Hogwarts
School Healer
Creature Task Force - Registrar
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Mali Johar on Jul 30, 2016 14:33:32 GMT
Like everyone else in the wizarding world lately, Mali was having a rough time. So much changed in a short span of time that it left her feeling displaced and restless. Her normal coping mechanisms weren't working, often she'd turn to things like painting or other artistic pursuits to busy up her mind where it didn't have the time or capacity to wonder and mull over some less than good things. This 'hard time' had done what no other time of stress had managed to do, it blocked her creativity. Mali would spend long stretches of time staring at a blank canvas, brush poised and nothing would come to her. There was no spark of inspiration, no artistic vision knitting together in her busy little brain. Just blank canvas that looked like it would only ever be blank canvas. Mali switched gears. It wasn't just a heavy mind but a heavy heart that she was coping with. An overwhelming sense of loss that became a very real ache in her chest. People tended to dull aches like that with things like alcohol and while Mali had never partaken in such a thing now was as good as anytime to try. She didn't need the ache to go away completely, maybe just take the edge off and make it more tolerable. Going to a place like The Leaky Cauldron felt wrong, considering her childhood memories from the place and Mali was pretty sure Theo's sister worked at the The Three Broomsticks and didn't want to chance a run in with her. The Hog's Head it was. She was perched rather uncertainly on a barstool, the bartender having laughed when she ordered 'one strong alcohol' and slid it towards her with a 'whatever you say, sweetheart'. Mali examined the contents of a very dirty looking glass with a scrunched up nose and oodles of apprehension. Biting hard on her lower lip the witch looked up again, examining the rest of the bar's occupants. No one looked bothered by the less than stellar cleanliness standards. With every ounce of courage she had left, Mali picked up the glass and brought it to her lips, tilting her head back. God, the stuff was awful! It burned her tongue and her throat. She coughed and gagged on the stuff, drawing some very odd looks from the rest of the pub. After a moment to breathe, she tried again. The result was the same, she coughed it down. "Cheese and rice! Why do" coughcough "people" cough "Do this for" coughcoughcough "fun? Sweet" hackcough "Merlin!" It looked like her pain dulling with alcohol days were about to come to a very abrupt end. No one wanted to drink while some silly witch was choking herself to death on a glass of... whatever this was.. Lucky for Mali, she'd drawn the attention of a familiar face, Draco Malfoy was up and swooping to her rescue. |
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St.Mungo's
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23 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Occulumens
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Gen
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Aug 3, 2016 5:40:37 GMT
Draco was pretty sure that he'd had the week from hell. He hadn't even been on the front lines for half of it, not having been present at the London Eye fall, but he'd been close enough to the second half to make him seriously consider relocating his mother and himself to France. The aged tattoo on his arm had felt sensitive and itchy ever since the hospital was attacked, and he was having trouble focusing on anything else.
It hadn't helped that there were people sniffing around the hospital now asking questions, implying things, and Draco was uncomfortably aware of the attention. He didn't know what was coming, but he was pretty positive it wasn't going to be a bed of roses. Unless the roses had wicked thorns, that was. The Death Eaters on one side and the Ministry on the other - he wasn't going to get any fucking peace in the near future, it seemed, which was why he was hiding out in a dingy pub in Hogsmeade instead of going home to worry his mother. Nobody, he figured, would find him here, and he could brood spectacularly into a fruity drink in relative peace.
Or he would have had peace, had not a familiar face parked herself at the bar, ordered a drink and downed it, spluttering and coughing and generally making herself a nuisance. Draco sighed and planted his head on the table of the grimy booth he was in, listening to the coughing and counting to three before he went over. It wasn't her fault that she'd never learned how to drink alcohol, but someone had to teach her the appropriate way to drown her sorrows before she mixed wine and whiskey and cut open a patient the wrong way the next morning.
Leaning on the bar next to her and planting down his glass, ordering two of the fruity drink, Draco scooped up Mali's drink and sniffed it suspiciously. He patted her on the back as he did so. "When you're done coughing all over the amenities," he drawled in his usual manner, only his slightly looser than usual movements and double-unbuttoned shirt to show that he'd been drinking at all, "And have drunk some water-" he flicked his long fingers at the bartender imperiously- "You can tell me what possessed you to try this slop. Have you never gotten drunk before, Johar?" he asked, tone just a hair softer than usual. After all, Johar had likely had a pretty shite week too. And someone had to show her the appropriate method for drinking one's self into a better mood.
