Welcome one, welcome all, to another chapter of a Bad Moon Rising, in which we jump back a few hours and hear about a summer spent with family went from someone we haven't seen in a while.
Welcome to chapter fifteen:
Devil's Daughter.
On with the show.
Malfoy Manor, September 1st, early morning.
Knock, Knock, Knock, echoed throughout the French Villa-style room of contrasting black and white, the black marble floors and walls with the high white ceiling and white pillars that hold up the vaulted ceiling. It was a large open room that oozed decadence and money, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors lining the south side of the room that led to a large patio area outside. The room was sparsely decorated with anything akin to personal belongings, simply Spartan with a large desk, a few bookshelves, a large four-poster bed, two chairs, a coffee table, and a large couch on the other side of the room. Other than the glass doors, there were three dark mahogany doors in the room, one leading to a private bathroom, one to a walk-in closet, and the last leading into the manor proper, and that was the door that someone was knocking on.
Knock, knock, knock once again echoed throughout the room, but this time it was followed by the voice of the Lady of the Manor, "It's time to get up Poppet, we need to get you and Draco fed before heading off, time to get up," Mrs. Malfoy's muffled voice sounds out as the bump in the middle of tangled sheets begins to twist and move as the silvery-blond hair covered head emerges from the comforter, beady eye, and messy hair looks around the room as her full lips smack together before she calls out, "Alright, Alright, I'm up, I'm up," she calls out as she begins to worms herself out from the tangle sheets at the middle of the bed.
"Breakfast is in an Hour, Poppet, try and be downstairs before then," Narcissa says through the door before the clicking of her heels can be heard walking away from the door.
Her feet finally touch the marble floor that was warmed by what little sunlight entered through the windows as she stands up and throws the blanket off of her, Delphini R. Lestrange stood stretching and moaning at the pops that sound out from her back, naked as the day she was born. Delphini didn't understand why people wore pajamas to bed, not when things like Egyptian Cotton sheets with a thread count of over five hundred and silk blankets existed and felt too damn good on the skin. Delphini groans as she walks over to her vanity before sitting down before it and picking up the silver-handled brush to tame the bedhead she has from her night of sleep, the waxy scars going up and down her right forearm shined in the morning light, she had accumulated them through the practice of her witchcraft and her particular brand of magic, but they weren't the only scars she bore. The thick one's going up and down in unbroken lines from hip to knee on her right thigh made from sloppy healing magic from only three years ago, and the crisscross ones on her lower back, thighs, and pads of her feet were from a lifetime of living with Rowle, other than the torture curse, her favorite one to use on Delphini was the lashing charm to punish her for not "Acting like a proper lady".
Other than the scars she bore from her childhood, Daphini quite liked her body and how she choose to decorate it, the trail of runes wrapping around her thin waist and just above her hip bones was one of her most dangerous but brilliant ideas, inscribing runes onto one's body was frowned down upon do to the absurd Danger that was inherent to rune craft because one flaw, one mistake, and the runes could explode and since they were inked into her skin, it wouldn't have ended well for Delphini if she or the boy she had paid to do her back had fucked up in any way. But luckily the minor Notice-Me-Not charm that the runes were made to do didn't explode and take her with them, they weren't always active, and needed a bit of her blood to do that, and weren't that powerful, but they did help when she needed to sneak around Durmstrang without Kakaroff or the other teachers noticing her. There was also the augury in between her shoulder blades that she loved, she had spent a full week and a half sketching out Tycho to get him just right for the tattoo.
Delphini sighs as she works out the knots from her silvery-blonde hair, and begins to reminisce about her summer at Malfoy Manor, it had taken a bit to get used to undoubtedly. For one, she no longer had to walk on eggshells like she had to with Madan Rowle, when she and the sperm donor had returned to the point where Kakaroff had dragged her to during the third task before the sperm donor killed him for being a coward and turncoat, Voldemort had healed her lip brought her back to Malfoy Manor and introduced her to Narcissa Malfoy as "Dear Bella's Daughter," to say the older woman was shocked would be an understatement, all Narcissa did was raised a brow at Voldemort's words before the man himself had asked nicely if Delphini could stay at the manor, to which Narcissa agreed before the sperm donor had left them with a bow.
After Voldemort left, Narcissa had taken Delphini's chin in her hand softly and turned her head this way and that, inspecting every inch of her face as a soft look came over her face before stepping back and smiling softly at Delphini, "You look just like her Poppet, before," Narcissa than sighed before shaking her head, "Nevermind that, you look just like Bella, and that's what matters, though I have no idea where that blond hair came from," she said with a frown.
Delphini didn't have the heart to tell the woman it was the doing of the two piercings in the cartilage of her ear that turned her hair from crazy curly brown to straight and sleek silvery-blond. Because when one wants to avoid being called out for being related to Voldemort's best lieutenant and most Ardent follower, you don't go running around looking like her.
Narcissa didn't approve much of her piercings or dyed hair, Delphini could see it in her eyes, but the woman never said anything about them either, so Delphini had chosen to take a few of them out and let the color-changing charm fade for the summer while staying with her aunt, with only the ones in her ears and tongue staying in. But having an Aunt was a whole new experience for Delphini and an odd one at that, the first thing Narcissa did was drag Delphini out to Diagon Alley to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe after Delphini had explained that she didn't have anything anymore. Narcissa didn't even blink at the amount of gold she spent on new clothes of fine silk and satin, robes, skirts, dresses, shirts, blouses, and everything in between as well as a week and a half worth of school clothes for Delphini to wear for when she went to Hogwarts. All the while Delphini was being poked and prodded by pins and her measurements taken for everything Narcissa asked questions, so many, many questions.
From Delphini's favorite foods and colors, to where she had gone to school and what her favorite subjects were, to questions that Delphini had avoided like what her childhood was like and who had raised her, all Narcissa got out of her those questions was a quick change in subject and platitudes for the clothes. Though to be fair the woman, her aunt, well and truly wanted to spend time with her before Delphini went off to Hogwarts and treated Delphini like a member of her family and, oddly, like a daughter. That thought had made Delphini squirm a bit in her seat from the uncomfortable and alien emotions that bubbled up within her, Delphini wasn't used to people doing that to her, for her, she was always seen as either an unwanted burden of a half-blood or something to be used, like some tool that could be cast away. So, for Narcissa to do this for her, to treat Delphini like this threw the young girl for a loop that she didn't know how to recover from.
Delphini pushes the thoughts of her aunts and odd feelings from her mind as she stood up from the vanity before going to the walk-in closet, she ran her hand down the hanging dresses to the small dresser at the back of the closet. She wasn't much of a dress girl, more a trouser type of gal, dresses didn't give off the look she wanted to portray, and thought ripped black trousers did a much better job of conveying that, for Delphini was a Witch and she practiced Witchcraft. She was the type to dance naked under the full moons light and leap over bonfires, she played with dark magic like it was a toy, and wove her spells and curses into being with rhyme, twine, and yew wood in the dark of the night, and brew poisons and potions for woe and weld to all those who both cross her and bow to her and a silk dress made for high society balls just didn't portray that.
She quickly gets dressed in a light blue blouse and a black skirt with leggings and her old boots from Durmstrang before walking out of the closet and double checks if she had packed everything in her new trunk the night before, and in neat organized sections, she smiles and nods seeing that she had. Just as she closes and locks her truck, another knock sounds at the door before the familiar voice of her cousin drifts through the closed door.
"Del, you decent?" Draco asks the lesson of just walking into her room learned very early in the summer when he first met her right after she had crawled out of bed and got an eyeful of her naked, and ooooooh boy, did Aunt Narcissa come down of him with the fury of a demon when she found out how rude Draco had been doing that.
"Yeah, you can come in Draco," Delphini calls out as she stands and walks over to one of the glass doors that lead to the patio area and unlocks it as the door to her room opens, Draco was dressed sharply in slacks and shiny shoes, a black button up and a suit jacket, Draco would deny it with his dying breath that the outfit he wore was muggle in any way, but they both knew it was, didn't stop him from looking good in it however.
"Good Morning, Del," Draco greets her as he walks in, heading toward one of the chairs in her room to sit down in, "Mother sent me up to check if you are getting ready or lazing about," he says with a small grin as Delphini steps outside rolling her eyes.
