Blinking slowly, Delilah came too and realized she was slowly rising and falling. She'd fallen asleep on Tom's chest. He was still passed out and she took this time to simply watch him. Running her fingers lightly in small circles on his chest. After today she'd never get to see him again. She'd have to face that monster back in the nineties.

Delilah also knew one way or the other he'd have to die. That's the only way the war would end. She felt like she was dreaming, or maybe it was a nightmare in disguise, and pushed away the sadness threatening to come over her.

It was for the best.

Tom eventually woke up and glanced down at Delilah tiredly, sleep still hanging heavy on his eyes which made him look so much younger. She was looking at him with an odd expression he couldn't place before it clicked. For a single moment he'd forgotten what lied ahead of them today and it was bliss. Reality breached his mind however, it was over now.

Sighing through his nose, he wrapped his arms around her and lightly ran a finger through her golden hair. Peppermint greeted his nose, it was no longer overwhelming but familiar. "I know," his voice was a slight rasp and she closed her eyes, placing a kiss to his clavicle.

I don't want to go.

___________________________________

The group had gathered in the downstairs pub of the Inn, chatting and running around, trying to get their nerves under control. Delilah tried to eat something but it was of no use. Poking at her tea cup, she perked up when Pyrrhus walked over to where she was standing.

He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find his words and eventually he just sighed as he dug into his pocket. He pulled out a bag of pepper imps, "for the trip home." Pyrrhus mustered up a smile and pulled her into a tight hug, his thoughtful notion making her feel dizzy. "Thank you," she muttered into his shirt.

She felt the weight of the letters she wrote in her robes.

Delilah wouldn't be taking any of her new belongings with her. Save for the candies and Elio's necklace. The memories would last forever. It was so odd, she's lived a completely different life in these past few months. She was scared how much she'd changed, or if she had at all. Would her friends and family recognize her?

Aleksander was pacing and he seemed a bit more jittery than usual, then again all of them were nervous. They were about to break into the Ministry of Magic for fucks sake. Delilah spotted Cain and she walked up to him, offering a slight smile. "You doing alright?" He shrugged, "trying to, you?"

"Trying."

After a moment of silence Cain pulled her into a hug, squeezing his eyes shut at the realization this was essentially goodbye. Delilah reminded him of his sister and it nearly felt like losing her again.

Funny how people can just walk into your life and then walk right back out.

"I know the timing sucks," she admitted and he shook his head halfheartedly. "It was bound to happen eventually, I'm just glad we got to know you. Merlin knows we didn't deserve to."

"Don't say that," a frown was threatening to tug at her lips. "You're the best of us, you know that right?" Cain nudged her shoulder lightly and it was her turn to shake her head. Laughing lightly Delilah twirled her necklace, "nah, I think that's Elio."

She went to return her untouched tea to the bar, but she barely got to turn the corner when Abraxas ran right into her, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. His head was buried in her shoulder and he shook her side to side a bit. "I'm going to bloody miss you."

She felt her lip tremble and tightened her grip, her nails digging into his back slightly. Delilah recalled Draco then, and how cruel Lucius had become and a pain grabbed at her heart. Pulling back, she brushed some stray curls away from Abraxas' forehead and made him look at her in the eye. "You take care of yourself, alright? You be good, and you- please just take care of yourself. And be kind."

He gripped at her hands and nodded, trying to smile, "I will, promise." She rubbed at her nose, she knew that was a promise he wouldn't keep.

Later on she was able to find Lolita and pull her off to the side. Delilah hadn't had the time to really talk to her lately which she regretted. "Don't worry about it," Lolita said lightly, giving her a firm hug before rearranging some of Delilah's blonde curls. Taking a deep breath, Delilah dug into her robes' pocket and pulled out the letters. The pieces of parchment felt heavy in her hands and Lolita raised a slight brow in question.

Delilah ran a finger over the top name, of the man she grew to care so ridiculously about. Licking her lips, she held them out for Lolita to take. "Wait till I'm gone to hand them out, okay? Promise me."

Her friends dark eyes began to gloss slightly and she nodded her head, "of course." Lolita sniffed, pulling out her wand and sending them to her room with a charm. After a moment the brunette let out a huff and pulled Delilah into another hug. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

_________________________________

Aleksander gave them the go ahead once he was sure the alley way was clear. He told them each one last time what the code was before stepping inside the red phone booth. "I'll head down first and find Nikolai, meet me in the atrium next to the fountain."

They all watched as he slowly descended before another booth seemed to magically take its place. "Right, two at a time," Pyrrhus clapped his hands and hooked his arm with Olive, practically dragging her along with him. Delilah covered a smile as she watched Olive's face crinkle in disgust at the smell.

After they went down, Tom lightly tapped her elbow, "let's go." Thankfully he had a hand on her back or else Delilah didn't think she could muster the courage to take a step. Once they got inside it was a rather foul smell and a tight fit. Their fronts were practically shoved together and Tom's arm was at an awkward angle as he reached for the rotary dial.

