Part II

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:I don't have a beta, so I would like to apologize for my mistakes in advance. Please do not copy this story.

Happy Birthday, Dear Mr. Potter. From this Potterhead.

Burrow

"Bill? Can I talk to you for a moment?" called Athena, earning a glance from Damon, who had been busy discussing God knows what with Mr. Weasley and George.

Bill pecked Fleur quickly before he walked towards Athena, who asked anxiously, even a bit eagerly, "Is it done?"

"It is. Nimbley will give you the documents and show you the place." Then added with a small smile, "You know it has always wanted this, right? He'll be over the moon. Hermione, on the other hand…"

"Don't worry. I'll handle her." She waved her hand dismissingly and said earnestly, "I couldn't have done it without your help. Thank you."

Diagon Alley

He was still grumbling as Athena apparated them to their destination.

She took one look at him and sighed, "Would you quit whining?"

Damon scowled, offended. He did absolutely did not whine! It wasn't his fault that she had transfigured his favourite jacket into a horrid looking robe, apparently to make him fit in. And the spells Hermione had used on him so that no one would find out about his true nature hadn't made him feel better. He hadn't said a word merely because he wanted to spend some time with Athena without a dozen people surrounding him. He wasn't sure if he would get a chance like this again, especially after going back home. So, he had 'shut it' as she had told him and endured the torture quietly.

There was also a peculiar detail, that the girl in front of him looked nothing like Athena – he missed her eyes as soon as he saw her short blonde hair with blue eyes, a glamour that changed her features. The only thing familiar was the scar on her forehead, hidden behind her bangs. He had been so startled by the transformation, that he didn't even recognize her at first. Which was a good thing as being unable to recognise was the sole reason behind her new look?

He absolutely hated it and had told her truthfully, earning a hex from the fiery redheaded girl. Meanwhile, Athena had smiled.

He ignored her words of wisdom and asked for the millionth time, "At least you could tell me what are we doing?"

She didn't answer, as expected, instead, rolled her eyes at him before flung out her right arm, wand in hand.

There was a deafening BANG, and his head snapped up just in time to see a gigantic triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Then the conductor in a purple uniform leaped out of the bus and began, what seemed like a practiced speech. – "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency trans –"

"We know, thank you." She interrupted swiftly. "How much would it be to get to Diagon Alley, London?"

"Fifteen Sickles," said Stan, "but for eighteen you get 'ot chocolate or an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice, and twenty if you want a shot of fire whiskey."

His eyes shot up to his hair and he looked at Athena, who pulled out money from her purse, shoving some silver into his hand, and Damon suddenly realized that he had no money... well, wizarding money to be precise. Before he could ask her about it, he stopped short. Instead of seats, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-panelled walls. He could clearly make out people sleeping in beds and he turned his bewildered gaze to Athena.

"So, woss your name?" asked Stan.

"Penelope Clearwater. He's Seamus Finnigan." Athena lied with ease.

He nodded, satisfied. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. These are Penelope 'nd Seamus, Ern."

Damon blinked and looked at Athena incredulously. Ernie Prang was an elderly wizard wearing extremely thick glasses. Could the man even see?

She cast a silent 'muffliato' when Stan was otherwise occupied and muttered, "He is Stan Shunpike. He was wrongly accused of being a Death Eater and thrown into Azkaban without a trial. They released him after Voldemort was defeated."

Damon looked at him and frowned. The gangly kid certainly didn't look like he could harm anyone, but what did he know? The girl sitting next to him was certainly a marvel.

"Take 'er away, Ernie," said Stan monotonously, before disappearing up the narrow staircase.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Damon found himself flat on the floor, on his ass; Athena had landed on the bed and was busy guffawing at him. He scowled at her, pulling himself up before staring out the window and his eyes widened. The bus was thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.

"Can Ernie drive?" he asked dubiously, only to receive a noncommittal shrug.

