What You Mean to Me

Read OOC first

𝕽uth Isolde Fairchild stood on the fourth platform of the Owlery, a solitary figure clinging to the balustrade with one hand to avoid slipping on the frost. The other gripped the handle of a wicker basket clustered with mismatched packages. As a result of not having wrapping paper, the Hufflepuff had resorted to using parchment dyed in several colours.

They were gifts.

After a moment of hesitation, she steadily let go of the bannister to scrounge through the presents. Each was of varied sizes, to be sent to different people, everywhere. Some resided alongside her in Hogwarts. Others had gone home, while the last few she had little idea where they were. Ruth's only hope was that these tokens of appreciation would come across as a thank-you gift rather than just mere Christmas presents.

Through the gaping window of the overlooking terrace came Sol, swooping in with Pamela's latest letter. Ruth chuckled at the sight of him, having seemed much more preened and proper than she had ever seen him. “Pam pampered you, didn't she?” She murmured to him, resulting in an indignant squawk.

Setting the basket down on the railing, Ruth carefully extracted her letter to Pam and her package.

While the Hufflepuff had insisted on giving her best friend her present when she came back to Hogwarts, Ruth figured it wouldn't hurt to send over a small goodie as a matter of thanks. It was just coincidental that she was sending these around Christmas and New Year'ss. Not that she would have gotten much of a chance to gift these any other time, since Ruth didn't dare set foot in Hogsmeade beyond this time. For @Pamela Graham, she had gotten Brandys Bright's Barettes. Goodness knew how Pamela was able to style those luscious locks of golden curls she had. Ruth herself failed to understand – surely there was a secret formula. Maybe she could ask Pamela for it, fix her unruly braid, exchanging its unkempt for even a silver of Pam's grace.

With every gift sent was a small card written to explain the reason behind the present. The usual format would be to first thank each and every one for their support and to acknowledge how much they all meant to her. Everyone would receive a similar line:

This is a token of appreciation for all that you have done for me, and to show you how much you mean to me, beyond the ordinary Christmas present.

Another would be to give them a pinprick of insight into how she saw them, symbolised through the gifts.

For Pamela,

I have seen you untidy, and I have seen you in a mess. Yet, every time, the sparkles in your eye and the sweetness of your smile remind me of how there can be such beauty within the elegance and chaos.

Ruth sent Sol back off with the help of a few owl treats as a form of bribery, before she headed down the platform. There were many gifts, and she hated to over-rely on her Great White. For the first time in several months, Ruth had turned towards the valiant efforts of the school owls.

@Amelia Garnett was a package deal with Pamela. On the Hogwarts Express ride over to school at the start of the second year, Ruth had gotten a glimpse of the relationship between the Slytherin and her best friend, and the young Fairchild was insightful enough to understand that there was the possibility that her duo would eventually morph into a coven, if it already hasn't. While she felt it fortunate that Garnett's personality was far from Ira Thornfield's crippling attitude, the barrier between the two was also inexplicable.

But she was about to change that with a pet rock.

Yes, that may be odd. But she had learnt from experience that even the smallest, eccentric things could forge stronger bonds. Sure, there might have been less wacky manners in which to carry this out–yet, what would be the point of refraining from being herself if she wanted to connect with another?

For Amelia,

Our friendship is one brimming with ambiguity and hesitation. But I wondered if I could take the first step to breaking these walls. I've got one myself, named Mandy. Shall we care for them together?

The person responsible for the aforementioned experience could be none other than @Joseph Sims.

The only manner in which to describe the Hufflepuff was yellow. He was a colour within Ruth's life, a bright, warm, sunny yellow of yolk. Joseph's beam, formerly tentative, would grow bright once one had become a strong ally of Astra. That was right, she couldn't simply credit Joseph for the days of boisterous joy and laughter. Astra had always been there, a comforting presence within the fun.

So what better way than to express it through a Skiving Snackbox? Ruth knew that if there was ever someone who would find themselves in need of one, it'd be Joseph.

For Joseph (and Astra),

Skiving Snackbox for the silly, its definition spelling out your name. Symptoms include the ability to brighten up the world with this silliness, and I want this silliness to last so that everyone can get a glimpse.

More than simply cheering her up, @Dennis Tumberton was the wise Ravenclaw she leaned on regarding problems.

