Dear Lady Malfoy,

Thank you for your letter to update us on what is happening in Britain. Maya was very relieved to finally have confirmation that the Lord Voldemort situation has been dealt with and that he is no longer a threat to her or her friends. In all honesty I was greatly relieved by the news as well.

It is no great surprise to hear that the ministry and Dumbledore are searching for Maya. I was surprised to find out they weren't working together to do so though. Could this rift cause problems or will it benefit us do you think? Professor Aradia, Headteacher of the Academy, is very confident that she will be able to prevent anyone from taking Maya back to Britain against her will, but the more information we have to work with the better.

Maya was happy to hear that you've agreed to accept Kreacher as your house-elf. She was very worried about the state the goblins reported he was in, but she wouldn't have been comfortable having him here. I believe it would have reminded her too much of herself and her life at the Dursleys, which would have set her recovery back, so I will add my thanks on top of the letter Maya is writing to you. Your offer for us to take Dobby in exchange is very kind, I will discuss it with Maya and see what she thinks, but I'm not sure she'll accept. She understands the whole symbiotic bond, but it still feels too much like slavery for her, but perhaps we can work something out.

Maya will probably tell you this herself in her own letter, but I thought I'd let you know as well. She has decided to contract the goblins to cleanse the London townhouse at Grimmauld Place. Kalital her account manager is organising the contracts, but that will start soon. I believe Maya may ask you if there is anything in the house that you might want as a memento of your childhood or your family. The current plan is for the goblins to put most of the contents into storage once they've been cleansed, but Maya feels that you should be able to have a look and take anything that has sentimental value to you if you wish to do so. I'm sure this can be arranged easily enough with the goblins once the time comes.

The update on the Dursleys was good to know. I'm not sure how Maya feels about it yet though, I think this is something she'll want to talk about with Dr Acesco before talking about it with me or anyone else. Vernon's arrest is a good first step and at least Dumbledore has kept that part of his word. Prison is too good for him however and I should tell you that his days and the days of his wife are numbered, we've already made plans to deal with the problem permanently once Maya turns seventeen and is less at risk. Any information you can continue to provide towards this end will be welcome.

Maya has settled in well here, and at the Academy. She has made quite a few friends, there are two girls who she is particularly close with, it is good to see her happy and cheerful and acting like a normal twelve-year-old from time to time. They had a school dance last week, I have enclosed a photograph of Maya in her dress, she looked very lovely, I am not looking forward to a few years' time though. The thought of her dating feels me with dread.

She misses her friends from Hogwarts, though I know she writes to them frequently. I know it's not possible right now, but if something could be arranged for the future, some way of her meeting up with them all, I would be exceedingly grateful, and I know Maya would be very happy.

Once more I thank you for your update, and we will let you know about Dobby once something has been decided.

Yours faithfully

Damon Salvatore.

Dear Narcissa,

Thanks for your letter and please pass on my thanks to Ragnuk for dealing with the whole Voldemort thing. Thanks as well for taking Kreacher into your home, Kalital said that a renewed bond with a living descendant of the Black bloodline would help him recover more than anything else. Really thank you for everything you've done to help me, life in New York with Damon is much better than life with the Dursleys. And though I enjoyed my time at Hogwarts and miss my friends, I do prefer the Academy.

I think Damon and I are going to talk about your offer in regard to Dobby, but no decisions have been made yet. Do you think Dobby would agree to be paid and take holiday if he did come to live with us? Draco and Luna explained the whole symbiotic bond to me and Hermione last year, but I would be more comfortable paying Dobby as well like Damon does with his current cleaners. Do you think this is a possibility?

I've been having meetings with my account managers. Kalital the Black family account manager helped me to commission an assessment of the townhouse and once contracts are signed a team of cursebreakers will cleanse the house and everything inside. Is there anything in the house that you might want, from your childhood, or that has special meaning to you? All the stuff is going to get stored into a vault for me to go through when I'm older, but if there is stuff you might want, I can make sure you'll have access as well and you can take anything you want. Is there a wizarding decoration service I could hire to redecorate after its cleansed? Maggie and Lexi say there called interior decorators in the muggle world, is this something wixen have as well?

Other than the house situation, I've been learning a lot about both of my accounts, although I'm not sure I'm ever going to learn everything I need to know. Kalital and Ghumana both said that I will hold seats on the Wizengamot when I come of age, they couldn't give me much information though. What is the Wizengamot and what does having a seat entail? If you have any information you could share on this, I would be very grateful.

