Welcome Back Everyone!! Errand Closed

Closed to unplanned interaction, sorry!

Charlie had just come back to Hogwarts after her crazy summer break. It had been eventful and uneventful at the same time. She had a few days at home before her mother forced her to spend the entire month of July with her father. The one she hated more than any other human on the earth. It also caused her to have to miss Hogwarts summer camp, which was the most devastating part for her. Her dad had tried to have a good time with her, but it made her feel too normal. She squirmed in her skin just thinking about it.

After spending a month with her horrible vampire father, she came home and practically spent the rest of the summer at the ice rink, something she never got to do at school. She missed hockey, and ever minute of free time was Charlie going to the rink, skating, practicing and playing games with her old team.

She didn't really want to return to school when she could have stayed home and lived a normal muggle life, but she went back anyway. It was her second day back and for some reason, even though she missed home, she was glad to be back. She was with her best friend Ava, and maybe even her new friend Delilah, whom she met on the train.

Charlie had plans to take a walk on the grounds, but on her way out of the castle, she spotted someone. Someone very special to her. Ava. She sprinted as fast as she could over to her best friend. "AVA!" She yelled as she grabbed her into a big hug. "I missed you so so much!" She said as she released Ava from the extremely tight hug. "Let's go see what is going on in the great hall," Charlie said. She had practically given Ava no choice but to come with her into the great hall.

When they finally walked in, Charlie connected the dots. It was just a giant welcome back party for all of the students at Hogwarts. The instructions were to write a letter to a friend you missed, but Charlie wasn't 100 percent sure that that was exactly what you were supposed to do."Do you want to do the letter?" Charlie asked Ava. Before Ava even had the chance to respond, Charlie immediately added, "We don't have to, but I think we should."

When Charlie heard her response, the two girls plopped down at the table that was covered in all sorts of writing materials that the students could use to write their letter. Charlie selected the first thing she saw, which was a plain piece of parchment and black ink. She got started right away on her letter.

Dear Ava,
I know that you are sitting next to me right now, so it is a little weird that I am writing you a letter. But too bad, because I am doing it anyway. How was my vacation... well... it was interesting. Not good or bad. I had a few days at home before I was forced to spend the WHOLE month of July with my father. Before you ask questions, it was NOT fun. He Never mind. It was torture. I'd rather do a months worth of detention. And that is saying something.

After that torture situation event month I spent the rest of the summer at my mum's house. It was good. I played hockey, and some more hockey as well as spending time with my muggle ex-best friend. It's so hard to not tell her about magic. And my Dhapmir-ness for that matter. Anyway, I rode the Hogwarts Express and... here I am.

How was your summer?

Charlie Jacobsen

When Charlie was finished with her letter to Ava, she took a colorful envelope and neatly folded up the letter and placed it inside. For an added measure, she added a sprinkle of green and blue glitter. She looked over at Ava and saw that she was still writing, so Charlie grabbed a fresh piece of parchment and decided to doodle. After awhile when she was getting sleepy, she handed her letter to Ava. "I'm going to go to bed. Good night, see you later." Charlie said as she watched Ava blankly stare at the letter with her name on it. Then Charlie turned and left, her robes flowing behind her.

September 3rd, 2023
WC: 747

Dear Rie,
I'm going to be gone for a little bit, but I'm just getting the cards out of my dorm. I'll be back before you know it but it's a rather long walk to the dungeons. Don't worry, I'm not leaving for good. I'm having a fun time so far.

Almost forgot, let me just tell you a bit about my summer. It was super exciting to get my Hogwarts letter and that was probably the highlight. I went to a Muggle summer camp for the second year in a row and am starting to get to know the staff there a lot better. I'm thinking of working there in the future.

Don't miss me, I'll be back before you know it!

Love you,
Astra

Permission to godmod was granted

Dear Assie,

I was having a great day today, and was wondering if you wanted to come run an errand with me. It will be fun, I promise, and I wouldn't take you somewhere boring.No questions asked, reply soon though.
I'll be waiting, and please don't give me excuses. Assie, hope to see you there!

