CHAPTER: Day One

The Sorting Hat laughed at her, "Salazar and Godric may have been more ah, flamboyant with their abilities. And Ravenclaw was undoubtedly cleverer, but when there was real danger threatening the castle and the hour was dire, it was young Helga they turned to, to finish the fight. So, Delphini Bellatrix Riddle of the families Slytherin, Black, and Peverell…I wish you luck, because you just may be the quintessential HUFFLEPUFF!"

"NO, DON'T TOUCH ME! PLEASE! GET OFF OF ME!" Delphini woke up with a choked scream. She sprung off her back into a sitting position, eyes unnaturally wide, her sheets and blankets shredded themselves as she sent a wave of accidental and chaotic power across the room until it splashed harmlessly against the wards she had set up like an errant wave against an unmovable cliff.

Tears had been coursing down her cheeks, unbidden in her sleep. She gagged as she quickly turned over and retched bile and bits of dinner onto the off-white carpeted floor. Once she had exhausted the contents of her stomach, she sobbed out the rest of her primal fear into her hands, mindless of the snot, tears, and saliva that now coated them. The first coherent thought she had was thankfulness that the silencing ward she laid around her bed spared the other occupants of her flat from hearing her night terrors and subsequent aftermath of such.

Setting up protective wards to defend the structures and people around her as she slept in was a routine to her at this point. Delphini had learnt that the hard way in the ruins of the Rowle Estate.

In the next room, Nagini awoke as she felt the primal terror of Delphini. She looked down at the adorable Zelda and decided not to bring her to her new mother. Leaving the lightly drooling little girl, she crept to her feet and padded across the carpet to the room on the other side of the wall. She nudged open the door and waited until Delphi noticed her and then weakly beckoned her over with a weak hand wave. Nagini gently wrapped the gasping Delphi in her arms and soothed with gentle humming for a number of minutes until Delphini's quiet sobbing faded entirely. "Look at me Delphi." Delphi's tear stained face tilted up slightly until their eyes met. "He'll never touch you again. You avenged yourself when you annihilated him." Nagini said with a soft hissing edge in her voice. Delphi closed her eyes as another couple fat tears fell, but she weakly nodded all the same. She couldn't quite summon her voice quite yet.

Despite the darkness beyond the windows, sleep was a lost cause at that point. Even if Delphi could fall asleep before the sun came up, the fear of what awaited her in her nightmares deterred her from trying to get more rest. So Delphi bunkered down in the comfort of Nagini's arms, her lovely scent, and her melodic humming and waited for the dawn to come.

"So…you threw the Sorting Hat across the hall. Would you like to explain yourself now? The rest of us were rather preoccupied with Professor Dumbledore's announcement he would be retiring at the end of this school year." Minerva ground out while giving Delphi some serious side eye at breakfast.

There were not more than a handful of students from any house at their table. After all, at 7am, no one really wanted to be awake. Except those two girls from Slytherin and a boy from Hufflepuff who subscribed to practicing physical fitness beyond the ordinary wizard. Delphi looked at them with irritation; she wanted them to feel the burn of morning with her, not be all chipper like they were. Fucking gym rats; or, whatever the wizard/witch equivalent is, Delphi grumbled in her mind. It's not that she disliked physical fitness; hell, she went out of her way to keep herself well fit. But there was a time and place for that kind of thing, and morning wasn't it.

"The hat woke Zelda up when he went shouting 'HUFFLEPUFF' like that like an inconsiderate loon. It took hours to get her to sleep again last night," Delphi shrugged as she slathered her French toast with the raspberries she mashed up with her own fork on the side of her plate with more aggression than was strictly necessary. She didn't even consider bringing up the real reason she seemed so obviously sleep deprived.

Delphi took a gulp of water before she started cutting up her food methodically, completely, before taking her first bite. "I'm probably going to join her for naptime today, because I was not ready to do today on four hours of sleep."

"And where is your little girl now?" Flitwick asked with a chuckle. He was one of the few faculty members who found his youngest colleague's antics more humorous than heretical.

