Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be discussing the background of Voldemort’s DAUGHTER- that’s right
you heard me, DAUGHTER- Delphini.
Now, if you’ve only read the original books / seen the original films, then you’re probably
completely lost right now.
BUT, if you’re up to speed on the The Cursed Child- Rowling’s Harry Potter sequel that
follows the children of our favourite protagonists, then you might be a little more privy with
regards to Voldemort’s unlikely offspring.
The most interesting aspect of all of this, however, is that she was purportedly conceived
DURING the events of the original books.
The Harry Potter universe is rich with an ever-expanding list of complex characters
and intricate storylines, with each new addition to canon adding new layers to the already
vast and fascinating world created by J.K.
Rowling.
One such addition is Delphini, the daughter of the Dark Lord Voldemort AND..drum roll
please, the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange.
Delphini's existence was revealed in the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and her
character has been a source of both fascination and controversy among fans of the series.
One of the main points of contention for fans is that the Cursed Child simply wasn’t well
done, and it’s popularity has reflected that.
It’s marketed as the eighth story- a continuation 19 years POST Deathly Hallows which follows
the children of the characters that we grew up with.
Main characters include Harry Potter- who is now head of the department of magical law
enforcement at the ministry of magic, his younger son, Albus Potter, who’s just about
to embark on his own journey at Hogwarts, Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco Malfoy,
and of course Delphini.
But, rather than being made in to a film adaptation, the Cursed Child was made in to a two part
play - rather than a feature film.
The play primarily comes under scrutiny from Harry Potter fans because of its disregard
for the traditional Harry Potter canon.
Though Rowling has affirmed that the play should be accepted as part of canon- most
fans simply won’t put up with this.
This is for a couple of reasons, first of all-the storyline truly upsets our perceptions
of the traditional Harry Potter universe.
The notion that Voldemort could have a child when he was born entirely devoid of certain
emotions, is just one example of something The Cursed Child did that didn’t sit well
with fans.
The next big issue for most fans is that Rowling didn’t write the play all on her own- and
because other people had influence on how the play and story would turn out, it seems
to be the general consensus that it can’t truly be canon.
On the front cover, it very clearly reads:
Based on an original new story by
J.K.
Rowling
John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
But, just for a moment- let’s entertain the version of ‘canon’ introduced by the
Cursed Child- and the absurd notion that Voldemort- devoid of emotion and social graces, could
POSSIBLY conceive a child with his right-hand-woman and resident wizarding world LUNATIC- Bellatrix
Lestrange.
In this video we’ll delve deeper into the background and motivations of Delphini, exploring
her origins, her actions, and what her character adds to the Harry Potter universe.
Delphini’s conception occurred sometime in the mid to late 1990s, in secret, at the
Malfoy Manor.
As I mentioned earlier, this meant that her birth coincided with the events of the original
books - we just never had any indication of it.
Delphini, who also goes by Delphi in The Cursed Child, became the only known living heir of
Salazar Slytherin after Voldemort died in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.
Her birth was kept a secret by her parents because they feared that their infamous reputationS
would place her in danger, especially in the event of their deaths.
And die they did, with both Voldemort AND Bellatrix being killed in the Battle of Hogwarts.
This of course left Delphini on her own- an orphan.
That is, until she was reluctantly adopted by Euphemia Rowle, a pure-blood witch from
the ROWLE family.
The Rowle family, which appears on the Sacred 28 (a list of pure-blood wizarding families)
has a somewhat varied history with one Damocles Rowle being a Minister for Magic in the 1700s,
and one Thorfinn Rowle being a known Death Eater.
Unfortunately, there’s not much information out there on Rowle, but we do know that she
certainly didn’t make Delphini’s life easy.
Allegedly only taking the young orphan in for a substantial amount of gold, Euphemia
never cared for Delphini, tormenting her further by keeping a pet Augurey and claiming that
it cried because it knew Delphini would meet a ‘sticky end’.
Suffice to say, Delphini’s time with Euphemia was not very positive.
Despite both of her parents dying while she was still a baby, Delphini began to inherit
traits from both of them as she grew older, becoming increasingly cruel, sadistic, violent,
ruthless, obsessive, manipulative, cunning, charismatic, and even intelligent- the list
goes on.
