RP: Hen Night!

[shh_rita]

Date: June 2, 2005
Characters: Gilderoy Lockhart, Rita Skeeter, Madam Rosmerta, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione Granger, Romilda Vane, Su Li, Andromeda Tonks, anyone else who comes.
Location: Five Alarm
Status: Semi-private (any gal who was invited/can think of a reason to come is welcome)
Summary: The ladies of Stoatshead send Gilderoy off to married

Comments

[shh_rosmerta]

Rosmerta had spent most of the evening bustling around making sure the drinks were full and there were snacks to be had. She wasn't hosting, but she felt it only right seeing as it was her pub and she'd offered to help Rita out with all that.

When Gilderoy entered she shouted a half hearted surprise as no one else seemed to be going along with it and found herself back at the refreshment table making up more cock-tails. She smiled to herself at that and made herself a drink of soda water and grape juice.

[shh_daphne]

Daphne watched Ms Skeeter put him right from the bar. She had been so certain Mr. Lockhart would find the whole thing funny, but he looked most of all like he wasn't entirely certain what he should think of it. It surprised her a little since he was normally least prudish person she had ever met. Obviously he had expected something completely different and Daphne was torn between amusement and feeling a little sorry for him. At least it looked like his misunderstanding had been sorted out by now.

She did her best to smile and make it not look as though she was laughing at him when he approached her.

[shh_gilderoy]

"Well, I must say it isn't quite what..." Gilderoy began, narrowly avoiding a twinking pink penis that seemed to be headed straight for him.

He saw Daphne sitting there looking up at him, and he shot her a glance that was somewhere between an apologetic look and a plea for help. "I thought hens were female chickens."

There were so many people around him, all females, and all having such a... well, he coulnd't really say "good time" but certainly being social. And since this party was thrown in his honor, he decided to do what he could to make everyone feel a little more comfortable.

Starting with Daphne.

"It's interesting," he said, trying to look as dignified as possible with two giant purple erections sticking out of his head. "Of course, my dear oldest sister is so good at making things interesting. She must get it from my side of the family."

[shh_daphne]

Well of course hens were (usually) female chickens, but that still didn't make his entrance any more sensible.

"If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Lockhart..." she started slowly, "what on earth were you trying to do? What does chickens have to do with that outfit?"

Not that his current outfit was any more sensible, but at least that had been somewhat forced upon him. She tried to avoid looking at the headband he was wearing.

"I'm sure you're right there," Daphne agreed truthfully and held up her wine with a grin. "At least these come without straws."

[shh_gilderoy]

"Chickens... why, my dear have you no idea how dangerous they can be? Why it was not even a year ago that a man - a Lord no less, was pecked to death by a flock of angry fowl." Gilderoy was absolutely serious in his warning. His brow furrowed and he nodded in agreement with his own words.

He sat next to her and cradled his drink in his hands, running his finger along the rim. "So, here I was thinking this was some sort of rite-of-passage for men to go through before they were allowed to marry. You know - something to prove I am worthy of him? Especially since it was organized by my family. And when one is going up against such a tremendous foe, one must prepare, yes?"

The more he told the story, the more he thought it was so incredibly brave of him just to show up for this event. "One can never underestimate the advantages of a good defensive strategy."

[shh_fleur]

Fleur had been working nearly the whole day at the studio, doing what she was able to do, which was mostly painting the walls and refinishing the woodwork. She and Dean would need to have someone come in to do the job of polishing the wooden floors to a high sheen, but that would be the last thing to do before opening her business. She had gone with a pale salmony-like pink for the walls throughout, including in the smaller private studio rooms, her office, the changing room, and the powder room. The larger and smaller studios would be dominated by the floor-to-ceiling mirrors but there were a few nooks and crannies here and there that needed some color

[shh_rita]

Rita spotted Fleur Delacour from the door. Even in - Merlin, was that a paint spattered man's shirt? - she was unmistakable, and still gorgeous. Rita remembered seeing the girl in town once before, on her first visit after the war. She'd been just as haughty and cold as ever, then, but she did appear impressed by Rita's decorations this time, even if she didn't seem to be dressed for a party. Come to think of it, Rita was quite sure she hadn't invited her.

No matter. Rita wasn't going to turn away someone who wanted to celebrate with Gilderoy. If she wanted to stay, she was welcome to. And the least Rita could do would be to play hostess.

She certainly wanted to chance to show the girl that she wasn't walking around in transfigured clothes any more, thankyouverymuch.

"Miss Delacour," she greeted as she approached. "What a pleasure to see you. Have you..." she let her eyes flick just quickly over the girl's attire "... come for the party?"

