obliviate ~ f.weasley.

5 . boggarts

After shuffling into a different position for the hundredth time in ten minutes, Delilah released an annoyed huff and decided to try her front...again.

She turned her face away from George, who looked rather uncomfortable with his limbs sprawled about and his face pressed against the sleeping bag that laid on the cold, knobbly, Great Hall surface.

Nevertheless, he was snoring. Loud. Indicating that he was sleeping well despite his peculiar arrangement.

With one hand tucked beneath her, and her other hand beside her bed for the night, she traced patterns on to a tile, as she was far too busy thinking to be sleeping.

"Lilah,"

Fred's visage could be deciphered due to the moon's reflection through the stained glass windows, she was unable to fathom how he appeared so tranquil while he slept while his twin looked like...that.

"Go to sleep."

Delilah nodded weakly, though she returned to tracing on the floor.

Without another word, he rotated his body to a side to face her, and took her hand into his own. He used the pad of his thumb to stroke her knuckles, and, almost instantly, she began to drift away.

"Goodnight love."

•••

She waited in the queue, fussy Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs both before and behind her.

"What d'you reckon your boggart will be, Georgie?"
Fred asked over Delilah's head to his twin in front of her.

"P-Probably a rat or something, what about you?" George hesitated, Delilah noticed that he was unable to make eye contact with her nor Fred.

Fred only shrugged in response, also diverting his gaze away from George and Delilah.

"Peculiar boys." She cocked a brow, stepping forward along with the rest of the students as the queue gradually filtered down.

Some of the students had quite rational fears, i.e a pack of starved lions, a clearly unstable dentist approach with a long, thick needle in his bloodied hand, or a giant snake. Most were irrational, and fairly amusing, the students belly laughing as a once intimidating party clown transformed into a fluffy, rainbow coloured sheep, that grazed on grass and sounded a monotonous baa.

George stepped up to the mark, laughter still echoing through the room. Delilah cringed, covering her face and peeping through her fingers as she prepared for the giant rodent to emerge from the wardrobe.

The doorknob turned, Fred chuckled as she backed up and tucked into his side. He heard her squeak from fear, wrapping and arm over her shoulder.

At first, she thought it was a reflection from the door of the cupboard, however it was in fact another Fred that had entered the room, much to the confusion of Delilah and Fred himself.

One second he was walking towards George with his cheeky grin, then he was face first on the floor, with a loud thud.

Delilah let out an audible gasp, George's shaky wand pointed at his twin on the floor. He laid lifeless, blood beginning to pool around him.

Delilah clutched onto Fred's robes, as if reassuring herself that he was alive.

"Riddikulus!"

"Fred" was now restored to full health, dressed in a pink leotard, neon green shorts with matching leg warmers, and a sweatband, clearly leading an 80's inspired jazzercise class as he gyrated his hips.

The class was in hysterics again, and George gave Fred a tight hug, remaining by his side after they had their moment.

And she was up next.

Fred's body contorted into another, spinning like a twister before morphing into herself, except, it wasn't herself.

She sat in a scruffy, torn wedding dress in the centre of the floor, her eyes black with exhaustion, cheeks sunken and her frame was that of a skeleton's.

"Say it, Lilah."

George's request fell on deaf ears. Her mum, the twins, Caleb, Cedric, Remus, and Molly and Arthur crowded around behind her, shouting inaudible words at her as she flinched at every insult they spat at her.

"Do something Professor!"

A black dog came into the equation, and it crawled it's way into her direction.

First, it sniffed her out, nudging the train of her dress with it's nose. Then it raised it's head, sizing her up with ravenous, beady black eyes. "Delilah" didn't react, instead she watched on completely unbothered, as did her family around her.

"Delilah,"

The dog bared it's teeth, saliva dripping from it's chin and ears pinned back.

"Delilah!"

The dog growled, shifting it's weight to the back legs with the intent of pouncing.

Delilah hadn't raised her wand yet, staring sadly at the girl she hoped she never would become.

The black creature finally made it's move, earning a harsh flinch from the real Delilah.

"Riddikulus!"

Delilah was giggling hard as a small, sausage dog puppy, attacked her face, licking haphazardly.

She lifted her eyes to Lupin for an explanation and to thank him for putting a stop to her nightmare.

His wand was still in his pocket, and neither of his hands were raised. His eyes were filled with fear, sadness, unreadable emotions.

Fred had his feet planted in a stance that asserted his dominance, his knuckles white as they gripped his elevated wand, and his jaw was clench firmly.

You could cut the air with a knife, nobody dared to move or make a sound. They all could have been stood there for hours, had Lupin not moved to stand directly in front of Delilah and Fred.

He cleared his throat and gestures to Fred's wand, to which he then dropped his hand to his side and broke all tension coursing through his muscles.

"Mr Weasley if you would step outside with her for a moment please."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

"Do you want a hug?"

She contemplated for a second, before stepping towards the red head and wrapping her arms around his torso, and he encased her shoulders against him.

"We will get you out of this mess, y'know?" He mumbled into her hair,

"You've just got to keep going."