New Day, New Year PV Finished

A crocked smile curled up Ileen’s lips and she squeezed her friend tightly. “No, I trust you. Most of the time at least.” This time it was her turn to stick the tongue out and a soft giggle escaped her, as she followed Dee up the hill. “And yes, jinxing some idiots would be a nice surprise, but we don’t need an event for that. Just wait until our tent wakes up.” She rolled her eyes, but the smile remained on her face.
The young Slytherin was deeply moved and to her astonishment she felt tears rising in her eyes. Maybe yesterday's events had made her even more sensitive, but at least two of her friends were already safe on her side and knowing that they were caring about her filled her with joy and peace.
She looked back at Dee and hoped her friend would notice from her reaction how much Ileen appreciated her effort and present. She had never been good with words, but Dee normally could read her like an open book.

When they reached the top of the hill Ileen only had time to catch a glimpse of the blanket and a cake before someone attacked her with a roar. A white figure leapt up from the ground and pounced on her with a tackle hug. Although her heart skipped a beat, Ileen’s reflexes were just fast enough to catch the thin girl with a hug, before all the air was squeezed out of her lungs. With a surprised laugh she stroked the other knight's white hair. Of course, Aida was here too - she could have expected that. “Thank you, my fellow knight!” She indicated a bow and then looked around, standing in the middle of her friends with reddened cheeks. Almost all the people she really cared about were present and her heart was about to burst.

When Sly stretched out a wrapped package to her, she accepted it and hugged him tightly. It was good to feel that everyone here was flesh and blood and today she needed those hugs more than usual. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind that she just had rushed into his arms. "You didn’t have to! But thank you very much.” With a lump in her throat and glowing eyes she touched the gift. “Should I unwrap it right now? Or do we want to watch the sunrise first?”
She sat down on the blanket and beamed at all of her friends. She was so happy all of them were here. “Thank you very much for sharing this with me.” Her voice was more a whisper.

Sorry that it took me so long

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By SK

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Interacting with | @Ileen Knight | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Sylvain Indarys

Ileen's reply elicited an outraged gasp from the brunette Ravenclaw. "Most of the time? Why would you ever not trust me?" But the playful frown was quickly replaced by a wide grin as they marched up the rest of the hill, and then a softer smile when Dee took note of Ileen's uncharacteristic silence. At least when it came to the Slytherin, Dee was rather good at interpreting small changes in expression, and she squeezed her best friend's hand in response.

When Aida jumped out of her hiding spot, Dee jumped, apparently more surprised than the birthday girl herself, but then started laughing, part due to Aida's attack, part due to her own reaction. "I was wondering if you were going to be late," she teased the white-haired demon with a fond smile. "Should have known better, though."

At Sylvain's compliment, she grinned, spun around with her arms thrown wide, and struck a dramatic pose, just about oozing with self-satisfaction. "I do have good taste, don't I?" she asked smugly, then hopped over to give both of their friends a quick hug after Ileen had received her share of birthday hugs. "Maybe I should become a party planner."

When the three others started taking spots on the blanket, Dee flopped down next to Ileen, face turned to where it looked like the sun would start to peak over the horizon in just a few seconds, clouds bathed in red and yellow. "Sunrise now!" she declared bossily. "The sun doesn't wait. Presents and chocolate cake later." Of course she hadn't even been able to wait until they had reached the others for Ileen to open her own present, but that was obviously something entirely different. And the sunrise hadn't been as close then.

She cast another glance around, both to the sides and back to the camp, searching for movement between the tents, but it didn't look like the last invited guest was going to show up on time. Resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the quiet camp, she turned back around just as the first rays of sun broke over the hills, bathing them an the hilltop around them in the sunlight, setting the sky alight and the drops of dew on the grass sparkling.

It was a worthy end to the summer camp, with all its ups and downs, Dee thought as she leaned over to squeeze Ileen again, tightly. "Happy birthday," she said quietly, smiling.

Reducio

A long hard object concealed by even more cloth, this time blue, and bound by a bronze tasseled rope with a loop that would make it easy to carry. The cloth was soft and silky, leaving a cool feeling on the hand in the early morning chill. The shape was pretty easy to figure out and it would be easily opened with a single pull of a well-placed bow.

