Rodolphus just breaks my heart. I love him so much.

Dora

Early one evening, a few days later, Andromeda stood in her room, watching the picture of her two sisters grinning with their arms around each other. She held her glass of wine in both hands as she thought of the hour she'd spent sitting with Narcissa, Dora, and little Bella. She hated days like these: days that she longed to be back with her sisters, times that she wished she had never left them. Andromeda closed her eyes after a moment, holding back all her emotions like she always did.

"I'm sorry," Andromeda whispered, bowing her head as her hands tightened on her glass. "I couldn't change anything of it, and even if I could...I'm sure I wouldn't. I loved Ted. I cared for Dora and loved her as my own daughter. No, I wouldn't change anything. But I—I'm sorry."

She moved to sit on the bed, catching sight of her grey hair in the mirror. Andromeda reached up and tugged her hair painfully before she morphed her hair back to its natural dark brown. She sighed. It was so difficult to keep her regret under control sometimes.

She jumped in surprise as someone knocked on her door. "Who is it?" she called, making sure her voice was perfectly calm and even.

"Delphi," came the reply.

Andromeda waved the door open, smiling wanly at the girl. "Come in," she told her.

The girl walked into the room, approaching her aunt but waiting a moment before she spoke. "Andromeda...are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Andromeda told the girl.

"No, you're upset," Delphini answered, finally taking a seat next to the older witch. "I can tell. What's wrong?"

Andromeda set down her wine glass. "I don't want to talk about it."

Delphi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the witch. "Or course not."

"Something is bothering you as well," Andromeda said sharply. "And you hide things, just as I do."

"All of us do," Delphi nodded. "Even Rigel." She smirked and looked down at Marvolo, who had slithered into her lap. She stroked his scales gently as she looked back to Andromeda. "I wanted to ask you about...Mother."

Andromeda nodded, watching her young niece. "What did you want to know?"

Delphi clenched her left fist. "Everything," she hissed. "Every bit of information that Nymphadora and her husband have hidden from me! I don't want to be protected! And how could they simply name their daughter after my mother without telling me?" Her voice rose to a shriek, the roots of her hair red as she closed both fists to control her crackling magic. "They should have asked me! I should have known!"

"I agree that you should have known," Andromeda nodded, gently placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "But I did not know they were planning until Dora told me the very day the child was born. I am proud of you for acting so unconcerned when you learned of it, Delphi. That was very well done."

"I don't care," Delphi spat, glaring at the floor. "I don't want a baby Bellatrix. I WANT MY MOTHER!"

Andromeda looked at her distraught niece for a few moments, a sympathetic look on her face. "I want her too, Delphi. That's just what I've been thinking of...missing your mother. I can't help feeling responsible for some of her problems. But I can't fix what I've done."

Delphi looked over at her aunt, surprised to see the sorrowful look on the woman's face. "It...couldn't have been your fault," she said uncertainly.

"I said some of her problems, not all," Andromeda said ruefully. "I had always been the one that had kept her mostly sane. Then I left her, and she was never the same."

"I wish I could have known her," Delphi scowled, kicking at the floor. "It isn't fair that Nymphadora knew Mum, and that I can't remember a thing about her! Even the memories don't help!"

"But you were hers," Andromeda said firmly. "That is the most obvious thing about you, Delphi. She loved you and protected you as long as she could, and made Dora swear that she'd shelter you if anything happened to her. Dora kept that promise, even though her own husband was infuriated at the idea."

"He shall be dealt with in time," Delphi nodded imperially, smirking as Marvolo hissed sharply. "But I still don't like the idea of Dora naming her daughter our mother's name!"

Andromeda frowned slightly. "I understand that; however, the child has already been named. And—" she stopped as Delphini was about to protest. "I know this angers you: it very much surprised me as well. But we cannot change it."

Delphi jumped up from the bed as Marvolo slithered onto the sheets. "I hate it!"

The woman watched the girl glaring at her for a few moments, then said, "I think I would like you to meet her with everyone else out of sight. She's an innocent child, Delphi. She's your niece, too."

"I don't want one," Delphi said bitterly. "I only want my mum and my dad." She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away from Andromeda stubbornly.

