A/N: I had intended to present a certain event, but the chapter became too lengthy and seemed to almost become an infodump, which I wanted to avoid. It is my hope that you'll all continue to enjoy this story, let me know of any positives and negatives about my writing, if you have any, and on a more personal note, would you rate my writing as good enough to write an actual fantasy book? I would be doing a appropriate indents for my own fictional novel, but I'd like opinions on the quality of my writing itself (i.e. the word structure) and your honest assessments on its positives and negatives. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading!

All this time, I never meant you harm
So come what may, it is you I have sworn to protect

So don' take all of the blame - We're all at fault
Ah wait, don't take all of the weight - You always do
There will always be something you cannot control
We will set you free
Your salvation has begun

Harry and Dumbledore pulled out of the pensieve after watching Slughorn's memory.

Harry recoiled back onto his seat. Glad I used freshening charms and the remaining power of the luck potion that seems to still be in my system to avoid Dumbledore's detection.

Harry and Dumbledore discussed the memory and Harry began jotting down the list of possibilities.

"A cup . . . or-" Harry paused and his eyes widened. The remaining Felix Felicis guiding his mind to the right answer.

"Er . . . nice tiara, does it represent something?"

"Thank you! You're looking well, yourself," the sexy blond had said, she was wearing an attractive purple dress. He felt his cheeks blush at the thoughts that came to his mind and the fact that he was only in his school robes. A delicate eyebrow raised at him. "As for the headpiece . . . it's a diadem. I really like Rowena Ravenclaw's long lost diadem so I thought I'd get myself a model of one."

"Or a tiara . . ." said Harry, barely above a whisper as he leaned back on his chair. He looked at the Headmaster's blue eyes through the half-moon spectacles. "Or I should say . . . Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows furrowed and interlaced his fingers. "Ravenclaw's Diadem? Quite specific. What makes you so certain, Harry?"

Harry felt a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach as he looked at the Headmaster. He mentally kicked himself. It felt like realizing Quirrell being at Gringotts during the end of his first year all over again. Except this time, Voldemort had succeeded.

Harry's throat felt dry. "Delphini wore it for our . . . talk at the Hogs Head."

Dumbledore froze. "You traveled to the Hogs Head during the first Hogsmeade? I wasn't aware of this."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be?"

Dumbledore frowned and sighed. "Do you believe she may have found it in the castle and secured it for the Dark Lord, Harry?"

For a brief moment, Harry scowled at his question being ignored but then gazed pensively at the Headmaster. "I think that's exactly what happened . . . and she pulled it off right in front of me."

Dumbledore looked contemplative. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Harry. The Dark Lord's most loyal servant seems to have become a protégé. Perhaps she believes that it is genuine affection between father and daughter, but the poor girl has deceived herself. I doubt the Dark Lord would risk sending her to Hogwarts, if he truly cared. We've destroyed two and know the identity of the rest."

"Why haven't you taken any actions against her?"

"Alas, the chief reason for her being here is a gambit by Lord Voldemort." said Professor Dumbledore, "If I act, then I compromise Severus's position and his duties as a spy can no longer be carried out. The Dark Lord knows this well, so it is a test to see the extent of Severus's loyalty to his cause."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Could you please give me more details, sir?" He paused and then followed the luck potions directives at the Headmaster's stern gaze. "I need to understand the circumstances here so I don't accidentally botch it up. Besides, it sounds like she and I will be enemies, possibly even if the Dark Lord finally falls."

Dumbledore paused and then nodded. "Yes, perhaps that is best after all . . ." He leaned back in his chair and met Harry's green eyes.

"Lord Voldemort is putting pressure on Severus, by placing someone that the Dark Lord has led his followers to believe is of great importance to him, under Severus's care with the implicit assumption that Severus can be trusted. The inner circle and some of their progeny know that Delphini is Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter and are watching Delphini, and by proxy Severus, with the inner circle's rumor mill serving as a useful tool for the Dark Lord to be kept up to date from the children of his followers regularly writing personal letters to their parents. Much of which is heartfelt and many of the children feel they're writing to their parents before the possible losses come so they've written fairly regularly. Some of them don't know who she truly is, but the manner in which she's entered Hogwarts and her bombastic attitude has helped to serve as a useful secondhand update on her progress with the lineage task that the Dark Lord pretended to care about." said Dumbledore, shaking his head slightly.

Harry frowned. It's not pretend. I found that out directly when she communicated with him through my link with him. I need to keep in mind that Dumbledore isn't always objective in his views. I could feel his concern for her when Voldemort warned her to be wary of me. He was terrified that I might kill her or manage to get her kissed by going to the authorities. Although, the dueling club makes much more sense now. She can test her power and the attention of the Hogwarts rumor mill is always on her during those events. Which means, Ginny was dumb enough to unintentionally exacerbate the plan.

Dumbledore continued. "I cannot tip off the dark families and prevent the letters as discriminating against one Hogwarts House would be used to devalue our cause by suggesting I was being petty and making enemies out of the more neutral Slytherin families in the Daily Prophet, cutting off postage to outside of Hogwarts is not an option because we need news and not isolation, and the entire affair wasn't too worrisome or unmanageable. It's like the analogy of a double-edged sword. The Dark Lord's trust in Severus has increased with all of Severus's dutiful work in acquiescing to the girl's demands."

Harry's lips twitched. From spy to overglorified babysitter of both Draco Malfoy and her. What a promotion.

