#post delphini

[motherfuckingmaneater]

HP Kinktober Day 11: Dragon / Dragon Eggs

[shrimpalbuspotter]

Cc dark world au stuff yet again

The relationship between Delphi (whos full name will be Delphini Black) and Albus.

I said In a previous post that Delphi views Albus as a pet. This still stands.

Delphi, unlike her father, was born without any love potion to affect her. She is shown to feel genuine want for a loving father in the play

Delphi IS capable of love! But the love she has for Albus is unlike one you'd have for a child or even a sibling. She sees Albus as a cute little thing, who she can teach to perform tricks and do her bidding. But she does love him, its just more similar to how you'd love a dog you've had since you were just a little kid.

She buys him gifts, I've also mentioned this before, things like expensive jewelry and robes, so that she is seen as more wealthy when she is strutting around on meetings with him (or he is away giving someone a message for her). This is still something reserved for only the richest purebloods who can afford a mudblood (although usually an imprisoned halfblood, as a lot of blood purists hate the idea of a mudblood even being in their sacred home) to have as a servant. Its incredibly expensive and the best job a halfblood slash muggleborn can have. The only difference between them and Albus is that Albus isn't really a servant, and was free

Then, she makes sure he's well groomed. When she was still a teenager she'd sit and prune him for hours, cutting his hair, filing his nails, and making sure he looks clean. To her it was just a bit of fun, but Albus was grateful to even get bathed. From ages 7-10, Albus actually had his hair dyed a bright cyan colour at the tips, but when Delphi turned 18 and "matured" as she called it, she decided it looked stupid and turned it black again. Similarly, she taught him some basic etiquette so as to not look like her pet didn't know how to behave, so he walks and talks like a pureblood when he isn't half way to a panic attack (which is almost all the time)

And there's the fact she dotes on his every move. It had gotten better now she's 22, but when she was 15 she'd make him do all sorts of silly tricks and would instantly order all the human servants to come and look and berate them for not being as talented as her little Munin (the name Albus is given). It got to the point Voldemort had to punish her for continously disrupting them from their work and she threw such a teen Bellatrix esque tantrum Albus had to do 10 whole hours of damage control. Now that she's older she'll mostly just dote on him in private, but she feels all the same. If she's at a ball or its voldemort day, she'll have him do a few tricks on stage for the people.

She tells him everything and doesn't even stop to think "maybe this is a bad idea". Like, you know how you have a long day and you just come home and vent to your dog even though it doesn't understand you? That's what Delphi does. "You wouldn't believe it, Munin. How dare they speak to me like that? Right? It was as if they forgot who I was! I sorted their behaviour out easily, ofcourse, but it still made me angry. Stupid kids... Anywho, i need you to go to Hogwarts and hand this to my Headmaster, Umbridge. Off you go." It's so fucking stupid but Albus is bored out of his mind and just happy to get the gossip, even if Delphi is known for being slightly dramatic.

Speaking of, Delphi is prone to temper tantrums that often lead to something or someone being thrown against a wall or out of a window. Delphi usually crucios people atleast 30 times a day, yet she has only used crucio on Albus around 20 times in the 7 years she has had him. All spread out. But Albus has been physically Injured by her, accident or not. Sometimes he'll simply be standing there and she will go into a huff, throwing a vase at the wall that just so happens to smash against his face. All of his injuries are dealt with almost immediately after. But even then, she usually just resorts to yelling or shouting as a reprimand, grabbing him by the scruff of his feathery cloak and screaming in his ear.

If something were to happen to Albus, like he was greatly injured by another or was given punishment by another, she'd freak out. They'd be avada kedavrad before you knew it. Once, whilst both Albus and Delphi were at Hogwarts, Delphi told Albus he had her permission to go explore. He was caught wandering the school by Umbrdige, and was petrified. He had tried to explain that he had been allowed by Delphi but she simply said "tch tch,I always knew you were a bad sort, child" before going to reprimand him with her wand. That was, until she was spotted by Delphi with her wand to Albus' chest, and by god was she lucky she was useful to the cause or else Delphi wouldn't have let her off with a mere crucio (which she then got punished for by her father. Ugh, take a hint dad!)

On that note- Voldemort and Delphis relationship leans more into the funny haha crack universe this was supposed to be. Because yes, it was originally just Albus being a deadpan dick to everyone and Delphi experiencing lesbianidm.

Delphi acts rather spoiled as a teenager, and takes her role as The Augurey more seriously when she is in her twenties. Delphi was prone to fits of anger where she'd want her fathers attention, and would get it in ways she didn't particularly enjoy, such as crucios. But alas, she was spoiled silly. If Delphi wanted some snot faced preschooler halfblood gone, they'd be found face down in the Black Lake not a day later. If she wanted her very own dungeon to keep Mudbloods in to play with, she'd get that too. And if she wanted to take in the 7 year old son of his newly dead arch nemesis as her pet, he wouldn't be able to think of a reason to oppose. Besides, his daughter would get bored quick as, and he could reunite the boy with his family soon enough.

That day obviously never came. Not that he was upset by the outcome, Albus- or "Munin" as his daughter named him- was a very useful tool indeed. He was incredibly pliant, willing, even when it came to things morally dark. Ofcourse, Voldemort was able to see the boy was truly terrified, but he could applaud the lack of expression on his face that would only slip away when Delphini was around, were the boy would begin jittering and fidgeting much more often than usual. Nevermind that, he was glad his daughter had a confidant as compliant as Munin. They were very rather useful! (Momentarily, he wonders if he would have been able to turn Harry Potter into something similar, but knew the boy was much too stubborn and morally righteous for that. He supposes the apple toppled from the tree and rolled straight down into a well at the bottom of the hill.)

On ANOTHER note... I've been thinking of giving Albus the Augurey skull mask from another au of mine, and rather add a feathered hood to his cloak or make a feathered neck piece similar to a ruff but smaller. Just any type of ruffled collar that protrudes below the chin really. This would make me redo his design as the collar would attach together at a bolo tie then turn into his cape at the back. The skull would be black, because Delphi is extra, and she isnt a fan of the yellowish white colour.

[rewritingcanon]

thinking about how delphi must have really hated albus to go through all the effort to do that to him. you could tell me she hated him by association with harry, and i think that’s how it started off. but i think she began to actually hate albus and his feelings he would confide to her about his dad because at least he had a dad. it probs filled her with a twisted sense of glee to see the man who murdered her father (more of an idol, but whatev) struggle, but also envy that at least he tried and was actually present in albus’ life.

[daughterofyourdarklord]

But what if Delphini was at Hogwarts the same time as the trio???

Year 1: 

“Please.” 

She jokes, nudging at her cousin who’s sitting tall besides her in the train compartment. “Harry Potter being in our year at Hogwarts is nothing more than a gift.” She means it too, forcing away that pit of fear that settles in her stomach whenever she thinks about the chosen one. About everything he’s already taken from her family, from her.

Draco goes on joking with their soon-to-be fellow Slytherins. The express is buzzing with energy, though most of the First Year’s look more nervous than excited. 

