Happy Birthday, Winnie Harper Filled

Winnie Harper's eyes were often glazed over, lost within her daydreams, dreams that she would revisit again each time she blinked. They once held whispers of love, the unrealistic sort. Back then, the world was no more than a canvas of possibilities to Winnie, for it was her imagination that created them, made them her own, and gave them shape, form, and a colour. Lately she had started to paint that canvas, a picture of what the future would hold for her. She no longer dreamt of nameless boys smiling at her and confessing their undying love, she now dreamt about the boy who brought her into the sunlight, into a world of possibilities, a world where she felt like she belonged. They were now all dreams of one person. A mere mention of the boy could make her heart flutter. It was for this reason, @Mathias Pride's entrance would make Winnie perk up instantly. A dreamy smile crossed her features as she watched the boy cross the Great Hall to make his way towards Winnie.

"Hello Mattie~." She greeted him with a voice that carried a soft tune. He was likely used to it by now, considering it was the same way she greeted him every day as she accompanied him to class. Her eyes widened at the sight of the large bundle of flowers. "Oh, thank you. They are gorgeous. Such a beautiful array of colours too. They're perfect for Autumn." She gushed as she gladly accepted the gift, her fingers carefully brushing over the soft petals of a tiger lily flower before leaning in to take in the various scents. "Hello lovelies." Yes, she was talking to the flowers. "You all will make wonderful painting models."

"I seem to have beaten the crowd or is all of this for me? I suppose I should count myself lucky, I probably won't be able to get near you in a few minutes."

Admittedly she would not have minded getting to spend the day alone with Mathias. She had definitely thought about it, the two of them reading at the edge of the lake, but the opportunity that had presented itself was one she could not pass up, even if a part of her was regretting it. "Um, it can be just the two of us later..." She suggested with a sheepish smile, reaching across the table to try and take his hand. "You look really handsome today." He usually did, he was such a snazzy dresser, and the way he had carefully gelled his perfectly coiffed hair made him look rather dapper.

She curiously poked at the long gift box he had placed at the table. "Can I open it...?" She didn't like the thought of everyone staring at her while she opened her gifts and would rather simply open them as people arrived. She was also an impatient girl, curious to a fault really, and could not resist the allure of a box with unknown contents.

Enter @Santario Martin, Winnie's new close friend. The two had shared a heart-to-heart just days prior. Excitement gripped her throat as the girl approached, looking lovely as per usual.

“Happy Birthday, Winnie! Thank you for inviting me!”

"Thank you for coming, San!" She raised her hand off of the present to wave at the Slytherin girl. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the glittery bag she carried with her. So she liked shiny things, there was nothing wrong with that. Glitter was meant to catch one's attention, after all. If San offered the gift bag to her, should accept it and carefully open it. Her eyes lit up when she withdrew a silvery ring that was formed into the shape of a pterodactyl. "Wow... I love it!" She did, it was perfect and it symbolized an inside joke between the two of them! She slid the ring onto her right ring finger. "Look, Mattie, isn't it cool?" She would turn her hand to show the friendship ring to her boyfriend.

A boy, @Cody Stevenson, entered the room. He looked younger and she did not recognize him from any of her classes. She would have guessed he was a first year, but Winnie also held her breath when he entered, silently wondering if this boy could be one of her lost friends.

"Happy Birthday, dear uh- I'm afraid I don't know you. I hope you don't mind if I call you Ma'am for the time being?"

Well, she had hope he was one, at least until he simply picked up a cupcake and asked if he could call her ma'me. Ma'me? She was 13, not 40!

Oh, I forgot to ask. What's your name, and your new age? I think my family, when I gained in age each year, playfully tackled me. But, its mainly just my mom, dad, and twin brother."

"M-My name is Winnie Harper and I'm 13. Please don't tackle me..." She offered him a nervous laugh at the comment about his family tradition. "Take as many cupcakes as you'd like." Just don't tackle me. She almost whispered, but it seemed the boy had gotten the memo and would soon start to exit the room, cupcake in hand.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, @Evelynn Decipio, was another friendly face that the Ravenclaw was happy to see. Despite only meeting her during the bonfire, she had made quite the impression on Winnie and she had seen inviting her as an opportunity to get to know the girl better. She arrived wearing a rather interesting asymmetrical piece. It suited her well, Winnie just did not know anything about fashion other than that she seemed to enjoy wearing pieces that looked as if they came straight out of cartoons.

"Miss Harper. You look positively delightful."

When Evelynn complimented her a soft blush burned onto her cheeks at the compliment, "T-Thank you, it's so nice to see you again. That dress really compliments you." She wasn't entirely certain what that comment meant but she had heard it said on the fashion shows her mother watched, so she figured it would mean a lot to the Gryffindor Quidditch player. "I know it must have seemed sudden, but... I wanted to get the chance to know each other better before we face off on the field." She admitted, silently eyeing the gift bag Evelynn had placed on the table. Yes, she wanted to open it up as well, wanted to know what the fashionable girl had brought her as a gift. Winnie wasn't really expecting presents from anyone other than Mathias, so she would be happy with anything.

"A most happy of birthdays, and may God bless you for many more."

She grew flustered when the redhead kissed the air near her cheeks, missing the queue on the first cheek but returning the second. "O-Of course! You too!" The Ravenclaw would ramble, unaware that what she said made little to no sense .

Another new friend of hers, @Willow Anderson, had thankfully made it to her party. The two had shared an instant bond of sorts when they had bumped into each other in the Room of Requirement. They had both needed comfort, Winnie after dealing with her broken friendship with Jack, and Willow who was going through growing pains of her own. The universe never seemed to be kind to teenagers, but that was especially true for those who attended Hogwarts.

If she had not been seated next to a mountain of cupcakes, she could have sworn that the sickly sweet scent that drifted and wafted over the hall belonged to her. Willow happened to enter wearing one of the cutest little outfits Winnie had ever seen, complete with a golden star belt. The girl needed no help casted a light and seemed to shimmer and shine all on her own. Still, hers was an outfit that Winnie herself would definitely wear. Yes, she and the Hufflepuff had a lot in common. It left one to wonder why the two hadn't found each other before this September.