The Bus kept mounting the pavements, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees; but it didn't hit anything, as things jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed without anyone could even blink. The stared out, focusing on every detail as the buildings and benches squeezed themselves out of the way. He was certain that he was able to watch everything only because of his heightened sense. He had always loved the thrill that came with being a vampire and this was one of those times. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed a ride this much. He would've faceplanted when Ern slammed on the brakes if he hadn't been extra sturdy. Athena though, toppled over with a loud squeak, glowering when he smiled at her innocently.

"Thanks," he heard her mumbling before they jumping down the steps and he looked around, noticing nothing extraordinary.

He looked at Athena tapping her wand on a brick of a broken-down old shop and he blinked surprised, when his eyes landed at a small and shabby-looking pub, named the Leaky Cauldron which hadn't been there a few seconds ago.

"It's charmed to look like a broken shop to anyone non-magical." She informed him before steering inside.

It was mostly empty, apart from two men who were discussing something, and a man behind the bar.

The man asked, "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy? Fire whiskey?"

"Not today, Tom, thank you," Athena mumbled without looking at him as she marched along the narrow passage, leading towards the back exist.

They stopped in front of a wall, which she again tapped thrice with her wand. He watched entranced as the bricks started wriggling — a small hole appeared in the middle and seconds later they were facing an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," she said with a small smile. "to Diagon Alley."

They stepped through the archway and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw that the archway had already turned back into a solid wall.

The sun shone brightly and he tried to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A short woman was huffing something to her husband as they passed, saying, "It wasn't this much when I asked before, always do this before Christmas, they're mad if they think anyone would pay…"

"It's crowded because of Christmas," Athena muttered with disdain but he was too busy gawking at everything all at once. A pet shop which had owls, snakes, lizards, frogs and what not! Bunch of kids with their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. Shops selling such strange things which he had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…

Damon was lost for words as he said, "This is…"

"Phenomenal… I know. That's how I felt when I first visited with Hagrid." Athena nodded knowingly before her eyes landed on something in front of her and she said, "Come on, I need to go to Gringotts first."

He looked at the snowy white building that towered over every shop, but his eyes widened when they landed on the thing standing beside its door, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold.

"That's a goblin." She whispered quietly as they walked up to the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was short, not even reaching his knees. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So, if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

As soon as they entered inside, she dropped all the glamour's, once again looking like herself. Damon's eyes went to her questioningly and she shook her head with a wince.

"Let me warn you. They don't like me much."

There were about a hundred goblins sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. She made for the counter and said, "Morning. I wish to access the Potter vault."

The goblin, who had been engrossed in his work until now, looked up and sneered. "Athena Potter."

All heads turned towards her, sneering and she flinched, and suddenly Damon remembered that she had broken the bank not long ago. She ignored the glare, straightening up and said, "Also, William Weasley told me that Nimbley would be helping me regarding the documents and the payment remaining of the property I bought?"

Damon's head turned towards her with a frown, at the same time the goblin whistled to summon a little cart that came trundling along the tracks toward them out of the darkness. He clambered into it after the unnamed goblin and Athena. The card moved off with a jerk, gathering speed. It soon began twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages, sloping downward all the time. He couldn't hear anything over the rattling of the cart on the tracks and the water pounding somewhere as they swerved between stalactites, flying ever deeper into the earth. There was a lurch and the cart stopped in front of a rocky wall.

He heard a roar and belatedly realized that it was a dragon. Shell-shocked, his eyes met Athena, who was looking right at him.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered aghast at which Athena nodded, confirming his suspicion. Seeing a dragon in her memory had been surreal, but hearing it nearby, left him tongue-tied.

"Potter Vault 1417!"

The goblin announced in a shrill voice before pressing his palm to the wood, and the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, emeralds, rubies and potions in jewelled flasks. The goblin stayed at the entrance, while Damon whistled as he looked around; Athena was examining the piles of objects surrounding them until she found an old-looking diary with triumph and shoved it inside her small purse along with a couple of gold coins.

He was sitting in a huge room which held a single table and three chairs. Athena had told the goblin named Nimbley to abstract the amount from her safe. Now, the goblin's nose was buried in the parchment as he studied it before squeaking in a nasal voice, "Everything seems to be in order."