She runs into Neville Longbottom on their waltz to the Great Hall. He bends directly in front of her, picking up some slimy toad off the stone floor with bare hands. Disgusting. He’s on his knees when he looks up and meets her eye, terror seeping into his gaze. She smiles at him devilishly, pausing for a moment before pushing him aside in an effort to get to what she is certain will soon be her throne room. 

“Delphini Lestrange.”

It’s a horrible cover-up of a last name, an obvious lie to any witch or wizard who knows better. McGonagal calls it nonetheless. There is a weight on her shoulders as she walks forward, the same one that’s settled their since the moment she was born. 

No one is surprised when the hat deems her a Slytherin.

Delphini feels Dumbledore’s stare on her the entire walk over to the sea of green and silver, but it’s Snape’s eyes that she meets when she sits down. 

The tension between Slytherin and Gryffindor is palpable. Worse than it has been in years, or so the older students claim. Delphini knows why, and Draco does too. 

She’s still glaring at the Granger girl when Quirrell asks her to stay after class in a sputter. 

“Of course, Professor.” She answers sweetly, watching from the corner of her eye as jealousy blooms across the mudbloods face. Ever the teacher’s pet. He seals the doors behind them, locking them with a flick of his wrist and casting a silencing charm while he’s at it. 

This time, he does not stutter when he speaks to her. 

Year 2: 

She dreams of a snake all alone, somewhere dark. Crying out for family, for companionship, for someone to listen. Anyone.

Only no one is there.

She wakes up in her dormitory with tears in her eyes. 

There’s been whispers about the Heir of Slytheirn. Talk that he’s returned, that he’s ready to rid the school of all filth that stands in his mighty way. 

Sometimes she wonders how people might react to find out that 'he' is actually a 'she.'

Regardless, it’s not Delphini that’s playing around in the chamber this year. A part of her is wildly unsettled that she doesn’t know who it is. 

It’s no matter, she has far more important things to focus on.

Initially, she almost isn’t allowed to take part in the dueling club. Some poor excuse sprouted up by the Gryffindors, accusations of dark magic and cheating. Unsurprisingly, its Severus that comes to her aid.  

Dueling comes far too naturally to her, and feels oh so sweet. Still she works harder, so eager, ready to fight, to strike. She trains and trains and then trains some more. 

She needs to be enough for Him, when the time is right. 

Potter being a parselmouth is.. Unexpected.

Even Severus seems surprised. Delphini is not sure how to handle the news, she writes home to her Uncle who informs her to stay out of it.

For the first time in a long time, she listens. 

Sometimes, she thinks she's going insane. She hears her father speaking to her through the castle walls, they whisper and she listens. She continues her training.

She will be enough. 

That poor snake. 

Year 3: 

The castle is awake, dementors swarming high above them, eager, hungry.  

She hates them. 

Delphini is determined and reluctant all at once in her venture.

Macnair had just walked out to call for the dementors, readying them to focus their rage. Quickly and quietly she slips into Flitwick’s office. 

They both freeze the minute their gazes meet. 

Eyes clashing from across the room, one hand still resting on the door handle, the other’s chained to an ornate desk. Sirius is the first to break the spell. 

“You look just like her.”

She shifts her gaze away at that, something in her shattering just a little. “I know.” She wants to answer, but she doesn’t have the time. 

“How did you do it?” 

This time, it’s him that doesn’t answer, eyes scanning her face almost wistfully.

“She’d never stop talking about you, you know? Drove the other inmates mad in her rantings, but really I think she just didn’t want to forget.”

And how that just aches. 

She shatters further. “How could you leave her!?” She wants to scream, instead she asks again: 

“How did you manage to escape?” Her voice sounds more desperate than commanding, close to a whisper. 

He smiles sadly. 

“She can’t do it..” Delphini waits for him to finish his sentence. It’s short, and certainly not the answer she was looking for. “I’m an animagus.” 

And that’s all she needed to hear. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly, not bothering to hide her reaction. That familiar weight settles heavily on her shoulders again, for a moment she feels like she might crumble beneath it. Quickly she turns back to the door, ready to race out of the room and pretend he told her anything else. 

She pauses, tossing her dark curls over her shoulder to glance back at his haunting face. 

“Then why wait all this time? Why not leave that place the second you had the chance?” 

He doesn’t answer. 

He doesn’t need to.

Year 4: 

It was gorgeous, the bright green in stark contrast against the dark night sky. Constellations gleaming in its wake, a harmony in the heavens.

A terrorist attack, they had called it. 

Art, Delphini thought. It was the first time she’d ever seen it. 

Something was coming. Lucius seemed certain of this, even Narcissa had given them an exceptionally careful goodbye before ushering them onto the express.

The Triwizard Tournament turned out to be an even bigger let down than she’d imagined. Beauxbatons was a bore, and the Drumstang boys seemed scared of her, which was no surprise really. 

Karkaroff avoided her like a poor case of mumblemumps. 

His time would come, it was not up to Delphini to designate punishment. Not yet.  

Watching Potter almost die at the edge of each of these challenges did add a nice touch to the year. Though, all that anticipation she’d felt in summer dwindled a bit each time he survived. 

It wasn’t until Moody tracked her down in the corridors after hours that things really got interesting. 

Even Delphini was surprised to find Barty somehow alive. 

He doesn’t tell her much. They don’t have a lot of time as it stands, and really she’s just thrilled to have finally met him. He’s full of promises, of course. Lot’s of ‘soons’ and ‘be ready’. Delphini doesn’t get any of the details but she’s known since the beginning of term that it was finally coming. She’s more than ready, more than enough. Isn’t she?  

"The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and He will come for me!"

The scripture scrawled into her very soul. There have been signs everywhere pointing towards His return. Now she knows it to be true. 

“You have her face,” Moody - Barty - interrupts her thoughts, he’s staring at Delphini in near worship, a look so foreign for the professor. “You have His eyes, though.” 

“I know.” 

She meets Him for the first time later that summer and He tells her something similar. It means all the more coming from Him.

Before her father, for the first time, she spins her spells into symphonies, her hexes into homilies, casts her curses to the constellations. Shows Him everything she knows, and all her power with it.

She walks back over to Him when she is well and through, magic still radiating off of her in harsh waves. Her father takes her wand from her hands. 

“I have much to learn.” Delphini offers, and she knows it to be true.

Her father is looking at her wand still. 

Dragon-heartstring, like her mother. Yew, like His own. 

He is smiling when he answers, something proud dancing in those red eyes. “Yes. You do.”

Year 5: 

With the commencing of the Spring Equinox she is finally allowed home. Ostara save her.

Delphini has to brace herself before walking through those large double doors, entirely unsure exactly who she might find on the other side. 

Still, her heart is burning. 

At last. 

Her mother’s embrace is a blessing. A gift Delphini hadn’t known she needed. That sharp look of recognition in her eyes hurts in all its relief. 

She really does wear her face, afterall. They’d all promised her as much, didn’t they?

Father is there, He is watching. Studying them both, studying their interaction.  

