Cozy Christmas Crafting Errand PV Closed

Aaron Jones had not yet met the new school librarian - Miss Finley - but he had been quick to sign up for the Secret Santa event she was hosting. It was such a great idea! He remembered back in muggle school before Hogwarts that some of his teachers would organize classwide exchanges like this. He wasn't the most creative gift-giver, usually getting help from his parents, so this time would be a bit more of a challenge. He was at Hogwarts now and couldn't bring home the name of his assigned person and have his parents do all the work. This time, he had to so a little digging of his own.

Of course, the note with the name of his person had come with some basic information about them, and he actually felt an instant connection to the name on the note because of what they did here at Hogwarts. And so, the idea for a gift had not been that hard after all. He knew exactly what to make, and he had owled home for the instructions.

With those instructions now in hand, Aaron made his way to the library where all the crafting would take place. The library was not a place he visited often, but it wasn't hard to see the corner of the huge room that had been dedicated to crafting this month. He made his way over to the tables with all the markers, crafting papers, and more. There were even googly eyes! The thought of adding googly eyes to his creation put a huge smile on Aaron's face, but he knew that wouldn't work for what he wanted to make.

Instead, the second-year Hufflepuff boy grabbed a few sheets of yellow paper, a red marker, and then a lot of different colored threads. He also found some wire that would come in handy. With these supplies loaded into his arms, Aaron Jones then looked around for a place to setup his crafting station. He saw plenty of familiar Hufflepuff faces participating in this errand, but he actually wanted- Oh, there! The green cashmere helped him recognize a Slytherin in the crowd. Ileen Knight. He recognized her from classes (he had an incredible memory for names and faces), and the fact that she was often seen around with his Ravenclaw friend Dealla. Despite knowing of her, he didn't think they had ever had a proper conversation just the two of them. Now was as good a time as any!

Supplies still in hand, Aaron made his way over to the little corner she had setup in. "Ileen, right? I'm Aaron, a Hufflepuff in your year. Mind if I join you?" he asked, his huge signature smile on his face. Much like her, he was sporting his own house's colors today so perhaps mentioning his house hadn't been necessary. Wearing his black uniform pants and a cozy yellow turtleneck sweater (it was cold in the castle lately!), he looked like the epitome of a Hufflepuff.

Word Count: 500/1000
Operation: Secret Santa

@Ileen Knight

Ileen thoughtfully chewed on her lower lip and eyed the materials which she had spread out in front of her. She took a deep breath and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes before scratching her nose. She would certainly need more than one attempt to complete her work. Maybe she should have copied the instructions…
She pulled the first paper towards her and clenched her teeth. With a frown and a concentrated expression, she folded the first edge. With a few more moves, she had finished her first attempt. And that's exactly what it looked like. Hardly to recognize what it should be. Just as she tilted her head and looked at the sad object with her eyes narrowed to slits, something unexpected happened. Someone approached her and actually said her name - someone whose voice she had never heard addressed to her personally before. That was odd. A friendly approach from a fellow student she wasn’t friends with so far.

Blinking in confusion she looked up and met the dark eyes from one of her classmates. A broad grin adorned his face and in his arms he carried crafting items, a smile she reflexively returned. She knew the boy - he was one of the few people who didn’t seem troublesome or stupid. How had she not talked to him so far?
“No, of course. Please join.” She pointed at the chair and pushed her things to the side to make a little space for him. Her smile deepend and painted little dimples on her cheeks. “And yes. I'm Ileen. Nice to meet you. You are Aaron, right?” She had let her interest in her classmates slide incredibly last year, but at the beginning of this year she had picked it up again. As an aspiring healer and with her motivation to have a good influence on this school it was necessary to get to know the people. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to find out which of them was actually worth helping. But her guts told her that Aaron was one of the good people so she couldn’t be happier to share her table with him.

If the boy sat down Ileen would take the next blue paper and perform her second try. This time it was actually somewhat recognizable. She put the figure on her flat hand and held it in front of her eyes with a critical look. Then she held out the four-legged animal to the Hufflepuff boy and gave him a pained smile. It was supposed to be a blue cat - just as the one Dee’s family owned. But the origami cat had, thanks to her folding skills, a big and a small ear and somewhat crooked legs. “Can you tell what that’s supposed to be? And be honest. It should make someone happy and not scream.” She chuckled and slightly shook her head. Poor Dealla. There were so many gifted people in this school - just to be clear - when it came to crafting. Ileen was a good baker and good climber, but not gifted with crafting.

Her dark brown eyes glided to the stuff he brought. “What do you want to craft? Do you know the person you got?” With a groan she crossed her arms on the table and let her head drop on them. “Merlin. Why did I choose to participate in this? The poor person who gets my crappy gift.” She was not trying to arouse sympathy, no, she was completely serious and this was written all over her face - something the boy couldn’t see since she pressed it into the table, her dark brown hair additionally spread over it like a curtain.

