Disclaimer:

I have decided to move forward with The Vampire Diaries and include flashbacks in the chapters about the years at Hogwarts. For now, at the beginning, Althea will be in a relationship with Harry, but I'm not sure if they will be endgame—after all, there's a lot that still needs to happen.

Our coming-of-age has come and gone

Suddenly this summer, it's clear

I never had the courage of my convictions

As long as danger is near

And it's just around the corner, darlin'

'Cause it lives in me

No, I could never give you peace

Mystic Falls.

Althea had sworn she would never set foot in that hell on Earth again. But after the past few years in the magical world, maybe the problem wasn't the place—maybe it was her.

Exactly three weeks ago, the war ended. Harry delivered the final blow to Voldemort, and the magical world was safe. But despite the victory, Althea felt no relief. The losses were immeasurable, and the faces of Fred, Remus, Nymphadora, and so many others were still vivid in her memory. Maybe—just maybe—coming back to Mystic Falls wasn't the worst decision.

Harry's hand tightened around hers as they stood in front of the house where she had spent her childhood. The last time she was here was last summer when her adoptive parents passed away—and even then, she hadn't stayed long. A small smile touched her lips as she remembered Remus accompanying her back then. The former professor had insisted on being there for her. Their friendship had deepened when the Order of the Phoenix was reassembled, bonding over research and stories, with Remus utterly fascinated by the Petrova lineage.

"Are you sure you want to be here, love?" Harry's voice pulled her back to reality. "We could travel the world now, with no worries."

Althea sighed.

"Katherine needs me… Apparently, it's common knowledge that there's a duplicate."

Two, actually. But Niklaus had known that for years. Back in her fifth year, Althea had mustered the courage to write Klaus a letter, offering herself for the sacrifice in Elena's place—unaware that her blood wouldn't work. When the original witch cast the curse on Niklaus using Tatia Petrova's blood, her sister—Adria—performed a spell on herself, ensuring that only she could break the curse, reincarnating in the future. Klaus had heard the prophecy firsthand.

When he met Katerina, he thought the prophecy had been wrong since Adria had never returned. But centuries later, standing before Althea, Klaus finally understood—he never would have broken the curse in the 1400s.

"At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite…" Harry hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. "This isn't your responsibility."

"Katherine is my friend. She helped me a lot." Althea shook her head. "And technically, I'm the only one who can break the curse. So, I show up, tell Klaus that if he doesn't let Kat go, I won't help him, break the curse, and we're out of this hellhole before the next full moon."

She tried to sound confident, but something inside her knew it wouldn't be that simple.

"Ready to meet the family?"

"I already know John and Katherine… Jeremy and Elena don't scare me."

Althea chuckled softly and pulled her boyfriend's hand, finally gathering enough courage to face her old home. Without Grayson and Miranda around, she felt more at ease returning to the house of her childhood.

"Althea?"

Jenna Sommers stood frozen at the sight of her niece on the doorstep. Miranda's younger sister had always liked Althea and never understood why her sister suddenly started pretending she didn't have another daughter—or why Althea ended up living with John, of all people.

"Hey, Aunt Jenna." Althea greeted her with a smile. "I hope it's not a problem that I'm back."

"Problem?" Jenna shook her head, still in shock. "Of course not! Why would it be?"

Without waiting for an answer, she pulled both of them inside.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Jenna."

"Harry." Potter extended his hand to shake hers.

"Wow… You've grown so much! I haven't seen you in years."

"Miranda made sure of that." Althea muttered.

Jenna frowned but chose not to address it just yet.

"What matters is that you're here." She smiled warmly and pulled her niece into a hug. "Elena is going to be thrilled to have you back! How long are you staying?"

Althea held back a sarcastic laugh. Thrilled was a strong word—Elena would rather jump out of a plane without a parachute.

"We're not sure yet," Harry answered for her. "There was an attack at our school. They've been happening frequently in England and Scotland, so they decided to close it for now."

"An attack? Oh my God." Jenna covered her mouth with her hand. "Are you both okay?"

No.

"We are." Althea forced a smile. "We decided to spend some time here, catch up with John, and then figure things out."

"John, huh?" Jenna tried to hide her distaste but failed miserably.

"Well, we're heading to the Grill later. What do you think? I'd love to stay longer, but I have a meeting at college…"

"Go ahead, Jen. We'll talk later. I was planning to meet up with a friend anyway.".