Her mother takes her face between her palms like a prayer, eyes shining. She’s full of promises and penitence. Delphini isn't having any of it. Her mother owes her nothing and this, just being here, it's more than enough.

Delphini has never felt so whole in all her life.

She begs to be a part of their plans at the ministry. Anything she can do to further the cause, support her family, put them back into their rightful place - above everyone else.

It's futile. She's far too young, and the logistics of getting her there are far too problematic. There's talk of Azkaban and Bellatrix looks terrified at the prospect of Delphini somehow winding up there.

"Absolutely not. The choice is not yours to make and your Father and I are in perfect agreement that you remain at the school." She turns to her, reaching a hand up to caress Delphi's cheek tenderly.

"We'll celebrate once we return with the prophecy, hm?"

It's the one promise Delphini will accept wholeheartedly.

Year 6: 

Somehow, it’s Draco and Delphini that bear the brunt of the shame brought on from the fiasco at the Ministry. 

Draco is marked, as punishment to Lucius (to Narcissa).

Delphini is not, as punishment to Bellatrix (to herself). 

Her cousin is crumbling under the pressure, Delphini is soaring. It's the same weight she’d felt her whole life, only this time she finally has an opportunity to act on it.   

It takes longer than she would like to mend the vanishing cabinet. Draco was seeing to it personally in the beginning, but with little to no headway Delphini made it her personal mission.

Not that it really mattered anyway. Delphini has other plans entirely. 

Whilst Draco wastes his time casting cursed necklaces and poisoning wine, Delphini is speaking with the stars. 

She will be enough.

When the day of reckoning is finally upon them she can hardly hold back. 

“Expelliarmus.” It’s swift and was fully intended to take him off guard but she’d still expected him to put up some sort of a fight. Immediately, something seems off, its only a matter of sorting out whether or not its something she can take advantage of. 

“Evening, Delphini, Draco. Are you alone?” 

“Who else is here?” She doesn’t bother to entertain his question, though Draco is quick to boast about the Death Eaters holding off the guards down below. Dumbledore assures them he is alone, but the two brooms resting along the ramparts suggest otherwise. 

No matter, Delphini will handle them both. Draco is waxing on, talking about the vanishing cabinet and Rosmerta. Much as she hates to listen to him give them all away she’s taking a moment to study the Headmaster. Something seems off, as he is entirely unbothered to be at the wrong side of their wands.  

“And why have you waited?” The headmaster interrupts after a beat, causing even her cousin to pause. “Those feeble attempts to kill me all year, surely they weren’t you.” He is speaking directly to Delphini now, she knows it.

She smiles. 

Quickly, the other Death Eaters are fast up the stairs making their presence known. 

“It doesn't have to be this way.” The Headmaster continues, eyes only on her despite the others' verbal jabs. “Long ago, I met a boy who made all the wrong choices-"

“My Father, you mean?” She breaks her silence, the other Death Eaters laugh behind her at the revelation. Though Dumbledore is not at all surprised, and why would he be? “There’s no reason to hide behind truth’s any longer, Headmaster. His time has come, and consequently yours is over.” 

And suddenly Severus is there stepping forward to share a look with Dumbledore. A part of her considers testing the potion professors loyalty.. 

..Only, this is her moment.

“Avada Kedavra!” It’s sweet on her tongue, and even sweeter watching him fall. They’re on the move sooner than she’d like for them to be, hardly a chance to savor it.  

On their flight into the forbidden forest she throws a ‘morsmordre’ into the sky like a personal signature. The monogram of her family. 

When she finally greets them, He tells her she’s worthy and stitches as much into the inside of her left forearm.

She is enough.

Year 7: 

It’s beyond refreshing, being who she was always meant to be. 

Watching as Slytherins and now students alike all bow at her feet, that renewed fear keening in their eyes. 

She savors it, relishes in their reactions.

Miss Black, they call her.

It’s nearly perfect. Helping alongside mother and father to secure the ministry this summer, returning to Hogwarts with an honest surname, unforgivables cast at her fingertips without repercussion. 

Of course, there is still the looming prospect of Potter. 

He’s been hiding from them all for far too long, lurking in the shadows despite the growing number of mudbloods father kills. Finally, they manage to locate him at Hogwarts, where boy wonder somehow convince the entire school to fight for him. How cute.

Until eventually, they find a way to lure him out. 

Father calls her to the boathouse through the mark she finally bears. Her mother falls into step with her the moment she departs, Delphini is not sure if she was called but what does it matter? They’re family.

Nagini greets her with enthusiasm, dancing between her legs like a cat. She acknowledges her, of course, but only after she acknowledges Him.

He eyes her mother disapprovingly and Delphini is not at all sure what to make of that. 

“We’ll have him soon, Father. I'm certain of it. He’s far too righteous to let this continue, even if it is good fun. He will come to you. ”

He hums in agreement, long fingers tracing his newfound wand. 

“That he will, Delphini.”

She waits then, she and mother both, giving him the floor to impart his orders.

“You understand, Delphini, that you have proved yourself very valuable to me since my return.” She smiles gently, sharing a warm look with her mother before turning back to Him. “You’ve been right about a number of things, and dedicated beyond my expectations.” He pauses again before resuming his gentle pacing. “One can only hope that that devotion continues with my next request.” 

He falls into step next to her mother, reaching forward to trace along Bellatrix jaw gently. 

“I have concerns, Bella, with how this new wand may cooperate with me when it comes time to put an end to Harry Potter.” Her mother looks confused, leaning forward into his touch.  

“My Lord?” He lingers a moment, appreciating her features before resuming his pacing. 

With it He continues, telling them of wandlore he was able to gather from Ollivander, from Gregorovitch. Delphini’s stomach sinks with every word. 

“You understand, Delphini.” He pauses, stopping directly opposite her on the other side of the small boathouse with an imploring look. “That while you live, the elder wand will never truly be mine?” 

And finally she is crumbling under the weight of it all.

Tears swim in her eyes as she looks at Him without answer, finally broken. She did everything right - exactly as He had asked her to! She did it all for Him - for them! To be everything and more.. To be enough..

Though, it seems she may never be enough. 

“F-father..” Her voice is broken, stubborn tears escaping from her eyes, eyes the same shade as His own. He doesn’t speak, nor does he resume his pacing. 

And then there’s Bellatrix, balancing on the edge of in-between them.

Delphini is too afraid to even look at her, desperation more than evident in her mother's voice: “My Lord. Certainly, there is another way. We can take Potter as prisoner and work the rest out later! How can we trust the word of a two-timing wandmaker? No - there are more, other wandmakers throughout Europe! I will bring them to you and we can find other ways - just like we always do..My Lord.."

His eyes don’t leave Delphini's own.  

“Please.”

[saintsenara]

Hey!

My main takeaway from your unhinged ships series - which provides me with limitless entertainment btw so thank you for your service - is how intricate your knowledge of the HP series is!

