Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

HP and DR: A Matrimony Made For Peace	By : Rago_Dragovian Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 4459 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series. It is not for profit.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Two Days into Holiday
Harry closed Severus Snape's old textbook and sighed. He looked around the empty room of 12 Grimmauld Place, no one else besides the House Elves were there. The events of Ginny's curse caused too much strained conversation, awkwardness, and tension throughout the Weasley Household. Hermione had begged off to see her parents within a few days and Harry felt the tension was palpable. Percy's early and surprising visit, to the rest of the Weasley family besides Ginny and Ron, with the Minister of Magic hadn't helped the tense atmosphere. The Weasley family knew that Harry wasn't at fault but the awkwardness of the entire scenario prevented any meaningful discussion, even poisoning the would-be prospect of Bill's marriage to Fleur Delacour. Harry had soon begged off like Hermione and left for Twelve Grimmauld Place as it was the only residence that he could stay at once it became clear that the Weasleys were forcing themselves to look past Ginny's horrible condition and suffering. The family needed time to heal and properly deal with the horrible travesty of Ginny's duel and subsequent Magic Oath with him bound by Delphini Riddle, whom they all believed to be Severus Snape's daughter.
I should have realized it sooner, like Dumbledore's condition, thought Harry, feeling a chill up his spine, Like daughter, like father, I suppose. Always somehow spoiling all the happiness in my life with their twisted egos and plans.
Harry felt a headache compound his constant flood of worries. Delphini had done the impossible and created a lasting wedge between Harry and the Weasleys. He shuffled off to his new Master bedroom and plopped himself onto the King-sized bed. He slowly allowed exhaustion to overtake him and succumbed to sleep. His thoughts a complete jumble and his feelings swirling inside of him until he felt a vague sense of numbness and detachment from his current predicament. Slowly, the bliss of sleep overtook his mind.
The snake slithered and coiled around the pristine chair and then coiled around a young blonde's neck and shoulders. The girl moved a delicate finger to stroke the chin of the snake; Nagini hissed in pleasure at the delicate strokes given by her master's off-spring.
Suddenly a loud banging noise resounded, a woman in Death Eater robes came bustling in. She stood by the seat next to Delphini and bowed heavily. Nagini looked in front of her to see her Master slouched and sipping wine, nodding with approval as master's chosen bed warmer gave her report.
The light rub began to tickle Nagini's skin as she ignored the words being exchanged between her master and his bed warmer. The blonde turned her attention to her and her lips grew wide.
'Hello' mouthed the off-spring, one of the grey eyes winking at the snake. 'Pay attention, my darling.'
Nagini tilted her neck as her tongue slithered out and she elicited a hissing noise. "Who are you talking to, hatchling?"
"Don't worry about it, Nagini," said Delphini, smiling at her father's pet, "Just . . . be mindful of the conversation with both Mother and Daddy."
Nagini tilted her head. Why would the off-spring ask her to do the obvious in addition to listening to her boring conversation with the bed warmer? Delphini turned her focus to the woman who took the seat next to her and smiled at her. The women shared a hug. Nagini witnessed Bellatrix Lestrange's bright and lovely face as she smiled at her daughter and held her hands to hers. Nagini tilted her head. Why did the hatchling wish for her to bear witness to Bellatrix's usual spiel of how Delphini was doing? Bellatrix asked the typical things that she had since meeting her daughter; if she had fun with classes, if she needed assistance with any assignments over the break, if she was eating well, and if she had made any new friends at her new school. It was the typical, boring tripe that Nagini saw every time they had a moment together. Bellatrix usually followed-up the end of the conversation by profusely adding how much she loved her daughter, if it didn't fall into crying fits over her regret of leaving Delphini with an abusive caretaker and blaming herself. The entire melodrama disinterested Nagini, she looked over to see her master who seemed to sigh as he watched both women's antics.
His facial features seemingly annoyed. Nagini knew better, her master just despised showing "weakness" or "dependency" as he called it, so he never actively showed sentimentality when it could be avoided. The fact he allowed his bed warmer and off-spring to chat animatedly for such a length of time was tacit evidence to his fondness for them; he would never actively shower either of them with affection though. Or at least, not unless they were alone, and usually only for his hatchling since the woman would only ever receive his fondness through physical intimacy. Nagini had no idea why her master played these ridiculous games. She was pleased the hatchling didn't play such self-defeating mind games with herself like the master.
"So, dear, how are your classes?" asked Bellatrix brightly, a stupid grin on her face.
Delphini grinned, her heart fluttering as her mother paid attention exclusively to her. "Pretty good, the difficulty curve for NEWTs made them extra fun."
"Have you made any new friends?" asked Bellatrix attentively.
How many would lose their wits, seeing my mother acting so normal? thought Delphini, grinning back. Her chest feeling warm. She's really trying her utmost to make it up to me, just like Daddy.
"Well . . ." She paused.
A derisive snort came from in front of the two women. They turned to the Dark Lord who was leisurely sipping his red wine. "Yes, Delphi, please tell Bella and I about how you've been fraternizing with Harry Potter and his friends."
Bellatrix turned to Delphini with an unreadable expression on her face. Her brow creased. Delphini slinked back onto her chair - mindful of Nagini - to fold her arms and scowl at her father. She received a patronizing stare in return. Delphini glanced over to see her mother failing to hold back a worried look before she sighed and gazed back at her father.
"That's precisely what I wished to discuss with you, Daddy," said Delphini, smiling at Lord Voldemort. Voldemort narrowed his eyes and drummed his fingers on his armrest while sipping his wine with the other hand. "I've found quite a valuable component in Dumbledore's schemes that is of vital importance to our campaign."
Voldemort's lips twitched as he leaned back on his high chair. "Ah, so what part of our campaign included you getting into a childish melodrama with the youngest of the Weasley clan, marring her face in a duel within the club you formed just to coerce Harry Potter into snogging you in front of an audience in the Hogwarts Great Hall?"
Bellatrix had a horrified visage as she looked towards her daughter. She slowly turned back to Voldemort.
Delphini took note. "Mother . . . I can-"
"Surely," said Bellatrix quickly, gazing in fear between the two. "Surely, it's all . . . an elaborate prank? Just . . just some mischief?"
Delphini turned to her father and bit her lip to prevent herself from eliciting an aggravated growl. Her father looked at her with disappointment and Delphini felt frustration spike up within her. They do not yet understand the necessity here. Be calm.
"I gave you plenty of time and resources to choose your spouse for the new Slytherin dynasty," said Lord Voldemort, his tone lamenting, "and you've wasted my time by playing schoolyard games with Harry Potter of all people."
Delphini forced herself not to roll her eyes as she stared directly at her father's red, slit eyes. "Well, you've gone and taken all the fun out of this, Daddy. I had hoped to explain my reasoning before telling you but with the circumstances presented here . . ."
Lord Voldemort shook his head before waving his free hand. "By all means."
Delphini let out a soft sigh before looking straight at her father's eyes. A smirk of triumph on her lips. "I've figured out the strange connection between you and Harry Potter. I now understand Dumbledore's reasoning for wanting to send him off as a sacrifice for you to kill."
Bellatrix's visage went back to an unreadable expression and Voldemort's posture stiffened. His eyes narrowed at his daughter. It was clear that Delphini didn't mean this as a prank of any sort.
"Harry Potter is your Horcrux," said Delphini with full confidence, Bellatrix gaped at Delphini. Voldemort's wine glass fell and shattered onto the floor. His eyes bugged out and his mouth hung uncharacteristically ajar at his daughter's revelation. "the night you went to take his life and the curse rebounded, a fragment of your soul must have melded into his subconscious. So you see, it isn't blind luck that he's been able to evade capture and death so many times. Dumbledore's been utilizing his dreams, in which Harry Potter sees you, to learn of your plans, and kept the boy ignorant and locked away with magic hating relatives so that he'd grow more dependent on others. If Potter were to properly receive a tutor and grow on his own, then he'd become just as powerful as you because of the soul piece that he carries. Dumbledore made every effort to prevent that from happening. Eventually, he would have the boy sacrificed for his Greater Good scheme and destroy the last vestiges of the Slytherin bloodline, if not for my existence."
Voldemort continued to stare with his mind evidently unable to fully process the revelation. Bellatrix looked dumbfounded by Delphini's revelation. Silence descended upon the dining hall for almost a minute as her parents tried to understand the bombshell that she'd just dropped and all the implications thereof. Voldemort slowly seemed to come to grips with himself and snapped his fingers. House elves came to clean the mess and a large tome appeared in front of the Dark Lord. Voldemort opened the tome and seemed to scan a specific section before taking out a piece of parchment full of notes. He gazed from one to the other for almost thirty minutes.
Delphini grinned as she poured herself some of the red wine into a wine glass and leaned back. Bellatrix seemed to snap out of her stupor and gave her daughter an outraged expression. Just as Delphini was about to quickly drink its contents, the wine glass flew out of her hands and was held loosely by her father's outstretched hand. Voldemort looked from his notes of parchment and his tome to regard his daughter with a smirk. Delphini scowled and stuck her tongue out as Voldemort took a leisurely sip of the new glass.
"How considerate of you," said Lord Voldemort, chuckling. He placed the parchment back neatly and closed the tome. It vanished immediately. Voldemort went back to leaning on his chair and regarded his daughter. " . . . I was remiss. You have my sincerest apologies, Delphi. It would seem that you are, indeed, correct. Harry Potter has all the makings of being an unintended Horcrux. This is what the prophecy meant by an equal. Harry Potter, like you . . . has the power to surpass both Dumbledore and I."
Bellatrix inhaled sharply. Delphini sighed. "I've developed a plan . . . it is high risk, but high reward in terms of cost-benefits. We can go over the details later. I wish . . . I believe our main priority should be to weaken Albus Dumbledore's stronghold on Harry Potter and make him acquiescent to our self-interests."
