That time of year has come around, the time where the young girls call for the young boys to dance together and be jolly.

But one young boy was not jolly, oh no! One boy, one very stupid boy became furious with another girl. The one that that one boy quite fancied.

Yes, I am talking about myself, and of course Maria. And of the Sadie Hawkins dance and how I snapped at Maria when she asked me if I knew that we were only 'just friends'. I told her... something along the lines of... "I don't want to be friends with you, I want to be more then friends."

"What you want is for me to just follow you around for the rest of school like a lost, sick, pathetic puppy dog. You're give me enough so that I'll continue following you, but cut me loose not wanting any more because if you did then you'd have to stop flirting with every other guy here too! Don't think I don't see how you treat us. I hate it, you know how much I do. But you just love it, can't get enough of it.

"I don't ever want to be friends with you Maria, because friends isn't enough. I don't give a damn if we're too young for love, but hell, Maria, I love you and I'm not going to stop. If you can't handle that then you never will."


Oh and to make it all even more dramatic, I kissed her. On the lips. And then I ran away before she could a) kiss back/slap me across the face and b) respond to everything I'd just said.

So, now I feel like the world's biggest dick head.







I'd forgotten how good it was to kiss Maria.

Well diary, I have returned back to school. Unfortunately I left my diary behind when I left and have only just gotten it back. So, this is my first entry upon my arrival.

I have to say, the past few weeks have been hard. Diary, I don't know what the future holds, but Mum is really sick. The doctors have not given good news for her either. I'm not sure if she'll survive it. But I know my mum, and if anyone can survive this then she can.

God I hope she can.

It's been ages since I last saw Maria, I wondered if she's changed much in the past few weeks.

Am I a bad person? I think I am... Today I confronted Julian and well... We did a bit more then talked. I hurt him pretty bad. And I hurt Liyya too. Mind, I didn't use my fists with her, I was spiteful, angry and hurt. I wish I could take it back.

I should probably talk to Julian, I mean... if Maria is going to choose to be with him, then I guess I'll just accept that and... as much as it pains me. Move on. I mean, Maria's moving on, isn't she? She's with Julian. She dumped me, for the stupidest reasons. And the next thing you know, she's in the arms of one of my best mates! Not saying that she's a... well, you know. But it just goes to show that she just doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about her.

My ribs broke today, I guess there's a first time for everything, but I tell you, it seriously hurts to breathe. I broke Julian's nose. There was blood all over the place, I think I can remember thinking, after I heard the crack, well, maybe Maria won't want to kiss him anymore. I'm a jerk, aren't I?

Well, I'm in trouble. Franklin found us. Covered in blood and with Liyya holding onto both our wands. Who knew that kid could be so brave.

I wonder where Russel is, I haven't seen him since our last argument. If you could call it that, maybe I should say sorry to him too.

Saying sorry to a lot of people today. This sucks.

:(

Russel thinks there's no chance of me and Maria getting back together... Maybe I should just move on.

Russel-

I found your journal.

You sissy.

-J

J-

Bite me Daniels =]

-Russ

Why don't you go snog Veronique??

-J

P.S I'm depressed. Julian and Maria were holding hands. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!

J-

That's harsh dude! Why didn't you hex him?

Even after Maria and I started talking again? WTF? She probably did it on purpose too.

-RB

Russ-
Julian probably brainwashed Maria, she's probably not thinking right. Anyways, I just got out of there as soon as possible.

Has she told you why she broke up with me yet? She won't tell me, she just gets this funny look on her face if I bring it up then she changes the subject.

It's frustrating!! Girls are so freaking confusing.

-J

J-

Well, he is a sixth year....but still. I don't know about it.

Hah! Like she'd tell me that? She wouldn't even give me the time of day last week. It was only during DA that she started acting normal around me again....meh.

You're right, but in all fairness: Veronique's nice. =]

-RB

Russ-

Probably because you abandoned her with me. You know how she's like. I'm sure you had good intentions though.

Veronique's nice?? Pfft. I'm sure she's more then nice. Last I saw you two together... Well, it looked like you thought she was more then nice.

*wink* *wink*

-J

You need to get your eyes checked Daniels, I had dropped my quill behind the bookshelf and Veronique was only trying to be nice and help me find it.

As for the whole abandoning thing...what else was I to do? Break off my friendship with my best mate? I don't thing so!

-RB

Russ,

Yeah, it really looked like you were looking for a quill.

Should I confront Julian??

-J

J-

Tis your opinion mate. Attacking a Prefect? I'm sure Maria would love that anyway, so she could give you the detention on top of that.

But you know I'd totally be your second =]

-RB

Russ-

When I say confront... I don't mean attacking him. Just talking... yeah, talking.
-J

J-

HAHA! That would be a funny sight =]

Dude I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't come back at all...

Just forget about her for now. We can always reminesse later when you're beating Julian =]

-RB

Russ-

Your right. It still sucks. Maybe I should hex Julian or something. Serves him right for dating a mates date.

-J

J-

I'd do it if I were you...Just don't let me miss it =]

-RB

Russ-

I'm sure you won't.

-J

-J

=] you know it!

-RB

I think the world just ended.

Or perhaps just my existence.

Perhaps you think I'm being dramatic.

Ever had your heart shattered into a thousand pieces?

Ever had it ripped from it's place, stomped on?

Been betrayed by a friend?

Been left for another?

Loved someone that's moved on?

I wasn't going to make this entry poetry, but somehow that's how it came. Maria and Julian are together, at least... they were holding hands on the Main Street in Vichy. Right in front of me. It hurt you know? Julian was meant to be my friend, he knew that I wasn't over Maria.

I'll let you know more about the Maria/Julian situation as soon as I know for sure on whether they're actually an item.

God, I hope not.

Well, I thought I might update. I've been swamped, absolutely swamped. I know it's been unhealthy, but I've been sitting in the library for the past few months, ever since Maria... well I haven't written about that. But yeah, we broke up (insert a broken heart right here). And I guess I've been trying to distract myself, and burying myself under a pile of books seems to work... a little. At least I've distracted myself from her and my feelings and crap.

Russel and Veronique are together now. It's nice I guess, for them... Though, I miss Maria whenever I see the two of them together, usually snogging in some corner or closet.

And... well, I think Julian and Maria like each other now. It totally sucks to see that Maria has moved on, obviously she never felt as strongly about me as I did about her. I mean, why else would she have broken up with me?

She still hasn't told me why.

This is crazy. I need to get over it, I'm acting like a girl. A really sissy girl. Russel would probably hex me if he knew what I was thinking.

Maria brushed her hair, gazing into her reflection in the mirror. As she touched up her lip-gloss, her eyes drifted to the time: she had twenty minutes. She gazed down at her outfit, and adjusted her blouse once more. The dark-haired girl prayed she looked all right.

