break the silence | bianca

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Leo and Bianca shared an identical look of skepticism at the idea that the wizarding world might someday adopt Muggle practices, at least in relation to technology. It was a nice dream, but seemed completely impossible. Despite the fact that they were in the 21st century, wizards still used owls to deliver their post, wore heavy cloaks and robes regularly, and seemed allergic to the idea of using a pen instead of a quill. Old ideas seemed to rule magical society as well, with prejudice and bias easily evident in how different magical groups saw each other (goblins, werewolves, and house elves, anyone?), and even the intra-group dynamics, like blood purity among wizards or the hierarchy in centaur herds. “Did you hit your head?” Bianca grumbled at the idea that someday they might use computers in the magical world. “If that happens in the next ten years, I’ll buy your drinks for the whole night.”

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance at Leo’s sarcastic question about themes. “Yeah, themes,” she repeated, shooting him a look that promised him pain if he continued on that line of thought. Bianca didn’t see a need to beat this topic to death, since he would never believe her even if she started listing movies and their major themes. As much as she hated the idea of letting anything go, being friends with Leo required it at times. An optimistic person might have called that a good thing, but since when would anyone consider Bianca that? He had rolled his eyes as he observed that her favorite genre was predictable, and Bianca matched it with an eye roll of her own as she snorted. “What, and superheroes aren’t? Every movie ends with the hero defeating the villain and saving the world. He has to do it shirtless at some point, why wouldn’t he, and he’s got a sidekick whose biggest quality is being the comic relief. Tell me otherwise.”

As annoyed as his comments could make her – she still enjoyed having these mock-arguments with him. Her job could be so heavy– the things she saw, the types of people she had to catch. Being an Auror meant getting into their heads, and the level of darkness she was exposed to on a regular basis required a strong stomach. Leo was her reminder to lighten up sometimes, that it was still important to relax. Bianca hid a smile at his grimace, and quickly responded, “Deal. Show up with snacks.” It might be suspicious how quickly she had agreed, but – well, she did like superhero movies, just not as much as her rom-coms. It was in her best interest to keep that fact from Leo until the negotiation had wrapped up, but it was a done deal in her mind now that he had dropped the fantasy suggestions.

@leonardo

[Deleted]

listen to the wind blow

watch the sun rise
run in the shadows

Summer 2019
Bianca Alia Rivera

Leo shrugged. One might call it wishful thinking, and truly that’s all it was. ”I’ll hold you to that.” There was a slight smirk on his face. It was unlikely, but it was a simple bet to keep, and maybe, for once, the stars would align for him. Though if his astronomy and divination classes had ever taught him anything, that was very unlikely. At least it wasn’t entirely manual work, magic did help speed things along, and Leo found ways to make his work more efficient or new combinations of charms that reminded him of scripts that helped in the automation of work. Still, he missed how the keys of a computer keyboard felt beneath his fingers and the power of that type of work. Plus, he hadn’t quite found a way to “hack” in the magical world without a computer.

Bianca wasn’t pleased with his assessment of her films, but he wasn’t going to back down. There was only so much he could tolerate, and so much he would tolerate. She was lucky they were close. ”You’re lucky we’re friends.” He stated simply, jokingly. But, she seemed to have her own opinion of his preferred choice of movies. ”No…they don’t always win.” His tone was defensive. Maybe some of the more blockbuster-type films ended that way, but some had more interesting stories or went more in-depth in their character development. ”The James Bond films are worse at being repetitive." That was the only other example that came to mind. It was the same: Bond ordered a drink, there was a pretty girl and a supervillain, and he wins in the end.

She didn’t argue with him further, which was suspicious, but he’d take it. These conversations and the banter were nice. It made him feel a little less alone in the world. When one grew up the oldest of seven children—being cut off from them was a hard transition. Even all that time away at school in America, he’s known he was going home at some point. Now that he wasn’t connected with them anymore and his youngest sister only reaching out on occasion—it was nice to have good friends in his life. ”Firewhiskey counts as snacks, right?”

template by vee

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

‘You’re lucky we’re friends.’ It was a simple statement, but Bianca gave Leo a faint smirk in response. “That’s what I tell you every day,” she said matter-of-factly, shooting him an amused look as she leaned back in her chair smugly. Leo was an amazing person – sweet, thoughtful, and as a Muggleborn he shared an appreciation for the finer things that went over most wizards’ heads. But hey, Bianca knew her own worth, and she’d never been the shy sort. Still…yeah, she was lucky to have Leo’s friendship. The Ministry was a tough nut to navigate for ‘outsiders’ whether that meant as a Muggleborn or as a foreigner. Leo was also both, and it made the experience feel a lot less lonely. Not that she ever needed to say any of that out-loud – one of the most beautiful things about their friendship was that they didn’t force each other to get sentimental.

He’d gotten defensive about his movies, arguing that they weren’t always so straightforward. Bianca kept smirking but didn’t answer…she’d made her point and seeing the pout on his face was worth it. Instead, she only shrugged and glanced over her shoulder at where the other Aurors had been sitting. While the pair had been talking, the breakroom had cleared out as employees wandered back to their departments. That was good, since it meant Bianca wouldn’t have to stop for more small talk on her way home. Her father had always warned her that the camaraderie between officers was an important part of the job, and really, she tried. But in this moment she wanted to go home and sleep off this stakeout more than she wanted to please her father.

“That goes without saying,” Bianca agreed as Leo wondered if firewhisky counted as a snack. It had been a new discovery for her upon arriving to London, because they’d had different magical drinks in Brazil, but she was an immediate fan. It was quickly becoming a staple of movie night – should she be concerned about that? Bianca mentally brushed away the thought. “I have to work until 7 on Saturday. I can bring something back with me and meet you at my place,” Bianca mused out-loud, working through the details in her mind as she spoke. Oh, the lovely irregular hours of an Auror – most people didn’t realize it wasn’t a simple 9 to 5 job. She was tempted to simplify her life and skip dinner, but then she’d get hangry and Leo would get correspondingly grumpy. Not a pleasant sight. So she shrugged and decided, “We’ll figure it out. I’m going home before I collapse. Bye, nerd.” Bianca tapped his Transfiguration book for emphasis as she stood up, retracting her fingers quickly to give him a small teasing wave. She wanted to clear out before the Ministry suddenly decided they needed her urgently for something. God forbid she spend more time in this wretched place than she had to.

@leonardo
[End thread Bianca!]