Quiet Time Out (Open)

Briony realised that it had been a while since she had been in this pub, she realised that it had been a while since she had done anything that didn't involve drinking like a sailor and bumping and grinding with the nearest person.

Either that, or she was constantly snowed under by paperwork and had very little time to breathe let alone to relax.

Richard was trying to help her, he really was, but there was no real cure for stress than some time on your own, or maybe, something a little bit more explicit but that couldn't be done on your own. Sighing Briony sat down at the bar, resting her hand on her wand as she ordered.

Sitting there cupping her drink she could only hope that nobody would come up to her and annoy her with prattling talk.

Lucia walked in the streets of Knockturn Alley and saw a bar standing in the end of the street she was walking in. She sighed and figured it'd be best to walk back up in Diagon Alley if she wanted to grab something to drink.

But when she passed the window, she stopped dead. She saw the silhouette of a woman she knew well enough to be sure it was her. Briony Romain. Lucia wondered what she was doing there.

So, Lucia walked into the bar and slowly made her way towards Briony. The woman looked very serious, and Lucia wondered if she'd rather be left alone. But Lucia couldn't leave people alone before they told her to stay away; bluntly. Otherwise she'd believe the person was sad, and she couldn't turn her back on sad people.

"Briony?" Lucia asked the headmistress.

Briony blinked out of her daze and looked at the woman who had come in the pub, and was now talking to her, it took her a while to realise that it was Lucia, and she wondered just what she was doing down here in Knocturn Alley, she didn't seem the type.

"Oh hello there Lucia."

She said tiredly and waved a hand languidly to the seat next to her, not even bothering to smile because she was too tired to make the effort, but she hoped that the woman would understand.

"What brings you to this dark dank pub on a night like this? I didn't think you would be a Knockturn Alley girl?"

Lucia sat down on the chair Briony gestured to.

"What brings you to this dark dank pub on a night like this? I didn't think you would be a Knockturn Alley girl?"

Lucia smiled slightly. "Well, I'm full of surprises," she joked slightly and then shook her head. "No, I was actually buying some slug repellent. They really love eating our pumpkins, and I figured that was not a good thing," Lucia said seriously.

She was actually rather tired. She had been wandering around in Knockturn Alley for two hours or something, just looking for flesheating snail poison, and, due to an extreme bunch of paperwork, she hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night.

She could see that Briony seemed a bit tired as well. Probably why she wasn't smiling so much. Not that Lucia could be a hundred percent sure; she didn't know the headmistress that well.

"So, what are you doing here? Just taking a break?" Lucia asked drowsily.

Briony nodded, those darn slugs never seemed to leave their school produce alone, and that was something that was really annoying, she was tempted to go out and kill every one of the little buggars herself and vent some of this melancholy at them.

"Most definately not, the house elves will have a fit if they find out they don't have enough pumpkins to make the pudding with, it's supposed to be pumpkin pie sometime soon, ah I don't really remember."

Sighing softly Briony looked at the rings on the bar for a moment, circling her finger around them by way of distraction, taking a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket Briony lit one and took a long drag from it.

"Yes...I'm here just trying to take a break from it all, I really am so so tired of all of this Hogwarts business."

Slowly Briony dragged her gaze up from the bar to look at Lucia.

"Whatever we do, let's not talk about Hogwarts, paperwork, or anything remotely like that."

Lucia nodded. "I'm all for that," she said.

She sighed and decided to order a drink. She took a long sip from it, and though it wasn't the best firewhiskey she had tasted, it was good enough when it burned in her throat. She changed her position to a more slouching one, being ten times as comfortable.

"So, what kinda music are you interested in?" Lucia asked, and though it seemed like a question one asked when one had nothing else to say, Lucia was seriously curious about that.

She was a huge fan of music herself, but she loved hearing about new bands and other stuff like that. She enjoyed change. So, taking another mouthful, she waited for Briony to answer.

Briony was a little surprised by Lucia's question, she hadn't had a normal friendly conversation in what would seem like years, it was always something to do with work or with the 'great war' that was being raged between their countries.

"Music? Now let me think."

Swilling a mouthful of firewhiskey in her mouth Briony thought about it, when she worked she liked to listen to classical music although that was not her favourite.

"I normally listen to classical music, but my favourite band by far are The Chimera Brothers and Toxic Boggart, what about you, you don't strike me as a heavy metal rock fan."

Looking around the bar Briony saw that there was some sort of food there and grabbed one of the muffins from over the bar, sighing and peeling the case off Briony's long slender fingers broke bits off and began to eat.

"That...is disgusting." she sighed "But I didn't expect much better."

