[the cotswolds] pick a part that's new. [harlan]

"Come here. Let me fix your little bow," Erika told the baby who stared at her with the biggest blue eyes she'd seen in her life. Little Nora was just over three months old and already had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Perhaps she'd taken the whole godmother thing a teeny bit too seriously, judging by the look on the baby's mother's face when she'd turned up with a bag full of stuffed toys, including a rather large teddy with a bowtie, whom Erika had christened Mr. Cuddlesworth. It wasn't her fault. The places that she went away to for work were full of intricate little things (more often than not cursed) so teddy bears ahoy.

Erika paced up and down the living room of Kitty and Kevin's newly bought cottage, bouncing the baby in her arms. When she'd heard her friend had upped sticks from the capital and migrated to the countryside, her jaw had hit the floor. Everything was so…green. There was a pub, a duck pond and a post office that was only open for two hours a week on a Thursday afternoon. Everyone knew each other's names. Erika had been engaged in conversation twice that day. Poor Harlan must be going doolally.

The door opened and Erika looked up, turning her body slightly so little Nora could see her other godparent. "There he is!" The tall blonde announced and Nora blew a bubble of spit in appreciation. "I think she likes you," she went on with a teasing grin.

They'd been invited to stay for the weekend in what Kitty had described as a housewarming event, which was basically just free babysitting while she and her partner had a nap. Erika couldn't blame either new parent. As adorable as Nora was, the longer she held her, the heavier she got - like a really cute sack of spuds.

"So much for a relaxing weekend," Erika announced with a playful eye roll as she nestled the baby securely, not ready to relinquish her to Harlan in case he wanted a snuggle. Erika was glad that she and the Quidditch player were back to being friends again. There had been a few months of awkwardly avoiding each other after the incident but Kitty being Kitty, put her foot down and ordered them to get along for the baby's sake. No one did emotional manipulation like a Sharpe.

"Still not convinced I want one, though," she laughed, turning her bright eyed gaze out of the window to the picturesque village beyond.


@Harlan Bellamy

[Bibury, The Cotswolds.]

Harlan looked down at the teacup held precariously by index finger— just —as he sat it atop the ornate saucer in the palm of his opposite hand. A fucking tea? Who was he kidding? His eyes rolled before flicking up out of the kitchen window that was stained with a permanent rain. Behind the light grey clouds the sun was threatening to make an appearance. He finished what was left of the drink, purely out of politeness because Kitty's sister had made it.

"Hi," Whatever semblance of disdain quickly washed away as he made his way into the living area, cautiously at first, in case Nora was sleeping. His shoulders loosened and his brow lifted at the sight. He fought, and failed, the inevitable grin. Setting his jaw seemed like the best option at hiding it.

"She's a baby, she likes anyone that feeds her," Harlan was quick to brush aside the idea all together. One niece was enough as far as his capacity for vulnerability was concerned. He stepped easily to the opposite side of the room and studied the scarce bookshelf. He would give the couple a pass for their lack of literature since they'd just moved in but he made a note to chastise his friend about it later (when he was awake).

"Hmm, but you're a natural," Harlan mimicked the tone of the weekend. All of the couples were suddenly in some kind of baby frenzy. Making light of it was easier than addressing that he had been grappling with what fatherhood actually meant ever since he learned it could have been his reality, once upon a time. Harlan cleared his throat and stood up, ready forget the thought had even crossed his mind.

Erika's smile fell at Harlan's revelation and she looked down at baby Nora quickly. Carefully, she shifted the infant into her chest as she bounced her, one arm scooped below Nora's bum to keep her steady, her other hand coming up to playfully cover her ears. "Don't listen to him," she cooed as little Nora gave her a toothless grin that could easily just be gas. The realisation stung.

Around the living room Erika wandered, conscious of standing still for too long, lest the baby sense weakness. Harlan spoke and the tall blonde gave a snort of genuine laughter. "A natural!" She hooted, genuinely tickled. She also wasn't stupid enough to believe that was a compliment - Harlan just didn't want to hold Nora.

"I've got twelve cousins, all currently under the age of five," the cursebreaker explained as she looked down at Nora and pulled a funny face, earning a gurgling giggle for her effort. "You'd be surprised how fast I can move when I'm chasing a pack of toddlers," she joked. It also helped that the elaborate games the kids liked to play, Erika was often the mastermind behind them all.

The sight of delicate China in Harlan's hands made her smile fondly. An odd juxtaposition. "I thought you'd be away," Erika announced, meaning him going on holiday or perhaps spending some time with his family after the Griffins' inevitable win.

