Blake usually studied in the library or in the Ravenclaw common room. But given the closeness to the end of the term and how those two locations were such high traffic areas now, he had searched for a new place to study where he had less of a chance of being interrupted.

The Great Hall was drafty but spacious, with plenty of room for the studious lad to spread out his materials and get right down to work. First on his agenda? His Care of Magical Creatures essay that Professor o'Morain had given all the years. Blake had put off writing it straight away, which was unusual for him. But his words had been festering and his fingers were itching to get it down on parchment.

Oblivious to the world around him, Blake scratched away at the paper before him.

Blake R. Knight
Care of Magical Creatures, Year Three

I might get in trouble for doing this, but I feel that I cannot adequately write this essay without making a clear distinction. You see, there is not a specific magical creature that I am fond of or dislike. Nor do I  have one that serves as my favorite animal. But there is a creature that I have been drawn to ever since my wand chose me in the summer before I was slated to attend Hogwarts. Even though my family has longstanding roots in magical society, as an ickle first year, I was not entirely aware of the significance in having Ashwinder Ash as the core for the wand that I would be wielding for (hopefully) the rest of my magical life.

He paused and raised his eyes to the ceiling momentarily, as if he was listening to one of his parents or siblings drone on and on....and on about his family's history regarding their blood purity and their place in the magical world. He pursed his lips and focused his eyes back on the parchment.

It wasn't long after classes began that took up an interest in the components of my wand. I researched everything about it--from the wood to the core and also the other distinguishing features--because I wanted to know what that meant. I became obsessed with finding out why this wand was intended to be in my hands.

I thought doing this research might put my mind at ease, but many questions arose from it, including how these components would impact my magical abilities and how their symbolism might speak to my purpose as the wand's rightful owner.

The first bit of information I found regarding Ashwinders stated that they are "serpents created from the remains of any magical fire that is allowed to burn unchecked." Though some may consider it to be extremely far reaching, I connected to this in a very symbolic way. Members of the Knight Family have (and still are) routinely sorted into Slytherin house. Depending on the point of view, we are a bunch of snakes created from the remains of the magical fire of blood purity that has been allowed to burn unchecked.

Blake paused again and whistled as he sat back to read what he wrote. His quill hovered over the words, debating whether to scratch some of the more unsavory ones out. Perhaps he didn't want to reveal too much to the new-ish professor regarding his tendency to harbor disdain for his own family.

Again, he nudged himself further in the essay.

Wandlore suggests that this core is best for casting protection spells. This does speak to the side of me that wishes to be a very chivalrous Knight who protects those who are near and dear to me. I admit that this particular endeavor has been hard for me seeing as I am not fond of conflict. Still, I am realizing that sometimes we must push ourselves to confront the things that threaten what we value most. In addition, though it is still quite early for me, I have already considered what profession I would like to pursue when I am finished with my schooling. Being a cursebreaker or a member of the Wizengamot  has always appealed to me, but this idea of being a protector has given me pause about possibly becoming an Auror.

Thus, in all these ways, I regard the Ashwinder not with fondness or dislike, but intrigue. I am drawn to the creature out of extreme fascination for the potential meaning and importance it may have in my life.

Sitting back in his seat, Blake lay his quill down and flexed his fingers. Though he was tempted to re-read the essay for spelling and other errors, he instead turned to the stack of books that he had put off to the side. It was then that he finally became aware of others around him and was pleased to see a familiar face, causing a grin to spread over his face.

Having you ever had the feeling that world is crashing down around you, only to find that one ray of hope that makes you believe you can rise out of the ashes?

Ayla was leaning against a pillar just outside the entrance to the Great Hall, the four long house tables were practically deserted given the fact that it wasn't meal time and most of the students had gone to either the Library or their own respective common rooms to study for the upcoming mid terms. That wasn't to say that there weren't a few studiers here and there. Ayla figured it would actually be nicer to study under the enchanted sky of the Great Hall instead of inside a stuffy old library.

With her schoolbag slung over her shoulder and her uniform a dishevelled mess she had definitely looked better. It had only been a few days since her disastrous birthday party which had only been the peak of a very long and hard first few months back to school. She wasn't sure how much more of these horrible events her sunny disposition could handle. Ayla had always prided herself on being the happy go lucky fun girl that could brighten up a room just but walking into it, now though it seemed so much was changing so quickly that she wasn't able to keep up.

Her saving grace in all the chaos was sitting at the Ravenclaw table surrounded by books and diligently scratching away at his parchment. Ayla had come to terms with her growing romantic feelings for her best friend at the beginning of term but it wasn't until that moment when he looked up at her and smiled that she truly appreciated just how good he made her feel whether he knew she liked him or not.

