Reality swirled around them as they apprated back to Diagon Alley, their feet landing on the cobblestone streets. They had decided to arrive in a side alley next to the Inn, seeing as the main streets were bustling with shoppers and tourist. Tom had yet to say anything, but Delilah knew he was still struggling to comprehend what had just transpired between them. Looping her arm through his, they stepped out of the alley only to bump into someone.

"Merlin- oh, hello."

Delilah took a second to get hold of her footing, but she knew that voice. The Scottish accent was recognizable, "hello Aurora." She smiled at Abraxas' girlfriend pleasantly and lightly elbowed Tom in the side. He didn't even appear to notice her before he looked down, he wasn't bother to smile at Aurora, however he gave her a mute nod. Delilah looked at him for a moment as she worried at her lip before turning her attention back to the girl.

"Out shopping?" She gestured to the bags hanging off her arms and Aurora beamed at her. "I was in the city so I thought why not," her eyes trailed to Tom and Delilah's twined arms and raised a slight brow. "I've apparently missed something."

"Oh you have no idea," Delilah said through slightly pursed lips, which were formed into a tense smile. Sighing through her nose, she shook her head and tried to get her wits about her. The day wasn't ruined, not yet anyway. Delilah wasn't properly thinking, so the words left her mouth before she could determine if what she was about to suggest was a good idea. "Would you like to have lunch?"

Aurora shrugged slightly, "why not?"

________________________________

"The Leaky Cauldron? Really? I heard their food was rubbish." Aurora crinkled her nose as they walked through the door and Delilah laughed, though it faltered slightly as she saw Tom distancing himself a bit back. She'd need to talk to him later.

"Don't worry, the Inn always has something to surprise you with."

Aurora raised a brow at her smug smile as she led her through the tables. Her confusion quickly warped into shock as she saw a particular set of platinum blonde curls. "Abraxas?"

His head shot up when he heard her voice, his face lighting up when he laid eyes on his beloved. Abraxas didn't spare a moment as he shot out of his seat and picked Aurora up, spinning her around before kissing her. A grin broke out on both their lips during the kiss and he pulled back, "darling, what are you doing here?"

Brushing stray curls away from his eyes, Aurora took a moment to watch how the blush in his cheeks complemented the light color of his eyes and hair. Shaking her head at her infatuation of him, she poked him in the chest lightly. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be in France."

Delilah had to admit it was a bit impressive how Abraxas didn't miss a beat as he came up with a quick reply, the lie dripping off his tongue like honey. She didn't know whether to commend him or feel disconcerted at how good he was at doing such a thing. But really, was she any different?

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"He's tired, though that should probably expected," Lolita whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself, leaning in the doorway. Delilah nodded and caught sight of Cain pacing in the background, picking at a loose thread of his jumper. He was the complete definition of a mess.

"Can I speak with him? If that's alright."

Lolita bit at her lip for a moment. Turning to look at her fiancé, she took in the state of him and felt tears prick at her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. "Cain my love, is it alright if Delilah comes in? She wants to speak with you."

He didn't seem to register the words for a minute before he gave a nod, rubbing at the growing stubble along his jaw.

"I'll be down the hall if you need me," she walked over and placed a chaste kiss to his forehead. Cain closed his eyes at the soft contact and gave another mute nod, watching silently as Lolita left out the door. The old wood closed with a soft click as Delilah walked slowly further into the room, eyeing the messy bed sheets, strewn around clothing, and untouched food trays.

Delilah felt like asking him how he was holding up would be pointless, it was clear he wasn't doing okay. No one would be.

Leaning against the desk, she watched him pace for a few more minutes before clearing her throat. "Have you been getting any sleep?"

Cain shook his head, staring blankly out the window as the sound of rain pattered against the panes. Delilah twirled her necklace, the cool material comforting her for a brief moment. "Use your words, it may not seem important, but it is. Talking is important."