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda sighed. She got to her feet after a moment, approaching the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know that no matter how much I try to be there for you and Dora, I am no substitute for Bellatrix."

"I want Mum!" Delphi suddenly cried out, bursting into tears before turning and flinging herself into Andromeda's arms. "I want my mother!"

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda whispered against the girl's black hair, holding the crying child close. "I'm so sorry."

It wasn't until quite a while later that Delphi calmed enough to let go of Andromeda, stepping back and trying to compose herself, hiding her embarrassment at her outburst. "You—your hair," Delphi muttered to Andromeda, giving her a significant glance before wiping away the last of her tears.

Andromeda wasn't surprised to find her hair was pure black, though as she closed her eyes to concentrate on morphing it back, she felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Delphi staring directly into her face. "Wait," Delphi breathed. "Could—could you—?"

The older woman immediately knew what Delphi wanted, though she still hesitated at the idea. Andromeda took a deep breath, then closed her eyes again and began to morph, feeling Delphi let go of her. She heard Delphi gasp, though she turned away from the sound, looking up and walking toward her full-length mirror to make sure she'd done it right. Ruefully, she stared at the image in the mirror: herself, in her own robes, but looking much more dangerous, a copy of her older sister. She couldn't resist transfiguring her dress before she turned back to Delphi.

The girl was staring at her, her mouth open slightly. She took a step toward Andromeda, then hesitated, unsure of what to do. Andromeda smirked at the girl, shuffling forward and hugging Delphi tightly. "You've learnt so much already," she whispered in the girl's ear. "I'm proud of you."

Andromeda felt the child wrap her arms around her tightly, hugging her fiercely. "I—I love you," Delphi breathed, burying her face in the witch's dress. "I would do anything for you, and for Father."

"As he would expect," Andromeda answered, kissing the girl's head. "I—" she hesitated, feeling uncomfortable in her strange role. "I am to train you the best I can, to prepare you for your father's teaching."

"How could I if he's gone?" Delphi hissed, suddenly looking up into Andromeda's face.

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda breathed, reaching out and tucking a lock of the girl's hair behind her ear. "It is true, we cannot change the past, but I will train you in all that I know. And I'm sure we can convince Rodolphus to give up his knowledge as well, though—" Andromeda giggled at the thought "you'll probably have to do that by yourself. He'd take one look at me and start Cursing."

"Didn't he love you?" Delphi said in confusion. "Mother, I mean?"

Andromeda sighed, leading the girl to sit next to her on the bed. "He did. But first of all, Delphi, you are not his child. He has no children. That made him very, very angry, and so he has harmed your mother quite a lot down through the years. Not that she hasn't returned the favour. They're probably even in their deeds, though I know he has a lot of regrets." She rolled her eyes and flopped backwards onto the bed. "No matter how much I think he deserves to suffer, I still feel sorry for him. It's not easy to deal with Bellatrix Black."

Delphi giggled and lay down next to the witch, curling into her side. "We should go to our safe room," she said, looking into her mother's face. "You should teach me one of your special spells. Dora's mentioned some of them to me."

"Has she now?" Andromeda smirked at Delphini. "Well, I may not be privileged to know those spells, but I do know some dangerous spells I know you would enjoy."

"Then let's go!" Delphi demanded, sitting up and pulling the Bellatrix look-alike with her. "Hurry up!"

Andromeda waved the door open, jumping as she accidentally slammed it before laughing at herself. "I haven't slammed a door in years," she giggled before grabbing Delphi's hand and pulling her along for a few seconds before the two were practically running down the hall side by side as they giggled together.

Someone looked out of the sitting room and yelled in shock before hissing, "Andromeda, that is not wise! If Rodolphus sees you—"

"He's in the garden, doing Merlin knows what," Andromeda snapped. "He won't see."

"What is she doing?" Nymphadora's voice came from the sitting room behind Rabastan.

"You're surprisingly calm for seeing Mother again," Delphi smirked at him. "Now stay out of the way."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed dramatically. "Don't be mean to the poor man." She jumped, hearing Dora get to her feet inside the room. "Come on!" She darted off down the hall, Delphi rushing after her before Dora could look out of the room.

Both witches were giggling at each other when they burst through the doors of their safe room. Andromeda immediately warded the room so no one would burst in on them, and Delphi leant against the wall breathlessly. "I would love for him to look that terrified of me whenever he sees me," she giggled. "Now, about those spells you mentioned..."

Andromeda smirked, motioning Delphi closer as she drew her wand. "Yes," she grinned. "Now, dear, the idea behind this spell..."

Rabastan stood in the doorway, staring after Delphini and what he had thought was Bellatrix as Nymphadora stepped to his side. "Andromeda is insane," he muttered.

"Why?" Nymphadora frowned. "What was she doing with Delphi? They sounded...different."

"Dora..." Rabastan looked pained as he turned to face her. "Andromeda was morphed to look like your mother. I think they were...pretending things that are not so."

"Oh no," Nymphadora sighed, shaking her head as she looked down at her baby girl. "Delphi doesn't need that. She's already upset that she never knew her mother; she doesn't need to go around pretending that Mum is here."

Rabastan shook his head. "Let Andromeda deal with the girl. At least they're not trying to torture one of us or something."

Nymphadora raised an eyebrow at him. "Out of practise?" she teased. "Can't take a bit of torture anymore, Rab?"

"Nymphadora," he said to her, falsely stern, "I am only concerned with how you would fare in such circumstances."

"Well," the brown-haired witch smirked, "I'm sure we would be fine. And I know Andromeda can take care of herself. I just want to know how in the world Delphi managed to convince her to morph to Bellatrix. That is quite a feat."

Rabastan laughed. "Like I said, she had better hope Rodolphus doesn't see her." His wife smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

Delphi smirked to herself as she listened to Marvolo describe in serpent terms what he had seen Rodolphus and Rabastan teaching Rigel. "Nothing too ssspecial, then," she said. "You did well, Marvolo."

He hissed in pleasure at her praise, slithering up her arm and settling across her shoulders as she walked down the hall toward the nursery. "You wish to sssee the child?" he asked her.

"I sssuppose," Delphi sighed. "I should, anyway. But I think Rodolphus is there, and I want to talk to him."

Marvolo didn't answer as the girl walked up to the door and knocked softly, waiting for an answer. To her great annoyance, Nymphadora answered her. "Come in."

Delphi gritted her teeth and entered the room, seeing her sister and Rodolphus standing next to the cradle, the man holding his little niece. She slipped to his side, looking over his arm at the baby girl. After a moment, Nymphadora nodded to the two and left the room quietly.

"Something on your mind, Delphi?" Rodolphus asked her, glancing at her when her sister had gone.

"I just wanted to talk to you," Delphi answered, frowning at baby Bella. "But not here."

"You should hold her," Rodolphus said, motioning to the child in his arms. "While there's no one around."

Delphi shook her head nervously, watching the man gently touch the child's tiny hand with one of his fingers. "I—I couldn't," Delphi whispered.

Rodolphus nodded, looking up at the girl. "Just for a moment," he said softly. "Take a seat, Delphi."

She obeyed after a moment, quite alarmed as he leant down and placed the child in her arms, carefully adjusting her hold on the child. "She—she's okay," Delphi muttered, looking into the child's dark eyes. "But she shouldn't have been named after my mother."

"I agree," Rodolphus said quietly, and Delphi raised her head in surprise. "There should only be one Bellatrix. No one else could ever compare."

"I thought you were okay with it," Delphi muttered, returning her gaze to the child, her eyes narrowing.

"I...am not," Rodolphus admitted. "I completely disagree with it. But I prefer to think of it as Dora's wanting to remember and honour her mother."

Delphi nodded, giving the child a begrudging smile when she yawned, her tiny fist against her cheek. "Well, maybe she's not that bad," she sighed. "Take her, please."

Rodolphus took baby Bella into his arms and said, "Let's give her to her mother, and then you and I can go talk."

Delphi jumped up, glad to finally be doing what she wanted to in the first place. She was relieved that Dora was easily found in the sitting room with Andromeda, and Rodolphus simply handed over the child. He then placed his hand on her shoulder and led her from the room.

