The-harperbaddock - (False) Bravado

lilyeliora·:

Lily smiled a soft, patient smile as she watched the other woman struggle and not entirely succeed in covering up her surprise. It was something Lily was used to, especially in people who didn’t know her well. She never felt like the way she acted was anything extraordinary, but others seemed to think so. It might have been easy to think she was too kind, too genuine, that she cared too much, but she always had Howell’s voice in her mind telling her her heart was her strength and she should never let her mind drown out her gut. Lily Evans did not grow up in a vacuum, and she was shaped by her father’s  life, taking  on  his philosophies for herself. 

So when the brunette finally spoke, Lily didn’t laugh or tease her for babbling, or for never owning a pet which seemed unthinkable to Lily. Instead, she just did what  she  did best and leaned into the good. “That’s so exciting, I’d love to help! I’m  Lily  Evans.” Lily held her hand out to  shake. 

At first Lily was taken aback by the question about her cat. How did this woman know she owned a cat? Was she being watched? Was this woman a death eater? Lily forced herself to push away the thought, dismissing it as paranoia. Surely, after May, the aurors and especially the Order would tell her if she was in danger. She looked down and recognized the black hairs clinging to her t-shirt. She almost laughed at her momentary, absurd suspicions. “I actually got my cat from a shelter in my hometown, but I like to window shop here sometimes.” Sometimes, as if it wasn’t something she did at least once a week.

-

Hearing that Lily adopted her cat from a hometown shelter, Harper couldn’t help but wonder what that her life growing up must have been like. She pictured rolling green hills and a warm environment; one where parents encouraged their kids to pet, play with, and get attached to animals. Perhaps that was too idealistic; after all she really didn’t know anything about this girl and her background, not beyond the little she had just learned. Despite this, Harper couldn’t help but feel a pang of wistfulness, especially when she compared it to her own upbringing; though she immediately felt guilty for doing so. She knew it wasn’t meant to leave her so isolated, that her parents did want the best for her. But at the end of the day, azoy gait es (that’s the way it goes), as her grandmother used to say.

“Harper Baddock” she introduced herself, shaking the woman’s outstretched hand with a practiced ease and instinctively flashing her go-to smile, “I’m so sorry, I just noticed the cat hair on your shirt, and extrapolated” she explained soothingly, recognizing the spooked look that had quickly crossed Lily’s face. With her own strong tendency towards privacy, Harper understood the concern that arose when someone knew something about her that she didn’t expect.

“So,” she continued, slightly quirking an eyebrow, “I can’t promise this will be exciting or even successful, but if you do really want to help, please, be my guest,” Harper gestured toward the door between them, allowing Lily to go in ahead of her.

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”

Started in Beautiful Rooms // Harper and Antonin

Approaching the Malfoy Malfoy Manor simultaneously comforted Harper while also setting her on edge. It oozed elegance and class, along with mystery and foreboding; just her type. She was intrigued by it, and to some extent, that worried her. Less so than it had in the past, but there was still a dull, nagging concern in the back of her mind.

“How did I get here?” she sometimes asked herself, flashing through memories of the intense and turbulent series of events that led to her current arrangement. She stopped herself before she could get too far. Wrong time, wrong place. She had a job to do and an image to uphold.

Many of the BDK hotels were large and sophisticated, and Harper had no problem walking into those with an air of confidence and ownership, but here? Here she felt dwarfed. Sometimes she even felt that the perfectly manicured shrubbery hissed at her presence. None of this was helped by the fact that, unlike most of the Death Eaters, Harper was not allowed to apparate into the manor. She knew why that was; because she was a half-blood. It didn’t matter that she was smarter than most of them, and perhaps more talented, to boot. According to them, she was lesser. Momentarily clenching her hands into fists and looking down at her shoes, she took a deep breath and tried to channel the attitude she could usually put on so well, before lifting her head and venturing forward up the walkway to the manor’s ornate front door.

Upon reaching it, Harper hesitated. Was she to knock? Was she to ring the bell? She doubted it was in her best interest to just walk in, though that was what she would prefer to do. Attempting to gain some control over the situation, she gave two raps on the door, paused a second, and tested the handle, discovering the door was unlocked.

Harper was acutely aware, as she crossed the threshold, that the door being unlocked was no coincidence. And although there was no one in sight, she instinctively knew that she was being watched. Perhaps someone wanted to observe how she behaved when she thought she was alone, or perhaps it was just another demeaning tactic. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she entered the room to her right. It appeared to be a sitting room (likely one of many), with portraits adorning the walls. Intrigued, Harper began to examine them, beginning with the one closest to the door, intending to make her way from there to the other side. She was only a couple of pictures in when she sensed a presence at the doorway, and looked over her shoulder to see who it was.

@antonin-whoisleft​

Simon Alexandre-Clement Denis - Study of Clouds with a Sunset near Rome (detail)

safiyeece​:

As the closest friend Safiye had, Harper saw more of her than anyone else, more of her humor and more of her frustration. It was always a relief when she could sip wine with Harper and mock the more farcical aspects of her life. Somehow it was never depressing to think about the more frustrating parts of her life with Safiye was with Harper like it was when she was alone. The other woman’s presence, and her understanding was everything to Safiye.