Clenching his jaw, he spared her a side glance before turning to the window again. "No, I've not been sleeping. How could I?" He sniffed and only then did Delilah take note of how red his eyes were. "Besides," he began and leaned against the wall, finally looking at her, "much to do considering what's around the corner."

"You don't need to go, it'd be understandable if you didn't. It's probably be better actually, if you didn't. You need time, Cain. You should be with your family."

He scoffed.

Closing her eyes, she sighed before she corrected herself, "you should be with Lolita."

Shaking his head, Cain tugged at the roots which had gone a bit greasy due to him not having showered. His appearance looked gaunt, and even though it'd barely been a week he looked as if he lost weight. He wore a jumper that sat crooked in his shoulders and pajama pants that hung low on his hips, the end of the fabric scuffed at each of his heels.

It's quiet for awhile, Delilah giving him breathing room to gather his thoughts to speak, or if he even wanted to speak. Sometimes allowed silence was better.

"She was so excited for Hogwarts... so much so." Cain rubbed at his eyes and sat down at the desk next to where she was leaning against it.

"She'd write me letters every Wednesday and Friday. Her handwriting dripped with enthusiasm that it was hard to read sometimes." He laughed and looked up to ceiling, seeing some memory instead of the cracks.

"I remember her eyes would just- just light up when I talked about the school. She'd sit in my lap and watch the fire, simply listening. Picturing her future years of walking those beautiful halls. Or when she'd come with me for supplies shopping, she'd try on the robes for fun. I'd never seen her so happy."

Tears burned hot in his eyes and he made weak effort to wipe the ones that trailed down his cheeks. The tears nearly hurt and lately he'd get headaches every other hour, he was exhausted. "She hated it at home, couldn't wait to leave. Rosie even planned it all out, stay at school during Christmas holiday and when she could, stay with me over the summer. She was going to be so loved, properly loved, by people who cared for her."

Cain recalled the night Rosie first told him this. Two years ago, it was Christmas Eve and she couldn't sleep. There was a knock on his door and she shuffled in with a stuffed animal tucked beneath her arm. One he'd given her when she was only five years old. It severely needed a good wash but Rosie refused to let it out of her sight.

He told her to go to bed, seeing as he himself was half asleep, but she refused.

She wanted to dance.

He smiled at the memory of dancing around the room with her, Rosie's feet on top of his, the cheerful giggles filling the air that mixed in with the festive music he played over a phonograph.

Cain was pulled from the memory as a sob escaped him, rattling his chest as if a bell had been rung, "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Delilah said softly, her brows furrowed as she crossed the short distance and pulled him into a hug. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she smoothed down his hair and felt his shoulders tremble as he tried to stop crying, but it was fruitless.

Cain gripped at her shirt with clenched hands, his head buried in the crook of her neck. "She's gone, Delilah. Just fucking gone."

She squeezed her eyes shut as a weight fell behind them, giving her a headache.

After awhile, he pulled back and sniffed, his eyes swollen and red, still watering with unshed tears. "You know the worst part... the worst part isn't even the day she died." He ran a shaking hand through his hair before collapsing on the edge of the bed. His form caved in, so unlike his usual strict posture.

"The worst part is all the days that follow. All the days she stays dead."

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Aleksander had called a small meeting in his room later on, Pyrrhus being the last to come stumbling through the door. There were imprints on the side of his face, indicating he'd most likely passed out and woke up only minutes prior.

The meeting was about to begin when there was a knock, everyone turned and tried to hide their surprise at seeing Lolita and Cain. The latter of which hadn't left his room since they arrived.

Aleksander smiled warmly at them, trying to ease the tension in the air everyone felt. Clasping his hands together, he leaned against the bed frame and looked at them all, "okay so we're going to use the visitors entrance and be in the atrium by eight. So we'll need to leave here no later than a quarter till then. Tom, Delilah, and I will go to the lift while Abraxas distracts the guards, and my brother will meet us at the Department entry to show us where to go. He said getting to the actual holding areas can be a bit tricky due to security measures. The plan is to be in and out as soon as possible. Just take what you need and then we leave, no lingering, no exploring. Despite how tempting it may be."