I'm kind of in a weird limbo rn where I have a great love for this world and the series but JKR's behaviour in recent years has completely turned me off the whole thing. I've been too disheartened to engage with the canon material in any real sense for years, but your exploration of it is kind of rekindling my interest. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Also, is HP like your niche or do you possess an encyclopaedic knowledge on any other works of literature or pop culture phenomena? This is just pure curiosity on my end.

thank you very much for this anon! it's extremely sweet.

how to reconcile being a part of this fandom - and, especially, how to be in a corner of the fandom which places more emphasis on the text than others - with jkr's decision to become a bigot is a question i'm sure we've all spent a lot of time on, and it's one which is going to have an inherently subjective answer.

my personal view is that she'll never get another penny out of me - i'm persevering with my original copies of the books, judiciously sellotaped; i won't engage at all with the upcoming television adaptation; i've not seen the fantastic beasts films; i wouldn't go and see cursed child; i wouldn't play hogwarts legacy; i don't buy merch and so on - but that writing my little stories and yapping away on my little tumblr is fine, because it's an engagement with the series which, no matter how much it focuses on the text she wrote, is still mine rather than hers.

but - of course - there are entirely reasonable arguments against this position, in either direction. someone who does engage more with jkr's post-radicalisation output could justifiably say that - since i've written stories involving delphini, who only exists because of cursed child, the fact that i've never seen or read the play is irrelevant and my insistence that there's a meaningful distinction between enjoying the expanded world of the series and enjoying the expanded world of the series in a way jkr materially benefits from is performative nonsense. someone else could justifiably say that jkr benefits [directly and indirectly] from all fandom engagement, even if that fandom engagement is critical of her and even if it doesn't financially support her - the upcoming television adaptation, for example, wouldn't have been greenlit if hbo didn't think it would get an audience, and the continued vitality of the harry potter fandom undoubtedly contributed to their belief that it would.

neither of these arguments are wrong - although neither is objectively correct either. each of us has to form a subjective opinion, be ok with it, and be open to changing it as time passes.

and i do genuinely think that engaging with the text as a text - something else i bang on about all the time - is helpful when it comes to reconciling everything.

i know it sounds very pretentious [and i also suspect that many people think the series isn't "well-written" enough to justify such pretension...] to say that the fandom needs to get better at embracing a variety of methods of reading the text and understanding the author's relationship to it.

this isn't me saying that anyone who wants to get into fandom needs to be able to rattle of the names of literary theorists, or be able to give an answer to "the series is historiographic metafiction: discuss".

[although if anyone would like to try and argue in favour of that proposition... i'd shriek.]

what it is is me saying that the dominant way of reading the text in the fandom - which is to focus on the reader's emotional response [and, above all, the reader's emotional response in childhood] - can end up giving jkr quite a bit more authority in how we engage with the series than she deserves. it's why many of us might say that we feel she's "betrayed" or "taken something away from" us, for example - and it's why many of us might feel that she's forced us into approaching the series in ways which decentre the canon material.

and this is - obviously - a completely legitimate way of engaging and responding. but there's also a lot to be gained from thinking outside of our emotional responses about things like the genre conventions which govern the series, the tropes and archetypes it uses, its language and syntax, its existence as something standalone, the other works of literature which influence it, and the social and historical context in which it was written. treating the series as "just" some books reduces jkr's authority over our response to it - and while the argument that this doesn't mean anything in the real world, since all she's going to care about is that people are reading her stuff, is an inherently reasonable one, i do think it has real-world benefits to us in how we square the circle of enjoying the text.

more controversially, though, i think it's also worth thinking about the personal context in which the series was written.

for me, the author is dead based on whether or not i need her to be. i don't think that the only valid interpretation of a text is the author's intended one, and i don't think that the only valid interpretation of a text is one dependent on matching parts of the story onto the author's biography. but i do think it's important for readers to know both what jkr understands the text as saying and what has happened in her life that bleeds through into it [such as the way her difficult relationship with her father and her experience of her mother's terminal illness undeniably influences the series' prioritisation of sacrifical motherhood and certain coolness towards fathers]. this doesn't mean agreeing with - or even empathising with - her by any means, it's just another tool in our arsenal when it comes to thinking of the series as no more or less special than any other piece of literature, and jkr no more or less important to our interpretation of it than any other author.

and i think it's worth saying that she doesn't seem to be someone who's bothered when fans say that she doesn't understand her own text or that she's lost the right to speak about it or that the fandom has taken it back from her - which is also why when people say that non-canon shipping [especially of queer pairings] must piss her off i think it's just cope - because she can spin that as these people being childish and unwilling to face reality.

but she does seem to be bothered by people who say "yeah, i know that's what you think and i know that's what you intended... but i disagree and you don't have the right to dictate otherwise".

[this is why - i think - she gets so frothingly pissed-off by daniel radcliffe's immaculate stance against her anti-trans bigotry. he's always very firm in saying "she can think what she wants, but - firstly - this isn't about what she thinks privately, it's about what she does publicly and - secondly - i think she's completely wrong and i'm not going to change my mind just because she wants me to", and she obviously doesn't like the fact that this is much harder to spin into the narrative that she's being "oppressed" and "victimised" than she'd like...]

the text is just a text, and she's just one woman, but our ways of reading are infinite and important and ours. the new horizon in literary theory is "fuck her, we ball".

[when it comes to "do i have a good memory?" the answer is "yes, but for purely useless information". when the question is whether that good memory relates to other pieces of pop culture, i'm either very lucky or very unlucky - depending on where you stand on such things - that the fandoms for hit millennial sitcoms don't seem to be large... otherwise i'd clearly be spending all my time writing epic nick/schmidt or liz lemon/jenna maroney romances and/or being cancelled for being in george michael/maeby nation...]

[sim-songs]

𝔇𝔢𝔩𝔭𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔦 𝔎𝔞𝔦𝔡𝔞 ℭ𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔴𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯

Facts and figures:

Deli was originally intended to be named Kaida, meaning "little dragon". Her father was a renowned botanist and biology professor, but due to his untimely passing before her birth her name was changed to Delphini.

She has a twin brother called Katsu, he's been featured in my previews as well.

She has a big mean streak and will absolutely be nice to your face but talk about you behind your back. In fact, she bullied me while I was making these edits.

She's pretty and she knows it. In fact, in her free time she likes to go to bars under a different name and get drinks from older men.

(click pics for HQ)

I have no idea where I was tagged for this but below the cut are her obscure character traits!

