dark days, long n i g h t s |open|

[girlingreen]

Cora adjusted her shirt slightly, a little bit unnerved by the number of drunk men in the bar tonight. She supposed that she should have been used to it, but it was harder than expected, considering she had never seen Bradly drunk and didn't remember her parents enough to know if they had ever come home drunken before.

She wiped off the top of the bar with a rag, long blonde hair spilling around her as she did so. It was becoming a nuisance and Cora knew that she ought to get it cut, but her hair was the only thing she liked about herself at the moment, so it was staying put.

"Three more firewhiskey's over here!" called an already drunk man from the other end of the bar. He was in his mid-twenties, hanging out with a group of friends. They had been playing poker earlier until they couldn't keep a straight face anymore. Cora nodded to the man and ducked into the back room to open up a new case.

She grabbed the three bottles and turned to go back when she realized how truly tired she was. Cora needed a break, but she wasn't scheduled one for another two hours. Well, what could a little buzz hurt? All the customers were drunk anyways. Setting the other bottles down, Cora opened one for herself and took a long sip. The drink burned going down, but felt surprisingly good afterward. With a sigh of pleasure, Cora whipped out her wand and shrunk the bottle down before hiding it in her pocket.

She came back out into the bar area and served the firewhiskey with a smile, not noticing the bell on the door signal that someone new had come in. Already feeling a little bit better and itching for more to drink, Cora ran a hand through her hair. It wasn't until the person sat down at the bar did she recognize who it was. She found herself coming over to greet...

[italia]

Ella came in, being brave for someone like herself. Normally she refused to go to a bar without Devon, she didn't like being around drunks. But right now, she did not care. She needed a drink or two. Ella was worried, Liam still refused to say anything about Cici's condition, or why she had been hidden away God knows where. Her elder sister was her best friend in the world, it unnerved her to not know what was going on. She took a vacated seat up at the bar. "Overworked and underpaid?" Ella asked the waitress that came to her. She looked terribly exhausted.

[girlingreen]

"Yeah, something like that," Cora replied, nodding to the customer. She seemed vaguely familiar, but Cora couldn't quite recall if she had seen her before or if this woman merely looked like someone she knew. Cora decided that it wasn't important; she had a job to do. "What can I get for you?" she asked, glad that at least one person in the room wasn't drunk yet.

[italia]

"A sherry would be fantastic," said Ella with a smile. She was never one to get drunk, she had once while in her sixth year at Hogwarts, needless to say, once was enough. She had spent almost the whole night puking, and the next day with a killer hangover. It had taken nearly seven years for her to get anything stronger than a butterbeer down her throat. Now she might have the occasional drink here and there, but she stopped at one. Ella made a mental note to give the poor waitress an extra tip, she no doubt deserved it.

[girlingreen]

"That'll be just a moment," Cora replied, taking another order or firewhiskey's and heading into the backroom. Not many people ordered sherry at this time of time, so it wasn't readily available. Cora tore open a box and came up with a bottle which she brought back to the bar along with a large box of firewhiskey. She gave the drunk people their firewhiskey and then poured the sherry for the woman, going quickly while being careful not to spill. "Here you are," Cora said, handing the glass to the woman. She looked quite stressed as well. "Long day?" Cora asked, since no one was calling her over for the moment.

[italia]

"Probably not as long as yours," said Ella. Truth be told, the only stress on her at the moment was not knowing where her sister was, but it was obviously taking its toll on her. They were closer than any other set of siblings she had met, even identical twins. She paid for her sherry, and then placed a tip of ten Galleons on the table. "All for you," Ella added, sliding the stack of coins to the frazzled waitress.

[girlingreen]

Cora shrugged slightly; she wouldn't know how stressful the woman's day had been. This, however, was one of Cora's worst. Between Dean ignoring her, Bradly bugging her to know what was going on, and working a full-time shift with drunk men, it had been a long one. Cora was quite frazzled when the woman gave her a huge tip, though. For a moment she didn't know what to do. "Oh, why thank you," Cora replied, feeling rather embarressed. She didn't think she had worked nearly hard enough to deserve it. Neverthless, Cora slipped it into her apron alongside the miniature firewhiskey bottle.

[italia]

"Don't think on it," said Ella after taking a ladylike sip of her sherry. It was perhaps the unsung hero of alcoholic beverages, she only knew of a few people that had a glass or two of sherry every once and a while. But it could be such a wonderful experience, the aroma, the taste. "Are you a Hogwarts student?" Ella asked the waitress, the girl looked like she couldn't have been much older than fifteen or sixteen.

[girlingreen]

Cora nodded. "I'm a fifth year," she said, wiping her hand on the rag below the bar counter. "Cora Ressel," she added, extending her hand. This woman was probably the only person at the Three Broomsticks who wasn't drunk; it was quite a relief not to speak to someone with slurred speech.

[italia]

"Eleanora Hollow," said Ella, accepting the girl's handshake. Calling herself by her first name was something that felt extraordinarily odd on her tongue, for as long as she could remember, everyone called her Ella, not Eleanora. She took a small sip of sherry. "I'll be taking up the position of Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw this coming term," Ella said, just so it wouldn't seem too strange of her to inquire of whether the girl was a student.

[girlingreen]

Cora nodded, impressed that this woman would be her new Charms teacher. She would probably be a good one. "Excellent, it should be a good term," Cora replied. "My brother's in your House; Dean Ressel." Cora paused for a moment, wondering if she should say anything more, but decided against it. Her relationship with Dean was virtually nonexistent at this point, so there wasn't any use in discussing him with some person she had just met.

[italia]

Ella beamed at Cora, it was nice to know that someone other than her sister was at least making an effort at making her feel more comfortable. She had wanted to teach for all her life, but with the next term now rapidly approaching, the whole idea seemed overwhelming. She would have hundreds of students from ages eleven to eighteen, and have to make lessons to suit each student group. "What house are you, then?" asked Ella. Normally, she might have automatically assumed one of the four based on behaviour, but she wasn't quite sure where Cora was placed.

[girlingreen]

Cora paused, knowing that she likely wouldn't get a very friendly reaction from Professor Hollow once she told her the House she belonged in. "I'm a Slytherin," Cora replied easily, waiting for the reaction. The other Houses seemed to have a big grudge against Slytherin, but Cora thought that there were plenty of nice people in her House, if you looked around a bit. Sure there were some jerks, but it was that way in every House.

[italia]

"I'm not biased," said Ella after the girl hesitated about telling her house, and then finally revealed it as being Slytherin. She took a quick sip of sherry. "My husband was in Slytherin. Every house has its light and dark, it all depends on where you look." Ella added. She loved her husband, he was her protector, her soul mate. It really was a shame her parents couldn't see past the racial barrier, Ella resented them for it.

[girlingreen]

Cora nodded, glad that Eleanora didn't resent her for being a Slytherin. Cora glanced around the bar for a moment, making sure none of the customers needed anything else. She would much rather spend her night talking to Miss Hollow than catering to a bunch of drunks, anyway. But Cora knew that duty would call eventually. Cora fell silent, not knowing what else to say.