Maya skipped down the last three stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and entered the dining room, clutching Stefan's birthday present. Damon, Lexi, and Lee were already there, busy with the decorations. Damon and Lee were balancing on ladders, holding each end of a colourful 'Happy Birthday' banner against the wall, while Lexi was standing in front of the wall, directing them with her hands on her hips.

"A little higher… That's too high Damon, now it's lopsided… Now it's too low."

"Do you want to hang the banner?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're already on the ladder."

Maya laughed, placing her present on the table with the others, and went to stand next to Lexi.

"You know Dobby could have hung that in an instant." She whispered.

Lexi wrapped an arm round her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"This way's more fun." She whispered back, before calling another instruction to Damon and Lee. "You need to stretch it out more, it's all cramped up."

"You know we heard what you just said right?" Damon called.

"I don't know what you're talking about, are you sure old age isn't affecting your hearing?" Lexi teased.

Maya put a hand over her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter at the affronted look on Damon's face.

"You're older than me!" Damon practically howled in response.

"Weren't you ever taught it's rude to comment on a woman's age Damon?" Maggie asked, coming into the room, a laughing Enzo behind her.

She too dropped their present to Stefan on the table and came to join Lexi and Maya in surveying Damon and Lee's efforts to hang the banner.

"Now you've stretched it out too far, are you trying to ruin Stefan's birthday?"

Maya gave up trying to hide her laughter at the outrage on Damon's face, Lee just looked done with them all.

"All right, love. You've had your fun at Damon's expense. Can we just hang the banner now?"

"I suppose so." Lexi waved her hand airily giving them both permission.

With identical sighs of relief, they stuck the banner on the wall and stepped down off the ladders. Dobby popped in almost as soon as they were both on the ground, and made the ladders disappear with a click of his fingers.

"Breakfast is almost being ready, Miss Lexi."

"Thank you, Dobby, you'll be joining us as well, won't you?"

"Yes, Miss Lexi. Dobby is putting his present for Mr Stefan on the table already."

"Wonderful, a proper family breakfast." Lexi clapped her hands together gleefully.

"So what else is on the agenda today? Oh, most wonderful Dictator Lexi."

"Well… After breakfast we'll do presents. I've booked us a table at the Grill for lunch, and then we'll come back here for games night and dinner."

She cocked her head slightly as if listening to something and clapped her hands together again.

"Stefan's coming. Places everyone."

They all followed Lexi's directions to gather underneath the banner Damon and Lee had hung up, and when Stefan walked into the room a chorus of 'Happy Birthdays' greeted him.

Dear Damon,

I hope everything is well in Mystic Falls.

I believe the children have sent letters to Maya informing her of the events at Hogwarts on Halloween night. I am writing as well to ensure you have the facts, I don't doubt that Maya will tell you the content of her letters from the others, but I thought it was best to here the exact facts of what occurred, rather than the stories I imagine are currently being passed around Hogwarts.

On Halloween night my cousin managed to get inside the castle undetected. He attempted to force his way into Gryffindors common room and dormitories. He was prevented from doing so by the painting that guards the entrance. He attacked the painting and fled. A search of the castle and grounds was conducted upon the discovery of the damage to the painting and no trace of him was found.

None of the children were harmed and they are increasing security at Hogwarts in case he makes a second attempt to get in. If he is after Maya, then the attack on Halloween indicates that he has not yet realised she is not at Hogwarts, which is good news for us.

Madam Bones has been doing her best to lead the Aurors in recapturing my cousin, but she is facing difficulties with Minister Fudge and his undersecretary, an absolutely odious woman by the name of Umbridge. They are insisting that the Dementors will catch him, as if he has not managed to get by them twice already. I for one am glad that it is election year next year, the sooner we get rid of Fudge and put someone competent in charge the better, I've been trying to persuade Amelia to throw her hat in the ring but she's hesitant to do so while her niece is still at school, since she is Susan's sole caregiver.

I'll write again once I have more information. In the meantime, take care, give my love to Maya and your family.

Narcissa.

P.S. Some irregularities around my cousins original case have come to light. I am looking into it and will tell you more once I have.

"So, he broke into Hogwarts, completely undetected? I thought they had protections in place at this school?" Lexi asked.

Damon had just finished reading the letter he'd received from Narcissa to them. She had been correct in that Maya had received letters from all of her friends relaying the same news, as well as the many theories floating around Hogwarts currently.