"Nagini's looking after her while I've got class this morning. Oh, could one of you explain to me why you have the two most rivalrous houses take classes together like Defence Against The Dark Arts and potions? Like, is it tradition or was Dumbledore getting too bored? Slytherins and Gryffindors shouldn't always be in classes together. How are any of them supposed to meet badgers or ravens? Or avoid killing each other? I'm glad N.E.W.T. classes at least are condensed to whoever has advanced far enough and not bound by that ridiculously prideful house vs house template."

"It was like that when I was a student here as well, and that was under headmaster Dippet," McGonagall said.

"So Dumbledore's not a particularly innovative head of school then huh?" Delphi said with a sigh. She picked the last of her toast onto her fork and waved around as she said, "So, when you replace him, will you change that? Because I think we'll all be pleased with the results."

Minerva didn't respond immediately so Professor Sprout did with, "She's not wrong Minerva."

"Regardless, perhaps she shouldn't make enemies with our boss so early on the first day?" Minerva pointed out dutifully.

Delphi smirked, "Oh, I may have already poked at his dark family history and other life choices enough to do that during my ah, interview," she confessed.

"Dammit Delphi," Minerva groaned.

"Byeeeeee!" Delphi trilled as she got up to return to her classroom.

Delphi disappeared from the hall before any of the other professors got a word in edgweise. "Well, this year is going to be an interesting one isn't it?" Flitwick said with a potentially maniacal grin.

Minerva gave a long-suffering sigh before pouring herself another helping of pumpkin juice. Except it wasn't pumpkin juice. It was pineapple. "What?"

"It would seem Ms. Peverell switched out the juices. It would explain why she was muttering about Halloween themed beverages when she first sat down," Flitwick said with a grin as Minerva grudgingly finished the glass of tropical fruit juice she had already poured for herself. No sense in wasting it after all.

"What do you think Professor Peverell's class will be like?" was the sentence on everybody's lips, especially the kids who went on her life changing field trip from hell to the Department of Mysteries.

Well, most of everybody had that question in their head. The words on Delphini's lips however were, "Why the fuck did I think I could be a teacher?" She was standing over her desk inside her office with minutes until her first class was set to start arriving in the classroom just down a handful of stairs. Just her luck that it was the N.E.W.T. Level. She had popped back to her flat to spend a few more minutes with Nagini and Zelda before popping right back over to Hogwarts. Portkeys were a magnificent boon that she'd never take for granted.

She was all cocky earlier at breakfast while talking to the other teachers, but now that she was standing behind a desk alone? Her confidence had certainly diminished a bit. Her office was a half-level above the rest of the classroom, separated by a half dozen curving steps. She was never a great people person, and now she had hundreds of children to contend with. The fact that she went quite far out of her way to achieve this job was not lost on her. At that moment, Professor Peverell wanted to slap past Delphi around because the anxiety was real. She briefly consulted her lesson plans and groaned.

Shaking her head out of reminiscing about earlier that morning, Delphi heard a voice call out from her classroom.

"Is this the right classroom?" a timid voice asked. Delphi sucked in her gut and decided it was show time.

Delphi strolled out of her office and saw that not one but three girls had entered the room. "N.E.W.T.S. Level?" Delphi asked.

"Yes," the second girl confirmed. The three were Ravenclaws.

"Right. Why don't you all have a seat then while your classmates trickle in," Delphi suggested as she sat down atop her oaken desk. The students looked like they wanted to comment on the hilariously informal behaviour but restrained themselves admirably.

It wasn't long before faces Delphi recognized made their way into the room interspersed with strangers. Draco and Pansy first, then Luna, Granger, Ginerva, and Potter, who stumbled in seconds before the class was set to begin.

