I'm the worst for the delay, I know. But, in my defense, I was planning on updating this for Christmas but, well, covid-19 is bitch that likes to upset plans. So, anyway, it's here and it's almost as long as the previous chapter.

But, before you read, I just wanted to tell you that I changed the dates of the flashbacks/dreams in chapters II, IV, and V. It doesn't alter anything in the story but I did to keep faithful to the date of birth of Katerina (Thank you, Daughter of Trickery, for pointing it out).

Anyway, as always, a thousand and one huge thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. It means the world to me, and also keeps me motivated to continue writing this story. So, I'll hope you like it!

P.S. I know that we're a month into 2021 and things aren't exactly becoming that much better but let's hope this year surprises us for the better!


CHAPTER VI

THE MATTERS OF TRUST ARE A COMPLICATED THING

England, 1473 AD

Awareness came back to Ingrid in small, fractured pieces.

First, it came with unrecognizable sounds that went away as quickly as they'd came. Then – who knows how long after that – it came when her mind registered the fact that there were people around her – a lot of them – and even though she'd no idea what they were saying or who they were, she was sure that they were talking about her. She tried to move, to attack, to do anything, but she was unable to even open her eyes before the darkness claimed her once again.

And then, at some point while she was still trapped in a sea of endless darkness, came with the pain. So, so much pain. If she'd to describe it, Ingrid would have said it felt like every part of her body – including her magical core – had been lit on fire. It hurt. Too much. Too deeply. And in a way she hadn't experienced before. It almost felt like something was trying to tear her apart from the inside out, making the very essence of her being bled out.

Distantly, Ingrid was aware of the fact that she was screaming – maybe even pleading for the pain to stop – but nobody seemed to hear her. So Ingrid kept screaming. She did it again and again and again as the pain increased, consuming her whole. And just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the darkness welcome her in its arms once more.

When she finally regained proper consciousness, Ingrid opened her eyes and found herself lying on the ground of a barely illuminated little room she had never seen before in her life. Dazed, wobbly and still feeling how her body ached with the phantom pain of something she couldn't quite remember, Ingrid lifted her head, trying to see more clearly the place she was in, and realized four things almost instantly.

One, she was a prisoner. She wasn't inside a room as she'd first thought but instead she was trapped inside a dark and stinky dungeon.

Two, there was a good chance that her captors were wiccans. Or at least they were being aided by a powerful wiccan. Otherwise there wasn't a good explanation on how they'd obtained the spelled shackles that were binding her from her wrists and ankles to the wall behind her back.

Three, her captors were not amateurs. They'd took away not only her two wands but also the knife she hid under her skirt and her two rings. Which was a real shame, as those three objects had been carefully spelled with a lot of surprises for situations like this one. And, without them, she'd been left not only weaponless but also without any means to escape, contact her family or even alert them of her current location.

Four, and the most worryingly, she was suffering from a very, very severe case of magical exhaustion.

Honestly, taking in consideration how depleted and hurt her magical core felt, Ingrid was almost surprised to be awake. Or even alive at all. Because, as far as she knew, and with the notable exception of the time her aunt Esther had channeled her to fuel the ritual that had turned her family into vampires – and that occasion didn't count for glaringly obvious reasons – wand-wielders were not supposed to survive after a case of magical exhaustion this severe.

And, to make matters even worst, she'd no idea how long she'd been unconscious. Or even how she'd had ended up in that estate.

Frowning, Ingrid tried to remember her last clear memory. But her efforts only served to worsen her headache, making her painfully aware of the fact that her mental shields had crumbled due to her magical exhaustion, and causing her memories to be in completely disarray inside her mind. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain she knew was coming, as she tried to reconstruct her mental shields. And even if occlumency didn't require an active use of magic, it still hurt. Much more than she'd anticipated, so much so that she was left gasping for breath as a result of her exertion. But, after a long, long moment, she was able to rise her shields and organize her mind once more. That done, she focused on pushing most of her physical pain behind her barriers. Her body and magical core were still extremely hurt but, thanks to her shields, she was only aware of an echo of it.

And only when all that had been done, she was capable of examining her memories and recall how she'd ended up in that particular situation.

Rebekah and Ingrid had been visiting the orphanage in the village near their castle, as they did every month without fault, bringing food and other supplies for the children. At some point, she remembered that a child – no older than ten – had approached her and asked for her help to cure his mother's illness. The request hadn't been rare, as her abilities were widely known across the village, so she'd waved away her sister's offer for company and followed the child to a little house in the outskirts of the village. But the moment she'd set foot inside the property, she'd been able to feel the dark and powerful magical protections – made by wiccan magic – that covered every inch of the house and she'd known something was completely wrong. Sadly, before she could react, she'd been attacked for behind and knocked unconscious.

After that, she could only remember darkness.

Darkness and pain.

She groaned, loudly, closing her eyes in shame and despair. Dear Merlin and Morgana, after everything she'd gone through, she really should have seen that trap for what it was. But instead, she'd allowed herself to be blinded by one of her biggest weakness and followed the child like a lamb to a slaughter. It was pathetic.

"A-are… you al-alright? You h-have been sleeping f-for days."

The voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper but, in the silence of the dungeon, Ingrid was able to hear it loud and clear. Surprised, she turned around, trying to see anything beyond blackness that covered almost every corner. As she squinted, she was able to see a pair of clear green eyes, belonging to the figure of a woman, on the other end of the cell.

Another prisoner like her, judging by her chains.

No, she realized after a moment of careful observation, not exactly like her. Because the woman was actually a vampire on the brink of complete desiccation. And, the more she paid attention, the more sure Ingrid become that that their captors were feeding the vampire with enough blood to make sure she remained conscious and aware of everything that happened to her but without any force to move or defend herself.

She was certain of that because she'd seen another vampire in a similar condition thanks to Finn.

Her oldest brother had one of the kindest souls she'd ever seen and because of that, after his turning, he'd been unable to cope with the most violent side of his vampire nature. In those early years, they had all seen how he'd started to withdraw into himself as the blood on his hands grew. At least it'd been that way until Salazar Slytherin had taught him how to use his mental shields to distance himself, and his emotions, from the rest of the world. As a result, the only ones Finn truly cared about were his siblings. And for them, he was capable of anything. Even if that meant he had to use the ruthless side that he normally hid behind all his sealed mental barriers.

The first time she'd truly seen that side of him had been when their family had encountered the brotherhood of the five. Back then, after everything had been said and done, their family had discussed the fate of Alexander, the only one who had remained alive. If only barely.

'He needs to die like the others!' Nik had spat. And Rebekah, silently crying in Ingrid's arms, had flinched and close her eyes, knowing there was nothing she could say that would change her lover's fate. Not after his terrible betrayal.

Finn had took one look at Rebekah's face and made the decision for all of them. 'No.' he'd said, taking them all by surprise 'Alexander doesn't deserve the sweet relief of death. He needs to pay, to experience that which he hates the most.' Without warning, he'd fed the hunter his blood and then promptly snapped his neck. 'And he will do so for all eternity.'

Her oldest brother had kept his word.

He'd kept Alexander as their prisoner for decades after that, feeding him with enough blood to make sure he felt the pain caused by the torture that all of them – eventually even Rebekah – had inflicted on him at some point or another, but Finn had made sure that the amount of blood Alexander drank was insufficient to make him strong enough to defend himself. And so, Alexander had lived, trapped inside his mind and body for years and years, always on the precipice of complete desiccation, aware of the pain and suffering his body was going through but unable to do anything about it.

His only escape had been death.

And he'd only died because they'd been betrayed and sold out to Mikael, who had raided their mansion and, after failing to capture them, had decided to burn it down to the ground. And, unknowingly, he'd burned Alexander to death alongside with it.

But, even centuries later, Ingrid could distantly remember the exact condition in which Alexander had lived as their prisoner. And the vampire in front of her was in an almost identical state.

"Hello there" Ingrid found herself saying, her voice sounding raspy and hoarse even to her own ears, never mind a vampire's "What's your name?"

The vampire made a sound that could be passed as a surprised huff. "Rose-Marie"

"Hello Rose-Marie. I'm Ingrid." She said, trying to smile despite their circumstances "I would like to say that it's a pleasure to meet you but… well, our currents circumstances are anything but pleasurable."

Rose-Marie made a sound that could be passed as a snort, quickly followed for a long and hesitant silence. "Y-you are not scared… of me? O-of what I am?"

It was Ingrid's turn to snort. "Why should I? My entire family is composed by vampires. And I love them very, very much."

"Your fa-family?" Rose-Marie asked, her clear green eyes – the only thing on her body that had remained untouched by the desiccation – completely focused on her "That is n-not po-possible. Y-you are h-human!"

"Actually, I'm a witch. A w-"

"Ha! A witch, she says"

The unexpected new voice startled them both, making them turn around. The newcomer stood tall and proud, sneering at her from the other side of the bars on their cell, as he purposely let loose his dark and powerful wiccan magic in an obvious display of power. At the other side of the cell, Rose-Marie let out a scared whimper and made herself as small as possible in her corner. "Is that what you tell yourself? That you are a witch? Because it's not true. You're nothing but an abomination to this world, Ingrid Mikaelson."

Ingrid ignored the fact that she was dirty, chained, and at his mercy, and smirked at him with all the haughtiness she could muster, lifting her chin defiantly as she stared at him down. "Well, it seems you have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am but I don't have the faintest idea of who you could possibly be."

The warlock's sneer became even more pronounced when he sent her a look full of superiority. "I'm Edwin Akerley, the high warlock of the Akerley coven."

At once, several pieces of the puzzled fell into place.

Suddenly, she knew why she was suffering from such a severe case of magical exhaustion, and she also got a fairly good idea of why Rose-Marie was in her current condition. "The Akerley coven?" she repeated, curling her lips in disgust as she remember all the worrying and terrible whispers that had been growing for the last decade about that particular coven. "Oh, I think I remember something about you… Wasn't your coven the one that was repudiate by Mother Nature and as a result started to draw power from other, more powerful, magical beings?" Seeing his constipated face, she couldn't help but add "To be so weak and feeble that you need to channel the powers of others, how pathetic!"

