Delphini and Rodolphus; two souls, one journey
This is my first fic ever, please bear with me
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the HP universe, all characters and themes belong to JK Rowling. No copyright infringement here and I make no profit.
Loneliness is the worst feeling in the world, so many people say, but for 6 year old Delphini, loneliness is a dream. She wanted to be alone, away from the people who did not love her, but would not let her be. For as long as she could remember, Delphini had to walk on eggshells all the time, everything seems to make her Auntie Euphemia and Uncle Faustian angry. Auntie Euphi usually calls for her beloved husband whenever Delphini upset her somehow, he would yell at the girl in a terrifyingly loud voice, with his wife behind him looking pleased, then he would take out his wand. Delphini would end up with whip made bruises on her chubby body, and fear of what will be done next. Her auntie and uncle hated crying, so she would always cry alone in her bed before falling asleep, as quietly as possible. She had 2 brothers and a sister who were cherished and greatly loved. Everyday her siblings would go out to the park to play, and practice their powers away from the prying eyes of muggles, Delphini however was never allowed because she was sick, according to her Auntie and uncle, she was fatally ill as an infant, they took her to a wizarding hospital in France, where she was treated, however she was left in a very delicate state. Oddly enough Delphini always insisted that she felt fine. Another thing that Delphini was not allowed to do anything a witch can do, because she possessed no magic, she, unlike her siblings she was a squib. Her Auntie and uncle told her that both her parents had been squibs, who died in the war. Also her sickness was shared by both her parents, which affected their brains.
"YOU'RE STILL ASLEEP!" came a booming terrifying voice through the little girl's bedroom door, she jolted up, terrified and disoriented, she looked at the huge figure of her angry uncle and the smugly smiling figure of her Auntie, "she was also hissing and spitting, wasn't she? Just like her mad parents isn't she?" came the mocking voice of her sister. Delphini shook her head violently, looking with the most terrified expression at the family in her door step. Auntie Euphi proceeded towards her and grabbed her by the arm so tightly, Delphini felt the nail dig painfully at her chubby skin, "get out of bed! No breakfast for you, you fat disgusting pig!" Euphi said in a slightly high tone of voice, her siblings laughed, Delphi felt hot tears streaking down her cheeks, uh oh! Big mistake! Her auntie hated crying and sure enough her aunt slapped her hard with the back of her hand across both cheeks, she was wearing rings in her fingers and the pain was unbearable, "one more tear and I'll get my wand out, understand?" she spat maliciously pulling Delphi close to her, the child only nodded. "Three minutes to wash your pig face and brush your teeth, understood?" Delphi nodded again, Euphemia finally let go of the girl, and she ran to the bathroom.
"all the gold in Gringotts isn't worth her, why don't we just get rid of her" her auntie was saying when Delphini walked into the dining room, where the family was eating breakfast, and the bird cried like it always did, but no one paid it any attention, so Delphi slipped unnoticed into the table. Uncle Faustian shook his head as he sipped his tea, "another eleven years, I'm afraid, love. What if she is like her father? She won't stop and you know it, best keep her under our noses". Euphemia opened her mouth to reply, but he snapped "have you forgotten what he made that Malfoy do to us?! We were most faithful! And that's how he repaid us! " and he actually spat on the ground, Euphemia remained quiet, her gaze was distant, she seemed to be remembering something very painful, "Not to mention the mother! " roared Faustian "killed half her kin, she did! She was madder than sin, and twice as cruel!" and he spat again. Delphini didn't know who they were talking about, probably the evil lord who started a war that killed her parents, just because they were not magical.
Delphini reached out for a piece of bread, but the beady sharp eyes of Euphemia Rowle, who seemed out of her trance, followed the little girl's hand "I thought I said you are not to have breakfast" whispered Euphemia, she didn't want to anger her husband more this morning, "I'm hungry, auntie" said Delphi in a very quiet whisper, "you will not starve to death, don't worry, you have enough fat to survive a year without food!" Delphi retreated her hand, and looked down at her legs, tears threatening to spill, wishing for just a taste of the eggs or the juice. She hadn't had any dinner the previous night. She was very hungry, and very thirsty, but her cheeks were still burning from the slaps. She closed her eyes, thinking on ways of getting some food, probably her sister will not finish her food, because she unlike Delphi was a very picky eater. The conversations around the table resumed, Delphi watched her family eat, her Aunt was glancing at her every few moments, Delphi was staring at the plates with a very focused expression trying to maneuver a way at this dilemma, and then suddenly, all the plates flew in a straight line towards Delphi, hovering inches before her, at the perfect height for her to eat the goblet that held the pumpkin juice poured her a cup full. Everyone stared in absolute disbelief for a moment, Euphemia however, was the first to recover, and she quickly stuck her wand out, and pretended to be the one who made this extraordinary show of magic happen. Delphi looked at her aunt in amazement and puzzlement, Euphemia Rowle was not a stupid woman, so she put a warm smile on her face and said in a soothing tone of voice, "You didn't actually think we were going to starve you, did you love?" Delphini's innocent young face looked absolutely shocked, the train began to fall, but Euphemia kept it up using a silent hovering charm. "Oversleeping is bad for your delicate health, little one, we wanted to you to learn to wake up in time that's all" she continued sweetly. "We would never starve you would we Faustian?" Faustian was staring at the little girl as if she was a grenade that was about to go off, but he recovered at the sound of his name, "Eat all you want Delphi, dear" he said. The child could not believe her luck, she put a bit of everything in her plate and began eating happily not noticing the deadly look shared by Euphemia and Faustian.
