The Story of Sheila Riddle (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 34

Sheila stared at the sign for a minute, still taking it in.

It read, "St. Oswald's Home for Old Wizards and Witches."

She looked up at the plain white building. Inside it, she would find her niece. Delphini Riddle. Or was it Lestrange?

She had been shocked to learn of Delphini's heritage. Bellatrix Lestrange, the favorite of Lord Voldemort, his most devoted follower, the woman Sheila had despised. She had not wanted to believe it at first. How could she not have noticed? She had shared the same house with Bella for years; how could it have been kept secret? Had Narcissa known? Had Tom even known at first?

Sheila headed up the brick path and through the heavy oak doors. She asked a sweet-looking nurse where she could find Delphini Diggory. She was led up to a nice little room where Amos Diggory sat in his wheelchair, grumbling to himself. When asked, the elderly man said that Delphi had gone up to her quarters for a moment. The kind nurse showed her where it was, and then left her.

Sheila stood in front of the door for a long time, working up the courage to knock. When at last she did, there was no answer. She waited for a moment, then went in. It was an seemingly ordinary room; it certainly didn't speak that the daughter of the Dark Lord lived there.

"Excuse me. Can I help you?" said a friendly voice.

Sheila spun around to face the speaker and saw a tall young woman with long silver and blue hair, bright blue eyes, and Bellatrix's unmistakable face. Sheila felt a spark of annoyance when she recognized the features, but she also felt a thrill of joy. She was finally here, standing face to face with her brother's daughter, a hope she had never dared think might come true. She had to stop herself from bursting into tears.

"Sorry for barging into your room like this. Delphi Diggory, is it? Or do you prefer your father's name? Or your mother's?"

"I believe that is their name," Delphi said with a wide smile, "Diggory. That's it."

Sheila shook her head, "No, you're not a Diggory. You're the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord."

With a flick of her hand, Delphi flung Sheila against the wall and held her there, suspended in mid-air. Sheila struggled to breath.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," she gasped, "But you're not the only Riddle."

"What do you mean?" Delphi demanded sharply, her eyes flashing.

"My name is Riddle," Sheila choked, "And I'm also skilled in wandless magic."

There was a sudden explosion of force, like a small shock wave, and Delphi was thrown back. Sheila dropped to the ground and drew her wand.

"I don't want to fight you," she said, "I need you to listen to me."

"You're a liar!" Delphi hissed, "My father had no surviving relatives!"

"You've been horribly misinformed," Sheila explained calmly, "The Dark Lord had a younger twin sister. Me. My name is Sheila Merope Riddle. And I'm here to help you."

"You have no proof!"

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to trust me."

Delphi stared at her for a long moment.

"I won't trust you until you give me a reason," she snarled.

"And what shall that reason be?"

"You can help me bring my father back," Delphi replied.

Sheila sighed, "Believe me, I'm working on it."

Delphi narrowed her eyes disbelievingly, "Oh, really? And what are you doing about it?"

"It's something I like to call the waiting game."

Delphi snorted derisively, "Just as I thought. You can't win me over with feeble excuses. My father is dead in this timeline. The only way I can bring him back is through time travel."

"What?" 

"I heard the Ministry got their hands on an illegal Time-Turner. The only one of its kind. And I intend to steal it, and use it to go back in time and save my father. Amos Diggory is a senile old fool, making him a useful puppet. He went to our beloved Harry Potter and begged him to use the Time-Turner to bring back his dead son, Cedric Diggory. But he refused. So I have to use other methods. And I think I've found some ready volunteers. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they turn up and recruit themselves. They're two Hogwarts students, none other than the sons of Potter and Malfoy."

"What?"

"Is that the only word you know?" Delphi snapped irritably.

"But...but..."

Sheila was lost for words. The fact that the Ministry had not destroyed the Time-Turner the minute they had got their hands on it was shocking enough, but the fact that Delphi wanted to use it to completely alter past events was even more so. And meanwhile, Sheila was standing there, with a Time-Turner in her pocket, and thoughts not so different from the woman standing before her. Could she tell Delphi? Despite the fact that her niece did not trust her? Would she even be able to walk away unscathed after all that had been revealed?

Delphi seemed to read her thoughts and a slow smirk spread over her lips.

"What am I to do with you?" she said in a chilling voice, "You know pretty much everything. And I still haven't decided whether you're trustworthy or not."

"Well, it would be stupid to throw away a potential ally," Sheila said quickly, edging toward the door as she spoke, "Besides, you can't touch me. I'm too much for you to handle."

"Is that a challenge?" Delphi hissed, cocking one eyebrow.

"No, just a warning. Well, I have no proof of my identity, so how about we strike a deal. You let me walk away, and I'll come back only when I've found a way to show you that I'm trustworthy."

"I suppose I could be merciful just this once," Delphi said in a voice that reminded Sheila of her brother whenever he played cat and mouse with his victims, "But you'd better hope for your sake that it doesn't come back to bite me."