act three: vigilante shit
chapter fifty-one

Months had passed since Daphne's fourth year had ended so fatefully. The loss of Cedric Diggory and the attack not only on Daphne - but her father as well had changed something within the girl. Her father had been poisoned, a slow-acting poison that took a toll on him slowly. So, Daphne was cursed to watch her father slowly fall apart to his death.

Lucerys had played it off as if he was fine, as if nothing had happened when they had gone back to their old home. As if the Death Eaters had not been there awaiting their arrival before snatching them with no problem. No, Lucerys acted as if he was fine because he did not want his daughter to see him fall apart - but the flaw in that plan was, you can't hide the future from a seer.

Daphne wholeheartedly blamed herself for the fall of her father. Having seen how bad it would get in a vision that plagued her dreams at night. She would never have thought she'd be losing her father so soon - and right before her very eyes. She knew that the other members of the Order knew, everyone knew.

Daphne had not spoken to her brother since the school year, he hadn't even said a word to her which made her blood boil. She was angry. The girl's heart slowly grew cold as she wanted one thing. Vengeance. Something that scared her, before, Daphne would've been scared for what she could become. But now? There was nothing inside of her holding her back.

The only thing that seemed to scare her, was her mother getting away with everything that she had done. Everything she was going to do. And Daphne would die before she saw her mother run free without a care, as if nothing had ever happened. As if she hadn't attacked and tortured her daughter to use her, as if she hadn't killed her husband, as if she hadn't been a living nightmare for the past, about, fifteen years.

The girl kept her thoughts quiet from others. But the girl, herself, was anything but quiet at times. Making sure her mind was known and she had her two sense in certain situations. And everyone who stayed in Grimmuald Place found themselves alarmed and worried for the path that the heiress of Black was falling down.

During the summer, Grimmuald Place had its doors opened to the members of the Order, as well as their children. Hermione came late, while Ron and the twin's along with the other Weasley's stayed there the entire summer. The Weasley kids all being tasked to keep a close eye on the young girl.

But on that fateful night, something else had happened that caused a turning point. Something that seemed so... so incredible Daphne found herself going over and over that moment, that change, constantly in her mind trying to decipher something that could've happened. Something that caused this... weird situation.

"Regulus?" Her father's words raked through her mind as she sat on the edge of her bed, messing with her hands.

Her Uncle Regulus and Aunt Helaena were alive, they had been all of this time. Daphne thought that they had been dead for years - as had her father. As did her Uncle Sirius, but it seems that this entire time they were all fooled. They were anything but dead.

"Daphne," Ron's voice called for her as he leaned inside her door, giving her an awkward smile as he tried to diffuse the tension she sat in, "Your Aunt, Uncles, and father want to see you."

Daphne stayed quiet for a moment as she moved her shoulders back, adjusting her posture as she looked at her friend, giving him the tiniest smile, "I'll be there in a moment. Let me finish writing my letter, and I'll be down."

She noticed the frown that fell over Ron's features before he masked it away, giving a nod as he looked at the girl, "Finish writing to Harry - right. I'll tell them."

Daphne kept up her writings to Harry, but never once did she inform him about what had happened and she planned to keep it that way. The last thing she needed was Harry to worry about her, because when he did, he kept an eye on her and she did not need someone keeping an eye on her from over her shoulder.

She simply wrote to him about what she had been reading, as well as their usual nonsense conversations going on and on about quidditch or Harry rambling about his dreams or the war that he knew was coming. Not to mention his dreams - something that he had been plagued with for years but they had been whisked away for a bit.

Once she finished writing her letter, she gave it to her owl before she rose from her bed and began to walk out of the room. Noting how all of the Weasley's went silent as soon as she emerged from the dark room, her golden waves falling in loose waves as her eyes held bags underneath them.

The girl gave a swift nod as she looked over at her friends, "If you keep staring, I might get an ego," She joked in a monotone voice.

Fred cracked a small smile as he looked over at the girl, "That's the point, love. We're trying to get you to be egotistical -"

"Because an egotistical Daphne sounds like a fun idea," George finished off for his brother as he smiled at her, "Imagine a wild Daphne in her habitat."

Daphne let out a small snort as she let her hand grasp the railings of the stairs as she began to slowly walk down, "It's not an imagination if you're seeing her in her habitat before your very eyes."

Daphne nearly smiled at the chorus of laughter that fell behind her as she walked down the stairs. The wood creaking beneath her steps. The nearly-fifteen year old hadn't just changed on the inside since the term had ended, she had physically changed. Her body had began to mature but with the amount of stress she had been under? She was a lot thinner than she needed to be.

The first person that Daphne met eyes with as she got to the end of the stairs was her Uncle Regulus, "We need to talk. All of us," was what he said.