Damon watched curiously as a jewelled dagger appeared on the table and Athena held her palm towards Nimbley, who sliced her hand in a quick moment, letting few drops of her blood fall on the scroll, like spilled ink. She didn't wince as they focused on the scroll; the blood began to sink in it before it disappeared.

He frowned before taking her hand and his and was fairly surprised to see that the cut was already healing.

"The dagger is charmed. The cut heals as soon as it's done." She didn't pull her hand back but informed him before he could ask and he watched fascinated as the small gash vanished right in front of his eyes.

The goblin looked at it closely and nodded. "It's done."

"So, whose diary is that?" He asked as soon as they exited the bank and Athena's lips twitched.

Frankly, she was surprised he hadn't asked as soon as she picked it up. She pulled it out without a word, staring at the faded, almost torn diary before pulling out the two pictures which had changed her life.

"It was my mum's," she whispered before passing them to Damon.

He gazed at her for a moment before looking down at the pictures in his hand.

The first one was a hand-drawn picture which was moving, clearly a wizarding one, of none other than Klaus.

The other one though, was of a redhead he had seen in a picture or two at Athena's home, holding an infant in a hospital bed. The picture was oddly clear as it zoomed on the baby, who was yawning, but what surprised him the most was the fact that instead of black hair, the baby had dirty-blonde hair, just like her father.

'She really was Klaus's copy', he shivered at the thought.

She took him to Twilfitt and Tattings so that they could buy clothes fit for the wedding. Apparently, he needed to mix in, so no one would find anything out of ordinary about him and wizarding clothes were supposed to be a part of this. They both were taken to different rooms for fitting after choosing the clothes and they were done in about an hour.

They ordered ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She told him that Mr. Fortescue used to help her with homework, offering advice whenever he could, during the vacation and served free ice cream sundaes every half-hour before he was killed by the Death-Eaters. Now his son kept the place open.

After which they went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – the shop founded by the twins. He wouldn't say it out loud, but this was one place he was most excited about and he wasn't disappointed at all. The shop was filled with people of every age, trying different products. A bunch of girls, who were standing by the corner which had love potions, whispered to each other furiously before smiling at him. He smirked and winked, earning giggles from all.

Athena rolled her eyes before turning around and went to another corner. She saw Lee, who was hired by Fred and George when they started the shop and almost ducked out of his way, forgetting that she was in disguise, but she sighed with relief when he walked right past her. She didn't need the people to know she was here, nor was she eager to see the reporters who worked for Daily Prophet, assholes, the lot of them. Something caught her attention and she stopped short. Lying on the shelf were the boxes of 'Fred Weasley's Basic Blaze Box Boxing telescope' – a snort escaped her when she remembered the black eye sported by Hermione after being hit, and how she had hexed Fred afterward.

This shop right here was his dream and he would have been so proud.

A hand settled on her shoulder, startling her and she looked up to see Damon staring at the products. He didn't say anything, but rest of the time, he kept his hand on her, one way or the other. There was no need to say aloud because she knew it was a gesture of comfort and she was grateful. He made lewd jokes, making fun of people, throwing boxes randomly in his shopping bag. By the time they were done, she was sure he had picked half the things from the store, telling her that it was everything he could use on Stefan.

Her eyes widened when she saw the number of things he had bought when he paid at the billing counter – Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, U-No-Poo, Demon Wonder-box, Dung-bombs, Headless Hats, Weather in a Bottle, Ton-Tongue Toffee, Edible Dark Marks, Jumping Snakes, Boxes of Skiving Snacks and whatnot.

The shop took muggle currency as well, and Damon was more than happy to spend more than a thousand pounds on something he could prank Stefan with!

"Alright! One more place to go," she announced fervently.

He raised his eyebrows expectantly, so she told him eagerly, "You cannot go to Hogwarts, but I'm taking you to the next best place!"

"Hold on tight!" she took his hands and before he could ask more, she apparated.

