Chapter Sixteen: Not An Easy Road To Take

The corridors of Hogwarts seemed unusually lonely to Delia. With the Potters leaving for their father's good friend's funeral, it was quiet and calm in a way that the school had never been before, at least in Delia's recollection.

At the moment, she was wandering the halls, looking for a particular house-elf. She was out of bounds, alone, and feeling delightfully wicked. So heady was the pleasure of disobeying the rules by herself that she didn't see Professor Lupin until she was upon him. Without the invisibility cloak to protect her, there was no way for her to avoid him. She would simply have to face the consequences.

Unconsciously, however, she lightened her steps, slowed her breathing. Maybe there was still a chance to avoid detection.

"Even without the cloak, you're doing a remarkable job, Delia Williams."

The sound of that voice, always distinctly other-worldly, always calm, shook her to her toes.

"Good evening, Professor," she responded, and tried desperately to stop the panicked sort of breathing that was taking over.

"I wouldn't have seen you, if I hadn't been looking for you."

Delia raised her eyebrows and fought the urge to demand a more logical comment. Jessica had told her that when dealing with Professor Lupin, one had to be just as vague as he was. So, she decided on a simple nod.

There was an odd silence, and a weary sort of smile began to spread over Professor Lupin's face. If Delia had known his father, she would have recognized the expression as one of Remus's own.

"Ah, so you're determined that I speak next then, Miss Williams," Orion observed, very amused.

"That seems to be the best course of action to take, Professor," Delia said demurely, and began to study the tips of her toes with an avid interest.

"You see, Miss Williams, I'm afraid you're very important."

That caught her attention, and she snapped her head up to capture Orion's eyes with her own.

"How so, Professor?"

"Unless I miss my guess, you, young lady, are a Healer."

Delia nodded. "You're not the first one to tell me that. I still don't know if I agree or not."

"You think the way that you healed that house-elf went unnoticed? By the way, Mr. Augustus Gruthersford is in my rooms at the moment, enjoying a nice cup of tea. We'd love to have you join us."

Delia was suddenly suspicious. "You may be a professor, sir, but I don't know you very well, and it seems a bit odd that I be out of bounds without some sort of punishment."

Orion's eyes twinkled. "Ah. That's all well and good. You have a right to be worried, I suppose. Well then, how about I take ten points from Gryffindor, and send you off quickly to your dormitory, and you can forget I said anything. Or, you can come with me to my office, and we can have a nice discussion about… things which are better said within private walls."

Delia was still undecided, a part of her that gloried in this newfound attention waging war with the other half that was still shy, still unwilling to make contact with unknown people.

"What if I told you that Professor McGonagall would be attending? Would that change your mind?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right then. Professor McGonagall will be attending. There will be no danger of you getting hurt."

Delia nodded. "Lead the way then, Professor."

Time passed quickly as Orion cut a sharp path through the winding corridors of the school. Little was said between the two of them, some inner sense warning Delia that now was not the time to be making small talk.

Suddenly, they were in a part of the school that Delia had never been before. The coveted Professors' Hall. There was thick purple carpeting on the floor, wallpaper of elves and satyrs dancing on the walls, and frescos on the ceiling. Golden chandeliers lit the way through the series of apartments that presumably belonged to the teachers in residence at Hogwarts. Delia was, quite honestly, floored.

"Rather a bit much, isn't it?" Orion asked, humour colouring his voice.

"It's very… luxurious," Delia finished lamely. Orion just chuckled.

"This door here," he said, stopping at a door that at first glance seemed no different than all the rest, and began searching for a key. However, with a second look, one noticed the name embellished on the doorway, Orion Albus Lupin, Divination and the strip of wood that was missing on one of the panels. "It was my mother and father's quarters while they stayed here. Mother, of course, stayed closer to the tower at first, but ultimately, they moved down here."

Delia could only find it in her power to nod, and Orion pushed open the door.

Inside it was a great deal sparser than Delia had expected. Off to the right there was a sitting area, two large sofas and a cushy armchair furnishing that room. Immediately on the left was a kitchen with only the most minimal of cooking equipment. On the miniature stove sat a teapot that was apparently boiling water. Further beyond, Delia could only guess what lay in the rest of the rooms.

"Miss Williams! I'm so glad you've come!" Augustus Gruthersford, looking remarkably recovered and well rested, rose to his feet, a habit of the old manners ingrained upon him by his former masters, the Potters.

"Mr. Gruthersford! Excuse me… Gus. It's wonderful to see you!"

"Ah, there's a lass," he said. "You're looking much better than when last we met."

"I'm feeling much better, thank you," Delia responded, not thinking it the least bit odd to be exchanging pleasantries with a house-elf. That was the beauty, Gus thought, of today's generation. Nothing seemed strange to them.

There was a quick tapping at the door, and as Orion turned on his heel to open it, Professor McGonagall strode in.

"I hope you don't mind me letting myself in, Orion. There's a terrible mess outside. Peeves and the Bloody Baron are at it again, and I just didn't have the time to deal with it. Mr. Filch will be handling the ordeal, I suppose."

"So glad you could join us, Aunt Minnie," Orion said fondly. "Would you be wanting milk then, with your tea?"

"As always. Thank you, lad. Such a nice boy," she muttered to herself, seemingly unaware of the other two beings in her presence, "always remembers what I like."

