So I got quite the crop of reviews the last time, and I'm so, so happy and thankful to you guys for that! I'll post a lot often if that's gonna be the case ;) Anyhow, it is Review Reply Time!
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Kate was bored.
Having finished most of the day's tasks, she really doesn't feel like studying any further, and the thought of visiting Borgin and Burkes has been niggling her from the morning. Maybe I should make a visit then, she tells herself, wrapping up in a heavy cloak to protect her from the rain before she prepared to apparate to Knockturn Alley.
A swish later, she has materialised in an alleyway that leads to the shop. The rain has died down to a steady drizzle, but that doesn't matter to most patrons here anyways, the Impervius charm creating a rain-free bubble around each shopper she sees. Kate thinks about doing the same, but upon seeing the short distance she has to cover, decides against it anyways.
The bell on the door jingles as she walks in, looking around her with the air of a curious shopper before chancing a glance at the register. To her disappoint, it isn't Tom, but a greasy-haired man with dark eyes that skeptically eyed her as she peered closely at the display cases.
"Bartimaeus Borgin. May I help you?" The tone was hardly courteous or facilatory - it seemed like what Borgin truly wanted was her out of his shop. So she did the next thing that came to mind and pointed at a locket encased in a glass box on display in the counter.
"That looks rather charming, but more than that, it looks like it has some history," she started in an effort to erase that skeptical look off his face. "And as a student of magical history, I would be more interested to learn what that is."
He smirked as he pulled the glass box out, the dull gold and emerald glinting despite the lack of sunlight in the shop. "Slytherin's locket - the original."
"How do you know?" She pulled out a notebook and began writing down, looking much more intrigued than she actually was.
"A lady came to me two decades back with this, all dirty and filthy, ready to deliver a child any moment," he spoke in a condescending tone, "pushes this in my hands, says only ten Galleons would be enough." He scoffs, placing the locket back in its original place. "Poor thing - she was not aware even in the slightest of its true worth."
"How did you verify it was an original?"
"A few spells here and there," he remarked, leaning on the counter as he cleaned something else, "and the markings were there all right."
"How much?"
"Much more than you can imagine, little girl," he smiled toothily, Kate shuddering inwardly at the way it unsettled her. Resisting the urge to answer back, she racked her brain for any excuses she could use to come back.
"I'm planning to write about the artifacts of the Founders for my research in training - can I come back to take a look at the locket? You can cast all the charms you want on that thing," she added as a reassurance, "I won't be touching it at all."
"Come back tomorrow - Tom knows quite a bit about these things. Then again, he knows quite a bit about everything. The boy is wasting his time here, but you never know - he has one of those minds." That was an interesting remark.
"Minds like what?"
"Ones that can find diamonds in dirt - that boy must be getting something worthwhile, else he has no reason to work here, what with everyone lining to write his recommendations."
"All right." She shoves the notebook and quill back in her bag and heads back out into the rainy streets, enjoying the way the rain gently hits her face as she walks. Halfway through to the spot she had materialised, she bumps into Tom, his eyebrows rising in surprise as he pulls her into a secluded corner while pulling off the Impervius charm off himself.
"What brings you here?"
"I was bored and did not want to study further."
He cocks an eyebrow, backing her into a wall. "So you decide to trek down to the seediest area of Wizarding London, because Flourish and Blotts simply wouldn't have done the job."
She puts her chin up, smiling playfully as she looks up at him. "This thought had been bugging me since morning, and I really wanted to get it out of my head, so I came down here."
"And what was this thought?"
"I just really, really wanted to visit Borgin and Burkes and as much as you would like to believe otherwise, it has nothing to do with you."
"Mmhmm," is all he dignifies for a reply before capturing her lips with his. The rain beats gently on her face, trickling down her nose as the hood slips off her head. "I've wanted to kiss you in the rain for quite a while." She has to admit, that makes her feel a little giddy inside.
"Someone's a romantic at heart," she murmurs against his lips. "And as much as I like your random shows of affection, you have to get back to work and me to the books."
He looks at his pockets, nodding. "Borgin would not appreciate the delay. But I shall see you in the evening," Tom hugs her, sneaking in a kiss on the neck before departing with a smirk.