"Just one last thing and I'll be ready," Delphini says before putting her fingers to her lips and letting out a whistle, he answered almost immediately with a shrill cry before descending from the trees outside the manor. The mottled green and black feathers shone in the early morning light as Tycho landed on her outstretched arm, he had shown up a few weeks ago at the manor much to the surprise of Delphini and poor Lucius who almost had a heart attack when he had opened a window to let some air into the dining room. Both Lucius and Aunt Narcissa had tried to banish the Irish Phoenix before Delphini was able to stop them, Delphini had no idea how her oldest friend had found her but she wasn't about to question it because she was glad to finally have him back. Narcissa even went so far as to pull some strings so Delphini was able to bring Tycho with her to Hogwarts, apparently, the Headmaster had a soft spot for bird companions or whatever.
As Delphini turned to walk back into the manor she had a slight frown on her face, she disliked the idea of locking Tycho up in any way, he'd been locked in a cage since she could remember and didn't want to do that to him again. But birds had to be locked up for transport on the express so, the large cage Tycho would go with a soft apology from Delphini she put him in the golden cage, though Tycho didn't seem to mind as he settled in for a nap.
Delphini turns back to Draco with a smile, "Breakfast time, isn't it?" she asks before Draco and she makes their way down to the dining room. She had gotten to know her cousin a bit over the last few months, and other than being a bit of a spoiled brat, he was an okay guy with a love for Quidditch and flying and a growing interest in Artificing. They spent many of a late night in the Malfoy Library talking or just reading about the different interesting magics they would come across on the shelves, Draco was a surprisingly good conversationalist able to talk and keep up with plenty of subjects and odd trails of thought. The downside was that he had completely bought into the pure-blood mania that Lucius and Rowle had, though he didn't seem to mind half-bloods all that much from his words, and she wasn't sure if he was just puppeting his father's words or truly believing them.
They had gone flying a few times during the summer, and she had to admit, Draco was pretty good on a broom and looked professional next to Delphini who didn't share the talent for flying that Draco seemed to have and was proud of so they didn't do more than toss the quaffle about, which while not all that exciting, was fun for the both of them. The one thing that Delphini learned about her cousin was to never bring up Pot-Head in a conversation or else the blond boy would go on a tangent and drive himself up the wall with his bitching about Harry and his two friends and just how much he hated them, which was rather impressive if you asked her. So, Delphini avoided any topic that could be remotely connected to the Pot-Head for her cousin's sake.
Breakfast was a quick affair with the four of them, eating quickly and quietly before needing to get to the platform, with Draco and Delphini eating quietly while Narcissa was reading the political commentary on the Wizengamot and the latest upturns, Lord Ollivander had officially surrendered his Wizengamot seat to a nephew of his. They had both showed up before Wizengamot a week before and went through this whole ceremony where Ollivander turned over his Lord's Ring and seat to his nephew, who showed up with a fucking sword strapped to his belt of all bloody things before taking the Ollivander House seat and showing up on a more frequent base than the former Lord Ollivander ever did, teaming up with the other most ancient and most noble houses on various things, which was beginning to worry a lot of the Death Eaters in Wizengamot for the formidable power base forming in the upper houses, even the current head of House Bones had dropped hints that she was looking into finding a proxy for her own house and not waiting till her niece comes of age as she had said before.
Lucius was reading the business section with a frown growing on his face, out of everyone in Malfoy Manor, Lucius was the one she got along with the least, and had an unspoken agreement to avoid each other at most and ignore one another at the very least unless they had a direct question for the other, which rarely happened outside of the dining room. Delphini had a lot of problems with the tight-ass upstart that was Lucius Malfoy and could barely hide her hatred for the man, he dismissed classical witchcraft as weak and ardently defended that wanded magic and Wizardry were far greater than anything Delphini could do, while not as sexist as it sounded, it still planted seeds of the growing hate for the man, then there was the way he treated the house elves that set Delphini's blood boiling.
The only person that showed her true kindness while in Rowles tender care was Kettle the house elf who would sneak her food and healing salves, and kept her company in the dark of the cage during cold nights, casting spells to keep her warm or dry. The only thing that Delphini regretted from the day she had killed Rowle and burned down the manor house that held so much pain for her was the fact that Kettle died, she had wept for the house elf that night. But Lucius treated them like slaves and possessions more so than the living breathing being that they were, beating them and punishing them for even the slightest reason to "remind them of their place," as he often said but the joke was on him, as Delphini would leave out small bowls of cream and honey for them in her room when they cleaned it.
