**Edited**

The days during the break passed slowly, my time being spent with Remus or Ginny, occasionally speaking with the twins until they would disappear yet again. I tried my hardest to avoid studying at all costs, this was my break after all. Since I had so much free time, I used it to wander the halls and grounds, trying to memorize it all along with any secret passages that I stumbled across.

The night of Christmas Eve, I started to see less of Remus, knowing he was feeling the effects of it being so close to the full moon. Staring into the fire, I sighed for the hundredth time that night. I wished that I could do something for him. Even to just be out there with him, to keep him from hurting himself more. I knew he would never be happy with me if I found a way to do that, though.

Flicking my wand at a small box in front of me, I half-heartedly smiled. "Last one. Now," I looked up to the small owl I borrowed from Remus and tied the small package and letter to its leg. "This is going to be going to Harper Kompton. Thankfully, she shouldn't be too far, and she's very fond of animals. You should get a lot of treats and things from her." The owl hooted excitedly, fluffing itself up, and bobbing its head. I chuckled at the little ball of feathers, giving it a few treats before it took off out the open window.

"Now, how do everyone else's gifts get to them?" I wondered out loud, then thought to myself, 'Maybe the house elves? They do clean things up while everyone is asleep anyway.'

Shrugging, I moved the stack of wrapped boxes onto the coffee table in front of the couch. I didn't much feel like making my way back up to the dormitories at the moment, so I settled myself comfortably on the couch. I was being lulled to sleep in no time by the crackling warmth of the fire, flashes of what I thought were flames, danced behind my closed eyelids as I drifted off.

The next morning, I jerked awake, not used to waking up away from my bed. Breathing slowly to calm my rapidly beating heart, I looked around. There was no one else in the common room yet, so I looked out the window nearest to me, guessing that it was still early.

I stretched my arms out over my head and started to stretch out my legs when I noticed a blanket covering me. "Wha-?" I stared at the blanket confused for a moment when a shuffle from the girl's staircase drew my attention to whoever was headed down.

With a small pile of gifts in her arms, Ginny smiled tiredly at me as she took the last few steps. "I checked your room to see if you wanted to open gifts together." She slid into the armchair to my left. "Figured you'd be down here since it was empty up there. By the way," She nodded over at the coffee table, and I looked to see another small pile of gifts. "I guess those are yours because there are more boxes there than what you were bothering with last night."

I shook my head, looking at the pile of gifts in disbelief. "I shouldn't have all of these. Maybe four, but..."

Ginny laughed. "You sound like Harry. If they're here by you, they're yours, Deliah."

Still in disbelief, I picked up the first gift, recognizing the attempt at fancy handwriting. It seemed Neville was terrible at wrapping, which made me chuckle. "Yeah, I guess they could be mine. I just don't know who got me the other gifts."

She shrugged before tearing into her own gifts, thanking me profusely for the book. My unwrapping was a bit slower than hers, most likely due to the fact that I was used to just me and Remus, not eight other people being around. Neville and Ginny both gave me a good amount of sweets, while Harper - Merlin bless the girl - sent me a small tin of what she explained to be chocolate chip cookie dough truffles her mother had made, which turned out to be heaven in sweets form. Along with the tin of truffles, was a simple necklace that looked like a cat walking along the chain.

Ginny gasped, "That looks like Ryker!"

I laughed at her excitement, but had to agree, it looked exactly like the strange furball. "She's so odd." I went back to what gifts were left, loving the muggle books that Remus gave me. The next gift I picked up was a rather lumpy, curious-looking thing.

"Ah, that would be from mum," Ginny grinned then pointed at another tin on the table. "And those are most likely cookies from her."

Feeling a bit less worried about the contents of the present, I unwrapped it to reveal a knitted sweater that was a deep blue color. "It's so soft," I mumbled before pulling it over my head. It was a little big, but I didn't mind at all. I closed my eyes, holding the wrists of it close to my nose, and inhaled deeply. I really didn't need to hold it so close to smell the aromas that seemed to be knitted in with the fabric, but doing so nearly enveloped me in them. I could almost see the large family bustling about an equally large table, while Mrs. Weasley busied herself over the stove. The scent of cookies, the musk of garden dirt, and a hint of some sort of flower clung to the sweater, making me wish I could sit in the house this was sent from.

