Happy Birthday Simon! open! 𝙲𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍

Rose set her present on the table, and took a seat, noticing that everyone else had flowers. She quietly thought to herself why she didn't receive one. She came to the conclusion that it was the way she was dressed, as she had noticed everyone there was dressed astronomically fancier than she was. She felt as though she would possibly be made fun of, but decided to clear her mind of it.

She didn't really know anyone at the party, but she'd seen them around campus. She was pretty sure she knew their names, and she knew who they hung out with. She took a look at the gifts table, comparing the sizes. She felt as though if only she had more money, she could be better in every way. She had to cut a lot of corners in order to afford most of the things she'd ever needed in life, and she was good at bargaining. Guess acting is a worthwhile investment.

She was pretty sure absolutely no one knew who she was, because most of them seemed like they were secretly eyeing her. She turned to find Simon talking to some people. In fact, mostly everyone had initiated some sort of conversation. She figured she should initiate one too.

She walked up to Cody, the person she knew the most about (which was still pretty little), pointed some finger guns, and said, "Yo." Super awkward way to start a conversation.

After class, he headed straight for the Rehearsal Room while still in his school uniform, no time wasted. It was a productive day of practicing Vivaldi's Spring, a piece that he hoped would be ready by the time spring actually came. However, it seemed there was no such luck in wishing that spring would come sooner, as the weather in Scotland was still rather cold and sometimes overcast. The snow hardly seemed to melt.

The small boy hummed animatedly to himself as he continued on the ground floor, heading towards the depths of the snake pit. Down the corridor he skipped, violin case strapped to his back, giving a little prance to the trills within the tune of Spring -- he could see the flowers blooming, the animals coming out of hibernation to the glory of the flora that welcomed them from their slumber.

Ah! But what was all the commotion going on in the Great Hall? He peered through the wide double-doors, eyes catching a sea of lavender, white and yellow that decorated the hall. Curious, he ventured forth. Surely, the place was a lot more festive than usual, and even though it wasn't yet dinnertime, it seemed that quite a few students had gathered. Most were pretty nicely-dressed, he noticed, a clear contrast to his drabby school robes. On the Hufflepuff table lay a pile of gift boxes, and... and what was that on the Slytherin table? Cake? Avery gawked. It was like nothing he had seen before: A flower garden of colorful cake.

"Oh hey!" he spoke, turning to a girl with short, dark hair (@Lizzy Solace), and a boy in a suit (@Marius Brown), who didn't seem very occupied, currently. Was the boy really enjoying himself, or was he here to not talk to people? If so, Avery wouldn't give him the opportunity to stay silent as he nodded in greeting to both of them with raised eyebrows. He could swear that they were first-years, though he didn't memorize everybody's names and faces just yet, especially if they weren't in Slytherin. "What's going on here? Is somebody getting married right after Valentine's day?" He chuckled. That was immediately what he assumed, because all the white and pastels were exactly what his cousin had said she'd like to have at her wedding. Surely, a party as grand as this one must be to celebrate a life-changing milestone or event?

He turned around to focus on the cake table, but he jolted in surprise as his violin case smacked against something. "Sorry!" he called out reflexively, as he was not a stranger to hitting things with his awkward case wherever he went. "Didn't see you there! ...Cody!" he said as his dark brown eyes landed on a figure even smaller than himself. This was a boy he certainly knew the name of (troublemaker as he was), even though he hadn't had a real conversation with him previously. Hopefully, the boy wouldn't be offended?

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Current interactions: @Avery Chen @Lizzy Solace
Mentions: @Simon Corbin

Marius' Suit:

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The pastel colored cakes beckoned to him, iced flower petals blossoming under the Great Hall candlelight... They looked delicious, and the small boy could hardly help picking up a plate and serving himself some of the cake without invitation. It hardly occurred to him that the host of the party may be somewhere nearby and may have seen this not-completely-familiar guest take some cake. Indeed, the allure of the creamy, sweet blossoms were too great.