After their quick breakfast was done and their trunks shrunk down, they had quickly gone to the floo parlor to take the quick way to the Platform with twenty minutes to spare, as Narcissa was checking with both her and Draco, asking if they had forgotten anything before giving them a list of important things that were indeed packed away, she had smiled at them both before it completely dropped at the sound of a door opening before her face went completely blank as her, Lucius and Draco all turned to bow their heads in respect to who had just walked into the parlor.
The Sperm Donor, Voldemort, Tom fucking Riddle.
He had stayed with the Malfoy on and off throughout the summer, always showing up without warning and rushing through the Manor to collect this or that or to speak to Lucius about one thing or another, if he stayed late enough or long enough he would sit and have dinner with them. Which was the weirdest fucking thing imaginable, because Delphini knew he was just doing it to seem polite and would much rather eat in private than speak to anyone. It wasn't until the very rare few times they were alone together that she had asked him about it, and how he answered spoke a lot of his character underneath the guise of a god and wannabe dark lord of the Sith.
"There is a certain amount of respect that those who bare my mark own me as their sworn lord, Narcissa Malfoy isn't one of them, but respect she still shows, and in return, I show her the same," Voldemort had told her, late one night in the Malfoy Library as he was researching the history of Ireland and its kings, "Do not confuse the mask of a bored societal housewife she wears with what she truly is, Dear Delphini, for it, is just a thin veneer to hide what she truly is, that of a vicious viper made from fiendfyre and diamonds who would sooner curse her guest then suffer any impropriety and disrespect from them, so who am I to turn down the simple request of a polite dinner without the talk of murder and mayhem for the sake of her son from such a woman," he had told her and boy did that put Aunt Narcissa in a certain light if even one of the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever seen to bow down to a request from her.
And dinner he did stay for, even leaving out his ever-present snake Nagini for them, never speaking about his plots and plans or what was to come for a more toned-down and polite conversation, even going so far as drawing Draco and Her into the conversation to get their opinions on history or some field of magic they discussed before offering them both books or scrolls from his private collections for them to read as well as approving of Draco's growing interest in Artificing and Alchemy as well as Delphini's mastery over her craft.
Delphini could see how the man had drawn so many to his side with charisma alone as well as his depth of magical knowledge was outstanding, it wasn't hard to tell how he had brought an entire country to its knees and almost won. What was even more surprising was how well he spoke of the woman who had bested him, showing the woman respect even in death by refusing to call her anything close to insulting the rare times she had come up and punished anyone harshly that did.
But as he stood in the floo parlor, looming over them, his scarlet eyes burned into Delphini's who tried hard not to flinch away from them, inspecting her as if one would inspect a sword or a piece of bait, "My apologies for interrupting your departure, but I felt the need to see the children off as well, if you do not mind," Voldemort says as he folds his hands behind his back.
"Of course not my Lord," Lucius says, bowing his head to Voldemort as Narcissa does a small courtesy to him as well.
"Children, I know I do not need to say this but feel the need to all the same," Voldemort says, turning back to Delphini and Draco, "But you are not to speak about me, not even to the children of my followers, for all instances and purposes I am still gone and wish it to remain that way, do you understand?" he asks before Draco and Delphini nod their head with a "Yes, sir,"
"Good, now I turn my attention to you, dear Delphini, our bargain was struck and I have completed my first half of it. I expect you to follow through on your end with an update during Yule break, do you understand?" Voldemort asks and watches as Delphini nods her head in agreement, "Good, and know while some of my plans have been pushed back, the second half of our agreement has not for I will not let it, and soon, you will meet her," He says with a charming smile for a snake as Aunt Narcissa frowns for just a moment, "But go on children, study hard, and learn all you can for a wish you a happy school year," Voldemort says before turning on his heel and walking away from them all.
Platform nine and three quarters
They had arrived at the hustle and bustle of the platform which was a far different sight than the boat ride to Drumstang she was used to. Parents were everywhere hugging and wishing their kids a happy school year while telling them they'll see them at Christmas or Yule depending on the family. Delphini, in wanting to keep a low profile until she arrived at Hogwarts doesn't stick around to meet her cousin's friends, and cohorts in troublemaking and makes her way onto the already packed train to find an empty compartment to set up in before unshrinking her trunk and pulling out the piercings she had taken out for her stay at Malfoy Manor that were kept in a silk bag, her ivory needles, and of course, her fetish. The carved ivory bone knife she had made with pain, blood, and bone only three years ago has been one of the biggest boons she has ever done for herself even if it did hurt like fuck to make it.
