Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Beyond the Grave

The first thing Daphne became aware of when she woke up was that she was under the covers instead of on top of them. The second thing was that Ginny was grinning at her from her own bed.

"Sleep well?" she asked.

"Er, yeah, I guess," Daphne mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep during what supposed to have been her watch. "When did you wake up?" she asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I was awake for a bit around…two, I think? I saw you were out, too, so I put the covers on you and turned the lights off and went back to sleep. I figured that if the Death Eaters had really cared about finding us, they'd have done so already. I mean, they attacked us in the other hotel almost the moment we said his name, so subtlety and planning don't seem to be high on their list of priorities when it comes to hunting people down."

Daphne nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense." She stretched and got up. "So…let's go grab some breakfast and then head over to Little Whinging, I suppose?"

"Yeah. The sooner we warn the Order, the better. I just hope Mrs. Figg will know where to find Bill," Ginny said.

"Yeah…I hope that, too," Daphne said softly.

If they could talk to Bill, and if Bill knew where Valentina was, and if Valentina could break the Trace…Daphne and Ginny would finally be able to start looking for Harry. And maybe Bill might help with that, too, if the Order had received word from Harry.

Those thoughts kept going round and round in her head as they headed back out into London for something to eat, and then set off for Little Whinging by Muggle transportation.

Despite the situation she was in, Daphne hoped she'd be able to do something like this with Harry and Ginny one day once the war was over. Though the trip itself wasn't exactly spectacular — in fact, it was rather boring and sweaty, being packed together with so many people — it would probably be more fun if there wasn't any pressure on the trip or to get anywhere at any specific time.

When they exited the train at their stop, Ginny sighed in relief. "That was terrible," she said. "Didn't anyone on that train have a shower this morning? Is it just a Muggle thing? Ugh."

"It's a hot day and we were all packed together, what did you expect?" Daphne asked with a grin.

"I'm glad the Hogwarts Express doesn't get that bad," Ginny said with a shake of her head.

Daphne said nothing. It was her fault that Ginny probably wouldn't be getting on the Hogwarts Express anytime soon, unless they miraculously broke her Trace, destroyed the Horcruxes, and killed Voldemort within four weeks, and at the moment that didn't seem very likely to happen.

They made their way over to the bus stop, boarded the bus, and spent another fifteen minutes packed together with commuting Muggles. The bus, however, was worse than the train because of the constant starting and stopping in the traffic. By the time they'd reached their stop, Daphne felt terrible.

"You look a bit green," Ginny said with a look of concern.

"I wonder why," Daphne said through gritted teeth, trying to calm down her stomach. She'd figured a big breakfast would be smart, but now she was deeply regretting that decision.

She walked over to a map of the local area and looked up Privet Drive on it. "Okay, it's about a five-minute walk to Harry's old house," Daphne said, pointing at the house on the map, still resolutely fighting back the urge to puke. "Mrs. Figg lives around there as well, I think only a street or so away; Harry said the Dursleys often left him with her when they went on holiday and they wouldn't have gone to any great trouble, I imagine."

"How are we going to find the correct house?" Ginny asked.

Daphne shrugged. "Honestly? I'm just going to ring the doorbell of the Dursleys' neighbors and ask. Not very stealthy, I admit, but it beats ringing every single doorbell in the area," she said.

Ginny giggled. "Sounds like a plan," she said with an amused look.

They set off and soon reached streets Daphne recognized. "Oh, this park here, I once arrived her with my Portkey necklace to pick up Harry for the summer and a Muggle saw me," she said. "He thought I was a Terminator. Although according to Harry, in the movie the Terminator arrived naked…"

"So were you naked?" Ginny asked with a grin.

"Of course I wasn't!" Daphne said, and Ginny laughed.

"Too bad. I wouldn't mind seeing that, you know," she said.

Daphne rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "We'll do obscure Muggle movie-roleplay once this is all over, alright?" she asked.

"Er…sure," Ginny said. To Daphne's slight surprise, she was actually getting a bit red.

"You're…into that sort of thing?" Daphne asked teasingly.

"Hey, y'know, let's, er, keep focus here for a moment," Ginny said evasively, and this time Daphne was the one who laughed.

They walked into Privet Drive, and Daphne felt distinctly mixed feelings when saw the Dursleys' house. She didn't like any of them very much, and hated what the house represented to Harry, but at the same time it reminded her of Harry, and anything that made her think of Harry couldn't be all bad. The house was empty for now, of course, as the Order had helped the Dursleys go into hiding to prevent them from being targeted by the Death Eaters, but hopefully one of the neighbors would be at home.

