"As I'm sure her teachers have already told you. Maya is a wonderful student, intelligent, and capable. Academically speaking, she's maintaining good grades in all of her subjects, and placed 5th in her grade overall in her midterms. Math, Arithmancy, and History are where she gets the lowest grades. She's not failing any of them, but a little extra tutoring in those subjects would bring her grades up in line with her grades in the rest of her classes."

"Enzo's already offered to help tutor her in History, and I can help her with the Math."

"Arithmancy at Maya's level is mostly mathematics related, so you should be able to help her with that as well. If not I'm sure one of the peer-tutors from the High school would be happy to help."

"I think we'll see how it goes over the holidays and then if Maya wants the extra tutoring, then we can arrange it."

"Excellent. Now, we've spent the semester assessing, measuring, and testing Maya's abilities. Physically speaking her increasing speed, strength, and agility seems to have plateaued for now, they're well outside the normal range for a wixen but not on the same level as a triggered wolf or a vampire. Her healing ability is harder to quantify, but after consultations with her healer, even considering the potions regime she's on, she's healing faster than expected."

Damon nodded his head at Professor Aradia's words. Maggie had noticed the same thing; Maya was healing much faster than anyone had expected her to. She'd already reached a healthy weight for her height and age and had shot up three inches in the past month. Healer Garruk had noted on her last check-up, that Maya didn't seem to be experiencing any growing pains despite her quite speedy gains in height. She was also able to maintain a healthy weight and that these could be a signs of a rapid healing factor, consistent with her werewolf and vampire heritage.

"Her senses, hearing, sight, smell, are slightly outside the expected range of a wixen, but not to the same degree as her other abilities."

"Will they increase as well?"

"Impossible to say. There's never been anybody like Maya before, it might be she's reached the peak of her physical abilities, and that wont change unless she triggers the curse or chooses to become a vampire. It might be that they'll increase further as she gets older, I have no idea. When it comes to Maya, we're pretty much flying blind."

"What about her magical abilities?"

"Maya is powerful already and she's only 12. Her power will only increase as she gets older. She has the potential to be the most powerful witch ever known, wixen or channeler."

Professor Aradia correctly interpreted the worried look on Damon's face.

"I don't believe in judging children based on what they might potentially one day become. I believe in educating them, teaching them to control their gifts, so they don't themselves or anyone else by accident. I believe in teaching them ethics, so they know when and how to use their gifts."

"Maya's not the one I'm worried about. She's a good person; she's empathetic, she's kind, she's compassionate, she has a big heart. I'm not worried that power will corrupt her. I'm worried that other people will see her potential, see how much power she wields, and they'll –"

"Fear her?"

"Or want to use her."

"It's a legitimate worry, and I won't lie to you and promise you that everything will be okay, because I don't know that. Not for sure."

"But?"

"But Maya's a good kid, she's everything you said she was and more. We can teach her to control the gifts she's been given, and I will do everything in my power to help you protect Maya from those who might want to hurt her or to use her. As will many of the other professors here at the school. Maya isn't alone, she has us, more importantly, she has you."

She was right, he knew she was right, but it didn't stop Damon from worrying. Maya had already been hurt so much in her life, and he didn't want to see her go through anymore pain. The thought of someone hurting her or trying to use her was an infuriating one. It made Damon want to lash out of the world, and simultaneously made him want to wrap Maya up in cotton wool and shield her from anything or anyone who might cause her pain. The Headmistress was correct though, nothing any of them did could guarantee that everything would be okay all the time. All they could do, was the best they could, to protect and care for Maya, to guide her through her childhood and give her all the tools she would need to face the world as an adult.

"When it comes to her magical abilities Maya is intelligent and focused, she picks up new skills with ease, but she struggles with her control. Part of that is her power levels and will take time and practise, but part of it is her dual magics. I've managed to get in contact with an old friend of mine, someone who also has both wixen and channeler abilities. She's agreed to come and teach Maya starting next September."

"Do you trust her?"

"I do. I wouldn't have reached out to her if I didn't."

If Professor Aradia thought the person she'd contacted could be trusted, then Damon would take her word for it. Quite frankly, it was a relief to know she'd found someone. He knew Maya struggled with her control when it came to using her magics separately. Her professors were excellent and were all doing everything they could to help her. But it would be good for Maya to have someone who would understand her struggles and be able to guide her from experience rather than with theoretical guesswork.

"Maya will be happy to meet someone who will understand the best way to guide her."

"I'm sure she will. In the meantime, there are some things we can work on to help Maya. With that in mind, I'd like to make some changes to her P.E. lessons."

"What sort of changes?"

He wasn't sure that Maya would want to make any changes to her current lessons, because he knew how much she was enjoying them. Despite never having swum before, she'd taken to it like a duck to water, pun intended, and had quickly progressed from the beginners lessons she'd started with to intermediate level. She also enjoyed the gymnastics lessons and the martial arts lessons she did in her other PE classes. Damon full supported her learning to fight and defend herself, and he knew she loved gymnastics as much as she loved swimming and Quidditch, so he was loathe to force her to change any of her lessons.