"Do you know the code?"

He rolled his eyes and tapped her lightly on the forehead with his finger, "yes I know the code, you little idiot."

The phone booth jolted slightly and her back dug painfully into the space behind her as they began to lower. Eventually it also went dark as the daylight faded, her eyes adjusted after a moment and noticed Tom's eyes almost seemed to glow. He was looking at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Light then poured in at their feet, a more warm orange like glow and loud chatter filled their ears. The Ministry's atrium greeted them, all the workers going this way and that during the morning rush hour. She couldn't help a chill as she spotted the floo network. That was where her hell originally started fifty four years in the future.

Pyrrhus and Olive were waiting by the fountain, bickering about something when Tom and Delilah walked up. "Is Alek back yet?" She asked and Olive shook her head. Before Tom could ask, the rest of the group showed up, staring around at the large space they were in. "I've never been here before," Elio muttered, staring up at the big marble statues that towered over everyone.

Minutes ticked by and Tom bit at his cheek as he checked his watch. Where the hell was Aleksander? It was stupid of him to be so optimistic, of course nothing was already going to plan.

"C'mon. The rest of you stay here," he took hold of Delilah's hand and began to walk towards the elevator. No one paid them any mind. It was curious, usually Tom couldn't help but attract attention, but when he wanted to he could disappear.

They looked around everywhere they could, but to no avail was Aleksander to be seen. "Fucking Eques," Tom bit quietly and Delilah worried at her lip. "Maybe it's just taking him a bit to get back?" she offered weakly and he spared her a glance.

"Hey," Abraxas walked up to them and Aurora was at his side, refusing to be out of his sight. "What's going on?" He asked and Delilah shrugged, worry and impatience starting to grab at her.

Tom however was looking at Aurora, appearing as if he was about to hex her. He didn't want her, or pretty much anyone else coming along in the first place. Merlin he wanted to throttle Aleksander when he saw him. This was much too important to mess up.

A lift off behind them dinged and Nikolai walked out, looking around before spotting the group. He offered them a smile but it fell slightly, seeing as they looked frustrated. Observing them all, he noticed someone was missing and he furrowed his brows, "where's my brother?"

Someone threw an arm over Abraxas' shoulder and the blond looked over to see it was Pyrrhus. Olive followed shortly after. "Oh lovely," Tom said dryly. His patience was shortening and Delilah felt panic start to nag at the base of her skull. Olive kept messing with her hands, she looked the most disheartened. They needed to find Aleksander, but enough time had already been wasted. Besides, at least their guide was accounted for.

Nikolai, Tom, and Olive started to argue, debating on what to do next when Lolita, Cain, and Elio walked over, wondering what was happening.

All the fussing had started to draw a few worker's attention and Nikolai rubbed at his eyes in frustration. "Enough of this, come along," he quickly ushered them inside one of the lifts, muttering profanities about Aleksander the entire time.

Shutting the golden gate, Nikolai arranged for the lift to go down to the department of mysteries. "You lot might want to hang on to something." The words just left his lips as the whole thing jolted to the side at what seemed to be an unnecessarily quick speed. The group stumbled and quickly reached for the handles that were hanging from the ceiling, cursing as they stepped on each other's toes.

Delilah felt her stomach drop as the lift suddenly started going downward. She loved muggle roller coasters but this was an entirely different experience, and much less enjoyable.

The lift screeched to a halt and everyone nearly flew forward. "They've got to find a better way of transport," Lolita gasped out, trying to pat down her hair. There were mumbled agreements but eventually they all fell silent as they gazed passed the gate.

It was relatively colder, and much more dark. A long hall of black stone awaited them, every ten feet there were lanterns with golden blue lights that flickered slightly. Nikolai snapped them out of it as he opened the gate, stepping out and gesturing for them to do the same. As soon as everyone was off, he shut the gate and the lift took off again.

"This way," he led them down the long hall, their footsteps echoing slightly on the tile. "It'll be a bit tricky getting to a specific area, we have to go through the Room of Doors first. That will provide an entrance to anywhere, but you never know which one is right. Once we get it, it'll be easier to navigate." He explained and they mutely nodded.

They entered a large, circular room. Everything in there was black including the floor and ceiling. Doors surrounded them, all identical, unmarked, handle-less, and black as they were set at intervals all around the walls, interspered with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the sining marble floor so that it looked as if the floor was murky water.

"I don't see what's so difficult about this," Pyrrhus said as he turned slowly in a circle. Nikolai laughed dryly and shut the door they entered in through. Immediately the walls started to rotate at such a quick speed that it was disorientating. The blue candle lights blurred in their vision, it seemed impossible they weren't blown out by the wind.

Pyrrhus clicked his tongue as the wall slowly spun to a stop, "never mind."