It was then that Daphne realized that it was summer vacation, and that there was a good chance people might not even be at home, but surely, they'd be able to find someone. She walked up the path to the door of the house directly next to the Dursleys' house, Ginny right behind her, and rang the doorbell.

A few moments later, a haughty-looking woman opened the door and narrowed her eyes when she saw Daphne. "You're that girl who stayed with Vernon and Petunia for a while, aren't you? Something to do with that crazy nephew of theirs," she said.

"Crazy?" Ginny said angrily, but Daphne wearily held up her hand.

"Yeah, that's me," she said. "Can you tell me where Arabella Figg lives?"

"The crazy cat-lady? Well, I suppose crazies do attract each other…" the woman muttered.

"You do know our ears work just fine, right?" Daphne asked.

"Well, Figg lives around the corner there on Wisteria Walk, number three. If that'll be all…" the woman said, already closing the door.

"Yeah, thanks," Daphne said stiffly.

Ginny made Ron's favorite gesture at the closed door and Daphne grinned at her.

"Is everyone here this nice?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I haven't really met most of them, to be honest, but the Dursleys seemed cordial with most of them. I think they all hate each other as much as Noble Houses do, though," Daphne said.

They reached Mrs. Figg's house and Daphne rang the doorbell. Nothing happened, and after some time had passed she tried again.

"Do you think she's gone into hiding?" Ginny asked.

Daphne frowned. "I hope not," she said worriedly.

She flipped open the lid on the mail slot, squatted down in front of it, and talked through the opening. "Mrs. Figg, if you're there, it's me, Daphne. Send one of your Kneazles to check if it's really me, if you're unsure."

There was no answer, but a few moments later, Daphne saw a Kneazle sneaking closer from the back of the house. It had dark gray fur and yellow eyes.

"Hello, beauty," Daphne said softly, reaching her hand out to the Kneazle so it could smell her.

Ginny also squatted down and did the same.

The Kneazle came closer, sniffed both of their hands and then purred contentedly, allowing Daphne and Ginny both to pet it briefly, before turning back and disappearing behind the house again.

Not much later, Daphne heard the door being unlocked and a chain being removed. The door opened and Mrs. Figg peered through the crack, seemingly looking at the street behind Daphne and Ginny, before beckoning the two of them in, and quickly closing and locking the door behind them again.

"Come on, we'll talk in the living room…I'll make tea," Mrs. Figg said, gesturing Daphne and Ginny to go through a nearby door.

The room looked exactly like what Daphne would expect from a 'crazy cat-lady'. There were crocheted covers on mismatched chairs, a couch with a similar cover, and the whole place smelled of cats. The Kneazle who'd inspected them outside came walking into the room as well and looked expectantly at Daphne and Ginny, who obliged by scratching him behind the ears.

Soon after, Mrs. Figg entered the room again as well. Since Daphne and Ginny had sat down on the couch, Mrs. Figg took the closest chair. She put down the tray of tea and biscuits on the small table, which of course had its own crocheted cover. She looked at Ginny.

"You're Arthur and Molly's daughter, aren't you?" she asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. Ginny Weasley," she said, extending her hand.

Mrs. Figg briefly shook it and said, "They're very worried about you; they'll be glad to hear you're safe…what happened after the wedding? I've heard…bits."

"First and foremost, the Order needs to be warned not to use You-Know-Who's name," Daphne said, feeling a twinge of annoyance at having to use the nickname. "We did that yesterday and we were immediately attacked by Death Eaters. They can detect it, somehow."

Mrs. Figg paled. "I'll let them know," she said immediately.

"Good, now…"

Daphne and Ginny quickly explained about the wedding, their escape, and how the Death Eaters had attacked them at their hotel. "And we came here because we need to get in touch with Bill, and we were hoping you could help us," Daphne finished.

"Most of the Order are either in hiding or in no position to do much," Mrs. Figg said. She looked at Ginny. "Your entire family is being tracked. If you go back to your parents now, they'll be at your door in no time to interrogate you, mark my words."

"But they're okay?" Ginny asked nervously.

Mrs. Figg nodded. "As far as I know, yes. But since they're all being tracked, it'll be hard to get in touch with Bill, I think…"

"What about you?" Daphne asked. "Are you in danger?"