𝔒𝔰𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔢 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔯𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔰

Θ ANIMAL - Black panther Θ COLORS - Black and electric green Θ MONTH - January Θ SONGS - Leave me Alone by Black Leather Jacket

Θ NUMBER - 666, number of the beast 😈 Θ PLANT - Poison ivy Θ SMELL - Wood-smoke, YSL Black Opium Θ GEMSTONE - Obsidian Θ TIME OF DAY - 4 o'clock on a Friday Θ SEASON - Midsummer Θ PLACE - Times Square during Covid lockdown Θ FOOD - Bitter dark chocolate Θ DRINK - Black coffee Θ ELEMENT - Fire Θ ASTROLOGICAL SIGN - Leo Θ SEASONING - Black pepper Θ SKY - Grey with heavy swirling clouds Θ WEATHER - Stormy with thunder and lightning Θ MAGICAL POWER - Invulnerability Θ WEAPON - None, her wit is sharper than any blade Θ SOCIAL MEDIA - Simsecret, probably submitting hate posts Θ MAKE-UP - Black eyeliner Θ CANDY - Sour spray, preferably green apple flavored. Idk if y'all have it it's this

Θ METHOD OF TRAVEL - Airplane, preferably first class Θ ART STYLE - Modern eclectic Θ FEAR - Embarrasment Θ MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE - Medusa Θ STATIONARY - Black permanent marker Θ THREE EMOJI'S - 🔥🍸🔪 Θ CELESTIAL BODY - Pluto

[blackcestfest]

Prompting for the second round of Blackcest Fest is now OPEN

This is an anonymous, prompting-based fest for fic and art which depict a sexual or romantic relationship between two or more members of the Black family as the main ship or significant to the work. See Fest Rules and Eligibility Details for more information. Participation 18+ only. 

You may leave as many prompts as you would like, and you can prompt without claiming. We can’t wait to see what y’all prompt and create <3 

Submit your prompts on this Airtable Form and view them on the Airtable Gallery

Additional details below the cut

Schedule

Prompting: Nov 20 - Dec 3

Claiming Opens: Dec 4

Work Due: March 1

Posting Begins: March 11

Creator Reveals: TBA

Eligible: 

Poly ships (eg Sirius/Draco/Harry)

Heavily implied Blackcest

POV character learning about a Blackcest relationship

AUs where characters are  related

Works centered on the trauma of surviving incest

Not eligible: 

Yes, we know all purebloods are related but incest ships involving people outside of the immediate Black family are not eligible

AUs where the characters are no longer related

Fics/art centering around Black OCs (eg “Sirius and Regulus’s sister”)

Delphini Riddle

Work created by those under 18

Due to the unique nature of visual art, we ask that any explicit art submitted for this fest only depict characters over the age of 18.

[florsial]

hi!! i love your blog!! could you perhaps spare some thoughts on the lestrange brothers? you’re one of the only people i ever see post about them and i’m just so curious how people perceive them 🫶🫶

Helloooo!! And thank youuu <33 At the moment, I have a slightly loose idea of them that I'm building up on so certain aspects might be a bit foggy!

-Rodolphus and Rabastan are half German (Maternal) and half French (Paternal). They are fraternal twins, with Rabastan being 2 days younger. Their mother passes in childbirth at 19 and their father, 21 fucks off to France since he didn't want to be a father and leaves the twins in their families' care. So growing up, Rodolphus and Rabastan was living part-time at their mother's family, and their father's. Their mother was an Avery btw.

-Rodolphus is often very stoic and borders on apathetic. But he's never struggled with it as it never appeared as a problem, nor did he ever see it as a problem. He is somewhat of the "ideal" heir, he can socialize and make good connections, but he can also display a show of power that leaves people respecting or fearing him. So while his apathy is never exactly a problem, it quickly becomes one for Rabastan. Rodolphus has no problem being the heir, simply because he does not care too much about it. He loves his family deep down beneath it all and he can tell they love him too even though it's never really shown.

-Rabastan is very quickly shunned by the Lestranges because he's volatile and is more emotional about things. The Lestranges don't know how to deal with him and his outbursts so they favor just ignoring him more often than not. This kinda leads to him being bitter about them but also wanting to gain their love, so he kind of "surrounds" himself with the one thing he and the Lestranges have in common: Rodolphus. Rabastan is a mess of bitterness and love that he goes back and forth with internally.

-Their relationship is complicated. They were definitely close as kids but when it kinda becomes apparent that Rodolphus is closer to their paternal family and they also prefer him. It's kind of where they start to grow a little more distant. Rabastan feels neglected by Rodolphus who is blind to the treatment the Lestranges give Rabastan. But that doesn't mean that Rodolphus doesn't love Rabastan or anything, he does! Probably more than the rest of the family, he just thinks that Rabastan can tell (Which Rab can't really do) But Rodolphus does love Rabastan! He just doesn't how to get through the "guard dog" barrier that Rabastan has crafted over the years nor does he really think he has to! Rabastan's love for Rodolphus however becomes a blur between family need/actual "out of my own heart" love.

-There is a power imbalance that Rabastan has created as a means of comfort but it doesn't exist, Rodolphus views them as equals!

-Deep down for both of them there is a true sense of love and loyalty that is just buried with everything else.

-There is a slightly tragedy aspect to them and that is Rabastan dying in the 2nd Wizarding War and them never fully being able to reconcile. Since we know that Rodolphus survives (being the one that seeks out Delphini) and gets away, Rabastan is unknown. If anyone got a look inside Rabastan's mind in his final moments, it would've been about where Rodolphus was since they were separated at the time. (and Regulus)

-There is a funny thing where both families tend to project their children onto the twins, Rodolphus is the image of his father and Rabastan is the image of their mother. When, ironically, their personalities are kinda switched.

-This is so random but Rabastan is the more charming and charismatic between the two. Rodolphus, while he can be social, is too serious for some people. Rabastan's more emotional aspect makes him likable but he doesn't exactly seek out social interactions, preferring to stick behind Rodolphus or near Regulus somewhere private.

-Rodolphus' magic came out a lot calmer compared to Rabastan's, which was volatile and nearly uncontrollable. So most tutors for the twins were harsher and stricter with Rabastan.

-This is a random detail but there is a slight sense of irony in Rabastan's middle name, Daimen, which means to tame or subdue. Which I find funny so I kept it lol. Rodolphus' middle name is Alvis which means all wise. Aside from the irony, it also works well with their dynamic. Rodolphus is this intellect/academic person while Rabastan is his "guard dog", someone who is to tame/subdue any threat to his brother. It's just a nice detail I kept.

[anxiousfanchild]

Introduction to My Harry Potter Imagines

Characters I can do:

1890s Hogwarts:

Ominius Gaunt

Sebastian Sallow

Garrath Weasley

Leander Prewett

Pre-Marauders:

Molly Prewett/Weasley

Bellatrix Black/Lestrange

Rita Skeeter

Arthur Weasley

Andromeda Black/Tonks

Lucius Malfoy

Narcissia Black/Malfoy

Gilderoy Lockhart

Alice Fortescue/Longbottom

Frank Longbottom

Ted Tonks

Marauders:

Sirius Black

Peter Pettigrew

Remus Lupin

James Potter

Lily Evans/Potter

Severus Snape

Bartemius Crouch Jr

Mary MacDonald

Dorcas Meadowes

Regulus Black

Evan Rosier

Pandora Rosier/Lovegood (or Lestrange, IDK what her canon last name is)

Xenophilius Lovegood

Marlene McKinnon

Golden Trio Era:

Harry Potter

Ronald Weasley

Hermione Granger/Weasley

Luna Lovegood/Scalamander

Ginerva Weasley/Potter

Draco Malfoy

Neville Longbottom

George Weasley

Fred Weasley

Percy Weasley

Bill Weasley

Charlie Weasley

Oliver Wood

Dean Thomas

Seamus Finnigan

Cedric Diggory

Blaise Zabini

Theodore Nott

Post Golden Trio: These stories will take place while each child is in at least 5th year. I've also added their Houses, just in case it is needed.