"All right then, this is N.E.W.T. Level Dark Arts and Defence, if you're not in the right classroom you should leave now," Delphi called with a grin. One boy with sandy brown hair got up and left after muttering an embarrassed apology. Delphi rolled her eyes. "It was brought to my attention due to extenuating circumstances, some of you lot are younger than the typical N.E.W.T. students; but Dumbledore assures me of your competence. Every non-seventh year student has earned an outstanding O.W.L. score or provided comparable proof they're up to taking the most advanced Dark Arts course this institution offers." There were a few assorted confused and slightly concerned looks when their professor referred to the class as just 'Dark Arts,' but nobody spoke their trepidation aloud. "So, let's get this show on the road shall we? Names, starting with you," she pointed to a girl on the furthest left of the classroom.

"Marietta Edgecombe," said a Ravenclaw with a striking series of acne scarring across her forehead. It seemed to make out a word that started with 'S', but the healing worked upon it blurred the other letters.

"And you, and then continue that way and then one back and across again and repeat," Delphi said in a bored tone.

"'Cho' Chang," the pretty Scottish witch said softly.

Delphi consulted her class roster and said, "I presume you prefer your middle name to your first?" With a grin Delphi added, "I don't blame you lassie."

Blushing, 'Cho' Chang nodded. "Yes please." Cho got several confused looks as most people frankly didn't realise that 'Cho' wasn't actually a Chinese given name. But it was a Korean surname, which is where Delphi assumed it came from.

Delphi nodded. "No problem. And that goes for anyone else, if you'd prefer me to call you by something other than your given name or surname, let me know yeah? Next."

"Katie Bell."

"Pansy Parkinson," the lone Slytherin girl spoke up.

"Hermione Granger."

"Luna Lovegood."

"Draco Malfoy."

"Harry Potter."

"Ginny Weasley."

"Su Li."

"Alicia Spinnet."

"Lily Moon."

"And I am Delphini Peverell," Delphi chimed in as snapped her fingers and the chalk rose up to write her name on the blackboard. "Before we start, do any of you have miscellaneous questions you'd like to get off your chest?"

Hermione, predictably, raised her hand immediately. With a nod from Delphi, Hermione asked, "I noticed the prerequisite standards for this N.E.W.T. course was altered from what was originally advertised to us. Would you mind telling us why? Neville really wanted to take this class and found out in August that he couldn't." Hermione finished accusatorily.

Delphini nodded, "Fair question. I required an 'E' on Potions, Defence, Transfiguration, Charms, and that you've at least taken Care of Magical Creatures. Put simply, those disciplines are all brought together in this class; parts of a whole if you will. In those classes, you learn the skills, and in this one you'll learn some real-world application."

Delphi continued, "Some of you may have heard the muggle idiom that maths is the servant of the sciences or something like that. This is similar. The previous disciplines I marked as a prerequisite all come together to serve you in learning about and potentially defending yourself and others from the nebulous realm that are the Darkest Arts." Hermione nodded her head thoughtfully and wrote something down in her notebook. But quickly looked back at Delphi expectantly and critically. Luna smiled at her dreamily, which was slightly off-putting, but Delphi continued, "Next question?"

"You didn't mention Neville," Harry Potter pointed out.

Delphi shrugged. "I don't doubt the boy's spirit or combat skills, truly. But he didn't meet the prerequisites."

"That's because Snape is biased," Ginny piped up.

Delphi nodded, "He is biased. And abusive. Obviously…not all masters of their art are equipped to teach it" Everybody looked taken aback at her candid acknowledgement of her new colleague's flaws. "But it doesn't change the fact that Mr. Longbottom has had five summers and five winter holidays now to hire a tutor and properly teach him what was being neglected at this institution. And he's certainly not the only one. Mr. Longbottom is a well-connected Pureblood, so hiring a reputable and reliable tutor would have been no issue had he a real desire to learn these disciplines. It was not only in Potions that he was found lacking for this class. And again, I know he's not the only student who found that out once I mailed all applicants to this class my expectations."

Delphi turned to Hermione who had initially brought up Neville, "Satisfied?" Granger's jaw clenched for a moment but she conceded that her professor's points were valid.

It was Draco who raised her hand next, "How the hell are you a Hufflepuff?" Draco and the others (except Luna) who were at the Ministry looked like they badly wanted to know the answer to this as well.