Outside of meetings with my account managers I am very busy. There are a lot more classes offered at the Academy than at Hogwarts, plus there are loads of clubs. I am on the Quidditch Club and I'm the seeker for the Junior School team, we have a match scheduled against Ilvermony coming up soon. I also joined the photography club, the Equestrian club (We're currently training to ride Hippogriffs), and the technomancy club. I'm enjoying all my lessons and clubs, and I spend a lot of time studying for them.

I've made two really good friends at the Academy. Sora is a wixen, her dad is the current Ambassador to MACUSA for Magical Japan. And Kamala, she's a channeler, I'm also a channeler, Professor Aradia the Headmistress thinks I inherited it from my biological father. Kamala was born in New York and has lived here all her life, she only tapped into her channeler powers recently though, so we're studying that together from the beginning. There both great, we hang out, have study sessions, and we had a sleepover recently, my first one! I also went to the school dance with them, which was really cool. I told Draco, Luna, and everyone else that they should suggest to the professors that school dances should be held at Hogwarts. I miss all my friends, writing to them helps, but im glad I made some new friends, I was really nervous I wouldn't.

That's all of my news at the moment. I do have a request to ask of you if you wouldn't mind. Samhain is coming up and my friend Ronan mentioned that part of it is visiting the graves of those who've passed on and tending to them. As I wont be able to do this, would you be able to leave some flowers on mum and dad's (Luke) graves on my behalf please. Ghumana explained that you won't be able to visit Potter House without me there in person to grant you access, but as mum and dad are buried at Godric's Hollow, I thought it might be possible for you to at least visit them. Don't worry if it's not though, the Academy is holding a Samhain festival and I'll be attending that, so I'll let mum and dad know it wasn't possible for me to visit their graves this year, but I will as soon as I can.

Also do you know of any specific traditions that the Potter or Black families follow in regard to the Seasonal festivals?

Thanks for everything, coming to New York was the best thing that's ever happened to me. Give my regards to Lord Malfoy (only if it's appropriate to though), I've sent Draco a letter as well.

Best Wishes,

Maya.

Maya carefully placed the beautiful oak table in the area of her bedroom where she had chosen to create an altar. Attending the festival for the Autumn Equinox and performing the rituals had given her such a sense of warmth, belonging, and peace, that Maya had decided to continue with the rituals and to learn as much as she could about the traditions her mother and previous generations of Potters had followed. Professor Mephisto had given her some texts to read about the different rituals and traditions of the seasonal festivals. He'd mentioned that her family probably had their own traditions that they had followed as most of the old European magical families did.

Maya had asked Narcissa if she knew any traditions the Potter or Black families had followed, but hadn't received a reply yet. In the meantime, Maya had decided to follow some of the suggestions in the books Professor Mephisto had provided her, starting with an altar. Maya had mentioned this to Damon and Stefan at dinner about a week ago, and today Stefan had presented her with a handcrafted oak table that he had made himself. Maya hadn't even known that Stefan had trained in woodworking until he'd given it to her.

The table itself was stunning. Crafted from solid oak and rectangular in shape, it was low enough for Maya to kneel in front of, making it perfect height for a personal altar. The top of the table was flat and plain, smoothed out into a glossy finish. On the sides of the table, Stefan had carved images of leaves and flowers, connected by a flowing stem. The legs were carved with a Celtic knot pattern. It was simple, but a beautiful kind of simple, and Maya adored it all the more because Stefan had created it specifically for her.

Maya checked the notes she'd made from the books she had read and then made sure she had everything she needed to cleanse and consecrate the space. A white candle, lavender incense, a small bowl of salt and a small bowl of water. She did one last check to make sure she had the directions correct in her mind before lighting the candle and the incense.

Maya opened the door in her mind and allowed her nature magic as well as her wixen magic to flow through her, allowing her magic to fill her entire body. Holding the small bowl of salt in her hands she faced towards the north and passed the bowl over the altar. Making sure to shape the symbol of earth, a triangle with a horizontal line inside, with the movements of the bowl and speaking the words she'd carefully memorised.

"Spirits of earth, Guardians of the north. I ask that you cleanse and bless this space."

Maya placed the bowl down on the north side of the altar before picking up the incense and moving round so that she was facing east. She passed the incense over the altar, shaping the symbol of air a triangle with a vertical line inside, and spoke the next set of words.