"Dels," The gentle sound of Ginny's voice brought me back to the common room. "Hey, are you alright?"

I looked at her curiously then felt something warm roll down my cheek. I had started crying as I daydreamed. Hurriedly wiping at my eyes, I laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just," My words died in my throat, so I shook my head, then gazed into the fire. "Not knowing my parents and all...I dunno. It's silly."

Ginny stood from the armchair and sat beside me on the couch. "It's not silly. There are too many people our age that are having to go through this same thing. It's not fair." Wrapping her arms around me tightly, she held me there for a moment before pulling back with a giant smile on her face. "How about you come visit us this summer? I'm sure Lupin wouldn't mind!"

Again, wiping at my eyes, I smiled. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Thank you."

Just as I was about to reach for my last small box I heard shuffling and turned to see two extremely tired-looking boys.

"Ah, so you're an honorary Weasley now!" Fred stated as he rounded the arm of the couch just to fall into the chair behind him.

George did the same into the other chair, stretching his long arms out over his head while he yawned. "Mum always initiates our friends into the family with a sweater. With me and Freddy here, well, we get our initials on ours." He pulled at the front of his sweater, and I noticed he was wearing a sweater much like mine, only it was a deep maroon with a large golden F on the chest.

Apparently, my confusion was noticed. "Normally, we go about switched for a while, just to confuse the crowds," Fred smirked at me. "But you seem to be able to spot our little mix-up every time. No use in trying to trick you with it anymore, eh, Delly?" I laughed and shook my head. These two are so different, I just couldn't understand how others close to them didn't notice. Again, I reached for my last gift, noticing that it was rather plainly wrapped, and had no name on the outside. Curious, I tore the paper to reveal a black box with some sort of insignia across the top. I stared at it for a moment, then shrugged. It didn't seem to be anything dangerous, so I carefully lifted the top off of the box.

'These were found among a few things the night that you were taken in by Lupin. I do believe that they belonged to your parents. I have kept them safe, and now they are yours,' was scrawled on a small, torn bit of paper inside the lid. I was hardly able to breathe as my eyes drifted down to the box's contents. Three rings sat on a small cushion in the bottom of the box, tarnished from whatever had happened that night, but the jewel on my mother's engagement ring still shone rather brilliantly when it caught the light. I stared down at the rings with so many mixed emotions that it made my head spin.

It wasn't much longer when the rest of the Gryffindors filtered down into the common room, some just passing through to go to breakfast. Ginny was telling me about her mother in great detail, the twins adding in a few joking comments here and there, when Hermione stomped down the staircase, shortly followed by Harry and Ron. It didn't take long to notice that something was wrong with the 'Golden Trio'. Hermione looked absolutely furious, Ron about equally so, and I figured by the look on Harry's face that he wanted to vanish into the floor.

I nudged Ginny and motioned over to the three. "Wonder what's going on there."

She shrugged, then suddenly lit up. "Merlin, Harry! Is that a Firebolt?!" She shot out of her seat, followed almost immediately by the twins, who looked equally excited.

I sat there rather confused but shook my head with a small smile. Since I was left to myself, I made my way back up to my dorm. Since everyone had left for the holidays I was able to be alone for the moment while up here. Slowly, I made my way over to my bed and sat down. Ever since I had opened my gifts earlier, I felt like there was a heavy weight in my stomach, and a dark shroud had settled over my mind. I pulled out the small box, hands shaking, and looked down at the rings.

First, I lifted out the thick band that had to have been my father's wedding band. It was rather simple, actually. On the outside, it looked like it used to have a slightly rough texture to it, but had been worn smooth from years of wear. The inside, though, had an infinitely looping design on it. My fingers glided over the cool silver, as I tried to imagine the man that had once worn the ring.

My mother's wedding band was the next one I picked up. I softly smiled as I noticed it was the looping design that was cut from my father's ring. This one was much smaller than my father's but still worn smooth as if she had done many of the same tedious work my father had. I slid her ring onto my right ring finger, feeling a calming warmth that seemed to spread through me from the ring itself.

