Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries. They belong to J.K. Rowling and L.J. Smith. I am writing this just for fun and no money is being made. Nothing belongs to me apart from this particular story.

I would like to apologize for any mistakes in advance.

And because of that, the next words were out of her mouth, before she could think about it.

"I am willing to take an unbreakable vow, right now, that if any problem emerged because of any of my loved ones, I would be taking care of the issue myself. I won't let anyone harm our world. I hope you know this Mr. Quahog."

At the exact moment, Damon barged through the front door and asked, "What's happening?"

At the same time Hermione shouted at her, "No, Athena. Don't." and the three men were looking at her with a stupefied gaze.

Now.

"You are willing to take the unbreakable vow for these creatures? They are one of the most selfish beings on planet, Miss Potter. I wouldn't trust them if I were you." the president asked her.

Damon was getting frustrated and these people were testing his patience.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but would someone tell me what exactly is happening here and what is the unbreakable vow?" His voice was calm but he was a minute away from killing someone.

"It's a spell that binds a witch or wizard to an oath. They die if they break it." Hermione answered in a monotone.

"What?" Damon shouted as he whirled towards Athena and glowered at her, "Are you crazy? No, you are not taking any stupid oath."

Athena spluttered. He was practically ordering her!

Hermione ignored them both and stated, "We know that most of the Death Eaters who fled after the downfall of Voldemort," all three men gasped at the name and she rolled her eyes but continued, "came here. Their magic is being traced but let's be honest, they are terrified of Athena. If I remember correctly, you were to one who refused to partake in the war, after Voldemort asked you to aid him. If it weren't for Athena, you would have been his next target. I am sure, Dolohov and Lestrange are bidding their time and will find a way to take revenge from MACUSA. We can help you with that, if you allow us some leeway."

She was aware that all five set of eyes were on her but she continued, "You do know that Athena is the only Heiress of the Potter and Black households, Mr. Quahog?" at which his eyes widened as he looked from her to Athena.

It was silent for a long time, but finally the president looked at both Hermione and Athena and spoke, "We would try not to interrupt, but only until it is restricted to these creatures. If we find any other magical signature, I am afraid we will have to interfere. You will be informed if we find anything about the Death-Eaters."

At which both of them nodded.

"Our work is done here. Let's leave gentlemen." He told the aurors and then looked at both of them and added, "It was nice to meet you, Miss Potter. Miss Granger." And the three men apparated.

.

.

Hermione turned towards Athena and shouted, "Have you gone mad? The Unbreakable Vow? Does your life mean nothing to you? Fred gave his life to save you, does that mean nothing?" She knew it was a low blow, but this was the only way to stop Athena from risking her life again and again.

Athena turned to look at Hermione as her eyes filled with tears, rapidly. She already knew that not only Fred but many others died because of her, which was one of the reasons why she left the Wizarding World. But hearing it from her best friend, made it more painful. Her eyes were fixed on Hermione, who looked irate. Soon, she felt tears cascading down her cheeks. She took one look at Damon and without another word, apparated.

Damon's Pov

He himself was about to ask Athena what was wrong with her and why would she risk her life for someone she just met, when the witch beat him to it and started shouting at Athena. The girl was being purposefully cruel and he couldn't understand why. Frowning, he turned to look at Athena as she literally broke in front of him.

She looked... wrecked, absolutely heartbroken and her eyes seemed hollow.

The first time he met her, when she was a kid, she was bleeding, had broken bones and was starving; but even then, he had not seen her shed a single tear. The devastated look on her face, the tears in her eyes were like a hot poker being shoved in his chest. Then, she disappeared. He could still smell her tears and the stuttering of her heart as the witch rubbed the pain in her face.

Fury burned in his chest. In that moment he didn't think about the implications of what he was about to do, just that the witch had hurt his girl and with a burst of speed, he was on her, his hand around her throat.

His urge to kill her grew stronger but she was important to Athena, so he was not going to kill her. Scaring her a little seemed like a good idea, though.

"You shouldn't have done that." He whispered to her and tightened his fingers around her throat, just as she pointed her wand towards him and murmured, "Flipendo!" which knocked him back into the wall and then "Petrificus Totalus!" in the same breath, which made him immobile.