Reducio

In Ileen’s hands appeared a handcrafted (and only slightly rustic) wooden sword with a painted handle. It was quite smooth to the touch but it still had some asymmetries and inconsistencies. Overall however it looked pretty solid, like it could take a bit of action without falling apart.

“I made it for you. The sanding took forever… I hope it looks okay. The wood is from one of the fallen trees on the grounds, so it’s kind of a little piece of Hogwarts. Happy birthday,” chirped Aida lovingly. “Thanks for being my friend."

@Ileen Knight @Dealla Prince @Sylvain Indarys

Hexcode= #3c78d8

Turning to marvel at the radiant dawn of morning light as the sun's balmy glow wrap around him like a blanket on a cool afternoon, Sylvain witnessed the last of the summer camp's sunrises greet the morning sky with shades of hot orange and warm pink. The clouds were covered in golden shadows which pushed the deep purple of night at bay with their soft edges. Their texture reminded Sylvain of warm cots and soft pillows.

Sylvain yawned as the four huddled atop the hillside blanket exchanging gifts. Sure the summer had felt insanely short for what all they had wanted to do together, but he was still looking forward to their trip to the cave, and was glad to have avoided the heartbreak of saying goodbye. Naturally he was happy to have instead gotten to spend as much time with them as he did. The three had made for an interesting dynamic, one where he never felt like his weaknesses were important. The sunrise shone light on more than just the kids, it also served to awaken some measure of hunger within Sylvain as his stomach grumbled. Searching his satchel for a snack, he came back luckless having found only lint and potion ingredients. The likes of which he would not be giving a second taste test this summer.

Sylvain turned to Ileen. Happy to have made an appearance for her birthday, he was ready to ditch back to camp and be lazy before he had to go home and do chores all summer. "Thanks for inviting me Dealla." Sylvain said with a smile, ignoring Dee's wistful looking into the camp, and Aida's gift. "I hope you enjoy the book, owl me if you want to talk over the summer would you?" He smiled a slight, but smug grin. "I'm awfully forgetful, but I can't forget to write back if I've got the letter in my hands right?"

With that fleeting invitation to write to him he made his goodbyes regardless of their protesting or kind invitations to stay. Strong willed, Sylvain would make his way back to camp to spend what time he had alone before he spent his summer, but not before giving all three of them his address.

@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Dealla Prince @Ileen Knight

”Thank you guys.” Ileen hugged her friends back, a genuine and bright smile on her face. As Aida reached out to hand her a long bundle, Ileen’s brown eyes widened. She hadn’t expected any presents and now all three of them have gotten her something! “Oh Aida. Thank you! You didn’t have to!” But the sparkle in her eyes and the redness of her cheeks clearly showed how happy she was that all her friends had thought of her. That was the most precious gift anyway and the first time that she had received something like this.

She carefully placed Aida’s gift next to Syl’s before she turned back to the astonishing sunrise. She had always loved this time of the day when the golden light touched the quiet and sleeping nature to ring in a new day full of possibilities. Especially after the dark and horrifying events from yesterday, the young Slytherin girl could use some golden light to start over somehow and having almost all of her friends around was also helping a lot.
The peace of nature sank into her and calmed her breath, the beating of her heart…

After the sun had risen completely, Ileen turned to the gifts. Carefully she first touched Syl’s gift. It felt like a book. And indeed – when she carefully removed the paper, she held a book of spells with the captivating title “Jinxes for the Jinxed” in her hands. With a sparkle in her eyes she looked up at him and hugged him enthusiastically. Had he known that he was giving her exactly what she needed for the coming school year, or had that been a coincidence? "Thank you very much! I can really use that!"

Aida’s gift was next. Ileen also tried to guess what it could be by touching it, but she had no clue. She was all the more overwhelmed when she wrapped up the bundle and held the sword in her hands. “Oh my god, Aida! Did you make that by yourself?” The handle nestled pleasantly smooth in her hand and Ileen swung it reverently before she carefully put it aside and firmly embraced Aida. She had never been good with words before and, like in Dee’s case, she tried to put her feelings into that embrace. She really had the best friends in the world. “Now I can fight off all the monsters,” she whispered in Aida’s ear before letting her go.

