Gifts in the Courtyard pv finished

Kyle walked through the halls of the school in a red t-shirt with a mop on it and the text "My Other ride is Nimbus", ratty jeans, his usual black boots that were only half tied, and to top off his look he had on his trademark leather jacket. Santario had asked him to meet her in the courtyard but he wasn't quite sure about what yet. He was worried it had something to do with what happened at the ball, specifically when she had to tackle him to stop him from fighting the ginger kid and in the fall he smacked his head hard on the stone and she broke her arm from their combined weight landing on it. He was worried she was going to be upset with him or chastise him or say she didn't want to hang around him any longer.

As he passed through the door into the courtyard and he saw her, with her camera bag sitting beside her, a slight smile touched his face despite the butterflies in his stomach. he pulled one hand out of his jacket pocket and he offered a wave while the other continued to sit in the pocket. "Hey muppet, hope I didn't keep ya waiting long. Nice day yeah?"

She had been staring down at her bag when she heard his voice and she would look up at smile at him. Although thoughts had been turning lately in her mind, she had not been thinking about those things today. No, thoughts on how to confront him on what she suspected had not been allowed to be dwelled on. It was something she knew she couldn’t avoid forever, but she could remain in denial for now.

“No, of course not, even if you had this is my favorite place to be so I wouldn’t have minded.” She would stand up and run her hands over the back of her dress brushing off anything that might have attached itself. “So I bet you think you got away with it didn’t you?” She said it playfully as she reached down to her camera bag. “I bet you thought I had forgotten! Well Jokes on you Rook. San pulled out a decently large present wrapped in green paper and contained with a gold ribbon. She had wrapped it in a way where the ribbon would easily slip off when he got to that point. “I did not forget your birthday, but I couldn’t exactly give this to you while I was lying in a hospital bed.”

She motioned to the spot that she had been sitting in and would wait for him to sit down before she handed him the hefty package. “I hope you like it.” When he first opened the gift the first thing he would see was a layer of chocolate frogs about 10 of them to be exact. Once he moved those, he would find a moving photo of him leading the Gryffindor team out onto the pitch for their first game. Win or lose it was a special moment. She had gotten it framed in a deep cherrywood frame.

After that would be another layer of 15 chocolate frogs and when he got about to moving those, he would find a custom wizard’s chessboard. It was a design that was considered rare if it were an original, this was a replication, but still beautiful none the less. The middle split to hold the pieces inside and when he did open it, he would see the pieces done custom in Irish national quidditch colors, Green and Orange. The other half was in the British national quidditch colors red and white. On top of just the colors however, the pieces were custom as well. The King was a Snitch, the Queen was a Seeker, the Rooks were Beaters, the Pawns were Chasers, the Knights were Keepers, the Bishops were Bludgers, and the Coin to see who went first was red like a quaffle with heads as the National Quidditch logo.

She would merely stand there with her hands clasped in front of her and watch his reaction to everything more than likely with a silly grin on her face if his reactions were good.

Kyle was glad that she didn't seem to mad at him and he relaxed some, that is until she started to speak. Gotten away with it? Was she mentioning the ball? or someething else he had done? he back stiffened slightly as he began to worry what dark secret about him she had uncovered and was about to use against him. His fears were un founded though as she continued and she mentioned his birthday and how she intended to give him a gift before this moment but was unable to thanks to being in the hospital wing.

Kyle let out a sigh of relief but he tried to mask it as exasperation at her deciding to get him a birthday present despite his wishes to have his birthday just be ignored. When she motioned for him to sit down he did so and in his lap was placed a decently sized present with a little bit of weight to it. Whatever it was it must have been expensive, he began to feel slightly guilty as if he didn't deserve the effort. "Muppet you know you didn't need to get me anything..."

He tugged on the bow and opened up the packaging and exposed a bunch of chocolate frogs and he smirked slightly and he brushed through them and he picked up the framed photo of him leading his team onto the pitch at the start of their first match. It was a bitter sweet moment for him, on the one hand leading the team as its captain was a moment of pride for him though the loss and his almost immediate injury and being out of the match still stung. as his eyes drifted from the photo to the chess set underneath his eyes went wide. True to his personality when there was something Kyle was interested in he borderline obsessed over it and coupled with his intense pride in his irish heritage he was familiar with the design the chess board was a replica of and he was floored by the beauty of it in person, his fingers gently rubbing across the middle of the board to feel the smooth wood before he traced the intricate Filigree before he slowly opened up chess set and saw the irish and english national team themed pieces.

Kyle stared at the chess set in utter disbelief. It was a beautiful combination of his two favorite things, and given to him by his favorite person. Kyle was bad at finding the right words to say at the best of times, and as he tried to begin to speak over and over now he just proved to be even worse at finding the right words when he was flooded with Emotion. He didn't deserve this gift, and he definitely did not deserve such a good friend as Santario. Hell it was his fault she broke her arm, its why he asked his Da for...his potions...book...

