The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 5

Mrs. Weasley followed them upstairs looking grim.

"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," she said as they reached the first landing.

"We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep," she added to Hermione and Delilah, "so try not to wake her up."

Delilah didn't believe that, but didn't argue. It wasn't worth it.

Hermione bid them goodnight before heading to their room, Delilah following in her wake.

On her way Delilah grabbed her bag, which she had left in the hall as no one had seen fit to tell her where she was sleeping.

As soon as Hermione opened the door Ginny, who had been sitting on her bed, jumped up.

"What happened? What did they tell you?" she immediately asked.

"It's your mum's decision, not ours. I don't think we should tell you," Hermione stated as she closed and bolted the door.

"I think it's fine," Delilah argued. "Most of it was obvious anyway, except that one bit."

Hermione bit her lip but nodded.

"I suppose that's true... ok. I guess it doesn't hurt anyone."

Ginny grinned at Delilah.

"Basically Voldy is trying to get more followers and they're trying to convince people he's back. Oh, and Sirius said that Voldy's trying to get something he didn't have last time, and everyone freaked, so it must be important," Delilah summarized. "Hermione, why did you bolt the door?"

Shrugging, Ginny answered, "Kreacher, sometimes he comes wandering in at night unless we bolt the door."

"Creep," Delilah murmured. Hermione bristled.

"It's not his fault, he's used to no one being here, it's a lot for him to take in."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Come off it, 'mione, he's a lunatic."

Hermione bristled but didn't argue.

A long time later, after they all had silently got ready for bed, Delilah was still awake, staring at the ceiling. She wished she was already at school. She wished she could apparate like Fred and George. She wouldn't be able to apparate inside Hogwarts grounds, but maybe she'd go to Hogsmeade, or even Diagon Alley. She would be able to do her own thing and not worry about Harry or Voldemort.

Sighing, she rolled over. Those thoughts were no good. She was stuck in Grimmauld Place for the rest of the summer, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The next morning everyone grouped in the drawing room. Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Delilah were standing around the buzzing curtains with cloths tied around their noses and mouths when Harry entered the room. Of course, with everything he did, everyone's attention immediately turned to him.

"Cover your faces and take a spray," Mrs. Weasley said to Harry and Ron the moment she saw them, pointing to two more bottles of black liquid standing on a spindle-legged table. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad — what that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years —"

Despite Hermione's face cloth, Delilah was positive she was sending Mrs. Weasley a reproachful look.

"Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage —"

"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," said Sirius, who had just entered the room carrying a bloodstained bag of what appeared to be dead rats. "I've just been feeding Buckbeak," he added in response to all the confused looks. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom. Anyway... this writing desk..."