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Bella
"Tell me, Lucius." Bellatrix growled, inpatient as he narrowed her eyes at her from the opposite side of the sitting room.
"Why does it matter?" Lucius replied.
"Because I want to know, that's why it matters." Bellatrix said.
"So, ask him." Lucius snapped back.
Nymphadora Black leant back on the sofa next to her mother, she could see her mother becoming more and more impatient with the man as the time went on though Lucius Malfoy was either in a stubborn mood today or a very idiotic one. She personally wouldn't have dared try to hold information back from her mother if she wanted it this badly.
"Surely he should have told you by now, Bellatrix?" Lucius raised an eyebrow at the woman, taunting her was not the way to go this evening and Nymphadora was under the strong belief that if she had not have leant into her mother's side at that exact moment she would have got off of the sofa and cursed her brother-in-law for all he was worth.
"I've been a little pre-occupied, Lucius." Bellatrix hissed. "I spent my first week from Azkaban barely fit enough to walk, then in my second week I finally got my daughter back—I've been training her since then. Please, pray tell Lucius, what have you been doing since The Dark Lord returned that has been so extremely useful? Apart from be forced to give up parts of your manor occasionally?"
"Uncle Lucius," Nymphadora spoke firmly yet with a hint of kindness that her mother lacked as she looked to her Uncle, surely he could see the stupidity of holding such information from her mother? "please, I would quite like to know the story of how The Dark Lord returned."
"I—" Lucius flickered his eyes to Bellatrix for a moment before he rolled his eyes "Fine. He summoned us to a grave yard, he had the Potter boy captured and he had already killed another by the time I arrived—Diggory—he wasn't supposed to have been there for what I had gathered. They got the Potter boy there via portkey, the Triwizard cup, seemed the idiots had decided they wanted to both be winners. Well that didn't turn out too well for either of them, did it?"
"But how did he rise?" Bellatrix hissed.
"Be patient, Bellatrix." Lucius snapped "If you want to hear the story then do not interrupt."
Nymphadora was taken back slightly as she heard her mother growl at the man, she laced her fingers between her mother's own in hopes to calm her.
"So," Lucius continued "as I was saying. There were few who didn't turn up, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch—though that was simply because he was already following orders from the Dark Lord apparently—, those in Azkaban or dead, Snape—"
"Snape didn't return?" Bellatrix gasped "Slimy traitorous—"
"Bellatrix, you have seen him since then, he has clearly returned since." Lucius answered, annoyed "anyway. He told us how he returned, he had been drifting apparently. He was bodiless, some sort of dark parasitic creature that had to possess the bodies of animals to survive. Though he eventually found a Wizard to possess and almost managed to kill the Potter boy he was not successful, he had to flee again. Eventually Wormtail found him—but Wormtail was wanted so he couldn't possess him—and brought him back to the country. He performed some sort of magic to give him a physical form. They managed to get the boy via the portkey to the graveyard—as I already said—and used an ancient magic of sorts that required his father's bones, something from a servant and something from an enemy. That's how he regained his full body."
"Show me . . ." Bellatrix breathed.
"I am not letting you into my mind, Bellatrix." Lucius scoffed, standing to his feet "Go ask Macnair, Avery or one of the others—perhaps they're dumb enough."
"Scared I'd go looking for something you wouldn't want me to in that air head of yours, Malfoy?" Bellatrix taunted.
"You do not scare me, Bellatrix." Lucius said firmly before with one last look at the pair on the sofa he left the room.
"Idiot." Bellatrix breathed. "He should have gone searching for him, he should have ensured our master returned far sooner than this. He is a coward."
"I think he knows that, mum." Dora couldn't help but laugh. "He's terrified of you."
"You think?" Bellatrix grinned as she turned to her daughter.
"Definitely." Dora nodded, sitting up in her seat slightly now that there was no need to restrain her mother from attacking her Uncle anymore.
"Good." Bellatrix laughed for a moment before she sighed with a grin, jumping up to her feet and grabbing her daughters hand to drag her to her feet with her. "Come on, beautiful. We should be training, not sitting around talking."
With a small gasp Nymphadora felt Delphini Riddle leave her mind, she blinked slightly as she tried to shake away the awkward feeling of having her sister explore her memories in such a way. She rubbed her temples as the fifteen-year-old pulled away from her, watching her pace the room as she stroked the hair of her sleeping daughter on her lap.