Interacting with | @Aaron Jones

Wordcount | 433 + 613 = 1.046

"Thank you!" Aaron said, taking the seat across from Ileen when she agreed to his request to join her. "Yep, Aaron Jones to be exact. Nice to meet you as well," he continued smiling as he laid out all of his supplies for the crafting to come. Arts and crafts were not his strong suit - that was much more his sister's area of expertise, or someone like Willow - but he would do his best! And the help he had requested from his mother would surely help. Speaking of, he unfolded the letter that he had received from his mother. If Ileen took a look, she would likely not recognize any of it - his mother had a habit of writing entirely in Korean to keep Aaron from getting rusty with the language.

Aaron grabbed the piece of yellow construction paper and some scissors, cutting a much thinner rectangular shape. "You know, I've heard nasty rumors about Slytherins before - that you guys are mean-spirited and evil just because some of the alumni have turned out that way - but all of the Slytherins I've met have been pretty kind! I think your house has an unfair reputation," Aaron said as he worked, wanting to keep conversation flowing. He did not consider that perhaps this would offend the girl sitting across from him, mainly because he was not saying this to upset her. He was trying to make a positive observation of her house. "I got a Slytherin for my secret santa assignment, and I bet she'll like this good-luck charm! Well - it's also meant to be a sorta bookmark," Perhaps he was being too ambitious with this idea? As he grabbed a red marker, though, he decided that he would stick to the plan.

The rectangular yellow piece of paper he would now write on in Korean. Good luck phrases mostly, not that Ileen would likely know that, unless she used the context of him saying it was meant to be a good-luck charm. In one corner, he even drew what was meant to be a wand with sparks coming out of it. In the end, it was very much a labor of crooked lettering and running out of space but it was the best he could do really. And the next part would be harder still. For now, he used a hole-punch to create a tiny hole at the top of the bookmark.

"Hm?" Aaron lifted his head from the bujeok (Korean talisman) that he was creating, and he looked at the origami that Ileen was holding out for him to look at. "It's a cat, isn't it?" he said with a crooked grin. And the only reason he knew that is because it looked a lot like his own attempts at origami cats. "My sister likes origami, so I've tried my hand at cats before," he explained. "They're pretty tough," he acknowledged, before turning his attention back to the second part of his gift.

Next up was his attempt at a Slytherin-themed norigae to attach to the top of the bookmark. He gathered a bunch of black-and-green thread and bundled them all together to act like a sort of tassel, then he used the wire and wrapped it around one end of the bundle to hold it all together. He only knew how to do this - again, because of his little sister. He didn't know if using a norigae as a bookmark tassel was a normal thing to do - so maybe he should just call it a tassel, but either way, he tied the end of it to the hole in the bookmark and declared his crafting attempt finished!

"I do not know them personally, no. But I hear they are a duellist, so a good-luck charm seems like a good gift," he reasoned with a beaming smile. But Ileen wouldn't have seen it, he noticed, because her head was now resting against the table. Perhaps she was feeling defeated by the crafting portion of the gift - and maybe he could offer an alternative that might suit her better. "I'd like to deliver this present with a library book on duelling! Want to help me find one?" he asked, figuring this would be an opportunity to walk around the library rather than feeling miserable in their little crafting corner. "Maybe we could find a book on cats for you to lend to your assignment with the origami," he offered as an idea.

Word Count: 500 + 741 = 1241/1000
Bookmark design
Tassel inspiration

@Ileen Knight

As the Hufflepuff boy addressed the topic of 'prejudice against Slytherins', Ileen's eyebrows went up. She was immediately torn. On the one hand, she could only agree with these rumors, on the other hand, it always annoyed her when someone brought up this topic. She always had the feeling of being ashamed or angry for ending up in this House. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to take a neutral approach.
“Well, I’m pretty sure you haven’t met many of us, right? Because I got a totally different impression and I am part of Slytherin. Practically an insider with backstage information. And the bookmark is a sweet idea, though I am not sure if the person receiving it actually deserves it.” That was the most diplomatic formulation she could provide in this situation.
However, she clenched her teeth and an attentive observer could certainly see how her jaw muscles tightened. A shadow slid across her face and her eyes grew cold. With a clearing of her throat, she shook her head and pushed these thoughts away. “Anyway, normally I don’t listen to rumors. I think everyone has the potential to fit in every House. I do not appreciate this forced separation at all.”
Trying to get over the Slytherin situation, she just babbled on without paying attention to the fact that she was sharing her most intimate thoughts with an almost complete stranger. The new spirit of direct and honest communication brought her good and bad this year.