Turning on the spot, she nodded to her battered leather backpack, slanted against the armchair in the corner. "There's a bottle of gin in there, if you want some," Erika offered gamely. Swiftly, she offered a sheepish grin. "There's only so much tea I can take." She'd spied the local pub but hadn't had the time to visit. It looked nice, a former coach house, so said the board out front. They served food, too. Erika hadn't had pie and chips for yonks.

"Sounds thrilling," Harlan lied, certain that she could pick up on his sarcasm. He knew that Erika had a big family— it was hard to miss the Tricketts— but it was unnervingly endearing to hear her speak of them all so fondly. He felt a strange sense of nostalgia for having something like that. His own family couldn't have been any more different. "So you are a natural," He nodded firmly, circling back to his original point even if it had been made in jest. Erika was, truly a natural, despite the cynicism he held being around all parents with whom he shared very little in common with.

"And miss this?" He teased with half of a grin. "I leave this week," He added more seriously with a nod. Truthfully, he didn't want to miss where he was at, no matter how hard he tried. "Spend a week or two in Italy," Knowing him, just the week. Relaxing wasn't something that came naturally.

A bottle of gin, in a backpack? Harlan's eyes narrowed where Erika had indicated the leather bag, then flicked back up to her, clearly amused. "Wow," He drew out the vowels and even went as far as setting down his teacup that he had given up on long before. "Erika, we are responsible for our godchild right now, you know that, right?" He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment as he made his way over to it to be sure of the fact himself.

"You've clearly never been to a Trickett party," she tutted darkly with a shake of her head, as though Harlan was missing out on something huge. "There are skipping ropes and archery and hide and seek." She paused, her plump lips stretching into a smirk as she imagined Harlan trying to hide anywhere. "Good job you won't be on my team," she grinned. He was all and impossibly broad. The idea of him hiding in a hedge was just too funny.

"Eh," Erika shrugged, not ready to admit that Harlan was potentially correct. "I was thrown in at the deep end." And she didn't regret it. "They're so easy at this age," she went on, meaning Nora. "Just all squishy and cute and they haven't learned to talk back yet," she cooed at the baby who watched her intently as though she understood every word.

Erika snorted. "I'm offended," she joked but she tilted her head in interest. "That's awesome," she gushed. "Where are you headed?" The blonde enquired. Harlan was such a homebird. She couldn't fathom the need to stay in the UK, especially not with so many impressive places to visit, but she could see the appeal.

Harlan's reaction wasn't surprising but she still heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Okay Dad," Erika replied sarcastically but not unkindly as she bounced the baby. She turned to follow him over to her bag and peered over his shoulder. "If it helps, it's not an open bottle of gin," she said quickly. "I'm not crazy," she shook her head with a smile as she perched herself on the arm of the sofa. "There are ice cubes in the freezer," she smiled before her eyes widened in faux innocence. "It wasn't me who made them. Just saying."

"You know I have," Harlan commented gently from over his cup when Erika mentioned  her family gatherings. He had been to many a Trickett gathering (by way of her brother) and every time he found some part of him yearning for that kind of thing with his own family, somewhere deep down. And not that he would ever speak it.

"Knowing Kitty it won't be long..." He quipped, though the distracted smile as he watched Nora looking up at Erika betrayed him. It was hard to keep the fondness down. "Positano," Harlan nodded. It was hard to not feel the impact of Erika's energy. It reminded him that he should be excited about it. "You know I can't go away for too long, of course," He commented over his shoulder from where he'd approached the gin backpack.

He was a creature of habit, and nearly to a fault he'd been told.

"Ohh, so you've properly prepared, then," Harlan clicked his tongue again, gesturing to the bag for one final confirmation he was permitted inside. His mother would be mortified at the idea of him going through a woman's bag. Even if it was a backpack. He chose not to address the dad of it all given the circumstances.

"I'm off the gin," He commented finally as he sat against the arm of the chair, folding an arm across his chest, the fucking teacup in the other. That particular spirit had never bode well for him. "I do think I've got to get out of this house, though..." He mused, glancing out the window. All of it was beginning to feel suffocating; Kevin, Kitty, the baby, their cottage. He took another sip despite the fact that he hated it, and winced in return.

"Still recovering emotionally from the last one?" Erika joked with an easy smile. "You should come to the summer one," she nodded as she delicately adjusted the bow on Nora's  headband, the baby blowing another bubble of spit in response, causing the cursebreaker to smile fondly. It wouldn't at all be surprising if Harlan turned down the invite. He was a busy man, after all.

