Familiar faces [Harvey]

London, England | February 2003

“Loki! Come back here!” Lorin lamented, following her slick black kitten down the hallway of her apartment building. She was calling out to it in something more akin to a stage whisper than an actual call, trying not to disturb her neighbors. It was nearly dusk, but she still didn’t want to bother anyone if she could keep ahead of it. Her cat was aptly named. From the moment she got him, it had been love at first sight—but he had been so mischievous, too. He loved to play and was so full of energy. It was hard to keep up with him. He always tried to slip out of the door whenever Lorin opened it up, though, curious about the outdoors.

This time, unfortunately, he had made it through the threshold. She was hurrying along, the cat just out of her reach. Suddenly, she watched in horror as it skipped through a crack in an open door and into a stranger’s apartment. How embarrassing! What if they had cats, too? Or worse, dogs! Lorin took in a deep breath and let it out, frustratedly. Then, she straightened her back and knocked on the door with purpose.

“Hello?” She said through the crack. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but I believe my cat may have slipped into your apartment. He’s a tiny little black thing, named Loki. He usually comes when he’s called. Probably slipped behind your sofa, though….” She sighed.

Things had been going decently well for Lorin over the past few weeks. Not only had she been less lonely, having Loki around definitely helped that, she had also been seeing someone. She was properly seeing someone, for the first time… well, ever. They had been taking things slow, doing no more than hand-holding and a little bit of kissing so far, but she felt over the moon. They weren’t quite official, but she knew for a fact that he wasn’t seeing anyone else, and she wasn’t either. She felt strange at the idea of calling him her boyfriend, especially with their history—and age difference—but that was basically what he was.

They went out a few times a week. Sometimes they went for dinner or music, sometimes she cooked for him at his place and they kissed and cuddled on the couch listening to wizarding wireless radio, but she was happy. It didn’t even bother her that she had yet to hear anything from the Department of International Magical Cooperation. She almost hoped she didn’t get the job. She wanted to be close with Donnie, and thought that, perhaps, she could move up in the department she was currently in. Mysteries was very elusive. She was highly intelligent and could easily do the work. In fact, she coordinated a lot of it. She just needed to prove herself.

She awkwardly waited for the door to open, hoping beyond hope for a friendly, understanding face.

@Harvey Landsdowne

"Ow! Son of a --"

The profanity was swallowed by a grunt of pain as Harvey angrily hopped around the kitchen, sucking on a blister that was rapidly forming on his index finger. He could cook, of course he could, but he didn't want to. He was exhausted and his brain was frazzled and all he wanted was some bloody noodles but no, they had to fight back. Heaving a heavy sigh, he scowled at the pain before holding his hand under the cold tap.

So busy was he that he didn't notice that cat come in, just a flash of black and a muffled voice. Turning off the tap, Harvey moved the pan off the stove as he dried his hands, creeping through the living room. Loki, did the disembodied voice say? "Apt," he snorted as he dropped to his knees to see a big pair of green eyes looking back at him.

He pressed his cheek to the floorboard to peer through the gap, tapping his fingers gently on the floor to gain the cat's attention. Harvey had always liked cats and preferred them much more than dogs. He understood the companionship of canines but there was always something vaguely anarchic about felines. Dogs have owners, cats have staff - wasn't that the saying?

Momentarily ignoring the lady at his door (there was a first time for everything) he coaxed out the little kitten and sat cross-legged, letting the little thing walk all over him. "Hello," Harvey said, sounding bemused as he held his fingers out for it to sniff as he followed cat etiquette, before stroking his silky ears. "You've given your owner quite a fright, I imagine." He didn't even think to ask if the building had any protocol concerning pets. He sort of wanted a cat, too.

With care, Harvey balanced the cat  in the crook of his arm as he got up, adjusting his glasses with his free hand as he padded barefoot across the apartment to the front door. He opened it fully and froze in shock.

"Lorin?"

Duh. Of course it was, he knew her body well enough by now but he hadn't seen her months. She was living here? In the building? And she hadn't come over to say hi? He gawped at her as the reality kicked in. He blinked his big dark eyes in mild surprise as he saw her in his doorway. He chewed on his lower lip as manners escaped him. The phrases hello! How are you? What are you doing here? Come on in, had just fallen out of his head but the sense of guilt hit him like a tonne of bricks.

The silence was broken by a mewing and he suddenly realised she wanted her cat back. "Sorry," he blushed as he pressed the kitten back into Lorin's safe keeping before taking a step back into the apartment. Harvey was going to kill his parents. His family and Lorin's family were close. His mother could have casually dropped that little nugget of information into her weekly letters.

With a lopsided grin, he leaned against the doorjamb. "Hiya," he offered as he gave her a once over, purely out of habit. "I had no idea I had such a mischievous neighbour," he joked as he reached out to gently stroke the cat's head. A lot of time had passed and he had no idea where to start - other than with casual flirting. She looked good, he noticed. Bright eyes, shiny hair, but she'd lost a little bit of weight since he'd last seen her and he wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. His heart was racing and it contrasted with the sudden warm rush of knowing that she was okay - despite him not thinking of her recently. He was a shit friend.

Stepping back, he opened the door further. "Come in," he said softly to her. "Bring your pussy, too," Harvey added with a cheeky grin before closing the door. "Drink?" He offered as he ruffled his hair, feeling out of place and entirely off-kilter.

Lorin gawked when she saw Harvey standing at the door, her Harvey. She swallowed, feeling a little pale and lightheaded at the suddenness of it all. The two of them had slowly grown apart over the years, moreso since her ill-fated kiss and it was almost entirely her fault. Harvey was a nice guy. He just didn’t fancy her. That should have been fine, but in all reality she blamed him very much for it. Harvey was a catch and he couldn’t do much better than her, in her opinion. She was well-bred, attractive, ambitious and intelligent. He could do far worse. Even so, she felt a little insecure around him now, rejected. Harvey had always felt to Lorin a bit like an old comfy sweater, one that you put on when you were feeling sad and wanted to be warmed up. She hated that she couldn’t just come to Harvey with anything and everything anymore, though that was her fault, too. Her damn pride had ruined it all for her. She had been a terrible friend. She hadn’t even known he was going to be living in her apartment building, nor had she cared. She hadn’t thought she would really ever see him again since his parents moved out of Godric’s Hollow.

She clutched her squirming kitten in her arms as Harvey pet him on the head, and let out a small sigh and smiled a very small, but rather genuine, smile. “I—heh, Hello there, Harvey.” She managed. She swallowed hard, her kitten digging his nails into her forearm. “You mean me, or the cat?” She teased lightly. “Ah, yes. That would be great….” She came into his apartment and put the cat down, him running over to the sofa and making himself at home. “A drink sounds lovely, what do you have?” She mostly drank white wine, but she didn’t think Harvey was much of a wine-drinker. That was okay, she could shoot whiskey.

“I had no idea you lived so close, or else I would’ve stopped by already. How long have you been here, really?” She wondered. The apartment had been occupied when she moved in, but whoever was there could’ve easily moved out and she wouldn’t notice. She worked quite a bit now, and spent a good deal of time inside with her books and her cat. She’d been following a new radio serial as well, though the narrator’s voice seemed so familiar it was eerie. She didn’t get out much or do much at all lately.

“I—” She hesitated. “I’m sorry.” She blurted. “I’ve been such a terrible friend these past few months.” She confessed. “Ever since seventh year, I’ve just been… embarrassed, I guess. Too embarrassed to talk to you much.”