If the whispers had been right – and everything seemed to point that way – the Akerley coven channeled magic from any living being with it. From wand-wielders, werewolves, vampires, goblins, and whatever else they could find. Because, as long as the being possessed magic inside of them, they were able to draw magic from them until the point of death. And, for what she knew, with the exception of the vampires who could be re-used an infinite number of times as long as they weren't completely desiccated, no other magical being could survive the experience.

As it was, it was a wonder how she hadn't died the first time they'd channeled her magic.

"Be silent!" Edwin spat, gripping the bars on the cell "You've no right to talk about me and mine that way. Not when your very existence is an aberration to this world."

She threw her head back and laughed, high and mocking. "Is that so? Then explain to me why you used the magic of this aberration to become more powerful" she taunted, smirking at the flash of discomfort that crossed his face. "It must kill you inside, must not? To be aware of the fact that your powers, the very thing that made you special, come from someone you loathe so much… Maybe you even hate yourself. After all, you and I both know that if you didn't channeled the powers of others, you would be nothing but a pathetic and weak excuse of a warlock."

She knew almost instantly that she'd pushed too far. And had all but a second to brace herself for the pain before the warlock uttered a single word and the shackles around her wrists and ankles started to burn her skin. It hurt. A lot. And so she closed her eyes and bit her lips until they bled, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her screams. She could handle this – she chanted to herself in her mind – The pain was immeasurable but nowhere near the cruciatus curse. She could handle it. She could.

From what seemed like far away, she heard Rose-Marie pleading in her defense. "S-stop! Please, milord, s-stop!" But Edwin only laughed at her words. Only after what seemed like a small eternity, he canceled the spell and the pain finally stopped.

Free of the curse, she was able to open her eyes and let out a long exhale, as she wrestled with her own body to stop her trembling.

"Look at you! The great immortal witch, trembling at my mercy!" he smirked cruelly "Without your precious powers, you're nothing! You've got no way to defend yourself…. And when the moon is full in two days, you'll be dead and your immortality will be ours!"

Ah, so that was what they were really after.

Now it made sense why they hadn't killed her right away. If they truly thought there was a ritual capable of stealing her so called immortality, it would need to be under the full moon to guarantee its success. Of course, she knew it wasn't possible. She'd lived for as long as she had because Death had allowed the creation of the link that connected her life to her family. That link was the true reason her aging process had stopped and it was not something that could be stolen. At least not without Death's blessing.

It was tempting to laugh, knowing that their little plan was destined to fail no matter what. But she held back the urge and instead stared directly into his eyes, letting the deep of her fury and loathing show in her eyes and face. "Do as you want, Edwin Akerley… But I want you to know that one day, soon enough, all you hold dear in this life will be nothing but blood and ashes. And when that day comes, I will be standing over your dying body, victorious and free of the chains you dared to put on me, and you'll die regretting the day you dared to attack me."

He tried to act as if her words didn't affect him but she caught the slight flinch on his face. However, after a moment, he composed himself and returned her glare head on. "Pretty little threats, especially coming from someone who is chained to a wall with shackles spelled to stop you from using your magic... Tell me, how are you supposed to kill me if you're my prisoner?"

"Young wiccans, always so short-sighted" she scoffed, shaking her head "Do you really believe you're the worst being I've ever face? I've lived for longer than you can comprehend. I've faced stronger, smarter and more powerful foes than you, and I've always come out as the victor at the end… You and your little coven are nothing to me."

"And yet you're in chains before me, your powers are blocked and soon you will be dead." He vowed, viciously. Without another word, he left in a huff, leaving them alone in the darkness once more.

She scowled at his back, more furious than she'd been in decades. And she knew, with a deep certainty, that the lives of Edwin Akerley and his coven were already forsaken. Because if they weren't slain by her hand – doubtful, as this was personal now – then her family would make them rue the day they were born.

"A-are you alright?" Rose-Marie asked, bringing her attention back to her cellmate. "It l-looked like you w-were in s-serious pain."

Ingrid gaped, caught off guard. After being tortured and suffer who-knows how many other horrors, there was no reason for Rose-Marie to care about somebody else. Especially not when she was a vampire and could have easily turned off her emotions. And yet, Rose-Marie had tried to help her when Edwin had been hurting her and now she was even asking about her wellbeing. It was more than a little surprising because it showed her the deep of compassion in Rose-Marie's heart.

And, if she was honest, it reminded her a little of Iolanthe – her sweet, darling Iolanthe – and how she, too, had been able to show compassion even in the darkest of times.

Maybe that was why she felt herself soften considerably towards Rose-Marie.

"Oh, don't worry about me. A little pain isn't going to break me. Not after everything I've gone through." She said sincerely, staring into her eyes. The vampire didn't say anything, didn't even smile, but her clear green eyes lightened considerably, and Ingrid counted that as a win. "You know, this actually reminds me of this one time when my brother Kol let himself be captured by an enemy coven for the fun of it. And, of course, we thought the worse when we couldn't find him, so we came to the rescue and…."

Almost without realizing it, Ingrid found herself opening up and sharing with Rose-Marie things she normally didn't talk with anyone who wasn't family. She told her about some of the shenanigans and crazy adventures her family had gotten through the years. Most of them were funny, even if they involved bloodshed of some kind, and some stories were very serious and solemn. But Rose-Marie seemed to appreciate them all the same, so much so that, eventually, she started to share some of her own stories with her. Soon, Ingrid had learned about Rose-Marie's love for horses, sweet things and flowers of bright colors. Eventually, she also told her about her human family and how, after she'd been turned against her will, they'd throw out of her house and village.

She wasn't sure how long they'd talked, it was impossible to keep track of time in the almost absolute darkness of the dungeon, especially when nobody gave them food or water, but they kept talking regardless of all that, sharing more and more personal stories as the time went by. And, somehow, as their voices turned even hoarser and hunger turned an aching pain impossible to ignore, the hours turned into days.

At some point, in an effort to distract herself from her growingly weak body, Ingrid found herself listing all the things she wanted to do as soon as they were out of that stinky dungeon. First, she said, she would eat an enormous meal and then, after taking a long bath, she was going to sleep for days in the comfort of her own bed. However, instead of saying anything, Rose-Marie got suddenly quiet, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"And you? What do you want to do when we're finally free?" Ingrid prompted, gently.

"W-what is the po-point of w-wondering about that-t? I-I will die-e here as a p-prisoner."

Ingrid stared at her, mentally debating with herself about what to say next.

Most people thought caring was an instinct for Ingrid. They saw her – always polite and friendly, even when she was soothing her family's most violent impulses and forcing them to think with their hearts – and thought that caring was a part of her nature. But it wasn't. Not really. Maybe if she hadn't grown been aware of the fact that everyone but those of her blood would hurt her if given the chance. Maybe if the members of her family hadn't been the only ones who had accepted her, wholeheartedly and implicitly, when she was young, then maybe it would be easier for her to care. But it was too late for maybes. And so, with the exception of those she considered family and children in general – and that was only because they reminded her of Iolanthe and Henrik – she felt nothing but indifference towards the rest of the world despite the pleasant and amicable attitude she always tried to portray.

Few were those not of her blood who had managed to make her care – truly and honestly care – for them.

Fewer still those she considered true friends.

But here was another secret, once someone had managed to make her care for them, she would gave all of herself to make sure they were happy and safe. Her loyalty, once earned, was almost absolute.

And as impossible as it seemed, in their brief time together, Rose-Marie had managed to make her care for her.

The vampire had been her only company in this entire ordeal, the only source of any kind of joy and was probably the only reason she'd managed to keep at bay the worst part of her temper so successfully. And she would be dammed if she let her think she was planning on letting her stay a prisoner for a moment longer than necessary.

"Of course you'll be free once more soon enough. I'll make sure of it." she told her, firmly. At Rose-Marie stunned expression, she added in all seriousness. "I know we haven't known each other for long but, I promise you, I will free us... And when you get your freedom back, you'll be able to do whatever you wish with your life… No more chains, I promise."

Hesitantly, and shyly, Rose-Marie nodded once, and then confessed to her in a whisper that her biggest wish was riding a horse under the sun once more, like she'd done when she was a human.

Ingrid nodded, decidedly. "Then that's what you will do… I shall make you a daylight necklace, something unique and just for you, and then you'll be able to ride a horse under the sun for however long you want. Your wish will become a reality, I promise you, Rose-Marie."

The vampire didn't say anything else, changing the subject quickly, but there was a smile, small and real, on her face, and Ingrid knew Rose-Marie was allowing herself to hope, even if it was very little. And for now, that was enough for her.

It was no long before Edwin, and another unknown warlock, appeared on dungeon. They didn't bother to say anything to them, opting to focus their attention on opening the little door of their cell with a loud sound that seemed to resonate around them and then marching directly towards her. From her corner, Rose-Marie let out a yell of warning towards her and, from the corner of her eye, she caught her horrified expression as she failed to move her body in her direction. And, if Ingrid wasn't so focused on what she needed to do, she would have spared more than a second to appreciate the gesture. As it was, she was using all her energy on accomplishing an old and almost forgotten technique that she'd never tried to do before, as the creator had died before he could properly explain her the way to actually do it.

She had never even tried to try the technique before – because, up until that point, it'd never been necessary – but she'd been thinking about it in the back of her mind since the moment she'd woken up on that dark dungeon and she'd been forced to restore her occlumency shields, so she was as prepared as she could be for the moment they cast a wiccan spell – designed to render her unconscious – in her direction. And so, the moment the spell hit her, she used every bit of skill and magic she had to hide deep behind her mental barriers from the effect of the attack. That way she was safeguarding her consciousness inside her deepest and most unexplored part of her occlumency shields.

And it worked just as she'd hoped.

