Maya was still slightly flushed from her first Quidditch training session with the Junior School Team, when she entered the Dream Garden, a magical area in Central Park, with Damon just behind her. She was meeting Sora and Kamala for lunch at the Enchanted Bean, a fey owned café, Damon was going to stay and have lunch at the café as well, but he'd promised to get a table on the other side to the girls so they could have their hang-out time. Maya immediately spotted Kamala and Sora standing together, just outside the café, with two adults. Maya waved and headed straight for them with Damon on her heels.

"Maya! You're here! How was practise? Did you enjoy it? What drills did Coach Flynn make you do? Are you excited about the match next weekend? Did –"

"Breathe beta, let her answer you."

The woman who could only be Kamala's mother chided gently, a fond smile on her face. Sora and Maya exchanged grins, they'd both gotten used to Kamala's excitability other the last few weeks and had learnt to run with it.

"You'll have to excuse my daughter; she can be a bit enthusiastic at times. I'm Muneeba, it's a pleasure to meet you Maya" Muneeba smiled at Maya and then turned her gaze onto Damon, "And you must be Maya's guardian, Mr…?"

"Salvatore, Damon Salvatore. It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Khan, Maya's talked a lot about her friendship with your daughter, with both your daughters."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr Salvatore, and please call me Muneeba."

"Only if you call me Damon."

Damon offered her his charming grin that made many a lady swoon, she seemed more amused than anything, and then looked at the other woman who was watching him.

"Mio Yoshinaga, I'm Sora's mother, please call me Mio."

"Damon. It's wonderful to meet you Mio, can I buy you two lovely ladies lunch?"

Sora and Kamala's mothers shared amused looks at Damon's attempt at charming them, but they both nodded before turning to the girls.

"Stay inside the café, Kamala, I'll come and find you when it's time to go home."

"Yes Ammi."

"Enjoy your time with your friends Sora."

"Yes Mama."

Damon smiled down at Maya.

"Have a good time, I'll see you later, okay?"

Maya nodded and smiled back at him.

"Bye."

The three adults waited for the kids to go inside and get their own table before following, Maya figured they wanted to at least give them the illusion that they weren't together. Kamala waited until they were seated at a table in the rainforest room and there drinks had been served, before leaning in and looking at Maya intently.

"When were you gonna tell us your guardian is a vampire!"

Sora choked on her drink at Kamala's words and aimed wide eyes at Maya, who just shrugged and took a sip of the drink she had ordered.

She'd ordered a drink called Zephyrs Zesty Zing, which was green tea, ginseng, honey, and a sprinkling of pixie dust, and supposedly gave the drinker a mild energy boost. It was nice; sweet and tangy all at once, and minus the pixie dust something Maya could easily make at home. She'd have to ask Damon or Stefan if they had the ingredients for it though, and to make it for her she supposed.

Neither of them liked her doing anything in the kitchen if it involved sharp knives or heat, no matter how many times she told them she knew what she was doing. Not that she liked to mention it much, Damon always got this pained look on his face, and Stefan would usually walk away muttering numbers under his breath. Damon had assured her that this was just because the thought of her getting hurt stressed Stefan out, so he was using a technique he'd learned to calm himself down. Maya had asserted that she hardly ever hurt herself anymore when she was cooking, so Stefan didn't need to worry about her. Damon hadn't seemed any happier about her saying that than he'd been about her insistence that she knew how to cook.

"Your guardian is a vampire?"

Sora leaned toward Maya and spoke in a hushed voice, tinged with shock, as if she didn't want to risk being overheard.

"Yeah, Damon's a vampire."

Both girls were staring at Maya.

"That is so cool!"

Sora nodded in agreement with Kamala's words. Maya couldn't help but slump in relief, she should have known that neither of her new friends would judge Damon just because he was a vampire, or judge her because of it.

"So, what's it like living with a vampire? How comes your guardian's a vampire anyway? Is he like a really distant relative or something? Does he sleep in a coffin?"

"Why would Damon sleep in a coffin?"

"It's what Dracula does in the book!"

"Dracula is fiction, I do not believe it has much truthfulness to it. But I would like to know the answers to the rest of Kamala's questions, if you would like to share, Maya."

Maya nodded slightly and shrugged again.

"I don't think it's very different to living with a non-vampire. Damon is my godfather, that's why he's my guardian now. We're not related but he's known my family since 1871, my great-great-grandfather Henry saved his life, that's how they met." Maya grinned at Kamala, "As far as I know Damon sleeps in a bed in his bedroom, no coffins, but I haven't been in there to check."

