A far too early invitation Fin PV Simon Kincaid

Simon had recently gotten a letter from one of his muggle London friends, Callum. The two weren't as close as he was to Oliver or Gabe who were probably his best mates, but he still appreciated any time he got to spend with this friend. Callum had an older brother who recently decided he wanted to join the Royal Air Force and was accepted. This brought about feelings of both pride and worry in Callum.

While Simon didn't have any siblings, he could imagine what that must have felt like. To think that Callum and his brother had such a close bond and now he was leaving for a new chapter of his life was bad enough but now he would worry about his safety in this crazy global climate.

And that got Simon thinking about war. How events could domino into something massive that put so many at risk. He thought of past wars, how some included so many different countries, choosing sides and fighting for what they thought was best based on what their leaders told them. And he got to thinking about this wizarding world that he was now a part of - Did they have any participation in the war? Did dark wizards fuel the fires? Did wizards aid in getting countries out of conflicts?

Not sure where to start looking on the subject, he knew that his best bet to finding an answer would lie at the library of Hogwarts and so he made his way down the stairs of the First Floor to the Ground Level and into the library.

History of Magic was probably the section he needed to check first but upon entering he saw a familiar redhead catch his eye and she waved him over. He smiled easily, always glad to see her, and approached. "Hey, beautiful," he smiled to her.

being excited @Simon Kincaid

Haley smiled from afar as Simon made his way towards her. She hadn't expected to meet someone familiar here so early but where would one meet Simon if not in the library? Her smile widened at his greeting, "Hey handsome, what brings you here?" Knowing Simon as she did, he was on the lookout for new knowledge again and was very excited to find out what it was this time.

She pointed with her free hand to the empty chair, offering him to sit with her. And once again Haley was surprised by this encounter, only a few minutes before she had to think of Simon and he already ran into her. Only a few days ago she had to think about how often such encounters happened here at Hogwarts. Whether it was someone she was thinking about, someone who needed her or someone she needed. She didn't know what it was, coincidence or not, but she believed more and more that it had something to do with the magic in this wonderful place.

She put the letter and pictures on the table in front of her and began to tell Simon about the news. "My parents sent me an update on our new house. I don't know if you remember but earlier this year I had told you we were moving." She smiled broadly at the thought of this family project and couldn't wait for the next holidays, even though she loved it here at Hogwarts.

"It will be a few months before it's ready but some rooms are already finished and among them is my room." She clapped her hands softly in excitement and grinned. Even though she was a little sad in a way that she couldn't help her parents with this family project, her joy outweighed it.

Photos and talks with @Haley Rose

“Oh, just a little research. Nothing school related,” he smiled. Simon didn’t want Haley to think that she had pulled him away from his studies because that wasn’t the case. This was one of the many random questions that would pop into his head about the wizarding world. If he didn’t find his answer that day, he would try again another day. His priority now was spending time with his close friend.

“I do remember you telling me about the move.” Back when he first began talking to Haley he was excited to find out that she was from London just like he was. How close did they live to one another? How many stops was it on the Underground? And then when she told him she was moving he remember feeling the slightest bit sad that maybe they’d be further apart now when it came summer holiday but it really didn’t matter. Besides, she was looking forward to the move where they could get out of the city and have a little more space to breathe so he ended up being happy for her.

She showed him some of the photographs and he smiled. It looked like a nice home for a family to be in and was probably two-three times or more bigger than the townhome that he lived in with his aunt. That was more than enough room for the two of them in London and they enjoyed the city life.

“This is so great that they’re doing this for you,” he said as he looked over the one of her room. Lots of green already. Perfect for her. “That means the next time you go home on holiday it’ll already feel like home.” It didn’t have to feel like some new and foreign place. “And that yard! That’s a big enough space to have a party.”

Will you, @Simon Kincaid , ...?

She took the photos she had just been looking through and handed them to Simon, commenting on each one. "So here you can see it from the outside."
"And this should be the garden hut."
"Here you can see a bit of the garden."
"And the next pictures are my room"

with each passing of the pictures she became more excited and she was pleased that she could share her joy with someone. She knew that Simon also lived in London and even if they lived further away now, she would still be in the city quickly. If Haley had understood correctly, her new home was connected to the Floo network so she could travel fast to London.

As much as she liked her old home, she already loved her future one that wasn't even finished yet. She was so excited to see what everything would look like when it was finally finished. Haley had never been good at being patient and in this case she had no choice. But she was already looking forward to the next update from her parents.

"You're right about that! And speaking of partying..." Haley cleared her throat briefly and assumed an upright posture. She reached across the table to Simon's hand and put on a serious look but with a big smile. "Will you, Simon Kincaid," she now slid off the chair and knelt in front of him as she continued to hold his hand, "be the first guest I invite to the housewarming party all too soon?"

She burst into a loud laugh and briefly slapped her hand over her mouth and looked around, startled. Luckily it was so early and there was no one in sight who was bothered by it so she kept laughing. She dropped her forehead to his knee and shook her head. "I know I'm crazy. But I'm just in an incredibly good mood today." She propped herself up on his knee and rose again from her proposal and sat back in her chair.

Photos and proposals with @Haley Rose

“Yes!” he laughed with her. “And you know, you might be a little crazy but as you told me, we’re all mad here.” He liked that she had told him that because one, it showed she also liked to read and two, the fact that the Cheshire said that to Alice showed that he was the only one who knew what was going on, that would be honest with her.

