Magical Hogwarts

Tess Gorman never would've expected the little Gryffindor get together that she had just planned half a week ago would be this overwhelming and horrifying. Gripping the edge of her kitchen table, she used her other hand to reach across a graveyard of napkins, plates, and cups and close her fingers around a bottle of whiskey. This was her house, she bought this whiskey, and now this bottle was going to be hers for the night. She wasn't nearly drunk enough for this.

In the back of her silly little mind, Tess formed a deluded fantasy that Harvey Landsdowne would arrive to her little party alone, handsome and bold as ever, and sweep her off her feet. He would forgive her for never responding to his last letter and ask to pickup where they left off. He would tell her that he always thought she was pretty and wonderful and that he wanted to walk into the sunset hand-in-hand. She would smile and bat her eyelashes and they would fall in love forever. He did show up handsome.

Now she was standing in the middle of her own god damned kitchen, clutching a bottle of open whiskey, and wondering what corner of the house she could hide in until he left. Part of her wanted to run upstairs and prepare some cool and cordial responses to hypothetical questions and statements, but anyone who knew Tess knew that she was on the brink of a meltdown, and for really no good reason. It was her specialty.

Was it her ridiculous expectations that ruined the night, or was it Casey Regan?

Everybody was laughing and conversing and catching up nearby in the living room, and Tess was posted up by the kitchen sink. With the hesitation of better judgement lingering for only half a second, she brought the bottle up to her lips and gulped. After storing it on the counter within eyesight, she turned and dunked her hands in the cold dishwater. What better time to do a chore that she wouldn't do if she had nothing else to do and no wand in sight.

^{@Harvey Landsdowne}

Harvey was about as Irish as Gandhi but that hadn't stopped him from getting properly into the spirit. He wasn't wearing green but instead, a charcoal jumper and jeans and a pair of shamrock printed socks for the laughs.  He wished he was Irish so he could have a proper go at celebrating. He'd been here for a while and things were ramping up, not slowing down. He'd left Casey with some of her ex school mates, promising to get drinks. He was but he needed some fresh air.

The house was still foreign to him and he poked his head around the doors, looking for beer but accidentally catching a few people in flagrante delico and he soon decided not to open any more doors. Definitely no more alcoves for him. The kitchen seemed like a safe bet. Harvey would like to be drunker than he was, if he was going to be honest. He'd brought with him a case of lager, his mother told him never to attend a party empty-handed, but that had since been scavenged by his old classmates.

He padded to the end of the hall and stepped in, making a beeline for one of the cupboards before he saw her. "There you are," he spoke with an easy smile, making his presence known. Upon seeing her again, Tess looked like she'd seen a ghost. Briefly, he thought she might have been avoiding him but she had no reason to. Harvey didn't know why she seemed so skittish. She had sent him an invite after all.  "I've been trying to find you," he commented honestly, hoping to catch up.

It had been such a long time. She looked the same. Perhaps a little paler but still her.  Tess had no reason to avoid him. She was probably busy flitting about and hosting but he'd admit that he was a bit upset that she hadn't said hello. She was downing the whiskey and he blinked. It wasn't his choice of drink, it burned too much but it was her party. He frowned regardless, concerned.

"Let me help," he insisted and he plucked a tea towel that was strewn haphazardly across one of the benches and stepped into her orbit. He glanced down at her as he began to dry a plate. "You alright?"

Well, there is was... Tess' last modicum of inner composure, off into the wind...

She was grateful that he didn't have the chance to surprise her, certain that if she hadn't seen him walking into the room, she would've vomited all over her dress. This gave her stomach time to drop into her ass instead.

Tess flashed a crooked smile despite delaying eye contact, hoping that every cell in her face could make it look genuine. It wasn't that Tess was unhappy to see Harvey, so at least she didn't have to fake that. Would it have been better if he didn't come at all? Absolutely not. Although she hadn't gotten the time to rationalize the situation, having his undivided attention for a moment was oddly soothing. She felt a little warm, but that might've been the drink.

"Yeah," she sighed, "want to make sure you lot have clean glasses..." Her face followed suit and she looked up at him with a smile around her eyes that was much more herself - if she could be as sarcastic and slightly oppositional as she always had been, she could do this. "Lost my wand here somewhere... Would lose my head if it wasn't sewed on, y'know." She flashed her teeth and swayed a bit, thinking she had done a good job - self-deprecating joke, check.

Tess took a moment to wonder if she hadn't been so stubbornly deranged about everything since school ended, or if she didn't have the horrible habit of confusing friendship with romance and falling in love with almost every guy friend she had ever had, what her reaction would've looked like upon his arrival. She should've been platonically happy to see him, given the years of friendship they had before Tess had plummeted head first through the murky depths of puberty. Maybe, if she wasn't already too drunk, she could be a good actress for a couple of minutes.
 