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Hogwarts
School Healer
Creature Task Force - Registrar
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Mali Johar on Aug 8, 2016 21:35:49 GMT
Draco had dark roots. His story was famous, much like the Trio's. Death Eater father, tangled up with You-Know-Who. The details were fuzzy, mingling with rumors made up and told over drinks that took on a life of their own. Mali was smart enough to know that you couldn't take all the gossipy things you heard to heart, people liked to talk. Mali also knew that Draco Malfoy had offered to help her take care of her patients hours before several patients died. It was unfair of her to draw a connection but it was awful convenient. One of those patients was the tragically murdered Julius Stark and Draco had been one of the very last people in his room and there were already speculative whispered in the corridors of St. Mungo's, behind hands and under breaths. Whatever the truth was, the bright eyed healer had enough of darkness to last her a life time.
She watched him with a cautious eye, judging her newly minted drinking habits. "I wasn't coughing so much as choking." she defended, catching her lower lip between her teeth. Anxious tingles worked their way up her spine, tingles that she should feel ashamed of. Suspicion wasn't fair, she'd known Malfoy for a decent amount of time through work and he never seemed all that bad. A little sassy, but all the best people were armed with sarcastic wit. She cracked a smile at the word 'slop', eyebrows raised as she took the glass with questionable cleanliness back from the blonde, peering into it as she agreed "It is pretty awful." A glass of water appeared, slid over by the gruff looking bartender at Draco's bidding. She drank it gladly, water cooling the sting of the alcohol. He continued on, the very slight gentleness of his tone wasn't lost on her, but it was overshadowed by his usual arrogant git-ty self. "Not everyone's had problems they could practice drowning with alcohol. It's sort've a new thing for me." Ignoring the time that Death Eaters ran Hogwarts (a year that Mali preferred to block out as it didn't fit into her happy worldview) she lived a rather sheltered, easy life.
Her mind spun back to the event that brought them both there. Theo could have easily had the same whispered accusations as Draco had floating around had they not gotten very lucky and that softened her to the former Slytherin prince. She wouldn't appreciate someone treating Theo the way that her mind had been treating Malfoy. Mali propped her chin up on her hand, the beginning of a friendly (albeit forced) smile playing her lips. "I'm here same as you. You're having a hard time, me too." Different reasons. "I thought The Eye was the worst thing I'd ever see. I was wrong. The world's got an awful habit of showing you that you're wrong, doesn't it? So, O Drinking Master, show me your ways. How d'you use alcohol to make the world suck less?"
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St.Mungo's
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23 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Occulumens
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Gen
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Aug 12, 2016 4:54:43 GMT
Unlike the Chosen One, Draco had talents. That these talents included alcohol tolerance wasn't one of his proudest moments, but his past hadn't been rainbows (that Potter's hadn't been either Draco often chose to ignore) and sunshine, and sometimes that meant you had no other way to cope. You could sneak some Firewhiskey into Hogwarts and share it with the other damned - at least it took the edge off of life for a while. It wasn't a healthy habit, but sometimes there wasn't anything else.
He wasn't sure if he approved of Johar seemingly testing the waters (so to speak) of coping through alcohol - perhaps it was just wistfulness, or maybe it was just that she sometimes made him feel old. 23 wasn't old, but sometimes Draco felt like it was.... regardless, if she needed to erase what she'd seen for a little while he could at least supervise and make sure she didn't have a hangover which felt like Rubeus Hagrid stomping around in your skull. "I don't think that either of those is supposed to be desirable," he drawled, eyeing the drink she'd chosen with a considerable amount of his (practically) unfathomable well of disdain. The bubbly Healer looked uncomfortable, but Draco couldn't pretend to know whether it was the bar, the alcohol, or Draco himself. It was easy enough for him to pretend he didn't care. He raised an eyebrow at her remark, resisting the comment 'you should be grateful', which was going to come out harsher than either of them wanted. "Well, excuse me," he lilted. "I hope you don't get enough practice." Shooting a sideways look at her, he adjusted his posture on the bar and raised an eyebrow at the bartender, who hurried off to mix their drinks.
He looked back to Mali, who was pushing a smile upon her face, the expression settling slightly awkwardly - but it settled. Draco tilted his head and listened to her talk, inclining his head at her acknowledgement. "Unfortunately," he murmured, not loud enough to break the flow of her thoughts. He sighed. "It can only get worse," he told her, looking down at the rough wood of the bar. "But it can also get better. Have to be ... positive." he looked back at her with amusement, his expression clearly conveying that he knew he wasn't a positive person. "Or just find a good way to cope." The bartender returned with their drinks, of the fruity and light persuasion, and Draco eyed the Cosmopolitans with scrutiny. They passed, at least, and he passed one to Mali. "This is not a good way to cope. But it's better than that," he told her, sliding her original glass far, far away. "Want to try it?"
