Hierarchy of Need [t.r]

Chapter Forty Two

  "Lovely," Olive said with a satiric sigh. "So now we have a mad man who can tell the future running after objects that will make him all powerful. Could it get any worse?" Delilah knew the question was rhetorical, and she hated to have to tell her that yes, it most definitely could get worse.

  "He already has one of the objects," Cain mumbled as he bit into a muffin. "Merlin," Lolita rested her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands. Never in a million years did she think she'd end up on a War Lord's hit list, and with her fiancé no doubt.

  "Grindelwald currently possesses the Elder Wand. That leaves the Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone." Tom looked down at Delilah, how she was standing between his legs as he leaned against the counter, both in their pajamas. This setting was perhaps the most normal they'd ever get.

  "Do we have any clue where the other two are?" Abraxas asked, they all turned, not realizing he had been standing in the doorway. Tom shook his head, "we know the cloak is with the Peverell line and the stone hasn't been seen in well over a hundred years."

  There was a collective sigh and for a moment everyone either fell back into silence or dull conversation. Delilah turned to look at Abraxas as he fixed himself a cup of tea. "How's Aurora?" She asked.

  He shrugged one shoulder, adding a bit of honey to his tea before bringing it to his lips. "She's asleep, it's been a lot, as for everyone. She sort of got thrown into the middle of it all." Guilt laced his tone and she couldn't help the empathetic frown that brought her lips downward.

  "I shouldn't have let her come with," he said after a moment. Tom shook his head, looking at Abraxas for a moment and he took in how truly tired everyone looked. "I shouldn't have let any of you come with me, it was reckless." Delilah squeezed his arm, the one that was wrapped around her shoulders and rested across her sternum. "None of this was your fault."

  "I know that, but I still had a responsibility," he paused for a moment. He was used to voicing such thoughts to Delilah is the safety of privacy, but now they were around other ears. She turned in his hold, her gaze soft and the rich blue of her eyes set a blanket of reassurance over him.

  Tom looked at Abraxas, "I should've known better than to drag you all into this mess, it was selfish and I apologize. Truly, you've suffered enough by my hand." The blond's eyes widened in what was clearly shock.

  Part of Abraxas wanted to say it was okay, all was forgiven, but it wasn't. There'd be a lifetime in front of him before he truly forgave Tom Riddle. Nonetheless, he appreciated the gesture, never expecting him to have apologized for his behavior in the first place.

  He nodded once, "okay." 

  Tom understood and returned the nod, he wasn't asking for forgiveness because he knew it wouldn't be granted. But he thought it was at least worth something that he amended his fault.

  "We have to stop him," Pyrrhus suddenly said, causing everyone to turn and look at the raven haired boy. "How exactly?" Olive asked, her legs draped over his lap. Out of all she's lost, at least she had him, her best friend. She'd be damned before she let his slip through her fingers.

  Pyrrhus shrugged, "we know what he's after, it's simple. Get to the rest of the Deathly Hallows before he does." He was met with scoffs of disbelief. "He already has one of them, regardless we'd be no match. You already saw what happened last time we were against him. We were powerless." Lolita chided, not sure if she was completely in the mood to charge headfirst into a potential bloodbath of Grindelwald's wrath.