Delilah Riddle--Part 10
DISCLAIMER: Delilah and her family (this includes Ryo) are mine. HP and "the gang" belong to JK Rowling, AKA The Writing Goddess. Anything else will be sold at auction in five business days.
||chapter 37||chapter 38||chapter 39||chapter 40||
Chapter 37
Basilisks and Stars
"Yes, Professor?" she said, going out into the hall.
"Follow me," he said, going down the hall. Delilah acquiesced--after all, this was Dumbledore. They went down the familiar path to his office.
A sharp pang of pain distracted Delilah. She placed her hand to her forehead, where the basilisk's gaze had burnt her. The huge burn was gone... but something else was there. Delilah's fingers picked out a shape between her eyes... a five-pointed star.
"Madam Pomfrey was able to heal you for the most part, but a basilisk's stare always leaves a scar after the burn is healed. Yours happened to be a star," said Dumbledore.
"Is that how Harry got his lightning bolt?" asked Delilah.
Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head. "No... a scar like that occurs when you survive a very powerful curse. Come on, Miss Riddle!" He gestured impatiently.
As sure as Delilah knew her own name, she knew this much: This was not Professor Dumbledore. While he'd been imprisoned, it would've been exceedingly simple to get some hair or something for a Polyjuice Potion. Even simpler to dispatch a Death Eater after they escaped...
"Professor, before we go past it, could we go by the infirmary?" asked Delilah sweetly. "I'd really like to see if I could help."
"Absolutely not!" exclaimed the Death Eater in Dumbledore's voice. "We must hurry! More hangs in the balance than you imagine."
Delilah's fingers closed around her wand. "Ah, yes... most likely your life... DEATH EATER!" Pulling out the wand, she said, "Stupefy!"
The man in Dumbledore's body slumped to the floor. Pursing her lips, Delilah let out a long, piercing whistle, then said, "Finite Venenum!"
The stunned man in front of her grew younger and chubbier. The beard and hair disappeared into a rat face, with a pointy nose and watery eyes. McGonagall was the first out in the hall; when she saw who it was, she gasped. "Peter Pettigrew!"
The hallway Delilah was in became a flurry of activity. McGonagall shot ropes from her wand at Pettigrew; they wrapped around him and held him. The real Dumbledore came out, along with Professor Snape and a group of students.
"How did you find him?" Snape asked Delilah.
"He was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Dumbledore," she said. "I... I think he was supposed to kill me."
"What's this? Who was supposed to kill you?" Sirius came up behind her and peered over her shoulder. Once he saw who it was, his face darkened and he tried to go forward.
"Don't," murmured Delilah, grabbing his wrist. "He has to speak on your behalf at the trial, remember?"
"There's proof as he is--he's not dead," growled Sirius. "Just let me kill him and be done."
"And what of those twelve Muggles he killed?" said Delilah, tightening her grip. "Only he can give testimony."
"I'd still like to gut the little bugger," muttered Sirius. "He owes me twelve years of my life."
"And he'll pay his debts," said Delilah firmly. "I'm going to let you go now... but if you go after him again, I'll stun you too." She released his wrist. He stayed, but she could feel the anger radiating from his every pore.
"Well, Miss Riddle... seems you have helped us yet again," said Dumbledore. "I believe we'll have Mr. Pettigrew give testimony now. Severus, if we could have some more of that Veritaserum..?"
Delilah remained silent as Pettigrew told all about the things he'd done, and how he'd betrayed Harry's parents, and what he'd done to be in Voldemort's service. She understood why Sirius wanted to kill him and be done--he wasn't worth the air he breathed.
"How did you know he wasn't Dumbledore?" Sirius asked Delilah in a whisper.
"You know, I don't know... he didn't talk like him, and... my scar hurt," she said wonderingly. "The one I got from the basilisk."
Sirius looked at the perfect star, now a red color. It would change color as it healed--maybe to a purple color..? "Imagine that," he said softly. "We should tell Dumbledore about this."
"Tell Dumbledore about what?" asked the headmaster, coming up to them.
Delilah and Sirius looked at each other. "You tell him," they said at the same time.
Delilah laughed and said, "All right, fine. Y'see, there's this scar here I got..."
Chapter 38
In the Infirmary
"Interesting," murmured Dumbledore when she was finished. His tone changed and he said, "Well, Miss Riddle, I'd suggest you leave this place--you too, Sirius. There are going to be a lot of Ministry officials here very soon, and they might get a bit... insistent." He smiled. "It's not every day that they get the opportunity to be in arresting distance of an escaped convict and a Wingspeaker."
