(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Daphne heads home after her arm has healed, after Bonnie and Abby woke up. She didn't want to stick around for something else to happen. She just wanted to shut herself away. But she won't get that either from the looks of things when she walks into the Gilbert house. She closes the door behind her, her eyes locked onto the living room where Hermione and Harry are both sitting on the couch, waiting for her. Daphne sighs a little and goes to pass them, head into the kitchen. She's really not in the mood to deal with them today. Not after what she's just been through with Klaus. She just wants to have a drink, a shower, and then crash for a little while before she has to go and check on Stefan again.

"Now is a really bad time," She tells them.

"Sit down" Harry scolds her, she closes her eyes and lets out a breath. "We need to talk, Daphne" She turns and moves to the couches to join them. She knows that for them both to be here it must be serious.

"It's about Damon" Hermione points out. Daphne sighs. She knew that Hermione would have gone back to the Ministry to do some digging. To make sure that Daphne wasn't getting herself into too much trouble. "I was concerned" Hermione admits. "At first. I think anyone would be if someone they cared about was getting involved with a vampire, a vampire with his and his brother's reputation....but then I remembered the way he looked at you that day I was here" Daphne looks down. "I know what that look means, I know because it's...exactly how Ron looks at me...How Harry looks at Ginny" Harry smiles softly. "Even...Draco with Astoria"

"Lyra and dragons" Harry adds, Daphne laughs a little but nods. Hermione shoots Harry a look and he just shrugs back. "Just saying" He adds. Hermione turns back to Daphne.

"So...I wanted to come here, we both did, to assure you that...we think you should do whatever is going to make you happy, that Damon seems like a very good match...." Hermione offers softly. Daphne frowns and then looks at her.

"I can't, you know I can't just...." Daphne stops herself and then shakes her head. "Being Phoenix cursed..."

"Being afraid of it isn't going to stop it from being a risk" Harry counters. "Being afraid of it isn't going to stop it happening. If it's going to happen, it will happen. And the people that love you will be there if it does, they will be there to help you. Isolating yourself from people you clearly care about, Daphne, how is that going to help you? It's not. You have to let people in, let yourself build a life...stop letting fear get in your way" Harry leans on his knees. "You like this...Damon Salvatore, right?" He asks, Daphne nods.

"Yeah" She whispers. "I really like him..." Harry gives her a look.

"So let him in...see what happens...it might just surprise you"

"And come on, who is more equipped to protect you from yourself, and to protect those around you from the Phoenix, than a vampire?" Hermione asks her with a smile. "Being alone and scared if no way to live, Daphne" Hermione whispers. "Not at your age, not with your future...you are such a bright witch....you deserve more"

"And if the Phoenix does emerge" Harry offers. "Knowing that people around you understand and knows about it, they will be better equipped to help you" He sets a pile of books on the table. "Don't keep them in the dark anymore"

"But..." Daphne starts.

"You think it will put them in harm's way, but making sure they are fully prepared for something that might happen, will not make it more dangerous for them..." Hermione stops her. "It's keeping them safe but telling them everything"

"But everyone has always told me to never tell anyone" Daphne argues. "You two made that argument too, when I was eleven years old"

"And now you're not" Harry counters. "You're not a child anymore, Daphne, you can manage the consequences of people finding out"

"No, I really can't" She defends. "Some freaky ass hybrid just tried to set me on fire...and I am not prepared to deal with that"

"Are you okay?" Harry asks, concerned eyes looking over her, checking for injury. Daphne shrugs a little. She has no idea if she's okay. Physically, yes, she's fine now. Damon's blood fixed everything right up. But emotionally....mentally; she has no idea how she is. She's not a child anymore, and she is starting to realise that Harry and the others have been protecting her for a long time, by keeping what she is a secret, they protected her from enemies like Klaus.

.....

Harry and Hermione don't stay long. They have some tea. Talk to Daphne about things back 'home', try to make her feel better. But she just wants to sleep. She wants to sleep off this day. She sits on her bed with the books that Harry left her. They are mostly the ones that she was first given access to at Hogwarts. Just what little they have on what she is, the phoenix curse is mentioned on only a couple of pages in these books. There is also a fae spell book among them. Likely more from Hermione who has been pushing her to delve into fae magic over the years, despite the Ministry and the school frowning upon it. The last book is one she hasn't seen before. It's older. Burnt in places. A symbol reminiscent of a phoenix is inscribed on the cover with writing around it. But she doesn't know what language that is. She turns it around, the symbol is there again but nothing that gives it away. She lets out a breath and shakes her head. She'll deal with the books tomorrow. She's too tired to concentrate on them.

.........

Daphne stands outside of the cell in the Salvatore basement, looking through the bars to watch Stefan. He's laying on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Obviously and very likely that he's been bored since she left him to go through the treatment. She hadn't slept very long before coming here. She just wanted to check on him, on the spell progress.

"Did it work?" Stefan asks without looking up.

"You tell me" She counters as she opens the door to the cell. "How are you feeling?"

"Weird" He mumbles as he sits up. She has no idea what that means. Vampires might always feel weird.

"Do you feel any different?" She counters, he shrugs. He's struggling with what he's feeling. "Only one way to find out," Daphne tells him and then holds out her hand and her wand in her other hand. "Diffindo" The spell cuts open her palm and Stefan pushes himself back against the wall. Which in itself shows that something has changed in him. Blood drops from her hand when she squeezes her fingers into her palm. His face changes but he stays put. She can feel emotions off of him as well. Guilt. Hunger. Fear. It's all there. "Welcome back" She offers as she draws her wand over the cut in her hand, healing. "It's nice to finally meet the real you, Stefan"

"This is a mistake" He argues. "I can't....processing these emotions...."

"Yes, you can" She argues and moves closer to him. "Teenagers do it every day" She teases, he snorts a little. "I know it's harder" She assures him. "But you are..." She stops herself when she realises that she is basically telling Stefan exactly what Harry and Hermione were trying to tell her. "Surrounded by people who care about you...we'll help" He looks at her.

"I can't just go back...with Elena..."

"I know" She stops him. "So does Elena...but you are going to have to talk to her, it will hurt but it is better than lying to her" She can't believe she is basically changing her own mind on things by talking with Stefan. All this advice she is giving him. She just needs to apply it to herself. It's what they were telling her. "You've been through so much already..." He looks down. "Whether you come together romantically again some time down the road is up to you two. No one can tell you otherwise. But coming together now as friends...when you need your friends...I think you need that" He looks at her and then smiles softly.

"I can see why she loves you so much" He admits. "That was inspired"

"It's written on my hand" She counters, he nods a little and lets out a breath. "Stefan, you know it's not going to be easy, you've done this before...but we are here for you" She holds out her hand to him and he takes it in a handshake.