The library was relatively quiet. The sound of pages turning and scattered murmurs filled the atmosphere. All was calm, and Delilah felt a rare moment of contempt. She could almost pretend she was back home.

  Something lightly hit her head. She ignored it. Then again, something hit her head.

  "Psst."

  Delilah gritted her teeth. Anything good that ever came her way didn't ever last long, did it?

  "Psst, Del!"

  Sighing, Delilah closed her book and turned in her seat. Abraxas was leaning forward in his chair, his hair more wild than usual. He must've been messing with it. "What?" She snapped. He didn't flinch, just smiled timidly. "Can we talk?" He asked. Delilah raised a brow but nodded.

  Abraxas shot up in his chair and practically sprinted out of the library. He was obviously in a hurry. Delilah scrambled to get her things together and hastily chased after him, his long legs stalked down many halls, up stairs, and they reached the seventh floor.

  "The room of requirement?" She didn't think anyone else was aware of it. Abraxas appeared just as surprised. "Uh, Yeah. I just wanted somewhere quiet where we couldn't be overheard." He paced in front of the wall a few times before a door appeared. He opened it and gestured for her to go in first.

  Her mind screamed at her to turn and run. But her legs moved forward.

  It was a decent sized room, more like a study. High ceilings, tall windows, and numerous bookshelves with two plush chairs. "What'd you want to talk about?" Delilah plopped herself in one of the chairs, not too elegantly and Abraxas laughed lightly.

  "I just wanted to hear your thoughts on something." He sat himself down, his body language appeared stiff and anxious.

  Delilah quickly concluded he was nervous.

  "Well, I'm all ears." She tucked her legs underneath herself, letting her body sink into the soft velvet. She watched as Abraxas tried to make himself comfortable, he shifted his weight every few seconds and his hands fumbled. A blush was also creeping into his pale cheeks. Delilah's curiosity was building and she felt the urge to shake him, to yell at him to spit it out.

  "How do you know if you're worth someone's time? Not just their time, but, I mean their attention? How do you know if you're worth their affections? For them to care for you?" He asked, the words tumbling from his lips quickly. She blinked.

  Why in the name of Merlin did he come to her for this?

  She took a deep breath, drawing her eyes away from him to look at the many novels surrounding them. "Why ask me?" Her voice echoed around the room, making her feel small. Abraxas shrugged. "I don't know, you have a way of, well, never mind." He shook his head at himself.

  "No, what?" She pressed.

  "You have a way of looking at Riddle, I just thought..." he trailed.

  Delilah felt her jaw go slack. Was he pulling her leg? The only way she 'looked' at Tom, was with loathing or annoyance. A nearly hysterical laugh pushed itself from her lungs as she doubled over.

  "Think nothing of it. I can't stand him. He's... he's awful. And foul, he has no consideration for how he affects others, his morality is highly questionable, he'd probably kill me the second he sees an opportunity. He may be brilliant, and handsome, and charming, but he's an emotionally manipulative little fuck, okay? And I hate him. And he hates me."

  "That's not true, Riddle's had loads of times he could've killed you, but he didn't. I recognize that's not much. But he wants you around, y'know. He'd obviously never admit it. And the thing is, I've seen his hate. It burns like an fire, you can see it in his eyes. And that is never in his eyes when he looks at you." If Tom could hear this conversation, Abraxas had no doubt in his mind that he would send a killing curse his way.

  Shocked. That's what Delilah was. She didn't believe Abraxas, of course. How could he know the true depth of how Tom felt about her? She shook her head, if she thought too much about the possibility of Tom even remotely liking her, she'd get a migraine. "Enough about me, who's this person you're so conflicted about?"

  That blush returned to Abraxas' cheeks and he cleared his throat. But his expression wasn't one of embarrassment, he looked dejected, his shoulders shrunken in on himself as he sat slouched. "Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough to love someone? Or to be loved?"

  Yes. She could admit that to herself, but not to him. Not yet.