"Spirits of air, Guardians of the east. I ask that you cleanse and bless this space."

The incense was placed on the east side of the altar and Maya moved around so she was facing south and picked up the candle. Fire was symbolised by a triangle pointing up and Maya moved the candle to form this shape above the altar, as she once more intoned the ritual words.

"Spirits of fire, Guardians of the south, I ask that you cleanse and bless this space."

Maya placed the candle on the north side of the altar and moved round to face west, picking up the bowl of water as she did so. Water, fire's opposite, was symbolised by a triangle pointing down, Maya made this symbol above the altar with the bowl of water and spoke the penultimate set of words for the ritual.

"Spirits of water, Guardians of the west. I ask that you cleanse and bless this space."

This bowl was placed on the west side of the altar. Using her pointer finger, she traced the image of a pentacle in the air above the altar as she spoke the final words of the ritual.

"Lady Magic, Guardian of the spirit. I ask that you cleanse and bless this space."

Intent was one of the most important parts of magic and ritual workings. So, for each step of the ritual Maya made sure to visualise a gold light moving across the area she'd designated for her altar. Brushing aside all negativity, cleansing, purifying, and blessing, her chosen space.

Her magic seemed to swirl around, building up inside and around her as she moved through each step of the ritual, until it was practically humming. As the final word of the ritual was spoken, her magic seemed to make an audible popping sound and wash across the space she'd created for an altar, blowing out the candle and the incense and sending a ripple through the water and the salt. Leaving behind a stillness, a sense of warmth and peace flowed through Maya as her magic settled completely.

Maya smiled triumphantly, knowing from what her magic had done, that the ritual had worked. Her space was now consecrated and blessed and ready for her to create her altar.

The decision of how to lay out an altar and what to include was a personal choice. Maya had already decided that her altar would follow the seasonal festivals, starting with Samhain, which was in a couple of days. She removed the candle, incense, water, and salt she had used for the ritual and set them to one side.

Damon had provided her with a small white tablecloth, just big enough to cover the top of the table, and some fabric pens. Maya had used these to create a family tree on the cloth, filling in as much as she knew, from what Damon had been able to tell her. Maya had decided to include both her dads, because she wanted to honour and recognise the 15 months Luke had spent being her father, even if they weren't biologically related. But she also wanted to acknowledge the blood she shared with Klaus, she might not have met him yet, but he had still influenced her life, her channeler abilities, and her werewolf and vampire genes were all an inheritance from him.

She placed the cloth on top of the table and now that she no longer needed to move around it, she lifted it up and set it down so that it was against the wall of her bedroom. Samhain was the last of the three harvest rituals, it marked the end of one year and the beginning of another, and was associated with death, being the time when the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest. So, it was also the time to honour loved ones who had passed on.

Maya placed the pictures of her family on the altar. For her mum and dad, Maya had chosen a picture of them from the album Hagrid had gifted her. For her Potter ancestors from her grandparents up to her great-great-grandparents Henry and Elladora, Damon had gifted her pictures from his collection. Each one had been placed inside its own frame and Maya carefully arranged these on the altar. She didn't have any picture of Luke's parents or of her paternal grandparents, so for these she had chosen different symbols. A pentacle to represent her channeler ancestors, and a wolf to represent her werewolf ancestors. For Luke's parents she hadn't been sure what to use so she had drawn the name Evans on a piece of parchment in large letters and decorated it. She had also added the Potter and Black family crests to represent her unknown ancestors from both of those family trees.

With the symbols and pictures of her deceased family members placed, Maya moved on to the other items for her altar. Damon had given her a ceramic square with a tree of life painted on it and Maya set this down and placed some candles upon it. Black to symbolise the death of the year and to honour her ancestors, red, orange, and yellow, to represent the last harvest, and a purple candle with the triple moon carved upon it to represent Lady Magic. She also placed a small incense dish upon it, with and apple-scented incense stick, apple's being representative of the harvest and magic.

A lot of the books Professor Mephisto had given her had suggested placing skulls and bones on the altar at Samhain to symbolise death and decay. Maya had been deeply uncomfortable with this idea, Professor Mephisto had assured her that they didn't need to be real skulls and bones, that the symbolism was enough. Maya had managed to find a few small Halloween decorations in the shops of skulls, skeletons, coffins, and ghosts, and she placed these on her altar as well.

