October arrived with no shortage of stress. Albeit the classes were significantly easier than the courses in the nineties, but the professors weren't lenient on homework.
Delilah gracelessly sat down at the Slytherin table during lunch, a yawn passing her lips as she reached for a sandwich.
"Did you even sleep last night? You weren't at breakfast." Elio asked as he observed the circles growing more prominent under her eyes. "She wasn't in the dormitory last night either." Lolita shot her a suggestive smile.
Delilah was too exhausted to blush and she simply glared at the girl. "If you must know, I spent quite the romantic night with my alchemy textbook."
Cain took a bite of his food, not caring to close his mouth as he spoke. "I don't see why you push yourself so much, you're second in class next to Riddle. If you're trying to beat him you'll die of sleep deprivation." Lolita scowled in disgust as she could clearly see the food Cain was chewing. "Merlin, eat with your mouth shut." Cain turned his eyes on Lolita and simply smiled at her, still not bothering to close his mouth. Delilah hid a knowing smile at the pair behind another yawn.
"I'm not trying to beat Riddle, I've realized that would be near impossible and I quite like my sanity. I'd be at my wits end if I tried to surpass him." She muttered.
"Is that so, Pontmercy? You appear to be perspicacious, I would not like to see you cut yourself short." Tom said as he sat down, looking as eloquent as ever.
Delilah growled silently to herself. He was in the library nearly as late as she was, yet he got a better mark on his essay and he didn't appear to be the least bit tired. It was annoying how perfect he was. She was also irritated at his seeming refusal to call her by her first name. No matter how many times Delilah asked. So in turn, she resolved to calling him Riddle. Not that he appeared to care.
"Halloween is next week." Pyrrhus piped up, a fond smile on his face. He'd been talking incessantly about the special treats Honeydukes would have for the holiday.
Delilah nearly forgot it was even a thing celebrated. These past few years it was completely ignored, plus with the added weight of it being the anniversary of Harry's parents' deaths. Delilah shivered as a wave of melancholy hit her.
Her patience was wearing thin, which was never a good thing. She'd been meeting with Dumbledore three times a week to figure out not only how to get back to her time, but how she even arrived in 1943 in the first place. But to no avail has a solution arose.
Delilah's heart ached to see her friends and family again. There's been countless times where she'd slump weakly against the wall in a hidden corridor. It was like the universe was teasing her with a mourning, like she'd already lost. It was like she really was dead, her life left behind.
It got bad one evening, just last week. It was her older brother's birthday, and the fear of never seeing his stupid face again nearly made her blackout. She locked herself in an abandoned classroom and screamed till her lungs gave out. Delilah couldn't cry. A trait she was usually contempt with but now it felt like a burden. Crying would've been a release, but her body and mind refused.
"Speaking of Halloween," Elio trailed and looked nervous as he glanced between Delilah and Pyrrhus. The latter of which giving him an encouraging nod.
A twinge of pink started to grow in the boy's cheeks and Delilah raised an eyebrow, wondering what was getting him so flustered. "Delilah, would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Elio asked. Delilah was about to say yes, but Elio began speaking quickly in a mess of words.
"You don't have to of course. If you're busy, that's fine. Of course you're probably busy, you're brilliant and will probably be studying. Unless someone already asked you, then that's fine too. Actually, it's likely someone already did ask you. I mean, you are lovely. I was stupid to assume no one had asked you yet- why are you smiling at me like that?"
Delilah was biting her lip harshly as she attempted not to laugh. Elio's face was twinged pink and he'd been running a hand through his already messy hair throughout his entire rant.
"No, I'm not busy. No, no one has asked me yet. Yes, I will go with you to Hogsmeade." She stated and could visibly see relief as well as embarrassment fill his features. He cleared his throat and turned back to his plate, refusing to look at her. "Right then, lovely."
An amused smirk appeared on Delilah's face and she patted Elio on the back. "Don't brood, your rambling was rather entertaining."
"More like annoying." Olive said as she sat down next to Tom. It was clear the brunette still didn't like Delilah, but in the past month and a half they seemed to reach a cease fire. "Tom, do you have a date to Hogsmeade?" Olive asked him and he didn't look as her as he flicked through his Potions notes.
"No, I do not." He said politely, but it didn't sound like an invite to ask him either.
A date? Delilah blinked at Elio before turning to Lolita. In a low whisper she asked, "did I agree to a date with Elio?" Lolita raised an eyebrow at her, as if she was stupid. "Yes, I thought that was quite obvious. Do you not want it to be a date?" Delilah shifted in her seat and she'd suddenly lost her appetite.
Her eyes wandered over to the staff table to see Dumbledore in deep discussion with Kettleburn and frowned as she thought back to a meeting they had two days ago.
She was just about to leave his office when he called after her. "Miss Pontmercy." He said calmly, although his tone had undercurrents of seriousness.
"Yes, sir?" Delilah walked back to stand in front of his desk and felt see through all of the sudden as his eyes pierced hers. "I know you probably do not need to hear this, however it is important I stress the point." Delilah furrowed her brows at him but nodded.
