Date: Saturday, 1 July, 2000
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Place: The Leaky Cauldron
Characters Involved: Seamus Finnigan, open to ANYONE!
Rating: G, maybe
Complete or Incomplete: Incomplete
(
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. - Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) )
“Well then, water it is, mate!” He set the saucer back under the bar to be disposed of later. And reached for a small bowl as Colin thought about what he’d like to drink.
“Right, lad, we’ve both apple cider and ginger ale here at The Leaky, along with lemonade, iced tea or iced coffee and other soda’s, including cherry syrup and soda with ice, but I’d have to conjure you an umbrella!” He laughed, figuring Colin would certainly have had that at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade at some time or other, it was a favourite drink there.
Then he spotted another Hogwarts graduate, Lisa Turpin, coming up to the bar. He didn’t know if Colin knew Lisa, so he made quick work of the introductions.
“Cheers, Lisa, lass. Howya?” He winked at her and smiled, glad she had chosen a seat next to Colin. “Well then, are you after remembering our own Colin Creevy then, luv? Gryffindor lad strong and true! He and his stout fellow Jasper are keeping me company this afternoon when everyone else is out enjoying the day then.” He turned back to Colin just briefly. “Colin lad, this lovely lass is one Lisa Turpin, studying her best at St. Mungo’s now, right luv?” He winked at Colin, smiling all the while. “Right, I’ll be after getting that water for Jasper. You and Miss Turpin decide what you want now and Seamus the barman will fix it right quick then.”
Seamus quickly disposed of the milk and put cool water into the bowl for Jasper, coming round the bar to set it where Jasper could get at it, but where it was not underfoot for either Colin or Lisa.
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"Colin Creevey's the name," he said. "Pleased to meet you, Lisa."
Jasper wagged his little tail once more with added enthusiasm as his bowl of water had been brought to him. He lowered his head and began to lap up water with his tongue a bit loudly, causing Colin to chuckle.
"I'll have a glass of apple cider," Colin said to Seamus, making his order. He'd love to have one of those sodas, but he craving for cider at the moment. It was really good to see that the fellow Gryffindor was doing well. All right. Now for small talk.
"So," Colin started, resting his forearms upon the counter before him. "What're you studying over there at Mungo's?"
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He got out the carafe of apple juice from the bar fridge and poured Colin a generous glass, refilling his own water glass while he was at it. Setting the drink on Colin’s beer mat, he smiled and asked after what Colin was doing these days.
“Well now, hardly recognized you then Colin without your camera then lad. What are you up to these days, mate? Right, besides tending Jasper then.” He laughed, it was always nice to see a Gryffindor lad and be able to catch up with old friends.
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As Lisa gave him a look of apology, he offered her a look of assurance in return. He glanced up at Seamus, grinning. "It really has been that long, hasn't it?" he asked. "Haha, I may not have my camera with me at the moment, but I still do photography. I'm a freelance photographer as a side job, and I work down at Hex Me Up!" Colin laughed gently. "All this time I could have came by to visit you. Ah well.."
"What about you, Seamus? What've you been up to, aside from bartending?"
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“Aye, lass. ‘Tis a warm one today, why not try some of The Leaky’s fair iced tea or lemonade? Seamus the barman can always slip something in it for you later if you’re after something a bit stronger. Well then, there’s always Butterbeer, the favourite at Hogwarts, and mild for a day like today.” He smiled warmly at her, encouraging her to feel more comfortable and not at all rushed.
He was glad to hear that Colin was still active with his camera. He was a free-lance photographer? He wondered if Luna had considered doing that. Well, to be honest, he wondered if Luna had considered doing that at places other than his flat at 2 a.m. That made his smile all the broader.
“Well then, mate, ‘tis good to hear all that practice at Hogwarts wasn’t for naught then.” He thought about how to answer Colin’s next question. What had he been doing besides working at The Leaky? Aiding the Order? Fighting off dementors and Death Eaters? Trying to stay alive and fight for the Light? None of these truthful answers were ones he’d consider saying aloud, but they did flit ‘cross his mind as he instead gave his standard answer to those who inquired. “Right then, Colin lad, not much better in life to be had than to bartend right here at The Leaky! Pub born and bred then is Seamus, and ‘twood be tending at Finnigan’s at home if not tending bar here. ‘Twill be only me own pub would take me from here and that’s a while yet in the coming.” He paused to see if the Ravenclaw Miss, had decided on her choice of a liquid, then looked to Colin to keep the conversation going.
