2 | CONFESSIONS° HARRY POTTER

7 | KATIE BELL

"Learn it for what? What do you need it for?" Veles asked.

"I need it for when I face the women who are responsible for my father's death." Iris said firmly. She could feel the anger rising in her once more but she pushed it down and buried it deep like she normally did. Now wasn't the time.

"Do you plan to kill them?" Veles asked. Iris recoiled.

"No . . . I don't think I could if I tried." Iris sighed. "I just . . . I don't want them to hurt anyone else that I care about. I don't want them to win. I want to win. I will win and I need that book to help me do that."

Iris turned and looked at Veles, sitting up even straighter.

"Unless . . ." An idea sprang up in her head. "You could help me. You have to help members of House Hel, right? You can teach me a few spells that will help me with combat and I won't need to use that book anymore. I'll even give you something in return so that it's a fair trade."

"Such as?" Veles asked, sounding intrigued.

"Anything you want." Iris said.

"I want to walk amongst you. I don't want to return to the darkness. I want to stay." Veles said. Iris tilted her head.

"I don't exactly know how everyone would feel if I had a venomous snake roaming around." Iris said. Then, Veles began to change. Iris watched, slightly horrified, as Veles's body twisted and contorted in a way that reminded Iris of how it felt for her to change into a dragon. When Veles' body stopped twisting, she transformed into a black cat with pitch black eyes.

"Is this an acceptable form for you, Mistress?" Veles asked.

"That'll do." Iris said. "And it's Iris."

Iris found Harry before they walked to Hogsmeade and took note of the angry expression Hermione had on her face when she and Ron walked a few paces ahead of them.

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Iris asked as they walked down the path. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her face, thinking of the cat that was currently taking in everything there was to see in the Slytherin common rooms. She'd think up a lie to tell people when they asked where the cat had come from some other time.

"Do you remember that memory I showed you? Of my dad dangling Snape in the air?" Harry asked. Iris nodded her head and noticed how the backs of her and Harry's hands brushed together when they walked. "I found the spell in the textbook and used it as a joke. Hermione wasn't too pleased about it. She seems to think it's possible the Half-Blood Prince could be a bit dodgy. "

"Like Death Eater dodgy?" Iris frowned.

Harry nodded his head.

"Well, Hermione hasn't been wrong much in all the time that I've known her . . ." Harry playfully groaned and Iris grinned at him. "I'm just saying that, you know . . . trusting a mysterious book that you don't know much about might not work out well."

She thought it was ironic for her to say that, all things considered but she wasn't ready to tell Harry that she had been using dark magic. She had a feeling that wouldn't blow over too well with many people. Even Oliver had been hesitant when he first found out and he supported her through everything.

"You might be right." Harry said. Their hands brushed again and Iris grabbed his, giving it a tiny squeeze.

"I usually am." She teased.

The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. Harry wanted to go to Zonko's when they reached Hogsmeade but it was all boarded up so they made their way to Honeyduke's instead. Hermione and Ron were in there as well so Iris suggested that they should stay with them in the crowded shop.