Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Athena Gilbert: Nina Dobrev.

Elena Gilbert: Alexis Bledel.

Jesse Parks: Jensen Ackles.

Chapter 5: You're Undead to Me:

Sirius glanced at the title of the latest chapter and grimaced, "The title doesn't help build confidence. So morbid-"

"Get on with it already, Black, and stop jibber-jabbering!" Alastor growled as he took a swig from his flask, his fake eye fixated solely on the Malfoys and the Lestranges as it had been ever since their shocking arrival. Shrugging nonchalantly, Sirius placed an arm around Marlene, and read out, "Chapter five: you're undead to me."

It has been three days since Damon had been successfully captured and locked up, and Stefan had been patiently waiting for him to wake up from the large dosage of vervain he had laced into Caroline's drink.

"Wow. Three days?! Vervain must be really toxic to vampires, I mean, Damon feeds on humans, he's supposed to be very strong," Ginny gaped at the book, wonder and disbelief crossing her face. There were many nods of agreement with the redhead's statement and Sirius quickly continued reading, lest Ginny be on the receiving end of the ire of the cantankerous war-veteran, retired auror.

Deciding to stop by the cellar before finally facing the music of the outside world, forest green eyes widened once bleary electric blues snapped open without warning, staring back at him groggily, and limbs barely mobile.

"Where is my ring," Damon hoarsely demanded, struggling to assemble a coherent sentence.

James let out a loud sigh of relief, "Good. Smart thinking. If Damon escapes, he would be a victim to sunlight, leaving him vulnerable."

Unwilling to portray pity, Stefan matter-of-factly stated, "Won't be needing it anymore." His blasé words only succeeded in garnering himself an incensed glare from Damon who managed to spit out, "How long have I been here?"

"Three days," came the prompt reply, subsequently shocking the fallen volatile Salvatore. Damon succumbed to a bout of violent coughing and between wheezes, asked, "What are you doing?"

Every occupant in the room leaned forward, waiting for Sirius to reveal Stefan's plan in stopping the murderous vampire and protecting the town.

Sounding completely detached to his brother's – the person he had always, without fail, looked up to – suffering, Stefan explained, "During the dark ages when a vampire's actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgment. They sought to reeducate them rather than to punish them."

Bill nodded, a grimace etched on his handsome features, "No matter what, it's not an easy feat to kill your own blood. Instead of permanently stopping Damon, Stefan's hoping to change his perspective in regards to human life by having him suffer. Smart."

"Let's hope it's actually effective," Remus pointed out; but deep inside, Remus Lupin didn't think that Damon Salvatore was a vampire that could be easily swayed to comprehend the difference between right and wrong.

There was a beat of silence as Damon processed what he had been told, and he finally realized the precarious position of his predicament. "You know what will happen if I don't… feed on blood," he choked out, hoping to instill pity and evoke the compassionate side of Saint Stefan.

"You'll grow weaker and weaker," Stefan responded, not missing a beat as he listed off all the side-effects, "Eventually you won't be able to speak. In a week your skin will desiccate, and you'll mummify. A living corpse. Unable to hurt anyone. Ever."

"That sounds positively ghastly," Hermione uttered, a look of horror taking prominence on her face.

"I would've went for excruciatingly painful and a new technique of torture," Harry retorted, but he too, couldn't feel pity for the vampire that was threatening the safety of his older sister. Despite not knowing or having a sliver of remembrance towards Athena Gilbert, Harry was already developing a kinship to the eldest Potter child, and from the look on Jasmine's face, he wasn't the only one.

"So, what, you're going to leave me in the basement, forever?" Damon snapped, his voice sharpening with incredulity. Stefan slowly shook his head, "I've injected you with enough vervain to keep you weak. Once your circulation stops, I'll move you to the family crypt, and then in 50 years, we can reevaluate."

Damon finally realized Stefan was deadly serious and the only way he could escape the punishment doled out to him, was by relying on himself. "I'm stronger than you think," he threatened, halting Stefan's footsteps, prompting the younger Salvatore to look at his pitiable form over his shoulder, "You always have been. But you're not stronger than vervain. And we both know it," he paused, licked his lips, and spoke in a genuine, sorrowful tone, "I'm sorry. Didn't have to be this way."

Despite the situation, all the occupants in the room who had siblings, couldn't help but sympathize with the situation Stefan was forced into. It was glaringly obvious that Stefan had always looked up to his older brother and loved him irrevocably, but Damon continued to force his hand and had him experience nothing but misery from what they had been able to gather since the first chapter.

Trying to be positive, Molly forced a smile, "Perhaps in 50 years, once Damon's punishment ends, he will appreciate his younger brother more…"

"Oh, it will happen sooner that you think," Luna dreamily negated, beaming at a befuddled Jasmine and Ginny, both of whom shot their respective brothers glares to shut up and not take the mickey out of the odd Raven. Only Albus, Alastor, Kingsley and Lucius recognized there to be some ominous meaning behind the clairvoyant blonde's words.

Walking over to the living room, Stefan tried ignoring the painful clench of his heart… no matter what Damon did, he would always be his big brother and he would never stop loving him. Unfortunately, Stefan had a nasty, heart-breaking suspicion that the brotherly love was only one-sided.

"Oh, I don't think it is," Alice sadly uttered, feeling pity for the vampire.

Meeting the hazel orbs of Zach's, Stefan reported, "He's awake. He's weak, but it's probably best to stay out of the basement. He's Damon. I'm not sure how dangerous he still might be."

Zach nodded once, feeling more relieved, "You're going to school?"

"Came here to live a life. It's about time I get back to that. And Elena," he grimaced, "If she'll still have me."

Zach frowned, "Why haven't you called her?" but Stefan sighed forlornly, dragging a hand down his face, "What am I supposed to do, feed her another lie? I hate lying to her, Zach. I'm not good at it. She already thinks I'm hiding something."

"Well, he is hiding something," Tonks pointed out the obvious garnering a heated glare from her mentor.

"Lying is not a good foundation for a relationship," Marlene sympathetically stated. Albus nodded, "I wholeheartedly agree with you, my dear. Unfortunately, Stefan must not expose her to the existence of vampires."

"Why not?" Jasmine piped up, a confused frown settling on her face, "I mean, Athena is a witch, and comes from a family of wizards that goes back a millennium. In relation, Elena has the right to know." and again, Severus noted the heated scowl on Lily's face, but this time, he wasn't alone in his shrewd perception… for Lucius, Narcissa, Rodolphus and Rabastan couldn't take their suspicious eyes off of her, not until Sirius carried on with his narration.

Zach however, could only point out an ugly fact that Stefan had no hopes of ever escaping, "What choice do you have? You wanted to live as normal a life as you could. You knew this was going to be a part of it."

Ron scoffed, "I don't think normalcy and vampires could be said in the same sentence." prompting a nod of agreement from Harry and Neville and a scowl from Hermione and Jasmine.

"Oh ickle Ronniekins-"Fred began with a grin.

"-You never know when to shut up," George concluded, bringing about a bout of laughter from Fabian and Gideon, and a weak retort of "shut up" from Ron.

Athena was brushing her curly brown locks, chocolate brown orbs meeting a pair of mirthful stormy grays that belonged to her wonderful boyfriend who had stopped by for breakfast and was currently lounging on her bed with a lazy smile on his devastatingly handsome face. As the two lovebirds were about to rekindle their kissing session before school, Elena barged inside with an incredulous look on her kind-natured face.

James, Sirius and Remus blatantly sighed in relief, grateful for Elena's timely interruption. They may have accepted Jesse, but that didn't mean they were looking forward to reading about him being intimate with Athena… not any time soon, or ever!

"Where's the fire, Lanes?" Jesse drawled, pulling Athena onto his lap and relishing at the sound of her mellifluous giggles. She ignored the sickly sweet image they made, that looked like it was stolen from a romance novel; Elena huffed and plumped onto the bed beside them, neon blues solemnly meeting a pair of chocolates and greys respectively. "Vicki… Vicki Donovan! Vicki was in our bathroom, half naked, I might add! She spent the night over with Jeremy…" she trailed off, a frown knitting on her face, "Wait, why aren't the two of you surprised?"

