Chapter 7 - Letters from Hogwarts

(24th July 1991)

After I told Harry the truth behind our parents' death, he refused to look at me. I don't blame him. For several years I lied to him; by telling him that our parents died in a car crash. However, from time to time he would turn around and look at me for a few seconds before turning away once more. We both knew that we would have to speak to each other at some point. We just didn't know when that would be. Harry and I both shot up from the bed when we heard the sound of letters being posted in the letter box on the door.

" I'll grab it," I mumble to Harry before opening the cupboard door. I stepped out and continued my walk towards the door, to where the letters were. I bent down and picked up the letters. I checked each letter like normal. Don't know why though. Harry and I have not once received a letter. I gasped when I looked at the last two letters. One was addressed to Harry whilst the other was to me. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the letter around. There it was. On the back of the letter there was a circle of wax that sealed the letter shut. Incaved on the wax was the name 'Hogwarts.'

The time has come. It was time for Harry and I to go to Hogwarts. What would the Professors say? They have tried sending me letters for the past 3 years and I have not once written one back explaining why I couldn't go. They must hate me. Yep, they are 100% going to hate me. I might be given detention of the first day!

" Calm down, Iris," I told myself. I was just getting worked up over nothing. Everything was going to fine. Right?

The door from the under the cupboard opened and Harry soon stepped out and looked at me. His eyes crew wider once he saw my pale face. He then continued to look down into my hands then back up at me.

" Is that my letter?" Harry questioned whilst gesturing towards the paper in my hands.

" Yeah, it is. We've both received ours." I respond.

I walk over to Harry and pass him his letter before walking into the kitchen. I hand the rest of the mail to Uncle Vernon. Making sure that I still have mine. I then walk over to the sofa and plop myself down.

" Oh, Marge is ill! Ate a funny whelk," Shouts Uncle Vernon. Clearly, he opened one of his letters.

Harry sat down next to me and offered me a small smile before he went to open his letter. I was about to do the same thing until Dudley ran over and the letters Harry and I were holding. He then ran over to Vernon and passed him the letters.

" Dad! Look! Harry and Iris have both received a letter!"

Harry quickly ran over, " Hey! The letters belong to me and Iris!"

" Yours? Who'd be writing to you both?" Vernon scoffs.

Aunt Petunia walks over to her husband and son and look at the letter. She looks up at Harry and I and gulps. " Hogwarts," Petunia whispers.

" Go back to the closest the both of you!" Vernon demands. " Now!"

Not needing to be told twice, Harry and I both made our way back to the cupboard under the stairs.

~000~

Harry and I have finally made up about the argument we had. We both agreed that right now we need to stick together, not argue. He was the only family I had left. Harry has asked me the same question repeatedly.

" Are you coming with me?"

That's the thing. I don't know if I am going with him. The Professors must be disappointed in me. They truly did believe that I was going to attend when I was eleven but I didn't. I have missed out on 3 years of education. There would be absolutely no way that they would allow me attend Hogwarts now. Would they? Then Mum's voice popped into my head.

" Look after Harry, okay? Protect him with all your heart."

That's when it hit me. If I allowed Harry to go to Hogwarts without me then I wouldn't be able to protect him. He could get bullied. He was known as 'The one that survived' and so was I. If Harry had to go through this then so should I. I turned and looked at Harry and smiled.

" Harry?" I asked. He turned and looked at me, a glimpse of hope in his eyes.

" I have made up my mind," I say." I will be coming to Hogwarts with you, Haz."

Harry's eyes widened with shock and happiness. He leaped onto me and embraced me tightly." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"

Chuckling, I wrapped my arms around his small frame and returned the hug. " You are very welcome, Harry."

We stayed like that for quite a while. Well, that was until we heard a drilling noise. Harry and I pulled away from one another and looked at each other with confused expressions. I opened the cupboard door and peaked my head out. Uncle Vernon was at the front door with a drill. He was drilling a piece of wood over the letterbox on the door.

" No more mail through this letterbox."

I turned around and looked at Harry. " He has gone completely mental," I say. Harry nods in approval. I only closed the cupboard door when Vernon turned around. Vernon started walking towards the living room. When he passed the cupboard door, he slammed his hand against it.

" Sleep now! The both of you!" He shouts.

Harry sighed and walked back other to our bed and belly bounced onto the bed and landed into a starfish position but with his face in the pillows, which then caused it to creak. My hand quickly shot over my mouth, trying to control my laughter.

" BED THE BOTH OF YOU!" Shouts Aunt Petunia.

" Whoa, someone must have her kickers in a twist," I say. Harry then became to laugh uncontrollably behind me. I tried shushing him but nothing worked. A loud bang came from the door.

