I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Nightmares

Delilah poured herself a cup of orange juice, staring out the kitchen window at Amanda, her mother, Mirielle and the kids playing in the lake. She flipped her wand between her fingers as she drank, and Oliver walked into the kitchen from the dining room, looking over a few papers and a pair of black framed reading glasses on the tip of his nose.

"Just the girl I wanted to talk to." He said as he leaned against the counter. She looked at him curiously, putting her now empty glass in the sink. "About?" she asked.

He looked up at her, "Well, seeing as You-Know-Who is at large and everyone is wondering when the Ministry will be taken over, we're all trying to figure out what exactly we all will be doing."

Delilah nodded, "Go on."

He flipped to another page of papers, "Well, mum and dad told me they have plenty of money in Gringotts to support all of us for a while, so they've decided to close their shop. Mirielle has dropped out of her muggle university and she and Amanda will be helping mum and dad with patrolling the area. I've decided to stay at St. Mungo's until things get too dangerous. And I believe you should return to Hogwarts until-"

"No!" Delilah interrupted him. "With Dumbledore dead who knows what the school is like! I'm seventeen now, I want to stay home and make sure everyone is safe." She argued.

Oliver groaned, "You need to go back to school. Just because Dumbledore is dead doesn't mean the school will go to ruins. Professor McGonagall is probably still Head Mistress, so I'm sure she and the other professors will make sure the school is safe for its students."

"I don't care! I'm still not going."

Oliver threw his papers against the counter, "Well, I suppose just because you don't want to go I'll have to listen to you because your judgment is always right. You obviously know what's better for yourself since you've been seventeen for three weeks and are suddenly wise beyond your belief." He said sarcastically.

Delilah rolled her eyes, moving towards the stairs.

"I'm not done talking to you." Oliver called to her. Delilah turned to look at him as he continued.

"I think I know a bit more than you, Delilah. You're only seventeen and you just want to rush into battle. It doesn't work like that. It'll probably be months until some type of battle takes place. You need to continue your education; because I'm sure they'll have some type of extra defensive courses to prepare you kids against the Death Eaters,"

"I learned basically all of that in the D.A. and don't act like you're some sage. You're thirty-one, and you're a healer at St. Mungo's. If anything, mum and dad will know what to do and I'm sure they'll agree that I should stay home-!"

"Mum and dad will agree with me," Oliver interrupted, "because it's true. You need to finish your education. You only have one year left and I'm sure if the Death Eaters take over the Ministry, mum and dad will pull you out of the school. For now though, you will be going. End of discussion."

Delilah gawked at him, "I can't believe you're just deciding all of this for me! You are not my dad, you're my brother and I don't need to listen to you. Until I hear it from mum and dad's mouth I will not be going back to school!"

"I said end of discussion, Delilah!" Oliver shouted at her. She quickly turned on her heel and ran up the stairs, slamming her door as she made it into her room.

It was late, nearly one in the morning and the house was very quiet. Draco knew his mother was fast asleep and his aunt would either be up in her room or asleep as well. But, thankfully, her room was at the other end of the house.

He placed a silencing charm around his room and tucked his wand in his jacket pocket as he turned on the spot, thinking of his destination in his head. The crack filled his room and only his room as he disapperated.

Delilah was fast asleep on her bed, one hand tucked under her pillow and the other curled up along with the rest of her body in a ball on the bed. The crack sounded through her room and Draco stumbled against the many books against the floor.

The sound pierced Delilah's ears and she sprung up in bed, pulling her arm out from under her pillow to reveal her wand, and pointing it directly at Draco's dark form.

"Stay where you are!" Delilah hissed.

"Delilah, it's me!" Draco said urgently, staring wide eyed at her wand in the moon light. She gave him a curious look, "Draco?" she questioned. He nodded, hoping she could see him well enough in the dark room.

She jabbed the air with her wand, "Liar!" she hissed. "You could be using Polyjuice Potion!"

Draco shook his head, "When we were thirteen, we were deciding how I would go swimming with you and you cut up an expensive pair of pants I was wearing. We raced across the lake and I beat you. Y-You said you were getting something to drink but you wouldn't get me one because you weren't my servant. There, no one else in the world could have known that, right?" he asked urgently.

Delilah stared at him a moment, before lowering her wand. "Why are you here?" she asked quickly.

Draco looked towards the door, "Where is your family? Certainly they could have heard…"

"I put a spell around my room. They can't hear anything in here; I can't hear anything out there. They didn't hear you apparate." She explained, sliding to the other side of her bed and leaning against the wall.

Delilah flicked her wand and the gas lamp on her nightstand lit up the room. Draco studied her in the light and saw dark shadows under her eyes. She looked tired and very worn out. He thought they probably looked the same.

"Can I sit down?" he asked after a moment. Delilah nodded and he sat in front of her on the bed. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Draco finally spoke.

"I'm a Death Eater." He mumbled, avoiding her eyes. She nodded, "I've worked that out already, surprisingly."

"I joined because I thought I was ready. You-Know-Who had a mission that only a student at Hogwarts could do, and I joined them. I knew as soon as I had turned seventeen I would have joined anyway, so I didn't see much point in waiting. My mother was against it, but I didn't care. I wanted to. I knew if I succeeded in my mission, the other Death Eaters wouldn't mock my father for his failure at the Ministry and my family would be at the top again.