Seeing as she would be cycling there, through a muggle village, Maria had donned a pair of muggle designer jeans and a purple tank top underneath a simple, see through button down blouse. She had pinned some of her hair back with a clip, but knowing her hair, it probably wouldn’t stay neat for very long. Her long silver locket finished the look. It was all very simple, and she hoped fervently that she would make a good impression on Jacob’s parents.

Maria slipped into her white trainers and made her way downstairs. As she paused at the stair banister, she saw her cousin’s tall, imposing figure on the landing above her. Pointedly ignoring him, she popped her head into the sunroom where her grandmother was watering some of her prized roses with the help of one of her personal house-elves.

“I’m going to go for a bike ride grandmamma.”

“Maria!” A bright smile spread over the old woman’s face as she nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes a bike ride! Mais, il fait très chaud aujourd’hui.”

“It’s not too hot outside grandmamma.” She assured her in French, “I will be back by four.”

“Yes, explore to your heart’s content Maria. You need to get out more, you’re far too pale.”

Maria hid a smile as she ducked her head slightly, “Alright. Now if you will excuse me grandmamma, I will see you later.” She waved goodbye as she shut the door behind her.


The sun streamed through the trees as Maria cycled past several feet of green, open fields. She made a left turn like Jacob had said, and braked outside the gate of a tall, one story house. The garden was tidy, and well kept.

The place seemed empty. Maria hesitated. Was she at the right place?

She slipped off her bike, and rested against the gate. Maria made her way up the front porch steps and rang the doorbell.

“I’m just going to duck out to get some eggs from the hens,” Jacob’s mother told him, leaving him alone in the house. His father was most likely in the stables feeding the horses their lunch. Maria was due to be around today. She had written him and they had both agreed that today would be the best day to spend together. His mother was preparing lunch for the four of them and had run out of eggs for a desert she was making, so she’d gone to check to see if anymore had been laid.

The doorbell rang at that moment and Jacob leapt off his chair and scrambled for the door. Before he opened it though he tried to quickly compose himself, tried to act more aloof. It wouldn’t do to act like a complete fool and fall all over himself. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and smiled as he saw his girlfriend standing before him, her hair was a bit windswept but it didn’t take anything away from her. He lent forward and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before inviting her inside.

“Hey,” he said quietly but happily. With nothing to do around the house but study and spend time with Idaho, he quite embraced the company of another.

--
“Jacob!” For some reason, Maria couldn’t help but laugh as she gave him another quick hug. She still couldn’t believe she was here! Sneaking out to visit him!

“It’s…so good to see you.” She admitted smiling as he invited her into the house.

“I hope I’m not too late? I got…a bit held up back at the house.”

The dark haired girl gazed around curiously at Jacob’s home. ‘No wonder he enjoys coming back for the holidays,’ Maria thought immediately.

The living room was large but comfortable, with a lived-in look. The afternoon sunlight poured in through an open window, dancing against the golden brown wooden beams of the ceiling. The furnishings were simple; a well-chosen armchair or two beside the fireplace, a small coffee table.

“It’s so…homey.” Maria breathed, turning around to smile at him. She felt completely at ease. She took a few steps towards the mantelpiece above the empty fireplace.

She gazed up at the many different photos the lined the cool ledge. Almost all of them were of Jacob; she knew he was an only child, and didn’t find it out of the ordinary at all. Maria tilted her head to look at a still (seeing as muggle photos didn’t move) black and white photo of Jacob as a toddler, being soothed to sleep by a young, pretty looking woman, who Maria took to be his mother.

As she moved along the row, her amethyst eyes flickered over every photo. Pictures of Jacob swimming, in the kitchen helping his mother, and climbing trees.

“I wished I had photos like these.” Maria said wistfully, tracing a slender finger along the outside of the frame. In fact, now that Maria thought of it, there were very little photographs of her growing up. And they were most definitely not displayed proudly on the mantelpiece like Jacob’s.

Her smile broaden as she stopped in front of the last photograph; a picture of a grinning Jacob, shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare as he stood beside a large brown mare which she took to be the horse he talked so fondly of.

“That’s a wonderful photo of you.” She said genuinely.

--

Jacob couldn’t help but turn red as Maria began to look over the photos his mother had insisted be displayed around the house. And to the dismay of Jacob, she seemed to love showing them off to any visitor that walked in. And now Maria was looking at them!

As Jacob was about to distract Maria from the photos his own mother walked in from the back door with a basket of newly laid eggs in her arms. “You must be Maria,” Jacob’s mother proclaimed noticing their guest. She had put the basket on the kitchen table. “And aren’t you a pretty one,” she said fussing over her son’s girlfriend, “you must be hungry.” She turned back towards the kitchen, “I’m making lunch now. We’re just waiting on Jacob’s father to finish up out side and then we’ll sit down for lunch. I hope you like chicken.” The smell of a roasted chicken had filled the room and was making Jacob’s stomach rumble. It was nearly one o’clock.

“You haven’t eaten yet have you?” Jacob’s mother asked Maria hopefully and was satisfied at Maria’s simple shake of the head ‘no’. Jacob knew his mother loved to cook for people. She’d spend all day cooking for someone if she was given the chance.

“I have lemonade in the fridge,” she walked towards the fridge and opened the door and pulled out a jug of homemade lemonade. “Here Jacob,” she said to her son, softly reprimanding him for not showing his manners. “Pour Maria a glass here,” she turned back to the oven and opened it with her oven mitts, pulling out a tray that held a roasted chicken surrounded by homegrown vegetables.

“Set the table too, Jacob.” Jacob’s mother ordered. The back door swung open just then and Jacob’s father entered wearing big boots covered in mud. “Mmm,” he sighed. “Smells good.”

“Your shoes!” Jacob’s mother exclaimed brandishing a knife at him, which she had been using to cut the chicken. Jacob’s father threw is hands in the air in response and looked wide eyed at his wife.

“Okay okay, sorry!” he quickly ducked back outside and slid his shoes off and then re-entered the house and promptly spotted Maria sitting in a chair by the kitchen’s counter.

“Dad, this is Maria,” he introduced his father to his girlfriend.

“How do you do Maria?” Jacob’s father held his hand out for Maria to shake but then realized that it was covered in dirt and the grain from the horse’s feed. “Hmm, maybe after I’ve cleaned up a bit,” he withdrew his hand. “You can call me Tim though.”

--

“Here, let me help you.” She offered, as Jacob obeyed his mother and turned to pour out the lemonade and set the table. Her shoulder brushed his as she lifted the plates that set conveniently at the kitchen counter.

“You have a wonderful house Mrs Daniels.” Maria complimented the woman as she gently placed each plate on the table. “It feels very…homey.”

Just as she was about to turn around to ask Jacob where the cutlery was, there was a soft click as the back kitchen door swung open. Maria couldn’t help laughing as Mrs Daniels brandished the knife she was using to cut up the roast chicken at her husband, who was just coming in through the door.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir.” She smiled up at the man whom Jacob clearly did resemble. His hair curled slightly, his eyes soft and friendly. She noted that both Jacob’s mother and father had laugh lines, which softened their faces considerably.