Love,
rie-rie

not a great day, but atleast she was going to a party. it was aries's first huge party, with almost the whole school arriving. aries got a tight hold onto astra, her first year, slytherin acquaintance. of course, the reason rie brought her was to become best friends, and astra was the perfect type. ive only met her last week, it would be good to make some memories. aries thought silently as she pulled astra through the entrance and onto the field.

what do ya want to do first? aries grasped her hand and grinned, leaving astra to see the gorgeous layout of the whole event. she gasped with her mouth wide open, and then closed it again to be a proper young woman. look! i found a little activity center! astra looked at aries with pleading eyes, though only a year younger astra was, rie sometimes felt much much older. there are so. many. other things to do! see that one is open always, but the rest will close, plus these dont have huge lines.

they walked together, talking about what they wanted to do there, and what letters they would write at that activity. assie! i told you, we'd go do waht you want to when we finish the other one's. aries pulled her as she was forced to follow rie to a food table. she made some sort of snappy comeback, as aries smirked right back. she eyed the tasty foods, like chocolate strawberries, toast, and varieties of drinks. she could feel her heart pulsing, ready to try it, where is astra? she thought when she couldn't find her.

aries's heart broke at the mere thought of hearing that astra went back to the dorms. she tried pretending like it didnt hurt when she knew that it was because she was bored, always witha low attention span but over-excitement. of course, something interesting had to happen and that was when aries spotted it, just a blonde haired girl holding some parchment paper and a bottle of ink, with many doubles next to her and a sign that said "write a kind message to someone." it could have been damion, the fifth year tavenclaw prefect that organized it. aries stood there, waiting for her chance to take a piece and part in the action.

aries had to go do somerhing however. not because she didn't like assie, but because it was made for filling her pure heart. she took a bite out of many chocolate strawberries, and swirls of cotton candy. she hadnt tasted such goodness since she was a child when her parents cared for her. she felt nostalgia towards the days at muggle carnivals, where her brother would buy her these sweet treats.


leaving astra where she currently was, she stole a piece of dropped parchment, and wrote with the ink she held.

Dear Astra,

It is quite sad that you choose to leave. We could have gone anywhere if you stayed, but I guess not anymore. I ate chocolate strawberries and various candy. Saw a letter writing area, and rushed over here. So many fun things here ; ) Wish you would come back,

Xoxo,
rie-rie

aries waited, while doing other things to pass the time of waiting for assie.

Interacting with: @Koko Rivers Mentioning: N/A

Speech | Thoughts

Among her first few days at Hogwarts, Sylvia received an invitation from a Ravenclaw prefect, asking her to join the others in a welcoming party. Not being the type of person who feels comfortable during such a social gathering, Sylvia was about to politely turn the offer down when another letter was delivered to her.

Originally thinking that it must be from her parents, Sylvia was stunned to see the name of the sender. Could it be? Koko Rivers? Growing up in one of the most isolated parts of Scotland, she has barely made any friends of her age. However, Koko is an exception, since their parents used to be the best of friends during their time at Hogwarts.

When she was still extremely young, Koko’s parents would often bring their daughter to visit her family high on the mountains. Occasionally, she would even take a trip to the famous yet also rather distant Godric’s Hollow to see how her friend is doing. However, as time went on, neither of them had that much time to hang out with one another any more, and surprisingly, they haven’t seen each other for quite a long time, though she believes that Koko would still be a great friend to her.

Eager to find out what is written inside, meanwhile not wishing to damage the letter, Sylvia carefully took it out from the envelope, and quickly read through it for once. So Koko is at Hogwarts too? Not remembering seeing her childhood friend anywhere inside Hogwarts castle yet, she still felt excited to know that Koko is studying here as well. After all, it’s definitely easier to continue a long lost friendship than start a new one.

Finding a seat at one end of her common room, Sylvia sat down and took out her quill to write a reply.

Hello Koko!

I’ve been doing great recently at Hogwarts, but I haven’t managed to make much friends yet (I believe you shouldn’t be surprised by that?). I can’t believe that you’re here as well! How come we never met even once during our time here? Or did we both change so much that we can’t even recognize each other?