"Winnie this looks amazing! Happy birthday!"

Winnie was more than happy to accept the hug from the blonde, who happened to be her exact height. Her eyes would glance towards the present she had set on the table as her curious nature reeled her in. "Thank you, Willow! I'm so glad you could make it. Do you... Mind if I open your gift?" She asked with a small smile.

Peotry boy! Erm, @Leonard Oaksworth, that was. Winnie had not been certain the paradox of a boy would be in attendance, as their particular interaction near the Great Lake had been unique. In her defense, Winnie had only recently learned she was being poisoned, the memories of the spring she had spent at Hogwarts stolen away by a certain jealous second-year boy. Still, there was a fondness in her voice when she greeted the older Slytherin.

"Leonard, you made it!" Dressed in a starkly pressed suit at that. Leonard's wardrobe was one that could possibly rival Mathias' own. She had never seen the boy with a single hair out of place, the soft curls swept out of his face and held so securely that she was tempted to reach out and ruffle his hair, if only to break him away from having to look so obsessively perfect. It was probably a good thing the two had not met the year prior, as the Ravenclaw had often danced around the grounds sporting grass-stained dresses, with flowers weaved through her hair. Polar opposites, the two had such contrasting personalities that their friendship was somehow both humorous and precious all at once.

Winnie would argue that despite his appearance, Leonard possessed a hidden kindness that she had discovered when the boy had listened to her poetry. Never mind the fact that it had been practically forced onto him, but he had offered her a much needed escape during a time of crisis. Yes, in Winnie's eyes the boy possessed the warmth of a freshly baked pastry.

“The entirely errantly enigmatic smiles of afar,
The loveliest embodiment of all things bizarre,
Approached at the lake, and left with knowledge of a new star,
Peculiar and perfect, that is what you are.”

Winnie stared over at the Slytherin as he finished the poem he presumbly written, for her no doubt. Wait, a poem for her? Suddenly her face began to heat up, red and pink hues mixing as the shade reached her ears. "Oh... Leonard, that was so beautiful. You've been practicing! I can't believe you wrote me a poem, that's so sweet of you." No one had ever written prose for her, not that she could remember. More than that, he thought of her like star? That she was perfect? There was no time to unwrap all of that, however, because the boy's expression was quickly faltering. Well, that just wouldn't do! Winnie would offer him a beaming smile to show him how much she appreciated his gift. "It wasn't awful, it was the perfect retelling of our first meeting!"

It was then that the Ravenclaw realized that Leonard had brought her yet another gift. She blinked over at the boy, confusion mixing her features as she watched him open it himself. Hey, wasn't that her job? Still, she wasn't about to complain, because the boy was so careful about opening the packaging that she would not have even noticed it had been opened previously if he were to rewrap it then and there. Her eyes lit up upon the sight of the chocolate cake, which had been so intricately decorated that Winnie could not help but openly fawn over the offered sweets. "OH! That looks great!" She gasped, half tempted to slice the cake up and eat it then and there. Still, she would resist, knowing that it would provide the perfect treat later on. "Thank you so much! I hope I can visit one day."

Mr. Plaid (@Nicholas McCowan) would make his presence known with an attempt that was likely trying to prod at the ticking time bomb that was Winnie Harper's anger. Unfortunately for him, though, he would barely warrant a reaction.

“Happy birthday, Red.”

"Oh, hello there." A Gryffindor, he looked familiar so she was almost certain he had attended classes with her. He must have been a second year. "I don't believe we've met. My name is Winnie Harper, but 'Red' is a cute nickname so I don't really care if you keep using it." She offered the boy a small smile, suddenly delighted when she noticed he was enjoying the cupcakes. They were strawberry shortcake inspired, the same kind her mother made for her as a young child. "You can take more cake if you'd like!"

“You’re much better at baking than you are at public speaking, I’ll give you that. Thanks for the invite, yeah?”

She flushed at the compliment. The redhead was far too happy to care about any snide comments, nor would she even notice the underlying cruelty that accompanied his greeting, "Thank you, that means a lot to me! The recipe was created by my mother but I really wanted to try my hand at it. Oh... Yeah, heh... I'm not great at public speaking, it was a bit nerve wrecking so I was using my animal calling voice. Sorry if it was a bit loud." She chuckled to herself, it had been the same explanation Winnie had used when she and Santario had discussed her habit of shouting unusually loudly. She was trying to break the habit, but it was difficult to remind herself at times.

"Well, thanks again for the cake, sorry I didn't get the memo about it being dress-up, my dearest apologies."

"Oh! No worries at all, you look very nice. I like the plaid. It's practical and warm, perfect for Autumn!" She would assure the boy, not that he needed it. Even Winnie was known to wear plaid on cold winter mornings.

Winnie's room mate, @Aurora Ranvier, was the most interesting combination of adorable and terrifying. Perhaps one of the people she was closest to, the two would often cuddle up beneath the plush blankets the Crowned Eagle dorm provided.

Their friendship had been a bit strained after the trigger happy girl had sprayed both she and Mathias in the eyes with a canister of pepper spray. Winnie still remembered how it felt like her eyes themselves were on fire. Regardless of this, she had invited her friend to her birthday in hopes she would make amends with Mathias. This was also a public place, and she was unlikely to hit him with the spray twice with so many people around.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIEBERRY! These are for you!''

She would arrive to the party, her hair as bright as her cheerful demeanor. Winnie winked in surprise at Aurora's offered gift, which was pushed directly in her face. A slug canvas bag. A soft chuckle pressed past her lips; she could still remember the incident in the forbidden forest, and how she had been cleaning slug slime out of her hair for days afterwards. It was a fitting gift, and she would definitely use it during classes.

“I think I have to explain what I got for you right now because I might not be able to hear nor see anything after this because... If I see or hear your boy’s voice I will be very mad and I don’t want to ruin your day today.”