  "It's just," he let out a heavy breath and raked a hand through his platinum blond curls. "Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "this is it," just the sight of them enchants you, even when they're not around. And when you kiss them the world just fades, it's just you and them. And you'd rather die than see them get hurt. But you're afraid to lean on the feeling too much incase it crumbles. And then your afraid the whole world is gone and it feels like it wasn't even there in the first place."

  Abraxas had never felt so vulnerable. He was laying his heart out and he was afraid some creature would burst through the door and stomp on it.

  For the first time in the four months she's been in the past, Delilah felt like she was truly seeing Abraxas for the first time. He was a boy who loved deeply. And he might not even realize it.

  "Abraxas, I-" She began but stopped short. His bright eyes wandered up to look at her, he seemed timid and Delilah offered him her best smile. "I don't know your full circumstances, and I'm not going to ask you to tell me. You've already told me so much more than I'm sure you were completely comfortable with, and I just want to say thank you for trusting me with that." She reached across the small distance between them and gripped his hands, running her thumb softly over his knuckles.

  "I can't speak from experience. I don't think I've ever felt the way you do about anyone, but I've seen it. And it's beautiful. And it's okay to latch onto that raw feeling you get deep in your chest, don't be afraid of it. It may seem terrifying, and it is. But grab hold of it and never let go. It's an awful thing not to love, not to be loved, it's a dreadful thing. And the fear of it slipping through your fingers is understandable. But if it's real, it will last forever. Don't let the opportunity die before it has the chance to grow. Run to it, before it flares and fades forever."

  Her heart ached at the sight of tears in his eyes. A Malfoy didn't cry, they weren't allowed such weakness. They were taught to be prideful, strong, and in control. Delilah imagined he wasn't permitted to feel such emotions at home. She had a hard time believing the boy in front of her was the one to raise Lucius Malfoy. The boy in front of her wasn't cruel or cowardly.

  He was a boy afraid to love, fearing the world would yank it away from him at laugh at his despair.

  "He doesn't deserve you, you know."

  Delilah let out a small yelp as Abraxas tugged her forward and into a bone crushing hug, he buried his face into her shoulder and she rubbed his back a bit awkwardly. She wasn't good at this sort of thing. "Who?" She hoped he wasn't talking about Elio, because she was the one who didn't deserve him.

"Riddle, he doesn't deserve you." He mumbled into her shirt.

  She was about to retort her same spew about how they hate each other, but Abraxas shook his head. "I'm not about to sit here and say I understand anything he might've put you through, but you give more of yourself to him than he deserves. He treats everyone like they're an object, useful only when he sees fit. Yet here you are, not letting him tear you down like Olive. She gave him a part of herself and he crushed it into dust, and it ruined her. The poor girl has severe trust issues, you do know that right? And that's Riddles fault.

  "By loving him, that gave Riddle the capability of destroying everything she holds dear. Anytime a boy smiles at her now she thinks they're about to throw her to the side once they've taken what they wanted. But she keeps coming back to him. She tears herself apart just to appease him. And it's not her fault. Riddle has an addictive personality. He makes you believe he might care, that he might consider your feelings just this once, that he might put himself second. But he won't. And he never will. Tom broke Olive. And I'll be damned if he ever does that you, Delilah."

  She bit at her lip to the point where blood could be tasted. Her eyes searched between Abraxas', why was he saying all this? "He won't break me." Her voice was quiet, Delilah wasn't even sure if she said the words aloud. Abraxas sighed and playfully tugged at a few strands of her hair. "I hope that's true. But we can't control everything, especially those in the matter of the heart. And I know you hate him, you hate him as much as you'll allow yourself to. But if something is forbidden, it's all the more alluring. Be careful Del."

  As she made her way back to the dormitory, Delilah was so engulfed in her thoughts she barely registered Lolita dragging her to her bed. Abraxas' words kept bouncing around in her head.

  What part of herself did Tom not deserve? The way Abraxas was describing it, he made it appear that Tom might even be fond of her. Well no, not fond. She didn't have the words to describe whatever their 'relationship' was. They weren't friends, they weren't enemies, they weren't even acquaintances.

