The-harperbaddock - (False) Bravado

lilyeliora​:

Lily found herself wondering what kind of sad, lonely childhood didn’t have any animals in it. True, the Evans’ budget had always been a little too tight for Lily to have all the pets she wanted, but that had never stopped Lily from befriending every stray that crossed her path, even if just for a day. She couldn’t imagine not  having that history of little interactions that had always made Lily’s day. Hopefully the other woman had siblings, and lots of friends. 

Lily made her way into Magical Menagerie with confidence, greeting the shopkeep by name with a friendly smile. “Don’t worry about it,” she assured Harper, “Finding the right pet is a process, and sometimes it takes a while, we’ll just feel it out.” Despite her words, Lily made it her own private mission to find a pet for Harper. The other woman seemed kind, if a little guarded, like the exact kind of person who needed a warm, friendly animal in their life.

“So, have you thought at all about what kind of pet you want? Something small or large, something aloof or friendly, something to come to work with you or wait patiently at home?” Lily peppered Harper with questions as she led her to the back corner of the shop, away from the cute kittens and the glossy puppies. They stopped near the rescues, older pets who’d already had owners, for good or ill. It might have been a risky move, to take someone who’d never had a pet to the rescues, but Lily thought an older pet would be better for Harper. Besides, maybe a pet in need of healing would help Harper herself heal from whatever wounds left her so unsure of herself.

-

After the picnic incident of her toddler years, Harper’s childhood desire to go wander around outside alone, often what lead to children finding stray animals, was nonexistent. It wasn’t a conscious decision she made, but it showed itself in some ways even still. Going around in a city? Fine with her, even in a city she wasn’t all too familiar with. Anywhere more country-like, and Harper either arranged for accompaniment, or a conflict (where someone else would be sent in her place).

She noted Lily’s familiarity both with the staff and the layout of the shop, and it put her further at ease. She was truly touched by how the younger woman had seemingly taken it upon herself to help her find a pet, with no evident ulterior motive.

Lily began asking her questions about what she was looking for, and Harper realized she didn’t have much in the way of answers. “A dog or a cat, I think” she began, “And probably one that can stay at home while I work,” Harper paused in consideration, as the thought of having an animal around whichever hotel, suite, or office she found herself in crossed her mind. It was enough to make her amend her statement. “Although that could change with the right fit. Same thing with size, I suppose.” She chuckled softly to herself as she imagined walking into various hotels and meetings with a large dog or long-haired cat.

As they passed the puppies and kittens, Harper let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. They were all shades of precious and adorable, but she could feel the energy radiating off of them and was exhausted by the thought of taking one home.

Arriving at the back corner of the shop, Harper was impressed to see the number of animals they had that seemed to be rescues, or at least older than kitten/puppy age. While she was overwhelmed by the experience, she would rather have more options than fewer.

Feeling brave, Harper took a step forward, “Alright then, let’s meet some animals,” she said, almost not recognizing the excitement in her voice. She walked tentatively towards a large dog with a shiny chestnut coat, and reached her hand out for him to sniff… instinctively jumping back when he gave a low growl. Harper wasn’t sure exactly what she was expecting, but she knew that was not it.

fabianprewtt​:

“Hey…” Soft footfalls stopped, grounding Fabian in an indecisive stance. Not quite an uncomfortable one - maybe slightly - but one more of trying to avoid intrusion yet acknowledge Harper once she had spoken. If the actual location wasn’t indicating wanting solitude enough, Harper’s book and black clothes seemed like bright, blaring signals that she might want to be left alone. Yet, she had spoken, and thus Fabian had stopped. 

She was a fellow Ravenclaw. They had lived together for years in that tower. She wasn’t a stranger - or, well, adulthood perhaps had made them that, but still. Not a complete stranger. Fabian considered what more to say, not a loss of words per se, but trying to feel what would be the best course - asking how she was seemed quite pointless, catching up unfitting, unless Harper led the conversation there. It ended with him gesturing softly at Harper’s book. 

“What are you reading?”