"Far more crucial is Severus's position as spy. A war cannot be won without spies, that is an ancient truth passed down from Sun Tzu's nefarious Art of War and true for all wars in human history, Harry." explained Dumbledore, his expression somber but his eyes held a hardness that Harry had only noticed when speaking of critical matters like the prophecy and Voldemort's return. "If I were to investigate this special servant of the Dark Lord personally, then it means Severus has failed to assure that her position be kept safe from my prying. It potentially means that I don't have his full trust or worse, it tips her off of Severus's possible duplicity. If she is captured or killed by the Order, it worsens the matter entirely and the Dark Lord will never trust Severus again and may go so far as to torture him to insanity because his position is no longer deemed useful, even if he has maintained loyalty. If the Ministry begins to investigate, then Severus has confirmed to the Dark Lord that he cannot be trusted and will be killed for his betrayal. If Severus doesn't follow her commands, then he cannot be given delegated tasks of higher importance in the future by the Dark Lord and yet again, he potentially risks raising suspicions about his loyalty to Voldemort's cause. I am at an impasse, Harry. Severus has told me that the Dark Lord, Bellatrix Lestrange, and that servant have spent a month in preparation at the insistence of that girl to help her cousin, young Mr. Malfoy."

"Why are you so willing to give Draco Malfoy a second chance?" questioned Harry, then paused as the reason suddenly came to him. He gave Dumbledore an astonished look. "Is it . . . because of the Malfoy family fortune?"

Dumbledore froze and looked off towards the window. "Wars are costly, Harry."

He refused to speak more on the issue and so the discussion shifted to Voldemort's Horcruxes as Dumbledore turned to face him. Harry and Dumbledore proceeded to discuss the Horcruxes. The Cup of Hufflepuff, the pet snake Nagini, the Ravenclaw Diadem, the diary of T.M. Riddle, the Gaunt Ring, and Slytherin's Locket.

During the discussion, Harry felt the luck potion give him another epiphany as he connected the dots to the locket that he and the Weasleys had been unable to open last year to Mundungus Fletcher's torture to eventual death reported in the Daily Prophet.

The color drained from Harry's visage, he turned to the side and bellowed. "Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared to his side immediately. Dumbledore blinked and shot Harry a confused look.

"Kreacher, have a seat," said Harry, looking at the House Elf with a feeling of foreboding. Kreacher moved and sat upon the seat next to Harry. He looked at Harry with a frown on his wrinkled features. "That locket with the snake symbol, do you still have it at headquarters?"

Kreacher glowered. "No, filthy Mundungus stole it."

Harry felt his heart sink as he recalled slamming Mundungus to a wall and accusing him of stealing from Sirius's house after his meeting with Delphini in Hogsmeade. No, Merlin, please no . . . Mundungus was killed by Voldemort. Could that have been a Horcrux?!

"Kreacher," said Harry, his voice barely above a whisper and a headache beginning to form. He looked down at Kreacher with apprehension. The elf looked up at him with an expectant gaze. "where is that locket from?"

Kreacher's stone-faced facade fell apart and he broke down into tears as he began recounting the tragic death of Regulus Black. Dumbledore paled and his eyes widened at Kreacher's tale. Harry sunk further into his seat and rubbed his forehead.

"We fucked up," spat Harry turning to one side to glare at a wall. "I can't believe this . . . ! We fucked it up!"

Dumbledore let out a sigh. "An apt, albeit crass, manner of wording it, Harry. I had been researching the cave for months. Alas, it would seem that is no longer necessary and all of my research was a fruitless task."

Harry glared at him. Dumbledore froze at Harry's wroth visage. "This is entirely your fault. I trusted you, I thought you would stop keeping secrets from me after last year, but I guess I was wrong considering you omitted the fact that you were dying. Going to leave me with the burden of dealing with the Horcruxes after you're gone, are you?!"

Dumbledore paused and his wizened visage seemed to age as his eyes dimmed. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. But, we should focus on what we can do now."

"And what would that be?!" snapped Harry, rising from his chair. He turned to Kreacher and glared. "I hope you're proud of yourself, if you had just told Sirius or Dumbledore this then you would have been able to keep your oath to Regulus. Instead, you sold out Sirius's personal relationship with me to Voldemort and lied to me when I needed information the most. The Headmaster told me that you laughed about it. Does it really give you so much pleasure to have betrayed House Black and brought your precious Mistress's family line to utter extinction?!"

Kreacher's large eyes widened and he looked up at Harry with a gobsmacked expression. Pain could be seen in those large eyes. Harry felt his lips twitch and continued. "You failed to keep your Mistress's children safe, you failed to save Regulus's life, you helped cause Sirius to die which effectively killed your Mistress's family line, and you've even failed Regulus's memory. I hope you're proud of yourself."

Kreacher broke down in a wave of tears, his eyes buried in his hands, and his ears drooped around his hands to cover his face. Harry rounded on Dumbledore with an irate expression. Dumbledore closed his eyes as if preparing himself and opened them to look directly upon Harry's thunderous green eyes. Harry's hands formed into fists and his palms shook.

Suddenly, Harry's posture relaxed and his blazing green eyes simmered to gaze coldly upon Dumbledore. "When I let the Order continue operating at Twelve Grimmauld Place, I thought you would keep it secure. Instead, you allowed Mundungus's thievery to go unchecked and it cost us one of the most important objects needed to win this war before it results in massive casualties. There's no weaseling out of this bloody scenario. Your incompetence may have just cost us the bloody war! How many people are we going to throw away just to recover that piece? How many more innocents die before we re-secure the damnable object?!"

Dumbledore sunk in his seat and his eyes dimmed. "Very well, Harry. What do you propose?"

Harry glanced toward Kreacher. "Kreacher, is there any way to rescind the permission to Dumbledore's Order?"

Kreacher unfurled his ears and looked up at Harry with a tearstained visage. He sniffed and sobbed; he wiped his snot and tears before responding. "Master can just say it aloud and it becomes so. Property and wards answer only to Master, including Fidelus Charm, except for Dumbydoor, who is secret keeper."

Harry snorted. Of course.

Harry raised his wand and spoke the words. Apart from his close friends and the Weasley family, the only other person who could enter Grimmauld Place was Dumbledore. Dumbledore sighed softly but nodded in acceptance of Harry's decision.

Harry exited history class having spent another boring day listening to Professor Binns drone on about a Goblin Rebellion or some such. Harry idly wondered when such information would become necessary to his future or why there wasn't a more interesting subject like the history of the Hogwarts founders being taught. It was one of the last classes before the holiday winter season and the Gryffindors shared the class with the Slytherins. The opportunity was convenient for Harry to confront Delphini and ascertain the truth.

He had made sure to sit next to Delphini when it was Gryffindor and Slytherins together for the class. The rest of the classroom took note and some broke into whispers but Harry paid no mind. Harry had asked her to talk with him in private after class ended and she had agreed.

The pair entered an unused classroom and Harry locked the door via wordless magic with a flick of his wand. Delphini's eyes furrowed and she gave Harry a quizzical look. Harry turned to her. Green eyes met grey and Harry thought over how to phrase his question. She knows I'm searching for information on the Horcruxes but to what extent should I phrase the question?

"So . . . before you ask whatever it is that you wanted," said Delphini slowly, she blushed and looked at the floor before moving her head to look directly at his eyes again. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Is your opinion of me . . . at all lowered because of that night?"

"That night?" asked Harry, his eyes narrowing. Delphini flushed further at his stare. "What do you mean?"

"Well . . . are you mad at me for getting tipsy in the kitchens with you?" said Delphini, she sighed and her posture straightened. She gave Harry a resolute expression. "Did you think I was being unladylike . . .or a whore . . . or whatever. Is that what you were going to ask? I couldn't help but notice that you've been more closed off like I was after the duel with Ron's little sister."

Delphini looked at him as if preparing for the worst. She was biting her lip a little, her eyes slightly widened, and her posture was stiff but she seemed ready to be chewed out. Her eyes seemed dim; lacking the curiosity and pleasure that she usually had when in his presence.

Harry blinked and he forced himself to hold a straight face. He felt his heart soar. "I would never think poorly of you for drinking alcohol with me. I was the one who presented it to you. We were both having fun and just talking, there's no need to overanalyze our chat."

Delphini broke into a radiant smile and she nodded to him. Her posture relaxed and her eyes seem to gaze at him with warmth. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Think nothing of it. But there is something very important I'd like to ask."

Delphini nodded and her shoulders straightened. Her smile vanishing and a serious expression on her face as she looked at him expectantly.

"Was your mission here to secure Horcruxes for Lord Voldemort?"

Delphini froze and her eyes widened. She composed herself and strode towards the door. "Neither the time nor the place, Harry."

"Wait!" shouted Harry, just as Delphini moved past him. He scowled at her retreating form and stopped himself from grabbing her wrist since he didn't want to alarm her.

Delphini rounded on him but her expression was blank. She didn't seem angry and her posture remained relaxed. She gave him a sorrowful visage. "You should be acutely aware by now that I'm willing to go to great lengths to protect all of my loved ones, Harry."

Harry repressed an aggravated sigh. "Then you purposefully deceived me and we've been on opposite sides the whole time since you probably met your aunt to deliver what you found."

"No, I had yet to hear your point of view and my priorities then had nothing to do with you so it can't be called deception. I had heavily biased and fallacious ideas of what you were like as a person at the time, which I had to willfully disregard, since you debunked them so thoroughly." said Delphini, her gaze shifted from sorrowful to what Harry now recognized to be oddly possessive. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a red sparkle. Harry felt a chill down his spine. "You're a much stronger person than you realize, Harry. I see so much that you could be, if you would stop letting Dumbledore hold you back. I bet you believe that I'm naive for wanting peace, perhaps you believe that I see what I want to see with my father, but have you assessed your own position in this war objectively and just what your best interests are? What do you gain from working for an old fool that's basically a corpse just waiting to drop dead?"

Harry scowled at her and shook his head. "Protecting all of my loved ones, defending the rights of a minority group that's discriminated against - of which one of my best friend's is a part of, fighting against evil, and stopping a racist madman. That's worth giving my life for."

Delphini gave a contemptuous glare back but then schooled her features and sneered at him. "Dumbledore has been plotting your death since leaving you with your hateful relatives."

Harry blinked and rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. He's done nothing but help me and been a guiding hand through everything that I've gone through in life. I hate the fact that he keeps secrets from me, I'm honestly not sure if I'll ever personally trust him ever again, but he's doing his best to keep me protected and safe, even if it is meddling into my personal life much of the time. He wants me to fight Voldemort, not to lose to him."

Delphini's lips twitched but her sneer remained. "Dumbledore forced you to live in ignorance within an abusive home, he has shaped your self-sacrificing complex by giving you yearly trials while offering a helping hand - up until your fourth year, and he has done all of this so that you will present yourself to my father and be struck dead by the killing curse. Why do you think that he never trained you to fight my father or the Death Eaters on a more equal footing? Why do you think that he let you off easy with rule breaking and never taught you how to defend yourself? He's been planning your death since your infancy. He's inculcated this messianic complex of needing to give yourself to a greater good for the sole purpose of your own death. I want to free you from that!"

Harry continued to look at her in disbelief. Delphini gave him a determined gaze. "I will prove to you that I'm telling the truth."

"Even if you are," said Harry, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. It's too late to change anything, there's too much bad blood and do you really think I would just let my parents killer go free without facing him? Or my godfather's killer? All Voldemort has is a racist agenda and probably for his own power trip, if we're both making an honest assessment of his campaign."

