I enjoyed writing this chapter, as I had lots of opportunity to write Delphi as a character. Learning who she is has been a challenge for me as a writer. Do enjoy!

Dora

Andromeda sighed as she took Delphi from the room as Rab and Dora fixed what the child had burnt. Entering her room, she lay the toddler on the bed and carefully warded the room before taking the Sleeping spell off her and stepping back. She watched as the little girl stirred, then sat up, taking in her surroundings as she sniffed, looking around.

"Where's Dora?" Delphi asked the witch leaning against the wall. "What happened?"

"You hurt your sister," Andromeda answered, not moving her gaze from the child. "Rabastan is helping her fix the room you destroyed."

Delphi climbed down off her aunt's bed, going to the door and trying to leave before turning to the woman in rage. "Let me out!"

Andromeda shook her head. "We need to talk, Delphi."

"I won't," the girl said angrily. "Leave me alone."

"Not even about your first magic?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Because that's what hurt your sister."

"I told her I would," Delphi said haughtily, tossing her still red curls.

Andromeda sighed. "Your hair is red," she said to the girl, who glared back at her.

"I don't care," Delphi snapped, throwing herself onto the floor before the door.

"You should," Andromeda replied. "That is not one of our colours, Delphi. And get off the floor: we do not throw angry fits."

Delphi pouted, then got to her feet, crossing her arms and looking up at the witch. "She took Mum," she complained in a quiet voice.

Andromeda frowned slightly. "Who took what?"

"Dora," Delphi sniffed, her hair slowly fading back into silver. "Dora took the picture of Mummy away from me."

"There are many pictures of your mother," Andromeda said softly. "We can get you pictures; there are lots of them in the house.

"But...it was of Mummy and me," Delphi said, looking up at the witch.

Andromeda tentatively walked across the room, then leaned down and took the child into her arms, kissing her silver-haired head. "I'll get you one just like it," she promised. "Be patient with Aunt Dromeda, okay?"

Delphi looked at her for a moment, then nodded, winding her arms around the witch's neck. "Is Dora okay?"

"I believe so," Andromeda replied. "We can go see her—"

"No," Delphi said quickly. "No Rab."

Andromeda looked at the child for a moment, realising the girl had learned that Rabastan did not like her at all. "Later, then," Andromeda promised, hugging the girl close. "It'll be okay."

Delphi nodded, then lay her head against the witch's shoulder. "Okay."

Andromeda sighed as she held the little girl close. It would soon be time to teach Delphi how to better control her magic so accidents wouldn't happen.

Rigel shouted with laughter as he rushed down the hall after four year old Delphini. They had just set up blocks in the doorway of the playroom so that whoever entered the room would trip over them. "Delphi, slow down!" he called after her. It confused him that she could wear a dress and still run faster than him.

"Come oooon," Delphi sang back to him. "You're slow!"

"You're too fast," Rigel retorted as he caught up with her. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"I'm hungry," Delphi said decisively. "And there's food in the kitchens. Now. Are you going to stay with me or not?"

Rigel nodded, hurrying along with her as she darted off again. They arrived at the door, out of breath, and the almost four-year old frowned. "Can you reach the handle?"

Delphi smirked, raising her right hand, and seconds later, the door clicked open. "I don't have to. Dromeda is teaching me to use magic."

Rigel frowned, looking down at his hands. "Why won't she teach me?"

"First magic," giggled the girl, marching into the kitchen. "You have to show her you can."

"Oh." Rigel shook his head at her words, then jumped in surprise at they were approached by the most curious creature.

Delphi told it specifically what she wanted, then turned to her companion only to gape in shock. "R—Rigel," she giggled, "you should look in the mirror. You—" she giggled again, and Rigel was confused.

The house elf soon returned with Delphi's requested food, and she dismissed it, still laughing at Rigel, though he didn't know for the life of him what she meant—he raised his hand to brush his hair out of his eyes and yelled in surprise.

Rigel saw the skin of his arm was a greyish green, and looked up at Delphi. "What—what did I do?"

"You turned yourself green," she giggled, doubling over with laughter. "Rigel, that's not a good look. Doesn't go with your hair."

"Stop," he protested. "I didn't mean to—how do I change it back?"

"Ask your mother," Delphi smirked at him. "Or Dromeda. But I think you should keep it for a little bit: I'm not used to it yet."

"Delphini!" the boy spluttered in annoyance.

"I'm Delphi," she glared at him sternly, though she couldn't help laughing at his ridiculous appearance again. "You should always look like that. I'd never be sad again."