"How do we get in?" Tom asked, cutting to the chase.

Nikolai walked forward, eyeing each door carefully before walked towards one. Since the doors spun, handles appeared and they shone a bright silver in the blue light. He cracked it open and peered inside. "Here we are, the Space Chamber. Follow me."

He stood aside and made sure they all got in, not wanting anyone to accidentally get left behind once the door shut. Every time one did, the room would rearrange itself.

Even though Delilah had been in there before, it was still breathtaking. Looks of wonder covered each of their faces as the they peered at the space around them. It was a dark room, pitch black to where one could even see the floor. However, planets were floating in mid air. It seemed endless. Delilah nearly felt like she was floating if she kept still. Pyrrhus made a joke about Uranus and Delilah could hear someone lightly smacking him on the head, followed by laughter.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She flinched, not realizing Nikolai had walked up next to her. He looked so much like Aleksander, though there were clear signs he was the older one. He had a certain maturity about him. That being said, he did just help a bunch of teenagers break into the Ministry.

Delilah hummed slightly, but couldn't help having flashbacks to last time she was there; the absolute chaos that broke out... Sirius dying.

Shaking away the thought, she cleared her throat. "We should keep moving," Delilah couldn't falter, not when she was so close.

Nikolai made a sound of agreement before lighting his wand, "everyone follow me." They took careful steps, not sure if they'd run into anything. Tom fell in step next to Nikolai. And though the older Eques couldn't see him, Tom Riddle's presence was definitely hard to ignore. "Do you know where I could find recently acquired artifacts that were possibly considered dangerous or valuable." It wasn't a question, even though it was phrased like one.

Nikolai raised a brow slightly at Tom's command. Sure, Aleksander warned him of his character but he didn't think it would actually be to such an extent. Nonetheless, he had to commend him. A man wouldn't get anywhere in the world if he didn't know how to ask for what he wanted. Nikolai started mentioning one or two areas, though it was a bit hard considering the description given to him was vague. However, when he brought up the Time Room Delilah froze.

Elio seemed to read her mind and quickly nudged her along, not wanting her to look suspicious. Clearing his throat he spoke, "a time room? If this is the space room I'd like to that." Nikolai nodded, still wondering where the hell Aleksander could be but kept moving.

Eventually he came to a stop, about to open a door but he paused and turned to them. His wand illuminated his face in a pale white light, his expression serious. "Be careful in here, this is fine Death Chamber, stay along the walls and don't get close to the Veil."

Delilah suddenly felt sick once and realized what exactly they were about to walk into.

Nikolai cracked the door open and they had to squint their eyes at the sudden light. It wasn't like it was bright, in fact it was fairly dim. Nonetheless it felt harsh to their eyes considering the inky blackness they'd just been in.

They enter the room, the door shutting softly behind them and immediately she heard muttered whispering all around her. The Death Chamber was fashioned like an old amphitheater, made from old stone. And about twenty feet down in the center stood an old looking arch. There was the strangest feeling that someone was standing right behind the Veil, just around the curtain. But she knew there wasn't.

"What is it?" Cain's voice shook and Delilah felt her heart drop. He  probably thought he was hearing Rosie. Nikolai himself looked uncomfortable. "Like I said, this is the Death Chamber. And that," he waved his hand towards the stone dias, "is the Veil."

They all stared. The stone archway looked so ancient it was remarkable it was till standing with no support. And the tattered black curtain that hung from the stone swayed gently, even though there was no draft. "It's a manifestation of the barrier between the land of the living and dead. However, it's a one way trip, one cannot travel freely between them."

The room was eerily still. "I don't like it in here," Pyrrhus muttered. Tom had the same sentiments, though he'd never admit it. He too heard hushed whispering, though he couldn't understand what was being said, he felt the pull to step closer. As Delilah looked at him however, the goosebumps on his skin gave away his discomfort.

They edged around the sides and finally reached the door and before Nikolai opened it he cautioned them not to touch anything.

"Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the Time Room."

Delilah's mouth felt painfully dry as she walked in, all the clocks seemed to scream at her. The room was beautiful, filled with diamond like sparkling lights. Clocks were everywhere. Any and every kind, shoved into every possible space. Incessant ticking filled the air, sounding like mini marching steps. Everyone else was in awe but all the clocks winding was giving her unwanted anxiety.

She was so close. Yet at the same time she's never wanted more than to run away.

They all break off, curious and in awe of what was surrounding them. Tom turned away from Delilah, though part of him wanted to grab her hand and bring her with. He knew he couldn't, or more so he shouldn't. He needed to see if he could find the object Aberforth described to him.

Delilah watched him walk off and nearly got a headache. Shaking herself out of it, she turned to go down a random isle, halfway down she saw a glowing light at the other end of the room. Walking further and peaking around the corner she felt paralyzed. It was a giant crystal bell jar and it was emitting a sparkling blue light.

