Okay so sure, people liked presents, but Bel preferred doing stuff over just giving items to people. Experiences were way cooler. Stasya's birthday was a bit short notice though (even though she had been alive for fourteen years) because Bel was only just getting to know her yearmate. She was pretty sure that a nice fun casual celebration was a good idea though, and Stas had seemed to be up for it.

Everyone was instructed to bring a plate full of food to share, since the room wouldn't provide it on its own. Food or snacks or treats, it didn't matter as long as it was to share with everyone. Finger food suggested. Sharing was a good thing!

Bel got the word out and then trusted people to pass it on, and then headed to the room of requirement, which she'd been introduced to by Derfael the previous year.

Okay. How about.... a treehouse setting? Bel closed her eyes and pictured the interior of a cool treehouse she'd once been in back home, complete with picnic blankets and squishy cushions laid out, and balloons and streamers around for decoration. That would be perfect. And big windows with changing views to wherever people wanted to see! And that feeling of sunshine through the cracks in the wood, warm but sheltered, and nothing like the bitter chill that was beginning to take hold outdoors.

As for her snack contribution, Bel had come up with a firm Aussie favourite, feeling the need to represent her home, Fairy Bread. So it was white bread with butter and sprinkles on it, simple and everything, but the ultimate Australian party food and perfect for sharing. She had also arranged for drinks thanks to the house elves (who were also invited!) and had an assortment of lemonade, pumpkin juice, orange juice, ice cold water, and butterbeer already for drinking, as well as a lime sherbert party punch just for fun.

She grabbed herself some of the lime sherbert punch and sat down on one of the comfy cushions to wait. Hopefully a ton of Stas's friends would show up but even if they didn't Bel intended for the other girl to have a great time!

ooc: if your charrie knows Stasya (or just heard and decided to crash) have them think of Stas's party to get into the Room of Requirement. There were hastily written invites, and also word of mouth as far as how your charrie found out goes. They should bring a plate of food to share, suitable for a party . There's no dress code or anything, that's up to your charries! Its just a super casual planned-a-few-hours-before party for a fourteen year old girl!

Gunnar didn't know Stasya, but he got curious when he heard about a birthday party in the infamous Room of Requirement. He had heard some talk about the room from his parents and he wondered if it truly existed. Honestly, even with magic, it seemed a little too good to be true, to be provided with literally anything you wished. So when one of his housemates mentioned that it was located on the seventh floor, he decided to go look, even if it was more to satisfy his curiosity than anything else.

The nearly twelve year old wandered along the seventh floor for a while, not knowing exactly where it was. He also wasn't exactly sure how to access the hidden room, but because the party and the room itself was pretty prevalent in his mind, he very nearly stumbled upon it by accident as he made another pass by a certain wall.

Had that door been there before? Gunnar wasn't sure, but he didn't remember seeing it before. He stared at it curiously for a moment before deciding to try it. Slowly, he turned the knob and peered inside. "Hello....?" Oh, wow. Was this a treehouse? It looked even cooler than the one he and his siblings had at home. And yeah, this definitely looked like it was set up for a party.

Stasya hadn’t expected a party, even if there was the likelihood that her dorm would’ve had a kind of mini party at some point, when they all managed to be in the dorm at the same time. She’d already seen Soraya and Emmeline anyway, but Bel’s idea to have a picnic hadn’t been taken as anything other than a fun way for all her friends and anyone else who wanted to get together and have fun. And eat lots of yummy food. It being her birthday was sort of just a bonus, and she’d decided she had something she had to do before she went up to the Room of Requirement. Well, something to do besides stopping in to let the house elves know they were invited. It had been her idea after all, so she’d wanted to make sure they weren’t forgotten even if she figured the notice would’ve been spread out amongst the other students pretty easily.

Stuff like this seemed to travel quickly anyway, as far as she’d noticed. Even if she didn’t entirely figure anyone would bother to show up besides her friends. Maybe some others. Bel had said they’d invite the professors after all…but back to her mission. If it was truly her party, she wanted a couple other attendees, and she’d tried to keep the pouch of her hoodie closed as she’d made her way up to the seventh floor from the grounds, and paced in front of the wall focusing on her party before the door appeared and she slipped inside.

Hopefully nobody minded that she’d smuggled her squirrel and her puffskein into the castle. She’d make sure they were back in the barns once the party was over with…She wasn’t supposed to bring food too, was she?

