A sunny Birthday PV Closed

English = 337085

Interacting With: @Haley Rose

June 11, 2021

When Lavinia received a letter from Haley inviting her to a birthday gathering she was more than thrilled. The last birthday party she had gone to was before she had gone to Hogwarts and she was so glad that Haley had thought of her. They had only met once and the interaction had definitely had an impact on Lavinia but it was surprising to her that she was invited. She already thought of Haley as a friend and Haley was one of the only friends Lavinia had made here.

Lavinia had recently celebrated her own birthday on her own but thought that next year she might follow suit with what Haley was doing and share it with friends. Finally the day had come where she got to celebrate Haley’s birthday. It was a Friday and a sunny one at that. Lavinia had spent the beginning of her day in classes, looking forward to her chance at saying ‘Happy Birthday’. When the final class was let out she made her way to her room to grab her gift.

The gift was just something that had popped into her mind moments after she received the letter. It was nothing more than a necklace Lavinia had remembered seeing in a Hogsmeed shop. She had gone to the shop the day after and purchased the necklace for Haley. It made Lavinia happy that she was going to be able to give back to Haley since Haley had helped he overcome some of her fear. The necklace was based on quidditch because they had talked about that a bit and it wasn’t one that was just a snitch. Haley had told Lavinia that she applied for chaser and that made her pick a necklace showcasing the quaffle going through a hoop.

The gift was still in the box that she bought it in since she didn’t know what else to put it in and Lavinia grabbed it off her bed, changed out of her robes, and left her dorm. Upon arriving at the lake she saw picnic blankets set out. When Haley said that she had everything prepared, she wasn’t kidding. It looked similar to the Valentine’s date that the school put on but better. There were plenty of drinks and there was a good bit of food too.

She noticed Haley over by the lake and moved towards her, gift in hand. Lavinia came up to her and said ”Happy Birthday Haley! It’s nice to see you again. I bought you a little something that reminded me of our quidditch conversation.” With that she handed the box over to Haley and sat next to her by the lake.

Reducio

────────────────────────────────────────────────

WHEN SHE RECEIVED Haley's letter inviting her to her birthday party, Cedrella found herself genuinely surprised.

One would think given Cedrella's lack of enthusiasm for anything social-related, or people, in general, that others would hesitate to invite her to such gatherings if they hoped to have a good time. Despite the disbelief that overtook her, at first, Cedrella was quick to feel happy and slightly embarrassed, as Haley had thought of her. Cedrella herself had celebrated her own birthday all on her own, by the fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room, reading the letters her relatives had sent her.

Honestly, she hadn't even considered throwing a party at the castle. She didn't know a lot of people and doubted the ones she had talked to would attend out of the kindness of their hearts. Well. Now, it seemed that, if she had been brave enough to step out of her comfort zone, Haley would have been there. It didn't matter now, anyway. She was three months late to start regretting that choice.

Following the invitation, Cedrella worked hard on her gift; she had to! She didn't want Haley to think Cedrella didn't put even the slightest bit of care into it. There was no way she'd be allowed to go to Hogsmeade and buy something for the red-haired girl, but she thought of something quickly.

A nicely wrapped package containing three books she had never read. Cedrella had brought them to Hogwarts, but never go to even unwrap and begin to dive into their adventures. Given Haley's love for literature, the youngest Blythe thought it would be appropriate to give her something of the sorts.

A week after she had received her letter, Cedrella stepped out of the Ravenclaw common room in normal muggle clothing: a flowery yellow dress and sandals. It was a completely different shift from her usual dark robes, but she wouldn't survive in the heat for long if she wore her darker outfits.

With the sun burning the top of her head, carrying the gift in her hands, Cedrella walked towards the Lake, spotting Haley and another girl she had never seen before. The sight had her slowing down, almost coming to a stop, as she tightened her grip around the gift. Anxiety started to grow... but Cedrella ignored it, or at least, tried to, and continued her path.

"H... Happy birthday, Haley," murmured Cedrella, looking down, almost bowing, and handing the thick package of books. "Thank you for inviting me..."

Then, Cedrella turned to look at the other girl. She had fairly long, wavy brown hair and ocean-blue eyes. Upclose, the girl intimidated Cedrella some more, and the youngest Blythe looked down, "Pleasure. I'm Cedrella."

