The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a seventh season by The CW on January 11, 2015,[1] and premiered on October 8, 2015.

[4] Damon, Bonnie and Alaric have been spending the summer in Europe to get over their grief while Stefan, Caroline and Matt make a deal with Lily and her Heretics when they failed to defeat them.

In present day, Caroline is held prisoner by vervain soaked ropes but escapes from Enzo, only to get recaptured by the Heretic girls.

Oscar refuses to help when he finds out about the stone, and tries to escape by knocking Alaric and Bonnie unconscious and breaking Damon's neck.

On Halloween, Stefan and Damon desperately hide Oscar's corpse, as his death disables their exchange plan with Lily, who released Caroline to Enzo's delighted relief.

However the sorcery ritual proves hard to crack while the heretic girls, Nora and Mary Louise come searching for the corpse, which is hid in the dorm.

Lily instructs Nora and Mary Louise to kill a student at Whitmore College every hour unless Oscar is returned to her.

So, Stefan and Caroline team up to lure Nora and Mary Louise to Whitmore's annual Heaven and Hell dance to keep an eye on the couple while Damon, Bonnie and Alaric try to resurrect Oscar using the Phoenix Stone.

Valerie, who for her actions are left alone by the Heretics, tells Damon that it was Lily's plan to make Elena sleep as long as Bonnie is alive.

Back in the manor, Julian and the Salvatore brothers get into an argument which brings them to fight until Lily intervenes and says she will never let her children suffer.

They then make a locator spell which seems to points nowhere but shockingly Valerie deduces that the twins are inside Caroline's body.

In order to get through to Lily about Julian's manipulating ways, Stefan and Damon confront their mother with painful memories from their childhood.

Elsewhere, Matt finds himself in the middle of a deepening mystery involving the residents of Mystic Falls, and Caroline's world is turned upside down when Valerie reveals some life-changing news to her.

It is revealed that Alaric will move to Dallas and Caroline finds it hard to accept that she has to eventually part with the twins.

Bonnie, Mary Lou and Nora search for Rayna Cruz, "The Huntress" finding her old and feeble in a psychiatric ward.

It is revealed that Enzo sent the 'X' cards to track Rayna; he burns her to ashes only to revive her back in her young true self.

Back in the Salvatore boarding house, Damon gets an unexpected visitor, a brunette (she saved him during one of the ring fights) who kisses him.

Wallowing in emptiness, Damon gazes into her eyes accepting the bitter truth of fate and as a final jolt of mental agony, he bends down to kiss her back.

Rayna is a supernaturally blessed vampire huntress who was once compelled by Julian to kill her own father, a hunter belonging to one among The Five, using the Phoenix sword as her weapon.

Back in 1903, hell bent on seeking revenge, she impaled Beau and staked Julian into the Phoenix hell-stone.

Meanwhile, Valerie and Stefan try easing the delivery (the twins were reluctant to come out thus leave their constant source of magic).

Valerie locates an anti-magic bar in New Orleans, "St. James Infirmary" where Stefan must hide (as Rayna's sword will not be able to trace him there).

Meanwhile, Bonnie and Damon meet Enzo at a supernatural museum-like organization named "The Armory", who are desperate to lock up Rayna.

Damon arrives at the storage unit where he plans to desiccate alongside Elena's coffin, but Bonnie shows up letting him know that she is extremely hurt with his decision.

She leaves him there and Damon finally lies down to slowly desiccate near to death with hopes that he has saved his loved ones from the array of bad choices he makes putting their lives in jeopardy.

Enzo recollects of the glorious 3 years as he struggles to the impale while Damon, just in time, finds the Everlasting's body, sets it on fire thus severing the link and lifting the curse off of Bonnie.

Outside, Alaric tells Caroline to stay back with Stefan and parts ways on good terms saying that no matter what, they will always be family.

[29] On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Scarlett Byrne and Teressa Liane were hired to play Nora and Mary Louise, respectively.

Nora and Mary Louise are described as extremely powerful and protective with each other, because it is the first same-sex couple in the series; additionally it is reported that Elizabeth Blackmore was chosen to give life to Valerie.

The site's critics consensus reads, "Despite an Elena-less season, Vampire Diaries still has plenty of fleshed out plot and new characters for fans to sink their teeth into.