Delphini balled her hands into fists, her body seemed to shake, and she gave him a venomous glare. Harry sighed and stopped himself from rolling his eyes again. "I want peace, but peace isn't realistic. Surely, you know that? I don't want to a war, because as much as I've lost, I don't want to lose any more of my loved ones. I try to temper down the fear of losing Ron, Hermione, any of the Weasleys, and so many more. I never want to see them go through what I did."

"I'll show you Dumbledore's deception!" spat Delphini, giving him a furious gaze. Her cheeks tinged puce and her eyes glinting with a red hue. "You shouldn't be Dumbledore's pet stooge, I'll make you understand your place!"

"And where would that be?" bit back Harry, glaring at her. He could no longer be patient with this ridiculous delusion of hers. "Five feet under, with your father laughing happily? Because that seems to be the only place I'll be going."

"No! You should be by my side, accepting my courting of you, and taking your place as my father's equal as the new Head of Slytherin House; ruling together over the rabble of society! If you want better rights or respect for Muggle-borns, we could do it together with enough political clout!" shouted Delphini, Harry gawked at her and gave her a look of derision. Delphini gave him a vicious smile. "You think that's ridiculous? I think Dumbledore's corrosive and purposeful mental abuse of your thoughts and feelings is far more ridiculous! You're being forced to close every avenue of a better life for the sake of feeling good about what is essentially suicide. That is a true delusion. I will not allow you to suffer such a disgusting, wretched existence! Believe in me, I will save you!"

"I don't want that kind of life," deadpanned Harry, rolling his eyes. "And what you're espousing is complete rubbish! The Headmaster isn't manipulating me to send me off to die! If that were true, then he never had a plan at actually winning the war. What you're suggesting honestly makes no sense to me."

"Can't you see that he's been treating you like his puppet for years?"

Harry frowned and then scowled at her. She moved over and grabbed his wand hand, she moved up the sleeve and looked down at the ugly red mark. Gently, she moved her index finger over the words and traced over them. She looked at him in the eyes. Their noses almost touching.

Her index finger continued to trace over his old wound from Umbridge. "I want to give you a real future. You may believe this red scar is proof of triumph, but to me, it's proof that Dumbledore habitually forcing you to accept egregious abuse has been a complete success. He doesn't care about your wellbeing, Harry. Once I prove I'm telling you the truth, I want you to remember that."

Harry forcibly pulled his hand back and leapt away from her. Delphini didn't hold his hand tightly and allowed him to pull back. Harry scowled at her and snorted.

Her eyes sparkled with a red tinge and she gave him a smirk that exuded triumph. Harry felt a prickle on the back of his neck.

"I'll show you what I mean in the coming months and . . . you may just learn a historical truth that only purebloods after my father's generation are taught by their parents. The Light families try to move past it, but the dark families aren't so forgiving. It is a historical fact that is purposefully underrepresented in this school so that ignorant Muggle-borns can continue foolishly comparing Pureblood culture to Nazism." said Delphini, her voice barely above a whisper. Her grey eyes glinting with determination and her lips wide in a satisfied smile. "It's no mistake the history class hasn't been updated before the Second World War with Binns regurgitating himself to emphasize Goblin Rebellions. Thankfully, my Aunt and Uncle and my education in the United States made me knowledgeable of the harsh truth. You'll realize the depths of your ignorance about Albus Dumbledore."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," said Delphini, she turned and walked to the door. She glanced back at him. "Happy holidays, my darling."

"Happy holidays," replied Harry, out of habit.

She opened the door and left. Her footfalls receding in the distance.

Harry blinked. What was she on about?

Two Days into Holiday

Harry closed Severus Snape's old textbook and sighed. He looked around the empty room of 12 Grimmauld Place, no one else besides the House Elves were there. The events of Ginny's curse caused too much strained conversation, awkwardness, and tension throughout the Weasley Household. Hermione had begged off to see her parents within a few days and Harry felt the tension was palpable. Percy's early and surprising visit, to the rest of the Weasley family besides Ginny and Ron, with the Minister of Magic hadn't helped the tense atmosphere. The Weasley family knew that Harry wasn't at fault but the awkwardness of the entire scenario prevented any meaningful discussion, even poisoning the would-be prospect of Bill's marriage to Fleur Delacour. Harry had soon begged off like Hermione and left for Twelve Grimmauld Place as it was the only residence that he could stay at once it became clear that the Weasleys were forcing themselves to look past Ginny's horrible condition and suffering. The family needed time to heal and properly deal with the horrible travesty of Ginny's duel and subsequent Magic Oath with him bound by Delphini Riddle, whom they all believed to be Severus Snape's daughter.

I should have realized it sooner, like Dumbledore's condition, thought Harry, feeling a chill up his spine, Like daughter, like father, I suppose. Always somehow spoiling all the happiness in my life with their twisted egos and plans.

Harry felt a headache compound his constant flood of worries. Delphini had done the impossible and created a lasting wedge between Harry and the Weasleys. He shuffled off to his new Master bedroom and plopped himself onto the King-sized bed. He slowly allowed exhaustion to overtake him and succumbed to sleep. His thoughts a complete jumble and his feelings swirling inside of him until he felt a vague sense of numbness and detachment from his current predicament. Slowly, the bliss of sleep overtook his mind.

The snake slithered and coiled around the pristine chair and then coiled around a young blonde's neck and shoulders. The girl moved a delicate finger to stroke the chin of the snake; Nagini hissed in pleasure at the delicate strokes given by her master's off-spring.

Suddenly a loud banging noise resounded, a woman in Death Eater robes came bustling in. She stood by the seat next to Delphini and bowed heavily. Nagini looked in front of her to see her Master slouched and sipping wine, nodding with approval as master's chosen bed warmer gave her report.