"We're all in danger," Mrs. Figg said. "I'm a Squib, so I can't defend myself. It will only be a matter of time before they come here to see what I know, I'm sure. Well, sadly for them I won't be able to tell them much of anything. At the moment, I'm mostly…well, doing what you're here for, really, providing news of whether or not people are still alive."

"Is there anyone you could get in touch with to help us find Bill?" Daphne asked.

"Perhaps," Mrs. Figg said. "Mundungus–" She sniffed irritably. "–drops by from time to time to keep me informed. Since so much is happening right now, I expect him to come by today as well. Usually just before dinner, too, and Apparates right into the kitchen. That drunken lout simply has no manners at all. He does usually know where to find people, though. It's the one thing he's actually good at: finding people without being found himself. You should probably wait here, if you intend to talk to him."

"I've got the Trace on me," Ginny said. "If Mundungus Apparates into your house, the Ministry will know, and so will the Death Eaters."

Mrs. Figg thought about that for a moment. "Well," she said hesitantly. "It might be a bit dangerous, but I do have the key to Vernon and Petunia's house. Sometimes watered their plants when they were away, you know. You could wait there, and I'll come over there once Mundungus has been here. Shouldn't be past seven, I don't think, so it'll still be light out. As far as I know, no Death Eaters have been there for a bit. Mr. Tibbies has kept watch on the house ever since Harry left, anyway, but after the second day, there hasn't been any movement there. Couldn't tell you if they've set up detection charms, of course, so you might be walking into a trap regardless."

Daphne and Ginny exchanged a look. "I think we should go to Harry's house," Ginny said. "If we wait here and Mundungus shows up, we're in trouble anyway. If we get attacked there, at least your cover won't be blown."

Mrs. Figg got up and rummaged in the drawer of a nearby cupboard. She walked back and handed Ginny the key.

"Here you go, then. Should still work; I don't think Vernon's changed the locks this year. Now, Mr. Tibbies will keep an eye out for trouble while you're there. I'll come by before dark regardless of whether or not that useless thief has been here, so you won't be waiting for nothing. Best not to wander too far around, just to be sure."

"Thanks, Mrs. Figg," Daphne said.

"Don't mention it," Mrs. Figg said. "I'm glad I can help even a little in these difficult times."

She showed them to the door, and the moment they were outside again, Daphne heard all the locks and latches being closed again. Maybe it was because Mrs. Figg lived without magic, being a Squib, but the locks wouldn't stop a Death Eater even for a second, so why she bothered with them, Daphne didn't know.

Not much later, Daphne and Ginny stood before the driveway of number four, Privet Drive again.

"Do you see anything weird?" Ginny asked, looking through the dark windows.

Daphne shook her head. "Nothing."

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander a bit, while maintaining some focus on the house. Will we be attacked here? she asked herself mentally. No. The instant answer of her formless Divination attempt gave her some slight peace of mind. In any case, she didn't feel anything 'pulling' at her thoughts or magic like she'd done in the hotel room, so at the very least it didn't seem like there was anything weird about the house.

"Let's…go in, I guess," she said, and she and Ginny walked to the front door.

Ginny used the key to open it and stepped into the hallway, poised for sudden attacks…but aside from a pile of mail and newspapers, there was nothing in the hallway. Cautiously, they stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

"Anyone here?" Daphne asked out loud.

If someone had been in the house, they would have heard the key in the lock, anyway, so stealth was hardly necessary anymore, and if someone friendly was here, perhaps her voice would encourage them to show themselves.

"This is the first time I've ever been here," Ginny said, looking around.

Daphne gestured at the cupboard under the stairs. "That's where Harry used to sleep before he went to Hogwarts," she said.

Ginny opened the cupboard door and stared into it. "That's ridiculous," she said angrily.

Daphne nodded. "I know. When Harry got his school letters they gave him a bedroom, though, because the letters were addressed to 'the cupboard under the stairs'…at least, that's what Harry said."

"We should probably check upstairs anyway, to see if anyone's hiding there," Ginny said. "So you can show me that, too."

"Y'know," Daphne said thoughtfully. "There are a few rooms in this house I've never been in, either, and I doubt I'll get another chance at it…and if the Dursleys come back after the war, we can just claim the Death Eaters searched the place…"

Ginny grinned at her. "So what you're saying is, you want to snoop around a bit?"

