Chapter 11
With a scowl, Harry threw the diadem at the man. That was enough of the man. Fucking damn it.
Marvolo was so sly and so fucking goodlooking. Damnit. This was so much easier when the bastard was more snake than human. It brought back far too many memories of the time he was 12, memories that made him was to sink back into the other’s arms. He had found comfort there, once upon a time. He wouldn’t though, not now.
“Go home so I can feed Delphini dinner and put her to bed.” Harry spoke at last, waving a dismissive hand to the dark lord.
He stood up abruptly, ignoring Delphini’s disgruntled whines. She would be fine.
“But mama…” She whined in parstletongue. “Papa tell mama to let me stay up.”
Lmao. Cute.
“Nice try.” He snorted before glaring at the man. “Don’t even bother trying something.”
The man looked oddly delighted. “A parselmouth?”
Harry scowled. “Don’t your ‘friends’ tell you anything? It’s been common knowledge here since my second year.”
“Obviously, they’ve been rather forgetful.” Marvolo shook his head in disdain. “Nothing a few crucios won’t fix.”
“Please don’t.” He groaned. Someone certainly needed anger management classes, and he gave no fucks in telling the man off. “You give me the worst headaches.”
“How-” The older man cut himself off, scrutinizing the boy that had born his child.
“Don’t worry about it. Just go to some anger management classes.” He rolled his eyes as he walked out of the room.
Harry took great pleasure in the splutters heard in the background. That was the beginning of all the payback he would give the man. He couldn’t be entirely mad at Marvolo, not when his parents were a casualty of war. They had the option to stay out of it, to remain neutral. In the end, their actions led to their doom.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t give Marvolo a run for his money. If he were genuinely the sire of his child, he would have to prove his worth. He didn’t want no half-assed lying parent contributing half of Delphini’s genetic material. To Harry, family was everything, and he wouldn’t let the man ruin what may come in the future. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill the man if it came down to it. No fondness for a fraction of soul he met at a younger age would stop him.
He would destroy all fragments of the man’s soul if need be. He will obliterate all the man’s Horcruxes if that is what it would take to keep his daughter safe. And he knew how to do it. All it would take was a little bit of basilisk venom or feindfire.
It was something he had learned by accident. The truth had come quickly between Dumbledore’s inane mumbling, Slughorn’s drunken rambles, and leftover knowledge from the Diary. He wasn’t stupid after all.
So if it came down to it, he would kill the man, even if Delphini would hate him for it. Her safety was far more important than the love and affection of an insane man.
“Mama?” Delphini asked after a moment. “Why did we have to leave papa?”
“Papa needs to show that he can be a good papa,” Harry said firmly.
It was something he desperately needed her to understand. Maybe things would have been different in a different time, but this was now, and the man needed to have his shit together before he even considered a future with him. Damn, bastard, for tempting him with this.
“But he is a good papa!” She protested, scowling at him.
“But he needs to prove it.”
Delphni shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “Mama- mama, I want papa now.”
“I know.” He held her tightly, cradling her head. “But papa needs to prove that he’ll be here for both of us.”
“Both of us?” She sniffled.
“Well papa has to be nice to me, right?”
“Yes!” She exclaimed, eyes narrowing. “Has papa been mean before?”
“Sometimes,” Harry snorted. “So papa has to show that he can be nice and help me raise you.”
“Okay.” She said, rubbing the remnants of tears from her eyes. “I guess that makes sense. Papa needs to be a good papa or I’ll beat him up!”
“Okay, baby.” Harry hummed as they walked, swaying through the hallways they traveled through. Hopefully, it would calm her down long enough to feed her and get her settled for bed.
“What’s for dinner, mama?” She asked, head resting against her mother’s shoulder. “I’m hungry.”
With a tender smile, he looked down at her. “What sounds good to you? I’m thinking macaroni and cheese.”
Her eyes narrowed at him. “With soda?”
He snorted. “Nice try, little girl.”
“But you drink soda,” she whined.
“I’m almost an adult.” He deadpanned. “You are still a child, a young child at that.”
They entered the Gryffindor common room in time to see Hermione and Ron fighting. With a sigh, he stood there and covered Delphini’s eyes. The curly-haired girl tended to throw random things at people when she thought they were being overly tense, and while he agreed with the sentiment, he’d rather keep Delphini from witnessing too much violence. It wouldn’t do to imply that violence was the best solution to problems; Voldemort's influence needed to be negated somehow.
He coughed, fighting the urge to rub at his forehead. Their spats were just as legendary as his temper. It was something that he had gotten from Dorea Black. She was definitely his favorite Black- sorry, Sirius…
“Fu-” Ron cut himself off. “Fun times, right?” He laughed nervously at the murderous expression his best friend gave him.
“It’s okay,” Delphini piped up. “Papa says fuck all the time.”
Harry choked. “Well, you’re not saying that while you’re here with me.”
“Mama…” She whined, eyes filling with tears.
“Don’t you even try?” He scowled lightly at her, unable to keep the fondness in his eyes away. She was such a good manipulator already. However, he was far too aware of falling for such ploys, what a precious child. There was a reason the house wanted him to be in Slytherin. “I’ll put you in time out and an early bedtime if I had to.”
“Ooookaaaayyyy,” Delphini grumbled before sticking her cold nose against his neck. “I’m hungry, Mama.”
He snorted. She was definitely a toddler. Her manipulation attempts were cute, and her mood swings were beyond endearing.
“Me too!” Ron sighed, looking at the ceiling dreamingly.
“You’re always hungry,” Hermione huffed as she slapped at his chest. It was lackluster, though, out of grumpy fondness rather than anger.
“To the kitchens!” The red-haired boy cheered, taking the minor child from her mama’s arms. She was pretty easy to transfer and more than ready for dinner. “Let’s go, Uncle Ron.”
They marched out of the common room toward the basement.
“Food. Food. Food. Food.” The two dumbasses chanted.
All Hermione and Harry could do were sigh in fondness. This was their chosen family, and they would have it no other way.
They followed them down to the kitchens where both children- yes, Ron was included in that description- were chowing down on macaroni and cheese.
“I love macaroni and cheese.” She said solemnly. “I would kill for macaroni and cheese.”
Ron threw his head back, cackling.
“Ron!” Hermione hissed, slapping his chest. “Don’t encourage her. We have to be good examples-”
“As would I.” Harry grinned at her. “Macaroni and cheese and soda are what brings me life.”
“But, mama!” She pouted. “What about me?”
He booped her nose. “I guess you bring me life too.”
“Humph.” Delphini glared at him.
“Aw, come on. You know you’re my favorite.”
With a small giggle, she tackled him. “I better be mama!”
He rubbed their noses together, ignoring the whispered ‘so fucking cute’ that had to have come from Ron. Happy moments like this gave him life, which could make him forget the outside world.
This slice of paradise wouldn’t last forever, but he’d enjoy it.