"Where did you want to talk?" Rodolphus asked her.

"Well...maybe your room?" Delphi said, wrinkling her nose. "So no one comes looking for me?"

He shook his head at her and led the way down the hall. "So what is it you want to know this time?" he asked her, a slight smirk on his face.

Delphi sat down at his desk chair, drawing her legs up underneath her. "Could you tell me how Mum and Dad met?"

Rodolphus sat perfectly still, willing himself not to move until he knew he would not say or do anything stupid. "Your parents," he said after a long silence, "only met because of me." Delphi did not say a word as she watched him carefully. "Years ago, when Nymphadora was two, or nearly so, Bellatrix convinced me to take her to the Dark Lord. We were engaged at this point, and Dora still lived with Bella at Black Manor. Bellatrix wanted to join the Dark Lord, and I knew her power, could vouch for her. I told the Dark Lord—your father—that Bellatrix was worth twice any of the newer recruits, and I'm sure he wanted to see for himself. He ordered me to bring her to him, and I did."

The man sighed heavily and shook his head. "I could see immediately her fascination with him, though I did not realise it would go so far." Rodolphus sat down on his bed and continued, "She took the Mark that night and went on to be personally taught by the Dark Lord. She grew more powerful than ever under his guidance, and...she withheld nothing from him." The man clenched his right fist for a moment before looking across the room at Delphi. "It didn't take long for them to get together," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I half killed her when I found out, even though I knew there wasn't anything I could really do. As much as I loved her, and had wanted her my entire life, I hated her for what she had done—was doing."

Delphi frowned at the man slightly as he became silent for a few minutes. Finally, he rubbed a hand across his face and said, "I knew there was no use in talking to her about it, but I tried. Then came Azkaban—" he shuddered "twice—" he shuddered again "and when I returned the second time—" Rodolphus' gaze snapped to the girl sitting at his desk. "Bellatrix was pregnant with you."

"I—" Delphi began, then sighed and started over. "I'm glad you don't hate me."

Rodolphus gave a bitter laugh. "I did," he said coldly, and Delphi felt a chill run down her spine. "But you were the Dark Lord's. There was nothing to be done. I couldn't touch Bellatrix, couldn't harm you—it was over from that moment. I knew I could never mean anything to Bellatrix when I saw her again." He jumped to his feet, striding away from the girl and stopped before his wardrobe, reaching out to touch the design on it. "But she loved you. He—he didn't know how to love, how to be a good father—but your mother did everything she could for you. And I—I stayed with Bella during that time, saw how loving she was to you, and I grew to accept that it wasn't your fault."

He turned to look at the girl, pain in his eyes. "I went to see you one night, all alone, kind of like you just did with little Bella. I couldn't understand how a child with your heritage could be so innocent, but I just couldn't be angry with you." His face seemed to want to smile, but couldn't break through his dark emotions. "I decided I would protect you, even if it were only because you were a helpless infant at the time."

"I never hurt children," Rodolphus muttered, shaking his head. "I would never deny a parent their son or daughter. I could never have hurt you, even if the entire situation crushed my happiness even more than Azkaban."

Delphi swallowed hard, staring at the man nervously as he walked toward her. "Bella was happy with him," Rodolphus said roughly, and she could see anger in his eyes. "She was his prize from the day she took the Mark, and now—" he stopped before the girl and looked down at her. "Now I'm left to make sure you fulfil the destiny your parents would have wanted."

She got to her feet, drawing a careful breath before saying, "Thank you, Rod."

His expression was once again unreadable as he shook his head at her. "I don't want your thanks," he said. "I want—I want you to make your mother proud of you, Delphi."

She nodded, and before he could move, she'd wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly in spite of his trying to push her away. "I love you," she said, squeezing him firmly.

"Delphi," he growled in annoyance, though she felt his rejection cease after a moment as he sighed. "I love you too," he muttered, hugging her in return. "Now get out of here. I won't talk anymore."

She nodded, then pulled away from him, hurrying to let herself out of the room. Rodolphus sank down onto the bed again, burying his face in his hands. "Bella," he groaned softly. Damn memories.