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Tweak says, "A mass of quivering holes"

Hestia V. Jones (healer_jones) wrote in strugglewithin,
@ 2009-01-13 19:55:00

Entry tags:

*complete, cho chang, hestia jones, october 1997, xavier selwyn

RP: There's nothing wrong
Date: October 13 1997, Evening
Characters: Hestia Jones, Cho Chang, Xavier Selwyn, Open (Ping to join!)
Location: The Leaky Cauldron
Status: Public
Summary: Hestia's had a rough weekend.
Completion: Complete

Hestia had been mulling over the issue since she'd gotten involved with Viktor. She wasn't high profile within the Order the way that Remus or any of the Weasleys were, but Hestia knew that sooner or later she'd do something that called suspicious attention to herself. That meant that whoever she was involved with would become a part of the mess Hestia was trying to work out. And that was dangerous. She knew, better than anybody else, that she never functioned well in serious relationships, but she'd been completely unable to resist Viktor. He was too attractive, too charming, and too understanding for his own good, and Hestia had crumbled.

She had actually liked him, she liked spending time with him, unlike most of the men she dated, but Hestia liked him too much to drag him deeper into the politics and conflicts of the country. She blamed herself for his problems with the Ministry, and she wouldn't let Viktor get into trouble if she could help it. So, finally pushing her selfishness and emotions out of the way, she let him go. And now she was miserable. Hestia knew that it was the right thing to do, but she still didn't feel good about her decision.

Work had been enough of a distraction to keep her mind off of her suddenly empty and lonely personal life, but having just finished a long shift at St. Mungo's, Hestia turned to The Leaky to fill her free time. Hestia had the next day off from the hospital, and she was sure she'd feel better once she wasn't able to think quite so clearly.

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misscho
2009-01-13 09:07 pm UTC (link)

Cho slipped into the Leaky from the Muggle side in desperate need of a drink. She had been working in the dusty back rooms behind the main warehouse. She'd been nearly up to her waist in a box of old records when the sound of voices caught her attention.

One of her older cousins had been talking with someone whose voice she did not recognize. That was not so strange. But the things they were talking about, the way they were referring to He Who Must Not Be Named, that was strange. Curious, she had clambered silently up onto a pile of filing cabinets and peaked through the vent into the room.

The stranger was dressed in a heavy black cloak with his hood up. She'd seen robes of that cut before - during a terrifying night when Death Eaters stormed through the Hogwarts. Her blood turned to ice in her veins.

She had to be wrong. Merlin, she had to be wrong.

Angdian could not be a Death Eater sympathizer. He just couldn't.

So, here she was in need of a drink. A big one that might help her make some decision. She knew she had to warn her family if there was even the slightest chance that Angdian was spreading tales. They had done enough by simply getting their dirty blooded employees out of country to draw the wrath of the Death Eaters if ever they knew.

The Leaky was crowded and seating at a premium, so after she got her drink (drinks, really as she had a shot of firewhiskey in one hand and a pint in the other), she approached a woman seated by herself.

"May I join you for a moment? The other empty seats look to be far less quiet."

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healer_jones
2009-01-14 02:47 pm UTC (link)

Hestia looked up from her pint, surprised at the sudden presence of another person. She clearly hadn't had enough to drink yet. "Please do, I guarantee the company's quiet here," she said before she took another sip of her drink.

Hestia just barely caught Tom's attention when he passed by. "I'll have one of those, Tom," she said as she motioned to the other woman's shot. It was too crowded tonight for Hestia's taste, but there weren't many places around like the Leaky, so she dealt with the noise. She was tempted to ask what the other woman was drinking to, just for the sake of conversation, but Hestia didn't want to discuss her own worries, so she held her tongue.

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	misscho 2009-01-14 07:44 pm UTC (link)
	"Thank you," Cho said softly. She settled in the chair and with great resolve, downed the shot in one long drink. After which, she sputtered and coughed and patted at her weeping eyes. (Reply to this) (Parent)

xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 01:19 pm UTC (link)

Strolling into the Leaky, Xavier looked around. From the number of people here, one wouldn't guess that dozens of Mudbloods were now where they should be - in Azkaban. It looked just as crowded as it usually did - not that Xavier came around here often. But he'd been assigned to keep his ears open. There were a distressing number of people not showing up for their trials. They were unsure how the creatures were leaving the country - or where they were hiding - so it'd fallen to him and several others to see what they could discover.

After getting a pint from Tom (though he far preferred firewhiskey, ale seemed to be the drink of choice tonight and he did want to blend), he strolled to an empty table, noticing a rather attractive woman next to him. He favored her with a smile. She looked a bit familiar - where had he seen her?

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 01:54 pm UTC (link)

Hestia was perfectly content with her pint now. Tom had refilled her glass a few times, but the shot glass remained empty next to her ale. The firewhiskey burned pleasantly down her throat at first, but it made her eyes sting unpleasantly and the burn lingered a bit too long for her taste. All in all, she was slightly less aware of the large crowd around her and the buzz of the alcohol was beginning to mute her emotions a bit.

She quietly nursed her drink until another stranger approached her table. He smiled at her, and Hestia quickly returned the gesture despite the uneasy feeling in her stomach. Perhaps that was just the alcohol. The man seemed familiar, but she'd probably just seen him about the hospital, a lot of people came through everyday.

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	xavierselwyn 2009-01-25 02:02 pm UTC (link)
	She wasn't a member of the Ministry - he knew most of them by sight. But she'd been in the Ministry at some point. Well, he could sit here thinking about it all night, or he could ask. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you look terribly familiar. Do you, perhaps, work at the Ministry?" Xavier never had been terribly patient. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

healer_jones
2009-01-25 02:12 pm UTC (link)

Hestia raised an eyebrow at his question. The last time she'd been at the Ministry it had been during Viktor's questioning. When she'd had her little confrontation with Bellatrix Lestrange. Did he work at the Ministry? It gave her something else to think over as she herself worked to place his face.