Daphne's lips pursed in a thin line before she flashed a forced smile, "When do we not need to talk, Uncle," She couldn't help but retort.

"This is important, Daphne," Regulus offered her a hand, as if she needed it to get off the end of the staircase.

Daphne simply stared at him for a moment before huffing and taking his hand before she was led away from the stairs and into the kitchen. Not only was her Aunt, two - now three Uncles, and her father sitting around but so were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Daphne stood tall as she held her head high, trying not to seem like she was falling apart beneath their gazes as Regulus let go of her hand before moving next to his wife, "What is it that we must discuss this time?"

Lucerys looked over at his daughter, he looked more aged than he had a few months ago. The last lines of his youth disappearing in wrinkles on his forehead as well as the corner of his lips. His eyes sunken in the slightest as his hair fell around his face. They were each other's copy. Minus the girl's scars.

"You've been having dreams, have you not? Dreams of things that are like your visions?" The question caused Daphne's eyes to narrow on her Uncle Remus who sighed, "Don't get defensive on me, Firefly. It's just a question."

"A question that all of you already know the answer too," Daphne knew that all too well, she looked between each person standing before her, "What truly are you asking?"

Sirius looked over at both of his brother's before looking over at his best friend before he sighed, "Daphne, there's something going on. Within the Ministry..."

"Are you asking me what I've seen of it?" was her simple question as she kept her head held high as she pushed back a few waves of her hair, "I don't think it's wise to share the events of the future. Nothing but a person's choice can change the way the future plays out."

"We know that," Helaena finally spoke up as her eyes bore into the girl, "But there's more to it and I believe that you know that."

Of course, Daphne couldn't help but think. I do know more than that, she adjusted her stance once more as she stood by where her father sat as part of her body pressed against him. She knew about the prophecy and she knew exactly who wanted it, but she didn't know what he was going to do to get it.

But she was missing one detail about Harry's prophecy, the words of the prophecy. She knew it existed and she knew it was held within the ministry in one of the glass orbs that most seers trapped their visions in - but Daphne had no clue what was prophesied in the boy's future. Hell, she barely knew her own.

"Sweet girl," Lucerys spoke as he placed a hand over the one of Daphne's that rested on his shoulder, "We are just trying to understand."

The way that the girl visibly softened due to her father caused everyone to frown, "I know that," Her voice almost fell into a whisper as she placed a kiss to his head, "But I can't tell you, all I know is what he wants. And where it is."

"The prophecy," Remus looked at the girl as he sighed running a hand through his hair, "I'm going to assume, based on what I remember you saying. The prophecy is wanted and you know it's hidden in the Ministry."

"Correct," Daphne almost became defensive yet again before she chewed on the inside of her lip, "I know the exact location of it - and not many do."

It was true. Not many knew the location of Harry's prophecy within the Ministry's walls. A select few did and for good reason. If Voldemort were to get ahold of it, if he were to find out what was said about the two... then he'd plan the war in the way to get rid of Harry Potter once and for all.

Daphne had been forced to keep everything quiet from Harry since everyone arrived at Grimmuald Place. There would be a time where he would be here as well, before school started, but until then... he could know nothing of what was happening in the Wizarding World while he wasn't in it.

"You haven't said anything to him, correct?" Molly was the one to ask this question as she looked at the young girl, "You know why he can't know."

"I do," Daphne hadn't hesitated before answering as her voice remained firm, "And I do know that this may bite us all in the ass. But if he finds out - and he gets mad? Don't let this shit fall back on me."

"Sweet girl," Lucerys gave her a soft chide as his grip on her hand tightened as he looked up at her, "Please."

Daphne's lips curled into a frown, almost into a pout, as she looked down at her father. Her eyes softening completely as she looked at her father. He was all that she had left - so it made sense that he was the only one who could make her soft. She wanted the time she had with him to be anything but her doing things that would make him upset as she pushed him away.

If anything, Daphne had pulled him closer than ever.

"Daphne, he won't be mad at you," Sirius tried to make the girl feel better by trying to reassure her that Harry wouldn't be mad upon his arrival.

But Daphne knew better than that, "Yeah?" She retorted as she looked at her Uncle, her tone not going angry but definitely not happy, "Tell that to the fight we had as friends after you escaped. I'm not losing a relationship over this."

"Daphne," The girl wasn't sure at that moment who was talking to her or scolding her about what had just scaped from her lips.

A sigh escaped Lucerys lips as he looked down while Sirius paused before looking at the ground. Making part of Daphne feel terrible for saying such a thing as she pulled back from her father as she looked at the floor shaking her head as her hair fell into her face.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Sirius," Her voice was quiet before she turned to walk out the door, "I shouldn't have said that - it was truly wrong of me. I do apologize."