Although I don’t have a sibling, I know how close you and Ava used to be, but at least you two could always write to each other. I’m sure everything would work out fine for you though, since you’re sure to blend in here quickly. Just being curious, how come your parents sent you two to different schools? I thought most family members would choose to stay at the same one.

Your summer vacation sounds great! Me, on the other hand, hasn’t really gone anywhere except to Diagon Alley for my school supplies. The only comfort is that despite everything else, I’ve always had a whole mountain to explore when I’m bored, though I usually spend more time indoors nowadays.

As for my name, Sylvia, it meant “spirit of the wood”, and is associated with the mythological god of the forest. I believe my parents gave me this name because of their love for nature, and hopes that I would be able to not only limit myself to studying, but also to exploring the outside world. What about your name, what does it mean?

Good luck on your trip to France! I’ve never been there before either. Look forward to meeting you here at Hogwarts!

Yours sincerely,
Sylvia Nightingale

P.S. Sure! I’m always up for some ice cream! Where would you like to go?

After Sylvia finished writing the letter, she paid the Owlery a brief visit to send her letter to Koko, even though they’re both currently at Hogwarts. Suddenly remembering the welcoming party again, she wondered whether Koko would be there, since the organizer seemed to have sent out quite a handful of invitations.

Upon arriving at the location given to her, Sylvia wandered around aimlessly for an excessively long time. When she was about to give up and return back to her dorm, a familiar figure suddenly flashed before her, disappearing into the crowds within a second. Chasing after the girl who she believes to be Koko, she tapped the person gently on the shoulder, and asked: “Excuse me?”

Koko was having fun at the party when an owl flew towards her. Suspecting who the letter might be from, she gently picked it up and opened it. She read it and smiled, Sylvia would never change. She put the letter in her pocket and tapped it a couple of times.
Disappearing into the crowd to see if her friend was at the party she noticed a tap on her back."Sylvia? It's you?" Koko asked incredulously. She turned around and upon discovering that it was her friend, gave her a hug. She knew her friend wasn't very prone to that sort of thing but it had been a long time since they had seen each other.
Knowing that Sylvia liked people to be direct, she said, "Well, I was thinking of going to Hogmeade to get something to eat, I hope there's ice cream but I'll settle for something else".
And at the ceremony I was literally scared to death so I didn't pay attention to which house the other students went to.
As for my name, Koko is short for Hanabi-Ko, which means "Daughter of Fireworks" in Japanese (in reference to the day of her birth, Independence Day in the United States).
And yes, the sisters often go to the same school. My parents tried everything to get Ava to go to Hogwarts, but she wanted to go to BeauxBatons. And obviously I wasn't going to go that far. I've always been less daring than my sister. And more giddy.
Still excited that her friend was there, she kept smiling.
It could be that Sylvia already had another best friend or that Koko would never be her best friend again. But they had met again.

@Zykeal Lane

It was the beginning of a year of new starts and... re-starts for Opeila. At least that was what she intended for it to be and so far that was true in every way. It was only the third day back at Hogwarts and she found herself joining an errand, something she loved to do when she was younger, together with a... friend? Maybe a bit of a stretch, considering they had only just started to talk again.
She was still unsure how to feel about Zykeal. Last time they had talked was at an event that had gone... well, pretty badly.

But here he was, now bumping his shoulder into hers, eliciting a smirk from her. "'Go prefect on you'? You have never seen me 'go prefect', I'd love to hear what you imagine what that looks like."
Opeila had chosen an outfit fitting the late summer- that had come with a bit of a late heatwave- to attend the errand in. A plain darkgreen t-shirt was tucked into lightblue jeans and her hair had grown just long enough to tie it into a short ponytail again.

Zyk's wink was answered with an eyeroll and a grin as they entered the already rather full great hall. "Well, we're... fashionably late, I'd say..." Opeila tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and looked around. "Not blow anything up?" The Slytherin sucked in the air through her teeth. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to choose between prefect and chaos girl..." Her gaze lingered on the wand he twirled between his fingers. "Is this still the same wand you had in first year? Or did you break a couple since?", she asked.