With a quick transfiguration, she changes her leggings into fishnets before strapping the needles and blade to the belt that kept her skirt up, the black leather pack handing down the side of her thigh just over her skirt and the blade at the base of her spine, she nods to herself before levitating her trunk onto the racks above the seats before dropping down into one and kicking her feet up on the other side with a growing bit of excitement in her stomach.
Delphini had always wanted to go to Hogwarts, having been told it was where her parents and sperm donor had gone to, but thanks to Rowle, she was denied that and it wasn't until last year that she finally saw the castle and took every opportunity to explore it that she could, thinking she would never see it again. But, now with Rowle and Kakaroff dead, she was finally free to go to the school that was her birthright.
It takes a few minutes for Draco to catch up with her and enter the compartment with two thuggish-looking meatheads that look a few brain cells short of drooling, but they enter and load up their trunks on the racks above while chatting when one of the meat heads turn to look at her, his eyes roving down her legs while a perverted look comes over his face.
"Oi, who's the bird?" One of them says, finally catching the attention of the other slow one who looked at her with the same interest.
"No clue, but how you doing, good looking?" the other says with a stupid grin before Delphini turns to Draco.
"Do you want to tell them, or am I going to have to curse some bits?" Delphini asks with a raised brow and sounding bored.
Draco sighs before rubbing his eyes, "Crabbe, Goyle, this is my cousin, Delphini Lestrange," he says with a gesture at her and emphasizing her last name, causing the two dimwits to blink before peeling as what they just said to who finally crossed their mind before they started to apologize to her and taking their seats. Delphini ignores them as she turns to look out the window again only to see Aunt Narcissa and Lucius waving at the window causing her to drop her feet so Draco can move to the window and poke his head out to speak to them, with Aunt Narcissa reminding him of a few things and telling him to watch out for her and show Delphini around the school. Draco promises he would before moving to shut the window just before a scowl appears on his face as he slams it shut.
"Great, Potter just showed up," Draco says in disgust before popping down in the seat right in front of Delphini with a shake of his head, "Can you believe that he's going to inherit the House of Black after the dark lord kills that blood traitor cousin of ours?" he says, turning back to Delphini With a scowl. the subject of Narcissa getting disowned and disinherited from the House of Black was a point of contention in Malfoy Manor over the summer, Lucius was pissed about it, which meant in turn pissed off Draco who was set to inherit it when Sirius Black died, Aunt Narcissa didn't seem all that surprised and was more upset about the lost of her maiden name more than anything, she was, after all, a proud daughter of the House of Black.
Delphini just shrugs, she had no real tangible connection to the House of Black so she didn't care, she bore the last name of Lestrange, even if it wasn't true. But it doesn't stop Draco from driving himself into a tizzy about Pot-Head and his friends, honestly, Draco should just ask the three of them to run a train on him and get the fuck over it already. Delphini tries to tune him out but catches the words "Teaching Potter his place this year," which snaps Delphini out of her thoughts before she turns back to her cousin and swiftly delivers a kick to his shin.
"Oww, fuck, Delphini that-" Draco says grabbing his shin before Delphini cuts him off.
"You will do no such thing, Draco," Delphini snaps at him before leaning forward in her seat, "You are to leave Pot-Head the fuck alone this year unless he starts shit with you, understand?" she tells him with a glare as confusion colors his face.
"What? Why?" Draco asks, still rubbing his shin.
"It has to do with that favor I own to the head snake," Delphini tells him and watches as the realization quickly blooms in his eyes, "So, Leave Pot-Head and his friends alone this year, because if you fuck this up for me I will break my foot off in your ass, do you understand?" She tells him with a glare while the meat heads look between her and Draco.
"Fine," Draco grumbles before sitting back in his seat with an unhappy look on his face as Delphini does the same with a smile. The meatheads and Draco get to chat about their summers while Delphini ignores them, but it doesn't take long for the door to the compartment to fly open and a girl Delphini doesn't know steps inside before shutting it behind her.
"Oh my witchfather you won't believe what-Who the hell are you?" The girl asked, and Delphini immediately hated her, her scrunched-up pug nose turned up to look down at her, the winy high-pitched voice and the tone of superiority as well as the look the girl gave between Delphini and Draco got on her nerves to the point that Delphini want to make a new stuffy.