"A point from Slytherin for your cheek cousin of mine," Delphi sneered in a well-crafted imitation of Severus Snape. Neither Draco nor Pansy looked impressed. A couple of the Gryffindors badly concealed smirks. Delphi shrugged, "The hat considered all the houses, but decided that Hufflepuff was best. I doubt it was that different than some of your own sortings to be honest. Also, Hufflepuff is the house for outcasts, and I'm nothing if not that."

Pansy spoke up, "But you're…" she trailed off quickly at the intense look Delphi gave her.

"Turned on by violence? Somebody who kills for the fun of it?" Delphi asked with a far too innocent look which belied her disturbing words. More than one student turned to a neighbour and wondered exactly what the hell they just signed up for.

"Yes." Pansy admitted with a slight blush at the innuendo. But she was also chilled at the reminder that she was the only one who saw all of Delphi's victims fall.

Delphi shrugged as she began to spin her wand in with her long fingers like a pen. "Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks are both exceptional Aurors, and also Hufflepuffs. Moody in particular is renowned for his violent tactics in the 1970's against the Death Eaters. As most of you are aware." There were a few grunted acknowledgments along with a dirty look from Malfoy she ignored.

Delphi took a breath, "But his loyalty once given is absolute. It's one of the reasons your teacher, Barty Crouch Jr., last year went under the radar for so long; because nobody suspects the person in the room who has earned Dumbledore's implicit trust, even if he's acting a bit daft."

Some of the students flinched at the reminder their previous teacher was one of Voldemort's greatest servants. "Any other questions?"

"Where are you from? Your accent's kinda wonky," Alicia Spinnet asked with a grin.

Delphi chuckled. "I've moved around a lot. I've spent the last few years in Austria, so that may explain some of my inflections. My accent has always sort of been fluid; I learned when I was young to be adaptable like that, and now it's subconcious. I know there's some light Scottish in there as well from hanging about Minerva for the last month and a half, but I'm from Wiltshire, originally, though I don't remember it." Draco looked alarmed at that as he made the connections in his head. She was born in my house. The others just looked amused that Professor McGonagall's heavy Scottish brogue was powerful enough to sway another's accent.

"Why do you use muggle terms?" Cho Chang asked timidly.

Delphi paused at the unexpected and insightful question. "Because I've spent a lot of my time around them? I enjoy their turns of phrase, their technology, their culture, sports, philosophies, religions, wars, etc. I'll probably find a way to connect some of this class back to the non-magical world to illustrate some of my points. A point to Ravenclaw for the observant question Ms. Chang." Cho smiled slightly. Draco was looking at Delphi sceptically, like he thought all muggles were dirty peasants…oh wait.

"Is it true you killed V-Voldemort?" Katie Bell spoke up.

After an uncomfortable silence, Delphi settled her eyes on the tallest Gryffindor Chaser. "Yes." She didn't offer anything else and Katie looked horribly chastised for asking such an invasive question. Delphi took pity on the girl and said, "He was my father. It was emotional. But he had to die for me and mine to live. It was just that simple." The casual confirmation of what the Daily Prophet and Quibbler had reported over the summer was received with a couple more gasps than Delphi liked. "Any more questions before we get started?"

Luna raised her prosthetic hand. She had covered it with a glove that Delphi couldn't help but think somebody else (Pansy perhaps?) chose for the blonde; it was just a stylish black glove; opposed to the sartorial disaster that would've been ensured had Luna picked out the glove herself. "Are you okay?"

Delphi's eyes snapped to the lone Irish student in the class with a small grin replacing a moment of bafflement. "I will be, Miss Lovegood. And you?" Delphi replied calmly despite the memories of her harrowing morning swirling behind her eyes.

"I will be," Luna said in a tone that sounded remarkably lucid, at least to Delphi's ears.

Professor Peverell nodded sympathetically, ignoring the multiple questioning looks the pair received for their very out of context and personal exchange. "Anyone else? No? Alright. Raise your hand if you can cast the Patronus Charm."

