(2) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Three

It's overwhelming. To be woken up the way that the Phoenix was. It's bound to be. A sudden consciousness brought forward into an adult body, all these powers at her disposal, an influx of it. Of thoughts and emotions. Daphne stands in the hospital parking lot, the phoenix is still in control. She can understand why the others went on a rampage. If they all felt this way, if they were drowned in voices and feelings of pain and hopelessness. She can feel everything from the whole town and being close to the hospital means she is feeling the worst most intensely. Pain and grief in spades. She tilts her head up to the sky letting out a breath. A branch crunches beneath a boot behind her as four Aurors from MACUSA try to silently approach her. As if she doesn't know they are there. They are trying to be stealthy but she felt them the moment they apparated into the parking lot. She lets out a breath and lowers her head as she opens her eyes. She knows why they are here. She is dark magic incarnate. They would be law bound to come for her. But they are not the only ones coming for her. Just as the Aurors aim their wands at Daphne. Elena, Stefan, and Damon appear through the trees.

"Daph!" Elena shouts in warning. She takes a step towards her sister only for the Aurors to turn on them instead. They are suddenly hit by incarcerous spells that are sent at them by the Aurors.

"Man, really getting sick of this shit" Damon complains as he tries to wiggle free of the rope tightening around him. He drops his head back to the ground when nothing happens. He knows their magic well enough to know he's not going to be getting out of these unless they want him too.

"Just restrain it already" One of the Auror orders of the others. They close in on Daphne who lets out a long sigh. More annoyed than worried about this. They aim their wands back on the main threat and Daphne rolls her eyes, her fingers twitching at her side, ready to respond, but just as they release their spells, Daphne is surrounded by familiar faces. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lyra, and Dandelion throw up barriers to block the Aurors spells. Daphne smirks a little. This is all very amusing to her. That the Aurors thought that they could take her at all, that Daphne's family and friends thought she needed protection. The barriers drop and Hermione steps forward. As minister of magic for the Ministry, she will have some say here. Or at least she will try.

"Imprisonment of the Pheonix is only if it has taken life" Hermione warns the Aurors. "She hasn't yet"

"MACUSA isn't taking any chances" The Auror argues. "Not after the Wizarding War. Dark magic is to be contained as a preventative measure. It is coming with us and if you don't wish to cause an international incident, I suggest you get out of the way"

"Daphne is a British citizen too" Hermione reminds them. "And Hogwarts has agreed to take responsibility for her"

"Meaning?" The Auror asks.

"She will return to the school until she can control it" Hermione answers. Daphne turns a glare at her, she has no intention of going back to that school. Well, the Phoenix has no intention of going there. She knows what that means. It means that she'll be locked away. She is in Daphne's head, she knows that she hates the whole phoenix thing, and there is no way she is going to willingly let her out whenever she feels like it. She'll be a prisoner inside Daphne's mind. She could kill them all, right here, right now, but there is something holding her back from doing that. It would be easy. She could do it with a wave of her hand. But it's like there is a wall in her way. She assumes that is Daphne. That she is holding her back from doing it. A morality wall. She hates it. And that wall will only be strengthened if she were to be locked away in the back of Daphne's mind.

"We agree to these conditions" The Auror states. "But the second she becomes a liability...."

"Understood" Hermione stops him from finishing that statement. "But she can control it" She adds because she knows Daphne.

"We'll report this back to MACUSA" The Auror adds before the four of them all apparate away. Hermione lets out a breath, relieved before she turns to look at Daphne, stepping closer but Daphne takes a step back, knocking in Draco who grabs her arms to stop her. She growls a little and he releases her with a sigh.

"Well, you are starting to live up to the Black name" He comments, she turns and gives him a dirty look but he just smirks at her.

"One of us has to" She counters. "Seen as you turned out to be a pussy" He drops his smirk and clenches his jaw. She smirks this time before she turns and glances at them all. They are edging in closer and it makes her feel uncomfortable, angry, volatile. She glares at them before she transforms, and in her place, an actual phoenix appears and takes off, flying away from the group. Lyra rushes to Damon as soon as the threat is gone, pulling her wand from her sleeve. Lyra presses her wand to the rope around Damon.

"Dandy" She states and nods towards Elena. Dandelion hurries to help undo the rope on Daphne's sister. With a flick of their wands, the ropes drop from Elena and Damon. Lyra moves to do the same with Stefan.

"Nice to finally meet you," Dandelion tells Elena as she helps her up to her feet.

"You're Dandelion? The half-vampire?" Elena asks. Dandelion nods with a smile. But Elena can't smile back, not whilst her sister is out there suffering.

"We have to go find Daphne" Elena starts, moving towards Hermione and the others. "We have to get her back"

"We will" Harry assures her.

"I can talk her back, I know I can" Elena adds.

"No" Hermione stops Elena before she turns to Damon. "You," Hermione tells him as she holds out Daphne's necklace.

"Hermione?" Harry asks, she gives him a look.

"We're not going to help her" Hermione points out. "The Phoenix will see us as a threat to her freedom, we won't be able to help her until Daphne is back in control" She turns back to Damon. "But you...she and Daphne share the same body and the same mind, in theory, those feelings that she had for you should still be there....only you can bring her back"

"I already tried" Damon argues.

"Try harder" Harry counters. Hermione shakes the necklace.

"You just need to get close enough to put this on" She informs him. Damon sighs and takes it from her. "It will force the Phoenix into hiding and give Daphne a better shot at stopping her from taking over in the future"

"Can't you just undo it?" Elena asks.

"It doesn't work that way" Harry offers sadly. "It's not something that can be undone....the best we can do, is the necklace" Damon looks down at the necklace in his hand and closes his eyes.

"And if I can't get it on her?" He asks, Harry gives him a look that tells him his answer. This necklace and Damon are their only shot at getting Daphne back. And if he can't do it, then all they have is the Phoenix, and killing her might be their only option. It's not an option he likes, but he knows how Daphne felt about this happening and if it came down to it, she'd understand if they did it.