A fortnight passes since her trip to Knockturn Alley, and since that little adventure, she has had no new interesting things happen, so she decides to occupy her time by writing a new batch of mail for her friends. Of all her colleagues from Hogwarts, Gemma McKinnon, Arabella Vance and Alden Greengrass were the ones who had diligently kept up a correspondence with her, filling her in with any and all new developments in their lives.
She goes over one of Alden's latest message, delivered this morning by a tawny owl.
Hello!
If it were not an inconvenience to you, I was planning on dropping by your home this week before my family and I depart for one last vacation together before Auror training. I would love to see my best friend until I see her again in September.
Yours faithfully,
Alden
Since today is as good as any other, she writes him a speedy reply and ties it to the owl's waiting leg, sending the bird off with a friendly pat. She's an hour into cleaning the kitchen when a sharp screech signals the arrival of a reply.
I shall be there in two hours.
And true to his word, a whirl of robes materialises in her living room two hours later. She quickly strides over to give him a hug, pleased with the bright smile on his face. "I hope you have put the events of the past year behind you," he begins, the previous expression on his face replaced by a penitent one.
"That was juvenile nonsense, and what is a minor skirmish in front of a seven year friendship?" They settle down with scones and tea, and Alden recounts his latest exploits with his siblings and their attempts at breeding Augureys.
"Of all the birds in the world," she raises an eyebrow.
"They're terribly rare, and collectors pay a fortune!" He offers for a defense, raising his hands up to emphasise his point.
They talk about everything and nothing, and he puts a consoling hand on her shoulder as their discussion veers towards parents. "I know I can offer nothing but company and sympathy, but if that is what you need, I'll be more than glad to assist you with it."
Her heart constricts a little thinking of her father, and she can feel the tears pricking the back of her eyes. It's barely been two months since she received the news, and the pain is sharp and hot still. A part of her tells her that this is irrational, because tears don't raise the dead, but logic doesn't fill the hole she feels in her heart.
She blinks them away, wiping the tears that escaped on the back of her palm. "I'll survive."
"You don't have to bear this alone, you know." His voice is gentler than she's ever heard it, and she shoots him a weak smile on hearing it. Tom has been there for her through the worst, but Alden understands the depth of her relationship with her father, and that is a facet she doesn't see the former fully comprehending. "Write to me whenever you're feeling upset, or down, or lonely, okay?" He breaks her train of thought, and she nods in response.
"Thank you for coming over," she tells him as he prepares to leave, eyes not quite fully meeting his. Expressing her emotional dependency makes her feel small, and Kate doesn't like it at all.
"Anytime you need me." He raises a hand to hold her face, and while she knows her friend is quite expressive, this gesture isn't coming strictly from a place of friendship.
"Alden, I don't wish to lead you on by providing you false hopes," she clarifies, looking up into his eyes to make sure she makes her point. "You're my best friend, and my affections towards you are strictly platonic." She tries to keep her tone gentle but firm, hoping that her friend would clearly get the message and hopefully leave this subject alone without her being abrasive about it. "I am still seeing Tom, and I hope that all of this knowledge should be enough for you to not pursue this with me further."
His face falls - she can see the hurt in his eyes and in the slight tremble of his mouth, but he offers her an understanding smile nevertheless. "I held out hope. And in all honesty, I still might later on - but we shall never discuss this again, not unless you choose to bring it up. Thank you for your honesty, Katie."
"And thank you so much for yours, my friend. I hope you will not think lesser of me after this." At that, he raises an eyebrow, lips pulled into a suppressed laugh.
"Please, I'm not that narrow-minded, but I'm glad you felt comfortable voicing all of this to me."
"That's what best friends are for." They share a firm handshake, and then he departs the way he came.
The setting sun has cast a rosy glow over the house, and she hears another gust of air as Tom materialises in the living room.
"Something the matter?" He glances over at the center table and looks back at her, and she beckons him to sit down, waving her wand at the kettle to start preparing another batch of tea.
"Alden came over, and we talked about a lot of things," she begins once they both have steaming mugs of tea in their hands. "It made me realise that in our short association, I don't know as much about you as I would wish to."
"And what do you want to know, Kate?"
"Whatever you feel comfortable sharing at this point - we speak about a wide variety of topics, but never have we talked about ourselves with each other. And I would like to understand you better as a person." He seems to consider her words, the tension palpable between them. After a long, silent moment, Tom takes a gulp of his tea, and begins.
"I suppose the first things you should know about are my parents."
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