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.

AN: Okay, so there are somethings, which I want to clear.

First, many people asked, if Athena has wolf and vampire gene, like Hope did. Athena is not inspired in any way by Hope, which means that connecting them together would be useless here. Athena does have the wolf gene, but she does not possess any vampire traits, as of yet. If I decide to add some, I will tell you guys.

Second, the werewolf gene didn't activate because she has not killed anyone, yet. Quirell died because of her mother's protection, she did not literally kill him. And Voldemort died because his own Curse rebounded and killed him.

Now that's clear, I would like to apologize for any mistakes in advance, as I am writing something for the first time.

I was done with this one early. Hope you like it.

I want to thank Marie, Sherry and Aliana Gabriella Winchester.17 for your support, as I am not able to PM you guys.

He found himself standing in her room, as fury began to swell in his chest. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. The grief and rage he felt, was indescribable. Fury against the world, for placing such burden on her shoulders, when she was merely a child. He mourned the loss of her parents and the life she could have lived, if Sirius would have been alive. Something twisted in his gut. Perhaps it was the knowledge that the young girl, who was merely 17 years old, had faced such hardships in such a short life. Or the fact, the she had lost everyone, she has ever loved. He didn't recall being in such pain, ever. Yes, he lost what he thought was the love of his life and mourned her loss for an eternity, but he always had hope that someday he would have her back. Even though he hated Stefan at first, he was still glad that he had his brother, alive somewhere. He knew that if it hadn't been for these two things, he would have killed himself a long ago. He was surprised how she was still strong, after everything she has faced; after loosing almost everyone close to her, at the hands of a monster, who wanted her dead.

His eyes roved over her face and the storm of anger all but withered. When his gaze locked with Athena, he saw a darkness there, which mirrored his own. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let go.

He ran his fingers along the scar, that had made her life a living hell. The touch was so tender and loving, that her eyes burned with tears and tears rolled down her cheeks.

He sat down on her bed and leaned against the pillows, his legs stretched out in front of him, before pulling her onto his lap. He clutched her to him and rubbed soothing circles on her back. He felt something building in his chest, he simply couldn't define. He could feel her pain and wanted nothing more to banish it and sooth all her hurt. He wanted to wipe away all her pain and scars, both inside and out. To take away the darkness, that he knew from experience would consume her and to leave her pure and untouched. He knew it was a hopeless wish, but he wanted it and everything else for her, all the same.

Athena's arms came up, wrapped around him and she clung tightly to him. She felt warmth and comfort in his arms, which she hadn't felt since Fred died. She all but collapsed in his arms but she didn't care, wanting to remember nothing, but the feeling of safety in his arms. The last person who held her so tenderly, was Fred, like she was made of glass. It had been months, but it felt like yesterday, which made her sob even harder as her fingers clutched Damon's shirt.

"It wasn't your fault, Dolcezza. You did everything you could." He whispered to her.

"He died because of me. They all did. I was supposed to save them."

"He loved you and so did Sirius. Nothing was your fault. You were a kid, facing terrors, most people cannot even imagine. You sacrificed everything. There was nothing you could have done." He told her firmly.

Her body began to shake with silent sobs and it broke his heart.

"I'm…s-sorry," she choked out.

"Shh.. It's over now. I cannot bring back the ones you have lost, but I promise you that I will be there with you. Always. I am here and I wont leave, as long as you want me in your life." He whispered to her as he gave her a grim smile.

"I feel…so tired." She told him croakily.

Blue eyes met green, Damon looked at her tear-streaked cheeks and without thinking, kissed away the tears on Athena's face.

