After the meeting, Delilah only had mere moments to talk to Tom and she wasn't keen to waste any time. As many members discussed what had been presented to them, she rushed over towards him and restrained herself from reaching out to hold his hand.

Instead she glanced down at his wrists, "how are you coping with that?" He sighed through his nose before looking down at her, "how do you think? I feel like a squib." His eyes turned away again and she followed his gaze, landing on Harry who seemed adamant on ignoring both of them.

"He won't speak to me," she muttered.

Tom hummed, his hand twitching in the reflex of wanting to grab hold of her but he kept his fist clenched at his side. "You should go and talk with him."

Turning back to him her lips quirked, "it's not that easy."

"It was with me. You're stubborn, it was hard to avoid you."

"Hilarious."

His eyes glimmered for a moment before gesturing back towards Harry with his head, "go on."

Delilah didn't have time to oppose as Kingsley made his way over with Bill and they led Tom out of the room, undoubtedly to bound him again and ask him more questions. She watched him till his form disappeared around the corner before turning to find Harry.

Her shoulders slumped when she realized he'd left the room.

Ginny was suddenly at her side, making the girl flinch and the red head rested a hand on her arm. "He went up to his room, I calmed him down for the time being so I recommend you talk to him now." Her voice was stiff and she wasn't meeting her eyes.

Delilah's heart dropped, she hadn't even thought of how Ginny was taking this. Seeing Tom again. It didn't occur to mind that he was the one who possessed her back in her second year. Noted Delilah hadn't known at the time, she didn't find out till this past year. Still, she should've remembered. It was selfish of her.

"Ginny-"

"Go talk to Harry, I'm fine." With a tight smile, she left her standing there.

  Licking her dried lips, she took a breath before knocking on his door. There was no answer and she closed her eyes, resting her palm against the wood. "Harry... Harry it's me. Please open the door."

Nearly two minutes of silence.

"Harry-"

The door swung open and her eyes blinked in surprise before guilt overtook her features. He was angry at her, that was certain due to the rage in his green eyes. But he was containing it, keeping his face as neutral as he could. Though his jaw clenched.

"Can I talk to you? Please?"

He stared at her for a moment before his gaze shifted to the ground, he nodded once and stepped aside.

Slowly she entered, wrapping her arms around herself as her eyes flickered around the room. She smiled a bit at the sight of Ginny's things, one of her Weasley jumpers hung on the back of a chair.

The door clicked shut behind her and she turned, Harry was leaning against the door with arms crossed.

"What is it?"

Delilah opened and closed her mouth several times. She knew apologizing seemed pointless, but she did it anyway.

"I'm sorry."

She could tell he wanted to roll his eyes.

"Harry, I am sorry. I don't know how to fully encompass everything, but I am. And if it could be any other way, of him not being here, of it not having to have come to this, I'd wish for it in a heartbeat."

At that he scoffed, his eyes narrowing into a glare behind his glasses. "I saw how he jumped to your defense. How you jumped to his...I saw how happy you looked in that photo - how?"

"What photo?"

"Hermione discovered an old Hogwarts yearbook from the forties, you were in it. Just graduated. How was that, might I ask? Must've been nice. Was a bit of a shock seeing you so happy and you know, alive." His tone was of bitter indifference and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Harry-"

"I don't want a full sob story, Meddows. Just tell me why."

Her heart hurt with the sting of his words. But she didn't blame him. If she were in his shoes she'd never forgive him.

"He's not You-Know-Who."

A dry laugh left his lips and he shook his head, "fuck... are you serious right now?"

"He's not, he isn't." Her voice was steady and she met his gaze coolly. "He's dedicated himself to helping the Order, he's willing to give information that will benefit us in the war effort. He can even cast a patronus, that isn't supposed to be possible-"

"I don't give a damn if he can cast one, Meddows. That person, that thing down stairs," he took a step forward and gestured towards the door, venom on his tongue. "Is Tom Riddle, whether you accept it or not what he'll become. What he'll always become."