As I picked up my mother's engagement ring, I felt a strange sense of nervousness, and dread. Something wasn't right. The room felt drastically smaller, and darker. I tried to shove the strange feeling to the back of my mind by looking over the antique-designed ring in my hand. It was very simple, with small swirls along the setting, and two smaller ovals on either side, with tiny gems set in them. I returned it to the box, setting it slightly on top of the other ring, before closing it up and putting it away in a box I kept all of my important belongings locked up in.

I decided now was a good time to head off to lunch, then see if I could pop in to talk with Remus about this strange uneasiness that had now settled into me.

I entered the Great Hall and noticed that there was only one table set up in the middle of the room, at which the teachers and students sat awkwardly together. I made eye contact with Harry as I looked over the occupants of the table and discretely cringed. A small smile flashed on his face, and he rolled his eyes.

"Ah! Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore cheerfully as each new student walked in.

"Crackers?" He offered up to Professor Snape. The professor's lip curled up just barely, but he took it and tugged. The loud bang it emitted had most of the other students jumping rather violently. As the small puff of smoke cleared, I noticed a large hat sitting on the table, with a really ugly vulture on it, as Harry chuckled quietly from his spot a seat over from me.

"Let's eat, then!" Dumbledore cheered.

The lunch was rather boring until Professor Trelawney decided to grace us with her…unique presence. McGonagall seemed just about as thrilled at her joining us as we students were. They snipped at each other a bit until Dumbledore not-so-subtly put a stop to it. He then made sure that Snape had made the potion for Remus, and I tried my hardest to not feel uncomfortable with Snape making any kind of anything for Remus. I still felt really worried for him this full moon. Something about this year just left me feeling extremely uncomfortable and worried all the time.

As soon as I finished eating, I quietly left the Hall, grateful to be away from Trelawney and her absolute nonsense. I shook my head, glaring at the floor as I walked, the woman tried to say poor Harry would die every time she saw him. In fact, just the other day I noticed her staring at him, shaking her head sadly as she walked by, mumbling something to herself. Other students have crazy fortunes from her, too, but Harry seems to always get the short end of the stick. She's absolutely out of her mind. While I was mentally griping, I ended up completely forgetting to talk to Remus about my unease.

Instead of going to the common room, as the others would likely do, I pulled my cloak around me tighter as I stepped outside. For some reason, I wanted to sit out by the lake. It had been pretty overcast all day, making the snow look almost grey. The chilly breeze tousled my hair and tossed about a few fallen leaves that hadn't been covered by the snow, which quietly crunched under my feet as I walked.

The lake sloshed quietly, dark and mysterious as ever. Over by the opposite shore, about 100 yards or so away, the Forbidden Forest lay eerily, but something about it today made me want to go running through the branches. It felt dangerous but welcoming. Instead of giving in to the temptation, I decided to go sit under a large tree close to the shore where there were some large rocks lining the water's edge.

Again, I felt as if I was being watched while I was out here. My eyes wandered across the small waves, searching for…something. I chuckled a bit at my slightly anxious craziness.

"Losing my mind a little today, I guess." Whispering for some unknown reason, I hugged my legs close to my chest and sighed deeply. The wisp of my warm breath against the cold air rose slowly away from me. With all this Sirius Black nonsense going on, I really shouldn't be outside by myself, but then again I had a defense the other students wouldn't have. Closing my eyes, I relaxed and let my senses fly loose from the mental box I normally shove them into.

Just like that, the breeze carried the scents of the lake and the castle to my overly sensitive nose. The damp, earthy fragrance of the soil along the bank of the lake, the sharp, stony smell from the castle itself, every scent had the chilled feel from the snow. It felt wonderful to actually relax for once.

My eyes searched over the dark waters again, this time seeing a few inches below the surface. Why was I feeling so anxious? That's when I noticed something a bit odd. Just barely past my field of vision, something swam slowly near the edge of the lake. The merpeople native to the lake wouldn't venture this close to the surface with it being cold outside, so I wondered what it could be.