Aleksander looked pointedly at Tom, who of which raised a brow.

"What are we doing?"

They all turned and found Aurora standing in the doorway, looking at them expectantly. Abraxas' eyes widened and he hurried up to his feet, "nothing, darling. Just-"

She ignored him and walked further into the room, disbelief shining in her eyes. "You're breaking in and stealing from the Ministry?"

The room was dead silent, none knowing what to quite say. Tom was about to reach for his wand to wipe her memory when Aurora nudged Olive and smiled, "how exciting. Can I come along?"

"No!" The word was spoken in unison by everyone, causing it to bounce around the room in a rather loud echo. Aurora frowned and turned to Abraxas, "why?"

He raised his brows at her, "you do realize what you're asking to be a part of, don't you?"

"You do realize what you're a part of, don't you? You expect me to just let you walk in there when the consequences could be disastrous? Hell no, Abraxas love, you should know by now that if you're going to be doing something reckless, I will be right at your side." She walked over and raised up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek and he flushed, feeling all the eyes on him.

Wrapping an arm around Aurora's waist, Abraxas looked over to Tom with a questioning brow. "Can she come along?"

He raised one shoulder in a shrug and went back to the book he was holding. No one paid the action much mind but Delilah worried at her lip to the point where it started to bleed. What was wrong with him?

Had her confession really troubled him that much?

__________________________________

Delilah's hand cramped as she wrote a hurried letter to Dumbledore explaining how the Ministry heist was coming up soon. Dangerously soon. She requested to meet with him as soon as possible and could only hope the owls at the post were quick and reliable enough to deliver her message on time.

She needed advice. Delilah knew he warned her against the possibility of her wanting to stay, quite explicitly the more she thought about it. At the time his words seemed riddled but not so much so as she recalled the meetings. He'd probably tell her to go... nonetheless she needed to meet with him.

Sealing the letter with wax, Delilah heard the door open and she went stiff for a moment before slipping the parchment underneath a book. She wanted to talk with Tom, but she had also been subconsciously putting it off the entire day.

He had been awfully quiet, even by his terms.

Looking over her shoulder, Tom was still by the door. His back pressed against it as he looked at her, his eyes appearing like the blackness of void space.

"What's on your mind?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears and bounced around the room.

He bit the inside of his cheek before pushing off the door, shrugging off his blazer as he walked toward the bed. The groan of the mattress sounded too loud as he sat down. He messed with his hands for a moment, a trait unlike him and she bit at her lip before walking over.

"What's wrong?" Delilah brushed a stray curl from his forehead and the coolness of her touch rippled through his nerves. Looking up at her, his dark brown eyes took on an almost gold sheen due to the lighting. They were ever changing; one moment deep space, the next a burning star.

"Will we meet again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Later on in life."

"Stop talking as if I'm already one foot out the door," she cupped his cheeks, embracing the feeling of his skin, embedding it into her memory. She closed her eyes as he pulled her towards him, spreading his legs so she could come to stand between them, closer.

A poem came to mind in that moment, and it pained her. It pained her so deeply she wanted to collapse and never get back up because the debris on top of her was simply too heavy.

Promise me this
If there is more than this one
Lifetime
And we meet again
In another time
Another place
Let us love each other then
The way we should've loved
Each other from the start
Because I couldn't bare to spend
Another lifetime missing a piece of my heart

The feeling of his fingers running lightly over her back made her shiver. There and now was a moment of peace she knew wouldn't last, it couldn't. They didn't have that luxury. "Tom, I'm just as terrified as you are."

"Terrified of what?" He mumbled into the fabric of her blouse.

Delilah raised one shoulder in a weak shrug, running her fingers through his hair. She had never noticed the different shades until then, some a honey colored brown, others nearly pitch black, mixing together to form a rich saturation of brunette. "Of everything, all that's about to happen. What might not happen. What has happened."