She closed her eyes, tucked her head under his chin and rested on his chest. She felt his lips kissing her on the head, but she was so exhausted. At that moment, she wanted nothing, other than the feeling of someone being with her, caring about her. She was lying, on top of him, which should have been awkward, it wasn't. She should have pulled away from him when he literally, kissed and licked her tears from her face. She didn't. She felt safe and peaceful in his arms, in such a long time. She remembered Fred holding her, like he never wanted to let go, and more tears fell. Damon had a way of making her feel safe. Even when she was a child, she felt loved and cared for when he took her to the hospital. He was the first person who held her so tenderly, after realizing that her arm was broken. She didn't care that he was a killer, but focused on the fact that he was a kind and gentle soul, who had to make difficult decisions because of the cruel world around him. She couldn't help the unrestrained thought that, 'she would have loved to see human Damon, before he faced all the hardships, a carefree and innocent human, simply living his life happily.'

Her breathing grew heavy and she fell into an exhausted sleep. The last thought which crossed her mind was 'She loved the feeling of being in his arms'.

Damon picked her hand where it lay beside him, enfolded it in his and just held it tight as he watched her sleep. He closed his eyes and tugged her closer to him, as his other hand held her by the waist, throughout the night.

It was almost morning, when he kissed her forehead and left.

.

.

The sun was shining brightly, when she opened her eyes. She had slept peacefully through the night, without having a single dream. She thought back, but was not able to recall a single day, without having some terrible nightmare. With a sudden jolt, she remembered everything and squeezed her eyes shut, as if it would erase the fact that she brawled like a baby, all over Damon and to make matters worse, fell asleep on him, her mind quipped. Then she remembered the little detail, 'where he had kissed the tears on her face', felt her face heat up and moaned into her pillow. She lay there thinking for perhaps an hour. She felt different, lighter somehow and smiled.

After taking a bath, she decided to go visit Stefan. After all, she had promised Lexi she would take care of him.

.

.

Both the brothers knew about her now and she felt happy about it, so she apparated directly into the living room of the Boarding House. However, she didn't expect Damon to blur towards her and almost attack her. Thankfully, he stopped short when he saw her. She was sure she had the same wide-eyed look, he was supporting at the moment.

He looked at her disapprovingly and said, "You need to stop doing that. I could have hurt you."

"Good Morning to you too." She told him cheerfully as she gave him a wide smile, which showed her dimples.

She is beautiful.

He shook himself and looked at her. She seemed happy. "Had a good night?" He asked her with a salacious smirk.

Her breath hitched, but she ignored it and rolled her eyes instead. "Stop being crude."

She hesitated only for a brief second, but then moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, which he instinctively reciprocated. She was surprised when his arms wrapped around her waist and her feet left the floor as he picked her, keeping her closer to him. "Thank You." She whispered, as she pressed her face into his neck and held onto him. She felt good as his strong arms surrounded her. He released her and she turned red, when she looked at him.

She felt so fragile in his arms, that he held her even more tightly. He was feeling things which he hadn't felt before. Not even when he was human and was in love with Katherine, he thought with a disgust. For once, nothing crossed his mind. It was soothing, her being in his arms; so, he picked her off the ground and hugged her, before releasing her, after a moment. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, when he saw her red face.

She cleared her throat and asked him, "Where's Stefan?"

His eyebrows shot up to his hair, but he told her that he had locked Stefan in the cellar and the reason behind it.

"How long has he been in there?" she asked surprised.

"Ever since Lexi left."

"That was days ago, weeks even." She exclaimed.

He didn't answer, instead waited for her to berate him. No, she won't understand, he was sure of it. No human ever did.

Athena looked at him and bit her lip, before she stated, "Keeping him locked in a cellar isn't going to work. In fact, it would make him more pugnacious. I can spell the house, so he would be free, but won't be able to leave the house until you want him to." And looked at him, waiting for his response.

Though she stated it, but he could see that it was more of a question. He was once again surprised by her response. She didn't question or accused him, but instead gave another option, which seemed better, in his view. Even though he knew what she said was somewhat true, but he couldn't understand why she would be willing to do that for Stefan? On the other hand, it could solve his problem. He would be able to keep a better eye on his baby brother, and it should help with the rebellious behavior, which he was no doubt going to face.

He nodded his consent to her, after which she closed her eyes and started muttering Latin under her breath. He didn't see her using her wand and frowned. She opened his eyes and looked at him.

"It's done."

