Halloween

Chapter 5. Halloween

"What was that?" Hermione finally whispered as the trio hurried through the hallway.

"What was what?" Harry asked instead, hiding his smile, not even stopping to address her question.

"Don't be so coy with me, Harry. I'm asking about the sudden feeling of danger you somehow managed to induce in everybody, making Malfoy almost piss himself. What was that?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Hermione. I didn't do anything." He said, finally sparing her a single glance and again looking forward as they neared the Hogwarts infirmary.

"Iris, some help would be nice here." Hermione scowled, not believing in the least that she had imagined the sudden terror creeping in her heart back there at the courtyard.

"I don't know what you are onto, Hermione. I don't recall Harry doing anything. I think he is being honest." Iris shrugged nonchalantly, not even looking at her, taking her brother's side as expected.

Hermione, seeing no help coming from the other girl, just slumped her shoulders and scurried beside them, dropping the topic for now. Still, she was sure that the incident did happen, that Harry did terrify their whole class, that it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. But it was no use asking him when he was dead set on denying his involvement.

~xXxXx~

The days passed quickly. The first-year students had now settled well at Hogwarts. The homesickness had finally diminished while the awe for the magical castle and the giddiness at the chance to use magic had consistently increased every day. But the professors seemed to have turned into demons.

The amount of homework had increased twofold as Halloween approached. The first years didn't know why they were being tortured by so much work when they were just in the beginning stage of their education. Not a single student had expected so much studying in their first year.

In their minds, they had presumed that they would live a fairytale-ish life in the magical castle with a chance to learn amazing and cool magic with bare amounts of unwanted homework, at least until the fourth year, then they would have become serious with their studies in 5th year, since it was OWLs year.

But it was all a naive dream. Every student of Hogwarts, whether a fifth-year or a first-year, was expected to waste their precious time on unprecious homework. It was unfair of course, but no one was bold enough to yell that on the face of Professor McGonagall or, gods forbid, Professor Snape.

One such unlucky group of first-year students were sitting around a table in the library, labouring through the useless work.

Harry was the only one who had completed his work and was just giving his friends company. Daphne and Tracey sat by his left side and were calmly working on their work while Iris was on his right side, quickly copying down from Harry's finished homework.

Hermione and Neville sat across the four, writing down on the parchment. Harry was free for the moment and his mind wandered since he had nothing better to do right then.

There had been no new quests after the earlier ones. So, his focus was still on the Philosopher's Stone. He should have gone after it by now. But he had procrastinated. And now he wanted to leave the stone until the end of the school year. He just felt that if he tried anything now then something bad would happen. His instincts were yelling at him to drop the quest for now. But he couldn't. Not when there were such huge rewards waiting after the quest.

QUEST:

– Obtain Philosopher's stone.

REWARD:

– 3000 XP

– Perk [Unlimited Money]

Bonus Objective:

– Return the Philosopher's Stone back to Flamels

Bonus Reward:

– 25 plus Affection with the Flamels

– New Class [Enchanter]

Unlimited money? Yes. New class? Yes. 3000 XP? Definitely yes.

On second thought, he wasn't really in a need of money. His family was one of the richest families in Britain. So, unlimited money, while it would be a great thing to have, wasn't necessary for now. Same with the Enchanter Class. While he would like the new choice of Class, he shouldn't be in a hurry to have that. He still needed to start the Necromancer Class and finish it before even thinking about a new Class. And he knew it would be a long commitment when he began the Necromancer class. Seeing how much time he needed to cross level 100 in Mage Class, he was sure he would at least need a year or two to just reach level 100 in Necromancer.

So, why was he in such a hurry to finish this quest? Because of those 3000 XP.

In a secrecy of his mind, he confessed that he had been addicted to the numbers. He liked seeing the numbers in thousands in his profile. It made him feel all powerful and important. It made him feel like he was a secret Merlin or something. The idea that he would become the most powerful wizard after this quest, at least in raw power if not in skills, made him all eager to complete it.