--
In a few moments, lunch was on the table and the four of them were seated around the roasted lunch with four white plates in front of them and a glass of chilled homemade lemonade each. Jacob’s father gave thanks for the lunch and they tucked in.

“Are you going to take the horses out with Maria today?” Jacob’s father asked. Jacob nodded in reply, his mouth full to respond vocally.

Once he’d chewed and swallowed his food, he turned to Maria to check that that was okay with her.
“I wouldn’t have worn jeans if I didn’t already know you were going to take me horseback riding Jacob.” She responded with a chuckle as she cut up her chicken.

“You’re an excellent cook Mrs Daniels.” Maria was amazed that Jacob’s mother could produce such a wonderful lunch single-handedly, without the help of any house elves.

“So…how long have you lived in France?” The question was directed to Mr and Mrs Daniels.

“Ahh, now that’s a story,” Jacob’s father placed his fork down on his plate and shared a glance with his wife. A glance that spoke of an entire life time spent together, the look in their eyes was one with love and an adoration for each other as they seemed to briefly share a moment in remembrance. Jacob looked horrified.

“Look what you did, we’ll be here all afternoon now,” Jacob muttered under his breath for only Maria’s ears to here. But somehow his mother’s ears had also over heard and she shot him a look.

“Well, Maria. I met Jacob’s mother here back when we were very young, we grew up, our mothers both knew each other well and were good friends. Of course, we were forced to play with each other. This was in Scotland, you might have been able to tell that by our slight accents. But then my parents decided to move to France when I was fifteen and I didn’t see Elsie for years later. Not until she’d left home and had come to France to learn art history. I met her one day while in the library in Paris, she was struggling with a pile of books and was nearly—“ He was interrupted by Jacob’s mother who exclaimed, “I was not struggling, you just like to think I was.” She turned her gaze to Maria’s, “Men, they like to think that they are the saviours of the world.” She pointed to Jacob, “You make sure you keep this one in line.”

Jacob’s father laughed out loud. “Maybe we should let them go, I’ll help you with cleaning up.” He started to stack the dishes.

Maria grinned, assuring Mrs Daniels she wouldn’t. Seeing Mr Daniels beginning to clear the table, she jumped to her feet.

“Let me help you with the dishes.” She said, beginning to pick the dirty glasses and carrying them to the sink. But Mrs Daniels waved her away, despite Maria’s insistence in helping to clean up.

‘Just as stubborn as Jacob.’ She thought, hiding a smile. Realising that she was fighting a losing battle, Maria turned to Jacob.

“Me has a feeling I’m going to be introduced to the big scary horses now.” She laughed.

Jacob laughed quietly. “Absolutely,” he said and started to usher her out the back door to where the stables were.

As they made their way down the dirt path to the stables, Jacob felt he had to apologise for his parents. He had been quite embarrassed by their behaviour, but knew that they were pretty much always like that. “Sorry about all that,” he said. They’d arrived at the stables now and he noticed one of the stable hands, Pete was grooming down Betty one of the appaloosas.

“Hi Pete,” he greeted the middle aged man. “This is Maria, we’re going to take Idaho and Jesse out for a ride down to the river.” Pete nodded in response. The man was slightly deaf and Jacob had to speak really clearly whenever he spoke to him but Pete was a good worker and Jacob knew his father would not be where they were in the business had it not been for Pete.

Jacob took Maria’s hand and guided her further down until they arrived in front of Jesse’s stall.

“Oh he’s beautiful.” She breathed, gazing up at the towering pure black creature. He was easily more than a head taller than her; loads bigger than any of the school’s horses.

Then her eyes widened with realisation,

“Surely you’re not expecting me to ride him Jacob!”

The horse pawed the ground, and snorted. A small sigh escaped Maria’s lips; she had promised Jacob she would ride with him, and she didn’t like to go back on her word.

“Oh alright.” Maria said reluctantly as she fiddled with the bolt of the stall door. It came undone, and the door creaked open. She reached out rub Jesse’s neck,

“Although if I fall off and die, you’re the first person I’m coming back to haunt Daniels.”

“Don’t you worry, he might look big and scary but this is the gentlest horse you’ll ever come across. He’s obedient and gentle and couldn’t harm a fly. You have nothing to worry about. Now do you know how to saddle up?”

They’d been taught how to do this at the school but Jacob didn’t really know Maria’s level of competency at bridling and saddling a horse, so he thought he would check. Especially if she felt a little freaked out. “I can give you a hand if you’d like one,’” he said.

“It’s ok.” She thanked him as she smoothly fixed the horse up. Maria struggled a bit with the saddle straps, but she finally managed to get it hooked up.

She could feel Jesse getting restless from the way he was the pawing the ground. Resting a hand on his neck to calm him, Maria curiously asked Jacob,

“Where’s Idaho?” It seemed that he had been lost in thought all this time, simply watching as Maria saddled up.

“Oh!” Jacob remembered that he still needed to saddle up his own horse. “I’ll be right back then, you’re right to finish up here? I’ll only be a moment.”

Jacob quickly dashed out of the stall and found Idaho’s where it always was the second last stall. He opened the latch and let himself in, closing the gate behind her. She had finished her lunch already and when Jacob had come in she had walked forward to greet him with a butt against his shoulder with her nose.

“Hey Idaho,” he greeted his horse warmly. “We’re going for a ride now,” he told her picking up the bridle and placing the bit in her mouth which she took a while in accepting, but Jacob’s experienced hands knew how to get it in and before long, she was bridled, saddled and ready to go. He tied the reigns around her neck so that they did not flop around and so that they also gave Idaho freedom to move about in her stall.

“I’ll be back in a minute to get you,” he told the mare and left the same way he had entered to go back to Jesse’s stall where Maria was finishing up.

“All ready?” he asked her. Checking to make sure that she’d done everything right.

Maria was adjusting the reins when Jacob came in to check up on her.

“I think I did everything alright.” She said doubtfully, taking a step and letting him inspect her work, “I had a bit of trouble getting the bridle into Jesse’s mouth…”

“Looks fine,” he said as he inspected the bridle. “Most horses don’t like it too much when you shove the bit into their mouths but that’s natural. Don’t worry about it,” he reassured Maria.

“Okay, so we’ll lead Jesse out now,” he opened the gate of the stall and told Maria to grab hold of the reins and lead him out by standing to the left of him. Jacob went ahead of Jesse and Maria back to Idaho’s stall and opened the door to lead him out.

Once they were both stationed outside Jacob motioned to a stool for Maria to use to climb on. He hooked Idaho up to a chain to keep her stationed and once he had Maria up in the saddle he adjusted her stirrups to her height so that she could place her feet through the footholds.

Once she was set, Jacob untied Idaho and mounted her back by stepping through one stirrup to swing his leg over the other side and then placed his feet through the other stirrup. He took the reins into his hands and guided Idaho to stand beside Jesse and Maria.

