Hogwarts, February 24th, 2014
Delphini wakes up from her dreams gasping for air, for one of her usual dreams turned into nightmare.
She was in the abandoned wing of the Manor, following Nagini through the dark corridors, the portraits murmuring as she passed them by, the cloths that covered the furniture waving even though there was no breeze. Nagini slithered inside her father's study, but Delphini dallied, unsure of what she would find. When she crossed the doorway, Lord Voldemort was there, tall and pale and facing the window as he always is, caressing his bone-white wand with his bone-white fingers, offering her nothing but his back. Lord Voldemort turned, while Nagini hissed and retreated to her, and the red glare in his eyes was truly menacing.
There was none of the eerie comfort in the red. The red pulsated with anger, and Delphini felt afraid of her father for the first time in her life.
Then, she saw it. Crawling at first; then running; then lunging for her. The black smoky creature from Gaunt Shack emerged from a corner and this time its eyes were not empty pits but emerald green, and wide, and hers. Delphini reached for her wand, and all breath left her when it wasn't there, her pocket empty, her holster absent from her waist. The creature leapt, sinking claws she had never seen into her shoulders and wrapping its jaws around her neck.
Then her eyes opened, and her lungs filled again, the cold air stabbing her from the inside out.
So Delphini sits up on her bed, her hand on her throat, assuring herself that she is still whole, that her father's anger has not reached her from beyond the Veil.
Something is wrong, deeply wrong, she knows. There's a pit of dread inside her, and she sits very still on her bed, wishing that she were home, wishing that Guivre was here to coil his scales around her, wishing that she could simply find comfort in her family in the morning. She wraps her arms around her legs, trying to figure out her dream, unable to go back to sleep, secretly expecting a knock on the door of her dorm and bad news.
Delphini ends up drifting back to sleep with her chin on her knees, unable to fight exhaustion until the early hours of the morning, and her brain conjures yet another dream, one she has nearly forgotten, so long it has been gone.
She stands, towering, above a witch that has crumbled before her, the sound of a wand clattering on the floor filling the silence, dark curls hiding her face. Delphini knows that she should be holding her own wand in this dream, and her instinct commands her to search for it. She cannot find it, and her heart runs. There's a familiar dread lurking about, and she feels trapped. It isn't just her and Andromeda this time, oh no, there's something else in here with them.
She turns her back on the witch kneeling on the floor, looking, trying to see beyond the inky blackness that surrounds them. Her eyes pick up movement, but she fails to see a shape, a thing, anything. Delphini walks to the edge of darkness and cannot go further. Her dream feels like a cage, and her back suddenly burns with pain, the two faint scars coming to life and blurring her mind as they do. Her skin pulls and stretches and hurts, and then rips open like old clothes tearing at the seams. In the darkness, now so smooth that she can see herself reflected on it, she sees wings. Great wide wings that sprout from the muscles at her back, their unnaturalness pushing in between them. Blood drips and runs down her back, hot on her skin. Too hot.
She picks up movement again, and though she can't see it, she knows that there's something moving in circles around the two of them, in the black void. She feels like she's being watched, and she knows that the creature is behind her. She turns again, her skirt made heavier by the blood that has soaked into it, her wings hindering her usual graceful movements, and now she sees it.
Not Nagini, not Father. The darkness from the Shack is here, even larger, its feline body coming into shape as it steps forth from the void, smoky, silent paws weighing down the floor, fangs bare and green eyes that pierce into hers.
She runs. Not away, no. She runs straight to it, wandless and fighting under the burden of her wings. Unafraid but panicking, for Andromeda stands between them, helpless and uncaring, oblivious to it all.
It's too late. She is too slow, the creature too fast, the darkness too large to be stopped by her. The Augurey runs across an ever expanding floor, getting closer and somehow farther at the same time. The darkness takes two strides to reach Andromeda, and looks Delphini in the eye as it jaws close around the witch's shape and nearly rip her off the floor, turning and disappearing back into the void that Delphini cannot enter.
Delphini can still see the smug wave of a smoky tail as she startles back to consciousness a second time. She has to dig her hands into the sheets to keep herself from falling off the bed this time. The dread in her takes shape and she knows that Andromeda is no more.
Her mind whirls, making her dizzy with possibilities. She debates getting up and going to Headmistress McGonagall, to try and convince her that she must go home, that something bad has happened. She jolts the thought off of her mind. Slughorn is a better option. She debates herself for the better part of an hour, only to conclude that it simply cannot be done without raising suspicion. How is she to explain her motives? How is she to explain that she knew even before Teddy?
So she sits very still on her bed, coiled around herself, eyes wide open and fixed on the green curtains, waiting for the morning to come, waiting for the owl bearing dark words to knock on one of Hogwarts windows.
Waiting for Teddy to come to her.
X
It doesn't take long. She dresses and goes up to the Great Hall for breakfast, keeping her façade immaculate the whole time. She knows nothing, she keeps telling herself, says it so often in her mind that she nearly believes it.
It's Monday. The stray thought dawns on her, and Delphini realizes Teddy will not be receiving a letter today. No more Monday letters with chocolate and Muggle chewing gum.