With Samhain being the last harvest celebration, Maya, with some help from Stefan, had created a small cornucopia filled with seeds, fruit, nuts, veg, and grains and she placed this on the altar. Along with a small pumpkin that Maya, again with some help from Stefan, had carved to make her very first Jack O'Lantern. The last food items to go on the altar were soul cakes, a traditional sort of biscuit that Damon had helped her to bake, these were placed next to the photos and symbols of her family as offerings to her ancestors. She also placed some messages she'd written on pieces of parchment down along with the soul cakes.

The last items Maya placed on the altar were four rune stones carved from black tourmaline. Eihwaz, to invite the spirits of her ancestors to visit. Perthro, to symbolise the sanctuary of the spirit world. Kano, to brighten the way for the spirits that did visit. And Elhaz, to protect against evil spirits.

For a first attempt, Maya though it looked pretty good.

On Friday Maya, once again accompanied by Damon and Stefan, went to the Samhain festival that the academy was holding. The festival began in the afternoon and went on into the night. The festival was family oriented open to all ages, anyone who had family at the school, whether that was students or staff, was invited to attend. The afternoon activities had all been organised with this in mind, ensuring there were different activities to suit everyone from the very young to the very old.

Maya participated in the pumpkin carving activity. All the insides that were removed were whisked away by the academies house elves to be used in the different dishes and drinks they were busy creating for the feasts. She also learnt how to make a Bowen knot, to be hung in her window to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and corn dolls to represent loved ones who had passed on.

Where the Autumn Equinox had been a time to reflect on what they had been grateful for, Samhain was a time to look forward to the coming year and make a plan for what they wanted to achieve. Under Professor Song's guidance, Maya created a New Year Spell jar.

Whilst channelling her magic, Maya ground together dried bergamot, calathea, fennel and alfalfa into a fine powder. She then mixed eucalyptus, orange, and hellebore with wax to create a candle. Both the powder and candle were charged with her magic. The powder was mixed together with sea salt and placed in a glass jar, and she added seven drops of her blood to seal the spell to herself. She placed the candle inside the jar and packed the salt and powder mixture around the base to hold it steady.

On a piece of parchment Maya wrote a wish for the next year, she decided to keep things simple and merely wished for continued happiness and safety. The parchment was rolled up and also placed inside the jar. The final step was to light the candle with her magic and tie it off so that it would continue to burn until the candle was completely melted, even when the lid was placed on the jar. This bit was tricky, and Maya had to practise a couple of times with some spare candles before she got the hang of it. Once she was sure she'd got it down, Maya lit the candle in her spell jar and tied it off and then sealed the lid to the jar with string and wax.

When the candle inside the jar kept merrily flickering, Maya sent a triumphant grin at Damon who'd been watching her work. He grinned back.

"Well done."

"Yes, well done, Maya. That was some very nicely controlled spellwork."

Professor Song added with a smile and a nod.

Once the sun began to set, bonfires were once again lit across the gardens and the feast began. Each table had an empty place setting in honour of the decreased. The feast was great, just as tasty as the feast at the Autumn Equinox celebration had been. Maya, Damon, and Stefan, sat down at a table with Ronan, Aiden, and their extended family. Maya spent most of the time talking with Ronan and Aiden, Damon struck up a conversation with Aidens parents about politics both magical and muggle, and Stefan ended up in conversation with Ronan's mum who was a professional writer.

Once the feast began to wind down, Professor Aradia stood up and spoke. Her voice managed to carry to every corner of the gardens, and Maya could only assume it was done by magic because she wasn't shouting.

"I now invite those who wish to do so to join with me in some traditional rituals."

Their entire table stood up and moved along with the crowd of people heading towards the ritual area. The Academy had an Altar set up beneath the branches of an oak tree that stood in the middle of an otherwise empty field, and this is where most of the rituals took place. Professor Aradia took her place in front of the altar and everyone who had accompanied her, stood around in a loose circle. Professor Aradia raised an athame above her head and began to speak.

"I call to the Guardians of the earth, to Gaia, to Pan, to Cernunnos, I welcome you into our circle and ask that you bless this space. We welcome you."

Maya and everyone else spoke in unison.

"We welcome you."

A flame began to glow on the altar as Professor Aradia used her magic to light the north candle. Maya could feel magic beginning to gather in the air.

"I call to the Guardians of the Air, to Nilch'i, to Thoth, to Ilmatar, I welcome you into our circle and ask that you bless this space. We welcome you."

