Rescued By The Guardian Angel

[Azura Monocreave R4]

(Because Lita wanted to laugh at the idea of Jared being an angel and Ashlyn logically pointed out that Gabriel is the closest to an angel that the Graas' will ever get.
Open to Lita, Ashlyn, Riley if she wishes to come and whichever Graas' choose to appear.)

“It’s going to be perfect,” Azura promised Riley with a bright grin as they skipped their way along the corridor. “It’ll be the best Halloween costume that I’ve ever made.” Her eyes were bright with excitement as she chattered away to her best friend, but Azura dashed away as she spotted her brother, tugging Riley with her and only letting go to throw her arms around her older brother happily. “Thai! Has Dad or Grandma sent my extra bag over yet? I told Grandma that I had forgotten the sequins and glitter needed for Halloween and she promised to send them over as soon as possible. Please tell me that she has!” Laughing, used to his sisters exuberance, Thai teased her for a while before handing over the bag obediently. “Lita said that she’d help you with that Potions essay,” he reminded her before Azura could start rambling again and completely forget about the offer of help from the older Ravenclaw. Well, less of an offer and more cajoled into it by Azura’s adorable charm. Besides, the two girls had known each other for years since their older brothers were friends or acquaintances or whatever term the two males used to describe themselves. “I didn’t remind you just for the sake of reminding you, Azura,” Thai stated exasperatedly, gesturing to his watch very pointedly until Azura got the hint and scurried away, heading for the library with a shouted offer for Riley to join them after she dropped her stuff on the common room if she was bored.

“I’m laaaate,” Azura wailed miserably as she raced through the corridors, barely avoiding crashing into Hawthorne and hoping that the Professor would forget about it before the next DADA lesson. Oh, Lita was surely going to kill her. The girl was nice enough to Azura, even to the extent of being patient when she was off in a daydream, but she knew that Lita disliked lateness when she was giving up her own time to help someone. But she loved Potions more than she despised unpunctuality so maybe Azura would escape with just a glare. Breathing heavily, after all she had ran from just outside Ravenclaw Tower to the library, Azura burst through the doors and skidded to a stop just in front of the table Lita had claimed for them. Cringing, she muttered a fast apology and then smiled hopefully, impulsively hugging Lita when the older Ravenclaw lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Azura squealed gratefully, unconsciously raking a hand through her hair to brush it back from her face. Usually, she would have used one of her hair ties to pull her hair back simply because she preferred to have it away from her eyes when she studying but she had been in a hurry and hadn’t had time to grab one from her dorm.

Lita pressed her into a seat firmly so, sheepishly, Azura pulled her Potions textbook out and handed the start of her essay to Lita. She wasn’t stupid, not at all. But Professor Snape never seemed to like her and he never explained very well and Azura never really had the attention span necessary for his classes so Potions was hardly her best subject. While she didn’t require the help to pass the class, because what Azura lacked in concentration she made up in knowledge of the theory behind the potions, it was certainly welcome and especially from someone whom Azura knew was good at the subject. “Jared!” Azura finally noticed the boy sitting next to her and grinned widely, giving him a warm hug. “Are you here to rescue me from the evils of Potions and Professor Snape and Lita’s glares?” Azura asked hyperactively, her words coming fast and almost incomprehensively. “I told you that you were my guardian angel and I knew that I was right, even though you tried to deny it. Because who else but a guardian angel would always be around?”

[Lita Hollows R6]

That girl was always late, Lita thought irritably. Azura Monocreave wasn’t known for her punctuality or her practicality but she was a fun-loving girl and Lita had a soft spot for her. Perhaps the younger girl was slightly lacking in her attention span and she certainly had more energy than any one person should rightfully have but everyone had their flaws. This hour was usually the time Lita set aside for herself to spend in the library, free of tutoring sessions and free of obligations to anyone but herself. Azura was probably the only exception she had made to her own rule, and she was late! Lita huffed impatiently. Jared and some of his siblings had come along with her today, provoking Lita into teasingly asking when they had finally discovered that the library existed, and Ashlyn had opted to join them rather than stay with her housemates. They were Gryffindors, so Lita couldn’t really blame her for wanting to escape them. She didn’t count Ashlyn as a Gryffindor, not anymore. Because not only was the girl bonded to Damon and now becoming one of the family but Ashlyn didn’t fit in with the Gryffs at all.

Azura ran through the door just in time to distract Lita from her thoughts, making Madam Pince scowl at the girl disapprovingly though Lita rather doubted that Azura had noticed. “You’re late,” she snapped in annoyance before giving up and shrugging it off. Azura would never remember to pay enough attention to remember to be on time, or even early, next time. She should have expected to be tackled in a fierce hug, Lita thought as she rolled her eyes, almost knocked off balance by the smaller girl. “Calm down and sit down,” she ordered good-naturedly, using her hand on Azura’s shoulder to push her into the seat that Lita had vacated for her. “You even forgot to tie your hair back,” Lita muttered disbelievingly, starting to get an idea of just how late Azura must have thought she was to be so flustered. Wordlessly, Ashlyn tossed a hair tie to the fourth year, who caught it with a grin before pulling her hair back into a smooth braid without any hesitation or the aid of a mirror.

“I’m guessing you two are friends?” Lita hazarded a guess, lifting a questioning eyebrow at Jared before frowning at Azura. “What do you mean, ‘the evilness of Lita’s glares’?” She demanded with mock anger, feeling very much amused that anyone would be intimidated by her scowls. She was no match for Rister when he was in a bad mood. “Guardian angel?” Ashlyn echoed with a frown, eyeing Jared somewhat doubtfully in a way that made Lita snicker. “I know what you mean,” she agreed with the Gryffindor cheerfully. “I can’t imagine Jared with a halo, though he would master the harp within a few minutes, I’m quite sure.” Now rather curious, Lita took a seat next to Azura, opposite Ashlyn, and leaned back in her chair. “Which one of you wants to explain exactly why Jared is a guardian angel? Because that is a story I’m sure I’d love to hear all about.”