Victoire Weasley - Ravenclaw (Bill x Fleur)

Fred Weasley - Gryffindor (George x Angelina)

Molly Weasley - Gryffindor (Percy x Aubrey)

Dominique Weasley - Gryffindor (Bill x Fleur)

James Potter - Gryffindor (Ginny x Harry)

Louis Weasley - Ravenclaw (Bill x Fleur)

Lucy Weasley - Ravenclaw (Percy x Aubrey)

Rose Granger-Weasley - Gryffindor (Ron x Hermione)

Albus Potter - Slytherin (Ginny x Harry)

Roxanne Weasley - Gryffindor (Fred x Angelina)

Hugo Granger-Weasley - Gryffindor (Ron x Hermione)

Lily Potter - Gryffindor (Ginny x Harry)

Teddy Lupin - Hufflepuff (Remux x Tonks)

Non-Canon Characters:

Delphini Riddle: Post Golden Trio Era (Teddy's age, possibly a year older). Lovechild of Bellatrix and Voldemort

Mattheo Riddle: Marauders Era, Lovechild of Tom Riddle and an unnamed Witch.

Lorenzo Berkshire: Golden Trio Era

PLEASE NOTE: If there is a non-canon character or a character we as a fandom do not know a lot of canon facts about, I will write them how ***I*** see them!

MASTERLIST

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I can’t find the post rn but I remember you saying you didn’t think Delphini was actually Tom Riddle and Bellatrix’s daughter, what’s your explanation for her speaking parseltongue

@therealvinelle and I agreed, to stave off the billions of posts we'd have to make about cursed child, to eventually make @rankheresy episodes.

However, the people voted for HP episodes only for a while so that's what the people are getting.

[capriddle]

Okay, wait, I saw that one post you did of Bellatrix and Mother Gothel, and it had me thinking of a Harry Potter and Rapunzel AU. 

Rapunzel is Harry (but fem!Harry), Bellatrix is Mother Gothel, and Delphini is Cassandra (she’s Gothel’s daughter from the tangled series, I’m not sure if you’ve seen that one).

Voldemort is dead, and Bellatrix is in complete dismay and denial of her master (lover) being gone. She has nothing but hatred for Harry, the wrenched thing that took her master from her, so she hatches a plan to kill her, but somehow ends up finding out that Harry is a Horcrux and gets obsessed with the idea of having a part of Voldemort with her again and maybe using the child to get him back, so she steals Harry away and raises her. She either raises Harry and Delphini equally along side each other, and they become best friends, or, in her blind obsession, she sort of pushes Delphini aside to watch over Harry, which leads to Delphini having conflicting feelings towards Harry. She loves her because she is so nice and likable, but she also resents her for stealing her mother’s attention. 

I've never seen the Rapunzel series but this would be an interesting AU/What If. It would certainly distort the original story a lot but something really beautiful could come out of it.

[motherfuckingmaneater]

What was Bellatrix like after Azkaban? How did it impact her and her relationships?

Anon I have to be honest, I hate fanon interpretation and the more I watch the movies the less I enjoy HBC's interpretation too. Don't get me wrong she's an exceptional actress and I absolutely fell in love with her the moment we saw her on screen but her version of Bellatrix is very very ooc from book canon.

There are some aspects of her I absolutely love from the films, but honestly book Bellatrix is where its at. Now, we don't know what Bellatrix was like pre-Azkaban. We get snippets of her but everything else we get is from Harry's perspective and he thinks her simultaneously repulsive and attractive.

So here's my take on post-Azkaban Bellatrix:

Mentally changed - no, not insane. Not in the way the films showed. I think she was marked criminally insane when she was sentenced to life in Azkaban however the actual meaning of 'criminally insane' is: not being responsible for ones criminal actions because of a mental disorder. She was fully aware of what she was doing and she did it all with pride for the love of her life and likely also because every action she took acted on her own personal beliefs that muggleborns and halfbloods and muggles are below her.

Similarly, a personal headcanon - she is mentally changed because she's been occluding so deeply and for so long. I think her perceptions of reality are slightly distorted, I think her perception of time is completely thrown off and I think this is because she was locked in a cell for 14 years and unable to be with the love of her life who she knew was alive but no one else believed her and she couldn't do anything about it.

I see her physically changed too. I think Azkaban didn't leave her too thin for too long and too ragged looking (like HBC's version with the birds nest hair and disgusting teeth) considering witches have a lovely little thing called magic... and Bellatrix also strikes me as too conceited to let herself look that bad. She was described 'feverish' in the department of mysteries but I personally put this down to bloodlust like a predator finally released from its cage. I think she practiced a lot of wandless dark magic in her cell whether it was rune marking - with her own blood too probably. I don't think she just sat there and rot away. I think she went deep into her magic while she occluded, calling to the stars to keep her love safe and so on.

Relationships:

Rodolphus. I think she missed him. I will forever headcanon they are best friends (who also happen to have very good sex) and they get on like a house on fire but Voldemort was always the one she felt that chemistry and deeper rooted passion with. I think they likely grow closer post-Azkaban.

Narcissa. This one is complicated. I think Narcissa is a little apprehensive of Bellatrix this time around. I think Bellatrix is a lot darker than she remembers, I think Narcissa sees a lot more of Voldemort in her sister and she begins to really resent it. I can imagine however that there's something about her darkness that Narcissa likes...something she can't resist getting close to given she too is a Black.

Voldemort. I think they find their rhythm fairly quickly. I think they spend a lot of time together, even if its just relearning each other. I think he doesn't see her as any different - if anything, he thinks her more beautiful. I think they spend every night together, I imagine her clingy and him for once not minding it. Their passion goes through the roof and I think Voldemort wants to indulge in her again and again for months on end (I mean with canon Delphi, how did that happen? Lots of hot filthy toe curling sex).

Delphini. in which of course I mean my AU where she's trio era. Now this one I think is more complicated. I love to headcanon that Delphini looks a lot like Bellatrix. I like to think Bellatrix finds her hard to look at for exactly that reason. She sees what she used to be in her daughter. I think physically she restrains herself from affection for a long time because she mentally can't take looking at her. However, I think eventually they start to heal and things will go back to normal.

Death Eaters. I don't doubt for one second every single one of them is shit scared of Bellatrix. I think they know her reputation well since pre-Azkaban and now she's even more ruthless they're not for a second going to test her.

Family: she's come out of prison 14 years and everyone she loved in her family (save Narcissa) is dead. That's a lot to wrap your head around. She loses her father, her Aunt, her Uncle (though I do like to HC Orion dies just before she goes to Azkaban) and she and Cissa are the last Blacks.

[poetryandbloods-blog]

I have seen you reblog and like some of my HP posts so I wanted to say Hi!

And I have a question for you. I know you love Drastoria so I wanted to ask what you love about it? I never read CC so I don't know Astoria well but the little I do know, I am not very impressed. I just have a lot of small hangups about Drastoria.