Potter, Granger, Luna, Ginny, and Cho raised their hands. "I'm assuming Potter is the one who taught you? In your illicit club from last year?" Delphi asked for appearances, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." Harry admitted.

"Ten points to Gryffindor then. Good on you Potter," Delphi said, surprising everyone. She hopped off her desk and brought herself up to her full impressive height before whipping out her wand and vanishing the desks. And then she vanished their chairs, causing everyone to fall on their bum, except Luna, who had risen to her feet once her desk was gone. Amid assorted cursing, they got to their feet. "Constant Vigilance!' Delphi crowed with a smirk. "Did you learn nothing from last year?"

After some more profanity that Delphi waved away, her students got to their feet. "Alright. I want you all to queue up laterally facing me. The classroom's wide enough so you should be able to manage that without trouble. Good. Now. Can one of you explain how to cast the Patronus Charm? Yes, Mr. Potter, might as well be you."

"You think of the happiest feeling and memory and say Expecto Patronum!" Harry said without fanfare.

"Descent description. Now. One at a time, I want you to cast or attempt to cast this charm. I'm aware of the difficulty, but as this is a N.E.W.T. level course, I'm allowed to ask you to be exceptional. But don't be discouraged if you fail now. Just consider it a goal I expect you to reach by end of fall term. Ms. Chang, you start."

After several minutes several ethereal beasts roamed the classroom and several frustrated students had managed nothing but silvery mist at best. "Honestly, the best advice I have for those of you who are struggling is simple: fall in love. Sex with a romantic partner is a really good starter for this charm. Sex alone without emotional investment is useless to this charm however. It's all in the emotion. Think about what or who makes you happy." Delphi said as almost everyone in the room was in various states of blush. "Grow up. I'm giving you legitimate advice here," Delphi said while admirably holding in a chuckle at how scandalized the kids (and adults) in front of her were at her crass.

Delphi looked around cataloguing everyone's progress. Harry Potter stag was cantering around him in a near perfect circle. Katie Bell's falcon was perched neatly on her shoulder. She was stroking its plumage tentatively. Ginny's destrier mare looked like it was entreating her for an apple or something. Hermione looked to be having some trouble with hers. Frustration was evident on her face; but what piqued Delphi's curiosity was the confused expression that Ginny and Harry were giving her. Ah. She's capable, or at least she was. Delphi thought she ought to ask her about it later.

Delphi looked towards Pansy and noticed she was not trying to produce more than the silvery wisps she'd managed thus far. She was gaping at Luna Lovegood and her Patronus.

The rookie Professor followed the Slytherin girl's gaze and nearly did a double take. Delphi's eyes blew wide as she processed the sight that was Luna's Patronus: an unadulterated Lovecraftian horror. It was a straight-up eldritch abomination and Luna was cooing at it while stroking one of its horrifying tentacles like it was her much loved house cat.

Delphi made an executive decision to end the patronus drill after she got an up close and disturbing view into that thing's gaping maw: webs of saliva stretched wide between bristling teeth opened wide enough to swallow a two metre toall human whole in a couple swallows. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about it was that since it was a paronous merely representing an eldritch beast, the think made Delphi feel warm and fuzzy. It probably just wanted a hug. The dichotomy was causing discord with her emotions. "Yeah…we're done for today," she muttered as she turned abruptly and walked back to her desk.

"Dispel your companions and sit back down," she waved her wand and re-conjured their desks and chairs. They did as she bid. "I'm passing out a permission slip to be signed by your guardian. Once it is signed, the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperious Curse will be allowed to be used in my class under my instruction. Azkaban or death for anybody who deviates from that directive by the way. There is a signature required for each spell as I understand that most if not all of your guardians will be reticent to sign such a proposal."

"Are you mad?" Lily Moon asked, speaking up for the first time that day.

"Yes. But Barty Jr. was allowed to cast Imperio on you last year without permission and nobody batted an eye. Umbridge used a legally recognized form of Azkaban-worthy torture and none of you batted an eye at it." There were a few flinches at that, Harry, Marietta, and Katie Bell. Delphi would remember that.