────────────────────────────────────────────────
word count: 463
Interacting with: @Haley Rose and @Lavinia Cloven

If Elena had been honest, she had been pleasantly surprised and shocked when the missive summoning her to Haley's birthday celebration had arrived and she had read it over and over again to make sure that it was indeed an invitation. The brunette had come to know the girl well but it was nice to know that Haley had thought of her when arranging this whole thing and the Gryffindor would respond in turn. "Where did I put it? It was here somewhere?" She muttered looking around the dorm room for the gift she had laid out for Haley. She was almost ready, her brown hair swept up into a bun and her attire consisted of a average-length yellow summer dress that came to stop just above her knees complete with brown boots and a flower bracelet on her wrist as she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Aha! There you are!"

Holding her hand up triumphantly, enclosed within it was an little postcard that Elena had after many experiments had tampered with and after the result of various failed spells had finally gotten it right so that when the postcard was opened, it would start singing the birthday song until the user closed it. Taking that and the red pouch which contained a set of ear-rings that had Haley's initials, one of the boons of coming from a high-class wizarding family was that you could get these sort of fine items anywhere so when she had sent the owl home, the Jangletons had done what they did best and she had her gift in hand just in time. She hoped that that her friend would at least like her gift smoothing out the front of her dress as the brunette would hurry down to the location that had been mentioned armed with her gifts.

It wasn't hard to spot something that looked out of place as she hurried towards where she saw several people gathering as several picnic blankets burst into view along with a shock of red hair that the Gryffindor knew to belong to her friend. Some people were already there as she closed the distance eyeing the food curiously before turning her attention to the person of the hour. "Happy twelfth, Haley!" The third year chirped grinning before offering forth the postcard and the set of ear-rings hoping that everything would be alright. "I tried to do something that I thought was personal for you." It would make the birthday more meaningful if you asked her. Birthdays were supposed to be a momentous, personal moment and that was the sort of approach the third-year girl had been trying to go for.

Speaking with Haley Rose and Simon Kincaid, open to interactions

Cosmo felt as though she had eaten bouncing beans for breakfast. Each day after she received Haley's invitation her anticipation had grown, right up until now. The day of her her friend's birthday had arrived, and she simply could not sit still all day. Apart from her own Cosmo had only been to one other birthday party, and even that had been a small occasion; with only herself and Dylan, a muggle friend. So to say that she excited was an understatement.

The present, had of course, taken a lot of thought. Cosmo's first instinct was to try and get Haley the best broom there was, because she knew her friend was very excited about Quidditch. It didn't take too long to realise that wasn't going to work out, so she set her sights on something smaller. A book maybe? Some cute clothes? Haley always had cute clothes. Finally she decided on getting a simple green Alice in Wonderland themed journal which opened with a shiny green key. Inside were several photos of Cosmo and Haley throughout the past year, and a pressed four leaf clover for good luck.

Reducio

ggggg

gggggggg

As Cosmo walked across the grounds with the sun beaming down she couldn't help but put a little bounce in every step. It looked as though the gathering had already started, and she was pleased to see four other guests standing and sitting under the sunshade or on several picnic blankets. Haley herself was as radiant as ever, and Cosmo made her way to her with a wide smile before handing over the gift wrapped in light green tissue paper and tied with a shiny blue ribbon.

"Happy Birthday Haley!" She gave her friend a big hug.

There would be more guests to come, and Cosmo knew that Haley would be busy for a while so she meandered over to the shade cloth and sat by a boy she didn't know. This was the first time Cosmo was meeting any of Haleys other friends, and she was determined to make a good impression.

"Hey there, my name's Cosmo," she said to Simon, still smiling from when she arrived.

Haley smiled broadly as the first birthday guest arrived. It was Lavinia, the two had not seen each other often yet but from the first moment the two girls had understood each other well and poured their hearts out to each other. Haley had tried to help her with her fears and she herself was able to talk to her about the difficult period because of her mother's howler.

"Hey Lavinia, I'm so glad you came!" Haley quickly stood up and took her in a hug. "Thank you so much." She smiled broadly while accepting the box. So it had something to do with Quidditch, Haley thought to herself. Curious, she set about opening the box as she sat back down next to Lavinia. She crossed her legs and looked eagerly at the gift. The black box had a small closure on the top, which Haley opened and the doors opened to the left and to the right accordingly. Inside was a silver chain with many pendants. Immediately, Haley recognized the pendants. A broom, the rings, the Quaffle. She smiled broadly. "Oh Merlin, thank you so much. It's beautiful." She spoke in awe as she took the necklace out of the box.

She turned and put the necklace on. "Would you be so kind?" inquired Haley, waiting for Lavinia to close her necklace.