Hermione fell to the floor, groaning in pain. She took long gulps of air and narrowed her eyes at the vampire as she shakily got to her feet. She could already feel the bruises forming on her neck. She stood up and walked towards where he was lying on the floor.

"You bloody tosser!" She shouted at him. "The only reason you are not dead is because of some reason, Athena likes you and she would never forgive me if I hurt her friend. But you come near me once more and I won't give a damn about anything else. You should think before you act. It might save your life one day. The spell will release you, once I am gone."

She turned around and a muscle in his jaw flexed as he heard the whoosh of fire and just like that, he was free.

.

.

Athena had disappeared and he had no idea how to find her. He had tried to kill her friend and she would now realize what he truly was. A killer. She was going to hate him and be one more person, to walk away from him. He was not able to understand why the thought affected him so much, but suddenly the only thing he needed, was to take away the pain clenching at his heart.

His phone buzzed and he cursed. It was the she-bitch. She had found Mikael and was trying to find a way to wake him up. After that, he decided to head to the Boarding House for the time being, to check on Stefan.

As soon as he parked his car, he saw that the door of his house was open. Knowing that something was wrong, he rushed inside. He heard something and headed towards the cellar, where Stefan was locked up. He came to a halt and froze in shock. The door was open and Stefan was feeding from Elena. Stefan didn't pay attention but he saw sheer relief in Elena's eyes as soon as she saw him. He didn't have time to think, he blurred in and snapped Stefan's neck. He caught Elena, just as she fell and groaned, "Damon." She has lost a lot of blood but her heartbeats were still strong. He locked the door with Stefan inside, picked her up and carried her to the living room. She would be fine but he still gave her his blood. It would help her with the healing process.

It's been some time, but Elena was looking downright miserable. He wanted to comfort her but more than that, he wanted to know one thing. Even though he had his suspicions, he still wanted to know for sure.

So, he asked, "What were you doing in the cellar, Elena?"

She fidgeted a bit, then said without looking at him, "I haven't heard from any of you in a couple of days, so I came here to see if everything was alright. You weren't here and I heard Stefan from the basement. He said Klaus compelled you to keep him locked and that he loved me. I thought his emotions were back. He attacked me as soon as I opened the door." She finished in a whisper as a single tear fell down her eye.

Damon groaned. How dumb and stubborn can the girl be? He had warned her that Stefan was a ripper and once his kind switched their emotions-off, they didn't give a shit about anything. Stefan had been hungry and she provided him a juice box, no wonder he attacked Elena without thought. He couldn't stay away, even for a single day.

"Katherine found Mikael. Once he is awake, we will kill Klaus and it will all be over." Then he looked into her eyes and added, "I'll drop you home. You should rest and then, I need to take care of my brother." She gave him a shaky smile at that.

He needed Stefan to be coherent when Mikael came and for that his brother needed to feed. So, after dropping Elena, he went around to find a snack for his brother. He found some girls and compelled them to come back with him. They would keep his brother satisfied, until he found another way to bring him back.

.

.

It was late, when he entered her house. He was able to hear her heartbeat from upstairs and went to her room. She was in the bathroom, so he decided to take a look around. He had been here before but had never paid much attention to anything, so it came as a shock to see that the pictures decorating the walls, were moving.

There was a picture of a beautiful red-haired woman and a bespeckled man with black hair, who were dancing in front of a fountain and were smiling at the camera. There was no doubt that they were Athena's parents.

The second one was a picture of baby Athena with her parents. The next one was of a much younger Athena, Hermione and a redhead with a huge Christmas Tree in the background and laughing joyously. In the next one, she and her two friends were hugging an overly large bearded man, who in his opinion looked more like a giant. Another one was of her with two redheaded identical twins, who were standing on either side of her. The next one was her with a family of redheads, who were all waving at the camera. In the next one, she was dressed in a green gown, looking absolutely beautiful, with one of the redhead twins, holding her close. Just as she looked at the camera, he kissed her on the cheek. He didn't like the way Athena blushed. Who was the guy?

