Festival of St. Patrick's Day

[marloww]

Tucked back behind Diagon Alley, in a cleared out space near Knockturn, an odd assortment of carnival workers set to putting together the annual St. Patrick's Day Festival. Due to open at 11 o'clock Monday morning, the crew was cutting it close, barely putting on the finishing touches before the gates opened (to which very eager young children-

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[scilicette]

KARAOKE KICK-OFF [MONDAY]As much as Hannah would have preferred a nice, normal Monday evening at the Leaky Cauldron, filled with the typical sullied regulars and usually quiet atmosphere, she knew with the start of the St. Patrick's Day holiday and the festival, she had to pounce on the opportunity. The Karaoke event had been Susan's idea, a random one tossed out to start the festival off right. She hadn't exactly been intrigued by the idea, the concept of singing in front of a bunch of strangers completely out of Hannah's comfort zone. But, from what her friends had said, and the bartenders had noted- it would be an insanely profitable night

[draco_isgod]

Draco's skin squirmed as his eyes danced around the Leaky Cauldron, Sticky Cauldron is more like it. He had never been a fan of the dump, or of the old bar keep, Tom. The fact that his former classmate, Halley something or other, came to own the establishment did not make it any more impressive in his eyes.

After obtaining his usual dry martini, Draco found an empty table near the wall that had a decent view of the karaoke stage. He leaned back in his chair, grinning to himself as some hag started belting Celestina Warbeck classic.

This was going to be good.

[daphne_x]

It was by some miracle that Daphne had found a break in her usually hectic schedule and was able to take the afternoon off to enjoy the festival. It may have had something to do with the actual festival herself, even her upscale clients preferring to play hooky from their usual responsibilities and kick off the spring weather with some old fashion, very wholesome fun.

The Leaky Cauldron wasn't exactly her usual hang out. Actually, stepped away from the bar she couldn't even remember the last time she'd been here at all.

Maybe just once as a teenager to see how the other half lived.

It didn't take her very long to spot Draco in the crowd, almost as shocked to see him as she was to be there herself, but he stood out amount the usual crowd with that amused smirk on his face and she couldn't help but wander over to join him.

"Darling, please don't tell me you've become a regular here," she teased, taking up the seat next to him.

[draco_isgod]

Draco was slightly startled at Daphne Greengrass' sudden appearance.

"Hardly," he managed to say once he got over his initial shock. To be fair, it wasn't exactly his idea. Dorney had been shoving him this place and that place for over a month now. He just had to grin and bear it.

"And what might you be doing here, then?" Both of them seemed to stick out of the crowd like sore thumbs.

[marloww]

FESTIVAL - INSIDE [MONDAY-SATURDAY]The festival was a grand affair - much larger than the one set up for the Christmas holiday. Something about how the Irish do it big, or whatever. There were three ferris wheels littering the carnival, one taller than the next. Two carousels, a small roller coaster and a dozen or so other rides took up the most space within the open alley including flying (really) swings, a broomstick drop from towering heights, a Knight Bus themed thrill ride and a train ride for the kids rivaling the Hogwarts Express. Mechanical dragons blew crystallized fire as you passed by, leaving your body with a warm, tingling feeling for the next hour or so

[marloww]

It was a bit strange to think that this was their very first date. She had known Zacharias Smith since he was the gangly kid with wild hair, ambling up to sit on the stool their very first date at Hogwarts in order to be sorted. He had a wide smile and these catching blue eyes that she noticed immediately when he passed by her spot at the Gyffindor table in order to fit in with the rest of the newly sorted Hufflepuffs. She had been wiry and small, her brown hair in a mess of unflattering waves she tamed with a perfectly prim braid. It had been her mother's idea

[rockinriah]

"There's a dirty joke hiding in that sentence somewhere. This is me being gentlemanly and not making it. Aren't you proud of my restraint?" Zacharias grinned over at her, eyes turned up at the corners with it.