There were so many time turners.

All of various sizes resting on shelves inside the massive jar. The path toward the bell jar was a narrow passage of desks and strewn around journals and artifacts.

She took a step forward but halted slightly

Tom.

Delilah knew if she turned back to say a goodbye, she wouldn't be able to go through with it, she'd never be able to leave his arms. She wouldn't want him out of her sight.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued walking. This was right, this was supposed to happen.

Her lungs seemed to quiver as she reached the end of the room. Raising a trembling hand, Delilah opened the jar and selected a time turner, her nail grazing along the metal and she stared at the sand inside.

This was right.

Part of her hoped this was her simply waking up from a very long, and very emotionally exhausting dream.

She placed the chain around her neck, the coolness of the metal biting into her skin. "Fucking hell," she whispered.

Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Shaking her head vigorously, her fingers messed with the dial on the side to set the date and time. She had time to think about it and thought arriving two days later would be the safest portion. Her and Dumbledore had tried to figure the math, seeing how much time would've passed in the future but it was fruitless.

Taking a deep breath, the world seemed to still as she took hold of the necklace. "Goodbye my love," she whispered so quietly she wasn't sure if she said it out loud.

Tom barking orders at Abraxas suddenly echoed all around her and she flinched, the time turner falling from her hands to hang loosely around her neck, her heart beating in throat from being taken off guard.

Was he trying to them caught?

Just as she turned a bright blue light blinded her and a spell hit her square in the chest, breaking the time turner in the process. Delilah got thrown off her feet, her back slamming into a desk behind her painfully. Crumbling to the floor, she spluttered out a cough and blinked rapidly, her vision swaying and ears ringing.

Gripping onto a chair, Delilah managed to pull herself up and saw a woman walking towards her, wand raised. She had dark hair pulled up into an elegant updo, her red painted lips smiling. Once Delilah seemed to come to, barely seconds had passed and the woman flicked her wand to send another spell her way. Throwing up a protection charm, Delilah stumbled as she turned sharply and booked it back down the isle to the rest of the group.

She skidded to a halt however when she reached the other end, jinxes and hexes alike were flying through the air like mad, as well as frustrated shouts of anger and incantations. A full on battle was happening between her friends and unknown strangers.

Delilah looked around frantically for Tom as she was warding off attacks. Though her distraction caused her to get hit in the shoulder with some sort of stinging hex. Gritting her teeth, she fired back and hit a man in his gut and watched as he slumped to the floor. She was beyond confused at who they were, wondering if they were ministry officials. Another man started to attack her with wave after wave of a green tinted fire when noticed the symbol of the Deathly hallows hanging around their necks, glimmering bright silver. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," her tone was exasperated as she shot a rope of what appeared to be light at him, winding it around his throat and then yanking him to the floor.

Grindelwald's men.

"Traitor!"

The scream tore her attention away and she spun around, watching Tom shoot spell after spell at Aleksander. She felt her heart drop, her eyes shifted to Olive and the hurt on the girl's features was almost too much.

There was a flash of green and Delilah paled when she realized Tom was shooting the killing curse at Aleksander.

An explosion erupted near her and she got thrown off her feet, knocking right into one of Grindelwald's followers with a painful thump. Both of them were slightly out of it but she managed to knock the person out. Groaning, Delilah looked around and saw it was Nikolai who fired at her.

God how could they be so stupid.

She didn't have time to dwell as another hex was fired at her. Shooting up to her feet, she went into survival mode as green started to fly around.

"Hello my nephew!" A French accent called out. It was the woman who hit Delilah. Her brows furrowed and realized the woman was talking to Elio. Who of which fired a hex at her, which she blocked easily and tutted. "Aunt Vinda," he bit through gritted teeth. Vinda Rosier was Grindelwald's right hand.

He hated his aunt, hated that she was with Grindelwald. But was he any better? He's been roped into the clutches of an aspiring dark lord, just as she was.

They began to duel but Delilah couldn't risk sparing them another glance as a deep cut tore through her leg. A pained yell left her throat and she looked around for the one at fault. It was a man not much older than she was and he smiled at her, crazed and wild as he waved his wand to send another spell at her. Her annoyance was through the roof at the moment, as well as adrenaline.

Flicking her wand, shattered glass around from the floor and she sent it hurtling at him from a multitude of directions. He blocked most of it but a few stray pieces tore through his skin and he gritted his teeth. When green left his wand her eyes winded and she dove out of the way, the killing curse accidentally hitting one of Grindelwald's other men in the process.

As soon as she managed to get her footing, she was about to fire a jelly legs jinx at him when a green burst hit him directly above his heart. Her eyes widened as he fell limp to the floor. Looking around she saw Tom spare her a glance before containing to duel with two others. Just as she turned away she saw a flash of red leave the tip of his wand and one of the people he was fighting crumbled onto screams of agony. Taking a deep breath, she set off again and started firing at will.