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Hogwarts
School Healer
Creature Task Force - Registrar
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21 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Trish
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Post by Mali Johar on Aug 14, 2016 13:46:00 GMT
Rubbing at her throat, coughing a residual cough or two, Mali nodded. "I'll agree with you there. Why do people willingly drink this stuff?" With another cough she squeaked and shook her head, eyes shut tight as if she could will the after taste out of her mouth. "That was awful. People enjoy it?" People could be so strange. She might be strange as well, putting something she didn't even know the name of in her mouth in an attempt to dull the sharp edge of grief. Mali supposed she was being unfair, as her emotions swung back and forth like a pendulum, with her distrust of Draco. There was no way he could have predicted their conversation earlier on that fateful day in the breakroom or really it was more the fact that Mali had a hard time thinking ill of someone when they were being nice to her.
Her comment to him had gone over like a lead balloon and with a pang of regret she laid her hand on Draco's arm (Mali was touchy especially when feeling sympathetic.) as she said "I'm sorry that you have gotten enough practice." The bartender was sent off with just a look from the former Slytherin Prince and Mali set her elbow up on the bar, chin resting in her palm. "How'd you do that? Do you think people are still afraid of you?" Maybe an inappropriate question but she was genuinely curious. She took another sip of water, further relieving the sting of alcohol. Their little party sounded like the start of a joke. Two healers walk into a bar... But here they were, maybe sort of bonding a little. Draco was a very sympathetic figure but something about him told her that an offer of sympathy would only annoy him, he was far too proud. Sticking to is aristocratic roots despite having fallen far from his place in high society.
Mali cracked a genuine grin as Draco spoke about being positive while his face betrayed his words. She laughed, she couldn't help it. Draco was funny sometimes. "Now that is something I've got practice at." she bumped Draco's shoulder. "So we'll positively drink 'til I choke to death. Sounds like a plan." Maybe not, the drinks that Draco ordered looked much better than her dirty little glass of mystery alcohol. She took the drink and examined it. This one even had a garnish, which Mali plucked off the rim of the glass. "Why'd they put this here?" she asked, waving the lime wedge. "Is it to make it look pretty or are you s'posed to do something with it?" Mali held it upside down under her nose like a mustache, waggling her eyebrows. "I mustache you a very serious question, Draco. Are you positive this is a good drink?"
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St.Mungo's
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23 years old
Slytherin Alumnus
Occulumens
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Gen
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Sept 23, 2016 5:27:54 GMT
Draco cocked his head and considered the question. "Kill a few brain cells, maybe. Because they're masochists?" He shrugged. "Because it burns. Because they don't know any better and should really be supervised when trying to down chemicals of that nature," he grinned, amused at the expressions Mali was making. "Someone must, or they wouldn't sell it," he pointed out, propping his elbows on the bar casually. "Or maybe they do good business in something to get the taste out of your mouth."
Speaking of a bitter taste, Draco was trying to get that specific feeling off his tongue. Mali, apparently, figured what he needed was a dose of sweetness - or maybe that was just her natural state - as she instantly took back her comment with a pat on the arm. Draco blinked, not sure where to look. "'S okay," he said, a bit warily, a bit confused. "That's life." He patted at her hand a bit awkwardly. Thankful for the question and (slight) redirection, he shrugged. "Sure they are," he agreed, apparently affably. "I think it's my stunning good looks." He traced a circle on the bar thoughtfully, looking absently down its length. "Maybe it's my air of mystery." Maybe he was just antisocial. Regardless, knowing how to make people jump to, or jump away, sometimes came in handy. It was a skill he could attribute to both his society training and his past.
Mali laughed, and Draco's expression softened in reply. "Then you're already ahead of the game," he agreed, and chuckled. "Don't worry, you won't choke. I know a bloke who's a Healer." Draco accepted his drink as it slid down the bar and was about to take a sip when Mali started playing with her lime wedge. Draco stalled with his glass halfway to his mouth - not a good idea to choke laughing on alcohol - and raised an eyebrow at her, his amused smile hidden partially by the glass. "Stop stalling," he drawled with amusement. "I'm afraid I must... ache..." - his delivery of the joke was slightly stalled as he'd never lowered himself to puns before (what was this world coming to) - "You to take a sip and find out for yourself."
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