"Where the hell have you been?" Nicole jokingly demanded, setting her book down and crossing her arms, giving her friend what was supposed to be a menacing glare.
"Well, I was coming to find you, but then I….got sidetracked," Delaney replied.
"Oh? And how is Simon doing?" Nicole asked.
"He's good," Delaney replied, not making eye contact with her friend.
Nicole's eyes narrowed and she asked "Did you two even talk?" This question caused Delaney's face to flush red before she responded with an unintelligible mumble.
"Sorry, didn't catch that, though I don't think I even needed to. It must be pretty pointless to even attempt a conversation when another person's tongue is jammed down your throat." Nicole quipped.
"You're being unfair," Delaney sighed as she flopped down on the seat across from Nicole.
"I'm being unfair? You're being stupid. Why are you still with the git, anyway? You know he's a prat and that he's just using you." Nicole's glare became real as she spoke.
"What the bloody hell is your problem?" Delaney demanded, leaping up from her briefly occupied seat.
Nicole took a breath before stating "My problem is that I have spent the last year trying to find a nice way to help you see sense and my patience has all but run out. You're too smart to keep letting him do this to you."
"Do what to me, exactly?" Delaney couldn't have hidden the acidic tone of her voice if she had wanted to.
"When was the last time he took you on an actual date and not just to a broom cupboard?" Nicole questioned. When her only response was the deepening scowl on Delaney's face, she continued, "When was the last time he talked to you when his friends were around? How many times has he copied your homework or had you check his for him? Do you even have conversations?"
"You don't get it. You're biased against him and you see nothing but the bad."
"Fine, if that's what you want to think. I won't concern myself with it anymore, just don't expect any sympathy when you finally see him for what he really is. I don't know what the Sorting Hat was thinking when it put him into Hufflepuff. It should have put him into Slytherin." Nicole sighed.
"Right. Good to know your opinion. I'll see you up at the castle." Delaney replied curtly before turning on her heel and storming out of the compartment and right into Tom Riddle, knocking him onto the floor.
"Bloody hell!" He shouted, his normal composure briefly slipping away as he was caught off guard by the impact. Delaney looked down at him, shocked by his uncharacteristic outburst. Tom quickly schooled his expression into one of calm amusement. "Thank Merlin they don't let students play as bludgers. You would single handedly end Slytherin's winning streak against Gryffindor," he laughed.
"I didn't do it on purpose," she scowled.
"I know that, although I suppose we're even now, though I don't recall bumping into you with that much force or you catching me before I fell," he grinned from the floor.
"If I had tried to catch you we would both be sitting on our arses right now," she replied.
"Are you calling me fat?" he asked in mock offense.
"What? No, you're not fat, but you've still got at least 50 pounds on me, not to mention you're at least a foot taller. That'd be like expecting Flitwick to catch a falling Dumbledore." Tom's eyes darkened slightly at the mention of Dumbledore.
"Yes, I don't imagine Flitwick would come out of that attempt fully intact." He frowned. "So are you going to help me up or not?"
Delaney rolled her eyes and held out her hand to the prefect, helping him up off the floor.
"So, why were you in such a huff coming out of that compartment?" He inquired now that the ice seemed to have been broken.
"Oh. I…uh…got into a bit of a spat with my friend," she blushed.
"Over what, if I may ask?" the calculating look in his eyes was completely missed by Delaney who appeared to be examining the carpet of the corridor.
"Oh, we just don't see eye to eye sometimes," she answered, hoping he would drop the subject.
"I see. Well, if you ever want an objective perspective or even just someone to vent to, you can always come to me, Delaney," he offered with the most sincere expression he could muster on his face.
"You know my name?" she asked, baffled that the attractive Slytherin –who seemed oblivious to girls in general- had not only noticed her, but remembered her name.
"We've had several classes together," he shrugged.
"But we're in different houses-houses that aren't exactly amicable towards one another. And, and we've never actually spoken before today have we?" she replied.
"Yes, that may be so, but it would be difficult to not know who you are, especially after the spectacular explosion you caused in potions last year," he laughed.
