Kurumi felt as though her hand were going to fall off as she finished the theoretical section of the exam and began moving on to the speech section. Kurumi’s palms began sweating as she wrote. Why did they have to make a speech? She was terrible at public speaking and deathly afraid of having her ideas or thoughts put down by others – something she had had to endure all her childhood. Her voice had essentially been taken away in her muggle school and she was just now rediscovering it here at Hogwarts. While this was a good thing and she felt that of all the professors Professor Markovic was probably the one she got along with the best – partly in thanks to their mutual love of cookies – she still could not help like her stomach was turning in circles with no less than one thousand butterflies beating their wings. She looked back over her theoretical section for some sort of hint as to what her speech should be about when her eyes fell upon the section where she had written about a particular rune and had even put a little of her own story into it.

Hm…was she really ready to put all that out there for everyone to hear – especially cookie hater who seemed to just stare at everyone with her spooky eyes? Maybe, this was the rune’s way of helping her? Yes, she would think of it that way. Finishing the last section of her speech, Kurumi nervously made her way to the podium and stood there just looking out at everyone for a few moments like a deer caught in the headlights and her face probably turning a shade of purple from the lack of oxygen. Breathe! she commanded herself. The color returning to her face, Kurumi managed a weak smile as she made eye contact with her audience.

“I-I-I-In Japan, we have a saying,” she started trying not to show the shakiness in her voice. “…it goes stumbling seven times but recovering eight. It means that perseverance is better than defeat. My mother used to tell me this everyday of my life before I came to Hogwarts, but I never really found the strength in myself to be able to do so. We all come to a crossroad or what seems to be a dead end in our lives and we feel helpless…lost…despair…fear… I think it is the darkness in my past that draws me towards a particular rune. This rune is the thirteenth rune, Eihwaz.”

Kurumi paused for a moment and was happy to hear that her voice had steadied itself out during her little introduction. Perhaps she would be able to get through the rest of the speech without making too much of a fool of herself! “Referred to as the Rune of Defence, Eihwaz is the symbol of rune magic. It is the axis around which everything revolves. It not only contains the mysteries of life, but also of death. It is a life giving force. A rune that provides adversity.”

Kurumi now found herself with a smile on her face as she continued.

“The rune’s name translates to yew, which is a tree that has been mistakenly with death because of the ancient practice of planting yew hedges around graveyards. It is also runic number thirteen, which is considered an unlucky number. However, the real reason that the yew tree was planted around graveyards was to keep wild animals away. Yew is both poisonous and impenetrable year-round making it not something that is a symbol of death, but rather a sign of protection. Furthermore, the yew tree is primary source for an ingredient in cancer treatment making this a perfect example of the power of Eihwaz’s ability to synthesize salvation from poison.”

She paused for a moment to let that last thought sink in before she continued.

“As I mentioned, this run is often associated with death, but it is never a negative and always positive. Eihwaz reminds us that there is always a new beginning and a fresh start that can only come after some part of our life has died off. This could be the death of a loved one, the end of something pinnacle in our lives, or when we at a crossroads in our life and need to find our way. Eihwaz encourages us to embrace change and make the best of all the opportunities presented to us. It also tells us to stay alert to what is happening in the now and to be prepared to defend out position.”

Kurumi smiled as she came to the conclusion of her speech.
“At times I experience hardship in trying to find the proper point of balance between traditional things and my own personality. Eihwaz tells me that now is the time for transformation, a time to let go of my past and embrace my new life waiting for me at my fingertips. The only constant is change, and quick progress requires an acceptance of change, not resistance to it. I think we can all learn something from Eihwaz. It’s magical properties have certainly helped and inspired me. Thank you.”

Kurumi bowed deeply before picking up her parchment. She then stood there wondering what to do next. Did she wait for questions? Was she allowed to leave the spotlight and return to her seat to listen to everyone else? At least, she had cleared one more hurtle in her life. She had gotten through a public speech without having her classmates throw food at her.