"I was going to bring the Death Eaters into the castle to help me by using the Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes. But it wasn't until I got to school did I realize how difficult it was going to be to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. That's why I cursed the necklace that Bell girl touched and poisoned the mead Weasley drank. I thought the cabinet wouldn't work and they were idiotic attempts at killing Dumbledore. I wanted to tell you dozens of times what was happening. I was so scared and I just needed to get some type of comfort but I didn't want you to try and get me to go to Dumbledore, so I started talking to Moaning Myrtle. I'm so sorry I called you a Stuttering Twit and broke up with you, I just didn't want you to get hurt because of me or forced to be on the Dark Lord's side because of me." Draco explained.

Delilah stared at him, a calm expression on her face, "You were lowering your wand that night on the Astronomy tower. You were scared they'd kill you if you didn't kill Dumbledore, but you lowered his wand. Snape was the one who killed him." She muttered. Draco nodded, "He said he could protect my mother and I, and my father whenever he gets out of Azkaban. He'd make the Dark Lord think my mother and I were dead and we'd be heavily protected from him. But since the Death Eaters ran into the room I knew I wouldn't be able to fake my own death after that and I had to go through with it, but Snape did it in the end."

Delilah nodded, staring down at her wand. "Do you still like being a Death Eater?"

Draco paused for a moment, thinking it over. "I don't…really know. It's scary, certainly. I never really thought it would be the way it actually is." He explained, thinking back to what happened with his aunt the week before.

"Do you regret joining?" She asked.

Draco stared down at Delilah's blanket, studying the plaid blue design as he thought about it. "I…I don't really know that either. I'll need to be a part of it for a while longer to know."

Delilah nodded, and Draco suddenly stood up. "I should go. It's late and you're probably tired."

Delilah quickly grabbed his hand, "Please don't go." She said hurriedly. Draco looked at her, "Aren't you tired?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I-I would have stayed up all night anyway. Please, stay. My family will have no idea you're even here with the silencing charm I put on my room. Just stay a little longer." She explained.

Draco gave her a curious look, before sitting back down on the bed. "What do you mean you would have stayed up all night anyway?"

She blushed slightly, and stared down at her lap. "I've been having nightmares the last few weeks, and I've normally stayed up all night after I wake up from them. I normally read or paint at night when I don't want to go to sleep."

"Were you having a nightmare before I woke you up?" Draco asked. Delilah shrugged, "They always start out nice, but it would have turned into a nightmare. It was sort of in the middle when I woke up."

Draco gulped, "I have them too."

She looked at him curiously, "You do?" she asked. He nodded, "Almost every night. I normally just lay in bed and try not to sleep after them."

Delilah gave him a small smile, "Well, we can stay up all night talking then."

He grinned at her, "Let's change the topic, though. What's happening here?" he asked, looking towards her door.

She chuckled darkly, pulling her knees up against her chest. "Oliver, Amanda, the kids and Mirielle moved in. They thought it would be best if we were all living together here for extra protection. My mum and dad closed their shop and the only one working now is my brother. Not to mention my sister and brother love arguing with me every change they get."

"Why?" he asked.

"They like putting some type of blame on me because of our relationship. They say it'll be my fault of Amanda dies soon because I let a Death Eater into the house and you knew about her. That's a frequent argument I have with my siblings, along with what we'll be doing this year and jobs we'll be having around the house. It's frustrating around here nowadays." She explained nonchalantly.

Draco felt a pang of guilt hit him. "I…I'm sorry." He muttered. Delilah gave him a curious look.

"I didn't want you and your family to argue because of our relationship,"

"Don't start feeling guilty, Draco." Delilah said simply. "They're just scared. I've told them how you didn't kill Dumbledore dozens of times but they just need something to blame to make them feel better. It's horrible that they like to blame me and the guy I love, but I deal with it."

"You still love me?" he asked, surprised.

Delilah quirked an eyebrow at him, "It isn't like an on and off switch, Draco. I can't just turn my feelings for you off."

He gave her a confused look, "On and off switch?" he questioned. Delilah laughed, "Oh, right. That's a muggle thing. Sorry. Manny brought some muggle toys for Matilda and one of them has some 'on and off' switch. Manny's been teaching me what they are. And Mirielle has been living in the muggle world since she was eighteen, so she uses the phrase often too."

He still looked slightly confused, but nodded anyway. "Do you still…" Delilah started.

"Of course." Draco cut her off, looking her in the eye. She smiled, and leaned over to peck his lips. "I've missed you." Draco whispered. Delilah nodded, moving back to her seat, "I have too. How long can you stay?" she asked.

Draco shrugged, "Before dawn. I don't want my aunt or mother finding out I'm not there."

She nodded, and the two of them continued talking; just talking. They didn't talk about the Death Eaters or her family again. They went on about the books they've read and all the new paintings cluttered around her room. They laughed about a few things and they held each other's hand as they laid on the bed, Delilah letting her Patronus fly around the room as they talked.

It was nearly three when the two of them drifted off to sleep. Delilah curled up against Draco's chest and he wrapped his arms around her tightly as they slept.

It almost seemed like she had just closed her eyes when they opened again. Light was pouring in from her window as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the room, and noticed the missing person from her bed.

She fell against her pillow, wondering if that was all simply a dream or if it had actually happened. She noticed how a few of her books near her desk were now scattered around the floor, spread apart as if making a path towards her bed, and she smiled. He really had been there.

She stayed in bed for a few minutes, and realized how it had been the first calm night's sleep she'd had for a while; the first calm night's sleep for the both of them.

A/N:

Yay for updating 3 days later.

That wasn't a very long wait! and I found out who the anon reviewer was! it was a friend of mine. I had totally forgotten she was going to read this story. haha.

I hope you liked this. a little cute stuff, but don't get me wrong. Some serious stuff is coming up. fair warning.

So, I hope you liked this! tell me what you think! and maybe some guesses as to what'll happen next ;DD bye! I'll update soon!