The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 3

Harry and Dumbledore walked up to the door. Delilah brushed the spiders out of Harry's hair, careful that none fell on either of them. When one fell on Dumbledore, however, she took no notice.

Dumbledore knocked three times and Delilah saw sudden movement from behind the window.

"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry and Delilah."

The door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.

"Harry, Delilah! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!"

"We were lucky," said Dumbledore, ushering Harry and Delilah over the threshold. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!"

Delilah looked around and saw that Mrs. Weasley was not alone, despite the lateness of the hour.

A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair was sitting at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.

"Hello, Professor," she said. "Wotcher, Harry, Delilah."

"Hi, Tonks."

Tonks looked nothing like herself. She looked drawn, even ill, and there was something forced in her smile and her appearance was less colorful than usual without her customary shade of bubble-gum-pink hair.

"I'd better be off," she said quickly, standing up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."

"Please don't leave on my account," said Dumbledore courteously, "I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour."

"No, no, I need to get going," said Tonks, not meeting Dumbledore's eyes. " 'Night —"

"Dear, why not come to dinner on the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming — ?"

"No, really, Molly... thanks anyway... Good night, everyone."

Tonks hurried past them into the yard; a few paces beyond the doorstep, she turned on the spot and vanished into thin air.

Delilah noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked troubled.

"Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Take care of yourself. Molly, your servant."

He made Mrs. Weasley a bow and followed Tonks, vanishing at precisely the same spot.

Mrs. Weasley closed the door on the empty yard and then steered Harry by the shoulders into the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine his appearance.

"You're like Ron," she sighed, looking him up and down. "Both of you look as though you've had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes."

Delilah nodded.

"Now I have to look up to him."

Harry chuckled and Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Are you hungry, Harry, Delilah?"

"Yeah, I am," said Harry.

"I am too," Delilah added, suddenly realizing how hungry she was.

"Sit down, dears, I'll knock something up."

As Delilah sat down, a furry ginger cat with a squashed face jumped onto her knees and settled there, purring.

"So Hermione's here?" Harry asked as Delilah happily tickled Crookshanks behind the ears.

"Oh yes, she arrived the day before yesterday," said Mrs. Weasley, rapping a large iron pot with her wand. It bounced onto the stove with a loud clang and began to bubble at once.