Happy Birthday? Closed

Bex left the Gryffindor common room five minutes before the sunrise, which was her habit on Saturdays. She walked out the Great Hall and started down towards the Great Lake. She enjoyed the fresh air in the morning, especially at this time of the year when the air was still slightly cold in the mornings. Saturday mornings had always been a quiet and peaceful time in her house growing up, and the Gryffindor common room was neither quiet or peaceful once the sun started rising. 

Bex was nearly at her favorite spot to watch the sunrise when she noticed the other girl there this morning. She looked sad, and comforting others was not Bex's strength. The girl got up and took off her shoes and socks, which made Bex slightly concerned. Instead of taking a dip in the lake, thank goodness because Bex did not want to deal with that, the girl just started walking along the edge of the lake. 

Bex sat down on the other side of a tree facing towards the lake, where the girl wouldn't be able to see her and know that she had been spying. She took out her book she was reading, The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, and continued with her usual Saturday morning routine. After a while, Bex heard a noise and looked around her tree. 

It was just the girl putting on her shoes and socks. She still looked upset, and once she was finished she put her head in her hands. Bex stopped watching the girl and focused back on her book. She couldn't read a single sentence, so she got up and put her book in her bag. She thought about walking back to the castle, but decided she would see if the girl was ok. 

She walked up to the girl very quietly, so that she wouldn't be noticed in case she decided to go back to the castle anyways. Once she was in speaking distance, she considered the girl and chose to reach out and see if she was ok. Er - are you ok? Should I go and get a nurse? 

Bex hoped that she didn't scare the girl by suddenly speaking, but the thought didn't cross her mind until she had already opened her mouth. 

@Bex Chaney

Dawn sighed. She just sat and watched the waves roll over the cold morning sand. She breathed in the crisp spring air. "I wish I brought out a coat," she thought to herself as she rubbed her shivering arms.  She began to hum a song her parents would always sing on her birthday. Normally, she wouldn't feel homesick, but her birthday was an exception. Birthdays are meant to be spent with family and friends, and here, Dawn had neither. She was so wrapped up in her memories, that she didn't notice the girl walking up behind her. 

Dawn nearly jumped when the girl spoke."Who's there?" she snapped. She turned around and was face-to-face with a girl not much younger than Dawn herself. Dawn suddenly felt bad for snapping at the girl for no good reason. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just didn't expect anyone else to be up this early." Dawn sighed and answered the girl's question. "I'm fine," she continued. "Just homesick." Then, thinking the girl might want an explanation, Dawn explained why she was homesick. "Every year, on my birthday, my dad would take me to teh large lake near our house in Bristol. We would eat cookies, take a walk, and play a few games on the lakeshore. But, now that I'm here, I can't celebrate it with him." Dawn looked down and noticed she had one cookie left. She offered it to the girl. "Cookie?"

Bex narrowd her eyes at the girl snapping at her when she had just wanted to make sure she was ok. This is why don't try -- Bex stopped her train of thought when the girl said sorry. Bex chided herself for being so defensive when the girl had every right to snap at her. Bex was the one who just spoke to her out of nowhere, and from behind; it would have startled her too. 

She listened to the girl say she was fine, but homesick. Then explain that it was her birthday, and she couldn't do her usual birthday thing with her dad  because he wasn't here. Bex felt a little awkward listening to the girl,  but she understood being sad over things changing because of Hogwarts. Her own parents weren't talking to her since she was here, but maybe she should have reached out. Then the girl offered her the last cookie. 

Um, no thanks, I don't want to take your last birthday treat. And I'm not really a sweets in the morning kinda of gal. Thank you though. Bex laughed a bit at the end, hoping the girl wouldn't think she was rude. I come out here every Saturday morning before the castle wakes up, because that was my family's tradition back home. Ummm, happy birthday though! Sorry that your dad couldn't be here for your annual celebration. 

Bex hoped that the girl didn't think she was being insincere, she just didn't know how to comfort people. She thought about offering to hang out with the girl until the girl's friends woke up, but didn't want to impose any more on her birthday. What would be the harm in offering, though?

Er, if you want, only if you want, I could hang out for a bit so you're not alone on your birthday? But I completely understand if you want to be alone.

@Bex Chaney

Dawn saw the girl's facial expression when she snapped at her and felt awful. As a Hufflepuff, Dawn was supposed to make others feel welcome.

She was supposed to make others feel loved. 

She was supposed to be a hard worker. 

She was supposed to be helpful. 

She was supposed to kind and inclusive.