But the room remained silent and no one said anything else to the girl. It was almost like they were trying to make sure that no one else caused some sort of argument. Worrying that something would set her off yet again - and maybe she'd say something else.

And in the silence that Daphne had her eyes on the ground and back towards the adults, no one made any effort to do or say anything. So, the girl simply left the room without another word escaping her lips - and no one moved to stop her as she did. A pit forming in her stomach as she pushed onwards before finding herself standing in front of the fireplace.

Something inside of her had changed, and she knew it. It was as if Daphne no longer had any regard for her words, she wanted to hurt people. She wanted someone to pay for everything that had happened - but that someone wasn't her family. It was Rosalie. So, why couldn't she control herself? Why was it so hard for her to not hurt the remaining people she had?

"You're being too hard on yourself, Daphne," the sound of the woman's voice didn't even phase the girl anymore, "Don't be silent on me now, I can see your expression. I know."

"You don't know anything. You've been dead for the past, what? Seventeen years," Daphne muttered under her breath before wincing at her own words as she placed her hands against the mantle, "Sorry."

The past few weeks of summer had been odd to say the least. Daphne believed that Helaena and Regulus were figments of the past - that she had seen. When she saw them in Rosalie's home, she thought she was having another episode. Not that they were actually there. They were her brother's parents, and they had been alive all along.

"Things happen, Daphne. I understand why you believe it is your fault - but Daphne I need you to understand that even if you had seen what had happened, nothing would've changed the outcome," Helaena moved to stand beside the girl, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You try to play it cool for your father. But everyone knows - even he does."

Daphne cut her Aunt a look as she shrugged her off of her shoulder, "Nothing is wrong, Aunt Helaena."

"Do I really need to get Ron Weasley or the twins? I don't want to sound mean, Daphne, but everyone can truly tell. It's a miracle your boyfriend hasn't seen it through your letters," Helaena sighed as she let her hands fall to her sides, "You've got to let someone in, Daphne. I fear the road that this leads you on - and it's exactly what they want."

"It's why they did what they did," Daphne let go of the mantel as she turned to look at her Aunt with a certain fire in her eyes that proved her anger, "It's why they've poisoned my father - it's why Rosalie has tried to knock me down for years. It's exactly why, they planted every little thing in my life against me!"

Daphne ran her hands over her jaw as she sighed before placing her hands on her head, "You have every right to be upset. You have every right to feel the way that you do, but you can't let it control you. Your anger, your passion... it'll consume you to the point of no return."

Daphne simply scoffed at her Aunts words as she looked at the woman, "You don't think I know that?" Her voice went quiet as she stood chest to chest with the elder woman, "What makes you think that I haven't seen myself at that point? What I will become and what I will do?"

And then there was an uncomfortable silence between the two women. As if the elder one had no clue what to say as her expression fell, her eyebrows creasing together as her lips tugged down into a frown while Daphne's eyes remained hard, filled with sadness and anger. Her body tense as her fists stayed tight at her sides.

"You know better than anyone that there are multiple ways that the future can change," Helaena looked down at her niece before backing away, "Don't hide yourself away into your room. That's only making it worse on you because you're alone - don't make yourself be alone."

"How can I be?" Daphne scoffed as she closed her eyes as she took a sharp inhale, "My home is open constantly to many people. Theres a thing called processing, that a person has to go through after something terrible happens."

"Daph," Helaena's voice went quiet as she looked at her niece, not knowing what else to say as she frowned, "Please stop fighting all of us. We just want to help."

"I don't fight everyone," Daphne retorted before moving away from her Aunt as she looked at Ron who stood in the doorway with a sad expression, "Could you leave us? I want to spend time with my best friend, or is that too alone for you?"

"Daphne," Helaena's voice hardened as she looked at her niece before shaking her head, "Is this how it's going to be after your father is gone? You're going to be hard on everyone?"

"Just to the two who left their children in different custody seventeen years ago and disappeared. What would you know about parenting?" The fire that lit through Daphne's eyes after the comment about her father's upcoming passing made her angry.

Helaena looked visibly upset by the girl's comment as she backed away from the girl, "You're more than this. I'm going to leave you two be - maybe he can put some sense into you. You know why I did what I did and what I had to do."

"Daph, bloody hell," Ron walked over to the girl as his eyes went slightly wide as he made it to her side, "Don't let it get to you."

"Too late," Daphne looked over at her best friend as her eyes narrowed before she leaned against his arm, "I'm sorry if I say anything mean to you. And I appreciate the fact you haven't left me."

"Leave you? My best friend? Bloody hell, Daph, that'd be impossible," Ron joked as he cracked her a small smile before placing a hand on her arm, "Besides, you're like my little sister. I wouldn't leave you."