Winnie had no idea what that meant, but she could feel herself breaking into a cold sweat as her eyes flickered over to Matt's direction. "O-Okay, whatever you need to do." So much for the two making amends. "The bag is beautiful, Rori! I love it." She did, her friend was so creative and it was an honour to be on the receiving end of her gifts. She gasped when Aurora brought out the necklace, her fingers reaching up to gingerly touch it. "Oh... It's so lovely." She would definitely wear it, and often. Then was the jar of stars... The thought that went into the gift was lovely, and Winnie couldn't help but grow teary-eyed. "That is so incredibly kind of you, Rori... I love it." She would accept the jar and hug it against her chest.

It was truly fortunate that Aurora announced she was giving the pepper spray to Winnie as a gift, because otherwise she would have jumped up from her seat to try and dive in front of Matt again. "Oh... Well, thank you..." Hey, she could definitely use it if Levi decided to show up. She would also likely give one to Mathias. He had felt how much the spray had hurt, it would likely even take down Jack himself. Finally, it was with a nervous laugh that she accepted the last gift, "Well... There's actually something I need to tell you regarding that, but it came wait until later." Primarily that Matt had not been the one to poison her, despite Aurora's nonsensical ramblings, but instead the work had been done by nonother than Levi Drakos.

The very structure of the room around Winnie may as well have shifted when @Levi Drakos entered the Great Hall. Turned inside out at the sight of his smile. It was unfair how handsome the boy was, really. The nervous flutter in her chest should have only been caused by the fact that this boy was supposedly poisoning her food and was the cause of her lost memories. She should have screamed at the mere sight of him, and who could blame her for it? But instead everything in his path seemed to lean and tilt toward him, including Winnie. He was hunter, she was the hunted, a helpless rabbit trapped in tangled mess that Levi and Matt had weaved around her. Beneath their decided battle against each other she ceased to be a person and had become a war trophy.

Levi had even arrived dressed for war. In a pink shirt that matched the tone of her own, overlaid with a sheer mesh and carefully decorated with glimmering strawberries. "Oh no..." A whispered distress that only those closest to where she was sitting would hear, Matt and San. Her shoulder's tensed as he stepped closer to her. With each footstep she felt light headed, until the boy came to a stop in front of her and the room snapped back into place and ceased spinning.

“Bunny,”

His whispered greeting would send a cold shiver down her spine. Bunny? He had never called her that before. It was a nice nickname, but from Levi's lips it made her blush nervously. "Levi... H-Hello." Her voice shook as she greeted him.

“Happy birthday. I haven’t seen you in quite some time, I hope my being here doesn’t discomfort you. To be perfectly honest, I was unable to resist the chance to give this to you.”

"I... I've been busy with the start of school. I'm sorry." She was uncertain why she was apologizing to him, there was just something about the boy. As if he demanded her full attention. She wanted to point out that the two had never really spent much time together other than a day or two at summer camp, but she worried he would bring up the loss of her memories and confuse her. Conversations with Levi often left her feeling breathless and uncertain. It was for the best that she was with Mathias, with Santario, with the others who had shown up. She did reach towards the box, only to have it snatched from her grasp before she could grip the gift.

“Ah, never mind this wait, I can’t resist.”

She blinked in confusion as she watched the boy carefully open the gift that had been meant for her. It wasn't that she cared, but it seemed to keep happening to her! The dazzling sapphire pendent drew her in instantly. The colour seemed to match her own eyes, which grew wide in shock. She had never seen a necklace like this before. It was not the type that one wore around the farm while finishing up chores. It looked... Expensive. How could she accept such a gift, and from Levi? "Ohh... Levi, it's beautiful, but--..." Before she could state her discomfort with such a lavish gift, she was spun around. Levi would need to brush the long cascading curls out of the way as he clasped the necklace around her neck.

“This has been in my mother’s family for a few generations, my great-grandmother was also born in September.”

In his family? For several generations at that. Why would he casually give her a family heirloom? It made no sense to her, and she would give Matt a side stare as if to silent question him. He knew Levi better than she did. Either way, there was no way she could accept such a gift. "Levi, thank you very much, b-but this is too much, I can't accept a gift that has such sentimental value. S-Shouldn't you give it to someone who is important to you? Like a girlfriend or... A member of your family?" She questioned the Gryffindor, panic raising in her throat. What if he wanted it back and she ended up losing it? Before Winnie could protest further, the boy had slipped away from her without another word. She watched silently as he took a seat next to Willow, who was weaving an adorable flower crown. Yes, Willow, the cute older girl who could probably make boys love her with a glance. A girl who could make the sun be a little hotter and the shadows a little deeper She would have to keep an eye on the two of them as the night went on, as well as guard the cupcakes. She couldn't allow her new Hufflepuff friend to fall into Levi's claws.

The ladies would filter into the hall, drawn either by the confections on the table or the girl herself. He would take a small handful of cashews from a bag in his pocket and place them in his mouth while the girls made small talk. He recognized some, @Santario Martin from Vladimir's professed interest. He would avoid her he decided despite the polite appearance he maintained as she made her approach and made small talk with Winnie. "Thank you," Mathias replied with a shy smile. He did not add any unnecessary words but he would ensure that he was not seen as impolite.

Winnie would show off her prize -- a dinosaur ring. It was hideous in the Slytherin's opinion but Winnie loved it for whatever reason. How, ahem charming... "Loveliest ring I have ever seen," he lied as his mind went to what was in his pocket.

The flowers were an early focal point, which was intended. An excuse for some small talk as another girl came and commented also on the flowers. He recognized her as well, although the recognition was unlikely to be reciprocated. He knew her from the quidditch pitch, she was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. He was a fan, the girl had played brilliantly last year. his eyes lit up when she turned her attention to him. His slight expression cracked for but a moment as his smile widened. "Aware," he replied quickly as he met her extended hand. "You played brilliantly last year, congratulations." He gave the girl a vigorous handshake before he realized himself and let out a half laugh as he took back his hand and stuffed it in his pocket for safe keeping. "Sorry," he let out a nervous laugh. "A bit excitable, massive fan," he concluded as he took a step back before he embarrassed himself more.

Cody had invited himself, good on the first year. Winnie seemed to like crowds, the boy was just another thing that would make her happy. "A sugar rush is mandatory," he warned the first year, a service more to himself than the displaced Hufflepuff as he used the boy as a personal mental distraction as more ladies filed in.