Distantly, there was a part of her that was aware of the fact that her body had gone slack, like a puppet without its strings. And the fact that her captors were removing her from her chains and lifting her from the ground, taking her out of the cell as they ignored Rose-Marie's cries. That same part was also aware of the path they took out of the house and towards the clearing outside, where at least a dozen of people were reunited, forming a circle under the light of the full moon as they chanted a spell.

But, for the most part, her sense of self and awareness was locked behind her deepest and strongest mental shields. In that place, there was none of hurt caused by her magical exhaustion, none of the crippling pain of her body, not even hunger or thirst. In that vast and unexplored place, there was only her, free from absolutely everything that chained to reality. And the only reason she didn't try to explore was because there was something telling her that if she went deeper, she would be forever lost on that part of her mind.

So, even if was difficult, she tried to focus on the little part of her that was aware of the outside world. She held onto that part of herself and created a path to guide her awareness out of her mental shields until she was able to regain proper control of her body.

She woke up silently, instantly aware of the fact that she was lying on the ground, of the magic charging the air and the temporal link the coven had formed to her in an effort to channel her powers.

Ingrid didn't waste a second.

She used every little bit of magic she'd at her disposal – from her magical core to the magic in the air – to send a curse to every single of the coven through the temporally like they'd created. And the magic vowed to her demands.

The members of the Akerley were all blasted away from her.

Ingrid forced her body to get up, arms already raised as she cast curse after curse before they'd time to fight back. She didn't stop to think as she fought – because stopping meant giving her body enough time to realize how exhausted she truly was – and so, one second she was sending a cutting curse to the throat of someone, and in the next, she was turning in the opposite direction to send a dark curse designed to melt their organs or lighting someone completely on fire. She became a hurricane of power and destruction – a possessed being with only one goal in mind: kill them all as quickly as possible – and the air in the clearing was soon charged not only with power of her magic but with the smell of the blood of everyone in the Akerley coven, as they fell one by one at her feet.

It was a bloodbath.

And she didn't regret it a single bit.

She didn't stop until the only sounds on that clearing came from her. And then, after making double sure that none of them were still alive, she grabbed one of the bodies – the one that still mostly resembled a human body – and made her way back to the house.

Now that she wasn't fighting, she was perfectly aware of how tired her body was, how much rest she needed before she would be healthy again. But she pushed through her fatigue as she made her way back to the dungeon, knowing that the moment she allowed herself to rest, she would end up unconscious for a long, long time. So she kept walking, dragging the heavy body with her – and probably leaving behind a trail of blood – until she reached the same dungeon where she'd been kept prisoner until a couple of hours before.

On her corner, still chained and almost completely desiccated, Rose-Marie stared at her, wide-eyed and speechless, as Ingrid dropped the body in front of her and used what little magic she'd left to free the vampire from her chains. "There" she announced with a tired grin, letting herself fall onto the ground "Now you're finally free."

Black spots started to appear in her vision while she heard Rose-Marie feed from the dead body, so she opened her mouth to tell the vampire of this but didn't manage to even produce a sound, as the tiredness of her body and mind seemed to pull her down onto the darkness.

The last thing she was aware of was the tears that fell onto her face as the vampire pulled her head onto her lap and cried. "Thank you… You've no idea… Thank you, milady…"

And then she knew no more for a long while.


&&&/06/&&&


A moment of utter silence followed his words.

Five… Four… Thee… Two… One…

His body was pushed out of his chair and onto the wall that was twenty eight feet away, impacting it with a loud bang that snapped everyone else to their feet, bodies tensed and ready to intervene. And, despite the fact that he was being almost choked by the hand on his neck, Elijah forced his body to remain relaxed as he calmly stared at the turbulent eyes of Niklaus.

After all, his brother's reaction hadn't been unexpected. If anything, it was a little too predictable.

"What did you just say?!" Niklaus snarled, pushing his face until there was almost no space between them. From so close, it was impossible to miss the kaleidoscope of emotions shining on his brother's green-blue eyes. Happiness at the news, certainly. Fear at the possibility of not being true, for sure. And there was no denying the war between the hope Elijah's words had brought and the paranoia and pessimism that had followed his footsteps for centuries. But there was something else there, something wild and deep that told him Niklaus was barely holding together his emotions.

One wrong word and his brother would probably go on a rampage.

"Ingrid is alive, brother" Elijah said, trying to sound as gentle as possible "She has finally reborn."

The rest of his siblings moved in their direction, their stunned expressions morphing into cautious joy as they closed ranks around them, listening to them in absolute silence, probably sensing, like Elijah, that Niklaus was the one who needed the most delicate handling at the moment.

"I saw her with my own eyes" he continued explaining, pausing for a second as he considered the pros and cons of what to say next. Then, softly, almost reluctantly, he added "Well, I saw her on the memories of another person… The Petrova doppelgänger. A human."

There was a heavy pause, as they all assimilated that extra piece of news, and then "I want to see your memories, Elijah." Niklaus demanded in a low growl, his almost calm tone in contrast with the hand that was squeezing more painfully his neck. "I want to see her."

"Of course, brother… But you've to let me go first." Elijah bluntly said, lifting an eyebrow in a silent demand for him to comply his wishes. Despite his sympathy for Niklaus' particular position, Elijah knew that letting his brother in his head, so he could see his memories directly, would mean that the rest of his siblings would demand the same, and he had no intention of giving them all a free pass behind his mental shields.

At his words, Niklaus glared defiantly at him for a moment but then, seeing his unperturbed expression, he ended up conceding with a single nod. Grudgingly, he released him and made his way back to his seat.

That seemed to be an unspoken cue for the rest of his siblings because Rebekah and Finn immediately copied Niklaus' actions and retook their seats in silence. And Kol flashed towards one of the many cabinets, took out their pensieve, and then put it on the center of their round table. "It's ready to use, Elijah" he announced after touching the rune that activated it.

Unlike the ordinary pensieve, designed to be used by wand-wielders, theirs had been crafted especially for magical races who didn't use wands. It was very rare and ten times more expensive than the ordinary one but that hadn't been a problem for them. After all, his family had always prided itself on having only the best, especially when it came to magical artifacts as useful as this one.

Elijah marched towards the table and put both of his hands on the pensieve. Instantly, he felt how the magic in the artifact started to pull at his memories, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on what had happened early that day. He relived everything that had occurred since the moment he'd arrived at the abandoned mansion, not leaving anything out, not even his fight – and shameful defeat – with the two vampires who acted as the protectors of the human doppelgänger. When it was finally over, he opened his eyes in time to see how the artifact lighted-up with the familiar silvery substance to signal that the memories had been copied and transferred successfully.

Satisfied, Elijah took a couple of steps back as his siblings crowded around the artifact, not wasting a moment longer than necessary to submerge themselves in the memories on it. And because the memories only covered a couple of hours at most, it didn't take very long before they were all back on the real world.

"It's true… She's really alive. Our sister is back-"

"How dare that stupid cow to threaten our sister-"

"Our little sister looked quite happy, didn't she-"

"We've to go to her. Immediately…. We can't waste any more time-"

"No." He declared firmly, effectively silencing them all "We can't go to her. Not yet."

At once, his siblings turned towards him, their expressions ranging from surprise to murderous rage. There was no mistake in the promise of unmeasurable pain and bloodshed on some of their eyes – Niklaus especially – but Elijah remained unmoved. After all, he needed to remain calm and focused if their family was to succeed.

"What do you mean no?!" Rebekah demanded, indignation and fury coating every single one of her words "Our sister is out there! She's surrounded by a new doppelgänger whore and her stupid band of friends, and you want us to do nothing?!"

"Our little sister needs us, Elijah!" Finn argued, lips pursed with barely controlled ire "She looks young, probably barely out of school… And that means she won't know how to defend herself, not against so many of them… We're her family, it's our duty to protect her!"

"Why?" Niklaus demanded in a low and threatening growl as he flashed towards him. "Why would you-"

A loud scoff cut Niklaus mid-rant. Surprised, they all turned around to stare at Kol. His little brother was shaking his head in clear exasperation as he sneered mockingly at them with an echoed of his usual smirk. "Did you even hear yourselves? My god, you need to stop and think for a moment! Ingrid is alive, yes. But she clearly doesn't remember her old life, or she would have reacted differently to the new doppelgänger."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Niklaus hissed, quickly changing the target to his ire as he menacingly advanced towards their little brother "Tatia and Katerina were barely relevant to her. Of course their doppelganger won't make her remember. They weren't as important to Ingrid as us. She will remember us…" She will remember me, he didn't say, but they all heard it loud and clear.

"For the love of-" Kol cut himself, visibly trying to calm his temper "What do you think is going to happen, Nik? That she will see you, the great love of her life, and suddenly all her past memories will come back? ….Do you really think love works that way?"

Elijah understood what was going to happen a split of a second before it happened, but he still reacted too late to stop Niklaus from throwing himself at Kol. Luckily, Finn was faster than him and managed to trap their brother in his arms. "Enough, Niklaus!" his older brother demanded after seeing how Niklaus kept fighting him in an effort to break free. "We gain nothing in fighting among ourselves!"

"Did you hear what he just say?!" Niklaus snarled outraged, glaring viciously at their little brother.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true, Nik!" Kol argued, glaring right back at him. "Besides, do you need me to remind you that you weren't the only one who lost her?"

"It's not the same!" he spat "She's the love of my life! My wife!"

"And she's our sister! She was family before anything else!" Something cracked in Kol's expression as he added almost in a whisper "She's practically my twin sister, Nik. I've loved her all my life... But you don't see me rushing out of here believing that she will remember me just because of that... Love is not a magical cure for memory loss, you've to know that."

Niklaus' fury died out after hearing that, his face twisting in pain as he was unable to refute what Kol had said. And the rest of them stood frozen in their spots, absorbing the news in a silence filled with tension and unspoken words. But then, suddenly, Rebekah was moving, planting herself in the middle of them with a fierce expression. "But that's impossible… After all, you told us Ingrid was going to be reborn with her memories." She accused to Kol, scowling "We asked you before we did the ritual and you said the reincarnation progress wasn't going to affect her memories."