Molly instantly started clucking in disapproval, but before she could begin a tirade about inappropriate behavior, Sirius was urged to continue reading.

Athena and Jesse traded smiles; grasping her twin's hand, Athena giggled, "Lena, I'm surprised you just found out. Jenna and I heard them last night, and this morning, well-"

"Athy and I had a porno show listening to them moaning through the thin walls," Jesse shrugged, unperturbed with laying the facts and sounding crass, inwardly amused at the subtle differences between the personalities of the Gilbert twins who were usually in the same wavelength. While Athena threw her head backward and giggled, Elena's face turned as red as a tomato, eyes widening in mortification. Quickly recovering from her shock, Elena smacked Jesse on the shoulder, "Jesse! You didn't have to say it like that! Ugh. Thena, why aren't you and Jenna bothered about this?!" she demanded, her voice taking a whining quality.

Athena sighed loudly and fiddled with the crescent-moon locket Jesse gifted her with on her fifteenth birthday,

"Wait! What?" Sirius paused without warning, grays meeting a pair of shocked hazels, and James didn't disappoint, "So, Jesse gave her that necklace after all!"

Reinhard cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What's the big deal about a necklace?"

Albus smiled benignly, though he too was surprised at the turn of events, "Ah yes, pardon me for forgetting your absence during the third chapter. Stefan bequeathed Elena with a locket imbued with vervain to protect her from Damon's compulsion. However, he mistakenly hypothesized that Damon would compel Elena and not Athena. The elder Salvatore confronted Athena with some-, well, indecorous compulsion-"

"He compelled her to kiss him," Tonks cheekily grinned, not the least bit bashful in stating the sordid facts to the newcomers, unlike the scowling father and godfather and the prim and proper Headmaster, Minerva, Severus and Molly Weasley.

The Lestranges and the Malfoys gaped at the metamorphmagus, horrified with Damon Salvatore, and their attention returned when an uncomfortable Albus Dumbledore continued regaling the previous tale surrounding the crescent-moon necklace, "Yes, as Nymphadora blatantly informed you. To Damon's surprise, Athena was immune to his compulsion and the conclusion was that her necklace was imbued with vervain. Until this precise moment, we were unaware Jesse had gifted her with the aforementioned necklace."

Shrewdly, Rodolphus inquired, "So, then this muggle boy must be aware of vampires if he laced the necklace with vervain… to protect the girl."

"Or," Severus drawled out, "The boy, Jesse, is oblivious and the necklace could be a family heirloom already imbued with the toxic herb."

Albus sighed, his expression glum, "Alas, both theories are plausible. Unfortunately, we cannot know for sure until the book reveals its secrets."

James and Sirius were torn between gratitude toward Jesse, or gratitude toward his ancestors, and they couldn't wait to discover how vervain came to be imbued in the mysterious locket in the first place… unfortunately, out of the Marauders, Prongs and Padfoot were not known for their patience, despite the fact that James waited five years for Lily Evans to finally accept a date with him.

"Lena, no, none of us are okay with it. I mean, no offense to Vicki, but she's not the type of person I'd want my baby brother with, I mean, she's not exactly known to be a role model, but… she somehow, for some inexplicable, completely baffling reason, makes Jer happy. Jenna's annoyed because Jeremy wasn't crafty about it and didn't have the decency to at least make an effort in sneaking her in, but, whatcha gonna do about it. I'd rather Jeremy do Vicki, than do drugs," she ended with a mischievous smirk.

"Glad to see your daughter inherited your vulgarity, James!" Minerva sniffed in disapproval, the color draining from her face upon hearing Athena Gilbert's unladylike manner and Molly Weasley didn't look any better, in fact, the redheaded matriarch of the Weasley Clan was puffed up in apoplectic rage, so much so, that Sirius had to quickly take the bullet and continue reading before her ear-shattering screams could permeate the air.

James Potter on the other hand, didn't know if he should be affronted, disappointed, or proud.

"Oh my god, Thena. You're worse than Jesse," Elena blushed profusely.

Jesse chuckled, not taking offense the least bit, "So, Lanes, heard from your mysterious boytoy yet?"

As though doused in ice cold water, Elena's complexion returned to its natural shade of ivory and her neon blue eyes narrowed in anger, "Not since he left me that very vague message three days ago," she then tried mimicking his sensual husky voice, to no avail, "'Hi, um, Elena, I, um, have something I have to do. I'll, uh, explain in a few days."

Athena snorted, "You suck at imitating his voice," prompting a mock glare from said twin and a chuckle from her amazing boyfriend, "Okiee, moving on. Don't call him. I mean, he's blowing you off, and ignoring you. it's been threedays now. Wait for him to beg and grovel at your feet for forgiveness."

Jesse rolled his eyes and dragged Athena and Elena onto their feet, "I'm so done with this estrogen-fest. I feel like I'm losing my masculinity here. Let's bounce, c'mon." Athena and Elena burst out into laughter at Jesse, both girls linking arms with him on either side and placing a chaste kiss on his respective cheek.

"I feel for the dude," Charlie sighed, eyeing Ginny and his mother warily.

Caroline sat cross-legged on her bed, face scrunched up in the epitome of furious concentration as she tried coming up with a truthful answer to Bonnie's question who sat in front of her with a concerned expression etched on her caramel face. "I remember the party," the blonde finally uttered in a hesitant manner, "Damon came up behind me, and he was kissing my neck, or biting my neck –? I passed out," she groaned loudly and buried her face into her plushy pillow, "It's like there's holes in my memory lately. It's just weird, maybe I let him bite me…"

"Why would she ever think that?" Marlene scoffed. Caroline Forbes was growing on the female population huddled in the room. Even Hermione was staring to see her as a muggle blonde instead of her ever-annoying roommate, Lavender Brown.

"Why would you do that?" Bonnie scoffed incredulously, her raven eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline.

Caroline shook her head as though trying to banish the blurry memories, "Can we just not talk about it, ok? When I slept over at Thena and Lena's, Jesse interrogated me the very next day, and I still don't remember. I just don't want to talk about Damon, I don't wanna talking about any of it. I'm all talked out and I just want to go back to normal-"she cocked her to the side in confusion, rolling her eyes at her best friend who looked like she was daydreaming, eyes focused intently at a candle on her bedside table, "Uh, Bonnie, what are you doing with that candle?"

Bonnie looked like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar; startled, she blurted out, "Um… nothing. What's this?" she pointed at an ostentatious necklace with a gaudy amber crystal in hopes of changing the subject.

"Damon gave it to me, Or-"the blonde frowned in indecision, "-he was going to give it to me. All I know is, it's mine now," she grinned, looking pleased with herself, admiring the amber crystal.

"I am still highly puzzled and curious as to the reason for that necklace," Albus stated, eyes piercing the book intently as he tried to come up with a plausible reason and its usage, "It seemed to be an important artifact to Damon."

Severus nodded in agreement, "Yes, I believe he wanted an invite to the party in the previous chapter, just for the sake of having that necklace in his possession."

Unfortunately, the readers were garnering more questions that answers.

Bonnie couldn't help but simply point out, "It's ugly."

Caroline scowled at her, playfully batting her hand away, "Well, get your grubby hands off it."

"I hope Damon remains locked up. Otherwise his first stop would be at Caroline's to retrieve it," Jasmine bit her lips worriedly.

Athena, Elena, Jesse and Bonnie stood to the side, observing Caroline strut down the cheerleading pitch in a mixture of awe and disbelief as she announced in a chirpy, exuberant voice, "The sexy suds car wash is tomorrow. The football team and the band have committed. Well, not all the band. Just the ones who could pull off the bikini. I want, in your face, sexy. I mean, it's a fundraiser for god's sakes." Their fellow cheerleaders bobbed their heads obediently once the blonde's speech was concluded.