Delphini paused to await any response. When her father remained silent, she continued. "He is subservient to Dumbledore insofar that Dumbledore provides him a means of legitimate counterattack against us for the sake of protecting those that he cares for. Harry Potter is selfless to an extreme fault and he's willing to die at the whim of Dumbledore for those that he loves, if he feels it's the best method to protect them from any and all forms of harm. He will never comply out of intrinsic motivation and no amount of bribery or intimidation will change that. What we require . . . is for his selfless desire to be modified for the benefit of our self-interests."
A smile tugged at the corners of Voldemort's thin lips. He gave his daughter a curt nod and replied. "Now that you've told me, everything seems clearer upon retrospect. I've let my anger cloud my judgment when it came to the boy, I was always vexed that a mere child able to luck his way out of my plans. I've been too blinded, loathe as I am to admit, so I will allow you full discretion on the matter of neutralizing the threat that Harry Potter poses to us."
Delphini cleared her throat as Voldemort took a swig of his wine. Delphini gave her father a meaningful look. Her eyes pleading and her lips in a thin line. "And . . . the matter of Uncle Lucius? Surely, I've provided enough to-"
"If you can somehow make him useful to your plans," cut in Voldemort, staring back at his daughter. His tone remaining neutral. "then I will allow his life to be spared. That is, provided I feel that the role tasked to him in your plans is uniquely crucial to his talents. Of course, this requires Lucius to not fuck it up again so you already have a monumental task set before you. Only under those conditions will I spare him and rescind Draco's mission."
Delphini smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Daddy."
Voldemort waved a hand dismissively. "The crux of the entire mission was simply to test Severus's loyalty."
An apparition phased through the wall before any of the three family members could say anything further. Merope Gaunt's ghost looked around wildly before spotting Delphini. The ghost was smiling and flew towards Delphini. Voldemort made a disgruntled noise and scowled at the intruder.
"Oh my dear sweet darling!" said Merope enthusiastically, Delphini giggled. Voldemort forced himself not to roll his eyes as he gave the ghost a loathsome glare. "How are you? Was your new school everything that you hoped it would be? Come, tell your grandmama everything!"
"Hello grandmother," said Delphini, smiling at Merope. Straightening her posture. "I've been having quite a lot of fun at Hogwarts. The melodrama of my fellow students and their need to continue circulating rumors always makes the atmosphere feel livelier."
Lord Voldemort suppressed a snort as Delphini continued to animatedly speak with the woman who birthed him. Bellatrix took note and cleared her throat. "My Lord . . ."
Voldemort directed his attention at his chief enforcer and concubine. He inclined his head to indicate for her to continue.
"Perhaps . . . this is the most opportune time to put the ghost in her place?" said Bellatrix, politely. Her eyes pleading with him.
Voldemort scoffed. "By displaying weakness?"
"It's just us, my Lord," said Bellatrix, she frowned. "Expressing your feelings . . . is not weakness."
Voldemort snorted. He shook his head as he gave Bellatrix a neutral expression. Bellatrix cringed but held her head high. Bellatrix had grown more meddling due to her desire for the three of them to be more like a family. Despite Voldemort feeling that lashing out at his birth mother be an admittance of weakness, Bellatrix had decided - from some prompting by their daughter - to urge him to let his honest opinion be told to his biological mother's ghost. Both women felt that he would get closure over the sordid affair and Voldemort felt annoyed by their incessant meddling.
Delphini was of the opinion, and she'd been quick to convince Bellatrix, that Lord Voldemort lashed out harshly at his servants and during torture sessions of victims partly as a means of unleashing his pent-up emotions and that such behavior clouded his judgment. Delphini had somehow managed to convince her mother that such behavior alone was why Voldemort had fallen the first time because he hadn't been thinking things through, letting his emotions lash out instead of acting with reason and so finding closure would be beneficial to him and to their long-term campaign. Despite the fuck-ups of the Malfoy family, he'd secretly been touched and pleased that Narcissa had tortured and murdered the Rowle woman for abusing Delphi and then taking Delphi home to provide a better life while keeping her out of Dumbledore's awareness. Narcissa proved to be suitably up to her assigned tasks and worked hard for the sake of Draco. It almost made up for Lucius's bumbling. Too bad it's nigh impossible to make up for the fact that Dumbledore is aware of my horcruxes, one of my horcruxes were destroyed by a twelve year old boy because Lucius left it in the hands of a little girl, and he failed at bringing me the prophecy. Leniency for his wealth can only go so far, if I allow him to live without his family achieving anything meaningful after costing me so much, then it'll be the same as rewarding gross stupidity.
"Besides," added Delphini, after finishing her conversation with Merope's ghost. Her eyes had an unnerving twinkle to them as she gazed at Voldemort. "If you truly wish for me to change my views, how can you expect me to understand, if you don't communicate your reasons?"
"Indeed, you just let your feelings simmer," said Bellatrix, her eyes gazing at him in desperation. "Why not just . . . put the matter to rest? Tell her why she's wrong without worrying so much about appearances. Neither of us will think less of you, no matter what your views of her, my lord."
Voldemort suppressed an aggravated sigh as he glared at the only two women that he ever loved. Delphi smiled apologetically and Bellatrix looked downcast, clearly ashamed of herself for her actions. What a pitiful emotion I've become enraptured with. One just happened before I realized the fondness had grown. The other sudden, unbound by the time lost. I couldn't stop myself nor realized just how much I had wished for what I never realized I wanted. Bloody hell . . .
"Mother," said Lord Voldemort, in a cold tone. Merope's ghost turned to face Voldemort. Her eyes were shining. It wasn't often that Lord Voldemort addressed her as his mother. "You are a genuinely horrible person. You aren't sweet or innocent, and your insufferable attempts to make me feel ashamed for abandoning the name you gave me isn't justified in the slightest. You're a narcissistic, spiteful egomaniac and I sincerely hate you with all my heart."
"Wh -what?!" cried Merope, ghostly tears falling from her eyes. "How could you say that to me?! I'm your mother! I only want what's best!"
Bellatrix and Delphini remained silent. Voldemort's red eyes were fixed on the ghost, he took a swig of the red wine, and then he continued. "You want to live in a fantasy world in which you're incapable of doing wrong and everyone who doesn't listen to you is somehow being stupid. You have no right to tell me how to live. None. The name you gave me is a wretched piece of crap. The name Tom Marvolo Riddle was your attempt to celebrate your own narcissistic, one-sided obsession with a man that you raped. That's all it was. You married him without his consent to make yourself feel more comfortable with repeatedly raping the idiot and you thought having his child would force him to love you. You don't deserve pity, you're not some innocent woman with a tragic past, I neither need nor ever wanted your self-obsessed version of love, and the only lesson you could ever teach my daughter would be how to rape a man and get away with the crime. You're so stupid that you gave me the middle name Marvolo, after a father who physically and mentally abused you. If that doesn't prove that you have no concept of real love, then nothing else does. Who the bloody fuck gives their own child the name of their abuser? The name Tom Marvolo Riddle is you celebrating your abuse by your father and your repeated rape of a man who wanted nothing to do with you."
Merope cried loudly as ghostly tears ran down her ethereal cheeks and she buried her face in her hands. Delphini and Bellatrix smiled at Voldemort and Voldemort sat more comfortably upon his high chair. His chest felt lighter, the ache in his head loosened, and he felt his anger abate. He finally told his idiot mother what he truly thought of her and felt a profound sense of satisfaction overwhelm him.
Perhaps Bellatrix and Delphi were correct all along, thought the Dark Lord, as he returned them a thin smile. I should have confronted her and told her how stupid she was from the start.
Delphini turned to Nagini and winked. Nagini tilted her head but felt a cool sensation as something left her presence.
At Twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter awoke startled and rubbed his forehead. His scar tickled, but no longer hurt with the burning or prickling sensations that he was so accustomed to suffering from.
Harry blinked. He's . . . found peace with himself?
Harry lowered his body back on the bed but then shot up as he recalled the rest of the conversation. He felt a spike of anger as he thought over Dumbledore having kept such an important secret from him. He knew! He knew I was a Horcrux and he never told me! How long has he been keeping that secret? If . . . if destroying all the horcruxes is the only hope of getting rid of Voldemort, then I have to die . . . Dumbledore knew that and didn't tell me.
A spark of irritation coursed through him as he thought over Dumbledore trying to convince him to hold his head high when forced into a situation. Harry had believed his words of being courageous and proud in the face of having consent taken from him when facing certain death. I thought it was like being a proud gladiator going into an arena, but now I can see that Dumbledore was trying to convince me that suicide was somehow morally good and worth idolizing. He's been setting me up to die, possibly since my second year . . . Delphini said it was since infancy . . .
Dread filled Harry as he thought over Delphini's revelation to her father. He felt his heart sink and a sense of resignation overwhelmed him. He forced himself to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over and felt a stabbing sensation in his heart. He felt as if he was suffocating. So that's all I am; a propaganda weapon, a tool to be sacrificed, and a useful chip to bribe others. I've known that for a long time now, I thought I accepted that . . . so why does it still hurt to think about?
Christmas Day
Harry sighed as he opened his presents by the fireplace. He looked around and couldn't help as his thoughts turned to Sirius's happy face during last year's Christmas. A dull throb in his chest and a cold emptiness pervaded his body as he thought over the holiday season last year with the relief of Arthur Weasley's recovery and the happy moments of sharing the holidays with Sirius replayed themselves in his mind. Harry's traitorous mind turned to the future and images of all his dead loved ones and Voldemort's cold, high laughter consumed his thoughts.
Harry sighed as he tried to force his mind to think of something else. He thought over the morning events; he had been so angry at Walburga's portrait waking him up screaming that he had forcefully run down the stairs and shut the portrait up by informing her that her Regulus had been killed by one of Voldemort's traps, Sirius had died fighting against her blood purist niece, and her entire family line was effectively dead because of Lord Voldemort. Walburga had promptly shut up and hadn't made a peep since. Harry had instructed Kreacher to stay in Twelve Grimmauld Place unless he explicitly called for him, Kreacher had become demure ever since the events at Dumbledore's office after Harry had shouted at him about his failings.
