Love By Another Name

Fresh Start

Katie rushed into the Leaky Cauldron and paused to look around before finally locating her best friends Alicia and Angelina and then rushing over to the table where they were sitting.

"We ordered for you," Angelina said as Katie fell down into a chair. "How did it go at the flat?"

"Still don't understand why you're so intent on living muggle," Alicia replied. "Really, I could help you find a perfectly good flat near mine in the Alley. Or you could stay with me."

"I told you," Katie said with a roll of her eyes. "I need to get away. Anytime I stay anywhere here, the gossip rags follow me. No. If I want any peace from it, then I need to live somewhere muggle. Somewhere they won't find or dare to go. So it was this or continue to live with my parents, which is not an option." 

She then reached for the glass of wine that was waiting for her and took a large drink, though she knew she should probably wait until her food got there before she went too heavy. She had already had two glasses with Finn.

From the moment she first chatted with the muggle woman on the phone, she couldn't help but think she had possibly found a new friend. Besides the fact that she was completely removed from the magical world, she had a friendly voice and didn't seem mental. Upon meeting her and getting to know her, Katie's gut feeling was reaffirmed. It had been that instant connection that she had felt when she started first year and met Alicia and Angelina. Plus, in a way, Finn reminded her of her best friend from childhood before she went to Hogwarts, back when she went to muggle primary school - an insistence by her mother, who was muggle.

It was like coming home. While long used to the magical world, Katie found she yearned to return to her roots a bit. Not to mention, if she at least lived in the muggle world there was less of a chance she would run into her ex. Or have to read about him - she had cancelled her subscriptions to most of the magical media, not sure how she would explain getting random owls throughout the day to a muggle roommate. Though she figured she could make use of the window in her new bedroom.

"So?" Angelina pushed. 

"I've agreed to move in. Really, it's a beautiful place. Big. Open. Renovated just two years ago. My flatmate is really nice and about my age. I got lucky, actually. Not often people in that neighborhood are looking for flatmates. But she said that she got the place with her ex and has been in need for someone to move into the spare bedroom since they broke up," she said.

"What's she do?" Alicia asked, her interest piqued.

"Works for a muggle magazine. Assistant editor - no, assistant to the editor," Katie said. "And she's absolutely normal, but seems really fun. Met her best friend tonight as well. She was a bit cautious at first, but I think she's warmed up to me. Reminds me a lot of you, Allie, actually." 

"I don't see how," Alicia retorted with a snort.

"She's very blunt," Katie replied with a smirk. "And protective."

"And muggle. How on earth are you going to survive? You've been living in the magical world for... for... years," Alicia exclaimed. Katie just shrugged.

"I'll be fine. Mum's muggle, as you remember," she said, sitting back in her chair. "The village where Mum and Dad live is muggle as well. It's not like you just forget it all."

"But you'll have to hide everything from your flatmate," Angelina said, a worried look on her face.

"I have my own room. I doubt she's the snooping type," Katie said nonchalantly.

"She's a reporter," Alicia said emphatically. "What's to say she doesn't go digging around in your room the first chance she gets."

"Correction - she's an assistant to the editor at a magazine. There's a difference. And seriously, they aren't nearly as bad in the muggle world," Katie replied. "Trust me. It'll be fine. And more than that-" She paused as she looked from one friend to the other. "I need this. Really, I do."