"Why would they arrest m--oh," said Delilah. "Odd equals suspicious. I always forget."
Dumbledore smiled. "You've learned that better than most of us, my dear," he said. "Now, off with you."
Sirius turned into a dog and followed Delilah down the hall. "I'm going to the infirmary to help out," she said to him. "If you don't want to go, you're welcome to leave."
Sirius changed back into human briefly. "Who's going to catch you when you pass out?" he grinned.
"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will help out," she said dryly. "But if you insist..." He changed back into dog as they entered the infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "I'm afraid nobody can see any--oh, it's you," she said, her tone becoming relieved. "Come along with me, I'll take you to the most serious ones."
As they walked, Sirius followed. Madam Pomfrey eyed the dog. "Oh, don't worry, he's well-trained," assured Delilah. "And germ-free."
Madam Pomfrey looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. They came to the first two beds. Delilah almost screamed in shock. They looked terrible. She could just make out a mass of dreadlocks on one and a shock of red hair on the other. Lee Jordan and one of the Weasley twins. She gently laid a hand on each.
They very nearly sapped the strength out of her. Delilah swayed in her chair, eyes shut tightly, biting her lip. When her eyes flew open, she saw that although they were still caked in blood, their cuts were gone. "I'd say a good bath will set them right," she said dazedly.
Madam Pomfrey gave her a tonic. "This'll help the wooziness. We can't have you fainting... not when we need you."
Delilah swallowed the potion. It tasted positively rotten, but cleared her senses up.
Sirius kept whining, then looking at her. Delilah, looking confused, mouthed, "What?" Lunging up--and eliciting a squeal from Madam Pomfrey--he nudged her black opal with his nose.
"You sure, Snuffles?" she said. He nodded. Putting one hand around the opal, the stone warming in her hand, she placed a hand on another injured person.
The white light came, but... no memories. Her vision stayed clear, and she was able to keep her eyes open. When the light faded, she bent down and hugged Sirius. "You smart, smart, ma--er, dog!" she said, scratching his ears.
Delilah worked for half an hour, only healing the most serious cases. Madam Pomfrey could handle the lesser ones, but she couldn't do both without risking death. "Two have already died this morning," she said sadly. "If it weren't for you, it would've been more."
Delilah felt a lump in her throat. "Who were they?"
"A fourth-year, Colin Creevey, and a fifth-year, Terry Boot." Tears came to Delilah's eyes. She knew Colin--he was always running around school with a camera, most of the time running after Harry. And Terry... she danced with him just last night.
"Thank you for telling me," she said quietly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. "C'mon, Snuffles, let's go." She beckoned Sirius with her hand and left.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly as she watched the girl go, folding bandages. "Poor girl," she said. "So young... but so old." She turned to her next patient and asked briskly, "Now, where are you hurting?"
Once they were in an empty hallway, Delilah sat on a bench and put her head in her hands. "It's all my fault," she said dully. "If I'd told McGonagall..."
Sirius became human again. "Then they would have waited for the next full moon. And the one after that... or they would have found a different and worse way. Besides, what if she hadn't believed you in the first place?"
"But--" Delilah began, but Sirius put a finger to his lips.
"Hush. Even if it was your fault--which it wasn't--think of how many people you saved. You got the wands in there. You got the birds. You rescued Dumbledore and Cho Chang--which Harry thanks you profusely for." He grinned mischievously. "And those people just now you saved. Delilah, you're shooting for sainthood here."
"...So sayeth the all-wise Snuffles. Aren't you the one with the detention record?" She smiled through her tears.
"Hey! That took effort. James was only one behind me, and Remus was three." He grinned lopsidedly at her.
"Talking about me again, Padfoot?" came a male voice nearby. Delilah looked up to see a thin, pale man in patched robes with graying brown hair and brown eyes.
"You know it, Moony!" grinned Sirius, getting up and embracing the man. So, this was Remus Lupin. Sirius turned back to Delilah. "Moony, this is Delilah. You won't believe what she can do with birds and healing."
"Ah... so this is Arabella's famous Wingspeaker and healer," said Lupin. "Hello, Delilah."
"Hullo, Remus. Nice to meet you." They shook hands.
"Sirius, I think Dumbledore wants to see you, and so does Arabella," said Lupin. "Nice meeting you too, Delilah."
Sirius smiled warmly at her, then left with Lupin. Feeling a little better, Delilah returned to the Great Hall to join her friends.
Chapter 39
One Month Later...