  But they weren't indifferent to each other either. No, they were enraptured in one another. They studied each other, analyzed why they did certain things, found each other fascinating, found each other to be a complete enigma. They were drawn to each other it seemed. And neither could keep away for long.

  She was lost in the mystery that was Tom Riddle.

  "Del, are you even listening to me?" Lolita tsk-d and lightly slapped Delilah's cheek. The blonde blinked and only offered a hum.

  "We're doing a self-pampering night, Christmas break starts in two days and since you're being a bad friend and staying here, I want to spend some time with you. We barely see each other anymore."

  Delilah's lips tugged downward. She wasn't meaning to come off as being a flaky friend. She's just been so busy, and there were more pressing matters. Delilah cringed at how awful the thought sounded. She sounded like Tom. Putting other people's feelings second because what was going on in her life was more paramount. Even though her circumstances were technically, she could still be more considerate.

  "I know, I'm really sorry-"

  Lolita shook her head and stood up, making her way to her dresser to pick out a pair of pajamas. "Don't apologize if you don't mean it." Her tone was soft but the words still stung. "You deserve a break, love. You push yourself past the level of exhaustion and put up with a lot of bullshit. How you're not completely mental by now astounds me. You deserve some fun, you deserve to dress yourself up and have your own little fairytale. It's only two weeks, you have all the time in the world, there's no need to overwork yourself."

  Delilah knew she was right. And Dumbledore had awhile till he got through all her memories, plus actually analyzing each of them. Would it really hurt if she allowed this little holiday?

  "I don't have anything to wear."

  Lolita whirled around, a wide smile on her painted lips. "I can arrange that."

 
  The next morning, she was greeted by Pyrrhus leaning over her bed and she nearly screamed.

  "What the bloody fuck are you doing in here?" She said tiredly, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

  "I'm here to get your ass out of bed and take you dress shopping." Before Delilah could protest, Pyrrhus grabbed hold of her waist and easily hauled her out of the covers she was wrapped in.

  He plopped her down rather harshly on her feet, not giving her enough time to gain balance. "Get dressed, we've only got so much time." Delilah glared at him as she quickly found a pair of clothes and stumbled into the bathroom. A string of curses falling from her lips as she went.

  They made their way to Hogsmeade, feet crunching through the newly set snow. The village was fairly busy, people bustled from shop to shop, searching for gifts. Pyrrhus steered Delilah into a dress shop despite her protests to get food first.

  "What about this one?" She held up a pale pink dress with a sweetheart neckline and he scrunched his nose.

  "No, you'd look peaky."

  Her jaw set and she shoved the dress back onto the railing.

  "Darling, you're not even trying." He sighed and steered Delilah in front of a mirror by her shoulders. "Think of what tone you want to set when you walk into the ballroom. Who do you want to be? How do you want people to see your character?" He asked, messing with his hair in the mirror.

  Delilah shrugged, she didn't really want to be seen persay.

  "Well I want you to look stunning. That way every man can see how absolutely ravishing you are." He shoved her into a dressing room and told her to stay put, and for some reason she did.

  As they walked out of the store, the amount of times 'thank your came out of her mouth was too much to count. He'd paid for her dress, which was ridiculously expensive. Delilah repeatedly told him no, she'd only be wearing the dress once. But Pyrrhus insisted. Saying he wanted her to look like a Queen at the Yule Ball. He even paid extra to have the dress delivered to Avery Manor so they wouldn't have to carry it around and risk it getting damaged.

  "At least let me buy you lunch?" She asked. Pyrrhus rolled his eyes as they walked into a small boutique, small trinkets filled the shelves and the building felt ancient. "Fine." He sighed, as if her offer was an ailment.

  She beamed at him as they walked down narrow isles. A flash of silver caught her eye and she felt drawn to it.