Professor Peverell spoke boldly, "Let's be honest, I'm not asking for much more. I would obviously be supervised by another professor while casting the spells, and even then, I will ONLY do so with your explicit consent. I don't take such a request lightly, but you need to know what you'll be facing out there." Ginny and Pansy looked worried; they had both performed Unforgivables right in front of their professor during the fight at the ministry.

"That's what he said." Potter spoke up. "Crouch. He said that too."

"Was he wrong? Tell me Potter, do you wish you had been prepared for my father's Cruciatus curse the night of his resurrection?"

Harry raised an eyebrow that she knew such a detail, but then remembered her prodigious Legillimancy skills and realised there was little of his life she probably didn't at least have some idea about. "I don't know if it would've helped that much," he said honestly.

Delphi shrugged. "Possibly. But my father was near unparalleled in power. Fleur Delacour would have probably benefitted from Cruciatus exposure prior to the Third Task, no?" Everyone looked uncomfortable…again. Delphi didn't stop though, "I'll bet Mr. Krum would have loved some training against the Imperious Curse. That way he might not harbour the guilt of sending Fleur to visit hospital intermittently for weeks afterward to deal with her aftershocks."

Delphi paused for a moment. "My intent isn't to hurt you. I'm going to prepare you. By the end of the year, my goal is for all of you to be able to stand for minutes under the torture curse without breaking. A lofty goal perhaps, but achievable with the right motivation." Pansy looked almost green at this point.

Professor Peverell continued her declaration, "Regarding the Imperious Curse, my goal is for you all to throw it off in under ten seconds, five would be preferable. So think on it. Our next class will deal with the Unforgivables regardless of whether or not you've had the permission forms signed."

"What do we do if we can't get our guardian to sign?" Marietta Edgecombe asked hesitantly.

"I'll come up with another long-term project for you to do if your parents are too squicky about my methods. But if they don't sign, you will be behind your classmates in life. Write to your mother about how she'd feel if you were forced situations that could've been prevented or mitigated because of her allowance here" Delphi said seriously. No girl in the room misunderstood her emphasis on the word 'situation' and what Delphi wasn't saying. Marietta didn't object again.

There was suddenly a wind chime coming from Delphi's pocket. She pulled out her smartphone and said, "Time's up for today! In the next class I'm going to pair you up with a partner I'll expect you to work with the duration of the academic year. It won't be ironclad, but you'll have to work to convince me to change my mind. You can write me or visit during my office hours which I'll post outside in order to ask me to pair you with somebody in particular. No guarantees, but I will consider your input. I'll see you all next time. Oh, Luna, Potter, Pansy, Marietta, and Hermione please stay behind for a moment if you can spare one?" Delphi's tone softened at the end to a normal conversational tone and not her 'I'm your professor tone'.

"My guardian is dead," Harry said morosely. Delphi nodded.

"Yes. And again, I'm sorry about that. Not to worry, as head of House Black, I'm your guardian now.

"Seriously?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yep. We can discuss it more later Harry, but that's the long and short of it," Delphi said calmly.

"Can I get it changed?" Harry asked timidly. Delphi just rolled her eyes and looked at Hermione.

"What happened to your patronus?" the professor asked bluntly.

"I don't know. I'm just. I'm really struggling to come up with a happy memory that isn't in some way associated with R-Ron," she said quietly. Harry put an arm around her and pulled her into a hug instead of leaving.

"Then make new memories. Or learn how to balance out your grief with your joy inside already existing memories. You'll get it again in time, I'm sure of it," Delphi said with real warmth. Hermione looked up in surprise, she wasn't alone.

"What? I'm not some frigid bitch. I can be sentimental and shit," Delphi pouted. She turned to the Ravenclaw girl with a raised eyebrow, eyes on Marietta's obvious acne scarring.

"Yes?" Marietta asked defensively.

"Have you had Professor Snape take a serious look at your scarring there?" Delphi asked without hesitation. Hermione balanced, and Marietta threw the Gryffindor a hateful look. Delphi's eyes widened in realisation.

