(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty

Daphne moves through the drawing-room, along the rows of shelves, her fingers dancing over the spines to read them. She wants to take a few back home with her. But she will leave the ones that might actually help for Jeremy to find. She wants him to feel like he is making a difference being stuck here. She doesn't want him to feel like they are babying him. Damon leans in the doorway behind her. Watching her as she investigates.

"Haven't seen you around" She teases slightly. He shrugs and pushes himself up off the door.

"Got lost" He admits. "All those bedrooms" She smirks a little.

"There are only six bedrooms, okay, that's not that many" She turns to him. "How many bedrooms does that boarding house of yours have anyway?"

"Touche" He counters and moves to her side. None of the books on the shelves appears to be in any sort of order, or even upright in some cases. They look like they've just been flung up there.

"You here to tell me that it's time to go home?" She asks him.

"Yeah, everyone else is ready to go," He tells her. She lets out a breath and looks around the room. She knows she will be back here to get Jeremy, but she still knows that leaving this place is like leaving part of her heritage behind. "With a lick of paint, this place could be impressive" He offers. She nods in agreement.

"Harry..." She starts, he frowns. "Urm, my godfather, he has been around a lot for me....he was the urm...what's the term?" She closes her eyes as she thinks. "Executor" She looks at Damon who nods a little. "Of Sirius' will, but because I was under 18, I couldn't inherit the money and the house, and Kreacher and Buckbeak....so Harry was the one that was in control of them. He knew, everyone knew, that the house needed work, needs work, but he didn't want to do something to the house only for me to end up changing it. He didn't want to spend my money on it"

"So the house sits for...what?" He asks. "18...19 years, untouched, unchanged..." She nods.

"Decaying" She adds quietly. "I thought I'd know what I wanted to do with it once I was handed the deed...but the more time I spend in here, the more it reminds me that this was not my life, that this family wasn't my family....and changing it feels like I am betraying strangers"

"If they were anything like that angry bitter old woman in that portrait, then they didn't deserve to know you, Red," He tells her softly. "These people would have been terrible to you, just for being born what you are"

"Sirius..."

"I know, he was different. He was disowned for thinking, behaving, loving differently" He assures her that he knows that Sirius was different. "But he knew that being out of this house and away from these people was best for him and for your mother, he damn well would have thought the same for you" She nods and looks up at him. He takes her face in his hands. "Do whatever the hell you want with the house. Paint the rooms bright yellow. Bright red linoleum flooring. Pink faux fur rugs and green velour furnishings" She chuckles a little. "Or turn it into your dream home. Make it a place of warmth, comfort, and love" He rolls his eyes a little and she smirks. "Turn it into a place that she would have hated. Or sell it" He shrugs. "It's your house now. Whatever you want. You are the last of these people, which means is that it up to you to define the future of it. Wipe it out if you want. Let the Black name disappear" He then shrugs. "Or evolve it. Into something else. Something new" She touches the zip of his jacket.

"Hmmm so wise" She teases.

"Oh come on" He counters with a smirk. "That was some of my best philosophical stuff" He gently rubs his thumbs against her skin. "What is it you keep telling me?" He muses. "Logic is solid" He teases, she smirks and nods a little. His logic is solid. It is her house now. Even Elena told her. Daphne just gets stuck in her head a lot.

........

Jeremy is standing in the kitchen with Bonnie and Elena as they say goodbye. Elena getting rather emotional about leaving him here, even if they all know it is to keep him safe. To make sure they're not worrying about keeping him alive on top of everything else.

"I'll leave Pad with you," Daphne tells Jeremy. "He is trained...despite what it might look like" Jeremy smirks a little and picks up Pad from the table. "And you have that list"

"I have the list" Jeremy assures her. "We'll be fine; we'll hold up in that drawing-room for a few days, go through the spellbooks....I'll find something"

"And take breaks and go an explore London..." Daphne adds. "There is an American wing at the sports centre a few blocks away, go play some baseball....go to art studios and take a night class or something" Jeremy smiles warmly and nods. "Don't hold up in here....okay? That's what happened to Kreacher, he was alone in here for a very long time, and look how grumpy that made him"

"Okay, I promise" Jeremy assures her with a soft smile. Elena suddenly hugs Jeremy. "You're gonna have to let me go, eventually" Jeremy points out. Elena pulls back.

"Be safe, okay?" Elena asks of him.

"Yeah, okay, alright" He then turns to Bonnie who gives him a sad smile before they hug, tightly. "It's not for long" He promises Bonnie. "I'll find something"

"I hope so" Bonnie whispers back at him and then pulls back. Jeremy then looks at Daphne.

"Daph" He starts, she hums. "Hey, come here" Jeremy pulls her away to the other end of the room as Bonnie and Elena pull on their jackets. Damon glances down at Jeremy and Daphne. "I know I don't have the best track record with dating myself" Jeremy starts. "But I know you and I kind of get Damon" She gives him a look. "He's into you, like a lot, and you're into him too"

"Jer" She starts. "I wish it was as simple as boy likes girl, girl likes boy..."

"Why isn't it that simple?" Jeremy asks. She lets out a breath and suddenly hugs him tightly.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out" She whispers to him. "I'm sure there are plenty of books and hints all around this house, I'm sure Kreacher might let it slip, or even my grandmother" He frowns a little but nods. "It'll be easier if you figure it out yourself" She pulls back. "Because I don't have it in me to admit it out loud yet" Jeremy looks at her and seems to realise that whatever it is, she's really is scared of it. She's scared of even saying it. But she knows it is going to come out at some point. She gives Jeremy a small smile and then moves back to the others. "Ready to go?" She asks them.