"That's less detailed than what Andromeda told me." Delphi snapped.
"Well that's all I was told to start with, Delphi." Dora sighed "I only heard little extra bits about his return here and there along the line as time went on. I know mother did go off and convince Avery to let him see her memories—though don't necessarily tell Rodolphus that as I'm unsure as to how she convinced him—but that's how I learnt the extra facts. More things that were said and the likes."
"Yes, that's what's made me think maybe Cedric Diggory is the 'spare' . . . Though the rest of it makes no sense!" Delphi yelled in frustration, suddenly making Nymphadora very relieved that she had put a silencing ward around her sleeping child.
"You just have to think, Delphi." Dora sighed. "I'm sure it will make sense in the end."
"Show me more memories." Delphi demanded as she approached her sister again.
"Delphi, no." Nymphadora groaned "It is late, you have been searching around my mind for hours now and I so tired I can't even think straight let alone think of any sort of memory that may be useful to you right now."
"Show me more meetings." Delphi said, ignoring her sister's remarks of being tired.
"Delphi it's nearly midnight, I need to put Bella in her bed."
"She's fine there." Delphi flickered her eyes to her sleeping niece for a moment before she raised an eyebrow at her sister "Anyone would think you don't want to help me."
"Delphi don't be silly." Dora sighed "I'm trying to help you, if I didn't want to help you I wouldn't show you any of my memories."
"No, you're scared."
"Excuse me?" Dora raised an eyebrow "What have I got to be scared of?"
"Well, it's like mother said, isn't it?" Delphi said, flipping her long silver hair over her shoulder "You should have been looking for your master all of these years, rather than hiding away in the dark and merely reproducing."
"Excuse me!" Nymphadora couldn't help but yell at the girl, though she deep down was worried of what would happen if or when her master returned she was not about to admit that to her sister and she had just been extremely rude "I have spent the last fourteen years of my life making sure that his daughter was not captured, taken, raised by merlin knows who and for all I know never even taught of her true parentage! Do not dare try and insult me, Delphini Riddle. You have no appreciation for what I have done for you over the years."
Delphi glared at her sister, she was unsure of what to say, though was sure if she did begin to scream back at her she would only end up cursing the woman with the child on her lap. She watched as she got up from her seat, cradling the two-year-old in her arms.
"I'm putting Bella to bed." Dora said, taking a deep breath as her red hair turned back to black "I will show you more memories tomorrow if you want to, but for now I need to sleep. Good night." And with that she walked from the room, kissing her daughters head as she tried not to let her sister infuriate her any further.
Rigel was sat in the study of Black Manor, pouring over the Lestrange grimoires. His father had left him for a few hours to go over the books on his own, he and his uncle had already been instructing him for a couple of years now on the ways of their family and it came to be that from time to time they would leave him to learn things on his own. It was as he was sat pouring over a particularly useful looking spell to heal some of the worst injuries caused by dark magic that the door creaked open. The boy frowned as Delphini Riddle entered the room, a glint in her dark eyes that let him know that she was clearly up to something.
"Delphi . . ." Rigel said, tilting his head as he frowned at the girl. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to find you." Delphi smiled, far too innocently for his liking, as she walked over to the desk and sat before him.
"Me?" Rigel asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "Why me?"
"Perhaps I just wanted your company." Delphi feigned hurt "I'm aloud to want to talk to my nephew if I want to."
"I'm not calling you Auntie Delphi if you're trying to start that one again." Rigel groaned "It's weird, you're my age."
"No," Delphi rolled her eyes in amusement. "I've been trying to solve this merlin damned prophecy, I thought I'd come seek your company to break the intense boredom."
". . . Mum said you've been searching her memories." Rigel sat forward in his seat, ever so slightly curious about this strange prophecy. "Why?"
"Why do you think?" Delphi sighed, as if it was obvious. Though the boy merely shrugged his shoulders at her, she rolled her eyes. "If I can hope to understand the prophecy I need to look into the past for clues, anything from old meetings, old information—things stupid books that have been written on the war leave out."
"Mum doesn't like those books, she won't get them." Rigel said.
"But Andromeda doesn't mind getting a few for me." Delphi smirked.
"How?"
