Dearest Bambi,

Today's letter to you comes from Switzerland, where I have now been ensconced in the world's best healing clinic, for long term exposure to dark creatures. Thanks to cousin Cissa's efforts I finally received a trial. It was an arduous experience, but for the first time I write to you as a free man. I was completely exonerated, cleared of all charges. Pettigrew on the other hand was found guilty and sentenced. I'm sure cousin Cissa will write as well, and inform you of all the details, so I won't bore you with a repetition.

Instead, I will simply tell you that I'm a free man.

Mostly, I'll have to stay here at the clinic for 4-6 months, then I'll have to continue to see a healer and a therapist on an outpatient basis, for at least a few years. That's their current estimation anyway, but I am fully committed to remaining here as long as it takes for them to declare me healthy enough to leave. I'll still be able to receive letters and write to you, in fact keeping in touch with family and friends is considered a key component on the road to health.

Enough about that though.

How is pranking your father going so far? I remember our fourth year, for April Fool's day we decided to go all out on the pranking front. We started at breakfast, we managed to charm the entrance to the Great Hall so that the hair colour of everyone who passed through it would change. Slytherins hair changed to Red and Gold, Hufflepuff's to Green and Silver, Ravenclaws to yellow and Black, and finally Gryffindor's to, you guessed it, blue and bronze, the teachers we decided would have the full rainbow effect. And that was just to kick the day off in style.

We pulled quite a few different ones that day. We slipped the caretaker back then a potion that made him glow in the dark, of course that was more so we could see him coming when we were out after curfew. We hit quite a few of the teachers with a spell that made their shadows act out independently, mimicking their actions either with a slight delay, or completely overexaggerating the movements. We charmed all the pumpkin juice to taste like water at lunch, and butterbeer at dinner. I also hit Lucy with a spell that trapped him in an endless walking loop, the ponce kept walking through the same stretch of hallway, of course then cousin Cissa hexed me and made me undo it, but it was funny while it lasted.

I've included all the details of the spells we used to so that you can test them out on your father, just be sure to let me know how it goes. Actually, scratch that, I'm sending you our pranking journals from 1st – 4th year, every prank we pulled, how to do it, and what the results were, are contained within. Feel free to share the details with your friends, so the legacy of the Marauder name lives on.

In your last letter you asked how Jasmine and Luke ended up married. They started dating in our seventh year at Hogwarts, and broke it off just before we graduated. They loved each other, but they weren't in love with each other and both of them realised that. So, they decided to separate, stick to being friends and try dating other people, but they always had a special bond between them. Anyway, once we graduated, we all signed up to join the Order of the Phoenix to work against Voldemort. Your mum wanted to be an Auror, and they accepted her for training, I signed up to the Hit-Wizard department at the same time, Luke was working towards his Charms Mastery, he was going to do groundbreaking work in the field and then take over at Hogwarts when Flitwick retired.

Moony began working as a spy against the werewolf packs, most of whom had sided with Voldemort. Nightshade also became a spy at Dumbledore's request, being the genius he is he'd completed his potions Mastery within a year of graduating, Voldemort was desperate for a Potions Master, especially one who would be working under Dumbledore, so he had a natural in. It was difficult work, and I don't envy him one bit. The Rat also had a job at the ministry, one of the minor departments, checking permits and the like. I tell you this to explain that while we were still very much a close group of friends, we'd all started going our own way.

I don't know when or how your mum met your father, she never told me the whole story, I think Luke may well have been the only one who knew everything. I didn't even know Luke wasn't your biological father until after you were born. All I know is that a few months after she became pregnant with you, she and Luke announced that they would be getting married. They loved each other, I don't want you to think that they didn't, and I think if things had turned out differently, they would have had a long and happy life together.

They both loved you too, Luke didn't care that he wasn't your biological father, you were still his daughter and that's all that mattered. He was the first person to hold you when you were born, whilst Jasmine was being cleaned up, and there was nothing but love in his eyes for you. You became their whole world from the moment you were born, and they would have done anything for you. I'm sorry, I can't tell you any more about how it came about, I think when you're ready asking your father the story of how they met might help fill in some of the blanks for you.

Now on the Animagus front, we were in out fifth year when we finally managed the transformation. As the amazing and amazing and awesome godfather I am it would behove me to send you the book we used and the journal we kept along the way. However, as a semi-responsible adult, I should probably be telling you to wait until your older and have adult supervision before attempting it. So, I'll make you a deal, if you promise to speak to your teacher first, and get assurances that you are allowed to attempt it with her guidance. I'll give you them as a Christmas present. Also, I'm not sure that a channeler would be capable of becoming an animagus, so your friend Kamala probably shouldn't attempt it without more research on that front.