"These muggle jargons make absolutely no sense," Lucius muttered to Narcissa and the Lestrange brothers, all three of whom looked utterly perplexed.

"Unbelievable. It's like nothing happened," Elena scoffed in disapproval, yet was unable to hide her concern. Bonnie nodded in agreement, "She's in denial."

"I believe it's the compulsion leaving her system," Kingsley deduced, scratching his bald head as he mulled the blonde's peculiar behavior, "She no longer has any memories of the terrible actions doled out to her by Damon. How could one be affected by an incident in which they cannot recall?"

Alastor grunted in accord, "Excellently deduced, Shacklebolt."

Jesse positioned Athena's back flush against his chest, eyes scrutinizing the blonde's sprightly movements and peppy disposition, "Nah, I don't think she's in denial, I think she's just trying to move on. Cut Carrie some slack you hyenas," he smirked, eliciting mock glares from Elena and Bonnie. Athena's chocolate orbs however were fixated on a particular figure, "Heya Stefano! Long time no see."

"Hey," Stefan acknowledged them, but he had eyes for no one but Elena. Bonnie quickly fabricated some lame excuse to escape the mounting tension between them. "I'm so sorry I haven't called, Elena," Stefan's voice was genuinely honest. Jesse and Athena extricated themselves from their presence, not wanting to intrude on their couple spat.

Hesitantly, Athena inquired, "Babe, what do you think about Stefan? Like, as a person…" she bit her lip, worried for her twin. Yes, Elena shed her loner façade once Stefan came to town and she's been more animated and lively when they became a couple, but with Damon's cruel actions toward Caroline and Stefan's complete nonchalance followed by his suspicious disappearance struck the brown-eyed beauty as odd. Athena trusted Jesse wholeheartedly, and his suspicions always ended up being dead on… Athena would trust Jesse with her life and those of her loved ones.

"I agree. The boy foolishly threatened a murderous vampire and lived to tell the tale," Remus pointed out with a look that could only be defined as awe on his haggard features. Sirius snorted, "Only because he was locked up immediately afterwards."

She found herself being pivoted around to face her boyfriend, and a strong, firm hand cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking her cheekbone comfortingly, "Athy, baby, I don't know Stefan all that well, but from I have seen… he's a decent guy. He cares for your sister a lot and has a complete different personality than Damon. But… everyone has secrets Athy. Stefan is definitely hiding something, and we both know that Elena won't relax until she finds out what it is," he grinned.

Athena laughed, knowing that Jesse had Elena's personality down to a T. She loved her twin dearly, but Elena's major flaw was that she was so nosy and had a stubborn streak, plus, Elena loved nothing more than to solve a complex puzzle, and the intricacies of Stefan's secret looked to be her latest puzzle.

"That's not good," Albus sighed. But Alice disagreed, "On the contrary, I agree with Jasmine. Elena and Athena have a right to know. After all, magic is Athena's legacy."

"She's a bloody squib, Ally!" Lily had finally had enough and she could no longer keep a lid on her notorious temper, "The girl lost all rights to having knowledge about magic and our world when she lost her magic that night. Simply put!"

James gaped bewilderly at his beloved wife, unwilling to believe the vivacious love of his life had sounded so bitter and malicious, "Lily. That is enough. Squib or not, Athena is my daughter, and she has the right to know of her birthright! Do you understand me?!"

Lily merely grumbled and looked away, not bothering to care about the many bewildered expressions clearly etched on the miens of the Order members, or the suspicious ones from the Slytherins. Her devious plan was going along swimmingly until Voldemort announced the truth, and to make matters worse, a bleeding dead spirit was adamant in destroying her perfect image and life of fame she had stealthily and tirelessly constructed! No. Lily Potter was always a Slytherin at heart; cunning, and ruthlessness had been a part of her since childhood and the only reason she was sorted into Gryffindor was because the Sorting Hat told her that her Muggleborn status would make her a pariah in the Snake Pit. She would put on a loving act to that bastard child of her husband's and that backstabbing bitch, and when the perfect opportunity arises, she'll terminate Athena Gilbert from their lives. She only needs to be patient and put on a convincing façade of the doting Gryffindor Princess and Lady Potter.

Suddenly, a hysterical Caroline appeared by their side, "I just asked Stefan why Damon left town and if he's coming back and he said no. He just left me, like that!" she huffed. Disentangling herself from Jesse's warm grip, Athena embraced the blonde, "Care-bear, it's a good thing. Damon's no good for you, he treated you horribly."

"Besides, if he's any smart, he would keep his distance and not show his face around here," Jesse snarled, clenching his fists in anger, "Carrie you shouldn't be blinded by a handsome face and a charming smile. That bastard hurt you!" and he promised pain on the elder Salvatore if he hurt one hair on Caroline's head, and Jesse always kept his promises. Despite her sadness, Caroline Forbes couldn't help but smile brightly at her two best friends, knowing that no matter what happened, she always had people looking out for her.

"Caroline Forbes would need it," Luna vaguely uttered in a singsong voice, receiving confused miens and perplexed shakes of the heads. They were all wise to keep quiet, knowing that Jasmine and Ginny would tear them apart for mocking their odd Raven best friend.

Zach knew he should heed Stefan's warning, but he was torn between gloating at Damon's current predicament, and achieving closure, and so, the only living Salvatore descended the stairs to the basement and strode over to one of the many cellars where his ancestor was currently residing. Inching forward, Zach nervously said, "I'm full of vervain. I've been putting it in my coffee for 16 years. My blood will only make you worse." Upon receiving no scathing remark, a frown etched itself onto his handsome features, "Damon?" he appeared in full view to see the vampire clearly and inwardly grimaced at his woebegone appearance – a far cry from his regularly dashing and put-together self.

"Oh dear. I'm not comfortable with him being in close proximity to Damon," Molly fretted.

Arthur patted her hand, "It's fine, dear. He's locked up and weak. He isn't a threat to anyone anymore."

Damon erupted into a full-blown coughing fit before he wheezed painfully and hoarsely croaked, "So it was your vervain. Good for you. Good for you. Family only runs so deep," he bitterly spat out.

"We're not family, Damon," Zach instantly negated, "Only in the most dysfunctional sense. In fact, I avoided having a living breathing, loving family because of you."

Damon surprised Zach by violently wincing at the end of his statement; Damon detested being in Zach's presence, because every time he watched him existing miserably in the gigantic Boarding House in solitude, and staring at him with lifeless hazel eyes, Damon was forcibly reminded of his past sins, and of- of Gail… the taboo name for the Salvatores.

"What?" was unanimously uttered by nearly every individual – even Lily's curiosity was peaked.

"Who do you think Gail is?" Harry asked, only to receive many shrugs in return. Alastor grimaced, and let out a sharp grunt, "Obviously somebody that meant a lot to the human Salvatore. I can tell you this though, something bad happened to that woman for that heartless vampire to actually feel guilt."

Stroking his impressive silvery beard, Albus muttered for everyone to hear, "Past sins, past sins, past sins, hmm. How interesting. Well, we shall never know until we read. Sirius, if you please."

Desperately searching for a subject to eviscerate the haunting memory of his worst sin, Damon chuckled, "I don't guess I could talk you into bringing me a rabbit or something? I'd settle for Stefan's diet at this point."

"Whatever he did, or whoever that Gail person is, she obviously meant a lot to Zach, and Damon obviously repents his actions," Alice pointed out with a sad smile, "If anyone has the ability to feel guilt, then they can be saved. I do not believe Damon Salvatore is a lost cause."

"Nor do I," Albus agreed, sharing a conspiratorial smile with the kind-hearted auror. Alastor forcibly clamped his mouth shut; those two were far too trusting for their own good.

"You know I can't do that."

"You succeeded, Zach," Damon choked out between painful coughs, "I'm shutting down. You're like your grandfather," fury consumed him at the mere thought of Joseph Salvatore and his betrayal, "He didn't like it when I came to visit either."