Dates were commonplace in Zacharias' life. He didn't know how many dates - especially first dates - he'd had over the past few years. He couldn't remember a time, though, when he'd actually wanted to be on a date this much. It was fitting, really, that when he finally did, it was with Marlow.

Sometime around fourth year, Zacharias had begun coming into his own and had been trying to figure out a way to get Marlow to go on a date with him. That had faded to teasing and playful gestures when she'd always had someone else. Now, it felt like they'd come full circle to where they were supposed to be.

He swung their joined hands a little, tilting his head toward a game ringed in ridiculous plush toys. "What is it you want? The unicorn that stands as tall as you? The bear that's the size of a small child?"

[marloww]

"Both-" she said, rolling her eyes as if Zacharias was supposed to know her plush toy demands. "Or you know, the small one over there in the corner which is probably all you'll be able to win me-"

She couldn't help but tease, reaching to kiss him lightly on the cheek, the palm of her hand gently patting him on the back in a truly condescending manner. The act didn't last very long when her lips widened in a toothy grin, Marlow far too giddy for her own good at the fact that the two of them had somehow managed to make this happen.

It had even been two weeks since the two of them made this real, cemented it on that street outside of the supermarket, Marlow realizing in that precise moment just how loss she could be in his kiss. And here they were, like bloody teenagers, swinging their arms in the middle of a festival.

A part of her felt as if they were making up for lost time.

"Or maybe I can win you something, Mister Smith-" she said, poking his chest.

[so_harry]

BIERGARTEN [MONDAY -SATURDAY]

Harry Potter had been to his fair share of alcoholic establishments in his lifetime (though most of those were ticked off his list during this past year or so and he really didn't want to remember the ones he managed to among all his blackouts) and yet, he had still never seen anything like the beer garden they had set up for the St. Patrick's Day Festival. It was surprisingly big, for how crammed everything else seemed in this festival, Harry giving kudos to whoever secured the space for some mild breathing room. The lights hanging from the trees, the way they dipped near the tables and umbrellas lit the place up in a rather pretty way, reminding him of fairies or something. Which, of course, upon further inspection actually were made up of fairies

[ccecilia]

It had been a surprisingly light shift at the hospital- one of those days where everything had seemingly gone right. There was just one birth, no complications and she didn't have to work a minute past five o'clock. She actually couldn't remember the last time she left on time- something she didn't even think was possible. When she realized how long it had been since she and Draco had properly spent any time together, she took advantage of her early evening, rang him up and told him to meet her at the beer garden at the St. Patrick's Day Festival

[draco_isgod]

Keeping up with Cecilia's drinking like a proper gentlemen meant that he had his arm strapped around her as they walked about, to make sure neither of them missed a step, and if they did- one would catch the other. Not that he was that drunk, but he wasn't trying to fight the affects, either.

He sighed slightly and hung his head a little, "It's bullshit, Cess."

Draco still wasn't sure how he felt about some women he wasn't even dating telling him what to do all. the. time. Hell, he didn't even let the women he dated boss him around like Dorney does.

"I've got to show the world I'm some sort of fucking asshole, or some rich prat without goals. Fucking Narcissa's smart ass idea of a joke."

[ccecilia]

It had been a very long time since she and Draco had the opportunity to spend time together without something dark haunting them. This wasn't about his father, or her parents or anything that had happened in the last few months. It was as if they could both wipe the slate clean and move on from their pasts, both of them growing into different (and Cecilia hoped better) people, yet still somehow connected in the way they had always been.

She laughed, not quite sure Narcissa was really joking. As strange and confusing as the older woman had always been, she knew that in her warped mind, she only had her son's best interest at heart.

