act one: the girl in the bubble
chapter fifteen

The Beacon of the House of Black... one thing that Daphne couldn't help but grow curious about. She couldn't remember the first time in their family's history that it had been used, or why it had been used. Though, she knew its more recent use was to summon those who aligned with the Dark Lord. She found it ironic how red was her house color, which was a warning and green, which was the common house color for the Black's, was what called out to everyone.

There was one notable time in the 1980s in which the House of Black was forced to use the Beacon, and after that, everything changed. In a way, the House was disbanded. Cut in the middle. Regulus Black was dead, Sirius Black was as good as dead with his Azkaban sentence, and as good as it seemed that Lucerys' Black had it... part of him had died with his brothers.

There was something brewing behind the scenes with the heirs. Something slowly changing or opening up. And there was one thing that Daphne knew how to pull off perfectly, an act that no one had a chance to see due to it being hidden. But soon they'd see.

Daphne's hair resided over her shoulders. Her eyes peered curiously in front of her trying to figure out what was happening as her Uncle fiddled with some music. She was surprised he had her to pull her aside. She knew that the nail marks on her face, that was now known because she had inflicted them on herself, raised some concern in her Uncle the first time he saw them.

The line of the Boggarts had moved. Ron stood still as he looked at the spider before him. Looking rather terrified as he fiddled with his robes and his wand with a scarlet face. The music blaring through the vinyl player while everyone watched curiously.

"Next! Ron!" Remus called out as he looked rather amused by everything, staring at the boy as Snape finally turned into a spider, "Concentrate. Face your fear... be brave!" Remus called out to the boy.

The spider continued to crawl at Ron and he continued to fiddle with his robes trying to get ahold of his wand to no avail as the spider continued towards him slowly. Ron seemed to not be able to find his wand in the pocket of his robes as he continued to panic.  Quite a few people screamed seeing the spider, so he wasn't alone in the fear.

"Wand at the ready, Ron, wand at the ready!" Lupin cheered as he continuously leaned forward to get the boy's attention.

"Riddikulus!" Ron cried out as he finally held onto his wand and pointed at the spider who then began to slip on roller blades.

"Yes! You see, very good! Very good!" Remus let out a short laugh as Parvati Patil was then pushed forward, "Marvelous! Absolutely, very, very enjoyable! Parvati, next! Show us what you see."

Parvati walked forward, her face set. There was another crack, and where the spider had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising — "Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off. That was until the girl must've thought of something else as it began to change once again.

Parvati looked at the boggart as it began to change in a blur. Daphne made a face hoping that she wouldn't get a headache from watching this so many times. It wasn't long though before the boggart settled, a hissing noise startling Daphne and Parvati.

The snake hissed and got taller, "Well, we've been here before. Haven't we, Harry?" Daphne muttered slowly.

"Keep your nerve. Steady," Remus encouraged the girl.

The girl whipped her wand up and yelled, "Riddikulus!" and Daphne nearly lost her shit seeing a giant clown now rocking back and forth.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati. Crack! Where the mummy and snake had been was a woman with floor length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face — a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made Daphne's ears begin to hurt madly — "Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone. Almost in a bit of theatrics as it continued to move around while holding her throat trying to make any sort of sound that it could.

Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then —crack!- became a

rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before —crack! — becoming a single, bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Remus as he grinned, "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward. Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap. Daphne tried not to make a face at the gruesome sound as it sounded like the bones snapped as well. Despite this being some sort of simple boggart.

"And next!" Remus noticed as his niece slowly stepped forward, making a face as Harry stood close behind here.

The mousetrap continued to rock back and forth for a moment as Daphne stood with her wand at her side. Her eyes had a glare that rivaled the one of the dead mouse before her mind settled on something. She did it involuntarily and the boggart changed in a blur as the room went silent, except for the music, in anticipation.

Now before her, stood another version of herself. The jewelry adorning her body was a notable green despite the girl wearing a red sweater. There was a dark glint in her eyes and she noticed something under the girl's sleeve.

"You've got this Daphne," Remus tried to encourage her but even he seemed confused.

'They know' The other version of her mouthed as she smirked, 'It's time, Daphne,' that was the last thing it worded before it started yelling, "You're the reason! You! Ha! Mother was right. What use are you! Think of who we are! What we can do! You useless piece of trash!"

