Quote:
Originally Posted by
Esme 
"Yea. I got really sick when I was eleven just before school would have started. I was in hospital for most of that year so I had to start the year after." he explained while sitting down next to her. "I hate celebrating my birthday. Normally my parents force me to go to some stuffy event with no-one that I actually like there." he replied with a shrug. If Rachel wanted him to celebrate then he would. But only because she thought it was important.
"My friends will love you." he said in a reassuring tone of voice, seeing the way she was seemingly lost in thoughts. "Even if they don't like you at first they will come to like you once they realise that you aren't after me for my money. I mean you didn't even know I was an actor." Reid said truthfully.
At her question about Neko Reid began to look around in a slight panic. Just where had his kitty gone. Sighing in relief he used their intertwined hands to point to a tent that was already well set-up. "She's in there where her bed is. I'm guessing that even though I was warm I wasn't warm enough for her. Plus she was tired so it's good she's getting some sleep."
"You hate celebrating?" Rachel repeated, slightly bemused. How could ANYONE hate celebrating? On those rare occasions where she actually was ABLE to celebrate, she had been practically bouncing up and down for weeks. It was sad to see that it wasn't like that for everyone.
"When I was younger, my parents had this celebratory dinner with their fancy guests on my 10th birthday and I would not be exaggerating when I say that I absolutely loathed it. With a passion," she nodded, remembering the horrible event. She had just wanted to have a cake in the shape of something funky, like all her friends had, but instead she got mini dishes of panna-cotta (which was great) drenched in some sort of liquer (not so great)... If Reid's birthdays had all been something like that, then she felt sorry for him.
Plus, she could now understand why he didn't enjoy celebrating.
"Tell you what - I'll sniff around while you're shooting, see if there's anything fun we can do. If there is, then we'll celebrate out but if there isn't maybe if you wanted, we could have a small gathering of some sort - just us and a couple friends... Nothing too extravagant - whatever you want. How does that sound?" she suggested gently, reaching out with her free hand to move a blond strand to the side of his face, framing it and smiling fondly at him.
"Do people actually do that? It sounds horrid," Rachel said in a disgusted tone, turning from him to stare at the camp fire just ahead of them. She had of course heard stories and read books about women who married or got together with rich people - and the other way round, males were also despicable - but she just couldn't understand HOW people would want to sacrifice all the joys of life for something so materialistic. Money doesn't buy happiness - as she proved the moment she left it all behind and traded it with her life with Jake. And truthfully, she doubted that she had ever been happier.
Turning around to where both her and his hands were now pointing, she saw a much larger tent than her own and nodded as he explained that Neko was there.
"Yeah, kittens tire easily - my own kitten, well, teenage cat now really would always be an energy bomb and then quite suddenly, fall asleep on my lap or under the bed," she told Reid, while catching a glimpse of the tiny tent that was hers behind Reid's. She tried not to sigh - Reid was lovely and all, but the fifth year would have to get used to being out-shined in pretty much everything from now on if she wanted to stay happy.
She honestly didn't mind it - all the glamour, all the money, the wealth - but no one could deny people needed adjusting to it. And she was no different. Forcing those thoughts towards the back of her head, she focused on one fact that almost made her laugh; while Reid might be a star in the outside world, at Hogwarts she had power greater than him. And that, in her mind, balanced everything out pretty nicely.