"That was not my fault!" she yelled indignantly "Charlus Potter dropped an entire jar's worth of bubotuber pus into my cauldron when I wasn't looking!"
"Either way it came out of your cauldron, so you're the one we remember for it," he answered.
"We? Who is we?" she questioned, eyes narrowed.
"Hmmm?"
"You said 'we remember.' Who is we?" she repeated.
"The sixth year Slytherins," he stated as though this were obvious.
"WHAT? You ALL remember that?" her eyes widened in horror at this.
"Well, yeah, it's not like we could easily forget it when it took two months for Slughorn's eyebrows and mustache to grow back in. It was a bit of a constant reminder," he laughed at the growing look of horror on her face. She was standing there, mouth agape, when a voice called out from behind them.
"Delaney! There you are. Nicole said you still hadn't shown up when I checked in on her. We were afraid you'd missed the train," Bailey smiled as she walked up beside the two, "Tom, long time no see," she joked.
"Yes, it has been quite a while. What, almost twenty minutes?" He grinned at the slender brunette. Her checks tinged a light pink under his gaze.
"I guess I should be thankful that I keep running into you and not Mildred. I don't think she likes me very much," Bailey frowned.
"Oh, Millie is just a bit of an introvert," he replied.
Delaney snorted, "Is that the nice way of saying she doesn't like anyone?"
Tom looked taken aback, but then laughed and Bailey quickly joined in.
"Well, Tom, it's always a pleasure to see you, but we have some catching up to do with Nicole," Bailey smiled.
"Likewise, and I myself have to find Abraxus. He's supposed to be lending me a book that I cannot wait to read," he replied before turning to Delaney, "Do try not to assault anyone else when you're done catching up," he smirked. He then nodded to the two of them before walking past them towards the other end of the train.
"What was that about?" Bailey questioned her friend.
"What? OH, that. I may have gotten into a bit of a fight with Nicole earlier," Delaney replied sheepishly.
"You assaulted Nicole?" Bailey shouted in shock.
"No! Of course not. I assaulted Tom," she replied.
"WHAT?" Bailey's voice continued to rise in volume and pitch.
"I didn't actually assault him. I was just in a hurry when I left the compartment and I may have bumped into him and he may have fallen down, but it wasn't intentional and I did help him up,"
"Right. So that explains why you were talking to him in the first place. What exactly did you and Nicole fight about anyway?" Bailey asked.
"Simon," was all Delaney had to say.
Bailey nodded and walked a few steps back to where Nicole's compartment was. She slid the door open, "In you go," she gestured and Delaney entered. Bailey followed behind her and slid the door shut.
"Right. Now I know the two of you had a fight, but I don't want to talk about that right now. So instead we are going to have a proper catching up for the rest of the ride. Then we are going to be chipper and welcoming towards all the new Gryffindors, eat as much food as possible without making ourselves sick, and then go up to our room discuss what happened earlier there. Got it?" she stared Delaney and Nicole down, challenging either of them to argue with her commands. She was met with nods and averted eyes.
"Oh, and Delaney," she continued, "You're not to go sneaking off to meet with him tonight."
Delaney's head snapped up. "How did you know about that?"
"I didn't, but I know you, and I'm not joking when I say that if you do I will know and I will make sure both of you are punished for it," Bailey calmly stated.
Delaney's shoulders slumped, but she nodded her head in understanding. Bailey hugged her and said "We'll talk later. But for now, I want to hear all about how Nicole's Great Aunt Gertrude handled the nude beaches of France this summer."
Delaney laughed at this and said "Tell me you didn't take her to one."
"It wasn't intentional! We went to a regular beach that happened to be next to a nude beach and she wandered off. We spent half an hour looking for her and by the time we found her she was surrounded by these hairy men who had the tiniest penises." Nicole responded. The three of them roared with laughter as the stories of Great Aunt Gertrude became more and more ridiculous.
Delaney let herself get swept up in the happy mood that was now emanating throughout the compartment, but she couldn't fully squash the dread she felt towards the upcoming group discussion.