Then she sees Teddy messing about at the Hufflepuff table and her veneer cracks a little, almost shatters.
"What's wrong, Delphini? You look troubled," Radagast says, retrieving her focus and following her eyes to Teddy.
"It's nothing. Teddy has been worried about his grandmother," she says, a little shrug of one of her shoulders as she and Radagast sit down at the table.
She forces herself to detach from her running mind and behave normally. She chides Sigmund for doing his homework over eggs and sausage, and that sets Syrianna on a rant about being irresponsible, and for a couple of hours everything feels normal.
For a couple of hours, it's just yet another mundane Monday.
But when Delphini is walking from Ancient Runes to Defence Against the Dark Arts, the crowd ahead of her parts for a heartbroken boy with brown hair, and it takes her a moment to recognise her cousin.
She pulls her wand out, opening an empty classroom to her right and throwing her satchel inside, carelessly, hearing the tell-tale sound of an ink pot breaking. Teddy walks straight to her, tears falling freely, and she wraps her arms around him and pulls him inside with her. She jerks her chin at her friends, and Freya shuts the door, shooting glares at the curious.
Teddy doesn't say much of anything, just a couple of sobbed words in between the crying, drenching a spot on Delphini's robes. He manages 'Grandma' and 'dead' and 'why', and each word is a dagger to her heart.
Delphini doesn't say a single word. She holds Teddy, and rubs his back, and collects his tears with her other hand, which cradles his cheek. They sit together on the floor of an abandoned classroom, the pale sunlight that makes it through the clouds and the windows warming them and the stone floor around them.
X
Harry slowly pushes the door to the classroom open, hoping that Delphini hasn't thought to jinx it. It's not even locked, and that gives him a measure of her distress. He steps inside and closes the door behind him, taking in his surroundings and the two students on the floor.
He is still mad at Professor Grubbly-Plank for not going to him before breaking the news to Teddy, but that's not something he can fix now. Minerva had told him about Andromeda's death, how she had apparently taken her life during the night, and he had taken off to find Teddy, telling her over his shoulder to find someone else to teach his classes for the next few days.
Teddy's friends were quick to let him know where and with whom he was, and now Harry is here, slowly lifting Teddy from Delphini's embrace, keeping his voice low as he tells his godson that he will be taking him home for a little while. He doesn't bother telling him that everything will be alright. It's an empty promise, one that he never found comfort in. Everything will not be alright, but it will get better with time, a little easier to bear.
Harry looks Delphini in the eye, silently thanking her. She nods, her hand still on Teddy's back.
"I'll take him from now, Delphini. His friends are packing his things," he says.
"When is the funeral, Professor?" Her voice is honestly pained, even it still composed. Her voice is a careful disturbance of the silence she knows Teddy craves, perfectly tailored. Little more than a murmur, just enough words to get her point across, and the ever there measure of politeness.
"Tomorrow. Maybe the day after that." He regrets being so straightforward with it, for Teddy's knees give up under his body and Harry has to hold him closer to keep him standing.
He notices curiosity's glint in her green eyes, and willingly lets his knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Andromeda's death fill his mind. Delphini will pick thoughts from his mind anyway, he thinks, and this won't hurt Teddy.
He watches Delphini as her features go a little empty and there's a discreet buzzing in his mind. The girl takes a step back and the fuzziness disappears. They trade a heavy look, and she bows her head.
"I'll walk with you," she says, pulling her wand out of her robes to fix the little mess of books and parchment pouring from her satchel, and the stain of ink seeping through the leather in a corner. She picks it up, then, and walks ahead of them, making sure that the corridor is empty.
They take different paths at the stairs. She won't be returning to class, he knows.
"I'll be there, Teddy," she promises, hugging her cousin once more, "I won't leave you alone."
Delphini doesn't bother saying goodbye to him. She turns on the balls of her feet and proceeds to make a dash down the shifting stairs, disappearing through an archway in the floor below them.
X
Delphini knows that her Head of House has a free period, and that he is sure to be found reading in his office during it. She knocks and waits for the door to come ajar.
"Oh, Miss Lestrange," he says, letting her inside, "I can't say I wasn't expecting you." There is a sorrowful note to his voice.
"Professor Slughorn," she greets, nodding, "may I write home, sir, and ask for leave to attend Mrs. Tonks funeral? I'd like to be there for my cousin, Teddy." There is no need for pleasantries to be exchanged. They both know what happened after all.
"Of course, Miss Lestrange. Write, and pack your things. I'll notify the Headmistress."
"Thank you, sir."
She leaves and makes for her dormitory, quickly scratching a note into a small piece of parchment, then she runs up to the Owlery, where Darkie crows happily at the sight of her.
"Takes this home, and stay there," she orders the raven, with a caress to his inky feathers, and then she is off to pack her things. She doesn't need much; she won't be allowed to stay home for long, a week at most.
Everything is a bit of a blur, and she finds herself in the Headmistress's office with a small bag and a heavy travelling cloak before lunch. The portraits erupt in chatter, jumping between frames in frenzy, but Minerva McGonagall is quick to hush them all.
