The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 17

The next day classes started and the teachers had already decided to make their lives harder than necessary. So, it was basically a normal day.

In Transfiguration they had moved from simple human transfigurations to more complex ones. In Alchemy they were expected to do bigger, harder transformations. So, when it was time for Potions, Delilah was interested to see what they would be doing.

"Settle down, settle down, please! Quickly, now, lots of work to get through this afternoon! Golpalott's Third Law... who can tell me—? But Miss Granger can, of course!"

Hermione recited at top speed: "Golpalott's-Third-Law-states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blended-poison-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separale-components."

"Precisely!" beamed Slughorn. "Ten points for Gryffindor! Now, if we accept Golpalott's Third Law as true..."

Delilah winced, unsure how Slughorn had deciphered what Hermione had said.

"... which means, of course, that assuming we have achieved correct identification of the potion's ingredients by Scarpin's Revelaspell, our primary aim is not the relatively simple one of selecting antidotes to those ingredients in and of themselves, but to find that added component which will, by an almost alchemical process, transform these disparate elements—"

Delilah nodded, it made sense. In a strange way it was similar to Alchemy.

"... and so," finished Slughorn, "I want each of you to come and take one of these phials from my desk. You are to create an antidote for the poison within it before the end of the lesson. Good luck, and don't forget your protective gloves!"

Delilah stood up and walked to his desk, just a second behind Hermione. By the time they were halfway to his desk, the rest of the class had realized it was time to move.

She grabbed a black poison. It was oddly beautiful in a malicious way.

Once she got it, she waved her wand over it, nonverbally casting "Partem Revelio," a spell she had found in one of the Malfoys many advanced Potions books.

The poison turned a dark blueish purple. The exact color of liquid Wolfsbane.

Delilah shook her head, grinning. For once she was lucky enough to get the poison she had studied for hours in the library to make sure she made the Wolfsbane potion correctly for Remus.

She quickly wrote down all the compounds in Wolfsbane and started working to separate them into different vials. It didn't take long. Once she finished, she started with the first vial. She pulled out a book she had bought during break about poisonous compounds and their antidotes. It was very useful.

The first few ingredients, hazel and ginger, were in the student cupboard. The last ingredient wasn't there. She reread her book and it was the only known antidote.

Sighing, Delilah raised her hand and Slughorn came over, surprised to see that she actually had a question.

"Sir, do you have any hawthorn? There isn't any left in the cupboard."

He blinked in surprise.

"Why, of course! I'll go grab some now." He sniffed her potion and broke out in a grin. "And it seems you are wise to ask for it. Your antidote is almost done."

She smiled while he hurried away to his office.

Delilah headed back to the store cupboard. She still needed one more ingredient after the hawthorn to overpower the poison.

She studied them for a minute before grabbing some peppermint and lemon juice.

She sat down and started cutting the peppermint leaves. A moment later Slughorn was back. He quickly announced that there was only two minutes left.

Delilah quickly cut the hawthorn and put it in the vial with the peppermint and the lemon juice in just as Slughorn announced, "Time's... UP! Well, let's see how you've done! Blaise, what have you got for me?"

Slowly, Slughorn moved around the room, examining the various antidotes. No one had finished except Delilah, and when he reached her he exclaimed in delight.

"Well done! You'll have a tough time beating this one Harry," Slughorn teased.

"Thank you sir."

He continued walking through the students until he reached Harry's table.

He quickly hurried by Ernie and Ron's potions before stopping in front of Harry.

"And you, Harry," he said. "What have you got to show me?"

Harry held out his hand, and Delilah could barely see the bezoar sitting on his palm. Of course he would find a way to get away with not doing any work at all. He really should have been a Slytherin.

"You've got a nerve, boy!" he boomed, taking the bezoar and holding it up so that everyone could see it. "Oh, you're like your mother... well, I can't fault you... a bezoar would certainly act as an antidote to all these potions!"

Hermione looked livid, and Delilah couldn't blame her.

"And you thought of a bezoar all on your own, did you Harry?"

Draco however, managed to look even angrier than Hermione. Delilah put a hand on his arm.

Before anyone could complain, the bell rang.

"Time to pack up!" said Slughorn. "And an extra ten points to Gryffindor for sheer cheek!"

Still chuckling, he waddled back to his desk at the front of the dungeon.

Delilah put her ingredients away and hurried out so she wouldn't be late to Charms. Yet she noticed Harry hanging back, he obviously was up to something. Too bad for him she had too much on her mind to care what scheme he had gotten himself involved in this time.

She finished putting her ingredients away and headed up to Charms.

Over the next few days nothing changed. Delilah went to classes, did her homework, and helped Draco with the cabinet. They finally started making progress, but just as quickly it stopped.

"We could ask Slughorn," Delilah hesitantly asked after another failed attempt. "He seems to know a little about everything, and I doubt he'd tell Dumbledore, especially if I tell him it's for an extra credit Defense Against the Dark Arts essay."

Draco nodded.

"If that's what you think is best. We'll both keep an eye open for an opportunity to do it, alright?"

Delilah agreed.

Yet that time never came. Every day after lessons Slughorn practically ran out of the classroom. Finally, one day after lunch she saw him leave the hall, walking as fast as he could.

"Professor," Delilah said as he hurried past.

He didn't stop.

She took her last bite of food and followed him.

He noticed and quickened his pace.

"Professor, I have a question I was hoping you could answer," she called after him.

Slughorn stopped and wheeled around.

"Oh, Harry put you up to this? Didn't you? Well I won't fall for it, so you better not ask."

Delilah stopped.

"What? Harry didn't-" Before she could finish protesting, Slughorn was already gone.