As soon as Cedrella arrived, Haley now stood up for good and accepted her gift. Her manner reminded her of the train ride when she had first encountered Cedrella. By now she was able to judge her a little better and so she didn't give it another thought. "Thank you so much. I'm so glad you're here." Answered Haley honestly and took her in a very short hug, knowing that Cedrella probably didn't like it but Haley couldn't help it.

She looked at the gift and was sure these were books. She unwrapped it and looked at the books briefly, "Great, I can't wait to read them all." Haley winked at her. Books were definitely a commonality between the two girls who were so different.

She now walked over to one of the tables and put the gifts down and she spotted the next guest. "Thank you Elena!" and again she gave a warm hug and accepted a gift. "Oh wow." Whispered Haley when she saw the earrings, "Thank you, they are beautiful." Again a big smile on her lips.
She put this gift down as well and took another moment to look at the postcard. As soon as she opened it a birthday song sounded and startled she quickly closed the card again and looked around wide-eyed before she started laughing. Again she opened the card and again singing rang out, "This is so cool." Laughed Haley before taking the card and placing it on the table. She would definitely keep this one for a long time, it was a great memorie. "Someday you'll have to tell me how you did that." She spoke directed at Elena as she spotted someone very special in the corner of her eye.

Cosmo was just making her way to Haley and from a distance she was already smiling broadly at her. She came the last few steps towards her and returned her hug, not letting go for a moment. "Thank you Cosmo." She spoke into the hollow between her neck and shoulders and her hair tickled Haley's nose.

When she released the hug she smiled broadly at Cosmo and scratched her nose. Cosmo was practically her best friend and suddenly she realized that this was even the place where the two girls had met.

Haley opened the green paper and knew immediately that Cosmo had chosen green paper on purpose. It was Haley's favorite color and already she appreciated the love Cosmo had put into the gift. As she removed the wrapping paper, a book jumped into her eyes. "You did not!" grinned Haley broadly, examining the book. It was a journal with an Alice in Wonderland cover and an accompanying key. Haley took the key and unlocked the book. The pages were blank and she couldn't wait to fill the pages. But not only blank pages were hidden inside the book but also photos. Haley took the three photos and looked closely at each one. They were pictures of Cosmo and Haley from last year and Haley smiled to herself in love. "It's perfect." Haley spoke softly now and looked to Cosmo to take her into a tight hug again.

Simon had called out to her from afar and she looked at him apologetically while loosening her embrace. It was warm, the sun was shining and he was wearing a hoodie. She felt bad, she should have celebrated inside but now it was too late to change the location. She briefly apologized to the others, put down the gift from Cosmo and jumped in large steps towards Simon. She made a quick stop at the drinks, took a cool bottle of water from the bowl and briefly surveyed the ice, which had already reduced by at least half and turned into water.

She now jogged over to Simon, who had sought shelter in the shade, and jumped around his neck. It meant so much to her that he was here today despite the difficult circumstances for him. "Thanks for coming." She quipped in his ear while not releasing the hug. "I'm sorry, I hope the shade helps. I should have celebrated inside instead. Sorry for being selfish." Haley babbled, the guilt growing and she made an inner note that she won't do that again.

She released the hug and looked apologetically at Simon again. "But of course I haven't forgotten that water is your favorite drink." She joked, holding the bottle out to him with a wink.

She turned to Cosmo now, "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." She spoke, putting on her puppy dog eyes before rounding everyone up.

"Thanks again for coming everyone. I'm so happy for each and every one of you. Thank you for the great gifts. Please help yourselves to the food and drinks and have fun." Haley clapped her hands in closing. She really hoped everyone would get along well and get to know each other.

Reducio

OOC Note: Please start again in order (I don't expect Gia to post) just let me know if you're busy rn so we can skip you.
@Simon Kincaid @Cedrella Blythe @Elena Jangleton @Lavinia Cloven @Cosmo Keith

English = 337085

Interacting With: @Haley Rose @Cedrella Blythe @Elena Jangleton
Open to interactions

June 11, 2021

Lavinia leaned into the hug that Haley gave her and felt very happy about coming. Haley had helped her and they were good friends even if they hadn’t talked much. First interactions make the biggest difference and she was glad that she didn’t leave the owlery that day. As Haley opened the gift, Lavinia hoped that she would like it and was happy to see her grin after opening it. When Haley asked for her to put it on her, Lavinia said, ”Of course, I’m glad you like it.” while clasping the necklace in the back.

