Happiness fizzed and sparked inside Maya as she spotted Damon, Stefan, and Lexi in the crowd of people at the Academy's open day. Damon had told her they were coming, but there was still a part of Maya that hadn't really believed it until she'd spotted them. The part that still believed that the last few months were nothing but a dream, and she would soon wake up back in her cupboard at number 4 Privet Drive. That part was slowly being replaced by the part of her that knew Damon loved her and would always be there for her, but Maya knew it was never going to be erased completely. There would always be a small part of her that was the scared lonely little girl, who lived in a cupboard, and whose only family hated her. But hopefully one day, all the other parts of her would drown that part out.

"Are you ready for this, Maya?"

Maya looked away from the crowd and towards her charms professor, nodding firmly.

"I'm ready."

Professor Ettore smiled at her and ushered her over to where Sora and the rest of the class were waiting.

"Now, you've all practised for this. You are all highly talented students. But remember, today is about having fun, just as much as it is about performing for our visitors to the open day."

Maya smiled, nodding along with the rest of the group. She had enjoyed planning it out with them the day before, discovering a new way to use magic for entertainment. Her charms classes at Hogwarts had never shown her this possibility, and it had reignited her passion for magic.

The trooped out onto the stage and Maya instinctively sought out Damon in the audience. He was smiling at her, and she grinned back, still buzzing with the thought that he was here. That he loved her enough to spend the day at the school, watching her and others perform magic and getting a glimpse at the other things she was learning at the Academy.

Professor Ettore raised his hand and began counting down on his fingers. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

"Concentio."

A wave of music swept through the hall. Quiet at first, a singular sound, but then it began to build as each of them added to the spell. Weaving together a symphonic orchestral arrangement, a rich and vibrant melody that filled every corner.

"Illusio."

With a flick of her wand, Maya unleashed a dazzling spectacle. A bright red dragon, scales glittering in the light, soared out of the tip of her wand, and roared above the crowd. It was not alone. One by one, her classmates followed suit, conjuring their own fantastical creatures from their wands. A unicorn, a phoenix, a griffin, and more joined the dragon in the sky, each with its own distinct colour and personality. The crowd gasped and cheered as they watched the magical menagerie perform a stunning aerial show. The creatures moved in sync with each other, twisting and turning, diving, and rising, forming intricate patterns and shapes. They also moved in sync with the music that they had created, a symphony of sounds that echoed through the hall without a single instrument. It was a harmony of magic and music, a feast for the eyes and ears, a display of skill and creativity that Maya and her classmates had worked hard to master.

"Nox Caelum, Scintilla Igniculus"

The lights in the hall went and the illusion of a night sky complete with the constellations created a backdrop for the continuing dance. Lit up by an intense display of illusionary fireworks that exploded in every colour of the rainbow, soundless, but as spectacular as any real ones. They formed a stunning backdrop for the dance of the creatures, who flew and leaped with grace and agility, matching the rhythm and mood of the fireworks. It was a breathtaking spectacle that captivated the audience, who watched in awe and admiration.

The music reached its peak, a glorious symphony of sounds that filled the hall with emotion and wonder. Then, it began to fade, as each instrument gracefully withdrew, leaving only a single flute to play the final note. It lingered in the air, a soft and sweet sound that touched every heart. The creatures followed the music, ending their dance with a flourish. They bowed to the audience who had watched their performance. Then, they each exploded into a shower of golden sparks, fading along with the final note. It was a fitting finale for a magical performance.

The hall erupted in thunderous applause as their display of magic came to an end. The audience rose to their feet giving a standing ovation to the young students who had amazed them with their creativity and skill. Maya was thrilled to see that Damon, Stefan, and Lexi, were all on their feet clapping and cheering enthusiastically. Nobody had ever expressed pride in her achievements before she had come to New York, not in the way they did.

As she smiled back at them, she felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart. She felt like she belonged, like she had a family. She remembered one of the movies they had watched together, Lilo & Stitch, and how it had touched her deeply. She realized then why it had resonated with her so much. It was because she understood what Stitch had said at the end: "This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good."

Well, this was her family, Damon, Stefan, Enzo, Maggie, and Lexi. She had found it, and it might be little and maybe they were all slightly broken, but it wasn't just good.

It was wonderful.

Maya swerved to avoid taking a hit from the bludger, continuing to sweep her eyes across the pitch for any sign of the snitch. It was the match against Ilvermony, the first time Maya was representing the Academy as the seeker for the Junior School team. She was determined to be the one who caught the snitch, and at this point it might be the only thing that won them the match. Ilvermony's team was very good, their three chasers were superb, and her team were struggling to keep up with them.

The opposing seeker was sweeping the pitch from the opposite side. Maya had been watching them as much as she could, and she didn't think they were quite as fast, or quite as agile, as she was. But they weren't going to be easy to beat, and Maya had to beat them if her team had even the slightest chance of winning, considering the current score was 120 – 270. They were exactly a hundred points ahead, if she caught the snitch now it would be a draw, so she really needed her team to score at least one more goal before she did, or failing that, for Ilvermony not to.