There is no secrecy in your mind. Hehe. I am here if you forgot. I know everything about you and everything that goes in your head.

'You don't count, Isis. At this point, I consider you a part of myself.' Harry thought absent-mindedly.

Aw! You are making me blush.

'You don't have a body nor a face to blush.' Harry pointed out with amusement.

Way to kill the mood, Harry. Also, you should stop getting lost in your mind when there are others around you. Your sister is giving you a concerned look. I wouldn't be surprised if she has started considering you crazy.

Harry snapped out of his mind and found Iris staring at him.

"You done, Iris?" he asked before she could. She nodded and handed him his assignments.

"Yep. Now I am free for the whole day." she grinned excitedly, forgetting her earlier worries.

"A little silence please. Some people are doing their work by themselves. They need pin-drop silence to concentrate." Hermione shot Iris a disapproving look, not agreeing with her method of just copying down from Harry's homework.

"Sure. Hermione. I was just going anyway." Iris simply said, trying not to roll her eyes. That girl needed to loosen up.

"I will come with you." Harry told her as he gathered up his things in his bag. Iris smiled and nodded.

"See you all later." Harry whispered to his friends before following Iris out of the library.

"What do you want to do?" Iris asked enthusiastically, grabbing his hand and twining her fingers with his.

"Hmm, let's just walk around and explore." Harry offered.

"Okay."

~xXxXx~

Halloween soon came and the school was decorated for the festival. There was excitement in the air, joy in everyone's hearts. The whole castle was filled with a festive atmosphere. But two students among the hundreds weren't really in the mood for any merriment or laughter.

They both were snuggled tightly on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room. They were currently alone since the others went to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. Instead of happiness, their faces held sombre looks.

"Do you remember that night, Harry?" Iris asked as she pressed her face on his chest. Harry gently squeezed her waist.

"Some of it, I guess. I remember shouting, I remember mum crying as she cradled us against her chest, as she ran with Neville's mother by her side. Though sometimes I doubt these images. Maybe they are just my imaginations. My attempts at trying to picture that night." Harry answered in a soothing voice with his chin resting over her head.

"It's not your imagination. It's real. I remember the same." Iris mumbled with a hoarse voice. Harry would have pulled her more tightly and protectively if it was possible. But since they were already pressed so close with no space between them, he elected to just squeeze her gently again.

"It's alright. We are safe. I am strong now to protect us all." Harry tried to reassure her, placing a kiss on her head. There was a moment of silence after his proclamation. A comfortable and cosy silence.

"I am thinking about mum. She must be so alone right now. Maybe Neville's mum is there sitting with her, but mum will surely cry to sleep tonight as always. I feel so bad that we aren't with her to cuddle with her, to make her laugh and smile like we do on this day every year. I feel so bad." Iris started crying softly. Harry stiffened when the image of his sobbing mum popped up in the forefront of his mind.

"Don't worry. I will take us both to mum when all the people in the castle are asleep. We will sandwich her between us and stop her from crying. We will tickle her mercilessly until she is laughing like crazy." Harry murmured, stroking her hair.

Iris giggled as she imagined her mum laughing and asking for mercy while holding her ticklish stomach. She wiped her moist eyes.

"Thank you, Harry." Iris smiled and looked at him gratefully.

"Of course. I will do whatever I can for my cute little sister." Harry smirked, kissing her loudly on the cheek. Iris groaned and pushed him away.

"You just ruined the moment." She complained, but her smile was wide and content. Harry simply laughed and kissed her again, making a popping sound as he pulled back.

"Ew, don't make farting sounds while kissing. That's just disgusting." She tried to remain stern, but ended up laughing hysterically as he continued kissing her all over cheeks and making weird noises while doing it. Few minutes later, they again were simply lounging on the sofa with their arms wrapped around each other. The laughter had faded, but the smiles were still there.

"I am bored. Entertain me." Iris demanded abruptly, looking at him expectantly. Harry frowned as he thought what to do.

