Hierarchy of Need [t.r]

Chapter Twenty

She slowly rose to her feet and told him to wait with a hand. Making her way slowly forward, Delilah held out both her palms as she approached the fantastic beast. It's foggy white eyes gazed at her warily, stepping back a bit as she slowly neared. "Hello, beautiful." Her voice was like a soft caress that carried across the air.

It was a bit odd to observe, to Tom it looked like she was talking to a tree.

The thestral huffed a bit and slowly stepped forward, looking at Delilah curiously and she smiled. "I'm afraid I don't have any food for you, maybe next time." She let out a sigh as the thestral nuzzled it's nose against her palm. Looking over her shoulder, she gestured for Tom to come over. "Slowly, keep your hands raised," she warned and for once, he did as told.

He didn't exactly know where to approach, so once he got near enough, Delilah took hold of his hand and guided it forward. Cool, leather-like skin met his touch and his brows furrowed at the feeling of bone. "No fur?" He asked, Delilah shook her head as she guided his hand down the thestrals neck.

Once he got comfortable, he took to brushing his fingers along the side of the creature. To him it looked like he was touching air and Delilah smiled slightly at the expression on his face.

"Do you have any plans for the summer?" Tom's question caught her off guard, the silence around them breaking and the thestral huffed slightly.

Yes, she had plans, to get back home. But as the days flew past in a blur, her hopes seemed to dwindle. "Not that I know of, what about you?" Tom's eyes followed his hand as it moved, trying to imagine what the creature looked like. "I'll be traveling with the boys, but I'll be staying in France for awhile. You're welcome to come along."

She blinked at him for a moment, her hand pausing on the spot where she was petting the thestral. "Maybe," if she was still around by then. Delilah continued her movement before peering at him from the corner of her eye. "Why'd you come out here? I never got the chance to ask."

"Oh, right. Dumbledore wanted to see you."

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Stumbling up the stairs, Delilah nearly tripped three times. She should've smacked Tom for not telling her right away. It was obvious he didn't like the transfigurations Professor, but it irked her that he didn't tell her as soon as he approached the lake.

Knocking on the door, Delilah was out of breath as it opened, smiling up at Dumbledore. "Sorry, I got caught up." He eyed the dirt on her clothes before waving a hand, gesturing for her to come in and sit down. "No trouble at all, lemon drop?"

"No, thank you. You wanted to see me, sir?"

He clicked his tongue and nodded, settling himself down in his chair. Resting his elbows on the edge of his desk, hands steepled beneath his chin, he observed her for a moment. She was looking considerably better, seeing as she was bleeding out the last time he saw her.

"How are you?" She shrugged and scratched at the back of her neck, "fine, a little winded from running up here." Dumbledore watched her over the rim of his half-moon spectacles. He wanted to ask her about that memory he saw of those dreaded few months, her screams still followed him around. He even lost a bit of sleep due to it, and Merlin knows Dumbledore barely got enough rest as is.

But there were more pressing matters.

"I have a proposition, a plan if you will, to get you back home." As soon as the words left his mouth, Delilah shot up straight. She did it so quickly she got whiplash and she felt breathless all over again. "You do? Did you find out what happened? Who sent me here?"

Dumbledore shook his head as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth. "No, sadly those questions still go answered. But I do believe there's a way to get you back home, though the method of doing so will be a bit questionable... and dare I say, illegal."

Delilah raised a brow at him, her mind moving a mile a minute. "Meaning?" Whatever it was, she'd do it. If he believed it could get her back home, she'd do anything. If he'd just spit it out already.

"To put it simply, get into the Ministry, and acquire a time-turner." And by acquire, he meant steal. Delilah's brain reeled at the near impossibility of it. She's broken into the Ministry before, on more than one occasion, but that was when it was overrun by Death Eaters and she had connections. Nonetheless, if Dumbledore thought she could do it, she was getting that fucking time-turner.

"What's the plan?"

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And I FINALLY updated, I'm so sorry for the long wait!! Moving houses is a bitch lol