The light rub began to tickle Nagini's skin as she ignored the words being exchanged between her master and his bed warmer. The blonde turned her attention to her and her lips grew wide.

'Hello' mouthed the off-spring, one of the grey eyes winking at the snake. 'Pay attention, my darling.'

Nagini tilted her neck as her tongue slithered out and she elicited a hissing noise. "Who are you talking to, hatchling?"

"Don't worry about it, Nagini," said Delphini, smiling at her father's pet, "Just . . . be mindful of the conversation with both Mother and Daddy."

Nagini tilted her head. Why would the off-spring ask her to do the obvious in addition to listening to her boring conversation with the bed warmer? Delphini turned her focus to the woman who took the seat next to her and smiled at her. The women shared a hug. Nagini witnessed Bellatrix Lestrange's bright and lovely face as she smiled at her daughter and held her hands to hers. Nagini tilted her head. Why did the hatchling wish for her to bear witness to Bellatrix's usual spiel of how Delphini was doing? Bellatrix asked the typical things that she had since meeting her daughter; if she had fun with classes, if she needed assistance with any assignments over the break, if she was eating well, and if she had made any new friends at her new school. It was the typical, boring tripe that Nagini saw every time they had a moment together. Bellatrix usually followed-up the end of the conversation by profusely adding how much she loved her daughter, if it didn't fall into crying fits over her regret of leaving Delphini with an abusive caretaker and blaming herself. The entire melodrama disinterested Nagini, she looked over to see her master who seemed to sigh as he watched both women's antics.

His facial features seemingly annoyed. Nagini knew better, her master just despised showing "weakness" or "dependency" as he called it, so he never actively showed sentimentality when it could be avoided. The fact he allowed his bed warmer and off-spring to chat animatedly for such a length of time was tacit evidence to his fondness for them; he would never actively shower either of them with affection though. Or at least, not unless they were alone, and usually only for his hatchling since the woman would only ever receive his fondness through physical intimacy. Nagini had no idea why her master played these ridiculous games. She was pleased the hatchling didn't play such self-defeating mind games with herself like the master.

"So, dear, how are your classes?" asked Bellatrix brightly, a stupid grin on her face.

Delphini grinned, her heart fluttering as her mother paid attention exclusively to her. "Pretty good, the difficulty curve for NEWTs made them extra fun."

"Have you made any new friends?" asked Bellatrix attentively.

How many would lose their wits, seeing my mother acting so normal? thought Delphini, grinning back. Her chest feeling warm. She's really trying her utmost to make it up to me, just like Daddy.

"Well . . ." She paused.

A derisive snort came from in front of the two women. They turned to the Dark Lord who was leisurely sipping his red wine. "Yes, Delphi, please tell Bella and I about how you've been fraternizing with Harry Potter and his friends."

Bellatrix turned to Delphini with an unreadable expression on her face. Her brow creased. Delphini slinked back onto her chair - mindful of Nagini - to fold her arms and scowl at her father. She received a patronizing stare in return. Delphini glanced over to see her mother failing to hold back a worried look before she sighed and gazed back at her father.

"That's precisely what I wished to discuss with you, Daddy," said Delphini, smiling at Lord Voldemort. Voldemort narrowed his eyes and drummed his fingers on his armrest while sipping his wine with the other hand. "I've found quite a valuable component in Dumbledore's schemes that is of vital importance to our campaign."

Voldemort's lips twitched as he leaned back on his high chair. "Ah, so what part of our campaign included you getting into a childish melodrama with the youngest of the Weasley clan, marring her face in a duel within the club you formed just to coerce Harry Potter into snogging you in front of an audience in the Hogwarts Great Hall?"

Bellatrix had a horrified visage as she looked towards her daughter. She slowly turned back to Voldemort.

Delphini took note. "Mother . . . I can-"

"Surely," said Bellatrix quickly, gazing in fear between the two. "Surely, it's all . . . an elaborate prank? Just . . just some mischief?"

Delphini turned to her father and bit her lip to prevent herself from eliciting an aggravated growl. Her father looked at her with disappointment and Delphini felt frustration spike up within her. They do not yet understand the necessity here. Be calm.

"I gave you plenty of time and resources to choose your spouse for the new Slytherin dynasty," said Lord Voldemort, his tone lamenting, "and you've wasted my time by playing schoolyard games with Harry Potter of all people."

Delphini forced herself not to roll her eyes as she stared directly at her father's red, slit eyes. "Well, you've gone and taken all the fun out of this, Daddy. I had hoped to explain my reasoning before telling you but with the circumstances presented here . . ."

Lord Voldemort shook his head before waving his free hand. "By all means."

Delphini let out a soft sigh before looking straight at her father's eyes. A smirk of triumph on her lips. "I've figured out the strange connection between you and Harry Potter. I now understand Dumbledore's reasoning for wanting to send him off as a sacrifice for you to kill."

Bellatrix's visage went back to an unreadable expression and Voldemort's posture stiffened. His eyes narrowed at his daughter. It was clear that Delphini didn't mean this as a prank of any sort.

"Harry Potter is your Horcrux," said Delphini with full confidence, Bellatrix gaped at Delphini. Voldemort's wine glass fell and shattered onto the floor. His eyes bugged out and his mouth hung uncharacteristically ajar at his daughter's revelation. "the night you went to take his life and the curse rebounded, a fragment of your soul must have melded into his subconscious. So you see, it isn't blind luck that he's been able to evade capture and death so many times. Dumbledore's been utilizing his dreams, in which Harry Potter sees you, to learn of your plans, and kept the boy ignorant and locked away with magic hating relatives so that he'd grow more dependent on others. If Potter were to properly receive a tutor and grow on his own, then he'd become just as powerful as you because of the soul piece that he carries. Dumbledore made every effort to prevent that from happening. Eventually, he would have the boy sacrificed for his Greater Good scheme and destroy the last vestiges of the Slytherin bloodline, if not for my existence."

