The dining room of the Order headquarters had been thrown into complete chaos. Harry Potter had gotten himself expelled from Hogwarts for the crime of underage magic. The spell in question was the Patronus charm to protect himself and Dudley from a dementor that had found itself in suburban Surrey.
The current discussion was discussing Harry's change in behaviour that Delilah had observed during her visits to Privet Drive.
"He's getting worse," Delilah says to the other Order members. "He's angry all the time, if Voldemort tries anything this year I don't know the lengths Harry will go to. He's more of a danger to himself at the moment than Voldemort is to him. While Voldemort is quiet and mostly inactive, our main concern is Harry"
"What do the voices say?" Moody asks.
"There's something wrong with Harry," Delilah says, shaking her head. "There's an aura- It's like blood"
"Don't lie, Potter" Moody says, staring the girl down. "What is it really like?"
"Death," Delilah says.
"No deaths. No proof" Mr Weasley chips in and Delilah shakes her head.
"No, not that kind of death," Delilah whispers. "More like the actual personification of death"
"He almost killed Harry and me. If that isn't proof enough-" Cedric chips in.
"Yes, but guarding you-know-what is the most important-" Moody says.
"We must trust Dumbledore on this," Remus says.
"Trust Dumbledore?" Delilah scoffs causing everyone to stare at her in surprise. "I'm not the only one thinking it but I'm the only one that says what needs to be said"
All eyes were on Delilah as she began to blaspheme one of the most respected wizards of all time.
"When has Dumbledore ever protected Harry?" Delilah asks and no one can provide her with an answer. "Last year, Dumbledore didn't even attempt to challenge Harry's selection as one of the tournament champions. He allowed Harry to compete despite being woefully unprepared. In fact, he let Barty Crouch, a deranged, senile old man, decide the fate of a fourteen-year-old boy. Cedric nearly died! If anything Dumbledore himself has become senile"
"Delilah!" Mrs Weasley's voice was full of shock.
"No," Delilah says. "Stop protecting a man that had never protected a poor, innocent boy. A boy who never knew parental love or protection. A man who left a three-year-old girl and an infant on the doorstep of a family he knew would never love them. A man that left a three-year-old subjected to years of abuse to protect her brother because he didn't do that!"
Silence falls in the room once again as Delilah angrily wipes a tear from her cheek that must have fallen during her rant.
"So what's the plan?" Remus asks, diverting attention from Delilah.
"It's time to take action," Sirius says. "Tonight. Someone needs to reason with Fudge as a wizard"
"No," Delilah shakes her head. "Fudge is a politician first, a wizard second. All that matters to him is his position and winning the re-election. Anything that could throw that is a threat he'll want to stamp out"
"Keep your voices down" Mrs Weasley snaps.
"He's getting stronger and stronger by the minute. This is why to have to act now-" Sirius says and they all look up to see Harry standing in the doorway and the voices pick up in Delilah's head.
"Harry" Mrs Weasley closes the door behind her as they continue their conversation in hushed tones.
"If Voldemort wants the prophecy" Delilah begins. "What's stopping him from storming the Ministry and taking it? He's more than powerful enough. Or why didn't he have fake Moody take Trelawney last year?"
"Whilst the Ministry is against Dumbledore," Kingsley says. "He has the upper hand. He's going to turn the entire wizarding community against Dumbledore first and then strike"
"But Trelawney is fucking doolally," Delilah says. "It would be more than believable that she'd fucked off to somewhere random. Like they did with Bertha Jorkins"
"It also helps," Remus says. "That the Ministry would never believe he was back unless Fudge saw it with his own eyes"
"Harry needs to know," Sirius says. "He needs to know what he's up against and what Voldemort is looking for"
"He's still a boy" Mrs Weasley snaps. "He is not James, Sirius"
Delilah rests a hand on Sirius' shoulder, Mrs Weasley's comment causing him to clench his jaw.
"He's not your son," Sirius says, his voice cool as Delilah squeezes his shoulder.
"He's as good as,"
"Well, he's certainly gained his father's arrogance" The drawling voice from the corner pipes up.
"I just want what is best for Harry," Mrs Weasley says. "And I think that is keeping him in the dark. He's got no one else paternalistic in his life"
"He's got me," Sirius says, his posture rigid. "And he's had Delilah for nearly fifteen years"
"How touchingly paternal" Snape drawls "Perhaps he'll become a felon like his godfather"
"SHUT UP" Mrs Weasley, Delilah, and Sirius all shout at Snape.
"You've been locked up in Azkaban for most of his life," Mrs Weasley snaps. "A right lot of good you've done for the boy"
"ENOUGH" Delilah shouts, slamming her hands on the table, causing a hushed silence to fall on the room. "Look everyone in this room cares for Harry, in their own way, that is why we're here. To protect him and we're not going to be able to do that with you all arguing like petulant children or just voicing unhelpful commentary"
At the last comment, Delilah pointedly looks at Snape.
"What do you think we should do Delilah?" Remus asks, being the voice of reason in the room, looking at the girl. "You're clearly the only one with a level head and the one closest to Harry in this room"
"I think," Delilah says, looking around. "That we should tell him what he needs to know"
"But-"
"Molly," Delilah says. "I know you love Harry like your own son and I'm grateful for that but Harry will want to know everything so if we just try and placate him with something it'll make all of our lives slightly easier. I'm not saying launch him straight into the deep end but just dip his feet into the water. What he needs to know and nothing more. We need to tell him what the Ministry is saying before he finds out on his own"
"There we have it," Remus says. "Delilah is the one person who knows Harry best so she can be trusted to choose the best course of action here"
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