The rest of the week went by normally. Ron had broken his wand when he had flown the car, and really needed to write home for a new one, but he didn't. Draco had also gotten onto the Slytherin quidditch team and had gotten the newest broom, a Nimbus two thousand and one, from his father.
Finally it was the weekend. The quidditch team decided to head to practice after breakfast, and Draco wanted Delilah to watch, and she agreed. She had already finished her homework.
When they had gotten to the quidditch pitch, the Gryffindors were already there. Delilah went and sat down at the bottom of the pitch in the shadows.
Wood, the Gryffindor captain, headed to the ground followed by Fred, George, and Harry.
"Flint!" Wood bellowed. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"
Marcus Flint was way larger than Wood. He grinned as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."
The three Gryffindor chasers came over as well. That was one of the differences between the Slytherin and Gryffindor team, Gryffindor's team had girls while Slytherin's didn't.
"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"
"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.' "
"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"
Draco stepped forward, smirking.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.
"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."
The whole team held out their new Nimbus Two Thousand and One brooms.
"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" — he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who both had Cleansweep Fives — "sweeps the board with them."
None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say when Ron and Hermione crossed the gate.
"Oh, look. A field invasion," Flint sneered.
"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"
He was looking at Draco.
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Draco. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."
Ron gaped at the seven broomsticks in front of him.
"Good, aren't they?" said Draco smoothly and Delilah noticed in his tone that he was about to say something rude so finally stepped in.
"Why don't the Slytherins practice on the left side of the field and the Gryffindors the right? You'll both be too busy practicing to spy on techniques or whatever and you can still practice," Delilah suggested.
Flint and Wood stared at her, surprised by the simple solution. Even Ron and Hermione stopped.
Flint looked at Wood. "That works for me if you aren't scared."
Wood glared at Flint. "In your dreams. It works for me too, we can each have one bludger and one quaffle, there's an extra one in the changing rooms, and use golf balls instead of a snitch."
Flint nodded and practice started. Not too long after there was a problem. The bludgers kept going into the wrong side of the quidditch field so the beaters had to follow them. After about the seventh time that happened Flint and Wood started arguing and both teams landed and decided to quit.
When they were leaving Draco bumped into Hermione.
"Move out of my way, you filthy little Mudblood."
Delilah gasped along with most of the Gryffindor team while half of the Slytherin's laughed and the other half looked awkward.
"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy," Ron exclaimed and pulled out his spell-o-taped wand and pointed it at Draco. "Eat slugs!"
The spell back-fired and hit Ron straight in the chest. He looked like he was going to throw up when a slug came out of his mouth. Some of the Slytherins, Draco included, laughed and then walked out making rude jokes.
Delilah rolled her eyes and headed up to the castle, knowing that Hermione would make sure that Ron got the help he needed.
She headed to the Slytherin common room but on the way noticed a first year crying in a shadowy corner.
"Hey, are you ok?" Delilah softly asked, crouching next to them.
"N-no. C-Colin C-Creevey of G-Gryffindor c-called me e-evil j-just b-because I'm a S-Slytherin. I d-didn't even k-know him or s-say anything m-mean!"
Inwardly Delilah narrowed her eyes, idiotic Gryffindors. When will they learn that by offending one Slytherin, they make every Slytherin mad at them?
"What's your name?"
"M-Miguel."
"Well Miguel, I'm Delilah and I'm also a Slytherin," Miguel looked up in surprise, "And as you said, that Gryffindor doesn't know you. Don't let them have the satisfaction of making you upset," Delilah wiped a tear from his face. "It takes a lot to be put in Slytherin. You have to be charming, clever, and adaptable. Gryffindor is where they put all the people who call bravery idiocy, plus a few others.
"Now let's go to the kitchens and get you some hot cocoa, I find that that always cheers me up and then we can go to lunch."
Miguel finally gave a smile, even if it was small.
Delilah helped him stand up and noticed that his eyes were a bright red and his cheeks were streaked with tears. He must have been crying for a while.
She led him to the kitchens behind the fruit portrait all while saying random things trying to make him laugh.
When they had both gotten hot chocolate Miguel was smiling and seemed much happier and his eyes weren't as puffy.
"Thanks, I feel much better now."
"No problem, if you ever need anything I am always willing to help."