Oh well. She thought she had some cookies in her bag like usual if anyone complained. For now, she gave the occupants of the room a grin. “Hi Bel! Hi…”, she trailed off. Okay, maybe other people did want to come. She hadn’t thought she’d met the firstie Slytherin boy before now. Either way, he was definitely welcome.

When Rylee had given Stasya the hand made birthday card she had worked on for her earlier the older girl had told her about the party. From the moment she had heard about it she knew she would attend even if it took all day to find the Room of Requirement. While it didn't take her ALL day it did take her a little while to find it even after giving a mirror call to her big sister and asking for help.

It took a great deal of thought and focus on her friends party and several walks up and down the same corridor before the door appeared before her. Rylee beamed brightly wasting no time at all in pulling the door and stepping inside, Neptune the rat in her pocket and plate of sugar quills in hand, those were her favorite so of course she would share them for her friends birthday. "Happy Birthday, Miss Stasya!" she called out excitedly waving her free hand at her.

"Hello! I'm Rylee!" She smiled brightly at both Bel and Gunnar in greeting. "I love the tree house set-up!" It was so cool!

Gaston had heard through the grapevine that there was a party for one of his Lion cubs happening, and there was no way he would miss it! He made his way to the seventh floor with a plate of colorful macarons in hand. In the four terms he'd been teaching at Hogwarts, he'd become well acquainted with the Room of Requirement, so getting inside took him virtually no time at all. He entered the party with a wide smile on his face, but his expression changed as he looked around the room. Couldn't someone have warned him about the treehouse setting?

The scene brought back a lot of memories and mixed emotions for the professor. Some of his happiest moments at Hogwarts had happened in the old treehouse that used to be on the grounds, but the memories, though they were happy ones, made him miss his wife. He shook his head, spilling his dark hair into his eyes. Nope, he was not going to think about that right now! He was determined to stay positive for Stasya. No one wanted a brooding old sad sack spoiling the fun!

"Hello, everyone!" he greeted the students gathered, smiling at Bel, Gunnar, and Rylee each in turn. He helped himself to a glass of punch; then he turned to Bel. "This party was a wonderful idea! Did you make this punch yourself?" Oh, he just remembered the plate of macarons he was holding! "Where should I set these?"

Ah, there was the guest of honor! Gaston was beaming as he approached Stasya. "Happy, happy birthday, Stasya!" he exclaimed. Was he supposed to bring a gift to this thing or just food? Either way, he came prepared. He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Inside she would find a card shaped like a lion wearing a party hat that roars and purrs when petted.

After a looooooooooooo00000000ooOooo00ng inner debate spent in the Hut on whether to actually show up or not, Haraldur was hovering up the stairs to the seventh floor. One hand on the broom, the other cradling a big bowl of peanuts. Because they were supposed to bring food and there wasn't a party without peanuts.

He didn't usually attend these kind of get-togethers (especially if he wasn't officially invited) but since he was so cool, hip and down with the kids (right?) he decided to make an appearance. Reaching the seventh floor, he dismounted before entering the Room of Requirement. Inside were kids (ready to party, heyoo) and a Gaston. That was nice, he wasn't the only adult.

"Gaston!" He exclaimed and gave the man a pat on the shoulder. "I didn't know you were such a party animal?" Get... Get it? Because he was the Head of the Lions. And... And they were at a party. All right, his banter could be better but honestly he just felt incredibly out of place.

He greeted the students present, almost knocking over a plate of macarons he suspected the Charms professor had brought. "I... I have peanuts." He announced as he reluctantly let go of the ridiculous bowl of nuts and placed it on the table. "Help yourselves!" He smiled at Bel, Gunnar and Rylee.

"Stasya." He smiled when he spotted her. "I won't embarrass you and stay for too long but I have..." He reached around in the many pockets of his feather lined robes in search of his gift. "I have something. It's not wrapped or anything." From his inner pocket, he pulled out a large framed, moving photograph of a wintery landscape. "It's a photograph I took of Kirkjufell many, many years ago." He shifted his weight awkwardly. "I thought you'd might like it." Which was the final reason to why he decided to show up in the first place.