Removing her hands from the sink, Tess reached over to take the towel out of Harvey's hands to dry her own, steadying herself against the counter with her hip. After a moment she looked back up at him and smiled, nodding before she broke eye contact again. "Oh, yeah. Grand, actually." She sputtered a laugh. "Still living at home, still throwing secret parties under my mum's nose, living the dream!" Picking up one of the clean cups, she used the tea towel to dry it off and placed it back on the countertop, throwing the towel over her shoulder casually like some sort of domesticated housewife.

"It's good to see you," she said cordially. "How have you been?" Nodding towards the cup, she reached for the bottle. "Want a drink?"

"Ah," Harvey replied sagely and with a nod. "Hostess with the mostess," he smiled. He could sense something going on but he didn't want to pry. He'd liked Tess, he'd liked her a lot, but that was several years ago now. He'd just assumed she'd grown bored of him but he had been distracted by a steady stream of women - Nathalie, Giovanna, Casey - and now he was drinking her booze. No wonder she looked the way she did.

His smile widened at her joke, the corners of his eyes crinkling warmly. "I do know," Harvey added gently. "Can I help you find it?" He offered quickly. "I'm sure a simple accio would sort it out," he went on, a hand reaching out automatically in case he needed to catch her as she swayed. "Easy tiger," he laughed. Then he laughed again.

"Bet your mum's still happy to have you," he glanced over at her. "And secret parties are the best parties, you know that," Harvey cracked an easy grin. She looked good, the same as he remembered her. Tess looked sad around the eyes but that could be him reading into things or just the bad kitchen lighting.

"You too," he replied honestly and without skipping a beat, he picked up the cup and held it out towards the bottle. "I'd love one," Harvey commented as he let Tess pour him a healthy measure. He wouldn't have minded sharing the bottle, saved on the washing up, but nevermind. Swallowing the whiskey, Harvey nodded along quickly. "I've been well. Busy but I like it. I'm a Healer in training. Still figuring out what  I want to specialise in. Probably one with the least amount of blood involved," he grimaced playfully. Snot, vomit, eye goo and other bodily fluids were fine but it was the blood that finished him off every time.

"Thank you for the invite," he went on. "Can't say I was expecting one."

Tess felt a sour feeling ripple across her stomach as she watched Harvey bite at her bit of humor. For a moment she thought that her little charade wasn't going to work, that she might end up crying on his nice jumper, but it felt too easy to be lighthearted now that she was alone with him in the kitchen. Probably another delusion she would mull over later.

She took a moment to look him over and suddenly wondered if it was tacky to wear green on St. Paddy's day. Another thing to ruminate about when her house emptied and her world quieted. She corrected her gaze back onto his face immediately.

"Nah," Tess waved her hand dismissively, probably looking a bit sloppier than she had intended. That last gulp from the bottle was hitting her now. Maybe that was the sour feeling bubbling in her abdomen. "I'm sure it'll turn up." His guiding hand hovering nearby made her almost want to topple over sideways entirely.

She grinned and on his signal, poured a little more than she had intended into the glass. She wasn't trying to get him drunk - just a bit unsteady. Despite the sickly feeling in her stomach, Tess raised the bottle up slightly and toasted, "Sláinte", taking a quick sip along with him. She was pretty sure it was all she could manage. No throwing up on the nice jumper.

Tess wasn't surprised much to hear that Harvey had gone into Healing. He was a kind, caring soul, great in school and very smart. She nodded, listening intently while he elaborated, keeping herself steady on the nearby counter.

There was that sick feeling again, but not the same as it had been moments earlier. This was more of a knotting. Of course he wanted to stay away from blood and trauma... They had seen enough of that. Tess stiffened at the thought, and the grave feeling seeped up into her face, making her go a bit pale. She laughed nervously, and muttered, "can't say I blame you." It was his next admission that nearly took the air out of her, and she leaned in slightly in disbelief.

"Why would you think that?" She implored, her brows knitting together in disappointment and a frown imposing itself upon her chin. With a few blinks, she straightened up. "Of course I would invite you. Why wouldn't I invite you?" Tess spoke softly, a bit of hurt in her voice.

Did he think she hated him? She wondered if he'd filled in the blanks for himself when she stopped writing. What had he thought? She knew that she wasn't ready to be honest about it, so she stood there, feeling a gutted that he might think he did something wrong.

Tess seemed frazzled, Harvey thought. Then again, planning a clandestine party, trying to chat to guests, get drunk and clean up afterwards was enough to make anyone feel that way, he assumed. Instead of dwelling, her toast made him raise his cup in response and take a sip, managing not to cough like a child as the whiskey burned his throat, all the way to his stomach. In fact, he was fairly certain he could feel it in his intestines.

Poor Tess seemed to pale at the mention of bodily fluids and Harvey offered her an apologetic smile. He'd overdone it by mentioning a snot rocket. Bless her. She wasn't having a good night so far.

