It started at breakfast.
A girl Harry had never spoken to — sixth year, Hufflepuff, quiet, always scribbling notes in margins — walked straight to him, pale as parchment.
"Potter," she said.
He blinked. "Yeah?"
She looked around, shaking.
"I saw her."
An Unlikely Witness
Her name was Iris Cawn.
She'd never taken interest in House politics. Barely spoke above a whisper in class. But now, she was urgent, voice low.
"She was standing over a black river. Wearing green robes with fire in the hem. Her eyes were silver. She said your name."
Harry's stomach dropped.
Draco leaned in, tense.
"Did you touch anything cursed lately?"
"No," Iris said, near trembling. "I just… fell asleep."
Harry asked softly, "What did she say?"
Iris looked straight into his eyes.
"'He's nearly ready.'"
Private Talk in the Astronomy Tower
That night, Harry, Draco, and Iris met in the Astronomy Tower.
"I don't know how I saw her," Iris admitted. "But ever since… I can't unsee her. Like she's watching me from reflections."
"She was watching me too," Harry said.
Theo was quiet. "If she's reaching others, she's waking faster than we thought."
Draco frowned. "Or she's being pulled back."
Harry looked at Iris.
"Do you have any marks on your skin?"
"No."
"Any magical interference?"
"No."
He hesitated.
"Then you're not dreaming her."
"What do you mean?"
"She's dreaming through you."
The Book Reacts Again
That night, Harry opened the black book once more.
This time, before he even touched the page, new text formed:
"One remembered. One borrowed. One broken."
"Three pieces form the seal."
Below it, a drawing appeared.
Three circles:
One marked with a serpent,
One with a mirror,
One cracked down the center.
He touched the cracked one.
It burned.
Final Scene – In Iris's Dorm
Iris Cawn woke screaming.
A mark — not burned, not inked, but shadowed — curled across her collarbone.
And in her mirror, just for a moment, Selene Vale smiled.