On the positive side, he'd managed to complete all of his homework assignments over the break but now had nothing else to do to occupy his time. Harry had spent time practicing wand movements and reading from the Black family library but much of the material was antiquated or just books on etiquette and journal entries by deceased Black family members. Harry had read some of the books that piqued his interest and taken to caring for Buckbeak, but he had little else to do.
Harry stopped reminiscing and looked over at his presents. They had arrived the day before on Christmas Eve and he had forced himself to wait patiently because he had nothing else to occupy his time.
Maybe it's better this way? thought Harry, a scowl marring his features, I'm apparently just some chess pawn meant to be thrown away at the right moment. My life no longer feeling meaningful seems fitting to prepare myself for death.
Harry felt a painful heaviness and stabbing pang in his heart. Tears threatened to come unbidden and the numbness intensified. When did I become such a bloody crybaby? I knew it was going to be Voldemort or I until death took one of us. I said it myself earlier this summer to Dumbledore by the Weasley broom shed and again in school to Delphini. Why am I not better prepared for this already? Why the hell does it keep bothering me?!
Unbridled anger consumed Harry; his body shook, his teeth gnashed, and he scowled at the emptiness surrounding him. The dark corners and quietude of twelve Grimmauld Place didn't help his frustration and loathing. Am I just a weak and helpless pawn to everybody with power? Is this how the remainder of my life will be right before I die young? I won't get to experience anything; love with a spouse, marriage, sex, or raising children. I'll just be dead inside and await execution.
Green flames flickered into existence at the fireplace. Harry hastily wiped what little of his tears that had fallen and looked to see the face of Albus Dumbledore. A crease on the Headmaster's ethereal forehead and a look of urgency in his eyes.
"Happy Christmas Harry, I am afraid that I have not come for a friendly chat. An emergency has come-up." said Dumbledore, he sighed softly and seemed to be holding back his displeasure. "The Minister of Magic and several others are here and demanding your presence. Could you please come to my office immediately? I duly apologize for the lack of decorum and short notice, but circumstances as they are, your presence is vital as the meeting cannot commence without you."
Harry stared at the man who had been tormenting his thoughts for more than a week now. His throat felt dry but he forced himself to speak. "Sir, when were you going to tell me that I was a Horcrux?"
The green flames of Dumbledore's expression became blank as he stared at Harry. The two stared at each other in dead silence. The green fire cackling as both men held an unexpected staring contest. Harry refused to be the one to break the silence, but almost a minute went on.
Harry's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes flashed, and his lips curled to a sneer. "You were never going to tell me, were you? When was I suppose to know then? Were you going to have someone like Snape relay the message when I was cornered into the choice?"
"I'm sorry, Harry." said Dumbledore, his tone filled with remorse. "I am so sorry . . . but sometimes we must give ourselves to a greater cause for the peace of the world out of love. I should have told you last year -"
"Yes, you should have!" snapped Harry, rising to his feet and glaring at the Headmaster's visage in ghostly green fire. His chest throbbed and the helplessness overwhelmed him. "I had a right to know! You should have told me, but you didn't! You're always keeping secrets from me! You're always trying to control me! And now, I find out that you've been planning my death too?!"
Dumbledore's ethereal visage seemed to age and he closed his eyes in pain. Dumbledore sighed and opened his eyes to look at Harry with a guilty and sullen expression. "How did you come upon this knowledge, Harry?"
"Voldemort knows," spat Harry, his hands curling into fists and he barely repressed the shaking in his body as he looked down at Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes widened behind his half-moon spectacles. "Delphini saw fit to tell him almost a week ago when she and Bellatrix dined with him as a family."
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. His eyes held a faraway look. "I didn't think that Voldemort would go so far in his playacting. Nevertheless, a crucial matter needs your attention now, Harry."
"And that would be?"
Dumbledore's gaze continued to seem distant as if reminiscing. Finally, he snapped out of his daze and looked at Harry.
"Gellert Grindelwald has broken out of Nurmengard prison."
Harry froze at those words. His eyes widened and he just stared at Dumbledore. Dumbledore respectfully gave him a moment to let the information sink in.
Dumbledore continued. "Now that he's escaped captivity, he'll surely be looking to recommence what he started in World War 2 in his bid to change Magical societies throughout Europe and the United States. Reports indicate that he's currently hiding in Great Britain."
Harry's face drained of all color as he gaped at Dumbledore. "The . . . the Nazi Dark Lord escaped?"
Harry mentally hit himself over his own stupid question. Dumbledore briefly had a look of pain overcome his features before schooling himself into a neutral expression. His gaze seemed to focus back on Harry. "The very same. Please come quickly. The situation is potentially a dire one, Harry."
Harry sighed and nodded. The heaviness in his chest intensifying. What will this mean for the future?
Harry stepped out of the floo after he felt his feet slam down onto the Headmaster's fireplace. Upon raising his body to full height, he immediately spotted Lucius Malfoy standing by the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore sat down upon his office chair and gazed towards him with an unreadable expression and Lucius turned to face him with a solemn expression on his visage. Lucius was drabbed in his usual luxurious dress robes and holding his customary cane.
"Ah . . . greetings, Mr. Potter," said Lucius, his posture relaxed as he took note of Harry's arrival. "Apologies on the disruption of your holiday affairs, but the importance of this matter required your presence. You have my sincerest gratitude for your prompt arrival."
Harry's eye twitched as he felt the frustration rise within him. He scowled at Lucius. Sirius died without ever receiving a trial and Lucius Malfoy can walk out of prison despite being caught in Death Eater robes. Why is he here? What is he playing at?
Harry forced himself to keep his tone neutral. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy, I see that prison hasn't dampened your spirits any. Had a speedy trial? Perhaps, one of your special friends in the Ministry came to your rescue?"
Lucius's lips thinned and he shivered. He shook his head at Harry. "On the contrary, Mr. Potter, I am only free and alive today thanks to my wife's determined negotiation skills in conjunction with the mercy shown to me by my beloved niece and . . . your mercy, my lord."
Harry blinked and his eyebrows receded into his hairline. What?! What is he . . . oh, bloody hell. The letter . . .
"If not for your political influence with negotiating the terms in which the meeting between you and the Minister of Magic would take place; what with you having added the stipulation, my wife would never have been able to meet personally with the Minister to engage in talks about concessions for the sake of my release and for the wiping of my criminal record," said Lucius, a small smile forming on his lips. Harry's eyes widened. "Of course, upon release, and after receiving a warm welcome back home, my wife had me meet with my contacts at the Daily Prophet to give a personal account of my harrowing experience in Azkaban. The article released this Christmas day, I hope that you take the time to read it as I made sure to emphatically thank you for giving your support to House Malfoy in our time of need. I told the reporter that you have my utmost gratitude for entrusting in my innocence and how I admire your Gryffindor courage to fight against another travesty of justice like your late godfather, Sirius Black."
Harry glared at Lucius, his hands tightened into fists, and his arms began to shake. He grit his teeth and his eyes narrowed. His chest felt like it was constricting inside of him as he bore witness to the full ramifications of his actions in order to remove Ginny's physical deformity. This is all I am . . . everybody's bloody chew toy.
"Hello, darling!" said Delphini, waving cheerfully and somewhat childishly.
Harry snapped out of his rage and directed his attention to her voice. His eyes widened as he spotted her and she smiled brightly at Harry once his surprised gaze settled on her. Harry flinched as he saw her sitting in a chair at the far corner of the room with Severus Snape standing in the shadows next to her. He felt numbness sweep over him and he could swear that her eyes gazed hungrily at him for a brief moment.
A voice cleared their throat on the opposite side of Delphini and Lucius to Harry's immediate left. Harry flinched as he turned to take note of the other occupants in the room. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, Percy Weasley, and the Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour sat on comfy, plush chairs situated close to the wall. Harry flushed at not having noticed them due to his focus on the uncanny attendance of Lucius. The Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and John Dawlish stood on either side of them in auror robes.
"Lord Potter," spoke the Minister, sitting in the middle. He gave a formal nod to Harry. "Glad you could join us. We have much to discuss."
Harry blinked. Lord Potter? Since when did I have that title? He wasn't nearly this formal when meeting me in private at the Weasleys.
Harry recalled the conversation outside of the Burrow that the two had shared.
"Are you simply Dumbledore's man through and through?"
Harry opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. He shot a pensive gaze to the Minister. The Minister began to scowl at Harry as they stood in silence for nearly thirty seconds.
"No, Dumbledore has nothing to do with it," said Harry finally, his green eyes blazing at the Minister. Harry unfurled his right cuff and showed the Minister the bloodstained words on his wrist. The Minister's eyes widened and he froze. His lips were parted in shock. "To put it simply, the Ministry of Magic has given me no reason to have confidence ever since I received this mark from the dearly departed Umbridge. Under Fudge, there was a gross misuse of power and I was the prime target for an entire year. I experienced a brief torture that night at the Triwizard Tournament from Voldemort and then had to endure an entire year's worth of torture by a Ministry official who was supposedly there to reassure children of their welfare."
The Minister flinched at the name of Voldemort spoken aloud and Harry shook his head. Scrimgeour's lips formed a thin line and he blanched as he gazed directly upon Harry's eyes. Harry gave him a hardened look. "Your government has given me no reason to have confidence, I don't see any headlines about you organizing Hit Wizards and building up the Aurors to fight against Death Eaters. Instead, you've just been holding press conferences and pretending to take action. I can tell the difference."
"Mr. Potter, with all due respect, there is little chance that we can form countermeasures against a wizard as powerful as You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. We're not sure if we could win against any hostile coup."
Harry gave the Minister a look of disdain. "So then, why should I assist in trying to calm public fears when you don't have a credible plan against him? There's nothing favorable to me about your proposal; it just sounds desperate and ridiculous. Unlike you, I've actually fought him, even when the situation seemed hopeless, I struggled harder to overcome. If you have no strategy to beat him or fight him, then you're wasting both your time and mine."
