act one: the girl in the bubble
chapter thirteen

Visions were one thing that Daphne hated. She wasn't sure why they had started or why she had them. They drove her mad. She was worried about the one she had while riding Buckbeak but she was reassured by the fact that if she had said something, the wind made it inaudible to Harry. She believed that all was well.

Daphne sat at the Gryffindor table alongside her friends, a few days had passed and night fall had fallen. Chewing on her lip as she continued to eat her dinner while a smile rested tiredly on her face. Part of her couldn't help but be filled with worry, something in the pit of her stomach making her have these feelings.

The young girl couldn't help but place her head in her hands. The Great Hall was awfully loud, students chatting and talking loudly just to make sure they were heard. Just as Daphne's thoughts began to do in her head. They are so loud.

The ghosts whipped through the halls causing the sound of glass to fill the ears of all those around. Daphne's mind hadn't changed places much in the time she had been at Hogwarts. Finding herself thinking about Sirius Black and all the things from her vision that had managed to burrow into her head.

She couldn't help but find herself worrying about her mad Uncle. She hadn't had much time to talk to her Uncle Remus yet either, which only added to her slowly building wall of emotions. The more time that had passed the closer to Hogwarts it seemed that Sirius Black had gotten.

"Sirius Black," Hermione whispered as she leaned into her friend, continuing their conversation, "Daphne I know it's bothering you."

Deny. Deny. Deny. Daphne seemed to act as if she couldn't hear Hermione as she sat farthest away from the rest of the group. Her mind really seeming to cause her to sit in a deep sort of a glum. To all those around her it seemed as if a dementor had sucked out all of her happiness.

Daphne shrugged it off as she continued to let her fingers roam through her hair, "No, I'm fine, Hermione."

Hermione seemed unconvinced as she looked at the young girl, "It's okay to feel what you're feeling."

Daphne made a face as she looked at the girl, "Are you my therapist?"

The ghost ran through the Great Hall as he held up a head, the sound of the ghostly huffs hitting the ground causing quite a bit of laughter. Everyone seemed to keep their minds on whatever managed to keep them preoccupied.

"Listen to the idiot," Ron couldn't help but mutter as he looked over at Draco Malfoy who was making up some bullshit of an excuse over his arm, "He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?" Ron couldn't help but ask.

Harry looked over at the blonde as he adjusted himself, "Yeah, well at least Hagrid didn't get fired."

Herminoe peeled her attention off of Daphne for a moment as she spoke, "Yeah, but I hear Draco's father is furious. We haven't heard the end of this."

"When will we ever," Daphne couldn't help but mutter as she ran her hands through her hair.

It wasn't even a moment later when Seamus came running in as he held a paper, "He's been sighted!" That one sentence caused everything in Daphne to drop as she felt sick, "He's been sighted!"

"Who?" Ron turned to face the other member of Gryffindor as he got up from where he sat, Daphne didn't have to move due to Seamus now being at her side.

Daphne's face instantly became buried in the paper as she couldn't help but pale, "Bloody hell."

"Sirius Black!" Seamus yelled which caused everyone's attention to turn to them.

Hermione and Ron launched out of their seats to get closer so that they could get a better view at the paper while Harry was quick to stand behind Daphne. Leaning over her as he placed a hand on the table. Daphne seemed startled by this but remained.

"Dufftown? That's not far from here!" Hermione shrieked as her voice grew high pitched, almost reaching a strident tone.

"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you?" Neville questioned as he continuously grew worried.

Daphne couldn't help but feel as her heart rate began to speed up. The rapidness caused her breathing to start to increase at a rapid pace, though it seemed as if no one truly seemed to notice. Daphne could feel as her eyes began to burn and gloss over as her throat felt as if it were on fire, her lungs rejecting the air she took in.

Dean Thomas found Neville to be insane as the boy whipped his head around, "With Dementors at every entrance?" His voice was so loud that it carried.

"He's already slipped past them once, who is to say he won't do it again?" Seamus couldn't help but exclaim as he pointed down to the paper.

Bem looked around at everyone who now stood near as they looked down at the paper, "That's right. Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. It's like trying to catch Daphne in quidditch, must run through the family," Bem made a face before looking at Daphne concerned, "Are you alright?"

Daphne looked down at the paper as she felt as if her ears were ringing. Watching the picture of her Uncle fight the Azkaban guards while holding onto his Azkaban plate. She could hear the whispers breaking through the ringing. Almost as if glass was being punctured through her lungs and her ears.

"Fine," Daphne managed to get out as she looked down, ignoring the vast amount of looks that were now aimed in her direction.