"No. But Madam Pomphrey's potions and spells didn't help. And St. Mungos checked it out and said it would likely fade with time," Marietta replied quietly.

"Hermione? Are you responsible for this?" Delphi asked with a grin that couldn't be considered benign.

"Yes," Hermione replied like a mouse.

Delphi considered for a moment. "Explain." And so Hermione explained the first D.A. meeting in the Hog's Head and how she had turned the list of names they all signed without their knowledge into a hidden contract. Marietta's glare was practically poisonous while Hermione explained that Ms. Edgecombe was a SNEAK.

"I'll confess I wasn't expecting this when I called you lot up here. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. So, Marietta, why did you inform on the D.A.?" Delphi genuinely inquired.

To their surprise it wasn't Marietta who spoke up to defend her name. It was Pansy. "The Inquisitorial Squad found out by luck that Marietta was disappearing for a couple hours at a time on a semi-regular basis. If it was a relationship, one of the Patil twins would've dished about it, so we knew it was something else." Pansy looked deeply ashamed, and the looks Harry and Hermione were giving her were not the charitable sort.

"Continue," Delphi encouraged.

"Marietta's mother Georgina is part of, was part of Fudge's administration. I don't know what she does now," Pansy muttered.

"Minister Bones' secretary," Marietta provided with defensive pride shining in her eyes.

"Ok. But under Fudge, if it came to light that her daughter was a part of an illegal militia organized in Dumbledore's house, she would have certainly been fired and blacklisted. Complete economic ruin," Pansy added when Harry looked sceptical. "As somebody who's never had to worry about paying his way in our world you don't understand a thing about that threat hovering over you," Pansy lashed out pre-emptively.

Harry looked like he was about to defend himself before Delphi cut him off with a curt hand movement. "So you lot blackmailed Marietta right? Name names or snitch?" Delphi surmised.

Pansy shook her head as Marietta looked nervous. "Umbridge wanted more…" Pansy trailed off as she looked to Marietta seeking permission? Delphi had a bad feeling take root in her gut.

The Ravenclaw started fidgeting before Delphi placed a firm hand on the brown-haird girl's shoulder. "It's alright. I can ask them to leave if you want to talk about this in private," Delphi offered in a moment of generosity.

Marietta seemed to consider it before rolling her left sleeve up hastily as if she was expending a limited burst of courage that wouldn't sustain anything other than an abrupt revelation. Her forearm was revealed to have scarring not unlike Potter's hand. Hermione and Harry both gasped and Luna awkwardly patted her upperclassman on her shoulder. Taking up all the skin from her elbow to hand, Marietta's forearm was carved in neat script: COMPLIANCE WILL BE REWARDED. I WILL COMPLY. "She made me tell," Marietta said as tears formed in her eyes. Hermione was devastated. The Gryffindor girl looked like she wanted nothing more than to hurl herself off the Astronomy tower.

After a few beats of horrified silence Delphi crooned softly a repeated phrase in Latin while tracing her wand over the horrible defilement of Marietta's skin. The scar started to fade until they were thin white lines, barely noticeable to the unknowing eye. "There dear girl, you shouldn't have to carry the burden of that cunt's hatred the rest of your life like that. The rest should fade completely within a couple years. It's the best I can do." Delphini spoke softly while maintaining eye contact with Marietta the whole time. Marietta didn't say anything, but she burst forward and threw her arms around Delphi in a surprise hug.

The remaining students chuckled at the baffled look on Delphi's face. "Hey Luna?" Delphi asked while still in the elder Ravenclaw's tight embrace.

"You wanted to ask about my Patronus, professor?" Luna asked innocently.

"What was that?" Delphini asked bluntly.

"That was my protector, obviously." Luna offered no than her sass.

"Your Patronus is almost certainly going to haunt my sleep and I don't want to see it again. I know you can cast it, that's good enough, so keep it the fuck away from me," Delphi ordered as Marietta extricated herself from her fairly one-sided hug with her professor, blushing like mad.

Still grinning with her wide childlike eyes, Luna shrugged and turned on her heel and skipped out of the room humming to herself.