It's a large, almost invisible sheath of glass, two feet long , two inches wide, and razor sharp.

He saw the glint of it as it shot towards Delilah and didn't think twice as he shoved her out of the way.

The pain was instant, and then there was nothing.

Delilah's mind couldn't keep up as Elio crumpled to the floor, blood starting to pool rapidly from the large gash that ripped straight through his chest. A sound came from her, something guttural, animalistic, a noise she didn't recognize. It almost sounded too broken to be a scream. Her ears were ringing so loudly that she didn't register Tom yelling her name.

Delilah dropped to her knees, her insides were burning with fury and the sudden tsunami wave of grief hit her as she saw Elio, the briefest of smiles on his lips as he started to cough up blood. She scrambled over to him, oblivious to the curses flying over their heads. Her hands shook as she pushed his hair back, he was starting to shake as more blood filled his lungs. "You're okay." Was all she could manage to choke out, her vision was starting to blur.

He began to convulse slightly, the warmness of his body starting to drain. "I can fix this, I can. I can. Don't- oh my god." She took in a shaky breath as she placed her hands on his chest, the blood slick on her palms already.

Elio tried to push her hands away but it took too much energy and he slumped. Delilah was chanting spell after spell, her voice was a whisper as the incantations became muddled.

This isn't happening.

"I can fix this," she would say between each fruitless spell. "Why isn't anything working?" She screamed. Something touched her shoulders, probably a person, maybe even Tom. She couldn't leave Elio. She shrugged them off but they kept trying, she couldn't hear anything, it sounded as if she was under water. They then tried to wrap their arms around around her torso, beginning to tug her back.

Why were they trying to take her away from him?

Everything then went white as her anger and desperation burned through her veins, a scream tearing up her throat as a fiery glimmering wave of pure raw magic exploded from her very being.

Whoever was trying to pull her away got thrown off their feet by the impact and sheer force.

The stone around her cracked.

Delilah scrambled over to Elio again and began trying to heal him when he started to raise a shaking hand to her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone. She didn't know how, but he managed a smile, his teeth stained with blood.

"Crying over me, eh?"

Her brows furrowed and only then did she register the hot tears streaming down from her eyes.

Panic shot through her as his arm dropped, the effort becoming too much. His head rolled to the side and Delilah rushed to place her palms against his cheeks, trying to give him as much warmth as she could.

"No, no, no. Elio, hey," she started to choke on her own sobs, this feeling completely foreign to her as well as overwhelming. He managed to turn his head slightly and place a wet kiss slick with blood on the inside of her palm before he finally went still.

"Please," she tried again, pushing his hair back, waiting for him to open his eyes again and sit up.

He didn't move.

Tom had to physically drag her away from him, though his own gaze couldn't pull away from the lifeless pale green eyes staring back at him. Curses were flying over their heads at rapid speed, it was a miracle they weren't getting hit.

Delilah was still trying to fight Tom off and he tightened his grip to the point where he was sure he was hurting her. He looked around frantically, his chest heaving due to being out of breath as well as still angry.

They were severely out numbered.

One by one their chances dropped as another one of their group got knocked down by a well fired hex. Tom tried to get Delilah to some sort of secure location, but when he felt a wand pressed to the side of his neck he stilled.

___________________________________

The world warped around them as Grindelwald's men aparated them all, somewhere that clearly was no longer the Ministry.

Delilah disassociated for a moment, only snapping out of it when Tom whispered her name. She looked at him, her head pounding and her eyes aching... everything hurt.

Tom looked like hell, they all did. Bloodied and bruised.

The massive oak doors off to the left opened and immediately they all stilled.

Grindelwald in the flesh stood before them, stoic with his hands behind his back and a subtle smile on his lips.

Delilah can't get the image of Elio out of her head, bleeding out in her arms and smiling for one last time.

Grindelwald didn't utter a word, he just observed them. It felt as if it went on for hours. Suddenly he gestured with a hand towards two of his followers. The action causing the group of teens to involuntarily flinch. Delilah and Tom however remained eerily still, almost as if they'd been petrified.

The two followers then made their way over and Delilah quickly realized what was happening. She began to shake her head, not believing she could even use her words as they tugged her and Tom up to their feet by their restraints.

They ignored her easily, and she couldn't put up much of a fight. Her muscles nearly felt numb. Tom simply clenched his jaw as they dragged them out and into another room. He was trying to comprehend everything that has happened within the past hours, how could something fall apart so easily?

The room they were taken to was relatively empty. A huge window, showing the snowy side of a mountain greeted them and filtered in natural light. Which only made their battered bodies look more ghastly. There were leather black couches, a fire place, and a single table with an odd looking skull.

Tom went rigidly still, if even possible.

Grindelwald observed them and an odd, pleased smile stretched on his lips. He looked like he knew something he shouldn't. He then turned to Delilah, "you're a curious little thing. So much beauty, yet so much is hidden, almost like a meadow."

