Hi! I don't really know where to start, and I hope it'll turn out well...
Albus Severus has always been my favorite next-gen child and I like the idea of Delphi (I mean Voldemort having children? Just cool!). So I thought, why not ship them? And thus, this crazy fanfiction was born.
Parseltongue will be written in italics.
Somewhere, in Scotland, hiding right under head auror Potter's nose, was none other than Azkaban escapee, Rodolphus Lestrange. Hiding in plain sight and sometimes even vanishing in thin air, made for a rather, tiresome existence. But he conformed, and as expected, being on the run was much better than the rat-infested pigsty that was Azkaban. However, it would be much more pleasant, without dragging a sixteen years old teenager with him. The fruit of his late wife's loins, a child born in a time of war, a dark lord's daughter, Delphini.
"Uncle Rod, we've been hiding in this forsaken forest for eons. What, exactly, are we waiting for, the rise of a new dark lord?" a high, melodious voice interrupted him.
It was the girl, hands on her hips and jaw jutted up uncannily like her mother. If he didn't know any better, Rodolphus would have said he was seeing ghosts. The pain of losing Bella was still fresh, even after almost two decades, and this slip of a girl was channeling her sense of humor. It was a shame that they were in their situation, always camouflaging, like a chameleon, running away from aurors left and right. He couldn't even buy the girl a bloody ice cream unless he was polyjuiced! Some stepfather he was. Thankfully, the rather complicated potion was easy to obtain, courtesy of Euphemia. Not that the wretch didn't have to be threatened at wand point in order to contribute. The threat of taking back, by force, all of the money allocated for raising Delphi did the trick.
And now, Bellatrix's lawful husband and her out-of-wedlock heiresses had no one to truly count on, except each other.
"Patience, girl, patience. It is not proper for children to question the motives of adults."
"Proper my ass, Rod. I haven't slept in a bed for months and the bug bites are killing me," Delphi responded while stretching her limbs.
"Eat them," Rodolphus answered nonchalantly making his stepdaughter smile.
"As the Augurey, uncle Rod, my diet is strictly herbivorous. You should have known that."
"Tell that to the well-done steak you feasted on two months ago, child," the criminal said, snorting lightly.
"It was an isolated incident," Delphi complained, ever the wannabe vegetarian.
Her stepfather nodded, tired of her antics yet amused. He took her hand and lead her to a darker part of the forest. There were plenty of succulent fruits out there, like raspberries and strawberries. However, it was also true that many poisonous mushrooms and venomous snakes were part of the scenery as well. That was just fine and dandy with Delphi she loved animals, particularly snakes and amphibians. Rodoplus only tolerated them, for Delphi's sake. They were cautiously walking along, collecting fruits and medicinal plants.
One wrong step later, a slim, black snake began coiling around Rodolphus's leg, hissing in pain "Who dared? I shall make your death a slow and agonizing one, prey?"
"He's not prey! Leave him be!" Delphini hissed, speaking the noble language of snakes, Parseltongue.
"A speaker?! What are you doing with the rude one, speaker?"
"We are here on a secret mission, forked tongue. I apologize for my uncle's...clumsiness. You need not hurt him."
"What is it saying?" Rodolphus demanded, transfixed and fascinated at the same time.
"Curiosity killed the four-legged mammal, stupid prey," the snake said, coiling around Delphi's hand.
"Um, I think his feelings are hurt, uncle Rod. You should apologize for stepping on him," Delphini said amused. Then she began petting the snake and kissing it lightly on the head.
"I'd sooner build an orphanage," the man scoffed.
"I knew you cared about abandoned kids, uncle Rod," Delphini teased "They should award you an Order of Merlin!"
"Yes. For putting up with you," he muttered and the girl began to laugh. Suddenly she embraced him in an iron grip. He tensed before relaxing and returning the hug.
"Did I ever thank you for rescuing me from Euphemia? I love you, uncle Rod." she said touchingly.
"Anyone would have done the same, girl. It was my fault in the first place, for leaving you with that excuse for a human being, and getting myself locked up in Azkaban. If Bella were alive she would have skinned me."
"I forgive you," the teen assured him.
Their mission was a complicated one. Firstly, Rodolphus wanted to train his stepdaughter and teach her to survive in the wild, in case she ever needed to know that. At the same time, today, they were to meet with an important death eater's son, Theodore Nott, who somehow found out about Delphi's existence and after swearing a wizard's oath that he will not divulge the secret, has, seemingly out of the kindness of his heart, agreed to house them. He has also offered to adopt Delphini, and make it seem like he was housing a long-lost relative of his.
It was clear the man knew more than it was advisable, but he's a respectable pureblood. Living with him could prove beneficial for the girl as she could go to Hogwarts and make good connections, whereas Euphemia didn't even want to think about the girl being educated let alone having associates. There was also the fact that Mr. Nott seemed like a better alternative than the woman who neglected and insulted Bellatrix's child for so long. If he didn't need her for her money and connections, Rodolphus would have strangled her a long time ago. It may still come to that.
Not much good came from their forest excursion. Delphini learned the basics of survival, yet she still made a fire with her wand when she thought he wasn't looking, instead of learning to do it the muggle way. As much as Rodolphus hated muggles, he was not obtuse and thought of all possibilities. What if the girl loses her wand? What if she'll catch her death of cold?
Okay, guys. This was the first chapter :)