Kyle Stood up sudden and turned aorund to set the chess set on the paper and he pointed at San "Don't Leave!" then without waiting for her to respond he turned on his heel and tore off from the courtyard, running as if a large dragon was hot on his heels trying to chase him down. He blew past a few students, narrowly avoiding crashing into some and accidentally knocking a bundle of scrolls out of another's hands. When he got to the stairs he began to head up, trying to maintain his speed, and he was even forced to leap across a gap made by the moving staircase to make sure he didn't need to wait for them to re-arrange. Once he got to the fat lady he skidded to a stop and tripped over his own feet as she let out a quick "Oh!" at his sudden appearance. Without Time to explain he blurted out the password while trying to suck in air and he threw himself inside once she opened. He vaulted over a table as he ran towards the boy dorms and once to his bunk he ripped open his chest and flung things wildly around until he grabbed the Potions book he had received earlier from his father.

Not wasting a second he immeditately tore off once more, back towards the court yard. Coming back down the stairs was considerably easier and he was able to jump down the last number of steps when he got to the the bottom of each flight and he straight up just went over the railing on the final staircase when he was half way down it, landing with a bend in his knees before he started to run once more before he finally got back to the courtyard. He came to a stop and he doubled over to catch his breath as sweat dripped down his face, his lungs burning and stitch forming in his side. In his right hand he extended out the potions book, his fear of books not even registering in this moment as adrenalin surged through him. "Sorry...arm...potions like...quidditch...you and me" he was sure he sounded like an idiot but he really hoped she would be able to put together what he was trying to say. Like she had said at the ball, Potions to her was like Quidditch to him.

The book in question was none other than "Moste Potente Potions" Written by Phineas Bourne. If she were to open it she would see this was no ordinary copy of the book, but it was instead the personal copy of Kyle's Auror Father, Sean DeRook, and because of this it was filled with notations and personal notes added by the Auror on almost every page.

“But I wanted too.” It would be her simple reply as she watched him sit down and open the gift. She knew the photo, for now, would be bittersweet, but she figured when he got older, he would be happy that he had gotten it. After all, it was only one match and it had been his first at Hogwarts. She grinned when she saw his face react to the chessboard and it probably wasn’t as expensive as he thought it was as her father had connections. It had been his idea to go as far with it in the first place, Santario’s idea was the pieces. Either way, they had collaborated through owls to acquire this truly unique piece.

He told her not to leave and took off, she quired up an eyebrow as she watched him go and she shrugged before moving over to his gifts and carefully layering the chocolate frogs in the box and laying the photo on top of them. She left the chessboard out because she figured he would want to look at that more when he got back. Chess was not her thing and she couldn’t say that she understood how to play, but she knew he liked it and that was what mattered. It was those kinds of things that she paid attention to and how she was able to put together thoughtful gifts.

She gasped and walked over to him having a book thrust into her hands. She was able to most make out what he had meant when he spoke. This was an apology gift for her getting her arm broken. She reached up and wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead, pushing his hair somewhat out of his face in the process, and wiped her hands on her pants. “Rook, you didn’t have to do this…” It was clear that she was going to speak more except that she actually looked at what the book was. Her jaw dropped when she read the words "Moste Potente Potions" Written by Phineas Bourne her fingers tracing over the words as she did so.

She rested the spine of the book in the crook of her elbow slowly opening it as if it were some precious relic. Slowly letting the cover rest open on her arm she looked over the pages carefully already seeing hand made notes on the pages. “This was a well-loved book…” Her fingers found the name Sean DeRook and they raced over the handwriting gently. “I assume this was your father’s book? Thank you so much, Rook, and please thank your father for me as well. This is such a thoughtful gesture and all of his notes in here will prove to be invaluable.” She spoke as if she were in awe of this gift as if it was the best thing anyone had ever given her. She looked back up to him with a huge grin on her face and her eyes just a little bit glassy. “Thank you so much!” She would have hugged him if she hadn’t been holding the book like it was a precious artifact. 

Kyle stood tall, ignoring the stitch in his side and a grin spread across his face. It was clear she loved the book, though despite her wishes to thank his father he knew he couldn't do that since as far as his father knew the book was for him in an attempt to get better marks in potions. As if that was something Kyle really even cared about. Kyle offered Santario a wink and with a snap of the fingers on his right hand shot her a fingergun "You are very welcome Muppet. Know im bad at...y'know. People things and whatever. But...I dunno. Happy to see you happy, yeah?" he patted her twice on the side of the arm before walking over and sitting down next to his gifts and he grabbed one of the chocolate frogs and opened the box before popping the charmed candy in his mouth. He looked over the card he got briefly but collecting the cards was never something he was super invested in, though his sweet tooth very much appreciated all the chocolate.

