The Hated Hero

Secrets and Lies

As they adjusted back into the school year, Delphi was beginning to realize how right she was about something being wrong with Tahlia. She wasn't her usual cheerful self in the slightest and this worried Delphi a lot. She began to wonder if something had happened over the summer. Whenever she asked, however, Tahlia got snappish.

"It's nothing, Delphi, just leave me alone!"

It left her feeling helpless as she watched her friend drown in whatever secret she was keeping.

Gwillan, however, was more noticeably distraught every time he got a letter from his father's phoenix.

"More and more dragons are escaping the preserve," he said. "The Caretakers' Association put Mom on probation-but here's the thing-nothing's damaged. No wards, barriers, anything. It's all intact, but someone is sabotaging the preserve."

Rowan also wasn't eating much.

"Members of this resistance are coming out now that Carren almost escaped prison," he explained glumly.

"So people want to break your mom out now?" Delphi asked, shocked.

"They haven't gotten that far, but yea," Rowan had said.

All in all, it was so far proving to be an awful year.

Meanwhile, Delphi found herself wandering the gardens more than ever. In any moment she was daydreaming, she'd find herself wandering out to the gardens, to the hedge she'd found in her first year. It hadn't opened for her again.

"That tree's been around ever since I can remember," Rionach admitted when Delphi asked about it. "I know it responds to Parseltongue-I don't know why. Mother always kept it a secret, as did Father."

The tree, the dragon, and the Augury haunted her dreams all throughout. Malfoy was writing more often to her and she found herself using the school owls more than she'd originally thought she would.

She occasionally received pictures of her cousin, Scorpius, and she found herself displaying them on the dresser top. She hadn't really sent anything back, but she knew that she probably should-then again, she didn't owe him a thing.

Before Delphi knew it, Halloween had come around again. They appeared to be ending the tradition of facing the boggart within the hall forever, because of the incident the previous year. There were accusing glares at Delphi whenever she passed in front of first-years during the day.

"Ignore them," Rowan muttered. "They don't know. They like pretending they're so brave and bragging."

"You sound bitter," Delphi remarked innocently.

"I wish I could take it all so carefree, like them," he answered, not looking at her. "I hate that I have to grow up while they can take their sweet time."

Without another word, he stormed off, leaving Delphi confused as to what to do. She decided to retire for the night and went to her dorm room. She noticed, however, that Tahlia was holding a strange sword and sitting on her bed.

"Tahlia?" Delphi asked cautiously, wondering if this sword had anything to do with her friend's recent strange behavior.

Tahlia stood and before Delphi could blink, the sword was pointed at her. There was a heartbeat, and Tahlia hesitantly put down the sword.

"What's going on?" Delphi asked. "Where did you get that?"

Tahlia blinked. "I can't. I just can't."

"You can't what?" Delphi asked, sitting beside her friend.

"I can't do this," she whispered, attempting to hold back tears and failing.