There is no way her little note has been delivered and an answer sent already, but Headmistress McGonagall doesn't doubt that leave will be given. She rises from behind her desk and walks into the small sitting area just to the right. She retrieves something that Delphini can't see from the mantelpiece and walks back to her.
"There's no need for that cloak, Miss Lestrange," she says, kindly, "you're taking the Floo Network."
The Headmistress extends Delphini a bowl of glittering ash, and she thanks her as she takes a handful, stepping into the fireplace.
"Give Mrs. Malfoy my condolences."
"I will," Delphini manages to reply with a quiet voice, for it takes her a moment to understand why she should offer Aunt Cissa the Headmistress' sympathies. With a steadier voice, she calls for home, clearly, and is gone in green flames.
X
Nº12 Grimmauld Place, February 25th, 2014
Delphini has barely been home since her arrival. Yesterday, she had taken a moment to make sure that Aunt Cissa was well, and Uncle Lucius had assured her that he would be there for her, so Delphini was free to be with Teddy.
Teddy is staying with the Potters, and she has spent most of her time here, making sure that Teddy has someone to talk to, and that he eats, and that he sleeps for a little while at least.
They keep to Teddy's room in the house, in cosy silence. He comes by so often for dinner, and ends up staying for so many nights, that he has earned himself a proper bedroom, covered in bits of him, lined with Hufflepuff colours and earthly tones, with half a dozen potted plants spread throughout bedside tables and windowsills.
Delphini can feel the thoughts radiate off his mind, his confusion, his almost anger at his grandmother's suicide. He can't understand why, and there's no note he can read. Andromeda left this world leaving no explanation behind, and Teddy is utterly lost for it. His mind is coated in sorrow, but beneath there's such a mess. He had been losing his grandmother for months, but he never thought it would come to this. His mind is like a dog chasing its tail, turning and turning and going nowhere.
Delphini keeps near, sitting on the bed by his side, backs to the wall and legs too long to not dangle over the mattress, feet hovering above the rug. The silence has given her time to think, and her mind isn't merciful.
Teddy topples over on her shoulder, his head heavy, and she moves closer, so that he can lay his head on her lap. She runs her fingers through his hair, which is still not blue, rubbing his arm with her other hand. She can't hear him cry, and there are no sobs shaking his frame, but there's a little spot on her leg that feels damp.
"I am very sorry Teddy," she says and she means it. He hugs her legs and chokes his sobs against her.
Her eyes are empty. There's guilt pitting in her belly. She did not wield the wand, and yet she feels like she has done this, like she is responsible for the body being put to the ground tomorrow.
Only tomorrow for the wizarding community cannot believe that Andromeda Tonks has simply taken her life. Potter tried to hide the newspapers from them both, but Delphini asked for a peek when she went to get them tea with biscuits and some chocolate for Teddy.
And the newspapers are having a field day. Everyone knows which spell Andromeda used, and everyone knows about the state the house was in, of the markings on the walls. The Ministry couldn't quite believe it either, and demanded an investigation. There was no foul play to be found, no matter how hard they looked, and they were forced to admit the horrible truth.
Some newspapers dare raise suspicion. Not just about the very few wizards and witches that could have something against Andromeda that are not in Azkaban, but also about the oh-so-poised-and-pretty daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, the Mad Witch that so loved the Severing Charm. Even if she was at Hogwarts.
It doesn't surprise Delphini, not really, and she can only imagine the things she'll hear from strangers' minds tomorrow. She wonders, amidst her guilt, if this was Andromeda's plan. If the blood of Black in her ran so deep that she could manipulate death like this, that she could be gone and still be Delphini's undoing.
X
Cannard's Grave, February 26th, 2014
The graveyard is covered in a shallow layer of snow, vanishing quickly under the feet of wizards and witches come to pay their respects. The Muggles in the village nearby don't quite know what to make of the odd clothes of so many foreigners, but they are easily distracted and swiftly forget about it, has they have for centuries.
Cannard's Grave is a wizarding cemetery not far from Tonks House. There's an abandoned Muggle church, cursed by irate wizards at seeing their forefathers' graves desecrated, and the legends that surround the ruin do as much work as the repelling charms.
They stand among the snow covered tombstones, wrapped in thick cloaks, so heavy the wind barely shakes them, though it makes scarves wave about them.
Delphini and Harry are both by Teddy's side, their eyes watching over the people assembled, making sure that everyone gets the message. Teddy doesn't have parents or grandparents anymore, but he is not alone. Teddy is theirs to love and protect, and none of the reporters they saw at the gates dare approach him.
Teddy stands as composed as he can. His grandmother was not one for public demonstrations of feelings, affectionate or otherwise, and he knows she would like to be mourned in private, not with sobbing in the public eye. Still, he receives hugs and kind words from everyone, and Delphini can feel the strain it's putting on him. He is overwhelmed, so she lets him receive all the affection but thanks people in his place when his throat gulps too hard for words. Harry follows suit, and she quickly lets him do most of the talking, for most of those attending do not take kindly to her being here.
The looks they give her aren't the worst. Their minds hold enough venom to kill her ten times over, for she resembles her mother far too much and they all hated her, they all feared her. Some of them fear her, some of them actually let their minds wander through dark, dark paths.