Daphne went to lift up her wand before her mind finally settled on what she feared the most, her mother.

"You dumb little ungrateful bitch!" That voice was way too familiar.

Her mother now stood before her. Looking almost as she had when she was last at home. Standing tall over Daphne, her hand frozen as if she were about to get hit which caused quite a few audible gasps. Rosalie's mouth moving and spewing out words that were inaudible, before it became audible again.

"No wonder your father sticks up for you! You remind him of his little bitch of siblings he had! Look at them now! What good will you be! Not even use as a weapon! Ha! Maybe this child will be better! Maybe he will one day serve and become what you never could you-"

Daphne ignored the pit that formed in her stomach as she waved her wand, "Riddikulus!"

And then it turned into a puppy that began to do a few tricks as Daphne refused to meet the gaze of anyone else in the room as she quickly moved away from the front trying to regain whatever dignity she had left.

Remus looked as if he was ready to end the lesson right then and there, but he knew better, "And next! Step up, step up! Wonderful... wonderful."

Remus beckoned Harry forward who continued to stare back into Daphne's direction as she forced herself to lift her head. Crossing her arms almost as if trying to protect herself as she gave him a curt nod.

The puppy continued to do more tricks as Harry turned to look at it. A few minutes passed before it whirled around in a blur, as if trying to figure out what to settle on. It seemed like an obvious answer to believe that Voldemort was Harry's worst fear, but Daphne knew better than that. Harry had faced Voldemort so much that it had to be something else.

It settled in a dementor and descended down on Harry which caused Lupin to spring into action before anyone else could. Throwing himself in front of the much younger boy as he shielded him from the creature. It whirled around once more before turning into a moon.

"Here!" Daphne felt everything within her drop before Remus waved his wand, "Riddikulus!" And the moon deflated and flew around the classroom before being locked up in the closet once again, "Right. Sorry about that, that's enough for today. If you'd all like to go back and collect your books and that's the end of the lesson. Thank you!"

Everyone in the classroom seemed to move. Everyone except Harry and Daphne who both stood frozen in their spots for separate reasons. The rest of the class murmured and frowned as the lesson was cut short before they had a chance to do anything but Remus kept a smile.

"Sorry, you can't have too much of a good thing," Remus apologized as he looked in the direction of his niece with a look that she had never seen before before he walked back over to Harry.

The class stayed momentarily as if waiting for Remus to say anything else. Daphne now couldn't help but look under her own sleeve to make sure that there was nothing there. Hating that she was letting the stupid boggart get into her head and think about such ridiculous things.

"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well

done, everyone... Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart — ten for Neville because he did it twice... Parvati and Daphne... and five each to Hermione and Harry."

"But I didn't do anything," Harry slowly retreated back as he called back to Lupin.

"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Lupin spoke lightly, as if to word carefully, "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me... o be handed in on Monday. That will be all. Firefly... I mean Daphne, excuse me, stay behind, please."

Harry stopped by Daphne's side alongside Ron to check on her but she shrugged them off with a smile before forcing herself to say, "Yes, Professor," clearly making a face, "I'll meet up with you lot later. I'm fine," She reassured them before watching them leave.

Slowly everyone piled out of the classroom. Daphne was now left alone in the staff corridor with her Uncle who made sure every last student had left before he expressed his concern. Despite having already shown it during class. Slowly collecting his belongings and beckoning for her to follow.

He had yet to say anything to her. Walking in front of her all the way until they reached his classroom. Daphne chewed on her lip anxiously as she fiddled with her fingers. Swallowing thickly in anticipation while she tried to run through different lies or things to say to her Uncle just to make sure he wouldn't find out about anything.

Daphne shut the door behind them as Remus walked up to his office, Daphne hesitantly following after him up the stairs and into the room before shutting that door as well. Daphne looked over at her Uncle whose head hung low as he looked at her.

"Now... Daphne..." Remus spoke slowly, clearly trying to form what he was thinking into some sort of sentence to get an explanation out of his niece, "What happened with the boggart..."

"Nothing happened," Daphne lied as she fiddled with the ends of her robes while trying to remain unbothered, "It was just a silly little incident."

"Daphne, what happened was anything but an incident," Remus gave her a stern look as he shook his head, "It shows what you fear, but what you fear most of the time is an experience and the way..."

