Theodore's eyes scanned the sky from his seat in his office. His arms crossed neatly over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. Since receiving Blasie's letter, he found himself looking at the sky more often, hoping to see another dirty pigeon coming his way. However, he was disappointed daily. Since that day, there had been no birds carrying correspondence. Perhaps there was no one left to write to him.

Ring. Ring.

He turned his gaze away from the window and looked down the hall. The shrill ringing echoed throughout the house again. His eyebrow arched. There was only one person who had the number to the phone. It had sat silently on its receiver until she'd obtained his number.

Theodore stood and moved down the hall as the phone continued to ring. By the time he had gotten to the kitchen, the shrill ringing had stopped. Theodore sighed, annoyed that he had walked all the way downstairs to the phone, which he hated, for no reason. However, he decided to make the most of it. He made a cup of coffee. It still wasn't nearly as good as hers, but it was much better than it had been. It lacked the smoothness of hers. The way that the milk mixed perfectly with the bitter drink. Perhaps he wasn't using enough milk or sugar. He'd just brought the steaming cup to his lips when the shrill ringing started again.

Persistent girl.

Sighing, he took a long sip of coffee before reaching for the receiver. "Olivia," he greeted as he put the receiver to his ear, holding the coffee in his other hand.

"I need a favor."

"No greeting, Ms. Reynolds?" he tsked humorlessly, cradling the cup of coffee in his hand. "No need to be rude."

"Hallo, Theodore. Would you like to chat about the weather for a moment?" her tone was equally as humorless, dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes. It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

"Theodore," she said through a huff. He was quiet on his end of the line, allowing her to speak. However, when she didn't say anything, he cleared his throat. "Oh! Sorry."

"Your favor?" he prompted.

"Yes! Amanda is having a birthday dinner."

Amanda? Theodore frowned as he tried to figure out who that was. He was still very opposed to muggles, and learning their names was beneath him. However, his habit of conversation with Olivia meant that he had more contact with muggles than he pleased. It meant that he had more knowledge of the muggles in the town that he needed.

"Amanda, you met her on the beach," she hinted as if she knew he had no clue who she was talking about. "N-nevermind," she said, and he could almost see her waving her hand dismissively. "Anyway, she's having a dinner for her birthday. Would you like to go?"

"No," Theodore answered immediately without thinking about her request.

"That was quick," she huffed.

He could almost see her pouting; her cheeks puffing out. The freckles that spotted across the bridge of her nose were more visible on her cheeks because of it.

"Is that all?" he questioned.

"Come on," she tried again.

"No."

"Theodore, honestly. How do you expect to make friends if you don't socialize?" Her tone was exasperated.

He blinked, surprised by her question. Was she trying to get him to befriend her friends? "When have I ever given the impression that I wanted to socialize or have friends?"

"You haven't," she replied honestly.

"Exactly. I do not wish to socialize."

"You can't not talk to people. People notice."

Theodore's eyebrow arched. "People notice?"

Olivia let out another exasperated sigh. "People talk. They wonder why you don't go out and why you don't have friends and why you don't work. Girls think you're handsome," Theodore rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth, "and you're never around for them to talk to. You've become a talking point. They ask me about you since I'm the only person that they have ever seen you talk to. They want to know you."

His absence in the town had become a point of conversation. He'd figured that by doing what he was doing, he would be the exact opposite. It wasn't like Blackpool was a small town with a small population, at least 100,000 people were living here, and it was a tourist hub, he had done his research. He should have gone unnoticed. But he hadn't. Perhaps it had something to do with her; his habit of conversing with her. It had drawn attention to him.

"Theodore?"

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Yes?"

"Is everything okay?" she questioned.

"Yes, but my answer has not changed."

He heard her sigh on her end of the line." Fine, be a hermit."

"I am thrilled to have your permission to do so."

"Oi, you're Livvy's friend."

Icy eyes moved towards the place where the copper-haired barista usually greeted him. In her place was the lanky boy named Jimmy. Theodore frowned at him.

"What does she always say when you come in? Er," Jimmy paused, thinking. "Oh! Earl grey or coffee?"

Theodore continued to look at the boy. This was usually when she worked. He'd very often walked in and seen her leaning on the counter reading, wiping down the tables, or arranging pastries at this hour. Theodore also noted that the boy's attempt to recreate the way that Olivia greeted him left him displeased. The cadence of the question was… unpleasant.

"You're looking for Livvy?"

Theodore remained quiet. He should order to make it seem like he hadn't come fully expecting to see her bright green eyes and freckles.

"She's out getting Amanda a gift," Jimmy said awkwardly.

Amanda? Oh. That was the muggle girl that was having the dinner party Olivia had invited him to. Theodore continued to frown.

"Earl Grey," he said after a long moment. He was sure that he'd never seen anyone looked as relieved as the lanky barista did at that moment. "To-go." He looked even more relieved if that were possible.

Theodore paid for his tea and left without another word. Once outside of the cafe, he headed towards the scent of saltwater, to the beach. He hadn't been there since the bonfire. It would be nice to revisit it when it was quieter, and fewer muggles were present.