-

If, when she looked up, it had just been some unknown passerby, Harper likely would have returned to her book, doubling down on her oblivion and indifference to the outside world. But when she recognized Fabian, she felt compelled at least say a little something. The thought that maybe now, of all times, the networking instinct was kicking in, almost made her chuckle with its absurdity.

They hadn’t spoken often since their last night at Hogwarts. A night that was supposed to be a whirlwind of joy and excitement, with some other understandably mixed emotions thrown in, ultimately ended up a night marked, for Harper, by shockwaves and tear stains. Sometimes it felt like the past five years had been centuries, other times, just a few months. Seeing Fabian made it feel quicker; it brought back fond memories of late nights in Ravenclaw Tower, talking, studying, hanging around.

“Pride and Prejudice” Harper answered sheepishly, eyes darting from the cover of her book back to Fabian. “I’m not usually one for romance novels,” she explained, “but a friend suggested I give one a try… and this—“ she hesitated, thumbing through the pages, “this was my mother’s copy.” Harper could have stopped sharing after that, instead continued on. “I guess now felt as fitting as ever to give it a try,” she mused, gesturing towards the elegant headstone to her left. It was sizable without being tacky, and clearly the pair of the one to her right.

“So, how about you?” Harper asked, before realizing her mistake, “I mean, how are you doing? Not what are you reading… Unless that’s what you want to answer. I mean—” she put a hand to her face, mortified at tripping over her own words this way.

ravenclaw✨ intelligent • witty • creative

rxtaskeeter​:

Rita and Harper had a good working relationship. The elder of the two had been a valuable Transfiguration tutor to the younger in their school days, allowing her to keep her place as top of their class and answering all of her burning questions (often questions which would help her in the process of becoming an Animagus, though she was sure Harper didn’t know that). Somewhat in her debt, Rita now kept her abreast of all rumours surrounding her and her business, occasionally showing up at the hotel bar for several glasses of rum and a debrief, which always inevitably led to them discussing other peoples’ gossip while Rita probed for information on any important guests.

To greet her in daylight was somewhat odd, seeing her in the stark light of day rather than in a dimly lit room through a haze of alcohol, but Rita was always happy to see a friendly face, particularly first thing in the morning. She nodded as she took a sip of her coffee, eyes on a shopkeeper stood opposite them puffing on a cigarette as she answered.

“Actually everyone’s seemingly been on their best behaviour recently, it’s been making my job quite hard. Probably something to do with everyone wanting an easy summer. But you know me, I can always find something to write about.” She turned her gaze to Harper and raised her eyebrows, offering a knowing smile. “How’s the hotel business? Any big events lined up for me to sneak into so I can keep my career going?”

-

From gossiping between Transfiguration tutoring sessions and during common room hangouts at Hogwarts, to cocktails and chit-chat at hotel bars, Harper and Rita had spent a fair amount of time together through the years. Harper liked the younger woman. Back during their school days  she told herself that she wouldn’t have spent all that time and energy tutoring her if she didn’t. But while there might have initially been other motivating factors for Harper, she found herself looking forward to their time spent together. She still did, perhaps even more so now that they had entered the “real” world.

Harper subtly followed Rita’s gaze to the nearby shopkeeper, before flicking her eyes down to her drink and taking another sip.

“An easy summer” Harper chuckled to herself, knowing that no matter how she wished otherwise, the phrase seemed like it would always be an oxymoron for her. “But for sure, Rita, you could write your way out of just about anything. Or into it, for that matter.”

She mentally ran through the catalogue in her head of upcoming events at the various hotels and venues, tilting her head in thought and reveling in the feeling of the sun on her face.

“Hmmm, well speaking of… There are a handful of weddings coming up, but no big or notable names. A charity gala you’re welcome to crash, a few conferences where you can try and charm some gossip out of sleazy businessmen. Those are most of the local ones. With mid-to-late summer holidays, and especially the Quidditch World Cup coming up, I’m not incredibly surprised it’s a calmer month.”

Harper paused and smirked, “Well, aside from the weddings; those are always affairs where everyone is high strung, that is until the drinks start flowing.”

Tennis Court- Lorde

1x07 / 2x07 / 2x10 / 2x11

I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.

Khaled Hosseini (via sunsetquotes)