She snapped her eyes to him at his use of words. He couldn't know.

Grindelwald hummed lightly, a nonchalant air about him as he seemed to glide around the room. He stopped by the window, gazing at all the white snow when he clicked his tongue, "shall I show him what he becomes?"

Delilah shot up but with a wave of his hand she got slammed back into the floor. Scrambling up to her knees, her eyes watered at the pain in her side and she shook her head vigorously. "No, no, please-"

Tom made a move to go to Delilah when she got thrown but he felt the restraints on him automatically tighten. Though now at the moment he was confused, and it frustrated him. He'd been taken off guard too many times today, admittedly he couldn't help his curiosity, though her reaction was concerning him.

What about him?

Grindelwald walked elegantly to the table where the skull rested, running a finger along it almost affectionately. Tom gritted his teeth, either Aberforth lied and Grindelwald had it this entire time. Or one of his minions nicked it back at the Ministry. The latter was more probable.

"Now now," he tsk-d. "Don't fuss," picking up the connecting pipe, Grindelwald inhaled and Delilah watched as the skull began to glow, panic ripping through her. This could not be happening, it couldn't.

Exhaling, smoke filled the room and warped into a scene, a scene from the future and Delilah felt her whole body drop both in shock and defeat. This was it, Tom was going to hate her forever.

He didn't know what to do with himself as the future played before his eyes. Of the murder, bloodshed, war, chaos. He just sat there, watching his own demise. Tom couldn't pull away from what was presented before him, his failure. All of his work was for nothing if that... that creature is what he turned into.

Delilah couldn't bare to look at Tom, she felt like she was going to be sick and sure enough, her stomach curled in on itself and she vomited, her throat burning and her eyes watering.

Tom sat up straighter when he saw a flash of blonde shoot around the corner of the atrium. There was a crack of a missed spell that rebounded on a wall, making it ring all around them.

Tom watched her with wide eyes, looking nice dress robes, red converse pounding against the tile as she ran, not aged a single day. He watched as her own eyes lightened at the sight of the Floo Network, a blazing green inferno of promised death glimmering behind her. But then something stepped out of the shadows and she was thrown back with a startled scream.

A package flew from Delilah's hand, something glinted through the wrapping, momentarily blinding him, but before he could get a good look Tom heard a scream. Turning his head as much as he could he saw that thing- himself, standing over Delilah.

No. He didn't want to see this.

His future self twisted his wand, causing her to thrash and her spine bend at an odd angle, making the veins pop out in her throat as she let out a blood curdling scream.

Tom couldn't pull his eyes away from the scene playing out in front of him. Torturing Delilah and apparently enjoying it. Was that really what he would become? Standing over her, his crimson eyes apathetic to her suffering.

He didn't realize it, but he'd been muttering "I don't understand," on repeat during the entire ordeal.

The monster tilted the tip of his wand up, momentarily raising her head before slamming it down into the marble flooring. The sound of her skull cracking rebounded off the curved ceiling and Tom watched her lose consciousness for a moment. He felt sick, but there was nothing in his system to throw up, he couldn't even remember the last time he ate.

"Oh my sincere apologies." He hissed, making Tom's blood run cold at the sound of it. That wasn't his voice. His was a low rasp, slow and steady. "You loathe being considered pathetic, Miss Meddows. Don't you?"

The reanimated version of Delilah was sweating and she furrowed her brows, her chest heaving. "How did you-" she spoke, only to be cut off by him hitting her with another wave of the cruciatus curse.

Tom staggered back and hit the base of the one of the couches, staring at himself as his anger seemed to take hold, giving her lash after lash of sheer agony.

"Please," she choked out, her body convulsing on the floor. Something odd happened then, he froze, his wand still raised, his chest heaving. But when he bit his cheek, Tom recognized that as a sign he was thinking. It didn't settle right in his mind that he still had the same mannerisms after warping into something so unimaginable.

Just as a sigh of relief passed her lips, his eyes shone and there was a flash of green so bright that it made Tom squint his eyes. The vision then faded and the room slowly warped back to normal, Tom was still staring at the spot where the image of Delilah had laid limp, his chest rising and falling heavily.

Delilah felt herself crying again, today was too much to take in, it hurt.

"Tom I'm so, so sorry I didn't-"

"How can you even stand the sight of me?" He rasped out, he didn't know if he could manage looking at her. Not after what he just witnessed.
So much was running through him at once, he couldn't process it all. Confusion, anger, disappointment, disgust, shock, sadness.

She's a liar.

Then again so is he. He was so terrified she'd run away from him the moment she found out his true nature. Turned out she'd known all along.

The image of himself of the future was burned into his minds eye. Of the unrecognizable creature he warped into. His ruthlessness, the carelessness. He wasn't human. He didn't recognize himself and that terrified him.