“Ready to head off now?” he asked her gently.

“Sure.” Maria’s pale fingers, white than usual, curled around the reins. She tried to forget how high up she was and smiled at Jacob. “I’ll be fine.” She assured him, as he looked a bit doubtful.

Maria took a deep breath and squeezed Jesse with her legs, coaxing him into a walk. She led him in a circle, trying to soothe her nerves and get into the hang of being on a horse again. Making her way back to Jacob, she tossed him a more confident smile,

“Let’s go.” Her fingers relaxed around the reins, and she didn’t look as white as she did before.

--
The two of them had set of at an easy pace, Jacob keeping in mind that Maria wasn’t as experienced and that she probably wouldn’t be entirely comfortable riding any faster. But they’d increase gradually.

The river was about a twenty-minute ride from where they were, five minutes at a canter. It was a spot where Jacob loved to go to think and when he was in the mood he’d taken his drawing tools down there and had drawn some of his favourite scenes. He glanced over to his side where Maria was riding with Jesse a few meters away. “How are you going?” he asked her.

“Alright. Bumpy!” She laughed, nudging Jesse to go a bit faster so that she could catch up beside Jacob. It was a really lovely day; she could see why he enjoyed riding so much. Especially with this scenery…heck, she could feel her nerves calming down as she inhaled the fresh air mingled with the sweet smell of sunshine.

“Where are we going anyway?” Maria glanced sideways. Jacob hadn’t told her, most likely on purpose as well. But it was worth a short in asking him.

“You’ll see,” was all Jacob said. “You’ll like it though, I’m sure,” he assured her. “Would you be up for a bit of a trot?” he asked her.

Maria hesitated for a split-second before flashing him a grin,

“Why not?” She leant into Jesse as he began to pickup speed, and move into a trot. With one hand still curled around the reins, Maria pushed her hair out of her eyes; she should have tied it completely back. It was streaming out behind her as she rode.

Jacob urged Idaho forward with a voice command and she immediately began to pick up the pace he kept watch for Maria to make sure that she was able to keep at the same rate. “We’re nearly there actually,” he said noticing the tree line up ahead which signalled to him that they were about two minutes away from their final destination.

Jacob was surprised that he was even going to the ball that evening. He'd only ever attended once and had ended up leaving early. He wondered if he would be sitting up in his common room or dorm within the hour like he had the last time.

"Maria will be there," he reminded himself. "Yeah, with her date," the other part of him countered. Jacob was astonished to find himself scowling at the mirror as he adjusted his tie. Was he jealous?

He finished with his tie and took one last look at himself in the mirror, it was as good as it was going to get. He thought wryly.

"Oh well, I may as well make a show." That way he could at least say that he had gone.

***

Jacob had been standing in the corner of the room watching everyone, balls really weren't his kind of thing. But he had noticed some of his friends and had wanted to say hello. Russel was with Lily and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, he didn't want to intrude on their time together though and so he stood his distance.

Moving towards the punch table, Jacob nodded hello to some of the other students in his class. Finding the ladle he picked up a plastic cup and poured himself a generous amount of punch.

As he turned around he noticed Maria for the first time. She was standing with Julian, and he felt another tug of something in his gut. His eyes narrowed as she talked with him. Standing next to them was Helene. No body had asked Jacob to the ball, he had wondered maybe if Helene would ask him but she hadn't. He was not really upset that no body had asked him, in fact he felt more relieved. That way, should he decide to leave he could and wouldn't have to feel bad about leaving his date stranded.

As Jacob took another sip from his punch he looked up noticing Maria was now walking towards him, and she was smiling.

"Hey. When I didn't see you, I thought you had decided not to come after all." She said as she approached.

"Well, I wasn't going to but I thought I might come for a little bit." Jacob replied, continuing to sip at his punch until it was finished.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he looked down at his punch cup and wondered if Maria wanted some too.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked, not noticing that she already had a glass of punch in her hand.

Maria laughed and pointed to the glass in her hand which was still rather full.

"Perhaps later." She grinned. "Well I'm glad you came." Maria said sincerely, leaning against the wall. Jacob noticed her dress for the first time that evening and was about to comment on it when Maria asked him where his date was.

Jacob looked around nervously. "Oh," he bit his lip. "She couldn't make it," this was of course a lie but he didn't want Maria to think that he hadn't wanted to go with anyone else.

As Jacob thought about it he realized that if Maria had asked him, he probably would have said yes. But two other girls had asked him and Jacob had politely declined.

"Shouldn't you be with Julian?" he asked her, hoping that Maria wouldn't actually leave him but was wondering if she had come with him after all.

"Oh, well that's too bad..." she said not really sounding sorry. "Julian?" she asked looking over at where Julian was standing talking with Helene. "Why would I be with Julian?"

Jacob was confused, hadn't Maria told Jacob that she was going to attend the ball with Julian as her date?

"It's just that you said you were going with him, maybe I misheard you." For some reason he was really happy that she hadn't come with Julian.

Jacob looked over at the door leading out onto the balcony, noticing some of the other students walking in and out the doors. Feeling a little stuffy from all the people in the room he asked Maria if she would like to join him outside.

Maria nodded, and followed him out onto the small balcony. The sounds of talk and laughter were faint and seemed faraway from where they were.

"With Julian?" She tried to think of when she had mentioned to Jacob she was going out with him.

"Oh!" Maria laughed, leaning against the cool, stone railing, "That. Yes, well, I had asked him." She explained.


As Jacob and Maria walked around the students and out the front door she started to explain to him what had happened.

But he was still confused. "What do you mean you had asked him..." As he put two and two together he realized that maybe Julian had already been asked by another girl.

She smiled and shrugged, her small shoulders rising up and dropping slighly.

"He turned me down." Maria nodded towards the set of glass doors they had came in through.

"You saw him with Helene."

"Cool," Jacob didn't really want to talk about Julian and Helene much more. They were just friends. "How are you doing?" he asked. He remembered how she had reacted to her boggart in Defense and was worried about her, he hadn't really had a chance to talk to her since.

"You look very nice tonight," he gestured to her dress. It was a lovely pink colour that suited Maria nicely. It wasn't an overly girly pink either, which was nice. Some of the girls were wearing pink frilly dresses which Jacob thought to be tasteless.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." Maria complimented him and he could feel the back of his neck heating from embarrassment.

"Well... let's say it could be a lot worse," she said looking over he balcony and towards the sloping mountains and tall trees far away.

Jacob doubted that Maria could ever look anything but gorgeous. But decided that instead of making himself feel like a total prat, that he would keep silent. She obviously wasn't someone that liked hearing compliments all the time.

"It's a nice night," he said looking over the mountains where Maria had her gaze directed. There was a slight wind that made things a little more chilly. But it was much better then the stuffiness from inside.