Catching his eye, the tall blonde laughed. "Yikes," she winced playfully, despite knowing deep down that the baby would have a fully formed personality in a few months and if she was anything like her mother, poor Kevin was in for a waking nightmare. "I find it hard to believe that you'll be anything other than perfect," she went on, addressing Nora with a serious nod before her eyes widened.

"Oooh," she cooed again, visibly excited. "I know someone who owns a restaurant there," Erika continued. "Il Tridente," she went on. "Right in the middle of the town. It's a rooftop bar and the views are to die for," she sighed, wishing she was there as well. "Mention my name, you might get a free drink," she grinned. "I know, I know," she nodded along in understanding. "But I am pleased that you're going on a holiday. You might meet some new people," Erika offered innocently.

Harlan opened her bag and Erika didn't feel bothered by the action. "Of course," she said quickly. "When I am not? Wand, gin, penknife, everything a girl needs," she replied, deadpan for a second before she smiled. "I'm kidding," she laughed - she wasn't.

"Deary me," Erika tutted as he said he didn't like gin. "Your godfather needs a good shake, doesn't he?" She cooed at the baby who watched her with wide, interested eyes, turning around so Nora could look at Harlan. "See? Told you," she bounced her in her arms and earned a gurgle of appreciation that Erika sincerely hoped was not going to be vomit.

 "Okay," Erika agreed quickly. "Let me go out and drop the sprog off," she went on, meaning the baby. "Hold on." With that, the cursebreaker disappeared and found Kevin munching on a sandwich in the kitchen and she promptly handed him back his daughter before entering the sitting room. "Walk?" She offered to Harlan. "I can bring some food if you wanted to feed the ducks," she smiled.

"No you are not," Harlan laughed as he shifted away from the bag that he imagined was filled with all of the aforementioned items she denied. He knew Erika better than that.

Instead of openly shaming him for his abstinence, she used their god-child in the show, which had proven to be far more effective. "I can't wait to tell Kitty that you're already influencing her daughter to be gin-inclined." Harlan attempted to scoff but ended up more amused than anything as he got to his feet, leaving the tea and what was left of it behind. Even gin sounded more appealing when presented with the two options.

"Go on then," He smiled softly, stopping shorting of addressing the little one as she was carried out the living area and to where her parents had tucked themselves away in refuge while the help was there. "Not unless the pub has ducks..." Harlan commented, taking his coat from the hanger at the door as they made their way outside, just in case. The rain seemed to be threatening, still.

"Funny, isn't it?" He didn't mean funny in the funny way. "Seeing them with her," Harlan clarified, inclining his chin back over his shoulder to the cottage. The gravel of the drive crunched under his runners. Things changed so fast in their lives that he was having a hard time keeping up. "I'm a bit surprised that Kevin is so..." He scanned his thoughts for the right word. "Well, apt," Harlan finally confessed with a chuckle.

When she was called out, Erika simply offered a sheepish grin. She knew Harlan knew and they'd been friends long enough that they didn't have to pretend to be anyone they weren't. "Just so we're clear," she began as she bounced Nora, her chubby little legs kicking out in glee. "The little bottle of vodka in there is simply to clean wounds," she cooed before she laughed.

"If you do that, we're both dead," she joked with an easy smile. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be bailing this little lady out of illegal raves at three in the morning when she's a teenager anyway," Erika addressed the baby fondly as little Nora wrapped her little hand around one of Erika's index finger, causing her to sigh dreamily.

Wiping her hands on her thighs, Erika straightened up with a laugh. "Good plan." Who wanted to feed the ducks when they could be getting drunk of real ale in the rain? She followed him out, flicking her hair from her collar as she zipped her coat up, pausing to squint at the heavily laden sky. Erika didn't mind the rain. In fact, she missed it.

They left the cottage and began the idle walk to the village centre and she looked over at him with a smile, arms folded across her chest as she nodded in agreement. "If anyone had told me they'd have a baby last year, I would have asked how much they'd been drinking," Erika grinned, pausing to blow a lock of hair out of her eye. Their friend's family made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Suddenly, the tall blonde let out a bark of laughter, causing the pigeons that had gathered on the village green to take flight in panic. "My thoughts exactly," she admitted fondly. "He's besotted," she looked ahead and smiled, her eyes glancing at the quaint row of houses with their little doors and low walls made from local stone. "I don't think anyone's ever really ready to be a parent," she shrugged. "But I think it's very clear that he's in love," Erika remarked with a dimpled grin.