"Now, I realize it is inevitable for you to become... attached, if you are here for a prolonged time. But I warn you that it'll be dangerous if you allow yourself to fall in too deep. Whether it be platonic love: that of friendship, which is a strong force. Or that of romance."
A blush crept its way up her neck and Delilah cleared her throat. "I assure you, that will most definitely not happen." Dumbledore smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. "We don't choose who we love, nor can we choose when it happens. Reason and love keep little company together."
At her skeptical look he sighed. "Nevertheless I urge you to be cautious. When the time arrives for you to return home, you might be hesitant to leave those who you've grown close to behind."
Delilah chewed numbly on her sandwich. That conversation had been rattling in her mind constantly. She wasn't worried, but Dumbledore seemed to be. How could she possibly fall in love? She hadn't in the seventeen years she's been alive.
Her chest tugged at the thought of Blaise.
But no. She didn't love him, not in a romantic sense, Delilah thought she did at first. But it had been simple infatuation with each other. And after a few night of ridiculous teenage hormones either in an empty hallway or abandoned classroom, they decided to remain as close friends.
So why would she suddenly fall victim now? Although the universe did seem to be against her lately.
At the thought, she turned her gaze to Elio. He seemed to calm down from his awkward ramble, currently arguing with Abraxas on which strategy they should use in the upcoming Quidditch match.
He was endearing, and kind, and sweet. Delilah thought she could date someone like him, it would be simple and small. Something to pass the time. Having someone she could lean on would be nice. Delilah suddenly scowled at herself. Was she really that selfish? Elio clearly seemed to like her as more than a friend. Perhaps, in time she would feel the same way. But how much longer she'd even be in this time was unknown. It would be cruel to lead Elio on.
What if they did start dating, and all was going well, and Delilah fell for him? And then Dumbledore would waltz in and say he could get her home. What would she do then? If she left, Elio could be left with a broken heart and a feeling of betrayal. If Delilah stayed, she'd be giving up seeing her entire family again and all of her friends. Just to stay with her lover.
No, she wouldn't fall for him. But one date wouldn't hurt.
Later that evening, just after dinner, Olive marched up to Tom with purpose in every step.
Pyrrhus eyed her with slight amusement as she stopped in front of their group, the fire casting on her in a bright orange glow. Nearly a minute passed and Tom still didn't look at her.
Delilah watched from the other side of the room and had the urge to throw a pillow at Tom. It baffled her that he had such a good reputation. Sure, he was all charm and glamor, but for the most part he certainly wasn't polite.
Without consciously knowing it, Delilah found herself observing him. His mannerisms were near to none. He had no defining traits beside the smirk he seemed to always be sporting. Either that, or his blank slate. Tom just seemed...void. There was nothing to him. Nothing but words.
Of course he had his intellect. Delilah hadn't seen someone so brilliant before, save for Dumbledore. And he had his handsome looks to help him along.
Take that away and what was left? He was like an empty shell of a person and it unnerved her. She remembered something from a book she read, probably two years ago. It was a muggle book Hermione lent her called East Of Eden. "There's responsibility in being a person. It's more than just taking up space where air should be." That described the predicament Delilah felt towards Tom.
He was all smiles, and Merlin were they breathtaking, but they were empty. The same couldn't be said for his eyes however. Though Delilah wasn't sure if the warmness was genuine, they were always calculating. There was a light behind his dark eyes, a light indicating he was something unique and different, and he was proud.
"Tom, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Olive asked.
Slowly, Tom looked at her. She wasn't putting on her usual flirtatious manner, which was something odd and highly out of character. But, nonetheless was it appreciated.
Tom was revolted by Olive. The constant batting of her eyelashes and her incessant giggling made him want to throw her off the astronomy tower. Not that she was different from all the other girls who've made advances on him.
He inclined his head once. "That would be lovely Olive, of course." She seemed to light up, she'd fully been expecting him to say no.
Delilah felt relief tug at her sides. Tom was awful to Olive.
She was a bit annoyed however, how come he called Olive by her first name?
Someone sat down beside her and threw an arm around her shoulders. She tensed for a moment but realized it was Elio smiling down at her. "Poor girl, she's got nerve though. Riddle usually declines her offers."
Delilah hummed as her eyes drifted back to Olive, who now had a pleasant rosiness to her cheeks. "He better not fuck up their date." She muttered. Elio chuckled, his curls moving with the shake of his head. "You've certainly got a mouth on you. You swear more than Pyrrhus."
"Someone call?" Pyrrhus shoved his body between Delilah and Elio and threw an arm around both of them.
"No you git." Elio tried to shove him off the couch but Pyrrhus wouldn't budge. "Listen," he began. "You know Cosett? The Ravenclaw in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Elio shook his head, but Delilah nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
Pyrrhus seemed to perk up and he turned towards her, promptly hitting Elio in the head with his arm.
