After Kreacher took Delphini away, me and Hermione had been searching the hall of registration records in the Department of Mysteries.
Both Hermione and I have been gripped by approaching dread and fear that feels like a weight crushing down on us—the weight I felt nineteen years ago when I had to face death to protect those I loved. I never thought I would feel like that again in this life, but fate has a dire task for me in store.
Ever since I brought Delphini to the ministry and learnt about her last name being Riddle, I can't shake that jumpy feeling that my scar might hurt any second. Hermione keeps looking at me, wanting to ask if my scar hurts, but she is holding herself back; she knows I am just as scared as she is.
At first, when Delphi left, Hermione started acting hysterically. "Harry, her name is Riddle; could it be what if she is his daughter?" she speculated, worried.
"Don't be ridiculous. Hermione is a pretty ordinary name; anyone can have it, and we never found proof that he had a daughter. The only unregistered child we knew of who went missing right after his death." Harry rationalised with her.
"I know, but we can't let it pass. She is a reregistered witch. What if she killed that squib?" What if she is like her father?" Hermione said it out of fear, expecting the worst.
"Hermione, you are being paranoid. I checked everything myself; the child had nothing to do with Mastigia's death. And even if Voldemort had a child, she would be in her twenties right now, and Delphi is only eleven." I tried to think logically.
"What if they used some sort of dark magic to stop her from aging? We cannot take any risks. I am going to search the crime scene myself and the dead body." Hermione said, moving towards the door, but I stopped her.
"That will raise suspicion, and I told you I checked everything. There is one thing we can do to confirm we can search for Delphi's records and trace her back to her parents. We can also look at all the muggleborn children born in 1994 to 1998." I suggested.
"That will take all night." Said Hermione, still worried about how we will manage to handle it on our own.
"I know, but it is necessary if we want to be sure." I said determined.
So we searched all the records with the help of on-duty elf's, and we did find a single mention of her mother Dahlia. There was no trace of their magic; it was as if her mother wasn't a witch. There was no registration on Dahlia's name (if she really was her mother and not someone's made-up fantasy) nor Delphi's.
But that wasn't all. Delphi's birth date didn't match her reregistered date, and there was no trace of her magic before the day of reregistration, which was the only document we found of Delphi's.
Her reregistration was done by Mastigia, but before that, it was as if Delphi never existed. It was like she popped out of thin air one day, and the only person who could tell us anything about this matter was dead.
"Found anything?" Ron asked; he came to see Hermione, and we thought to tell him, but not until he promised to keep it a secret.
"Nothing," I told him, bitterly closing the last file I just checked. I looked at the rows of shelves and realised how long we must have searched.
"We couldn't find who her parents were, but it is sure now that Delphi is a person of interest in the case of the Cursed Child." Hermione said worriedly that she knew we both felt sorry for the child, but facts were facts.
This is bad. I thought I was really hoping that we would find something that can prove that Delphi was a normal witch. I don't feel ashamed that I feel compassion and sympathy for that girl; she reminds me of myself.
"Well then, I guess we can ask McGonagall and Neville to keep an eye on her at school while we find out more about her past and figure out if she really is Voldemort's daughter or not." I suggested feeling tired and hoping that she might not be his daughter.
"If? If you are thinking of sending her school with other children, she is a criminal," Ron said, outraged, as we were mad.
"And what is her crime, Ron? She has done nothing, and we have no proof if she really is his daughter." I retorted back at him, but Ron wasn't going to give up without a fight; we have lost too much in the war to forgive anyone related to Voldemort.
"What more proof do you need? She fits the description of the prophecy you told us about. He asked furiously.
"Prophecies aren't so simple, Ron, you know that." I reminded him, trying to calm him down.
"Harry I know you feel bad for her, but I know you felt something when you met her, right?" Hermione asked, siding with Ron on this.
"My scar didn't hurt at all, Hermione." I told her honestly.
"But you did—she tried to say it, but I finished it for her.
"Yes, I did feel like she was reading my mind, but it could be just because she is a powerful witch, and if mind reading was a crime, Dumbledore would be hanged." I explained, trying to reason with them, that they can't put her in prison for being talented.
"See, she is powerful just like him, and it can't be a coincidence that that woman died right after abusing her." Ron said withal triumph looked as if it proved everything, which really pissed me off; he was jumping to conclusions.
"She broke an unbreakable vow, Ron, and she was abusing her from along time; we just found out about it now. If she wanted to kill her, she would have done so a long time ago or controlled her like a slave or something else, but she didn't." I shouted really loudly, making all the elves stare at me, then I took a breath and said, "She kept bearing it all, and it will be unjust if she is not his daughter and we treat her like a criminal for nothing." I said in a somewhat calm voice, and both Hermione and Ron stared at me worriedly.