Daphne shrugged. "We've got to wait for Mrs. Figg anyway, so we might as well use the time, right? C'mon, I'll show you around upstairs."

She led Ginny up the stairs and showed her Harry's room. Harry's discarded spell books and various debris from his trunk still lay scattered around the room.

"Did the Death Eaters ransack this place?" Ginny asked, looking around at the mess.

"Possibly. It might have just been Harry not caring about leaving this place cleaned up when he left. I think it's the latter, personally," Daphne said. "Anyway, feel free to look around here a bit more, if you want to…I'm going to check out the Dursleys' rooms."

"I'll come with you," Ginny said immediately. "I mean, this'll be new for you, too, right?"

Daphne nodded. "Yep. I don't think it'll be that interesting, somehow, but who knows…"

She walked down the hall to Dudley's door and pushed it open. The drawers stood open, the bed wasn't made, and the games console stood next to the TV unplugged. Dudley, like Harry, clearly hadn't been too fussed about leaving his room tidied up when he left. Daphne checked the desk and some of its drawers, but aside from school books and empty notepads, there wasn't much of interest to be found.

"Too bad we can't take this thing," Ginny said, pointing at the games console. "Dad would love it."

"You don't have a TV, though," Daphne said.

"Not to play games on," Ginny said. "But it has a compound plug and an electrical plug, not to mention the controllers themselves. It would make his day to play around with those."

Both of them laughed.

"Well, unless you want to rummaging around in the underwear drawer — in which case, what the hell is wrong with you — there probably isn't anything useful in here," Daphne said.

"So now…Harry's aunt and uncle's room, then?" Ginny asked.

"Clearly."

They crossed the hall, and the contrast of Vernon and Petunia's bedroom with those of Harry and Dudley couldn't be more pronounced. Everything in the room was so perfectly aligned and positioned it looked like it had come out of a showroom, which Daphne had seen in Muggle magazines they'd looked over in class. Although even those had looked more lived-in than this particular room.

"I'm almost afraid to touch anything here," Ginny said.

Daphne nodded. "I can imagine. If you'd met Petunia Dursley, you'd be even more afraid. Since she isn't here, though…"

Daphne strode up to the wardrobe against the wall and pulled it open. The contents were neatly divided between Vernon and Petunia and there wasn't much of interest. The dresser nearest the door didn't seem to have much in the way of contents, either, but then Ginny said, "Hey, I've got a locked box, here."

She held up a wooden box she'd found in one of the end tables.

"Jewelry, maybe?" Daphne guessed.

Ginny lightly shook the box. "Maybe, but there's something bigger in here as well. Want to open it?"

"We can't use magic, though," Daphne said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on, I grew up with Fred and George. Picking a lock like this is easy."

She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and inserted the ends into the keyhole on the box. She twisted it once and the lock clicked open.

"Okay, even I didn't think it would be that easy," Ginny said. She sounded almost disappointed.

She flipped open the lid of the box and looked inside. Daphne looked as well. It looked like a jewelry box. There were compartments with earrings, regular rings, and pendants.

Ginny frowned. "I felt something heavier sliding around just now," she said. "Maybe…"

She grabbed the central divider of the jewelry box and softly pulled on it. The rest of the box's contents also moved up, and Ginny pulled out the jewelry case in its entirety.

"A fake bottom," Daphne said, intrigued. She looked into the box and saw a small book, which had been hidden under the jewelry.

"A diary," Ginny said apprehensively.

"While I'm sure it's a work of evil, I doubt this one is magical," Daphne said with a grin. "I wonder what'll be in it, though…"

Ginny put the box and the jewelry case on the nightstand and took out the diary. She sat on the bed and Daphne sat down next to her. The diary was locked, but Ginny's bobby pin had it open in a second.

"If all Muggle locks are this bad, I feel sorry for them," she said with a shake of her head. "Should we really be reading this, though? I mean…" she said hesitantly.

Daphne shrugged. "The Dursleys have hated and mistreated Harry all his life. I don't particularly care about their privacy."

She opened the diary and leafed through it. A large part of the book had been filled in, though entries became shorter and sparser the closer she got to the end. The final entry, to Daphne's surprise was of the eighth of July of that year.

A.D. dead. V. might try to kill the boy here. Going into hiding with Vernon and Diddy.

"Is that…about Dumbledore? And…You-Know-Who?" Ginny asked.