Most of those attending considered her parents their enemies, and the stain of the war still clings to her, just like it clings to so many others. Most of those attending were terrified of her mother, and there's true concern in their minds when they see a younger version of the Mad Witch by Teddy's side. Most of those attending were afraid of the infamous raids Rodolphus Lestrange led, together with his wife and his brother, and the sight of their spawn unnerves them.
Delphini can only wonder what they would think of her should they ever learn the truth.
She steels herself in the face of it all, carrying her head high, looking them in the eye as they exchange polite words, secretly relieved that no one sees the truth hidden in plain sight in the green of her irises. She is here for Teddy, and she will not be made to retreat by their hatred.
X
When the pleasantries are over and Andromeda's coffin is being put to the ground, Delphini wraps her arm around Teddy's waist, singing along to the chant gently, just for him to hear, making the words of protocoled comfort hers. Teddy mimics the gesture, though his voice remains silent, and he leans against her.
Delphini hears the collective mind of the crowd react, and cares not for it. She shuts all thoughts away, and sings her sorrow and her guilt to Teddy, letting her gaze rise and fixate on a dark figure that watches them from a distance, partially hidden by a tall statue of a witch. She knows that figure, would know it anywhere in the world.
A couple of blonde strands have managed to evade the hood that conceals her aunt's face, dancing in the wind to the hymn. Aunt Cissa attends her sister's burial from afar, not daring to come near them. Delphini feels the yearning in her mind, all the way here. She is the last of their kind, now, and her mind sings a mournful song of solitude that no one else can hear.
X
Malfoy Manor, February 26th, 2014
She diligently braids her curls, pulling her hair slowly. Crossing and twisting, watching her fingers move deftly in the mirror. She removes her clothes then, leaving them in a more or less messy pile on the chair, walking to her nightshirt, which is being kept warm by the fireplace. Usually, she'd use her magic to do all of this, but not tonight.
Tonight, her magic feels tainted, dirty in a way, and she can almost smell the blood on her hands.
She did not wield the wand that took Andromeda's life, but she took bits of her memories away, and her sanity with them. In trying to keep herself and her family safe, she ended up causing far greater damage. She has done this.
Her guilt settles slowly within her, cloaking her soul in something invisible to the outside world. She took a life, one way or another. She is guilty.
She is just another witch, in a long line of witches of the blood of Black, carefully trimming the family tree. The dark creature at the back of her mind jostles in the tiny corner where Delphini keeps it locked. She shoves it back, forcing it to be quiet. Fighting it into silence.
She is not a monster, she isn't. It was an accident. She never meant for Andromeda to die. But she took a life, nonetheless, and her magic irks her tonight. The magic that fills her rooms upsets her. She doesn't want to sleep beneath the veil, or behind charmed doors. No, not tonight. Tonight, she won't even bear Guivre's scales against her skin.
Delphini picks up her dressing gown, dark and soft and warm, and puts it on as she walks downstairs, straight to the library. Vicious Mist canters gingerly behind her, and takes his time assessing his owner before deciding that it is safe to jump on her lap, after she has settled with a book by the fireplace.
She hears the pitter-patter of bare feet on the carpet that lines the corridor, and her gaze is drawn from the book to the door, as a blond head peeks inside.
"Delphie," comes Scorpius tentative voice from the doorway, "can I stay with you in here? I went to your bedroom but you weren't there. It's fine if you want to be alone…"
"Come here, Scorpius," she interrupts, patting the sofa's cushion, just next to where she's sitting, "and quit your nonsense."
He nearly runs to her, his pyjama and robe waving about his skinny legs, and promptly climbs up next to her, book in hand. Delphini looks to the cover.
"Magical History? That's an unusual topic for a ten-year-old."
"I've read through the usual topics already," he says, shrugging his shoulders.
He's becoming a bookworm, Delphini thinks, worrying that he isn't spending nearly enough time with other children, that he is stuffing his nose in books to keep his mind in check. She feels the worry in his mind, the fear, oozing from his thoughts even as he tries to focus on the text.
Delphini dares focus on his thoughts a little harder, feeling them push against her mind. He hasn't learnt to shield his mind yet, and though she would never pry, she lets his thoughts flood her own mind, trying to pinpoint the problem. She bites her lip and stifles her gasp when she realizes it. It shouldn't surprise her, at all, but this particular fear is a vivid thing in her little cousin's, near little brother, mind.
He worries that he will soon find out how Teddy feels. He is afraid of losing his mother. Afraid of losing all of them, actually, just like Teddy has lost everyone. His fear resonates in her mind and finds echo there. Is she not afraid of the same thing, deep down?
She does not say a word about it, but she wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him closer. They both drop their books, listening as one of them falls to the floor, never to be picked up, and let their eyes travel over the colourful patterns of the rug. They are used to finding comfort in the silence between them, for there are so many unmentionable things in their lives.
They fall asleep eventually, together by the fireplace in the library, with a purring Kneazle stretched across their laps. At some point during the night, they'll both feel loving hands covering them with blankets. And they'll both think Mother, despite knowing better, despite the blonde halo to the figure.