He yelled in fury, shocking himself as one of the glasses on the table shattered. He turned to ask Delphi if she'd seen it only to see her getting up off the floor, her hair bright red, a look of fury in her four-year-old eyes. "I—I didn't mean to," he said hesitantly, then took off for the door, running down the hall as he yelled for his mother.

"What's going on?" came the voice of his father, the older wizard shouting in horror upon seeing his son. "What happened to you? Dora, come here! Rigel—" he grasped the boy in his arms, rushing through the hall to find Dora talking with Andromeda in the sitting room.

"What?" Dora asked, looking up, her mouth falling open at the sight of her green-skinned child. "Rigel—oh dear Merlin."

Andromeda stared for only a second before falling against the back of her chair, laughing helplessly at the image of the green Lestrange heir. Rabastan set the child down on his mother's lap. "Fix him."

Nymphadora bit her lip as Rigel grasped onto her. "Mum, Delphi was making fun of me," he complained. "I don't know how to change back! I didn't mean to—and then I knocked her down, and she was going to hurt me!"

Delphi slipped into the room silently, watching the others until Andromeda saw her and motioned her to come over. She hurried across the room to claim her spot on her aunt's lap. "He saw a house elf and turned himself green," she whispered to the older witch. "He looks funny."

"Shhh, Delphi," Andromeda said, trying to make herself stop laughing, though she couldn't help grinning at the boy and his parents.

"Dromeda, what do I do?" Nymphadora asked, biting her lip. "I never did this, did I?"

"You did," Andromeda sighed. "You decided that you wanted to have purple skin, and I didn't let you leave the house for a whole month. You knew better, though; you were seven or eight."

"Can't you turn him back, or something?" Rabastan asked the two witches urgently, looking at his son seeming to cause him pain.

Andromeda giggled again, sitting up with Delphi on her lap. "Well, you can change him back, Dora," she told the black-haired witch, "or he can decide he wants to be normal again and do it himself."

Rigel sniffed against his mother's robe. "I can't," he mumbled, clinging to her.

"Of course you can't," Delphi scoffed at him from the safety of Andromeda's lap. "You're too stupid."

"Delphini, do not talk to him like that," Andromeda said to her distantly. "You had to be taught certain things as well."

"I did magic," Rigel said defiantly.

Rabastan looked down at the boy. "You did magic?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "I broke a glass—and knocked Delphi down."

"Then you can definitely morph back to yourself," Andromeda said firmly. "I will not do it for you."

"So how do we teach him to do it, then?" Nymphadora asked the witch.

"He has to decide he wants to change, and use his magic to do it," Andromeda answered, Delphi nodding knowingly. "Even if it takes him a few days."

Rabastan groaned, turning away from all of them, and Rigel said, "Dad, I didn't mean to!"

Nymphadora hugged her son. "We know," she told him. "But you heard Andromeda. You'll have to change yourself back."

"But—" Rigel stopped, hiding his face in his mother's dress. He clung to her for a few moments, then looked up at her. "Did I do it?"

"Yes," Dora sighed, stroking the boy's hair back from his face, "though your hair is green instead, now."

"I liked it better the other way," Delphi pretended to pout, and Rigel looked up to glare at her.

"Then you try it!" he snapped before looking around the room. "Where's Dad?"

"Dad...left," Dora sighed, shaking her head slightly. "He...he didn't like the green."

Rigel looked sad, then clung to his mother. "I'm not green," he sniffed. "It wasn't my fault."

Dora kissed his hair. "I know," she murmured. "It's okay."

"This means that you get to join Delphi in learning the basics of magic," Andromeda smiled at the child.

"Did Mum really have purple skin once?" Rigel asked.

"Yes," Andromeda smirked. "And reminded me: I'll get you a picture of it."

"Yay!" cheered Rigel, and Delphi grinned at him, but only for an instant before they heard a crash from down the hall.

The two children stared at each other for an instant before shrieking with laughter as they heard Rabastan yell, "Who put these blocks here?"

Nymphadora sighed as her husband paced their room. "Rabastan, he morphed it away just fine. And you should be happy that he's done his first magic!"

"He had green skin, Nymphadora. Green skin!" Rabastan turned to her, shaking his head. "What will he accidentally morph to next?"

"Whatever he does," Nymphadora said firmly, "Andromeda will be able to help us make right if he can't fix it himself. She is a Metamorphmagus, and she raised me, so she's had lots of practise. She's fixed me many times when I morphed something out of control. I was a very experimenting child."

"Great," Rabastan groaned, and his wife smiled slightly, stepping forward and slipping her arms around him after a moment.

"He'll be fine," she told him, leaning up and kissing him firmly. "Experimenting with our powers is fun. Want to see?"