  It was a cigarette box, bright silver only dulled a bit by age. What really caught her eye was the beautiful etchings. There was a coiled snake biting into an eagle, and the bird held what appeared to be acacia flowers in its beak. There was elegant curved scrawl above the image. "Amor Vincit Omnia." She muttered.

  "Love conquers all." Pyrrhus said from behind her and she jumped. How did they always manage to sneak up on her like that?

  Delilah picked it up and the box was surprisingly light, she opened it and the inside had a thin black velvet lining. Pyrrhus offered to buy it as well but she told him to fuck off or else she wouldn't buy him a butter beer. The threat was ridiculous, considering the boy could probably afford to buy the entire Three Broomsticks Inn and still have money to spare.

  They sat at a table nearest to the fireplace, talking about random nonsense and laughing at stupid jokes. The moment was ruined however when someone dragged over a chair and sat across from Delilah.

  "Riddle," she greeted curtly, sipping on her warm tankard. "Please do sit down." She said overly sweet, he could've at least asked to join them.

  Delilah felt uncomfortable around him all the sudden and she didn't know why. Her discussion with Abraxas rang in her head. Tom felt too close even though a table was separating them. And she could almost feel him, the magic he radiated pressing down on her from all sides. It was intoxicating and the fire behind her suddenly felt too hot.

  "Good afternoon, Pontmercy, Lestrange." Tom greeted, coolly ignoring her satiric attitude.

  "Afternoon," Pyrrhus greeted, his eyes flickering between Tom and Delilah for a moment. "How have you been fretting this afternoon?"

  Delilah furrowed her brows. Tom was being awfully civil, it unnerved her. "Oh it's been dreadful, Delilah is by far the worst dress shopper in the world." Pyrrhus said and the girl scoffed, wanting to throw her butterbeer at him. "Only because you made me try on about fifteen dresses!"

  Tom quirked a brow. The image of Delilah being miserable in a heap of clothing in a dressing room was quite the amusing thought. She flushed and sunk as far into her chair as possible. She really didn't want to tell him, but she supposed he'd find out eventually.

  "I, uh, I changed my mind about Christmas." She muttered.

  Tom inclined his head forward, acting as if he hadn't heard her. "May you repeat that, please?" Delilah glared at him. "You heard me." He blinked slowly, long lashes providing an alluring curtain over his dark eyes. "I'm afraid I didn't." Delilah didn't miss the slight twitch in his cheek, indicating he was restraining a smirk. Oh how much she wished to smack him.

  "I've decided to go to Avery Manor with you."

"With me?" He asked, the smirk now invading his lips in an extremely cheeky way. Delilah scoffed into her tankard, her voice echoing inside the metal cup. "You know damn well what I meant." She felt too hot, jumping into the snow seemed appealing at the moment.

  The deep red in her cheeks was satisfying, and Tom took in her reaction and filed it away for him to keep.

  Teasing her always brought out the best reactions. Even better when she didn't permit them, her body betraying her as a blush snuck past her defenses, or when her pupils dilate, when her hands shake, and Tom can almost see her pulse quicken through the pale skin of her neck.

  There was a foreign swirl deep in his stomach at the notion he was the one to bring this reaction out of her. To his knowledge, he hasn't seen her respond this way to anyone else. Not even Elio.

  He felt his smirk deepen.

  There was an incessant tapping on the door.

  Delilah groaned, fully expecting either Lolita or Olive to answer but they stayed put. Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled blindly to the door. It was probably a first year or something, a few of them have wandered up to the seventh years corridor because they couldn't sleep or were homesick.

  Opening the door, Elio stood in the dark hall with a lantern and a smile on his face. Her eyes widened and tugged at the shirt she was wearing, trying to pull it down as far as it would go. "Elio, it's three in the morning." Her voice was a whisper as she walked into the hall, quietly shutting the door behind her.

  "I know, sorry. It's just, I wanted to spend some time with you before break." He leaned against the wall, appearing to keep his eyes focused solely on her face. Delilah blushed, feeling stupid for only wearing an oversized jumper to bed.

