Draco didn't come back to classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm still covered in bandages and bound up in a sling. He passed by Delilah.
"How are you feeling?" Delilah asked.
"Mostly fine, hurts a bit though," Draco deadpanned, pausing by her. Delilah rolled her eyes.
"How is it really?" she said.
"Completely fine," he admitted quietly.
"Then why?"
"There are some... benefits. So I'm gonna go sit by your brother."
"Go for it."
Draco looked surprised but shrugged it off and continued walking.
"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.
That day they were making a pretty simple Shrinking Solution. Draco set up his cauldron by Harry and Ron, just like he said he would.
The Shrinking Solution was pretty easy. It was mainly just adding ingredients in the right order, which was pretty easy.
"Sir," Draco called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm —" Ah, so those were the benefits.
"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.
Ron went brick red.
"Professor," Draco drawled. What did Ron mess up? "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."
Snape walked over to that table and gave Ron an unpleasant smile.
"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."
"But, sir —!"
"Now," Snape said in his dangerous, down to business, voice.
"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Draco, who was unable to keep his glee from his voice. Delilah rolled her eyes, he really was a dork.
"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape.
Draco continued making his potion. He was actually really good at potions. He, like Delilah, found the subject fascinating. That was part of the reason he had decided to take Alchemy with her.
She finished cutting her daisy roots evenly pretty quickly. Skinning the curdleroot was easy and quick, and slicing the caterpillars was also not too bad.
Delilah finished adding her ingredients a few minutes before everyone else and waited. The potion needed to stew, the longer the better.
Longbottom was in trouble. He usually fell to pieces in Potions; he had a huge fear of Professor Snape, which made it ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned —
"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and following it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.
"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"
Longbottom was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
Snape was a great potioneer, but he needed to work on his teaching techniques.
"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right —"
"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Longbottom. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."
Snape walked away from Longbottom and Delilah winced. He really needed to work on his teaching skills.
Delilah turned her attention to Draco, who was talking to Harry and Ron as she put her supplies away. She had seen Hermione start to whisper instructions in Longbottom's ear so she knew he'd be ok, or his toad would.
Draco, however, was talking about... Black? Why would he be talking about him?
"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?" Draco said to Harry.
"Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly.
Draco smirked. What did he know?
"Of course, if it was me," he said, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" said Ron roughly.
"Don't you know, Potter?" breathed Draco.
"Know what?"
Draco laughed.
"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."
"What are you talking about?" Harry snapped angrily, but at that moment Snape called, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's...."
Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, the jerks, as they watched Longbottom sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was still whispering instructions, so Delilah wasn't worried.
The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Longbottom, who was cowering by his cauldron.
"Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."
The Gryffindors looked around fearfully. They really should trust Hermione more. Delilah calmly finished packing her bag as Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.
There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm. The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.
"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."
Delilah saw Hermione leave with Ron and Harry. Delilah was slower, she didn't care about getting to lunch quickly. She saw Harry and Ron reach the top, but Hermione was no longer with them. She was back at the bottom right next to Delilah.
"Hermione, you were just up there, how'd you get all the way down here?" she asked as she saw Hermione tuck a necklace under her shirt.
"Huh? Oh, I just forgot something in the classroom," Hermione answered.
That was very unlike her, she always remembered bringing all her stuff and constantly reminded others to do the same. There was no way she would forget anything. And why was she always wearing that strange necklace? Delilah hadn't seen it last year, so she must have gotten it over the summer, probably from a trip or something.
Harry and Ron waited for Hermione, and therefore Delilah to get to the top. Delilah ignored them and walked past them to meet up with Daphne as after lunch they both had Study of Ancient Runes.
It was the only class Delilah didn't have with Draco. It was hard, and not Delilah's favorite. She'd probably drop it after this year. Usually she didn't look forward to it. Today, however, she did.
They had it with the Gryffindors, so Delilah would have a chance to see how Hermione continued to act. Something was definitely off with her.
Delilah talked a bit to Daphne and they headed over to Professor Bathsheda Babbling's room. Since Professor Bathsheda Babbling's name was so long, everyone just called her Professor Babbling, which was ironic as she never babbled nor gave lectures.
The lesson was normal, just a short talk about the history of ancient runes and a foot and a half essay about it. They were allowed to work together, so Delilah and Daphne teamed up. Delilah had wanted to investigate Hermione more, but she hadn't seen or talked to Daphne for ages and thought they should catch up. It was a good idea and they had a blast.
Afterwards they headed to Transfiguration, which was all about animagi. It was fascinating. When McGonagall transformed, the whole class, even though they were Slytherins, burst into applause. Even the bratty ones.
McGonagall gave a rare smile and went on to lecture about the process. Of course they had to write an essay about the process and dangers of doing it without supervision. Then, she mentioned something that caught everyone's attention.