Daphne nodded. "It is," she said, amazed. "But they went through such extremes to deny the existence of all magic…to see her mentioning this in here…I'd never expected that. Let's see what the very first entry is…"

Daphne went to the first entry in the diary, which was dated to the twenty-eight of December, 1971.

I hate them! I hate them both! That stupid freak Lily and that stupid freak Snape! Thinking they're so special because they go to that awful school with that stupid headmaster. And Mum and Dad just won't hear it, no, they just keep praising perfect little Lily for being a witch! A WITCH! Witches are bad, so why do Mum and Dad think it's great? I'm the only normal one in this house. I can't wait to get out of here so I don't have to be around freaks like her anymore.

"That must've been Lily's first year at Hogwarts," Daphne said. She looked at the next entry, dated January sixth, 1972.

It's Epiphany today, and I think I've had one too. I miss Lily, even though she's a freak. I don't really want to admit it. I still hate her for it, too. But she's still my sister. Even though that awful Snape boy is no good, my sister used to be normal and nice. I wish all that magic business just didn't exist. Then I'd have my sister back.

Daphne and Ginny looked at each other. Daphne wasn't sure what she had expected, but this certainly wasn't it. To see proof that, at one point, Petunia had missed her sister was incredibly strange.

Slowly, she skimmed more entries. Most of them were fairly short, or descriptions of regular days without much of note in them, but Lily and her magic were mentioned quite a lot, mostly in a negative light, but every now and then there would be an entry hinting that Petunia did miss her sister.

Then, she came across an entry written in a different handwriting. There was no date on it, but judging by the entries around it, it had been written in the Christmas holidays in 1974.

Tuney, some of the things you've written were really hurtful. I know I shouldn't be reading your diary, or writing in it, so I'm sorry, but you won't talk to me anymore so I don't know any other way. That's even why I'm writing this. I want to talk to you again, Tuney. I miss you, too. If you'd just let me show you that magic isn't all bad you'd understand, I'm sure of it. Sev…Sev is a bit misguided, but I don't think HE'S that bad, either. Just…talk to me, okay? Again, sorry for writing in your diary. I love you, Tuney. Lily.

Daphne winced.

"Harry's mum wrote that," Ginny said softly, almost as if she didn't believe it, either.

"Yeah…Knowing what happened in the end…makes it that much harder to read this, huh?" Daphne asked. She looked at the entry directly below Lily's.

I can't believe this! Even my DIARY isn't safe anymore. I suppose I'll need to be a bit more careful what I write in it from now on, since I can't even trust my own family to respect my privacy. What did I expect, having a WITCH for a sister? Talk to her? As if! She made her choice, going to that school. Now she'll just have to learn to live without me. Serves her right.

"Wow, that's harsh," Daphne said. "Although, granted, if someone had written in my diary, I wouldn't have been happy either."

"You have a diary?" Ginny asked.

Daphne shook her head. "No, but someone touching my things without my permission pisses me off all the same."

Ginny chuckled. "Yeah, okay, I get that."

Daphne turned back to the diary again. There was one entry in particular she was looking for, and soon she'd found it. The second of November, 1981.

Lily is dead. A.D. has told Vernon and me we need to raise her son as our own. Why can't this madness just leave my family alone? I don't want that boy here. I don't want his weirdness here. I don't want it to infect Diddy or his life. But I didn't want Lily in my life, either, and now I got that wish. I haven't spoken to her in well over a year. I had no intention of changing that anytime soon, anyway. But then why does it hurt so much to know that now, I'll never be able to? I'm arranging the funeral, but I'm not speaking. I don't want to. I can't. But I do have some last words, and Lily said that ghosts exist. So, Lily, if you intend on reading my diary again from beyond the grave, here are my final words to you:
Even though I still think you're a freak, and even though we didn't talk much anymore, and even though I don't think we would ever have gotten along again, I'm still going to miss you more than I want to admit, even to myself. I hope you'll rest in peace. I love you.

Daphne felt her eyes burning and her vision went blurry. She quickly put the diary away to prevent any tears from falling onto it. Then, she felt Ginny's arms around her.

Daphne looked up and rubbed her eyes to clear them, and saw that Ginny had tears in her eyes as well. She didn't know what to say, so she just put her own arms around Ginny as well and allowed the tears to come.

I think this is one of those chapters where I love being a pantser. The entire diary thing was spur-of-the-moment, but I like the way it came out.