Did Callum know Stasya? Not really - just enough to be able to place a name with a face - but did it matter? She was a fellow Gryffindor, a fairly young one, at that, and he knew when he was her age, it would've meant a lot to him for upperclassmen to show up at a party celebrating HIS birthday. Plus, he and Jae were great party guests, as evidenced by the large wrapped present in his arms.

Having no trouble entering the room, Callum slipped inside, considerably impressed with whoever had thought up this treehouse setting for them. When he peered around to see who was here, he paled - people were showing off the food they had brought.

...Okay, so maybe he wasn't a GREAT party guest since he hadn't brought any food for the other party-goers to enjoy, but he hoped Jae would pick up his slack in the food realm when she got here. He could play it cool till then.

Ignoring the lingering panic surging through his veins, he put on a happy-go-lucky smile and made a beeline for Stasya who, rightly so, was surrounded by people. He hung back until there was enough of a break in the current conversation for him to get a word in, and when he made eye contact with Stasya, his smile grew. "Hey, Stasya." He lifted the present just a little higher, indicating that it was for her. "Happy birthday." Underneath the wrapping paper was a gift basket containing one of everything Honeydukes had in stock. He didn't know what kind of sweets the girl liked, but he figured one of everything would cover all his bases. Plus, what student here didn't love sweets? It was a safe present, he thought, and a solid use of some of his savings from babysitting, to make someone feel noticed and important.

Nimma hears things and sees things when she cleans up. Nimma saw an invite for Mistress Stasya and hears about drinks to prepare. Nimma elf-magics herself up to the room of requirement with lots of drinks. Nimma looks around and smiles because it's pretty. There is Mistress Bel who organised it. Nimma boldly walks up to Mistress Bel and tugs on her outer shirt. "Mistress Bel this is wonderful," she squeaked. Her ears were twitching all over the place but not out of anxiety. Not this time. From being excited.

Nimma wants to wish Mistress Stasya a happy birthday too. Spotting the student and tugging on her over sweater Nimma hands her a small gift. It's a chocolate cookie with Happy Birthday written in white chocolate icing. "Happy Birthday Mistress Stasya," Nimma squeaks in her elf voice.

Bel had already made up her mind, if nobody came other than Stas and herself, that it would still be the best kind of time. But Stas had plenty of friends, Bel knew, so she was confident enough that it would be plenty of fun for the birthday girl.

And it was only moments before people started showing up - a couple of firsties, Stas herself, professors, a big tower of a seventh year that had a smile like her own brother, and a house elf!

"Hi! Help yourselves!" Bel said I the first year's, and the big 7th year.

Exciting!

"Professors! You are both really welcome, right Stas? And yup I made the punch.... and the fairy bread!" She told the charms professor. And peanuts and macarons were great additions! "Just stick the on the table! Thanks for coming! Stas deserved a nice celebration.

And then an elf was tugging on her.

" Oh Nimma hello! Thank you! And thanks for helping with the drinks! Stay and enjoy the party with us!"

Flynn had been contemplating the idea to reach out to Professor Myers for help with his acting.... and singing... skills. He had recently talked himself into applying for WADA next year so that he could attend in the Fall 2096, even though he knew he would be in so much debt if he didn't get some sort of scholarship or loan. It was that worried reason alone that the idea of running off the Los Angeles or New York City after graduation sounded better in his mind, but he was going to need a steady future if he was going to live the life of a millionaire one day.

..... but the idea of running off to the big cities fascinated him still. It was not off the idea table just yet. Maybe if he didn't get into WADA, that's what he would do. BUT he was getting lessons with Myers to higher his chances of getting into the university.....

MERLIN. Why was the future so complicated and scary?

He reached the blank wall where the Room of Requirement was, a few different scrips in hand (as well as The Wizard of Oz) one, and leaned against the opposite wall. As he waited for the Old Man to show up, he looked down at his shoes and got lost in his own thoughts.

It was a good thing he DID have theatre right now because it was giving him something to do besides being mopey over his current life situations.

He had seen more of Flynn than he ever thought possible this term. With the boy possibly applying for WADA...and wanting to be in the play again.,..and....just in general, wanting to be trained MORE in the arts of acting...Paul had grown subtly fond of the boy.

Not that he'd admit it...aloud.