Hogsmeade

Damon's feet touched the road and probably for the first time, didn't feel the need to puke. He saw the somewhat familiar street: dark shop fronts and the outline of white mountains beyond the village, and for a moment he couldn't remember when had he been here. As he looked more closely and read the name of the shop in front of him, he realised with a sudden jolt that he had seen this street numerous times in Athena's memories.

The place looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages. The wind was fierce and Athena shivered as cold wind bit her in the face and quickly cast a warming charm around them, instantly felt the heat enveloping her. Her decision to show him Hogsmeade had been impromptu and she had nearly forgotten how much colder this part could be!

She noticed him looking around in awe before his eyes met hers and he asked incredulously, "You bought us to Hogsmeade?!"

"Uh… I obviously couldn't take you to Hogwarts, but this place has always been somethin' akin to home. The school hasn't been restored yet, so it would be mostly empty. I-Is it alright? We can go back if you want…" she rambled, shifting on her feet nervously.

"Are you kidding me? I've always wanted to see this place! Who wouldn't?" he stated with a smile, not the one he faked most of the times, but the one he had forgotten himself.

Athena released a breath she had no idea she was holding and asked quietly, unsure of his reaction. "Maybe we can meet Hagrid. I want to see how he is! It's been a long time."

"He won't kill me, would he?" he tried to joke, but the giant was someone he wasn't sure about. Despite the knowledge that Hagrid was fiercely protective of Athena, he didn't know what to expect.

"Of course, not!" She gasped with fake outrage. "He would love you! He has always been fascinated with different kind of creatures, no matter how dangerous they are."

"Funny." He deadpanned with a roll of his eyes and followed her into the shop named Honeydukes.

"You'll like this." Then added after a second, "I think."

There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Hundreds of different kinds of sweets in neat rows, with every colour imaginable. A woman was reading a magazine named witch weekly, while the man was dozing. What he couldn't understand was why she thought that he would like a children's shop, but he kept it to himself.

"Here, try these! These are the most popular sweets in the wizarding world," she said before thrusting a small striped box of what seemed like sweets into his hands.

He raised an eyebrow at her and looked at it. She was way too chipper for his liking.' Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans — A Risk With Every Mouthful!' - It read. He looked at her skeptically, but picked one and popped it into his mouth. His eyes widened with barely hidden disgust and he spat it in the nearest bin.

He asked repulsed, "What was that? It tasted like someone's puke!"

"That's because it was," Athena told him innocently.

The look he gave her promised pain and he mock-threatened sweetly, "And why did you think I would like this?"

"Christmas is almost here. I thought it could be a gift to Stefan. I'm buying one for Kol." Athena shrugged; eyes filled with sudden mischief – something he had never seen in her eyes.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" He declared mirthfully with a huge grin, enjoying when she turned ten shades of scarlet.

They ended up buying Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, and Damon's new favourite – blood pops. He had been pleasantly surprised when she had urged him to try the lolly, he had done so, somewhat horrified of what it would be, only to taste human blood. He ended up buying some for Stefan as well, just in case.

The first thing Damon noticed in the tiny inn named Three Broomsticks was that it was warm, almost vacant, and a bit cosy, but clean and welcoming. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving an old man, who was sitting in the corner booth. A man and a woman were discussing something on the other side; the four men were playing some kind of a game rather loudly while having drinks. Other then that, the place was empty.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Athena. "Shall we get the drinks?" she added, before striding towards the bar.

She came back minutes later with a tray floating in front of her. It settled itself on a vacant table near the window next to the fireplace, giving the perfect view of the street outside.

"Here, try this. It is butterbeer. You won't find it anywhere else." She practically ordered before pushing a foaming tankard in front of it.

He looked at it dubiously, eying the bottle of firewhisky lying in front of him. One look at the face and he sighed before pulling the mug and taking a long sip. It was sweet with a very little amount of alcohol and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside which surprised him. He would always prefer something strong, but he could genuinely say that this was one of the things he wouldn't mind drinking again. His thoughts must've been clear on his face because Athena was giving a smug look and this time, he rolled his eyes. Their drinks vanished soon and it didn't take them long to open the bottle of firewhisky. Now this, Damon could truly say that he liked, just like his bourbon. The conversation flowed easily as they discussed everything and anything. The whiskey had taken the edge off and they laughed at the silliest of things while eating Steak and Kidney Pie along with a Treacle Tart, which apparently was her favourite. He couldn't say he liked it much and thankfully they had burgers, but it wasn't the food or the place filled with magic he was here for – it was the girl sitting opposite him, stuffing her face with the Tart happily. Everyone knew her love for alcohol, but seeing her drinking more than him and just being tipsy astonished him.