He did not know Willow, that was a new face. She would give him a greeting, pulling him back into the fold of ladies. "Oh uh me?"Yes, him. No need to act awkward, a bit bookish. he was doing well enough on his own. She introduced herself as Willow, a third year Hufflepuff. Another non-pureblood. The only pureblood in the room besides himself was Martin. He would withdraw his hand when the girl extended his, another muggle handshake he would politely endure.

A young man he recognized from his dorms, Leonard. Mathias was left unaddressed as he decided to recite poetry to his girlfriend and then the offering of a confectionary. Seriously. He did not pay attention to the fact that he called her weird, he might have been a lover but he was not a poet!

He quietly, not jealous at all, stewed. He never said a word. He wanted to say something snarky at Leonard once the poem ended, an opportunity he would have otherwise taken had it not been for the audience and the opinion of his alleged paramour.

He did not know Nicholas personally, but he knew the boy's face. they were the same year, attended the same classes. He had never conversed with him, but Merlin the boy was an utter prat.

“You’re much better at baking than you are at public speaking, I’ll give you that. Thanks for the invite, yeah?”

An opportunity finally to say something, to release a bit of the pent up annoyance and frustration at someone. Winnie was a nice girl. An idiot, but very nice. "You're quite brave to wear that outfit," he would comment as he eyed Nicholas' attire. From his casual outfit to his, erm shoes. "My, those shoes do look comfortable. I just love how you do not care what other people think about you, absoluely admirable." He was a bit catty but without offense from Winnie who required something a bit more overt, his hopes were low that he would have an opportunity to adequately respond.

He of course would not be the low point of the party, that role was distinctly reserved for... A colorful oddity, she looked like she fell into a vat of Botts Every Flavor Beans as apart of her super villain origin story. “-If I see or hear your boy’s voice I will be very mad and I don’t want to ruin your day today.”

"See?" He sought verification. She could see his words now. The girl was weird on a good day, of course there were no good days involving her. There were some bloodlines that should die and she was a perfect example of which one and why. He would say nothing more as pedantic display of vacation curios, the sort of baubles and trinkets one would get for mildly inflated prices at some budget vacation site.

When she decided to blindfold herself and apply a pair of earmuffs, she would make a stubborn and foolish statement that he would take advantage of. "I should take her someplace?" Or did Winnie just want the girl to stay there blindfolded with a pair of earmuffs. She was the one making a spectacle of herself, but he was not above letting the girl take a long walk off a short pier in late September. Or more aptly, leading her to a random hall closet and blocking the door.

He would have too had it not been for the second year sex symbol himself, Levi Drakos. Strutting like some runway model in a gharrish design by a maddened designer. He cocked his head to the side, he felt shame FOR the Gryffindor as he laid his eyes upon the ridiculous outfit. "My Levi, that busy print really does wonders for your face," yes honey, it was distracting.

The blatant flirtations of the irrelevant and Winnie's loss of breath at the boy's presence was all the confirmation that the Slytherin needed. When Levi offered her the gift of some necklace, this overdone thing that was actually a popular (cheap) novelty in the 1990s for reasons he would not understand as he was not a muggle. Titanic anyone? The fate of the man that offered Rose that necklace fared no better Drakos. Winnie let Levi touch her with those filthy hands. He let out a breath of air he did not realize he was holding as his fingers drummed the tabletop.

Levi was not planning to leave, in spite of being unwelcome. He took a seat and started to lace a daisy crown as he made small talk with Winnie and had eyes for half of the other girls in the room. Once the boy shut his trap, an expression seemed to overcome his face that suggested neither happiness or sorrow. There was nothing there as his hand took one of the lovely cupcakes Winnie had produced. He had no intention of eating it, he did not eat food he could not fully source. Winnie was not an exception to this specific rule. No, he just wanted the spondy cake and the oh so sweet frosting. His other hand, it searched for one of the three offered Pepper Sprays. He would snatch one from the table and bring it to eye level and mouth neat.

"You should open my gift," the oblong box. Inside she would find a few old books, originals. The famed Beetle Bard Tales, ones he recalled as a child. The other another fantasy involving a girl with excessively long hair, a rather old book also as indicated by the worn bindings and the aged leather cover. "First editions, the both of them," he commented. Both incredibly rare. Both things that she would likely treasure. Beneath them, a soft shawl, the sort of creamy, soft cashmere material one would want to spend a cool, rainy day wrapped inside of while reading a book by a window sill. That was the image she painted for him, the same image he willfully supplied. All during this, he was walking towards Levi. Towards the back of his chair.

Three things would happen when he stood behind the boy. First, he kicked at the leg of the chair as hard as he could. He had no delusion he would have the physical power to break the leg, just shift the chair with the burden of a feather weight boy. Leave the chair off-balance. Second, the cupcake that he would smash (or attempt to) in Levi's smug face as he said "you should try Winnie's fantastic cooking." Finally, presuming his eyes would open, his hands would be occupied with the cupcake, Mathias would attempt to learn how to use the pepper spray Aurora so graciously supplied.

TLDR: Mathias is jealous, throwing minor shade at Nicholas and Levi. Might murder Aurora later. Attacking Levi. All successes are pending Levi's post.

Mentions @Winnie Harper, @Santario Martin and @Matt Pride

Arriving at a birthday party unannounced was almost cringe worthy, especially when the person had a natural distaste of you. Nonetheless, he wasn't there for celebrations, he was there to be a peacemaker for the event which was sure to raise tensions. Lately, Matt Pride had been targetted relentlessly for various reasons, so there was no hurt to check things out while gathering information on the two "lovebirds"

Entering the great hall on time, the prefect was clad in a smart black sweater and trousers that made it look like he made an effort despite the fact he wasn't invited. After swiftly rolling his sleeves up the boy made his way over to the table and glared at everyone who had arrived so far. The obvious two, Matt and Winnie were there in all of their glory. His suspicion about their relationship was still ever present, and considering how strange Pride was with pretty everyone his thoughts only got stronger by the day. On the other hand, a friendly face was already present at the party. San, who he had grown to admire in the past few months was busy introducing herself to everyone.