"Mr. Potter," said Percy formally, he fiddled with his glasses and gave Harry a curt nod. Harry noticed the aurors nodding to him in respect and Amelia Bones gave him a brief "Hello" of her own.
"Would you like to sit, Harry?" asked Delphini, Harry turned to see that she was still smiling. Before he could respond, she thrust forward her left arm with her thumb and forefinger held together. She made the snapping motion and a pristine chair with gold embroidery popped into existence in the middle of the room.
Percy gaped in shock while the other four flinched at the sudden movement. They each looked distinctly unsettled by the nonchalant usage of wandless magic by the blonde witch. Delphini held each of their gazes to smirk briefly at them before resuming her attention towards Harry. Scrimgeour glanced toward Snape before looking back at Delphini. Harry gazed directly onto Delphini's grey eyes and noticed the tinge of red. "No, thank you. I prefer to stand."
"This meeting may be a long one, Harry," said Dumbledore from the Headmaster's desk. "It may be best to sit down."
Harry looked toward Dumbledore and shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but I prefer to stand, sir."
Delphini shrugged and snapped her fingers again. The chair vanished completely. Amelia Bones gave Delphini a contemplative gaze, Scrimgeour seemed to be holding his tongue as he shot Delphini a look of suspicion, and Percy appeared to be hiding his alarm. The two aurors had stiffened but otherwise remained unfazed.
"We can now proceed," said Amelia, turning to Harry. She clasped her hands together on top of a large scroll of parchment that was attached to a clipboard on her thighs. "Lord Potter, I trust that Dumbledore has informed you of what's happened?"
Harry's brows furrowed. "None of you heard our conversation?"
Why are they addressing me as Lord Potter?
Amelia shook her head. "No, Lord Potter, it would seem a powerful charm kept your conversation private from all of us in this room."
The Fidelus charm, thought Harry, Well, it's for the best. I wouldn't want the Ministry mucking up my life even more than last year. They would probably give me to Voldemort as a trophy, if the opportunity presented itself.
"He told me that Grindelwald had broken out of prison and was spotted in Great Britain." said Harry, "And that you need me to be here for this meeting to continue?"
"That is correct," said Amelia nodding to him, she paused for a moment. Her next words seemed to be carefully chosen as she made eye contact with him. "Lord Potter . . . what is the extent of your knowledge regarding the Dark Lord Grindelwald?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know much. I just know that he was a Nazi who tried to further Hitler's plans in the Magical world, but I don't know of any specifics. I don't recall any of my history classes with Professor Binns covering the events."
Lucius Malfoy's lips curled and he looked livid for a brief moment upon hearing Harry's response. Lucius gave Dumbledore a death glare but then schooled his features into a blank stare as he resumed listening to Harry and the Ministry employees. To Harry's surprise, Kingsley Shacklebolt shot a brief look of rage at Dumbledore too. Dumbledore seemed to ignore both men's outraged expressions as he solely focused on Harry's talk with Amelia.
Amelia's eyes darted towards Dumbledore for a few seconds before looking back at Harry. Amelia sighed. "Very well, Lord Potter." She turned her gaze to Scrimgeour. "Minister?"
"Lord Potter, in order to bring you up to speed," said Rufus Scrimgeour, his posture straightening as looked at Harry. "I shall have my assistant give a brief overview of the history of the Dark Lord Grindelwald. Mr. Weasley, if you would?"
Percy stood up from his seat and turned to look towards Harry. He unrolled a scroll of parchment, he cleared his throat, and began to read aloud. "The Dark Lord Grindelwald sought to reshape the societal conditions of the Magical world to be akin to the cultural and social conditions of the Muggle German world during his time. His influence spread throughout Europe and the United States via guerilla warfare and subterfuge tactics that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths throughout the Western Wizarding World and especially Magical Britain. As a subset of the Muggle Nazi movement, he worked to create a strong Nazi Reich via recruitment of Muggle-borns who sympathized with-"
"Oh no, no, no, no! Stop, just stop, bloody stop it!" bellowed Lucius Malfoy, his visage turning from red to dark puce with every word that Percy spoke. Lucius gnashed his teeth, the hand on his cane holding it in a vice-like grip, and he glared at each of the Ministry employees. Finally, his ire settled upon the frowning face of Percy Weasley. "I'll not have you speak another word of this farce any further! It's demeaning to every life lost in the second world war and it's bloody insulting to our intelligence listening to you spouting forth that inane crap! Bloody fucking hell!"
Harry froze. I've never seen Lucius Malfoy lose composure when acting as a politician and wealthy Pureblood. He's only ever lost his composure in Death Eater robes and it's never been in a public setting in front of Ministry employees.
Lucius briefly shot a look of revulsion towards Dumbledore and then turned his gaze towards Harry. Lucius clicked his tongue and appeared to be struggling to hold his anger. "Mr. Potter - ah, forgive me - my lord, they are ignoring the true depravity of what happened! You will not ascertain a clear understanding of the danger posed by that . . . that bloody fucking monster!"
Lucius's voice sounded harsh and raw as he shouted. Harry felt a touch surreal by the proceedings as he had never witnessed Lucius Malfoy lose his entire composure to a personal tirade. Lucius began to hyperventilate as his visage darkened.
"Uncle!" said Delphini, her voice gentle, but strong and firm. Lucius snapped his attention towards her. She gave Lucius a measured gaze. "I will tell Harry of what transpired. You . . . should settle down. Perhaps, you should sit here while I stand?"
"Right . . . yes, that's probably for the best," said Lucius blinking and shaking his head as he caught his breath. He nodded to Delphini. "Thank you, Delphi."
Delphini nodded back and rose from her seat to stand across from Harry. She briefly glanced back at Dumbledore with a look of revulsion and then smirked at him. She turned her attention back to Harry as Lucius settled down on the empty chair.
Delphini took a deep breath; grey eyes met green, her lips formed a thin line, her brows furrowed in concentration, and her posture straightened. She regarded him with a serious expression.
"Harry, what I'm about to tell you isn't easy for some of the people here to listen to, so I must insist that you listen carefully. This history that I'm about to tell you has divided families into what we now refer to as light and dark." said Delphini, "The light families wanted to forget and move past the events, but the dark families felt as if it was a disservice to their loved ones, if they tried to whitewash or obfuscate history. I learned of it from both my family and during my time in the United States, where this history wasn't ignored or devalued as insignificant."
Harry frowned but nodded. He took note of the uneasy shuffling of Kingsley and the scowl on Dawlish's visage. I'd best keep silent. It sounds like an explosive topic. I better listen before saying anything that could light the proverbial match.
"When the Dark Lord Grindelwald campaigned for the Nazi agenda, he tried to promote this idea of modernity. He took the insignia of the fairytale related to the Deathly Hallows and used the image to campaign for what was referred to as the Magical Modernity Movement or triple M for short." said Delphini, her tone holding a hint of contempt and her lips curling. Harry nodded and felt a sense of foreboding as he noticed that Lucius, Dawlish, and Kingsley each held an angry expression on their faces. Delphini took a deep breath and continued. "While some of what he tried to do was bringing magical infused muggle technology to the Magical world at large, he also tried to bring the social beliefs of his time into the Magical world. Many, many Muggle-borns joined up in his cause as they began to utilize guerilla tactics upon Magical European countries and the United States as part of their global war campaign."
Harry froze and gaped at Delphini. A thudding in his chest as the realization dawned on him. Oh bloody fuck . . . Grindelwald was a Nazi so that means . . .
"He and the Muggle-born extremists tried to bring the Nazi ideology into the Magical world. They heavily promoted the concept of non-white ethnic backgrounds being inferior and put major focus on Black people and Jewish people being racially inferior." said Delphini, her face holding a grave expression. Harry stared stricken by her words as he listened in rapt attention. The other occupants of the room didn't interrupt. Lucius had his head bowed low and his free hand clenched in a fist. "Due to the necessity of survival during the Medieval times, racial inequality had become virtually non-existent in the Magical world, but Grindelwald and his followers saw it as part of a regressive, ignorant culture living by antiquated standards and hoped to bring the so-called rational idea of the racial superiority of whites above the Jews, Blacks, and other minorities. Magical law enforcement later discovered they had planned to go so far as to introduce the Aryan race theory once their initial plans had succeeded. When their campaign was disparaged as evil, stupid, and shallow by an overwhelming amount of the Purebloods all throughout the Magical world; Grindelwald and his followers turned to violence since he'd promised Hitler results and needed to keep good on his promises to his Fuhrer."
Harry paled and felt a headache coming along. Delphini's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. Her visage looked incensed before she schooled her features. "Grindelwald and his Muggle-born followers conducted vicious and barbaric attacks upon purebloods, most of whom were of Black or Jewish descent like the Shacklebolts and the Smiths. When that was rooted out via a joint international campaign against him, Grindelwald and his Nazis had their presence diminish to just Great Britain alone. During that period of the war, they . . . they took away Magical safety protections during the tail end of the bombing of Britain by the Muggle Nazis and passed directives to have magical British communities bombed."
Harry's jaw hung agape, his wide eyes flickered from Kingsley to Lucius, and then stared at Delphini. Each of the other occupants either avoided his gaze, had their heads down, or looked distinctly uncomfortable with meeting his gaze.
"It wasn't until later that Dumbledore over there," said Delphini, pointing a thumb backwards without turning to look at Dumbledore. "Defeated Grindelwald and captured him for trial. Grindelwald's remaining followers either fled into exile or were captured and tried like him. Many were executed for crimes against humanity. It was only Dumbledore's political prestige at the time that kept Grindelwald from being executed, Dumbledore managed to convince the court that it would be a worse punishment for Grindelwald to live the rest of his life imprisoned in the very fortress that he built and hid within while conducting his attacks on Great Britain."
