From a Cradle to a Grave

Chapter 40

Eight years later.

 The crowd at the Quidditch World Cup was as deafening as ever, with all manner of paints on their faces and magical gimmicks by their side. It was the largest game of the season so far, the Holyhead Harpies against the Wimbourne Wasps. All the Weasleys- including Hermione, who was engaged to Ron, and Harry, who was planning on springing the question on Ginny after the day’s match- were in the stands, of course, all of them cheering on Ginny, the Holyhead Harpies’ top Chaser. The Weasley’s families ecstasy at having seen Ginny score yet another goal was interrupted by a long silence of shock when an auburn haired woman appeared behind them in the stands.

 “...Hope?” Ron croaked.

 For a long moment, no one moved. Then Molly Weasley had wrapped Hope up in a crushing embrace, tears were pouring out of Molly and Arthur’s eyes, Ron, Fred, and George were still gawking in disbelief- No one even noticed that one of the Wasps had sent a Bludger straight at Ginny’s head and that the youngest Weasley only barely dodged in time-

 “What are you doing here?” Hermione finally managed to speak.

 “i…” Hope cleared her throat. “I came to see the match. Same as you.”

 Had the Weasleys been anyone else, this moment would have gotten immensely awkward. Hope had grown farther apart from her family after the events in the Lafayette Cemetery had unfolded eight years ago, and she had completely cut off all ties with them after finishing her O.W.L. year. She’d nearly worried Molly and Arthur to death, leaving home at the age of fifteen after leaving nothing but a simple note like that- But Hope hadn’t been able to bear it, even after Freya Mikaelson had left school premises directly after the Triwizard Tournament had ended, Hope hadn’t been able to forget the horrors and confusion of that night.

 Her heart numb as stone, she’d traveled to North America. During her search for more information about just who exactly her birthparents meant to the supernatural world, Hope had stumbled upon a school for people like her- One like the ones Freya had mentioned months ago. The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted had been a perfect place for her to keep herself hidden away from Klaus, who was rumoured to be searching for her, and also a perfect way to research more about the big bad original hybrid himself.

 Hope had grown up. Alone. Perhaps that was what fate had always intended for her, or perhaps she’d tempted fate by throwing away the miraculous chance she’d been offered, the chance to grow up a Weasley and not a Mikaelson. Whatever the case, three years in Mystic Falls had been too long. Word had spread about the strange auburn haired witch with werewolf powers. Before Klaus could reach her, however, a swarm of his enemies and an army of those who regarded Hope’s existence as an aberration of nature had, and Hope had ended up skewered on a stick by an ancient vampiress named Aya.

 She’d woken up cold and hungry. She’d fed on the first human she’d laid eyes on, and instantly, the guilt had made her shut off her humanity which was apparently part of the skill set that came with being a vampire. Hope had hunted down Aya and her Strix friends, and had caused damage to the Salvatore School while doing so. Though the damage hadn’t been permanent, once she’d turned her humanity back on, Hope had felt terrible guilt at having hurt the people who’d taken her in after she’d left her old life in the past. She’d left Virginia and had traveled the world, continuously on the lookout for Klaus and continuously searching for more information about him.

 “You said you had information about Klaus?” Hope had spoken to a beautiful blonde woman in Scotland, a woman who looked to be no older than Hope herself.

 “I’ve heard about you,” the woman had said. “The mysterious vampire who goes from country to country, asking about Klaus’s past and weaknesses. What do you want with the information I can offer you?”