SKREIGH- C.DIGGORY

35

Sleep had not been a luxury bestowed upon Delilah this summer. Exhaustion consumed her, it's harsh grip on her was unrelenting. It had gotten to the point where she could go three days without sleep, the fear of what was going to come while she was asleep. Nightmares plagued her ever sleeping moment, screams filling the hallways of Grimmauld Place.

Delilah's exhaustion was taking a huge toll on her. On the continuous days with no sleep, her words would blur together. Her mind would muddle on simple tasks, like calling someone the correct name. She would walk with a stumble, her body covered in bruises from the amount of doorframe collisions she had been involved in. Whenever anyone asked, the witch would vehemently deny she was tired but ten minutes later she would be found asleep, even in the most uncomfortable of spots. She would be nudged awake and shoot up, promising the person she wasn't tired.

But quite possibly, for the occupants of the house, the worst consequence of Delilah's lack of sleep was that her temper had increased tenfold. Ron refused to go near the witch after she had practically beaten him to death with a pillow for sneezing in the 'wrong way'.

Delilah's eyes shoot open as she feels the cord around her neck once again. Her eyes lock onto Harry's, his eyes full of terror as he shouts for his sister. The cord was getting tighter as the witch gasps for breath, her feet scraping against the floor as her entire body fought for oxygen. Fights for the most basic requirement the mortal body needs.

"Scream Delilah!" Harry shouts. "Scream"

"That's right, little banshee," Barth Crouch Junior whispers in her ear, his hot breath hitting her face as he leans in. "Scream"

A scream reverberates through the Noble Household of the Black family which now belonged to Sirius. The auburn-haired witch shoots up, loud cries leaving her lips as she tries to shove the duvet off of her body as her breaths come out in short pants rather than her regular pattern of breathing. Delilah could feel her chest tightening as she cries. There were no tears as her knees instinctively come to her chest as she tries to curl up as tightly as humanly possible. Cedric tries to get her to regulate her breathing but it was to no avail.

The door is thrown open and Sirius bursts in. His face is one of worry and concern as he approaches Delilah the way one would approach a frightened animal. Once he gets close enough, Delilah wraps her arms around his waist as Sirius shushes her.

"It was just a bad dream," Sirius whispers. "I get them too"

Cedric gets out of bed, pressing a kiss to Delilah's head before slowly exiting the room.

"Do they ever go away?" Delilah asks.

"No," Sirius replies. "Some days are good, others are bad. The pain eventually fades but the night always brings out the darkest of shadows. But remember, I'll always be here to fight the shadows away from you. Do you know what your father used to say to me?"

Delilah shakes her head and Sirius perches on the edge of the bed as Delilah leans back against the pillows.

"He used to tell me this Latin phrase," Sirius continues. "Dum spiro spero. While I breathe-"

"I hope," Delilah finishes and Sirius nods.

"I took it as you must always hold hope no matter how bleak it may seem. As long as you live, you must have hope or else it will be a miserable existence"

"How do you defeat the monsters without becoming one?" Delilah asks.

"I can't answer that question," Sirius replies. "Survivors who have lived through the worst situations sometimes have to do bad things to survive"

"Please don't leave me," The young witch whispers and Sirius nods.

He climbs into the bed next to the girl who places her head in his lap, the man gently begins stroking her hair. Not a word was said but Sirius' presence provided Delilah with a sense of safety in the night she hadn't felt since that night with Barry Crouch Junior.

Cedric opens the door to his and Delilah's room to find the auburn-haired witch fast asleep with her head in Sirius's lap. The older wizard holds a finger to his lips and the younger wizard nods, backing out of the room and quietly pulling the door closed.

This became a nightly routine but the more sleep Delilah got meant the calmer she was. No one walked on eggshells around her anymore. The fear of her anger was still there, make no mistake, but her fuse was not as short as it had been when she was exhausted.

Sirius had become Delilah's safe place. A family that at last meant she no longer had to carry the entire weight of the world on her shoulder. She had a person who was willing to share that burden with her to protect her. It was nice.