How can a union like ours make it through the undertow?
We once were as one, but now nothing remains
My other half has become but a stranger
Still we are pulled by a force that we barely remember,
Forever riven with mistakes
She writhed in pain, screaming herself hoarse amidst the laughter and jeers of the crowd, and she felt hot tears flood down her cheeks causing her the physical excruciation to intensify evermore.
Small areas of her cheeks had ballooned and popped like pimples only for the skin to tear apart. The physical tissue soon became a black and yellow pus as layers of her cheeks blew the skin off, but the pain didn't stop there. The pus had blackened further as her very blood began ballooning and popping all over her cheeks causing the pain to intensify to such a degree that she'd been screaming herself hoarse for much longer. She no longer had any idea how much time had passed. Only her blood and skin popping and causing needless tissue damage all over her facial features had her attention.
Through the pain, Ginny Weasley looked at the satisfied smirk of Delphini Snape and wept in front of her hated enemy. Delphini's grey eyes danced with amusement at the littlest Weasley's suffering.
Delphini hadn't relented since the end of the duel after Hannah had stepped down into the crowd and everyone still watched and laughed at the spectacle before them. Ginny Weasley was thoroughly humiliated and fraught with severe pain from the curse that Delphini had used. After nearly half a minute of Ginny crying and shouting from the curse; Harry, Hermione, and Ron moved briskly toward the dueling platform with heavy footfalls. They got up to the platform and stood in front of the writhing Ginny, whose cheeks and blood were still boiling, popping, and burning her skin thoroughly in endless repetition.
"What are you doing?!" bellowed Harry, scowling at Delphini. Ron moved to pick up Ginny's wand. Delphini snapped her head towards Harry. "Aren't you going to lift the curse and let her go?! The duel's over so drop the curse!"
Delphini had an angelic smirk on her visage. Her grey eyes glinted with a tinge of red as she observed Harry. Delphini shrugged. "I'm teaching her a lesson, the only way she'll learn."
"What the bloody hell do you mean by teaching her a lesson?!" screeched Ron, glaring at Delphini. His hands balling to fists and his palms shaking. "Get her off that ruddy hunk of metal and cure her curse!"
"You must be joking!" spat Delphini, her eyes tinged red as her eyes narrowed at Ron. Her lips curled into a sneer. Delphini folded her arms, her wand being held steadily atop her other arm. "I have had to deal with her shit ever since she accused me of having sex with Harry! I knocked her flat to prevent her from blasting my face, then she made a complete fucking mess of the Slytherin table and continued hounding me! I dropped the subject even then because I didn't want to cause an altercation and I didn't want to cause pain for you three. She had a whole month to think about her actions but instead she kept up her self-righteous bullshit and continued to cast false aspersions! I've had it with her! This was a duel, injuries were listed as a possibility on the flyers for anyone who intended to participate!"
"The duel is over," repeated Harry, taking a deep breath to calm himself before glaring at her. "Let the spell go. This is clearly going too far; you've already won so there's no point in continuing any further."
"No point? I would disagree," replied Delphini, turning to glare at Harry. Harry frowned and narrowed his eyes at her. "She needs to be taught a lesson or she'll just keep repeating her tirades and pissing me off. I'm not spending another waking moment dealing with someone spilling my food and calling me a fucking whore while I'm repeatedly asked to be the bigger person. Fuck that shit! I am making a point, don't fucking cross me and you won't end-up like the redhead dipshit!"
Ron stalked over to Ginny and began issuing counter curses, Hermione stood unsure as she watched Delphini with a frown. Harry shook his head and glared at her with a contemptuous expression. "That is one of the most selfish remarks that I've ever heard! There is value in being the bigger person. Stooping to a lower level isn't going to stop her from acting out. I learned that the hard way last year when lashing out at both Umbridge and Malfoy."
Delphini gave the Golden trio a venomous smirk. "We'll see about that through her reaction to my methods, won't we? What you're espousing is cheap sentiment. Reality doesn't work that way, the powerful can only remain respected by knocking the disobedient morons flat on their asses until the lesson is reinforced so the idiots inculcate the belief. You say that it doesn't work? Then find a method to wipe that disgusting red mark from your wrist because it proves that I'm right."
Harry's jaw was set tight upon Delphini's words. His eyes flashed. "You have no bloody clue what you're on about! The red mark is proof that I overcame her sessions and didn't give Umbridge a victory."
