The next morning the redhead felt drained, she toddled downstairs and turned on the kettle.

What a night.

The whole thing was just a giant mess. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face. This was supposed to be a break from the crazy. Reopening her eyes, she saw her Uncle come into the kitchen.

"Morning," she said too him, picking up the boiling water.

"Do I even want to know the full story?" he asked her, moving forward his hand outstretched slightly in concern.

Placing the teabag and pouring.

"I'm fine," she said as she began to stir the bag turning the water darker, before squeezing it with the spoon. "I the opening the tomb was the easy bit, I just did it. I'll be fine. Just a I'layahathel -" the redhead covered her mouth with one hand, while grabbing the milk in the other. "Sorry – I'll be fine, but a little tired today."

"You go sit down; I'll make you breakfast." He said walking behind her and with his hands on her shoulders guiding her to the sofa. She laughed a little, but nodded closing her eyes; leaning her head against the top corner of the sofa.

Keeping her eyes closed she pulled her phone out of her pocket, and held the button in.

"Call Damon," she said, trying not to yawn again. Ignoring the British robotic voice, she pressed the device to her ear.

"Hey," she heard his voice after several rings.

"Hi, how are you feeling this morning? Would you like me to come over?" she asked taking a sip of her tea.

"Thanks Lightning, but it takes more than that to lose my stud like –"

"Well that's rubbish. Come on Damon, even without heightened vampire emotions this would be a rough day. Let your friends help you. While you have some." She added jokingly hoping it may lift his mood slightly.

"Rude, I'll have you know I have got lots of friends –"

"Did you compel a group of college students or something?"

"Ouch,"

She laughed, glad that he seemed to be enjoying the teasing.

"Do you want me to come over?" she asked him.

"No," he said after a long pause. "No, today I am going to drink my sorrows away at home." He said. "It ain't gunna be pretty,"
"Are you already –"
"Just a little buzzed. I'll be fine Lightning,"

"Let me know if you need me and I'll leave school ok," she said.

"You are going to school today?" He snorted.

"Yeah, I kind of have to blend in here you know," She said dryly. "The councillor is already down my throat trying to get me to talk."

He laughed.

"Terrifying,"

"Scarier than you," she retorted. He made fake wounded sounds.

"Well, you seem better than I thought, but seriously I will come over if you need me, but now I got to go get ready for school."

She hung up smiling.

"Yeah, you are not going," Alaric said watching her.

"Ric, I'm fine,"

"You look dead on your feet, you're exhausted. Go back to bed, take a few more potions."
"You do know I am a legal adult right."

"Not in this world, or this country. You are taking a sick day. I am going to call the school. Go back to sleep and I will come check on you at lunch time."

She scowled at him, but remained on the sofa.

The next day the redhead made her way to Sheila Bennet's house, today was going to be her first day of trying to learn channel magic.

She knocked on the door, and it didn't take long for an excited Bonnie Bennet to swing it open.

"Lea," she beamed. "Come in,"

Sheila was waiting for them by the sofa, the two younger witches sat beside her.

"Now Bonnie, already knows this spell but it's an easy one for you to try first. We are going to light the candle,"

"What no theory," Azalea said, she was both excited and nervous, but she figured it would be weeks before she tired to do anything with channel magic.

"No, this is a lot more, go with the flow and follow the nature." Sheila smiled at her.

"Now Bonnie is going to help you as much as I – Bonnie the best way to learn is to teach," she finished as her granddaughter opened her mouth. She gestured for her to go.

"Umm, so what I do is, um, I feel the energy from around me, from nature. The earth, the air and your own body. Then it just kind of flows."

"We take energy from the world," Sheila added, "The closets my friend described it to, is the warmth of holding your wand after being parted with it for a while, but we get that feeling that connection through life itself, the elements, nature. Close your eyes, try and feel the magic."

The redhead did as she was told trying to ignore the two stares. She began to focus on her magic.