  Her brows furrowed, didn't anyone tell him she changed her mind and was attending Yule Ball?

  "Oh, well that's sweet of you. But I am going to go, actually. To Avery's place with you all." His mouth formed a small 'o' and he nodded, somewhat resembling a kicked puppy. "Right then, okay. Um, sorry for waking you up." He began to walk away and before she could stop herself, Delilah grabbed onto his arm and started to walk with him. "So, what'd you have in mind?" She asked.

  Delilah was well aware the only clothing she had on was an oversized shirt, her underwear, and socks. But nobody should be out at this hour, especially the day of departure for Christmas break. Not even prefects or professors should be up, patrol hours ended at midnight.

  "I thought maybe just popping down to the kitchens? Have you been before?"

  She nearly said yes. Delilah snuck into the kitchens a handful of times with Ron. And for a good majority of the battle, the kitchens were a decent safe haven.

  But she shook her head.

  Elio beamed as he tugged her down numerous halls, "you'll love it." The cold seemed to seep through the windows, chilling the stone walls, sending goosebumps all over her bare legs. She really should've put on more appropriate clothes.

  They reached a painting and Elio grinned at her before reaching forward, tickling a pear and the canvas swung forward. "Lady's first." He gestured, but Delilah shook her head. "I've only got my knickers on under this, you go first pretty boy."

A cruel satisfaction filled in her stomach as a deep red bled its way into Elio's cheeks. He was a flustered mess as he stumbled through the entry and nearly tripped over an elf.

  Delilah watched the blush drain from his face as his pale green eyes landed on something.

  "Oi, get a shift off." Lolita said, practically wrapped around Cain. Delilah furrowed her brows, she thought Lolita was back in the dormitory. "How'd you?..." She trailed and her friend rolled her eyes, shimming out of her lovers hold. "Ever heard of shoving pillows under the comforter?"

  Delilah ignored her sarcasm and turned to look at Cain, his tanned cheeks were flushed, his hair disheveled, and his lips swollen. "Elio and I will leave you two then." She shot a wink at Lolita as she grabbed Elio's hand, disregarding his protests and the choice of middle finger from her dorm mate.

  "Thank you!" She heard Cain call just as the canvas swung shut.

  Laughter bubbled in her chest and as Elio looked at Delilah, walking through different hues of moonlight, he couldn't help but smile. How could he have gotten so lucky? For one, she was stunning. Intelligent, witty, kind, had a ridiculous sense of humor, and her singing was dreadful but he couldn't imagine it being any other way.

  He was enamoured by her even when they were separated. Her smile would taunt him throughout the day, sneaking past his defenses when he should really be paying attention in classes.

  But as he looked at her, he came to a sudden realization.

  Elio didn't have the faintest idea of who she was.

  He knew nothing about her, not really. He knew the version of herself she showed at Hogwarts, but he couldn't judge. Because it was the same vise versa. Delilah barely knew anything about him.

  "Tell me about yourself?" He asked suddenly. What took Delilah aback however, was that it was stated as a question. She was so used to people, no not people, Tom demanding things. "What do you want to know?" Nervousness pricked at her sides and she shoved it away as hard as she could. This was Elio, she could trust him.

  He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets and his eyes lingered on a few paintings they passed. "Anything. Your family, friends, dreams, fears, what your favorite bug is, I don't know, the lot." His easy going smile threw her off. How could people like him still exist? He was a species nearly lost. The only other person she knew who had a similar aura to Elio, was Luna.

  They were walking towards the astronomy tower mindlessly.

  "Well, I don't get along with my parents too well. Mainly my mum, but that's every teen. I have an older brother, Harrison. He's only two years older though, but he acts like some enlightened god." Elio felt his heart pick up pace at the sound of her laugh, it sounded more genuine than anything he'd ever heard. "I miss my friends, so fucking much." Delilah sighed heavily.

  She's never actually talked to anyone about this. Sure, she talked to Dumbledore, but just about theories and facts. She hasn't opened up to anyone in nearly four months, and she hadn't even realized how much weight it put on her shoulders. "Are they..." Elio trailed carefully, not completely sure how to approach such a subject.