X
Malfoy Manor, February 28th, 2014
Narcissa observes Delphini from her seat, the magazine she selected forgotten by her side. It's the first evening she is spending with them, and not at Grimmauld Place, since she came home. They're in the piano room, but Delphini has not charmed it to play.
Delphini, who so loves to use magic for anything and everything, has been refraining from using her powers for the last few days and Narcissa worries. She shared her concern with Lucius, and they both agree that there must be something quite serious behind it.
"It's time for dinner, little bird," she says, breaking the uncanny silence, "and don't even start with me. You've been having nothing but tea and biscuits at the Potters, I've asked, you're not skipping dinner again."
Her niece clearly means to object, but she surrenders without a fight this time, getting up and tidying her homework, closing books, shutting the lid of her pot of ink, making sure her quilt will not smudge the parchment, all without plucking her wand from her pocket.
They walk together to the dining room, where Lucius is waiting for them. Scorpius is having dinner with his parents tonight, as Astoria is well enough to take a seat at the table these days.
Dinner, too, is mostly silent. Narcissa and Lucius trade glances, trying to figure out why their niece is so quiet, so immersed in her thoughts. Why she actually asks for things to be passed to her instead of simply summoning them across the air with the usual graceful gestures. Lucius gives Narcissa an assuring look, and starts the conversation over dessert.
"What's the matter? You haven't been yourself, sweet star of darkness."
"You know what the matter is. I'm sad for Teddy."
"Is that really all there is to it? We know you," Narcissa says, catching Delphini's gaze in hers, "and there must be something else for you to act like this."
"Like what?"
"Not using your magic, Delphini, keeping so quiet about the house. What's wrong?"
Her niece does not answer her, not immediately. Delphini lets silence take over once more, and they allow her the pause. They take small bites off their pudding, and they wait. Narcissa knows that she is measuring her words, as Delphini always does.
"I think I caused it," she finally blurts out, setting both her hands on the edge of the table, as if getting ready to stand up.
Narcissa drops her spoon. The silver cutlery rattling on porcelain is the only sound in the dining room for what feels like hours.
"Delphini, what do you mean?" Lucius demands of her, noticing his wife's distress.
Delphini shivers, recognizing his tone, the one she heard that day, when she was little and Narcissa had actually considered her husband capable of something hideous. Narcissa raises her hand, a silent plead for her husband to calm down. This cannot be right. Delphini wouldn't.
Delphini couldn't, she was at Hogwarts, her mind reminds her.
"I-I didn't do it. But I think I cau-caused it," she goes from stammering to blurting words out of her mouth, "she knew about me, and she wanted to tell everyone, she wanted to take me away and to have you arrested. I had to Obliviate her, but I couldn't just erase her mind. I only took the important things. I had to. I even altered Teddy's memory. I just didn't want her to connect the dots again. I don't think I did it right, I removed too many memories. I think I caused it." She stops, on the very verge of tears, trying and failing to control her breathing, her fingers quivering.
Narcissa is shaking like a leaf, scared of what the truth might be, but she trusts her child. She knows they have raised her well, and that she wouldn't, she couldn't. Delphini wouldn't take a life unless she absolutely had to. Delphini wouldn't jumble someone's mind unless she wasn't given a choice. Whatever she did to Andromeda, she did out of being cornered. Her girl is not a cruel creature, she doesn't like to hurt, she doesn't have the urge to take. She is not like her parents.
"Little bird, tell us what happened. All of it, if you please," Narcissa asks, both hands on her lap, fingers crossed. They have to know everything, so that Delphini can be protected. If someone were to make the connection between Delphini and Andromeda's death, their house of cards would tumble down on their precious girl, and that Narcissa cannot abide.
What Delphini tells them about that one dinner with Andromeda has Narcissa's pulse racing and her blood boiling. Andromeda dared turning on a child because of the sins of the parents. Andromeda, always so adamant about the little value of one's blood, had no problem whatsoever with collecting her debt of blood from the child of her enemy. From her child. It has been over forty years since Andromeda made her decision to no longer be a sister to her, but only now does Narcissa perpetually sever that link. Andromeda Black was her estranged sister. Andromeda Tonks is nothing to her, not anymore.
Andromeda had come for her precious girl. And in the worst of it all, Delphini chose a way her parents would have never even considered. Delphini chose to protect her people without destroying others. Delphini saw the path Andromeda chose to ignore.
And just like when the Dark Lord had dared come for her boy, Narcissa makes her vows of loyalty to her sister void. Empty and barren, like the place Andromeda had sought to lock Delphini in.
"I can leave, if you want me to. I can disguise myself and live atop Olivander's like before. You won't have to worry about me."
Her niece's voice is meek, and Delphini seems to have shrunk in her place. Narcissa stares for a moment, taking control of her anger, before letting her heart cry out.
"What? No. Absolutely not, Delphini. You belong here," she says, her voice uneven. She stands and walks to Delphini's side, on the other side of the table. She takes her niece's face in her hands, raising the green eyes brimmed with tears to her own.
"I will not have you taken from me, little bird, I won't."