He started to clean up and try to bundle his gifts together the best he could to make them easier to carry when he looked around to make sure there was nobody who could be listening in, and then he motioned Santario closer and put a finger over his lips as if to gesture a need to be silent. Once she approached he would speak quietly to make sure it stayed between the two of them. "Tonight after the sun sets, Can you meet me back here? There is something important I need your help with. You are the only one who can help me"

She rolled her eyes when Kyle gave her finger guns although she still chuckled lightly. What a dork… She was starting to understand a little bit as to why some people referred to Gryffindors and Gryffindorks. Though her phrase of the term dork was more playful than some other people who used it. She gently closed the book and hugged it to herself when he gave her two pats on the arm. “Yes, I know you are bad at expressing words.” She, after all, knew how bad he was at communicating more than most people did besides his family.

She would look over the book more as he gathered his things until his motioning to her to walk over caught her attention. She would again gently close the book and walk over to him arching up her right eyebrow in curiosity. He wanted her to meet him here again after dark? What could she possibly help him with? Maybe he needed her to brew him a potion in secret and perhaps that was another reason for this book? She would make sure to read through it more in-between then to be prepared. “Sure, I don’t have anything to do tonight.”

If only she could help them then it was probably a potion he wanted to brew in secret, but since he was being so secretive she didn’t want to ask more about it right now. So she simply agreed what was the worst that could happen? They get caught and get detention or a potion blows up in their faces. “I’ll see you then.” With that as long as he didn’t need anything else from her she would make her way back to the Slytherin dorms so that she could start reading the book more. 

Kyle stood infront of the the fat lady nervously. His hair had been combed back as it usually was when he was trying to look nice, he was wearing a nice pair of jeans without any tears in them and a short sleeve white button up. To top everything off he had the silver tie with skulls from the ball he was trying to tie, with the guidance of the fat lady. Eventually he got it, and while it wasn't perfect it was passable. he offered the fat lady a smile and she returned one in kind, offering a wink as well. It was moment's like this he really wished he could give her a hug, though he knew being as close to the fat lady as he was already was probably weird. He shouldn't push it. With a final nod and a simple "Good Luck dear" from the Fat Lady he was off, back down to the courtyard where he met with Santario earlier.

When he arrived the place was empty and silent except for the light sounds of the fountain. The sky was alight with stars, and the silvery glow from the moon glistened off of the water. Kyle swallowed as he paced back and forth infront of the fountain. Why was he doing this? What could he hope to accomplish? Santario was too good for him by far, She was friendly and a number of friends. Why should he think he was anything more than just another one of those friends? Despite these thoughts though, He was happy when ever he saw her. She made him want to be a better person. When he was with her he felt like maybe, just maybe, he wasn't just a monster. Maybe he could be a person as well.

He took a deep breath and turned to face the doors leading to the courtyard and he slid his hands into his pockets as he anxiously awaited Santario to arrive.

Santario had been really curious as to why Kyle had wanted her to come back to the courtyard that night. She would not have changed her outfit still wearing the same green plaid dress and jacket. Only now since it was so cold, she would have it zipped up most of the way. As she walked up from the Slytherin common room however she started to get nervous… Had he found out that she wanted to confront him and was now going to confront her? Was this going to actually be a fight? Now she was actually quite a bit worried or maybe she could use tonight to talk to him about the things that she needed to talk to him about?

She took a deep breath as she entered the courtyard and saw Kyle standing there… in nice clothes? What the heck? Is his hair combed back? Clearly, she had been wrong about what he had wanted tonight unless of course, he dressed up to yell at people which she doubted. “Hey, Kyle… So why did you want to see me back here tonight?” Her eyes glanced around as she looked for a cauldron or any other context clue she could use to understand exactly what he had planned. She could find nothing as she approached him. She thought about her talk with Erik in the common room the night before the ball happened and she knew that she did need to confront him but it just seemed like it was never the right time.

Kyle smelled Santario before she came through the door, the familiar scent of vanilla and almond. Instead of being more nervous like he thought he would be the comforting smell brought a smile to his face and he felt his heart rate slowing down instead of beating even faster. When she stepped towards him and asked why she was here he swallowed and a hand went up to rub the back of his neck. "I know I got you at a uh...a disadvantage here. just hear me out." he took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked into her sapphire eyes. "The only Reason I went to the ball at all was...well was because of you. I know I screwed up and acted like an ass and..." he shook his head and waved a hand as if to push the thought side. "The reason people go to Balls is to dance...and you didn't get to so. I asked you out here to make it right. Kyle extended his right hand towards Santario, palm up "May I have this dance?"

From behind one of the potted shrubs the DeRook family house elf,Solkey, tried very hard not to Coo and die from cuteness as she opened up a music box and she stared at the ballerina that spun inside of it as a pretty song came forth

Kyle Swallowed nervously as he held his hand out for Santario, the two of them standing in the moonlight as the twinkling song from the music box played.