On the other side of Mystic Falls, inside the old Fell church, Elena Gilbert stood face to face with Katherine Pierce, demanding answers about the vampire's past—and their connection to the curse.

"So, how much of your little story is actually true?" Elena asked after hearing about Katherine's past.

Katherine sighed, leaning back. "I have no reason to lie, Elena. No reason to do anything but sit here, read, and rot."

She was actually waiting for Althea to show up. The last time they spoke—four days ago—Thea had been attending the final funeral for her fallen friends before heading to Mystic Falls. The silence since then was intentional. Katherine was hoping Althea would get impatient and use her magic to track her down.

"And the reason you came here… you want to be the one to hand me over to Klaus, don't you?"

"It's been 500 years on the run, Elena. I got tired and figured I could strike a deal with him." Althea's idea, not Katherine's. After discovering the truth about the sacrifice, the Petrova witch had been determined to free Katherine from Klaus's wrath.

"So you got Mason to find the moonstone… What else do you need to break the curse?"

Katherine smirked. "Look who's getting smarter…"

Elena ignored the jab. "It's not just me or the stone, is it? Otherwise, there'd be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse…" She thought back to everything that had happened since Katherine's arrival. "A vampire? Caroline."

"Witches and their spells—so many ingredients, so many sacrifices."

"Is that all?"

"Oh no, sweetheart. There's one ingredient Klaus didn't have back in my time."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "What else, then?"

Katherine's lips curled into a knowing smile. "The witch."

"Are you telling me Klaus didn't have a witch back then?"

"Not a witch. The witch." Katherine tilted her head. "A very specific one. And lucky for me, she just arrived."

Elena barely registered the approaching footsteps before a voice spoke behind her.

"Who?"

"Me."

Elena's blood ran cold. She turned, and for the first time in years, she locked eyes with her twin.

Althea smirked. "Hello, sister. Miss me?"

"A-Althea? What are you doing here?"

"Katherine called me. I thought that was clear."

Elena blinked, trying to process. "You know each other?"

Althea rolled her eyes. "Did all the brains go to me in the womb?"

"I mean, how do you know each other?"

"Mommy dearest introduced us, of course."

For a moment, Elena was confused. Then it hit her. "You know."

Althea's expression didn't change. "Of course I know."

"And you never thought to tell me?" The hurt in Elena's voice was evident.

"You were happy with Grayson and Miranda," Althea said simply. "They hated me. Always did. But you? You were their pride and joy."

Oddly enough, she felt no jealousy over it.

"But John—he was excited to be my father."

Elena's stomach twisted. "But not mine?"

"You already had a father, Elena."

"He was your father too!" she snapped.

Althea's gaze hardened. "No, he wasn't. And you know that."

"Boring." Katherine sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes.

Before either twin could respond, another voice cut through the tension.

"What's going on here?"

Elena's head snapped toward the entrance. Her eyes widened.

"Caroline told you?" she asked the newcomer.

Katherine leaned toward Althea, mouthing, Boyfriend

"No," the man shook his head. "She kept your secret. But it wasn't hard to figure out that whatever this is—it's important enough for you to hide it from me."

Althea let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, this is getting a little too crowded for me. Katherine, I'll be back for you later, okay?"

She turned to leave, but before she could take another step, Stefan grabbed her arm—too roughly.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Stefan, let her go," Elena said quickly, but Althea had already reacted.

Without hesitation, she sent a sharp, pulsing pain through his skull while setting his hand on fire. He gasped, immediately releasing her.

Althea seized his unburnt wrist, twisting it until she heard a crack.

Elena's breath caught in her throat. She knew her sister was a witch—but she hadn't expected her to be this powerful. Casting two spells at once and physically overpowering a vampire? That wasn't normal.

"Let me make something clear," Althea said, her voice low and cold. "I've had a really bad year, and I don't like being touched without consent."

Elena called her name, but Althea didn't even glance her way.

"Stay out of my way, and you won't die." She twisted Stefan's wrist harder. "Mind your business, don't interfere with my plans, and maybe—maybe—you'll survive the next century. Got it?"

Stefan barely managed a nod. It was enough.

Althea released him, dropped her spells, and walked out of the ruins without another word.

Behind her, Stefan was still frozen in shock, Elena was too stunned to speak, and Katherine—well, Katherine just looked amused.