She listened to Harper’s story with increasingly wide eyes, enjoying the show as Harper reenacted the whole episode from her day. Safiye shook her head at a few key moments in the story, just enough to keep Harper going, and when they finally reached the story’s conclusion Safiye threw her head back and laughed. It was the perfect vignette to make Safiye feel better about her own life. The absurdity of the whole situation belonged in the most elite pureblood parlor, shared by the women who truly did believe that the whole world, right down to the flowers, should bow to their whims and tastes.

When Harper asked about the meeting she’d attended, Safiye rolled her eyes and took a fortifying drink of wine. Then, she sat up straight in her most perfect Pureblood Princess posture. “Oh yes, we were very productive. First, we spent a good hour congratulating ourselves on just how simply wonderful our last event was, and yet after all that time I’m still not sure what exactly the event was, other than exquisite. We wrapped up the meeting by bemoaning the upcoming auction for the Society for the Upkeep of Wizarding Historical Artifacts and how we cannot possibly hope to outdo Marya Warrington at our next event.” Safiye settled back against the sofa and sighed. “So it was precisely the usual.”

-

“Oh how lovely!” Harper enthused, honeyed voice and widened eyes. “Every event simply must be more exquisite than the last!” she let out an un-ladylike snicker, interrupting her impression. She was glad that she could make Safiye laugh; she hated to see her friend so tense and frustrated. Besides, when they exchanged their ridiculous stories and encounters, it allowed Harper to forget about the tension that typically filled the cracks of her everyday life.

And as much as she did enjoy her alone time, she was getting quite lonely. That just made her value the time spent with Safiye even more.

“Technically we could do it, you know,” Harper started, knowing full well that neither of them could actually do what she was about to say.

“We could just pick up for a while and get away from here; galavanting around beautiful and exciting places, meeting new people, doing daring things. You could write your poetry and fall in love; I could…” she trailed off, not sure how she even intended to end her statement. She turned to look at Safiye and shrugged. They sat in a comfortable, if not slightly wistful, silence for a few moments. Harper looked down at her hands, fiddling with the rings on her fingers.

She finished the last of the wine, and, determined to keep the night going and spirits up, looked back to Safiye, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk. “I’m not getting stuck down the sad wine-tipsy road. Not tonight. We need some more fun” With a renewed determination, Harper summoned the drink and dessert menus over to them. “Take your pick,” she told Safiye as she passed one to her. “And you should know that I made sure we put that plum drink you like so much back on this season’s menu”

We should just be good humans.

safiyeece​:

Safiye and Harper sat in companionable silence as they waited for their drinks to arrive. Once the tray popped into the room, Safiye picked up Harper’s elderflower cocktail and took a sip. “Oh, it’s sweet, you’ll like this one.” Saf smiled and passed the glass to Harper. She didn’t quite have the same sweet tooth as her friend, but she knew Harper’s taste nonetheless. She accepted her own glass in return and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. The scent was almost as good as the flavor, but of course the two senses were tied together.

Safiye enjoyed her drink for a moment, considering. There was a fine line she and Harper walked in their friendship between caring for each other and not prying too deeply into their secrets. Safiye knew that early Summer was a difficult time of year for Harper, both through observation and through common sense. She wanted to ask how Harper was handling the season, without crossing one of their unspoken lines. She balanced the different stressors in Harper’s life in her mind, and decided that her birthday would be the least invasive topic to inquire about.

“So, how are you feeling about turning 23 soon?” Safiye asked the question obliquely, as if the prospect of being 23 was the source of concern, not the birthday itself. It got close enough to the heart of the matter to give Harper an opening if she wanted to talk, but at the same time gave her a convenient out if she didn’t. It was the kind of circular conversation that Safiye wasn’t the biggest fan of, but she didn’t resent the use of it for Harper’s sake.

Harper grinned as Safiye helped herself to the elderflower cocktail before passing it over. She bemusedly indulged her friend’s wafting of the plum drink, taking advantage of the hesitation to snag the drink and sample it, herself. Seconds later she placed it back into Saf’s hand, as if it had never left in the first place, and shot her wide, innocent eyes while struggling to keep a straight face.

Taking a sip of her own cocktail, Harper savored the taste, indulging her secret sweet tooth. “Damn, I did well with these drinks” she mused aloud.

She heard Safiye’s question, understood what she was asking, and very much appreciated the tact that her friend used by giving her an out if she wanted one. But truth be told, Harper wasn’t feeling much about it, at least not much that she’d been able to express. There was so much to feel and process that instead she just kind of shut it all down. She paused in thought, grasping for words to verbalize her complex mix of feelings. With almost anyone else, she would shrug it off, play it cool, calm, confident, and collected; but here with Saf, Harper was sure that the struggle was playing out on her face.

“I mean, it is what it is, I guess. Can’t exactly change my birthday or the other stuff… I think this year I might try to strike a middle balance” Harper started tentatively. “Not plan a big thing, but recognize the day, try to enjoy it— whatever that means or wherever that takes me— brunch, shopping, maybe going out,” She was creating the idea as she spoke it, selling herself on it as she went.

In a more hushed tone she added, “If I don’t expect anything I can’t really be disappointed,” It was a concept Harper was quite familiar with, but saying it to another person suddenly made it feel very jarring. Her words hung in the hair for a moment, though not with tension; she and Safiye could say these things to each other and be met with compassion and the knowledge that there was someone who saw them.