"She has her ways—it's unimportant." Delphi sighed. "But they're useless anyway, they're all one sided about how awful my Father and his Death Eaters were, a load of rubbish." Though Delphi couldn't help but smirk as she remembered some of the 'awful' things she had read.
"So, ask Rodolphus to see his memories." Rigel suggested, though Delphi scoffed at this suggestion.
"I have." Delphi said "I've seen a lot of them—though your mother has memories from when Rodolphus wasn't around and mother didn't exactly pay him much attention once she got her precious first-born daughter back. Nymphadora has the most useful information I think."
"And have you actually managed to find anything useful?" Rigel asked.
"Some . . ." Delphi sighed, slumping back in her chair. "Though not enough. I'm still stuck . . . When spares are spared . . . Well, father killed many people in his time—that's a lot of people that could have been 'spared' . . .when time is turned, . . . Fat lot of good that part does me at the moment . . . when unseen children murder their fathers . . . Well I'm an 'unseen child' I suppose—no-one ever met me when I was born, I was kept an entire secret. I suppose that's why every time the Prophet reports on us they call me the 'mystery child'. Though how they could think I'm your mother's I'll never know . . .will the dark lord return. It means something. It all means something, but I can't figure it out."
"Well," Rigel thought for a moment before he looked to the silver haired girl in front of him "When time is turned. Time turners?"
"They don't exist anymore." Delphi snapped. "Nymphadora told me they all got destroyed in the ministry when Lucius Malfoy led a disastrous mission. Rodolphus said the same."
"Oh . . ." Rigel bit his lip in thought for a moment before he shrugged "Then I don't know. No clue. Sorry."
"Hmpf." Delphi furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as she got up from her chair. "Fat lot of good you are."
"I said I'm sorry." Rigel mumbled.
"It's fine." Delphi mumbled, though she was clearly annoyed as she went to leave the room.
At that moment, the boy's father entered the room. The girl stopped in her tracks for a moment as they both locked eyes, each with a look of annoyance and dislike for the other on their features. It wasn't until the man raised his eyebrow in challenge to the girl that she shook her head and left the room. Rabastan sighed as he shut the door behind her, looking to his son curiously.
"What was she doing in here?" Rabastan asked.
"Nothing." Rigel said, looking back to his book again.
"Rigel." Rabastan walked over to the desk, his eyes boring into his son until he eventually sighed and leant back to look up at his father.
"She wanted to talk about the prophecy." Rigel said.
"The prophecy?" Rigel nodded in reply to his father. "I see . . ." Rabastan hesitated for a moment before he walked over to his son's chair, the boy automatically standing to look up at his father (though he was now nearly the man's own height). "Rigel, do not get involved in that prophecy."
"But—" Rigel frowned in confusion "why?"
"Because I asked you to." Rabastan stated.
"But surely you want the Dark Lord to return?" Rigel asked, "It would mean the end of us living in hiding, we would be able to leave the manor, run free in the world."
Rabastan sighed as his son's hair tinged his favourite shade of bright green at the mere thought of it. "You're too young to understand, Rigel."
"Try me." Rigel said. "I'm not a child—"
"You are a child, you are my child and you will listen to what I tell you to do." Rabastan snapped, though as he watched the green fade from his son's hair again he pressed his fingers to his temples as he tried to think of how best to explain this to his son, to remind himself to stay calm with the boy. He couldn't help it but every time he saw Delphini Riddle she evoked a rage in him that was hard to control at times. "I'm sorry . . . Rigel you can't understand, you haven't lived through it all. I am not saying I would not want the Dark Lord back—not at all—though I ask you to try and not to get involved with Delphini's pursuit of solving and potentially starting this prophecy happening. Your Uncle is helping her, so is your mother by the sounds of things." Rigel couldn't help but think his father didn't seem very happy with that last part, though he didn't make a comment. "I merely ask that you focus on become the strong wizard that I know you can be. People too close to such plans as these do not fare well. You are my heir, Rigel, I want you safe."
Rigel thought for a moment. He couldn't see why he couldn't help Delphi, though as he looked up into his father's eyes he couldn't remember the last time he had seen him look so concerned for him. He gave a curt nod, if it was going to make his father happy it was the least he could do to agree to what he had asked. Though that didn't necessarily mean he had to keep to his word, it just meant he had to be more discreet if he did so choose to help Delphini Riddle.
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