On with the show


She had always hated the sound of crunching gravel under her foot, it was an annoying, grating, sound that permeated the air, suffocating conversation and driving away thoughts with its overwhelming and overbearing crunch. It was also a reminder to her, that she was "home," with that simple word, the simple thought of calling the place she was walking up to her home had always brought a sneer to her face, for she hated her home as much as the home hated her.

"-Wake up, Wake up you stupid girl,-"

"-As if a pathetic, disgusting little Half-Blood,-"

"-What was that, you little brat?! Was that back talk!? To your better!? Cruci-"

She blinks, shaking her head slightly, trying to chase the age-old memories from her mind before stopping in front of the gate to Wixcom House, the stupid, annoying, and loud gravel road continues up the large front lawn to circle the front of the Manor house and fountain that sits as the welcoming piece to the large brownstone manor. Off to the left, you could barely make out the pond that wraps around the back of the house where the swans were kept, off to the right, she could make out the gardens that span most of the right side of the old estate, she could still remember the smell of honeysuckle in the air as she hid among the bushes and hedges, hoping and wishing the fae would come to whisk her away from the horrible place she was forced to call home for the last fifteen years.

A weight shifts behind her, a reminder of what she was here to do and that the gravel was still fucking stupid. She sighs as she pulls out her wand and taps on the front gate three times, remembering when she was thirteen and she still hadn't been added to the wards, so she couldn't enter the grounds after returning from Durmstrange, She had spent three days locked outside in the rain. But now she holds the gate open for the other guest to slither past her and onto the grounds without being rejected because the wards only stopped people, not animals.

She walks the rest of the way up the gravel path, her hand running over the marble fountain as she goes, her mind wandering to the past as she walks the final dozen or so feet up to the staircase that leads to the front door.

"-disgusting little welp, your mother should have drowned you-"

"-Slytherin is rolling in his grave knowing that bloodline was muddled with filth like your fath-"

"-If it wasn't for the vow I would have smothered you in your-"

"-Let's see how smart that mouth is when you haven't eaten in a we-"

And on and on the memories trickled in like a horrible reminder, a catalog of all the worst shit she had to put up with in her life, all thanks to her brainless fucking stepfather. He had brought her here and offered gold to the miserable old bitch to raise her like a proper pure-blood so that he, her mother, and father could focus on the war they ended up losing to a baby in a crib of all things. The pact was bound by an unbreakable vow, but all the old bitch had to do was raise her, never take care of her, never love her, and never treat her kindly. All she had known was sharp words and cruelty under the old bitch, the bone-deep ache of the cruciatus curse, the scathing words so she could never forget what she was to the old bitch, that she was lesser and nothing but a burden to the old bitch.

She approaches the door and raises her wand once more to tap the knocker three more times before there's a click and it swings open to let her into the welcoming hall, the etched marble floors and oak halls spread out before her before she takes a step inside she shifts her foot and feels her guest hit her boot right before a small pop is heard.

"Missy Delphy!" the small squeaky voice of a house elf is heard, "You be's home, welcome back!" the female house elf says with cheer in her voice as Delphini looks at her, she looks the same as when she left for the beginning of school term, her pillowcase carefully sown by hand to resemble a nice sundress as she looks at Delphini with glee.

"Hey Kettle," Delphini says with a small smile, "It's good to see you too, is Rowle here?" she asks the tiny elf who eagerly nods her head.

"Yes, the Misses is in her favorite sitting room, she be thinking you finally left," Kettle says, a sad twinkle in her eye, and Delphini fights to keep the small smile on her face.

Delphini swallows thickly and avoids looking at Kettle, "Yeah, well, you know me," she says looking back at the house-elf, "I'm like a bad case of dragon poxes, always coming back," she says with a sigh, "I'll go find Rowle myself, you can return to your duties Kettle," she tells the small elf who smiles and nods.

"Of course Missy, if you be needing me, just be calling," she says with a nod of her before popping away and Delphini lets out another sigh before moving her boot out of the way to let her guest slither in as she holds the door open before walking into the manor and quickly starts to take the old familiar path to Rowle's sitting room on the second floor. She feels the ghost of all the anxiety and anticipation she had felt over the years settle over her like a cloak, even now she couldn't shake it no matter how powerful she had become, no matter how many curses, hexes, and jinxes she knew, the old fear of climbing up the stairs in the welcoming hall to Rowles sitting room would always make her hands start to shake.

