Getting coffee, making friends (Jake) (warning: swearing)

"I'm sure your brother appreciates that greatly."

"He does, I think. Ever since I've been able to do magic outside of school, he hides my wand every time he visits home." Olivia shrugged. She loved her family and she knew they know it, even though they didn't really show it much in the usual way.

Every one of her siblings has gone through some kind of trauma as a child; Sophia's parents died when she was a year old and then child services took her from her incompetent uncle when she was 4; Tony's Mum died in a car crash when he was 5, with no family around; Olivia herself grew up in an orphanage, and Alfie and Ian's Dad gave them up when their Mum died of a heart attack and he couldn't deal with the loss and two little kids. They were all guarded people, but they loved each other. All of them had a strong urge to first protect themselves, to defend themselves at the first sign of trouble and while it was one-against-the-others inside the family, they protected each other out in the world.

Olivia was aware that not all families were like that, and she didn't care what others thought of her or her family. She knew people thought they were weird, but they had no idea what they were talking about, so.

"I'm sorry, that... wasn't funny."

Olivia looked up in surprise and shook her head. "No, it was," she said, even though it was clear he thought so too, if the smile on his face was anything to go by on.

He didn't comment on her slightly illegal way to get more coffee and she was grateful for that. Not having money was one thing, but having to explain that you don't have money was quite another.

"So, do you live on campus?"

"Yep. Dorm numero uno. Honestly, if I make it through college and survive in that death trap, I think I deserve a medal of valor or something." Olivia grinned. "You?"

"The dorms aren't very good?"

Olivia made a face and shrugged. She wasn't going to complain about cheap housing, even if the housing in question was literally falling apart. It was better than what she remembered of the orphanage, anyway and even though she got used to the comfort of home and Hogwarts, it wasn't really all that bad. She knew her Mum and Dad would pay for better dorms if she asked them to, but they've done more than enough for her.

"They're not ideal, but as long as they're cheap and there's a mattress, I'm good." she smiled and took a sip of her coffee. A shudder went through her body and she had resist the urge to spit the coffee out. It was absolutely disgusting.

"Oh bloody Hell. Never try to make coffee with magic when you're hungover. Vile." Olivia told Jake once she swallowed the unbelievably horrid liquid. She pushed the cup away from her and cursed herself for buying that vinyl record last week, as she was practically out of money already.

"I have my own place. Well, no, I live with my girlfriend in a flat in London. We brought it last April. You'll see dorms aren't so bad when you have to make that jump."

"Oh, that's very grown-up." Olivia commented with a grin.

She looked at her old Professor thoughtfully. He had a live-in girlfriend, enough money to afford a flat in London and was, apparently, enough of an adult to handle two teaching jobs, uni and a serious girlfriend all at the same time. Not to mention the whole Quidditch Star thing. Suddenly, she felt a bit more respect for him than before.

"I don't think I could ever be that serious about a relationship, really. I don't do all that romantic crap. Excuse my language." she added, only because her Dad told her it's a polite thing to say, even if you don't really mean it.

"Glad to hear you're doing okay, though. You know, there was a bet going on at school whether you had a girlfriend or a boyfriend or neither and whether you actually lived at Hogwarts or not. I don't think anyone won, I think people just forgot about it eventually." He did not need to know it was actually still going on and that Ian was very close to winning. He guessed girlfriend and living at Hogwarts half the time and the other half at his parents'. She wondered whether she should tell Ian that or not. Yes, he might win the bet, but he also had a not-so-secret crush on the Dark Arts Professor, so it might be hurtful to find out he was in a relationship.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." Olivia assured him with a wave of her hand. She didn't need anyone's pity, as she was getting along perfectly fine on her own. Yes, the dorms were in a horrifying state and, honestly, the people in charge could make them better, but it was survivable and could definitely be worse.

When Jake got up, Olivia nodded and fished her phone out of her pocket to check her messages. There was a snapchat from Tony, who was apparently eating a huge sundae and was -understandably- incredibly excited about it, a text from her Mum, asking if she was coming home for the weekend and a message on a wizard hookup app, from some insanely gorgeous man. She messaged the guy back, arranging a meeting for the next day and was just about to text her Mum back, when a cup of coffee was set on the table before her.

She put down her phone and slowly looked up, horrified. He bought her coffee. Because she couldn't afford it. Because he felt sorry for her.