Harlan kicked the rocks under his runners, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he contemplated what Erika had said. A natural skeptic, he doubted it, he was sure there were a select few who felt ready to be parents for most of their lives. In fact it seemed like most people he knew were just that, fucking naturals. "They both are," His brow quirked subtly as he glanced over to her over his shoulder from where she stood taller, a few steps back on the decline of the drive.

"They've done alright, haven't they though?" He was quick to steer aware from anything too exclusively father-related; he was still on his own journey as far as that was (or had been) concerned.

He looked beyond her at the small cottage that quickly faded into the distance under the clouds that had rolled in. Harlan's eyes turned up to the angry sky. "We'd better make this quick," He picked up the pace, well aware that Erika could easily outpace him in any circumstance, regardless of weather condition.

A fat drop of rain fell on his forehead. Then another, just as heavy. "I guess I just—" Harlan began, pushing his hair back slightly, pausing. He was more than half way to divulging what he'd learned about his own past as it related to family when lightening washed over the sky. Thunder clapped immediately, and in a blink of an eye the sky had turned darker again. "Beat me?" He didn't allow her time to think before turning on his heels into a sprint.

Erika's smile was soft as she caught Harlan's eye and she nodded quickly. She couldn't deny it. The most unlikely partners had started a family and it was simply mind blowing to behold. "Absolutely," she agreed with a firm nod. "Who wouldn't be?" She grinned. "Nora's a dream," the tall blonde sighed wistfully. Erika was in no position to have kids but being a mum one day was looking pretty good.

Slipping her hands into her jeans' pocket, she nodded in agreement. "They've done fantastically well," Erika replied, no hint of malice in her tone. The cursebreaker had been floored by how quickly Kitty and Kevin had taken to parenthood. "Like a duck to water," she smiled at the Quidditch player.

At Harlan's insistence that she move quicker, Erika let out a groan, shoulders slumped and looking every inch the petulant teenager. "Calm down," she laughed as she followed his gaze to the angry looking cloud hanging low above them. "It's only water --"

A loud bang! and a crackle of electricity streaked through the sky, causing Erika to jump in shock as she watched the fork light up the dark purple of the cloud. A raindrop hit her cheek and dripped off her chin. Then more fell, the rain becoming steady. "What?" The blonde yelled over the noise as Harlan began to speak before stopping abruptly. She squinted at him, cupping a hand around her ear as though it would somehow help but they didn't have time.

"Beat you?" Erika asked, eyes wide in confusion. "Beat you where? Oh, you dick!" Harlan was sprinting off and she snorted with laughter. In an instant, she was off and hunting him down, tripping over the stones as they darted through the village, blonde hair flowing behind her as her slender legs picked up the pace. Managing to reach him, she pushed him out of the way playfully as she ran, turning her head to pull tongues at him. Distracted by her premature celebration, she'd accidentally ran past the pub itself,  causing her to stop in her tracks and turn around, eyes wide as she laughed again as another rumble of thunder shook the village. "That doesn't count," she called out to him, hands on her knees to catch her breath with a laugh. "I technically ran past it first."

Before he knew it they were moving, Erika had caught on quickly to his proposition. The gravel of the two-lane road crunched under his weight and flew behind them on the incline. "Dick? Really?" He shouted over his shoulder, only a fraction out of breath, and trying in his sprint to convey the hurt on his features. It was easier said than done when one was trying to actually win. And that he was. Harlan was competitive at damn near everything— even things he knew he didn't stand a chance at.

His sport was in the air.

They made their way into town and he watched with amusement as the blurry figure of blonde hair that had surpassed him went straight beyond the pub. As far as he knew there was only the one in the little village that their friends had made their home, so he could see his opportunity. Barking a laugh, Harlan jolted to the door and caught his breath as Erika's voice came back into focus.

"Tough luck, I made it in first," He swung open the door and leaned in. After a breath, he held it open for her, his eyes studying the sky above as it opened up to a full downpour. "Get in here," His tone had hardened slightly. "Fine, you won," Harlan eventually acquiesced as he pulled her in from the storm. "This is on me," He shrugged off his coat and it flew to the rack as rain water magically pulled away from it. It would be on him anyway, of course.

"What are you having?" Harlan glanced over to Erika as they made their way into the quaint pub. A few locals lifted their heads at the obvious newcomers, but didn't openly acknowledge them. "A booth, perhaps," He read the room at the bar and figured he would spare them the small talk, turning to a cozy space near the lit fire.