I understand their feelings, but I can't even explain to myself why I feel so angry about this. Even when it's clear she is his daughter, I want to defend her, the daughter of the man who caused the deaths of so many people I loved.
"Harry's right, we can't show prejudice towards her. But we can keep looking, and it's only after it turns out she is his daughter that we wait and see if she does anything sinister; we will stop her. But until then, we will keep an eye on her." Hermione finally said after a moment of silence, and I was glad she hadn't let fear take over her judgement.
"This is bloody fu****up." Ron swore loudly but finally gave up.
"Let's go and talk to McGonagall; we can use her advice, and we need to discuss the prophecy with her." I suggested, and they nodded in agreement.
We went upstairs into Hermione's office and informed her of the picture of Phineas Black, and Ron wrote a letter to Neville to summon him.
In fifteen minutes, we used the floor powder to enter Hogwarts.
As we emerged from the Emerald green fire and stepped into the familiar circular headmistress's office that was covered in portraits and magical tools placed everywhere. We saw McGonagall standing in front of us in a mossy green nightgown, her hair tied up in a tight bun, and her spectacles glinting in the moonlight. She looked as crisp and alert as always, even at this hour of night.
"I am sorry, Professor, to wake you up so late, or should I say so early?" I said, noticing the sky turning a light purple and blue shade as the sun began to rise and stars began to disappear.
My eyes fell on the portrait of Dumbledore longingly, who was soundly asleep in his frame. "He still doesn't wake up, does he?" I asked, knowing full well that Dumbledore's ghost had never answered to anyone after talking to me at the end of the war.
"Oh, he was always good at acting anyway. Where are the rest?" McGonagall remarked and looked behind me for the others.
Ron and Hrmione came from the fire place and greeted McGonagall. Just as we settled down, Neville and Professor Trelawney walked in through the door.
"Hi, Harry Hermione Ron," Neville said to the three of us. He was in his nightgown, and his round belly was gone, and he looked quite fit and healthy, even handsome.
"Good seeing you, Neville." Hermione replied with a little smile.
"I heard it was an urgent matter." Neville asked and took his seat.
"Yes, it is. Please sit down both of you." McGonagall said more to Trelawney than to Neville. She looked a bit tipsy and sleepy.
"Well, I believe you have all heard rumours about the Cursed Child, haven't you?" Hermione began to ask rhetorically.
"Yes, but it's just a load of dung; everyone knows Voldemort didn't have enough love in him to produce a child." Professor McGonagall remarked stiffly.
"About that, we think we have a lead." Hermione said and hesitated.
"What do you mean by a lead?" Trelawney asked completely alert now since it was such an exciting topic.
We think we have found the daughter of Lord Voldemort." Ron blurted out quickly, which felt like a bombshell had just dropped and everyone gasped. Trelawney clutched her heart, and Neville looked really pale.
"We don't have any proof yet, but she is a person of interest." I added trying to calm them.
"Who is she?" Neville asked eagerly yet still horrified.
And so we told them everything that had happened and everything we had learnt through our search. They were all hooked on our every word until Neville asked, "But what do you mean by'she meets the description of the prophecy?' As I remember only Harry and I meet the description." He looked confused, and I realised it was time to reveal my secret.
"We are talking about a different prophecy," I told them in a grave voice.
"Another?" Trelawney asked
"Who made that one?" McGonagall asked, looking sceptical.
"Same as before." I answered, and they all started staring at Trelawney.
"Me, but I don't remember." She said, looking frightened at the thought that she could actually do something like that.
"You usually don't." Ron told her slyly.
"It was after the battle of Hogwarts, right before we took back control of the Ministry, we were still at the castle celebrating. I was up on my way to Gryffindor's common room to rest; that's when I saw you." I began to tell them what I remembered.
"You were in an extremely distressed state, so I took you to the staff room on the first floor. It was then that you told me the prophecy of the cursed child." I finished, and there was a dramatic silence in the room.
"What did the prophecy say?" Neville asked curiously, yet dreading what it would say.
"It's best if you read it yourself," I told them, pulling out the glass orb I picked from the hall of prophecies. Everyone stares at it with bated breath. I throw the orb on the ground, and a smoky blue figure of Trelawney erupts from the shattered glass, and the loud, clear voice of Professor Trelawney under a trance is heard by everyone that says.
