She sat in a corner of the library quietly reading. Well, that's what it looked like, she was actually just staring blankly at the page, her mind else where. The library was the second best place to go in Hogwart's if you needed somewhere quiet. The Owlery was the best but as it was a Friday evening many students would be sending there weekly messages home and the owls would be busy coming in and out. She sat there thinking and waiting although she didn't know what for. The week had been eventful and her emotions had been up and down. It was nice just to be able to think about it all, reflect on it, forget about some of it.

She got to be here somewhere thought Blaze rushing into the library slowing to a walk when the evil librarian shot a peircing stare at him. He looked round each bookcase hopefully untill he found her staring at a book. He knew she wasn't reading it because when she read she didn't have a gormless look upon her face. "There you are" he said a little to loudly and earned another glare from Madam Pince. "What are you in here for?"

It took her a long while to respond. Finally, she looked up, "Oh, just to think. I would be in the owlery but it's Friday. What are you doing in here? You hate the library!" She looked at him standing there and realised how very out of place he was: everyone else was neat and tidy. Not Blaze, he was a mess! She flicked her wand and the chair opposite her slid out for Blaze.

"Oh!" Rose said brightly, sticking her head out from behind a shelf. "I didn't realise it was you here, Sally, or I would have emerged earlier! 'Afternoon, Blaze," she added, raising her eyebrows disapprovingly at his somewhat hurried and noisy entrance. She stepped out fully from the row of shelves now, and deposited seven heavy hardbacks on the table triumphantly, dusting her hands off and regarding her findings. It was always a pleasure to find so many muggle books in this wizarding library. "Blimey, it's quite stuffy in here," she muttered, mostly to herself, and pulled her school jumper gracefully over her head, suddenly and inexplicably embarrassed by her tight-fitting shirt and her short school skirt. For some unknown reason, one of her friends from before Hogwarts popped into her head, saying in that awful, whinging voice, "If you've got it, flaunt it!" followed by a horrible girlish giggle as she talked about her newest outfit or something similar. Ah, how simple Rose used to be in those long lost days when she was a virgin...

"Hey. I didn't realise you were here either. What have you got there?" she said taking a closer look at the titles of Rose's books. "Are those muggle books?" she asked. She knew quite a bit about muggles as her father was one himself. Thinking of her father reminded her that she had not written home for quite a while. She pushed the book she was 'reading' away and pulled out some parchment and a quill to start a letter home.

"Yes," Rose replied, very proud of herself. The Library always reminded her of a huge labyrinth - often she had half a mind to take a ball of wool with her, like Theseus did, in case there happened to be a minotaur lurking behind the Potions section. "I've got Paradise Lost, by Milton, The Collected Works Of Oscar Wilde - because I foolishly left my copy at home - Selected Shakespeare, Collected Works Of Edgar Allen Poe - left that at home, too - Grimms' Fairytales, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and a collection of Agatha Christies, too. That should satisfy me for a few weeks, I suppose..." She considered briefly how she could possibly read Shakespeare in bed; she had an awful habit of choosing a character and reading their part aloud, thus annoying everyone. She blushed and smiled at Sally. "I guess you can see now why I'm a Ravenclaw..."

"Yes! My Dad isn't a great reader but he sure does love Agatha Christies! I have many copies at home even my mum likes murder stories. Don't we all? Hmmm... i'll ask them to send me some," she replied, scribbling onto the parchment. It would be so good to read muggle fiction again. "You can borrow them when i'm done if you want?" she asked Rose.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at Blaze. Would she be being so nice to me if his plan had worked? Maybe she didn't see. Maybe I can just relax. "That'd be nice. I think I'll have to manoeuvre my way through this lot, first, though. Mind you, it's mostly things I've read before. 'Cept Wuthering Heights - I got bored a third of the way in last time, and I really wish I hadn't."

"I'm not into stuff like that. Although, I did see the play of Romeo and Juliet and am in love with Much Ado About Nothing. Beatrice is the best female character, she stands for everything women should," she said. Hmm... I came here to think, reflect, forget. If it was true, what i saw out of the window, wouldn't she be a bit paranoid with me. Me, here, with Blaze. She knows both sides.... She couldn't help wonder if it was slightly fake. Rose was a strong personality but even she would be a little worried, meeting up again after what happened... right?

