Darkness on the loose

Chapter 15

"I'm coming with you", Delphi insisted as Dom was getting ready to go out looking for her cousin.

"Delphi, no! It's too risky", Dom said. "Everyone thinks it was you who took her."

"Then maybe it's time to prove them wrong", Delphi protested.

"Look, I know you want to prove yourself good but this isn't the way."

"What? Me being ready to risk everything to save this poor girl? Me being ready to fight whoever is capturing her?"

"That's what you've got to prove. Not them."

"I'm not letting you out there by yourself."

"I'll be fine, Delphi."

Delphi shook her head. "I won't let you."

Dom sighed and looked at her feet. Delphi kept looking at her waiting for her to say something.

"Maybe if I didn't look like myself", Delphi suggested.

"We don't have time to brew polyjuice", Dom said shaking her head.

"I wasn't talking about that", Delphi said and turned to look in the mirror. She took a deep breath as her hair started to transform. She made it a bit more wavy and gave it a light shade of pink as the blue tips disappeared. Her face began to shift its shape and once she didn't look like herself anymore she turned back to Dom. "What about now?"

"Fine", Dom finally agreed. "Put my cloak on before we leave. I need to fetch something."

Delphi did as she was told while Dom went to the bedroom. She heard her picking something up from the drawer that she usually kept locked. She then came back with something in her hands.

"I think it's time for me to return this to you", she said and handed over her wand.

Delphi accepted it realising how much she had missed holding it. She finally felt safe again.

"So are we ready?" she said.

"Just one more thing", Dom said. "Stay close to me and don't speak to anyone. If someone asks you something I'll do the talk."

"Deal."

With that they apparated to Hogsmeade, their chosen location to first search. They took a look around and spotted a bunch of aurors talking.

"Dad", Dom said and walked over as a redheaded man with a ponytail faced her.

"Dominique. What are you doing here?" the man asked. 

"Louis owled me and told me what is going on. Dad, I want to help finding Lily."

"There's no need to. Just go home and we'll take care of this."

"I'm not going home until we find her and I need to see if Louis is alright."

"Who's that?" Dom's dad asked nodding at Delphi.

"My new girlfriend", Dom told him. "She doesn't like socialising with strangers, that's why she's keeping the distance. Now please let us help."

Her dad sighed but then nodded. "We have a bunch searching the forbidden forest. You can search the castle grounds to begin with."

"Thanks, dad", Dom said and gave her father a hug. She then turned to Delphi and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

"Girlfriend huh?" Delphi said once they were far enough away from being heard.

"Yeah", Dom said hiding a blush. "I couldn't work out what else to say."

"I like it", Delphi said.

Inside the castle Albus and Scorpius had nearly searched the whole building. They had heard about an attack in the library but once they searched there they couldn't find anything and nor who did it.

"Do you really think she's here?" Scorpius asked in fear. "Delphi I mean."

"Wherever she is I want to know what the hell she's done to my sister!" Albus nearly yelled. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going out."

"What? Albus, no!" Scorpius said and stopped him. "We need to stay inside."

"My sister is either dying or already dead!" Albus shouted almost tearing up. "You of everyone should understand how I feel."

Scorpius sighed and nodded. He wrapped his arms around him and let him cry onto his shoulder.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry", he whispered and kissed his head.

Albus released the hug and looked into his eyes. "Let's search the grounds. We can use the cloak", he suggested. Since James didn't find the invisibility cloak useful anymore he let Albus have it.

Scorpius agreed to his idea and they went to their dorm to get the cloak and sneaked outside. They didn't see anyone else out there but for their own safety they kept the cloak on.

"Where do we look first?" Scorpius whispered.

"Hmm... Let's go this way", Albus said.

After fifteen minutes of searching the boys took the cloak off since no one else was outside anyway. Albus shrunk it and put it in his pocket, grateful that he had finally managed to learn that spell.

"Albus..." Scorpius said. "Do you see what I see?"

"Er... it's a tree", he said.

"Do you know what tree it is?"

"It... looks like the whomping willow."

"I've read the whomping willow has a secret passage to the shrieking shack. Do you think anyone has checked there?"

"I guess we're about to find out."

"Albus? Scorpius?" The boys turned around immediately and found Dom along with some woman. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm looking for Lily, what about you?" Albus asked his cousin.

"Same as you", Dom said.

"Who's this?" Scorpius asked pointing at the woman.

"She-"

"Hang on", Albus interrupted as he noticed the woman's face began to transform. He knew exactly who she was. "You!"

"Oh no", Delphi said noticing her face was back to normal again.

"What are you doing here?" Albus asked furiously as he and Scorpius had their wands aimed at her. "And why are you with her, Dom? Have you been a part of this?! Speak!"

"Please lower your wands", Dom said calmly. Scorpius did as he was told but Albus refused. "I know what you think but we have nothing to do with any of this. I've kept Delphi hidden from the ministry. She wouldn't have time for any of it."

"You mean to say", Albus began now angrier that he had ever been. "that you've been protecting her after everything she did to us?! Traitor!"

"She's not like that anymore! There's no time to explain this but the important thing is that we're on the same side."

"Albus, please", Delphi finally said. "If I was here to hurt you I could just do it now. But I won't. I'm here to save your sister." Albus kept his wand out and even Scorpius seemed to fear him. "I really am sorry for what I did to you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but please just trust me in this. Please lower your wand and let me help saving your sister."

Finally Albus lowered his wand. "We were just about to check the shrieking shack. Through the secret passage here."

"Out of my way", Dom said and aimed her wand at the tree. "Immobulus. Now come on, let's go."