"According to the letters Maya's received from her friends, the only real change to security this year is the Dementors that have been put around the school."

"I agree with Narcissa. It's ridiculous to rely on creatures he's already slipped past once to catch him, or guard the school." Maggie shook her head in disgust, "not to mention the damage those creatures are probably inflicting on the psyche's of the students. I'm so glad Maya doesn't attend anymore."

"I'll drink to that." Damon said, tossing back his glass of bourbon in one go.

"If he's focused on Hogwarts, that's good right? Mean's Maya's safer right?"

Damon shook his head in response to Lee's question and poured himself another glass of bourbon before answering.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Just because he was at Hogwarts on Halloween night, doesn't mean he's not in America right now, could be a ruse to get us to lower our guards." He sighed. "This doesn't change anything. Until he's back in prison or dead. I'm not letting my guard down."

"None of us are."

"We won't either."

Stefan and Enzo spoke in unison, Damon nodded at them both gratefully.

"Okay." Lexi said, "nothing's changed, and until she writes again, we won't know what she means by 'irregularities in the original case' either. We could talk about it, but feels like it would probably be a waste of time."

"I agree."

"In that case, what's happening on the other vampire in Mystic Falls hunt?"

"Nothing." Damon shook his head, "Nada. There have been no more suspicious disappearances, no other dead bodies have turned up. Liz is of the opinion that whoever it was, has moved on."

"Do you really believe that?" Stefan asked sceptically.

"Nope. I wouldn't have given up that easily, I doubt whoever this is would either. I think Agent Blye was right, Tanner was killed by a newly turned vampire. I think whoever turned them is the one Katherine meant in her oh so cryptic warning. And I think they have either killed whoever they turned and got rid of the body, or they've reigned them in some other way so as not to get themselves caught before they can get the tomb open."

"Right. Which isn't gonna happen because you saw to it the crystal was destroyed."

"Correct."

"So, the question now is. What will they do when they realise that the crystal is gone?"

"I doubt they'll just give up. I wouldn't have."

"Exactly my point Damon. They're not gonna give up, so what will they do next?"

"They'll look for another way to open the tomb."

"Is there another way?" Maggie asked. "I thought it was crystal or nothing."

They all fell silent, contemplating Maggie's words. If there was another way into the tomb, then whoever the other vampire in Mystic Falls was… They'd be looking for it.

"I'll send a letter to Aradia," Damon said eventually, "If anyone can think of another way they might get into the tomb, she will."

"Okay. Enough doom and gloom. What's the plan for Thanksgiving?"

Damon applauded as the students landed and began to dismount from the Thestrals they'd been riding in the aerial show they'd just put on. Maya shot him a thumbs up and a grin as she slid of her own mount. It had sort of been like a combination of Synchronised Swimming and Dressage from the Olympics, except they'd been on Thestrals, who had wings, so the performance had been in the air. Damon wasn't sure if this was worse than watching Maya play quidditch or better, all he knew was it was the same distance to the ground if she fell.

Next on the agenda, as soon as Maya had unsaddled and brushed down her Thestral, was to go on a tour of the gallery, where selected art students, including Maya, had their pieces on display. While he was waiting for her to come find him his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the caller id before answering it.

"Sheriff, what a surprise."

"Sorry to bother you Damon, I went by your house to see you, but no one was in."

"Ah. I'm in New York, I bought Maya up to watch the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony last night, we're due back this afternoon."

"I see, well I really am sorry to bother you like this."

"No bother, Sheriff. What do you need?"

"There's been another attack. A female victim, her throat torn out, completely drained of blood. It fits the pattern."

"I'm sorry? I thought you believed they had moved on. When the disappearances stopped, and no more bodies turned up."

"So did I, so did the council. They're in an uproar. We thought we were past this."

"So, uh, what can I do?"

"More vervain if possible, and uh, I was hoping I could inveigle you into coming to the emergency council meeting we're holding tomorrow."

"Yes, to the vervain. I can bring you some tonight. Maybe to the Council meeting, I need to think about it."

"I'll be at the career night at the school, I'm assume you and Stefan will be coming?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll bring you some then."

"Thank you, Damon."

"Of course, Sheriff, whatever you need."

Damon hung up and put his phone away. The vampire problem in Mystic Falls could wait, today he was spending the day with his daughter.