  "No...well some. Y'know, because the war effort." She wasn't technically lying. Delilah wanted to laugh at the peculiarity of it all. There was always a war going on, wasn't there? An endless cycle in world history, no one ever learns from their mistakes, they just keep repeating their actions and blame it on circumstance. Pinning the blame of their wrong doing on their opposers or other minority's who can't properly defend themselves.

  War was no longer something dictated to bring peace to the world, it was solely based on prejudice and politics. It was disgusting. But it was reality.

  "What are their names? If you don't mind me asking." He said softly. Elio was treading carefully. He wanted her to open up to him, and if he screwed up the first time, he feared she'd never give him the opportunity again. Delilah was letting him in. Something he knew was a rarity.

  "My best friends name is Blaise, you'd either love him or hate him." She forced herself to laugh lightheartedly. Saying his name aloud sent a pang through her chest and she nearly doubled over. God she missed him.

  "Then there's Luna, she's quite the remarkable girl, and she has the most dazzling eyes and dreamy voice. She could calm anyone down or send them into a frenzy just by looking at them." Delilah missed Luna dearly, she was about the only thing that kept her sane in those months she was a hostage.

  "Then there's Draco. Oh Merlin he's a handful. I pushed him into a lake one time because he was being so insufferable. But I can't seem to stay away from him for too long." Draco was a spoilt brat but was put in terrible circumstances, Lucius forced his son into something that was much too big for a teenager. None of Draco's wrongdoings were his fault. She knew that. Delilah wasn't even sure if they were friends, but they liked each other nonetheless.

  "Hermione, she's the smartest witch I've ever met and has the kindest heart. Although her judgement is sometimes askew and she doesn't tend to look towards the impossible. But that's my job, I guess." A warm smile tugged at her lips. Delilah couldn't even count the amount of times she quoted Sherlock at Hermione. They'd be arguing, trying to figure out a solution and Hermione always refused to acknowledge any answer that didn't fit logic. And Delilah would push back saying, 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' And she'd smirk at the annoyed expression that would brush her friends features. Hermione loved Sherlock so it was such fun to use it against her.

  "Ron, that boy could eat anything you'd put in front of him. And he's brilliant at Quidditch but he never thought so. Despite our efforts in encouraging him. And he's such a good friend. He really is. And Harry," Delilah's voice cracked despite her efforts.

  Elio touched the small of her back lightly as they made their way up the stairs of the astronomy tower, as a sign of comfort.

  "He's been put through the worst of what life has to offer. Moment by moment it seems like the universe has another thing to throw at him, but always he perseveres. And he never loses focus of what matters, family and friends. The world puts him through hell but there's still a lightness in him, despite all the evil that tries to extinguish it. He's done so much for me and I'd give anything to repay him." Harry got the heaviest amount of hate and attention from the Wizarding world.

  And none of it was his fault. He warned everyone about Voldemort's return, yet the Ministry called him insane and delusional because they didn't want to deal with any inconvenience. And look at what that cost them. A war with casualties too high to count.

  Her mind wandered to all those she's lost.

  "Cedric, Sirius, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Dobby, Fred, Lavender, Colin..." Delilah nearly let Dumbledore's name slip. She took a deep, shaking breath. Elio's heart dropped once he realized what she was listing. All those who she knew, who she loved.

  Had she really lost that many people?

  By looking at Delilah he couldn't have ever imagined she'd gone through so much. She always smiled, always cautious of how she affected others. She'd lost so much yet she was still kind. Elio knew of many people who suffered from losing a loved one and turned cruel. He knew from first hand experience with many members of his family.

  "Xavier, Paul, Lucas, Masie, Caroline, Mare, Zach, Klaus, Nico, Evangeline, Reid, and others. Many others. But they're okay now, their days of suffering are over. So it's only rational I keep looking forward." Delilah mustered a smile as she looked at Elio, his solemn expression deep.