Ileen raised her head from the table, looked at the poor injured and crooked cat and back at the boy. “Wooow. Now I feel sorry for the cat you’ve met to recognize this one.” She shook her head and brushed a loose strand of her dark brown hair from her eyes. Then she leaned on the table and tapped her finger against her chin in an exaggeratedly thoughtful manner. “Do you think that it’s cheating if I ask for your help?” She already stood up during her question to support Aaron and look for a new book.
“Oh, a duelist? I’m in the dueling team as well, and in this case I have to withdraw my statement from before. Almost every decent person in Slytherin is in the dueling team. And luck is very useful.” While pushing back her chair, she glanced at the charm. "Which language is that? I know it's Asian, but I'm not that familiar with it." Her face began to glow and a smile appeared on her lips. She was always happy to meet someone who perhaps also had roots in another country, like herself. Then she felt less alone.

@Aaron Jones

When Ileen told Aaron that she assumed he hadn't met many of them, a contemplative look overcame him. How many Slytherins did he know? Santario was probably the Slytherin he interacted most with, and he had planned the Secret Blossom Ball with Opeila. He'd done an errand with one of their Prefects - Nico Shymane - and had met another Slytherin boy during that errand. Dmitri Jones. Well, those two had fought a lot during the errand, but they hadn't seemed necessarily unkind or evil. But Ileen seemed to think his belief in her housemates was misplaced. That was sad to hear.

He looked up at her in time to see her shake her head, as if clearing herself of unpleasant thoughts. Aaron tilted his head ever so slightly, but put on a smile and nodded in agreement not to listen to unpleasant rumors.

Aaron laughed when she made the comment about recognizing her cat figure. "Yeah, origami is not my strong suit," he explained, grinning as she lifted her head and seemed to gain a bit more energy. "Pretty sure if I helped you, it would end up looking like a cat that got run over by a truck," Aaron chuckled, thinking of a flattened piece of paper.

Ileen seemed to be on board for finding a book with him, so once she was on her feet, Aaron started leading the way into the library stacks. He was distracted enough by the conversation to not realize that he had absolutely zero clue where the duelling books would be, and ended up leading them into the stacks that had to do with Astronomy. "Well a lot of the Slytherins I've met are on the duelling team, now that I think about it!" Aaron realized, eyes lighting up at the realization. Since she liked the duellists, he added a comment about who he was referring to, "Like Opeila and Santario!" Both of them were in second year, so she had to know of them just from classes and dorms, too.

When she asked what the language was, Aaron looked down at the bookmark in his hand. "It's Korean," he said proudly, raising his eyes again to look at Ileen. "I'm half, my mom's side," he explained, noticing the way her expression had seemed to light up. His head tilted slightly. "Are you Asian as well?" he wondered, trying to figure out why she was smiling. Of course, he was smiling as well now even if he didn't know why.

@Ileen Knight

Ileen raised her eyebrows and looked back down a little desperately at her folding attempt. “Yeah, it’s obviously not my strong suit either. But well, it’s the thought that counts.” She shrugged and eyed the googly eyes. Maybe she should just put them on the cat and then it would look cute anyway. And hopefully make Dee smile… That was the most important thing after all.
She chuckled as he pointed out the possible results of his help. “Well, I guess the poor cat is already disabled enough. Probably we should try not to make it worse.”
Her grin widened and her eyes formed into glittering half moons. This was new. The boy's company was not at all unpleasant for her. On the contrary. She even felt really comfortable

Ileen tilted her head and gifted Aaron with a genuine smile. It was hard for her to hide how exciting she found it when her classmates brought a different cultural background, like she did. The interest was clearly written on her face. "Oh, that's exciting. Did you grow up there?" She couldn't hold back the questions, and when he asked her if she was also from Asia as well, a slight giggle escaped her. She had dark hair and eyes, maybe that’s why he suspected that.
“No, I was actually born here. But I grew up in New Zealand. I spent most of my childhood there.” A trace of melancholy crept into her voice and she bit her lower lip. Sometimes she missed her home very much. Her eyes gilded back to the Hufflepuff boy. She wondered if he felt the same.

“So, you want a book that’s helping for dueling? How about Jinxes for the Jinxed? There are some useful spells and tips in there.” She had read that book herself since it had been a gift for her last birthday.

Interacting with | @Aaron Jones

"It is the thought that counts," Aaron assured Ileen, nodding along with his words. It was a sentiment that he believed wholehearedly, considering he wasn't all that great at presents and grand gestures. His mother always told him this saying because just putting effort behind something made things a lot better even if they aren't perfectly executed, and Aaron agreed. He often tried to bring his friends and family joy even if he knew his methods were not always the best or most perfect.