Lucia looked into the air thoughtfully. "I do believe I have heard some of Toxic Boggarts songs. They're the ones that have 'Help, it's a manticore', right? If so, I like them, but I don't listen frequently to them," she said.

Then she had to think some. She did actually like heavy metal; it gave her so much energy. But she loved punk and rock a tad bit more.

"Well, I do like some heavy metal, especially The Banshee, which really spells heavy rock, but I do like punk and rock more, so I have to say that The Hounds of Zeus are my favorite as well as Green Dragon," Lucia concluded with a smile.

Then she laughed as Briony took a bite of a muffin that she clearly didn't like.

"I suppose the ingredients aren't the best here, but Imma take one myself," Lucia said and took one, taking a big bite.

Then she almost gagged. "That is awful!" she whispered dramatically.

Even so, she took another bite. "But better than an empty stomach and alcohol put together. I don't mind being able to get myself home again," Lucia said with a nod, taking a sip from the Firewhiskey to down the taste of the muffin.

Briony nodded with a tired smile, she didn't much care for keeping up appearances now, she knew Lucia and she trusted her, she knew that she would be safe being herself around her, if that is she could be bothered to talk in a few moments.

Briony had been known to lapse into complete silence occasionally.

"Yes those are the ones, they're quite good, although I do prefer 'Basilisk Eyes' it's quite a symbolic song about love."

Nodding at the bands which Lucia liked, the fact she knew of them made Briony smile, she wasn't so out of touch after all, she thanked Charlotte for that, without her she truly would be a Headmistress, old and uncool.

"All the food here is awful, I thought that they had a new cook but apparently not, they do the occassional gig here you know, you ever been to one?"

Briony smiled softly and stared into her drink: "You play anything?"

Lucia thought for a bit. "Hm, I don't think I've heard of 'Basilisk Eye' actually. So Imma check that up when I get back to the castle," she said, always ready to hear something new.

She also noted how relaxed Briony looked. Lucia was grateful for that, taking it as a sign that the headmistress trusted her. She hadn't really been alone with her, except for the forest, and that had been anything but the time to let their guards down. So Lucia appreciated this.

But no matter how hard she tried, Lucia couldn't make herself trust Briony. Of course, this wasn't just the case with her. This had to do with everyone around her. But she knew that the first person Lucia would trust at Hogwarts would be Briony, and she knew this because Briony had this way with her to make people feel safe. Lucia felt safe, but she couldn't drop her guard nonetheless. Unless she had been drinking a lot.

"Well, if they have hired a new one; better luck next time," Lucia said with a grin, and then continued: "No, I haven't been on a gig here, actually. I should do that once, though."

Lucia liked live music in pubs. It was much more preferable than to concerts in her opinion

"I actually played the piano back in the days, but not so much that I learned it all. I can play music as long as I can memorize it, but my left hand is horrid on the piano. Seriously... But I do sing. I sing a lot really. How about you?" Lucia asked with a smile.

Briony smirked a little bit, the gigs here were either really good or they were dire, it was a bit of a hit or miss as to which ones were which but hopefully the first one that Lucia went to were going to be good.

After all she might be put off and not come back if the first one included someone being chucked off the stage onto the mike pole. Very gorey.

"You should come to one with me, I've been to a few so I know what's what, which ones to see which ones not to see."

A small smile crept across her lips as Lucia said that she used to play the piano, that too was Briony's instrument of choice, she played that one the most, although she presumed she would be very rusty since she had not practiced in a while.

"I play piano, drums and electric guitar, but like you piano was my main instrument, unlike you I really cannot sing worth a damn."

Lucia grinned. "I'll look forward to the gigs then. And I appreciate that. I mean, I honestly don't know what could happen at this place, and though I've seen some bad things, I don't need to see more on a gig," she said slowly.

Lucia smiled more and more for each instrument Briony mentioned. She herself was never the instrumental type, really. That was why she had quit piano, even though she regretted it sometimes.

"You're quite the instrumental one then?" she joked, and then smiled softly. "Do you like to sing, even if you can't?" she asked, not meaning to be rude or anything.

It was pretty normal to like to sing, really, but Lucia wondered whether or not Briony liked it, because she could honestly picture Briony as having a strong and solid voice.

Briony nodded and chuckled slightly, this place wasn't really top on her list of tourist hot spots in Muggle London, any muggles within a mile of this place would most likely get killed and their head mounted behind the bar.

"True, I think that the tribute band to the Banshee's should be here soon, that might be one to check out they're actually not half bad."

