends. And the strangest of all was the wand store.

This strange, strange world was one of magic. It was odd, yet no one seemed the slightest bit out of place.

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Harry Potter had been at the Leaky Cauldron for nearly two weeks. His days were spent in possibly the most boring of ways. Sitting at an ice cream shop writing essays for school.

It was far too early for friends to begin popping up for their shopping, so his shock was evident when one day, glancing up from his ice cream, he spotted a mass of brown hair. He about shouted out but luckily did a double-take.

No, this wasn't his friend. Her hair was darker, so much so it could be mistaken for black without the sun. And shorter, this girl's hair only an inch or two from her shoulders. Not only that, but his friend never tied up her hair, and the more he looked, the slightest bit tamer it seemed.

Apparently, Mr. Potter watched this girl for far too long as she turned and locked eyes with him, a bit of annoyance peeking onto her features. Harry quickly turned away and missed how the annoyance faded out and how recognition faded in. He missed the breath catching inter throat, and he missed her slowly pocketing her wand and grabbing her empty plate as she stood up. Most importantly, he missed as she slowly worked her way over.

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The girl had just finished a rather peaceful lunch. Playing with her wand, she sat observing the world, the people, the sky, the animals, everything. She felt the eyes of her watcher but, at first, chose to ignore them. However, then the second minute passed, and the girl found herself slowly losing the peaceful moment.

Eyes shooting into a glare, she turned her head to meet her onlookers' green eyes. Green eyes which quickly set off some form of memory. Green eyes that led to a breath catching in her throat. Green eyes which made her pocket that wand and grab that empty plate as she stood. Green eyes which sent the lone girl walking toward another.

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She seemed to hesitate just as she reached his table. Her fingers brushed against the back of the empty chair across from him. She seemed to take a moment for herself…building up some form of courage to ask the question that, with time, did leave her lips, "Mind if I sit here?”

Her voice was soft… no, not soft. Her voice was far from soft. It had a strength, it was one of those voices you had to give full attention to. But at the same time, it had a calming effect… one that made you want to listen.

One that apparently made you forget to speak back… or Harry Potter just never learned that questions typically need answers. The moment of silence that followed her question was definitely too long. He stared at the girl with empty eyes for a bit too long, but who knows, maybe that is just normal for teenage boys when a girl stands before them.

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And despite the growing awkwardness in the air, the girl remained patient, with a gentle and awaiting smile. But she did finally spur him a bit, "I just noticed you were staring," her weight shifted a bit, "then I noticed you were alone and decided to start making friends early. I assume Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts and all. Figure he could catch me up on the news and gossip."

Finally, Harry showed some emotion; however, it came in the form of a flinch and wary eyes. She tilted her head and gave the boy a soft smile, "Don't give yourself too much credit, you aren't Patrick Swayze."

His eyebrows knit together in an unasked question, one the girl answered anyways, "An actor, dreadfully attractive and far too old for me."

Finally seeming to catch the joke, Harry relaxed just a bit. His shoulders fell, leaving their stiff hold, but the wariness did linger in his eyes.

A beat of silence followed.

Shifting her weight, she tried again, "May I sit here?"

Blinking, Harry nodded. The silence held in the air as she placed down her bags from the morning of shopping. The fingers that had been just lingering over the chair finally grasped it. The chair was unstable. Had that wobble anytime she shifted her weight, the chair falling back onto the leg that couldn't quite reach the ground.

Once comfortable, she eyed the boy before her as he shifted in his seat. Her steady gaze never left the teen; however, in contrast, Harry Potter seemed more content staring at a vacant chair.

…

It only took a moment for the tension to begin creeping its way into the empty space between the two. Harry's face was empty but you could almost see the swirl of questions working behind his eyes. So the girl pushed him to speak one more time.

"You can ask anything you want." Her eyes remained steady on the boy, waiting to finally catch his and maybe start their conversation properly.

And eventually, they did. His green eyes met hers… but that seemed to stop him all the same. Understandably so… her eyes were… well far from normal by most standards. They just seemed dark from a distance, nothing to really think about. But here, now that he could get a proper look… they were most certainly something to think about.

They were mostly green, a sort of dark green, a green you see in a forest with nothing but the moon to shine on the trees. That alone was fine, unseen, but fine. What really threw people for a loop had to be the thin ring of an almost cobalt blue around the pupil.

It was unnatural… and something about those eyes just seemed to pull you in, locking you onto her gaze.

Harry eventually seemed to pull himself out of his daze, but his question showed his thoughts still held there, "How do you explain your eyes to muggles?"

The girl paused for a moment, humming to herself as her eyes stared into Harry's… then she slowly waved a hand across her face, the blue ring seeming to be swallowed by the green, "Illusion Charms can be your best friend."

She waved her hand again, lips forming a smirk as Harry seemed just the tiniest bit fascinated. Whether with her ability to perform magic with a casual wave of the hand or with the way the blue in her eyes seemed to flare outward a bit was unknown. Either way, she definitely had his interest.

But Harry Potter seemed to lack the ability to speak of his own interest and ask his own questions. Something the girl didn't seem at all bothered by. "I'm going to be a third year. My family is well known," she paused as she seemed to consider the right words, "more so in the states. So Hogwarts is preferred to leave the spotlight to some degree."

Harry's eyes narrowed, his gaze finally finding the will to leave the girl's hold over him, "Pureblood?" He seemed to cringe at the question as if whatever it meant was a touchy subject.

The girl's head tilted a fraction, once more humming to herself as she adjusted. Placing her head against her hand as she continued to study the boy and consider her answer, "Depends on who you ask I guess," her lips quirked into a smirk again, the fire in her eyes dancing, "Some would say blood traitor… or at least think it first. Technically my family has been witches and wizards for many generations, though."

Harry seemed to relax at that completely and met her eyes again. The answer clearly the correct one.

Silence filled the space between them again, just for a moment. A quick pause as Harry seemed to finally accept a level of trust in this stranger…

"Iris."

Harry blinked, the question flying out of him, "What?"

The girl smiled, eyes finally moving away from the boy as she explained, "My name is Iris."

The quiet lingered back into the space between them, but the tension was long gone. An odd sense of comfort there instead. Iris turned her attention out to the people, watching as they continued about their day, absolutely no one even glancing in the direction of the two teenagers. Harry looked down, seeming to just remember the essay he had been working on. The two just sat in the quiet, the peace… the gentle breeze, the strange hum of large crowds, and that smell of freshly baked pastries from somewhere nearby.

"I blew up my Aunt Marge," Harry said rather suddenly.

Iris's head snapped over to the boy, the words slapping her across the face. Her hand falling as she shot to attention. Her eyes wide and her voice slightly higher in pitch, "Excuse me."

Harry's eyes widened in response. "Like a balloon, she bloated and flew away!" He rushed to explain.

A breath of air left her nose as Iris relaxed once more. Harry smiled as the air settled once again, "Don't keep up with the news or gossip but yeah, I blew up my Aunt."

Placing her head on her hand, Iris smiled at the boy and said, "Well, please, do continue." Harry noticed how that blue fire in her eyes flared out again.