I have to sign off now, I have a healing session to go to. Make sure to write back and let me know how you're doing and how the pranks are working out. Good luck in your next football match.

Your loving (and amazing) godfather,

Padfoot.

P.S. please don't tell cousin Cissa I called her husband Lucy.

P.P.S. Or a ponce.

Dearest Cousin,

Your Godfather has been declared innocent. It's all the Daily Prophet's been writing about since the trial. Mostly using it to highlight the ineptitude of the current administration, Mother's doing no doubt, she intends to call for a vote of no confidence in the Minister today. With all the furore about our cousin's false imprisonment and Fudge's role in the initial arrest, it's sure to pass with a majority, most likely an absolute one. Mother plans to support Madam Bones for interim minister until the elections, and for permanent minister afterwards. She'll likely win, she has a lot of support from across the factions, because of her good record as director of the DMLE, and her known impartiality.

I met Cousin Sirius over the Easter Holidays, he's friendly enough, but he comes off as a bit cracked at times. Mother says it's because of Azkaban, but father said it's because he's a Black. Of course, mother promptly hexed him so he may well be on to something. He spent a lot of time in his Animagus form, which is quite terrifying the first few times you see it. Mother says it makes it easier to deal with his emotions because they're muted and simpler as a Grim, it's just quite shocking to be walking into a room and coming face to face with one. Apologies, I didn't tell you sooner that I had met him, but Mother felt it was best not to write it down just in case the letters got intercepted before she was ready to sue for a trial.

Hogwarts as always is in full on exam preparation, now. The last Quidditch matches have been played. Gryffindor pulled off a win in the senior tournament, and Slytherin won in the junior tournament. Which has apparently led to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw making the decision to start training together and swapping tips so that they can attempt to pull off a win in at least one of the tournaments next year.

The football tournament was won by Dean Thomas' team. They called themselves the Rainbow Warriors and had players from each House. It was declared an absolute success by the staff and so will continue to occur on a yearly basis, with mixed teams. I think they're considering changing the junior Quidditch tournament to mixed teams as well, but nothing's been announced yet. Mother's finally pushed through her Physical Education lessons with the Board of Governors, so starting next year, first to fifth years will have two hours of compulsory PE a week, and sixth and seventh years will have one-hour compulsory lessons, and a second hour available if they choose to take it up.

She's also managed to force the board to agree to a Cultural Studies lesson. It will be compulsory for every year, next year, but after that it will be compulsory for first -fourth years, and optional for fifth-seventh. The content hasn't been decided yet, but it will be about magical cultures around the world. She's also forced them to make Muggle Studies compulsory for first and second years going forward, plus every other year will have to do a lesson every other week next year unless they already take the official class. They tried to argue but Mother simply pointed out how much of a danger to the Statute of Secrecy it is, when we're not being taught enough to pass in the Muggle world when we need to. It's how she forced them to update the curriculum as well.

She's very pleased with the changes she's managed to force through Hogwarts so far. History has been much better this year, with Binns replaced, and there isn't nearly as much enmity amongst the houses. The older years fifth-seventh aren't great at getting on, but everyone from fourth years down is pretty friendly with each other, so Uncle Severus and Professor Mcgonagall are of course as pleased as punch that their efforts have been paying off. All the staff are pretty happy about the changes actually, even Filch has mellowed. Not that that's going to stop them, apparently their current successes mean they'll be aiming to make even more changes for the betterment of the school.

I'm looking forward to summer. Quidditch World Cup! Do you know if you'll be able to make it to the final yet? I asked Mother but she wouldn't give me an answer. I hope you can, it's going to be amazing.

How's meeting your father and your other relatives been? Did you really prank him? Ron said you were conspiring with the 'Quintuplet of Terror' as he's named them, to get prank ideas. Have you used any of them yet? Write back soon!

Your loving cousin,

Draco.

P.S. Don't forget to ask about the World Cup!

Dear Maya,

I'm sorry I left town without saying goodbye, but it was safest for me to leave as quickly as possible. I will most likely not be coming back to Mystic Falls ever again, which I'm sure must make your godfather very happy. But I think we will see each other again one day.

I never got a chance to say it to you directly, but I would like to thank you for breaking the binding spell between the Doppelganger pairs. My Father was a traveller who renounced the coven, so I know some of the history. A friend of mine once made me a necklace that was supposed to block the binding spell, it worked, just not completely. It wasn't until you broke it that I realised just how much it had affected my actions in 1864.