Kamala rolled her eyes but joined in with Sora and Maya's laughter. The conversation switched topics after that, ranging from the upcoming start to the Quidditch season, to the group History project they'd been assigned. History was one of only three classes that they all shared, the others being Astronomy and Ethics. By the time Damon, Muneeba, and Mio had come to collect their daughters/goddaughter, three hours had passed, the girls had eaten lunch, gone through three drinks apiece and had a snack.

"It is very exciting isn't it, this Quidditch."

"It is very dangerous is what it is! Are you sure you want to play this game beta? Wouldn't you rather do something safer?"

Damon's lips twitched slightly at the put upon sigh that came out of Maya's friend Kamala's mouth at her mothers words. It was the opening game of the Quidditch season and Maya's first match, and they'd all come to watch her; Stefan, Maggie, Enzo, and Lexi, had come with Damon to support Maya. Maggie and Lexi were both carrying banners holding messages of support for Maya, and Stefan had purchased, a flag and a hat, for each of them at the stand that had been by the front gates. All of them were determined that Maya would have visible support from them in the stands.

When they'd arrived, they'd found that Sora and Kamala had also come, with their parents and in Sora's case her younger siblings, to cheer on their friend, and to scope out the competition, as Kamala had put it. Damon had introduced Muneeba and Mio to his brother and his friends, and they in turn had introduced them to their husbands, Yusuf, and Haruto, respectively. The whole group had decided to find a place in the stands together to watch the game.

Maya had explained the intricacies of Quidditch to Damon several times, and to all of them at dinner last night, but her description hadn't really done it justice. Damon just hadn't been prepared for the sight of his goddaughter flying around on her broom dodging balls whose sole purpose was to rocket around the pitch and attempt to knock players off. All while she was hunting for a tiny golden ball that could also fly and was very difficult to spot let along catch.

Damon hadn't realised until one of the bludgers had collided with a player sending them int an uncontrolled spin, just how dangerous a sport Quidditch was. And as much as he wanted to grab Maya take her home and tell her she wasn't playing Quidditch ever again, he knew he couldn't.

"Quidditch is awesome Ammi, besides I'm a beater, I'll be one of the players knocking the bludgers at others, Maya's position is much more dangerous, the other teams beaters will aim at her whenever they can."

"What! Why?"

"Bit unfair, isn't it? She's the smallest player out there."

Damon and Enzo spoke at the same time, making Mio chuckle.

"Targeting the seeker is actually a very sound strategy, and one that professional teams often employ."

A huge cheer went through the crowd as one of the chasers from Maya's team scored a goal, Lexi, Stefan, and Maggie, let out whoops of joy, clearly too invested in the game to have heard Kamala and Mio's comments. Damon waited until the commentator had announced the score, 'Amarok 160 – Bonnacon 150', to repeat his question to Mio.

"Why is it a sound strategy?"

"The seekers job is to catch the snitch, whoever catches the snitch wins their team 150 points, and the game doesn't end until the snitch is caught. Quite often the seeker who catches the snitch determines who wins the game, especially when the scores are as evenly matched as they are now. The beaters from the opposing team will target the other teams seeker in order to give their seeker an edge to catching the snitch."

Damon nodded, it made sense, it didn't mean he liked the thought of people targeting his goddaughter with what were basically smaller magical versions of cannonballs. He turned his gaze back to the pitch just in time to see Maya do a full 360-degree roll in order to avoid a bludger that had been aimed at her.

"You're goddaughter is an excellent flyer, Ryuu told me as much and I see he is correct, not many twelve-year-olds could have pulled that move off without injuring themselves." Mio smile was reminiscent, "I know I couldn't have."

"You played?"

"When I was younger. I was on the team at Mahoutokoro, primarily as a chaser, but I did play in the seeker position a few times. I still fly as often as I can, there's nothing else quite like it. My children all share my enthusiasm for flying, except for Sora, she takes after Haruto. Neither of them like taking their feet off the ground unless they absolutely have to."

Damon leaned forward eyes on Maya as she suddenly rocketed forward, weaving between players, the other teams seeker was also in motion, slightly behind Maya. He was fairly certain that Maya's team had scored another goal, but he wasn't willing to take his eyes of his goddaughter. Both seekers turned their brooms downward heading towards the ground, Maya inching even further in front. The whole crowd had gone silent, holding its breath as the two players got closer and closer to the ground.

Maya took one hand off her broom reaching forward and grabbing hold of something, before pulling out of her dive and shooting into the air with a cry of triumph.

The cheer that went round the pitch was deafening. Even with his enhanced hearing Damon could barely here the commentator confirming the final score of the game now that Maya had caught the snitch.