"I don't think your mum is that funny, love," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. "Besides everyone knows you're a rich asshole without goals already-"

[jemmadorny]

LIVE CONCERT [FRIDAY NIGHT]The stage was tucked back toward the entrance to Knockturn Alley, the wide alley leading to the darker section of Diagon just wide enough to cram a stage inside. Thick hunter green velvet curtains accented with golden fringe hung over the scaffolding, the expanse rather luxurious when Jemma really took a good look at it. Five bands were due to go on tonight, headlined by a Wizard Sisters reunion just for the occasion. It was one of the biggest draws of the week, people lining up for tickets on the first day to ensure their seat (or spot on the grass) and a close look at Myron Wagtail following his stint in the dependency ward of St. Mungo's

[drewkirke]

Usually when they had a gig, after their set had ended and their instruments were packed back away, the band spent the rest of the night trading off buying rounds and making bets exactly which groupies (yes, they might have had a few groupies even if Drew would have denied it) they could take home.

Lately though, Drew's priorities had shifted and that just wasn't because of the groupies. He didn't miss the random hook ups or the late nights, hanging around for a bit to catch up with the guys before heading back home to Jemma (on the nights that she couldn't make his gigs, of course, which wasn't very often).

Now he was making his way through the crowd, neck craned as reached the spot he'd promised Jemma they would meet.

[jemmadorny]

It had been an odd, rough week and Jemma knew that Drew's consistent advice that she start to take it easy was probably a bit of a ways off. But she felt they were insanely close to unraveling this thing happening with the werewolves, especially after what Sebastian had told her on Monday. Then, finally, she'd be able to share with Drew just what was happening.

When she finally caught sight of him in the crowd, she beamed, feeling the familiar relief of comfort she had whenever he was around.

How she could become so caught up in someone so fast, she had no idea.

"Merlin, if we weren't in public right now, I'd do terribly inappropriate things to you," she said by way of greeting as she caught up to him. "That was incredible-"

So, she might have had a thing for musicians- but she'd only ever discovered it when she saw Drew play for the very first time.

[drewkirke]

The moment she was close enough Drew had his arm around her waist, pulling her in tight and leaned in to steal quick kiss. He was still a little bit breathless from the set, the tips of his hair damp with sweat.

"Keep that in mind when we finally make it home," he told her, grinning.

He didn't understand how somebody could be so absolutely adorable, with her big green eyes, and incredibly sexy at the same time but somehow Jemma managed to pull it off and it drove him a little bit crazy.

"But right now how about we get some food. I'm starved-"

[marloww]

CLOSING FIREWORKS [SATURDAY NIGHT]

With the festival officially coming to a close, what better way to celebrate the end of a massive celebration than with fireworks? And we're talking big time, over the top, sparklers and bombs cutesy of Mssrs. Fred and George Weasley, partners at Weasley Wizard Wheezes, located just around the corner. One of the only merchants in Diagon Alley to take advantage of the festival nearby, the order they took in was massive- enough for a three hour show. Of course, no expense was wasted, garnering their biggest and their best for the last night of the St. Patrick's Day Festival.

The leprechauns working with the circus crew were on their best behavior, even helping with the fireworks- though extending a bit of gold was out of the question.

You could see the show from anywhere in the alley, but a few tables and blankets were set up specifically for the event.

[deantom]

Between coming off of the panic-fueled previous weekend, an annoyingly busy work week (which he should have seen coming, given the fact that it happened every year, since it turned out that discretion was apparently the first thing to fly out of the window when a festival atmosphere and flowing alcohol was set up in a place so narrowly squeezed in between the wizarding and Muggle worlds), Sabrina's newly acquired, erm, skills, Seamus's unexpected revelation, and that whole nasty run-in that had followed, it had been a decidedly busy week

[marloww]

It had been a quiet week

[deantom]

Even in this thick of a crowd, it was easy enough to spot Marlow's familiar small stature heading his way - though the nervous hitch to her shoulders and the lack of real enthusiasm on her face as she approached him were decidedly unfamiliar, and he felt another wave of guilt twist up his insides at that hesitant greeting.

Nope. He was definitely not having any of this.

He firmly set down his half-empty glass on the table he had gravitated towards, a firm crease pulling together his eyebrows as he wordlessly raised a hand to motion for her to come forward. He didn't quite give her the chance to react, however, before crossing the remaining distance between them and pulling her into a solid hug.

"Hey yourself-" he quietly spoke against the top of her head, his grip on her not loosening just yet.