"No, it's proof that you've been taught at an early age to accept abuse as normal," said Delphini in a clipped tone. Harry flinched and a visage of unvarnished pain briefly overtook his features; his eyes widened and he seemed to force back tears from spilling. He schooled himself and scowled at her. Delphini tilted her head. "Glare at me all you like, I had to learn to recognize abuse for what it was when someone who actually cared came to save me and helped me to understand. It's a tragedy that no one helped you to understand that crying isn't a weakness and can be considered a source of strength. Don't worry, I'm just having a little fun with the angry little redhead. That's all. She needs to learn her place."
Ron returned from Ginny's side. He glared at the three of them and then at the crowd before fixing his wroth on Delphini. "What the bloody hell did you do?! None of the counter curses I know are working!"
Hermione sighed and gazed toward the floor. "I'm sorry, Ron . . ."
Ron snapped his head towards Hermione with his brows narrowed in obvious confusion. Hermione raised her head and looked towards him.
"The spell she used is the new one that she and I invented a few days ago after almost a month of work," said Hermione, her voice weak. Ron's visage turned puce as he glared at her. "The counter curse can only be done by the person who casts the spell."
"Why the hell did you make a spell like that?!" shouted Ron, his visage turning more purple. "What were you thinking?!"
Hermione flinched. "I . . . I just wanted to get a perfect score on my NEWTs next year. The spell is versatile, you can add effects after reflecting back the curse that you rebound. There's millions that Delphini could have chosen from and we won't know if there's any ill effects, even should we break the curse. We need Delphini to invoke the counter curse or Ginny will continue to suffer."
Ron's face turned a darker shade of purple. Hermione's frown deepened. "I'm sorry, Ron. I really am! I don't know how to make up for this travesty . . ."
Hermione turned to Delphini and shook her head. "I . . . I am disappointed in you, Delphini. I can't believe that you would go so far as to do this! Can't you see that hurting Ginny like this is pointless?!"
"I'll decide what's pointless and what's useful for my interests," said Delphini, sneering at all three of them. She turned back to Harry. "Now then, Harry, remember that favor you owe me?"
"You can forget it!" snapped Harry, giving her a glare of loathing. His palms shaking. "I'm not about to play your games so that you can toy with Ginny and humiliate or hurt her even more than you already have!"
Delphini's eyes seemed to harden. Her amusement giving way to anger and a frosty glare. "She bears equal responsibility for this duel, don't forget that. If you really want to help her, then you'll obey me and do exactly what I want."
"I am not some plaything of yours!"
Delphini's lips formed a thin smile. Her grey eyes harboring a slight shade of red. "I never said that, Harry. I just said that you have to do whatever the fuck I want at this current moment, if you truly want to relieve her of her pain. I won't release the spell when I have nothing to gain."
Harry counted to ten and then shook his head. Delphini shot him a look of frustration with her eyes narrowing and her lips curled.
Hermione sighed. "What exactly are you asking Harry to do?"
Delphini glanced at Hermione before looking back at Harry. A thin smile on her visage and an odd glint in her eyes. "He has to kiss me, in front of this adoring audience, and the redhead dipshit."
"You're beyond just being selfish," snapped Harry, shaking his head. A look of disgust on his visage. "You're evil too! This whole charade is ridiculous! I shouldn't have to kiss you in order for you to do the right course of action and lift the bloody curse!"
Delphini stood there stunned, her eyes widening like saucers, and her mouth parted as she stared at Harry. She snapped back to attention and her eyes seemed to give him a withering look. Her eyebrows narrowed and her eyes blazed as her body briefly shook.
"Evil and selfish, am I?" hissed Delphini, her tone of voice sounding hurt. She straightened her posture and a cold mask seemed to settle on her facial features. "Fine, fuck you too. I'll still get my demands met. That curse won't be lifted until I get what I want."
"That's coercion!" said Hermione, gaping at Delphini in shock. "How can you be so vindictive?!"
Delphini shrugged and her lips twitched upward. The cold mask forming a thin smile as her eyes roamed to look at each of them.
"No, just bloody no!" said Harry, his voice rising out of disgust as he shook his head at Delphini. "I am not going to just bow down to your demands while you use Ginny's health as a hostage. Release the curse or I'll go get one of the professors and put an end to this farce!"
Delphini seemed to hold back a laugh. Her eyes glinted with mirth and her smile widening. "When have your professors ever actually helped you when it mattered? If they can let an entire group of Gryffindors suffer torture at the hands of a vain, hateful woman on a power trip then what makes you believe that they will answer the call for this incident?"
Harry gazed at Delphini thunderstruck. He opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. He sighed to himself. As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. They can't be relied upon and I don't trust them to help at all.