The wall was cold as ice and extremely filthy, he sat on the ground with his back against it listening to the waves of sea that surrounded his prison, it must be very late, thought Rodolphus Lestrange, because he couldn't hear the anguished screams of the other prisoners. There was a time when he enjoyed the screams, when he was still free, with his beloved Bellatrix by his side, but now he hated the screams, he was alone in Azkaban with nothing and no one left. Bella was dead, the dark lord was dead, the others, he didn't know and he didn't care. He remembered Bella's beautiful face when she was still his betrothed in Hogwarts. He remembered her willfulness and wildness and enjoyment of pain and cruelty, Rodolphus himself never enjoyed pain before meeting Bellatrix Black, but she showed him the beauty of it, and he fell in love with the woman and the cruelty all at once. Then they married, that was the happiest day of his life, and shortly afterwards they joined the dark lord.
Rodolphus was taken in by the dark lord's vision of a pure dark world, he was most faithful to the dark lord. But Bella was taken in by the dark lord himself. She was my wife thought Rodolphus, she wasn't the dark lord's wife. But Bellatrix never noticed Rodolphus afterwards. He kept his resentment and jealousy to himself, keeping his face and mind empty of emotion, he supported the dark lord, he and Bella were no longer a couple but rather a team. Rodolphus was impressed frightened and disturbed by his wife's abilities. He followed her in all missions, they tortured the Longbottoms together, but Bella did most of it, he remembered using legilimency on them, and seeing that they actually didn't know where the dark lord was, but Bella did not care, she did it because she enjoyed it, he and Barty simply stood back and watched, Barty in fascination, Rodolphus in horror.
His first imprisonment wasn't so bad, he had Bella and Barty for company, they waited their master's return patiently, and Bella's insanity was progressing quickly, too quickly. Then they were out, and Bellatrix was constantly flirting with the dark lord, but Rodolphus felt nothing, his life was wholly devoted to his master. Then at the ministry, Rodolphus was left behind by his wife and master, he could see it clearly in his mind, the dark lord grabbed Bella's white bony hand and the disappeared leaving him to be escorted back to hell "she was MY wife" he whispered into the night. Then he was out again, and he was teamed with his wife, who was a mother now, to a baby that didn't belong to Rodolphus. Motherhood seemed to further unhinge her, making her if possible crueler and darker, but at this point he no longer knew what to think of anyone anymore.
The dark lord killed his own faithful servant Snape, Bella killed her own niece. He understood at the end of the battle that he followed a selfish half-blood monster who was pursuing his own power and immortality, not to better the world. Tom Riddle was a monster, who stole Rodolphus's love from him, they even died together leaving him alone, and they were together now, somewhere behind the veil. Voldemort took everything from him, Voldemort took his Bellatrix. Anger burned Rodolphus's insides as he hit his head on the wall and yelled "SHE WAS MY WIFE!" into the night. Moments later a dementor appeared at the bars of Rodolphus's cell, "no…" he croaked, he closed his eyes, he saw Bellatrix kneeling at the dark lord's feet, with a bundle wrapped in blankets on her arms, the image dissolved then he saw her beautiful face with a look of surprise and fear, as Molly Weasly's curse hit her square in the chest, "no..." he croaked again, back in his own cell, before falling into unconsciousness.
He awoke in the same dark filthy smelly cell, except there was a small plate of what resembled food near his door, he crawled to it, and began stuffing the gruel into his mouth automatically, only one thought in his mind, Voldemort cannot leave him, the dark lord does not die, he will bring his master back to life, using the girl whose blood was shared by the dark lord himself and is currently residing with the Rowles. Yes the girl was the answer to this suffering, he thought, the girl who could have been my own.