"The werewolf curse is an incredibly complex magical curse. It wants to be triggered and it drives those who inherit it to do so. Starting from puberty untriggered wolves experience increased aggression, that can be incredibly difficult to manage in someone who is not trained to do so. Due to her malnutrition, Maya's puberty has been delayed, but all indications are that she will start to go through it soon."

Damon grimaced, that was not something he really wanted to think about. As far as he was concerned Maya was much too young for any of that, but he supposed Professor Aradia was, once again, correct. Damon would definitely be recruiting Maggie and Lexi to answer any questions related to puberty that Maya might ask. Professor Aradia's lips curved into a smile and amusement lit up her eyes, telling Damon that she'd sensed the direction his thoughts had taken.

"Like it or not, -"

Yep. She'd definitely read him correctly.

"- Maya will soon go through puberty. The earlier she'd taught to manage the aggression that comes with being an untriggered wolf the better."

"What does this mean for Maya, specifically?"

"Physical activity is a good management tool for aggression as is meditation. I'd like to remove swimming from Maya's timetable, and move gymnastics to Monday's. I don't think Maya has the temperament to sit and breathe and empty her thoughts, and attempting to force her to learn to meditate this way is unlikely to prove successful. There is a more physical form of meditation that I think it would benefit Maya to learn that would fit in nicely with her martial arts lessons on Friday's."

"You really think it will help Maya?"

"I do. –"

Well, when she put it like that. He couldn't really disagree with her reasoning or her suggestions. If Maya wanted to continue swimming lessons, then he would have to find somewhere near to home for her to attend, and try to figure out a way to fit it into her already busy schedule.

"and not just with teaching her to manage her aggression, but meditation will also help her with her legilimency ability. Maya had managed to gain a rudimental control over her abilities, but she would benefit from lessons in the mind arts as well."

"What's legilimency?"

Shock and consideration entered her eyes at Damon's question, she seemed to gather herself and consider her words carefully before replying.

"There is a branch of magics known as the 'Mind Arts', it's possible to learn, but the most skilled at it are those born with a natural ability in the arts. There are several related arts, but the two main branches are Occlumency and Legilimency. Occlumency is the ability to shield one's mind and thoughts from outside influence. Legilimency is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind."

"Mind-reading?"

"A comparison can be made, it's not quite as straightforward as what most people imagine mind-reading to be, but there are some similarities."

"And Maya has this gift?"

"Yes, she's a natural born legilimens, and as I said she's clearly managed to develop some rudimentary control over her gift. What she needs now is training to help her refine and master her abilities."

He didn't bother to wonder why Maya hadn't mentioned her gift. Despite the progress she'd made over the past few months, there was still a part of her that was skittish and afraid. He probably wouldn't have admitted to possessing an ability akin to mindreading if he was in Maya's place.

"So, what does this mean in terms of Maya's current timetable?"

"Felix, Professor Mephisto, is highly skilled in the Mind Arts. He's agreed to tutor Maya on Friday mornings in the new term, this will require Maya to arrive thirty minutes earlier on Fridays. If she doesn't want to arrive early on Friday's then I'm sur over arrangements can be made, but she might need to drop a club or a lesson instead."

"I'll talk to her, and see what she wants to do."

"She can confirm what she wants to do with Professor Mephisto, once the new semester starts."

"Does Maya have any other abilities I should know about?"

Her lips twitched in amusement.

"Maya is a Parselmouth, and she has a rare talent for True Necromancy."

Damon shut his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and took in a deep breath, before looking at the Headmistress once more.

"What are they? And what help does Maya need with them?"

"Parselmouth is an ability to speak with and understand reptiles. Most people associate it with an ability to speak to snakes, but it's much more than that. Necromancy is one of those grey areas when it comes to magic. It's quite possible for anyone to learn some forms of Necromancy, zombies, inferi, and communing with the dead being the most common. Skill levels as with everything tends to vary, the more powerful someone is though the more skilled they tend to be.

"True Necromancy is different, it's an inherited ability and a very rare one at that. Maya will have the ability to call the dead back through the veil, even return true life to one who has passed on, as well as various other skills such as true soul magic. The ethics of some of the abilities associated with True Necromancy are debatable, and every magical government has laws around Necromancy, some a lot stricter than others.

"We don't normally teach Necromancy until after students have taken their SATs. I'd be willing to make an exception for Maya if her abilities start to develop earlier."

"Is that likely?"

"Most True Necromancers don't start to show any of the associated abilities until they're about fifteen-sixteen years old. Some who inherit the talent never actually develop the abilities, usually if they reach the age of twenty-on without showing any signs of it, then they probably never will. With Maya though it's impossible to say, her unique genetics might well make a difference to when she starts to develop her abilities, it could be earlier, it could be later. But for now, that's not something we need to worry about."

"What about her Parselmouth ability?"

"Parseltongue doesn't require training, that's not to say that Maya and the other students wouldn't benefit from learning a bit more about it. Which is why I've managed to persuade an old friend of mine to guest lecture in our Magizoology classes on snakes. As well as provide some more specific lessons to all the students currently attending the school who have Parselmouth abilities."