"Also, I will be helping some students learn to be animagi. If you would like to participate, sign the form by the door," Professor McGonagall said. "I will be going through the list and choosing who will and will not be included, and if you do agree there will be some," she coughed, "things you can not do. That will be all." The bell rang and McGonagall motioned for them to go. On the way out Delilah signed the paper.
After it was a new class, well, not new, but there was a new teacher, which meant a new experience. Delilah didn't think she'd be able to concentrate on it though. She liked Defense Against the Dark Arts, at least she thought she did from the books she read, but with the possibility of becoming an animagus... there was no way she'd be able to concentrate.
She walked into the room and saw that Professor Lupin, looking shabby as ever, was sitting on his desk. A few Slytherins, including Delilah and Draco, followed his lead and sat on, instead of in, their desks.
Professor Lupin was reading a book so he didn't realize that all of the Slytherins and a few Hufflepuffs were sitting on their desks like he was. When he did he grinned and surveyed the class.
"Well, this should be interesting. Today we will be having a practical lesson so you will only need your wands," Lupin said and the class murmured excitedly.
"He better not be setting pixies loose," Delilah muttered to Draco who had to fight not to laugh. He failed. Lupin looked over and eyes met Delilah's. Something flashed in his eyes, so quick that she couldn't recognize it, and almost thought she had imagined it.
Lupin shot her a kind smile, not seeming upset that they had slightly disrupted the class, but no one had really noticed; the rest of the class was muttering excitedly about a practical lesson.
He also didn't seem upset that over half the class was sitting on their desks. In fact, he seemed amused by it. This definitely would be a fun class. Maybe she would be able to focus.
"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "If you'd follow me."
Interested, the class got to its feet and followed Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner. After a second corridor, they stopped right outside the staffroom door.
"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.
The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty.
"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where the only thing was an old wardrobe that the teachers used to keep their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.
"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a boggart in there."
Most people thought this was something to worry about. Draco, in particular, turned a shade paler.
"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third-years some practice.
"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"
Delilah raised her hand. Lupin nodded at her.
"It's a shape-shifter that takes the shape of whatever we're most afraid of."
"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, shooting her another smile. "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears.
"Since boggarts come what we fear most, we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Malfoy?"
Draco paused for a moment, and then said, "Because there are so many of us that it won't know what to turn into."
"Exactly," said Professor Lupin. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening.
"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.
"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please... Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" the class said together.
"Good, very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where someone comes in, how about you, Crabbe, isn't it?" Crabbe lumbered up to the front, looking trollish as usual.
"Right, Crabbe," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: What would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"
Crabbe murmured something incoherent.
"Didn't catch that, sorry," Lupin said cheerfully.
Crabbe glanced across the room, then said, barely whispering, "Snakes."
Most Slytherins laughed. The Hufflepuffs didn't, they knew that only Slytherins can insult other Slytherins. It was quite funny though, and Delilah couldn't help grinning. A Slytherin scared of snakes.
"Snakes... hmm... Crabbe, I believe you have a jack-in-the-box?"
Crabbe nodded, looking confused.
"Right then, can you..." Lupin whispered something in his ear and Crabbe looked surprised, and even more confused than normal.
"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Crabbe, and sees you, it will assume the form of a snake," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand — thus — and cry 'Riddikulus' — and concentrate hard on what I told you. If all goes well, Boggart Snape will change into a much more amusing shape.
"If Crabbe is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical...."
The room went quiet and Delilah started to think. She knew she was most scared of Harry's dead body, but how do you turn the body of a loved one into something amusing?
Maybe she could turn it into a snake, she loved those. But some people were scared of them, so that wouldn't work. But then she got an idea. It would work, and be hilarious.
"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.
"Crabbe, we're going to back away, let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward.... Everyone back, now, so Crabbe can get a clear shot —"
They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Crabbe alone beside the wardrobe. He didn't look confused as he normally did, but slightly frightened. He still pulled his sleeves up and held his wand ready.
"On the count of three," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One — two — three — now!"
A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. A poisonous green snake slithered out, making straight for Crabbe.
"R-R-Riddikulus!" Crabbe called.
There was a noise like a whip crack. The snake reared and transformed into half a jack-in-the-box. It was kinda gross, but hilarious all the same.
There was a roar of laughter; the boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Hannah! Forward!"
Hannah Abbot, a Hufflepuff girl, walked forward, her face set. The snake jack-in-the-box hybrid turned to her and transformed into a mummy; its sightless face was turned to Hannah and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising —
"Riddikulus!" cried Hannah.
A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.
"Blaise!" roared Professor Lupin.
Blaise stepped past Hannah.
Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face — a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Delilah's neck stand on end —
"Riddikulus!" shouted Blaise.
The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.
Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then — crack! — became a severed hand, which got trapped in a mousetrap before — crack! — becoming a single, bloody eyeball.