"Oh good, listen I need to know if she has a date yet. Can you ask her?" Delilah scoffed and eyed him over, not taking Pyrrhus to be one too scared to ask a girl out. "Why can't you do it?"
He rolled his eyes and a frustrated sigh left his lips. "I've tried, but every time I walk up to her she walks away."
Delilah raised an eyebrow. An amused smile reached her lips as she pictured the Ravenclaw pointedly shooting down the usually cocky Pyrrhus Lestrange. "If she won't even talk to you, why on earth would you expect her to say yes to a date? If she doesn't have one already, that is."
He glared at her, though it was more near to a pout, and Delilah sighed. "Fine, yeah I'll ask her tomorrow."
Pyrrhus smiled brightly and kissed her on the cheek. A blush raced up her neck as she blinked at him.
When he turned around, he saw the glare Elio was shooting him and rolled his eyes. "Oh alright." He leaned over and kissed Elio on the cheek as well, getting off the couch before his friend could hit him. Despite her efforts, Delilah giggled and Elio smiled fondly down at her.
The day of Hogsmeade approached, and Lolita was scowling down at Delilah. "Come on, get up." She prodded her in the side but Delilah smacked her hand away. "Shove off, we have like three hours till we have to leave." Her voice was muffled by the pillow she had her face shoved into.
"Yes, and those three hours are needed to get ready."
Delilah lifted her head, the task more difficult than it needed to be. "Why in Merlin's beard do we need three hours?"
It'd been ages since Delilah actually had to dress up for something. Due to the tight schedule of the Order and the constant threat of Voldemort leering over them, Delilah was used to always wearing a pair of old jeans, a sweatshirt, and her trainers. Plus the school uniform, she supposed. The last time she wore makeup was for Fleur and Bill's wedding.
"You're joking?" Lolita said, but scoffed at the blank look on Delilah's face. With a set jaw, Lolita grabbed onto Delilah's ankles and yanked her off the bed. She squealed and landed with a thud, a string of curses following afterward.
"I'm up, bloody hell."
As she stood up and stretched, a dress was thrown at her. "What's this?" Delilah asked but Lolita had already shut the bathroom door. Looking over at Olive, she had a nice blue dress on with black velvet robes draped over her shoulders. Delilah saw her mutter an incantation that smoothed out her hair.
She wondered if she should do that to her own, but thought against it. If she messed up, her hair would be even wilder than it already was.
Sighing, Delilah slipped into the dress but scowled at her reflection in the mirror. "There is no way in hell I'm wearing this, 'Lita." She called and her friend peered open the bathroom door, her makeup half done. Lolita eyed Delilah over, a smile quirking up her lips. "Why not? You look great."
"We're going to Hogsmeade, not the the Minister's ball." She deadpanned and looked back at the dress she was wearing. It was a deep red, Delilah assumed it was made of silk and probably more expensive than all the clothes she owned. It was well fitted at the top and flowed out at her waist, ending just a few inches above her ankles.
She guessed it was probably charmed to fit whoever wore it, either that or Lolita knew her size. "Well, you don't have any other dress robes. So suck it up and wear the bloody dress. Red looks good on you. Feel free to borrow a pair of shoes." Lolita gestured towards her trunk before shutting the door.
Delilah scowled, but she didn't make a move to change. Walking over to her friends trunk, she picked a pair of white heels at random. Grabbing a light robe incase the autumn breeze became too cold, she made her way down to the common room.
Barely anyone was there, some were still sleeping or at breakfast. Delilah silently cursed Lolita for waking her up so early.
Nearly an hour passed and people filed out of the common room, couples meeting up as they went. Lolita and Olive eventually came down, arguing as usual.
"You didn't even do your makeup." Olive observed, her tone crisp. Delilah shrugged and raised an eyebrow at the glare Lolita was giving her.
"You're no fun," her friend sighed.
Ignoring the look she was receiving, she asked "are you meeting your dates here? I know you're going with Riddle, who're you going with 'Lita?"
Lolita barley let a blush appear and she straightened her back. "We're meeting down at Hogsmeade." With that she left the common room and Delilah rolled her eyes. She knew she was going with Cain but the girl obviously wanted it kept secret.
How Lolita and Cain were going to sneak around the village was a long shot, but they seemed determined enough.
Olive was about to reply but smiled at someone behind Delilah.
"Morning, Tom." She sighed a bit breathlessly.
Delilah turned around and felt her own breath hitch in her throat. Tom was in a nice, dark, casual suit and had a jacket hanging over one arm. "Good morning Olive, Pontmercy." He nodded his head in her direction. Delilah got her wits about her and attempted not to glare at him. She didn't bother asking him to say her name anymore, seeing as it proved to be fruitless.
"Morning, Riddle. Will Elio be down soon?"
"He asked me to inform you he'll meet you at the entrance hall before everyone departs for Hogsmeade." With that he held out his other arm for Olive, who took it immediately as she smiled up at him lovingly. Delilah watched with a hidden grimace as she saw Tom ignore her. With that, they departed from the common room leaving Delilah alone on the couch.