"You can do magic without your wand as well?" he asked.

She shifted uncomfortably and shrugged, "I have always been able to do things, if I concentrate on them enough."

His frown deepened as he asked, "Others can do it as well?"

She looked at him straight in his eyes and muttered in a quiet voice, "Only after years and years of practice. I have only heard about a handful of them, but it's easy for me. I just need to focus but it helps if I have my wand. It makes everything easier."

She moved past him towards the basement, but he couldn't allow that. Not when, he had seen Stefan drinking from Elena, which he would have never done, before the devil compelled him to turn the switch-off. She was a human and his brother was unstable. He wanted her safe, so he blurred before her.

He narrowed his eyes at her, his tone was amused but his stance was anything but that. He was a second away, from picking her up and dropping her back somewhere safe. "Umm.. Nope. You are not going in there. You are going to leave, while I deal with my brother. He is a ripper and you are nothing more than a blood bag to him."

She looked startled at his sudden appearance but understood his concern.

She told him seriously, "He won't be able to hurt me." And then moved past him and headed to the basement.

Damon closed him eyes and cursed his inability to compel the one person, he wanted to the most, right now. But followed her, nonetheless.

.

.

They entered the cellar and Damon pushed her behind him. She wanted to protest and was about to open her mouth, but he glared at her and she closed it.

He unlocked the door, which opened with a creek.

Stefan looked at both of them and smirked. He looked at Damon and said with a scratchy voice, "If you are going to lock me here for the next decade, we can arrange routine visits. You could have at least bought something for me to drink, like you did last time."

Athena looked at him, horrified. He was pale, gaunt, was sweating profusely and his voice was shallow.

"I am not the fan of this Lexi plan, but we can all agree on the fact, that this is the only one we had to make you feel again." Damon answered him cockily as he entered the cell, but she could see that he just wanted the old Stefan back, however he was.

Stefan looked away but asked, "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to pay a visit to my baby brother. I thought we could hang out." Damon told him as he circled the chair, where Stefan was tied with the chains.

Stefan didn't respond to him but turned to her. "Why did you bring her here? Shouldn't you be cozying up with Elena? That's what you have always wanted, isn't it? Me out of the way. You love her and we both know, that she is in love with you. So, you can leave now and play happy family with her." He looked at Damon with a smirk on his face, as he said this.

She had always suspected, that Damon had feelings for his brother's girl, but she never knew that he was in love with her. She suddenly felt hurt, but didn't understood why. They were not best friends; Damon had a personal life and was not inclined to tell her everything. Yes, he helped her when she was a kid, but he would have done it for anyone in need. But even after that, why did it hurt her if he was in love with someone else? Why was it affecting her at all?

Damon's heart plummeted in his chest. He didn't want Athena to know about his miserable love life. The fact, that in his 150 somethings years on this earth, no one ever had deemed him worth enough, to love him. He didn't want her to know, that how lost and lonely he was. How he had fallen in love with a woman, who didn't love him, yet again.

Athena swallowed and focused on Stefan. He was smirking, but to her, he looked resigned and docile. It seemed like he had given up. Damon probably saw the same thing on his brother's face, because he broke the chains that were binding Stefan; but not before making sure that he was standing between them. Even though she rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't stop the warmth from spreading throughout her body, at his protective gesture.

Stefan looked shocked and asked Damon, "What are you doing? I still don't care."

Damon shrugged as he answered. "Screw this Lexi plan. But you are still on a lock-down in the house, Stefanie."

Stefan's brows furrowed, but then he looked at Athena, as understanding dawned on him. She winked at him and left after Damon. He still couldn't believe that Damon was listening to someone, other than himself. Not even Elena or Katherine were able to make him change his mind, once he settled it somewhere. He had noticed the way, Damon was always over-protective of her; even now, he was ready for a fight and his posture was rigid. He had noticed the momentary panic in his brother's eyes, when he mentioned Elena. He came to the sudden realization, that Damon liked the witch. He was not sure how deep those feelings were, but he knew that they had to be more than enough, for him to listen to her and unshackle him, after he almost drained Elena. Even though, he was confined to the house, it still came as a shock to him that his brother liked a witch, which he was sure of.