"Note to self," Gideon piped up.

"Remember the name Joseph Salvatore for later," Fabian concluded and they watched in palpable amusement as Minerva rolled her eyes but jotted down the names of Gail and Joseph Salvatore for later reference. Gideon's mumble of them just messing around and adding humor to the glum ambience completely lost to the strict Transfiguration teacher who felt her actions were completely justified, lest they forgot the two names carelessly mentioned. After all, Ayana gave them the book to read for a reason, and every information and name must be important to better understand the events that shall occur in the future.

Zach scoffed, staring incredulously at the vampire, "But you don't visit, Damon. You appear, unannounced, reminding me that this isn't my house. That you're just permitting me to live here. Hell," he bitterly snapped, "That you're permitting me to live."

Damon shrugged, uncaringly, "Somebody had to mow the lawn," prompting a sarcastic laugh from Zach as he said his last goodbyes and turned to walk away. Calling forth the last remnant of his depleted strength, Damon charged forward and grabbed Zach by the throat, menacingly whispering in his ear, "Unlock it. Unlock the door, Zach!"

"Merlin!" Molly breathed out, "Didn't I tell you! Oh, I knew my fears were perfectly justified," she exclaimed while wringing her wrists.

Cursing his stupidity, Zach prayed for Stefan to miraculously show up and fortunately, his prayer was answered not a second later. Stefan appeared using his vampire speed and snapped Damon's arm, breaking a few bones in the process, "Keep it up, Damon. The more energy you expand, the faster you'll go."

"Thank Merlin for Stefan," James breathed out.

"So," Athena grinned, batting her thick eyelashes at Jesse, "Did you hear from your parents?"

James, Sirius, Marlene, Remus, Harry and Jasmine reflexively smiled fondly at the appearance of Athena while Lily automatically scowled with hatred. They wanted to read more about her and understand her better since they already lost over a decade of her life.

The couple was sitting in a booth at Mystic Grill for a lunch date, and also to keep an eye on Elena who was currently playing pool with her ex-boyfriend Matt and waiting for Stefan, who was running late.

Swallowing his piece of steak, Jesse grinned, "They managed to send me a postcard last week. They're in Haiti at the moment," he smiled fondly as Athena's vibrant eyes lit up in wonder. Grabbing her boyfriend's hand, she couldn't help but probe, "Don't you… I don't know… miss them? I mean, you barely see them."

Minerva sniffed in disapproval, "Parents should never leave their children with such ease. I don't care if they are wanderers. Their son should always come first and not their selfish desires!" James shifted guiltily in his seat and Minerva was only too quick to send him a brief smile for reassurance.

"Nah. Babe, I come from a family of globetrotters. Wandering around the Earth freely, traveling to our heart's content and locating forgotten places is in our blood," a wistful look took over his flawless features and Athena's heart went out to him, "You miss it, don't you?"

With complete honesty, not missing a beat, Jesse nodded, "Yup. It's in my blood too, Athy. But, I spent thirteen years traveling from place to place – even when I was too young to remember, we were still on the move, never settling down. It was my decision to make a home for myself. My parents are of the unconventional sort, they immediately bought me a house here, and trust me. I never regretted my decision, because then I would have never met you, or fell in love with you."

Every female, excluding Lily, shrieked and fanned themselves as smiles threatened to break their faces in half at Jesse Park's romantic speech. The men rolled their eyes but felt sympathetic to James' plight. At least James took solace that the boy was completely enamored by and devoted to his daughter and shared genuine feelings for her. After all, what father would enjoy reading about a boy using their little girl as a sex object or a distraction or merely somebody to waste the time away?

Athena's face glowed ethereally at his words, her olive complexion pinking slightly, "I love you too, Jesse." And they shared a passionate kiss, sealing their confession with chaste and pure intimacy.

"It makes sense. They were best friends before they entered an intimate relationship," Ginny stated, taking wicked pleasure in watching Ron and Hermione blush from their necks to the roots of their hair; it was commonly known that those two shook the Gryffindor Common Room with many tumultuous arguments, placing Harry and Neville in the middle, because of their sexual tension, and there were many bets going around the entire castle regarding when those two daft and oblivious idiots would finally get together and become a couple.

Minerva and Albus traded a smirk while Severus sneered in distaste – unknown to the students at Hogwarts, the staff had also pooled in a bet of their own regarding the two Gryffindors, and Albus and Minerva wagered that the two Gryffindors would acknowledge their feelings by the end of their sixth year.

Separating their lips, Jesse tenderly tucked a loose curl behind Athena's ear, "Besides, once we graduate, you and me, babe, we're going to travel the world. I'm going to show you the wonders of life, what it has to offer, and the beauty it holds away from this small town."

"You mean it?" Athena giggled enthusiastically. Jesse smirked, "Since when do I ever say something I never mean? Of course, naturally you want to get a college degree first, but I'm a patient person, I can wait forever for you."

A seductive smile curled onto her lips and she teased him, "Forever is a long, long time, Jesse."

"Hmm. It is, but you're worth it, baby."

Smiling at the heartwarming scene, the congregated group couldn't help but drift over to thoughts of Voldemort scouring the earth for her despite her baffling, inexplicable squib status, and the ambience turned morose at the mere thought of Athena's future and the tragedies it held for her, lying in wait – even if Ayana didn't warn them about the many future calamities set in store for Athena and Elena, the looming threat of Voldemort would always be there until his defeat and with the discovery that Harry had never been the Boy-Who-Lived, their last hope was gone, especially since the safety of the Wizarding World was now set on the shoulders of an unaware Squib.

On the other side of the Grill, unnoticed by the lovebirds who were confessing their genuine, irrevocable love for the very first time, Stefan had finally made an appearance and was begging Elena for forgiveness for showing up late when an old African-American man interrupted them, black eyes widening at Stefan's direction as though he was looking at a ghost, "I know you. My God."

"I'm sorry?" Stefan frowned, trying to recall if he had ever seen the elderly man before. Elena clamped her mouth shut, forgetting the subject of her ire as she too, stared at the man in bemusement. Edging forward, the old man whispered, "I know you. How can it be?"

Fear gripped Stefan's entire being, "I think you have the wrong person, sir," he forcibly denied while remaining civil, hoping the man would keep quiet and leave; he could already see Elena's accursed curiosity stir. Oblivious to Stefan's predicament, the old man adamantly continued, "You haven't aged a day."

"Shit!" Neville exclaimed, his sentiments shared by everyone else.

"It appears that Stefan had visited Mystic Falls before and that man has seen him. Oh this is not good," Frank babbled, no one bothering to chastise Neville for his crude language.

Deciding the best course of action would be to completely ignore the man who needed a muzzle, Stefan escorted Elena away from his presence, "I'm sorry. Excuse me," he faced Elena by the entrance, "Hey can we… can I take you home and we can talk about it? Is that okay?" Elena halted in their footsteps and yanked her wrist from Stefan's grip, neon blues unable to detach themselves from the old man's confused visage, "What was that, Stefan? What did he mean?"

"I-I don't know. Uh, nothing," Stefan nervously stammered… God, he hated lying to Elena, but his secret had to remain so… a secret. Snorting rudely, Elena turned away from Stefan, "Right, nothing. Ok, you know what… I gotta go. Excuse me," she snapped, leaving a desolate vampire behind.

"Damn it!" he murmured to himself, staring forlornly at Elena's retreating back and watching her clamber into the car before driving away. He didn't know how long he just stood there with a dejected stance, when Athena's cheerful voice snapped him out of his reverie and back to the present. Shaking his head, he smiled politely at Jesse and Athena, both of whom were staring at him in amusement and slight pity. "I'm sorry, what?"

Smirking knowingly, Athena repeated her previous statement, "I said, Elena loves Parmesan Chicken."

Jesse winked at him and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, "Don't blow it, man."

