[Hogshead] One for the Money, Two for the Show

[Effy & Claire Wynn]

It was the daily ritual. Effy had come back to the room early in the afternoon, popped a sleeping pill, and napped her life away. Her alarm woke her up at about 8 pm, at which time she would get up, slowly and groggily, mutter something, if anything, at her sister who was most likely studying, and get in the shower. The shower took about 30 minutes, after which Effy combed her hair and allowed to to dry into the wold curls that it loved to form. She pulled down her bangs over her face, and sighed. Back into the dorm room, where Effy would open her trunk and throw out ever piece of clothing she had. The room was full of black and gray clothes piled up like a dirty growth of the floor. She would eventually find something to wear and throw that in a pile on top of her bed. She would then retreat back to the bathroom, pile on her dark eye makeup and lipstick and fix her hair once more.

At this point, when Effy walked into the dorm room again, her sister was still pretending to study, but Effy could feel Claire's eyes on the back of her head, following her around her room. She pulled on her tight jeans and shirt and pulled on her leather jacket. She then zipped up the sides of her boot and stood before her sister, who quickly looked back to the book she had been pretending to read. Effy continued to look to see if her sister would look back at her, but after a couple seconds starring, Effy shook her head. She walked loudly over to her bedside table where she grabbed her handbag and walked out, slamming the door.

Claire finally looked up after her sister. She sighed and slammed the book. Why should Effy be mad at her. Claire was only worried that Effy was getting into something over her head. After all Effy went out almost every night, and let's face it, Effy didn't exactly dress like a saint. Who knows what she could be doing.

Claire had an idea, one that just popped into her head. What if Effy needed a reality check? What is she was in a gang of evil wizards, practicing dark magic, voodoo? What if Effy was in a gang of vampires, thats why she slept all day? What is Effy was going off with different men? Claire couldn't stand not knowing a minute longer. She quickly ran and threw on the closest sweatshirt she could grab and shoved her feet into her converses and ran out the door.

Effy hadn't gotten that far, she was still walking down the hall right outside Gryffindor tower. Claire snuck out of the painting hidden door quietly and hid behind a large statue of Wilmer the Wonderful. Claire could not imagine how Effy got away with just walking down the hall, especially after she had made all that noise in the dorm walking around. It was then that Claire realized that she couldn't hear Effy shoes clicking on the stone. She must have put a silence charm on them.

That is exactly what Effy had done. She could walk as loudly as she wanted, but the charm covered everything. She puckered her lips, feeling the lipstick was starting to dry out already. Effy walked down the stairs and out the front door. It was easy enough tonight, it seemed that the little Hubbles minions were out and about doing other things. Effy lit her wand as soon as she was far enough away from the castle. She walked the street of Hogsmeade liked she owned the place. She scooted by the Three Broomsticks, ducking just out of sight of the new Ancient Runes Professor. Effy continued on her way and turned the corner and headed straight into the Hog's Head.

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Claire, who had been following Effy this whole time didn't duck in time and that Ancient Runes Professor got a good look at her before she ducked out of sight. Claire pushed herself up against the wall of the nearest building. She watched Effy turn the corner, but she sighed. She looked left and right. Claire really didn't want to get caught. Sher didn't want to rat out Effy who was the reason she was out in the first place. She contemplated going back, but she just had to see what Effy was getting herself into. Claire took a deep breath and put up the hoodie on her sweatshirt, and rounded the corner.

Effy had found a seat at a table somewhere in the middle of the crowd. She figured it was easier to get lost in a sea of faces. She ordered a fire whiskey and downed it, and ordered another. She sat and looked around at all the faces. Claire found it easy to find Effy's face in the crowd, considering it was her face too. She gazed from the window and looked to see what Effy was doing. She was sitting by herself drinking. Claire scrunched up her nose as Effy took the shot like a pro. What was she up too?

[Catherine Woods]

To be truthful, even thought the castle was magical; Hogwarts was a dull place. A very, very dull place indeed. After school hours, unless you were into Quidditch or in the Wizards Chess club then there was just nothing else of interest to do. Catherine, however, was unfortunately into neither hobby and to replace the space of a hobby, she usually wandered around the castle and it's grounds or people watch in Hogsmeade. She had found that once school hours were over, and everybody changed into their normal clothes, shedding their house robes and ties and labels that made them who they were, it also stripped away most of their personality, which meant it was very tedious to try and rile people up.

It was very dull out of uniform.

With that being said, she wasn't in the mood to wander the castle or go anywhere near the Forbidden Forest tonight. She fancied a trip to Hogsmeade. Unsure why she was drawn to the place, but she felt it would be the place to be. After all, she had to trust her instincts, she was a Seer.

Catherine craved something to happen, anything. She figured that if the fun wasn't going to come to her, she was going to have to go to the fun. Smirking as she pulled on her knee-length black woolen coat, she wrapped it around herself and walked brazenly out of the common room and out of one of the side doors. She could of probably gotten away with leaving through the main door, but that was more of a Gryffindor 'bravery' thing to do, and you were more likely than not to get caught. Going through the main door was just stupid, not to mention it caused an awful racket.

The path to Hogsmeade always seemed to take forever on your own, and the night wind was blisteringly cold on her face, lapping at her hair and pushing it behind her. Her arms still wrapped around her, containing what little heat was between her layers, she walked lightly yet brisky down the cobbled path towards the entrance of Hogsmeade. Her eyes locked onto the pub's wooden sign hanging over on the wall and she walked over, pushing the door open silently, the light and heat from the pub pouring out onto the cobbled street. There was a girl peering into the pub and although Catherine could only see the back of her, she scoffed at her before she disappeared inside and the street went back to it's usual silent darkness like before she had disturbed it. The poor girl was probably too young to get away with buying a drink.

