The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 18

"Well, there are Switching Spells... but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous.... The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide.... I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall... unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers...."

"Hermione," Harry said, through gritted teeth, "will you shut up for a bit, please? I'm trying to concentrate."

But all that happened, when Hermione fell silent, was that they all seemed to not know what to do. Delilah got up to grab defensive magic books.

"While you guys look for stuff to attack the dragon I'll look for stuff to protect Harry," she stated in response to Harry's questioning look. He nodded.

By the time she got back Hermione was talking again. Delilah hung back.

"Oh no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?" said Hermione irritably as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at the pair of them, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books. "Come on, Harry, we'll go back to the common room... his fan club will be here in a moment, twittering away...."

Delilah sighed as they left and were soon replaced by a gang of tiptoeing girls, one in a Bulgarian scarf. Of course they would leave her to put the books away.

Delilah barely slept that night again, but luckily she didn't have any more strange dreams. When she awoke the next morning, she got dressed, met Draco in the common room, and sleepily made her way down to breakfast. Then it was time for Alchemy.

"Today we will be turning fire to water. The instructions," Snape waved his wand, "are on the board. You will be working in a partnership."

Draco turned, Delilah nodded before he could ask.

"I'll go grab the ingredients then, can you start the cauldron?"

Delilah nodded and filled and started heating the cauldron as Draco returned. They started following the instructions, adding and stirring the ingredients as well as slipping some rat guts into a bag to throw at Blaise.

Their potion (she didn't know what else to call it) was the only one that had turned the right shade of purple before they had to let it stew.

Then, finally it was lunch. Delilah stuffed her face before noticing that Harry and Hermione weren't there. She grabbed them two sandwiches, put a preserving charm on them, before having to leave for Herbology.

Herbology was pointless. All they did was prune Flutterby Bushes, which was necessary, but Delilah didn't like it.

At dinner Hermione came over to the Slytherin table. She kept her head up as a few idiots muttered the unforgivable word under their breath. Delilah glared.

"Yes Hermione?"

"Will you help me help Harry learn a spell for the first task, now?" she asked.

Delilah nodded, stuffing the rest of her dinner in her mouth and following her to an empty classroom. Harry was already there.

"Oh, hey Delilah. Are you here to help too?"

"No, I just accidentally came to this room that you just happened to be in," Delilah deadpanned. "Of course I am, so what spell do you need help with?"

"He needs to learn the summoning charm."

"Ok? How would that help against a dragon?"

"If I summon my broom then I will have a chance to get past the dragon."