"There's no point. Their relationship is doomed for failure until the vampire comes clean on his nature," Draco snorted, though not in a rude fashion, but merely stating the obvious.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Malfoy," Jasmine grinned, prompting twinkling eyes from Albus who could practically smell the beginnings of house unity at this particular moment. Oh, yes, he would enjoy watching enemies blossom into allies, and dare he think it… friends?

It was nighttime and Logan Fell sat in a booth at Mystic Grill waiting for Jenna to arrive for their first date where Logan promised to make up for all the pain he caused her in the past, when Sheriff Forbes ambled by, "Logan. We went over the entire west side of the lake. All the caverns by the falls were clean, no sign of habitat."

Logan grimaced, "Then they're staying in town." But the Sheriff merely sighed in a dejected manner, "We canvassed all abandoned buildings and warehouses."

"There has to be a private residence," Logan pointed out, trying to pinpoint where they could be hiding. Sheriff Forbes nodded, "And that much harder to locate, if not impossible. These creatures are smart. They know how to go undetected."

"Or, they found a way to wave off suspicion by walking under the sun," Kingsley grinned.

"Yeah, those rings were a milestone. Completely ingenious," Sirius smirked, followed by his customary bark-like laughter. "It's an epic prank! While they are searching for newcomers that could only appear during the night, they're right under their noses during the day!"

Pointing out the obvious, Logan said, "Well, someone who only comes out at night should eventually become obvious."

Cue more snorts of laughter.

"What about the watch?" she asked; the Gilbert Compass was their only hope of catching the vampires, otherwise they were doomed, "I knew the Gilberts. That watch is passed down to the men in the family. I'd start with Jeremy."

"How can a pocket watch help locate vampires?" Marlene rhetorically asked, nonplussed.

Logan nodded, mahogany eyes lighting up once Jenna walked into the Grill, "I'm working on it, Liz."

Caroline sat in her room, chastising Tiki on the phone, "No, Tiki, do not do the one-piece, ok? I've seen it on you. Trust me. … Yeah, but you're going for stripper pole vibe this year!" she argued, rolling her eyes.

"Caroline. Caroline." The blonde clammed up, and her palms began to sweat… she could have sworn she heard Damon's voice calling her name. "Caroline." Whipping around, she hastily ended the conversation with Tiki and glared at the black crow sitting on her windowsill, "Shoo, shoo! Shoo! …God! I'm going crazy!"

"Are you kidding me?" Jasmine shrieked, bursting a few eardrums – she could give Molly Weasley a run for her money. "How is Damon able to reach out to Caroline?" she demanded.

Unbidden, Damon's previous words to Stefan resounded in Rabastan's head, "He did tell the younger vampire that he is stronger than he thinks. Perhaps he has an ace up his sleeve nobody knows off."

With grim expressions, they all ushered Sirius to continue reading, once again terrified over the safety of the bubbly blonde that they were all growing terribly fond off.

Athena and Elena stood by the parking at Mystic Falls High dressed in their best bikinis for the Sexy Suds Car Wash, listening to Caroline yammer on about the rules and giving absolutely 'no discounts, freebies or pay ya laters', while waiting for their boyfriends to arrive. Elena had already filled Athena in on the wonderful dinner Stefan cooked for her last night, and how thrilled she was over the fact that he was finally letting her in and sharing some details of his past.

Once Jesse and Stefan arrived, the girls split up and started the grueling task of washing up the many cars, and the day was going along perfectly until Caroline left to get towels, leaving the Gilbert twins in charge of minding the money by the till.

Walking past the empty hallway, Caroline shivered at the feeling of being watched, but adamantly shook her head and retrieved a bundle of towels; a shadow of a man appeared before her, prompting her to yelp and drop everything from her hands. All of a sudden, Damon's anguished voice echoed around her.

"Caroline. Caroline, help me. Caroline. Help me. Help me."

"Ignore it, dear. Ignore it," Molly implored, clutching on to a wincing Arthur as though he were a lifeline.

Plastering on a sweet smile on her face, Athena handed over the change to another satisfied customer, and her chocolate orbs started scoping her bustling surroundings when Elena's voice interrupted her, "Stefan Salvatore." Frowning in confusion, Athena inclined her head towards her twin's direction, only to see her conversing with an old man. Not wanting to be rude and interrupt a conversation they were both engrossed in, the brown-eyed twin stood faithfully by Elena's side and blatantly listened in.

"Nah, it can't be. It's just my mind playing tricks on me," he smiled back uncertainly, but it was obvious that he didn't seem convinced with the words coming out of his own mouth, and Elena immediately latched onto that. "Where do you think you'd seen him before?" she inquired.

"Merlin. This is not good, not good at all," Albus grimaced.

James shook his head, "Of course the old man would appear before Elena, who according to Athena and Jesse, is the most nosy and stubbornly curious girl in town."

"Hopefully Stefan will interrupt," Minerva spoke up, though she didn't sound confident.

Mulling it over for a second, the old man finally responded, "When I first moved here, I stayed at the Salvatore Boarding House. Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean," he stumbled slightly with his words, "None of us knew he was even here until the attack?"

"The attack?" Athena and Elena intentionally used their twin speech, both girls captivated by the old man's tale, despite Athena not fully comprehending the purpose for her twin's interrogation. Humming, the man nodded his head, "His uncle got killed. Mauled by an animal in the woods."

Completely dumbfounded, Elena had a diminutive scowl etched on her face, "His uncle? Zach?"

Athena gaped unattractively; she didn't recall hearing about Zachary Salvatore's passing… in fact, she had just seen him the other day coming out of a drugstore, and he looked perfectly healthy and alive. But much to the twins' astonishment, the old man rapidly shook his head, refuting Elena's last inquiry, "Joseph."

Minerva pointedly glared at the Prewett twins, looking unusually smug, "So, Joseph Salvatore, the descendant Damon Salvatore completely hates was found dead by an animal. I believe we can safely assume that Damon had in fact, acted on his hatred towards Joseph, for some unknown motive, and killed him."

"Question is: what did he do to make Damon hate him so much?" Remus mused to himself, putting the question out there for everyone to hear and mull over as well.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think we're familiar with the story," Elena smiled, after all, there was no Joseph Salvatore currently living in Mystic Falls. The old man chuckled, "Oh, how could you? I mean, this happened years ago." Before the girls could make sense of his alarming words, Tiki approached with a fond smile on her face, "Grandpa, you gotta go. Mom wants you home. Ok?" as he shuffled away, Tiki had an apologetic expression directed at the twins, "He wasn't bugging you, was he? He's a little alzy-heimer."

"Say what now?" Ron grunted, staring inquisitively at Hermione, like nearly everyone else, excluding Tonks and Lily, who simply didn't care.

Shaking her head fondly and excited over the fact that the purebloods in the room had no choice but to be educated in facts of muggles and would hopefully, appreciate them more instead of mock them, Hermione explained, "Alzheimer's," she pronounced, "It's a type of dementia that causes memory problems, and in association, messes with one's thinking and behavior. It worsens over time and is a progressive disease. At the beginning, the early stages of Alzheimer's would be mild memory loss, and one would lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Unfortunately there is no cure, and Alzheimer's is usually hereditary."

Frowning, Narcissa clutched Lucius's in a tight grip, "That's just positively appalling! To lose memories, your past, and your present. You're basically losing everything that makes you whole… memories are precious and the essence that makes everyone unique! I cannot imagine the loss and the pain that those inflicted with such a disease would experience."

Arthur nodded glumly, and for once, he wasn't interested in learning about a muggle term. He actually wished they weren't so curious and remained oblivious. Wizards and witches didn't have Alzheimer's after all; the adulterated magic coursing through their veins would cure them of such an ailment.

Sirius clearly his throat and numbly continued reading.

Elena, however, wasn't one to be dissuaded, not when she was on a fact-finding mission. Quickly parting Tiki with a few nice words concerning her grandfather, she dragged a befuddled Athena towards him before he could disappear, "Hey, sir, I'm sorry. Um, are you sure that the man that you saw, that you knew, his name was Stefan Salvatore?"