He arrived precisely five minutes late an cleared his throat. He sported a boa today. A fluffy, light blue boa that really brought out his eyes. "Hello, Flynn. Let us go inside and begin--I'm glad you're early. A director never arrives early, you know." Paul had just made that up. Bologna! He winked, though, and smirked as he walked past the Room the standard three times, transforming it into a smaller version of what they practiced in for the play. "So you want to focus on...what exactly, today? What do you wish to work on?" Flynn's singing could use practice, but Paul wasn't the best singer. He was in a band WITH a good singer, though, so he knew how to help enhance Flynn's vocal cords as best as possible.

Maybe.

Nimma was invited to stay at the party! Nimma's ears danced on the top of her head. "Mistress Bel is always welcome." And Nimma bowed. Mistress Bel told Nimma to enjoy the party. Nimma did what the studentsies wanted. Nimma put a macaroon in her mouth to eats it.

Gaston nodded in reply to Bel as he set the macarons on the table. He took a sip of the punch. Say, that was tasty! He'd have to remember to ask for the recipe she used. "Well, you certainly did a great job. This punch is exquisite!" he said, beaming. Oh, she made the bread too? He sampled a small piece. "Mmm! This is very good too!"

His dark head whipped around at the sound of someone calling his name, just in time to see Haraldur appear and pat him on the shoulder. He smiled at his colleague. "Hello, Haraldur. How's it going?" he said. Blink, blink. The next words caught him off guard a bit, but he assumed it was meant to be a joke and laughed a little. "Neither did I!" He was only half kidding;everyone knew he wasn't exactly the partying type.

It looked like more people were arriving now. Gaston's eyes scanned the room to find Callum and Nimma. He smiled, waving across the room to the Gryffindor. "Hello, Callum! Welcome to the party!" Then he turned to the elf. "Nimma, hello! Nice to see you!"

He was totally crazy for doing this. Totally. Like, who would even respond to a poster like that? Who wanted to sit at a table with someone who was desperate enough to post an anonymous poster for someone to meet them and eat fondue? What was he thinking!?

What time was it anyway? Ronan took a quick look at his watch. 6:55. There was still time for him to sneak out and no one would ever know it was him. But his curiosity kept him seated. Would anyone show up? Who would it be? Would they just be there to laugh and make fun or would they genuinely be interested in being his valentine?

Daisy wasn't entirely sure if she was going to partake in Valentine's related activities but curiosity had gotten the better of her so she had made her way to the Room of Requirement. She had decided to wear an outfit that detailed her loved the colour yellow. Taking a small breath, Daisy walked over to Ronan.

"Hey, Ronan," she said as she tried to hide her nervousness.

About a minute later, he was forgetting curiosity and was readying himself to dash back out the door.

But then the door opened and he was trapped. "Hello, Daisy." Maybe he should have been more specific on his poster? But he hadn't known how to put 'fifth years and up, please' without sounding abrasive and offputting. So, awkward situation unavoided. Maybe she'd be fine with this just being a friendly thing instead (even though he'd obviously meant it to be romantic)?

"You look nice." Always compliment a lady when she obviously went to the trouble of dressing up. That's what his mum always taught him. "Would you like to sit?"

Daisy smiled a slight smile at Ronan's compliment. "Thank you," she said as she sat down and looked around. She was beginning to think that maybe Ronan had someone particular in mind. "Look, I honestly didn't think of this being a romantic thing between us. Besides, if you were wanting a certain someone to be here then I can leave."

Was this dumb? Was this a joke? ...Was she dumb for attending? Kye arrived at the Room of Requirement in her clearly themed outfit, and knocked upon entry. She had no idea who was behind the door. Guy? Girl? First Year? Oh... That would be awkward and embarrassing. "Hello?" she called, "Oh... Sorry..." Kye saw Ronan first, then Daisy. She hadn't meant to interrupt... whatever this was between them. Wait... who was the host of this? If it was Ronan, Kye would be surprised based on his demeanor in class, but if it was Daisy then Merlin's beard did she have guts for a first year! And was that... fondue?? "Am I interrupting?" she asked, unsure if she should just leave.

Let it be known that Skylar Diggory was not here for herself. No, she literally came right from her afternoon run and was all sweaty and gross. She would have showered but no time, except to add a touch of eye makeup so she wasn't completely grimy. She had promised Kye to be there for moral support. Although maybe it was more her twisting Kye's arm into going? Who knew, really? Not that it mattered because she wasn't here for herself; she already had an everyday Valentine in the form of a boyfriend and wasn't even celebrating the holiday because it was lame. Getting together with someone for the sake of Valentines Day? Why only this day? She was a big supporter of the make every day valentines day movement and showing appreciation and love for others not just one day a year.