"So where's your admirer?I haven't seen her all night." Maria was teasing Jacob but he couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

Jacob shuddered, "No idea to be frank." I haven't seen her since we saw her in the library. "Maybe she couldn't handle it and left," he joked.

Jacob actually did feel rather sorry for the first year and hoped that she was okay. He had been a bit put off by her aggressive nature though, did all girls act like this? He hoped Maria didn't.

Maria gave him a playful push, and Jacob laughed easily.

"Jacob!" She chided. "So you really don't know who she is?"

"I think I saw her at Orientation. But I don't really remember saying anything except for hello to her," he shrugged. "Maybe she got me mixed up with someone else." It was possible, though he didn't know anyone else that looked just like him that went to the school.

"I guess it's possible." She said. A faraway look appeared in Maria's eyes and Jacob began to wonder what she was thinking about. But something stopped him from asking, he was a firm believer that if someone wanted to tell him something, then they would do it in their own time. Although Jacob did thirst for knowledge, it was the knowledge in books that he thirsted for, not the going ons in people's lives.

Jacob swayed slightly to the music coming from inside the room. It was nice out of the way from everyone else. A rose bush nearby was filled with fairies that were humming and gave a slight glow.

The moon was only half full but it gave off enough light for the both of them to see onto the grounds.

If Maria was his girlfriend he'd have thought this moment was quite romantic.

"Do you want to dance?" Maria asked him suddenly.

Dance? Jacob felt himself panicking. "Um, I don't- um." He felt his cheeks going red, "I can't really do that."

He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. He felt bad that he couldn't dance with Maria, he would have loved to. But he didn't know how! And he didn't want to make a total ass of himself.

"It's easy, really." Maria assured him, touching his arm so that he'd face her. She smiled, pushing her hair out her eyes so she could see better.

"Just, um face me. Place your hand here." Maria gently guided his hand so that it rested on her waist.

Jacob, still unsure of himself and feeling rather awkward placed his hand gently on her waist then looked at Maria to see what to do next. He had seen other couples dance before, though he himself never had.

He gently placed his other hand in hers and looked into her eyes. There was no one else on the balcony now, just Maria and him. Oh, and the fairies.

"1, 2, 3..." Maria counted out the beat to the slow song that was playing. Fluidly, she led Jacob through the steps.

"It's simple." Maria smiled, "All you need is a beat to dance."

Soon enough, Jacob had picked up the basic steps. He kept looking down at his feet every now and then to make sure he was doing it right. Once or twice he stepped on her feet before apologizing profusely to her.

"Sorry," he said for the fifth time. But soon enough he had picked up the steps and was able to do something, Jacob never would have seen himself doing before that night.

He spun her out through his arm and let her spin around, then pulled her back in. Laughing slightly he pulled her a little closer, then tried to remember the steps again.
Maria laughed as Jacob spun her before gently pulling her in again.

"See, I told you it was easy!" She exclaimed. "And I don't even need to lead you anymore, you've already begun to do it yourself unconciously." She added.

"You're doing really well." Maria smiled.
Jacob smiled at Maria, she was a little shorter then him only coming up to his chin and at this proximity he needed to look down to see her eyes.

"Thanks," he said quietly. The song changed again and Jacob and Maria continued to dance. After a while, Jacob began to wonder if maybe Maria would like to go for a walk.

"Hey, do you um..." he was nervous. "Do you want to get away from here for a bit? Maybe go check out the gardens or something..."

"Mmm?" Maria looked up smiling, not quite catching what Jacob had said.

As Jacob and Maria turned their back on the ball and made their way down to the gardens Jacob couldn't help but feel a sudden flutter in his stomach. Butterflies?

He pushed the feeling aside and tried to concentrate on what Maria was saying.

"Oh a walk?" She nodded, her hands falling from his shoulders as the song ended, "Yes, alright."

"Where do you want to go?"

Maria asked Jacob as she pulled the thin white shawl tighter around her shoulders. The night air was cooler than it was than on the balcony.

"I like the gardens here, their really green." He replied and laughed as he realized how that sounded. "As opposed to being purple or blue," he grinned. "They're nice though."

"I'd like to show you something though," he touched her elbow lightly and steered her slightly in the direction of a secluded part of the gardens. There was a large willow tree with a bench under it and was pretty close to the river, the two of them could see the half moon reflecting off the water.

A white bird was standing near the stream and took flight as the two of them approached.

This is a nice place to come and think. It feels more secluded, though it's quite out in the open. Not many people come here.

"It's pretty." Maria said outloud, as Jacob led her to a little clearing. She let go of her dress; the silk falling gently and making a soft rustle on the grass below.

"I've never been here before." Maria confessed, "But I like it. It's so...peaceful."

Jacob turned to Maria and was about something, but it slipped his mind and all of a sudden he wasn't thinking of something to say to her. He looked at her while she watched out over the water.

Somewhere inside of him he was wondering when this change had occurred. Had it always been there? Or had it just happened now?

He wanted to reach out and touch her. Her arm, her waist, her hands, her hair... But he didn't know if she would run if he did. Did she even look at him the same?!

Jacob could feel himself getting nervous. His fingers shook slightly but he reached out and gently touched her fingers with his own.

Maria looked up surprised at the touch of his feelings, he could feel her relax though and she squeezed his fingers.

"What's on your mind?" Maria asked curiously.

As Jacob felt Maria's fingers tighten around his he could feel his hopes lifting. Did she like him back? Feeling a little brave from her encouragement he found his own fingers winding their way around hers to hold her hand in his.

"Nothing particular on my mind," he lied. He was looking at her intently, trying to read the expression on her face, trying to discern how she felt about him holding her hand.

Jacob suddenly felt very insecure and averted his gaze downwards before looking back up into Maria's eyes. She was smiling at him. Her hand was still entwined in his.

"Maria..." he began. But he didn't know how to finish the sentence. Something, that wasn't him, but something pulled Maria a little bit closer to him. Not obvious but just a slight tug. A test? Was it to see if she'd pull back?

Jacob lent in, but he was still unsure and so instead of leaning down to kiss her where he wanted so desperately to touch, he bent his head at the last moment and kissed her on the cheek.

It wasn't what he wanted but the faint smell of lavender or was it jasmine?

Maria's eyes were closed as he pulled away and her fingers flew to where he had just kissed her. Here eyes searched his and Jacob was praying that she wouldn't slap him.

She looked confused. Like she couldn't make up her mind about something.

"I'm sorry if that was out of line, Maria," he said not really that sorry at all. But he didn't want to put Maria in a place where she would feel uncomfortable. Yet, he wanted Maria to know how he felt.

He was still holding her hand and his thumb brushed over her fingers. Jacob was so unsure of how to act. He'd never been in a situation like this, had never really liked a girl before. Didn't even really know if this was how he was meant to feel!

All he could go from was the books he had read, and him being a guy, he hadn't really read that many romance novels. He'd seen a few movies. Mainly something that his mother, who was a muggle, had hired from the store.