Athena groaned and facepalmed herself. According to Tiki, the old man was suffering from Alzheimer's – which, she felt extreme pity for him – but that meant Elena shouldn't take his words so seriously, and just as she was about to berate her twin, apologize to the old man and drag Elena away, he opened his mouth again, flooring Athena and rendering her speechless.

"Yes. I remember his ring and his brother -, Stefan and Damon Salvatore."

"People suffering from Alzheimer's are known to have lucid moments, as rare as they may be," Hermione hastened to explain before anybody could inquire over the puzzling circumstances. They all 'Ahh-ed' and focused once again on Sirius.

There was no way Tiki's grandfather, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, would know of Damon and Athena felt an ominous feeling stir in her belly.

"When was this?" Elena asked, knowing that she wouldn't like his answer.

"It was early June, 1953… yeah, June, 1953."

"Well, the cat's out of the bag," Fred cheerily commented.

"Nah, I don't see Crookshanks in Hermy's tiny little bag," George grinned. Hermione bristled at the offending twin, "Don't. Call. Me. Hermy!"

"Aye, aye, Hermy!" Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon intoned, succeeding in infusing humor in the room – except for Hermione, who was glowering at the two sets of twins in apoplectic fury.

Yanking Elena into an isolated section, Athena demanded for answers, "Lena, what the hell was that? I don't-, that's not possible, I mean, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Right?" by the look on Elena's face, Athena knew it was mere wishful thinking on her part, and neon blue orbs suddenly fixated and widened on Logan Fell, who stood with his camera crew and Jenna. Not sparing her twin an explanation, she grabbed her hand and said, "Come on. Let's get to the bottom of this."

Smirking at Jenna, Athena couldn't help but tease her a bit, despite the situation, "Jenna, your car was done an hour ago." Fuming at her niece, Jenna playfully retorted, "You're saying that out loud why?" Elena laughed alongside Athena.

"Hi," Logan smiled charmingly, "Athena and Elena right? I think I met you girls once when you were 9."

"Your emotional maturity level when we were together," was Jenna's riposte. Logan grinned and faked a wounded expression, "Ouch. Here I was thinking we were making progress."

Smiling fondly at their aunt's obvious happiness as she rekindled the flames with her ex, Elena piped up after giving Athena a subtle look to play along, "Is he enough in your good graces that we can ask him for a favor?"

"I hope Logan actually likes Jenna and isn't just using her for that pocket watch," Alice frowned.

"Ally, sweetheart, I think he has genuine feelings for her. He even knew the twins when they were children, don't worry," Frank soothed her. James sighed forlornly; apparently everyone knew his daughter, everyone but him, and he hated that!

Instigating a witty banter, Logan wasted no time in shooting off, "If I do them a favor, will I get back in your good graces?" Athena giggled, liking Logan Fell's easy charm and playful demeanor. The twins remained silent as the two old flames arranged a dinner date and once done, Logan beamed at them, "What do you need, girls?"

"Do you have access to old news stories, say, fifties?" Elena innocently inquired; the pin dropped and Athena's inward confusion suddenly morphed to comprehension and she fondly shook her head in regards to her sneaky twin. Unaware of Elena's true agenda, Logan nodded, "Yeah, at the station. Between the archives and the internet, we pretty much have everything."

"Internet?" Reinhard inquired, his gorgeous face twisting in confusion.

In a joint effort, Hermione, Tonks and Remus explained the intricacies and the many wonders of the internet and it's usage by muggles all over the world. By the end of their lengthy explanation, every single Pureblood looked gobsmacked, and even the reformed Death Eaters were beginning to appreciate muggles and their ingeniousness, shame engulfing them at their previous insulting thoughts about them being mindless filth not even worthy to kiss the soles of their feet.

Linking arms with Elena, Athena convincingly stated, "We have this report, waaay overdue. You'd be a lifesaver."

Before they left with Logan, Elena asked Jenna to cover for them, feeding her the excuse that they didn't want Caroline to know they bailed when she actually didn't want Stefan to become aware of their stealthy detective work into his private life. Athena on the other hand, sent Jesse a quick text, promising to explain the reason for her pulling a disappearing act later… after all, Athena didn't like keeping secrets from her boyfriend, even back then, when they were best friends at the age of fourteen.

In a trance-like state, Caroline invited herself into the Salvatore Boarding House

"NO!"

"Why!"

"HOW!"

and when she blinked, a look of horror and confusion crossed her face, cognizant of her surroundings, yet perplexed of how she got there in the first place. After blinking a couple of times, cornflower-blue orbs widened at the pathetic form of Damon locked in one of the many cellars. "Damon? Damon? Oh, my god! What is this? How did I know that you were here?"

"Good question," Harry grumbled.

Feeling victorious that his Plan B worked out, Damon struggled to sit up and hoarsely replied, "Because I wanted you to. Very, very badly. Let me out of here," he demanded. Upon seeing her hesitate and take a step backward, he faked kindness, "Please."

"Don't!" Alastor growled.

An image flashed before her very eyes, almost like a long lost memory returning to the surface of her mind, and her hand automatically reached out for her neck. "You bit me," Caroline accused him.

"You liked it. Remember?"

"LIAR!" Marlene shrieked, her pregnancy hormones taking a life of its own at the very moment, and was only fueled by recent events happening in the book. Sirius winced and hurriedly read the next paragraph.

Caroline shook her head in denial, "Why do I keep remembering the same things, but in different ways?" There were so many holes in her memory and they all started after Damon confronted her in the parking lot of Mystic Grills, weeks ago.

A hint of impatience and frustration leaked into Damon's tone now as he tried holding his weight against the metal bars, "You remember what I want you to remember. And now that the vervain has passed out of your system, you won't remember what you're about to do," he snarled. A look of fear passed on her face, and her lips quivered, "What am I about to do?"

Placing all of his remaining energy, Damon compelled her to open the door, smirking in triumph as the blonde adopted a dazed look. Reaching her hand out, Caroline unknowingly started opening the latch when Zach barged downstairs, "No! No! Get out of here," he hurled Caroline up the stairs, "Run! Run!"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ginny whimpered, trading fearful looks with Jasmine and Luna, who looked oddly solemn at the moment.

Caroline screamed loudly and rushed out of the cellar. Unfortunately, Zach's concentration was focused solely on the safety of the blonde, he barely had a chance to defend himself when an enraged Damon snapped his neck and chased after his meal. As Zach's form fell lifelessly onto the floor, Damon managed to grab Caroline's ankle, but he was still weak and the human easily kicked him with her other foot, running outside and into the blessed sunlight, leaving a starving and weak Damon inside with the dead body of his descendant until the sun went down with plans of revenge against his brother formulating in his head.

There was utter silence in the room as they mourned Zach's sudden death and processed the horrible truth of Damon being a free vampire once again. James, Sirius, Frank, Kingsley and Alastor began a slew of heavy expletives that would make a sailor blush, and the women weren't any better. Every face sported an aghast expression, unable to believe that Zach died; and so quickly at that, with such perfect ease to the extent that nobody saw it coming. Yes, he was currently alive, but a few months from now, if there was no interference from outside sources, he would have a grim fate… an untimely death.

Collecting his bearings, Sirius sullenly read, wanting to eviscerate all morbid thoughts of poor Zach and reveal the next course of action Damon would be taking once the sun went down.

Back in the Sexy Suds Car Wash, Bonnie was having a horrible day. Caroline up and vanished so suddenly, followed by Athena and Elena, but she thanked all that is mercy for having Jesse and Matt by her side to distract her from Tiki's litany of rude comments and her abrasive attitude. Laughing at a joke Jesse made, a broom was suddenly shoved into her hand.

"Sweeper duty," was all Tiki told her, bringing about an incredulous look from the dark-haired, olive-eyed girl, "What?"