"Nah, it's a birthday celebration. Besides, Valentine's still days away," the boy in the suit responded with a chuckle to his question as to whether this was a wedding celebration. "Ah!" Avery responded, mouth full of cake, a few unfortunate crumbs spilling out. My, my, weren't his table manners quite terrible? He took another large bite, nevertheless. "I'm never able to keep track of dates. It seems that the weeks often merge into one, with the repetition of classes, homework, violin practice, quidditch practice, and so on. Sometimes the days just seem to be the same, and I find myself craving something different in between. Does that ever happen to you?" he mused, and may even have appeared to be more thoughtful than his atrocious table manners seemed to suggest. "I mean, everything was extremely new to me during the first semester, but even a magical boarding school can easily become routine, eventually." It was true that -- as a muggle-born -- he had been stunned by everything Hogwarts when he first arrived: The changing stairs, the animated paintings, confusing corridors, dueling events, a sport on broomsticks, magic, etc., but perhaps the boy adjusted to certain things too quickly, or he too easily craved adventures new and different. His heart and mind were always looking for the next adventure, trouble-maker as he was.

One thing he did notice, though, was that there were certainly many other Hogwarts students that he had yet to meet personally. The boy in the suit seemed familiar, but he wasn't quite sure he knew him personally. However, the boy seemed to generally give off a good vibe as someone he could see himself befriending. "Avery Chen, by the way. First year Slytherin. Not sure if you've heard of me," he mumbled through a full mouth of cake. He wasn't quite sure if the likes of Hildegard Schneider had been spreading false (or true) rumors about him after their multiple fights. And what was that? He ought to wish someone called 'Simon' happy birthday?

Avery's eyes bulged at the realization that he had dug into someone's birthday cake without having been invited to do so by the host. A quick scan once more at the wedding birthday party guests told him that many of them had specifically dressed up for the event, whereas he stood there in his drab uniform with a violin case on his back as if he were the string ensemble for the party. "Simon? Which one is Simon?" he whispered loudly to the boy in a bit of a frenzy at his faux pas, quickly swallowing his last bite and attempting to pat down his robes of stray crumbs (but failing), discretely putting down the now-empty plate on a table. A smear of telltale cream was still upon the corner of his mouth. "How do I look, by the way? Was there a dress code for this party? Do I look like I blend in with the rest of you?" he asked the boy who was now his confidante (willingly or unwillingly). All of a sudden, he felt a bit self-conscious, looking at the girls in their dresses, and the boys in their stylish clothes. Really, he ought to at least greet the birthday host after nabbing their cake? Unless the host found the boy who snuck into their party first.

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@Avery Chen

Marius' Suit:

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So the boy in the suit actually knew who Avery was? He almost coughed on his cake. Honestly, he didn't expect people to know exactly who he was -- he certainly didn't consider himself as accomplished as some of his other friends: @Hui Ming, who had good grades at Hogwarts while simultaneously keeping pace with his muggle curriculum, and who hosted a variety of dueling events for first-years; @Liana Kerr, the DADA prodigy; @Vale Ashwood, Potions prodigy; and @Maggie Hawkins, first-string Chaser.

"Oh wow," he managed to say after swallowing the bite he nearly choked on. "I didn't expect you to know who I was, and totally wouldn't have been offended if you didn't, but thanks! By the way, what's your name? I'm pretty sure I've seen you around, and that you're a first-year as well, but the name just isn't coming to me for some reason. Maybe I got knocked by a bludger too many times," he laughed. Jorah's bludger during his first quidditch match did some serious damage, after all -- that boy was strong as heck.

"And how are you liking Hogwarts so far? Anything that's difficult to get used to, or anything you wished you could do more of?" Avery was always eager to start a conversation with people he'd just met. The boy seemingly knew no embarrassment when it came to learning more about other peoples' lives, which was a boon to him sometimes, but backfired other times.

When the boy told him there was no dress code, Avery relaxed. Well, at least he blended in, supposedly? Looking like a Hogwarts student. "Well, if Simon comes by and doesn't like the way I'm dressed, help me out, okay?" he winked. "Your suit looks way better than what I'm wearing, so I'm sure you're fine, but I might need a bit of moral support."