What initially drew you to it? Why do you think she is a good match for Draco? How do you feel about Astoria dying off? Are there things you dislike about the ship?

Hi, I really like your Tumblr!

First of all, I have to say that I don't like CC and I don't consider it canon, because it wasn't written by J.K.R., and also mainly because most of the characters are completely different from the personalities in the original books, including the Epilogue, so blatantly that not even age can be an excuse (I always wonder how much money they offered her to sign on for that atrocious story).

That said, I do like some of the characters there, particularly *Delphini*, Draco, Scorpius, and Astoria.When J.K.R. described who Draco married (a pureblood witch who rejects her upbringing and raises her son in a much more tolerant way, I fell in love with Astoria). And Scorpius is a captivating character who demonstrates a loving upbringing.

Astoria permeates CC like Lily should have permeated the books (but unfortunately she only appears at the end). The two seem like a functioning, adult couple who love each other and have overcome many obstacles (like Draco's questionable upbringing) to be together.

If you like Dramione or have read any of his fanfics, you will notice that they always follow this pattern (the girl who makes the former villain realize that his upbringing was not ideal).

Astoria was clearly not fragile if she stood up to her in-laws and didn't let her pureblood ideas contaminate her son.I think Dramione is more popular than Drastoria simply because we don't know about her in the books, Hermione is an important character in the story and the muggleborn/pureblood thing has more appeal than two purebloods together (I'm not knocking this couple, because there are great stories about both of them and Draco's development is often wonderful to read, I just want to point out that according to J.K.R., this development existed and we can prove it in CC).

I hate the blood curse thing and that she died, to me it was a form of punishment for Draco where a supposed villain can't really have a happy ending, and it's something I personally tend to ignore.Another point is that to me their relationship feels mature and healthy, in a way that the other couples in the books never did. I've said a few times that I hate Ginny/Harry (Ginny in book 6 is a walking Mary Sue) and Ron/Hermione seem like a hot couple that would break up after two months of dating.

But I'm going to give them a break here because when it comes to romance J.K.R. is not a good writer and her most believable couples are the ones we don't follow as much (Fleur/Bill and Tonks/Lupin, I'm thinking of you).

We don't have 7 books to learn about her, just a script for a play that reads like a really bad fanfic, but over the years I've created my own idea of ​​who she is and how this couple works, so much so that I've become very attached to both of them. @blvnk-art makes incredible drawings of the two of them (which I love to follow) which only made me like them even more.

They, along with Fleur/Bill and Lucius/Narcissa, are the only couples I have no criticism of in the books, as they seem very consistent together.

**I actually need to make an addendum here, I like the idea of ​​Delphini, but not the execution of the story or her personality, there was a huge potential to make her a parallel to her own father (orphan, unaware of his origins), but with a choice for the good, proving that blood is not always more important, but this was clearly wasted, or of course it could not be done, as it could affect the epilogue of the original books (but now I digress, as this has no point with the original question).**

[rewritingcanon]

my favourite animal is delphini riddle after she got asked what her tattoo meant

my favourite animal was harry potter after amycus carrow spat in mcgonagall

my favourite animal was harry potter after he and ron found ginny kissing all over dean

my favourite animal was hermione granger after she found ron kissing all over lavender

my favourite animal was albus potter after his dad had just disarmed delphini post-crucio-cursing scorpius

my favourite animal was scorpius malfoy after albus dropped the “i wasn’t a loser before i met you” line

my favourite animal was hermione granger after she fumbled ron to padma patil and became snape 2.0

my favourite animal was lily evans after james tried to ask her out mid-torture on her best friend

my favourite animal is sirius black in his mugshot tweaking out on the front page in poa movie

[daughterofyourdarklord]

What is first war Delphi’s biggest fear then?

It was horribly loud. 

The little witch jumps up, she and the elf both startling at the bang. Violent voices are quick to follow, booming down the corridors. An eerie magic descends upon the estate, something Delphini has never felt before. It surrounds the castle grounds as though keeping something out - or someone in. 

“You stay here, Mistress Delphi. Tippy will go check on the visitors..” The house-elf disappears in a pop. 

Something isn’t right. More screams follow, deafening bangs as if furniture is being strewn about. 

The little witch takes a few hesitant steps backwards. The noise seems to be getting closer, frantic footsteps echoing down the hall. There’s another bang, this time right against the door. 

Delphi darts, hiding behind the expansive desk papa had just sat at days ago. Mama left to go find him… To make sure the bad guys didn’t have him... She’d left Delphini alone with the elf late last night.

The little witch peers around the desk, watching as the handle to the door abruptly turns. 

“Delphini!” 

It’s Mama! 

She’s up and running to Bella in a flash. Quickly, her mother slams the door shut. Delphini can still hear the echoing shouts of Uncle Rody, the screams of other wizards she does not recognize. 

“Mama!” She yelps, catapulting into anxious arms. She has so many questions but is far too frightened to voice them. There’s banging again, someone else is trying to get into their room. 

Her mother’s wand is hot from use, perched protectively against Delphi’s back. Bellatrix smells like smoke, her magic buzzing around her more frantic than Delphini has ever felt it before.

Mama’s scared.

Delphini doesn’t know what to do. 

Hastily, Bellatrix surges forward towards the large windows. She’s favoring her left leg. Delphini notices blood seeping down the back of her robes. Something is very wrong.  

“There’s wards!” A gruff voice shouts just on the other side of the door. 

Delphini is locked in her mother’s arms, head tucked against a slender shoulder as she watches with wide eyes as four wizards barrel into their rooms. 

The bad guys…They found us! 

She’s frozen in fear but mummy is not. With a wave of mama’s wand the windows along the back of the room shatter, it’s a steep drop to the grass below. She thinks mama is about to jump but something stops her. Before Delphini can process it, a wave of red flies by, Bellatrix twists them out of the way just in time. 

“There’s a child!” One of them screams, her mother’s hold is near suffocating. In a flash Bella's wand is raised and ready, eyes bouncing from one Auror to another. Several more of them begin to funnel into the room.   

“Don’t you move, Bellatrix!” A new angry wizard screams - he only has one eye. More wands than Delphini can count are pointing at them now. “There’s no escape - the manor is surrounded, there’s an anti-apparition ward cast over the entire estate. It's over.” 

Her mother is panting, heart racing so loud Delphini can hear it. The little witch’s eyes immediately fill with tears, so gripped with fear she can’t manage a sound. Slowly she turns in her mother's arms to get a better glimpse of these monsters. Bellatrix reaches up to shield her face, turning to try and hide her from view.

“There is no record of a Lestrange child… We weren’t briefed on this.” The youngest of the bunch speaks up, his teeth sharp. 

“Put that girl down.” 

Another steps closer. Bellatrix flinches away, arms protective around Delphini. She grips her mother’s robes tightly in return, her own arms shaking around Bella’s neck.

“Put her down, Bellatrix. No one else needs to get hurt today.”

Her mother responds with a savage curse.