Looking around from the edge of the lake, she noticed another girl coming towards them and stayed seated to let them have their moment together. When the girl introduced herself to Lavinia, she was decently surprised but stood up and responded kindly, ”Nice to meet you Cedrella, I’m Lavinia.” It was nice meeting new people and Lavinia wished that she did it more. That was one of the great things about this party, she could get to meet a few more people and maybe create friendships with them.

More people kept coming in and Haley was occupied with the guests so Lavinia took to looking around. She was still surprised that Haley had managed it all and on her birthday nonetheless. As Haley moved from person to person, Lavinia’s eye got caught in a girl who looked to be about her age. She had thought that she would be the oldest one here but it appeared she was wrong. After Haley moved from her, she decided that it was time to try and be social. Walking up to the brown haired girl, Lavinia thought to introduce herself and said, ”Hi, I’m Lavinia. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before, not sure if it was class or not, are you a third year?”

She didn’t really remember the girl but could have had a class with her before. Since she looked older, the chances were higher. Lavinia turned her attention back to Haley as she said a little thank you for coming. It was nice of her and Lavinia was glad that she could help Haley make her birthday a little bit more special.

────────────────────────────────────────────────

THE HUG HAD her looking down, as she patted the birthday girl in the back, as naturally as someone not used to physical touch could.

"No problem..." she muttered as soon as Haley let go of her.

Cedrella tucked some strands of hair behind her ear, embarrassed. Biting her lower lip, Cedrella felt her legs shaking: nervousness making its way into her heart, making it pick up its pace, as she darted her eyes around, taking in the faces and voices of everyone that arrived.

Haley had a lot of friends, she noticed, not surprised. The Gryffindor had shown nothing but great charm and personality the time they had met, so no wonder she had a couple of students showing up to her party outside.

Cedrella stood there, unsure of what to do or say, not wanting to interrupt anyone and bother them with her closed-off nature. Everyone seemed to either know each other, or be familiar, or confident enough to start a conversation, which left her alone and all by herself.

The youngest Blythe trailed after Haley at any chance she good, looking down, ignoring how the sun burned the top of her head. And stayed there, standing next to the birthday girl, quiet in her own private space, watching the others interact.

Awkwardly, Cedrella rubbed her arm, swinging back and forth, hoping to find the courage necessary to speak to the other students. She simply didn't have it in her.

────────────────────────────────────────────────
OPEN TO INTERACTIONS

Returning Haley's embrace, Elena was silently relieved her singing postcard trick had actually worked. It had taken a whole lot of tampering and experimenting and probably a few trips to the library before the brunette had actually worked out to charm those things. "A whole lot of commitment and effort." She replied grinning watching as the assembely grew as more people flocked to the celebration. If anything, it had convinced Elena that she was somewhat a semi-decent witch as if three years at a school of magic wasn't proof enough already of that fact as her gaze travelled over the crowd and most of the faces were foreign to her. One or two might have seemed familar to some extent but she couldn't exactly recall where from, perhaps in passing somewhere. However, one fact they all shared they were all Haley's friends and as far as the Gryffindor knew, if they were friends of Haley, they were bound to be as equally pleasant and outgoing.

Her attention was quickly brought to another girl who addressed her with an introduction. "Elena Jangleton." The third year replied with a smile as she took in the appearance of the other girl. Now that Lavinia brought it up, a thoughtful expression crossed her face as the faint memory of another birthday celebration crossed her mind. It too had been outside, sunny, cheery and whatnot before she shook her head. No, she was thinking of someone else perhaps. "You might have, hard to keep track of who's who at times." The Gryffindor girl was bad at the whole putting names to faces thing unless she had run into them onto more than one occassion. Elena might have seen some of these faces around but not really paid any mind before now. Now, there were certain indivduals that the brunette knew off the top of her head, certain people that while she might not be friends with, they certainly had an interesting demeanor to them that you just couldn't simply forget about them just like that.

"I certainly am." Third year, the year where Elena actually felt like something more than just a kid, it was sort of the gap year between the lower and upper years if you asked her. Enough of the recollections however as the mention of food and drink was an appealing one. No good party or celebration was complete without meals, a silent unspoken rule of any event whether it be a birthday party or a formal ball. The set-up for everything was so perfect that you would have thought an army had assembeled the whole thing and only made her even more impressed. The girl herself while not big on celebrating her own achievements would not refrain from making her friends feel at home with their own milestones as she picked up one of the drinks raising it in a celebratory toast to the birthday girl. "Here's to our genius friend, Haley Rose." She would declare before proceeding to drink.