"Would you like to go on an adventure?" he asked with a grin. A nice idea came up in his mind which would also make him do his work and stop procrastinating.

"Yes, if you can promise me that it's safe." she replied, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"It is. Let's go." Harry announced, standing up and pulling her up on her feet.

"Shouldn't we change clothes? Are we going out like this? Shouldn't we at least put on a robe?" Iris questioned him, looking at their clothes. They both were wearing comfy t-shirts and shorts. The ones they used as nightwear.

"No need. We aren't going on a fashion show. And these clothes are more than decent. This will do. Grab my hand." Harry waved away her proprietary concern. Iris just shrugged, pushing her hand forward to grab his.

Just as her hand clasped with Harry's, they both teleported to the third floor corridor.

"Why are we here?" Iris asked, looking around suspiciously, still holding his hand, though a little tighter now.

"This is the third floor corridor where death awaits us, at least according to Dumbledore. Now, according to me, there is the Philosopher's Stone hidden here. And, of course, we are here for adventure. We are here to obtain the powerful artefact." Harry said in a grandiose manner.

"You sure there won't be any danger there?"

"Of course there is. But don't fear my lovely maiden, I will protect you. That is my knightly oath." Harry smiled pompously.

"Fine, I will trust you."

"The best decision you took in your whole life, little sister." Harry chuckled as he led her towards the locked door.

~xXxXx~

"Don't kill the dog, please!" Iris yelled from beside him. Harry, who was currently preparing to fire a [Death Arrow] at the yapping dog, stopped and gave her a disbelieving look. The two Potters were currently standing outside of the room, at a safe distance from the killer dog.

"Are you talking about the giant three headed cerberus which is looking at me like I am its next snack?"

"Yes." Iris said stubbornly. Harry glared at her for a few seconds but Iris just glared back.

"Fine then. I will just put it to sleep." Harry groaned.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the barking menace.

"Somnus!" He yelled and increased the strength of the spell with his abundant mana points.

As soon as Harry's overpowered spell impacted the ginormous dog, it slumped on all fours with a thud and went to sleep.

"There's a trapdoor under its paw." Iris announced after she petted the sleeping dog. Harry used his extraordinary strength and pushed off the paw to the side, making the trapdoor usable. He opened the trapdoor and peered into the darkness.

"Stay back." Harry mumbled and used his Ray of Light. Bright yellow light filled the underground room and destroyed the weird tentacles thingy.

"Come, our adventure has just started." Harry smiled eagerly and wrapped his arms around her before flying them both down to the ground, in the secret room.

~xXxXx~

"Did you have to drop a big bomb on the door? We could have grabbed the key while flying on the broom. Now there is not even the wall standing." Iris looked bemused.

"Sorry. I got carried away. I mean bombs are cool. Did you hear the explosion? That was the sweetest sound I have ever heard." Harry said sheepishly.

"My twin is so weird." Iris said under her breath as they stepped into the next chamber.

~xXxXx~

"Merlin! You can't just drop a bomb on everything and expect it to solve your problems. We could have played chess with these beautiful life-size chess pieces. But no! You just want to bomb everything to dust." Iris grumbled loudly as they stood in the next chamber surrounded by the destroyed parts of the chess pieces.

"And my answer is still the same. Did you hear the sweet song of the explosion?" Harry said proudly, surveying the ruined room, nothing was in one piece...okay, nothing was in four pieces anymore, everything was broken into countless tiny parts.

"Let's keep going, my love. I am just getting in the mood." Harry bowed pretentiously, presenting his arm. Iris gave him a deadpan look but did hold his hand.

"You are a moron." she said with a small smile. Harry just grinned back.

~xXxXx~

Iris didn't even try this time. She just closed her eyes and sighed. She did a countdown to 3 and then opened her eyes. She looked at her idiotic brother who was cackling 'evilly'. He had just dropped another bomb on a mountain troll.

Nothing was left of the troll. It just vaporised into nothing when Harry sent his bomb straight at the stupid looking giant.