  He was surprised Delilah wasn't crying, she wasn't even tearing up.

  "No point in dwelling on the past." How ironic. Yes, why dwell on the past when you can just live through it? She scowled at the thought.

  "I'm sorry," Elio began but she shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Don't apologize for something you took no part in. And I know you meant to say you're sorry for me, sorry for what I might've been put through. But please, don't be. I hate it when people do that." Delilah couldn't stand pity. She knew she was being a bit harsh. Elio was being empathetic, showing her he cared for her wellbeing. "Enough about me, what about you?"

  They reached the top of the tower, there was a three-sixty view of Hogwarts due to the high windows circling the room. It was cold, the winter winds biting at the small seems in the windows and seeping through the wood.

  Elio lit a few lanterns which set the observatory in a warm glow and helped to warm the air. He didn't answer her, so when she turned around, she found Elio standing there with a hand outstretched.

  "Dance with me?" He asked. She smiled and tried to ignore how painful it felt. "To what music?" He tilted his head to the side, light brown curls ruffling with the movement. "Pick whatever song you like and play it in your head, and I'll do the same. We can have our own little ball. Call it a rehearsal, I need to know how bad of a dance partner I have." Her mouth twitched at his joking manner, Elio held an easy smile and gestured for her to come closer.

  Her mind told her to walk away and go to bed, but her hand landed in his and he tugged her forward.

  Elio did his best to ignore how she was only in a shirt, pair of mismatched socks, and her hair a golden mess. He placed a hand on her back and the other held her own hand in his. Her thin shirt didn't leave much to the imagination.

  Delilah placed a light hold on his shoulder and they swayed to no other sound than the wind rattling the windows. "I don't get along with my parents, either," Elio started. Delilah was confused for a moment, she nearly forgot she asked him a question.

  "Their aspirations are different from mine, to say the least. My whole family's are, actually. But I get through it the best I can." Elio had never told anyone this before. Not even his closest friends, though Tom didn't count. Nonetheless, Elio was sure the cruel boy could see through him like glass.

  "They have this ideology that makes no logical sense, but it's been embedded into their heads for generations, which isn't an excuse. But I guess I can't completely blame them."

  Delilah felt her breath catch in her throat. She knew he was talking about pureblood supremacy, and Elio saying he didn't agree with it made her want to tackle him in a hug.

  "If I went against them however, they'd disown me. My family is all I have."

  Delilah placed her hands on the nape of his neck, messing with the smalls curls. "You have your friends, what about the other boys?" She asked but Elio simply chuckled, shaking his head. "They'd take me in, but their families are just the same. As soon as any of their parents got wind of my 'betrayal' they'd either kick me out as well or kill me."

  Delilah wanted to argue. Saying they wouldn't kill him simply for disagreeing. But she knew it was fruitless. Sirius' parents disowned him and he was only sixteen. His own cousin killed him.

  They fell into a peaceful silence, Delilah laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his chin atop her head.

  "I'm not a pureblood." It was said so quietly Delilah wasn't even sure if she actually said it out loud. A part of her feared he'd freeze, push her away, spit at her, curse her. But he'd said he didn't agree with the prejudice against blood, and he cared for her, and Delilah trusted him.

  "Okay." The words weren't forced. They sounded like someone had just told Elio it would rain tomorrow and he simply accepted. Elio didn't even ask her to specify if she was a Half-blood or muggle born.

  Delilah's heart ached, why couldn't she care for him the same way he does for her? Of course she cared for him, but her affections didn't breach past the level of friendship.

  He spun her once and she laughed before resting against his chest again. Elio hummed a tune, his eyes shut and his pale skin took in the orange glow of the lanterns and the blue of the moonlight.

  "Am I interrupting?"

  Elio and Delilah flinched, turning both their heads to look at the figure in the doorway. She felt her teeth grit so hard her jaw ached. Why must he ruin everything?

  "Shove off, Riddle."