Rabastan frowned at her until he felt her morph under the hand he had on her hip. His eyes widened, and she threw him a filthy smirk. "Dora," he said, stopping her from pulling him to their bed, "only do what you want, okay?"

Nymphadora rolled her eyes, ripping his shirt off him. "Don't I always?"

He pushed her onto the bed, crawling over her, and she giggled as he fondled her body, tearing her dress in his effort to get it off her. "Dora," he groaned, and she pulled him back to herself, kissing him deeply.

She lay back for a few moments, her eyes closed as he explored her new form, then grinned up at him. "I know what to do with it too," she whispered before moving quickly, suddenly smirking down at her husband lying on his back beneath her. "Trust me: learning this young comes in handy."

Rabastan didn't reply, watching the witch in admiration as she took control, his beautiful wife on display for him to enjoy.

Andromeda was lying in bed, thinking about the two children when she heard her door creak open and quickly sat up, reaching for her wand. "Who's there?" she said in a dangerous tone.

"Dromeda," came the whisper of her younger niece.

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed in relief, opening her arms to the girl. "Come here." The little girl climbed up on the bed, quickly snuggling into the older witch's arms. "Is something wrong, petal?" Andromeda asked, hugging the child.

The girl was silent for a while as Andromeda sat there, holding her securely in her arms. "Dromeda," she said finally, "will you teach me to morph like you and Dora?"

Andromeda smiled slightly. "I can't teach you how to morph, but I can teach you to refine your powers," she answered.

The four year old turned to look up at the witch, pouting. "I don't know how," she said, grabbing Andromeda by the hand. "I want you to help me. Do it to me so that I know how it feels."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed, and the girl shot her a glare.

"Do it!" Delphi demanded.

"Delphini," Andromeda said sharply, "do not use that tone on me or you will be very, very sorry."

The little girl's expression didn't go away as she gripped onto Andromeda's nightdress firmly. "Please," she said, looking into the woman's face. "Please?"

Andromeda sighed again, then reached out, placing her hand on the child's shoulder. "Okay," she agreed, then closed her eyes, reaching for the girl's tender magic. She stopped for a moment, feeling the child's magic reject the intrusion, though Delphi took a deep breath and seemed to force herself to stay still. Andromeda decided what to do and willed the child to change form.

When the older witch opened her eyes, she smiled wryly to see the blonde child before her. "Look," Andromeda motioned to the mirror as she lit her wand, unwilling to turn on the light in the room. "What do you think?"

Delphi looked over at the mirror, reaching up to tug on her hair, then looked down, realising she was taller. "It's weird," she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Dromeda, it doesn't feel right."

Andromeda sighed deeply, the child's magic having confirmed some of her worries. She didn't want to break the child's heart by telling her she would never be able to morph in all the ways that Dora and Rigel could, for Delphi simply did not have those Metamorphmagus powers, but she couldn't lie to her. "It isn't natural?" Andromeda said quietly, then nodded. "Delphi...I don't think you can morph your whole body on your own."

"No," Delphi said firmly. "I—"

"Delphi, I love you and I wish that I could say differently," Andromeda stopped the girl, "but when I touched your magic, I understood it. You are a slight Metamorphmagus: you do not have full powers."

"No," Delphi said again. "Dromeda, do it again so I can feel it."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed, shaking her head, though she complied, the girl soon the version of Dora at four years old. It wasn't until four different morphs later that Delphi looked to the witch, a strange expression on her face. "I promise," Andromeda said quietly to her niece, "I promise that I love you just as much as any of the rest of my family, no matter your powers, no matter what you can do to your face or your body. Do you understand?"

The four year old melted into the woman's arms, shaking slightly as she sniffed back tears. "Why?" the child whispered, and Andromeda hugged her tightly, kissing her head.

"You will find that you have other abilities," Andromeda whispered. "Ones that none of the rest of us have. You are a very special child, Delphini Riddle."

"What if they're mean to me about it?" Delphi sniffed, looking up to the witch again. "Rigel will be mean."

"Then you will have to find out ways to keep him from bragging," Andromeda said with a small smirk. "Though if you curse or injure him in any way, I will not be pleased."

"Yes," the girl giggled before saying, "Change me back. I want to be Delphi again."

Andromeda complied, stroking the girl's silver hair back from her face and saying, "Are you better now?"

Delphi nodded, continuing to hold to the brown-haired woman as she sighed, leaning her head against the witch's shoulder. Andromeda hugged the child again before lying down again, pulling the blanket up as Delphi yawned. "Good night, beautiful," she murmured, and Delphi sighed, "Good night" in reply.

Andromeda was relieved when the little girl fell asleep, thankful that revealing such news to Delphi hadn't resulted in Curses flying.