Marmoris | Rabastan Lestrange [1] ??

Softly Phoenix nocked on the door of the seventh years' dorm. Almost instantly she heard Damian's muffled voice from the other side. "What do you want?"

"It's me... Phoenix. May I come in?" She answered placing her hand on the doorknob.

"Leave me alone. I don't need a bloody babysitter." He told her.

His voice sounded weird, raspy... like he had been crying. Phoenix hesitated for a quick moment. They weren't really close and she had never seen him showing any weakness ever before. She wasn't sure if he even wanted her to know but she couldn't let him bottle all of it up inside him until it got too much to bear and destroyed him. So she pushed the door open. Well, she tried. Of course he had locked it from the inside.

"I'm not trying to be your babysitter. Was locking the door really necessary, though?"

She didn't get an answer so she pulled her wand out of the back pocket of her trousers and whispered "Alohomora". The lock clicked and she pushed the door open. At first she didn't see him. Then she made out his blonde hair behind a bed in the back of the room. He sat there on the floor, not turning around as she entered. Phoenix closed the door and slowly walked over to him. A lump formed in her throat as she found him holding a photograph in his hand, his legs tucked tightly to his chest. He didn't look at her when he told her once more with a raspy voice. "I told you to leave."

"And apparently I'm not going to listen to orders and leave you all alone."

Phoenix sat herself down next to him, their shoulders briefly touching. She looked at the picture showing a younger girl with long hair the same colour as his, brightly smiling into the camera and then pulling a silly face.

"She's never coming back, is she?" He asked finally turning to face her.

Although there was only little light, she could see the tear strains on his cheeks. It was really the first time she saw him showing any sign of weakness. Damian was a person who usually kept up a mask of confidence at any time. He didn't allow himself to be weak but Phoenix knew nobody could be strong and happy all the time. Still, to see him in this state was far from ordinary and she wasn't sure if she knew how to handle it.

Out of instinct she leaned her head against his shoulder. "No. No, I fear she's gone."

"Ever since she died I have tried to think she would come back one day, that she was just on a trip to some place but she isn't and I miss her. I miss her so terribly, Phoenix." He confided to, her his voice almost cracking. "And everyone keeps telling me to let her go. They say I have been grieving for way too long and that I had to go back to normal but I can't. I don't think I'm strong enough."

"Grieving is not about weakness or strength."

"You think?"

"Yes, I think there are people who grieve for a long period of time and some for a shorter. There's no rule which indicates how long you're allowed to do so and from which point you are weak because caring for somebody and missing them doesn't mean you are not strong. And I think you really cared a lot about Daphne, which means it's totally okay to miss her. I'm not an expert but I think you can't just turn off that kind of pain. With time you'll get used to it and then you'll be able to think about her and smile." She assured him.

She felt him taking a deep breath but he didn't say anything. They just sat there in silence, Phoenix' thoughts spinning in her mind.

"She's still with you, you know?"

"Is this the part where you point at my heart and tell me she's still in there?" He asked making her chuckle lightly. Him joking again was at least a sign of progress.

"Not exactly but something along the lines of that. See, she's in every little thing around you. There are items and places which remind you of her, of memories you shared, things you used to do together... All these things will always be there to remind you of her."

"To push the knife of pain back into my heart, that's what I would have said." He said, sorrow swinging in his voice.

She looked up at him. "The ones who love us never really leave us. As I said it takes time to learn to live with the pain but knowing she's always with you might help you."

"I get your point but they still need to pay for what they've done to her."

Phoenix nearly flinched at the sudden hardness in his voice. Over his pain she had almost forgotten about what he intended to do.

"Do you really think it was Remus' fault?" She asked bitterly.

He jumped up on his feet and glared down at her. His, now cold, look sent shivers down her spine. "Are you now siding with them or what?"

"I'm not on anybody's side." She defended herself and slowly got up as well. "I just don't think you're thinking clearly right now."

"Oh, yes, I am. My thinking has never been better. You didn't know her as I did. She would never have done this without a reason." Damian spat at her.

Phoenix lifted her hands, trying to calm him down a little. "But what if there's more to the story than we can see right now. Perhaps there was something else going on."

"She would have told me." He claimed stubbornly and whispered more to himself than to her. "She always did."

"Maybe she couldn't. I don't think it was his fault. I have seen him after the funeral. He looked broken, completely lost. I think he really cared about her, Damian. He would never have done anything to hurt her. It's not like him."

She could see he was fighting with himself but instead of giving in he shook his head.

"You know nothing."

And then he stormed out of the room leaving her alone feeling completely helpless.