"Mate, please just do what she says," said Ron in a somber voice. Ron looked over at Ginny's screaming, crying, and bloodstained face; a look of fear and apprehension crossed Ron's visage. He turned back to Harry. "Please. I know it's not fair to you, but . . . I need you to do this for me. I'm scared for her."
The crowd had remained jeering, laughing, or watching in rapt attention at the unfolding events while the one's on the platform ignored them because they were stuck in their own world while the rest of the school watched as spectators. Harry let out a sigh and nodded. He scowled at Delphini and started to cross over to her. Delphini's smile widened and her eyes gazed approvingly at Harry. She nodded in satisfaction.
"No! No, no, no, no, no!" cried Ginny, before screaming in another fit of pain. The tears on her cheeks intensifying as they streamed downward. Ginny was violently shaking her head and then stopped as the pain became too much. "Please Harry! No! Don't . . . don' - aaaarrgh!"
"Shut it, Gin!" cried Ron tersely, unshed tears ready to fall. He looked over at his sister and his heart clenched. "Just . . . shut up and let us protect you, alright? All three of us will do our best to get you out of this."
"What's the point of this?" asked Harry, staring defiantly at Delphini. He had stopped midway. "What exactly are you getting out of causing this? You're just torturing her for no reason."
Delphini's eyes sparkled with glee. She suppressed a chuckle. Delphini walked down the platform and met him halfway. She unfurled her hands and moved her free hand to caress his cheek; prompting catcalls, dog whistles, and laughter from the audience.
"I'm marking my territory in no uncertain terms." said Delphini, eagerly moving forward to kiss him. Her head collided painfully with his and caused her to move a step back. The crowd hollered in laughter while Delphini blushed crimson and moved her hand to wipe her forehead..
Harry blinked as he gingerly wiped his own forehead and blinked. "You've never kissed anyone before."
It was a statement, not a question. Delphini's cheeks reddened further as she glared at him. Harry closed his eyes, counted to ten, and then looked at her. He moved closer to her and caressed her cheek with his free hand.
"Tilt your head to the side," instructed Harry.
Their faces moved closer once again and their lips finally made contact. Delphini tasted his lips with her tongue and pressed her tongue further for more entry. She clamped her freehand on his shoulder. Harry's lips remained tightly sealed and he tasted nothing from her. Delphini made an animalistic noise of frustration and pushed harder to deepen the kiss but Harry wouldn't budge at all.
The two parted; Delphini pouted and her eyes gazed at him with a hurt look. Harry's green eyes remained cold and he smiled at her. "Well, darling, you got what you wanted. Now, release the curse on Ginny."
The crowd had erupted in catcalls and wolf whistles since witnessing their kiss. Delphini opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. She glared at him and then looked at the agonized form of the youngest Weasley. She flicked her wand twice and steam seemed to erupt from Ginny's visage. Her facial features having burn marks and scars all over her cheeks from the rebound spell once the mist distilled. The metallic knight vanished causing Ginny to fall unceremoniously to the floor. Ron quickly grabbed hold of her to take her to the hospital wing. Hermione and Harry following hotly on his heels. None of them said a word of goodbye or addressed Delphini once she released the spell.
Delphini scowled as she watched them go and then turned to the crowd to end the day's dueling club to a standing ovation by the attendees of the student body.
Delphini sat deep at the far end of the Hogwarts library engrossed in her favorite Muggle American novel. Pretty sad that this was almost a guilty pleasure of mine when growing up. Glad I had the US Magical World to compare to the British Magical World as a counterpart. I'd have missed out on so many thought-provoking and interesting stories in life just because Aunt and Uncle found Muggle things distasteful.
"Oi," said a male voice.
Delphini continued to read; heavily engrossed in rereading her book. I guess someone else decided to sit around here. I thought I was the only one.
"Oi!" snapped the voice.
Delphini was pulled out of her immersion and scowled at the offender. Ronald Weasley stood a few paces from her table staring at her.
"Stop ignoring me!" shouted Ron, scowling at her.
Delphini scowled back. "I wasn't ignoring you, I had no idea anyone was calling me! Maybe next time, speak my name."
Ron's eyes narrowed and he jammed his hands into his pockets. "You're going to get yourself in trouble with shouting."
Delphini felt an eye twitch. "Go away." Delphini returned back to her book.
"Oi!"
Delphini shot Ron a look of loathing. Her eyebrows narrowed and her grey eyes flashed. Delphini tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "What?"
"Er . . . well, I wanted to say hi." said Ron, shuffling his feet.