Making sure he was presentable he slowly walked up beside San and did a polite cough to gain her attention "Fancy seeing you hear San, I didn't know you and Winnie were that close" he remarked as he glared over to Winnie with a light smirk, providing a small nod if he gained her attention. It wouldn't be a surprise if she got mad for him being present, but considering what he did for her in the summer Winnie should at least cut him a bit of slack.

"Unlike you, I wasn't invited to this event. I'm simply here to watch over things, especially between Winnie and Matt" he said openly, his head looking around him for anything out of place "By any chance have you noticed anything strange with their relationship?" Gray asked in a lower tone this time "I don't really have time to explain now, but let's just say there's a lot of holes in their story"

Percival knew San didn't want to hear such drama at her new friends birthday party, but it was probably to mention it now rather than now "I have something to ask you later, preferably in private if you don't mind" Gray said as he looked at her, commending her choice in clothing for the occasion " And by the way, your style never fails to disappoint" Percival said with a nod, a rare genuine smile escaping his lips as he glared back at the other participants with a fold on his arms.

Open to interactions!

Mentions @Winnie Harper & @Willow Anderson
Interactions @Mathias Pride
shirt | gift | tl;dr below

Suspicions confirmed. After serenading the girl in the Rehearsal Room and reprising their song and mutual balladry over chocolate-covered strawberries with the pleasant, noon air of an August day, you’d expect an invitation to her birthday party that wasn’t shared with the rats and roaches scurrying along the floor, as though grime was their ice. If August was noon, then September was dusk, and under the blanket of the welling sky, Winnie had forgotten whatever love she was meant to give. Such an effortless process for her, inhale stupors and exhale ecstasy, but life locked that part of her heart away in an antiquated tower. Forsaken somewhere, working as a bookmark in Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty, and she’d never turn these pages again with Percematt scribbling his scripture along her flesh, with his nails, his teeth, whatever else.

She looked made of glass, standing before him with an airy, uncertain voice. Porcelain, chipped and blemished at her very edges, and her crystal eyes flickered in his ghastly rival’s direction. There was a rigor setting in her typically pliant collar, something their rhapsody never sung of, a tension between Levi and the spring blossoms that cast together to fabricate her shape. In a blink, the brunet’s façade would falter, revealing the frustration steaming beneath his ashen surface. Percematt had doubtlessly told Winnie a tale, woven from the various lies he told in two-hour intervals, a greater truth between their lines because if lying weren't his quiddity, they wouldn’t be here. Or he wouldn’t. Levi probably would be, standing behind Winnie solemnly as his fingers lingered over the silver chain a second longer than they could in this life, in this realm.

Mother could throw a lot of money on a girl she’d never met, hoping it would keep her son’s dreams of love alive amid files and birth certificates that disproved it. Of course, she didn’t know what her son did on the school’s time, how little he cared for the slit vein of love, how much he confused it for the raw pillar that was obsession, greed. The metal went to a girl with a boyfriend, dragging in filthy bouquets gathered from his pristine, pureblooded gardens; the metal went to a girl that deserved better. At the very least, she deserved better until the game went dull, and the mouse died, and there was nothing left to do but eat it and find another. The sapphire pendant was hardly a family heirloom, it’d been in their family for no more than a few days’ time, but a pretty penny dropped and that was enough to leave Winnie to stir in her confusion. It fit too well around that rickety neck to be taken away now.

It was a shame he was so simply amused, gazing thoughtfully at the girl with the cosmos in her blood as the stems of wildflowers plaited together. His fingers had wrapped around a bloom, twirling and spinning it between them, pensive memories of his own birthday bubbling up until once again enraptured by this stranger. Levi didn’t register Percematt’s presence until something hit the leg of his chair, jolting him to an angle only half-facing the grand table. A dessert, an embodiment of Winnie’s sweetness, slammed into him before there was time to move, the copperhead’s snarky remark drowned by Levi’s own yelp of surprise. Surprise, yes, but bewilderment, no—he’d gone over the possibility of an outburst when his skin brushed over Winnie’s. And not an ounce of disillusion.

“Well, someone is a little—WHATTHEHELL!” He’d made the mistake of trying to make eye contact with Percematt, reddened hands running down his shirt brushing the baked sugar to the floor where the infestations got their share of the party. An immediate burn hit him like a train; a match dropped into his eye-socket at the same time an indoor lightning bolt struck it with a loud clap of thunder, almost like the horns of victory. He fell from the wobbling chair to his knees, both cupcake-covered hands rushing up to eyes as a quick slurring of various syllables and consonants (words were a thing of the past) tumbled from his mouth in pained gasps. It took several beats for pleads for help to finally sound within the ramblings, and by that time, the scorching pain in his eyes had identified itself with a million flames—Aurora had to have given it to Percematt. She was in on it?

Ever the attentive boyfriend, @Mathias Pride would make small talk with the guests that approached him. Such a polite boy, really. He even had a cute smile that accompanied his chatter. She only hoped his kindness would not be his downfall in a society that tried to squish anything soft. Special, and in her eyes, that's what Mathias was.

"Loveliest ring I have ever seen."

Her smile holding, she would rub her finger over the silver pterodactyl. "It's San's nickname for me. Because apparently I was loud at the ball." She would tell him without offering any further explanation. One might worry the girl would find such a comment to be an insult, but Winnie was just happy to have a nickname. Besides, she did find the comparison to be funny. Sometimes she surprised herself with how loudly she could scream.

Winnie would notice Mathias' struggle not to fangirl on the spot over Evelynn, and she couldn't help but grin. In truth that was another reason she had invited the girl. She knew how fond her boyfriend was of the sport, and thought he would appreciate the opportunity to talk to the captain. While some girls may have been jealous, Winnie trusted the Slytherin completely. She also found his reaction to be endearing, and it only warmed her heart to see him so happy.

The party continued on, with more people approaching. It was wearing on the Ravenclaw's social meter. While she didn't mind crowds too much, she would need to recover after a party of this size. It was her own fault, really. She was starting to regret announcing the party in public. Still, no one had gotten hurt so that was a plus. Matt was also still by her side, and the sight of him put her at ease.