Theodore leaned on the railing watching the waves meet the sand, foaming as they did. It was a warm day for late August, but the tea's warmth didn't bother him.

"Coffee, black or Earl Grey?"

Her bubbly voice greeted him over the crashing of the waves. Against his better judgment, the corners of his lips twitched upward. That was the appropriate cadence of the sentence.

"Earl Grey."

She appeared next to him copper hair blowing in the light breeze. She folded her arms on the railing and looked out over the water, green eyes following the waves as they met the shore.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, turning slightly to face him.

Theodore was quiet for a moment. "Looking at the ocean," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing. "You?"

"I was getting Amanda her gift." She held up a brown paper bag on the tip of her index finger as proof. "She really likes little angel figurines. She has them all on the walls in her bedroom. Creepy little things."

"And you've decided to add to the collection of creepy things?" he asked, his eyes moving to the water again.

"It's a gift I know that she will love," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. She was quiet for long enough for a wave to break on the shore. "You can still come, you know?"

"My answer has not changed," he voiced again.

"Why are you so opposed to coming out to dinner?" she asked him, green eyes on him.

He could feel her curious gaze on him. He tried to ignore it and her question. However, he found that the more she watched him, the more intense her gaze felt on him. He shifted in his spot, trying to shake the feeling.

Persistent muggle girl.

"What?" he almost snapped at her.

"Why are you so opposed to going out?" she echoed.

"I'm not. I have no interest in going to a birthday dinner for a person I do not know." He was hardly able to stand to go to a birthday function for people that he did know.

"How are you going to meet people if you don't go out?"

So persistent.

He sighed. "What is the point of what you are doing?"

The air around her changed so suddenly that he would have been a fool not to notice. Her gaze shifted from him quickly, and she angled her body away from him a bit. She went from curious to something else instantly. Theodore lifted his eyebrows at her. He could feel something like annoyance radiating off of her.

"I'm not doing anything," she answered. "I just thought you would like to have more friends is all."

Theodore looked over at her. "I am fine with the number of friends that I have."

"Me and Cornelious Fudge?" she questioned, eyebrow lifted.

"Cornelious Fudge?" Theodore echoed, confused.

"The friend you got the letter from?"

"Right, yes, Cornelius Fudge." Theodore laughed a bit to himself. He found it comical when she spoke the name of the former Minister for Magic so nonchalantly.

"What?" she questioned. Her cheeks puffed a little. Apparently, she didn't take kindly to being laughed at.

Theodore was quiet for a moment. "His name is Blaise," Theodore told her.

"That sounds more made up that Cornelius Fudge," she laughed. Theodore's lips turned up a bit. So it did. "So, you got a letter from Blaise?"

"I did." He couldn't quite figure out why he was telling her any of this. Blaise would be less than pleased if he knew that he was speaking his name to a muggle.

"And made up the name Cornelious Fudge?"

"No, that's a real name as well," Theodore confirmed.

Olivia was quiet for a moment. "Strange names in Bristol."

"That there are."

He walked with Olivia to her street. He kept his hand pressed deep into his pockets as they walked. Olivia's arms swung naturally, the bag with her friend's figurine moving with her motions. She suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "You're sure then?"

Theodore sighed and nodded. "I am certain."

Olivia huffed, rolling her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You should come."

"Olivia, please," Theodore said, his tone holding a ring of warning.

She held her hands up in mock surrender, not wanting to push him too far. "That's right. A hermit." Theodore nodded. "What do you even do?"

He shrugged, hands still in his pockets. "Read."

Olivia laughed. "You sound like a little old spinster. You read and come to the Corner Café to drink coffee or tea." He nodded again. "We have to get you some new hobbies. Want me to bring you a new book tomorrow?"

"If you would like."

A sudden and strong gust of wind blew between them. Olivia ducked her head, keeping the wind from blowing in her face. When it passed she looked up, a few strands of her hair had fallen loose. Theodore's hand twitched in his pocket, fighting the intense urge to tuck her hair back behind her slightly pointed ears. He kept his hand tucked into his pocket as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Her fingers brushing over the pointed tips.

"What would you like to read? High fantasy? Horror? A tale of unrequited love? A classic?"

"Whatever you think is suitable," he told her. It had taken a moment for him to process that he had been speaking. His mind occupied with why he'd wanted to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Have you ever read Jane Austen?" The look on Theodore's face must have been enough of an answer. He wasn't sure what the expression had been because his thoughts were still otherwise occupied. "Pride & Prejudice, I think."

"Sounds good."

"I look forward to your feedback. I expect that you'll have a lot to say." His eyebrow lifted and she smiled. The corners of her green eyes crinkling. "Like I said, I look forward to talking to you about it. Have a good evening, Theodore."

A/N: Surprise? I've been working on these chapters and brainstorming where I want it to go for years, honestly. Life has been hard, and stuff happens. But here we are. I've been writing and editing for ages. So I have a few chapters prepped. So if anyone is still around, and has been waiting for me to update… Leave me a review?