The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 2

It was distinctly awkward as they set off down Privet Drive. Even Harry seemed aware of it, but Dumbledore seemed perfectly at ease.

"Keep your wand at the ready, Harry," he said brightly. "

But I thought I'm not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?"

"If there is an attack," said Dumbledore, "I give you permission to use any counter jinx or curse that might occur to you. However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."

"Why not, sir?"

"You are with me," said Dumbledore simply. "This will do, Harry."

He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive.

"You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said.

"No," said Harry. "I thought you had to be seventeen?"

"You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don't mind — as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment. You will have to grip Harry's arm. Do so tightly."

Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm while Delilah grabbed Harry's, making sure that she was holding on tightly. She didn't want to fall off and end up in the middle of nowhere.

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."

Dumbledore started to turn, and abruptly everything turned black and she was being pressed very hard from all directions; she could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around her chest; her eyeballs were being forced back into her head; her eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull and then — She gulped great lungfuls of cold night air and opened her watery eyes. It was as though she had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. A few seconds later she realized that Privet Drive had disappeared. They were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the center of which stood an old war memorial and a few benches.

Her comprehension catching up with her senses, Delilah realized that she had just Apparated for the first time in her life. She leaned against a street lamp, trying to catch her breath.

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore. "The sensation does take some getting used to."

Delilah almost answered, but saw he was looking solicitously down at Harry, who was sitting on a bench, rubbing his ears..

"I'm fine," said Harry. "But I think I might prefer brooms...."

Delilah winced. She'd rather get used to apparating than fly over an ocean. At least apparating went by quickly.

Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little more tightly around his neck, and said, "This way."

He set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses. According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight.

"So tell me, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Your scar... has it been hurting at all?"

Harry raised a hand unconsciously to his forehead and rubbed the lightning-shaped mark.

"No," he said, "and I've been wondering about that. I thought it would be burning all the time now Voldemort's getting so powerful again."

Delilah studied Dumbledore. He seemed satisfied, as if he had finally managed to get a wild rabbit to behave.

"I, on the other hand, thought otherwise," said Dumbledore. "Lord Voldemort has finally realized the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against you."