As she reaches the top of the steps, she takes the first right, heading toward the back of the manor with slow deliberate steps passing the doors on the sides of the hall, mentally counting down the steps to the door at the far end while looking at the floor, never looking up knowing if she did the panic would set in and the hall would begin to twist in front of her. She makes it to the heavy iron and oak wood door, before reaching for the doorknob with a shaking hand, Delphini pauses at the sight, "Even after all this time, I still feel like a scared little girl," she thinks to herself before taking a deep breath and raising her hand to knock on the door politely.

The door opens half a second after she had knocked as it always had, welcoming Delphini in it for her next punishment. The room was richly decorated in deep brown, rich maroon, and hints of dull gold with the pictures of forefathers of the Rowle family hanging on the wall, silenced so the old bitch wouldn't have to listen to them. nicknacks lined the walls on shelves, as a large liquor cabinet sat in the middle of the far wall flanked by two tall bookcases, and sitting in the middle of the room in a high back chair facing out the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the patio and the back lawns of the Rowle estate was Euphemia Rowle herself picking up a large glass of amber liquid to drink.

"Well, Well, Well, look what the Kneazle Dragged in," Rowle says snidely, "The little mudblood whore," she says with contempt without even looking back at Delphini before the sound of a turning page could be heard.

"It's not even eleven in the morning and you're already getting sloshed, don't you think an old lady like you should slow down?" Delphini shoots back as she steps into the room with a frown on her lips she hears the book snap shut before Rowle fully turns in her seat to sneer at her, the wrinkles in her face were set deep as her green eyes glare at her with the promise of pain behind them, her black hair was threaded with silver and done up in a neat bun, a large upwards pointed nose like a beak points at Delphini as Rowles small mouth was twisted in anger as she looks at the girl in her house.

Without warning one of the piercings in Delphini's nose rips through the soft flesh and flies across the run as Delphini lets out a scream in pain, "I'd watch what you say to me in MY home, you little cunt," Rowle says before standing back up and pocketing her wand, "Or else you'll be on the receiving end of a lot more pain than that," she says with her sneer never leaving her face before she walks over to the cabinet across the room just to prove a point.

Delphini clutches her nose and squeezes her eyes shut while biting back the curse on the tip of her tongue, she can feel the blood flow out and creep down her hand and arm Again.

"Two weeks," Rowle says, "You should have shown back up two weeks ago, where have you been this time? Hm, Slumming it with some pretty little mudblood boy you're fucking, you disgusting little cretin?" she says to Delphini without hiding her hatred for the girl.

"No," Delphini snaps back, "Kakaroff dragged me off during the last task, I've been with him for the last few weeks," Delphini spits out at the noxious old cunt.

"Finally made you his little fuck toy did he, hm, can't say much about his taste but at least he waited till you were legal," Rowle says, making a face. She didn't care much for Kakaroff and the feeling was mutual between the two of them. Kakaroff had forced the old cunt into sending Delphini to Durmstrange because she didn't want her to go to "The school ran by muggle loving fools and filled with mudblood filth," Rowle wasn't planning on sending Delphini to any school and was waiting till she was an adult before kicking her out before Kakaroff showed up.

"Maybe if you got laid you could finally stop being such a fucking bitch," Delphini snaps at Rowle with a glare before the woman turns to her and levels her wand at Delphini.

"Crucio," she says softly, not needing to draw up the hate or want to cause Delphini pain because it was always there.

Delphini drops to her hands and knees as the old familiar pain racks her body, she tries to bite back the scream but to no avail and it bursts from her lips and echoes throughout the house, just before as quickly as the pain came, it left as Rowle glares down at her, "Do you back talk me half-breed, nor use foul muggle curses, I would have thought those two lessons would have sunk into that thick head of yours, whore," she says as she leans against the cabinet to watch Delphini push herself back up to her feet with a smirk on her lips as she takes a sip of her drink.

"I'm guessing you're here to collect your things before going to live in whatever dungeon Kakaroff set up for you, hm?" Rowle asks the now-shaking Delphini as she stands.

"I'm not fucking Kakaroff, and he isn't here," Delphini spits out as she stands back to her full height.

"Great, you're here to stay for another year, well tell Kakaroff I'm still not-" Rowle tries to say, but Delphini cuts her off.