"We welcome you."

The east candle on the altar began to flicker and the magic rose.

"I call to the Guardians of the flame, to Bastet, to Agni, to Pele, I welcome you into our circle and ask that you bless this space. We welcome you."

"We welcome you."

Maya closed her eyes and savoured the feel of the magic and warmth that was surrounding her as the south candle began to burn.

"I call to the Guardians of the water, to Yaponcha, to Danu, to Neptune, I welcome you into our circle and ask that you bless this space. We welcome you."

"We welcome you."

The magic was almost palpable now, Maya felt like she should be able to reach out her hand and grasp hold of it physically. The west candle on the altar began to glow.

"I call to the Guardians of Spirit and Universe, to Lady Magic, to Lord Death, to Lady Life, I welcome you into our circle and ask that you bless this space. We welcome you."

"We welcome you."

As the fifth candle began to burn in the centre of the altar, a magical wind blew through the circle, tugging playfully at people's hair and brushing loving touches across their cheeks.

"The circle is cast. Today is Samhain, the closing of one year and the beginning of a new one. On this day the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, we honour our ancestors and welcome them back amongst us as we celebrate the cycle of the year. We honour the deities of the world and the guardians of all, we invite you all to celebrate with us as we enter the new cycle of life."

Professor Aradia placed the athame back onto the altar and picked up some sprigs of rosemary.

"Rosemary is a symbol of remembrance, as it passes around all of us gathered here, remember those you love who have passed on beyond the veil."

The rosemary was passed around the circle until every person present had touched it at least once. When it was Maya's turn, her thoughts turned to her mum and dad who had died when she was too young to remember them. To the ancestors she had never met, and the stories Damon had told her about them. When the sprigs reached Professor Aradia again, she placed them on the altar in front of two unlit candles before once more picking up the athame and turning to face the north.

"I welcome the spirits of the earth, who symbolise death."

To the east.

"I welcome the spirits of the air, who walk at the side of those souls who are departing the world of the living and protect them on their journey."

To the south.

"I welcome the spirits of the flame, who transform the dead on their journey, relieving them of their sorrows and granting them peace and joy."

To the west.

"I welcome the spirits of the water, who carry us through the river of life as we journey upon this plane."

Professor Aradia placed the athame back on the altar and lit the black candle with her magic.

"The wheel of the year turns.

As we pass from light into darkness, we thank the earth for the fruits of our harvest.

We thank the fire that will keep us warm through the long nights.

We thank the air for breath it provides to us sustaining our lives.

We thank the water that quenches our thirst.

We honour our ancestors, without whom we would not exist.

We welcome the darkness as a time of rest and renewal.

We are part of the cycle of life and death.

Of birth and decay and rebirth again.

We are part of the magic of nature and spirit.

Of earth and sky, fire, and water.

Blessed be."

"Blessed be."

Maya spoke in unison with everyone else in the circle.

Professor Aradia lit the white candle on the altar with her magic.

"The wheel of the year turns.

Though now we are entering the phase of darkness,

We acknowledge that light will return.

The darkness is but a part of the cycle.

The other half of which is light.

Through the long nights of winter,

We will hold firm to the promise of light.

Guardians of the world,

Honoured Ancestors,

We ask that you guard us during the darkness,

So that we may greet the light anew.

Blessed be."

"Blessed be."

Professor Aradia turned and faced the circle.

"Ribbons are being handed out, three a piece. Black for death, white for life, red for rebirth. As you braid the ribbons together focus on the memories of your lost loved one and acknowledge the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. You may place the ribbons on the altar here if you wish or taken them home with you to be placed on personal altars."

Maya, like many others, sunk down to sit cross legged in the dewy grass and began to plait the three ribbons she had been handed, thinking about the ancestors she knew only through story. As she did so she chanted in a low voice.

"We come from the earth; we breathe with the air.

We burn with the fire; we flow with the water.

We live, we die, we live again.

We are one with the elements."

As Maya braided and chanted, she could feel the magic weaving through the air around her. Just as she had at the last celebration, Maya began to feel at peace, surrounded by love, joy, and warmth, as if her ancestors were surrounding her and gifting her all the hugs she had never received. To Maya it was as if she could hear her mum and dad talking to her, telling her how loved she was, how much they cared for her.

A cool touch fell across her brow, it didn't hurt her though. It was calm and knowing, an acknowledgement of her pain and a whispered promise that she would understand one day.