Miguel nodded and they walked to the Great Hall for lunch. They split up to sit by their separate friends.
Delilah sat by Draco and punched him hard in the arm. He looked up in surprise.
"What?"
"Why'd you call Hermione a Mudblood? It was rude and unnecessary," she snapped.
"Do you want to have a swimming lesson after lunch?" Draco asked, avoiding the question.
"Yes, but don't change the subject. You shouldn't have done it! If you want to really offend someone, don't insult them because of something they can't change. It's like judging you for your parents."
"But she is a M— one of them."
"Yes, but she is also my friend. So you better not be mean to her again or I'll be mad with you, and right now I am just ticked."
Draco grinned. "Fine, now hurry up eating so we can go swimming."
Delilah sped up only slightly. They had hours before dinner, they would be fine.
She finished eating and they got into swimsuits (Delilah had bought one last year), and then headed to the lake.
"Ok, so the first thing you need to learn is how to tread water. Your legs move in circles without hitting each other while your arms make little circles," Draco demonstrated and after a few attempts she figured out how to do it. "Now let's keep practicing to make sure you got it."
When he said practicing, he really meant messing around while treading water. Delilah had fun. For the rest of the night, she forgot, or at least forgave, the Mudblood incident.
By the time it was finally dark they both were soaking wet and laughing headed back up to the castle. Draco explained some of the strokes he knew.
"So from what I hear it's the same as the Muggle strokes. Really, why do Muggles copy us so much? Anyway they are called freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke. Freestyle is-" Draco kept talking but Delilah wasn't listening.
"Come... come to me.... Let me rip you.... Let me tear you.... Let me kill you...."
"Who said that?"
Draco turned to her, confused. "Said what?"
"I heard a voice, it was talking about ripping, tearing, and killing someone."
"You must be tired. Let's dry off and get dinner," Draco suggested and Delilah nodded, even though that voice sounded way too real to be imagined.
That night she couldn't sleep. What was wrong with her? Why was she hearing a voice? Why couldn't Draco hear it? After what must have been hours, she finally fell asleep.
October came by quickly, and luckily Delilah hadn't heard any more voices. The only strange thing was Ginny. She seemed to be growing more distant and pale, and whenever Delilah tried to talk to her, she always got ignored. Ginny was also always carrying around the diary that she had almost left at the Burrow. Whenever Delilah mentioned it, Ginny always tightened her grip and hurried away.
Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.
Quidditch had continued though. Delilah had watched the Slytherin's practice and they were all just blurs of movement. Draco was learning well, he was a good flier.
Finally it was the day everyone looked forward to, Halloween. The Great hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three Flint's to sit in, which was saying something, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment.
Delilah went to the feast laughing with Draco. The meal was extra good and the rumors were correct. The skeletons danced and everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. Dessert was amazing. There were Halloween desserts such as bat , pumpkin chocolate chip , caramel , ghost , a mummy , and so much more.
Delilah had fun. She messed around with her friends and was happy, until the end of dessert.
She had just explained to Draco how Muggles celebrated Halloween. Over his laughter she heard the voice again.
"... rip... tear... kill... soo hungry... for so long..."
Delilah flinched and whispered in Draco's ear, "I hear the voice again. What do you think it could mean?"
"Well you're not tired this time, so you probably aren't imagining it, and you are sane enough to not hear voices, so I don't know. Can you talk to any type of animal?" he asked in a whisper.
"Well, I can talk to snakes. At least the one at the zoo."
"You're a Parselmouth? That's rare! The only one I know of is Salazar Slytherin himself!"
"... I smell blood.... I SMELL BLOOD!"
"It's talking again. I think it is about to kill someone. It's talking about blood and being hungry..."
"Well, dessert just finished,=." True, while they had been talking the plates had been cleared. "So let's follow the voice. Can you tell where it's heading?"
"Up, it's heading up and to the left I think."
Draco nodded and they hurried toward the general direction.
"So is it a snake? But then wouldn't Harry be able to hear it too?" Delilah inquired, frowning.
"He's a Parselmouth as well? I guess he would then, I'd ask him later."
They both were stopped by a crowd and had to push their way to the front.
On the wall there was something written in what looked horribly like blood. It read:
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
Right beneath it Mrs. Norris was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.