"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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When she looked back, even a month later, Iris found she had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though she had been through too much to take in any more.
The recollections she did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggorys that took place the following morning.
They did not blame her or Harry for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked them for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears.
"He suffered very little then," she said when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. "And after all, Amos... he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy."
When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, "You look after yourself, now." She then turned to Iris and said softly, "You meant a great deal to him. He spoke about you all the time."
Iris sniffled back her tears, giving a sad smile to the woman.
Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table.
"You take this," he muttered to Mrs Diggory. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it —"
But she backed away from him.
"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't... you two keep it."
Iris returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told her, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Iris and Harry alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed.
She thought that perhaps many of them had begun formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. She found she didn't care very much. Everyone noticed as Iris retreated back into her own little bubble, not really interacting with anyone or anything besides Harry, Hermione, and Ron. She felt as though all four of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts — and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain.
Iris spent most of her time in her dorm room, hiding beneath the sheets of her bed as if they could hide her from the world. Sirius and Remus had left rather quickly after Dumbledore asked them to spread the word to their allies about Voldemort's revival. The Weasleys, along with a few other people that Iris hadn't met before, were among those that Dumbledore wanted to reach out to immediately. Iris wished that Sirius didn't have to go, but she knew that this was urgent and needed to be done.
She had fallen into a routine after a day or two. Iris didn't know what to do with herself anymore so she zoned out, retreating within the comfortable confines of her own mind. Every day Hermione would wake up and sit on the edge of Iris' bed, reading or doing something of the like. She wouldn't speak; she knew Iris didn't want to talk, but she kept her company, letting Iris know that she wasn't alone.