"Amarok wins 370 – 150."

As Maya's team swarmed her celebrating their win, Damon put a hand over his heart willing it to stop racing. He'd been so certain that she would crash into the ground. The smile Mio sent his way was decidedly amused.

"You'll get used to it; you'll have to. Someone who flies like your goddaughter does will almost certainly get offers from professional teams when she's older."

Damon nodded, and began clapping and cheering along with everyone else as Maya's team began a victory lap of the pitch. It might have been slightly terrifying to watch, and Damon might wish Maya had chosen a less dangerous sport to play, but Maya clearly loved it, and Damon loved her. She needed to know he supported her no matter what and he wasn't going to make her doubt that by not cheering for her.

The Academy's grounds were lit by the glow of many bonfires, and Maya found a cozy spot on a log next to one of them. She felt the heat radiate from the fire as she gazed into its lively flickers. The sounds of music, song, chatter, and laughter, drifted to her ears and Maya let the peacefulness wash through her.

She had attended her second therapy session earlier; it had been different from her first one. After a small conversation about how the last two weeks had been, Dr Acesco had offered Maya some paper and pencils and had asked her to draw something to express how she was feeling. Dr Acesco hadn't asked Maya any questions about the Dursley's or the horcrux or Voldemort, instead asking Maya why she had picked the colours she had and why she had chosen the images she had drawn.

It had been very non-judgmental and a lot less probing than Maya had been expecting. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to continue though, her third appointment was in two weeks and Maya would need to make a decision then. Dr Acesco had suggested that keeping a journal might help Maya to sort out her thoughts and feelings, which seemed better to Maya than talking about them with a stranger, even a nice one.

Now she was here, attending the festival the Academy was holding to celebrate the Autumn Equinox. Maya hadn't known what the autumn equinox was when it was first mentioned, it wasn't something that was celebrated at Hogwarts and pagan festivals and religion would certainly fall under the category of freakishness in the Dursley's books. Vernon and Petunia had always preferred to think of themselves as, good, honest, hardworking, Christians, even though they only ever attended church when it was one of the big holidays; easter, Christmas etc. Maya herself had never been allowed to go, instead spending the time locked in her cupboard until they returned.

Ronan had been the one to explain it to her, Kamala was Muslim, and Sora followed the Shinto religion which had its own traditions that differed from the pagan ones of Europe. Ronan's family had Celtic roots, and they celebrated the seasons with ancient festivals that honoured the earth and the sky. Many different faiths were celebrated by the Academy's diverse student population, a large proportion of which celebrated the cycle of the seasons, even if they had different traditions for doing so. This had led to the Academy hosting festivals and rituals for students and their families for each of the seasonal celebrations.

Maya had come with Damon and Stefan, neither of them were particular religious, but they'd both been willing to come with her and celebrate if that was what she wanted to do. Maya was curious about the pagan traditions that Ronan had shared with her. They sounded intriguing and meaningful, especially since they involved worshipping Lady Magic, the celestial being who had blessed her with Damon as her godfather. If Maya hadn't had Damon as her godfather, then she would have had nowhere to go to escape the Dursley's. When Damon told her that the Potters had also followed the pagan traditions, Maya's mind had been made up. She wanted to experience the festivals for herself and connect with her family legacy.

Stefan took a seat on the log next to Maya and handed her a steaming cup, one sniff told her it was pumpkin juice, and Maya felt a wave of nostalgia for Hogwarts. The three weeks at the Academy had pretty much confirmed for Maya that she preferred it over Hogwarts, but there were still some things she missed. Her friends being the main one, but a steaming cup of warmed pumpkin juice on a chilly evening was pretty high up on the list as well.

"Thanks Stefan."

"You're very welcome, Maya. How are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"It's been good, I enjoyed gathering everything up and decorating the buildings and the feast was great."

The first part of the festival had been a walk through the grounds of the school collecting acorns, pinecones, and the like, that had fallen from the trees. Which they had then placed all around the different buildings that made up the academy, giving them all a decidedly autumnal feel. The feast had been held outside, trestle tables had been set up all over and loaded with dishes made from fruit and vegetables that had been harvested from the Academy's own gardens.

"What about the rituals? Did you enjoy them?"

Maya took a sip of her pumpkin juice, relishing in the rich taste, before she answered.

"They were strange, but a nice strange. Does that make sense?"

Stefan smiled and nodded.

The rituals had been held after the feast, a blending of several of the different traditions staff and students followed. Bonfires had been lit all around the grounds and everyone had been invited to take part in as many or as few rituals as they liked.

