Delphini meets Ron and Hermione
Delphini wouldn't let go of him. He couldn't blame her, not when he knew what it felt like to find family after years of being alone. Once upon a time, he had similarly clung to Hermione and Ron. He still did sometimes, but no one needed to know that.
With firm steps, he walked briskly to the Gryffindor common room. The room calmed at the sight of a child on his hip, something that was shocking considering the usual buster and chaos of the Griffindor common room. Still, it was apparent she was his child- they shared the same eye color and wild hair. Only Ginny could tell who her other parent was, but she wouldn't tell when this was an innocent child who hadn't chosen their family.
It was for the best to conceal her father. Some too many people would connect 'Tom Marvolo Riddle with Voldemort. Especially when one of her eyes was like his: a deep brown with hints of red; thankfully, she had Harry's nose and eye shape. The silvery-white hair and round, heart-shaped face would undoubtedly throw people off. It was for the best. Voldemort wasn't exactly in his good books at the moment, and he couldn't risk getting his child taken away.
After seeing his best friends- his siblings- he caught the gaze of his siblings and threw his head back towards the common room entrance. They quickly got up and followed, quickly recognizing what that look and motion meant. The three teens knew each other so well, a side effect of the time and even they had experienced together. It was something he was grateful for, especially now.
Only when they were alone in the room of requirement did Harry relax. This was relatively safer. Here, there was no one to hear her story, her parentage. It was best for all of them.
"Harry?" Hermione asked after a moment.
He hummed, fingers running through her hair. It was still baby soft. "This is Delphini. She's my kid."
Ron choked, face as red as his hair. "Your kid? You are way too young to have a child her age."
Still, they could not deny that she was his child. She looked too much like him and had the same soft smile as him. The one that tended to light up the room.
"Let me guess," Hermione said wryly. "Was it time travel?"
"Yeah!" Delphini spoke up, leaning towards the other girl. She couldn't remember her from the alternative time, but she seemed nice so far.
"Can you tell me why you came back," Harry murmured, smoothing her hair back. "We can trust them, baby."
"Papa was dead, and everyone kept trying to take me from mama." She looked adoringly at her mama, refusing to let her tight grip go. "That's why I came back here- to mama."
"Why did they want to take you away?" The curly-haired girl leaned forward, hands clasping.
"People didn't like papa." Her eyes teared up. "They said he was a bad guy, and since he was my papa, that meant I was bad too."
Harry's eyes widened, meeting the equally shocked faces of his siblings.
"Was he the one in charge?" Ron asked carefully, studying the girl for signs of what he suspected.
Delphini nodded, burying herself back into her mother's chest. "Can we go see papa?"
"Delphini..."
"I want papa." She demanded as her grip bordered on pain, but she didn't care.
"It's better for us to stay here. It's safer." The green-eyed boy leaned back, eyes closed tightly. "We can't leave."
He hated it. He hated that they had to stay there, but he had no other choice. Not if he wanted to keep under Dumbledore's radar and safe from Voldemort. He can have his family but can't give up what he has here. It is far too precious.
“Papa will take care of us.” Delphini scowled. “He'll keep you safe. He'll make you happy, mama.”
The three shared a look.
Harry would love to believe it; he really would. But Voldemort isn’t the boy he once knew. Tom Marvolo Riddle faded away as Voldemort rose, so it would do no good to believe that promises he once made would be fulfilled. He was used to disappointment. After all, he spent years at the Dursleys wishing to be saved and never was (not until Ron, Hermione, and Tom).
“Delphini-” Harry paused. “Right now, your papa isn’t making the best choices….”
“I don't care! I still want papa!”
“Papa doesn’t want me.” He sighed, the thought hurting more than he thought it would have. Harry Potter and Tom Riddle from the diary understood each other. They had been matched in a way that was special, unique to them. Both were two sides of the same coin, a similar background that one could walk in the other's footsteps without being surprised.
Harry didn't believe in love, not really. But he thinks he might have loved Tom Riddle.
“Papa doesn’t like me right now.”
“That’s stupid.” She shook her head, eyes burning. “We need to talk to papa so he can apologize because mama is always right.”
Ron hid a snicker behind his hand. This was better than TV- something fantastic Hermione had introduced him to.
“Oh, Delphi…” He honestly didn’t know what to say.
“Let’s go so that papa can apologize, mama.” Delphini tugged at his clothes. “He can say sorry, and you guys can do the make-up dance.”
The make-up dance???? What the fuck?
The redhead coughed out a laugh, falling backward at the sight of his best friend’s face.
“What did you teach this child?” Hermione hissed.
Harry sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. What did he do to deserve this?
“I want siblings, and to get siblings, you need to do the makeup dance with papa, and to do that, you need to see papa so he can say sorry for being an ass hole. So we need to see papa now!” She demanded.
“Don’t say ass hole.” The mom swatted her bottom lightly.
“Mamaaaaaaaaa.” She whined, sending teary eyes his way.
“It’s not that simple, Delphini,” Hermione said gently.
The small girl tilted her head to the side. “Why not?”
“Adults are complicated, Delphi.” Harry took her hands into his. “Sometimes people are put in difficult situations that are… well, difficult and don’t react as we might want them to. Sometimes people make choices that aren’t very good, and those choices end up hurting others.”
He took a deep breath, continuing onwards. “Sometimes people have edges that are sharp and jagged. They hurt people, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose, but that happens when your puzzle piece doesn’t quite fit.”
“Did papa hurt you?” Her voice wobbled.
“A lot of people have hurt me.”
“That still doesn’t make it right, mate,” Ron murmured.
He wiped away the tears starting to form underneath her eyes. “It’s alright, baby.”
She shook her head, hair whipping around her face. “It’s not okay!” Delphini cried. “Mamas aren’t supposed to get hurt.”
“I’m human, Delphi, and humans get hurt.”
“Papa will fix it.” She poked his chest. “We have to go to papa and tell papa. Papa thinks you’re pretty, and if he knows, he’ll help you.”
“He thinks Harry is pretty?” Hermione’s eyebrows rose.
Instantly his face was colored Gryffindor red.
“Papa thinks mama has pretty Disney princess eyes, and he likes that mama’s so tiny but feisty at the same time.”
The redhead boy wheezed, hand shoved over his mouth.
“Oh.” That’s all he could say.
Oh indeed.