Delphini blinked and regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Hi?"
"Er . . . so . . ." said Ron, clearly fumbling with his words. "What . . . er . . . what are you reading?"
"Invisible Man, it's an American classic and my favorite," said Delphini, her eyes narrowed. Her eyes flicked from Ron to her book. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh . . . er . . ." said Ron, his cheeks flushing. Delphini scowled at him. "N - no reason."
Delphini returned to her book. "Okay, bye." Why the fuck is he wasting my time? Is he just bored?
"Look," said Ron, with more force in his voice. Delphini glanced back at him with a livid expression. Ron continued despite that. "I . . . I need you to fix my sister. Please, please help her!"
Delphini scowled at Ron. "No, I have no inclination to help and unlike you, I don't give a fuck what happens to her or about the humiliation and alienation that she's surely endured. That's what she gets for crossing me."
Ron glared at her and opened his mouth but stopped himself seemingly at the last second. His face paled and he gave her a sorrowful visage; he seemed close to tears. "Please, please help her . . . I . . . we're friends, aren't we?"
Delphini paused and put her book down. She gave Ron a pointed look. "I don't know about that anymore. Seems like I'm always skating on thin ice with the three of you. So why should I help when one or all three of you are just going to get angry with me later on anyway?"
"Look . . . I, I'm desperate, alright? I'm ready to do just about anything," said Ron, his tone tinged with desperation. His eyes dim as he seemed to recall something. "Ginny . . . she pulls on a brave face but practically the whole school is laughing at her or mocking her to her face. She's kept to herself, she won't even talk to her own friends, and Hermione told me that Ginny can be heard crying at night. The scars all over her face can't be healed by normal means and it'll cost my family a fortune. It's only been a week and it's causing her to breakdown. If . . . if you know a way to fix her, I'm just about ready to do anything so please?"
Delphini had a thoughtful expression on her face as the room became quiet. Neither of them spoke for nearly a minute until Delphini gestured to the seat across from her. "Let's talk this over, then. Have a seat."
Ron eagerly moved to the seat across from her and sat down. He bent forward on the desk. "So . . . so you'll do it?"
Delphini scowled at him. Ron promptly moved back to the chair and frowned at her. Delphini interlaced her fingers, placed her elbows on the library table, and leaned her chin on her fingers. A pensive look on her face. "Let's say that I consider your proposal, what do I get out of it? What can you offer me?"
Ron glared at her. "Does this have to be a bloody game to you? This is my sister's health that we're talking about."
Delphini shrugged. "From my perspective, she got exactly what she deserved for constantly trying to bully me and starting each of those incidents. So, you either respect my conditions to prove that you're being serious or you can leave. At this moment, it doesn't seem like my friendship with you three meant anything to any of you."
Ron's body shook and he grit his teeth as he glared at her. Finally, he took a calming breath and remained quietly seated. Delphini smirked and nodded in approval.
"Look, not to annoy you or anything," said Ron, "but what if I think your ideas are bad ones?"
"I'm perfectly willing to accept any reasonable argument on the flaws for either of my two chief conditions," replied Delphini, her eyes hardened. "but I want assurances that she won't try to piss me off again."
Ron sighed and slouched on the chair. "I'm guessing one of them is Ginny apologizing to you?"
Delphini smirked. "You would be guessing wrong."
Ron gave her a quizzical look; his eyebrows knotted and his posture straightened. He frowned at her and a shiver ran up his spine as he gazed upon Delphini's smirking visage.
"Now, here's my first condition . . ." said Delphini.
"Harry, I need your help," said Ron, as he entered the Gryffindor common room and walked towards Harry and Hermione doing homework by a corner undisturbed by the others in the common room. Harry looked up expectantly. "I got the greasy git's daughter to agree to heal Ginny but I need your help."
Hermione scowled from her seat and glared at Ron. "She has a name, Ronald."
Ron glared back. "She's also playing games when my sister is suffering, Hermione."
Harry got up from his seat. His lips twitched. "Let me guess, I have to kiss her again?"
"I wish," muttered Ron, causing Harry and Hermione to stiffen. "it's much worse than that."
Harry froze and gaped at Ron. Hermione's eyes had widened as she stared at Ron in stunned silence. Ron looked at both of them in confusion and then his eyes widened in understanding. "What? No, no! Merlin, nothing like that!"
Harry and Hermione relaxed and gazed expectantly at Ron once again. Ron sighed and scratched the back of his head as he stared at Harry. "It's . . . kind of the exact opposite."
