PART 1: ACT 4

PART 1: ACT 4

Delphi was already at Spinner's End waiting for Severus when he returned from Malfor Manor. She was sitting crossed-legged in front of the sofa on the floor of the sitting room with an open wine bottle next to her along with two chipped ceramic cups.

“Did you find it?” she asked without preamble as Severus swooped in, removing his cloak.

“It was exactly where you said it was, in a secret chamber under the drawing-room floor,” he replied, taking a seat opposite her.

“I think that deserves a drink,” she said with some satisfaction, pouring then handing Severus a cup full of wine. Severus took it from her with a noticeable trace of suspicion. “Don't worry, it hasn't got poison in it. I won't be offended if you check though. And sorry about the cups, I couldn't find any glasses.”

Severus sniffed the wine and unselfconsciously cast a non-verbal spell on it then, satisfied he wasn't about to get poisoned, took a sip from the deep red liquid. “How did you know it was going to be there?” he asked after savouring a mouthful.

“I told you, I know everything. Malfoy Manor gets raided in a few year's time by the Ministry and they find all kinds of incriminating shit.” She took a deep swig out of her cup, draining the last remnants and smacking her lips as she placed the cup on the floor. “So come on, then. Let the Niffler see the gold.” She held out her hand expectantly.

Severus put his own cup down and reached inside his coat, pulling out a long, thin chain with a highly-polished glimmering golden Time-Turner dangling from it. Delphi eyed it hungrily, leaning forwards to take it, but Severus abruptly snapped his fist shut.

“I don't think so. Not until you tell me who you really are.”

Delphi slumped back with a sigh, running one hand through the end of her ponytail.

“I want to tell you, I really do. But it isn't the right time. If I tell you now, you'll jump to all kinds of incorrect presumptions about me and my life which will jeopardise the whole operation. Killing You-Know-Who is the priority and nothing can get in the way of that. I will tell you, I promise. But not right now.”

Severus appraised the young witch in front of him. She appeared to be telling the truth and he supposed she did have a point about unconscious biases. But it still required Severus to take a huge leap of faith and trust this mysterious witch and he wasn't quite sure if he was prepared to do that yet; there was still so much he wanted to know.

“What happened in your time? Did the Dark Lord triumph? Is that why you're here?”

Delphi groaned with annoyance, her head rolling back with exaggeration. “Urgh. You ask so many questions!” But then her head snapped back and she grinned impishly as an idea came to her. She grabbed the now-empty bottle, swigging it to be sure all the dregs had gone then sensuously licking the lip to catch any drips, not breaking eye contact with Severus. “Let's play a game of truth or dare. If the bottle lands on you, you get to pick one.”

Before Severus could protest, Delphi had already spun the bottle and it clattered on the wooden floor as the end slowly came to a stop in front of him.

“Truth. Do you trust me?”

“Not entirely,” he replied slowly. “I need more answers.”

“Fair enough,” Delphi replied easily, and she spun the bottle once more. This time the end pointed at her.

“Truth. Did the Dark Lord triumph in your time?”

Delphi paused before answering. “No, the right side won, but at great cost. Many people lost their lives and that could have been prevented. There was a huge battle and it destroyed most of Hogwarts. So many people died...” She looked conflicted, as if she wanted to say more but couldn't. “You-Know-Who was killed eventually, but it was bloody and messy, and there's a better way.”

Severus took this in as Delphi spun the bottle again, and now it was Delphi's turn to ask a question.

“Truth. Are you attracted to me?”

It was clear this wasn't a question Severus had been expecting. “You are not an unattractive witch, and one that clearly doesn't need my approval,” he replied awkwardly.

Delphi smirked, and spun the bottle again. Once more, it landed facing her.

“Truth. Why is this so important to you?”

The smirk fell from Delphi's face then and she suddenly became very serious. She drew a deep breath before speaking. “All my life, people have assumed things about me, judging me on how I look and how they think I should act. Presuming that I'm inherently bad because of where I've come from, or because I'm slightly different. And I'm fucking sick of it.” Her eyes were shining with emotion. “I'm not a bad person. I shouldn't be judged by other people's mistakes. I should be judged on my own actions, on my own merit. And I have the chance to do something fucking amazing and change the world for the better, so that's what I'm going to do.”

She leaned forwards and spun the bottle with some finality, letting Severus take this in. The young woman clearly had more depth than he gave her credit for. The bottle skidded to a stop facing him.

“Dare,” Delphi said with relish, and the impish smile was back once more as she rose and walked towards Severus. “Kiss me.”

Severus didn't move, not knowing if this was some kind of trap, but still Delphi moved forwards until she had bent down in front of him, their faces barely inches apart. Her lips had parted and her pupils had dilated and still she moved agonisingly closer until her mouth brushed his. He could taste the sweet wine on her silky lips, the warmth of them sending volts of desire through him. His instinct told him he had to pull away before he did something they both regretted.

Delphi stood up abruptly as Severus moved his head to the side, trying but failing to completely hide her disappointment.

“Well, I think we've had enough of that game. Can I please have the Time-Turner now?” Her voice was brisk, almost businesslike as she held out her hand.

Severus could feel a blush rising from his collar and looked away with embarrassment from the young witch as he placed the Time-Turner in her palm.

Delphi held it up to the light, marvelling at the intricate engravings and the workmanship, and how the sands in the hourglass glowed even brighter than in the one currently hanging from her neck.

“Thank you for getting this for me. But I'm afraid this was the easy bit. The real work begins now. Are you still in?”

“I am,” he replied, his face once more the inscrutable mask as he quashed down his feelings, his lips still tingling from their electrifying kiss.