He was going to look more into it, after feeding.

.

.

Damon made his way to the living room, with Athena on tow, when his phone rang. It was the she-bitch. She told him, that Mikael was awake and was on the way to Mystic Falls. Now, he just had to wait. Once papa-original was here and killed the hybrid, all problems related to Klaus, would be solved.

Athena told him she had to leave, so he informed her about the party at the woods and to meet him there; after which she disappeared with a loud crack. Yeah, he had to get used to that.

He was glad that the house was spelled and Stefan was unable to leave, unless he wanted; so, he went out to find dinner, for his brother. He had already left the blood bags, which would have to do for now. He compelled a couple of sorority girls and took them home. Stefan drained two of them dry, as soon as he saw them; he could see panic in the eyes of the remaining three and was glad he had compelled them to stay quiet.

Stefan compelled them to do what he told them, as he wanted to have fun. With glazed eyes, the girls did as they were told. They removed their closes and tossed them to the floor. One of them started dancing, as the other two started kissing and grinding on his brother. He was not going to stand here and watch as Stefan continued with his debauchery, so he left.

It was evening when he entered the living room, and saw five bodies lying on the floor. He thought about it for a moment, before deciding to take Stefan out with him. Who knew, even with him being locked, what trouble was he going to find? If something went wrong, he could always ask Athena to lock Stefan, again.

.

-The Party at the Woods-

He reached the woods with Stefan.

Athena was talking to Jeremy, Tyler and Matt, when he spotted her. She was wearing a red and black floral dress, which ended just above her knees. It was casual, but made her look all the more stunning. She was not wearing her glasses, which made the green of her eyes more visible.

He and Stefan made their way towards them. She gave him a wide smile when she saw him and shouted, "Damon." Then looked at his left, and added, "And Stefan. How are you, guys?" she greeted enthusiastically.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, at which Matt and Jeremey narrowed their eyes at him, Stefan, on the other hand, merely observed his brother.

Oblivious to everything around, Damon was busy staring at her. He saw the empty cup in her hand and raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you drunk?"

She brought her thumb and finger together and said, "Only a little. It takes the edge off."

He snorted. Only a little! She was definitely drunk.

Damon looked around and saw Elena poring herself a drink, along with Blondie and Witchy. He needed to tell them, that Mikael would be in town by tomorrow and he needed their help in killing Klaus. He looked at Athena, who was talking animatedly with the guys and then at Stefan, who was drinking and staring at Elena. He told Athena that he would be back, not that she paid any attention; she was drunk and laughing at something Jeremy said. She would be safe here, the thought and left.

.

Elena didn't look at him when he reached her, as she was busy staring at Stefan, but muttered, "This is supposed to be fun." As she drank from her cup.

Bonnie on the other hand, was furious. "You bought him out, in a party full of humans, after the fact that he almost killed Elena? Why would you do that?" Her teeth were clenched and she was barely restraining her anger.

This again, he thought, but answered anyway. "He has been locked down there for days, it wasn't doing any good. He is fine and not trying to kill anyone." He looked at her and said, "He is still my brother."

He could see that she wanted nothing more than to fry his brain, like she always did, but couldn't do it in front of all these people and gave her an evil smirk.

Caroline interrupted their staring match, "Take Care of him, will you? I will keep an eye on him, whenever I can." Damon looked at her and nodded. He didn't particularly like her, but she was willing to help. Who was he deny that!

"Katherine found Mikael and they would be here tomorrow. We need a plan to kill Klaus."

"We'll be there at the Boarding House tomorrow." Caroline told him and took Bonnie away, leaving him and Elena alone.

He looked at Elena, who was staring unblinkingly at something. When he turned to look what it was, he saw Athena dancing with Stefan. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. He felt such a strong surge of jealousy, when he saw Stefan's arms encircling her waist and settling on the small of her back, as her untwined around his neck. Stefan whispered something in her ear, which made her laugh and he saw red. He saw Athena looking around, until she caught his gaze and gave him a warm smile. And just like that, all the rage left him as he smiled back at her.