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@Avery Chen @Simon Corbin

Marius' Suit:

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The lack of electricity. That was definitely something he had to get used to, when he first came to Hogwarts. As a 21st century kid, it baffled him that students here couldn't use electronic devices. It was like going back to the 1700s, or something. Avery nodded in agreement. "Are you muggle-born too? The lighting in this school isn't quite enough, I think. Lamps in the corridors at night can only shine so brightly. And you've probably never been to the Slytherin dorms -- we live in the basement. Boy, is it cold and dark down there," Avery winced. To be honest, he wasn't 100% sure why he ended up getting sorted into the snake pit. The other kids in the Snape dorm seemed to find their accommodations just fine, and in line with their general mood, but it was a bit cold and un-homey for Avery. The dorm seemed to despise laughter. And happiness.

"But, they do make us go back to the common rooms early, for a reason," he continued. "Not that I like how early I have to be back at night, since I'd prefer to use the Rehearsal Room late into the evening, but... have you heard of the curse of the Shadow Spiders?" he waited, looking to see if Marius showed any indication of having heard of such a thing. If not, the boy was in for a bit of horror.

Upon Marius's mention of saying hello to their birthday host, Avery nodded. "Sure! Where can we find Simon?" he asked, scanning his dark brown eyes through the crowd.

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@Avery Chen @Simon Corbin

Marius' Suit:

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At Avery's off-handed question about being muggle-born as well, Marius merely nodded, seemingly uneager to be vocal about his response. It was understandable. Perhaps Avery had been too nonchalant in the way that he exposed his own blood status, and assumed that others wouldn't mind as well. In fact, Avery himself could've had some reason to give pause to announcing this part of himself; Hildegard Schneider had very much made it clear that muggle-borns were not usually welcome with these very words: "I do admit that I have a problem with your kind... I think your very existence is a problem for us."

Somehow, though, as he had with his friends Hui Ming and Samantha Salwis, found comfort in their shared similarities, especially as a first-year in a wizarding school. And for that, he was grateful.

He listened as Marius explained that it was difficult to see in the dimly-lit evenings. For Avery, however, it wasn't quite the lack of sight that bothered him; he was accustomed to practicing violin late at night or with his eyes closed, so he could fully grasp the intonation and commit the movements to muscle memory, but the general mood of things was more depressing in the dark snake pit. However, Marius's next words caught his attention. "Either way, why can't wizards and Muggles just be more open and understanding to each other?" That was a loaded question. "I guess it's difficult to re-write centuries of history, for some," Avery began slowly, thinking about what Schneider had said, and remembering their History of Magic lessons. "Muggles, like any group of people, are often scared of what they don't have and don't understand, which led to witch hunts and burnings in the past. Wizarding folk now are likely to be afraid of muggle technology, or are scared that muggle-borns will somehow forsake the wizarding world with split alliances." It was all nuanced and unfortunate, all this prejudice driven by misunderstanding and fear of the other. "I don't know, I guess the best we can do now is to try to come to Hogwarts with an open mind ourselves and be kind to others." Avery, who was quite the optimist, seemed to think that every person who came to like a muggle-born like himself would be charmed to the 'good' side, but was it unlikely so simple. No one resolved blood discrimination in 7 years.

At the Hufflepuff's mention that 9:30pm would be a more reasonable curfew, Avery nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Yeah, can you imagine 17-year-old upperclassmen having to follow an 8pm curfew?" he laughed at the idea. "But," he continued, getting a bit more serious, now that he was treading in different waters, "Shadow Spiders were a thing. One year, they roamed the castle and bit many students. These students then became cursed by their venom, and their skin became marked by painful black web patterns. They had to take a daily potion from the Hospital Wing to ward off the poison, otherwise they would die. I think a cure has been developed now, to rid the poison from their bodies permanently, but there are definitely scary things out there we might not know about," Avery explained, thinking about what the Slytherin upperclassmen had told him. He paused and let the story sink in. "I try not to let those things bother me, though," he said with a shrug. "We're playing with magic, things are bound to be dangerous. It's another reason to try to learn as much as we can while we're here." Avery seemed rather dismissive of the dangers; perhaps it was his optimism, or foolhardy bravery, or a bit of both, including his natural confidence in his ability to get out of any tough situation.

At Marius's mention of a guy in a yellow suit, Avery scanned the crowd. The birthday boy wasn't difficult to find, but then again, he also seemed pre-occupied with others. Absent-mindedly, Avery picked up another slice of cake and dug in. "Well, let's see if he catches me here in the meantime." If he stayed under the radar, he'd be less likely to get kicked out, right?