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall," Delia just barely whispered.

"Good evening, Miss Williams. I trust you are feeling well rested from your trip to the hospital wing, hmm?" Professor McGonagall looked over the top of her spectacles and graced Delia with a warm smile. Immediately, Delia felt something click. No matter what any of the other students thought, Professor McGonagall had instantly become one of her favorite teachers.

"Yes, thank you, Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey and Ian took very good care of me."

Professor McGonagall looked startled and then quite suddenly confused. "Ian?"

Orion nodded. "That's part of the reason you had to come this evening, Aunt Minnie. There's been a breach of Hogwarts security. Unless I miss my guess…"

"…and you so rarely do," Professor McGonagall muttered.

"…the Death Eaters have something up their sleeves, and we aren't going to like it."

"Is this just a guess, Orion, or is this something much more serious?"

"Oh, it's something much more serious. This is a premonition. First, though, let me ask Delia a few questions."

"All right," Delia agreed, a wave of shocking washing through her.

"Now, when did you first see this 'Ian'?"

"I woke in the middle of the night, and he was standing by my bed. Now that I think about it, that seems rather odd, doesn't it?"

Orion shrugged his shoulders. "In your condition, I'm sure you thought little of it. Did you see him any other time?"

"Yes sir, but only when Madam Pomfrey was away or busy. I didn't think to ask about him."

"Did anyone besides you come into contact with him, Delia?" Professor McGonagall asked quietly.

"Yes, Professor."

"Who?"

"Jessica Potter."

Professors McGonagall and Lupin exchanged glances.

Lupin was the first to speak. "Did he do anything else you might have considered odd? Unusual?"

"Not at the time, Professor. I spent most of my stay sleeping."

Orion sighed. "Well, that can't be helped."

"Professors, who do you think this is?"

"I don't really know, Delia, but whoever it is, he can't mean well for Hogwarts. The only scenarios I can think of where a Death Eater would need to be in the hospital wing, of all places, in Hogwarts, can only lead to trouble," Professor McGonagall said, and rubbed her forehead.

"It's not unheard of for Muggles to fight their wars with diseases, you know," Orion said pointedly. "I begin to suspect that there may be more to Sirius's illness than we had all originally thought, and we all made a big deal of it then."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Or, perhaps, they'd heard of Delia's abilities."

"How could they?" Orion rose to his feet, and began to stride around the room impatiently. "There was no way for them to know."

Gus cleared his throat. "Not necessarily, young master. They could have used a detection stone."

"Those are so rare these days…"

"Not as rare as you would think," McGonagall interrupted. "Oh dear, this is a mess."

"There may be good news, though," Orion interrupted. "With Delia's ability, she could heal Sirius."

That brought a stop to all movement in the room. Delia felt bile began to tease the back of her throat.

"You couldn't ask such an inexperienced Healer to try something like that," Professor McGonagall shot back. "Honestly, Orion, I'd expected better of you."

Orion had been expecting that, but it still stung. "No, listen to me. I don't think either of you two fully comprehends what Delia is. I wouldn't have, either, if I hadn't had this vision."

"I think I do, Orion," Augustus said haughtily, and rose to his full height. "You couldn't ask something like that of an eleven-year-old girl."

"You're wrong there, Mr. Gruthersford," Orion corrected him softly, "dreadfully wrong. I shouldn't have to ask that of an eleven-year-old girl. Unfortunately, I have no choice. Sirius Black is very important. Very important," he stressed, looking up to meet the other's eyes. "No matter what happens, Delia will survive. We need Delia as well. This can only benefit us."

"I have no idea how it works!" Delia protested, and got to her feet. "I haven't a clue how or why or what this… thing is, and you expect me to just waltz in there and lay and my hands over some bloke and then miraculously heal him?"

"It sounds ridiculous, I know," Orion said patiently, and rose to his feet. Slowly, he fell to one knee in front of Delia, and their eyes met, a fantastic amount of words said inaudibly between them. Suddenly, Orion began to whisper so that no one else in the room could hear him. "Delia, I've Seen things about you. You could take one of two paths, right here, right now, in this room. It's your choice. You could either look upon your gift as just that – a gift. Or, you could view it as a curse, an abomination. The way I see it, only the former will do good things for you.

"I know that you're scared. I know that you're feeling overwhelmed right now. I've been there. I've been down this road, Delia. It's your choice, now."

Her thoughts began to swirl around in her head, until Orion's hand gently touched her cheek. Then everything just stopped, every thought, every emotion. Orion was revealing to her what he had Seen in his visions. There was no choice now.

Finally, she raised her head and looked him directly in the eye. "I'll do it."

Orion smiled, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "It's not going to be an easy path to take."

"I know," Delia whispered, but she smiled up at him, and he felt his bones warm all over in the sunshine of that smile, "but it's going to be worth it."

Orion nodded. "Yes, yes it is."

--

A Brief Author's Note:

First of all, a HUGE thanks to Joe, who unknowingly picked me up this vacation.

Thanks to Neko and Shinou for enduring my whining sessions, and for Highly Encouraging a straight Orion. I think the plot works much better this way, as well.

Also, thank you to all of you (Liz, Anne, Margot), who sent me cookies last chapter. It helped, I promise.

As always, the link for ALL of you fans is