The first ritual had involved each person who took part taking an apple and cutting it in half horizontally to reveal the five-pointed star shape formed by the seeds. Maya and everyone else had eaten one half of the apple including the core and the seeds. The other half had been given to the fire as an honouring to the gods and goddesses of the harvest. When Maya had given her apple to the fire, she had felt a warmth around her, as if someone was giving her a hug.

Another ritual had included writing down on a piece of paper something you were grateful for that had happened in the past year, these too were placed in the bonfires, sending their thanks out into the universe. They had also lit incense and performed cleansing rituals for the space and for each other. Professor Aradia had led prayers of thanks to the different gods and goddesses, for the blessings of the harvest. The final ritual had been loud and noisy and a lot of fun.

They each got an instrument: drums, bells, rattles, and more. They had created harmony together, starting with a gentle rhythm that increased in speed until it was dizzyingly fast. Then, they had halted at Professor Aradia's signal, unleashing waves of energy. To Maya the magic had been palpable in the air, swirls of it dancing over her skin, touching her senses, sparkling in her veins, sending warmth to her heart. It was the most serene and soothing sensation she had ever experienced.

"I think it makes perfect sense. Just because something is strange and unfamiliar, doesn't mean it can't also be good."

Damon entered the hall and was immediately greeted by Professor Aradia. It was the first of several parent-teacher conferences that the school would hold throughout the year. This one was apparently to let him know how Maya was settling in at the school and any early issues that might need to be addressed. Damon had a list of teachers and appointment times, he was apparently going to be speaking to all of Maya's teachers, starting with her ethics teacher and finishing with her homeroom advisor.

Professor Aradia directed her towards Maya's ethics teacher, a Professor Kaur, and promised to find some time to speak with him before he left. Damon arrived at Professor Kaur's table bang on time for his first meeting and took the seat across from her.

"Mr Salvatore, guardian to Miss Nichols?"

"That's me."

"It's wonderful to meet you Mr Salvatore. Miss Nichols is a delightful student, well mannered, friendly, she engages in class discussions and her classwork and homework have been superb. You should be very proud of her."

"I am."

"Now the topics we cover in the Grade 7 Ethics classes are responsibility, respect, and caring for ourselves, others, and the environment."

Professor Kaur gave him a brief overview of the different topics they were covering in class, and how grades system worked, which was in line with American school systems. She let him know that Maya was currently averaging an A- and though it was only the fourth week of the semester, she believed Maya was on course for at least an A in her class if not an A+.

Damons meeting with Professor Kaur rather set the tone for the rest of the evening. All of her teaches were very happy to have Maya in their classes. All of her grades were currently A's or B's except in History where she was receiving a C+. Her professor for that class had suggested that Maya might benefit from a bit of extra tutoring in History.

His final meeting was with Professor Mephisto, Maya's Homeroom Advisor and Cultural Studies professor and Professor Aradia at the same time. After giving him a quick rundown, Maya was a good student, had made some good friends, no problems except perhaps her history grade, and was getting an A+ in his class, the topic moved onto Maya's rather unique genetics.

"Felix knows who Maya is, he's one of the two I mentioned would be able to see past the goblin wards on her bracelet."

Professor Aradia explained to Damon as she began to steer the conversation away from Maya's grades.

"Maya has been exhibiting signs that her werewolf and vampire genetics might be a bit more prominent than we realised."

"What does that mean?"

"She's faster and more agile than a wixen, channeler, or most untapped werewolves of her age should be. Felix has a theory."

Damon looked at the man and waited for him to speak.

"Miss Potter was physically abused by her previous guardians and had a Horcrux in her head, I believe that these two factors may have suppressed her rather unique genetics up until now."

"Suppressed how?"

"There has never been a human Horcrux before, not as far as I am aware anyway, so I can only theorise. I think it's possible that the Horcrux in Maya's head was feeding off of her innate magic, which she has rather a lot of given her heritage. I believe that combined with the severe physical abuse and neglect would have forced her enhanced healing abilities to work overtime just to keep her alive. Leaving nothing left over for any of her other abilities to manifest, except perhaps in very brief flashes. Now that she is no longer a Horcrux, no longer being abused, and is being given the right environment, nutrition, and care in which to heal from the effects, her genetics are making themselves known."

"There has never been a child, like Maya, before, she is utterly unique, and we really don't know how all her different genetics may manifest. It's just something to bear in mind, Maya may need extra lessons in future to help her handle any abilities that do manifest."

Damon nodded, Professor Aradia was right, Maya was unique, and they were all flying blind here. All he could do was make sure Maya was given everything she needed to help her learn and grow and blossom into the awesome person she was.