~xXxXx~

"Finally! A task which I can complete by myself and where you don't drop a stupid bomb on it." Iris cheered happily, reading the potions riddle.

"I mean I can try. Maybe the fires of my bomb will snuff out this weak flame. And the boom sound will be just another bonus." Harry said thoughtfully, staring at the blue flames which were roaring in front of them.

"Don't you dare. I will kill you." Iris threatened him, waggling her finger in front of his face.

"Oo! I am so terrified. I am practically shaking in front of you." Harry smirked at his cute twin sister. She looked just so adorable trying to threaten him.

She glanced at the ceiling and sighed, she was so fed up with him.

She read the riddle again and picked up the correct vial. She shot him a smug look.

"This is the correct potion." she announced. He nodded and drank half of it. Iris drank the other half of it.

"Ah! An indirect kiss. Does little Iris have a crush on me? Hmm hmm?" Harry teased her suggestively, flinging his arm around her. She just rolled her eyes at him, not deigning his stupid claim any attention.

"Let's go ahead before I leave you behind for the terrible impression of Sirius." she told him, pinching her nose. He was being extra annoying today.

"Fine, fine. Let's go. Maybe this time I can use my bombs again." Harry said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the fire.

~xXxXx~

Just as they stepped inside the room, Harry knew something was wrong. All the playfulness disappeared from him. He stiffened and became alert. He stepped in front of Iris, guarding her.

QUEST:

– Survive the spirit of Voldemort.

REWARD:

– 1000 XP

– Spirit Sword

Bonus Objective:

– Keep Iris safe.

Bonus Reward:

– 10 Affection

– 10 Obedience

– Perk [Hero]

But unfortunately for him, the danger didn't come from the front. It came from the side. Harry whirled around but even then it was too late. An ethereal light slammed into Iris. She gasped and stumbled forward. He caught her in his arms before she could fall on her knees. Though when he saw her red eyes, he stepped back in horror.

"So you are the thorn in my side, Harry Potter. Like father, like son." A raspy adult voice spoke through Iris' mouth.

Name: Iris Potter (Voldemort)

Race: Human

Class: Mage

Lvl: 14

HP: 650

MP: 1400

Affection: 90

Obedience: 50

Thoughts about you: Nothing

As Harry gained some distance between them, he used his [Observe] on her. He grimaced as his suspicions were proven correct. Only the Gamer's Mind kept him from losing his cool.

"Who are you? And what have you done to my sister?" Harry asked calmly, standing tall and proud. A mocking grin spread on Iris' face.

"Don't pretend to be innocent, Harry Potter. I know you were the one who killed my puppet. I also think you know my identity. Drop the act. Although I am surprised that a first-year like you can commit murder. Colour me impressed."

"Leave my sister alone before I can show you other things this first-year can do." Harry demanded coldly as he gripped his wand. An amused chuckle reverberated through the chamber.

"Oh, so you at least accept murdering your DADA Professor."

"Leave my sister's body and face me like a man." Harry spat, pointing his wand at the possessed body of Iris. His mind was working in overdrive to find a way out of this sticky situation.

"Hmm, I am not feeling like it. Why would I leave this body when I can make you follow my every order by possessing your twin sister?" He smirked through his sister's face.

Harry's body was taut with tension. He couldn't find any way to get them both safely out of here. He only had two months of magical education and that didn't give him much time to learn magical spells which might help in this situation. And his gamer skills were too powerful for Iris. He might accidentally kill her if he tried anything. The only offensive spell which he could use on her without killing her was Ray of Light.

But even with that, what was he supposed to do? Was he going to hurt his sister just at a slim chance that it would hurt Voldemort too? And still, what would it accomplish? It's not like Voldemort would simply leave Iris' body if he started feeling pain. Voldemort was a powerful Dark Lord. Some light pain wouldn't make him weak.

"I can see your mind working, little one. But unfortunately for you there is no way out of this situation unless…" Voldemort smirked, walking towards him.

