Marvolo's Arrival
Harry woke up to soft giggles and hushed whispers. Delphini, he thought fondly, was such a lovely child. Even alone while he napped she behaved, keeping herself occupied.
A chuckle deep and smooth sent a jolt down his spine. There was someone else in the room, someone with his child, and it wasn't Hermione or ron. Immediately, he sat up, wand slipping into his hand. Harry wouldn't risk the life of his child, not when she represented everything he ever wanted in his life: a family.
"Mommy!" The pale haired girl squealed, throwing herself at him. "Did you have a good nap?"
He simply held her tight, wand staying in his hand. There was no way he'd be caught unaware, not with the potential dangers of the outside world.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," a voice said smoothly. It was a voice both similar to the diadem but different at the same time. It was familiar and unfamiliar, safe and dangerous.
"What are you doing here Tom." Harry hissed.
"Marvolo, if you will." The red eyed man inclined his head. "I've come to collect some personal belongings."
“Hmp.” He shot the man a glare. “Feel free, as long as we don’t fit in that category.”
“Oh, darling,” Marvolo purred, “you would never be a mere category to me.”
He couldn’t help the flustered gasp that escaped him. The man was far more persuasive and seductive than he had been as a teenager. This would not mix well with his burgeoning hormones.
“I told you papa liked you!” Delphini beamed at both adults. It didn’t matter how long it took or what she had to do, but they would love each other and like it dammit.
That better be the result of her arrival in this world. She hadn’t done all this work for nothing. It had taken a lot of planning and delicacy. It was a very exact ritual, very much resembling the one used to return her father to life.
There were a lot of lines and runes that had to be placed exactly- doing otherwise could kill someone. It required the sacrifice of precious keepsakes, tokens of love and affection from those she wanted as parents.
A locket and stuffed bunny. Those were the two objects she held onto tightly. The locket was the last thing she had of her father, a faded photograph and lock of hair to prove his love for her. Delphini knew that to be true, especially when her father’s portrait treated her so gently. He was a cruel, cruel man, but to Delphini he was kind.
Harry was kind in a different way. He loved everyone, caring with all his heart. It didn’t matter who her parents were or what they had done. The man treated her as an innocent child and it was so refreshing. He had given her a stuffed bunny, one that easily became her most constant companion. Rhy, her stuffed bunny, was her best friend. They did everything together. From school to play to work Rhy was with her.
When there was no one to play with her, Rhy was there. He was there when she cried because she was lonely and screamed out of anger. When there was no one to tuck her in at night her stuffed bunny was there. Rhy was always with her and in some ways it meant that Harry was with her too.
Harry gave it to her. That meant she loved him. Her mommy came looking for her, and chose her. Rhy was a manifestation of that love; that’s when she knew Harry loved her and would be the perfect mommy. So Rhy was a necessary sacrifice, even as she mourned her best friend.
She had given up tokens of affection and keepsakes for the sake of the tritual. It had been a gamble, one that would have destroyed her had failure been the result. Thank goodness it was successful.
In one fell swoop she had disowned Bellatrix as her mother and taken Harry as her own. All it took was a severe case of wish magic and sacrifice of blood and sentiment. It was exhausting but worth it. Harry was her mommy and would always be.
Which was why she had no fear in threatening her father because as much as she adored him, Harry was special. There was something different about him and Delphini loved it- loved him for it.
“It’s good to officially meet you and our child, darling .” The last part slipped out in parseltongue.
Harry shuddered. It was weird to hear someone else speak parseltongue. For so long he had been alone in speaking it, but hearing it from him - was something else. Oh fuck he liked it. Fuck, fuck, fuck, was the mantra in his head.
The man clearly knew what he was doing, red eyes filled with amusement at his wide eyed look. Despite the inevitable events that would one day bring their child into the world, he was so innocent. It made him want to corrupt him.
Delphini, though, seemed to interpret the look in the wrong way. It was probably for the best considering her age. Or at least that’s what Harry thought. The child, after all, wasn’t as young as she appeared. She had been older before , before she did the ritual. Delphini wasn’t a child- she wasn’t.