"Delphini Lestrange, Draco's cousin," Delphini answered with disdain and watched as the girl's eyes go wide and gap like a fish before Delphini turns away from her.
"Oh," The girl says before turning back to Draco, "Anyway, you won't believe what just happened!" she says in glee before sitting next to Draco and wrapping her arms around him, almost making Delphini gag, "Potter just got bitch slapped by Greengrass!" she says with a giggle as Draco's head snaps to her before he lets out a laugh.
"What the hell caused that?" Draco asks with a grin.
"Apparently, she believes that Potter was lying like the Prophet has been saying all summer and accused him of using dark magic, it was amazing!" the girl says with a grin, "Honestly surprised that he didn't tear her apart!" she says before giggling a bit.
"Pansy, Potter is lying, the prophet would never spread something untrue," Draco says with a glare causing a confused and hurt look to come over her face before Delphini can see the light bulb go off over her head.
"Oh, yes, of course," The girl, Pansy, mutters before looking ashamed for a moment and looking away for a moment and Delphini looks back out the window once more.
"So, Pot-head got dumped, a good bit of luck that," Delphini thought to herself, she was thinking about how to get Pot-Head away from his girlfriend all summer. While she thought about getting him alone for a shag and getting the teenage boy wrapped around her finger that way, she also remembered that she didn't have a time limit for the most part and could take it slowly. Feel out his relationship with the girl and friends before trying anything as drastic as getting him to cheat, people tend to act oddly with a working conscience and all that stuff. She would need to take this slow, work, and worm her way into capturing his heart, she had a bit of an opening with him, but once her last name comes out, he may react differently to her.
Delphini sighs out loud, this was going to be a long year.
Hogsmead station.
After Draco and Pansy left for some meeting for prefects, she had threatened Goon one and Goon two to get lost at wand point and leave her alone with the looks that gave her; Delphini can and was more than willing to stab the two knuckleheads if they tried to do anything, but gave them a warning instead. They were teenage boys, so long as they kept their tongues in check and hands to themselves, she didn't mind the looks, but best to drive the message that she wasn't one to fuck around early. By the time Draco had come back with a scowl on his face and the pug-looking girl in his arms, he had a new round of bitching about the "Mudblood and the Blood traitor" becoming prefects as well that Delphini chose to ignore.
By the time those two had to leave again, the snack cart had shown up and Delphini all but threw all her gold at the woman and bought out her whole stock of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum like the addict she was. With the sweet, sweet taste of Crazyberry back on her tongue her sour mood had finally gone away as the train rolled to a stop, she stepped off the train dressed in her blank Hogwarts uniform while stuffing her now charmed hair into a large witches hat that would cover her face to avoid people asking about her. Delphini was told that Hogwarts had accepted her transfer and was going to call her up on stage to be sorted, all she had to do was stay just outside the great hall to be called on, but as soon as she stepped off the train and heard the call of an older woman yelling for first years to follow her, Delphini smiles before turning to the voice and walking over to it, ignoring Draco's questions and shouts.
The lady calling for first years was an older woman, mid sixty maybe in her early seventies, and watches as Delphini approaches with an easy grin, "You do know the carriages are over there, right young lady?" she asks, gesturing with the lamp she was holding in the direction of said carriages.
"I do, but I was hoping to get a ride on the boats," Delphini answers truthfully, "I'm the transfer student that's coming in this year, and since it's technically my first year, well," She says with a shrug as the older woman narrows her eyes at her before a small grin appears on her face.
"Ay, I suppose you have a point, girly, just don't rock any of the boats, understand?" She says to Delphini, as Delphini smiles right back at her before throwing up a mock salute.
"Ay, Ay, Captain!" Delphini says with a grin causing the older woman to chuckle at her antics.
"It's Professor Grubbly-Plank to you, girly, now on with ya," Professor Grubbly-Plank waved her by with all the other munchkins that were looking around with wide-eyed wonder and large smiles that Delphini matched as she vigorously blow and popped numerous bubbles causing a few of the muggleborns to look at in wonder as the charmed bubbles popped and sent a spry of random magical effects throw the air.