While their first impressions may have been fractured due to…Ruth's enthusiasm, per se, the fact that Dennis was insightful failed to escape her. He was her love guru, a subject she had little knowledge of beyond the syrupy romance between her parents. Tumberton was not a god, but he was also not just an advisor. He was her friend, and he was there for her to comfort and seek comfort. They were the two ends of a bridge that supported one another, even if the forces of both sides often varied.

For Dennis,

A Winken, Blinken & Nodd's Enchanted Blingets. Something charming and precious, just as your words often are. Even if you insist on humility, and admit to your own dilemma, you will always be my guru.

Joseph may have been the epitome of silliness, and Dennis may have been the destination for solutions, but @Matthew Campbell was a whole new level entirely.

If Ruth were to be asked to describe Matthew, she might have rambled for days. Rambled? Gushed. He was the cure to the homesickness she suffered from halfway through her first year. He was the mirror to her future, someone she looked up to, someone she couldn't help but relate to so much. At the same time, the strands of connection seemed to thin every once in a while. It was never a problem between the two of them, rather the Hufflepuff's inability to provide Matthew with what he needed.

She could go on adventures with him. She could make him laugh, joke, and chat about mindless things. But Ruth felt that she would never be able to uncover the troubles her friend faced. Ruth could only jazz hands and conjure up a smile.

Just as useless as she was, she hoped a sock friend would do otherwise. For Matt,

Something you can keep close and make you feel oddly fuzzy inside. Still, you could never have something more ridiculous. I might be using this as an excuse to owl you for fun, But this is the only tangible thing I can send, since the best present would be to spend time with you.

If Ruth was homesick, nostalgia paid a visit in the form of @Stelle Mims, her childhood friend.

They were once practically entwined souls. Whenever one visited the other, they were joined by the hip. The days would be painted by the taste of ice cream, the scent of flowers, and the sound of their giggles and chatter.

Stelle had always been a creature of grace and such proper etiquette that she complemented Ruth's reckless demeanour completely. It was nice to have her yin to her yang, even if it meant losing the bond eventually. After all, their reunion made every moment lost worth it. But the girls had changed. And while for Ruth it may have just been that her hair had grown several inches longer, for Stelle, she had grown into a beautiful young lady. Their distance may have never been so close yet far apart.

So, what better way than to spend it having tea together? For Stelle,

Everyday at 16:00, the teapot shall make enough piping hot tea for the two of us. My pestering is one you have tolerated for several years, and I hope the daily shrill shall ensure you never forget about me.

Ruth's spontaneous behaviour would have been left unchecked without @Aurelia Valentine’s help. Her fellow Hufflepuff had relented to many of her rather unplanned activities, one of which could have resulted in detention on Christmas night. She had been there to warn Ruth of the mysterious potions as well (not that Ruth listened, which she eventually did).

The second year had spent enough time with Valentine to know of her interest in Astronomy and Journalism, often finding her friend buried in a good book, the Headliner or even the Daily Prophet. She figured it wouldn't hurt to buy her a black quill made of a single crow feather.

For Aurelia,

To record down your words of intricacy and rambles. Spew your thoughts through pages, and share them with the world. It's always nice to know what you are thinking – the way you ponder contrasts mine, all the more worth listening to.

Ruth tied all these packages to the school owls that deemed themselves available. Just as she was about to set forth for the first platform and perhaps sneak herself a hot cocoa, her elbow grazed the final package within the basket, causing her steps to falter.

She glanced down, her good spirits dwindling slightly. That was right. The final package was for @Harvey Barrows. Rather than a mere token of appreciation, it was also a favour for help.

After their fruitless trip to the Headmaster's Office, the two had grown closer and respected each other enough to consider the other their friend. While it had been months since, and they had gotten about their lives talking about topics such as FARTs instead for a change, what she had learnt over the break itched at her like a scratch. There was barely anyone else who knew of Ruth's efforts to search for her lineage.

And thus, for Harvey,

Three chocolate frogs, to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. While it was a while ago, thanks, for accompanying me to the Headmaster's Office. I have learnt something regarding what I was searching for, and would like to talk to you. As soon as possible.

Ruth gritted her teeth, the package's wrapper crinkling slightly under her grasp. Should she? Should she? Once tied to an owl, it was over. The deed had been done. Did she truly wish to drag her accomplice, now friend, into a deeper hole?

Eventually, the Hufflepuff reasoned that she didn't want to tear open the parchment paper simply to retrieve the card, and she refused to take chocolate frogs for herself. So off she sent it, watching the barn owl take flight and swoop through the gaping window of the fourth platform.