"We have to clean the pavement," Tiki scoffed, staring down at Bonnie as though she were being purposely stupid. Bonnie settled both of her hands on her hips, "It's a car wash. By definition, the pavement's clean."

Thank god, Jesse cut in, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, "Tiks, be a bit nicer now, would ya? C'mon, Bon-Bon, I'll help you." Sighing in relief, Bonnie mutely conveyed her gratitude to Jesse, but unfortunately, Tiki never knew when to shut up and always had to have the last word. Fluttering her eyelashes at Jesse, Tiki arrogantly said, "At least someone appreciates a woman in charge. Caroline bailed, so you two listen to me. Fabulous." And she walked away.

"What a wench!" Hermione sneered; scratch Caroline Forbes… it was Tiki who bore an uncanny resemblance to Lavender Brown's 'wonderful' personality.

Jasmine glared at the book, "Was she seriously trying to flirt with Athena's boyfriend when her best friend was right there? Slut!"

"Jasmine! Language, young lady!" Lily scowled, dismayed with the negative attitude the book was bringing out of her proper and polite little girl.

Enraged beyond reason, 'if looks could kill' was the perfect example to describe the glare Bonnie was throwing at the dark-skinned girl's retreating back, and she unintentionally started a fire, leaving Tiki's car to burn in raging flames. Stormy-grey orbs widened and Jesse tried, to no avail, to shake Bonnie from her deep reverie, "Bonnie! Bonnie! Come on, snap out of it."

"I'm sorry? Bonnie conjured flames unintentionally?" Albus gasped, trading bemused looks with his fellow Order members. There was no negating the fact that Bonnie Bennett was indeed a witch. Probable, yet impossible!

Stefan approached them and began helping Jesse as both boys tried hiding her from the view of the many bewildered spectators, all of whom watched as the violent flames suddenly disappeared with Bonnie's lucidity. Olive orbs stared in horror at Tiki's car that appeared untouched by the fire, eyes swiveling from a worried Jesse to a concerned Stefan, "D-Did I do this?"

"I think so, yeah," Stefan sighed, feeling bad for the novice who didn't know what she was yet.

"Feeling bad for the novice who didn't know what she was yet…"Sirius trailed off, gaping at the many dumbstruck looks in front of him, "So she is a witch and Stefan knew before her. How?"

Minerva swallowed a lump from her throat, "She cannot be a Seer, and is definitely not a squib. And yet, no magical institution sent her a letter stating she has a place with them. The girl is seventeen and completely unbeknownst to her, without any training whatsoever, managed to wandlessly conjure violent flames. Most adults have the inability to wandlessly conjure flames. How is this possible?" Her impressive deduction was met with blank stares. Albus sighed and addressed the Malfoys and the Lestranges, "Do any of you have an inkling regarding our current conundrum?"

"No. Unfortunately not," Rodolphus dragged a hand through his raven curls, a frown etched on his forehead, "However, this girl is very powerful, and she doesn't even know she is a witch. But then again, I am not so sure she is one to begin with. I cannot say, Dumbledore, I can merely state many wild guesses, each of them improbable and completely far-fetched."

"I thought as much," Albus nodded, "Well, we shall not know until we continue reading. Sirius?"

Shakily, Bonnie gazed earnestly at him, "Don't tell anybody please."

Jesse parted Stefan with a smile as he dragged a trembling Bonnie away, "Don't worry, Bonnie, nobody but Stefan and I saw the results of your fiery temper," he grinned and winked, "Remind me never to piss you off, aye?" Bonnie giggled; trust Jesse Parks to always relieve the tension and draw a genuine smile from her face. "Come on, Bon-Bon, I'm dropping you off at your Grams."

While hell was unleashing in different parts of Mystic Falls, Athena and Elena were given a quick education by Logan at the TV station concerning their search for archives for a 'project.' Logan had to leave due to a bizarre fire that spontaneously started, leaving the girls by their lonesome. Like a demon possessed, Elena fiercely started typing away, searching for any footage that happened in the 1950s at the Salvatore Boarding House and finally struck gold, leaving Athena to increase the volume, both twins tapping their feet nervously.

"This is Franklin Fell reporting to you from the Salvatore Boarding House, where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy. Ok, they're bringing out the body. See if you can get closer," the footage zoomed in to show two men wheeling out a body bag, "Is that the nephew?"

The footage was paused; chocolates and neon blues widened significantly at the face of the nephew, a carbon copy to the boy they all know to be Stefan Salvatore, looking like he hadn't aged a single day since 1953.

"That would be a tough one to explain," Bill winced, glad that he wasn't in Stefan's shoes.

"Yeah, there is no way he could lie himself out of that one," Charlie agreed.

Jeremy sighed and glumly stared at the many forms of seniors laying on the ground, drunk and completely stoned. Chocolate brown eyes then fixated on Vicki Donovan, the girl he was falling in love with, the reason why he was beginning to wake up from his haze of drugs and depression the death of his parents left him in, and out of nowhere, his heart clenched in guilt as he imagined the expressions of Athena and Elena – his older sisters that miraculously survived the accident – if they discovered he was currently sitting in the cemetery with the druggies of the town, surrounded by prescription pills and a plethora of alcoholic bottles.

Molly and Minerva clucked disapprovingly.

In his period of mourning and self-depression, Jeremy Gilbert never once thought… the obvious never entered his mind… that the tragic night the car drove off Wickery Bridge, he wasn't just made an orphan, but… Jeremy could have ended up being an only child. Athena and Elena were sitting in the backseat of the car when the car completely submerged in the water.

James violently flinched at the reminder that he nearly lost his first child. The beautiful daughter he barely knew, who always resembled her adorable three-year-old self whenever he recalled her existence… James Potter nearly lost his first daughter and he clenched his eyes shut, trying to will away the tears by repeating the mantra in his head that Athena was in fact, very much alive.

And instead of being grateful to whatever deity, that his older sisters miraculously survived, instead of spending time with the two girls that were his role models and the sisters he nearly lost by a hairsbreadth, he was moody with them and abrasive, and he never once portrayed immense gratitude for their survival, but instead spent all his time drowning in his grief which consisted of drugs, alcohol and Vicki, and pushed them away, forcing Athena to be the mediator to him and Elena and treating them like strangers, including Aunt Jenna.

He didn't wake up to the reality of his tremendous mistake until Vicki tossed two prescription phials to some random stoner dude, who deftly caught them and slurred out, "Well, thank you, Elena Gilbert, and… Athena Gilbert, whoever they are."

Pivoting to stare at Vicki, Jeremy scowled at her, "You took those from the house?" but Vicki merely shrugged unapologetically as though her actions were completely sensible. "They weren't using it."

And that was when Jeremy's epiphany startlingly made its appearance. Athena and Elena were also struggling over their parent's death and their own near death experience; in his grief and complete selfishness, he never once asked them how they were doing. In fact, Jeremy didn't even know they were prescribed medication to deal with the events of that tragic night. … until now.

"How horrible," Alice sobbed out burying her face in Frank's chest.

Every individual in the room has suffered loss, and they were once again reminded of their pain and the pain of the Gilberts. Sirius had read every single word with a detached voice, unable to imagine his goddaughter he loved for three years, had nearly died before he could apologize for forgetting about her and before he could get to know her.

A fight immediately ensued between them; Jeremy begged Vicki for them to leave and start fresh without drugs and alcohol, telling her that she deserved more than the temporary pleasure drugs fooled you into having, that it was all just a mirage, ending it with, "You're different, Vick."

"No, you are," Vicki replied heatedly, "You're the kid with the big house who's acting out because his parents died. Guess what – You'll get over it. You will pull yourself together, move on, and one day tell your kids stories about your dark period growing up. And I'll still be here, waiting tables at the grill, partying at the cemetery with a bunch of 'waste of space small-town lifers'."

"Look-"

"Go home, Jeremy," Vicki snapped, turning her back on him as an approaching car's taillight hit them, "If I want to feel like crap about myself, I'll just go back to Tyler."