"No, don't focus on your own source," Sheila voice broke her concentration. "Move you from yourself."

With a small nod Azalea tried again. Ignoring the familiar comforting warmth inside of her, which almost shrank in outrage at the lack of use. It felt like she was rejecting the warmth of hugging a loved one. Though difficult she proceeded to ignore it, focusing on the feel of the air, and the ground below her feet. The light was shining through her eyelids, the warmth coating her face. The sun is fire, the sun is the source of that kind of energy!

At this realisation her own magic seemed to lash out angrily. With a voiceless hiss.

THUD.

She opened her eyes at Bonnie's gasp. She followed her friends gaze to see several grimoires on the floor. Sheila just looked amused.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, going to pick them up. However the older woman put a hand out to stop her.

"More will likely fall by the end of the day." She said. "The first time Margret tried to use channel magic she smashed my parents window. Try again you were very close."

"How could you tell Grams?" Bonnie asked.

"I could feel the energy in the candle. You will get there." She smiled at her granddaughter.

"It was like… it was like my own magic got offended." She said. Bonnie looked at her in awe, as Sheila laughed.

"Margret said the same thing, though not as politely," Sheila smirked. "Don't worry child. You already exceeded my expectations on the first try,"

"So… focusing on the sun was what I was meant to do?"

"Any energy would work, but if you need that extra symbolism to help you to stop using your own magic then sure,"

"Maybe," Bonnie spoke up. "Maybe, if you feel what I do, you know hold onto me, and focus on me. it could help." She looked at her grandmother uncertain.

"Sound like a good idea to me," Sheila said, pushing herself up. "While you two do that, I'll make us some tea."

A few days later Damon volunteered Stefan and herself to cook Thanksgiving dinner at the Salvatore house.

"You know with it just being me and Stefan in that big house. It'd be a nice to have a big happy thanksgiving. What do you say?" he had said as he had invited himself over to the Gilbert house with Stefan for dinner. They had all agreed and the Americans were excited for Azalea to experience her first Thanksgiving.

The days creeped closer and on Thanks giving morning Azalea got up early to make her way over to the boarding house to prepare the home.

However, the redhead had encountered a problem. Ric had told her about where the holiday had come from, and she did not feel it was something to really celebrate. Having stopping Voldemort from committing mass genocide she wasn't a fan of celebrating another.

She had to go, she had offered and in the modern minds of the US citizens they didn't link the event to the celebration…

Azalea was looking through her wardrobe frantically. She had no idea what to wear. She ended up compromising with a black dress to honour the dead of the natives who suffered. She did some googling on the Native funeral wear but then didn't know that is she did that she would cross a boundary. So Azalea opted for the European colour. Deciding she put on some make up after she had cooked she threw a small bag together and made her way downstairs.

Alaric frowned when he saw what she was wearing.

"You're a history teacher figure it out." She said dryly. He gave her a look of 'fair enough' with a pull of his lips and a nodding motion.

"I'm driving over now to help with the food. Wish Jenna hadn't seen my car," she pouted. Alaric laughed, as she grabbed the bits of food needed from their fridge and headed out the door.

It didn't take long for her lavender tree car to drive her to the Salvatore house, and of course the two brothers were waiting for her.

"Ok, what would you like me to do?" she asked rummaging for her apron.

"What are you wearing?" Damon said looking her up and down. "Not that you don't look great, but you didn't have to dress up for me,"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm wearing it cause it's a funeral colour." She said.

"Why?"

"What's this holiday about Damon?" she looked at him expectantly.

"Ah,"

"Ah, indeed. Stefan, I reckon it's time we got moving."

Azalea loved being in the kitchen with someone else, it reminded her of all the times she and Mrs Weasley would cook together. She was extra grateful for those memories and recipes that the Weasley matriarch had given her. She added a few simple spells to their preparation but did not want to overdo it and make the oven explode or give up. She knew that magic and electricity – didn't really get along.