And he'd seen the way his own mother and father treated each other. This was all he had to go from. But for all Jacob knew, he could have been doing it all wrong.

"No...don't apologise Jacob," Maria said quietly.

Maria took a tentative step towards him again, closing the space. She placed a careful hand on his cheek, and closed her eyes. Maria lent in kiss him softly on the corner of his mouth.

If Jacob had said he wasn't surprised that Maria had kissed him back, then he would have been lying. But his eyes fluttered closed as he felt Maria's kiss near his lips. The hand that wasn't already holding her hand made it's way to her hair, it felt so natural to him. To touch her hair and feel it between his fingers.

It was soft and feathery, just the way Jacob had imagined it to be. He pulled back slightly to look into Maria's eyes again before going back to kiss her, this time on the lips.

As Jacob leant in to deepen the kiss, Maria gently rested a hand on his chest to stop him.

She took a deep breath, and gazed at him, "I want to take it...slowly this time." Maria said finally.

Jacob stopped immediately. His first instinct was to apologize, but Maria hadn't really seemed upset. She just wanted to take things slower.

He nodded his head understanding and instead, with the hand that was holding hers, brought it up and kissed it over her knuckles.

Then he looked up and smiled.

"We can take it as slow as you want to," he said sincerely.

"It's getting late." She said slightly regretfully, gazing at the half-moon reflected on the lake.

"It's not that late," Jacob countered. He guided Maria to the bench for them to sit down.

"If you want to go back up to the castle then we can..." he hoped she didn't though. He rested his arm around her shoulder.

"Wow, you're cold!" he said feeling her skin, he shrugged off his jacket for her to wear around her shoulders.

"Here, I'm sorry it doesn't really go with your dress."

aria folded the thin shawl that had fallen around her shoulders, and tucked it in the inside pocket of Jacob's jacket. She laughed as she put it on,

"I'm practically swimming in it!" She joked.

Maria leant her head against Jacob's shoulder, watching the glazed reflection of the moon on the river.

"Jacob?" She said after awhile. "Did you ever get your other jacket back?"

For a moment Jacob didn't know what she was talking about and then remembered that he had given her his old blue denim jacket. "No, actually," he said. "You never did return it," he narrowed his eyes playfully.

"But if you don't mind, I'd like this one back when you're done with it. I don't have many dinner jackets, and with the amount of balls we have around this place, it'd be nice to have something to wear to it, he grinned, happy because Maria had her head rested against his shoulder. He moved his arm so that it was draped around hers.

"Mmm?" Maria lifted her head off his shoulder as he was draping his arm around her.

"But I told Russel to give it to you." She said confused, "I talked to him only three-four days ago."

"So that was why I hadn't received my jacket back," he laughed. "Your mistake was giving it to Russel, he most likely will put it somewhere in his dorm and forget about for the next few months. But thanks for telling me, I'll remind him." He squeezed Maria in a one-armed hug. It felt so nice having her there, next to him. He wondered why it had taken him so long to figure out that the reason he'd always felt so nervous around her, the reason his breath half caught in his throat when she did something pretty was because he had feelings for her.

Maria laughed as Jacob explained.

"But Russel seemed pretty reliable." She objected, "I bumped into him when I was running some errands."

"How come you never introduced me to him before Jacob?"

"Well I was going to," he said his arm moving from around her shoulders to around her waist. "But I never got a chance, if you'd like me to introduce you properly then I can," though he didn't really see the point seeing as how they'd already apparently met. But if Maria wanted him to introduce her then he would.

"Russel can be reliable when he wants to be, he probably just didn't see any importance in giving back my jacket."

"Mmm.." She nodded, listening as Jacob told her about Russel.

"You know," Maria said slowly, resting her head on Jacob's shoulder once more, "Russel said something funny to me."

Jacob could feel Maria breathing in and out, a nice slow, even pace which was relaxing to Jacob who could feel his own heart beating at a million beats a minute. He was nervous. And didn't want to make a wrong move and put Maria off...

"Russel?" he asked confused as to why they were still talking about him.

"Mhmm." She nodded, her dress rustling as she moved her legs. "He said you spoke a lot about me to him."

Maria looked up at Jacob, her gaze questioning.

Jacob looked confused. Since when had Jacob ever talked about other people? He wasn't like that, even if it had been about Maria.

"I think I mentioned you once or twice in passing," he said. Maybe Russel had just been exaggerating.

"Hey Jacob? Are we...boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Jacob hadn't considered that, but he liked the sound of it. He'd never had a crush on anyone before, let alone a girlfriend.

"Jacob?" She said as he leant in to kiss her on the cheek again, "We really should go inside." Maria smiled.

"Yeah, you're probably right, do you want to go back to the ball? We might be able to get some desert, if we're lucky." He stood to his feet and held out his hand for Maria to take.
"Sure, I guess you could call us that," he smiled and bent his head, kissing her again on the cheek.

Maria nodded, taking Jacob's outstretched hand.

"Oh." She paused, taking off his dinner jacket and throwing the white shawl around her shoulder's again. Seeing that Jacob was much taller than her, Maria had to stand on her tiptoes to comb his hair with her fingers.

"There." She said satisfied, that they were presentable, and taking his hand again and giving it a small tug, "Let's go."

Jacob laughed as Maria donned her shawl again. "The jacket too unfashionable for you?" He smiled as she reached for his hand again, it felt nice. Her hands were small and thin in his own big ones, his fingers were wrapped around hers and as they walked towards the castle where they had come from before, Jacob couldn't help but feel a light happiness.

A girl that he liked, liked him back.

Jacob had arrived back at school earlier that week and had spent it unpacking the few belongings he had taken with him. After that, he had decided to take a stroll around the grounds.

Upon approaching the bridge on the north side of the river he spotted Russel and Lily. He was unsure of whether to approach as they seemed to be talking he didn't want to intrude.

He had been home for a few days and had spent Christmas with his mother and father but had come back to Beauxbâtons early to get ready for his classes.

He had enjoyed going back home and seeing his horse, Idaho.

Watching from a small distance, enough for Russel to see him if he wanted to talk, he waited.

He noticed Lily wave to him and call out his name and so Jacob waved back shyly. Deciding that it was probably safe to approach, he did so.

"Hey guys," he said to the Flamme couple. "How were your holidays?" He was getting better at this conversation thing. Now that he'd had a few years to practice while at Beauxbâtons.

"Mine was good." Russel replied politely. "How about yours?"

"Mine was ok, it was quiet here at Beaubaxtons.” Lily replied as well. "You ready for the new term Jacob?"

Jacob smiled upon hearing that his friends holidays had been good.

"Mine were great," he said. "I really enjoyed going home for a few days. Though it's nice to back here as well."

"You ready for the new term Jacob?" Lily asked him. He smiled and nodded. He was actually really looking forward to his classes, especially Care of Magical Creatures. Which was his favourite class above the others.