And then, when she was about to ask about the delicious cake, Syl left the gathering. Ileen looked up, a bit sad since he had just got here, but she would not stop him. “Thank you for the amazing gift and sharing the sunrise with me.”

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By SK

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The sunrise was magnificent - which was only right, Dee thought, to celebrate Ileen's birthday. A small, peaceful smile spread on her face as she watched the dawn of a new day along with her best friends, one that would hopefully make yesterday's events feel like a distant dream soon. It wasn't... that she wanted to forget, precisely, although it would maybe help make her sleep more restful, less disturbed by odd shapes and emaciated, green-eyed boys.

The look on Ileen's face did the rest to chase yesterday's shadows away, at least for the moment, and Dee knew this had been the right choice, although she'd made it long before the Fight Club.

Dee remained a little absentminded, eyes still on the rising sun and the way the world around them seemed to come to life. The morning fog slowly dissipated in the warmth of the early morning sun, and there were birds chirping in the trees where before there had been silence.

Ileen had moved on to opening presents, and Dee didn't pay it much thought, although she did look up and grinned at the wooden sword that was Aida's present - and at the cloth it had been wrapped in. "Blue and bronze, eh?" she asked, smiling, and let her fingers trail over the fabric. "Trying to convert Ileen to the eagles? I don't think she'd take all that much convincing." Her smile softened a little as she watched Ileen hug Aida. Her two knights - they were, and would remain, and Dee could feel a sense of protectiveness rise up in her. For a moment she was tempted to say something - but then she closed her mouth again. It was Ileen's day, Ileen's moment - and she wouldn't have found the right words, anyway.

She looked up in surprise, blue eyes squinting slightly in the morning sun, when Sylvain got up right away, bidding them goodbye. "No cake?" she asked in surprise, aware of his fondness of chocolate frogs. "It's chocolate!" But she smiled and waved as he turned to leave. "I hope you'll have an amazing break, we'll see you soon!" The wish was genuine, although she was aware that Sylvain's home wasn't exactly the most welcoming or happy place. Who knew? Maybe something would change.

When their friend had disappeared between the tents of the camp, Dee clapped her hands together in excitement. "Okay, cake time!" she announced. The cake had already been cut, and there were napkins about, so all that was left was for everyone to take a piece - or two or three. Not surprisingly at all, it tasted fantastic - rich and chocolate flavoured, but still surprisingly fluffy. Needless to say, Dee would skip breakfast today.

Interactions | @Ileen Knight | @Sylvain Indarys | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

@Ileen Knight @Dealla Prince

Ileen gave Aida a wide smile, the sort of smile only these two ever got to see. “Good to know. I completely trust your healing hands. Now, I can fight all these idiots if jinxing them is not enough.” A devilish glint in her brown eyes indicated that the young Slytherin was not completely joking. She already thought of one or the other who could take a strong blow with the sword. Even though it was actually too good for that. She would rather fight the monsters that threatened her and her friends. This thought reminded her of what she had seen yesterday and it felt like someone had walked over her grave.

With a slight shiver she focused back on Dee. Cake was a good distraction and chocolate was Ileen’s favorite. If it was only half as good as the one on Dee’s birthday, she would get the best birthday cake ever. “And yes, please Ravenclaw, adpot me. Mhhhm chocolate. Give me a huge slide please! I’m starving!”
Ileen took a napkin and her first and for sure not last piece of the cake. It tasted fantastic and delighted she closed her eyes. “Merlin, this is so delicious!” She opened her eyes again to beam at her friends in excitement. As she noticed the big fat piece Aida was eating she smiled even wider. It was good to see her friend eating again, that was another great surprise for her birthday.
“You know what? I love you so much.” Not bothering that her hands were full of chocolate she reached out for the two girls and pulled them in a group hug. A lump formed in her throat and she hid her face in Dees hoodie. Fighting back the tears she sniffed and then chuckled. “Thank you. This is the best birthday ever. A wonderful surprise.” And she really meant it. It really had been the perfect surprise.