  Tom simply raised a brow and leaned against a banister, shoving his hands in his pockets. His cheek twitched as he took in the sight of her.

  Her jumper was a deep emerald green and reached just above her mid thigh, the collar hung loosely around her neck to reveal a peak of her collarbones.

  His eyes trailed down her bare legs and rested on her socks. They were a heavy wool, one was striped blue, the other a solid bright yellow. Dark eyes dragged up again to meet her royal blue eyes and flushed cheeks. He noticed she had stepped away from Elio. Whom was looking rather dejected at the space now between them.

  "May I inquire why the pair of you are out past curfew? And trespassing? Rosier I would assume you'd know better, another strike and you get Quidditch probation."

  Elio felt disgust pool in his chest as the satisfied glimmer in Tom's eye. He wanted to tell him off, scream at him, hex him. But he couldn't. And Tom knew this, he savored it, and used it against him.

  Tom inclined his head towards the staircase. "Off you go before I change my mind." Elio gritted his teeth and felt Delilah grip his hand, which calmed him exponentially. They started to walk but Tom held up his hand. "Just you, I need to speak with Pontmercy."

  Before Elio could do something stupid, Delilah squeezed his hand and gestured for him to go on. "I'll be fine, I'll meet you in the morning before we get on the train." With one last look at Tom and Delilah, Elio hesitantly made his way back to the Slytherin dormitories.

  Once he was sure Elio was out of earshot, Tom turned towards Delilah and sighed at the furious glimmer in her eyes.

  "You're infuriating!" She bit in a harsh whisper. He leaned his head to the side, eyebrow raised. His voice dropped to a whisper as well, his tone mocking, "I know."

  Delilah rolled her eyes threw her hands up, attempting to put as much distance between them.

  Her nerves were on hyper alert and she felt extremely sensitive with her body all the sudden. She was barely wearing anything and being alone and so close to Tom was a tad bit overwhelming.

  She knew he wouldn't do anything physically, but he had a way of looking at her that didn't set her at ease.

  "You can't just do that to him. Threaten to take away one of the only things that he actually enjoys." That was a stupid thing to say and Delilah was well aware. Of course that would be the perfect thing for Tom do to, if he took Quidditch away from Elio, it'd leave the boy miserable. Which was probably the exact thing Tom wanted.

  "How do you even get up in the morning knowing everyone hates you? Knowing people only help you out of force. If you ever needed genuine help, if your life was on the line, who would help you?"

  Delilah wasn't expecting an answer. What she did expect was for him to glare at her, curse her, maybe they'd even fall into another duel? But Tom parted his lips and the words rolled off his tongue easily, as if he was bored.

  "You would help me, apparently."

  He let himself smirk at the annoyed expression that took over her features.

  "You are the most destitute person I know. And I've met a lot of pathetic people."

  Delilah's mind reeled. Did she really just call Tom Riddle pathetic? Her hand reached for her side but-fuck. Her wand was sitting on her dresser.

  Tom stalked forward and Delilah's socked feet slipped on the stone flooring as she scrambled away from him. They passed through the double doors and ended up on the icy balcony, the wind bit at her bare skin and her teeth started to chatter. Soon enough she was out of room and her back pressed into the railing, the ground was nearly a hundred feet below.

  Tom stopped directly in front of her. So close. Too close. His dark brown eyes turned black as he stared down at her, his lips pulled in an animalistic snarl.

  "Pathetic?" The words dripped heavily from his tongue, heating up the space between them with dangerous implications. His wand wasn't drawn, but that didn't calm the fire that felt like it was burning her alive.

  Both of his hands were placed on the railing on each side of her, his body trapping her. "I have let you get away with many things, but do not think for a moment you have the jurisdiction to claim me as a person of vulnerability and in need of pity."

  Delilah was scared, and she was sure he could see it in her eyes. A trembling breath pressed its way out of her lungs, her eyes flicked quickly between his, brows set. His dark hair had white flecks trapped in each curl.

  She felt her fear melt away just like the snow seeping into their clothing.

  "What happened to you?"