"But I-"
"You had a choice. You could have taken Andromeda's life on the spot, you could have harmed her, and you didn't. You found a different way, and what happened is not your fault."
Delphini leans on her, not daring to hug her. Narcissa stands quiet, caressing her niece's nape and holding her close, her eyes lost in the mane of black curls forced into a braid.
Andromeda used to tame her brown curls in all ways imaginable, as if she resented her similarity to Bellatrix. Andromeda hated it when people remarked on how the older Black girls could almost be twins. Andromeda spent four decades making sure she was different, and turned out to be just as mad, albeit in different ways.
Andromeda Black was her sister, yes, but Andromeda Tonks came for her child and destroyed whatever mercy Narcissa could have for her. A mother's love knows no end, but then neither does a mother's wrath.
X
Nº12 Grimmauld Place, March 2nd, 2014
Delphini has everything ready to go back to Hogwarts at the Manor. She must return today, but she can't leave without saying goodbye to Teddy.
She knocks on the large, dark door, and is greeted by Albus and Lily, their heads peeking from behind the wood, all smiles. They like the rule-breaker Teddy has for a cousin, they like the way she performs magic out of school for them, sprouting pretty flowers from her palms without using her wand when they're alone.
Teddy steps into the entrance to greet her, strangely dressed to go out, his hair a dull blue, but blue nonetheless. Delphini offers a small smile with her question, daring a little jest.
"Where are you going? Walking me to the fireplace?"
"No, I'm sticking with you for the whole journey," he replies, a shy little smile hiding in the corner of his mouth.
"You're going back to Hogwarts? Already?" She tries to keep the surprise out of her voice, though it permeates her tone easily.
"I think I need a little routine, Delphie. Not to mention Grandma would kill me if I failed my OWLs. I'll just go get my things, I've got everything packed."
He turns on the spot and walks up the staircase, depriving Delphini of any chance to ask more questions.
"I've set up everything," Harry says, stepping into the hall, hands in his pockets, mimicking an ease he does not feel, "Minnie knows. That is, Headmistress McGonagall knows that you're both showing up in her fireplace sometime soon."
Delphini remains silent, surprised by Teddy's rush to leave, but glad that they won't be apart. Glad that she'll get to keep an eye on him.
"I should go get Ginny. I'll be back in a second," Harry says, trying, and failing, to dispel the awkwardness, "kids, no begging for tricks while I'm gone. It is illegal, Delphini." He gives a look that means to be stern, though his amusement is evident in the glint of his eyes.
The second their father is out of the hall, Albus and Lily are by her side, puppy-eyed and giddy. Delphini crouches down, to better look them in the eye, while little rivulets of magic take flight from her palms. If Teddy is leaving with her now, she needs them to deliver a message to Potter.
"I need to ask something of you," she says, a smile fit for conspiracy on her lips, "I need you to send something to Teddy, every Monday when he's at Hogwarts, no matter what, am I clear? Now, listen carefully, I need you to send him a letter, chocolate-"
"And Muggle chewing gum," finishes Lily Luna with a grin. Delphini smiles back, letting her happiness spread to her eyes.
"Can you do it? Every Monday?"
"We promise," Albus says, nodding solemnly.
Teddy's trunk banging on the steps cuts their intrigue short, and Harry comes back into the hall looking confused. Ginny steps in in front of him, exasperated, climbing up the stairs as she chides Teddy for not asking to have his trunk Levitated downstairs.
She is quick to send them on their way, herding them into the fireplace in the living room after a round of goodbyes.
"No, you're not taking the Knight Bus to Delphini's house, Teddy. We've discussed this. You're stepping into that fireplace, with your trunk, and you better hold on to it, and you're not stepping out until you see Malfoy Manor's mantelpiece," she gives Teddy a pointed look, picking up the bowl of Floo with one hand and gesturing to Delphini with the other. "Delphini, please, step inside will you? A handful of powder, you know how this works."
Delphini isn't quite used to being hurried along like this, and slightly resents it, if she's being honest. But she sees Teddy smile out of the corner of her eye, and Potter is chuckling where he stands, riling up Albus' hair and telling Lily to be quiet. Delphini catches a glimpse of Mrs. Weasley in Harry's mind, though she doesn't have enough time to study it properly.
"That's quite enough of you lot," Ginny says to her family, shooting Harry a menacing glare, "go on, you two." She takes a step back, bowl still in hand, smiling kindly.
Delphini looks to Teddy, noticing for the first time that she now has to look just slightly up to meet his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure as I can be," he says, checking his grip on the trunk by his side, "Hogwarts via Malfoy Manor, it is."
X
Teddy watches a hundred rooms fly past his eyes, just beyond the green flames, until they come to a halt in a library. Delphini steps out first, pointing her white wand at the soot that covers their hair and their clothes. She turns slightly and reaches out for his hand, pulling him into the room lined with dark wood shelves all the way up to the ceiling.
"That was quick," he hears a concerned voiced say, just to his right, "oh! I didn't know you were coming along, Teddy."