"Are there many?"

"Six, including Maya."

Damon nodded. At least that was one thing where Maya wasn't singled out, she would be learning with her peers who possessed the same ability and not on her own. He wanted her to get the best education possible, to have all the training she needed for her abilities. He also wanted her to feel like she was the same as everyone else in the school, a student with some unique and special abilities, yes. He didn't, however, want her to feel like she was abnormal in any way whatsoever. Learning with people who shared her ability to speak with reptiles, would help with that.

"Okay. I'll agree to that, since she'll have peers with her who share her ability. Anything else?"

"That's everything from me. I'll see you at the Midwinter Festival on the 23rd?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Maya loved the last two we attended."

"Hmm. I wouldn't be surprised if she was called to act as a High Priestess one day."

"She currently want's to be a Quidditch Player, or an Astronaut."

"An Astronaut?"

"We've been watching the Star Wars films. Maya wants to be just like Han Solo. Apparently flying spaceships looks even more fun than flying a broomstick."

Professor Aradia laughed, whether at Maya's ideas of what constituted as fun, or at the face Damon was pulling he didn't know.

"Well, if she wants to become an Astronaut one day, there's no doubt in my mind that she could manage it. I'm absolutely positive she'll get offers for Quidditch teams once she starts playing with the High School team. Neither of which will prevent her from also being a High Priestess if she is called to it."

"You make it sound like she wouldn't have a choice?"

"Of course, she would have a choice. But if she really doesn't want to do it then Lady Magic will know and won't call upon her."

Damon frowned; it still didn't sound like much of a choice to him.

"It's years away regardless. I'll see you all at the Midwinter festival, Mr Salvatore."

"Goodbye, and thank you."

Dearest Cousin,

Apologies that we will be unable to meet over the winter holidays. Mother says that she might be able to arrange something for the summer or next year, but it's just not possible right now. Please find enclosed your gifts from myself and everyone else. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday despite the fact that we will be unable to see each other.

Our idiot of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was struck by the curse early this year. He was arrested last week by the Auror's, turns out he was actually a fraud. All those stories he wrote and claims he made; he'd stolen them from other people. He's been arrested for Obliviating the memories of the people who actually committed the deeds he claimed as his own. It was mother who did it actually, Granger and I wrote her a joint letter complaining about him, and she somehow managed to get the Auror department to start an investigation. I swear mother is the only competent adult around, I tried father first and he just told me to put my head down and get on with it, because he'd be gone by the end of the year. The only good that came out of having him as a teacher is the entertainment, I got from his making our classmates reenact scenes from his books.

No idea yet who we'll have as a replacement teacher once we resume school after the holidays. Mother might know, since you named her your proxy, she's taken up the Black seat on the schoolboard, and she's been working to improve the school. Fully supported by the Heads of Houses, even Professor McGonagall! I believe she's currently working on arranging a team of cursebreakers to review Hogwarts and see if they can dispose of the "curse" on the position. So hopefully whoever they hire will be someone good, I'd hate to be stuck with an idiot for the next five and a half years.

Speaking of mother being your proxy, it drew some raised eyebrows when it was announced. I believe mother met with both the minister and the Headmaster separately to discuss it. Director Bones, and Director Croaker, were both present when she met with Dumbledore. I'm not sure what happened because mother won't tell me, but Luna seems to think he wont be searching for you anymore. He also turned up to dinner that night looking like he'd aged a hundred years. I actually thought he might keel over and die right then and there. I'm not sure what happened with her meeting with the ministry, but I believe mother isn't planning on supporting the minister in the next election, which pretty much means he wont be re-elected.

Quidditch is much better now that each house has two teams and we're all on the same brooms. I'm seeker on the junior Slytherin team, I'd prefer chaser, but we don't have anyone else good enough to be seeker at the moment. Slytherin is leading in the senior teams tournament and Hufflepuff, surprisingly, in the Junior teams, but we all still have two matches left to play, so anything could happen. Gryffindor are definitely missing you as your seeker, the replacement's nowhere near as good as you, but the rest of the team makes up for it enough that they're currently second in the rankings. How's Quidditch going at your new school? How many more matches do you have left to play?

Dean Thomas explained the rules of that other sport, Socball? The one you mentioned you would be playing after the Quidditch season finishes. Can't say I see the appeal myself, but our study group has been discussing having a mini-tournament one weekend so I might enjoy it. I believe once mother has dealt with the DADA curse, she's planning on tackling the schools 'abhorrent lack of physical exercise'. Her words not mine, personally I feel we get enough exercise from all the stairs, but there's no arguing with mother. Anyway, sounds like Hogwarts is going to be rather a different school by this time next year if mother gets her way. I don't see why she won't, as I mentioned she has the full support of the Heads of House. I'm pretty sure they're determined to make Hogwarts the best wixen school in the world.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your holidays and your presents. Thank you in advance for whatever it was you sent me; mother won't even let me touch it till the Solstice!

Best wishes from your best and favourite cousin,

Draco.