The-harperbaddock - (False) Bravado

Aesthetic - Cancer Sun, Capricorn Moon, Virgo rising. 

geraldine-whoisleft​:

Geraldine put in admirable efforts training her dogs. On the whole, the three of them listened and behaved well, but the moment one of them realized they were going somewhere exciting, it all fell apart. 

The back of the shop? Angels. The second the pet store came into sight? Complete and utter chaos. She had no idea how they did it, but they were definitely in cahoots. She was being pulled along now far more than she was leading, driven by three dogs who could smell treats and socialization. It was a state truly only beat out by the dog park and the “W word”. Walks. She couldn’t believe they had her thinking it now, too.

“Wait,” she cautioned. It slowed Ignatia which meant Levina was soon to follow, but Cornelius was still barreling ahead. He saw Harper before she did, and all hopes were lost. She shook her head and walked up to where her husky was very much intruding. 

“I’m sorry they’re in your way,” Geraldine replied. All three of them were sniffing at her now, like she might be the source of bonus treats along with the cashier. “They always get a bit excited by the pet store.” She gave Ignatia, ever patient and sitting by her side now, a fond pet. “Why are you here? Did you finally cave and get your own?”

-

If it were any other large dog, let alone trio of large dogs, running up to her, Harper would panic. But Ignatia, Levina, and Cornelius weren’t just any trio; they were Geraldine’s. So despite the fact that she was still sometimes hesitant about how to handle them, Harper had a sense of familiarity and even fondness for her friend’s dogs. “These three?” Harper laughed, “In my way?” she shook her head. “They could never. I just wish I had the treats they're looking for.” She held out her empty hands to the dogs, as if to show that she had nothing. To make it up to them, she took a turn providing each with pets and scratches behind the ears, her eyes softening as the dogs basked in the attention.

“As for caving and getting one of my own, I haven’t… yet… but I think I might be getting close,” she hinted, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile, “just a couple more window shopping visits and maybe I’ll actually make a foray inside the shop.” Harper chuckled at herself and the upturned corners gave way to a genuine grin, an increasingly rare occurrence over the past few years, directed at Geraldine.

“So, are you a woman on a mission right now, or just trying to get some air and exercise?” Harper asked, “If it’s the latter I’d be happy to join you for a walk, if you have the time, of course”

Kaya Scodelario Elle Magazine (April 2019)

antonin-whoisleft​:

“I am Antonin,” he agreed, a charming smile on his lips and his curiosity deeply piqued. There was something about the woman - nerves, maybe, but he couldn’t imagine this was her first foray into actually dealing with one of her superiors. In the Death Eater hierarchy, of course, though Antonin had no problem considering himself her superior in other ways even from just the brief introduction. “Lovely to meet you finally. You’re doing some incredibly helpful work, I’ve been told.”

Antonin leaned against the archway, hearing the clinking sounds of a few new drinks being poured from down the hall; but his attention was on the newcomer. He liked to size people up, especially ones he might potentially be working with more closely moving forward. His eyebrows shot up, blinking in mild confusion as she continued.

“You’re here now, aren’t you?” He asked, intrigued by her perceived negative demeanor of the place. “If Lucius really demanded halfbloods weren’t allowed in his mansion I’m sure we’d have sent you somewhere else to meet up, yes? As long as you’re not a mudblood or a blood traitor you’re more than welcome to tour the dusty old place. You not being allowed in the meetings is more to do with rank than anything else, Baddock, and sure - your blood status might be a hindrance, but it clearly hasn’t deterred some of our more persistent comrades.” He smiled again, disarming and casual, swishing the contents of his glass around. “You’re not missing much by forgoing the tour, though. Not a fan of the aesthetic, myself, but Lucius and I have always clashed a bit on taste.”

They clashed on plenty of other things, too; but taste was easiest to joke about with a newcomer.

“I’d love that,” he said, warm and friendly and still, as always, watching with that thoughtfully intense look on his face. He saw her eyes flicker down to his glass, heard the self-deprecation in her comment; she could be someone he could use, certainly. Either a lack of self-confidence or simply a sense of loss of place - easily usable. That was promising. “They’ve got a couple house elves wandering around, would you like a drink? They really do have some incredible scotch on hand. Might make going through the paperwork a bit more enticing, no?