Following close behind Kye, she smiled encouragingly at the dormmate. "You look nice," she whispered, just before entering. Which faltered upon seeing a third year there whom she recognized from the library earlier this ferm. Nods to you, Hufflepuff. And a nod at Ronan too, even if she was disappointed him for thinking he needed a valentine. Just time to blend into the background because she was smelly and totally not dressed for the occasion anyway. Nope, just friend support over here.

Wait....what? So she'd just answered a poster asking for a valentine for Valentine's Day and she wasn't expecting something romantic? Girls were so confusing! And was he expecting someone in particular? Of course not! If he had had someone in mind, then he would've asked them straight up. Maybe. Hopefully. Honestly, he was so hilariously awful at the whole dating thing that he wasn't entirely sure. But no, for this particular thing, he hadn't been expecting anyone in particular. "No, no I wasn't expecting anyone in particular. If it makes you more comfortable, I can flick on the lights, blow out the candles and we can just share this fondue as friends." Would be a shame to waste all the hard work he'd put into the cheesy treat, after all (compared to his skills at Potions, Ronan was infinitely better at knowing his way around a hot stove).

Before he could do his thing with the lights, the door opened and in walked Kye. AWKWARD. However, much more age-appropriate, seeing as they were the same year. He brought the lights on quick, blinking as the sudden brightness hurt his eyes. "Hi," was all he said, forgetting his manners for a minute. Was she interrupting? "Uh....um...eh..sacre bleu!" was all that came out of his mouth, his face turning a bit more red than normal. Very nice, Carter. So smooth. See, awful at all of this.

Then, he spotted who had come in with Kye and turned a nice shade of tomato red, his face burying itself in the table as much as possible. "Hello to you too, Skylar," he said into the table. So his manners hadn't commpletly abandoned ship. Brilliant idea you had, Carter, you loser.

Thank goodness the school gossip wasn't here.

Daisy smiled. "You and I know that there's nothing romantic about our date so let's keep the room's settings as is. Really it is nobody else's business." Daisy said as she began to tuck into some fondue.

The lights turned on and Kye needed a second to let her eyes adjust, since it had been dim in the corridor as well. With the new light, Kye could see Ronan was apparently blushing. And... what did he just say? Kye hadn't caught it. She looked in Sky's direction, unsure of what she should do next. She didn't mind the host at all, it was just the fact that there was already another girl in here.

"Hi," she smiled at the younger girl, "I didn't know someone had already taken him up on the date..." Then she let out a small laugh and added, "Is there a waiting list yet?" Just trying to break the awkwardness she had accidentally brought into the room guys! So was Ronan actually looking for romance then? This wasn't just a joke or something? They had never really talked or anything before, but she knew that they were in the same year and he didn't seem like a bad suitor. Especially with this presentation! Kye looked over at Sky again, wondering what was going through her friend's mind. And Ronan's.

Had they entered too late? Really she was just trying to help, be the good friend that she was in ensuring her dormmates found what she'd found. Also, perhaps it was because she was standing back from the doorway and the setup, but had he just said sacred bleu? Then again, from someone who planned a fondue event to find himself a valentine ....

Also, yes, before you buried your face, we noticed the blush. But you were the one who arranged this; if you didn't want to be embarrassed, you shouldn't have invited the whole castle. And for your information, Ronan Carter, she happened to write for the quill, so no school gossip columnist needed. Not that she was one to publish this sort of information, but if word happened to get out about it, she wasn't stopping them.

"Hello, Ronan," she greeted, out of politeness, but again keeping her distance. She was smelly and definitely not dressed appropriately for any such setting. "Have you met my dormmate? Kye?" She was kind of one of her uncompromising chasers, which made her pretty awesome.

Also, what you mean its no one's business, Daisy? She eyed the younger Hufflepuff curiously a moment, guiding her foot back against the wall.

But, go on, Kye, you got this. She glanced to her dormmate again. Actually, with her luck at matchmaking, Kye probably DIDN'T, because Skylar pretty much had a zero track record, but hey, it was the thought that counted.