Delilah gulped, ready to fire back to try to make him understand but he shook his head and stepped closer.

"You care for him, I can see that. And I won't shy away from saying it disgusts me. But I know I won't change your mind, you're as stubborn as I am." His jaw clenched as he tried to read the pain etched onto her features. He didn't even recognize her. "Tom will turn on us, he'll turn on us all. And he'll turn on you. Whether or not it's soon or down the line. God help you when you realize I'm right. God help us all."

He looked at her for another hard moment before walking back to his door and opening it, "you can go now."

Delilah didn't move for a moment, trying to grasp what he had just told her.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

Her voice cut through the air and it sunk into Harry, gripping at his heart with sharp claws. Delilah had always been a friend to him. They weren't terribly close, not like he was with Ginny, Ron, or Hermione. But she'd always been there, willing to go to the ends of the earth if it meant helping him.

Harry had always been thankful to her for that. But now he wondered if she went too far, losing herself in the process and falling into the likes of Riddle. Of Lord Voldemort. And it all led to her trying to help him and the world.

It all tied back to him.

Part of himself said not everything was about him, but a large portion of this war was.

He returned her gaze heatedly, "Delilah," he began slowly and took a breath.

"I'll only begin to trust him if he helps kill himself. Even then that won't ever be enough. Nothing ever will be. He-"

He killed his parents.

The sentence was left unsaid but it hung in the air.

  The next day they were sat in the kitchen, Tom only allowed out of his bonds if he was supervised by a higher ranked Order member. It became clear to Delilah that they didn't trust her anymore. At least not to the extent they did before.

She was emotionally compromised.

Tom and her made strained conversation, not exactly being able to talk of anything of importance with so many burning ears. She watched him as he picked at the bracelet on his wrist.

"Is it uncomfortable?"

"I can hardly feel it, but magically it makes me feel sort of numb."

Delilah offered him her best smile, she knew this was hard for him. Tom prided himself in his magic, it was his entire life and it had been stripped away. He was handling it remarkably well. "I can see about getting them off soon."

He shook his head, "it'd be pointless, they'd never agree. I'm seen as a threat. I'm surprised they haven't killed me yet."

"It's not in the Order's nature."

Tom looked at her for a moment, "no, it's not. But it's in yours."

She bit her cheek and glanced down at the table, messing with her fork since she'd lost her appetite.

Suddenly the front door banged open and everyone flinched, wands at the ready before a voice rang out. One that was familiar and missed and her heart suddenly warmed.

"Delilah!" at the sound of Blaise's voice she shot up, her chair toppling over.

Before she could make it to the doorway, he appeared in front of her, looking the same as ever and a grin broke through her features. Blaise stopped at the sight of her, a halting moment of joy and shock running through both of them before they broke out into a laugh.

He picked her up in a hug, spinning her around and the two talked over each other in a rush of incomprehensible words.

"Merlin, you're alive." He breathed out, holding her head into his neck as his eyes closed in relief. Delilah squeezed him tightly once more before he set her down. She was smiling but then her brows furrowed as she looked up at him. "How did you-"

"A lot changed in the time you were gone, it was only sooner or later before I was approached by the Order since I wasn't sworn to You-Know-Who."

At the mention of his future self, Tom shifted in his seat. He couldn't help the jealousy that pricked at his sides.

He hadn't been able to touch Delilah freely since they got there. Something a few months ago he would've never believed he'd miss.

It was a longing inside of him he wasn't used to. And now with his wand and most of his magic gone, the absence of her was felt even deeper.

Delilah had become a much bigger part of him than he'd ever anticipated.

He didn't know whether or not to hate himself over the fact, but he knew he needed her.

Tom clenched his jaw when something told him that he was even desperate for her.

He needed his magic back, without it his mind was wandering much too far. There were fewer distractions and everything just seemed to be Delilah.

Delilah. Delilah. Delilah.

Last night he woke up muttering her name.

She was living stubbornly in his head and his heart now.

And he had no more defenses to push her out.