"And that still holds true, but it doesn't mean she will remember us."

"As per usual, you are not making any sense, brother."

Kol rolled his eyes at Finn's words, visibly exasperated. But, after a moment, he regained control of his temper and sighed. "Fine, how about this… For most, if you talk about memory and soul, you're talking about two completely different things. Memory is something that's linked to the mind of the physical body, and a soul is something that exists beyond all planes of existence... But that changes if the particular individual is touched by magic in a significant way because then the soul and the magic of the individual become one. And magic always creates an imprint of the individual that wields it."

"An imprint" Elijah mused in consideration, as he analyzed everything his brother had said at a fast pace. "And that imprint carries an echo of the past memories of the individual."

"Exactly" Kol grinned, nodding at his words "And Ingrid's case is even more peculiar because she lived for almost seven centuries and she was an occlumency master…. So her memories were definitely a part of her magic and, therefore, a part of her soul…"

"But if that's the case then-"

"She was reborn exactly as she was in her past life." Kol reminded them with a clear and pointed emphasis "The ritual I created… What we did… It had never been attempted before, not in that way. And after I review my notes on everything, I came to the conclusion that there were only two possible outcomes for her memories. One, she could have been born with active access to all her past memories since the beginning, which clearly isn't the case… Or her past memories would have been locked in the deepest part of her mind, where she could never actively and consciously reach them."

"But if her past memories are there, then there's a way to make her remember" Niklaus insisted, he'd calmed enough that Finn had finally released him but their older brother remained close in case he needed to intervene again.

"Of course… But it won't be easy. And she will need to trust us with the secrets of her mind, implicitly and wholeheartedly, before we can try to do anything. Otherwise, we can end up ravaging her mind to the point of no repair."

Niklaus took a step back as if he'd been struck. "I would never do that to her… I would carve my heart out with my bare hands before I would even contemplate the idea of harming her in such a way."

"Then you understand why I find myself, surprisingly, in agreement with Elijah on this. We can't rush out of here to see her…. At least not without some sort of plan."

To Elijah's relief, the rest of his siblings nodded as they all retook their seats like the civilized people they were supposed to be. As he took his seat, he allowed himself a small and private smile, knowing the worst was over. Now that everyone was on the same page on the matter – which was pretty rare in itself, as it hadn't happened in decades – they could start to plan how to go forward.

"What I don't understand is why you didn't want to go after Ingrid right away, Elijah" Finn commented, pinning him down with a narrowed stare. "You didn't know all this stuff about her past memories, so why….?"

"Mostly because it was obvious she doesn't have her past memories and I thought it would be prudent if everyone understood that before we came face to face with her." Elijah answered, not bothering to mention that his motivation had been based on the fact that he'd wanted to protect their feelings, as he'd wanted his siblings – and perhaps himself as well – to be prepared before any encounter. "But also because there's something that doesn't make sense about Ingrid's presence in Mystic Falls"

"It's a muggle town." Niklaus understood, nodding in consideration.

"Exactly" he agreed.

As Finn had pointed out, their sister looked barely out of school. And he couldn't think of a single reason why a recent Hogwarts – maybe Ilvermorny? – graduated had decided to turn her back on her society and settle down in a muggle town. Not when the magical world was designed to keep its members as far away as possible from everything related to the non-magical world.

"You think she was reborn without her magic?" Rebekah asked, unsettled by the turn of the conversation.

"Impossible" Kol protested immediately "Her magic is one of the reasons the reincarnation worked. She wouldn't be alive if she didn't possess her magic."

"Maybe she's hiding from something?" Finn mused, contemplative "Or someone?"

Elijah nodded, as he'd already considered that possibility. "Which bring us to Katerina's involvement in all this." And he wasn't surprised in the slightest when that name was enough to bring frowns and sneers in all of their faces.

"What does that harlot have to with anything?" Rebekah demanded immediately, pursing her lips in disapproval "Our sister would never lower herself to fraternize with her."

"Maybe not voluntarily"

Finn pursed his lips. "You think Katerina Petrova is somehow manipulating our little sister?"

"It's a possibility… Otherwise, why is our sister in that town? And why the human doppelgänger thinks she's allied with her?"

"I can't believe that." Kol argued immediately. "Even without her memories, our sister is powerful enough to hold her own against Katerina. She would never let herself be controlled in such a way."

"Maybe but-"

"A vampire under Katerina's orders is currently seeking me out to make a deal for her life." Niklaus cut him off, a heavy and furious frown marring his features.

There was a shocked pause as they all absorbed that piece of news and then…

"What the bleeding hell, Nik-?"

"Why did you waited until now to tell us-?"

"How could you keep this from us-?"

"Enough!" Elijah bellowed, silencing them all. He turned to his right and glared at his brother with all the simmering anger he was feeling. "Niklaus, you've ten seconds to start explaining yourself or I will make sure you'll regret it."

It was clear for all of them that the order rankled on his brother, as he'd never been one to let himself being ordered, not even for them, but the importance of the matter was such that, after a moment, he decided to let it pass. "I didn't think it was a big deal when it happened… It didn't even occur to me to think that it could be linked to Ingrid in some way, or I would have sent the call… I promise I haven't forgotten the vow we all made before we went on our separate ways." Niklaus assured them.

When all their common causes had been fought and won, and the dust had finally settled after Ingrid's death, they'd been forced to confront their unwelcome new family reality. As a consequence, they'd ended up clashing among themselves more than ever, even over the simpler of matters. And, as the years came and went, and the cracks in their relationship did nothing but grew, they'd been forced to realize that they all needed a little space between them. So, a century and a half ago, they'd done what, once, they promised to never do and went on their separated ways.

But no before adding a new vow to their original one.

They would stand together, protecting each other as they'd done since they were human, because even if they were separated across oceans and continents, there was nothing more important for them than family. And therefore, they were all bound to answer if one of them sent a call for a family meeting. Furthermore, they were also bound to tell the others if something of particular importance, concerning their family, had come to their attention.

After all, nothing on this earth could break their original vow.

Family above all else.

Always and forever.

Elijah inspected his brother's expression and found nothing that indicated a deception, so he nodded in acceptance to his words. "Well, then… What does Katerina want?"

"I don't know for certain as I yet to talk with the vampire under her orders but, knowing Katerina, I would bet the trade involves Ingrid in some way." Niklaus said, shrugging with forced casualness.

"We need more information then." Finn summarized. "It's imperative that you talk with this vampire as soon as possible."

"That may solve the Katerina problem but it doesn't gave us enough information about everything else that's happening on that little town."

"Well, we've got an obvious source there. After all, didn't the two of you crossed paths with one of the doppelgänger's groupies?"

"Yeah, in the twenties… Nothing remarkable happened though, and he doesn't remember if you know what I mean-"

"So, you can't influence him?"

"Not likely. Especially if he's wrapped around the finger of that whore as those memories indicated..."

"We need to find another source then-"

"But that would mean we'll have to come out to the spotlight-"

"We are in agreement then?" Elijah asked, interrupting the fast pacing exchange "That we require a carefully crafted plan about the way we'll take to go forward? And that we'll follow said plan as a family, united once more against everything and everyone that stood on the way?"

The first one to respond was Finn, who nodded solemnly. "We need to stand together as family."

Rebekah was next. "As long as we get our sister back and we wiped out that blasted Petrova line in the process, you'll have my whole support."

Kol grinned, bright and mischievous. "For our sister, I would do anything, you know that."

Not so surprising, Niklaus was the last to speak. And when he did, he did it with the ghost of a familiar smirk curling on his lips. "I've waited more than three centuries to see her face to face once more... I can wait a few more days if it means I'll get to spend the rest of eternity with her."

"Then it's time to plan" Elijah announced, lips curled in a pleased smile.

They all exchanged similar smiles at that, full of anticipation and deviousness. And soon enough, his family was doing what they knew to do best.

Plotting to win…

…And to annihilate everything that stood in the path of absolute victory.


&&&/06/&&&


"...Can I ask you something?" Tyler asked as he changed his sitting position for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes.

They were both sitting on the rug of her music room, and they'd been sitting there for almost an hour as Aria guided Tyler through the first steps of learning the art of occlumency. She'd chosen that room, with its big glass wall connecting to the back garden and modern decoration, because – in her honest and completely unbiased opinion – it was the most relaxing and soothing room in her house. And, honestly, she needed all the help she could get to teach a teenager werewolf with anger issues how to clear his mind.

"You can ask me anything you want, Tyler." Aria smiled, trying to sound and look as reassuringly as possible "After all, we're family now."

The werewolf smiled at that, a bit shy but mostly pleased.

It'd been three days since Tyler had activated his curse, and two since she'd sat him down and explained everything he needed to know about her real identity, the magical world, and everything that had been going on in Mystic Falls in the last couple of months. And, for the latter, she'd received a little bit of help from Caroline, who had been all too happy to share the specific details of everything that had happened.

To say that Tyler's reaction had been an explosive bag of emotions would have been an understatement. He'd been awed, humbled, and dumbfounded in equal measures at everything related to the magical world, including her personal role in it. And he'd been beyond touched – and maybe a bit surprised too – at her offer to make him her ward – and, therefore, her family – but he'd hadn't hesitated to accept, especially after he'd learned that Teddy carried the werewolf gene too. However, for all that, his fury after learning what Damon had done to Caroline and Mason had been an impressive sight to behold. As it was, she was pretty sure that the only reason Tyler hadn't gone and done something recklessly crazy, like revealing himself as he attacked Damon Salvatore, was because she'd stuck his butt to a chair until he'd calmed down.

It'd taken a long while though.

Luckily, between Caroline's reassurances that she was fine now and Aria's promise that she would never allow something like to happen again, Tyler's fury had died down. Mostly. Or at least enough for him to be able to focus on something else. Like the ceremony to bond them as magical guardian and ward.

And the day before they'd done just that.