Sometimes, Dawn didn't live up to what she was supposed to be. And that was fine. That was fine, until it hurt someone else, and now she might just have. "And this is why you think before you spea-" Dawn's thoughts were cut off when the girl's facial expression changed at Dawn's apology.

Dawn offered the girl a cookie. The girl politely refused, and Dawn was fine with that. Some people just didn't like sweets in teh morning. "It's fine," Dawn said. "I don't usually like sweets in the morning either, but my birthday is always an exception."

Dawn listened to the girl speak some more. The girl wished Dawn a happy birthday, and Dawn thanked her. The girl appeared to think for a bit and then offered to stay with Dawn. Dawn gratefully accpeted this offer. "I'd love it if you could stay," she said. "That way, I at least have someone to celebrate my birthday with. Oh," she added, just realising she never told the girl her name. "I'm Dawn. Dawn Riley. I'm a second-year Hufflepuff quidditch player. What's your name?"

The girl, Dawn, accepted Bex's offer to hang out. Bex was a little surprised and wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. First thing, you need to introduce yourself too. 

I'm Bex Chaney. I'm a First year, Gryffindor. Bex sat down near Dawn, and wandered what Dawn meant by the someone to celebrate with. Bex hadn't been able to really find friends here in the castle yet either, she just had a few people she talked to occasionally. It would be rude to ask her about it though, so Bex just glanced out towards the lake. 

She didn't know what to say, so she decided to go with, I really enjoy flying, but Quidditch scares me. I'm a bit too scared to fall off my broom. She laughed a bit after saying that, hoping Dawn would know it was a joke. What kind of games do you usually play with your dad for your birthday? 

Bex hoped the girl didn't think it was too weird of a question. Her dad cared about her, but he had always been too busy with grading and preparing lectures or writing paper to play with her. Bex watched a bird fly close to the water, and secretly hoped the giant squid would reach up and grab it. She was obessed with trying to see the giant squid at least once before the end of the year. Have you seen the giant squid, yet? I heard it was out there, but I haven't seen it even though I really want to! She felt her face morph into a pout, and then chided herself for veering so completely off topic. 

@Bex Chaney

The girl introduced herself as a first-year Gryffindor named Bex Chaney. "Nice to meet you, Bex. Bex," she said. "What an interesting name. What made your parents decide on that?" Then thinking that Bex might take it in a bad way, she added, "Don't get me wrong, I love your name. I was just curious."

Then, Bex joked about being too scared to fall off her broom. "I thought I would be terrified of high-speed flying at first," Dawn said. "But then I fell in love." 

Bex asked what kinds of things Dawn would do with her dad for her birthday. "We'd play small games in the sand," she said. "We'd play things like Tic-Tac-Toe or Dots and Boxes.Just small things that can just as easily be drawn on paper."

Just as Dawn gave her answer, Bex quickly changed teh subject to that of the giant squid. Dawn laughed. Not in a rude way, of course, but in a friendly way. Dawn picked up her last cookie and began to nibble on it slowly. She looked out to the horison, where the sun was hanging just above it. "Beautiful..." she mumbled to herself. "To answer your question," Dawn added. "I have never seen the giant squid. But, I really want to."

Bex listened as the girl answered her questions, and asked her why her parents had decided to name her Bex. 

Nice to meet you, too, Dawn. My parents named me Bex, because my dad's sister was named Rebecca. She hated being called that, though, so she always referred to herself as Becca, even though she didn't really feel like that one fit. Once she went off on her own adventures people gave her all sorts of nicknames, and then someone called her Bex and she decided that was the one that fit best. My dad and her were close as kids, so he named me after her. I've met her once, and she's by far my favorite relative. 

Bex stopped herself and was slightly horrified at the length of her answer, but she didn't know how to stop talking until her thoughts had all been said. It's gotten her into loads of trouble.  Bex listened to Dawn say that she fell in love with high-speed flying even though she was scared of it at first and thought that she could try it out. There was no harm in trying something. 

Listening to Dawn talk about the games she would play with her father, Bex realized she had never heard of Dots and Boxes and had certainly never played Tic-Tac-Toe with her own father. She then heard Dawn call the sunrise beautiful and had to agree, the colors were something she would never get tired of. Then answer her question about the Giant Squid, which Bex was still slightly embarrased about blurting that out. At least Dawn really wanted to see the squid too. 

Yeah, animals are my favorite thing, so the thought of a giant squid is so exciting. What's Dots and Boxes? Bex decided to ask.