-

Antonin certainly could be charming, Harper would give him that. With mixed feelings, and despite her best efforts, she blushed at his praise of her and her work; mentally cataloging it. “Well, thank you” she replied with a pleasant smile of her own, before pausing in thought. “Based on the limited amount I’ve seen, it’s… not exactly how I would decorate,” she finished with a slight smirk. However, the idea of exploring the manor did entice her; she figured it came with the territory of growing up wandering around hotels.

Harper was sure that Antonin was trying to get a read on her, while she tried to do the same of him. She quickly got the impression that her initial instinct to approach with respect and an attitude of ‘knowing her place’ wouldn’t necessarily get her anywhere with him. In fact, it probably made her look unsure of herself. Which, in fairness, she was. Though she did generally attempt to use that to her advantage; Her knack for self-preservation led her to prefer being underestimated, especially in any situation where she wasn’t ready to show her hand.

But having a nice drink and taking someone through her work? That was a situation that Harper could proudly thrive in, and she allowed that confidence to flow through her. She sat down on the couch, elegantly crossing her legs as she spoke, “A drink would be lovely. And it does indeed make paperwork a more enjoyable experience” she agreed. She looked towards the doorway, pleased when a house elf appeared moments later. “Scotch please,” she requested, motioning towards Antonin’s drink.

As the house elf disappeared to fetch her drink, Harper gestured for Antonin to take the spot next to her on the couch. Opening her bag, she withdrew a neatly organized folder of notes and paperwork, and slid it onto the table. “So here I have copies of recent records I’ve worked on so the information matches up. I also have some new proposals for travel covers and itineraries”

She paused as she noticed the house elf reappear, her drink in hand. Saying a quick thank you, she took a sip of the beverage, savoring it. “That really is quite good”

antonin-whoisleft​:

Antonin kept his mouth shut when he heard the grand doors of Malfoy Manor open and close from the parlor down the hall. He didn’t not like being there, though that had nothing to do with the manor so much as it had to do with Malfoy himself. The pair of them had never quite gotten along, too similar in their ambitions and dissimilar in their means of achieving their goals; but Antonin was nothing if not a loyal member of Lord Voldemort’s army, and he went where he was told to go.

Besides, getting to enjoy a glass of hideously expensive scotch while he waited for his contact to arrive was a bonus. The Malfoy house elf had scampered up to him with it, one ice cube perfectly chilled inside, and he’d been left to his own devices while some of his comrades went over their own mission plans a few doors down.

It was a respectable place to call a safe house, that much was for sure. As long as they all staggered their exits, disapparating or floo or otherwise, it was nearly impossible to draw attention to the place. It was too out in the open, too obvious, too… belonging to a powerful family. It really was perfect.

The doors opening was a sign as good as any that his contact had arrived; she would be the only one using the doors that day, most likely. Malfoy had arranged some ridiculous measures for anyone not pureblood to enter his house, he was sure it would be abandoned once it was clear having their few halfblood comrades walking up visibly to his manor might cause a bit of a curious stare from anyone looking too hard.

“Harper Baddock, yes?” He asked, voice smooth and welcoming, standing now in the doorway and watching the woman with his curious, perhaps a bit unsettling, large green eyes. “Lovely room, isn’t it? Lot of blondes, though.”

-

“Indeed” Harper replied, matching the smoothness of Antonin’s tone, answering his questions and comment in one word. While she wanted to make a wise-crack about what would happen should a Malfoy child be anything but blonde, Harper knew this was certainly not the place, and was still unsure enough about the company to do so. “You must be Antonin,” she stated, rather than asked, with a slight lift of her chin.

Antonin, she had already gathered, was a young man with an edge; Death Eater associations and beliefs aside. There was something about him that wrenched her stomach a bit, but she could not yet put a finger on what it was. Large eyes often gave an innocent appearance, but in Antonin’s case, the trait that came to Harper’s mind was snake-like. She hoped that she could charm him enough to end up at least on his neutral-to-positive side.

“I’d ask what else is going on around here, maybe even try to get the grand tour… but I doubt that I’d be shown or told much, or that it would even be well-received” Harper quipped, though internally unsure how much of her comment was actually in jest. She moved to focus on the business matters before she could dwell too much on her own words.

“Obviously, I have all the paperwork I was to bring. I’m sure you’ll find everything in order. I can take you through it, if you’d like,” Harper continued, gesturing to the couch and table towards the center of the room. “Or we could just chat…” she offered tentatively. “I guess getting the short end of the stick and having to meet with me isn’t so bad, considering you get a nice drink out of it,” she remarked, her eyes flicking from his face to the glass in his hand.