"I should take her someplace?"

She shook her head. "I don't think you would be the best person to guide her away from the party considering her thoughts on you." She really didn't want her boyfriend to get pepper sprayed again, especially during her birthday party. "If she gets to be too much I can take her back to the common room." She suggested, adding a small smile to show she appreciated the gesture/thought. How was she to know the boy had devious motives?

"My Levi, that busy print really does wonders for your face."

Winnie glanced down at her own attire at Mathias' comment. "Busy?" She echoed. She had thought the print was cute, but now she was self consciously questioning her choice. @Levi Drakos's arrival wearing a similar pattern only solidified her desire for a wardrobe change. The boy's taste in fashion was one that she admittedly usually admired. "Well... It's a nice shirt." Mostly because of the strawberries. The sequins were dazzling.

From the corner of her eye, Winnie spotted a certain prefect entering her party. Usually his appearance would be met with distain, but after the boy had helped her over the summer her dislike for him had faded a bit. Now his presence was almost welcome, especially with Levi lurking around the party. When @Percival Gray glanced her way she would offer him a nod in greeting, and then dart her eyes over towards Levi as if to say, 'he's here, keep an eye on him'.

"You should open my gift."

Mathias' suggestion drew Winnie back down to earth, where his warm sunshine would embrace her once more. Yes, she would just focus on Matt. They would get through this ordeal together. He must have noticed her unease, which is why he suggested she open a present. "Y-Yes, I'd love to." She had been eyeing it since the start of the party, and was content to sit down and pull the ribbon loose.

Inside was perhaps the most glorious sight Winnie had seen all day. Wizard fairytales. Her eyes grew large as she gingerly picked up the first book, her fingers running along the cover. "Oh... Oh Mattie, this is..." It was a throw back to their conversation in the hospital wing. Her lack of magical influence growing up. A fairytale book that wizarding parents had likely read to their kin as they lulled them to sleep. The cashmere shawl that would be perfect on cool rainy days topped the gift off, and the Ravenclaw was left breathless. "T-They're perfect, thank you so much..." Truly they were, the gift had touched her so deeply that her eyes were watering. She glanced up to smile at Mathias.

It was then that she saw him kick the chair out from beneath Levi. It all happened too fast for Winnie to properly react. A cupcake smashed into his mouth, and a cannister raised in the air. Could it be? No--... She glanced over to the where she had left the cans and gasped audibly, one was missing! Setting the book back into the gift box, she jumped to her feet. "Mattie, wait!" But it was too late. The substance had been sprayed, clouding Levi's beautiful hazel eyes and probably causing him a tremendous amount of pain. She could still remember her own experience. She would still rush to Mathias' side, try and grab his arm to guide him away from the now writhing boy. She had never seen the boy get... Physical before. It was confusing to see, and left Winnie's heart pounding against her chest in confusion.

☁ Interacting ☁
@Winnie Harper, @Mathias Pride, & @Levi Drakos

☁ Open to Interactions ☁

Willow was content, perfectly happy. Delicate fingers interlacing stems to encircle the galaxy at the top of her head. It was a place of peace. Willow gave Winnie permission, of course, to open her present just as soon as she asked. She would not be one to keep the birthday girl waiting, even though there were soon to be other things she had to attend to.

An unfamiliar face took a place next to her, which is the only thing that had broken her focus from her nearly complete circlet. As she raised her eyes to him she noticed that he was matching with Winnie, they must be close then. "Oh hi~ I do yeah. I used to make them a lot with my family." She nearly had to bite her tongue with the following sentence that threatened to slip out. She didn't need to let a stranger hold the grief of her grandmother with her. The burden was heavy on its own. "I'm Willow, I don't think we've met before?" It wasn't hard to not meet people. There were so many swarming in Hogwarts. In a hive of bees surely not every one could meet before they met their honey sweet end.

Introductions were quickly cut short as she could only bear witness to what happened next. A tilt of the head from Willow as Levi mentioned someone being... something. Then he yelled as Winnie's boyfriend shoved a cupcake in his face then quickly pepper sprayed him. Her face dropped in horror as she witnessed it. "Oi! What are you-" Her eyes quickly scanned the table for things that might be useful. Thank the Goddess that her parents taught her all about this stuff for when they went camping in case things went wrong. She found a jug of water and hoisted the mumbling mess of a boy next to her by his arm away from the air of pepper spray. Willow wasn't strong by any means, but it was like she had those early mother bear instincts when people were hurt. It was why she applied for the healing internship.

She let the boy presumably fall back to the floor as she prepared to wash his eyes out. "Hi, we just met. Its Willow. I'm going to need you to open your eyes, and its going to be cold but this is going to help." She gently took her hand to tilt his head back. Her voice soft and calming as her mother would do when she was hurt. "You're going to be ok, I promise." As gently as she could poured the water into his eyes while trying to wash off any around the perimeter of his eyes. "Now I need you to blink a bunch, okay? This is gonna help get all of that out." She placed the now empty jug of water beside her as she took the wand from her pocket. "Scourgify." It would be no use if his hands and closed were all mussed up in addition. While she couldn't use the soapy spell on his literal eyeballs, it worked elsewhere.

Her hands held his firmly. "You're doing really great! You can't rub your eyes, so I'm just gonna hold them so you don't forget ok? Just keep blinking it all out." She looked over to Winnie, raising an eyebrow in a 'What the hell just happened?' gesture. The young badger had no idea who either of these two were, and obviously Levi and Winnie were close since they were matching. So who the hell did Matt think he was to attack Levi like that? On Winnie's birthday no less.

Permission granted from Winnie for there to be water.
Permission granted from Levi to move him around and help.
Rolled a d20 for Scourgify, [d20:2] + 10 = 12
There's no official DC but that feels like a success.