A month had passed since the attack on the school. During this time, the retrial of Sirius Black had begun, and was going on still. It was plastered all over the Daily Prophet, on the radio, and in the wizard news. "What's the next headline going to be? 'Sirius Black Sneezes in Courtroom; Jury Applauds'?" said an exasperated Delilah, throwing the paper on the floor. "My God, it's an open and shut case! Pettigrew's testimony... uh, Pettigrew's testimony..."
"The Ministry just doesn't want to admit they're wrong. I mean, they're under enough fire already for not believing Dumbledore when he said You-Know-Who was back... now they sent an innocent man to Azkaban for twelve years, and he escapes too," snorted Padma, sitting in a chair across from Delilah and reading an arithmancy book. "Stupid gits."
"This isn't stupidity; it's idiocy. Crabbe and Goyle must have a hand in running the place," sighed Delilah, leaning back in her chair. "Now, if they were holding him in Azkaban now... then I'd swim across the bloody English Channel and live in France." Not that the Ministry hadn't wanted to; but Dumbledore had put his foot down and said that Sirius could stay in close quarters at Hogwarts, away from the students. Of course, he'd been doing this all year, but the Ministry didn't need to know that. Delilah wasn't about to tell them.
Hedwig, Harry's owl, flew into the common room to where Cho Chang was surrounded by her friends. She dropped a letter onto Cho's lap; Cho read it, blushed, then stuck it in her pocket. If I have to wake up from a nice nap to deliver one more love letter... Delilah heard Hedwig mutter as the bird flew out of the room. Chuckling to herself, she dug parchment, quill, and ink from her bag, set them on the table beside her, then pulled out her Potions book. Snape had assigned them an essay: "Should Love Potions Have Been Banned From Hogwarts? Discuss." It had to be at least two rolls of parchment--though the way he said it signified that he definitely wanted more. Delilah was probably the only non-Slytherin who could say Potions was her favorite subject--she was good in it, and for some reason Snape didn't bother her too much. She had a feeling beneath the nasty exterior was an all right guy.
She'd just written her first paragraph when another owl flew in, two letters in its beak. Delilah was shocked when both letters fell into her lap, and the owl flew off. She opened the one on top, addressed to her.
Delilah--
Don't even consider opening the other letter--it's for Harry, and Harry alone. I could only get one delivery out; it's all I'm allowed, since I'm supposed to be isolated. Give it to him ASAP.
Anyway, to the point. We get the verdict tomorrow--yeah, I'm nervous. Do you think you could manage it so that you could be there? You know, in case I go back to prison, you can get me carried away by a winged horse or something. (Kidding. I hope.)
Give your reply to Arabella--pardon me, Professor Figg. She'll make sure it gets to me. I await on pins and needles. (Ha. Ha.)
Sirius
Shaking her head--Sirius could be immature at times, particularly when he got nervous--she said lowly to Padma, "I'll be back in a while... have to play delivery person."
Padma nodded understandingly. Smiling at her friend, Delilah took Sirius's letter to Harry and went upstairs. Removing her clothes, Delilah changed dutifully into a black owl. She was working on a tricky little charm to keep her clothes on--or at least make it so that she could take some with her--but so far, she'd had no luck. Clamping the letter in her claws, she flew toward Gryffindor Tower.
The portrait swung open, as it always did for owls. Seeing that Harry wasn't in the common room, she went up to the 5th year boys's dormitories.
Harry was there, all right--changing out of his robes. Before he got any further, Delilah let out an exasperated sort of hoot. Forming vocal cords, she teased, "Oh, no, don't stop..."
Turning as red as Ron's hair, Harry pulled his robes back over his head. "And what, may I ask, are you doing here? This is a boys' dormitory."
"I can bloody read, you know," said Delilah. "I'm playing messenger. This is a letter from Sirius. The git not only wouldn't let me read it, he debased me to becoming an owl when we've got plenty of serviceable ones downstairs."
"So why didn't you use one?" asked Harry, opening the letter.
"He said ASAP... that normally means go fast," said Delilah dryly. "Oh, by the way, you made Cho turn red--and made Hedwig rather exasperated. I'd suggest not waking her up again." Before she could see Harry turn any redder, she returned to her.
Sitting in front of the mirror, Delilah braided her hair and tied it with a black ribbon that faded into her curls. Lavender and Parvati kept urging her to use makeup, but Delilah firmly refused.
Her eyes, as usual, traveled to the deep blue star between her eyes. The unnatural scar color made it all the more difficult to get used to. Pulling down a curl to cover it somewhat, Delilah picked up Sirius's letter and went to ask Dumbledore about taking a little vacation.
Chapter 40
And The Verdict Is...
