A Good Book, Good Art, and a Friend Finished

Amaya sat by the lake, silently observing the girl who had been painting and reading. She seemed silent enough, a good companion, perhaps. She placed down her parchment containing all of her notes leftover from her earlier studying, and decided to approach the girl. As she’d noted before, she seemed rather quiet, perhaps a good companion. So finally, finding the will in her to approach the Ravenclaw, she announced herself.

“Hi, I’m Amaya. Amaya Bourne. And you? Oh! Do you like reading fiction? Potions?”, Amaya became to ramble, quickly stopping herself. Even if the other girl was a Ravenclaw, it didn’t mean she was ready to reveal too much of herself. Instead, she attempted to draw a more serious and graceful nature, making a point to make her posture straighter.

“And your blood status? Muggle-born, half-blood, pureblood? Sorry, sorry, getting ahead of myself. What is your name? So do you like potions? Potions are really cool! I’m hoping to get my Potions Mastery by nineteen. It’ll be fun. Sorry if I’m talking too much, I just really wanted to talk to you, and is it okay if I look at your painting?”, Amaya inquired eagerly, before once more calming herself. “I’m sorry.”

Then Amaya got up to leave, assuming the girl would want her to leave.

“Hi, I’m Amaya. Amaya Bourne. And you? Oh! Do you like reading fiction? Potions?”, a heard a voice behind me say.

Startled, I turned to face her, and almost began another greeting, before she continued "And your blood status? Muggle-born, half-blood, pureblood? Sorry, sorry, getting ahead of myself. What is your name? So do you like potions? Potions are really cool! I’m hoping to get my Potions Mastery by nineteen. It’ll be fun. Sorry if I’m talking too much, I just really wanted to talk to you, and is it okay if I look at your painting?”

I smiled at her eager inquiries, I liked this girl. She had interesting likes and dislike. As for me, I thought potions were interesting, but I resolved to wait to choose my favorite until after we had actually taken the classes.

But then, quite unexpectedly, the Slytherin girl turned around, and began walking away with a ducked head. I wonder what she thought of me to do that... but she was the only chance I had at a friend so far, so I decided to attempt to salvage it.

"Hey! Where ya going? My name's Mae Reeds, half-blood from Wales, I love reading fiction, and non-fiction if it's an interesting topic, like birds, magical creatures, powerful wizards, or something else. Potions sounds interesting, but I'll wait to choose it as my favorite until we take other classes. And of course you can look at my painting!"

I think that's the most I've ever said at once in my life.

Either way, I hoped it would convince her to come back.

Amaya turned back, smiling at her. She rushed up to the Mae, and gently took her painting, examining the watercolors that depicted the lake they were sitting in front of right now.

“It’s really pretty! It looks really similar to the original... Also, do you like writing? Sorry, I’m not usually this talkative... But I really wanna talk! And it’s cool that you wanna wait until you’ve taken the classes first... I think that Transfiguration and Charms will be interesting too! Oh, oh, oh, and if you do like writing, do you wanna write together some time? I love fantasy, and it would be fun if we wrote in that genre, but we can write anything! Also, it’s nice to meet you! Have you ever read the Book Thief? It’s also a muggle book. I found it once and it was sooooo good! I think they call it... Historic Fiction? Something like that...”

Amaya continued to ramble on and on, smiling wide and becoming way too talkative, before calming herself. No, no, she had to calm down.

But of course, it didn’t work.

“Oh, oh, do you like music? Do you know the music of the muggles? Do you like their instruments? I just looove the violin and piano. Mmmm, yeah, I’m just going to stop now before I ramble on more then I already have... Nice meeting you, Mae!”

Amaya stretched out her hand, silently hoping she’d shake it.

She came back, to my sweet relief.

Delicately examining my painting, she looked back at me and said, "It’s really pretty! It looks really similar to the original... Also, do you like writing? Sorry, I’m not usually this talkative... But I really wanna talk! And it’s cool that you wanna wait until you’ve taken the classes first... I think that Transfiguration and Charms will be interesting too! Oh, oh, oh, and if you do like writing, do you wanna write together some time? I love fantasy, and it would be fun if we wrote in that genre, but we can write anything! Also, it’s nice to meet you! Have you ever read the Book Thief? It’s also a muggle book. I found it once and it was sooooo good! I think they call it... Historic Fiction? Something like that...”

Before I could respond, however, she began again.

“Oh, oh, do you like music? Do you know the music of the muggles? Do you like their instruments? I just looove the violin and piano. Mmmm, yeah, I’m just going to stop now before I ramble on more then I already have... Nice meeting you, Mae!”

Then, Amaya held out her hand, and I shook it hard, maybe a bit too hard. But I was excited to have a new friend.

Smiling again, I once again answered all her questions. "Yes, I love to write, though I'm not always good at it, and I'd love to write with you sometime. I am fond of fantasy, though I prefer adventure and science fiction. It's such an idea to think we could travel beyond the stars someday, don't you think? And no, I've never read the Book Thief, although it is now on my reading list now that you've mentioned it. Although, may I recommend Moby Dick to you? It's a wonderful muggle tale filled to the brim with adventure, danger, and amazing companionship. I think you'd like it. As for music... yes, the sounds of violin and piano are pleasant... however.... I prefer less classical music and more... rock 'n roll. I like the Beatles, a group of muggle men who come together to make great music and have fun."

Whew! That was even more than last time. But I liked talking to Amaya, it was fun, and somehow relieving of all worldly cares.

“I think I’ll try it out. Um...,” Amaya paused. “Would you maybe like to be my friend?”

Then she blushed heavily, looking away, embarrassed.

To keep herself busy. She merely looked at the trees, coming up with ideas for a story.

