Hierarchy of Need [t.r]

Chapter Forty Eight

  The next morning, they were sat in the empty Great Hall, Delilah's food untouched and she felt like she was going to pass out. She's never felt so nervous in her life.

  The constant beat of her heart was like a tick and she wanted to claw it out of her chest to tell it to shut the hell up. Her hands were shaking and her knee was bobbing up and down, sometimes painfully hitting the table.

  Tom staring at her wasn't helping either. "What?" She snapped and he shook his head, drinking his tea and muttering, "nothing."

  Groaning, Delilah buried her hands in her hair. What if they hate her? What if they don't listen?
What if she's kicked out of the Order? What if, what if, what if, what if...

  It was driving her mental.

  In just a few hours she'd actually be home. She'd see all her friends again, she'd get to see her brother. God, she missed Harrison. Delilah thought she was doing okay with dealing with it but last night she got so worked up she ended up puking and Tom had to hold her hair back as she lurched over the toilet.

  What if they would try to kill Tom the first chance they got? After all, if they killed his past self, he would no longer exist. She shivered at the thought, hopefully they knew better than that.

  Harry had a short temper, but he wouldn't kill someone, not even the man who ruined his life.

  At least she hoped so.

  Footsteps approaching met their ears and they turned, Dumbledore had just entered the hall, carrying the gleaming box and offering them a small smile. Delilah tried to return it, but all she did was grimace.

  He came to a stop next to Delilah, "good morning, I hope you two are doing well."

  Tom eyed her, "trying to."

  The professor sat down, the image odd seeing as the tables were typically for students. The box thudded on the table softly and the sight of it alone made her stomach churn, she felt like she was going to throw up again.

  "I understand this is nerve wracking," Dumbledore began, specifically looking at Delilah over his half moon spectacles. "But I hope you know what you're doing is very brave, and not to worry you more but it is pivotal for the world's history. Muggle and Magic alike."

  Delilah felt like hitting him, but snapped out of it when Tom nudged her under the table. When she looked at him he had a brow raised and gestured to her hand. She had grabbed onto her goblet without noticing and her knuckles were frosted white with tension.

  "Now," the old wizard said, drawing the two teens attention away from each other. "I feel like this is obvious, but just to make sure I've been absolutely clear, you need to avoid running into Voldemort, at all cost."

  Delilah hated how Tom flinched.

  It wouldn't be likley that they met, the man was rarely seen. Seeing as he usually had his followers deal with minorities. Then again, Delilah was 'returning' from the dead. Voldemort had a bad history with some people staying in the ground.

She didn't think avoiding him would be a problem. However, if one were in the company of Harry Potter that was a heavy gamble.