Hierarchy of Need [t.r]

Chapter Twenty Three

"Once there was a young man, who like you, sat in this very hall, walked this very castles corridors, slept under its roofs. He seemed to all the world, a student like any other. His name... Tom Riddle."

Whispers erupted around the hall, everyone turning to a friend with a question on their lips. Delilah looked at Luna, "ever heard of him?" Her dreamy eyed friend shook her head, that always pleasant smile on her lips. "No, I haven't. Though he has a funny name, doesn't he?" Her voice held its typical airiness, being nearly drowned out by the hall of students.

"Today is course," Dumbledore started, gaining everyone's attention yet again, all eyes expecting an answer to their questions. "He's known all over the world by another name. Which is why I stand, looking out upon you all tonight. I'm reminded of a sobering fact. Everyday, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces try to penetrate this castle's walls."

His eyes swept over the students before landing directly on Delilah, who shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat. Why was he looking at her like that?

"But in the end, their greatest weapon is you... just something to think about."
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Delilah froze, Tom's own wand pointing at his heaving chest, she had raised it without realizing.

No.

He can't be. He can't be. He can't be.

But there it was, Dumbledore had flat out told her exactly who he was in her sixth year. Even gave her a fucking warning.

"God please no," she choked out, staggering away from him, accidentally tripping on the rug in the process and landing painfully on the wooden floor.

Tom spluttered out a cough, he could taste blood on his tongue and he held his aching side as he sat up on one elbow. Delilah flinched at the simple action, and a frown tugged at his lips. Why the sudden shift? She was nearly about to kill him. He was trying to find something to say, but his mind was muddled.

How does one even apologize for something like what he's done? Tom never apologized in the first place, but this time, he realized, it seemed vital.

But for Delilah, an apology from him was the very last thing on her mind.

He put all of his effort into focusing on her blurry figure, but once his vision came to, he stiffened. Her eyes were so wide and had gone crystalline, staring directly at him. Her lips slightly parted and she was shaking an awful lot.

"Delilah?"

His voice snapped her out of her shock and she scrambled up and away from him, pressing her back into the wall, trying to put as much distance between them.

She even considered possibly jumping out the window.

Of course, of all people, it had to be him.

She raised her hands to tug at her hair, her head was pounding and everything sounded as if it was underwater. But as she lifted her hand, her eyes froze on the wand she was holding.

"Oh my god." Her voice was nearly a wail and she dropped the wand as if it burned her.

She's seen that wand before. It had been pointed at her numerous times, and not once with good intentions from the owner.

Tom Riddle is, or soon will be, Lord Voldemort.

He was going to murder Harry's parents, he would be the cause of Cedric's death, of Sirius', of Moody's, of Dumbledore's, and so many countless others.

And he was going to kill her one day, too.

He already has.

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Shit just went down, huh?

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And on an unrelated note, I'm seeing Queen in concert tomorrow and I'm pumped!! I'm so excited that I couldn't sleep so I thought "what the hell" and got some much needed energy to write and edit.

ALSO

This beautiful person made this "guide to being Delilah Meddows" and my heart is soaring!! I'm honored and seeing something like this makes me so ridiculously happy. Thank you to everyone who's invested into this story and its characters!!

Again, HUGE thank you to latinspoet_ on Instagram for making this!!