The girl began to breathe heavily as she tried to ignore the whispering beginning to get louder. She was quick to slide out of her seat and manage to quickly stumble out of the Great Hall despite hearing her friends call after her. She got into the Prefects bathroom - or so she believed before she collapsed onto her knees, gagging as the taste of bile filled her throat.

She forced herself to talk calming breaths as she looked around. Trying to keep herself from throwing up or having any sort of rash reactions though she knew that she would before long with everything that was happening. She needed to calm herself down for the moment.

Everything around her was dark. The home she now resided in looked a lot like Malfoy Manor. Her breaths were rigid, and she could almost hear her own sharp gasps for air as she forced herself off of the floor before nearly being trampled.

Two women stood in front of her yelling. She couldn't really understand what they were saying but the two women looked familiar.

"You're ruining everything! What of the children!"

"You don't understand the true ways!"

The argument caused only confusion as the words were slurred in Daphne's ears. She finally caught a glimpse of the woman with platinum blonde hair, green eyes, and a sharper cut of features. Her long black dress smooth against her skin as she shook her head at the woman before her.

Daphne struggled to swallow anything down as she looked at the other woman as she tried to see who she was. She stood tall with sandy hair falling down past her shoulders. A white dress clinging to her skin as if she were some sort of saint. She saw the dark mark on the lady's wrist which caused her eyes to widen.

"You must know that the Dark Lord would not be pleased with your words, Malfoy. Should he know your husband has conspired against him? What danger it would put you two in, and your sons. Pity, Caius not even two and Atticus nearly one. Such young lives..."

"Leave Caius and Atticus out of this, they're just babes. What of Daphne, you're daughter who isnt' even out of the womb yet? Lucerys, your husband? Daphne must have a future and what has been believed about her... you don't care what happens, do you? As long as there is some sort of sick game involving you."

"Daphne will one day understand the true ways. I will have a son and he will understand his role as well."

Daphne began to look around before running out one of the many doors in Malfoy Manor before being blinded by confusion as she now found herself standing near a pregnant woman and her husband, the woman having vibrant red hair and the man having round glasses and a goofy expression.

"James and Lily," Daphne felt sick before she turned back around and stopped in her tracks.

She now stood a few feet from their grave in Godric's Hollow. Standing in front of the not-so-fresh grave appeared to be her Uncle. His shoulders dropped as he stood completely still in his rugged clothes. A black dog sitting near.

As the girl found herself out of the vision, not caring to know who was around her, she couldn't help but cough as she felt as if something was choking her. The whispers now completely silent as she felt sick to her stomach. Not understanding a thing that had just happened or why it had happened.

It wasn't long before Daphne's head was over one of the toilets as she began to throw up, tears blurring her vision as her heart began to race. She almost couldn't tell what her surroundings were as she felt as if the walls were closing in on her. She was choking on her cries and the bile that wanted to come out.

Someone was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't tell who it was. Figuring it was multiple people but that wasn't something that she could exactly tell. She was in the middle of a bad panic attack that was only getting worse.

"Does anyone know what just bloody happened?!" Ron couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the state that his friend was in, while Hermione attempted to help her as she held her hair back despite the girl shaking and flinching.

Hermione was trying her best to get Daphne to come back to reality as she sat in her circle of panic. Hermione wasn't sure if she was supposed to be touching Daphne in such a state but she wanted to do whatever she could to help her friend and until she saw a real sign she needed to back off, then she would.

"She was like that in my dream," Harry muttered under his breath which caused Ron to throw his hands in the air.

"Like this?! You said it was like she was seeing something - bloody hell, I don't think that she's even okay, Harry!" Ron almost seemed like he was going to be in the same boat of panic as Daphne.

"Ron, your panic is not helping at all," Hermione couldn't help but snap before looking worried, "Daphne? Daphne, look at me... you're alright."

Daphne's wheezes became louder as it seemed as though her lungs wouldn't let her take in any air. She felt as though her vision was darkening and becoming more and more unclear until she felt herself slip into the darkness.

"Bloody hell!"

It hadn't taken long to get the girl up once again. Hermione managed to use water and a cloth to wake her up as the two boys helped move her out of the stall. The girl leaned up against one of the many walls while the boys gave her some space while Hermione crouched down at the girls side.

"Daphne," Hermione spoke quietly as she tried to be calm.

Daphne swallowed thickly as she continued to breath pretty heavily, as if trying to regain whatever air had previously been lost as she ignored the foul taste in her mouth. Looking between everyone near her as panic set in again. They definitely knew.

"It's been happening," Harry didn't seem upset as he spoke while looking at her, "Like my dream. I told you about it..."

Daphne nodded and didn't say a word, fearing what she would sound like if she spoke at the moment. She fiddled with the tie around her neck to give her a little more room to breathe as she finally began to slow down her breaths.