"Yeah, I am," he said. He lent against the bridge, relaxing a bit. He looked at Russel, "Hey did you see the Quiberon Quafflepunchers play?" He asked Russel and Lily, referring to the French league in Quidditch. Jacob had unfortunately been unable to see it. But had read it in the magical newspaper that he had subscribed to. He had been excited to hear about his county's team winning after versing Ireland.

Russel shook his head. “No, sorry. I wasn't able too." He frowned a bit, but then seemed to shake off the feeling whatever it was that was plaguing him "Read about it though! Man, am I glad they came out victorious!"

He laughed aloud. "I saw it. But, I was rooting for Ireland. So I was sad at their lost, they haven't won in a while." Jacob was surprised by this.

She must be Irish, Jacob thought.

"I find Quidditch quite fascinating. It's so cool!" She said with a laugh, her elbows still leaning against the railing of the bridge. Again another comment that surprised Jacob, he had never really thought girls to be into sport. He knew it was a rather sexist view but all the girls he had known growing up had been girls that would prefer playing tea parties and with their dolls rather then get dirty with a ball.

Jacob smiled and was suddenly at a loss for words to say. He felt his cheeks turning red as he fumbled around for something else to say. So maybe he wasn't as good at this as he thought.

"Well," he finally said. "It was nice seeing you guys." He broke the awkward silence. He had felt that he was intruding anyway. He smiled at Lily and Russel.

"I'll see you later Russ," he waved as he started to hurriedly walk away.

Jacob had wondered from the north bridge to the south bridge. Wondering how on earth he was ever going to overcome his shyness. Seeing a fellow third year whom he knew as Julian from his classes he endeavoured to get over the reserved boy and branch out.

"Hey Julian," he greeted the boy who was leaning over the bridge to gaze into the water. "Don't fall in there," he said. "It's far too cold to go swimming and I think it's going to rain again soon." He smiled sheepishly.

"Enjoying your holidays? I just got back today, spent some time with my parents on the farm." He was starting to babble now. And he quickly shut up before he ran out of things to say before the conversation even finished.

"Hey, Jacob, right?" Julian replied, returning the sheepish smile with one of his own grins. He stepped back from the railings and looked up at the sky.

"Oh, kinda," came another reply. "I didn't go home after this term, I just had a sort of break on my own after being back there in the middle of Term 5 because of my new sister."

"You have a farm?" he inquired.

"Well, kind of," Jacob replied. "It's a large property. We have a set of stables for people to board their horses in. I have my own horse too." The corners of Jacob's mouth twitched upwards as he remembered Idaho and the time he had spent with her in the past few days. He was somewhat sad that he had to leave it behind for another three months.

"New sister?" Jacob inquired. "Did your mother have another baby?" He guessed.

"That sounds cool... I wish I have my own horse," Julian commented. "Then again, we'd have to have our own farm too," he sighed.

Nodding in reply to the follow-up question, Julian started to talk about his little sister.

"Yeah, it had been almost a year ago that she was born, but I hadn't bothered to go home and see her during breaks. Term 5 though, Mom had to work, so I had to go home and take care of Dianne. She caused a financial crisis, that's why."

"Have you tried taking care of a baby?" he asked.

Jacob laughed. "No actually, I'm the only kid in my family. And I doubt that they'll be having any more." Jacob didn't mind not having a sibling around. Though he did sometimes wish that he had a little brother to take care of and look out for.

But he knew that his mother couldn't have anymore kids even though they had tried hard. Jacob knew it anguished his mother very much.

"Well, I'm telling you, it's very very messy," Julian said confidentially.

He lent against the railing and looked down into the water. The gentle stream of water rushing underneath the bridge was peaceful and seemed cool and refreshing. If only it had been summer, they could have taken off their shoes, socks, go paddling in the water, and look for flat stones to skip. He smirked to himself, what was he, five?
"You're wishing it's summer.” Julian’s voice entered his thoughts and he looked up grinning as Julian had guessed correctly. “I've heard of people who go dipping in cold water. I think it's called a Polar Bear Plunge.., or uh, Polar Bear Swim? I don't really remember..." Jacob grinned again.

Looking up again he noticed Maria, a girl he had met a few days before leaving. He smiled at her shyly.

"Hi there," he called out trying to sound friendly. She seemed undecided over whether she should approach them or not. Jacob knew how that felt having being in that particular position before he had spoken to Lily and Russel.

Her hair was tussled and still seemed pale, but not as much as before, the wind had made her cheeks flush.

She moved towards and uttered a quiet “Hey.”

"Hey, Maria," he said smiling sheepishly. He decided to follow the same pattern of conversation that he had followed with Julian and Russel and Lily before he'd met up with Julian. "How were your holidays? Or are, I suppose seeing as we are still on them."

"Oh they've been good." She said vaguely, "Very quiet anyways. Stayed here for a change."

"And you two?" Maria enquired.

Julian shrugged. "Hid in my room after washing off all the 'food' from that silly food fight," he answered.

Maria gave a small laugh as Julian mentioned the food fight,

"I couldn't wait to get out of that hall." She admitted, "In all of my time at the Academy I've never seen a bigger food fight. And started by a professor no less."
For the third time that day Jacob told someone what he had done for the holidays.

"Went home to the farm, spent Christmas with my parents. Nothing incredibly exciting." At the mention of the food fight Jacob laughed. Feeling himself relax a bit he felt more and more comfortable.

"I spent most of that fight under the table," he grinned abashed. "I know, I'm a coward." He chuckled.

Julian laughed. "Really?" he asked Jacob. "I think I threw a pumpkin pie at Professor Channing. I aimed it at Professor Franklin for vengeance, all the while hoping that if I missed, it would hit Professor Courcel instead. Well, Professor Channing was nearer," he grinned sheepishly.

"I never thought Professor Courcel was capable of that," he added.

"You're right, in class he always seemed so strict. Like he was a rule abiding person. I was pretty surprised when he announced the food fight.

"I'm not really used to that kind of thing. I've had a pretty tame upbringing."

"I used to have a tame upbringing, but with all the new people in my family's life, I'm sadly forced to change some of my ways. Joining a food fight was probably one of them. Don't worry, I don't think it's cowardly to save the house elves from additional laundry," Julian said to Jacob.

Maria had been looking into the river when she commented about how it should be frozen over.

"You're right, that is odd. This time of year you'd expect a bit of snowfall, but there hasn't been. And the river hasn't even frozen yet."

"Surely not." Maria said in not an unkindly tone.

She gazed over the curved stone ledge of the bridge and looked down the gently flowing stream below.

"I'm surprise that it hasn't froze over." Maria remarked.

"Yeah, you're both right. I hadn't noticed that," Julian admitted.


"Well, whichever, I guess it's a good thing that it hasn't frozen over. Not nearly as cold this year as the years before." She said smiling. Jacob wondered if it was considered an awkward thing to be talking about the weather and so changed the subject to something he found more interesting, though he was unsure if Maria and Julian felt the same.