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair and he looked over the rim of his glass to see who it was and almost choked. There was no doubt in his mind who this man was – twice as tall as an average man, standing at about twelve feet tall and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face. He was wearing an exceptionally large overcoat, far too large for anyone he had ever known.

Athena frowned at him before turning around to see who it was and her eyes widened. She was out of her seat in the blink of an eye as she rushed towards the giant. Damon stood up, tense despite the knowledge that this man would never harm Athena.

"Hagrid!" Athena smiled up at the gatekeeper and threw her arms around him, leaving Damon to wonder if this was a normal greeting or it was due to the alcohol consumption.

"Athena!?" Hagrid gaped, despite the fact that she was practically unrecognizable and his hands engulfed her small frame as he hugged her back. "What're you doing here? How 'ave you been?" His voice boomed and she hissed. "Shhh…!"

But it was too late because everyone in the pub had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Athena Potter?" someone whispered doubtfully and Athena closed her eyes tiredly and Hagrid winced.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old man, "Athena Potter… what an honor."

He hurried towards her and seized her hand; uncaring that the girl looked nothing like Athena.

"You killed him! You killed him! He killed my boy!" He had tears in his eyes as he said reverently, "Thank you… thank you, dear girl!"

She grimaced, but nodded, not knowing what to say as everyone stared at her scar. There were scraping of chairs and in the next moment, Athena found herself shaking hands with everyone.

"Athena Potter!" Madam Rosmerta eyed her and said sympathetically, "I understand why you're hiding under that God-awful disguise, girl."

Athena sighed and dropped the glamour, which was enough to send everyone in a frenzy.

"Good Lord," one of the men breathed. "It's Athena Potter!"

"So proud, Miss. Potter, so proud – can't believe I'm meeting you!"

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" yelled Madam Rosmerta. "GO BACK TO WHATEVER YOU WERE DOIN'! LET THE GIRL BREATHE!"

Everyone flinched back, knowing that the woman wouldn't think twice before throwing them out. Athena nodded gratefully at the lady before stealing a nervous glance at Damon, who was staring at everyone calmly, sipping his drink casually, but the curiosity in his eyes was clear. She was thankful that he hadn't interfered or it would've turned bad real soon.

Damon noticed bemused how people swarmed her, despite the fact that it made her uncomfortable, but he chose to stay where he was as she had made him promise beforehand that he would stay out of the way, in case something like this happened. It was clear that this wasn't something new and his involvement would only cause her more trouble.

He was startled when Athena pushed him and slid in the booth beside him and it wasn't long before he realized why! Hagrid took the opposite seat, jostling the table in the process – both their mugs crashed onto the floor, and it was only due to Damon's quick reflexes that he saved the bottle of whiskey. Madam Rosmerta fixed the mugs with a flick of her wand, rolling her eyes at the giant, who was beet-red in the face, apologizing profusely. No one other than him was surprised, other than the people who were staring at Athena, and he realized that it was a common occurrence.

Athena cast a muffled silencing charm around them and said in a go. "Hagrid, this is Damon, my friend from America. Damon, this is Hagrid."

Damon nodded as the giant stared at him with dark eyes that were glinting like black beetles before asking, "Yer a wizard?"

"Uh… Hagrid," Athena started, "He's a muggle – a vampire."

Hagrid's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he gasped, "VAMPIRE? They can be dangerous, Athena!"

Athena looked around wildly and sighed after remembering that her conversation wasn't overheard, thanks to the spell. She looked into Hagrid's eyes before Damon could come back with a scathing comeback and whispered earnestly, "He's my friend, Hagrid and I trust him."