She hitched her bag up onto her shoulder again and quickly made her way to him sitting across from her fellow third year, "Hey you." She let herself smile back at him doing her best to forget everything that had happened within the last month, "Have you finished that Magical Creatures essay yet? I can't decide what to even do it on let alone start it."

Blake knew that he had a rough go of things with having to deal with Callum and his other detestable siblings, but he conceded that his woes were no where near what Ayla was having to deal with as of late. There had been the Xavier encounter. Then her birthday, where she had been treated awfully by the Dark sisters and her subsequent fallout with Dahlia. And then most recently, the comments made by Callum in Care of Magical Creatures. No, Blake did not envy his Hufflepuff friend.

But he did appreciate the grace with which Ayla seemed to be handling all of the negativity in her life. It had opened his eyes more than before to how wonderful she was as a person and as a friend. It was too bad that she wasn't shown that appreciation in greater degrees.

As she approached, Blake realized that there was a way he could help boost her spirits. It was actually a birthday gift that he had been unable to give her in all the commotion at her party.

Responding to her question, he said, "Yeah, I just finished the essay. But I still have to write one for Runes." Blake set aside the parchment he had been writing on and shuffled through some of his things in search of the gift. He awkwardly nodded to a spot on the bench next to him. "Sit down. I have something for you. I just need to find it."

Blake chewed on his lower lip as he focused on sorting through his things. He could remember what the paper looked like and how the writing had appeared and his eyes were anxiously seeking that familiarity.

At last he found it and after flashing Ayla a bright smile, he handed it to her. On it was a poem that he had found one day that spoke to how he had come to feel about her.

A friend is like a rose
by Layla
A friend is like a flower,
A rose to be exact.
Or maybe like a brand new gate,
That never comes unlatched.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A friend is like an owl,
Both beautiful and wise.
Or perhaps a friend is like a ghost,
Whose spirit never dies.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A friend is like those blades of grass,
You can never mow.
Standing tall and proud,
In a perfect little row.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A friend is like a heart that goes,
Strong until the end.
Where would we be in this world,
If we didn't have a friend...

Ayla sat down on the bench where Blake indicated and pulled up her school bag taking out a few rolls of parchment and a couple of text books. She put her Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them, on top intent on opening it up and trying to find a subject for her essay. She had initially wanted to do the essay on either the ice gnomes, the Ice Lords or perhaps even the Wendigo or Yeti but she hadn't been able to find anything in the library about the magical Canadian beasts. Normally something like that would have made her feel horribly homesick but she had simply become numb to the feeling, numb to most feelings to be honest. She had been having such a rough time lately that she had just become numb to life in general.

She gave Blake a smile in return when he handed her the poem. She pushed a small lock of black hair behind her ear subtly drawing attention to the fact that she was wearing the earrings he had gotten her for her birthday. As her green gold eyes read over the words tears started to glisten. She had never read anything so beautiful and though a small part of her was disappointed that he was basically saying she was just a friend to him, the gesture was just so much more touching that that selfish little thought was easier pushed aside.

Ayla turned to Blake wiping the tear threatening to fall and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug, "That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much." She let go quicker than she wanted to and turned back to her parchment trying to hide the blush that had risen to her cheeks. Even if Blake only thought of her as a friend she was so lucky to have him in her life especially considering everything that had been happening lately.

"So umm, what do you have to do for Runes?" She was trying to keep the mood casual and away from her thoughts of him as a non friend. She didn't attend Runes herself. When it came to electives she had gone for Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies and Divination.

Blake set his notes aside, with plans to work on them later, in favor of focusing on Ayla. He would see if she wanted or needed any help with her studying for a bit. Often it helped inspire him for his own endeavors.

Though Blake was observant during classes and most areas of his life, his attention to detail when it came to girls was lacking. And fashion was also something that he did not pick up on. So he did not notice that she was wearing the earrings that he had gotten for her. It didn't occur to him that there would be a reason for it.

This cluelessness carried over to her mixed feelings about the poem. If pressed about his intentions with it, whether romantical or otherwise, Blake would have been tongue tied. He hadn't done it with anything specific  in mind, but simply because it had reminded him of her. She had become a very important figure in his life and so really not a day went by when he didn't think of her in some way. This was a natural extension of that. And with all the negativity in her life at the moment, Blake desperately wanted to make her happy.

People did that for those they cared about, right?

So Blake returned Ayla's hug with a bit of sheepishness, not really understanding the fuss. His own face reddened when they pulled apart and he said, "No problem, Ay." He flashed her a quick smile before shifting back to look at his study materials.