"Are you excited about classes?" He asked, then realized just how nerdish that sounded. He supposed it was too late to take it back, and it wasn't as if Jacob wasn't a nerd anyway. Julian knew that. And he supposed Maria would find out eventually. He hoped she didn't have anything against nerds though.

"Classes?" She shivered slightly, partly from the cold. "I'm afraid I'll be so behind because of my absence the past year..." Maria trailed off.

"I've got quite a lot to make up." She admitted.

"I'm excited and worried. Especially about Potions, cause Professor Courcel gave us an assignment which I haven't started doing," Julian said.

"But overall, I think I'm ready for another term, and I need to work really hard to please my parents and my benefactress," he added.

Jacob could relate. Although, he had not been given any assignments he had made himself busy with studying all the textbooks he could get his hands on trying to find as much as he could on magic and the classes he'd be taking for the next term. He decided to keep that to himself though.

"We should do a study session or something a few times, help each other out." He knew that he would love to study with someone who actually had experience with magic, being muggleborn there was a lot of things he still had trouble understanding.

Maria smiled at Jacob's suggestion of doing a studying session,

"Yes that sounds good." She agreed. She was already warming up to the two boys.

Julian chuckled. "It seems that the few Ciel’s I know like having a lot of study sessions," he commented. "Not that I'm complaining. I think it's a brilliant suggestion. Yeah, we really should do that. After all, we're all in the same year."
"Doing the same classes," Jacob added. Jacob thought about Julian’s former comment and realized that he was actually right. Though he had never really thought about it before.

He grinned, he had never in his life before felt himself relax around people like he was doing at that moment. It had started to rain again and so Jacob suggested that they go inside.

Jacob had many reasons for feeling so completely free and liberated right at that moment.

He was home and home was where his heart was. A white horse by the name of Idaho was happily grazing at the fresh grass while her master, Jacob looked out onto the meadow that seemed to go on forever. He grinned to himself, he had been riding Idaho for an hour and had decided to give her a break and had unmounted and loosened her girth, and tied the reigns so that they did not flap about.

Idaho moved to find a better spot of grass to graze on but Jacob paid her no heed, he knew that she would not leave him. Idaho and Jacob were close, he loved Idaho more then anything. And Idaho seemed to understand him more then anyone. Especially his parents, though while he loved them very much, being muggleborn, Jacob felt trapped between worlds. His parents tried their hardest to understand him but it was like telling them about a fairytale. While they seemed interested about his escapades at his magical school, about his classes, and the new friends that he had made. They couldn’t seem to really comprehend the realness of it.

Jacob thought of the people that he had met during his last term of school. Russel, Lily, Germaine, Helene, Maria… There were others too of course. But those were the ones that Jacob had been able to remember at that moment. During Primary school Jacob had never really had close friends, and the friends that he did have, had been built relationships that had taken a lot of time. Making friends was something that Jacob had struggled with.

Idaho came and nudged her head against Jacob’s shoulder at that moment and stirred him out of his thoughts.

“Hey girl,” he said softly bowing his head so that his brow rested against hers. He stroked her neck and Idaho gave a snort of appreciation.

“Should we go back now?” he asked her leaning back to look her in the eye. Idaho just stared back. Giving a crooked smile, Jacob moved around to Idaho’s side and tightened her girth again and untied the reigns. He then mounted the horse’s back and urged her forward back to the stables. He didn’t go at a fast gait this time though, knowing that if he didn’t keep Idaho in control then she would race back and it was healthier for a horse to cool down before entering the stables.

After unsaddling Idaho and giving her a bale of hay to munch on, Jacob left the stables and put his tack away.

Feeling thirsty after his ride, Jacob started his walk back to the house hoping that there would be some lemonade in the fridge. His father was out at the moment, but his mother was sitting in the kitchen reading a magazine. She looked up as he entered through the back kitchen door.

“How was your ride?” she asked him smiling.

Jacob smiled in reply and opened the fridge. “Really good, I’d forgotten how much I’d missed it.” Finding a jug of his mother’s lemonade, he took it out of the fridge and found a glass draining in the rack next to the sink. He took it and filled his glass.

“Do you have any homework these holidays?” his mother asked him.

Jacob shook his head, “No, surprisingly. They were pretty tough during the term. But I like it, it’s challenging.” He drained his glass and poured himself another one. “I’m probably going to study up on some of my classes though. There’s so much I don’t know!”

Jacob’s mother laughed out loud. “Remember child,” she stood to her feet and crossed the room to stand in front of her son. “Knowledge isn’t as important as wisdom is,” she put her hands on her son’s shoulders. “Having what is up here,” she laid a finger on his right temple, “is all well and fine. But remember to listen what is here,” pointing to his chest where his heart still raced from the long ride.

Jacob nodded. It wasn’t the first time that his mother had tried to remind him that knowledge and studying weren’t the most important things. But she didn’t understand. Jacob was in a world where everything seemed so new and unknown. He felt vulnerable not knowing what the other students in his year did. He was in his third year and they were ahead of him in some areas that Jacob had not even reached.

Finishing his second glass, Jacob put it back in the sink and put the lemonade back in the fridge. His mother smiled at him and returned back to the table where she had been perusing her magazine.

“I’m going up to my room,” he said. “When’s dad getting home?”

His mother looked at the clock on the wall checking the time, “Should be home in an hour and a bit, he said he’d be here for dinner.”

Jacob nodded and left the kitchen to climb the stairs to the second floor where his room was.

Opening the door, Jacob was surprised to see a white owl waiting for him with a scroll of parchment in it’s beak. “Hey there,” Jacob reached out a hand to take the scroll. “Thank you,” he said politely to the owl, it ruffled it’s feathers and waited for Jacob to open the piece of paper.

It was a friend of his from school. He had been surprised at how friendly the people there had been with him. Normally people would not approach him, but everyone seemed willing to be friends with the shy, studious boy.

He smiled and picked up a quill and some parchment to give a reply. Penning the ink across the parchment in a slow and careful manner he finally finished his reply and waited for the ink to dry. While waiting he turned back to the owl and smiled at her, reaching out a hand he patted her soft feathers, the owl hooted softly and closed her eyes as if she were enjoying this gesture.

“Here you go girl,” he said rolling the parchment up and tying it to the claw that the owl had stuck out for him to tie it to.

“Thank you,” he said. The owl spread its wings and took flight out his window. Jacob watched until she became a speck against the sky.

“Jacob!” his mothers voice sounded up the stairs calling him for dinner. Standing to his feet, Jacob left his room and descended the stairs to once more enter the kitchen for dinner.

Well, this is a journal. My journal. My thoughts. My feelings.

You read it. You die.

Well, you probably won't die, but with the hexes I've placed on this thing (and I warn you, I'm pretty good with a wand), I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure out who's been reading it. So, fair warning. If you don't want to see my wrath, then I guess you should probably stop now.

Sincerely,

Jacob Daniels
Ciel.