"Kakaroff is dead," Delphini says to the surprise of Rowle.

"How?" Rowle says, getting over her momentary shock and sounding overjoyed at the news of Kakaroff's fate.

"He tried to cash in his chips thinking that he would get a clean slate, but all it got him was a painless death," Delphini says while whipping the blood dripping from her face and enjoying the look of confusion on Rowle's face.

"What are you talking about girl?" Rowle snaps at her, raising her wand as a threat.

"Haven't you heard?" Delphini says with a smile on her bloody lips, "The Dark Lord is back,"

Rowle pauses for a moment, blinking in surprise before throwing her head back and laughing her high-pitched, glass-cracking laugh before pushing herself off the cabinet and walking over to Delphini, "Tom Riddle may have been a bit more worthy of the magic in his veins then you are, but he was still nothing but a half breed, and no half breed, no matter how powerful can escape the sticky end he got," she tells Delphini with a grin.

"Is that so," a high hissing voice says in amusement from the doorway, causing Rowle to freeze and her eyes to widen as before she looks up at the Specter haunting her home, his pale white skin and flashing scarlet eyes looking at her like she had just uttered the best joke he had heard all day, "Euphemia?"

Rowles face twists in disgust and anger as her upper lip curled she looks at who she considers the shame of Slytherin, "You," she hisses out in soft anger before standing straight up with her chin held high, "Here I thought one half-breed killed the other," she says, sounding disappointed.

"I assure you, Euphemia, the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated," Voldemort says with a smile full of venom-filled teeth as he moves like a wraith into the room.

Rowle continues to frown as she glares at her former housemate, "Truly, a pity, now what do you want, Riddle?" she snips at the man who looks at her amused by her words.

"What any, …Father wants," Voldemort says, a look of disgust flashing across his face for the briefest of seconds, "To thank the woman who has taken care of his daughter for all these years," He says, and neither Rowle nor Voldemort notices the look of disgust and hatred passing over Delphini's face for a moment, "Besides, I'm also here to give credence to Delphini's words, for Kakaroff is dead, he came to me in fear with Delphini in tow, begging for his life for the betrayal he had paid me," he says with a sly smile.

"He spoke of having a collective of students that he had turned to my truth, how he had raised Delphini as his protege and taught her the true way, but thanks to a gift me and my…daughter share, she had told me the truth of his words," He says, hesitating for a moment before saying the word controlling the look of hatred that wanted to cross over his face, "I had no used for Kakaroff, so I made him an example of what happened to those who betray their lord, but he did bring me dear Delphini, and her, I have use of so between us, we struck a deal, she would bring me something I want and I would help her get what she so desired," he says with a cruel smile at Rowle.

"And what does the little half-" but that was as far as Rowle got, for as quick as a viper Delphini drew her wand and slashed it across Rowle's throat, opening it up and from it, a cascade of blood began to fall.

"Simple Revenge," Voldemort says with a smile as he watches Euphemia Rowle stagger back, knocking over the small table next to her chair, a hand pushed against her throat to try and stem the blood flow to no avail, "And what kind of father would I be if I stood between her and that," he says as Euphemia pulls her wand only for Delphini to use a cleaving curse to cut off her wand arm before hitting the old woman in the knee with a bone breaker curse to bring the old bitch to the ground.

Delphini walks over to Rowle as the old bitch flounders on the floor and stomps on her chest with her boot to hold her still and levels her wand at the panicking woman's face, and all she sees in Delphini's eyes is cold fury as the girl who she had abused for year's wand glow green at the tip. Words, unfettered, enter her mind like an echo in a Chamber buried under a school.

"All I'm saying is if you're gonna hate someone, hate someone for a good reason, not because some cunt over a thousand years ago was said to hate them,"

"On that, we can agree on, Pot-Head," Delphini thinks to herself as she lowers her wand and watches as life bleeds from Euphemia Rowle's throat and eyes, the haunting image of Rowle's struggle burning into her mind before she finally laid still and unmoving and unmistakably dead. A small pop sounded out through the room and Delphini turned with wide eyes to see Kettle standing in the middle of the room looking between Delphini, the dead body she was standing on, and the Dark Lord in the doorway with fear and shock, "Oh, Kettle," Delphini says, her eyes turning sad, "You should have continued with your duties," she says softly and sadly, and before Kettle could open her mouth to speak, the Dark Lord spoke before her.