"Yes, she is," Rose agreed. "Much as I would hope to end up like Beatrice, the only two paths I can see for myself at the moment are either Ophelia or Lady Macbeth." She smirked, the dreamy expressions crossing her eyes again as she glanced out of the window. "One drowned herself, one jumped from the castle walls, and both went mad because of love. Well, Lady Macbeth because she urged her love to kill, just to keep him with her. Poor, poor woman."

She shook her head in agreement. Mad because of love.... It was true. "Who are you madly in love with?" she asked maybe a bit to sharply. She had forgotten Blaze was still there so if it was him, she might not get a truthful answer. Although, I don't really love Blaze anymore. Well... I don't think so. She looked at Rose for a while and then went back to writing her letter.

"No one in particular. It's just in my nature to become obsessive." She shrugged and started humming to herself - all this talk of Wuthering Heights had put the Kate Bush song in her head. Her father used to play that, but he soon became irritated by her high-pitched voice in that particular number. She opened the top book and ran a finger down the first page, turning to the next within a few seconds, and repeating this again. Sometimes she felt as though she didn't enjoy reading so much anymore, now she was so quick at it.

"Are you even reading that?" she asked, frowning. "I mean, i'm a slow reader so most people seem to read fast to me but you..." she tailed off watching Rose skim the pages. She was tempted to quiz her on what she just read to see if she had taken it in but knowing Rose she probably had. "God you're complex.," she sighed and smiled. Never had she had a friend so peculiar.

"Wha" said Blaze in slight alarm, He had been thinking and lost trackk of what was happening. 'They still seem rather friendly towards each other, maybe Sally doesn't love me anymore. What if i've stepped over the line.' said Blaze to himself. Rose was now immersed in a book, her eyes flicking across the page at alarming rates. He slouched over into a corner and threw himself onto a seat. Grabbed the nearest book (Potions made easy!) and stared gormlessly at the page while listening in to Rose and Sally's convosation.

"Potions Made Easy? You can't honestly believe I would fall for that?" she rolled her eyes, "Seriously, what are you doing here? You HATE the library. 'It's just too damn quiet' is what you tell me." She shook her head. Boys. Such strange creatures, so very, very strange.

"I just fancied some reading thats all" Muttered Blaze slightly dissapointed that Sally and Rose had stopped talking. He placed the book back on the shelf and plucked out another one. "Am I not alloud to read?" He opened the book (Boomslang skin - and its uses in potion making) and pretended to read while thinking to himself. I can't tell Sally while Rose is here, I wish they would just continue their convosation. He sniffed and stred at the book taking in random words. (Don't, Boomslang, death, the, found, warning.) And continued to listen.

She raised her eyebrows and continued to write her letter home. "I may need to borrow Tweet later to send this, if that's OK?" she asked. It seemed a little suspicious that Blaze was here and wanted to read: it wasn't his normal choice of activity. She scrawled onto the parchment letting her parents know everything that had been happening at Hogwarts, well, everything within reason.

"Sure" Grunted Blaze knowing that even if he said no Sally would nick Tweet anyway. "Just don't expect a reply for a couple of weeks" He cast a sideways glance at Rose whose nose was still buried in a book. He sniffed again and placed the book he was reading back on the shelf before grappling for another. He sighed opened the new book (Funny potions that Trick your friends!) and thought silently. I wish Rose would leave so I can talk to sally.

Well, isn't this delightfully awkward! she thought brightly, smiling to herself as she continued to read ("The only way to behave towards a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain...") The Importance Of Being Ernest. Algernon always made her smile. "Did you say something?" she asked, suddenly looking up, afraid that she was being expected to answer a question she hadn't been listening to.

"Nope, no one said anything," she replied, "Do you know when the next Hogsmeade trip is?" She decided it was best to keep things as normal as possible. To carry on as if nothing was happening or anything had happened. "We could all meet up or go christmas shopping?" she said looking directly at Rose.