He looked around, settled himself on her bed and waited.

.

.

Athena was tired and just wanted to sleep after the day she had. But somehow, it didn't come as a surprise to see Damon lounging in her bed. In fact, she had expected him to here sooner. He looked at her and patted the space next to him, all the while wiggling his eyebrows. She didn't need him to tell her, that he wanted to know everything. She looked at him, sighed and settled herself next to him on her bed.

"You are really annoying sometimes." She told him as she faced him and added, "Let's begin the Spanish Inquisition."

"It's not going to be so bad, Farfallina."

She raised her eyebrows at the name, but nodded for him to continue.

"So, you are famous and how do you know Stefan?" he asked and her lips twitched. Of all the things, that was the first thing he wanted to know?

"You can say that." She mumbled. "And Stefan saved me some day back, when a vampire attacked me near the Grill."

"What? Were you hurt?" he asked horrified.

"No. He snapped her neck before anything could happen and I can take care of myself, Damon." She could see that he was going to make an issue of this so she changed the subject.

"I have seen you in the sun before. Why did it affect you today?"

Damon looked at her as his face turned serious. He extended his hand and wiggled his fingers in her direction, showing her the ring, he wore. "Mason removed it, after tying me to that chair."

She looked at it and uttered, "It's like the Potter and Black family rings." And felt strong magic, just as she touched the ring. "Whoever made this ring, must be very powerful."

"She was." he said.

She was curious so she asked, "How old are you?"

He raised an eyebrow at that as he answered with a smirk, "I am twenty-four. Eternal-stud."

She rolled her eye at that. Of course, he would have answered that, so she tried again, "When were you turned?"

His face fall at that as he looked at her with such sadness, that her heart clenched in her chest. She wanted to apologize for asking something so personal. But he spoke before she could, "I was born in 1839 and was turned in 1864." He said flatly.

She didn't want to, she really didn't but couldn't stop herself and blurted, "Were you turned against your will?" her eyes widened as she told him, "I am sorry. You don't have to answer that."

He looked at her and gave her half a smile which she could tell was forced.

"I was in love with Katherine when I was human and Stefan was as well. She was a vampire and wanted us both. I wanted to be with her forever, so she used to feed me her blood. I didn't realize until later that she used to feed him her blood, as well. The town caught wind of the vampires and they hunted all of them along with her, locked them in a tomb and burned it. I tried to save her but my father shot me and Stefan. Well, I woke up like this but she was gone. Stefan forced me to feed and here I am. And you know what, I opened the tomb last year, but the bitch was not there. She was never there. She never loved me. I was nothing but an inconvenience for her." He finished with a laugh but it was nothing but hollow. This man seemed so different from the one she had known in the past weeks. There was nothing cocky about him and he seemed devastated. She could see raw pain in his eyes.

She couldn't stand it so, she reached forward and hugged him tight against her as he pressed his face into her neck. He pulled her closer as she rubbed one hand up and down his back. They stayed like that for some time, then she pulled back and held his face in her hands as she made him look at her. "You are one of the best persons I have ever met. She or anyone else who cannot see that, are not worth it." She whispered.

She looked him in the eyes, willing him to see the truth of her words. He looked at her and hugged her once more. He loved the feeling of her in his arms. He felt peaceful which was foreign for him. He had never felt anything remotely close to it in his life and he was not going to let it go, no matter what.

He pulled back and smirked, "So, when did you figure out I was a vampire?"

She scowled at him but answered, "When you tried to compel me while dropping me to the hotel."

"You have known all this time? Why didn't you say something? Wait. That's why you did not want to invite me in?" he asked looking at her incredulously.

"Yes. Well, I didn't know you at that time. And what were you doing in the middle of the road anyway?" she asked exasperatedly.

Suddenly, his demeanour changed as he became serious and she frowned. He looked at her face as if searching for something and carefully told her, "I was searching for a meal." His voice was calm but cold and defensive.

She noticed that his body was tense as if waiting for an attack. She was not able to understand the reason for his sudden defensiveness. So, she shrugged and said, "Alright."

"What?" he snapped and she almost jumped out of her skin.