Edging closer to the water may not have been smart, but my curiosity was fueling me today. I tried to move as slow as I could as I climbed across the large rocks so I wouldn't scare it off. Suddenly I realized that whatever it was, the creature was coming up towards me just as slowly. By the time half of my body was leaned over the water, I was able to finally see a merperson, but one different than the ones native to the lake. I reached my arm out, fingers just grazing the surface of the water. She stared back at me with her curious, solid black eyes. As my fingertips broke the surface, she reached up towards me, her arm covered in iridescent scales from shoulder to somewhere around the middle of her forearm. Her body was covered in the same beautiful scales from just below her collarbone down, her gills opened and closed along her slim neck, and her dark hair flowed around her head like a halo of oil.

I was about to try to speak to the merperson when I noticed it was eerily silent around me. The merperson's eyes widened, her scales shifting to match the grayish color of the mud under the water before she bolted away into the depths of the lake. I could feel something was wrong around me, so I stood as carefully as I could, scanning the area nearby. As soon as I saw what had scared everything away, I understood exactly why. Quickly, I hunched back down, trying to make myself less noticeable. Approaching the lake, or should I say creepily gliding towards the lake, were two dementors.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. If I ran, they'd likely follow me, but if I stayed I'd be found as well. "Shit." A cold feeling more bone-chilling than any winter I've experienced washed over me, along with the feeling of absolute terror. I could hear whispers of voices, though they didn't seem to be coming from any specific direction. That's when I remembered that dementors caused some to relive their absolute worst memories, and the only thing I could think of was maybe whatever happened to my parents.

Why did I have to go outside by myself? Remus and Harper were going to kill me if the dementors don't beat them to it. As the dementors got closer to me, the whispers became louder, and screams joined the noise. My best bet was to make a run for the forest, at least I could try to lose them in the trees. Thankfully, with my senses loose, I run a bit faster than normal people.

Standing, I tried to calm myself down for a moment, glancing at the dementors that seemed to have finally noticed I was there. As the screams got almost painfully loud and my head felt like it was going to explode, I decided running anywhere would be better than standing still.

I took off for the forest, noting that the dementors were gliding after me. Branches snatched at my skin and my clothes, my cloak somehow staying latched around my shoulders. The strange mix of rough, uneven ground and crazy amounts of roots growing above the dirt made it really difficult to run as fast I wanted. I tripped over the ridiculous roots many times, to my extreme dislike. I tried to turn and zigzag my path so maybe it'd be harder to follow me, but the dementors were just weaving in and out of the trees as well.

All of the sudden there was this god-awful noise all around me from some creature in the forest. I stumbled over my own feet, this time, my instinct was telling me to get the hell to the castle. I quickly made a plan in my head that I sure as hell hoped would work out. Turning a bit, I started a wide curve that I hoped would lead me out of the forest, and away from everything that was out to get me tonight. Thankfully, my senses guided me back to the scents of the lake. The bad part, I wasn't getting through the forest as fast as I was wanting to, and the dementors were catching up fast.

As I broke through the trees and back onto the grounds, I noticed that I had managed to make it to the other end of the lake, so I had a relatively straight shot to run to the castle. I was so tired and terrified from the effects of the dementors that I just started yelling for help at the top of my lungs, hoping to be heard. There was likely not going to be anyone to hear me, maybe Hagrid, but I had to do something. The screams, the sounds of absolute agony, became louder than ever in my ears, and I knew the dementors were right behind me. With all of the awful sounds, they were causing me to remember, I didn't hear a loud, deep barking from the left of me where the Whomping Willow stood. I could feel my legs trying to give out underneath me, and a small part of my mind registered that I had started crying at some point.

After a few more strides, my legs decided they couldn't take it anymore, and buckled which sent me falling onto the freezing snow. As I lay there trying to think beyond the horror in my head, bounding across the grounds, directly towards me and the dementors that were now starting to hover over me, was a big, ragged-looking black dog. My consciousness was fading, flames and a man and a woman flashed across my vision. The last thing I remember was the big dog running up, then leaping over me at the dementors. They seemed way more interested in it for some reason, and flew off after it into the forest, leaving me alone there in the snow.