Their stroll along the library stacks felt pleasant as they conversed. "Oh, well- No, actually. I was born and raised in Wales," Aaron said, feeling a little like he was underwhelming her with this fact. It seemed like she'd been really excited thinking he had actually been born and raised in Korea. "But! I do visit my grandparents there almost every year, and sometimes we spend almost the whole summer there," Aaron said, hoping this fact would keep the girl from being disappointed.

When she spoke of growing up in New Zealand, it was Aaron's turn to be excited by the idea. "That's really cool!" Aaron complimented, his brown eyes lighting up in interest. "It's near Australia, right?" he asked. "Does your family live here in the UK now, or do you still live in New Zealand?" He had no idea how Hogwarts worked in regards to how people raised in other countries got admitted into the school, or if there were special cases and such. He was just curious where Ileen went home to during the summers.

As they walked along the library stacks, Aaron began to realize they were really nowhere near the duelling books. Unless duelling was somewhere near all these Astronomy books. As Ileen named a book that Aaron could use to deliver his gift, he looked over to her. "That sounds great... do you actually know where the duelling section is? I think I led us in the wrong direction," he admitted, offering a slightly chagrined smile at the mixup.

@Ileen Knight

Interested Ileen fixed her eyes on the boy once more. “I heard Wales has some pretty amazing cities at the sea and some great hiking areas.” She loved hearing about other people's experiences and childhoods. And having grandparents on a different continent was for sure something special. Biting her tongue not to immediately drown Aaron in a bunch of questions, she slightly blushed and bit her lower lip. A soft smile was tugging on the corners of her mouth and she gave him another look. “And visiting your family there sounds pretty amazing. Do you have a favorite place to be?”

The smile slipped from her face as he returned similar questions to her. It had been her own fault, she had started it. She had forgotten about the pain that this topic conjured. Trying not to give away that she was struggling, she quickly turned to one of the shelves and pretended to study the titles of the books there. Like this she was probably able to hide her face from him. “That’s a good question. I am actually not quite sure. I think we moved back to the UK for three years and now back to New Zealand?” She got up with the voice at the end of her last statement, making it sound like a question. It was a question. Where did she live at the moment? Did she even have something like a home besides Hogwarts? Probably not. Her parents had abandoned her and returned to New Zealand without bringing her. So that was not her home now. But they for sure also sold the apartment in London, so she had no home there either…
With a slight shake of her head she let the thoughts slip and turned back to Aaron, a smile on her face again. “New Zealand is amazing though. If you ever have time I can totally recommend going there.” She truly did. She loved this place so much and she would go back there when she was old enough to travel by herself. She missed it.

Glad about the change of topic, she looked around and a soft giggle escaped her. Since she had worked hard for becoming a healer, becoming a great duelist and looking for information about the last wizard war, she had spent more time here than most other students. She hadn’t paid attention and just followed Aaron, but now she realized that they were on the opposite side of the library.
“I do, indeed.” She pointed over her shoulder. “That way, come on. Let me escort you there.”

Interacting with | @Aaron Jones

"Yeah, I live in Cardiff - it's the capital of Wales - and we are right by the water," Aaron confirmed with a smile. "I dunno about hiking trails though - we don't really do hiking," he added thoughtfully. Did her family go hiking together? The most he and his family had done in relation was go camping once, but the outdoors weren't really his parents' cup of tea.

"My grandparents live in a really small village, and that's normally where we end up, but sometimes we go to the cities which are way more exciting. But their farm is still really nice," Aaron explained. He couldn't really say he had a favorite place in Korea, considering he didn't fully remember some of the trips there, and the fact that they didn't usually visit the same place twice (his grandparents' house being the exception). It was a big country, and he'd really only been to a small portion of it.

Ileen turned to look at some books when he asked about New Zealand, so Aaron looked at the books on his side of the aisle. It was abundantly clear to him from all the Astronomy books that they were in the wrong area, but Ileen answered about her home before he could mention it. He turned back to look at her as she spoke, and his head inadvertently tilted in a slightly questioning look when she gave her answer. Did she not know when she had moved? Or if she had moved? That was odd, but she soon looked at him with a smile and said New Zealand was amazing. He automatically returned the smile and nodded, not digging into her uncertainty from moments ago.

That's when he pointed out they were in the wrong area, and Ileen giggled in response. As she began to lead the way back to the correct area of the library, Aaron fell into step beside her. It wasn't long before they were in the right place and Ileen located the book she had mentioned. Jinxes for the Jinxed.

"Thanks again for the suggestion! This is great!" Aaron said, beaming as he took the book and placed his self-crafted bookmark in the front cover. He would submit this to the librarian, and ask if it could be checked out in his secret santa's name. Satisfied with his finished gift, he looked again at Ileen. "Is there anything else you wanted before we turn these in? Like a book on cats or something?" If so, he would help her find it. If not, they could go turn in their gifts to Ms Finley.

@Ileen Knight