"For Runes I have to choose a rune to work on. Be prepared to write about its history, its meaning and its uses." He paused and found some of his meticulously detailed notes. "I think I will do the Raido rune. It's known as the journey or traveler's rune." Blake realized that he was rambling, probably about information that she might not care to know about. Runes was one of the subjects a lot of people thought was insanely boring. With a shrug, he threw the conversation back in her direction. "So what about you? Are you ready for your midterms?"

Ayla noticed the slight redness to his own cheeks as they parted but tried her best not to dwell on it. It could simply mean that he was embarrassed that she hugged him, there was no way of knowing for sure that it meant he had feelings for her in return. No way. She desperately tried to keep telling herself that but somehow the thought of him blushing after she touched him was not something she couldn't easily forget. Nor could she keep her stupid love sick mind from twisting it into many different things that were rather far from the actual reality of the situation.

"That sounds . . . interesting." She offered him a small cutesy smile to let him know that she wasn't bored she just knew absolutely nothing about runes and so hadn't really understood anything he had just said. Then again she was sure if she had rambled off something from Muggle Studies or Divination he would be giving her the same sort of look.

Ayla gave a frustrated sort of growl and ran her fingers through her short black hair, "I so totally am not. I'm actually kinda freaking out about it. I've been so focused on everything else - Quidditch, the whole mess with Xavier, Bella trying to attack me at my birthday - that I'm totally behind on all my homework. The only course I'm sure I'll get at least an E in is Muggle Studies but that's only because it's all stuff I already know." Ayla knew that Blake was pureblood and likely had a very different upbringing than she did. She could probably rattle on for hours about the kinds of things she learned in Elementary school and he wouldn't have a clue about any of it. In a way she sort of liked that about him. He was one of the few purebloods she knew that didn't let his blood status get to his head.

For some reason, as they pulled apart, Blake felt more subconscious than he did before but he had absolutely no idea why. He did seem to grasp that things were changing for them both as of late. Life wasn't going to be as simple anymore for the rest of their lives at Hogwart's as it was for their first three years. Blake simply hoped that it wasn't going to be a bad thing.

"Well, don't freak," Blake told her simply, watching her fuss with her hair. "I'll help where I can." With a shrug, he even offered, "I might not be much help with Divination, but you can still use me as a guinea pig."

When Ayla mentioned Muggle Studies, Blake sighed. It was one class that he wished that he could take but he knew that if he had signed up for it, he would have gotten a razzing from all of his family about it. So he had to settle for hearing his classmates talk about it. And then he had to seek out other ways to explore a culture he had grown very fond of.

Perhaps without really realizing, Ayla had become an integral  part of his muggle education. He loved it when she talked about her life away from Hogwart's and found himself sometimes hoping that he could be a stow-away when she went home on vacation.

Momentarily forgetting the objective of studying, he asked her, "So? Any plans for the holidays?" Blake knew that he would be spending his vacation with his family. He felt tortured just thinking about it. With a hopeful look, he suggested, "Think maybe you'll be in Hogsmeade for the Festival? Would be nice to see you...especially on New Year's Eve."

It was an innocent enough comment, as New Year's Eve for most people was rather typical--ring in the new year with partying and smiles. Unfortunately, that day of the year for Blake had often been uneventful and miserable for most of his life. It also happened to be his birthday and until he had gone to Hogwart's, he usually spent it in the company of his family--not having a very good time.

Having people like Ayla to spend it with made him look forward to it more than ever.

Ayla smiled widely and attempted to fix her short suddenly spikey hair. She had been so frazzled lately that her pixie cut had become a little more wild than she usually kept it. Having Blake help her get ready for exams would be great and not just because it gave them more time together. Ayla knew that Blake was a good student and having a hunky tutor was bound to help her focus on what she was supposed to be studying. She was one of those people that remembered things through association. Like she remembered how to ward off Boggarts because that was the class she had realized Blake had a cute butt.

As the conversation turned to something other than studies Ayla visibly perked up, "Well I'm doing a bake sale for the Winter Festival. Beyond that I have no idea. My parents have agreed to let me do whatever I want during the holidays as long as I'm home for Christmas. I think my Dad's trying to prove to me that he's a cool dad. He wants me to know that he realizes I'm not a little kid anymore and soon enough I'll be an adult. My parents have always been weird like that."

She smiled and leaned her head on her hand after propping it up on her elbow, "As for New Years I have no plans. There's this thing going around about Sophie Flickwick maybe throwing a party for it but I think it's only going to be for the older students and I seriously don't want to risk going to a party that has Xavier or Bella in it." She smiled absently at him again, "What about you? Any big plans for the holidays. Maybe we could meet up and hang out sometime."