Harry remained calm outwardly even when Voldemort passed by him and climbed down the steps. Voldemort, in Iris's body, sauntered towards a giant mirror in the centre of the chamber. Harry finally looked around the chamber and then at the mirror. This mirror was the only thing in the circular chamber.

"Unless what, Voldemort?"

"Unless you procure me the Philosopher's Stone from this mirror." Voldemort said, whirling around and facing him. He motioned Harry to come down and look at the mirror.

Harry followed.

"I am very confused though. How are you here, Voldemort? I thought by killing Quirrell I secured Hogwarts from your secret nefarious plans." Harry asked as he stepped in front of the big mirror.

"Let's just say that the murderer of my underling and the reason for the failure of my plans made me extremely curious to find out who that someone was. And unexpectedly the ambient magic of this room was enough for me to make me more powerful and control my spirit form.

"I had been waiting here, slowly amassing power, eager to meet the secret killer. And lo and behold, I see you trotting into this very chamber just months after killing my follower and depriving me of a body. Honestly, I thought you would at least wait until the end of the year before coming here to claim the Philosopher's Stone. Don't lie, Harry. I know you killing Quirrell wasn't just a heroic act. You are after the Stone too, aren't you?" Voldemort grinned secretively from beside him.

"I was." Harry confessed, staring at the mirror, not seeing any reason to lie.

"You impress me, Harry Potter. I think we don't have to be enemies. Give me the Philosopher's Stone and I will leave your sister's body. And when I rise again, you may join my inner circle." Voldemort offered gently.

"Fine. I will give you the Philosopher's Stone and you will leave my sister's body. And then I will think about your offer to join your inner circle." Harry agreed blankly as he stared at the mirror.

"That's the best we can do right now. It's a deal. Now tell me what do you see in the mirror?" Voldemort asked eagerly.

As Harry looked into the mirror for a few seconds, he gasped at the sight before him.

He saw a different version of himself, surrounded by women. The Harry of the mirror was older, taller and more handsome than anyone he had ever met. His onyx shoulder length hair were falling in waves, framing his sharp chiselled face. The emerald eyes had a strange gleam and coldness which the current Harry didn't. The mirror Harry's lips were pulled in a neutral bored smile, as if everything before him was uninteresting. He had a fancy grey white coat over his red shirt and black trousers. The coat was so big that it came down to his lower hips. But what was the most enticing thing about the figure was the power he radiated. Even the real Harry who was Level 145 Mage couldn't hold a candle against him. The mirror Harry was a sun compared to his candle.

Though he was confused with the way older Iris and his mother were wrapped around the mirror Harry. That didn't seem appropriate. He filed that for later and looked on. There were really so many girls crowded around the mirror that he knew the mirror wasn't enough to contain them. Some he recognised, like Daphne, Tracey, Astoria, but most of them were strangers.

Beautiful strangers.

"Snap out of it, Potter! What do you see?" Voldemort asked loudly. Harry scowled as he turned his face to the dark lord who was wearing his sister's body.

"I see myself surrounded by hundreds, no, make that thousands of girls." Harry mumbled bashfully. Voldemort was speechless for a second before he laughed amusedly at him.

"Well. I won't judge. But focus on getting the Stone out rather than ogling girls." He drawled.

Harry shot him a glare before concentrating on the mirror again. He used [Observe] on it.

Mirror Of Erised:

– An enchanted mirror which shows the user's deepest desire.

So, this is what Harry desired? Meh, he already knew that. Though surrounded by girls was a surprise. Maybe his lustful trait would have a far larger impact on his life than he previously thought. His eyes narrowed as the mirror Harry looked straight at him and patted his pocket. An instant later, he felt a weight settle in his pocket.

'Isis, put this Stone in my inventory.'

Okay, done!

"It's not working. I don't think I can help you, Voldemort." Harry lied as he stepped away from the mirror. Voldemort frowned but didn't look very disappointed.

"Hmm, yes. As expected. Even if you are capable of murder that doesn't mean you are intelligent enough to bypass Dumbledore's test. But it's fine. My primary objective of coming here is achieved." Voldemort smiled cruelly as he walked away from him and held Iris' wand in her hand.