Delilah nervously smoothed her blue-green dress robes, making sure she looked decent. Her curls cascaded down her back, and thanks to a quick spell by a certain twin of her best friend, she wore makeup. She felt a little like a mime with her silver eyeshadow and shiny rose-colored lip gloss.
"Delilah?" She turned to see Harry, wearing his own dress robes--they were a bottle green color. "You look... different. But nice," he quickly added. "Older, even."
"Quit while you're ahead, Potter," advised Delilah. "Where's the courtroom?"
"Somewhere in London... don't worry, we have a Portkey." Harry motioned toward a quill pen lying on a bench. "We're going at 9:15, I believe." He checked his watch. "A few minutes left, I believe."
The time was passed in relative silence. Delilah tried to rub off some of the makeup with her fingers. Nothing doing; Parvati had done the charm well. "I'm going to put Dungbombs in her pillow," she muttered.
"Whose?" asked Harry.
"Parvati. She bought this book called One Thousand Magical Makeovers last Hogsmeade visit. I knew I should've flung it in the lake for the giant squid... that's why I look this way, she used one of those blasted charms in it on me. And now it won't come off."
"Why would you want it to? It looks nice," said Harry.
"Because I feel I'm due in the park any minute to shoo the pigeons with my antics," she replied.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind," she sighed. "Is it time to go?"
Harry looked at his watch and nodded. They both touched the quill pen; Delilah felt the familiar jerk behind her navel, and they were off.
"We the jury find Sirius Black innocent of all previous charges, and pronounce him free to rejoin the wizarding community." The flashbulbs popped and Delilah let out a whoop of jubilation. Shaking hands with Sirius's lawyer, she hugged Sirius himself. He looked tired; new lines of worry etched his face. Delilah got the feeling all of that would change soon, though, once the threat of Azkaban fully disappeared from his mind.
"Does... does this mean I'm living with you, Sirius?" asked Harry hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, Harry." They looked up at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry, but it has to be done. I have set up an intricate weave of spells around the residence of your aunt and uncle. It's the only place you can be safe. I know Sirius would look after you well, but... it must be done. I'm sorry."
Harry's face fell. "Don't look so glum, Harry... I'm only going to be a Hogsmeade visit away." Delilah's mouth opened in shock.
"You're moving to Hogsmeade?" she asked.
He grinned. "I have to keep an eye on my godson and his friends, right? Besides, I have to live close to Hogwarts."
"Think you could rent a room to a tidy, intelligent Wingspeaker?" said Delilah hopefully.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Afraid not. I've set up the same network of charms and spells around your house, too. Voldemort will want you both... at any cost. We have to protect you."
"Drat," muttered Delilah.
"Don't worry, Delilah... if you can, you can come visit me and Harry so that you at least have some magic in your summer," said Sirius. "I'm not sure what your mother will say... I remember Andromeda Kingston not very pleasantly."
"She hasn't changed," remarked Delilah dryly. "And about that magic thing... is it any type of magic? I mean, they can't really control my Wingspeaker magic, can they?"
"Technically, no," said Dumbledore. "But it would be wise to keep it to a minimum. Now, shall I lift this spell so that the reporters can attack us?" His blue eyes twinkled merrily.
"By all means," sighed Sirius. Delilah grinned happily. It looked like the rest of the year might not be so bad... and she might have the best summer of her life.
Well, that was a cheesy ending. I couldn't help it; I was in a cheesy mood, not to mention I suck at endings. Please forward all flames to my fireplace. =)
Now, in order to keep with tradition, I've got to make a long author's note. But hey, they have meaning, darn it! Ahem. I'll try to keep it short.
First, a HUGE, HUGE, HUUUUUGE thank you to everybody who reviewed my story. Especially the nice ones. ;^) Nah, just kidding, I was glad to get them all. They were what made me stay up past my bedtime and write another chapter, and therefore fall asleep in biology. =)
Now to the real business. I'm thinking of creating a sequel... but I don't want to drag the story on if people think it should just end. Soooo... help me out here by reviewing and answering these questions:
1) Should I write a sequel?
2) If I do write a sequel, who should Delilah be romantically linked with: Harry, Sirius, Draco, or [fill in the blank]? (Note: It can't be Lupin--I've already got him in mind for someone else. Whoever guesses gets a cookie and gold star. And Ron's taken by Hermione {duh}--while I like H/H well enough, R/H worked better for this story. Sorry.)
3) What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? (Just playing... this one is optional, and just to check if you really read this thoroughly. Yep, I'm evil.)
In the interest of keeping this short, I shall now get the hell out of here. If you have any suggestions or whatever, review this or E-mail me. I get it in the mail either way (thank you ReviewAlert). Signing off, ~Phoenix