The conditions of her upbringing and being suppressed by her mother figure probably only
made matters worse.
To say that Delphini had an unusual childhood would be an understatement.
You see, things didn’t work out for her like it did for other young witches and wizards.
She had little to no contact with other children for the duration of her childhood, instead
being forced to invent imaginary friends.
And by the time she was of age, Delphini didn’t get to go to Hogwarts School like other witches.
Instead, she remained at home.
"I was - unwell - as a child - for a few years.
Other people got to go - I did not"
And I imagine this isolation and lack of normalcy in her life only pushed her further in to
dark pursuits.
Eventually, Delphini was paid a visit by her stepfather Rodolphous Lestrange, the HUSBAND
of Bellatrix.
Though Voldemort and Bellatrix had died in the Battle of Hogwarts, Rodolphous was able
to get away with his life- instead being sent to Azkaban.
When he got out, he tracked Delphini down and informed her of her true identity- her
heritage- explaining that she was the daughter of the former Dark Lord.
He also went on to divulge information about the prophecy he believed she was meant to
fulfill.
What’s a little scandalous about this whole thing is that Rodolphous Lestrange was husband
to BELLATRIX, Delphi’s mother, but VOLDEMORT was the father.
Though it is never explicitly stated, it is my feeling that Rodolphus was very much aware
of the relations between Voldemort and Bellatrix.
I don’t think that he had any objection to it, because the very nature of Bellatrix
and Rodolphus’s relationship was almost political.
They were both purebloods that came from supremacist families, and, for mainly this reason, got
together.
Bellatrix’s attention being drawn to Voldemort only meant that Rodolphous would be able to
go about his business without further distractions or responsibilities.
In fact, Bellatrix being chosen to produce offspring with the dark lord himself was probably
a source of pride for him.
He was first and foremost a follower of lord voldemort, and a husband to Bellatrix second.
After hearing the news of her father’s true identity, Delphini made it her goal to bring
her father back to power- helping him to fulfill his plan for a world ruled by pure-blood wizards.
I’m not going to sit here and just regurgitate the entire story of the Cursed Child- but
I will tell you Delphini’s role, and how she interacted with some of the other main
characters in the story.
Here’s a rough summary..
Delphi Diggory used a Confundus Charm on Amos Diggory to make him believe she was his niece
and to do her bidding.
She convinced him to ask Harry Potter to go back in time to save Cedric Diggory, who was
killed by Voldemort.
Harry refused, but his son Albus overheard and, with Scorpius Malfoy, decided to help.
They stole a Time-Turner, altered past events, and created two alternative realities.
After many attempts, Scorpius managed to restore the correct timeline and decided to destroy
the Time-Turner.
Albus sent an owl to Delphi to explain they could not save Cedric.
Delphi arrived at Hogwarts, they destroyed the Time-Turner together, and she revealed
her true colors.
Delphi took Albus and Scorpius back in time with her, but they refused to cooperate.
Delphi intended to stop Voldemort from killing Harry's parents, but Albus and Scorpius managed
to grab the Time-Turner, and they raced through time once again.
They discovered Delphi was Tom Riddle's daughter and was planning to restore him to power.
Harry and the others helped Albus and Scorpius, and they hid in a church, waiting for Delphi.
Harry disguised himself as Voldemort and lured her into a trap.
They overpowered Delphi, and Harry told her she must learn to live with the fact that
she will always be an orphan.
Along the way Delphi murdered Craig Bowker Jr- a student at Hogwarts.
For her crimes, it’s likely that she was imprisoned in Azkaban.
Of course, there’s a lot more to the story but that’s a brief summary.
It has always seemed unusual to me that Voldemort wanted a daughter, particularly because he
always seemed so focused on himself and his pursuit of power.
But one thought that I had on this was that perhaps he merely wanted a daughter to carry
on the bloodline of his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin- which would have been impossible
without some form of procreation.
Perhaps for that reason, and for that reason alone, Voldemort decided that having offspring
would be a good idea.
And that’s it for this video!
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Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live