☁ Presents ☁

Reducio

The bracelet is blue with bronze flowers

☁ Outfit Reference ☁

Reducio

Hair changed using the Color Changing Charm
It is also a couple inches past her shoulders

Juniper loved parties, this meant social events in general. People, that was always fun, for people were interesting. You could mess with them and tease them and make them laugh, and make friends with them. However, if you were to ask Juniper the best part about parties, she wouldn't hesitate to say the snacks. Parties always had the best snacks, it was a fact. So when a Ravenclaw had openly invited everyone to a birthday party, Juniper knew she just had to go.
Not only was she a fellow Ravenclaw, but snacks! Juniper knew that since the girl was inviting everyone, there had to be good snacks. She had crammed her meal into her face hastily then, and ran to her dorm to find something to give to the girl she did not know.

Recalling a picture of the girl, she tried to think about what the girl would like. She found, however, looks don't tell much. Juniper finally decided on making a sock bunny, she's always loved those. "SOCK BUNNY perfect!" She had declared, probably scaring every poor person in that room. Despite her chaotic nature, when it came to sewing, she had careful hands.

She had grabbed some pink fluffy socks and got to work, humming the tune to the chicken dance the whole time. her outfit was thrown together (except the hat, sunglasses, and jewelry) with a carefulness only Juniper had. She didn't want to be fancy, she WANTED to be casual. Instead of fancy necklaces, she wore a rainbow bead, handcrafted, one.

She skipped down the hall to where the party was to be and was already imagining cake with chocolate frosting, rainbow sprinkles.. but no. She shouldn't get ahead of herself. She had no idea what kind of treats there would be!

Holding her sock bunny in her hand, she made a beeline to where a crowd of kids had formed. The call had caught a lot of attention, it seemed, and the birthday girl was sure to get many gifts. Juniper walked around all the people who were much taller than her. "EXCUSE MOI THANK YOU THANK YOU" She said, ducking under arms.

she headed to the redhead who had invited everyone. "HI! You don;t know me, but I'm Juniper and it's your birthday so here you go!"

Reducio

(the pink one)

She made to give the gift to the redhead, when a commotion broke out. She turned and saw someone ATTACKING a boy! (A really cute boy) How RUDE!

PEPPER SPRAY!!!


Juniper had to do something to stop the bully. She reached for a cupcake. "Sorry, cupcake, I have to!" She threw the treat at the young man's face. [Matt] She could only hope her years of baseball playing payed off.

@Winnie Harper @Mathias Pride

Granted, Aurelia had only heard about the small party via the announcement while she was sipping on a steaming cup of tea. The Gryffindor knew not of the pretty redhead nor recall ever seeing her around, but the girl's brazen broadcasting had technically been an open invitation and Aurelia would take it. Parties no matter how small was a great opportunity to get to know fellow individuals, and Aurelia knew she was very short of friends.

Birthdays were a small celebratory tradition for most, but not Aurelia. She didn't have one herself and that fact wasn't much of a bother. If she wanted gifts, she could easily purchase one herself but on a less than 5 hours notice, Aurelia could not spare much time for a trip down Hogsmeade to purchase a gift. Besides, Hogsmaede would not have much to offer. So, Aurelia would get her hands busy and would begin weaving. Surprisingly, this set of skills had been taught to her proudly by Hadrian, her betrothed, who had learnt the skill when he was at his Friend Jayden's (Andrew V.'s inpc) tribe in the Americas sometime ago. With pieces of leather, bark, strings of thread and even her own owl feathers, she crafted meticulously.

At 2pm, albeit a tad bit late due to her little crafting project, Aurelia would dress up, shortly changing into her Leia facade. Bookish glasses, hair curled and tinted auburn with minimal makeup on. Smalls steps. Leia Nores had a far cleaner reputation than Aurelia Notresvace did. Upon arriving to the great hall, one could assume that Winnie Harper was a very popular girl. Nevertheless, patiently waiting for her turn over other very enthusiastic people, Aurelia would then approach and introducing herself. Bringing up her handcrafted gift, a dreamcatcher.

"I heard it was your birthday, Winnie. I don't think we've met, I'm Leia, fourth year. Love your dress," She would introduce herself, an ever-lovely cordial smile on her face despite the deception of her own identity. She extended her arm, the webbed ornament hanging by a thread on her pink finger.

"I didn't have much time to get a gift... or wrapping. So I made one, I hope you don't mind. It is a dreamcatcher, used to filter off bad dreams when hung over your bed at night. Perhaps, possibly, even ward the shadows away." The last sentence was spoken in a hushed voice. Her brother had been attacked by the 'shadow hands' as he called it. Although Aurelia could never be sure.

As typical as it was in Hogwarts, commotion soon erupted. Whatever it was in that boy's hand who she registered as the Birthday Girl's partner, it was not good. Swiftly producing the cherry wood wand, Leia would cast the disarming charm his way. "Expelliarmus."

Introducing self to Winnie and giving gift. Casting disarming charm at Matt.
In effect: lovely kweature, terrible presence (x by calming.P if any), non-h enthu (one on you matt), evasive mans

STM — 5 | EVA — 19 | STR — 5 | WSD — 12 | ARC — 5 | ACC — 9

ooh pretty banner here wee woo
Interactions: @Leonard Oaksworth

Marla certainly was not one for parties. However, the devilish temptations of decadent sweets sprawled out over a huge table, all for her to gorge on... Led her to the great hall at 2 PM, despite not knowing anyone that could possibly be going, at least not well enough to strut up to and start a conversation with. Throughout her stay at Hogwarts, she hadn't been so keen on many of the formal events. To her advantage, of course, since most of them ended in the hospitalization of an unfortunate soul or two. Though this did mean that she didn't own many garments that were fit for this very occasion. Thankfully, she managed to pull something decent-looking up and out from the depths of her trunk. She ended up donning a rather plain grey dress that fell loosely at mid-thigh, the straps thin and tugging at her shoulders rather annoyingly from being a size too small. Black flats complimented the outfit, along with her lazily tied-up hair. Tied up is a loose term, considering half of her wild mane is too short to do so.