Now, if she focused, she could feel the three tethers that existed on her magical core. Teddy's was the oldest and strongest; a brilliant and near indestructible bond that tied them together as mother and son. Once, that bound had only existed because they were magical guardian and ward, godmother and godson; but their bond had changed, almost tripling in strength and power, after she'd blood-adopt him. In comparison, her bonds with Caroline and Tyler felt new, as the magic in them was still adapting to the connection that had been created between them. But even then, she could feel how bright and potent they were, and she knew in her heart that those bonds would become incredibly powerful with a little more time and patience.

So when she smiled in encouragement at Tyler, she didn't do it because she sympathized with his situation or because he was Caroline's childhood friend, she did it because she looked at him and her magic sang the word 'family'. And she would do anything for her family.

"It's just… I've been wondering something about Teddy" Tyler started, hesitantly.

"Oh?"

"He looks like you. A lot." He blurted out in a rush.

"Ah." She nodded in understanding, already knowing what he was going to ask. She'd been expecting his question since she'd told him the truth about the nature of her relationship with Teddy, especially after he'd seen all the magical photos of the two of them together that she kept on her house. "And you want to know how it's possible if he's only my adopted son."

Tyler nodded, more relaxed after not seeing any bad reaction on her part. "You said he was the biological son of your father's best friend and your godfather's niece so he shouldn't look like you… Unless it's because of his special ability? ...What did you say it was called? He's metamorphous?"

"He's a metamorphmagus" she corrected gently "And no. It's not because of that…. I mean, if Teddy wanted, he could make himself look like anyone he wanted – though he still needs a little more time and experience to fully control it – but no, it's not that. He really just looks like me."

"How?"

"It's because of the magic on the blood-adoption." After seeing Tyler's blank expression, Aria realized she needed to explain this exactly like how Neville had once explained to her. "Okay, let see… Something you've to know is that blood has a special value in the magical world. It's the thing that separated all the magical beings from the rest. You, Caroline, Teddy, Kreacher, me, we all have one thing in common: we carry magic in our blood. Some can actively wield it, like wand-wielders, house-elves and goblins; and others cannot, like vampires or muggle werewolves. But, no matter what, if you're a magical being, you carry magic in your blood. And that makes blood something very valuable."

Tyler hummed, contemplative. "You said that the war you fought was based on blood prejudice…"

Aria nodded, pleased with the confirmation that he'd been paying attention when she'd told him about it. "Yeah, and it kind of has something to do with what I'm saying…. As I'd told you, our magic is in our blood. A magical being is as strong as the magic in their blood... And because of that, there are some people who believe that muggle blood weakens the power of our magic. That, and their natural dislike towards muggles, makes them see as inferior those who are born from parents without magic."

"You aren't one of those people." Tyler guessed, lifting an eyebrow.

"Of course not." She said immediately, wrinkling his nose indignantly at the very thought "...I mean, don't get me wrong. Blood magic is one of the most powerful types of magic in existence and I would be a fool to deny the power and importance of each of the magical bloodlines… That said, I don't believe your blood defines you, much less who your parents are."

She would be a hypocrite and an utter dimwit to think otherwise.

After all, Aria was not only the daughter of a muggleborn witch but one of her best friends was one too, and both of them were considered to be the brightest witches of their respective generation. Not only that, but people like Gregory Goyle – who couldn't master the simplest of spells even when he was a pureblood – were perfect examples that blood purity didn't signify powerful magic. And even beyond that, after growing up neglected and abused at the hands of her own blood, it was an aberration to even consider the idea that blood family could define you in some way.

Being blood-related to someone wasn't the same as being family, Life had taught her that early on.

In front of her, Tyler was nodding. "Okay, I get it. I think… But I still don't understand what any of this had to do with Teddy's appearance."

"I was getting to it." Aria promised, amused "Anyway, because of the importance of the blood, preserving the magical bloodlines has been one of the things sought since ancient times…"

"Uh?"

"The magical world doesn't care about things like the gender of your partner, they only care about the continuation of the bloodline." Actually, that was one of the things that had worsened the relationships between the magical and non-magical people, as the prejudice for same-gender couples was something still present in the non-magical society while the magical communities had accepted it since ancient times. "For that to happen, rituals of all kinds were created... And one of the most popular methods discovered was the blood-adoption."

"You said you'd blood-adopted Teddy" he realized, frowning "But, what does that mean?"

"A blood-adoption is a ritual in which someone shares their blood and magic with a child, adopting them as their parent and making them an official member of their family… When you blood-adopt someone, they become your biological child." She explained, enjoying Tyler's stunned expression "In most cases that means erasing all the traces of the birth-parents. But, in Teddy's case, I modified the ritual to add me as one of his parents, so, right now, he has three biological parents. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, and me."

"But that's… that's…. that doesn't make any sense!" Tyler spluttered "Genetics doesn't work that way! It's impossible!"

"Oh, Tyler… Nothing it's impossible with magic. Not really." She said, shrugging. Unlike Hermione, who had argued for hours about the impossibility of the biological aspects of it, Aria had long ago accepted that anything was possible in the magical world. "…Anyway, Teddy looks mostly like me because when I adopted him, I made him my blood-heir, the heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and Magic made sure he would look like an heir of my line."

Tyler tilted his head to the side as he studied her, and the sudden glint on his dark eyes reminded her not to underestimate the intelligence of the newest addition to her family because he hid a cunning side behind his explosive temper. "You said you didn't care about blood…"

"I don't." She confirmed.

"Then why did you blood-adopted Teddy? Why not a normal adoption?"

"Because, even if I didn't need a blood connection to love him like a son, Teddy needed that reassurance. And I wasn't about to deny him that." Aria sighed, as she tried to think on how to summarize what she wanted to say in the most gentle and precise way. "Teddy is a very powerful metamorphmagus. But his abilities are linked to his magic core, which is still young and immature. So it's not recommended that he should consciously morph his features for prolonged periods of time because it can lead to magical exhaustion… And yet, when he was about five, he did that. All the time. He changed his hair to black, or his eyes to emerald green or other things like that because…"

"….Because he wanted to look like you" Tyler completed in a whisper, his expression full of sympathy and understanding.

"Yeah"

She wasn't proud of the fact she hadn't realized it right away. Andromeda had liked to compare Teddy's abilities to Tonks, gushing to gush about how most of Tonks' accidental magic had manifested in the use of her metamorphmagus abilities. So she hadn't thought much about the fact that Teddy was always sporting some feature that made him resemble her. At least not until he'd had started using his abilities non-stop to make them look alike after they'd left England, and he'd ended up fainting due to a mild case of magical exhaustion.

Aria would never forget what he'd said to her after she'd confronted him about it. 'But you're my mum!' he'd cried, lips wobbling and tears running through his cheeks 'I want to look like you! Why won't you let me?'

And well, there hadn't been much she could have said to that. Instead, she'd blood-adopted him the very next day and had never once regretted it.

"Okay, that explains it then." Tyler said, quickly changing the subject even though she could clearly see that he still had questions about it. "With the full moon only a few days away, I've been thinking about my first transformation… You said it would be painful."

"It will be." She confirmed, not even trying to lie to him in an effort to not scare him, as it wasn't going to benefit him in the long run. Not when he needed to understand exactly what was going to happen if he was to thrive as a werewolf. "All the bones in your body are going to break as you change into a wolf. And because this will be the first time you'll go through the transformation, it would take longer than normal."

Tyler stared at her, paled and obviously frightened.

"Hey" Aria said, catching his attention by crossing the distance between them to put her hand over his. "I know all of this sounds terrifying. But it won't be as bad as you fear. The potion I'm going to give you is going to mute some of the pain, and my presence – the presence of a member of your pack – will ease the difficulty of the transformation." Despite her words, she could still see the simmering anxiety shining in his eyes. "Tyler, what did I tell you when I gave you your necklace?"

Instantly, his hand went to the necklace she'd given him after she'd officially become his magical guardian. It consisted of a sturdy black cord with a large baby dragon fang hanging from it. On itself, the necklace was pretty valuable but – like Caroline's bracelet – its importance was on all the runes she'd drawn on it, specially designed to protect him and alert her in case of an emergency.

"You said we were family now" he told her, lifting his eyes to look her directly.

"And for me, that means I will protect you with my life." She vowed in all seriousness, gently squeezing his hand "So I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure your transformations are as painless as possible, ok?"

For a long while, he just stared at her, trying to determine the truth of her words. But, finally, something relaxed in his position as he nodded solemnly. His dark brown eyes were calm when he finally returned her gesture and squeezed her hand back. "Ok."

Aria beamed, and her grin only widened after he didn't hesitate to smile back. However, when the moment passed, she decided to return to her original cross-legged position, knowing it was time to bring them back to their original purpose. "Now, we really need to continue your occlumency lesson-"

Her words died down as she felt her connection with the wards on her property flare-up. Curious, she slightly cocked her head to the side as she focused on her wards. Someone – a human – had just crossed the perimeter of the external wards, the ones she'd placed in the outside of her land to serve as a warning. Whoever this person was, she knew – thanks to her wards – that they were coming to her house with the intention of seeking her out, and that they didn't have any ill-intentions towards her. But there was something else. Something just barely under the surface… Ah. They weren't exactly human after all. They were wiccan.

And, as far as she knew, there was only one wiccan currently residing in Mystic Falls.

"Bonnie is coming here right now" She announced, mentally debating with herself for a second before sending a mental order so the wards would permit that the girl got in her actual property.

Tyler blinked and then, much to her amusement, he visibly sniffed a couple of times. "I can't smell her... But then again, who needs super senses when you got magic at your disposal."

"You have magic too"

"You know what I mean" he protested, grumbling a little at her not-so-subtle grin. "What do you think she wants?"

"I've no idea. But maybe-"

Kreacher chose that moment to pop into the middle of the room. And, while that wasn't something new, the maniac grin on his face certainly was. Especially when – due to their bond and the house-elf's wards he'd put in place – he definitely knew a wiccan witch was coming to the house. But before she could say something about it, Caroline flashed into the room.

"Oh, man! I lost!" the blond exclaimed, pouting at the even bigger grin on Kreacher's smug face.

