Chapitre 21: Epilogue
THE REST OF THE YEAR WAS UNEVENTFUL when compared to the trouble that Iris had gotten herself into earlier. There were no more threats made upon her or people stalking her or watching her every move. Well… Except for Sirius. That boy had not let Iris out of his sight for even fifteen minutes at a time.
The protective aura that surrounded him whenever he was around Iris and he made sure to keep at least one arm around her at all times. Whenever she did end up having to go somewhere without him or he had to go somewhere she couldn't, he made sure that she was safe with a friend. It was obvious that he wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened this year.
Of course, because he was always with her, and she was always with him... their relationship had obviously blossomed even more. Dates were a common occurrence for the two of them on the weekends and even on weekdays. Pleasant walks along the Black Lake or a trip to Hogsmeade were always enjoyable for the two of them. They may have not said anything officially, but it was obvious to everyone that they were a thing. There was no need for them to publicly go to their friends or acquaintances and say that they were dating. Besides, neither of them liked having labels like 'boyfriend and girlfriend'.
The school year was over now, however. Students rejoiced in that fact they wouldn't have to stress over McGonagall rigorous exams or sit through Binns boring lectures. It was summertime now!
Currently, Iris was packing up her trunk along with her best friends in their dorm. They shared laughs and jokes with each other as the tense atmosphere that came with the school year melted away. Nearly three whole months of blissful laziness. That was certainly something that Iris was looking forward to.
They trotted down the stairs and into the common room where many other students were finishing up getting their things ready. The journey home was going to be bittersweet. The seven years had graduated and wouldn't be coming back next year which put a damper mood on some people, like Iris.
Iris has a few friends who are seven years and would miss them quite a bit but she was more than happy to see this year over with. Being the new girl was fun and all, but being the plaything of a pair of Slytherin boys was not an ideal situation. The end of her year made up for the things that Regulus and Lucius had done to her. Her friends made sure to keep her in high spirits, which worked.
Lucius was graduating which meant that Iris would never have to see that boy ever again. Thank Merlin for that. Regulus was another case. He was younger than them and won't be leaving the school. Despite what they had done, they were only let off with light punishments. There was no doubt that their parents pulled a few strings and got them easy ways out. Though Iris wouldn't let that bring down her mood. Three months with no Slytherins to deal with is a blessing. It was unfair to see such vile people get away without any sort of consequences yet that's the world nowadays. Iris wished it wasn't that way, but it's not like she could do much.
The platform was bustling with students getting onto the train and saying goodbye to each other before they headed home. As the girls climbed out of their self pulling carriage, they were greeted by the Marauders who had headed down to the train before them.
"Ladies," Sirius said as he walked over to Iris and slung his arm around her, "excited to be going home?"
Iris chuckled, "is that even a question?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I shouldn't have asked. Now, shall we?"
The group of friends headed onto the train and got into their compartments. Despite everything, Lily still did not want to share a compartment with James Potter. Yes, their relationship was better and included a decrease in Lily calling him names and such. However, she still wanted to keep her distance for the most part. Of course, Iris has her own hypothesis on why, but she'll keep that to herself at the moment. Lest things spiral into chaos because she insinuated something that Lily would outright deny.
The train ride was normal and fun. Iris sat with the boys for the most part and was tucked under Sirius' arm most of the time. They joked and laughed and had a phenomenal time. It didn't really feel like Iris was going away from them. It was only for a short time, but it was insignificant. She'd see them soon, that was for sure.
Iris found herself in the girls' compartment as the train came to a slow stop at platform 9 3/4. Students poured out of the red express and grabbed their belongings. They were reunited with their families before bidding their friends one last goodbye and heading home.
The first of their group to leave was Peter who squeaked out a goodbye to them and scurried to his parents. Wendy was next to go when her father appeared and introduced himself to their friend group before leaving. After they left, Marlene was able to find her family and gave them all tight hugs before going. Remus' parents showed up and swept him away. James bid his fare Lily a warm goodbye that earned him a light scowl. Iris gave him a hug before he sauntered off. Sirius was last to leave. He really didn't want to, however.
"I'll visit you," he promised Iris.
Iris smiled brightly at him and tugged him down for a quick peck on the lips. "I look forward to it, darling."
He smirked and started to walk away from her, "bye, love."
Soon enough the Evans showed up and came to pick up the twins. They grabbed their trunks and walked away from the train. Craig and Evans gave Iris and Lily tight hugs which took their breaths away. Of course, Petunia wasn't with them which Iris was pretty okay with.
They headed off the platform and towards the muggle world to actually head home. They made idle chat while loading their trunks into their car and getting in it.
"How was your year, girls?" Craig asked as he pulled the car away from the curb to head home.
Iris and Lily shared a look in the back seats that displayed that they had the same thoughts. There was no way that they were going to tell their parents about what had happened. There was no doubt in their minds that their parents would try to pull Iris out of Hogwarts after finding out what happened to her. Obviously the letter about what had happened hadn't gotten to them yet, which seems impossible yet slightly understandable.
The conclusion of the "case" that had been brought up against the boys had been finalized only recently. Really only a few weeks ago. So a letter explaining everything would most likely end up being sent to them in a few days. Even though it was bad, the girls were not going to tell their parents. They would certainly try to hide that letter from their parents. It was an understandable fear for the girls because they don't want to be separated again. Their parents would, no doubt, pull both of them out of that school for this. Even if there was another school for them to go to or not.
"Our year?" Lily asked and shared one final glance with Iris.
The short-haired girl just nodded her head, "it was good. Really interesting."
Yeah, the year certainly was interesting. Though she could only hope that the next few years at school would be normal. Well, as normal as a wizarding school can be.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone