Harry Potter and the Other Half

Chapter 2: A few shocking surprises

As everyone ascended the stairs, Sirius held James and Lily back.

"If I had known about you two, I would have done anything to get you by my side," he told them. Lily immediately threw her arms around her long lost father. James held back for a few moments and then did the same.

Lily had started crying and said, "We love you, Papa!" James gruffly agreed, considering he was still slightly pissed off at Lily and Sirius.

Harry's annoyed voice interrupted the family moment. "James, if you want me to show you to our room you better hurry up!" James rolled his eyes, thinking, Hmph, that little idiot. I bet he thinks I'm not good enough for Iris. A Black is good enough for anyone! And with that, he trudged up the stairs after Harry.

Lily gave her father a kiss and then ran up the stairs to where Ginny and Iris had been waiting patiently. Ginny jerked her head towards one of the many doors as they reached a hallway. Iris stepped closer and opened the door. Inside they could see the sleeping form of a girl on one of four beds in the room. The three walked inside and tried to close the door silently, but one of the hinges creaked.

Hermione was startled from sleep and groaned, "Wha', who's there? It can't be morning yet!" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No, it's not morning yet, Hermione. But there are two other girls who've come to stay for awhile." The only response Ginny got was a nod and the sleeper rolling over again.

The redhead shrugged. "Well, anyway, um, here are your beds. I don't know what we're doing tomorrow. Good night." The two foreigners nodded and got into bed. Ginny pulled off her bathrobe and gave a small yawn, before she too, got into bed.

~*~*~*~

Upon opening the door to the boys' room, Harry had immediately gone to bed without even a word. James had sat up for a little while thinking about his life, now that he knew his father. Everyone had always said that he was a good person, if a troublemaker. He wondered what they'd say now that they knew his father was Sirius Black. But then again, his Father had been proven innocent and cleared of all charges, even honored. James still couldn't stop thinking. His thoughts turned to his old life in America, because he would definitely have a new life now. He sighed and finally got into bed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

After a few hours, the boys all woke with a start.

"Is that someone screaming?" questioned Ron. James and Harry both nodded. The three young men opened the door and walked towards the sounds.

~*~*~*~

The Weasley twins were restless after seeing the two gorgeous girls downstairs.

George looked at his twin and said, "Wow, those girls were amazing!"

Fred nodded, but pointed out, "Yeah, but Harry probably got to them first." They both looked at the other with the same thought on their minds', Maybe we can push him out of their minds with our ridiculous amount of charm. There were two consecutive pops as first Fred, then George Apparated out of their room and into the girls'.

The four young teenaged girls were panicked from sleep as Fred and George landed on two of the beds.

"Fred, you're on top of my legs!" groaned Hermione.

"Oh god, George right? Well, I think you broke my shin." was Iris's matter-of-fact addition to the groans circulating the room. The door suddenly creaked open.

When Harry and James caught sight of what was going on in the bedroom they both shouted, "Get off my girlfriend!" and they started shaking their fists as they stormed into the "disaster area".

Fred and George's faces went from an expression of good-natured humor to slight fear as the two teens, bulked up with Quidditch practice, approached them. They fell off their perches and everyone present started laughing.

Iris looked at her brother defiantly and stated, "If you can have a girlfriend of your choice, then I can have a boyfriend of mine! And besides once you two get past the fact that I'm Harry's brother and James's girlfriend you'll probably start the Marauders' second generation." The two black-haired boys looked at each other, then at Ron's speculative look. The group got comfy and then one of the twins pulled out a deck of cards.

"Exploding snap, anyone?" were the intriguing words that followed this action. Of course, no one could refuse. They started off the game, after a short introduction. James was sitting on Iris's bed with his arm around her and Harry was doing the same, with his arm around Hermione while sitting on her bed. Ron and Ginny were next to each other and the twins took places on either side of Lily.

~*~*~*~

The next morning everyone assembled in the basement kitchen for breakfast. Mrs. Weasley was busily setting out plates and food, when the younger residents of the house came downstairs. Fred and George both sported identical pairs of rings under their eyes, as well as twin yawns, as they sat down at the table. James, Lily, and Ginny were still arguing about who won the sixty-seventh game of exploding snap and Harry and Iris were learning more about each other, with Hermione following along.

Lupin and Sirius entered next, along with Mundungus Fletcher and Tonks. Tonks and Lupin's arms were linked while they were walking and they sat very close to each other on the bench. Harry broke off from his conversation to look oddly at the pair.

Lupin smiled tiredly at his former student, "We've finally found our true love and we're engaged." Harry promptly dropped his forkful of egg. Hermione smiled at her boyfriend's shock.

After regaining his composure, Harry politely asked, "When's the wedding?" And with that, everyone was drawn into the conversation of wedding plans.

~*~*~*~

Later that day, after Iris beat Ron in their nineteenth chess match, the teens started to get bored and decided to go on a picnic. They went to the kitchen to pack some lunch and found Lupin and Tonks talking about their wedding.

"I thought you promised you would wear your hair with a normal color." Lupin was complaining.

"Yeah, well, I've decided I want my hair to be sky blue for our wedding!" was Tonks' indignant reply. Ginny started giggling at the ridiculousness of the conversation. The bickering couple looked up, startled. The other girls started laughing, too. Unfortunately the boys couldn't understand what was so funny, so they just looked at each other, confused.

After the girls got over their laughing fit, Tonks asked the kids, "Where're you going?"

Still confused, Ron declared, "We were going out for a picnic," then politely added, "Want to come?" The adults agreed. They packed more food and were in the entrance hall when Sirius came limping down the stairs, followed by Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey.

Sirius surveyed the scene and asked, "You guys going out?" The group nodded and laughed at his familiar over eagerness to get fresh air. Dumbledore paused the group before they left. "Sirius, I'm afraid we shouldn't throw you out so openly into the wizarding world just yet. I suggest you go out in your Animagus form." Dumbledore suggested kindly. Sirius rolled his eyes and stepped into the kitchen to change.

~*~*~*~

The blanket was spread out on the fresh, green grass and everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves. Lily took a break to throw out some garbage. While she was walking, she looked around at all the other people at the park. Sirius was having fun chasing birds and butterflies in the soft summer air and the group she had just left was laughing over a joke one of the Weasley twins had said. When Lily turned her gaze to what was in front of her, she noticed a tall boy of around her age with long, silky, white blonde hair. He had clear, gray eyes and a well-sculpted face. He was wearing nice pants and a light green, button down shirt.

When Lily reached the garbage can, she accidentally dropped one of the empty soda cans. The blonde boy stooped down to pick it up and handed it to her with a smirk, but not one of malice, just humor. She smiled at him, he nodded and walked back to his parents. She sighed with longing as she watched his swaggering gait. Shaking her head, Lily walked back to her friends.

When she sat down, Lily was immediately questioned by Iris, "Do you know who that was?" Lily shook her head. Harry spoke up, "That was Draco Malfoy." Lily looked at him questioningly, looking for more detail as to why her friend's brother spoke of him with hate. Hermione sighed, "He's been our," she indicated Ron, Harry and herself. "Enemy ever since first year at Hogwarts." Lily shook her head, refusing to believe that the nice boy she had just seen could be one of the most prominent Death Eater's son.

~*~*~*~

A few hours later, Harry, Iris, and Sirius moved away from the group and into the woods. Once under the cool shade of the trees, Sirius changed back into a man. They walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the dappled light falling through the canopy of leaves. Sirius cleared his throat, ready to start an important conversation. "Do you either of you have any questions for me?" Harry looked at his godfather and his sister.

The boy picked at one of the trees. "Um, how come Iris lived in America, but no one seemed to know about her?" Sirius laughed at this.

"I was at your parents' house after they were murdered," the twins' godfather began grimly. "Hagrid was there already and had you in his arms, Harry. I was one of the few that knew of Iris's existence." The man swallowed painfully. "I knew I shouldn't let Hagrid find out about Iris, or else she'd have been one of Voldemort's targets earlier. I made it seem as if I had come for Harry, gave my bike to Hagrid, then doubled back for Iris."

The two teens were silent for a few moments, thinking. Iris looked up wit tears in her eyes and spoke in a strangled voice. "What did our mom and dad look like when ... when they died?" Harry looked at the grass with a pained expression on his face, and Sirius gasped and began to cry.

The answer came slowly, but surely. "They - they were unharmed, it seemed, but th-they were d-d-dead! Th-the four of you would have looked like a per-perfect fa-family if ... if you were all sitting on th-the same c-c-couch." At this response Iris lost the calm composure the others had grown used to and began to weep. Harry unused to this emotion in his sister, let alone any girl, was unsure on how to comfort her, so he just hugged her close, tears running silently down his face.

Sirius watched in sad silence as the two teens, who, looked so like his two dead best friends, comforted each other at his answer. He was happy that they were getting along, though, and that lessened his sadness. He cleared his throat, and asked if they had any other questions. The trio continued their conversation, answering the twins' questions about the blood-charm and many other things.

~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, back out in the sunshine, the British teens started up a game of tag, running through the wooded areas and the fields. Some how Lily managed to elude her friends and crept towards where the Malfoys had last been. As the young woman peered through some brush she spotted the handsome blonde from near the garbage receptacle. Lily paused in the bushes, the warm sunlight dappling her skin and hair through the leafy canopy of the woods. She was so awestruck that she didn't comprehend what Draco was saying to his parents until he bumped into her in the bushes.

"Oh," Lily murmured looking up several inches into the gray eyes and pale, pointed face of Draco Malfoy. "I-I'm sorry! I-I d-didn't re-" Then, the tall, icily handsome young man shushed her with his calloused hand over her mouth.

He leaned forward, and whispered in her ear in perfect French. "You don't have to apologize to me, Belle. I need no apology from a beautiful and kind-hearted young woman!" Lily blushed, for she hadn't realized until that moment her slip into the language of her childhood. Draco's face looked amused as he lifted her face with two gentle fingers beneath her chin. "What would make you blush so?" He queried in English, causing her to blush even more.

Lily Black regained her voice and spoke to this ethereal manifestation of her dreams. "I did not realize my slip to French, Monsieur, but you speak that language with perfection, if my opinion is not minded." At her polite comment he truly smiled. It made his features warmer, less icy, and more human. The two walked deeper into the woods at Draco's suggestion. They had found much to interest them in each other and had enjoyed a quiet traipse in the woods when they came upon a black-haired trio sitting in a small clearing.

~*~*~*~

Sirius, Harry, and Iris abruptly stopped speaking at the appearance of two familiar young people at the edge of their clearing. Completely startled, there was utter silence in that small space where trees did not dominate. This calm was broken by the growling emanating from both Harry Potter's and Draco Malfoy's throats.

The two boys had been enemies from the moment the met on the train to Hogwarts five years ago. Iris stared at her best friend in shock. How in the world did Lily meet up with my brother's enemy, Iris thought, and how did she become so friendly with him!

"Hello, Dad," Lily spoke cautiously. "Iris, Harry." She spoke Harry's name with a layered warning to be nice. Draco looked at her strangely, wondering why she called this man 'Dad' if her father was Sirius Black, and dead. A clear voice broke through his musings.

"Lily, do you know who you are standing next to?" her father questioned. She nodded but decided not to say anything because seeing the looks on her friends faces anything she said would be ignored or get her into more trouble with them. Instead, Draco "forgot" his manners and took the opportunity to make one of his usual mocking remarks to 'Potty'.

"So, Potter, found a girlfriend at last?" Malfoy drawled. "Of course she's foreign, that way she won't know what an idiot you are!" The twins flushed red, and Harry opened his mouth to make a cutting retort, but Iris got to it first.

"Oh, really, Malfoy? I heard you make a wonderful bouncing ferret, and since I'm foreign I don't have to follow British laws," the young witch remarked coldly. Of course that caused Malfoy to flush pink, also, he grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her back into the woods with him.

~*~*~*~

"Wait, Draco, hold on a minute!" Lily protested at his rough handling. She knew that he strongly disliked the Trio, but he knew that she was friends with them.

"Fine, I'm sorry, it's just that the Potter boy chafes my nerves so badly!" The blonde exclaimed. "I'm really sorry, if I hurt you is there anything I can do to make it up?" He asked, concerned, and took her in his arms.

"No, that's O.K., Draco. I'm fine," Lily replied leaning her head on his strong, muscular shoulder. "Everything is happening so fast since Iris and I saved my father! I'm so happy to have him back! I-I don't know how to say this," she looked up into his face, "but on top of everything else, I think there is some real chemistry between us."

"I feel it, too," the Slytherin murmured. He squeezed her tight, then let go, saying, "My parents are probably wondering where I am, I have to get back." Lily nodded, feeling some sadness at his imminent departure. "I'll see at Hogwarts, though," were Draco's final words to her as he faded into the trees. Lily took a moment before heading back to the picnic site. She helped pack away the food and blanket. Sirius, Harry, and Iris returned as the others finished packing.

~*~*~*~

As the sun set outside the windows of Twelve Grimmuald Place, Sirius, his children, and the potter twins were sitting around the kitchen table. James was holding Iris's hand while Harry sat next to Sirius, opposite Lily.

"Lily, I want you to be careful when you're around that Malfoy boy," Sirius began.

"Aren't you going to forbid her from seeing him again!" cried James, worried about his sister.

"James," said Sirius turning to his son. "I believe that Lily is old enough to take care of herself. I'm only going to warn her to cut off the relationship if it starts getting ugly, or if Voldemort takes and interest in the youngest Malfoy." At this unexpected remark James scowled.

"I have to agree because I don't know much about Malfoy, but from what Harry's told me, he's not that nice a person," Iris countered. Harry nodded in agreement at her assessment of his enemy.

Lily sighed, but agreed to her father's conditions. After all, he was only trying to do what was best for her.

At the end of the conversation Sirius ushered the teenagers up to their rooms and said good night.

~*~*~*~

Up in their room, Iris talked while Ginny and Hermione slept. They leaned towards each other from their cots and whispered.

"So, how was your walk with Draco?" Iris asked, always the curious best friend. Lily smiled dreamily.

"Oh, it was wonderful!" She exclaimed. "Draco really doesn't like his father, and the only one who cares about him is his mother. He wants to fight Voldemort, but doesn't think he'll be trusted by Dumbledore and the order of the Phoenix."

"Do you really believe him?"

"Yes, he couldn't have been more sincere! He practically cried!"

"Well, I trust your judgment, Lils. And as far as I'm concerned if the Order can get a spy into Voldemort's inner circle through hereditary, it would be a very good thing."

"O.K., thanks for the support, Irie, it means a lot."

"You're welcome; it's what friends do. Good night."

"Goodnight."

~*~*~*~

The weeks before September first passed quickly for the new friends. They had gotten all of their new books and robes. Quidditch practice had been more fun because there were three more players. On September first, three business cars drove up to Twelve Grimmuald Place, waiting for the students to get in. The sixth years got a car all to themselves, with Sirius in front with the driver. They laughed and talked, speculating and telling stories of the teachers and classes. It wasn't long until they reached King's Cross Station.