He looked away from them, when he heard Elena.

"Why is Stefan being so friendly with her? I have never seen him this free and careless, unless it was with Lexi. He loves me, but almost killed me; how can he be at such ease with her? It's only been what, a month? And everybody already likes her? Its suspicious. I don't trust her.

His eyes snapped to Elena as he heard this. It was the first time, he had seen her being self-centered. She probably had never even talked to Athena, but still disliked her. She had always been caring and innocent, what was this then? Jealousy, perhaps? But he has seen her jealous before, but she had never been willfully-ignorant and prejudiced. Possibly towards Katherine, but that's as far as he knew. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off, when she continued.

"He's moved on, hasn't he? He is not in love with me anymore." Her eyes were still focused on Stefan, her words held an edge to them and she was glaring at Athena.

He sighed. How many times was he going to explain the same thing? Stefan's humanity was off and wasn't feeling any kind of emotion because of it. He had already described it to her, what it was like, twice. And the fact, that Stefan would be back, once he switched it back on. He was getting frustrated.

"His humanity's gone Elena. No one's home." He all but snapped at her.

He saw her eyes broaden, and then filled with hurt. He never spoke to her in this way, couldn't even imagine himself snapping at her, and the feeling that he wanted to run away. Stefan didn't care, wasn't it the best opportunity to make her see that he was the better choice? But he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't think why, but he could only focus on going back, where his brother has yet to release Athena.

"I will see you tomorrow, at the Boarding House." And with that, he left.

.

He wanted to pull her from Stefan's arms, who looked, far too smug for his liking. But Athena took one look at him and pulled out of Stefan's arms with lightning speed, which surprised them both. She managed to walk towards him, without tumbling to the floor; which was a feat in itself, with her being drunk as a skunk, in his opinion. He managed to catch her, as she almost stumbled and hugged him, as her life depended on it.

"Wow.. How much have you had?" he asked her, but was not expecting her to reply. She probably was not even able to understand him, with the amount of alcohol she had. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Athena and kept her there.

"Party's over, Princess. Let's get you home."

She pulled back and whined, "But we are having so much fun."

"We'll have more fun at home, Tesorina." His tone was dripping with sex, as he whispered in her ear and its intensity made her shiver. She saw his gaze moving over her face and then his eyes flashed to hers.

He looked around for Stefan and saw her talking to Elena.

It was easy for him, to pick her up and carry her out of the woods. He strengthened her hold on Athena's waist and settled her into his car, despite her protests.

When they arrived at her house, he had to drag her out of his car and into her room, while she sulked.

He held her hands into his, and held them to his chest. She looked at him with a questioning gaze, as he said in a soft voice, "There is nothing wrong with having fun, but its not safe out there and you know it. I don't want you to get hurt."

Athena felt her heart melting at his confession. From the moment she had met him, he had always looked out for her. He always made it better, make the pain go away. She saw different emotions, mixed together in his eyes – concern, pain, anger, sadness, need, loneliness, fear and something else, which she couldn't understand. She just felt the need to make his pain and loneliness go away, like he always did for her.

"Damon, don't be mad… please…" she whispered as she moved closer to him. She couldn't lose the one person, that cared about her.

"I'm not." He told her, as he stepped forward and pulled her against him. His arms trapping her against him and he nuzzled her throat.

"Thank You." She repeated it as a mantra. She didn't explain why she was thanking him and he didn't ask. They both knew.

Her hands were clutching at Damon's belt loops under his jacket, as her lips touched his collarbone. He looked at her when she pulled her head back. She brought her hand up and cupped his face. His eyes closed as she left feather like kisses on his face, starting from his nose, to both his eyes, cheeks, the corners of his mouth, and kept going down.

