(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Four

A/N – SO I WAS WONDERING ABOUT DAPHNE AND WHETHER OR NOT TO TAKE OUT THE PHOENIX THING. JUST KEEP HER A WITCH AND ADD IN A SKILL IN LEGILIMENCY. IF YES, A NEW TITLE FOR THIS WILL BE NEEDED. IDEAS WELCOME.

....

Daphne waves her hand as she enters her bedroom, her trunk opening up. She still hasn't unpacked, not just yet. And right now she is not happy that she ran out of time. She could do with having her books all laid out and organised. Now, she's going to have to go through her entire trunk looking for what she needs. She sets her glass of water on the dresser and moves to Pad in his cage.

"Help me look," She tells Pad as she picks him up before dropping him into the trunk, he lets out a happy excited noise as he lands and instantly starts rummaging through her things. Daphne pulls items out as she digs through her belongings too. Looking for books. Anything that is going to help her find Stefan for Elena. She will not let it stand. How upset and heartbroken her little sister is. And she literally has magical powers that could help. So she's going to use them to do just that.

.....

Daphne lifts her head from a book as she wakes, the sound of voices on the other side of her door. She blinks a little and stretches her arms over her head.

"Come on, Ric. Whatever Damon knows, you know" Elena's voice reaches through the door. Daphne lets out a breath and stands from the desk to move closer to the door.

"Ask Damon." Alaric's response. Elena is clearly now after something. Daphne is awake enough to register that. She rubs at her eye and holds her hand out behind her. Her wand lifts from her bedside table and flies into her hand. She points it at the door and the wood becomes translucent, allowing her to watch what is going on on the other side without opening the door. She can see them but they can't see her kind of deal. Alaric is standing in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist as Elena badgers him.

"Yeah, but Damon's not exactly in the mood to help right now"

"For good reason. Because it's not safe for you. Stefan's off the rails" Alaric offers.

"Yeah, but he's still holding on to his humanity, which means he can still be saved"

"And why do you have to be the one to save him?"

"Because I'm not the kind of person who checks out. Look, he would never give up on me. I'm not gonna give up on him. Tell me what you know, Ric. Please" Elena begs, Daphne moves her wand and returns her door to normal before she sets down her wand and wraps her fingers around the door handle.

"They've been tracking werewolves, he and Klaus. All over the eastern seaboard. We thought we had 'em outside of Memphis..." He draws off when Daphne leaves her bedroom, Elena looks down and away from her sister. Daphne raises an eyebrow at Alaric's towel situation and how close Elena is standing to him.

"Because this isn't at all suspicious" Daphne comments with a smirk. "I think he's a little old for you, no offence" Alaric shakes his head.

"That's not what this is" Elena defends quickly. Daphne gives her a look. "You're messing" Daphne hums in agreement.

"Yeah" She voices and then looks at Alaric. "Glad you stayed"

"You were very persuasive" He offers, she nods and smirks at him.

"I can be...now excuse me because I need to empty my tank" Alaric and Elena frown at her. "I need to take a piss" Daphne elaborates and motions to the bathroom. Alaric moves out of the way, the two of them sharing a look, which he can easily translate. She heard Elena. He would be surprised if she hadn't given the sheer volume of the younger Gilbert girl. It's a surprise that more people don't know about the town secrets. She closes the bathroom door behind her and Elena gives Alaric a pleading look. He sighs and then nods, caving to her request. If only to keep her out of trouble.

.........

Later, Pad has created a book fortress on the floor of Daphne's bedroom and is currently sat in the middle, a bangle on his head like a crown. Her niffler has a complex she hasn't been able to train out of him. Daphne picks up her cell phone to find a text from Alaric informing her that he and Elena are heading out to the Smoky Mountains in search of Stefan. At least someone is being honest with her about stuff. She stands from her desk and begins gathering supplies. Things she might possibly need before she turns to Pad.

"Come on," She tells Pad who takes off the bangle and jumps up into her hand, Daphne slides him into her jacket and then zips it up, grabbing her bag of supplies and pulling the strap over her head.

............

Daphne apparates outside of the boarding house and glances up at the building. Even in the day, it is still creepy. She heads towards the front door and raises her fist. Knocking three times before she takes a step back. She isn't stupid enough to go up a mountain after werewolves without first picking up help. Right now. The only one that can help her, is Damon Salvatore, plus as they went off in search of his brother, she only finds it fair she at least tells him, and if she can somehow persuade him into going with her, great. The door swings open and he stands there, topless. She lets out a breath and lets her eyes wander. He might be a vampire and the brother of Elena's boyfriend, but...she's 18 and horny all the time. The downside of boarding school with a no 'fraternising' rule, whilst not too strictly kept, there were certain no-nos. Including sex.

"See something you like?" He asks her.

"Yeah" She answers. "You're fucking hot and I'm not blind" He smirks at her. "It's Damon, right?" She asks, he hums and nods, letting his eyes drift over her, it's only fair, she checked him out, he gets to do it back.

"Daphne" He greets back, she hums and nods.

"Look, I don't know you and you don't know me, so it's safe to say there is no trust here" He nods a little in agreement. "But Alaric and Elena have gone off to look for your brother...by seeking out a werewolf pack...Alaric sent me coordinates..soooo" Damon appears momentarily surprised that she dropped the word werewolf, but gets over it when he processes what she's actually said.

"Give'em" He goes to grab her phone but she holds her hand out of reach.

"You're taking me with you" She argues.

"Not taking another human up that mountain" He argues, she then shrugs.

"Then I'll go all by myself" She backs up from him, tucking her phone into her pocket, she gives him a look and he shakes his head subtly. "Fine" She turns and walks away. He lunges for her, she spins, wand in hand. "Petrificus Totalus" She casts and his arms and legs snap together and he falls backwards, stiff as a board. She crouches at his side so he can still see her. "Yeah, that's where that will get you" She rests her wrists on her knees, her wand held between her hands. "So, here is how this is going to work. I will counter curse you and together we will go to the mountains and find Elena and drag her dumb as fuck ass back home....any deviation from said plan will result in me cursing you again, and next time, I will use something a whole lot more extreme than petrificus" He says nothing. Because he can't. "I'm going to take your silence as agreement of my terms" She comments. "Finite" She swishes with her wand and his body relaxes. He turns his head slightly. She smirks at him. "Shall we?"

"You're a witch" He points out.

"Ooo nothing gets past you, huh, vampire boy?" She asks him. "I know you've been dealing with Bonnie recently, and I am sure her magic is" She pulls a disgusted face. "Adequate, but I'm an ancient witch, means I'm better than her"

"Modest too" He counters with a smirk.

"I spent the last seven years learning to be a witch at the best wizarding school in the world by the best tutors, from what I've been told, Bonnie's not been at it very long, and doesn't practice the true magic, ergo...I am better and I know it" She stands up and he stares up at her, she flicks her hair back and slides her wand away. "We'll take your car as I don't have one...You can put on a shirt...if you want" He gives her a look as he pushes himself to his feet. "Hurry up"

"You're a bossy little thing, aren't you?" He asks as he walks away.

"Impatient too" She shouts after him. He smirks to himself as he heads inside again.