A flash of gold down by the ground caught Maya's eye and she turned her head to get a better look.

It was the Snitch!

And luckily for her she was closer to it than the other seeker was. Maya immediately turned into a dive, aiming straight at it. She tuned out the shouts and screams of the crowd, the excited voice of the commentator, focusing all of her attention on the tiny golden ball that was flitting along above the grass. She knew without looking that the other seeker was behind her. The snitch was hers, but timing would be everything, considering how close to the ground it was currently. If it stayed there, she would need to grab hold of it and level her broom out of the dive in a synchronised movement.

She was closing in.

Fifteen feet. It was flitting from side to side, but staying within inches of the grass. She made the minutest of adjustments to her trajectory to ensure she would still be able to grab it.

Ten feet. It lifted up slightly and swerved to the left. Maya made a sharp turn with her broom as she continued to follow, even as she continued to dive.

Five feet. Maya was almost within grabbing distance. The snitch changed trajectory again, lifting up away from the ground. She levelled out her broom with one arm and lifted the other, getting ready to seize the snitch as soon as she was close enough.

Three feet. A bludger brushed past her arm, ruffling her sleeves but not doing any damage.

Two feet. A whistling noise gave Maya all the warning she needed to lean forward and avoid being hit with the second bludger.

One foot. She flattened herself against the broom to gain the extra speed she needed, reaching out with her arm towards the snitch.

Wings brushed her fingertips, and she leaned forward and wrapped her fingers around the tiny golden ball.

She'd done it.

The roar of the spectators once again filled Maya's ears as she slowly sat up decreasing the speed she'd been travelling at and looked around the packed stadium. Every single spectator was cheering, and her team were racing towards her, huge grins on their faces. The commentators words magically loudened stretched across the cheers and told her exactly why everyone was so happy.

"It's a draw! Maya Nichols catches the snitch, but the final score is 270-270!"

Adam and Jacob were the first to reach her, wrapping their arms around her, one on either side and hugging her for all they were worth. But pretty soon the rest of the team had arrived, Anna, Ryuu, Eli, and Noah. All wrapping their arms around each other and engaging in a group hug. Out of the corner of her eye, Maya could see the Ilvermony team doing the same. This was the first match she had played in that had ended in a draw which was great, but she knew that the biggest reason her team was so happy was because if she hadn't caught the snitch, they would have lost by miles.

"All right, all right. Let our seeker breathe guys. I'm as delighted as the rest of you that she caught the snitch, but I'm pretty sure she's being squished right now."

Maya laughed, a little breathlessly, as the team followed Coach Flynn's instructions and released her from the middle of the hug.

"Well done team. We played a good match, good job on getting the snitch Nichols. Now off you go and get changed. We've got a celebration to get to!"

The squeal Kamala let out as they entered the gala hall of the Rockefeller Centre was practically eardrum shattering.

"I can't believe we're here! This is so exciting."

"Thank you for inviting us to come with you tonight, Mr Salvatore." Sora said politely as she gazed around with wide-eyes at the gala hall.

"Yeah, thanks Mr Salvatore. This is amazing."

"Call me Damon you two. Mr Salvatore was my father."

Maya's two best friends shared a look before grinning at him.

"Thanks Damon."

It was said in complete unison and with a completely sincere tone, but Damon could see the mischief in their eyes, and he laughed. He understood completely why they were best friends with his goddaughter. The three girls all had the same mischievous natures, Sora's reserve was well matched by Kamala's enthusiasm, and Maya sat somewhere in the middle. They balanced her and she in turn balanced both of them.

He guided the two girls over to the table where Maya was sat with Maggie, Enzo, and Stefan, chattering happily away. She was once again describing seeing the Macy's thanksgiving day parade to an attentive Enzo, and Damon gave himself another pat on the back for taking her, even if it had been hellish for him.

In all the time he had lived in New York City, he had never once considered attending the parade, but he'd known Maya would probably enjoy it. So, he'd given into the insanity of thanksgiving in New York and secured them a hotel room with a balcony that they could watch from, not willing to endure the crowded streets, even for Maya. His friends and Stefan had all refused his invitation to join them, Enzo had laughed in his face at the suggestion. Maya had more than made up for that by giving them a detailed description of every float they'd seen over Thanksgiving dinner and again now.

"Maya!"

Kamala's excited shout caught Maya's attention and she twirled around eyes wide with surprise at the sight of her two friends. When Damon had told her that he'd got tickets for them to attend the VIP Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Party, he hadn't mentioned that he'd invited her friends. Mostly because had hadn't had confirmation from their parents that they would be allowed to attend, and he didn't want to disappoint Maya if they couldn't. He hadn't told her when he'd received permission to bring Kamala and Sora, because he'd wanted to give her a nice surprise.