"Bloody hell . . . I . . . I have no idea what to say to any of that . . ." muttered Harry, shaking his head as he took all of the information in. His eyes squinted with a quizzical look as he gazed upon Delphini. "Why do all of you expect Grindelwald to attack only Magical Britain rather than head elsewhere like the States, even if he was spotted here? I can understand being prepared, but all of you seem certain that he'll attack here."
"Because he's a bloody bastard, that's why! He and all the mudbloods that supported him! My father lost the entirety of the Malfoy family line in one of those damned bombings. Their bodies charred and unrecognizable." snapped Lucius, his cheeks tinged puce as he glared around the room. Harry flinched at the harshness of Lucius's voice. Lucius's gaze finally settled upon Harry. "Don't think we're dumb, muggles have opened doors to the most horrific ideas, ideas shunned as evil by our society. They decided to build bigger bombs to kill more people with. What are we to do when the spark of another global war is lit and we're dragged into their wars again, hm? They're incapable of getting over differences in physical skin tone throughout the world over. What if one of these muggle countries decide to light the spark and use one of those large death bombs? We're at their mercy, our societies practically held hostage and constantly reacting to their violent idiocy, and for what? What justifies making weapons of mass destruction in the first place? I don't for a second believe the cock and bull about defense. There is no defense to be had with launching weapons that destroy entire cities and kill hundreds of thousands! Only psychopaths believe such bile! Mark my words, there's something wrong in their blood! Muggles are born defective, violent, and stupid!"
"Enough!" shouted Delphini, turning to face her uncle with a cold and measured gaze. "Perhaps your time in Azkaban took more of a toll than you realized. Another outburst like that and I will have you escorted back home. I'll be sure to give as much positive feedback as possible given those circumstances, but I'd like to avoid that unfavorable option."
Lucius shuddered and nodded. His breathing becoming ragged and he crumpled his face in his freehand. Harry noted the tears falling down his cheeks. Delphini turned her gaze back towards him with a forlorn expression.
"The concept of dirty muggle blood and blood traitors became more pronounced after Grindelwald's reign of terror," said Delphini, shaking her head slightly. "Unfortunately, societies tend to make hasty generalizations in response to a tragedy. Due to the greater degree of ignorance towards science back then, purebloods largely put blame on the idea of defective genes from muggle-born witches and wizards. It didn't help that many of the witches and wizards that fled into exile after Grindelwald's capture believe strongly in the concept of white supremacy, it acted as a sort of confirmation in the minds of people in the past that muggle-borns were somehow defective."
A realization came to Harry causing him to pause. His eyes widened. "So when muggle-borns compare pureblood supremacy to Nazism . . ."
Delphini sighed and nodded. "It's just reminding them of what the muggle-borns of the past were responsible for and all that the pureblood families lost. Pureblood supremacy is bad, but it is not the same as Nazism at all. Making a discriminatory registry system and penalizing Muggle-borns for using magic still isn't the same as concentration camps, mass bombings, and many other horrific activities perpetuated by the Nazis."
"A discriminatory registration system could arguably be seen as the first step towards concentration camps." said Harry, pointedly maintaining eye contact. "You shouldn't dismiss such a possibility regarding discrimination simply because it hasn't happened yet. Voldemort himself wiped out many pureblood family lines."
Delphini shot him a scathing look before she composed herself and then smirked at him. A red hue in her eyes. "All the more reason why we're having this meeting."
Harry's brows furrowed and he tilted his face to the side. What does that mean?
"As for why we know that Grindelwald will attack Magical Britain . . ." said Delphini, turning to her side and gazing expectantly toward Dumbledore. "Do you want to be the one to tell him old man, or should I?"
Dumbledore scowled at Delphini and then turned his attention to Harry. His visage shifted to a rueful gaze as his eyes became slightly watery.
"Grindelwald, no doubt, seeks to gain vengeance upon me personally by attacking Magical Britain as a proxy for his revenge," said Dumbledore, he sighed and gave Harry a meaningful look. Harry had never seen Dumbledore so miserable with the crease on his brow and his eyes dimmed without any of the righteous Gryffindor fire behind it. "He and I . . . go far back. We were lovers once during our youth . . . before he allowed that nonsense to get into his head. He and I parted on the worst possible of terms and reflecting back . . . I suppose I tried to ignore his faults and saw only what I wanted to see from him."
Harry's eyes widened like saucers. Snape, slunk in the shadows, froze and gaped at the Headmaster. Lucius sat abruptly to give his own look of surprise. Percy's mouth formed an o-shape, Scrimgeour threw Dumbledore a look of suspicion, and Amelia seemed mildly surprised but recovered the quickest. Delphini smirked and Harry realized that she had known about the closeness between the two men.
"Thank you for telling me, sir," said Harry quickly, he frowned as he looked at everyone's various reactions. "Is it . . . taboo in the wizarding world too?"
"No," said Delphini, looking back at him. "it's just incredibly uncommon. But it's not despised or thought of as a mental illness like in the muggle world, probably because we don't follow any strict Abrahamic morals."
Delphini had spat the last few words out as if they were distasteful. Harry scowled and shook his head. Is she ever going to stop being bigoted towards muggle faiths?
"Why celebrate Christmas then?"
"Magical Britain adopted it overtime since Muggle-borns would always celebrate it," said Delphini, "I found the origins of the holiday to be more interesting though. It use to be Saturnalia during the Roman period. Both wizards and muggles during ancient times would celebrate the tradition."
"But Magical Britain-"
"Also had to deal with tampering down the racism between people of different skin pigmentations," said Delphini shaking her head, "the very prospect of which is seen as only somewhat ridiculous even now in the muggle world. Even then, people during the era of the second world war adapted to muggle prejudices and tried to drag Magical society into it despite the relatively accepting nature towards Muggle-borns. My father has told me some tales."
Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Delphini cut him off. "Regardless of where we stand on these volatile social issues, we're diverging from the reason why we're all here. Let us get back to the pressing matter of why we're all here."
"I was not aware that you took an interest in Magical history, Professor Snape," said Amelia Bones, glancing at Severus in the corner. The Head of Magical Law Enforcement raised an eyebrow at the Defense professor.
Delphini grinned at her. "He doesn't."
Amelia's eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid I don't understand. The contract stipulates that the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange is to . . . ah, I see. The mother was stipulated and we assumed the father was Snape based on the Hogwarts records. Very clever of the Dark Lord. Still, it doesn't change the terms. So who is your father then, young lady?"
"A sharp mind as ever, daddy was right to see you as a credible threat." said Delphini, chuckling to herself. Amelia froze in her seat and her lips formed a thin line. "I'll tell you after we're done informing Harry about the agreement."
Amelia scowled and looked ready to retort. Scrimgeour's eyes widened at Amelia and quickly interrupted.
"Very well," said Minister Scrimgeour, turning to gaze at Delphini with a calm expression. "it matters very little in the long run. The important part is Lord Potter's response."
"My response?" questioned Harry, raising an eyebrow and glancing at each of the Ministry employees that were seated. "To what, exactly?"
Scrimgeour avoided his gaze. "Amelia, if you would?"
Amelia avoided Harry's gaze too. She pointedly looked down at the immaculate scroll in her possession and began to speak. "In light of recent events and circumstances presenting . . . as the Minister informed you during your personal meeting earlier this month, we have no legitimate means of neutralizing the threat that He-who-must-not-be-named and his Death Eaters pose upon Magical British society. Given Grindelwald's recent escape, we now face the worst catastrophe possible. Before the escape, we ran the risk of falling into a war of power with light families and muggleborns battling You-Know-Who, his followers, and his dark family sympathizers. You-Know-Who himself is powerful enough to take over the Ministry with Albus Dumbledore so close to death. But now? We run the risk of the bloodiest guerilla warfare in Magical British history between three factions. It'll be the light families and muggleborns versus You-Know-Who and his sympathizers versus Muggleborn extremists and Grindelwald. While the Nazi Dark Lord's battle capacity has weakened, his brutal methods surely have not. He will continue to instigate bloodletting, possibly of Black and Jewish Muggles, with the help of Neo-Nazi muggleborns and Muggles alike in the name of racial superiority. That is in conjunction with his brutal war methods. We cannot fight a two-front war on the losing side while trying to keep magical secrecy intact in this situation. It is, sadly, not feasible."
"So what is this meeting about? Is the Ministry just giving up?" said Harry, his headache worsening. A cynical idea came unbidden in his mind. Harry glared at the three Ministry employees. "Are . . . are you offering me as a sacrifice to appease him?! Is that what this is about?!"
The Minister looked outraged. "Now, see here! I will not be spoken to as if -!"
"Oh no, they offered that the first chance they got when we proposed negotiations. I was curious so I asked for the full details before firmly refusing. Want to hear them?" said Delphini, her smirk looking predatory. Her eyes briefly flicked over to the Ministry employees shuffling uncomfortably. Harry turned to her and scowled. Delphini continued, having taken the silence as consent. "They hoped that handing you over as a sacrifice would show their commitment to peace. They had already preempted Daily Prophet stories full of falsehoods about how you willingly accepted for the good of Magical Britain. They had planned to deceive Dumbledore to send Hit Wizards here to knock you out and send you on a one-way portkey to any location that we requested."
Harry turned to the Ministry officials and glared at each of them. The Minister and Amelia Bones looked defiant, but Percy looked down in shame. Harry's headache worsened, he tried to reign his temper so he wouldn't snap at them. He took a deep breath and counted to ten to calm his rising ire.
They're not sorry at all . . . thought Harry, I suppose they justify it when comparing one human sacrifice to hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Isn't it fundamentally the same as what Dumbledore planned for me, though? Do I have the right to be angry, when I would prefer such an option so nobody would have to die? And yet . . . I still feel this hate and I can't explain why. I knew they would consider it, if given the chance.
"So, what is the new proposal?" questioned Harry, his throat feeling dry as feelings of dread pressed down upon him. He felt hollow inside. His body felt rigid as his thoughts swarmed over the possibilities of a worse proposal. Do they plan on sacrificing Professor Dumbledore instead?