“ If you hurt him I’ll kill you.” She hissed. “Harry’s my mommy. MY mommy.”
The green eyed boy had to stop himself from cooing at his child. He wanted to wait and see what the dark lord would say before revealing such a skill.
“I don’t want to hurt your mommy anymore,” the man soothed.
Oh thank the lord. That was a stress he did not want. Harry wanted to get the hell out of doge and leave the wizarding world behind. With the assurance of his safety he let Delphini tug him down until they were both sitting on the floor.
“I want your mommy to be safe and happy.” He offered a wry smile to the wary boy in front of him.
She beamed at him. “I want that too!” Delphini frowned before pouting up at him. “But how?”
He looked up at Harry thoughtfully. “What do you think, Delphi?”
The green-eyed boy squirmed at the deep gaze. This was rather uncomfortable to listen to but parsteltongue was definitely a skill that would help him most if it were hidden.
“Mommy needs affection and reassurance. The bad old man and mean walrus and pig and horse hurt him. Mommy needs to be kept safe and the bad people away where they can’t hurt him.”
That was actually really cute. It was cute as much as it was alarming. How did she even know that much? A child shouldn’t know that. Even if she was his child that part of his life was meant to be locked away until she was older.
“Delphi.” He tugged the child into his lap, pressing his nose into the girl’s hair. She was here, safe in his arms.
“I can do that, darling.” He reached out to her. “I can do that and maybe you could have siblings.”
She tilted her head to the side, twisting to wrap her arms around her as his body stiffened. “I don’t wanna share my mommy. He’s my mommy.”
“Are you sure you don’t want any siblings?” The red eyed man purred. “You can have little brothers and sisters to protect that look just like mommy.”
“They’ll look like mommy?” Delphini looked at Harry. “Mama, can I have siblings?”
He choked, unable to stop the hysterical laugh-coughs. “Not for a very long time.”
“Please?” Her bottom lip wobbled. “Please mama?”
“We’ll figure that out later but it can’t be too soon, otherwise we won’t be able to play a lot.” He loved Delphini but pregnancy was a hell he did not want to experience. Kudos to women around the world who chose to have kids.
“We did such a good job on Delphini,” he purred, eyes burning with something unidentifiable as he locked eyes with Harry.
It was true, Harry could admit that. Delphini had inherited the best of both of them. She had his wide eyes and his curls that were mellowed out by the texture that had surely come from him. Her heart shaped face was rather reminiscent of the Blacks, but his grandmother was a black… She had his fine complexion, dainty hands that weren’t calloused like his. (He hoped that she’d never have calluses like his.)
“Being pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t play, beloved.” He smiled fondly at the other. “But when you do feel unwell, I’ll be happy to play with our daughter on your behalf.
He could see it. He could see it and he hated it. He hated how it made his stomach light up in a flurry of butterflies. Tom Marvolo Riddle was just smooth, so smooth. He felt flustered in a way he thought he’d never be able to feel again.
It seemed that once again, as always, Tom Marvolo Riddle was an exception to his rules. He must have been for them to have a child together. For them to have a child together implies some sort of fondness between them in the future. Harry never would allow himself to get involved with someone who wasn’t serious about their feelings, not when pregnancy was on the line.
Now that he’d thought of it he couldn’t forget it.
The promises made in a diary were wrapped around his heart again, and oh how he wanted. Breath caught in his throat, he watched Marvolo in disbelief.
“Does that sound good? Mommy can keep the baby safe in his tummy and we can play.” Marvolo said at last, a steely look in his eyes.
And oh how it was tempting, seductive even. There is nothing more desirable than being wanted. And Harry, after growing up with the Dursleys, craves that. He craves a family, to be loved and love in a way he'd never been able to before. He could see it, and could almost hold it within his grasp.
"I like that." Delphini agreed. "My mommy can have babies for me to play with and you can play with me when he can't."
"Mommy would look pretty with baby's, don't you think?"
Harry coughed, face bright red. That was a little...
"Yeah!" She looked back and forth between the two adults. "You have to be their papa too."
"I would have it no other way," he purred, smoldering eyes meeting the others.