It had clearly worked, she raced forward and embraced the two girls, before letting them go and launching herself at him, gifting him with a fierce hug.

"Thank you, Damon."

"You're welcome, Kiddo."

After a moment she slithered out of his embrace and tugged the two girls over to the table, reintroducing them to everyone. Stefan met his eyes over her head and nodded approvingly. Their relationship had improved in leaps and bounds since Maya had arrived in their lives and they were now almost as close as they had been back when they were human. They owed all of it to his amazing goddaughter. Without her presence in their lives, their relationship would still be in the stilted and awkward grey area it had existed in for the last couple of decades. Maya had helped them to bridge the gulf that had existed between them, filled with lies, betrayals, guilt, and pain. If Damon was grateful for nothing else about her presence in their lives, he would be grateful for that.

The girls began chattering away as if they hadn't seen each other in weeks and not just the few hours that had passed since the school day had ended.

"We've always watched it on T.V. Ammi said we were too young for the crowds, same with the Macy's parade. You're so lucky you got to see it in person."

Damon made a mental note to book a hotel room again for next year and invite the Khan's and the Yoshinaga's to join him and Maya. She had clearly enjoyed watching the parade, and Damon figured she would enjoy it even more if she could watch it with her friends next time.

"You've got you scheming face on." Enzo muttered too low for the girls' to hear.

"Just thinking about Thanksgiving next year."

Enzo snorted.

"No matter how early you ask, the answer's always going to be no, mate. You can't pay me enough to go to that craziness."

"What if I got Maya to ask you?"

Enzo's look of absolute horror made Damon's day.

"You wouldn't!"

Maggie began to laugh, clearly listening to their conversation. Damon met her eyes and she nodded. That was it then, he'd get Maya to invite Enzo next year and his best friend could suffer alongside him. Enzo was just as incapable of refusing a request from Maya as Damon himself was. Enzo began to splutter and moan at his 'wife's betrayal', and he laughed heartily at his friend's dramatics, gaining the attention of the three girls.

"What's wrong with Enzo?"

"Just a little teasing, sweetheart, that's all."

Maggie answered Maya's question on Damon's behalf as he was still laughing too much at Enzo to respond. Maya was clearly suspicious but was prevented from asking any more questions by the arrival of the dinner Damon had ordered for them all to enjoy, prior to the show and the lighting ceremony. Dinner was delicious, but not nearly as wonderful as watching Maya tuck in with gusto, eating just as much as her friends. Something she wouldn't have been capable of just a few months ago.

After dinner the girls wound their way through the crowds to get the best view available of the performances and the ceremony, through the eight-foot glass windows of the hall. Stefan and Enzo went with them, leaving Maggie and Damon standing further back. Maggie slipped her arm through Damon's and squeezed gently. ,

"You've done a wonderful job with her."

"You think so?"

"I do. She's blossoming under the care and attention she's receiving from everyone, most of all from you."

"You don't think I'm spoiling her, do you? With things like this? I know we could have watched from the crowds downstairs but…"

"You'd hate it. You'd spend the entire time worrying about her. Maya's an intuitive kid, she'd know you were worrying about her, and she wouldn't be able to enjoy herself. You're not spoiling her; you're treating her to wonderful experiences in best way you can."

"Thanks Maggie."

"You're the best godfather she could ask for and she adores you. Not only because of how great you were with her, but because you've given her the one thing she's been denied since she was fifteen months old. A family."

Damon smiled at Maya dancing with her two friends, as Beyonce's vocal's filled the gala hall, and laughing at Enzo's attempts to copy the dance moves to 'Single Ladies'. As it always did, seeing her happy, smiling, and enjoying herself, filled him with warmth. She was without a doubt the best thing that had ever happened to him. For the first time in almost a hundred years he was filled with a wave of gratitude towards Katherine. If she had never turned him, he would never have known the joy of having Maya in his life.

"I love her."

"So do I, she brought you back to us."

Damon looked at Maggie in surprise.

"You were slipping away Damon. Enzo and I may be your best friends, but the Potters were your main touchstone to humanity and without them you were slowly but surely losing yourself to the darkness."

"I love you and Enzo, Maggie. You're not just my friends your my family."

"I know, and we feel the same way about you. But the Potters gave you something we can't, something you need, a reminder of what it is to be human. When Charlus and Dorea died, and Jasmine so soon after, it broke something in you, whether you realised it or not. In a few short months Maya has done what Enzo and I failed to for the last ten years. She's healed that wounded part of you that had lost too much too quickly. She saved you from yourself, the man I consider to be my brother in everything but blood and that is a debt I will never be able to repay."

Maggie aimed a fond smile in Maya's direction.

"We're all very lucky to have her in our lives. We can't ever forget that."

"We won't."

Maggie's smile turned mischievous.

"And we're definitely getting her to ask Enzo to go to the parade next year."