Voldemort continued to stare with his mind evidently unable to fully process the revelation. Bellatrix looked dumbfounded by Delphini's revelation. Silence descended upon the dining hall for almost a minute as her parents tried to understand the bombshell that she'd just dropped and all the implications thereof. Voldemort slowly seemed to come to grips with himself and snapped his fingers. House elves came to clean the mess and a large tome appeared in front of the Dark Lord. Voldemort opened the tome and seemed to scan a specific section before taking out a piece of parchment full of notes. He gazed from one to the other for almost thirty minutes.

Delphini grinned as she poured herself some of the red wine into a wine glass and leaned back. Bellatrix seemed to snap out of her stupor and gave her daughter an outraged expression. Just as Delphini was about to quickly drink its contents, the wine glass flew out of her hands and was held loosely by her father's outstretched hand. Voldemort looked from his notes of parchment and his tome to regard his daughter with a smirk. Delphini scowled and stuck her tongue out as Voldemort took a leisurely sip of the new glass.

"How considerate of you," said Lord Voldemort, chuckling. He placed the parchment back neatly and closed the tome. It vanished immediately. Voldemort went back to leaning on his chair and regarded his daughter. " . . . I was remiss. You have my sincerest apologies, Delphi. It would seem that you are, indeed, correct. Harry Potter has all the makings of being an unintended Horcrux. This is what the prophecy meant by an equal. Harry Potter, like you . . . has the power to surpass both Dumbledore and I."

Bellatrix inhaled sharply. Delphini sighed. "I've developed a plan . . . it is high risk, but high reward in terms of cost-benefits. We can go over the details later. I wish . . . I believe our main priority should be to weaken Albus Dumbledore's stronghold on Harry Potter and make him acquiescent to our self-interests."

Delphini paused to await any response. When her father remained silent, she continued. "He is subservient to Dumbledore insofar that Dumbledore provides him a means of legitimate counterattack against us for the sake of protecting those that he cares for. Harry Potter is selfless to an extreme fault and he's willing to die at the whim of Dumbledore for those that he loves, if he feels it's the best method to protect them from any and all forms of harm. He will never comply out of intrinsic motivation and no amount of bribery or intimidation will change that. What we require . . . is for his selfless desire to be modified for the benefit of our self-interests."

A smile tugged at the corners of Voldemort's thin lips. He gave his daughter a curt nod and replied. "Now that you've told me, everything seems clearer upon retrospect. I've let my anger cloud my judgment when it came to the boy, I was always vexed that a mere child able to luck his way out of my plans. I've been too blinded, loathe as I am to admit, so I will allow you full discretion on the matter of neutralizing the threat that Harry Potter poses to us."

Delphini cleared her throat as Voldemort took a swig of his wine. Delphini gave her father a meaningful look. Her eyes pleading and her lips in a thin line. "And . . . the matter of Uncle Lucius? Surely, I've provided enough to-"

"If you can somehow make him useful to your plans," cut in Voldemort, staring back at his daughter. His tone remaining neutral. "then I will allow his life to be spared. That is, provided I feel that the role tasked to him in your plans is uniquely crucial to his talents. Of course, this requires Lucius to not fuck it up again so you already have a monumental task set before you. Only under those conditions will I spare him and rescind Draco's mission."

Delphini smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Daddy."

Voldemort waved a hand dismissively. "The crux of the entire mission was simply to test Severus's loyalty."

An apparition phased through the wall before any of the three family members could say anything further. Merope Gaunt's ghost looked around wildly before spotting Delphini. The ghost was smiling and flew towards Delphini. Voldemort made a disgruntled noise and scowled at the intruder.

"Oh my dear sweet darling!" said Merope enthusiastically, Delphini giggled. Voldemort forced himself not to roll his eyes as he gave the ghost a loathsome glare. "How are you? Was your new school everything that you hoped it would be? Come, tell your grandmama everything!"

"Hello grandmother," said Delphini, smiling at Merope. Straightening her posture. "I've been having quite a lot of fun at Hogwarts. The melodrama of my fellow students and their need to continue circulating rumors always makes the atmosphere feel livelier."

Lord Voldemort suppressed a snort as Delphini continued to animatedly speak with the woman who birthed him. Bellatrix took note and cleared her throat. "My Lord . . ."

Voldemort directed his attention at his chief enforcer and concubine. He inclined his head to indicate for her to continue.

"Perhaps . . . this is the most opportune time to put the ghost in her place?" said Bellatrix, politely. Her eyes pleading with him.

Voldemort scoffed. "By displaying weakness?"

"It's just us, my Lord," said Bellatrix, she frowned. "Expressing your feelings . . . is not weakness."

Voldemort snorted. He shook his head as he gave Bellatrix a neutral expression. Bellatrix cringed but held her head high. Bellatrix had grown more meddling due to her desire for the three of them to be more like a family. Despite Voldemort feeling that lashing out at his birth mother be an admittance of weakness, Bellatrix had decided - from some prompting by their daughter - to urge him to let his honest opinion be told to his biological mother's ghost. Both women felt that he would get closure over the sordid affair and Voldemort felt annoyed by their incessant meddling.