The two of them would find a spot to sit and write a letter. Now to the difficult part- who should she write to? Her first thought was Alec but... Everything she could write she could also tell him literally through her thoughts. And anyways, he knew everything about her holidays. The new option to telepathically communicate had resulted in a lot of late night talks across countries.

So who could she write to? The next idea came randomly and she was already about to discard it again when she changed her mind. Jack and her didn't talk too much but... why not? Labeling him a friend was not right, their relationship had evolved into something way more complicated, but she felt like since the ordeal with the blood curse... the two of them had been more accepting of their differences.

It seemed Zyk had already made a decision as well. "A muggle friend? You write to him often? Does he know much about Hogwarts and magic?" Opeila looked at him, curious. She had never really met a muggle who knew about magic other than her father who had been clearly not a fan. Trying to explain magic to one had to be like... well, trying to explain the internet to a witch, like she had tried with Illowy a few years back.
"Hm, I'm just writing to a guy from my house... We haven't been talking for a bit."

SEPTEMBER 3^RD

Dear Jack,

... Surprise, I guess! I'm sitting in this errand where we are supposed to write a letter about our vacation to someone and I guess I am writing one to you.

So, where to start? I have spent my vacation in France, with some distant family that I haven't met before and they are pretty awesome. They are related to the pureblood side of my family but they have distanced themselves from it and live in a small house together, all five of them.
I met a cousin who is visiting Beauxbatons and is in the same year as us. She's great, she has been training me to fight without a wand. Selim first trained me to do that a few years ago but I have gotten pretty rusty.
It's been the first curse-free, drama-free vacation in ages, but it's nice to be back at Hogwarts nonetheless.

How have you been? Feel free to respond to this letter if you want, but you don't have to.

Hope you're doing ok,

@Jack Burnett

[ september 3, 2023 ] ♥ outfit

She was seated at the Gryffindor table, a ink black quill clutched tightly between her slim fingers. There was an air of a struggle to get some words out and onto the parchment, the furrowed brows and bit lip were enough to indicate the girl's concentration. Beside her on the table, a brand new bottle of ink had been opened, the dark and murky contents shining dully in the Great Hall's golden lights.

It would have been easy writing a letter to a friend back in Shanghai. She could have written several pages of parchment just to tell Iris and Angel how much she missed them.

Yet she couldn't.

And Xin was left staring at the blank parchment paper, the sinking feeling in her stomach growing heavier by the second. Who would she write to? Her friends were back in Shanghai, and the Fang family were not very enthusiastic about receiving a letter sent by owl.

She was all alone.

In this massive place.

All alone.

The witch sighed, a deep sigh, and set the quill down. A headache was starting to form, making it hard to see the parchment clearly.

Then Chen popped into her mind. She could write to her brother. He was the only person in the family who at least had some sense. And he also hated that Mabel Carter, like Xin did, and he wouldn't sell his sister to that evil woman no matter what.

She grabbed a new sheet, dipping her quill into the inkwell.

𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚗,

𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍? 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗? 𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚍.
𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚖𝚎? 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 *𝚜𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜* 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 '𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛', 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝?

𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚘𝚘𝚘 𝚋𝚒𝚐, 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕, 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚖𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 *𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚜* 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝙶𝚛𝚢𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚛, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝. 𝚃𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚝 *𝚍𝚞𝚑* 𝙷𝚘𝚠'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 - 𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 - 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘? 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚍, 𝚠𝚑𝚘'𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜. (𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝙸 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚐 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘) *𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢*

𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜, 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚢 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 *𝚐𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝*

𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛.

𝙿.𝚂. 𝙰𝚗 𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑. 𝚃𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜!

𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖,
𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 '𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛'

Finally finishing her letter to Chen, the girl leaned back and stared into space. What a nice ceiling, perhaps i'll just have a rest. Twisting a strand of hair idly around a finger, she looked around at her peers who were also writing a letter to their friends and family.

Until a familiar figure made its way into the Great Hall made Xin instantly bolt upright and her mind clicking in place. The mere glimpse of the dark haired boy and a warm tinge crept onto her cheeks. The girl directed her gaze back to the piece of paper and observed him shyly out of the corner of her eyes, the boy was the only thing in her mind now.