"Mistress' half-breed friend is not as fast as Kreacher"

Aria blinked. Once. Twice. And then three times. Because Caroline's appearance made no sense whatsoever. Her gym clothes, which had been in a pristine condition an hour before, were now torn up on parts, burned upon others and the rest of her clothes were stained in blood red.

"The hell, Forbes? What happened?" Tyler demanded, stunned and aghast on equal measures.

"I've to concur here… What happened?" she demanded, her gaze going from Kreacher to Caroline "You were supposed to be learning how to avoid magical attacks."

"I was" Caroline beamed, bright and proud.

"Kreacher did as Mistress asked. He taught the half-breed how to survive against a magical foe." He agreed, still oozing smugness.

Aria opened her mouth, intended on demanding the details of what had happened but she caught sight of the proud glint on Caroline's eyes, who was smiling from ear to ear despite her alarming appearance, and decided to not say anything. No one had gotten permanently hurt, Caroline didn't seem traumatized by the experience and Kreacher was practically beaming. Well, then. She could live without knowing all the details. At least for now.

She sighed.

"Okay… We've other things to discuss" she said, focusing her attention on Caroline "I suppose you still want to keep our relationship a secret?" she asked, just to be sure. Despite the fact that Elena's gang of friends were aware of her friendship with the blonde, they didn't know how close they really were or that Caroline spend almost all her time outside school with her. And for what Aria knew, the blonde wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"Yes" Caroline nodded, her face adopting a rare kind of solemnity "It will better that way."

Despite being curious, Aria decided not to press the subject. "In that case, the three of you need to stay in here while I talk to Bonnie." she said, receiving thee nods in return, even if Kreacher didn't look particularly happy about it.

As in cue of her words, the bell of the house rang loud and clear, alerting them that the visitor had finally arrived. So, without further ado, Aria made her way to open the front door. Finding Bonnie on the other side wasn't a surprise. Though, she'd got to admit to being curious about the nervous but determinate expression on the young wiccan's face.

"Hello Bonnie"

"Hi Aria" she greeted back and, after a long inhalation of breath, she said "Uh, may I come in? I want to talk about something with you."

"Sure. Come in."

Aria guided her to the living room, making extra sure to not touch the teen. Even if she'd placed notice-me-not spells on her magic and everything single magical thing on her house, including the wards, to make sure anyone who didn't know the secret didn't note the magic, she wasn't willing to take unnecessary risks by touching the young wiccan.

When they arrived at her living room, she waited until the teenager took her seat before sitting in her favorite armchair. In the privacy of her mind, she couldn't help but compare this situation with the visit the Salvatore brothers had paid her all those weeks ago. Because while she didn't believe Bonnie was a threat in the same category as the two vampires, she was still wary of her. And she definitely didn't trust her.

"So... what did you want to talk about?"

Bonnie stared at her for a moment, seemingly thinking her words before she blurted out. "I know you're a witch. And I know you know I'm one too… You and I, we're the same."

Well, that wasn't exactly true. She was a wand-wielder witch and Bonnie was a wiccan witch, and, therefore, they weren't the same. Not by a long shot. But she couldn't tell her that to the teenager seated in front of her. Not when doing so will risk the secrecy of the magical world. And, for that reason, Aria decided that remaining quiet was the best course of action for the moment.

"Stefan and Damon mentioned that you were really powerful and experienced even if you're not really that much older than me." Bonnie persisted "And I've been thinking this last few days that maybe you can teach me… I mean… My gram taught me the basics before she died and I've been learning on my own but I… I just want to learn more magic, you know?"

She did.

She understood more than she cared to admit what it was to yearn to know more about the wonders of magic, especially when you were so new at it. And it was for this exact same reason she'd once considered the idea of approaching Bonnie and offering to teach her. After all, even if their kinds could not be more different, magic was still magic, and Aria knew enough about a wiccan witch's power that she could still teach Bonnie how to control her powers.

But she wasn't in the position to take Bonnie under her wing. Not anymore.

"I'm sorry" she said at last "But I can't teach you."

"Why?" Bonnie demanded immediately "I promise I won't cause you any problems-"

"It doesn't have anything to do with that" she affirmed, cutting her off.

There were multiple reasons why she couldn't teach Bonnie.

Like the fact that she would be toying with the line drawn by the Statute of Secrecy about the stance of the magical world on wiccans. The Statute had declared that, in general, non-magical people should be kept in the dark about their world but it'd allowed some very, very specific exceptions, which could only be applied if the national law of the specific country wasn't against it. A clear example of that had been the possibility of revealing their world to a non-magical individual if you marry them, as the vast majority of the countries in the American continent had had bans against such marriages. And most of the said bans hadn't had been lifted until after the defeat of Grindelwald.

However, the Statute had also decreed that none of the exceptions applied if the non-magical person was a wiccan. Because if that was the case, it was completely forbidden any kind of reveal. Not to mention that, specifically for wand-wielder, the Statute had made created a universal law that stated they were banned from forming any kind of relationships – much less the ones that were romantic in nature – with wiccans, because the risk of discovery was too great to allow it. Any relationship with a wiccan was equivalent to treason for the wizarding governments of their world, and was suitably punished according to it.

And yet, not-so-long-ago, Aria had contemplated the idea of risking all that to help Bonnie. Because she'd seen her – so young and inexperienced, and yet so determined to use her gift – and she'd felt a little tempted on helping her. She'd even talked with Teddy about it.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Because Caroline and Tyler were the real reason why she couldn't help Bonnie. The two of them – a vampire and a werewolf – were a part of her family, and therefore they were under her protection. And she wasn't about to let a wiccan near them when they didn't know how to protect themselves yet, not when wiccans had a history of deep hatred against their kinds that was twenty times worse than anything seen in the magical world. Especially because Bonnie, who'd already used her magic to aid the Salvatore brothers in schemes that had hurt them in some way before, had proven time and time again that she'd decided to walk on the same path as her ancestors.

And Aria wasn't about to start training her and increasing the level of threat she represented.

"I could never teach someone with such a narrowed down view of the world" And she was speaking the truth, even if that wasn't the most important part of it. "You believe that just because you're a witch and your best friend is human, you're automatically the good guys. And you're blinded to the fact that your hands are as bloody as the hands of the so called bad guys."

Bonnie opened her mouth, probably to protest, but she lifted her hand and stopped her before she could say anything. "And, please, don't try to deny it…. I know enough about what had been going on in this town to be sure that, even if you haven't killed anyone directly, you've looked to the other way while other people got killed or hurt. You've even assisted in some cases."

"That's not true! I've never harmed a human!"

She titled her head, catching the very specific wording. "Yeah? And what about those who aren't human? Are they automatically evil just because of that?"

"Vampires are an abomination of nature" Bonnie declared with venom "And werewolves are no much better."

"So you would condemn two whole races that had lived on this earth for who knows how long, just because you believe their existence offends nature." Aria scoffed, not bothering to disguise her disapproval, and maybe even a little of disdain. "And you're so blinded by this that you've turned your back on one of your best friends."

She knew her words had hit home when she saw Bonnie flinch but the girl didn't lose her stubborn gaze and Aria understood it was a lost cause. Now, more than ever, it was evident to her that she would never be able to trust Bonnie Bennett.

"I won't teach you and I'm not changing my mind on the matter" she declared firmly, staring directly into her eyes "So I think it would be for the best if you leave."

For a moment, she was sure Bonnie was going to keep arguing about it. But the girl finally lowered her eyes and nodded sharply. "Yeah, maybe that's for the best." And, without saying anything else, she got up and left the room at a fast pace.

Aria stayed in her seat, still tense and wary, until the wards alerted her that Bonnie had left her property. Only then, safe in the knowledge that any potential threat was over for the moment, she rose to her feet and went looking for her little family. It was time to resume their lessons.

After all, Teddy was going to arrive the next day and the full moon would fall in three days.

They didn't have time to waste.


&&&/06/&&&


"Are we sure we can trust her?" Damon demanded, pacing in the center of the room.

For once, Stefan seemed to be in agreement with his older brother. His expression was troubled, even if he'd opted to remain seated by her side. "It's true that we don't know what her intentions are… Besides, she kidnapped you a couple of days ago, Elena."

"I'm right here, you know. Even if I were human, I would still be able to hear you loud and clear" Rose said, rolling her eyes from her position on the armchair by the open windows.

Elena considered the vampire in silence as she organized her thoughts.

The truth was that she hadn't known how to react when the vampire had shown up in the boarding house and had offered them her assistance. Because, while Rose's attitude had softened, she still acted rather cold and aloof towards her. But then, Elena could still remember how devastated Rose had been at Trevor's fate, the way she'd fallen to the ground and cried after Elijah had killed him. And maybe her attitude had less to do personally with her and more with the fact that she was still mourning her friend.

Besides, now that the entrance of the tomb was completely sealed – and they still didn't know how that had happened – Elena was unable to talk to Katherine and find answers to her multiple questions, at least not until Bonnie found a way to open it again. And, in the privacy of her own mind, Elena could admit to being a little desperate about the truth behind what exactly had happened with Katherine all those centuries ago, what was the truth behind the Sun and Moon curse, and what was her particular role – as the doppelgänger – in all of it.

"Rose is in our side now" she declared firmly, smiling in the direction of said vampire "I believe in her."

At her words, Rose stared at her with her eyebrows raised, but she didn't say anything to her, opting to focus her attention on Stefan and Damon. "You might not believe in my intentions, but the truth is that I'm the only one who knows what's about to come… And, if you want to survive the upcoming storm, I suggest that you shut up and listen before I get tired and leave this damn town to save me of all this trouble."

Damon scowled at Rose's words but remained silent after a quick look from Stefan, who was staring at the female vampire with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "You said before that Elena's in danger… But in danger of what? Elijah is dead."

"You've been alive for over a century and a half and you haven't heard of them? Elijah is an original." Rose said, staring at Stefan in horrified incredulity "He can't be killed. None of the originals can."