I'm not sorry for loving the Salvatores' and I did love them, maybe not in the way that either of them wished or deserved, but it was there, and it was real for me. They may not believe this, and I won't blame them if they don't want to accept it, but it's the truth. I won't apologise for how events played out, given that you ended up needing them, maybe fate guided all of our paths back then. Please tell them sorry that I hurt them both though, that was never my intention.

I don't know where I will go next, the world is large and one of my greatest pleasures has always been seeing it. But if you ever have need of me, just call, and please pass my number on to Damon and Stefan, they might not wish to have it. But it has ever been my experience that it is better to have something and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

Katherine.

Dear Damon,

I hope you and your family are all well.

As you know the Sirius' trial has finally been held. I am pleased to inform you that he has been cleared off all charges. Lucius also managed to secure an appropriate compensation amount from the Ministry. Sirius has gone to a clinic in Switzerland, it's one of the best in the world for healing the kind of damage he has been caused by constant exposure to Dementors. He will likely be there for six months, and then continue on an outpatient basis for a few more years, but he knows he needs to get healthy and is determined to follow the Healer's guidance. Andromeda and I will be taking it in turns to visit him each week. He would like to meet Maya, but would prefer to wait until he is healed and no longer at the clinic, so any arrangements for that can wait. I think getting to know each other through letters first, is best for both of them really.

Peter Pettigrew was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss after which his body was pushed through the Veil of Death. The execution was carried out a few days ago. I instructed the children not to mention it in their letters to Maya, it's been all over the papers here, and I haven't mentioned it in my own to her. I think this is something she needs to be told, not read in a letter, I'm sorry to put that on you, but I wouldn't feel right informing her any other way.

I called for a Vote of No Confidence in Fudge and it was a unanimous vote. He has been ousted from office and may well end up facing fraud charges considering what Amelia has begun to discover was occurring during his time in office. Amelia of course was voted in as Interim Minister until the Elections in November. She immediately started Auditing the Minister's Office, most of the staff members have been suspended, and many of them are facing the possibility of charges as well. So hopefully she will soon be successful in clearing out the corruption in the Ministry.

Dumbledore has stepped down from his position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. It was his decision, I wouldn't have pushed for it, but I'm not against it either, given some of the decisions he's made over the years. He also intends to step down as Supreme Mugwump of the ICW in the summer session, so that he may focus all of his attention on being Headmaster at Hogwarts. Again, I wouldn't have pushed for it, but I believe it's a wise choice.

I'm hoping to persuade Augusta Longbottom to accept a nomination from me to be Chief Witch, she'd be a good choice, but there are a couple of other possibilities that I'd have confidence in, if she doesn't wish to accept the nomination. For the ICW, I believe Amelia intends to discuss with Albus and Bartemius Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry, who would be a good person for Britain to support. Personally, I think the South African Delegate is a good choice, but we will see what happens.

Have you finalised your plans for the summer? I know you were no longer sure given that Maya's biological father has finally appeared on the scene. You're still welcome to stay with us if you do come to Britain for the last few weeks of August, so will Maya's other relatives. I've secured a box for us at the Quidditch World Cup, so there will be room enough for everyone if you do decide to attend. Draco has been begging me to invite Maya, and I'm sure she would love it, but I'd understand if it's not possible given the current situation.

Please give my love to everyone.

With love,

Narcissa.

"You okay, Kiddo?" Damon's voice cut through the thick silence that had settled between them. His words were gentle, almost hesitant, as if treading on fragile ground. He'd broached the subject of telling Klaus and the others about the Dursleys, as well as telling her the punishment that had been handed out to Peter Pettigrew. His words hung in the air, a heavy weight, that neither had yet moved to lift.

For a long moment, Maya didn't respond. She seemed lost in a sea of her own thoughts, adrift in the turbulent wake of the tale. Finally, she swallowed hard, a visible effort to gather herself, and her eyes met his.

"I…" Her voice was barely a whisper, betraying the storm of emotions swirling within. "I need to talk to Dr Sam."

Damon's expression softened further, understanding dawning in his eyes.

"Okay. Do you need me to arrange for an emergency session, or can it wait until your scheduled appointment this Saturday?"

The pause that followed was filled with unsaid words emotions too complex to voice. At last, Maya found her answer.

"I can wait till Saturday," she said, her voice steadier, though still laced with the echo of her initial shock.

"Okay," Damon replied, his voice a solid, comforting presence. "Can I have a hug?"

Without a word, Maya leaned into him, a silent consent that spoke volumes. She fell forward, finding solace in the safety of his embrace. Her head tucked against his chest, shielded from the world, as his arms wrapped around her. In that embrace, there was warmth, there was safety—a promise that no matter the storms that raged outside, within this haven, she was understood, she was supported.