"There's no need for that young lady," Molly wagged her finger at the book, her face reddening in rage; "The boy is trying to help you! And you respond with such rudeness. How despicable!"

No one bothered to remind the Weasley matriarch that she was yelling at a book. They all liked living, thank you very much.

Jeremy watched her retreating back with a forlorn expression and it took him a while to remember the driver in the familiar car patiently waiting for him. "Jesse? Man, what are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled. From inside the car, Jesse leaned over and opened the passenger door watching with a grin as the younger boy sullenly clambered inside, "Just dropped Bonnie home. Figured, 'where would Jay be?' the cemetery was my first guess. Kind of morbid of you, dude."

"Yeah, … yeah. I think- I think it's time I get over that stage of my life," he choked out, willing the tears not to fall down at Vicki's dismissal.

"It seems that Jesse was correct. He did state in the beginning of the book that young Jeremy was going through a temporary phase," Albus smiled jovially; for some reason, the occupants in the room felt some sort of strange kinship and care towards most of the individuals they were reading about in the book, all of whom weren't a work of fiction and actually existed in real life in a small town in the United States.

A sigh resounded from beside him, and the car suddenly halted by the curb. Nonplussed, Jeremy turned his head and looked into those stormy grey eyes clouding with a lot of emotions, "Look, Jay, I won't lie and say I understand what you're going through, 'cause I've never dealt with loss like you did. But … I can tell you this, no matter what, you'll always have a lot of people to fall back to, a lot of people willing to pick up the pieces, and I'm not just talking about Jenna, and your sisters. You're a little brother to me, and if you ever need anything, anything at all, just say the word, because I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere."

"He's like, the epitome of a perfect boyfriend!" Tonks crowed, her eyes staring dreamily at the book. Remus tried muting his growls and clenched his fists; he had no reason to be jealous… Dora deserved somebody young and whole, not some old, fatigued and jobless werewolf like him.

The girls didn't bother heading on home. Athena sat lifelessly behind the wheel of her car, unable to process what she and Elena just bore witness to, and the first thing that came out of her mouth, was, "I'm not a believer, Lena. I'm, I'm not. I'm not a believer, I-I… people are born, they're born and they, they grow old. And then, they then die, Elena!"

Everyone leaned forward; they were all curious as to how Athena would take the discovery of magic and the supernatural, and by extension, Elena. Ever since the nature of the Salvatores came to light, each one of them had been wondering what Athena's reaction would be and the moment was finally approaching.

"I-I know, Thena, I know," Elena choked out, staring at her twin's phone as it continued to buzz with Jesse's picture flashing on the screen, "Are you going to answer him? You know how worried Jesse gets at times."

Athena snorted before shutting off her phone, "Answer him and tell him what? 'Oh, sorry babe, can't talk right now, I'm busy hashing out the gritty details with my sister since we just found out her boyfriend has been stuck in puberty since 19-fucking-53!' No, Elena, once we process this, then I'll talk to him."

Unable to help themselves, the Prewett and Weasley twins snorted at the humorous way Athena worded their inexplicable discovery.

"Eh, she makes a perfect point," Harry shrugged, he too found humor in his sister's phrasing.

The car was engulfed in utter silence once again, and it was broken five minutes later by a trembling Elena, "Do you, do you believe, Thena?" upon being on the receiving end of bewildered chocolates, she struggled to clarify, "I mean in magic and immortality…"

"No," she immediately snapped before sucking in a sharp intake of breath, "I mean I didn't, I don't, ugh… I don't know, Lena! Before today I would've resolutely told you that all things that defy rational thought, such as magic, mysticism, immortality, all that are fables, fairy tales to make children believe and to feed their imagination! But now-"she cut herself off and started the car.

Marlene nodded her head and tenderly caressed her womb, "Athena's reaction seems perfectly reasonable. I cannot fathom how astounding it would be to have your entire world change its axis and everything that was said to be a myth, start becoming reality."

"I'm surprised she hasn't been reduced to a hysterical mess," Molly nodded sympathetically.

"Umm, Athena, where are we going? The house is that way," Elena pointed her thumb towards the opposite direction.

Athena firmly kept her eyes in front, hands clenching the steering wheel as she put pressure on the pedal to increase the speed, "It's time we get answers. Truths! We're going to the Boarding House."

"Now things are getting interesting!" Neville beamed, edging to the end of the sofa he was sitting on and nearly toppling on the ground due to the clumsy nature he inherited from his father.

Parking the car in the driveway, both girls steeled themselves for the upcoming confrontation, summarizing their previous discovery; someone who never grows old, never gets hurt, someone who changes in ways that can't be explained, girls bitten, bodies drained of blood, Vicki's admission of it being a vampire before changing tune and claiming it to be an animal attack.

As they clambered out of the car, terrified of what would come next, yet stubbornly not backing out, Logan Fell gained the Gilbert Compass into his possession,

"Damn!" James frowned; he didn't like that muggle pilfering through Jeremy's prized heirloom, unable to fathom his reaction if somebody stole his cherished Invisibility Cloak.

and Stefan recently discovered Zach's dead body beside the empty cell that previously housed his volatile brother. Grabbing a wooden stake, Stefan's decision was made; he had to kill Damon, he had no other choice; he had to before he could wreak havoc onto the town and harm those he was growing to love.

Nervous looks were traded, and a few even looked hopeful.

The front door of the Salvatore Boarding House opened, and forest green orbs widened at the Gilbert twins, precisely Elena's terrified neon blues as she demanded in a shaky tone, "What are you?!"

The music blaring in the cemetery suddenly stopped, eliciting groans from the druggies, all of whom quickly stated, "Not it." Leaving Vicki the chosen person to approach the car and turn the music back on.

"Ah, come on! We were just getting to the good part!" Ron groaned loudly.

"Ugh, you guys suck!" she mumbled, dropping the bottle of Jack onto the ground and sluggishly making her way to the car. The distinctive sound of hoarse coughing brought her attention to a man leaning against the boot of the car, "Hey, man, you ok?"

"Come here, come here," Damon managed to utter; he was too weak to take another step forward.

"NO!" Jasmine shrieked, her voice mixed with Ginny, Marlene, Molly and Alice. They may not be the girl's biggest fan, but none of them wanted to see her dead by Damon's hand… she didn't deserve it.

"I believe Damon shall act out his revenge now," Albus grimly stated.

Eyebrows knitted together in concern, "You don't look good-, whoa, hold on, I got you, I got you." Before Damon could collapse, Vicki held him in her arms, struggling to balance herself with the added weight. Damon smirked at the easy prey and wasted no time in plunging his razor sharp canines into her jugular, ignoring her screams as she thrashed in his arms.

"No! Padfoot, why did you stop?" Jasmine demanded.

Tossing the book onto the table, Sirius morosely stated, "Chapter finished. Of course they'd leave us hanging at the worse possible moment!"

Alice whipped her wand out and summoned the book to her side, "If nobody has any objections, I will read next."

A/N: How did you like this chapter?! XD

Okay, I would like to say a few things, and I hope you bear with my ramblings: This story is called 'CURSE OF THE DOPPELGANGERS' meaning Athena and Elena are the important characters in my story. However, the Mystic Falls Gang hasn't been formed yet, and since those from the Harry Potter Universe are reading the book, I cannot just skip through the other characters' P. otherwise the story wouldn't make sense to them. So for those that are annoyed that I am portraying many P. , I am sorry. Truth be told, until the tomb vampires escape and Katherine returns in canon, there isn't much action and the Mystic Falls Gang didn't start until Season 2, so please be patient.

Now, about the many plot-twists I have in mind, again… please be patient, I have them all planned out and I keep getting struck with more ideas and write them down so I can formulate the next chapters. For now, things will be mild, but I am adding a lot of changes and deviating from canon, especially in the future chapters. About Jesse Parks ;) no spoilers, but I already have his character all plotted out and whew, I believe you will all love it (I hope). So please be patient, for many plot-twists shall ensue! XD

R&R.