"What? You didn't actually eat me, so it's alright I guess. What is your problem?" she asked annoyed.

"You are a witch. Aren't you supposed to attack me or give some kind of a warning or probably throw me out of here for trying to find my meal in a human?" He fumed at her.

She looked utterly confused as she asked, "Aren't you a Vampire? I have read that vampires need blood to survive and the fresher it is, the stronger they are. Isn't it in your instincts to kill for blood? Why exactly, would I do all those things to you?"

"Are you serious?" and she flinched at his harsh tone.

"I am really sorry, Damon but I don't understand what you want me to say." She took a breath and asked calmly.

"Witches are the keepers of the nature and my kind is an abomination.. blah blah.. I kill humans, which makes me a monster." He told her in such a tone, as if waiting for her to understand it and then start yelling at him for doing something which was nothing but instinct for his kind.

Athena took one of his hands and held it between her own. She looked at him in the eyes and said, "You listen to me, Damon Salvatore. I am sure that you kill humans for food and probably have been doing it since you've turned. You are a predator and it's your instinct to kill a human. They are nothing but food for your kind. I am not saying that I agree on killing an innocent, but that's because I am not in your shoes and I don't understand what your needs are. I or anyone else had no right to condemn you. I know its repression can be deadly. And let me make one thing abundantly clear, I have seen monsters you cannot even imagine. You might be a killer but you are not a monster."

He cocked his head to the side as he studied her for a long time and smiled.

"Where have you been all my life?" He whispered in awe as he stared at her flabbergast.

Her anger returned after hearing that and she shouted at him, "I can't believe we have met before. I even asked you the first time we met."

He winced as he looked away from her for a slight moment, then added with frustration and ran a hand through his hair, "You were a kid. I didn't think it would have mattered."

His eyes met hers and she whispered, "It mattered to me. You were the first person to talk to me, like I wasn't some kind of a freak. You were the first person to care about an orphan when you could have left me there. You took me to a doctor and gave me food. The Dudley's always treated me like vermin, but meeting you gave me hope, that maybe one day I would meet someone, who would like me as well. It was one of the reasons I survived that place. It might not be a big deal for you but for me… You should have told me, Damon."

His eyes were roaming over her face as he looked at her with an unfathomable expression, before bringing his free hand to trace her cheek with his fingers. He felt like he could get lost in those emerald eyes and never come up for air. He leaned closer and his fingers travelled from her cheek as he tucked some of the hair, behind her ear. They were inches apart and her eyes widened as she looked at him. He looked deep in thought but then, the smiled that touched his eyes made them twinkle, just as his hand fell out of her hair.

"So, why wasn't I able to compel you, Tesoro? I could always do it with witchy." And just like that he was back. It took her a moment to collect herself and realize that he was talking to her as she almost gaped at him.

"Um.. I had occlumency lessons when I was 15. It's the magical means to defend the mind against external penetration." She answered still perplexed at the change of topic.

"Do they teach this to everyone in that school of yours? And why would children need to learn that?" He asked he with a frown.

"It was just me." She answered him but her eyes were focused on the pictures hanging on the wall.

He looked at her and frowned. What was it that had such a young girl in so much pain? He needed to know so he asked, "The man, in the morning, called you The-Girl-Who-Lived and what was that about being a war heroine?"

She looked into his eyes which were looking back at her and saw nothing but concern for her. She had already decided she would tell him and she will. She stood up and waved her wand as something came flying out of another room. He couldn't understand what she was doing and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"It's a Pensieve and is used to review memories. You won't be able to do or touch anything."

She removed the memories she wanted him to see and turned towards him. "Remember, these are all memories. It's already happened. You have to remember that. Do you want to see?"

He hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. They were now standing in front of the pensive. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and poured the memories in the pensieve, she held his hand, before the pair plunged into the basin.

EN: Hope you enjoyed it. As for where Athena went after her kinda fight with Hermione, she just needed some time alone.

We will meet other characters as well, but I wanted to establish the main characters first, which is almost done now. Just a couple of things more before Athena meets Klaus.

Thank you for all your love.

Italian Words Used: Farfallina – Butterfly / Tesoro - Treasure

August 8th, 2018