"You do a lot of cooking at the Dursleys?" Stefan said as she began to sieve the flour into the bowel to make one of the deserts.

"Yeah, but also with Mrs Weasley. She let me help her, so I literally learnt from the very best," she smiled.

"That's nice to know, that her skills and knowledge lives through you." He said softly.

"That's kind of how I think of it too. If I am not plying people with food, then I am insulting her memory?"

"That explains a lot of what Elena and Bonnie have been saying," he teased, she swotted him playfully.

"Hey I may learn how to give you an aneurysm soon, so watch it," she muttered playfully.

"I'll be on my best behaviour," he said, pretending to look afraid.

"Just keep chopping the onions."

He gave her a small salute, she laughed before her face dropped again. The vampire looked at her in concern. When she noticed his gaze, she smiled softly shaking her head.

"I'm just thinking about Hermione and how she would have thrived on experiencing another cultures holiday. You all would have basically become an observation study."

He reached to touch her arm in comfort, but she pulled away.

"Nope, we don't have time for me to start crying. Let's get on with what we are meant to be doing ok. I'm fine – what are you doing?!" her voice turned horrified as she saw Stefan grab some marshmallows and add them to the sweet potato.

"Adding the marshmallows," he looked at her questioningly.

"You are not putting that monstrosity on my meal." She said scowling at the dish as thought it had just called her a string of offensive slurs. Stefan began to smirk.

"I'll keep it off your plate." He said.

"Whose idea was it to put dessert on a main meal, I honestly feel a little sick." She said.

The two could hear Damon laughing in the other room, while Stefan was trying to contain his own.

After a few more hours of hard work for the two of them, the others arrived. Azalea could hear the murmurings of voices coming from the sitting room. Then Elena came in offering to set the table, complementing the smell that had apparently wafted its way around the house.

Finally everyone was sat down with a full plate and extra food in the middle of the table.

"I guess we should go around the room. Say what we are thankful for," Stefan said.

"Wait, people actually do that?" Azalea said anxiously.

"Yep," Damon winked at her. "So, start thinking, we'll let you go last."

"I'll go first," Alaric said before turning to his niece. "I am thankful I found my niece, and that I can help her like my sister would have wanted." He smiled softly, as he watched the redhead hide her embarrassed face in her hair.

"I'm thankful for the new people in my life that are helping me through this really tough year." Elena said, looking at her embarrassed friend, and taking Stefan's hand, he squeezed it.

"I'm grateful that Lea –"

"Alright Gilbert they can't all be about me," she scowled at the young teen. "Pick something else."

"Nope," Jeremy grinned.

"Embrace the complements, it'll be good for you," Damon smirked. "Please, Jeremy. Continue," he said taking a swig of his drink.

"Lea has helped me so much since she got here, with her counselling that wasn't counselling.

"I'm thankful for my thesis really beginning to take shape." Jenna said.

"I'm thankful that my relationship with my brother is improving," Stefan said, Damon rolled his eyes, but Stefan could see the hidden emotion.

"I'm thankful… I'm thankful my very long-time goal has been accomplished, and now I can move away from the past. Times up Lea, what's it gunna be." Damon finished smirking at her.

"Er, buggar… um… I'm thankful for – this is bloody weird – I am thankful that the cause of most of my trauma is gone, and I'm grateful for the memories of loved ones, that I will see in hopefully 60 to 80 years."

"See, you're a natural. Now," Damon clapped his hands together. "Let's enjoy Stefan and Lea's hard work."

Hope you guys enjoyed this little fluffy chapter, I have been trying to work on the timeline, and where Thanksgiving and Christmas would fit into S1 so I decided to put it around here. I hope you guys enjoy and…

YAY BIDEN WON! Orange male Umbridge does not return to the white house. There is still a long way to go but the future is beginning to look a lot brighter.

Xx