Meanwhile, Damon's eyes filled with tears, which he was trying very hard to hide. He couldn't remember how many girls had he been with, going as far as having three to four girls, simultaneously. He had been with Katherine, who claimed to love him; he had shared a few kisses with Elena as well, but never in his existence, has he felt the warmth that was spreading throughout his body now. Athena kissed him like he was her most precious person, in this world. In fact, he felt like he was her whole world. He felt like he was loved. He knew she was not in love with him, but it seemed like his every wish had come true. He realized with a sudden jolt, that he wanted her. Her single touch sent heat through his veins, made him want and need her more. Her body was warm, as she pressed herself closer to him and he loved it. He couldn't help himself and let her kiss him as much as she wanted; before she realized, what she was doing and ask him to leave. It would hurt, but it would be worth every single kiss, she was peppering him with.

A soft sound escaped his lips, as she sucked on the sensitive flesh of his neck. He settled on the bed, against the pillows and pulled her down, on his lap. He pulled her head back by the back of her hair, other hand resting firmly on her back and stared into her eyes. He ran a hand, slowly up her side, cupped the side of her face and watched with satisfaction as she leaned into the touch. It made him realize, how starved she was for any kind of affection and the loved ones she had, were ripped away from her.

Pulling his hand away, he reached for her fingers and threaded them together. He raised their joined hands to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles, where he knew the phases were carved, at a time. He knew she was intoxicated and would regret it in the morning. He closed his eyes with a sigh and made himself comfortable on the bed. He brought her head to his chest and buried his face in her neck. He himself felt intoxicated, but it was because of her scent and her presence, in his arms.

She was almost asleep, when she burrowed even closer to him.

He kissed her on the neck and whispered, "Sleep, Mio Cuore." As his hands skimmed over her back.

.

.

Bright light burned through her eyes, pulling her back in the land of living. Her head was pounding and she groaned. She opened her eyes, only to close them again as she pulled the comforter over her head. Why was her headache getting worse? She buried her face more firmly into her pillow, trying to remember, why she had so much alcohol at the party! She was never going to any party again, she vowed even if she was half asleep.

She woke with a sudden jolt, which made her head hurt even worse, but her mind was on the blurry memories, where she literally attacked Damon. Her eyes grew wide and she felt her face heat with embarrassment, realizing the fact that she assaulted Damon. He had been nothing but nice to her, took care of her, brought her home when she so foolishly, drank half the contents of whatever she got her hands on. He was concerned about her, and this was how she thanked him. How was she ever going to face him? He would never want to see her, ever again.

She was in no mood to cook, so she decided to go to the Grill and hoped that she won't have to face Damon. Probably, ever!

.

.

It was full of people when she entered the grill, but found an empty bar-stool and settled there. She saw Matt and gave him a smile. She was sure, she looked as miserable as she felt, because he asked her if she was alright. She nodded and ordered her food along with a drink. Her headache couldn't get any worse, than it already was. He brought her food and made small talk, as he poured her a drink.

She heard the stool on her left side being pulled, at the same time Matt stopped talking and stiffened. His eyes grew wide and he looked terrified. She flicked her eyes towards the man, who ordered scotch in a quite firm but amused tone.

The man had dirty blond hair and blue-green eyes, which was a contrast to his pearly white skin. He was well-built, possessed a delicate and yet masculine face, which reminded her of some ancient portraits, she had seen of purebloods, in Hogwarts. It seemed strange to her, as those were drawn somewhere in 15th or16th century. His clothing style was quite casual though, and was wearing jeans with shirt and a jacket.

She tried but couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her. It was the man from the picture, her mother had left. Her father, some part of her mind supplied. She was still gawking at him, when the man turned and stared right into her eyes.

.

EN: Finally, Klaus is here. Other Mikaelson's would be here soon, as well.

Italian Words Used - Stellina – Little Star; Dolcezza – Sweet Girl; Tesorina – Little Treasure; Mio Cuore – My Heart.

Rebekah and Caroline, both got 10 votes, each. Hermione got 8. Elena 3 and someone else is 4.

Don't forget to tell me, whether you liked it or not.

Aug 23rd, 2018