Delphini was of the opinion, and she'd been quick to convince Bellatrix, that Lord Voldemort lashed out harshly at his servants and during torture sessions of victims partly as a means of unleashing his pent-up emotions and that such behavior clouded his judgment. Delphini had somehow managed to convince her mother that such behavior alone was why Voldemort had fallen the first time because he hadn't been thinking things through, letting his emotions lash out instead of acting with reason and so finding closure would be beneficial to him and to their long-term campaign. Despite the fuck-ups of the Malfoy family, he'd secretly been touched and pleased that Narcissa had tortured and murdered the Rowle woman for abusing Delphi and then taking Delphi home to provide a better life while keeping her out of Dumbledore's awareness. Narcissa proved to be suitably up to her assigned tasks and worked hard for the sake of Draco. It almost made up for Lucius's bumbling. Too bad it's nigh impossible to make up for the fact that Dumbledore is aware of my horcruxes, one of my horcruxes were destroyed by a twelve year old boy because Lucius left it in the hands of a little girl, and he failed at bringing me the prophecy. Leniency for his wealth can only go so far, if I allow him to live without his family achieving anything meaningful after costing me so much, then it'll be the same as rewarding gross stupidity.

"Besides," added Delphini, after finishing her conversation with Merope's ghost. Her eyes had an unnerving twinkle to them as she gazed at Voldemort. "If you truly wish for me to change my views, how can you expect me to understand, if you don't communicate your reasons?"

"Indeed, you just let your feelings simmer," said Bellatrix, her eyes gazing at him in desperation. "Why not just . . . put the matter to rest? Tell her why she's wrong without worrying so much about appearances. Neither of us will think less of you, no matter what your views of her, my lord."

Voldemort suppressed an aggravated sigh as he glared at the only two women that he ever loved. Delphi smiled apologetically and Bellatrix looked downcast, clearly ashamed of herself for her actions. What a pitiful emotion I've become enraptured with. One just happened before I realized the fondness had grown. The other sudden, unbound by the time lost. I couldn't stop myself nor realized just how much I had wished for what I never realized I wanted. Bloody hell . . .

"Mother," said Lord Voldemort, in a cold tone. Merope's ghost turned to face Voldemort. Her eyes were shining. It wasn't often that Lord Voldemort addressed her as his mother. "You are a genuinely horrible person. You aren't sweet or innocent, and your insufferable attempts to make me feel ashamed for abandoning the name you gave me isn't justified in the slightest. You're a narcissistic, spiteful egomaniac and I sincerely hate you with all my heart."

"Wh -what?!" cried Merope, ghostly tears falling from her eyes. "How could you say that to me?! I'm your mother! I only want what's best!"

Bellatrix and Delphini remained silent. Voldemort's red eyes were fixed on the ghost, he took a swig of the red wine, and then he continued. "You want to live in a fantasy world in which you're incapable of doing wrong and everyone who doesn't listen to you is somehow being stupid. You have no right to tell me how to live. None. The name you gave me is a wretched piece of crap. The name Tom Marvolo Riddle was your attempt to celebrate your own narcissistic, one-sided obsession with a man that you raped. That's all it was. You married him without his consent to make yourself feel more comfortable with repeatedly raping the idiot and you thought having his child would force him to love you. You don't deserve pity, you're not some innocent woman with a tragic past, I neither need nor ever wanted your self-obsessed version of love, and the only lesson you could ever teach my daughter would be how to rape a man and get away with the crime. You're so stupid that you gave me the middle name Marvolo, after a father who physically and mentally abused you. If that doesn't prove that you have no concept of real love, then nothing else does. Who the bloody fuck gives their own child the name of their abuser? The name Tom Marvolo Riddle is you celebrating your abuse by your father and your repeated rape of a man who wanted nothing to do with you."

Merope cried loudly as ghostly tears ran down her ethereal cheeks and she buried her face in her hands. Delphini and Bellatrix smiled at Voldemort and Voldemort sat more comfortably upon his high chair. His chest felt lighter, the ache in his head loosened, and he felt his anger abate. He finally told his idiot mother what he truly thought of her and felt a profound sense of satisfaction overwhelm him.

Perhaps Bellatrix and Delphi were correct all along, thought the Dark Lord, as he returned them a thin smile. I should have confronted her and told her how stupid she was from the start.

Delphini turned to Nagini and winked. Nagini tilted her head but felt a cool sensation as something left her presence.

At Twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter awoke startled and rubbed his forehead. His scar tickled, but no longer hurt with the burning or prickling sensations that he was so accustomed to suffering from.

Harry blinked. He's . . . found peace with himself?

Harry lowered his body back on the bed but then shot up as he recalled the rest of the conversation. He felt a spike of anger as he thought over Dumbledore having kept such an important secret from him. He knew! He knew I was a Horcrux and he never told me! How long has he been keeping that secret? If . . . if destroying all the horcruxes is the only hope of getting rid of Voldemort, then I have to die . . . Dumbledore knew that and didn't tell me.

A spark of irritation coursed through him as he thought over Dumbledore trying to convince him to hold his head high when forced into a situation. Harry had believed his words of being courageous and proud in the face of having consent taken from him when facing certain death. I thought it was like being a proud gladiator going into an arena, but now I can see that Dumbledore was trying to convince me that suicide was somehow morally good and worth idolizing. He's been setting me up to die, possibly since my second year . . . Delphini said it was since infancy . . .

Dread filled Harry as he thought over Delphini's revelation to her father. He felt his heart sink and a sense of resignation overwhelmed him. He forced himself to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over and felt a stabbing sensation in his heart. He felt as if he was suffocating. So that's all I am; a propaganda weapon, a tool to be sacrificed, and a useful chip to bribe others. I've known that for a long time now, I thought I accepted that . . . so why does it still hurt to think about?