Two of them are on the ground before Delphini can catch up, the rest on the defensive. A stray hex manages to slip through her mother’s shields, cutting along her sleeve and leaving a line of blood in its wake. 

“You can’t duel her! There's a child-” 

The one-eyed Auror growls in response, quickly sending another of her mother’s cursing spiraling back at them. Bella ducks, bringing them to the ground. The curse shatters a different window, glass spraying across the room.

Delphini sobs as shards rain down upon them. 

“Give us the girl, Bellatrix!” 

Mummy is crying too, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.  

The only thing standing between them and the near infinite number of Aurors is her father’s large ornate desk. 

Time stops, no one is sure how to react. Bellatrix lets out a shuddering breath, her hold around Delphini strengthening. 

She’s up again, a powerful curse soaring through the study and slamming into three of the closest Aurors. She's turning, a perfect blockade of defensive spells cast to protect their exit- Bella’s back leg gives out on her. The seeping blood from earlier now pooling beneath mummy’s robes. Another sob.

The next thing to go flying is her mother’s wand. It almost happens in slow motion, Delphini’s eyes following the arc of the wand before it lands in one of the wizard’s open hands. 

“It’s done, Bellatrix.” Before she can try and run again they have her ankles bound, knees crashing against the floor Delphini had just been playing on. She gasps, still clinging to her mama, shielding her tears against Bella’s collarbone. 

This can’t be happening. 

Angry feet hurry forward. She can feel mummy’s nails digging into her back. 

“Don’t touch her.” Bellatrix spits, her arms impossibly tight. Delphini is too terrified to look. 

“Hand the girl over.” 

Delphini feels a strange hand probing her shoulder, Bellatrix twists, freeing her daughter from the man's grasp with a vicious snarl.  

“No!” Several more step forward, rough hands along her mother’s shoulders. “No!” Wandless magic sends one of them backwards, slamming into the ornate desk. “No!” Delphi isn’t sure who is screaming, her or mummy. “No!” One has Delphini by the back of her dress. “Please - don’t!” 

“Mama!” She shrieks, little hands tearing at Bellatrix’s robes as she is ripped out of her mother's arms.

Her mind refuses to process it, arms still stretching out, reaching as hard as she can for mama. Slowly, she sees the horror creeping into her mother's eyes. Bellatrix looks as terrified as Delphini feels. Vaguely, she feels an unfamiliar arm wrap around her stomach.

The world comes crashing in on her all at once.

“NO!”

The little witch thinks she might be screaming but it seems so hard to hear anything at all. 

Distantly, she's aware she's wailing against the wizard who is still struggling to get a grip on her. Slamming her little fists all over him, sharp nails and harmful bursts of magic wherever she can reach. 

Delphini has never been so frightened.

“Don’t you touch her! She belongs with my father! With Cygnus Black! You take her to him - he’s her legal guardian!!” 

Her mother’s tormented voice is just about the only thing she can process amongst the chaos. Tears stream down Delphini’s face so aggressively she can hardly see.

She thinks she might be screaming for Bellatrix - for her father. She might just be screaming.  

Her captor is walking them towards the door, away from mummy, away from their rooms. 

Delphini turns, horrified eyes desperate for Bella. Seven Auror’s are holding her mama back. She watches as one of them kicks her mother hard in the stomach, the witch finally doubling over. 

“She’s a ward of the Wizarding State now, Bellatrix.” The Auror abducting her declares. Delphini almost doesn’t hear him over the ringing in her ears. “The Ministry will be charged to oversee her placement following your trial.” 

Her mother’s screams are the last thing Delphini will remember. 

[saintsenara]

For the ask game: I’ll go for 1, 19, and 29 for Tom/Harry. And, if you’d like, 30 for a ship of your choice! 😊

(P.S. I just saw your post about the Myrtle rom-com! I am HYPED).

thank you so much for the ask, @spacecadette - and for reminding me to tentatively go back to ao3 and launch myrtle's hot girl era to the world.

the answer [unhinged and deranged] to question 30 is here and the questions for the ask game are here

1. what are their love languages?

answered here, and i stand by it. there's no interest from these two in words of affirmation or spending quality time together, and their interest in physical touch - the succour of a generation of smut writers - is mostly because who wouldn't want to be constantly running their hands over someone who has/had a bit of your soul living in them.

lord voldemort's love language is gift-giving, harry's is acts of service. they make it work.

19. how do they silently/subtly express their love for each other?

answered from voldemort's perspective, although of course he denies it indicates any affection for harry, here.

and as for harry? well, as ron says in canon [tomarry shipper, we all knew it]: you really understand him.

harry is probably the only person in the entire story who can completely appreciate just how grim voldemort's childhood was, and who can understand how that might have influenced the choices he made throughout his life. it's this that drives him, even in the middle of war, to beg voldemort to try to feel remorse; it's this which makes him want to help the soul-piece at king's cross; it's this which causes his obvious - and, to other characters, very confusing - empathy for the teenage tom riddle, who is disappointed to find his uncle living in a shack and furious when hepzibah smith insults his mother.

and that understanding - especially for someone who is, underneath the mask of cold brutality, just a feral boy who wishes to be seen and known - is like the tides against a cliff.

harry offers up a little space for voldemort to meditate on the fact that being an orphan is like being a palimpsest, constantly searching for traces of your ancestors within yourself; gets into days-long arguments about whether mrs cole or petunia was worse; "accidentally" leaves bob ogden's memory out, allowing voldemort to see his mother for the first time; recognises that hating your mother for dying and your father for abandoning you is a pretty natural reaction for a child to have, and dumbledore needed to tighten up; tells voldemort he'd have been a terrible teacher, because you can't let basilisks loose in schools and expect that not to affect a hiring committee; deals with a week of screaming when he tells voldemort about regulus; points out that gringotts is a bank and you can just ask for an account there; is game for starting new traditions for high-days and holidays, since neither of them ever had any as children [harry pretends the fireworks on nye are for voldemort, voldemort genuinely believes it]; and - and this is the one voldemort simply can't deal with and pretends never happens - forgives him.

because he's harry potter, damn it, and he gets to decide if that prophecy actually means anything.

he also allows voldemort to do all their interior design, even if that means living in a house with so much gold in it it's basically the interior of a byzantine cathedral. whatever keeps him out of trouble.

29. what is something they can never agree on? how do they meet in the middle?

ethics. obviously.

criminal justice. politics. the economy. whether hell is real. wandlore. dumbledore. if harry killing voldemort balances out voldemort killing harry's parents. werewolf rights. muggle technology. house elves. whether hermione is annoying. spoiler ettiquette. dinner. where to go on holiday. if harry looks good in his weasley jumper. if albus severus is a worse name for a child than delphini. whether hagrid should have been expelled. whether dogs are better than cats. what they're doing that weekend.

the list truly is endless...

they meet in the middle quite literally when they start hexing each other, activate the old wand connection, and are knocked out by the force of the magic when the golden bead reaches the middle of the spell. they wake up and decide to agree to disagree. they make it, at most, a day before it happens again.

ron and hermione are losing their minds.