"We've agreed to a preliminary truce under what we hope will become an established peace treaty," said Amelia, Harry noted that she chose her words carefully. "We will try to set aside our differences in the hopes of acquiring the assistance of He-who-must-not-be-named to neutralize the threat of Grindelwald since Albus Dumbledore is incapable of such a feat in his current condition."
Harry's eyes flashed. "You mean you're going to set aside the rights of Muggle-borns for your own survival?"
"For the survival of hundreds of thousands of innocents, Lord Potter," said Amelia in a clipped tone, "Realistically, it would simply be more expedient to sacrifice one life for the survival of hundreds of thousands. That would be the most desirable outcome for us to maintain peace, but that young woman over there, with whatever political clout she holds among the dark families, managed to come up with a peculiar solution that, in our view, simply wastes time. Nevertheless, we've chosen to respect it at her insistence since she seems to be the prime negotiator representing You-Know-Who."
Harry scowled and folded his arms. "And what is the new solution for peace?"
Amelia Bones fully unfurled the large, pristine parchment. "I should mention that the senior soliciters at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Unspeakables, Gringotts, and I have thoroughly combed every word, syntax, and interpretation of this document. It is ironclad with two stipulations; the preliminary agreement once signed will be in effect until the end of this school year and the second stipulation, should you agree to any of its interpretable terms in which it satisfies the contract, will take hold immediately and you will be bound to it until you and the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange both agree to nullify the contract within the contours of the Magical British legal system."
Harry blinked. His mind trying to digest what the legal ramifications were. Harry's cheeks reddened. "Er . . . what?"
"I'll clarify since these three seem to be trying to obfuscate what will be expected in our soon-to-be future . . ." said Delphini, her eyes gleaming with a thin red hue. Amelia frowned but remained silent. Harry turned to Delphini. "Unlike them, I want you to have a clear understanding so that we may get this peace agreement to really work. Both parts require your signature, the first portion is a temporary armistice until the end of our sixth year at Hogwarts. Within that timeframe, you must choose whether to sign the second proposition."
Harry's eyes narrowed. His posture stiffened. "And just what do these proposals entail and what will be the personal costs to me?"
Delphini's eyes shined with hunger. A smirk adorning her features. "The proposal for the truce enters you into a marriage contract until the end of the school year and the signing of the second proposition, securing a permanent peace treaty that precludes any further war between light and dark families, signifies your acceptance of our marriage."
"Marriage contract?!" blurted Harry, his eyes wide like saucers as he wildly looked around the room to see people avoiding his gaze. Harry's eyes finally settled upon Dumbledore's wizened visage. "What is all this?!"
"This is a ploy, Harry." said Dumbledore, a frown on his lips. A look of grief upon his features. "We must not be taken in by such obvious deceptions."
"And what would you have us do?!" shouted the Minister, glaring at Dumbledore. His visage turning a shade puce. "At this moment, we're in desperate need of securing the welfare of the Wizarding World. It . . . it's the only recourse we have! It's not an ideal choice, but if it prevents war, then it's hardly a bad choice at all! We must make peace with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters or we lose everything!"
"It is in the darkest of times where we should fight the most fiercely for justice!" snapped Dumbledore, his voice scratchy and harsh. "Mark my words, you are simply submitting our world to tyranny."
Minister Scrimgeour and Professor Dumbledore kept on viciously arguing into a near-shouting match. Delphini moved her body slightly to block the two men from Harry's line of sight. Harry didn't mind as their ranting was giving him a headache.
"I told you that I would save you, Harry. I hope this has made the seriousness of my intentions clear." said Delphini, her voice strong and calm. Harry noticed her visage only seemed to become hungrier and the red hue in her eyes was distinctly noticeable to him now. "You and I will marry and you will accept your place by my side. The contract specifies two official dates for our betrothal agreement before you either accept or reject the second proposition . . . I should clarify that you needn't sign the second proposition to fulfill it. You could fulfill the contract, even before any contractual dates, by signing the first proposition and becoming sexually intimate with me to the extent of sexual penetration should you desire it."
Delphini had a full blown smirk as she said those words and Harry gaped at what she had spoken. He could hardly believe what she had said that in a room with her uncle, Professor Snape, the Ministry officials, the two aurors, and Professor Dumbledore. To his chagrin, he felt a twitch in his pants as the idea intruded into his thoughts and caused his cheeks to flush. Delphini's eyes flicked to Harry's pants before looking back up directly to his eyes. Harry's face flushed further at her knowing look.
"I . . . I mentioned before that I'm pretty rubbish at dating," said Harry, the surreal nature of the entire meeting giving him a touch of vertigo. "I'm not very good with romantic atmospheres and all that . . ."
"I've thought about it, I've asked my aunt and parents for advice too," said Delphini, she shrugged. "I've since concluded that we're overthinking it. Dating is just friendship; except with hugs, kisses, and even lovemaking. I want you and I to be the best of life partners."
Harry felt his headache increase as Amelia Bones interrupted the conversation. "Pardon my intrusion, but I must insist upon clarification of your birth father. It doesn't change the framework of the contractual document, but as we're broaching a new level of trust . . ." Amelia stopped and looked over to Severus Snape. "Perhaps you can shed light on this issue, Professor Snape?"
Delphini turned to Amelia Bones and waved her hand dismissively at Snape behind her. Harry's lips twitched at witnessing the greasy git's sour expression and his scowl. Well, I probably wouldn't tire of seeing that every day.
"Snape never knew it, he believed that I was his daughter up until the truth came out recently," lied Delphini smoothly, Harry kept his expression neutral. He was impressed that Amelia Bones seemed inclined to accept the statement. "However, I am, in fact, the daughter of none other than Lord Voldemort himself."
The Aurors and Ministry officials flinched. Lucius and Snape both shuddered. Amelia Bones lips formed a thin line as she made no response, Percy openly gaped as he stared at Delphini as if for the first time, the aurors gazed at Delphini in open fear, and the Minister began to sputter in the middle of his conversation with Dumbledore as he turned to look at her. Delphini had a wide smile as she looked around the room in satisfaction.
"Shouldn't they have known based on the contract?" asked Harry, his curiosity grabbing hold.
Delphini turned back to him and shook her head. "The contract said my father's old family mantle would be taken in the wedding but didn't specify what old family. They assumed Prince based on my official school surname. I'll probably have that changed for the new school year."
"Now see here, boy!" snapped the Minister, his face turning puce as he gazed at Harry. "You will do your duty for the good of the wizar-!"
Delphini sharply turned to the Minister. "Shut up! Not another word out of you! The British government has done nothing but abuse Harry's ignorance and trust for far too long. You have no say on anything regarding how the courting will go between us. Once the first part is signed, that becomes ironclad too, but do not try any last minute pep talk about necessity or duty or anything at all, Harry and I will be the ones to define our relationship and it'll be without you incompetent fools fucking everything up. That's partly why the contract only has scratches to hide the signatures, you will have no authority over the proceedings nor the ability have an update on whatever you deem to be progress. The courting is not yours to influence."
The Minister remained silent and glared at Delphini but didn't say a word. Delphini's lips twitched. He knows better than to potentially sink the peace deal.
Delphini took a deep breath and exhaled. She looked directly into Harry's green eyes. Harry noticed that her grey eyes were mixed with a reddish color that was apparent for all to see.
Harry's eyes narrowed and he gave Delphini a significant, serious expression. "Why go through all of this trouble? What do you want from me, Delphini?"
"What I want, my darling?" said Delphini stepping closer to him, the hungry expression in full force on her face. She walked directly towards him and Harry purposefully moved to the side as Delphini kept walking forward. "To open the door for you to be away from the Ministry's bungling schemes, to break your chains of bondage to Dumbledore's idle whims, and to watch as all of the British Wizarding world comes to understand that you and I together shall be the influential policymakers shaping it's future for our own interests. Together, we will rule to rabble with an iron fist."
She turned to face him; her eyes a blazing hot pink mixed with a slight grey, her lips curled in a devious smirk, and her eyes shining with undisguised lust for all to see. Her attention solely on Harry Potter.
Harry took an involuntary step back as he noticed the intensity of her gaze. Delphini's eyes didn't waver from him. "I want you to give me your entire being! Grovel and call me your savior, perhaps drop down to praise me as your goddess! I am completely unashamed to admit that you rightfully belong to me!"
Harry gaped and he felt an eye twitch. A cold sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and a shiver up his spine. The others had quieted with appalled or disbelieving looks with the exception of Lucius. Harry scowled and was ready to speak but Delphini spoke first.
"What I want is your complete submission!"
I will show you, my darling, thought Delphini, as the events concluded and Harry signed the first proposition. Delphini had already signed both propositions prior to the meeting. You belong to me!
Delphini stepped out of the fireplace of Malfoy Manor and walked towards her Uncle Lucius. Severus Snape stepped out behind her. They had just finished the meeting in Albus Dumbledore's office regarding the truce between the Death Eaters and the Ministry.
High risk, but high reward. Hopefully everything falls into place. thought Delphini, as she and the other two silently walked to the dining room. Her mind drifted to images of Harry and how she had demanded his compliance. A blush crept upon her cheeks. Well, he surely got my message and its meaning. I just have to act with confidence. I can't fumble with words, not when the stakes are so dire. Harry must come to accept the second proposition, then he and I will live together as wife and husband.
"Enjoyed yourself tonight, Young one?" said Severus silkily, his lips twitched and his tone held a hint of mockery. "Complete submission, was it? Did your mother tell you to use those words?"
Delphini's eyes narrowed but she didn't look towards him. Her cheeks flushed further as she thought over her actions a few hours prior. "Shut up, Snape. I was just showing confidence. I needed to make it clear under no uncertain terms what Harry's expectations will be regarding the contract. His selfless nature is a double-edged sword for both our side and Dumbledore's side. Once I begin emphasizing the benefits of submitting to the proposal, then he'll have to come around and accept it as the best resolution to avoid bloodshed."