Delilah's mouth opened several times but didn't know how to respond. Of course he was mad at her, but she was surprised that was the first thing he said.

"The tragedy of Tom Riddle," Grindelwald mused, looking at the two broken teens with a keen eye. "Or perhaps it's a tragic love story. Two people torn apart due to circumstance, absolutely forbidden but so strong it could re-write time itself."

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Meanwhile in the other room, the rest were sitting in strained silence. The door creaked open and they flinched, not being prepared for anything anymore. When Aleksander walked in, immediately yells and curses were being thrown at him. All mixed with confusion, disappointment, and anger. One voice stood out the most to him however, Olive had tears in her eyes as three words tore through her.

"I hate you."

His chest burned as she looked at him, the disgust on her face would forced be etched in his mind. But he didn't have the time to dwell and he silenced her with a charm.

Olive glared at him but he avoided her gaze and he waved his wand, undoing all their restraints. They looked at him confused and stretched. There was only a brief moment of peace when Pyrrhus suddenly lunged at him.

"You fucking bastard," he yelled, landing a solid punch to Aleksander's jaw and he staggered back. Pyrrhus was about to land another punch when Aleksander threw up his hands, halting the raven haired boy in his movements.

"I've a plan," he rushed out, though unsurprisingly he was met with disbelieving glares. "Look, I know you don't trust me. You have every right to beat the absolute shit out of me, and you can, but now's not the time. Please just lis-"

A flash of red went by the window, followed by a sharp cry that echoed in the mountain range. Cain furrowed his brows, his arms wrapped around Lolita protectively as he gaped out the window, "was that what I think it was?"

Aleksander mustered a small smile.

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"Really my dear, I have you to thank. Originally you posed as an issue, but then I realized what a great help you've been." Her throat felt raw as she tried to wet her mouth, "What do you mean?"

Grindelwald nearly looked disappointed in her that she hadn't put two and two together. "All that lovely information inside your head." He lightly tapped the skull, "yes this shows me visions of what's to come, but not everything. You however, have been very helpful. Considering how you know so much about the Deathly Hallows."

Tom snapped his head towards the war lord, his eyes narrowed slightly. Grindelwald raised a finger to silence him before he had the opportunity to speak, "dear boy I know the topic is fascinating to you, especially with your thirst for immortality. But that very reason is why you'll never acquire them."

"Don't you see," he continued. "You matched your visions, supported your madness, with chaos, murder, and destruction. Yearning for a glory that would only be your own. And it was your downfall."

"I however, as you may know, am fighting this fight for the greater good. My visions are matched with my charisma for a better future for all magical kind. I'm an enthusiast, you Mr Riddle, or should I say humbly Lord Voldemort, are a fanatic."

Tom felt as if he was about to burst into flames. His own anger had never scared him before, but so many things were currently changing. "What does any of that have to do with the deathly hallows," he bit out through clenched teeth.

Grindelwald let an easy smile grace his lips as he leaned against the fireplace, twirling his wand elegantly. "Since Miss Meddows, which is regret to inform you is her real name, has practically provided me with a map to them. Finally, I can confidently say this dreaded war is close to an end-"

A distant, but still relatively close explosion went off somewhere beneath them and the entire room shook. Grindelwald's easy going nature immediately evaporated and his wand was at ready. The door suddenly burst open, the wood shattered into pieces and Delilah felt a laugh escape her despite all odds.

"Good evening, Gellert." Dumbledore said casually, though his tone was anything but playful. Grindelwald bit at his cheek slightly but didn't seem to falter as he began to pace, Dumbledore following him at a safe distance. "Albus, hello old friend."

"Old friend indeed," he mused. "I see you've met two of my brightest students. Now question is why you went through he trouble." The two paced in a circle, tension of a fight occurring rapidly building. As they did so, Dumbledore undid their restraints.

There wasn't any time to be mad, they had to get out of there. Tom looked at Delilah, the world seeming to freeze for a second before he nodded. They shot up and the first curse was fired, Dumbledore managed to block it and gestured for them to keep going. Despite himself, Tom was glad to see the old man.

Grindelwald shouted something but they were already out the door and another explosion rang out from the room. They sprinted down the hall, not having a clue where exactly they were going. Turning a corner, Tom and Delilah ran right into someone and staggered back.

It was Aleksander, and before Tom could think twice he drew back his fist and landed it on the boys nose with a loud crack. "Bloody fuck," Aleksander bit out as he staggered back. Abraxas caught hold of him and only then did the two notice the rest of the group was behind Aleksander.

"What?" Delilah panted, struggling to put two and two together. "No time," Olive said simply and tossed them their wands. She still looked absolutely livid, but she was right, now wasn't the time or place to explain.

Aleksander shook his head and ignored the blood pouring out of his nose when he held out his arm, "everyone hold on." On instinct they all reached their hands in a circle. Just as Pyrrhus grabbed hold, a group of Grindelwald's men rounded the corner.