"Does anyone know?" Hermione asked softly as she held Daphne's hand, trying her best to comfort the girl, "Did... did what happened in the Great Hall bring this on?"

Daphne swallowed thickly before looking at her friend as she tried her best to look composed, "Atticus and Uncle Remus know. Other than that, no one does and they aren't going too. I can't let anyone know - you've got to understand... please, for my safety."

The three seemed to share a look before Hermione nodded, "I understand."

Hermione did not believe in seers or visions, believing that things like that were absurd and thanks to Trelawney, ludicrous, but Hermione would do anything for her best friend. She knew Daphne wouldn't fake anything like this or act a way that would cause concern, this was something that was truly happening.

"Are we not going to act like she wasn't just going bonkers or as if she did not just pass out?" Ron couldn't help but exclaim as he looked worried before looking at Daphne, "Are you alright? Should you even be going to classes? Is this why-"

"Ron," Harry gave his best friend a look which caused him to grow quiet, Harry knew that his rambling could cause the girl to panic more, "Slow down and give her a chance to talk..."

Daphne felt as if Harry was suspicious about all of this. Not that she could blame him despite how much it hurt her. After all, she was related to a man who had escaped from Azkaban and her ability could be useful to anyone in the wrong hands even if she hated to think of it that way, he could think she was working against him and the Wizarding World. Even at the age of thirteen.

"You could've told us," Hermione looked at her friend with a soft glance, "We wouldn't tell anyone."

"I was worried," Daphne muttered as she looked down at her lap before letting go of Hermione and forcing herself to her feet, "After all, look who I'm related to. Look what people say about me."

Hermione frowned upon listening to her friend's words, "That's why you fight against what they say and make a name for yourself. You are Daphne, Daphne Black. Not Sirius. Not Atticus. Not Lucerys. Just Daphne. And if they even think for a second that you work with the other side, then they clearly do not know you."

Daphne looked back at Harry and Ron who seemed to agree with what Hermione was saying as Daphne sighed to herself. Knowing that she would have to prove herself in the near future that she wasn't working with the bad guys - that she couldn't help what was happening.

"You need to rest," Harry gave her a look as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I can walk you to the Common Room."

"I'm going to class," Daphne shook her head, turning down the offer before offering a small smile, "Thank you for the offer, but it'd be suspicious for me not to go."

"And it would be suspicious for you to act completely alright," Hermione couldn't help but mutter as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"We can talk more about this later, but I am going to my Uncle's lesson," Daphne stood firm on what she was going to do as she ran a hand through her hair, "I'll be fine."

"Should we tell anyone about this?" Hermione asked as she looked at Daphne, "Should Atticus know? Should Professor Lupin?"

"We can tell them another time, let's just get going to the lesson, okay?" Daphne was ready to have this conversation come to an end, "I'll tell them over dinner. Just not now - let's finish off the class and possibly the day."

There seemed to be little agreement with her words but no one was going to fight her and attempt to disagree. Ron seemed to be in some sort of distress as she shook his head muttering a few choice words as the four snuck out of the prefect's bathroom and acted as if they were never there.

They walked through the halls, climbing a few sets of stairs before making their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Passing various groups of people from all houses. Even passing a group of Slytherin's that Daphne was sure had her brother and her cousin.

She walked by with her head held high, a slight grin on her face as she easily acted as if the events from the Great Hall and the bathroom had never happened. As if she hadn't seen anything, as if she hadn't passed out. That was until someone caused her to stop.

Daphne found herself becoming rather annoyed at the grip on her arm. Harry was at her side and almost put a stop to it until he saw the motion that Daphne gave him. He backed away and had to keep an equally angry Ron back from doing anything as well.

Caius gripped Daphne harshly as she tried to pass him causing her to flinch slightly, anger bubbling through her as the rest of the group came to a halt as well but knew not to get involved in the family affairs.

"Let go of me," Daphne remained calm as she looked cousin, "I find it rather inappropriate for you to be holding onto me in such a manner. Hurting a lady? In front of your peers and my own? What kind of reputation does that give into? Certainly not your mysterious one."

Caius practically burned with anger, "I'd watch your tone, Daphne. Understand who you are and what everyone knows of you. You are free to leave - just don't deceive me, cousin, some secrets don't stay buried," Caius lowered his head down at her as he gave her a stern glare before releasing his grip on her arm, "Get to class. It'd be a pity for you to be late to a lecture your own Uncle teaches."

Daphne ripped her arm from his grasp as something inside of her burned. Burning through her veins as she glared maliciously before her gaze softened and her posture changed. Silly me.