But now that she was staring stupidly down at the finished letter, her mind had cleared of every thought. Especially thoughts that didn't make her sound like a hopeless romantic.

Because what could she say? 'Hi'? What a bland and common opening, 'I've been thinking of you lately'? Eurgh, this isn't a stupid love letter! 'Really happy to have met you in summer camp' ? No. A big fat no.

Yet he must be looking for someone other. Surely he didn't actually notice me? Yet as the boy walked closer, Xin had no choice but to accept the fact that she was going to speak first.

"Oh, uh..." Seconds passed, and the witch was slowly forced into an awkward silence, "Hi Pixie..." she muttered as quietly as possible, her face slowing turning into that of a ripe tomato. "How was everything so far?" Xin blurted out, biting her upper lip tightly and fidgeting nervously with the rims of her robe.

@pyxis hellebore –––––– ♥

3 September, 2023

Colin's mildly, persistent troubled gaze did not escape her notice amidst the flurry of activity. She smiled a much more AngelFyre-like smile at him and reached over to pat his hand quickly. Though not a Seer, he was tuned in to her, too, and she knew this small gesture would ease his concern of the moment. She also knew he would understand the mention of the outcropping and its importance, but that was something that could wait. Now was a time for reconnection and camaraderie.

Looking around she saw everyone writing letters. Simon even showed up with one himself. Hmmmmm. Then she caught sight of the instructions up near Damion and her mind began to go over options. Her two very best friends were already at the table with her right now. One knew exactly what was going on with her and the other was only now realizing that something was amiss. That she didn't want to explain to him in a letter. So just exactly what option did that leave her? Ainsley? Maybe. Kendric would be a hard no for too many reasons, at least for now.

She sat in silence as laughter and conversation continued around her. Then an absolutely brilliant idea tripped across her mind and she squeezed Simon's hand three times in their traditional signal for I love you before releasing his hand and and whispering in his ear that she would be back in a few minutes. She reached down for her enchanted satchel and winked at Colin before leaving. "I leave my handsome Hufflepuff in your and Clair's very capable hands. Try not to break him before I get back," and she chuckled.

And then she turned and looked for a quiet, solitary place to write. The one area she located was over in Kim's direction, so she circumnavigated the crowds milling around the house tables and the refreshments to take up a seat in Kim's vicinity, but not near enough to encroach on him in any way. All she did by way of acknowledging him was to nod her head. She would have attempted a small smile but his whole demeanor screamed do not even bother. She cast a look over to Bailey and was now honestly worried that something was definitely amiss in her friend's paradise. She cast one more concerned glance at a sulky Kim, but then took a seat before proceeding to get down to business.

AngelFyre rummaged in her enchanted satchel a few seconds and when her eyes lit upon her intended target, she uttered a long, "Yessssssssss! under her breath. With great delight, she quickly retrieved her favorite quill and ink pot, but the real treasure was the magical paper airplane. She had purchased it, and a few more, in secret and on a whim, when she and Simon were gathering their school supplies at Diagon Alley little less than a week ago. This was not what she had intended to use it for, but it would be perfect.

She sat her satchel back down beside her and turned her full attention to her little magical paper airplane. She reached up to run her fingers over it while mulling over everything she wished to say. Truth was, she could have had a hundred such paper planes... even a million... and that would never be enough to say everything she wanted to say. As her thoughts were coming almost too quickly to corral, she began to gently unfold the plane. To her amazement, it unfolded with nary a wrinkle so she did not even have to smooth it out.

Magic really was incredible.

Reaching for the quill, she started her letter to her friend.

Dearest Grandma Ruth,

I know there are no tears in Heaven, but I wonder if you know how many, and how freely, they flow from my heart since you left? I know you had to go. I know you wanted to go. I know you were ready, but I, selfishly, was not ready for you to go. None of us were.

I pray every day that your earthly sorrows and cares are truly gone. I like to believe that you are well and living your best life in the presence of our Lord and have had a blissful reunion with Grandpa Ezra. I do not expect you have forgotten us, but I also cannot believe that our current sorrows over missing you can shadow in the slightest the pure joy you must reside in now.

