"A sorceress?" I asked, "what's that?"

"Yehv'e heard of Merlin, haven't yeh?" Hagrid replied

"Of course, he's the most powerful wizard of all time, who's not heard of him?"

"Well, that's the thing. He wasn't a wizard, he was a sorcerer, he and his partner were, she was a sorceress, the only known one in history. Merlinus and Esandra Ambrosios were perhaps the strongest husband and wife of all time. That's where the phrase "power couple" comes from, did yeh know that?"

"No, I didn't. But what's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?"

"A sorcerer is someone on another level to everyone else in terms of power. Dumbledore may be the most powerful wizard any of us have ever known, but he's nothing compared to what either of them were. Merlin could do things that appeared to defy the very laws of nature and magic. The signs come early too, right from childhood. He attended Hogwarts himself, he was a Slytherin, though he was a good man, as far as we know. But here's where Matilda is similar to him- Merlin was wizzing all his coursework right from his first day here. Mastered all the first year stuff within 2 weeks, was on third year stuff by the end of his first"

I bit my lip, thinking.

"But Matilda's not wizzing everything that fast. I mean, it's October now but they're only talking about moving her up to second year from January"

"Well, it's the best explanation I can think of. As I said though, there hasn't been one since Merlin, so if I'm wrong I won't be too surprised. I'm not a expert on the subject. Anyway, let's get yeh back to class now"

I stood up, suddenly feeling somewhat better.

"Here you are" Hagrid said, handing me the excuse note. "Get back up there and show her yeh usual stuff". He patted me on the back outside his hut and the force sent me flying into a pumpkin patch.

Later that night, I told Demelza everything Hagrid had said, and we cornered Hermione in the common room to discuss it. Harry had to attend something called "The Weighing of the Wands" so I wasn't able to see him.

"So" I said, as we plopped down into seats next to Hermione, who jumped. She'd been engrossed in a book she was reading called "Lesser Common Blood Strains and their Origins"

"Bloody hell you two! Next time just tap me on the shoulder!" she said

"Oh as if that wouldn't frighten you just as much!" Demelza teased

"Excuse me!" she snapped back "you're talking to someone who went after the Philosophers Stone, and would have faced Aragog and the Chamber of Secrets had she not been petrified!"

"Woah, alright alright!" Demelza said, holding up her hands "it was only a joke mate"

Hermione sighed "I'm sorry" she said "It's just that I hate being surprised when reading, it shakes me up. Anyway, what is it?"

"Well, we think we know what might be going on with Matilda, but judging by what you're reading, you probably know too" I said

Hermione turned to us. "Ok then, what do you think?"

"She could be a sorceress. I had a chat with Hagrid today after class, and he told me that's what he thinks. Apparently a young Merlin is the closest comparison he could make to her academic prowess" I told her

"I'm not too sure about that, because I've read about sorcerers in this book, and Merlin's achievements even at that age far outweigh Matilda's"

"I know, Hagrid told me Merlin was doing third year work by the end of his first"

"Exactly, however I have found something that does closely match Matilda"

"Really?" I said, intrigued

"Yes, have a look at this" She handed me the book and I placed it in between myself and Demelza. It was opened to a page titled:

SUPERBLOOD

"Second only to sorcerers and sorceresses in terms of their rarity, superbloods are another powerful blood strain. They occur once or twice roughly every two hundred years, and so far, for reasons unclear, all known members of this blood strain have been born into British families. Signs include unusual magical prowess at a young age, though not quite to the level of sorcerers. The signs typically first manifest between the ages of 11 and 13, when most magical children start their education. Usually, a superblood will appear far superior to their classmates in terms of how they complete their course work, and will eventually display a level of magic around 2-3 years more advanced than other children of their age. Superbloods can be born to parents of any other blood strain, and typically, events will occur in their upbringing that would appear highly incapable for someone so young, such as defeating a criminal or another equally bad person.

Superbloods will outlive most witches and wizards by on average 20-30 years, and they have been of great use in many conflicts around the world. On average, a 16 year old superblood who has never fought before, will display a level of power and combat competence similar to that of a wizard in their 30s or 40s who has already participated in several major battles and duels. It is possible for a regular wizard to show similar or superior power levels, but these are very rare, though Albus Dumbledore and He Who Must Not Be Named are major examples"

"Well this does sound an awful lot like her" said Demelza

"Yeah, and if she is one of these "superbloods" then she'll be very helpful against the Death Eaters once You Know Who returns" I added

"So are we all in agreement that this is what she is?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, although I would still suggest we exercise caution" said Demelza. "We need to prove it first, and we certainly can't tell anyone else what we suspect. Hermione, was this book in the restricted section of the library?" she whispered the second sentence to avoid anyone overhearing us.

"Yes it was, I used the Invisibility Cloak" Hermione replied.

"I'm wondering if Matilda even knows what she is herself" I said

"Only one way to find out" said Hermione, standing up.