"Avada Kedavra," Voldemort says lazily and Kettle falls to the ground dead as Delphini looks away from the sight, holding back the tears for the one creature she had felt cared for her when she was growing up, Sneaking her food, banging her wounds, and telling her bedtime stories when she was scared at night.

"Are we done here, Dearest Daug-" Voldemort begins to say before Delphini cuts him off quickly.

"Don't call me that," She says quickly, "As far as I'm concerned you're a sperm donor and that's it, but no, one last thing to do," she says the last part softly as she walks over to the patio door.

Voldemort is quiet for a moment before he begins to follow her, "At least, in this, we can agree," he says as Delphini opens the door and walks out onto the balcony, "I never wanted to procreate," he says in a detached tone of voice as he looks at what Delphini was walking to with a purpose, an aviary.

"Then why did you do it?" Delphini asks, stopping and turning back to look at him.

"As a reward to your mother for her years of faithful service," Voldemort tells her in a flat voice, "She was to raise you as a Lestrange and I was not to be involved whatsoever, when you would start to speak to snakes she was to tell everyone one that it was an ability that came from a Gaunt ancestor that had married into the Black family and I would look on it favorably," he says with a shrug.

"So you turned Rodolphus into a cuckold over a request?" Delphini asks with a smirk of dark humor.

"I was never intimate with your mother," Voldemort says in a flat, unamused voice.

"Then how-" Delphini begins to ask confused before stopping short and shaking her head, "You know what, I don't think I want the details," she says before walking over to the aviary and looking into it with a sigh.

"Is that an Augurey?" Voldemort asks with a frown.

"Yeah, his name is Tycho, he's been here as long as I have," Delphini informs Voldemort who snorts at the name.

"She named a bird that can predict the weather after one of the most famous seers of the 18th century?" He says, sounding greatly amused by it all as Delphini rolls her eyes and gives him a flat look.

"And I'm after the ancient Greek oracle who chilled in a cave huffing gas to ramble on about hallucinations, I didn't really have room to judge about what she named him," She tells him, before turning back to the large cage with a haunted look in her eyes, "She used to lock me in here with him for days at a time, rain or snow when I misbehaved or when she felt the need to punish the half-breed," Delphini says in a dead voice as Voldemort makes an disinterested sound behind her, "Before going to Durmstrang, I asked Tycho for a tail feather to use for my wand, I was surprised when he allowed me to take one," she says softly and with a smile.

"I didn't know they could be used as wand cores," Voldemort remarks.

"Normally they can't, you need to bond with one deeply for it to work for you," Delphini says as she raises her wand and places the tip against the cage, and vanishes it, "I promised him that the day I got my freedom, he would too before he let me take one," she says as Tycho looks over at her, the squat greenish bird eyes her for a moment before he chirps softly and spreading his wings. Delphini watches as Tycho takes off into the air and flies away from Wixcom house before turning back to Voldemort, "Now we're done," she says before he simply nods and they both leave. He doesn't say anything as Delphini ignites the sitting room in charmed flames as they pass through it, she doesn't say anything as the large dark green serpent follows at Voldemort's feet, nor do either of them speak as they walk through the now burning manor home, it isn't until they make it to the gate that Voldemort turns to her.

"My part of the deal is complete, I will have Lucius cover this up to not implicate you, and you will follow through with your side of the bargain, do you understand?" Voldemort tells her, and Delphini nods.

"I understand," She tells him with a nod, "I already have an in with him, once I get him alone I'll bring Harry to you," she tells him.

"Take your time, Dear Delphini, I would rather have this done right, rather than quickly," Voldemort tells her as Nagini begins to climb up him like an oversized scarf, "I have other ways I could lure the boy out, but I would rather have a backup plan in case they fail," he tells her.

"And if you get him before I do?" Delphini asks with a raised brow.

"Then I will not hold it against you, after all, utilizing you will take time and I can be patient, dear Delphini," Voldemort tells her with a smile before, with a soundless apparition he vanishes.

Delphini turns back to Wixcom house and watches it burn for a few moments; she had dreamt about this day for years. Killing Rowle and burning the place that held so much pain to her down to the ground, she had thought it would feel good, that she would be smiling while she did it, but all she felt was…

Hollow.

Delphini turned on her heel and disappeared with a crack.


The World

a girl with silver hair stands in front of a burning manor with a large bird sitting on her shoulder…


Two…