Damon watched as all fight drained from Hagrid's body and he slumped, trusting Athena's words.

"Well, I trust ya, and he isn't the first one, is he now?" stated Hagrid, scratching his beard, all the while eying Damon with interest.

Before Athena could've rejoiced Hagrid's acceptance, a flash of bright light shined in her face. She looked up horrified to see a reporter taking pictures of the three of them.

She stood up hastily, her jaw clenched and asked angrily, "Who told you I was here?"

"You don' know? No one has seen you since the war! Anyone who gives your location to Daily Prophet would be rewarded with 500 gallons!"

"Tell me! Who's he? A new flame? Everyone knows the redhead boyfriend of yours is dead now!" the man shouted before turning towards Damon and asked, "Hey! You! Who're ya? Come on, don' hide it! The world will find either way!"

Wizard or not, Damon was ready to snap his neck, when he felt Athena's hand in his own and he met her eyes. He hadn't even noticed that he was a few steps away from the reporter, ready to kill, but Athena shook her head and he came out of the red fog.

He shook his head to clear it before Hagrid pushed them both slightly towards the door and said urgently, "Get 'er out of ere! Go now!"

"I'll see you at the wedding!" she called to Hagrid, who nodded.

She apparated them somewhere in an abandoned park in the muggle London and slumped in a swing.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and he frowned until she added quietly, "I spoiled it all."

"Hey. You didn't spoil anything." He told her sympathetically.

"Of course, I did!" she said vehemently. "Not only this but at the Burrow! I know that Mrs. Weasley threatened you. Almost everyone is treating you like – like…"

"Like a culprit?" He spoke when she couldn't find the word and she grumbled.

"Listen to me." He said softly as he took both her hands in his, staring into her eyes. "They're not wrong. I did what they hate me for! But I want you to remember one thing – I'm not here for fuzz-bomb or ginger's wedding," she snorted despite herself at the nicknames. He took a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her hair before continuing, "or for Mrs. Weasley or anyone else for that matter. You are the only one whose opinion matters to me. I'm here only because of you."

She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she remembered the exact words Fred had told her after their fight at Shell Cottage. - "I'm here only because of you! I don't care what anyone has to say!"

"You know, I don't even remember the last time I had so much fun without worrying about anything." He told her truthfully, unaware of her inner musings.

She looked up at him and realized with a jolt that even though he was a centuries-old vampire, he hadn't felt actual happiness since he was turned against his wishes. Katherine turned out to be a slag, playing with the brothers, even after her supposedly 'death'; Damon actually had never been simply happy. First Katherine and then Elena – he had been utterly miserable and lonely all those years.

They weren't a centuries-old hunter and the girl who lived, sitting somewhere in the world. They were just two people, Athena and Damon.

She stood up to be closer to him, her fingers moved as if they had the mind of their own and grazed his cheek softly. The action was so sudden, that he went stiff in utter surprise; he couldn't remember a single time when she had initiated any kind of physical contact voluntarily or without the help of liquor. Her thumb stroked his cheekbone and viridescent eyes met azure before they flickered down towards his lips.

Damon was still frozen, but his lips parted unconsciously when he felt her breath on them. Her lips were pink, almost red reminding him of a rose. He wanted nothing more than to feel her lips against his own, but was more confused than ever, if she really wanted it… him, or not. He wasn't sure whether he would be able to stop himself or not if she actually kissed him.

"Athena…"

Damon wasn't sure if it was a question or a plea, but it was enough to jolt her out and her eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked, turning red by the second.

Damon smirked and said salaciously, "Don't be. You're welcome to try this and more any time you feel like."

And just like that, the moment vanished, leaving both of them, more frustrated than ever.

EN: Can't believe it has been a year since I posted this for the first time. Have come a long way. I wanna thank every one of you if you're still with me on this story and I hope you liked it. Positive criticism is always welcome. Thank You for all your reviews and sorry if I haven't replied. Next chapter would be updated soon, maybe in a day or two, after which I'll reply to all of you.

Have a nice day everyone. 😊

July 31st, 2019