Twisted Love | James Potter

𝒳𝒳𝒳𝐼𝒱

I'm having really bad writers block rn so I'm sorry if this chapter is literal ass cheeks-

"Del? What happened, where's Lily?"

Dinner had quickly rolled around the corner and thankfully for Del, all teachers, except for Mr. Parkinson had switched the sitting arrangements for the girl to where she had no longer been near or next to her brother or any other Slytherin they noticed she was uncomfortable next to.

"Ms. Malfoy?"

Del's head raised and her smile slowly faded, as well as those next to her as they stared up to the Headmaster who held a contemptuous expression and an odd hint in his eyes.

"Yes?" She replied with a fake polite smile, beneath the table her hands began weaving together anxiously, she always got an odd sense of unsettlement when around Professor Dumbledore. James seemed to have felt the sudden shift as he reached down and subtly grabbed one of her hands and intertwined it with his while giving soft reassuring squeezes.

"Stop by my office after the feast, will you? I sure do love Butterscotch Drops by the way." He winked before walking back up to his podium, leaving everyone at the Gryffindor table confused.

"Merlin, Del, what'd you do to get sent to the Headmasters office?" Sirius joked nervously, they weren't ever sent to Dumbledore, not even for their most dramatic and troublesome pranks.

"I have no clue." Del shrugged as she continued eating with her free hand, she knew exactly what he called her in for.

Her Occlumency lessons.

* * *

"Butterscotch Drops." Del sighed as she nervously fiddled with the long sleeve of her robe, she knew how these lessons worked and she feared that she wouldn't be strong enough to block out his nosy eyes, if she were to keep her secrets from anyone, Dumbledore would be the first on her list.

The gargoyle let her pass and she began ascending up the spiral steps she was so familiar with before knocking on the last door to his private office. Instead of a normal 'come in' Dumbledore opened the door himself before smiling and nodding for her to enter.

"Tell me, Ms. Malfoy, how has your sixth year been treating you so far?"

Del tried her hardest to conceal the glare she wished to send to him, he knew damn well what she'd been through this year, and that was only the publicised incidents, but Dumbledore was smart, he knew she was hiding more.

"Great." She shortly lied through a small smile.

She could see his eyes narrow as if he wished to say something, but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Well then," He clapped before pressing his hand on the low of her back, on top of all the names to be exact, and guided her towards the chair in front of his desk, "We won't spend too much time today practising, I'm certain you're well aware on why you're here?"

"Yes sir, Occlumency lessons I presume?"

"Correct."

* * *

The halls grew abandoned as the clock struck past curfew, Benjamin Blaire, one of the Ravenclaw Prefects, had sadly received a nasty head cold, meaning he was not able to fulfil his duties for tonight's 'hall check'.