The trip across the lake was breathtaking as the first years see the castle for the first time when they cross around the bend to see the silhouette illuminated by the almost full moon, the windows lit up and around welcoming them to their new school, to their new home. Delphini felt wonder and woe at the sight that was robbed from her over the last six years, and couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she had gone to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang, would she have been able to get any with the dark magic that she did at Durmstrang or the rituals, would she have found the Chamber of Secrets without Pot-Heads help? Would she have met him earlier and become friends with him? She didn't know, but she would like to think yes to all of them.
When the boats finally made the landing in the cove on the Black Lake, Delphini made sure all the munchkins were dry and warm as they gathered at the door to the castle before Professor Grubbly-Plank looked at her with approval and knocked on the door. Who answered was one of the most severe no-nonsense looking witches Delphini had ever seen dressed in gold and red robes with a large hat cocked slightly to the side as her eyes look over her glasses inspecting the new students who had just arrived before stopping to look at Delphini.
"You, look a bit old to be a first-year, Miss," The older witch says, frowning a bit at the perceived antics of Mischief from Delphini.
"Well, it's technically my first year, Professor," Delphini says with a large grin back at the older woman whose eyes narrow at her words.
"Ah, Miss Lestrange, I see," The older woman says before ushering the first years into the hall just beyond the door and walking them to a large door in the corridor before turning to face them, "Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor House Minerva McGonagall, in a few minutes we will be getting to the sorting ceremony in which you will all be divided into one of the four houses, which are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, each house has a long and prestige history and have produced some of the greatest Witches and Wizards of our time, while you are in them they will be like a family to you, where your triumphs will earn you house points and while any Mischief will lose you them, at the end of the year the house with the most points wins the House Cup, a great honor," Professor McGonagall says her eyes sweeping over the crowd looking for any future trouble makers before turning to Delphini.
"Miss Lestrange, since you are here and not where you were asked to wait, I will have you come out on stage with the first years, but you will be sorted last, understand?" Professor McGonagall asks, giving Delphini a hard look.
Delphini smiles coyly and nods her head, "Yes, Ma'am, I understand," she tells the Professor who turns back to the crowd of students.
"I will be back in a few moments, try not to wander off," The older woman says before going through the large door, and as soon as the door shuts, the munchkins begin to whisper and talk excitedly amongst themselves as Delphini stands off to the side to watch them all.
It was when she was watching a few pointing and gawking at the moving portraits that she felt something coming before she had ever seen or heard anything. It sent shivers down her spine and goosebumps up her arms, as she felt something obscenely powerful approaching the first years with click click click of high heels on the castle's stone floor. Delphini slowly turns her head with wide eyes in the direction of it and is almost floored at what she saw, a beautifully striking woman walking closer to them, the type of beauty that men have fought and died in wars over, her pale flawless skin seemed to glow in the torchlight as the shadows seem to bend in towards her, her long auburn hair fell in curls down her right shoulder as a breathtaking smile was found on her full blood red lips that highlighted her eyes that were the color of spilled blood.
Delphini had stood next to both her sperm donor and Dumbledore and had felt like she was on the edge of a storm like at any moment it was to be released in all the fury and chaos it could bring, but this woman? She was a storm.
She walked with a simple and elegant grace that takes years to perfect, every movement seemed to be a prelude to a dance with how effortlessly each movement bled into the next. The confidence of her stroll alone Delphini knew she would be trying to copy for years to come, this woman looked sure of herself and confident that she could take on any obstacle, any person, and completely take them apart with ease. And from the age she felt rolling off the woman, it wasn't hard to imagine that she could do just that.
She woman stops in front of the gathering of munchkins and smiles at them warmly and welcoming that looked as sweet as honey as her black dress made with what looked to be silk as soft as shadows and hung over one shoulder continued to flow and move along with the red and black checkered Bratt that hung down her other shoulder that was pinned in place with some type of insignia of a red stick inside of a circle.
"Well, you all must be the new first years," She says, and to Delphini's ears sounded like dripping sex as she feels her jaw drop, "While I'm sure Minerva has already done it, I'd like to welcome you all to Hogwarts, I am Professor Árd-Greimne, the Professor of Defensive Arts here at this fine institution and greatly look forward to having each and every one of you in my class," She says lovingly sharing a smile with each of the munchkins and even Delphini who felt flush red and gape at the woman before her.