"The Dark Lords greatest weapon, his kin, is not lost in the war.
A daughter born from a mother with no magic in her blood
The army will rise again under a new sword.
The devils from foreign land will bring destruction in their wake, looking for the daughter of the dark lord for ritual sake.
When the wheels of time are turned, a plague will infest the world, affecting only the muggleborn.
The maiden with hair as silver and blue as the moon and sky will have power even greater than his father ever did.
The Cursed Child's hands carry the fate of good and evil and the balance of life.
May a silver Phoenix rise to save the land from the ashes of Cursed Child."
There was an eerie silence filled with fear as everyone stared at the spot where the voice and the ghost disappeared.
"Bloody hell! The rumours were true; the dark lord has a daughter." Ron said, astonished
"I thought you already knew all about this." Neville asked, confused at Ron's reaction.
"Hermione and Ron had never heard the prophecy before; I only told them vaguely." I replied, which surprised everyone because I didn't like keeping secrets from them both, and yet this matter was so serious that I was only able to reveal a little.
"But someone else did, and that's why they hid his daughter, and that's also how the rumours of the Cursed Child got out." I said it out loud, and they all looked worried.
"So he really does have a daughter, and we know who she is," Neville said with a wide-eyed expression.
"No, we don't." I replied, still trying to protect Delphi.
"Yes, we do. Didn't you hear she has silver and blue hair and great power?" Ron insisted, annoyed at me.
"Any wizard or witch can be gifted with power and has for her hair; maybe she dyed it." I retorted back, but even though I realise how stupid I sound, maybe I am too fond of her.
"Yeah, right, what about any other coincidences like her name being Riddle and no record of her birth? There can't be too many coincidences, Harry." Ron told me, outraged at my denial.
"I know, but being related to someone isn't a crime, Ron, and we don't have enough legal evidence to declare her his daughter." I admitted being a little annoyed at Ron for not giving her a chance, for all he knows she is just an orphan child.
"I'm with Harry on this. I don't think we should judge her too soon; sometimes even people who seem bad have a good side to them." Neville said, surprising everyone, he was looking at Snape's portrait, who was fast asleep in his frame.
We all stared at it for a moment as we all realised how right Neville was, then Hermione said while not looking at Ron, "Me too, from what I have judged from our brief meeting, she is a good child who just has been through bad experiences." I looked at her with a grateful smile, feeling like I had won the debate.
"But she is." Ron tried to protest, but McGonagall cut him, saying
"We know who's daughter; she is well enough, Weasley, but as Dumbledore used to say, it is not what someone is born but what they grow up to be. And as for her being related to Voldemort, well, we don't get to choose our parents, do we? If that were true, Potter would have changed places with you in a heartbeat." Which almost made us snort as we held back our laughter.
"But Professor "Ron began still stubborn.
"Hogwarts will always help those who need it, Ronald Weasley. I hope you haven't forgotten that." McGonagall told him curtly, and he felt a little embarrassed and replied, "No, I haven't."
"Good. Granger, what about you? You are awfully quiet." She said it curtly and then asked Hermione for her opinion.
"I know we all mean well," she said without looking me in the eye and continued, "but it wouldn't hurt to not completely disregard her of suspicion, which is why I wanted Neville and you to keep an eye on her while she is here. After all, caution is better than cure." She finished looking around for approval, and we all nodded.
"Very well." McGonagall began but then looked at Trelawney, who was staring in the distance with a wide, weird grin on her face. "Trelawney, are you alright?" she asked, a little concerned.
"Oh, I just was thinking if we can have her take early divination classes, I am sure she will be a valuable specimen. I mean, a talented student, at least that's what fate tells me. She said it excitedly, then realising her mistake, she regained a wise mystical composure.
"I hope the Fates don't scare the child with death omens on her first day here." Professor McGonagall commented sarcastically.
"Now if we are all in agreement, I think this meeting is over." I say and stand up to leave, but Hermione stops me by saying.
"One last thing, I just want to make it clear that what we discussed here today is kept confidential."
"Mrs Weasley I believe that was given only a fool would gossip about such sensitive information," she said curtly, but her eyes darted towards Ron and Trelawney momentarily.
"We swear not to tell anyone." Neville reassured Hermione, and we all agreed.
"Good." Hermione is feeling relieved.
"Let's hope the daughter of Lord Voldemort doesn't take after her father." Ron remarked coldly to me right before stepping into the fireplace and being swallowed in green flames.
As I stood there to look back at the old office one last time and saw the sun rising through the window, I hoped to God that Delphi doesn't end up like her father.