Chills ravished her skin as his hands trailed down and cupped the back of her legs, pulling her closer yet again. Her breath hitched when he tugged forward again, raising one leg at a time to be set on either side of him on the bed, resulting in Delilah straddling him.

Tom felt childish, stupid even, for just wanting to be closer to her. He knew his time was running out which made panic strike like a chord in his chest. Delilah wrapped her arms around his shoulders, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Blue and brown searched each other and she squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her forehead to his. "What is it?"

"I know you're leaving soon."

"Tom I told you, I don't know that yet-"

"Yes you do."

Her lips pressed together, she knew leaving would be for the best, it was expected of her to go. She's a girl of time, she's supposed to be the hero of this story; selfless and willing to give up her happiness for the greater good.

What was she supposed to tell Dumbledore anyway?

Hey old man, yeah you know how you told me not to fall in love? Well I did exactly that. And guess what? I'm deciding to stay in the past so I can be with said man I fell in love with! Oh, my family and friends back in my own time? I'm sure they'd understand.

Yeah, that would go really fucking well.

"I don't know what to do," her voice was a shaking whisper that sounded pathetic even to her own ears. Merlin knows how Tom thought it sounded.

I want you stay.

That's what he wanted to come out of his mouth, but instead he was still and his tongue paralyzed. He cleared his throat after a moment, trying to get his wits about him. "Like you said, we can figure it out. How much time after the Ministry do you think you'll have?"

Her shoulders sagged slightly and he felt something in his stomach drop. "How much time, Delilah?"

"A day at most."

"Fucking hell."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't do that."

He fell back on the bed, his forearm thrown over his eyes as he tried to get a grip on the reality of the situation. Her hips were still settled against his and Tom's breath hitched when she shifted to lay down on his chest.

"What if we just... ran away somewhere."

He twirled some of her golden hair around his fingers and mustered up a chuckle, "oh that would be great, wouldn't it?"

"God yeah," her light laughter shook his chest as she looked up at him, resting her chin against his sternum. He sighed then, looking up at the old and cracked ceiling of the Inn. Despite how lovely the thought sounded, Tom knew he'd never be able to just up and leave. Even if it was with her. There was so much for him to do. A quiet life was one he would never be able to retain, even if he wanted to. He'd explode.

"We can't."

Tom watched as she closed her eyes, her lashes fanning above the circles that seemed to permanently hang under her eyes, tinting the skin a shade of purple. Sniffing dryly, she rested her head against his chest, trying to absorb every minute they still had together.

Delilah wanted to stay, she'd give anything. But did that include her family?

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Later that night, Delilah was restless and found herself walking down the narrowed steps. A clock hung crooked on the wall, the arms pointing at two in the morning appeared to reach out for her in the shadows.

Going down to the pub area on the bottom level, her eyes looked around for no one in particular but fell in one boy.

"How are you holding up?" She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, the string smell of alcohol burning her nose.

Elio took a sip of his drink, letting the liquid seep into his tongue and other senses. Turning, he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead before resting his head against hers.

"Trying to cope."

"With Rosie?"

"No," he ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, keeping his eye trained on a melting candle that stood in front of them. "You."

Her brows furrowed and she looked up at him, "what do you mean?"

"You're leaving, for good. It'll basically be like you're dying-"

"Hey, none of that. Please." She gripped his hand and he closed his eyes at the cold touch. Forcing himself to look at her, he observed Delilah for a moment and caught sight of his necklace. She never took it off and it made his head go hazy at the notion; heartfelt or not.

Delilah was acting a bit jittery and he narrowed his eyes, "what?"

"Nothing."

"Del."

Grabbing his glass, she took a drink of whiskey and refused to look at him. "I'm having, well I'm," resting her elbows on the table, she pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes.

"I'm having second thoughts."

Elio went still, not sure how to go about this. "Meaning?"