"Confidence? Is that what you call it?" said Snape, picking up on only one aspect of what she said and outright ignoring her misdirection. Delphini tried not to growl in annoyance. Snape's words were laced with mirth. "Your blatant attempt to seduce the boy in front of the Ministry and Albus Dumbledore was quite shameless. I think we were all floored by the promiscuous undertones of your words. Your attempts to have him think with his . . . other head is in actuality your attempt at confidence? Is that what you would have us believe?"
Delphini scowled and proceeded to shrug. She kept her face away from Snape's gaze. I will not show him that he's getting to me. It's been a long night and I really do not want to deal with his shit right now.
"You can believe what you want. After realizing how worthless your perspective was in assessing Harry's character, I've long since stopped valuing your counsel. Do you want me to just say it? I have no qualms with having a sexual relationship with Harry Potter, if he accepts my proposal and is willing to be with me. Daddy gave me full discretion and your antics will not sway my decision-making." said Delphini, Snape momentarily froze and he sneered at Delphini. Delphini quickly cut him off before he could respond. "I'm not ashamed of it and your attempts to belittle me and him for having such ideas only shows your pitiful inability to accept the situation with proper maturity. If he has an intimate relationship with me, he accepts the contract wholly and we win our objective. And yes, I get to have sexual pleasure and so does he. You can disapprove all you want with that possibility, your opinion has no value to me."
"Do you really expect Potter to have such a mature outlook? The boy is Dumbledore's pampered prince."
"Honestly, the more you go on about his arrogance, the more I struggle to not think of you as an idiot. His life has been filled with so much hardship and emotional pain. I want to help him by giving him a better life. I don't understand how you can look at his life and not empathize even a little." said Delphini, shaking her head. She sighed. His stupidity is really beginning to piss me off. How can he not see Harry's suffering? "But to answer your question, after getting to know him, I've learned to care about him. I care about him a lot. It's honestly hard not to after getting to know him as a person. You and Draco see one side of him; I think I see a fuller side than both of you because I decided to give him a chance."
Snape sneered. He attempted another cutting remark to embarrass her. "Planning to bear his children, are you? Going to have little Potters scurrying around making a ruckus. Planning to have me fill in the role as babysitter as a lifetime occupation?"
Delphini turned to him with her lips on a thin line. Her eyes held none of the twinkle that had been apparent during the meeting with the Ministry and Harry Potter at Dumbledore's office. Delphini turned to Severus Snape with a completely humorless expression.
"Absolutely," said Delphini, her tone brooking no room for argument. Snape's eyes widened. Delphini's lips twitched but she maintained her serious expression. "I understand exactly what I'm getting myself into when I proposed the contract. I would happily bear and become the mother of his children. I can't think of a finer choice to be my life partner."
A brief silence filled the space around the three as they continued walking sedately to the dining hall. Delphini quickly wracked her brain to think up a topic as they walked in silence. She didn't want to deal with Snape's annoying attitude any longer.
It's none of his business what I intend to do with Harry. I want Harry and I to be together, I want to give him a better life. I don't care what anyone else believes, my intentions aren't wrong.
"Did Mother and Aunt Narcissa cancel the magical oath?" asked Delphini, she yawned before continuing. She moved one of her hands to rub underneath her eyes. "Because of Draco's mission being rescinded and all."
"Of course," said Snape, at once. "The Dark Lord has informed me that my loyalty as proven satisfactory thus far, but he requires that I keep protecting you and acting under your command."
Delphini nodded. "Good, then remember to shut the fuck up when I tell you to shut the fuck up."
Snape glared down at her and clenched his teeth but he didn't speak a word. Delphini smirked.
"By the way, thanks for your help in partly aiding with my gift to him," said Delphini, she briefly flashed a grin at Snape. "It got me thinking actually . . . I don't believe that you hate Harry Potter for the reasons that you keep parroting. Oh . . . right, feel free to talk now."
Snape scowled. "What are you talking about, young one?"
"I don't think you hate him because of his father. In fact, it's bizarre that he would be anything like his father considering the rest of the Potter family died long ago and he was never raised by them or any of the Marauders." said Delphini, a playful grin on her lips. "I think what you truly hate about him is . . . his personality reminds you of his mother. He was raised by his maternal aunt, after all. I think you constantly regurgitate the tripe about him being like his so-called arrogant father because you don't want to be reminded of how much he's actually like Lily Evans Potter. I think, above everything else, that's the real reason that you hate him."
Snape gave her a look of utter revulsion. Delphini's grin widened and the trio finally entered the dining room to report to Lord Voldemort about the night's events.
Harry swiped a free hand through his messy black locks, his fingers messaging his head as his mind was overwhelmed by the night's events. The only occupants in the room now were Professor Dumbledore and himself. His eyes flicked to the gift on the seat next to him. Delphini had given it to him as a Christmas gift and stolen a quick kiss on the cheek before she had left with Severus Snape and her Uncle Lucius.
I let my surprise and the bizarreness of the entire situation overwhelm me, thought Harry, reflecting on hours prior, I can't believe she went to this extreme just to provide a binding agreement to keep me under her control.
Harry felt ambivalent: a strong part of him felt irritated and angry that someone would try to determine so much of his life without his consent. However, a small part of him felt touched that someone would go to such lengths for the sake of his welfare. The idea that there was someone out there who made his safety a priority because they genuinely cared about him gave him a strange comfort. Delphini certainly had other goals, but he would be blind to not notice the lengths that she had gone to avert war, even if it was arguably for her own selfish ends. A significant portion of their interactions had been part of a courtship test that Harry had been entirely unaware of until their night of alcohol consumption in the Hogwarts kitchens. Most importantly, she provided a resolution that he'd thought impossible because of how dangerous his life was.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. She may be sincere, but I doubt Voldemort is. This could honestly just be a trick to kill me. thought Harry, he sighed as he mused over the events. At least she provided a temporary truce until the end of the school year.
Harry looked over to the gift to his side on the seat adjacent to his in front of the Headmaster's desk. She had made sure to wish him a happy Christmas before stealing a kiss on the cheek. Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. He felt so overwhelmed by everything that had happened this cold winter month. Where is all of this headed?
"I'm sorry, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice frail. A sorrowful expression on his wizened visage. "Their intentions were a surprise to me too. At the very least, it was for a temporary peace. Nevertheless, we cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by the empty promises of the Dark Lord's servant. This contract is a ruse for the Dark Lord to gain a hold upon all of Magical Britain. He may yet try to assassinate you at a later time and merely wishes to keep up appearances for cooperation with the government. Perhaps he has allowed the young woman to indulge in her fancies, but you must be on your guard. We face both the Dark Lord and Grindelwald as our enemies."
Harry scowled. A spark of irritation shot through him and compounded his headache. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before regarding the Headmaster.
"I'm already aware of that," said Harry forcing himself not to scowl. His hands formed into fists. He quickly added. "Sir."
But if Voldemort intended that, they could have just taken the first deal . . . and Dumbledore would have probably let them. I was going to bring it up, but I'd rather not deal with Dumbledore ignoring or redirecting my questions to some other topic. It'll just worsen my headache.
Silence hung over them. Both lost in their own thoughts over the night's events. Harry couldn't help the sinking feeling of being overwhelmed by the night's events. He quickly rose to his feet and reluctantly grabbed the large package that Delphini had left him.
"I'm going home to sleep," said Harry, walking over to the Headmaster's fireplace. "Goodnight, sir . . . and Happy Christmas."
"Goodnight Harry," said Dumbledore, his visage sorrowful. "Happy Christmas."
Harry threw a pinch of floo powder and stepped into the green flames. He spoke the name of Sirius's old home and traveled back to finally rest.
The next morning, Harry finally decided to open the large present during breakfast. Harry opened it to find three different packages.
The first box held a photo of his mother during her various years at Hogwarts. Unlike Hagrid's scrapbook, these were pictures that Harry had never seen before and Harry felt a tickle in his heart and being given a way to feel closer to his mother's memory. How did she manage to get these pictures?
The second box held handcrafted Christmas tree ornaments. A stag, a doe, and a black dog with distinct features. Harry recognized the ones for the black dog and it's superficial similarities to Sirius's animagus form. The doe was entirely new to him, but he could see some of the similarities between the stag and his patronus.
The third box held a folded and finely knit tapestry with the image of a stag, a doe, and a dog. Unlike the Christmas ornaments, the features and their similarities to Harry's patronus and Sirius's animagus form were greatly apparent to Harry. He had never seen to doe before, but even her features were distinct. The tapestry appeared to be handcrafted like the ornaments.
Harry found a small note on the bottom of the third box and inspected it.
Happy Christmas, darling!
I hope you liked the gifts. I'm afraid that the donor for the copy of the pictures wished to remain anonymous and I agreed to respect their privacy. I must also admit that I did use quite a bit of magic to make the handcrafted gifts. I tried the Muggle way for the ornaments early on, but it looked terrible so I caved and used magic in the end, especially for the tapestry. I hope you don't mind.
I hope you enjoy the gifts, don't worry about not giving me anything. Your agreement to the proposal was more than enough of a gift for me.
Your fiancée
Delphini Riddle
She's already calling herself my fiancée, thought Harry, his right eye twitched. Irritation flooded his thoughts. Still . . . these are some of the loveliest and most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.
A small worm of joy enraptured his heart and he felt his heart soar for a brief moment despite his anger. Harry sighed to himself, the feelings of being overwhelmed overtaking him again.
I honestly have no idea what the fuck to do about any of this . . .
Kreacher suddenly popped into the room. Harry looked over to the elf with a raised eyebrow.
"Master, former master Sirius's friend and niece are outside asking to be allowed in. They is saying Happy Belated Christmas and saying they wish to spend time with you. Says they missed you."
Harry thought it over for a few seconds. "Ask them what Tonks said about her mother during my first meeting with her. Come back to me with the response."
Kreacher popped out. Harry got up and began setting two more bowls of cereal for the expected guests. He felt a sense of ease and his lips twitched in excitement at the prospect of finally having company, possibly for the remainder of the break.