"That's bullshit" Damon scoffed "I staked him in the chest. He's dead…. No vampire can survive that."

"He's an original" Rose insisted, looking extremely irritated. "They aren't normal vampires."

Elena sat up straighter, as she remembered something she'd learned when she'd been kidnapped by Rose and Trevor. "You said before that the originals were something like vampire royalty"

"What?" Damon sneered "There's not such a thing as-"

"Something like that." Rose concurred, ignoring completely the elder Salvatore "They are the oldest and strongest vampires in existence. They can't be killed. And their word is as good as law."

"What a load of crap" Damon spat, crossing his arms.

Rose actually looked affronted at the words, as if they'd offended her on a personal level. "So you're telling me that you've never heard about them? Not even once?"

"I have heard stories about them before" Stefan said, taking Damon and Elena by surprise. Her boyfriend was frowning as he stared at Rose, and she detected a glint of anxiety in his eyes. "But I always thought the rumors were just that… Because what I heard sounded like things out of myths."

"Everything you've heard about them is true" Rose assured him "Believe me, I worked for them for almost two decades before I was forced to go on the run. I know how real and powerful they truly are."

And when she thought about it, Elena felt something akin to dread settled on her stomach as she realized what that meant for her. "So the oldest vampires in existence are coming for me."

"Yes" Rose confirmed, finally looking at her in the eye. "You're the Petrova doppelgänger. The key of breaking the curse… And now that the originals know you exist, they won't rest until you lie at their feet, dead."

The words were said in a harsh and brutal tone that they painted perfectly clear a horrible picture filled with blood, and Elena couldn't help but shiver as she dreaded what awaited her in the future. At her side, Stefan was quick to put an arm around her and draw her to his chest. "It's going to be alright" he promised, kissing her temple "We're going to protect you."

Rose scoffed, loudly. "Nothing you'll do will save her. The girl is already a walking corpse."

It seemed that was too much for Damon, who snarled as he flashed towards Rose, pinning her by the neck to the bookcase on the other side of the room. "Talk about Elena like that again and I'll kill you." He spat.

Faster than her human's eyes could follow, Rose broke free of Damon's hold and impaled him in the stomach with a book. He howled in pain, toppling over his feet as his hands went to his midsection in an effort to remove the book. But Rose didn't let him move, pulling both of his arms behind his back with one of her hands and forcing Damon to look up to her with the other. "I'm over five hundred years old, you're nothing but a baby vampire to me. So, I would advise you to not make threats you are incapable of fulfilling" she advised, still calm and collected, as if Damon wasn't bleeding so much that a pool of blood had already formed at their feet, and completely ignoring the fact that Stefan had risen to his feet, body tense and ready to attack. "And, on that thought, let's make something clear. Don't mistake me for someone who's going to stand by and let you treat them as you please. Touch me again and I will rip your heart out…. Do you understand?" When Damon refused to answer, Rose plunged another book in him, this time on his collarbone, making him choke on his own blood. After a few tense moments, and with deliberate slowness, Rose removed the book from the elder Salvatore's collarbone. "I said… Do you understand?"

"Yes" he croaked with a murderous glare.

"Good" she said, releasing him completely. Turning her back on him, she focused once more on Stefan. "I hope I was clear enough for you too" Her boyfriend nodded in silence to her words. Though, his worried gaze was fixed on his brother, who had managed to stand up but was still wincing while his wounds healed themselves.

"You said… You said I was already as good as dead" Elena found herself saying when it became obvious nobody else was going to speak "If you truly believe that then, why are you here?"

"Because I want to avoid a repetition of what happened with Katerina Petrova" she answered after a moment, calmly retaking her seat by the windows. "I want to make sure no innocent blood is spilled in vain"

"I don't understand" Elena frowned in confusion "I thought you said I was supposed to be a lost cause?"

Rose scoffed, staring at her with a strange glint in her eyes. "How very Petrova of you, to think you're the only innocent that needs saving."

She dropped her gaze, feeling something hot and uncomfortable burn on her stomach at the mere idea of being similar to Katherine in any way beyond their physical resemble.

"What innocents are you trying to protect then?" Stefan asked, embracing her once more "I thought the curse only required Elena's blood to be broken"

"Mmm, something like that" Rose murmured "But that's not what this is about… Do you know what happened after Katerina escaped the originals?"

"They put a price on her head" Damon answered, rolling his eyes "We knew that already… It's the reason she'd been running for the last five centuries."

"Yes, but that came later… First, Katerina went back to the Bulgarian village where she'd born and grown, and she found that everyone who had lived in it had been killed. Every child, woman, and men were slaughtered. Not for revenge, not to punish her, not even to satiate their vampire's hunger… They all simply died to serve as a message to Katerina."

"What message?" Elena asked in a whisper, afraid of already knowing the answer.

"That the real punishment for her actions would be ten times worse than anything she could have ever imagine" Rose declared, somber "And that's the real reason why Katerina had been running all these centuries. Why everyone who was somehow connected to her escape have been running since then… To avoid that punishment."

Elena gasped, horrified at the very idea of something similar happening to her and her loved ones. Needing some kind of reassurance – anything that would calm the rising terror in her – she turned towards Stefan, but he wasn't looking at her. Her boyfriend seemed to be exchanging a silent conversation with Damon, both of them looking grim.

"So, you see, I'm not here because I think there's a way to save you, Elena Gilbert" Rose calmly announced, looking directly into her eyes "I'm here because, if something isn't done, the streets of this city are going to become rivers of blood, as every single one of the citizens of this city is slaughtered. And, personally, I would like to avoid that… But I don't have the power to do so. The only one who can avoid that it's you, Elena."

The words rang on her head, loud and clear, and even though Elena knew she needed to say something, she found herself unable to speak. At that moment, she couldn't do anything but try to reconcile the fact that, apparently, her survival would mean the death of everyone she loved.


&&&/06/&&&


The whispers followed Teddy as he boarded the Hogwarts Express back to London.

The number of students going back home for the Easter holidays was probably not even half of the school population, but their whispers about him followed him inside the train in the same way it happened in the castle. If anything, they seemed to be louder now that they were outside of the watchful eye of Hogwarts' faculty, especially when it became evident that Teddy was making his way to the farthest carriage available.

"—there, there… do you see him?"

"-man, he's so lucky! I would do anything to be adopted by The-Girl-Who-Conquered!"

"-did you hear? He's always alone"

"-do you think he could get me her autograph?"

"-my cousin told me he's the best of their year! And he's way ahead of the rest of them!"

"-he looks just like her!"

The whispers weren't something new, as they'd started from the second he'd put a foot inside of Hogwarts and seemed to only grow as the months went by. So, Teddy did what he'd been doing for months and held his head high as he walked, pretending to not see the way people pointed at him or to not hear the murmured conversations that started as soon as somebody saw him. And, just as a precaution, he also made sure to walk a little faster if someone looked particularly determined to seek him out. As he didn't want a repetition of what had happened in his first weeks of school, when a couple of people had followed everywhere – everywhere! – while they pestered with inappropriate and invasive questions about his mum and their life.

Only after he arrived at an empty carriage at the back of the train, and successfully spelled it shut – so nobody but him could open it – did Teddy allowed himself to relax.

He knew he'd promised his mum he was going to try and make some friends. And he'd tried. Really, he had. He'd tried to make conversation with his year mates, had offered his help in their classes, and hadn't locked himself in the Room of Requirement as often as he used to. But – after a couple of weeks of trying – he'd yet to meet someone who didn't stare at his face in fascination – is like they thought that if they stared him hard enough, a lightning bolt scar would appear on his forehead – or someone who didn't ask him about his mum in the first twenty seconds of conversation. And he was tired of keeping a polite face and controlling his temper so he didn't end up punching someone in the face, especially when their comments went way beyond the rude territory and straight to the inappropriate.

After all his effort, he deserved a couple of hours of peace and quiet for himself.

Teddy sighed, leaning his face into the window as he unpacked the package of food Kreacher had delivered him that morning in the privacy of his room.

It wasn't the fact that everyone looked at him and instantly related him to his mum that made him frustrated, exasperated, and maybe all-around furious. Why should it? He loved his mum – she was his favorite person ever – and he loved looking so much like her. And he would never dare to regret being adopted by her, not when that day was one of the happiest days of his life.

No, that wasn't the problem.

The problem was that everyone seemed to see Aria Potter as some Great Savior. They thought of her as the Girl-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Girl-Who-Conquered, and even as the Lady Potter-Black. But they didn't see the real her, the person behind all those titles. Not really.

And that, that was what made him furious.

His mum was so much more than those stupid titles that had done nothing but give her grief all her life. His mum was warmth when she was showing her love through physical affection, or taking under her wing those she considered innocent or defenseless. Freedom when she was in the air, soaring through the skies in her animagus form, or in her broom. Mischief and laughter when she was playing with him, and encouraging Kreacher to have fun with them. Wisdom when she was teaching him new things or researching some complicated thing that had caught her fancy. Bravery when she was standing up for something she believed in.

And for him, his mum was his home, always.

Which was why it infuriated him so much that the people of the magical world couldn't see beyond her stupid titles. They didn't even tried to get to know her. They only wanted Aria Potter, The Hero. No the real her.

And that… that was just unfair.

Because if the people of the magical world tried to see her as a person instead of a legend, then they wouldn't be so interested in everything she did, and then maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal that she had stopped aging at the age of seventeen. And, maybe, that would mean she would be able to stop hiding in the muggle world.

It wasn't like Teddy wanted to stop living as they'd been doing for the last seven years. On the contrary, some of his best memories were of them – his mum, Kreacher, him, and sometimes his uncle Nev – as they had fun exploring new and exciting places, learning new cultures, and getting in trouble as they got lost. Not to mention that he would prefer to avoid prolonged periods of time in the company of people like Molly Weasley, who was a little too interested in his personal tastes and mum's decisions for his liking.

But.

But.

But his mum missed them.

She missed been able to visit them and spent time with them whenever she wanted. She missed not having to rely on letters to talk to those who didn't know about her ageless status. She missed going to the wizarding world without having to disguise herself. She missed life as it was before.