" Mum and Dad said it was time to go to bed!" It was clearly Dudley.

" Mum and Dad said it was time to go to bed," I mimicked Dudley but in a whisper. Harry then started giggling. I then placed a finger over my lips: gesturing him to stop. Harry's giggles then started to subside. Once I knew Dudley was finally gone, I crept over to bed and got down onto the floor. I then put my hand under the bed and pulled out a few chocolate bars for Harry and I. Sitting back onto my knees, I showed Harry what was in my hands.

" Chocolate time lets go," says Harry.

We both ate our chocolate in silence then said 'Goodnight 'before going to sleep.

~000~

The next morning, Harry and I are both forced into making a batch of cookies. Lucky enough, the batter was already done and all we had to basically do was add water and eggs before putting it into the oven.

I grabbed a mixing bowl and started pouring the batter into the bowl. I then proceeded to add in the water.

" Harry, could you do me a favor please? Could you pass me two eggs?"

Harry nods and opens the food cupboard and takes two eggs. " Here," he says then passes the eggs to me.

I crack one of the eggs open but this one was different. Instead of having yolk it had a letter. I unscramble the letter only to see that it was another Hogwarts letter addressed to Harry and I.

" I guess they really want us to go," Harry says beside me.

" I guess so," I respond.

I go and crack another egg but the same thing happened. Instead of the egg yolk there was the Hogwarts letter. Petunia must've noticed because she soon was summoned behind me.

" What on earth is going on here? The cookies should be in the oven by now," she exclaims.

I crack another egg to show her what is happening, but this time there was yolk inside. And because I didn't have it over the bowl it went all over the floor.

" Stupid girl! Look what you did!" She speaks.

I look down at the floor in guilt," Sorry, Aunt Petunia."

" Just go sit down, I guess I have to do it just like I have to do everything else."

Harry grabs my hand," Hey, you tried showing her-"

Petunia's loud scream interrupted Harry. I turned back around and faced Aunt Petunia. On the counter was five cracked eggs which all had Hogwarts letters inside. On top of that, outside the window sat at least four owls sat on the grass in the front garden.

" Vernon!" Petunia cries before leaving the kitchen.

" I guess we have to clean up the mess now?" Harry asks.

" Yep, and make the cookies," I add.

~000~

I just took the cookies out of the oven and placed them on a plate to cool. I took off my apron before wiping the sweat off my forehead. Harry then enters the room with a wide smile plastered on his face.

" Hey, Haz," I say.

His smile only grew wider, " Hey, Rissie."

" Rissie? That's new." I speak.

" I don't know, but I like the sound of it. Do you like it, Rissie?" Harry asks.

" I love it. Now could you do me a massive favor and place the cookies on the table over where Uncle Vernon is sitting." I say whilst passing the plate to Harry. He simply nods and takes the plate from my hand

"Fine day Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week. Why is that, Dudley?" Vernon says.

I answer for Dudley since he doesn't answer. " Because there is no post on Sunday."

"Ah, right you are, Iris. No post on Sunday. Ha! No blasted letters today. Not one single bloody letter, not one."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see something fly past the window. I walk over to the window and move the curtains out of the way and pear outside. Outside the house there must be a million owls perched.

" Not one blasted miserable-"

As Vernon was talking, a letter shoots out of the fireplace and zips across Vernon's face, cutting him off. There is a rumbling and then millions of letters come shooting out of the fireplace. Harry and I both laugh and watch in amazement as more letters come flying out of the fireplace.

" AHHH! Make it stop," Shouts Dudley as he jumps on Aunt Petunia's lap.

" Go away. ahh!" Screams Uncle Vernon.

"What is it? Please tell me what's happening!" Shouts Dudley once more.

Harry jumps onto the kitchen table and grabs a letter and hands it to me then reaches up and grabs himself one. Once we both one I shout, " RUN!"

We both run out of the living room and head to the hallway where the cupboard under the stairs was. Vernon follows us not that far behind.

" Give me them letters!

Harry manages to reach the cupboard but I am held back by Vernon.

" Get off me!" I scream. Vernon restrains me as several letters begin to shoot everywhere around the house.

" AHHH!" He screams.

" They're mine and Harry's letters now let go of me!"

The wood plank nailed in front of the letterbox finally breaks from the excess pressure of the letters shooting through the letter.

"That's it! We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!" Shouts Vernon angrily.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?!" Questions Dudley

Petunia watches with a horrified look on her face, knowing that Dudley may be right.

" Petunia, go start packing the stuff we are leaving!" Says Vernon.

No! We can't leave. Harry and I must attend Hogwarts, if we leave then we won't be able to go.