4 May 2020, 23:06
XOXO Mom and Dad
Backdated: 4/29/20
Ross had woken up that morning feeling groggy and hardly realizing it was his birthday, but waking up early was worth it due to the only thing he had planned for his birthday. The only person who might have known about his birthday was the same kid who blackmailed him a long while before, and while he supposed they were 'friends' now he sincerely doubted they would remember. Still, the day was about him and he was not about to let that go to waste. At home, he would have gotten a large cake; however, that obviously was not going to happen at Hogwarts. Instead, he would attempt to make the best of it meal-wise the only way he knew how to:
Pumpkin Juice
The singular reason Ross had woken up even earlier than normal. He planned to rush to the Great Hall and steal himself three bottles of the stuff. He had never bothered to try pumpkin-themed things at home despite the fact his parents ran a bakery. It just seemed ridiculous. It was like cheese flavored things: It did not sound right just by hearing the flavor; however, when he was informed there was a sweet drink he could try in Autumn he knew well he would have to drink it. It did not disappoint, and now Ross was rushing to the Hufflepuff table to get more.
Once he made it, sure enough, there was more than enough to suit his needs. He grasped onto three and tugged them all to back to his little spot he had made for himself at the table. It was all he had planned on really having that day besides some eggs. Sure he could steal all the food, but where would the fun in that be?
So he ate, and soon minutes went on. As soon as about thirty minutes passed, the low mumble of children's voices began to crescendo. The noise got more and more until soon Ross found even the seats next to him were filled. The room began to be filled with chatter of excitement and complaints of how early it was; however, that was not even the peak of Breakfast. The Peak of Breakfast was when all the Owls would come swooping in with mail of wonders. Most kids would take their plates off the table just so the packages would not land directly into their food, but Ross was not normally one to stick around until that ceremony unless he woke up late.
Today was different though. Today was his birthday, and if he did not hear a single word from his parents he would at least be slightly disappointed. He did not expect much of a gift, but he wanted his shoe. He was desperate for shoes currently, considering he had burned the other one rather badly. He just wanted to be able to walk in casual shoes and not the normal ones he regularly wore to class at all times, and luckily for him it did not take long for the Owls to begin flooding into the room.
As the first owl hooted, the scrape of plates being dragged again the table and towards one's chest became a common noise in the room. If one were to look above, they would see a flock of Owls all with letters and packages in claws. There were a variety of colors from a dark brown to a shimmering white. Each Owl stood out in its own way.
PLOP
CRASH
The items began to fall onto the tables, but luckily for the children nothing seemed to hit the food. It somehow always managed to get to the right spot, and that stood for Ross too. Two boxes fell in front of him, along with a letter in neat packaging like the one prior. It was certainly not neat, but Ross could only hope that nothing was damaged.
He opened the letter
Dearest Ross.
Happy Birthday! We hope you are having a wonderful time at school, and we hope everything is going well. We understand you simply asked for some more shoes, but we decided we would get you another item. We hope you enjoy it, as we specifically chose it out for you.
XOXO
Mom and Dad
As Ross read through the letter, a grin spread across his face. They really did not forget, not that he suspected that they would. That would have been ridiculous, right? He turned his attention to the boxes, and started with the largest one. in a struggle to get his fingernails under the tape, he ended up using his wand to cut through it.
A shirt.
Ross had never been a fan of clothes for his birthday, but this time he could only happen to feel grateful. Wearing the same clothes every day had gotten boring, and while he was not all for 'self expression through clothes', it was nice. It was a warm welcome in comparison to everything else he had.
It had a surprising similarity to most of his, so he supposed they knew how he 'dressed' well. It was a soft shirt with yellow and white stripes, until it got to the middle where there was a large white bar until it continued with the yellow and white pattern. Ross took it out to get a better view, but found there was something else under it.
A dark grey backpack with a little key chain next to it.
This was his backpack from school.
It was small, of course, due to the fact he had hardly had textbooks the year prior. Now all he saw everywhere was books. He missed it quite a lot more than he had thought. As the Hufflepuff picked it up, he noticed it felt the same and that small smile of his turned wider. He had no clue what to do with it, and quite frankly he did not care. It was something else to put in his cramped little room, and that was what counted.
That meant the next book had shoes, which was fine by him. He really needed those. Directing his attention to the next book, he used the same tactic by stabbing his wand through the cardboard and pulling it towards him until the box opened.
Sure enough, there were shoes. His regular black shoes with white squares that he had just gotten before he left for Hogwarts. He had been excited to wear them, but he had never gotten a chance.
He had not realized how much he had missed home until now, but perhaps that was the point of it all.
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7