The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 9

"That is the only thing that makes sense," Daphne agreed.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that and the whispering that still filled the hall, it felt as though they were sleeping outdoors.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. Delilah fell asleep after about three hours.

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Defense Against the Dark Arts class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub. Alex Black disagreed, though he still didn't talk to Delilah. He seemed embarrassed about what had happened last year, with him accusing her of being Slytherin's Heir and everything.

The Gryffindors' portrait that guarded their Common Room had been replaced and all the Gryffindors were complaining about him.

"He's a complete lunatic," Finnigan muttered to Percy one day as the Slytherins were passing on their way to a class. "Can't we get anyone else?"

"None of the other pictures wanted the job," Percy informed him.

That wasn't the biggest issue in the castle though, in fact, it was minuscule compared to the others. Delilah had noticed that Harry was being closely watched. Teachers had been finding excuses to walk with him, and Percy had been tailing him. Even Harry noticed, which was saying something.

Then one day the Gryffindors were glaring at any Slytherins they saw. Apparently they just found out that they were playing Hufflepuff instead, even though it had been decided a while before.

"Pricks," one particular angry sixth-year muttered as Delilah and Draco were walking past.

Yet Delilah couldn't help smiling. Earlier that week during their Transfiguration lesson, McGonagall had announced who in their class would be part of the animagi program.

"Now, as I told you a few classes ago, I will be teaching a select group from this year to become animagi. You put your name on the list if you wanted to join, and I now have the results."

The whole class waited in anticipation as she started calling out names.

"These students please stay after class," McGonagall instructed. "Johnson, Malone, Antwhistle, Greengrass, Potter, Smith, and Hopkins."

Delilah and Daphne stayed back, grinning, when the bell rang after the lesson.

Professor McGonagall stared at them all seriously.

"Every Saturday, even on Quidditch Match days, we will meet here after lunch. The classes will happen at two o'clock sharp. The first lesson will be about safety, and then after we will start the process," she announced. "The first part of the process includes having a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a full month, a full moon to a full moon. That means you can't go kissing people or it will be transferred to their mouth and the whole process ruined. You'd no longer participate in this program."

A few people groaned at that. Delilah didn't care as much. She was too young to do that sort of thing anyway, despite what Pansy might think.

"Then you have to find a small crystal phial that receives the pure rays of the moon, put your saliva-filled leaf inside, and add one of your own hairs. The phials are already ready in a pre-disclosed area.