"Those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly." For Iris Potter, these words defined her whole life. Born with a natural talent for Legilim...
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Iris had heavily rejected the idea. Hermione insisted, saying that Iris and Harry had the most experience with fighting the dark arts. Iris couldn't help but think of how she froze in the heat of battle, remembering how utterly unprepared she was, and the feeling of the cruciatus curse across her body as punishment for her hesitation.
The fact was, however, that she had given the matter a great deal of thought since it had been brought up. Sometimes it seemed an insane idea, just as it had on the night Hermione had proposed it, but at others, she had found herself thinking about the spells that had served her and Harry best in their various encounters with Dark creatures and Death Eaters— found herself, in fact, subconsciously planning lessons...
Harry's detentions with Umbridge were finally over, but Iris doubted whether the words now etched on the back of his hand would ever fade entirely. Quidditch tryouts had happened that week as well, and with Oliver Wood long gone, Angelina Johnson had taken over as captain of the Gryffindor team. Only days before tryouts had Iris, Harry, and Hermione learned of Ron's plans to try out for the empty Keeper spot when Harry caught the redhead on his way back to the Common Room after he had been practising.
He made the team and Harry kept his spot, due to start usual weekly team practices on Monday. Until then, however, the boys trudged alongside Iris and Hermione through the early snowfall on a freezing October Saturday.
The Potter twins had been reluctantly convinced by Hermione and Ron to give the Defense Against the Dark Arts study group a try.
Iris had been looking forward to the weekend trip into Hogsmeade, but there was one thing worrying her. Sirius had maintained a stony silence since he had appeared in the fire the previous week; Iris knew they had made him angry by saying that they did not want him to come— but she still worried from time to time that Sirius might throw caution to the winds and turn up anyway. What were they going to do if the great black dog came bounding up the street toward them in Hogsmeade, perhaps under the nose of Draco Malfoy?
Dumbledore had asked Iris discreetly to attend the Order meeting the night before the Hogsmeade trip, due to the importance of getting information on the status of Harry's connection with Voldemort which only she could provide. Sirius had made a point of not attending this meeting and when Iris angrily went to his bedroom upstairs to confront her godfather he locked the door and hid in silence.
"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to get out and about," said Ron, when Iris discussed her fears with him, Harry, and Hermione. "I mean, he's been on the run for over two years, hasn't he, and I know that can't have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn't he? And now he's just shut up all the time with that lunatic elf."
Hermione scowled at Ron but otherwise ignored the slight on Kreacher.
"The trouble is," she said to Iris, "until V-Voldemort— oh for heaven's sake, Ron— comes out into the open, Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn't he? I mean, the stupid Ministry isn't going to realise Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore's been telling the truth about him all along. And once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again it'll be obvious Sirius isn't one... I mean, he hasn't got the Mark, for one thing."