==
January
Hogwarts Castle
Great Hall
Harry settled in his seat at the Gryffindor table and smiled at his best mates. He was pleased to finally resume a state of normalcy with his friends after the break. He had spent quality time with Remus and Tonks, hearing stories about the Marauders and Remus's story about Greyback, and learning different dueling strategies and working on perfecting his dueling ability. Tonks had been a surprisingly helpful and fun instructor. She had proven herself equally capable to Remus in teaching ability. Her cheerfulness had returned when in Remus's presence and the three of them had spend hours studying the theory and practice to better hone Harry's skills for the looming threats posed on his safety. Both of them were skeptical about the truce and the return of Grindelwald prompted both of them to take a more active role in Harry's training.
Harry had thought of telling them about the Horcruxes but when he considered what happened to Mundungus Fletcher, he concluded that it was best for their safety and Harry didn't wish to unnecessarily jeopardize the tenuous peace that Dumbledore and he had to work with at the moment. Before the truce had been called, Harry had thought that he, Ron, and Hermione would need to actively search to find the Horcruxes after his current school year was finished. Thanks to Delphini Riddle, that plan was currently defunct.
Hermione finished her story about her Christmas break with her parents. Ron began speaking about his Christmas.
"It was bloody awful after you two left," said Ron, he sighed in clear exasperation. He shook his head to himself as he seemed to recall a particular memory. "It was suppose to be a happy celebration for Bill's upcoming wedding with Fleur but Ginny went and nearly bungled it up."
"Ginny?" questioned Hermione, her eyebrows knotted. "What did she do?"
"Well . . . turns out that she was saying some nasty jokes about Fleur, Ginny thought she was being clever with hiding it but apparently Fleur knew what she was saying. Fleur didn't speak up to avoid an awkward altercation." said Ron, his nose scrunched up and his lips curled downward. "Ginny kept making this stupid joke by referring to Fleur as phlegm. As it happens, Fleur told Bill this and Bill got right pissed since he apparently assured Fleur that none of our family were the bigoted type who discriminate against foreigners for mispronouncing English words. Mum found out and she and Ginny had a terrible row over Ginny's words. Mum told her repeatedly to stop calling Fleur that but she kept doing it. Ginny got grounded for the rest of the break after being forced to apologize to Fleur. The twins tried to cheer her up, but . . ."
Ron shrugged. "Honestly, it's her own fault. She never listens to anybody and can be such a brat sometimes. How was your break, Harry?"
"A lot happened over the Christmas break," said Harry, he straightened his posture. "I can't say here, though. When all three of us have privacy, I'll explain some of the new developments."
"Does it have anything to do with Grindelwald's escape?" asked Hermione, turning to gaze at him. "And the mysterious peace deal reported in the Daily Prophet and Quibbler?"
Harry sighed and nodded. Ron's shoulders drooped and he gazed ruefully at both of them. His lips set on a frown.
"I . . . got back with Lavender," said Ron, cutting in suddenly. Harry's eyes widened and Hermione's mouth formed an o-shape and her eyes narrowed. Ron continued, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly with one hand. "you both were gone and Christmas break was just a bloody mess. So . . . I was really lonely and had nobody to talk to. There was nothing for me to do but listen to Mum and Ginny shout. I decided to owl Lavender and we eventually agreed to get back together."
Hermione's face formed a blank expression and she didn't respond. Harry simply nodded, not knowing what to say. Harry turned to gaze at the Head table and he scowled. "What is she doing over there?"
Ron and Hermione turned to look where he was gazing. Delphini sat next to Severus Snape with her classic devious smile on her lips. Harry's eyes narrowed. What is she playing at this time?
Dumbledore rose from the high table causing the Great Hall to quiet down. Once the hall was fully docile, Dumbledore began to speak.
"Welcome back from Christmas holidays!" said Dumbledore, however the usual cheer in his voice was noticeably absent. "As I'm sure you've heard, in our increasingly darker times the Ministry has struck a truce with the Dark Lord. Due to the Ministry's insistence, we've complied with a representative of the Dark Lord's forces to speak on their behalf regarding the temporary peace agreement. I am not at liberty to speak my thoughts on this matter, so without further ado."
Dumbledore appeared to grudgingly sit back down and Delphini rose up from her seat. This prompted hushed whispers throughout the Great Hall as many looked at the unfolding events in confusion, shock, and apprehension. A smile still evident on her visage, she sauntered to the podium that had been placed a few feet away from the Head table. Once she stood behind it, she cleared her throat and began to speak.
"Greetings ladies and gentlemen, fellow classmates and esteemed professors," said Delphini, a hint of mirth in her tone. Her eyes shining brightly and her smile widening. She seemed to hold back a giggle. "I bet you weren't expecting this when coming back from the break, were you?"
Delphini paused a moment and the whispers grew louder. Murmurs began to resound around the Great Hall.
"What is going on? Why is she standing there representing You-Know-Who?!"
"How can the professors allow this?! This is scary!"
"Bloody hell! She was a Death Eater the entire time?!"
"Well, I'm steering clear of her. No wonder she kicked everybody's ass but Potter's in her duels."
Harry noticed that Ginny was glaring at Delphini with her teeth clenched. Most others kept murmuring in fear amongst their friends and relatives.
"Fear not, I am not here to threaten or harm any of you. I am just a normal student like everybody here." said Delphini, she surveyed the audience of students. "I would never wish harm on my fellow classmates. In my short time here at Hogwarts, I've come to truly enjoy the company and yes, even the mischief that I was a part of. That is partly why I pushed for a peace deal among our different sides. For the good of all Magical Britain, we must set aside our differences and avoid bloodshed. It will not be easy, to be sure. But nothing of genuine value is ever easy. We must work together and root out the true threat to the Wizarding World. I speak, of course, of the neo-Nazis and Grindelwald who threaten everyone with their mad designs for Magical Britian and the rest of the Magical world."
The murmurs slowly died down and the majority of people began to listen in rapt attention. Many still harboring angry or scared visages when gazing towards the podium.
Delphini's smile didn't falter and her eyes glittered like the enchanted ceiling. Her posture was straightened and her tone was cheerful yet strong as she spoke.
"As a result of extenuating circumstances, both the Dark Lord and the Ministry are continuing to hash out a permanent peace agreement so that Magical Britain may breathe easy and neither side will have to live in fear of losing loved ones to bloodshed." said Delphini, an impish smile on her lips. "I have a firm belief that they will make the right decision and peace will be brought forth to all of us here."
Harry's eyes widened. A shiver crept up his spine and his heart began to quicken.
She's lying through her teeth. The peace agreement can only be determined by her and I. The Ministry has no say, thought Harry, his eyes narrowing. But, I suppose this is good public relations to comfort people into believing the Ministry has the situation under control. She and Voldemort must have capitalized on the offer of acting on behalf of her being a public relations specialist for their side. Unlike me, she took the opportunity to reshape the narrative and the Ministry was probably forced to comply because only she has any real control over the so-called peace negotiations. This must mean she had another motive. Looks like Dumbledore was right, it was just a ploy after all. What is she after?
"The peace deal currently being negotiated between the Dark Lord and the Minister may require a symbolic union. Because of that, I, a symbol handpicked by the Dark Lord, and our resident celebrity, Harry Potter, have been prearranged to spend time together and potentially be placed into a marriage contract. So . . . sorry to all my fellow ladies, but the Ministry has declared that our most famous bachelor is now off-limits from the dating scene. According to the powers that be, Harry Potter is all mine now for the rest of the year. We may even be expected to get married to satisfy the Ministry and the Dark Lord for the sake of peace." said Delphini, she made a show of shrugging as students whispered fiercely amongst each other. Harry groaned and put a palm to his face. Ron and Hermione cast him shocked expressions. "Politics, am I right? What can you do? But I bet you're probably all wondering, why was I chosen? What makes me so special? Truthfully, I'm exactly like everyone here, just your average young woman going to school."
Harry snorted. Hermione and Ron still gave him shocked looks and Harry noticed that Ginny had turned his way. Ginny's mouth hung agape and her eyes were wide. Tears brimmed at the bottom of her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. Ginny turned back to Delphini and gave the Slytherin sixth year a livid expression.
"But unfortunately due to circumstances outside of my control, there is a crucial reason why I was selected for the position to speak openly about the Dark Lord's intentions and expectations." said Delphini, her patented smirk on her facial features. "Officially, I am the daughter of Severus Snape, but regrettably my paternity test revealed a shocking truth to the man that I had thought to be my father. He loved my mother dearly and didn't know that she had fallen in love with another man before she agreed to marry yet another man for political reasons. That is the reason I was selected to be Harry Potter's life partner for the symbolic partnership of the ongoing peace process. My mother is Bellatrix Lestrange and my father . . . my true biological father is none other than Lord Voldemort himself."
A brief moment of silence followed Delphini's statement as the audience slowly digested what she had said. Soon, the deafening silence was followed by utter pandemonium throughout the Great Hall. She basked in the unfolding cacophony for a few brief moments. Delphini smirked upon witnessing that utter chaos had ensued as she quickly thanked the audience and finished her speech.
Harry felt a headache coming along as people began pestering him with slew of questions from the Gryffindor table and people from the other tables walking over to stand by him in a disorganized line to assault him with questions of their own. Dumbledore tried to temper down the shouting and questions as Delphini sedately walked to sit amongst the Slytherin table. She seemed to amicably field questions amongst Slytherins who began demanding to know more about her. Hermione and Ron remained stunned by the series of revelations and Ginny gazed toward Delphini in a mixture of anger and fear.
"Bloody hell . . ." surmised Harry, as he continued fruitlessly to temper down people's questions. She oversimplified the problem and students now believe that the Ministry is negotiating some type of deal and that we're both just stuck living with the consequences.
Harry rubbed his head to stem the oncoming headaches. He thought over her speech as he continued to field questions unsuccessfully.
Delphini has certainly made a lasting impression within Hogwarts after tonight.
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HP and DR: A Matrimony Made For Peace