Just as one of them yelled an incantation, the world tugged and bent around them as they aparated away, the man's curse hitting the wall behind were they stood only seconds before.

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They land with a thud and late afternoon light blinded them all. It seemed like an empty grass field, but behind them stood a two story house and the smell of salt greeted their noses.

Delilah's vision swam, she didn't know if she was physically spinning or if it was just her head but she collapsed, Tom catching her before she hit her head on the ground.

"Hey," he turned her face by her chin to get her to look at him but she was knocked out and he sighed. "This is a safe house, there's plenty of rooms," Aleksander gestured for them to go inside as he began to set up a series of wards around the house. Biting his cheek, Tom looped an arm under her and picked her up, careful to support her head. He spared Aleksander a glance, debating. Sure he helped them escape, but he still betrayed them.

Tom was going to kill him.

Everyone was silent as they entered the old house, broken, the full weight of Elio's absence hitting them like a train at full speed. Even Tom had to admit the loss of Rosier was a shock.

Finding the first room he could, he pushed open the door with his foot and carefully set Delilah on the mattress. As he pulled away, he felt her grip onto him so tight it hurt, "I'm sorry," Delilah said over and over and he squeezed his eyes shut as he sat himself down next to her.

Part of him was relieved she was at least still there, with him. Tom rested his chin a top her head "I know not now, but soon, you need to tell me everything."

She nodded her head vigorously, tightening her grip one last time before he pulled back. Only then did Tom take in the sight of her swollen and red eyes, tears still staining the sides of her face. Resting a hand on her cheek, he brushed the tears away with his thumb and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Seeing her cry was disconcerting.

He pulled her back into his chest and closed his eyes, "I'm just glad you're okay."

As he did so however, flashes of what Grindelwald showed him went off like mad inside his head. Of the unrecognizable creature he becomes, of what he turned to stand for... what he does to her.
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Tom didn't want to, but he felt to go check on the others. Everything had happened so quickly he wasn't even sure if everyone made it back.

Delilah slumped to the floor, the mattress feeling to comfortable for her own good. She didn't want to sleep, too scared of what she might see if she did. There was a light tap on the door and she looked up, Cain didn't say anything, but she knew it was a silent ask if he could come in.

Patting the spot next to her, Cain sat himself down on the floor, his back pressed against the bed. "Do you think it'll ever stop," his voice broke halfway through and he had to clear his throat. She hummed in question, asking what he meant and Cain shrugged. "Everything. The pain. Losing people."

"No."

"Yeah," he replied quietly. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he messed with a thread in the carpet and closed his eyes. "You were right, he was the best of us and of course he's gone now. Elio was like a star, he burned so fiercely and brightly that he blinded people. Life wasn't big enough to contain him."

Her eyes shut as she took in his words, absentmindedly she reached up a hand and took hold of the necklace Elio gave her all those months ago. It's all she had left of him now.

Later Tom walked in but paused in the doorway, watching as Delilah was still sat on the floor against the bed, her face blank as she stared at a painting across from her. 

Slowly he walked over and sits next to her.

On instinct her head fell to the side and rested on his shoulder. Minutes passed in silence, it wasn't comfortable but she was still thankful for it. Neither knew what to say, or if they even should say anything. The events of the day felt like a fever dream they all wished to wake up from.

"If there is a hereafter," Tom began and she shut her eyes, gripping at his hand. "Elio will appreciate the infinity in eternity."

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A few days later they held a small funeral along the beach. The sight of it triggering the painful memory of when Harry buried Dobby. Walking up to the casket, Delilah placed a chaste kiss to the letter she wrote to him before resting it on his chest. It was meant for his eyes only, and it broke her heart he'd never get to read it.

She hoped to whatever higher power there was out in the universe that Elio knew how much she truly cared about him. Delilah twirled his necklace and brought it up to her lips, the coolness of the metal comforting her.

All the memories she had of them together, she'd be forever thankful.

Them first meeting in the Great Hall, his try outs for quidditch and how he faked a fall to scare her, when she kissed him for the first time at Hogsmeade, when he set up a picnic in the green house, their late night dance on top of the Astronomy tower, when he gave her the necklace at the Yule ball, when she broke his heart.

They each said their goodbyes and finally it was Tom's turn to walk up. It took him a few moments to muster the courage to look at Elio. It was odd, it simply looked like he was sleeping. He didn't know what to say. They were never friends, nor were they actual enemies.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tom took a breath as he looked at Elio. "Goodbye, brother." He whispered, low enough to where no one could hear him.

As they walked away from the funeral, little did Delilah know the ripple she just sent through time itself. Elio Rosier wouldn't be the only causality as the result of her staying.

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E P I L O G U E

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.

- Washington Irving

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The one thought running through my head while writing this; "some of y'all about to be real mad at me."