“So tell us then lad, ‘bout this Hex me up. ‘Tis one place I’ve not been in Diagon Alley. Right, they’re probably not after blokes who like Quidditch for their customers then, mate. They’d not ‘hex’ me if I came in the door then?” Seamus laughed lightly. He’d see if Colin wanted to talk about his work, or maybe Quidditch. If not, he’d be just as comfortable talking about nearly anything else.
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Jasper finally finished his bowl of water, padding over to the spot between Colin and Lisa. He glanced up at the two humans, putting on the cutest expression he could muster. When Colin glanced down at his dog, he immediately knew the canine desired attention. He smiled and reached down, giving him a scratch behind the ear before returning to his cider.
Colin chuckled in response to the words 'practice at Hogwarts'. Most of his photographs at Hogwarts had been that of Harry Potter, when he had a big obsession over the Boy Who Lived. He still admired him, but his compulsiveness has mellowed down a notch. "Ah, a pub of your own, eh? I look forward to it," Colin said to Seamus, grinning broadly. "It's so good to see that you've been doing well, though."
"Haha, the shops's had the occasional guy come by," Colin continued, laughing gently. "Usually to buy something for their girlfriend." He cleared his throat a bit, though his smile remained. About ninety percent of the time, it would deal with lingerie, and it took much restraint for Colin to not be embarrassed when aiding the guy with selections. "Hex Me Up's open to any witches, whether they be rebellious or conservative. Madam Lorelei, the seamstress there, was considering making her shop unisex, but it seems she's not confident with men's clothing yet."
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As he worked he was listening to Colin chat about Hex Me Up. Gifts for girlfriends? Hmm…he just might be in the market for something like that himself. He absently wondered when Luna’s birthday was, and realized he had no idea.
“Unisex? Right, like t-shirts and sweat shirts?” Seamus’ frame of reference for clothes worn by both sexes was rather limited. He’d not had any sisters and it did not seem to him that the girls of his acquaintance wore clothing he’d be interested in wearing. The only exception to that was sports insignia clothing, and general t-shirts with or without slogans. Girls didn’t wear the same jeans as boys did, he was pretty certain about that - or at least they didn’t in Kenmare.
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He took another few sips of his drink before taking notice of Lisa once more. She was certainly the quiet one, but he had the feeling she was feeling left out. Colin had asked her a question about her work earlier, but she has yet to respond. "So," he started, again. "How's work coming along at St. Mungo's?" Colin asked Lisa, glancing at her. Even a one word response would be nice.
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Frankly, he was relieved when Colin asked after Lisa and St. Mungo’s. The lass hadn’t said much of anything as yet, so it was generous of Colin to try to include her. Seamus gave his willing support by adding, “Aye, lass, right then, do be telling us blokes ‘bout St. Mungo’s and how you like working there.”
He thought they had to be all crazy or worse after first declaring Bellatrix LeStrange insane, and then declaring her cured. Cured of what? Her dark mark? Harry had done that.
He was anxious to hear what the lass had to say of the place. She worked there. She ought to have some kind of opinion. Maybe it remained a decent hospital in spite of that lapse? Neville still worked there as far as he knew, so there must be some other decent folk there.
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Colin gave a small nod of his head and a grin before downing the rest of his drink. He glanced down at the menu to check his drink's price, and fished some change out of his pocket to pay for the cider and Jasper's water. "That was refreshing," he said, placing the money down onto the counter with a smile.
"I should probably get back to work soon." With all the smiling Colin did, one would wonder if he ever got tired of it. Well, his mother once told him that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.. which he never understood. "I can't help but be a bit worried about Madam Lorelei. I'm her only salesperson, you see." Yes, he was worrying about his boss.
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But before he had a chance to ask, Colin got up to leave, paying for his apple juice and saying he needed to get back to work.
“Well then, Colin lad, pleasure to be seeing you after so long an absence. Don’t be a stranger then, mate!” He gave him a wink and a smile, encouraging him to come back anytime. “Right, I’ll be after coming to see you at Hex Me Up soon then. Nice to know you’re right here in Diagon Alley.” He leaned over the bar to say goodbye to Jasper. “Take good care of your master then, Jasper lad!”
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