"With that being said, has anyone seen a great big black hound? Probably lazing about and sleeping somewhere down here?" Professor Árd-Greimne asks and Delphini had to fight down the urge to start barking for the woman because holy fuck! Delphini was quite sure she just found her teacher to crush on. But as the munchkins who were all looking at her in the same type of awe that Delphini was shaking their heads, the Professor frowns just before the door opens again and The Deputy Headmistress steps out back into the corridor.
"Ah, Lady Scáthach, there you are, I should have guessed you would have wanted to greet the new first years," McGonagall says with a slight dip of her head to the Professor Árd-Greimne who turns to McGonagall with a slight smile and a chuckle.
"Caught me red-handed, Minerva," Scáthach says with a smile, "And I've told you a hundred times, please, just call me Scáthach, we are colleagues after all," She tells McGonagall who raises an eyebrow at Scáthach.
"Then forgive me, Scáthach, for being proper with a lady of your stature, shall we say?" McGonagall says her lips twitching upwards as Scáthach once again chuckles.
"Oh, come now Minerva, we both know there is no forgiving that," She says with a sly smile to the older-looking woman that almost floors Delphini, "But I did come down here for another reason, I'm looking for my hound, you wouldn't have happened to see the lazy mutt, have you?" Scàthach asks, raising a brow.
"Last I heard it was scaring the daylights out of the older students near the front door," McGonagall tells the dark beauty who rolls her blood-red eyes at what was said.
"How very much like him, it seems old habits are hard to kick even for old dogs like him," she says with a sigh and a shake of her head, "Do tell Albus I'll be a bit late, will you?" Scáthach asks, before McGonagall simply nods before Professor Árd-Greimne turns around and begins to walk away causing Delphini to hate dresses even more because she would kill to see that woman in a pair of hip huggers just once. But as the other Professor sweeps around the corner, McGonagall turns back to Delphini and the munchkins.
"Are you all ready?" McGonagall asks without prelude before having them form a single file line with Delphini at the very back before marching them into the great hall.
As a general rule of thumb, Delphini didn't like attention, didn't like being noticed because normally bad things would happen if she ever caught Rowle's attention at all, either from good deeds or accomplishments or Delphini's rebellious attitude or Mischief she would be caught in always ended in one way, pain, and isolation. Delphini would rather skirt around the edge of people's attention and go unnoticed by all if she could help it, but this, sadly, wasn't the time for that. Delphini had to be noticed, she had to be seen by everyone in this hall, especially Pot-Head, she had to make him see her, to catch his attention while being as disarming as possible to everyone else, it would do her no good for her to remind anyone who her mother was. No, she had to separate her mother from herself as quickly as possible to have a chance of completing her task for the sperm donor.
So as the old hat sang about unity and a Queen of old ruling once more before the list of munchkins ran ever thin, she prepared herself, clearing her mind and focusing on her task. She had to convince the old hat to put her in a house that she should never be in and hoped that it listened.
When the last Munchkin left the stage and the whispers of the older students wondering who she was echoed around her, Delphini watches as McGonagall look over to Dumbledore with thinned lips only for the old man to nod once at his deputy before McGonagall finally said something, "Lestrange, Delphini!" and all the whispers at once stopped as Delphini felt every eye in the hall on her.
Delphini walked forward, trying to emulate how she saw Professor Árd-Greimne walk earlier to the seat in the middle of the stage, reaching up and pulling off her witches hat to let her silvery-blond with charmed blue tips fall free before shaking her head to fan it out before sitting on the stool that was just a foot too small for her, her eyes scan down the table of red and gold and find what she was looking for, beautiful emerald eyes looking at her wide in surprise.
"All eyes on me," Delphini thinks to herself before the Sorting Hat falls over her eyes, cutting off her view.
"Well, what do we have here?" whispered the ancient voice of the school.
Chapter done!
This chapter I've been looking forward to writing the most, as we get to see a little bit of how Delphini thinks and how she sees things.
She doesn't put a lot of stock into pure-blood ideology being a half-blood herself and raised by a truly evil person. She doesn't like attention but isn't about to avoid it completely if it will help her, she is smart, resourceful, cunning, and creative.
She is the worst enemy you never knew you had.
She is a natural practitioner of classical witchcraft and the dark arts but also understands the dangers of them, she is magically sensitive and able to feel out the age and power of the people around her just by standing by them.
She is Bi-curious but is comfortable with her sexuality and her looks not to question herself about anything and is honestly one of my favorite characters so far.
Kingsaxcul, Out!