“And yes, it does seem interesting to be able to travel beyond the stars. But what is that when you can advance on land? Once you do that, if you can make things better and more advanced, it’ll make it easier to reach beyond the stars. So maybe we don’t have to focus entirely on that,” Amaya suddenly blurted, interested in having a intellectual debate, hoping she would too. “And wouldn’t it be nicer if we worked more on the entire thing before we try? This way there wouldn’t be too many complications. And I believe, that with our magic, it should be easy enough. We could even make air-atmosphere charms, or spells, that would allow us to breathe even when we go too high up in this planet. This would probably make it a lot easier. How to we create spells? Or is the secret disclosed in history, centuries ago?”

Amaya pondered this topic for a while, intrigued by it.

“I think I’ll try it out. Um...,” she paused. “Would you maybe like to be my friend?”

She looked away, seemingly embarrassed.

“And yes, it does seem interesting to be able to travel beyond the stars. But what is that when you can advance on land? Once you do that, if you can make things better and more advanced, it’ll make it easier to reach beyond the stars. So maybe we don’t have to focus entirely on that,” Amaya suddenly blurted, interested in having a intellectual debate, hoping she would too. “And wouldn’t it be nicer if we worked more on the entire thing before we try? This way there wouldn’t be too many complications. And I believe, that with our magic, it should be easy enough. We could even make air-atmosphere charms, or spells, that would allow us to breathe even when we go too high up in this planet. This would probably make it a lot easier. How to we create spells? Or is the secret disclosed in history, centuries ago?”

Hm. Amaya had interesting thoughts. Shame she wasn't a Ravenclaw... then we could share dorms... but it was fine anyway.

"Yes, I'd like to be your friend, and you have intriguing revelations," I replied.

Panning through my surroundings, I saw a few professors and prefects, all Slytherins, gathering by the Great Lake, and I put two and two together to realize that this was the Slytherin House Cup party I had read about on the bulletin this morning.

Suddenly I felt out-of-place and intrusive, so I told Amaya, "Uh, Slytherin is having their House Cup Party right now, since they won this year. You have fun... it's Slytherin only. Maybe we can meet up at the library tomorrow for breakfast at... nine? Nine thirty? Ten would be alright too," I said, gathering my sketchbook and precious library copy of Moby Dick .

Amaya grinned, feeling ridiculously happy. "Sure! Actually... Want to meet up at the Campgrounds now? I think we'd be safe there, and I want to talk more with you! Maybe even brainstorm some ideas for a story! Create a world of our own for our story, or make maps for it, and maybe even draw a couple pictures! However, I kinda suck at drawing, so it might have to rely on you."

Then Amaya laughed. "And it's not exactly my celebration anyway, as I'm only a first year, haven't really been able to do anything for the cup. So I actually kinda feel that I shouldn't really celebrate. I think that it's really more for the upper year students, second year and beyond, and besides, they wouldn't miss one person. Or, if not the Campgrounds, do you wanna go to the Quidditch Training Pitches? Watch the people flying?"

Then her grin turned into a smirk. "And people getting utterly humiliated?"

Then she laughed once more. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding. I'm not that evil."

Amaya began to gather her notes, quill, and ink, smiling back at Mae, wondering which place she would choose to go, and how she'd react to her torrent of statements and such.

Then she grinned back at me, and I suddenly felt a whimsical, girly feeling come over me. And I didn't stop it! I had found a friend, and I was just about ready to squeal like a baby pig.

What is wrong with me!? I thought as I listened to myself. I nearly scowled out loud...

"Sure! Actually... Want to meet up at the Campgrounds now? I think we'd be safe there, and I want to talk more with you! Maybe even brainstorm some ideas for a story! Create a world of our own for our story, or make maps for it, and maybe even draw a couple pictures! However, I kinda suck at drawing, so it might have to rely on you," she said, and the feeling came over me again.

Amaya laughed, and continued, "And it's not exactly my celebration anyway, as I'm only a first year, haven't really been able to do anything for the cup. So I actually kinda feel that I shouldn't really celebrate. I think that it's really more for the upper year students, second year and beyond, and besides, they wouldn't miss one person. Or, if not the Campgrounds, do you wanna go to the Quidditch Training Pitches? Watch the people flying?"

Then her grin turned into a smirk. "And people getting utterly humiliated?"

Then she laughed once more. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding. I'm not that evil."

Amaya began to gather her notes, quill, and ink, smiling back at me.

"Well..." I began, beaming.

"The Campgrounds are being used for the Hogwarts Summer Camp, which we are ineligible for since we arrived after July 1, but we could head to the Herbology Greenhouse, or the clearing put aside for the Care of Magical Creatures. If you wanted to head inside, we could stay at the Abandoned Toilets, if you like. And I'm not horrible at cartography... where do you want to go?"

Amaya paused, pondering Mae's words, "Do you want to go to the Greenhouse? I think it'll be pretty fun! We can also learn more about magical plants! I think it'll be useful for our class later..."

And then Amaya perked up again. "And I can teach you about the ingredients they use for potions!"

Amaya grinned. "Sorry, kinda obsessed, if you couldn't tell... I mean, it's not like I've been rambling about it for the past half hour of so..."

Amaya shrugged. "What can I say, Potions are just too interesting... Well, for me. I suppose that tons of people can hate Potions..."

Amaya sighed. "It's truly a shame, how many wizards and witches don't truly appreciate the art of Potions. Can't wait for my first class! Oh! Have you been to a class yet? They sound pretty fun!"

"Sorry, rambling again," Amaya muttered. "So, is it okay if we go to the Greenhouse? It's okay if you don't want to! And is it okay if I bring some parchment for us and ink and some textbooks for identifying and showing you stuff?"

"And Muggle Rock, huh? The Beetles? Sounds familiar... But I'll be sure to check it out... At some point..."