The Werewolf's Daughter

The house she never called home

The shock about Sirius Black soon died down in November and before Maya knew it, it was December. Almost Christmas! The castle was getting in to the spirit; there was lots of white fluffy snow settled on the ground, Hagrid had brought in the Christmas trees on 1st December and everywhere they went, there was mistletoe.

Maya was feeling great about Christmas; at first, she had been sad but her new friends had made her realise it would still be a good Christmas. Also, she had not received any further notes from Malfoy. This was good, but anytime Maya seen him she thought he looked paler.

Two weeks before Christmas was a Hogsmeade weekend; Maya didn't have a guardian, so she wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade, but that was fine, she would use the time to study or read. At least that's what she planned. On the morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Maya received an owl at the breakfast table.

'Who are you looking for?' she asked the barn owl; surely, he had got the wrong person as she had no one to send her any owl post!

Maya checked the letter

'Miss Maya Jones

The Great Hall,

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'

'Oh, you are for me!' Maya whispered to the owl, in awe. Maya gave the owl a small bit of bacon, took the letter from it and let it fly off.

Maya opened the letter there and then, too surprised to wait.

'Dear Miss Jones,

I was so sorry to hear about your Aunt Lyra, she was a great help to me before she moved to America, and we kept in touch occasionally.

As per your request, I can confirm that I have now moved out of your house; I have left this in the condition in which I moved in.

Enjoy your home Maya, if you need me, just send an owl to the below address.

Henry McDonald

14 Masson Way

London'

Enclosed with the letter was a set of keys. Maya looked up at the staff table; McGonagall wasn't there. Maya got up and left the table and made her way to the transfiguration Professor's office. Once there, she knocked and heard a curt 'enter!'

'Professor McGonagall?' Maya said, as she walked through the door, 'I am sorry to bother you; I wondered if I could ask you a favour?'

'Yes, Miss Jones?'

'Professor, I received a letter today from the previous tenant of my home; they have now moved out and I wondered if I could possibly use your floo connection to go and check the house?'

'Maya, are you not going to Hogsmeade today?' the Professor asked.

'No, Professor. I assumed I wasn't allowed because I can't get a signed permission slip?' Maya queried.

'Apologies Maya, I probably should have told you this – as you don't currently have a guardian, I can act as your guardian and allow you to go to Hogsmeade. However, if you are happy to miss this weekend, then I am happy to let you go to your home – on one condition.'

'Yes?' Maya asked.

'I come with you. Not to impose on your home or look at it, but as you are only 13 you really should be accompanied by an adult.'

'Of course, professor, I would be happy for you to come. Can we go now?'

'Yes, if you write down the address for me, I will meet you there in a few minutes – I want to let Dumbledore know we are going.'

Maya wrote down the address and left it on McGonagall's desk. 'I'll see you shortly Professor'.

Maya made her way over to the fire, took a pinch of floo powder and said '22 Saland Road, Kent'

Maya tumbled out of the fire, straightened up and looked around. Suddenly, she had an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. 'Woah...' Everything looked so familiar; how, she didn't know as she hadn't stepped foot in this house since she was 5 years old, but she remembered everything.

Maya started to walk around the house and just like in the living room, she remembered everything. She started to play a game with herself – she would come to a door and try to guess what was in there before she opened the door. 99% of the time she was correct.

Suddenly, Maya found herself outside her mother's bedroom; she nearly walked past it but at the last minute decided against it – after all, there may be a lot of memories in there.

Maya entered the room and the déjà vu hit her even worse; the room even smelled like her mum. Maya grabbed a pillow off the bed, smelled it and sank down on to the floor – it was her mothers perfume, it still lingered. Tears ran down Maya's face as she thought about the years she didn't get to spend with her mother; how she was cruelly taken away from her.

Maya noticed a large chest in front of her; she opened it and looked inside. A teddy bear lay right on top; her teddy bear. A blanket was underneath that and then a photo album. Maya picked up the photo album and noticed something else underneath. A pile of letters all tied together. Letters! Maya suddenly remembered the letters she had found in her Aunts belongings; her mother had sent them to her aunt before she was born, and they had some clues about her father in them. She hadn't looked at them since she came to Hogwarts as she was so busy. Could these be the responses her Aunt sent her mother? Maya heard a bang down the stairs and quickly pocketed the letters – this was something she did not want to share right now.

'Maya are you up here?' Professor McGonagall called; she was climbing the stairs.

'Yes, I'm in the last room on the right' Maya said.

McGonagall appeared at the door 'Are you alright dear?' she asked kindly, noticing the tears on Maya's face.

'Yes, I just...the smell, the items...everything. I remember it all, and I don't know how.'

'It is your memories Maya, happy memories from when you were younger. Then, a tragic part of your life blocked them as you were growing up. It's good that you have them back again. Is that a photo album you have? Why don't we have a quick cup of hot chocolate and a look at those photos before we go back to the school?'

Maya nodded and led the way down to the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen table as McGonagall conjured up the drinks. Maya opened the photo album and started crying immediately; 'my mother' she choked. 'I didn't even realise how much I missed her until now.'

'Maya, you were very young when she died; you would never have forgotten her but blocking her out a bit would have been easier than remembering her and what happened to her.'

Maya nodded and continued to look through the pictures; there were pictures of her and her mum when she was a baby; her mum and her aunt dressed up; Christmas day; birthdays and random photos of younger people. 'Is that Hogwarts?' Maya asked, confused.

'Yes, it looks like it.' McGonagall answered 'Oh, that's Lily Potter.' she added, pointing at a red-haired teenager.

'Harry's mum? Wow, he has her eyes!' Maya said 'So, her and my mum were friends?' Maya asked.

'Well, they were both very popular Gryffindors, so I imagine they would have been friends, yes.' McGonagall answered.

Maya wished she could know more about her mother; maybe there would be something in the letters she found. She would make sure she started to read them that night.