Smiling slightly Briony nodded her head:

"You could say that, it was really my grandmothers influence she loved music and the feeling it gave her to perform it."

Thinking about the last time she had actually sung, Briony thought that she couldn't actually remember about the last time she had, which either meant she was very little, or the most she had done was hum a little.

"I don't think that I have sung in a while, I can't really find the emotion to sing with, tell me, have you ever sung professionally?"

Lucia nodded interested when Briony came with the possible gig. She hadn't heard of them, but if they were the tribute band to the Banshee's, it really couldn't be that bad.

She smiled at the mention of Briony's grandmother. Sometimes, ridiculously enough, Lucia forgot that Briony had a family at all.

"Is your grandmother central in your life?" Lucia asked, not wanting to be too personal, but at the same time curious.

Lucia loved chatting about other people's family, even though it constantly reminded her of her lack thereof. And when Briony asked if she had sung professionally, Lucia had to think back.

No, she had never sung professionally. Actually, it was three years ago since she had sung in front of a crowd of people. The day of her parents funeral.

"No, I never sung professionally. I did sing a lot on events with my family, and also even back when I was in school at Hogwarts. Now it's been three years since the last time I sung in front of another person," she said.

She felt that the funeral had been the stop of her song-days, even if they weren't professional. The death had changed her life drastically in so many aspects. She hadn't even heard from her sister in three years. But that really was her own fault as much as it was her sisters.

Briony grimaced and clutched her shot glass hard, it was always a touchy subject, her grandmother, but in her state she was more likely going to burst into tears than get angry, but of course, Briony didn't. She breathed slowly.

"She was central. Until German muggles burnt her house down, with her still inside it."

Of course what she had found out later was that her father had paid for them to do exactly that. Which did not sit well with Briony.

"What about your family? Are they well?" she said, normally she wouldn't ask about family knowing how touchy a subject it was.

Seeing Lucia deep in thought made Briony fade into silence although she didn't really know why, normally she didn't care for others and what they were thinking, but maybe it was her tiredness? Who knows.

"I could imagine you in the choir, did you hold a frog? What house were you in when you attended?"

Lucia's thoughtful state hadn't completely blow off, but she perked up the moment Briony told that her grandmother was dead, and in a most horrible way. Lucia's greatest enemy was fire, as it so easily scared the minds of animals. But at the same time, fire was also her most loyal companion, due to where her alliance was, back when she was at Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry," Lucia said with feeling.

She couldn't stand hearing about other people's loss. It wrenched what little ground was left under her feet slowly away. Lucia looked at Briony when she asked her about her own family. She figured that since Briony had shared some, maybe she should too.

"My family died three years ago. Well, my parents did, along with all my cousins and aunts and uncles. It was a hard time. It still is. My sister is, as far as I know, still alive somewhere, but I haven't really had contact with her since the funerals," Lucia explained.

Then she felt a bit more jolly when Briony asked about the choirs and stuff.

"Well, actually, I was in the choir, and I did hold a frog. It kept slipping off my fingers, though, and in the end, the professor had to preform a sticking charm," Lucia laughed lowly at the memory, "And I was in Gryffindor, but I never felt like I truly belonged, somehow. It was weird. How about you? Which house were you in?"

Briony waved her hand dismissively she didn't really mind talking to Lucia about it but anyone else would have been crucified by now, especially if they had no just cause for asking about her.

The other parts of her family were okay to ask about quite simply because she didn't really care about them, in life or now they were dead, as it was she who killed them.

"I see, such a loss on someone so young, yet I suppose like I you desire no pity, so I shall give you none, unless you want the opposite?"

Briony smiled, the famous frogs, she supposed that if there was in fact a school choir it would be a common feature but no teachers had stepped up to the musical plate this year.

"Gryffindor you say? Well I could have guessed that, or Ravenclaw, I however did not attend Hogwarts, my grandmother homeschooled me in magic, my father in duelling. Although I would have been a Slytherin."

Lucia nodded. Briony had her all figured out already. This Lucia had to smile a bit at.

"You're absolutely right. Pity won't bring them back. It's better to move on, and not be stuck by people's sympathy," she said calmly.

Lucia raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but at the same time, she didn't want to pry.

"Homeschooled in magic. That is slightly cool, if you don't mind me saying," Lucia said with a soft smile, and her smile turned a bit bigger. "Yeah, I think you'd be a right fit in Slytherin."

Lucia could so easily imagine Briony being the one in Slytherin most people feared and respected, and that there were one or two people that she allowed to be her friend.