Your passing has been sad, but it is you... my memories of your smile, your sense of humor, your wonderful hugs, the way you always smelled like lilacs, your sage advice, but most especially your love I will always carry with me. I am who I am largely because of you. Thank you for that.

I love you and I will be forever grateful that you were, and will remain, my beloved Grandma Ruth.

Your darling girl,
AngelFyre

P.S. I can hear you cackling now about this coming to you on a magical paper airplane. You are welcome! Xoxoxo

Satisfied with the sentiments expressed, she thrust her wrist down quickly and felt her wand smoothly slip into her grasp. One quick "Reparo!" and the paper was magically folded back into its original shape.

She gathered her things together and slipped the plane back into her satchel. She expressed her thanks to the older Prefect, Damion, for hosting this event and grabbed a chocolate milk shake before returning back to her table and to Simon. "There is no hurry, but when you are ready, I want you to come with me when I "mail" my letter."
------- ----------- -------
Mentions @Colin McCoire @ Kim Sato @Bailey Glade

______________________

______________________

Bailey smiled wide as Af immediately greeted her upon her approach. This made bailey unbelievably happy, and reassured her that she wasn't barging into something private. "Hello AF!! thank you!!! welcome back to you as well!! I had a great summer, Poland was a gorgeous as ever, I'm so lucky that I get to go every summer!! How was your summer?"
Af seemed to be surprised when Kim wasn't right behind Bailey like he used to usually be. Bailey's heart gave a squeeze, and she felt something like sadness and remorse, despite not knowing what she did wrong.
She tried to smile again at Af, but it came out a little sad - her smile was authentic, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, where a glimmer of sadness remained.
Colin's head seemed to be spinning, as so many things were going on around him. Bailey grinned, truly happy for the first time since before she had seen Kim's state when the boy that was next to Coco introduced himself as Liam.
"Liam!!!! oh my goodness, i am so happy! i.. i don't exactly remember meeting you, but i did spend a remarkable amount of my second year - your first - in the library as well... i hadn't quite found my extroverted side yet-" bailey winked at Liam as she laughed and ruffled Coco's hair. "that's where i met Coco here, and @Taizu Miyashiro, and then my best friend - well close friend... Kim!"
Bailey mentioned that Kim was her best friend, but took it back, not sure if that's what they were. she definitely considered Kim her best friend, but she wasn't sure he enjoyed being around her - or anyone - much anymore. In this moment bailey vowed to never leave Kim's side no matter how much he didn't want to be around her. "best friend, best friend." bailey said again, half for their benefit, half for her benefit. "Those three are probably my three closest friends - at least Coco and Kim are, i haven't seen much of Taizu much."
Bailey blushed as Liam said he did know her, and then laughed at his and colin's interaction. It was just so... wholesome, it made bailey's heart happy to see it. If anyone in this world deserved this happiness, Coco was definitely one of them.
A bit later Simon told them to go get a drink, and bailey hurried to oblige him.
Grabbing a milkshake of herself, chocolate just like Af's, bailey grabbed a second, and made a quick detour to Kim, putting the milkshake by him.
"here's a milkshake - chocolate, though im sure it's nothing compared to a milkshake you could make." A horrible attempt at flirting, and also definitely not what Kim needed. Mentally smacking herself upside the head, she pulled out the letter she had written for Kim, handing it to him. "i know that this isn't exactly your speed, so... i wanted to give this to you now, so that if you want to leave, you can. i would.. i would love to walk back to your common room entrance with you, if you'd let me - just let me go see why Simon wanted us to get drinks - and say goodbye, if you want to leave now.. or you could come!!! there is someone you totally need to meet!!"
Bailey - with or without kim, depending on what the Griff decided - made her way back to where her friends were standing. She got back to where Simon and AF were standing in time to hear what Simon had to say. She smiled at the mention of the Holy Mother Teresa, one of Bailey's inspirations. Her heart warmed, remembering that she was not alone on her Faith journey, as there were many other Catholics and Christians at the school. A few among her friends here as well, if she was not mistaken.
Bailey smiled wider as Simon finished his mini speech, and clinked glasses with anyone willing. Taking a sip of her milkshake, she glanced around to see where Kim had gone, or if he had moved at all.