With appearances out of the way, she peeked through the imposing doors of the great hall in a failed attempt to spot any familiar faces. Evelynn Decipio was there, the co-captain of the quidditch team. She became slightly acquainted with her when she was on the quidditch team herself, though that didn't last very long. After Marla stepped down from co-captain, Evelynn was the one to take her place, and she did one hell of a job, not to mention. It was safe to say that the Gryffindor was more than slightly nervous to strike up a conversation with her, despite being Evelynn's upperclassman. After all, she was here to eat, not make friends. Besides that... There really wasn't anyone else. Feeling defeated, the girl began walking into the doors she'd just been creeping through, which suddenly appeared much more daunting than before.

Making her way straight to the cupcakes, she popped one in her mouth and began observing the room. The birthday girl was a few tables away. Marla would normally follow through with formalities and greet the girl, albeit with all the crowds, and gifts... She deemed the girl a bit too busy for hellos. Especially after one brutal encounter, which Marla had to witness of a boy reading something to the Ravenclaw. It was difficult to discern what was going on from how far away she was, but the boy gave the impression of being extremely nervous, or embarrassed... Well, they were quite similar. Soon after, he looked defeated and began walking away, towards the dessert table. It was honestly a bit anticlimactic, she had to admit. Popping some more sweet treats into her mouth and letting a satisfied sigh escape her lips, she flinched at the abrupt voice coming from her left.

“I’m Leonard Oaksworth, happy to be here.”

“Did everyone else here get an invitation, or had it been the announcement at breakfast that you were persuaded to the party?”

Recomposing herself, the girl coughed to unlodge any remaining cupcake from her throat after faltering before and turned to the boy next to her. "Honestly, Leonard, I'm here for the snacks," She began, giving him a small grin, "The birthday girl made this whole thing sound pretty tempting, after all," Glancing at the rather naturally pretty Ravenclaw, she looked back to the Slytherin, who was sickly pale, almost the color of paper. It reminded her of when she was in her first year and cooped up in her room for most of the first half of the year to read books, rarely getting any sun. Although he looked much older than a first year. Maybe second or third, but he seemed approachable all the same.

"I'm Marla Quinlan, fourth year. And it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance since I don't know a single person here. How d'you know the lady of the hour?" Half-joking, she leaned against the table and bit her nails, the anxiety plaguing her stomach slowly dissipating after finally speaking to someone. Of course, that short bliss ended when she heard the screech of a young boy, and darting her eyes in the direction of the ear-piercing noise, spotted someone clutching their eyes for dear life. Her jaw dropped, the corners of her mouth upturned, giving away her thoughts as she cupped a hand around her mouth. What the hell just happened? He could be dying, she shouldn't laugh. Her shoulders shook a bit as she watched in a mix of horror and intrigue as a Hufflepuff rushed to the scene to aid him. "Bloody hell." She murmured, creeping closer to get a better insight into the chaotic events unfolding. Of course, this wasn't exactly foreign to Marla. The last ball she went to, she was the one who started the drama by smacking one of her friends in the face with a broomstick in a fit of rage. And then he threw a punch bowl on her. But she was new to not being in the center of attention when things like this happened, and it felt nice to watch from the sidelines once in a while.

"Should we do something? Or rather...Do you know what in the world is going on?" Turning to Leonard, her freshly made acquaintance for answers seemed like the smarter thing to do. He gave off the impression that he had some history with the people present. Who knows, maybe that poor, temporary blind kid deserves to be writhing in pain on the floor. If anything she felt terrible for poor Winnie, who she learned the name of from the big flashy happy birthday banner hanging in the room. This was her party, and some jerkoffs were obviously fighting and making it about them. Probably another lovers quarrel. There were way too many of those at Hogwarts. Imagine being in a school full of curios and magic, then choosing to flirt with boys, who're objectively devolving by the minute as soon as they're born. Well, to each their own, as they say. She'd just enjoy herself from very, very far away.

Her hair is lavender

Banner made by Winnie Harper

Mentioning @Mathias Pride, @Winnie Harper, @Nicholas McCowan @Santario Marti

Interacting with Everyone?

If only earmuffs could function as headphones, her life would be complete. Not being able to see nor hear was a torture. It was like you were in the trunk of a car, and the car was driven by someone else. Predictions of what happened outside her invention to not ruin her friend’s special day were all over the place. What if they had left the great hall and moved somewhere else? What if that Math boy poisoned everyone? And Nicholas. Oh no, is he dead? Nervously tapped her fingers on the table, her mind filled with the worst possible scenario. This was the same guy that happened to be the one that caused memory loss on his own fake girlfriend. He might as well put some shady potion into her food to make Winnie desperately in love with him.

This can’t be good. Her hands itched to take the scarf out of her eyes, at least to check if people were okay and having such a delight. Most importantly her dormmate and the cute weird fashioned boy. If only she could do a little makeover on that beautiful thing, but that would be a talk for another day. Maybe Aurora was overthinking about things. People around were not trying to attack each other, and surely, Mathilda wouldn’t hurt anyone in a public place. The Slytherin prefect, Santa something was present there, she was a good duelist and older, perhaps she was wiser as well. Nothing to worry about. What are things that people usually do in a birthday party anyway? Singing. So the Ravenclaw did. She stood on the bench and started to belt out what seemed like to be a song. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIE!”

Having zero clue about the chaos that started to roll into the scene, even though her brain told her to stay positive, the girl couldn’t brush off the feeling that was so peculiar. The story with a bad ending that she knew too well might happen right that second. Two people were on the priority list. If Nicholas decided to skedaddle out of there, it would be better for him and her own sanity. Winnie, being so in love with the guy that up to no good would not leave his side. Now that was the biggest challenge. A promise had been made. For the first time in her life, she was not the one who started the fight. But the curiosity that peaked through was overwhelming. “Can someone tell me that everyone is okay?” The question was intended for anyone that was present. The truth was, she did not really care about the others. Of course she did not want to see them hurt, but they were not her first concern. “What I meant by everyone is Winnie and uh-“ There was a little pause, “-N-nicholas. But yeah! everyone!”

Sta - 5 | Eva - 8 | Str - 5 Wis - 8 | Arc - 4 | Acc - 10 Terrible Presence Evasive Maneuvers

Outfit Reducio Currently having a pink earmuff and a hufflepuff scarf covering her ears and eyes