Lucia herself had been kind to everyone, but she hadn't ever been able to trust anyone of them. She just protected them if danger should come, and back then, there was danger. Now too. This made Lucia frown. Was there ever going to be peace in the world? Lucia took a mouthful of her firewhiskey and ordered a new one.

"Was the homeschooling as good as it sounds?" she asked, hoping that wasn't asking too many questions, as Lucia herself could see many ways of answering that question without having to get personal.

Briony smiled softly she expected that it would sound slightly cool and she didn't think that it would be thought of anything else by people who didn't have it, and to those who also had it, but their parents were actually nice to them.

"Well, it was a mixed experiance that's for sure, but I do hope that other people have a more positive time at it than I did."

Nodding her head Briony chuckled, she was a true snake through and through and sometimes she wished that she had stayed in the same position she used to hold.

"Before I became Headmistress of Hogwarts I was the Head of Slytherin you know, it was a much easier job, I'm jealous of my husband now."

Even though she went through so much effort to get this position, she wondered if it would have been crueller to Hades to just let him keep it.

"Homeschooling...I would say my experiance isn't as good as you'd expect, but that's just because of my parent's, so, I expect others who are homeschooled have a better time."

Lucia's eyebrow twitched when Briony told that she hoped others had a better experience of homeschooling than herself, but Lucia honestly didn't want to probe around even more.

She did chuckle, though, when Briony told her she was jealous of her husband. She could understand why. Briony obviously hated paperwork, and though being Head of House probably had a great deal of paperwork, it would be nothing against the headmistress. Lucia sighed.

Lucia then nodded at the statement of the topic homeschooling again.

"I understand," she said calmly, "I suppose it really depends on family."

Lucia then looked around the bar. "Merlin, I'm so hungry that even those ghastly muffins look tempting now," she said with a frightened expression.

Then she shrugged and took another one. "Hell, it can't be that bad," she said, even though she had already tasted one.

She took a bite, and her face twisted into a grimace. "I was wrong," she stated matter-of-factly, but she kept eating it.

Briony watched as Lucia went to grab another muffin and she wondered why on earth she would do so, after all they were ghastly and some of them were probably poisioned with rat pellets or something equally as unpleasant.

Who knows what lurks in the kitchen here, especially since the decor even outside in the front of house...was more than a bit dire.

"Hmmmm...we could always go behind the bar amd see what's actually there, theres got to be something better than these awful muffins."

Chuckling a little when Lucia took a bite from it and grimaced, she hoped that there was something else because she was getting quite hungry too and it was best not to drink on an empty stomach.

"It doesn't look like theres anyone behind there, so maybe we should take a chance? I've always wanted to know what's behind a bar."

Lucia looked at Briony, still with the grimace. "I'm so in if it saves me from having to eat these muffins," she said with big eyes.

They were honestly horrible. So Lucia rose and looked around, making sure no one was around.

"Let's go," she said to Briony with a wicked grin: she had always been a prankster at heart, and this was the perfect opportunity to do something one was not supposed to.

Lucia got behind the bar and turned, waiting for Briony with the same smug grin.

Briony smiled at Lucia's adventure and she too got up off the chair and looked behind the bar, just to be sure that there weren't any traps protecting it from theives behind there, there wasn't, so she stepped down behind it carefully.

"Ew. I dont even want to know what I just stepped in, it's probably something really disgusting."

Not daring to look at what her boot had just stepped in Briony smirked slightly and wandered into the kitchen, it appeared empty but there was a radio or someone singing in the back.

The place was obviously filthy.

"Merlin, if this is where our food is cooked I'm never coming back here again. Look at it! It's filthy."

Lucia was looking at it. And it was hideous. She frowned.

"How are people not sick!?" she whispered urgently.

She then sighed. "I agree with you. That muffin... It is trying to fight its way out, to say it like that," she said with a wary look.

The food was seriously muddy and flies were everywhere. Then the tunes of the radio grew stronger, and Lucia realized that it was a person singing. How could anyone have such a ragged voice, sounding just like a radio? She then eep-ed silently.

"Someone's coming!" she hissed to Briony, looking around for a place to hide.

Briony shrugged her shoulders, the fact that people were not sick was an amazement to her and she would call attention to it when she got back, but for now she just looked around in horror, even blanching a little at a particularily rotten pile of peppers.

"This is foul, it even smells foul! What did the last Chef die in here and they haven't moved him yet?"

When Lucia said that someone was coming Briony's eyes widened and she grabbed her hand and ducked back into the shadows, encouraging them to cover both her and Lucia to prevent them from being spotted.

"Hopefully this will work, I've never done it with two people though, hopefully it's not the chef...or the manager. They might be pretty rough..."