Delphini smirks, giving him a wink. Teddy figures that no one thought to inform the Malfoys of his imminent arrival. Draco rises from his chair, putting down the newspaper, and is honest in his warm, if surprised, welcome.
Scorpius runs to them, dodging Delphini's bag and satchel on the floor, to attach himself to Delphini's waist for a brief moment, smiling his greeting at him, only to quickly return to Astoria's side. Teddy nods his hello to her as well, trying not to stare. She is still beautiful, her chiselled features evident even through her gauntness, but her frailty is obvious.
Teddy watches silently as Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy walk towards him and Delphini, not quite knowing what to say. He has always felt slightly intimidated by the elder Malfoys, these solemn creatures that walk with their heads held high and are always perfectly composed, even if he has known them for years and been in this manor countless times before.
Delphini is quick to slide into her uncle's arms, and is greeted with a soft kiss on the crown of her head and a serene smile that remains mostly hidden by her curls. Narcissa, too, has a way of welcoming her with touches and not words, and Teddy feels at ease. Almost at home.
The realization still pains him, the wound too fresh, but he recognizes this sort of affection. The quiet but no less meaningful love his grandmother showed him, before. The comfort of caring hands in his hair and on his cheeks. The wordless caresses he received only from Grandma, in her silent, and private, displays of affection.
He tries, but he can't keep a couple of tears from escaping his eyes at the thought of those little things he has lost forever, at the thought of gestures he'll never get to repeat, at the thought of his grandmother. There's a soft hand on his face then, and he fights the fog of sorrow that covers his mind, slowly returning to the present.
He expects green eyes to meet his as his mind focuses again, and lets a gasp escape his lips as he finds grey eyes under heavy lids. The grey in Narcissa's eyes is the same as his grandmother's and he gladly accepts her affection, daring to step a little closer, even, daring to take comfort on hands that are not Grandma's.
Daring even to wonder if these quieter walls will welcome him when school is over, for his home is a broken and empty place now. A place he has yet to return to, now that it's all made of memories of a time when he was happier.
X
Hogwarts, March 15th, 2014
Andromeda is dead and buried, but the rumours that have always surrounded Delphini are alive, and thriving. She was at Hogwarts, they all saw her, they all know she had no way to leave, and still they wonder. Andromeda's throat was slit open after all, and wasn't it Delphini's mother that was so found of blades and Severing Charms? It was Andromeda's wand, there's no arguing that, but was it Andromeda the one to cast the spell? There's no real way to prove it, but the absence of certainty gives everyone room to speculate, and they all gladly pitch in their theories.
Delphini finds herself pulling her hair into half up-dos or braiding it more often than not. She finds herself wearing white shirts with long flowy skirts whenever she's not in uniform. Wild curls and dark woollen dresses make everyone think Bellatrix Lestrange, and she desperately wants them to think Malfoy. She is not like her mother, she was raised differently, better, she thinks, but she cannot scream the truth at the top of her lungs, as she so often feels like doing. She cannot confess to what she has done, so she endures.
She endures for there are people she must protect. She endures not for fear of what they'll make of her, but for what they might make of them. She endures, not trusting her friends with her secret, but trusting them to keep her mind busy with other things. She endures, keeping her secret from Radagast still, but sharing her worry with him in other ways. She endures, keeping a watchful eye on Teddy, dragging him along to their bay window every now and then; keeping him from crying as many times as she provides him with a safe haven where to let his sorrow tumble in streams down his cheeks. She endures, writing home to Scorpius and making sure that he, too, has a way to let his fear out.
She looks for Teddy in every Study Hall, and nearly wishes she had OWLs again, just to have an excuse to plummet her mind into learning, and studying, and focusing on something else than her fear of the future. For that is how Teddy is dealing with his ever running mind.
She keeps being forced to address her future in conversations with teachers; they all want to know which path the most gifted student of this generation will take. She keeps dodging a straight answer, just like she did with Slughorn last September. How long ago was that? Why does it feel like time is barely moving, like this year is never ending?
She does have to study, and she has plenty of classes to attend, but they are simply not sufficient to keep her busy enough not to worry. She is taking as many subjects as she possibly can, extending her timetable beyond what most would find feasible, let alone reasonable. Her teachers do not seem surprised, eager as she is to know more and more, and she finds some relieve in the fact that they often think back to Hermione Granger. Although, her mind often adds, most teachers are too young to remember an eager wizard that once went by the name of Tom Riddle.
Delphini puts all of her into Quidditch as well; making sure Slytherin stays on top of their game, on a steady climb up the scoreboard. There's a game coming next week, and they are certainly not losing to Ravenclaw. House Slytherin may just be on course to achieving the perfect triad: House Cup, Quidditch Cup and Triwizard Cup, and they are not jeopardizing it. Of course, the Triwizard Tournament will go down in History has being won by Hogwarts, but then there's not a soul in the castle that doesn't know how many tournaments each House has won.
X
Hogwarts, March 23rd, 2014
It's early, and the after game party is still too present in the room, in all the mayhem that followed the close win against the birds. The elves are quiet about their cleaning though; popping in and out of the dungeons with almost careful cracks, and Delphini couldn't quite bear the thought of falling asleep again after another nightmare, so she is here, keeping her mind busy. And awake. She is surrounded by books and rolls of parchment, sitting cross-legged under the window into the lake, pheasant-quill in hand and ink pot magically balanced on the back of the sofa. She hasn't bothered with breakfast yet, her mind much too hungry for a distraction.