If there was anything Olivia truly hated in life, it was the way people acted around her when she told them she was an orphan. They got that look in their eyes, the oh-goodness-poor-dear-aren't-we-ever-so-much-better-than-her-we've-got-parents-and-money look and they always, always wanted to buy something for her.
While every child who was raised in an orphanage knows they have to take things when they're offered, especially if they're free, because you never know when the chance will present itself again, they all hate it with a fiery passion. At least everyone Olivia knows, anyway. It makes them feel humiliated, inadequate and just, dirty, somehow.

This wasn't exactly the same case, Olivia knew, but it was the same sentiment. She couldn't afford something, so someone bought it for her, and didn't it make him all warm inside, knowing he helped a girl with no money? Well, it made Olivia feel rotten and if there was a chance to jump into a black hole that second, she would make that jump.

Instead of voicing all of that and looking like an ungrateful lunatic, Olivia forced a smile and accepted the coffee.

"That's, uhm, very nice of you." She paused, cleared her throat and tried again. Ugh, this whole business of being nice and accepting help from others was vile. Especially when you didn't really need help and were far too stubborn to take charity. "Thanks. I'll pay you back, as soon as I get my paycheck." She nodded and forced a smile again.

Thank Merlin and everyone else, he started talking about his live-in girlfriend again.

"It's not so bad as I imagined an age ago." Jake replied with a small shrug. "You get used to it, and... it's nice, having someone there when you get home. Or, even being the person someone comes home for."

"I suppose." Olivia shrugged and took a tiny sip of her new coffee. "It does sound nice." she added, even though the idea of someone always being there terrified her to her very core. It could be nice for someone else, though.

"I'm most certainly not, and never have or will be, gay."

The first response that came to mind was laughing, and so she did. It was more of a snort-giggle variety of a laugh, but she didn't even care. He looked so ridiculous, his face all red and serious, his hand balled up in fists... Oh good God. He wasn't kidding. He was actually serious.

"Oh my god." Olivia muttered, as she grew pale. "You're homophobic. Oh dear Merlin. I honestly cannot comprehend what's happening right now. It's 20-fucking-15 and you're homophobic?" Her voice grew louder as her brain caught up with the frankly ridiculous and disgusting situation.

"What, I suppose you're racist as well and you hate Muggleborns, because you're so much fucking better? You are unbelievable, you disgust me so much. You know, I can take the pity, I'm fucking used to it. Oooh, let's all pity the orphan girl who lives in a cheap dump and has to work to buy herself food, let's buy her coffee!" Olivia was full-on shouting by then and if the people around her were staring, she didn't care or notice.

"That is fine, at least it makes you feel all happy and like you've made a fucking difference in the world, but what I will not, ever, tolerate, is you being a fucking dickhead just because you want to. When I said that people are wondering whether you've got a girlfriend or a boyfriend, that certainly was not an insult. If you are so goddamn thick that you think being queer is something to be insulted over, you can go right ahead and fuck yourself." Olivia paused, only to take a breath and to convince herself that slapping that insolent man wouldn't help with anything. Fuck, she really, really wanted to slap him.

"You need to take a good, long look at your whole fucking miserable life and rethink your world views, if someone just briefly mentioning that some people might think you've got a boyfriend makes you react that way. Do all your friends and family know you're a homophobic asshole? Because I can assure you, they will not stay by your side for long."

She stood up, gathered her things in a furious fashion and looked down on him.

"You're a Professor. You work with kids who look up to you. Do you have any idea how many of them are queer and how fucking damaging it is for them to have a homophobic Professor? My little brother thinks you're a God and would do absolutely anything to please you, he thinks you're cool and awesome and it would crush him to know that you think people like him and I are... what, even? Disgusting, unnatural? Impressionable children look up to you, think of you as their leader, and yet you don't respect them, you even actively hate them. You're despicable. And I hope you never get to be an Auror, we don't need people like you protecting us."

She looked down at her hands and saw she was holding the cup of coffee he bought for her, as she apparently didn't really realize she picked it up. There was no way she would be paying him back now. Or drinking it.

"I have absolutely no need for your homophobic charity." Olivia said and emptied the cup in his lap.

"IT IS TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN, YOU FUCKER, ACT LIKE IT" she shouted and angrily walked out of the coffee shop. Now people were definitely staring and she smiled to herself. Good. Let them know their favourite Quidditch star is a homophobe. Unbelievable.

Once outside, the witch took a deep breath, put her jacket on and fished out a packet of cigarettes. Her hands shaking, she lit one up, took a long breath and walked away.

What a morning. The headache from her hungover was still very much present, but she felt good. Fired up and feeling like she could take on a Hippogriff and win, but good. She might have been a bit harsh towards the man, but there was no doubt in her mind that she was in the right.