She wasn't unhappy with this new version of her life, Teddy was sure of that, but he was also pretty sure that she missed the freedom of being her without the fear of someone discovering her secret. And it was unfair that she'd to live like that just because the people in the magical world were so caught on her legend that they would never leave her live in peace if they knew the truth.

The whistle of the train brought him back from his brooding thoughts, and he couldn't help but perk up as he saw the station coming closer and closer.

Soon, he would be home.

With growing excitement, he pulled out his weightless trunk – that spell had been one of the first ones his mum had taught him after he'd brought his school supplies – and marched out of the train. And if there was a little spring in his footsteps, well, nobody but him had to know that.

Teddy scanned the faces of the people in the platform, looking for his gran – who was usually the one to pick him up – but he was unable to find her distinctive tall and imposing figure in the sea of unfamiliar faces.

"What kind of welcome is this? No hug for your favorite uncle?"

Surprised, his head snapped in the direction of the familiar voice and he couldn't do anything but gape in surprise at his uncle Neville, who had somehow managed to sneak up on him from behind and was beaming at him from ear to ear.

The surprise didn't last long though.

Without hesitation, he threw himself in the open arms of his second favorite person – his gran was in a solid third position. He loved her a lot but he couldn't talk to her in the same way he could talk with his uncle Nev – as his uncle laughed, returning his hug with the same energy.

"Merlin's pants, kiddo! You've gotten taller!" his uncle said, putting his hands in his shoulders as he carefully inspected him "What's your secret? A let's-get-taller potion?"

Teddy snorted, trying and failing to suppress his smile. "That doesn't exist"

"Of course it does" his uncle affirmed with a grin "It's what you've been drinking to grow up so fast in three months"

There wasn't anything he could do but laugh. "I've missed you, uncle Nev"

"Me too, kiddo" the older man said, his wide beam softening into the familiar fond smile he usually reserved for Teddy or his mum "Which is why I'm really relieved your gran didn't fight me too much when I asked her if I could pick you up. Because, I swear, that woman can be even scarier than my gran when she wants."

Silently, Teddy agreed with him. His gran could be really scary sometimes. Especially when she was arguing about something she felt passionately about. And even if he'd only met with the infamous Lady Augusta Longbottom a handful of times, that had been enough to be sure that she could be as equally scary. Honestly, he'd the impression that someone was bound to end up dead – or worse – if there ever was a fight between the two women.

"This is all your stuff, right?" his uncle asked. At his nod, he wordlessly shrunk his trunk until it was the size of a small chocolate bar and then passing it to him. "Now, it's time to leave"

"Should I activate my ring?" he asked after he'd safely put his trunk in his pocket, unconsciously playing the Potter-Black heir ring he carried on the middle finger of his right hand. His mum had given him the ring after his adoption and he knew it carried a lot of protections, like the one that served as an emergency portkey if he ever needed to get to safety. But the most useful characteristic – at least for him – was the rune that, once activated, made him look completely normal to those ignorant of the magical world.

His uncle Neville shook his head. "It's not necessary. We're going to side-along appear" And, without adding anything else, he grabbed him by his shoulder and the both of them disappeared from the station and appeared in the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Teddy wobbled a bit after appearing but, thanks to the years he'd been doing side-along apparition, he managed to stay upright. He beamed, proud of himself, and his uncle Nev chuckled as he ruffed his turquoise hair.

"Now, I know you're eager to see your mum again and meet your new family members but, do you think you have time to drink a cup of tea with your favorite uncle?"

"Always" he promised sincerely, gaining a fond smile in return.

And so, for the next hour and a half, the two of them sat in the kitchen, drinking tea as they caught up with everything that had happened since they'd seen each other in Christmas vacation. They knew the most important parts – like the new treaty with the goblins that his uncle had been working on, and Teddy's problems to connect with someone of his age in school – because they exchanged letters every couple of days, but it still felt good to just sit down and talk with his uncle about everything and anything. Their conversation was a mix of easy banter and seriousness that was familiar and comforting. His uncle Neville had always been a permanent presence in his life, even after they'd started traveling around the world, and it was too easy to confide in him. To love him as his paternal figure.

"I know it's frustrating but you've to give it time" his uncle advised after Teddy had finally stopped venting about his schoolmates "You'll make friends soon enough, kiddo. You just have to be patient and keep trying."

Teddy snorted. "That sounds like it could take forever"

"Nothing so radical" his uncle's grin morphed into a serious expression "But you've to remember that true friendships aren't born overnight. They require time and patience. And a lot of effort from all parties involved… So, be patient and keep trying, okay?"

"Okay" he sighed "Though, your advice sounds a lot like mum's… Are the two of you coordinating these speeches behind my back?" he asked, genuinely curious. One couldn't know for certain with the two of them.

His uncle threw his head back and laughed "Of course not, kiddo. It's just that your mum and I just think alike for the most part." That was true "And talking about your mum, it's probably time for you to go. I don't want her to start a prank war with me from the other side of the ocean for making you come home too late."

The funny part was that his mum would probably do it, if only to make them all laugh.

"Oh, before I forget, please give Aria this for me" his uncle said, putting a shrunk and sealed metal box on the palm of his hand. At his silent question, he simply said "It's a supply of wolfsbane"

"Oh, right. For Tyler" he nodded, carefully guarding the box in the pocket of his shirt.

"Exactly… Now, be good to your mum and don't forget to write me and tell me all about the newest members of the Potter family, alright?" his uncle said, giving him a fierce hug and passing him an old and ratty shoe "I'll try to escape work and see you off when you return to Hogwarts"

"Okay" he said, grabbing the shoe and feeling how it start to heat in his hands as the count to cero started "See you soon, uncle Nev"

His uncle's smile was the last thing Teddy saw before he felt the portkey yanking him from his navel across space. After a couple of dizzy spins, he tumbled over his feet on the familiar floor of the living room of their house in Mystic Falls.

"Teddy!"

And then a familiar pair of arms were around him, and he couldn't do anything else but lean into her touch, hugging her fiercely as he inhaled her familiar scent – Tulips. Cream and cookies. Parchment. And something else that was purely her – and felt himself relax completely. He was safe and content. There in her arms, he was home.

"Welcome home, little wolf" his mum whispered in his ear, kissing his forehead and then beaming at him.

Her smile was familiar and wonderful in all the best ways. It was the same smile that had accompanied him through his childhood, a smile that said 'I love you' and 'I'm right here for you' at the same time.

"It's good to be back" he said, savoring the moment for a couple of seconds more before letting her go.

It was only then that he noted for the first time the fact that they weren't alone in the room. A couple of feet away, two teenagers – a boy and a girl – were standing together, looking at him with open curiosity. The girl – Caroline – was blonde and beautiful as she smiled from ear to ear at him with nothing but genuine warmth, and he found himself returning her smile without thinking. The boy – Tyler – wasn't smiling like her, but his dark eyes were soft and familiar in a way that called to the latent presence of his wolf.

"My son, Teddy Potter-Black," his mum said in her posh voice, putting her arms in his shoulders "May I introduce you to Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood, my wards and the new members of our family."

It took him probably five seconds too long to react. But, when he did, Teddy crossed the distance between them and threw his arms around both of them without hesitation. He felt them stiffen in surprise at first but, slowly, he felt them return the gesture tentatively "You're my siblings, my family" he declared, feeling how his magic sang at their contact, reaffirming his words. "Welcome to our little, crazy family."


&&&/06/&&&


"So, even after hearing what happened to Katerina's village, Elena Gilbert won't surrender herself to us?" Elijah asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"Why the tone of surprise?" Kol asked his elder brother, more amused than anything else "She's a Petrova doppelgänger. Thinking only about themselves is in their blood."

"Actually, I think she might be tempted to offer herself" Rose-Marie informed them, frowning a little in concentration "But even then, the Salvatore brothers won't let her sacrifice herself. They seem perfectly willing to let the rest of the world burn as long as Elena Gilbert manages to survive."

"Oh, dear. Another pair of fools who have fallen victim to the famous Petrova's allure" Kol mused, barely managing to stop himself from smirking at the way Elijah stiffened next to him at his indirect insult.

Honestly, his brother should felt lucky that Kol was feeling too happy and excited to employ his normal level of mockery when he referred to Elijah's stupidity, and, as a result, it'd been reduced to what could be considered as light teasing. Besides, the three people present had lived to see through Elijah's stupid infatuation with Katerina, so it wasn't even a secret or something like that.

"A pair of fools who will die if they try anything stupid that could affect our plans" Elijah declared after a moment.

"I'll stop them before it comes to that" Rose-Marie promised, loyalty shining in her eyes.

Rose-Marie had been a smart addition to their plans.

After they'd contacted her and informed her of the fact that Ingrid had been reincarnated, Rose-Marie hadn't hesitate to offer herself for anything they needed. And so, under their instructions, she'd infiltrated the human doppelgänger's group to spying them and stop them before they could do anything that could mess their plans.

"Thank you, Rose-Marie" Elijah said, smiling at the vampire "Is there anything else we should know?"

"At the moment, no."

"Good... In that case, you know what to do next"

Rose-Marie nodded in acceptance and, after offering them both a slight bow to show her respect, she flashed away without saying else, leaving them alone in the middle of the road that lead to the town known as Mystic Falls.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Kol couldn't help but ask, forcing himself to not run into the town – and there was a part of him that was curious about the fact that the town had been built over the land where once had stood their village – and look for his sister. Ingrid was so close that he could practically feel it. And, memories or not memories, he couldn't wait to see her again. "After all, we've quite the to-do-list."

"Yes" Elijah agreed with a smile, staring straight ahead to the town that was about to be turned upside down with their presence "Let us begin."


And here we go, next chapter it's the full moon and a reunion. But I won't say anything more.

Give me all your thoughts! ;)

P.S: After reading all your comments and thinking about it, I've decided on the next two pairings: Caroline & Elijah, and Rebekah & Neville.