[shh_fleur]

After examining the decorations and containing her amusement Fleur realized that she had just walked into a private party, but before she could make a hasty retreat she was being approached by none other than Rita Skeeter. Mon Dieu, the encounter she had with this woman shortly after the end of the war was not exactly a delightful one and she was afraid she was about to be asked to leave

[shh_rita]

Rita laughed, just a little at first, but then louder. Something that might have become out of control if she hadn't cut it off. Rita Skeeter, marrying? Now there was a thought.

"No," she smiled. "No, not me. Gilderoy. He's marrying Julian Avery on the 6th - or as close to marrying as he can, at any rate. He's most definitely the bride of the pair, and so..." she gestured to the decorations.

She looked the girl over again. She wasn't dressed for it, really, but... well, neither was Gilderoy. And Rosie would certainly give her food if that was what she was after. "Would you like to come in? Don't worry if you don't know Gilderoy, he'll assume you're a fan anyway. I'm sure Rosie has some leftovers from the dinner crowd if you're hungry."

She didn't really know what she was inviting Fleur Delacour in. But she wasn't in much of a mood to be rude, really. Perhaps she could blame it on the two or three cocktails she'd downed.

[shh_romilda]

Romilda was running very late. She had not managed to get Liam to go to bed, and judging from the fact that Cormac had rented some movies, she doubted that any of her boys would be getting to bed soon. She left them all to their popcorn, with promises she would behave herself

[shh_rosmerta]

Rosmerta saw Romilda Vane come in and couldn't stop herself from saying hello. She waved and walked over to her, Romilda looked a bit rushed as if she'd been running late, so Rosmerta smiled brightly, "Hello Romilda, how are you? Can I get you a drink? You look a little bit ruffled..."

[shh_romilda]

"Oh Rosie," she said with a smile. "Hi."

She felt a little sheepish. She hadn't seen Rosmerta since she had quit the pub all those months before, and she still felt a little guilty for not having said anything to her at the time - just walking out. "How's it going?"

"I'll just have a lemon squash, thanks," she said, really wishing she could have a glass of wine, but not drinking anything because of the baby.

"You guys have done a fantastic job of the place. What colour was Gilderoy's face when he first saw it?"

[shh_daphne]

Mr. Lockhart was right. She was allowed to let go and have fun now and then, and tonight that definitely included a certain amount of drinking. Daphne looked at her empty glass and glanced up at Romilda and Rosmerta. She didn't like to interrupt their conversation but she also felt a bit silly standing there with an empty glass, feeling uncertain about whether or not she was supposed to just help herself. She waited discreetely for a pause, then walked closer.

"Um, excuse me," she said, "could I have a little more of this, please?"

She smiled a bit self-consciuosly at Romilda, wondering if perhaps the other woman would prefer it if she kept her distance. Then she immediately decided that if that was the case she could just say so. Daphne couldn't keep letting the memory of Theo's betrayal hover over her like some dark cloud forever. And it wasn't as if it was Romilda's fault in the first place. Not really. "Hello Romilda. I trust you're doing well?"

[shh_hermione]

While there were many things that would be much more enjoyable for a Saturday night, Hermione still found herself outside the Five Alarm ready to attend a Hen Night for Gilderoy Lockhart, of all people. If the invitation hadn't been from Rita, she thought she'd have found an excuse. After all, she could easily have gone to spend the evening with Roger

[shh_rita]

Returning from the bar with another drink, Rita surveyed the crowd. Ah, yes, people did seem to be enjoying themselves. That was definitely good, because the entertainment would arrive soon, and she wanted them to all be in a good mood for that.

Another glance around and she spotted Hermione Granger standing alone at the back of the pub, looking rather wary but curious. Rita chuckled. The poor girl had probably never been to a hen party in her life.

Rita grabbed another drink off the bar and approached.

"Evening, Hermione. Would you like a drink? Thankyou for coming."

[shh_hermione]

It was crowded enough that hiding was possible, but not so crowded that Hermione felt nervous. It was interesting, really, to watch people and see what they were doing. A few people were familiar, but most were either strangers or former classmates she'd not seen in ages.

When she sensed someone approaching, she subtly gripped her wand, only relaxing her hold when she saw it was Rita. "Good evening, Rita. A drink would be welcome, thank you. I appreciated the invitation," she said politely. She glanced around and smiled slightly. "The decorations are quite charming."

[shh_rita]

Rita chuckled, handing the glass to Hermione. "You like them? They're not exactly how I would usually decorate, obviously, but such occasions call for bad taste. And I couldn't send Gilderoy off with any less than the best."

She took a sip of her own drink. "How is the bookshop going? Irma tells me you've organised a club?"

She remembered what that Roger boy had said - my girlfriend - and felt her curiosity stir again. Of course, she couldn't poke; Hermione would certainly know what she was trying to do, but that wouldn't stop her from observing.