Christmas Day

Harry sighed as he opened his presents by the fireplace. He looked around and couldn't help as his thoughts turned to Sirius's happy face during last year's Christmas. A dull throb in his chest and a cold emptiness pervaded his body as he thought over the holiday season last year with the relief of Arthur Weasley's recovery and the happy moments of sharing the holidays with Sirius replayed themselves in his mind. Harry's traitorous mind turned to the future and images of all his dead loved ones and Voldemort's cold, high laughter consumed his thoughts.

Harry sighed as he tried to force his mind to think of something else. He thought over the morning events; he had been so angry at Walburga's portrait waking him up screaming that he had forcefully run down the stairs and shut the portrait up by informing her that her Regulus had been killed by one of Voldemort's traps, Sirius had died fighting against her blood purist niece, and her entire family line was effectively dead because of Lord Voldemort. Walburga had promptly shut up and hadn't made a peep since. Harry had instructed Kreacher to stay in Twelve Grimmauld Place unless he explicitly called for him, Kreacher had become demure ever since the events at Dumbledore's office after Harry had shouted at him about his failings.

On the positive side, he'd managed to complete all of his homework assignments over the break but now had nothing else to do to occupy his time. Harry had spent time practicing wand movements and reading from the Black family library but much of the material was antiquated or just books on etiquette and journal entries by deceased Black family members. Harry had read some of the books that piqued his interest and taken to caring for Buckbeak, but he had little else to do.

Harry stopped reminiscing and looked over at his presents. They had arrived the day before on Christmas Eve and he had forced himself to wait patiently because he had nothing else to occupy his time.

Maybe it's better this way? thought Harry, a scowl marring his features, I'm apparently just some chess pawn meant to be thrown away at the right moment. My life no longer feeling meaningful seems fitting to prepare myself for death.

Harry felt a painful heaviness and stabbing pang in his heart. Tears threatened to come unbidden and the numbness intensified. When did I become such a bloody crybaby? I knew it was going to be Voldemort or I until death took one of us. I said it myself earlier this summer to Dumbledore by the Weasley broom shed and again in school to Delphini. Why am I not better prepared for this already? Why the hell does it keep bothering me?!

Unbridled anger consumed Harry; his body shook, his teeth gnashed, and he scowled at the emptiness surrounding him. The dark corners and quietude of twelve Grimmauld Place didn't help his frustration and loathing. Am I just a weak and helpless pawn to everybody with power? Is this how the remainder of my life will be right before I die young? I won't get to experience anything; love with a spouse, marriage, sex, or raising children. I'll just be dead inside and await execution.

Green flames flickered into existence at the fireplace. Harry hastily wiped what little of his tears that had fallen and looked to see the face of Albus Dumbledore. A crease on the Headmaster's ethereal forehead and a look of urgency in his eyes.

"Happy Christmas Harry, I am afraid that I have not come for a friendly chat. An emergency has come-up." said Dumbledore, he sighed softly and seemed to be holding back his displeasure. "The Minister of Magic and several others are here and demanding your presence. Could you please come to my office immediately? I duly apologize for the lack of decorum and short notice, but circumstances as they are, your presence is vital as the meeting cannot commence without you."

Harry stared at the man who had been tormenting his thoughts for more than a week now. His throat felt dry but he forced himself to speak. "Sir, when were you going to tell me that I was a Horcrux?"

The green flames of Dumbledore's expression became blank as he stared at Harry. The two stared at each other in dead silence. The green fire cackling as both men held an unexpected staring contest. Harry refused to be the one to break the silence, but almost a minute went on.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes flashed, and his lips curled to a sneer. "You were never going to tell me, were you? When was I suppose to know then? Were you going to have someone like Snape relay the message when I was cornered into the choice?"

"I'm sorry, Harry." said Dumbledore, his tone filled with remorse. "I am so sorry . . . but sometimes we must give ourselves to a greater cause for the peace of the world out of love. I should have told you last year -"

"Yes, you should have!" snapped Harry, rising to his feet and glaring at the Headmaster's visage in ghostly green fire. His chest throbbed and the helplessness overwhelmed him. "I had a right to know! You should have told me, but you didn't! You're always keeping secrets from me! You're always trying to control me! And now, I find out that you've been planning my death too?!"

Dumbledore's ethereal visage seemed to age and he closed his eyes in pain. Dumbledore sighed and opened his eyes to look at Harry with a guilty and sullen expression. "How did you come upon this knowledge, Harry?"

"Voldemort knows," spat Harry, his hands curling into fists and he barely repressed the shaking in his body as he looked down at Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes widened behind his half-moon spectacles. "Delphini saw fit to tell him almost a week ago when she and Bellatrix dined with him as a family."

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. His eyes held a faraway look. "I didn't think that Voldemort would go so far in his playacting. Nevertheless, a crucial matter needs your attention now, Harry."

"And that would be?"

Dumbledore's gaze continued to seem distant as if reminiscing. Finally, he snapped out of his daze and looked at Harry.

"Gellert Grindelwald has broken out of Nurmengard prison."

Harry froze at those words. His eyes widened and he just stared at Dumbledore. Dumbledore respectfully gave him a moment to let the information sink in.

Dumbledore continued. "Now that he's escaped captivity, he'll surely be looking to recommence what he started in World War 2 in his bid to change Magical societies throughout Europe and the United States. Reports indicate that he's currently hiding in Great Britain."

Harry's face drained of all color as he gaped at Dumbledore. "The . . . the Nazi Dark Lord escaped?"

Harry mentally hit himself over his own stupid question. Dumbledore briefly had a look of pain overcome his features before schooling himself into a neutral expression. His gaze seemed to focus back on Harry. "The very same. Please come quickly. The situation is potentially a dire one, Harry."

Harry sighed and nodded. The heaviness in his chest intensifying. What will this mean for the future?