Simon asked about where the new place was located and felt much better after she told him it was just outside London. He could also probably still take the underground to get to her. Some day they could use magical travel like apparition and then it really wouldn’t matter. How amazing would that be?

Simon looked over the pictures, liking the ones of her room. “Lots of music in that room,” he said, loving it. If Simon her to pick one thing that was his favorite it was probably music and he was glad Haley seemed to share that interest.

“I think a housewarming party sounds fun. Do I bring something like warm cookies and new silverware?” Random but he always heard of someone making something for a new neighbor...was it the same for someone moving into a new house?

Maybe not. Honestly though she wouldn’t want cookies he made but maybe some from his aunt. She was a baker by profession, after all.

Talking about music and summer @Simon Kincaid

Haley's eyes lit up at the quote from Simon. She loved that they already had such insiders and shared the same interests. "We're all mad here." She repeated the last words and smiled at him. That was definitely one of her favourite quotes and it was the perfect response to her statement. She knew she wasn't alone and she knew Simon didn't mind her crazy ways.

"Yeah, I got a lot of old records from my dad and collected a few of my own over the years." She smiled at the thought, "I'll have to show you my collection sometime." She was already looking forward to that day. She wanted to show Simon her world, her home, her interests and hobbies. "We also have a grand piano.I learned to play with this one. I guess my parents will put it in the living room."

She didn't know if it was a thing to bring anything to a housewarming party and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess no. Bring yourself and that's enough." She knew some customs but she wasn't sure what it was like with moving to a new home and she also knew her parents wouldn't want her friends to bring anything extra. Haley definitely had her warmth from her parents. They would spend three days getting everything ready and making sure every guest was comfortable but wouldn't ask or expect anything in return.

"I can't wait until it's finally summer. But enough about that. What's new with you?" She looked at Simon curiously. It hadn't been too long since they had seen each other but she also knew Hogwarts and knew that something exciting could happen here every day or nothing exciting could happen for weeks but you could never guess.

Homework talk now with @Haley Rose

"I'm looking forward to it," he spoke truthfully. "This place look amazing," he said, glancing over the photographs for another moment to take in some of the details before handing them back to her. She seemed excited and that was probably the best part of it all. He liked when those eyes of hers lit up and that smile was bright on her face.

There was a lot to be said, he thought, in the way someone's room was. It was an extension on their personality. Maybe some day she could see his place too but there really was no way in which he could think of a way to invite her just yet. Her house first. She was excited to show it off and he was eager to see it.

"Not too much new with me. I've found myself with lots of classwork lately. We've been spending a lot of our time together during our free time and they've become quite demanding. I think they're starting to become quite fond of me," he spoke of his homework as if it were a person, "but honestly i'm not sure how I feel about them. I mean, maybe this is all good for me and will teach me a lesson but..," he sighed. "I just don't know."

Offering some help @Simon Kincaid

Haley was happy to share her enthusiasm with him and even happier that he liked it too. Not that it mattered but it was nice to know that he could see the beautiful things she saw. She took the photos and put them in the envelope with the letter and then stowed them in her bag. She knew she still wanted to change something about her room, but that would only happen when they actually moved in. There was no question that she was not happy with it but at the moment the feelings, the memories and the moments were still missing. She knew she would hang up a lot of pictures, but she could worry about that another time.

She turned her attention back to Simon, who was now talking about himself and she was curious to hear what he had to say. But it seemed that there was nothing exciting going on with him at the moment, which can be nice now and then. She knew the feeling with homework only too well and was happy that she had it under control at the moment and didn't feel stressed by it. She laughed at the way he talked about his homework and decided to play along.

"Ah I see, a devoted admirer." She winked at him, "You definitely need to be aware of your feelings. It's only fair to you and especially to her." She pretended to continue thinking seriously about it but grinned steadily as she did so. "But if you want to get rid of her, well, I can offer to play the jealous girlfriend who doesn't like you spending so much time with her at all." She looked at him innocently and shrugged.

But she didn't just want to be a fun friend to Simon, she really wanted to be helpful to him, which was why she went on about it. "If I can really help you in any way, in any subject, please let me know." Haley meant it. She would do a lot for Simon and she would also write an essay for him if he couldn't make it in time. Or if he just needed some other help, she would be happy to do that too. Haley was a good student and she had never minded using that to help others.

Admitting needing the assistance of @Haley Rose

“Well, I was thinking it’s probably only right that I talk to Coursework and I tell her that she’s been too needy, too demanding of my time. You know? Maybe she just doesn’t know. One should be out and open with their true feelings about someone, don’t you think?” And Simon’s eyes met Haley’s green eyes and he paused. “Whether that be negative feelings like Coursework brings or positive ones...like others do. Don’t you think? We all deserve to know the truth,” and he was sort of curious to know her answer, hinting around if maybe he should be saying something to Haley that has so far went unsaid.

Simon didn’t know if this was the time and place for that though - where he should admit feelings or if he should wait until there was a better atmosphere or something more planned out because Haley Rose deserved only the best. Something more thought out.

“Maybe you could help me with Astronomy if you understand the math. I’ve always loved learning about the stars and planets but all the math behind it is a little confusing,” he admitted and hoped Haley wouldn’t think less of him. Sometimes Transfigurations was pretty hard too. He had never been very good at math, even at his muggle school back in London. He was pretty sure math might keep him away from becoming a healer but that was something he’d figure out in time. No need to worry about this in his first year.