* CLEAR SKIES

[LYLA ROSE HAWTHORNE]

It was the beginning of the year and though it was not even October yet, Lyla found herself studying harder than she had the previous years. She lived up to the title of being a Ravenclaw- she was diligent in her work and was always eager to learn more about...well, everything. Though she spent a lot of her time in the library or in the common room doing homework, today was a beautiful autumn day and she would be crazy to pass it up. After all, winter was on its way and with how the weather was, for all she knew this could be the last day of sunshine and decent temperatures for a while.

So that is when she decided to take her studies outdoors onto the ground on the crisp Saturday morning. The sun felt warm against her skin as she carried her bag to the beech tree near the lake, and the air had the typical, clean fall feeling. It wasn't hot and humid like the summer days or cold and bitter like the winter. The Ravenclaw took a seat beneath the tree, facing the relatively placid lake. It was calm, and at moments perfectly still- until a tentacle from the giant squid emerged some distance away and cause a disturbance on the center.

Lyla tied her long, smooth blonde hair up into a messy bun near the top of her head before she opened her bag. She had already finished her ancient runes paper earlier this week and she had completed the foot long parchment for Transfiguration. The only thing she had not begun was her Potions essay. It was odd still, not having the black haired, pale faced Professor Snape to teach them about Potions. Though the Gryffindors always fussed and she admitted that he could be extremely strict and unfair at times, she appreciated the class and admired his knowledge as a Potions master. Nevertheless though, things happened and she accepted them. She pulled out her parchment, ink and quill and began to write.

[Deleted]

The beginning of school had gone as well as it could have, Kira guessed to herself. Another summer gone by in the home of two entirely decent Muggles that tried their hardest but could never truly understand Kira's life. As Kira would have put it, "Bless their hearts... they don't even know the truth about my birth.", but this was not the time to dwell on such matters. Now was the time for study. If she was ever going to avenge her uncle's wasted life, she had to focus.

To her benefit, she had already finished off any work that she owed to her professors, but instead of taking any small amount of enjoyment or pleasure in her day of freedom, she put the time to work in meditation. Kira sat upon the invisible cushion of her quidditch broom, legs crossed, arms relaxed, eyes closed, features serene and sharp. She had been there, on the edge of the wood and the shore of the Black Lake, since long before the sun came up. She felt the radiant heat of the sunrise dance across her skin. This, however did not bring her joy, as she took her little bit of joy in the blissful silence of her soul.

Kira had been soaking in the silence of nature, surrendering her mind to the lack of company until that space was suddenly filled. Un-moving, she sat as a statue, her attention still centered on building focus, yet the presence of another became utterly distracting. Kira heard and felt the presence sit down nearby and commence writing upon parchment. For a moment, Kira wondered if the new-comer had even noticed her; but she was too quickly set into a sharp attitude by the scratching quill.

"Did you enchant your quill, or could you possibly write any louder." Kira said sarcastically, breaking the silence, giving in to the frustration, now opening her eyes to see who it was. She recognized the girl as Lyla Hawthorn, a Ravenclaw that was the same year Kira was. '... Also on their quidditch team...' Kira silently observed to herself.

Kira continued, "For what purpose does a 知的鳥類迷惑 have with the water, but to steal, kill, and destroy?"

LYLA ROSE HAWTHORNE