Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing Voldemort, Bellatrix, unusual family dynamics, and their daughter. That’s
right! You heard me- their daughter. For those unaware, in the Cursed Child (which was written
for a POST Harry Potter world)- it’s revealed that at one point in time, Bellatrix and Voldemort
conceived a child of their own- Delphini. What’s interesting about this, however,
is that this would have actually happened during the original Harry Potter story- before
Bellatrix suffers her fate at the hands of Molly Weasley’s spell.
In today’s video, I want to break all of this down, explaining HOW it happened, WHY
it happened, and WHEN it happened. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Now, before we get started- I KNOW- The Cursed Child ISN’T POPULAR. It’s marketed as
the eighth story- a continuation following the children of the characters that we grew
up with. The events of the Cursed Child occur 19 years after the events of the Deathly Hallows,
and follows Harry Potter- who is now head of the department of magical law enforcement
at the ministry of magic, and his younger son, Albus Potter, who’s just about to embark
on his own journey at Hogwarts. 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 apparent disregard for the
traditional Harry Potter canon.
Though Rowling has affirmed that the play should be accepted as part of the canon- most
fans aren’t having any of 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 among fans 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.
The conception of Delphini- Voldemort and Bellatrixes daughter- occurred sometime in
the mid to late 1990s, in secret, at the Malfoy Manor. This of course meant that her birth
coincided with the events of the original books - we just never had any indication of
it. Furthermore, 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. It is unknown what
her relationship was like with her parents or how they felt about her as they both died
while she was still a baby, but she still went on to inherit many traits from both of
them. As she grew older she became increasingly cruel, sadistic, violent, ruthless, obsessive,
manipulative, cunning, charismatic, and intelligent- the list goes on. Her calculated, determined,
and most of all ruthless nature - meant that she would eventually go on to commit murder
- murdering Craig Bowker Jr- a fellow student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This act swiftly landed her in Azkaban prison- and it proved that she really did take after
her mother and father. She also was fierce-tempered and would easily lose control if things went
awry, another trait she inherited from her mother and father.
We’ll go back to Delphi’s story later, but first- I want to look at the IMPETUS for
WHY Bellatrix and Voldemort would have even WANTED a child- let alone how. Let’s break
down their motivations.
Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the most feared witches in the wizarding world. Her fear-inspiring
name and bloodthirsty reputation were well-deserved, and she was known to have murdered and tortured
many many witches and wizards. But, that impressive resume aside, Bellatrix Lestrange was first
and foremost Lord Voldemort’s most loyal follower- one that would serve him unquestionably.
So, if Voldemort wanted a child with Bellatrix- I’m sure that she would have been more than
willing to oblige. He was her master, and I think that conceiving a child with him would
have been an honour for her- whether she actually wanted one or not.
Voldemort on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. Voldemort is perhaps the most
feared dark wizard of all time-feared so much that most of the wizarding world was afraid
to even utter his name. Voldemort achieved power that others could only dream of, and
he was an intelligent, cunning and manipulative man that amassed a legion of followers at
the height of his power. Despite appearing to care for his followers, this wasn’t the
case, as Voldemort truly did not care for anyone. He had no understanding of empathy
whatsoever, and simply used those around him to more quickly achieve his goal of power.
Part of the reason for Voldemort’s incapability of feeling things like LOVE, was because of
the way that he himself was conceived. You see, Voldemort’s mother Merope used a love
potion on his father Tom Riddle Sr- effectively forcing him in to a relationship with her.
Because of this, Voldemort was cursed with an existence in which he would never be able
to feel love himself. Some people have looked at the birth of Delphini as proof of Voldemort’s
ability to feel love, but I think that they’re really wrong on that. I don’t think Voldemort
cared for Bellatrix, or even loved her, he simply saw childbirth through more of a utilitarian
lens. Voldemort was arrogant and probably felt that he COULD live forever, but- it doesn’t
hurt to have a back up plan- a way to continue the lineage of Salazar Slytherin in the event
of his demise. And what better way to ensure an HEIR to the throne of Slytherin, than by
procreating with his powerful right hand woman? So, that’s my theory for why- Voldemort
simply wanted to continue his bloodline- and though childbirth and raising a child didn’t
interest him at all- the thought of his powerful lineage ending would have been a perishing
one for the dark lord.
This is where it gets a bit scandalous, though, as Bellatrix Lestrange was NOT a free agent.
Delphini’s mother was a married woman- and not to Voldemort. That’s right, Bellatrix
Lestrange was born Bellatrix Black- and was married in to the Lestrange family when she
wed Rodolphous Lestrange, a fellow Death Eater and servant of Voldemort. So, was Rodolphous
AWARE of all of this? I think he was, but, 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 the Battle of Hogwarts, both Voldemort and Bellatrix
were dead, but Rodolphus survived and was subsequently sent to Azkaban. Interestingly
enough, it was actually Rodolphous (Delphini’s stepfather) that ended up informing her of
her heritage, as there was noone else around to do it.
That brings us to how. Well, I’m sure you all know the tale of the birds and the bees-
and, that’s PROBABLY how it happened assuming all parties were on board. There are even
some passages from the book which could allude to this night of passion.
The first relates to Voldemort:
Maniacal laughter was ringing in his ears: Voldemort was happier than he had been in
a very long time: jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant: a wonderful, wonderful thing had happened.
And the second relates to Bellatrix:
“My Lord . . . my Lord . . . ”
It was Bellatrix’s voice, and she spoke as if to a lover.
Anyway, that’s it for this video. What do you guys think of my thoughts regarding the
birth of Delphini. Comment down below.
Until next time
Remember
It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities