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: Because I made you guys wait for such a long time for the last chapter, I'm updating this one soon.

Her eyes snapped open and she woke up with a loud gasp, breathing harshly and flinched back when someone touched her shoulders, trying to shuffle away from the unknown touch. She blinked when she heard a familiar voice and breathed to calm herself as she was pulled into an all too familiar embrace. Athena didn't know why she was feeling such panic, but she held Ron back just as tightly. She didn't need to look at his face to know that it was him because who else could it be? He had always been there. It took her a moment to realize that they weren't on the run anymore and Voldemort was dead. She pulled back and was instantly engulfed in another hug.

"You Bloody Stupid Girl!" Hermione shouted as she pulled back, glaring at Athena.

She looked at her two friends and asked confused, "Um… What happened?"

"You almost killed yourself by the stunt you pulled. That's what happened!" A voice said and she looked up to see Klaus standing at the door along with other Mikaelson's, looking not too happy with her. In fact, they looked downright angry.

"Uh…" she wanted to ask them what they were doing in her house, but one look around, and she realized that she wasn't in her house. She was at the Mikaelson Manor in her room. "What am I doing here?" she asked confused.

"We bought you here after you almost killed yourself." Kol told her as he flopped down on the sofa, making himself comfortable.

Rebekah was the one who gave her a glass of water and she drank it greedily. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was. She thanked Rebekah who just smiled at her.

"What…?" she asked eloquently.

Elijah looked at her and asked, "What is the last thing you remember?"

She racked her brain for answer and drew in a sharp breath. "Damon? Is he…?"

"Fine?" Klaus didn't let her finish and asked through clenched teeth. "You brought him back from dead."

"Oh." She whispered, "That's good."

"Good? You 've been unconscious for the past two weeks. We had no idea what you did or what happened to you for that matter! Or even if you would wake up or not!" Klaus bellowed and everyone in the vicinity shrunk away from him including Athena. Ron and Hermione's hand went to their wands, ready to attack even if the man was Athena's father.

Her eyes widened at hearing this. Two weeks? It couldn't be. She was trying to bring back Damon's soul, then it turned cold and then there was darkness… until…

Elijah stayed near the window and asked, trying to dispel the tension. "What did you do? We've seen many powerful witches, but we've never heard someone coming back from dead, like the way Damon did. A vampire coming back is unheard of."

Athena looked at Elijah, frowning and shook gulped. "I… uh… There was this man…" She told them in a whisper. The vampires heard them easily, but Hermione and Ron had to strain themselves to hear her.

"A man? Who?" Hermione quired, eyes wide.

Athena swallowed hard as an image popped into her head. A skeletal man with burning eyes and laughing at her cruelly. There was fire and then… nothing. She shivered. She looked at the people staring at her worriedly and shook her head to banish the image.

Klaus meanwhile looked at his daughter concerned. Yes, he was angry by the stunt she had pulled, but she was turning pale, almost white and he was worried about her. She was so mature, that he had to remind himself that she was merely a child. He walked towards her bed, sat down next to her and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Her eyes snapped to his and she shook her head, not knowing what to say. She was scared and had no idea why! She just knew that something bad was about to happen. Klaus didn't think and pulled her into a hug and she clung to him, hiding her face in his shirt.

Hermione smiled at seeing her friend happy, knowing how Athena had always craved for a family. Even though Weasley's considered her a part of their family, but this was different. This man was her father and the three her blood. And in the 15 days she had been here, she had seen how much they cared for her. Loved her. Not only the Mikaelson's, but the Salvatore's as well. Both Stefan and Damon had been worried about Athena, to the point where one of the two was always here. It was the second time since the… incident that they both had gone to their house. She wasn't sure what to think of Damon. She herself would've been dead if it were for Damon and she hadn't used her magic against him. Also, he had killed Lavender. She in no way liked the girl, but she was the one who had saved her from Greyback during the war. She just wanted Lavender to live happily like the others. And she had no clue what went wrong between Athena and him.

Ron on the other hand, looked as awkward as he felt, not knowing how to address these vampires. All apart from Kol, who he was playing exploding snaps with days back, earning a slap on the head from her and Rebekah.

Klaus stiffened when he heard the Salvatore's entering his house, prompting Athena to pull back embarrassed.

"Athena." Damon breathed as soon as he saw her and before he could think about it, he rushed forward and threw his arms around her, embracing her to him tightly.

Klaus growled along with Rebekah, Elijah observed the elder Salvatore curiously, while Kol narrowed his eyes at the display. They had obviously heard Damon's confession the other day, but had ignored it in the favor of looking after Athena first. Now that she was fine, they weren't going to let him live, if Damon tried anything on her.

Athena sighed with relief when she saw Damon healthy and alive, but stiffened as soon as he hugged her and everything came back. Yes, she had saved him, but she hadn't forgiven him and she tried not to think too hard about what he had told her… before. He was still the man who killed someone ruthlessly and she couldn't forget Lavender's glassy eyes staring at her vacantly. She not only saved him because he was still the man she fell in love with, but also because of Stefan.

Sensing her discomfort, Damon pulled back and gave her a small smile, even though his heart broke when he realized how uncomfortable she was with him. When he woke up without pain and his shoulder healed, he hadn't exactly been happy. Ever since he was turned, he had always thought about his eternal life. But now, he felt tired. He had made many mistakes, but the biggest of them all was hurting Athena. After realizing that the wolf bit him, he had made his peace hoping for death, but it was too good too be true, for he was cursed. Always had been.

When he saw Athena falling, the gravity of the situation hit him. She had saved him without realizing what it would cost her. The only thing that stopped him from killing himself was her steady breaths and heartbeats, reminding him that she was alive. Now here they were and he didn't know how to earn her forgiveness or even if he would get it. But he was certain about one thing, he would do everything to make sure that no harm came to her even if she never forgave him.

"Hey, sleepy head." Stefan said with a smile, her eyes warm and she smiled back at him automatically. He hugged her and whispered softly, "Thank You." Before pulling back.

It had been three days since she 'woke up', and she was getting tired and grumpy. Her dad along with Hermione, Stefan Rebekah and Elijah were testing her patience and she was ready to burst. They had refused to let her out of bed and going anywhere else was banned, apart from going to the loo. They fussed over her constantly. She wouldn't deny the fact that she had liked her dad's attention when she woke up, but now it had become ridiculous. He had appointed either Hermione or Rebekah to follow her even in the bathroom, but she had put her foot down at that. After which he had told her that Rebekah could stand outside her door and still keep an 'eye' on her easily, much to her embarrassment.

Ron and Kol were the only ones not treating her like she was made of glass and break which she was more than grateful for. Kol was easily making his way on top of her list. He was clearly her 'favorite uncle', as he liked to call himself.

Other than that, no one had brought-up Damon in any conversation and she had never been more thankful a small reprieve. Even though she knew that Hermione was bursting to grill her about any more information about how she brought back and Athena could bet that her friend had already read everything she could find, to no avail obviously from the looks she was sending her way.

Her father was another issue. He growled every time he heard the name 'Damon' or 'Salvatore'. If she hadn't been 'sick', he would've either killed Damon himself or done something unsavory. She was sure of it.

She was just enjoying the temporary peace she had.

Tom laughed manically as the people around him covered fearfully. He felt more powerful then before as he cursed the woman in front of him. The wand wasn't his own, but it will have to do until he got 'The Elder Wand'. Now that he had first-hand experience of what happened once you die, he was more resolved to live forever than before. Splitting his souls had been a mistake. This time, he knew what he needed and he was going to get it. But first, he had things to do. He just needed to wait a little for his revenge. And this time, he was going to kill the girl who became his end.

Mikaelson Mansion

"What's this?" Elijah asked intrigued as he eyed the shallow stone basin, while she extracted her memories and poured them into it. The same ones she had showed Damon, but with the addition of Damon being in one of them. She wanted them to know why Damon was important and why she risked her life for him. Sure, it was only a part of the reason, but it was the reason she had trusted Damon so impeccably in the first place. The part of the reason why and how she fell for him easily.

"It's a Pensieve. A magical object used to review memories." She stated offhandedly before looking at each of them and said seriously, "These memories are highly personal in nature and you won't be able to do or change anything."

The four siblings nodded eyeing the basin with curiosity.

"Now I want you to remember that these are just memories. It's already done and over with." She glared at them, especially at Kol and Klaus, knowing their nature, but it sounded more like begging to her.

"Can we see now?" Kol asked impatiently, earning an eye roll from everyone.

"Yeah. You just have to look down, right inside the cabinet." She informed as Kol bent closer to it, the silvery light illuminating his face. "I'll be back in the evening." She told Klaus who nodded and she apparated out of there.

Mystic Grill

Athena was sitting in the grill with a cup of coffee, trying to figure out what had happened before and after she brought Damon back. She didn't remember anything apart from the man and the burning fire in his eyes. She remembered her meeting with Dumbledore when she had died in the forest, but for some reason, no matter how much she tried, she came up blank. There was nothing but darkness, the man and a cruel laughter which was still ringing in her ears. She shivered involuntarily and pulled her wand closer to herself.

She was so engrossed in herself, that she didn't see Bonnie sliding in front of until she cleared her throat and Athena's head snapped up, startled. Both the witches looked at each-other warily, though Bonnie looked afraid more than anything.

Bonnie braced her shoulders and said, "I want to talk to you."

Athena arched a brow a that, but nodded anyway.

"How did you do it?" It was out of Bonnie's mouth before she could stop herself.

Athena stared at her for a long time and Bonnie squirmed under her gaze. Finally, Athena said with a sigh, "I don't know."

"You're telling me that you brought someone back from dead without knowing how?" Bonnie asked incredulously.

Athena shrugged. It was the truth, after all. She had no idea what she did and how she brought Damon back.

Bonnie gaped at her, but hissed, "You mean to say that you probably brought a reaper down to bring Damon back and you don't even know it?"

This brought Athena short and she breathed, "What?!"

Bonnie frowned, not expecting the reaction and said, "The power that you called for… I've felt it before." Athena leaned forward unconsciously. "I've felt something similar to it whenever I've seen someone die, but it was nowhere near as powerful as what was in the house that day. It was like… I felt as if I was going to die." She gulped. "The only explanation I found is a reaper. You somehow brought a reaper to bring Damon's soul back." She speculated and Athena gaped at him, like she was crazy.

Before they could discuss it further, someone called, "Bonnie?" They looked up to see Elena standing right beside them.

"Elena!" Bonnie stated surprised.

"What're you doing here?" Elena asked as she kept her eyes averted strictly from Athena.

Bonnie stood up and said smoothly, "Waiting for Caroline."

"I'm here." They heard Caroline's voice as she came with Stefan on toe and hugged Bonnie; while Stefan hugged Athena and pulled back before asking, "How's my favourite girl?"

Athena rolled her eyes, shaking her head and said exasperatedly, "I'm fine."

Stefan raised his eyebrows in disbelief, clearly calling out on her lie and she glared back stubbornly; completely ignoring the looks they were getting from the three girls.

"I'm leaving." Athena told him and was surprised when Caroline said, "Wait! Why don't you join us?"

Caroline smiled at her tentatively and she returned it easily. Bonnie stayed quiet, while Elena stared at the blonde with something akin to betrayal.

"Maybe some other time." Athena replied with a small smile, ignoring the pout she got from the girl.

Mikaelson Mansion

They fell out of the Pensieve, landing on the carpet. No one said a word. Rebekah's eyes were filled with tears, Elijah looked solemn, Kol was busy cursing Athena's headmaster – Dumbledore; while Klaus was staring at the basin with his jaw clenched.

None of them could believe that their niece went through so much. From Dursley's abuse to Voldemort's death. How bigoted her world was? How the man who was her mentor raised her, only for being slaughtered at the right time. They remembered their mother's taunting words to Athena about her fiancée and had seen themselves how the boy had died to save Athena. How she willingly went to the forest and sacrificed herself and only now realizing why Damon was important to her.

Rebekah looked at Klaus who was still silent. Too silent and shared a worried glance with both Kol and Elijah, and whispered cautiously, "Nik?"

Klaus's eyes snapped to hers and her own widened when she saw the fury in them and took a step away from him reflexively. Klaus picked the firs thing he saw and threw it at the wall with a bellow of rage.

It was completely silent apart from the sound of rustling of leaves in the wind as she walking around, lost in her own thoughts. She knew she couldn't delay going back home and facing her family, especially her dad who was nothing if overprotective about his family. Athena still wasn't able to fully process the fact that she had a father who actually wanted her. Not only that, but she had a whole family who cared about her. She truly had a home now. Now that her family knew everything about her past, she just hoped they wont pity her like everyone else. When Hermione had told her yesterday that she should tell her family everything, she had been dubious; but when Hermione admitted that her family and Klaus truly cared about her, her decision was made. She wanted to know more about them and in turn, she wanted them to know her like they should've from the start.

It was dark and not difficult to see the huge van stopping in front of her. She squinted against the harsh lights, tensing, her wand in hand, until a girl stepped out and ran towards her, asking for help. She felt no signs of magic and relaxed after realizing that the girl was a muggle. She should've known that something wasn't right, but she never thought that a muggle would want to harm her. But with her everything was possible. So, when the girl told her that they were new in town and her friend got in an accident, and that they needed to find a hospital soon, Athena agreed to help them naively.

She didn't see the man creeping behind her, nor did she see him pricking her with a needle and all but hissed when he pricked her on the neck. She whirled around and saw a man, another muggle standing there. Her left hand went to her neck and with her left, she stupefied him. She blinked dizzily, suddenly feeling weak and light-headed as the man fell. She didn't have the time to do much as she staggered on her feet unsteadily when she tried to turn towards the girl, but was hit on the head with something heavy. She fell to the ground as her wand fell from her hand and the girl kicked it away from her hastily.

Her head was throbbing when she felt someone dragging her to the van and her head lolled to the side.

'Who were these people and what had they injected her with?' she thought as they literally pushed her in the back of the van, closing the door behind them. She felt drained and weak as a newborn kitten, but she turned to her side and her eyes fell on another lump lying unconscious beside her. She couldn't bring herself to move much, but after blinking a couple of times, she was able to focus on the person and she choked out, "Da-mon." Before the darkness swallowed her.

She moaned and her hand went to her head which was aching before she opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor which was cold and it was dark. The only thing illuminating the room was a small light somewhere outside. It wasn't much, but it wasn't black at which she sighed. Then it came to her what had happened and her head snapped up, eyes landing on the bars. She was in a cell somewhere and her hand went to her pocket, searching for her wand frantically. It wasn't there and she remembered that she had dropped it on the road, and she closed her eyes miserably.

Her eyes snapped open when she realized that Damon was there as well, beside her unconscious. Athena didn't know where she was, so she looked around. There were connecting cells and her eyes landed someone and she instinctively knew that it was Damon.

She moved towards his cell and called, "Damon?"

"They probably pumped him full of vervain. Won't be waking up soon." A voice muttered from the opposite side and her head snapped towards it.

It was too dark and she couldn't see the man clearly, but he was much calmer than her and because he was locked just like her and Damon, she asked trying to curb her panic, "What's happening? Where are we?"

Instead of answering, the man replied just as coolly, "Welcome. I'm 12144."

AN: I know you might be thinking that they just can't get a break! But let me tell you that this story is dark, one of the reasons its rated 'M'. Damon and Athena will get their happy ending. Eventually. I know there's a lot of suspense going on, but believe me, everything will be clear by the time this story ends.

I'm thankful to every one of you, who reviewed or message me.

Also, I'm not sure who to pair Bonnie with? Could Draco be an option? Or Jeremy? Suggestions would be appreciated. (Anyone from the TVD and HP verse) I've a poll on my profile. You can vote if you want.

Hope you have a brilliant day.

March 26th, 2019