The pub had a few of it's usual regulars in that she instantly recognised, propped up at one side of the bar as if they were support beams for the counter. Two older men she recognised as Albert and Franklin who were always jolly under the influence and always seemed to be locked in deep conversation or telling private jokes to one another. She overheard the fatter one blubbering and spitting in concentration as he conversed with the other about a woman who had been crazed and hexing everything in sight. Catherine's eyes moved from them towards the bar as she began to strip her coat from her and hung it on the coat rack in the corner.

"A red currant rum please" she said to the barkeep before turning her head to the side and watching a girl knock back a fire whiskey like she was in desperate need of it. Either that or she was an alcoholic.
"I don't know how you can drink that stuff, it's like drinking cleaning fluid" she said, offering a small smirk to her before accepting her drink and pushing money on the counter in exchange.

[Effy & Claire Wynn]

As usual, the bar was very loud, not by the large amount of people, but by the tongues lose with spirits and such. Effy turned to gaze at an older man sitting amongst his older friends. He had just let out a bellow of laughter and Effy grimaced at the toothless smile he gave her when he noticed her starring. She turned back to her own empty table and caught the eye of the barman as she flicked her hand for another round. He brought the shot over on a wore tray. His own smile was easier for Effy to bear. She grinned back lightly. "Put it on the tab Sam." She said to him and he nodded and walked back behind the bar.

Effy played with the glass in between her fingers, staring at the liquid filled to the top. Careful not to spill any, Effy took the glass to her mouth and let the liquid slip down her throat. The fire water was hot, and she grimaced only a bit. She put the glass on the table and crossed her legs, again surveying the room.

"I don't know how you can drink that stuff, it's like drinking cleaning fluid"

Effy turned toward the voice to see a girl her age pushing money toward Sam that barman, a sweet little drink in her hand. Effy looked at her up and down and sighed. "I don't do the fruit." Effy said before turning back to her table. She looked up to the empty chairs, and realized she would have to turn back toward the girl to get another drink. She turned.

"It gets the job done quick. It goes down easier then you think." Effy said to the girl as she herself took off her jacket revealing her black tank top. "Sit." Effy said as again she waved over to Sam, who knew at this point Effy was changing her taste and brought over a straight tequila on the rocks. Effy didn't play games. "I don't think you are old enough to be unchaperoned." Effy said, even though she herself was only sixteen and one year shy of technically legally being about to have the drink in her hand. "Better come and hide with me." Effy said with a smirk and a wink.

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Claire was outside shivering. She had to duck into the alley for a couple minutes as a girl walking in the bar had scared her. Claire had decided after a few minutes that she could resume her spying. As Claire starred through the window again she could now see Effy talking with the girl who had just walked in. Effy had taken off her coat and it looked as though she meant to stay for a while. A rather violent wind hit Claire in the face. She stepped away from the window and out into the street.

The street was empty, except for a lone street light. Claire paced a few steps left and then right and then left again. "She would be so pissed if I went in there, but what if she can't get back to the castle." Another wind hit Claire and she started walking towards the castle. She stopped. "Damn it." She swore and turned back, opening the door to the bar. The second she walked in, she saw eye flick toward her and she ducked out of sight behind a tall wizard standing and talking. She hoped that Effy hadn't seen her.

"Effy!!" A man yelled toward Claire, whose eyes went wide. He walked over and put his arm around her. "Effy, the last time I saw you was when you got in that fight with Bill here and almost cut off his ear if I hadn't kicked your ass out of here." The man laughed a wheezy laugh and slapped her back. Bill was sitting in the corner, not laughing at the story. She was horrified at the group. Claire looked back to the man standing next her her, as he continued to laugh. What had she gotten herself into.

[Catherine Woods]

The smell of the pub was a mixture of the stale smell of mead and heavy cigar smoke, not to mention the rather grubbier looking customers who propped up the bar as if alcohol was going out of fashion. Cat took another look at the men locked in deep conversation, virtually feeling like one of them had shoved their filthy finger under her nose and waved it to leave it's vile smell lingering under her nostrils. She grimmaced and ran her fingers through her hair to tame the wind-blown mess of brown locks, and it fell somewhat back into place.

Turning back to the girl, she looked down at her now empty glass of firewhiskey which was now being exchanged for a tequila.
"Yeah, I guess you don't" she smirked in reply as the girl confessed she didn't play games.
"I just can't stand the smell of it, possibly because those old baboons reek of it...but then again, they also smell of urine and cabbage" she added with a shrug.

"I suppose if I need a chaparone then you do too. If Hubbles or Vaid come wandering in and find us, at least I won't be the only one in detention" she smirked but snarled as she spoke their names, inwardly cursing 'bloody Hufflepuff scum', picking up her glass and knocking back the raspberry coloured liquid. Another came automatically and she simply rolled the bottom of the glass against the wooden bar top, the condensation dripping onto it and seeping through the bark.

She sighed deeply, rather bored with life in general, awaiting something interesting and partially dangerous to enter her life. It wouldn't be long now for that...
She looked back at the girl and stared for a few seconds, deep in thought.
Sod it.
"Four tequila's" she demanded from the barman. They came and she pushed two over to the girl.
"Bottoms up" she smirked, downing one.