"Wait! Stop! What do you mean by that?" Harry yelled, gripping his wand and standing alert.

"I am a simple creature, Harry. I believe in the philosophy of an eye for an eye. I believe in revenge. You killed Quirrell, my servant. And that means I need to even the odds. That means I need to kill someone close to you. Conveniently, I am possessing your sister who you are quite fond of. Let's fight, Harry. Let's see if you are selfless enough to die for her or are you going to kill her to save yourself." Voldemort smirked and pointed Iris' wand at him.

"Avada Kedavra!" His cute sister's face twisted in an ugly snarl as the Killing Curse left her wand.

Harry dodged the spell and trained his wand at his sister's body.

"Somnus!"

"I see. So, you are not going to hurt her. That's a bit disappointing, Harry. I thought you had it in you. The crave for power. The heart to use everything and everyone for you. But it seems I was wrong." Voldemort chuckled darkly as he batted away the sleeping spell and kept throwing killing curses as if they were going out of fashion.

But Harry was very powerful. His speed, his strength, his raw power easily eclipsed Iris'. Not a single spell came close to hitting him as he easily sidestepped them. Voldemort nodded at him, acknowledging his speed. After five minutes of just shooting curses at him, Voldemort was on his knees, extremely tired. Harry on the other hand was as fresh as he was five minutes before.

"Leave my sister's body and I will find a way to take out the Philosopher's Stone from the mirror. I will give you the Stone by next week. Just leave her body." Harry bargained desperately, seeing there was no way Voldemort would simply go away. And Harry had no weapons to fight a half-ghosty thingy without hurting his own sister. He was out of options. The Philosopher's stone wasn't worth his sister. Nothing was. His sister's life was priceless.

Voldemort slowly stood up and simply smirked at him. The smirk on his sister's lips was so similar to her real self that he would have forgotten that a Dark Lord was currently inside her if not for the amused red eyes.

"Fine, I will reward you for your excellent performance. I will leave this body."

"Really?"

"Really." Voldemort smiled. Harry felt something was amiss. The smile was so smug and victorious that he knew there was a catch. And suddenly Iris dropped on the ground as a silvery mist leaked from her. The mist coalesced into a humanoid form.

Harry cautiously approached Iris' sleeping body while keeping an eye on the ghost.

"That's very generous of you, Voldemort."

"I think you are mistaken, little one. I agreed to leave her body. But that doesn't mean she is well. She was dead in two minutes after I overtook her body. She was fated to die when you both stepped into this room, no matter what. An eye for an eye. Goodbye, little one. Next time we meet, you might entertain me more after this debacle." After dropping the disastrous news, Voldemort flew through the ceiling and fled away.

Harry was frozen on his spot after hearing that. He stepped towards the body. He used [Observe] on her.

Name: Iris Potter(dead)

Race: Human

Class: Mage

Lvl: 0

HP: 0

MP: 0

His mind was blank. He couldn't think. He couldn't process what he heard or what he saw. It was as if everything had greyed out. His vision was blurred, his hearing and sense of touch was so muted as if he had died instead of her. He couldn't feel anything. He collapsed beside her and grabbed her hands in his. It was warm, but it would cool down in a few hours. He could at least feel that.

"Iris." he said softly, touching her face with his trembling hand. Her once beautiful green eyes were now glassy and wide open.

"Iris."

"Iris. Wake up."

"Iris, please. Wake up. Don't scare me.".

"Iris!"

"IRIS!"

"IRIS!"

"IRIS! IRIS! IRIS! PLEASE! IRIS! IRIS! IRIS! Iris! Iris...Iri…" He broke down in heart-wrenching sobs, holding her body tightly against him.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry. Please come back. Come back, please. Don't do this to me. I know it's all my fault, I know but please come back. I am so sorry, Iris. Please forgive me. Come back, come back..." he cried, burying his face in her neck.

Iris didn't respond, her sightless green eyes staring unseeingly.