"I might stay."

"You might stay," he gaped at her for a moment, "Delilah are you serious? Why? You're friends, your family. Your brother!"

She gave a weak shrug, trying to comprehend both their emotions without getting riled up. "I know, but Tom-"

"Riddle didn't try to coerce you, did he? Merlin that selfish bastard. I should've known."

Delilah took note of how furious he looked in that moment, the candle light making his pale green eyes appear to be on fire. "That's not how this is, Elio. This is all me, all of it. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me."

"Why would I be angry at you?"

"I know you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you are. And I feel like you have been for a very long time."

"Fine!" He slammed his hand down on the table, making Delilah flinch and the few others in the pub stare at him. He clenched his jaw and stood up, taking hold of Delilah's elbow as he led them outside. Diagon Alley was pretty much empty at such a late hour.

Elio led them to the side of the inn under an enclave, it was still raining though not as hard. Delilah wrapped her arms around herself as leaned against the brick wall, watching him cautiously as he paced.

Tugging at his hair, the light brown curls glinted by the street lamps. "I am mad. I'm pissed off. At you, at him, at everything. Alright? How could you just- after everything?"

Delilah went to open her mouth but he held up a hand.

"I get it, you love him. You've loved him for a long time. More than you ever did for me, if you even did. And I realize there's not a damn thing I can do about that. But Delilah, this isn't just time that you're going to ruin, I couldn't give two shits about that. This is your family that you're leaving behind."

Elio watched her for a moment, he could feel that he was shaking but he didn't care.

"All your friends that you told me about? Luna, Blaise, Ron, Fred and George, Harry. You're okay with letting them go on knowing that you're dead? What about Harrison? You're never going to see him again."

Delilah clenched her jaw and looked down at the cobblestone street, her ears were ringing and she was beginning to get a headache due to everything moving so quickly. What he was saying was true, all of it was. However, that didn't make her feel any better. Not like it was even supposed to.

"You're giving up your life, to be with him?" A chord struck in her chest as Elio yelled, his voice echoing down the empty streets, slightly shadowed by rain.

"What do you want me to say?" Delilah looked up finally and saw he had tears in his eyes, the pain etched into his gaze was painful. She couldn't help but feel she was the cause for everyone's pain. If it hadn't been for her, they wouldn't even have discovered Grindelwald's collection and Rosie would still be alive.

"Anything, make me understand. Because I don't. If he had any sense of care for your well being he wouldn't let you stay. Even if it killed him to see you go, he'd make sure you got back to your friends and family." Elio was self projecting, but he didn't know any other way to get his point across.

"He doesn't know the actual circumstances-"

"Does he have to!"

Delilah flinched back again for what felt like the millionth time that day.

Elio pointed a finger at himself, "because I didn't, and not for one moment did I think it would be better if you'd decided not to go. Not for one fucking second did I ever try to convince you stay, even though I would give anything for you to do so. Because I know it's not right."

Delilah slid to the floor as his words beat into her ears, bringing her knees up to her chest to calm her breathing. The breathing technique Tom had walked her through flew out of her memory due to her nerves being in such a jumble.

Elio sighed heavily and rubbed at the back of his neck before hesitantly sitting down next to her, not caring that his trousers were going to get wet.

"Elio," she began, her voice shaking slightly. "I am so tired." She turned to look at him, her eyes burning with frustration and anger. "You don't think I hate myself for even considering giving up my family? Because I do. This isn't some easy choice I'm making, it's not even a choice that I might make."

He gulped in an attempt to wet his dry mouth as he fumbled with his hands, "I know." His voice was so quiet she wasn't sure he spoke. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you it's just... I don't understand."

Licking her lips, Delilah twined her fingers with his and gave his hand a squeeze. "Neither do I."

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Please VOTE & COMMENT if you enjoyed!!

I would have updated sooner but lately it's been kind of rough for me emotional wise. I turned 18 last week too though, so that's something.