"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Draco!"
Draco moved forward. He was obviously nervous.
Crack! The eyeball was now... Lucius Malfoy. Draco froze and took a step back. Lucius started advancing but Draco was paralyzed, he couldn't move. Not knowing what else to do, Delilah stepped in front of him. Lucius turned to her and transformed into Harry.
He fell to the floor, lifeless eyes staring directly at Delilah, his glasses askew-
It's not real, it's not real, it's just a boggart. Delilah chanted in her head, but this felt so much more real than her nightmares.
She stared, trying to muster up the courage to raise her wand. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.
Delilah relaxed. It was Draco.
"Riddikulus," she quietly stated.
The boggart turned into a ridiculous clown.
The whole class lost it, especially the Slytherins. The Hufflepuffs' laughter was much more constrained, and somehow more polite. Even Lupin chuckled.
Before the boggart could explode, Lupin forced it back into the cupboard.
"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class all started to applause. Lupin continued to give out house points but Delilah snuck to the dark corner of the room. She didn't realize Draco had joined her until she felt his elbow brush hers.
Delilah met Draco's eyes.
"Are you ok?" she asked. He just nodded. "Tell me the truth, please. You know me well enough that I won't tease you or make it common knowledge," Delilah promised.
"O-ok," Draco agreed. "But after class, it is about to end anyways and then it's dinner. We can meet then, there's something else I should tell you anyway."
Delilah agreed. She was relieved that he was going to tell her anything.
"Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all. Delilah, please stay back a moment," Lupin said.
Delilah stayed back and watched her friends and classmates hurry out of the classroom talking excitedly, all except Draco who quickly hurried away after a quick backwards glance at Delilah who had mouthed, "save me a seat at dinner." Hopefully he got the message.
As soon as the rest of the class left, Lupin walked Delilah to the classroom where she grabbed her bag and waited for him to talk, it wasn't too long.
"Are you ok, Delilah? You seemed shaken after the boggart," Lupin remarked.
"Yeah, it was pretty frightening, but I'll be fine. I need to go make sure my friend's fine, he was much more shaken than I was. So I'll see you later." Delilah was proud that she kept the tremor out of her voice. She would be fine later, so she wasn't lying. She just didn't know when that would be.
"Ok, but before you go you should know that Dream Dust can keep away nightmares and stop Legilimancy. All you have to do is sprinkle it on you," Lupin advised.
Delilah paused. "How did you know that this was Dream Dust, sir?"
"The luster in it. Dream Dust is the only powder that reflects light like that, I'll see you on Monday,"
She nodded and left to see what Draco had to tell her.
She hurried to the Great Hall and took the seat right by Draco. Dinner was delicious as usual, but both Delilah and Draco barely ate. As soon as the last of the desserts disappeared Delilah grabbed Draco and pulled him to a nearby empty classroom.
"Explain," was all Delilah said as they sat down on the empty desks.
Draco hesitated.
"So I'm kinda terrified of my father...." he admitted. After seeing that Delilah wasn't laughing or even smiling, he continued. "He never beat me or anything like that, it's just that he is..." Draco couldn't seem to find the right word.
"Naturally terrifying?" Delilah suggested and Draco let out a strained laugh.
"I guess you're right, he also gets mad at me for ridiculous things, my grades aren't high enough or my hair is too messy, it's stupid. I can't be perfect all the time," Draco quietly said. Then, even quieter he added, "I probably am not even good at all."
Delilah pulled him into a hug. At first it was awkward, then he hugged her back.
"Nobody's perfect," she whispered in his ear. "Just be yourself and try your best, he shouldn't ask for more."
"What about you though?" Draco asked, whispering in her ear. "Do you need to talk about yours?" Delilah shook her head. She wasn't ready.
The hug lasted longer than it probably should have, and they both pulled apart blushing.
"So... what did you need to tell me? You said there was something else," Delilah asked, still blushing slightly.
"Oh, yeah. It's about Black."
Delilah looked at him intensely. "What about him?"
"Just promise not to go hunt him down, okay?" Draco seemed nervous. Delilah nodded her agreement. She wouldn't go looking for the man that was trying to kill her brother.
"I overheard my father talking about it. He said that Black betrayed your parents and that he was the reason that your parents got found," Draco said in a rush.
Delilah froze. It shouldn't have surprised her, she had heard about how he killed thirteen people with one curse after all, but it still came as a shock. She shook it off.
"You're not going to go after him, right?" Draco nervously asked.
"Yeah, if he goes after Harry though, then there will be a problem," Delilah reassured him. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Half of her wanted to go yelling at Black, the other half wanted to stay and watch Harry to make sure he didn't do anything idiotic.
Draco nodded, looking mostly relieved. "Ok, we should probably head down to the common room. It's almost after hours.
Delilah nodded and they headed towards their common room.