Chapter 13

I could barely hold the smile on my lips. Tucked under my arm was Emily Bennett's grimoire, now mine. With her grandmother back to life, Bonnie wasted no time honoring her part of our deal. 

Sheila on the other hand, had been giving me wary looks ever since she returned to the land of the living. There's probably a reason for that. 

The reason I need this grimoire is because normal spells and enchantments are two different things. Sure, I can cast a spell that would ward my home from any intruders but unless I recast that every so often, it wouldn't hold for more than a few days. 

That's where enchantments come in. 

Very long lasting and potentially permanent in some cases. Just what I'm looking for. 

At the moment, I'm in the Bennett home, Sheila is upstairs coming to terms with her resurrection and Bonnie is with her, leaving me to look around the small living room. 

I abruptly turned around as Bonnie came down the stairs, her eyes red from her tearful reunion. 

"It seems you two are done catching up." I idly said, eliciting a nod from her. 

"Thank you. I don't even know what else to say. I'm just glad she's back." She said, a smile on her face despite her puffy eyes. 

"It's no big deal. You held up your end and I partially held mine." I remarked, not forgetting Damon. 

The dismissal on her face showed that she too was reminded of it. "Can't you just…leave him like that?" She asked. 

Well I could but then my word wouldn't mean anything and I'd turn into Elijah, breaking my word when I see fit. I mean, I'd do that if the need arises but until then, it's a matter of reputation. 

"As much as I would like to do that, I'm a man of my word. Quite unfortunate that is. I'll leave you two to settle down now." I said, ushering myself out and saying my goodbyes. 

The sky's dark and it gives me the perfect cover through my journey to the Salvatore boarding house. 

Out of the 26 tomb vampires, 17 are left, the rest I killed with Stefan. I'm also aware of Anna who's been lurking. I wonder how her friendship with Jeremy is going now that Vicki's back. 

Throwing those thoughts out of my mind, I shut my eyes, focusing on my destination. The Salvatore boarding house appeared in my mind as I tugged on my magic. 

The next moment, I felt as if I was being squeezed through a tube. The sensation lasted for a moment before I felt solid ground beneath my feet once more. 

Apparition, the famed transportation method of Harry Potter witches and Wizards. 

Looking around, I'm in the living room of the boarding house. Stefan and Elena who had been sitting there shot up to their feet in shock. 

"What the hell?!" Stefan exclaimed in shock while Elena shrieked in surprise. "How did you do that?!"

I gave him a dry stare. "Are you really asking that?"

I'm a witch, warlock, it's safe to say that the explanation to any strange thing I do is magic. It took them about a minute to calm down, at least that's for Stefan. Elena was still panting. 

"What about Bonnie? Is she…?" He trailed off, but I already knew his question. 

"She's having a little reunion with her dear old grams. So, where's the ray of sunshine?" I ask, referring to the other Salvatore sibling. 

At my question, Stefan gestured for me to follow him. I already know where he is, I can feel him in the house.

It doesn't take long before I'm standing in front of a cell. Opening it, I'm greeted with the sight of Damon, just as wrinkled and diseased as I left him. Though he did look a bit pale, lack of blood will do that to a vampire. 

"You don't look so good." I muttered, loud enough for him to hear. 

At the sound of my voice, Damon turned to me, the turning motion looked like it took a lot out of him. 

"You!" He growled. Despite that, he didn't make any attempt to move towards me. 

"Me." I said, stepping into the cell. "I'm sure you've had fun in this form but your brother has negotiated on your behalf."

Placing my hand on his head, I began restoring him to his former glory. Within moments, the tumors and cancer were dealt with, his skin returning to its smooth appearance. The products of age disappeared and in a minute, he was back to his usual self. 

Taking a step back, I now have a full view of Damon who was frantically touching his face and body parts, making sure they were all there. 

I heard the breath of relief that Stefan released behind me. 

In another moment, Damon was suddenly in front of me, his eyes burrowing into mine. I merely raised a brow but despite his seemingly hostile movement, he simply stood there, not attacking.

"Damon." Stefan warned but the older Salvatore didn't need any warning. 

"Consider this a warning. I'm not afraid of vampires. Next time, you won't get off so easily." I said, not backing down from the small staring contest. 

After what felt like a minute, Damon gave an almost imperceptible nod before walking around me and out of the cell. 

"Thank you." Stefan said with genuine gratitude. "I know you and Damon might not get along but there's no reason for us to be enemies. We all just want to live our lives in this town."

"Keep cranky pants in check and you won't have to worry about that." I return before letting out a sigh. "Well this has been fun but I have other things to do tonight."

The feeling of being squeezed through a tube returned once more as I apparated back home, appearing in my bedroom. 

Looking towards the blank wall at the side of the room, I wave my hand through the air, a large cabinet shimmering into view. 

Opening it, I'm greeted with a spacious environment even larger than my apartment. Undetectable extension charms are very useful. I'd spent a lot of time expanding the space here. 

Walking through the space and into the hallway, I turned towards a door at the side. In this room were shelves dedicated to magical artifacts and precious items. It was empty besides the moonstone and a stake I'd carved from white oak. 

Opening a display case, I put the grimoire inside it. Using the scanning spell I made earlier to use in tandem with projection Magecraft, I'd already scanned the book, its contents resting in my head. 

Now, it's here as a trophy. I have a hoarding problem and seeing the amount of empty spaces is getting me excited to have them filled up. 

I have a special spot on the shelf for the vampirism cure. Rest in your tomb Oh immortal fossil, I'll deal with you in due time.