Daphne knew why he had trailed off. The flashes of her mother's hand being raised and ready to come down against the young girl's face. She knew what he was concerned about and she wished she could ease his concerns but the only way to do that was to lie. To deny.

Remus seemed to be a little let down by her silence as he moved forward, going to place a hand on her shoulder but noticing the wince in her eyes that she tried to stop and that seemed to give him some sort of an answer. Daphne realized this as she watched him back away from her with overwhelming concern.

"I've never been hit," Daphne attempted to lie upon seeing the look on her Uncle's face, "Nothing has ever happened to me. The only problem we have at home is the continuous fighting."

"And it seems that hasn't been much of a problem," Remus remarked as he looked at Daphne, "Atticus told me about the two of you and your father staying in the old Black residence."

Daphne chewed on her inner lip trying to ignore how angry she felt at Atticus in the moment, "Dad wanted to get away. Nothing happened, Uncle Remus. Besides - if it did it was probably deserved."

"But it wasn't," Remus sighed as he shook his head, "No child deserves to be treated in such a way. You don't have to tell me what happened, I can tell by your mannerisms and I'm angry at myself for not noticing it sooner. I understand why Atticus didn't say something, despite needing to, and you as well. You're riddled with the fear of what is going to happen to you."

"I'm not!" Daphne exclaimed as she shook her head before lowering her voice as her lip began to quiver, "I'm fine. I've always been fine. Nothing's ever happened. Nothing's ever going to happen - whatever bullshit that boggart brought up..."

Daphne found herself trailing off as she fell into a silence as she realized something about the boggart in her mind. Her boggart specifically. The other version of herself wore red, the symbol of danger. Which she wouldn't have thought was unusual but she wore gleaming green emeralds. Emeralds that were so bright they were like a beacon.... The beacon.

"You're mother was treated differently than me growing up because of my condition. My father... he never treated me right. He used to do things... things that you fear, Daphne. You are not alone in having these experiences and you never will be. I feared long ago about how she acted, but I entrusted your father with you all and I knew you'd come to me when you needed me," Remus spoke softly as he regained her attention while looking at her.

"She's so obsessed with having a legitimate heir. A male heir. To a fortune that is not even hers to indulge in. To years of tradition that she has never been included in. Years of tradition I spent my whole life having to learn about," Daphne felt as tears tried to prick her water line but she forced them away, "Ideologies that I refused to acknowledge from the past. Beliefs of pureness in a line that will never be pure as it is tainted. I'm not the heir she wanted and despite wanting a weapon, one she has but will never know about, she'll do what she wants until she gets her way."

Remus stood close to his niece enough for her to feel that he was there without being so close to her that it caused her any alarm. Letting her get everything that she wanted off of her chest before he'd speak. Daphne was trying to keep it all in and not tell him how bad it truly was, but he could know about the little things and what Daphne felt about with everything that was happening and everything that was changing.

"I know about the prophecy, I know about what is supposed to happen and what's been passed down. I know what color the beacon glows, I know what to watch out for and slowly it's all coming closer and I can feel it. I can feel it all brewing and changing," Daphne admitted as she looked at her Uncle as she shook her head, "I'll be damned if I let it happen. If I let this child change everything, because despite what she wants it won't."

"You weren't ever supposed to find out any of this, Firefly," Remus sighed as he offered her his hand which she slowly took and held, "There is a war coming. One that is much like the one from before and we will see who aligns where. Your father and I wanted to protect you and your brother from it. From everything that's about to happen."

"It's hard to protect someone who can see the past and the present," Daphne couldn't help but try and joke as she looked at her Uncle.

Remus managed a small smile before sighing, "You've worried me, and it isn't your fault. There is never a moment where I do not worry about you or your brother. He's worried about these visions as well. Says that they're making you react, that's why you have scratches on your face."

"They're so real and happen without me usually knowing that they're coming on," Daphne admitted as she looked at him, "This was the only violent one that I've had. The other's have been tame and no one realized them."

He can't know that they know.

"Not even your friends?" Remus questioned softly.

Daphne managed to lie smoothly without a trace of fabrication, "They know nothing. They just think it's been a hard year."

Remus seemed to slowly reiterate their conversation in his head before letting out a hum of acknowledgement and slowly moving to hug his niece. Daphne wrapping her arms around him as she sighed in relief that this conversation was over.

"I'm always here for you, if you need me," Remus whispered as he rubbed his niece's back soothingly.

"I know."