She hears Silverius step into the Common Room, his mind announcing his presence long before his shoes tap the floor. She can't see him, but she can see his mind, and she knows his eyes are scanning every nook, chair and sofa, looking for her. The fact that he knows where to find her at such an ungodly hour only aggravates her sense that her dreaming is getting out of hand.
"Good morning," he says, hiding a yawn with his closed fist, "I know you're trying to put us all to shame with your perfect record of a most unwise amount of scholarly subjects, but how about you save something for next year? You do know that's when NEWTs are, right?"
"Good morning," she says in a drawl, finishing a sentence in her essay before turning her eyes up, "I'm perfectly aware of it, but I am planning on taking NEWTs in all of my subjects, so…"
"You're mad! Brilliant, no doubt, but mad, Delphini," he says, laughing and shaking his head, missing the nearly invisible flinch that his words cause. "I suspect you haven't had breakfast yet, would you like to join me while everyone else sleeps?"
Delphini's stomach rumbles, taking Travers side in a most inelegant way.
"Are you inviting me for breakfast or asking for help with the Tournament?" Her smile is an entirely teasing thing that has Silverius munching on his tongue in annoyance. She appreciates the distraction, truly, because the Troll Wars of the thirteenth century are not that interesting.
"Can I do both? Because I have a key, and a box, and a bunch of stuff I had to fight all sorts of creatures for, and not a clue to what the third task is. Yet."
"What's in the box?" Delphini's wand is already dancing in her hand, creating a neat pile of schoolwork on one of the dark wood tables across the room.
"More stuff I don't know what to do with. Well, I'm thinking they're potion ingredients-"
"And you need to pick my brain for a recipe?"
"There may be more than one potion involved… or just one extremely difficult potion that takes three months to brew," he answers, raising his eyebrows in the most clueless look Delphini has ever seen on his face.
They walk together to the nearly empty Great Hall. It is early, but there are a couple of early birds, and a few extremely late night owls judging from the dark circles under some eyes. They all look too tired or too focused to care, and Delphini doesn't even bother to scan their thoughts. They probably won't notice the two of them.
Silverius takes a list of all the things he has collected in both tasks out of his pocket, reading it aloud, and Delphini can think of at least a dozen different potions they could each be used in. They are soon too deep into conversation to pay attention to their surroundings, and so they do not see the smaller groups of students slowly taking places at the tables around them, careful to keep their distance, but not so careful in their gossiping.
The buzz of other conversations does alert them, eventually, and they quickly change the subject, just in case someone's eavesdropping for the other champions. Delphini splits her attention between maintaining a coherent dialogue with Silverius and listening to the thoughts that surround them.
The rumours are there, the poisoned beliefs permeating the minds and flowing from one to the other through careless lips and loose tongues.
A different sort of poison permeates her mind. One she is personally acquainted with, and that she had hoped to have left behind. Delphini fears sleeping, yet again. Not the act of sleeping, no. That's innocuous in itself. She fears dreaming. She fears the scenarios her mind conjures when there's nothing to keep it in check, nothing to keep it from wandering into every dark nook and cranny of her thoughts. For her dreams have a way of coming true, and nightmares are dreams too.
Author's Note: First and foremost, thank you for sticking with this. Now, I need a little help. I have never, ever, in my entire life, finished a story that's novel length. I start long projects and I leave them all to rot in the folders of my computer, which is why I decided I would publish this one as I wrote it, hoping that having people reading it would keep me going. It has, I never got so close to a finished fiction. But, I'm scared as hell.
There are five more chapters to go, and I'm terrified of finishing them and publishing them, because these last two previous chapters haven't got that many reviews and have actually cost me a couple of readers (authors can see how many favourites and followers they have for a fic - yes, I obsess a little about my stats, feel free to judge me) and though I am perfectly fine with the idea that this fic is not everyone's cup of tea, and not everyone is going to like where I'm taking it, I'm starting to feel like I may be ruining it. So, feedback is highly wanted, especially if there's constructive criticism to it. I don't have a beta, I don't bounce my ideas off anyone, it's just me and my notes, so I value your input more than you realise. Basically, please don't leave me without a review. You'll be very welcome (and, hopefully, my story will be better for it).
I also need to get a bit whimsical with you. Let me just tell you that although Cannard's Grave actually exists (just outside Shepton Mallet in Somerset, according to Wikipedia) it is not actually a graveyard. I was trying to figure out were Tonks House could be, I figured Somerset was a good guess as it stands between Surrey and Devon, and then I came upon this marvellous thing through Google and it was just meant to be. I mean, cannard, which apparently is Norman for duck, so bird, but also canard, which is false rumour, and grave, all put together in one place. The thing is layered. What else could this author ask for? It was perfect. Sorry if you couldn't care less about it, but I just had to share this little gem I stumbled upon during my research.
See you on Chapter 56 (I hope)!