[Hogs Head] Machine Gun

[Nicholas McNiven]

The boss had had McNiven relocated for a while, he was sent to Taiwan for a while on more delicate business to hunt down a few rouge Wizards that had been using the Red Rose League name in a bad way. Safe to say there were a few more body bags then originally planned and McNiven had to lay low in Hong Kong for a while before the long trek home. The Scots man was not fond of travelling but he was being paid very well for this job and anyway it was not like he had anything to keep him there in Scotland anymore. There was no real threat from the Ministry so he was just a murder trying to keep his head low.

So in situations such as that where better to go then the local pub! Drunken fights, verbal abuse and not forgetting the mass amounts of pipe smoking too. It really was the best place to slip away into the background as no one would remember your face. As McNiven pushed open the door of the Hogshead all the memories came flooding back and as his boots hit the wooden floor many heads in the pub turned to look at him, a few of the darker character knew who he was and they nodded their head in his direction, others buried their faces into their drinks letting the Scots man walk up to the bar in peace.

Throwing his bag of coins onto the counter McNiven looked over at the bar man and grinned over at him. “I believe that wee amount should pay off me debut.” His accent was thick and rough making it sound like he needed a drink even faster. “Although a few of these scalies owe me a wee bit of cash…best put my drinks tonight on their tabs.” With a small nod the barman ignored the money bag on the counter and quickly hurried off to fix McNiven a drink, muttering something about it being on the house.

[tirabanges]

She had been home from Amsterdam just a day and already she was in her drunken daze yet again. Stumbling home to the small cramped flat above her shop, in which nowadays seemed to barely ever be open, she collapsed on the bed, barely landing on it before she passed out, leaving the door to the flat wide open, and still in her clothes. This wasn’t a one off situation, it was pretty much the same night after night for Tira Banges. Ever since she was a kid she showed signs of rebellion and even dropped out of Hogwarts to live life how she wanted to.

She had heard it all, all the taunts, how she was a man in drag, how her name sounded like a muggle porn stars alias, and how she was a complete waster and an utter mess. She always retaliated to their pathetic insults, it was in her nature. When questioned of her sex, she would flash her bra and give them a simple statement such as “are these proof enough?” and when teased of her name, she would simply smirk and say “Porn stars have nothing on me mate”. Quite the tom boy, but curvy in all the right places, it wasn’t her body they mistook her for a man, but her quite raspy voice that would give Barry White a run for his money. Of course, Tira could not care less what others thought of her, her life was for her to do with what she will, and she chose to have no holds barred, and live life up to the max as much as she possibly could. Many had compared her to the female James Dean, and once she found out who he was, she didn’t blame them. Tira was more of the sort to be a T-Bird, not a Pink Lady.

Waking up with her face smushed up against the side of the bed, her hair a complete shambles, he opened her eyes slowly at the morning sun and instantly shut them tight once again as she stumbled to get up, realising her boot was half unzipped and twisted. Rubbing her head, she stood up and showered and changed before making her way across the street to her favourite Hogsmeade destination, The Hogs Head.

Pushing open the door, the familiar musky aroma of the pub air, the people, and the bar filled her nose, smiling at the smell, she let the door fall back on itself as she made her way to the bar.
“The usual please mate” she said with a husky voice. Turning her head as she sat next to a bloke who she had seen maybe once or twice at the ministry, she gave a small nod in greeting.
“Ya’lright there, you work at the ministry don’tcha?” she questioned before turning her head to the barman who looked quite scared to be in the man’s presence. Shrugging slightly, she looked back to the man in question and awaited his answer, gratefully accepting her drink off the bartender.

[Nicholas McNiven]

The bar tender nervously placed a collection of glasses down in front of McNiven before scurrying off to the other side of the bar to pretend to be busy with something else. Some people might have taken offence by the young bartender doing such a thing but McNiven, he just laughed. The thought that he scared the living daylights out of some people was just too much for the Scots man and as he picked up his first drink he laughed away to the bottom of his glass, throwing the alcoholic drink back faster then if it was a glass of water.

He was about to start on his second glass when he realised that someone was now standing next to him. Turning his head slightly McNiven checked the woman out…at least he thought it was a woman, before turning back to his drink. However this witch clearly did not want him to have a quiet drink by himself as she started to ask questions, questions that McNiven would rather not answer. He was going to simply walk away when he thought about the last time he ran into a Ministry official in the pub, it had not ended well when he tried to ignore their questions.

“No.” He said bluntly and turned back to his drink, sipping this one slowly letting the bitter taste wash over his taste buds. “I am just there a wee bit sorting out…er…business.”

There would be no point in lying, the advanced spells that the ministry cast in places now could mean he was being monitored, and every word of his being recorded just waiting for him to slip up. But then saying that he did not see why they did not set half the Law Enforcement department on him and kill him there and then…clearly the Ministry had got bored chasing him. After another swig of his drink McNiven thought he would return the favour of her asking a question and for once be slightly sociable.

“What about ye then? Ya have the build of a Official and ya drink like one too.”