He drank from his cup before she spoke and he felt a stab of guilt. His comment wasn't accusatory (at least he hoped it wasn't) but he could see why Tess would think it was. "Nothing in particular," he spoke gently, quick to assure her that he wasn't being rude. The letters stopped, she disappeared, he moved on. It was brilliantly simple. People grew apart and he wasn't angry, he'd never been angry with her. For that or for anything.

"I just hadn't seen you in a couple of years," Harvey went on, his dark eyes bright in the dodgy light of her kitchen as he looked at her - properly this time. They didn't need to talk about it. It was all water under the bridge by now. "Or heard from you," he tacked on but it was a two way street. Had he known that she was still at home with her mum, would he have written her a letter? The answer was no.

Tess examined Harvey's face for any hint of dishonesty or hesitation as she awaited the dagger of reality to press between her ribs with his words. The twenty-one year old regretted ruining all her friendships and connections when she wasted away at home, too crippled by feelings of fear and lack of preparation to start her adult life. She was years behind her friends professionally and socially at this point, and it might've been this developmental gap that left her feeling like it was appropriate for her to stare so intensely at Harvey, or it might've just been her disappointment in the way things panned out. Either way, she was going to have to learn to stomach it.

Tess shrugged and nodded at his explanation, looking away and back down at the bottle of whiskey. He was right. She supposed it did come off as strange for her to have disappeared for two and a half years, only to show back up and invite everyone over to her house, after not speaking to most of them for the entire time she was locked away in the metaphorical tower of her mind. She hadn't expected more than a handful of people to come. Now that she thought about it, she was lucky that everyone showed up. Her brow relaxed, and so did the rest of her. She was grateful for these people, and the liquor in her stomach could easily bring tears to her eyes if she dwelled on it for too long.

While Tess might've once been infatuated with her former housemate, there was nothing like the idea of competing with another woman to nullify what interest was once there. Tess would never embarrass herself by sticking around when she wasn't chosen - she was far too proud for that. Although every moment standing in the kitchen made her anxiety diminish a bit more, she wasn't ready to atone for her behavior. It was difficult to face reality. His words stung, but she didn't blame him for them. She didn't blame him for any of it - she didn't expect him to bridge the gap, or to stick his neck out after she'd ignored his final letter. She should be apologizing for throwing their friendship away and for treating him like he didn't matter, but she wouldn't.

After a few moments of understanding silence, Tess brought herself back to life with another nod. "Well, I'm glad you came, anyway..." She said softly and left it at that. This weird little moment in the kitchen was all the closure she needed - without the desire or ability to own her own actions and apologize, Tess decided that she had a box in her mind where she could keep this sadness safe and away from prying eyes, and she wouldn't have to feel this way after tonight. With her mind made up, Tess found it impossible to look back up at him. She was sure that he knew she was guilty, but she couldn't find it in her to address it. The whiskey was making her limbs feel heavy and her head feel thick.

"We should probably get back to the party..." She said, slackening her arm and allowing the bottle of whiskey in her hand to drop down parallel to her hip. She thought of adding 'wouldn't want Casey to wonder where you are' to that, but decided to put that in the box too. Maybe he already knew she was thinking that. With a small smile, Tess moved toward the door that led back into hallway connected to the living room.

Oh no. He'd upset her.

Harvey watched Tess' face change as her walls went back up and he managed to refrain from sighing in frustration. It wasn't her fault. Everyone dealt with shit in different ways and perhaps the past few years had been tougher for her than most. The music and the laughter wasn't far from their quiet little kitchen corner but everyone felt miles away. It sat uneasily between his ribs and it made him clear his throat.

Harvey realised that he was being accusatory and he didn't like that, Tess looked fragile as it was. His dark eyes flickered across her face, back and forth, searching for something, for anything. He didn't like not knowing how she was feeling and the fact that she was acting this way towards him, of all people, made his heart pang.

"Me too," he added with a smile. It was nice to see everyone but he didn't think he wanted to stay too long. However, he didn't move from his position, he simply watched. They were different people now, Harvey couldn't change that. He also couldn't make up for the time they'd lost. It also wasn't his place to get involved. This wasn't the time or the venue to start that conversation. There might never be a right time to dig up the past but it definitely wasn't with them both a bit wobbly.

Harvey's smile dimmed a little, still in place but sadder. Tess couldn't get away from him fast enough. It was less of an ego bruise but more an actual travesty. Instead, he nodded. "Of course," came the quiet reply. "You're the hostess with the mostess," he joked, trying valiantly to end on some semblance of a happy note but absolutely failing. Tess seemed in need of support. It was difficult for him not to insert himself and be the one to do that. He needed to just let it go.

He followed Tess back into the hallway but instead of heading back to the party, he paused. With another sigh, he watched her until she disappeared from sight before he entered another room filled with his old school mates and spotted Casey chatting away. Harvey closed the door behind him and sat down next to the blonde, an arm draped across her shoulder as he caught the punchline of a joke and laughed along, despite not finding anything this evening to be funny in the slightest.