"No," she answered softly after she took a sip of her drink. He still gave her an uneasy feeling. "You must be mistaking me for somebody else," she said with a shrug as she ran her fingers through her hair.

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xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 02:14 pm UTC (link)

Xavier raised a brow. "Then where do you work? I know you from somewhere, I'm positive - and it's not from school because that was far too long ago for my poor head to recollect," he said, giving her a half-grin.

She seemed quiet and a bit nervous. Was she hiding something then? Steeling himself (because for all he knew, she was a Mudblood), he held out his hand. "Xavier Selwyn, madame."

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 02:22 pm UTC (link)

Hestia didn't really like the way that he questioned her, like he had the authority to do so, but then he assuaged his assertive manner with a bit of a jab at himself. "I work at St. Mungo's, Emergencies and Accidents," Hestia said. "That's probably it, I see a lot of faces in and out of the hospital every day."

She relaxed for a second when he offered his hand, an amicable gesture, but his name sparked recognition. "Hestia Jones," she said as she took his hand briefly. He did work for the Ministry, she knew that much, but she wasn't sure which side of the Ministry he was on.

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xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 02:26 pm UTC (link)

Jones, Jones, not a name from the list of Mudbloods who refused to come forward, which was a relief. Though he wasn't ... wait a tic. She had been in the Ministry - he'd seen her in the MLE when he'd been interviewing. Why she'd been there remained a mystery, though, since he didn't recognize the name from the list of those to be interrogated.

"Yes, I visited a friend in St. Mungo's not long ago. I must have seen you there," he lied, smiling at her and committing her name and face to memory. "So you're a mediwitch then?"

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 02:36 pm UTC (link)

"You never said, but I assume that you work at the Ministry, Xavier?" Hestia asked.

Hestia crossed one leg over the other, mulling over the fact that she'd just given him quite a bit of information about herself. She wondered if he'd been interviewing people when Viktor had been called into the MLE. His name could have gone with that, but he also could have interrogated the Weasleys. Overall, Hestia didn't have a good feeling about this Xavier Selwyn. She was never going to come to the Leaky like this again.

"Yes, I'm a Healer," she said. "I trust that your friend recovered well?" Hestia asked with a bit of a smile.

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xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 03:09 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, I do. Department of Magical Transportation, actually."

It was difficult to figure out what she thinking, and not for the first time, he wished he was better at the art of Occlumency. How Lestrange had perfected it was anyone's guess, given how mad she as, but that was neither here nor there.

"A Healer then," he said, nodding. It would be useful to know a Healer - and St. Mungo's would have already cleared out the undesirables, so she was at least a half-blood. "And yes, he's quite well now."

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 03:36 pm UTC (link)

Hestia nodded at his response, filing that bit of information away for later. She wondered if he was responsible for all of the ridiculous security at the Ministry now. "Transportation? Things like portkeys?" she asked curiously, wondering if he'd elaborate on his position within the department.

"I'm glad that's the case," Hestia said. She nearly made mention of how the hospital was finally beginning to adjust to running on a smaller staff, but she didn't trust this man. "St. Mungo's needs all the support it can get, and former patients can testify to the standard of care we offer."

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xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 04:15 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, Portkeys, Floo, Apparation licensure," he elaborated, watching her closely. "We've got a bit of everything in the department."

Xavier nodded. "I quite agree. Though I've only ever heard good things about St. Mungo's. Well, recently, at least," he said, smirking. "There were a few unfortunate incidents involving experimentation with Muggle methods, but from what I understand, such measures have, wisely, I think, been forbidden."

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 04:46 pm UTC (link)

Hestia had wondered where he fell in the Ministry hierarchy, or even within his own department, but he didn't give her quite what he was looking for.

"There have been a few successes with muggle healing styles in St. Mungo's, but it's more efficient to use magic," Hestia said honestly. She thought that wizards should stick with magic, and muggles to their own means, when it came to healing because the two generally didn't mix well. Hestia caught his inflection over the word muggle, wondering just how far his prejudices might run.

"Do you have a special interest in St. Mungo's, Mr. Selwyn?" Hestia asked, inclining her head toward him. He seemed to know more about the hospital's practices than the average wizard.

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	xavierselwyn 2009-01-25 04:52 pm UTC (link)
	Xavier frowned. "Of course it's more efficient to use magic. Safer, as well. One never can tell how a wizard would react to something so Muggle. It'd be a shame to find out too late that something they do isn't compatible with our bodies." He shook his head, smirking at her. "No, not particularly. I just try to stay abreast of current topics." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

healer_jones
2009-01-25 05:08 pm UTC (link)

"I'm not sure that there are many differences, biologically speaking, between wizards and muggles," Hestia said. She believed that people were people, whether the possessed the gift of magic or not. "But Healers rely on what they've been taught, and they know how to heal with magic."

Hestia nodded her head, wishing that more Ministry policies were so well publicized. She continued to hope that the Ministry would stay out of the dealings at the hospital, there had already been enough intrusion with staff limitations.

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xavierselwyn
2009-01-25 05:16 pm UTC (link)

Xavier's brow rose. "On the contrary, our magic sets us apart from them," he said, eyeing her closely. "Whether those who stole magic have also changed themselves by doing so remains to be seen."

Perhaps he'd suggest an investigation into that - though he really didn't think they'd stolen magic. But they also didn't deserve to have it. They had no sense of history or respect for tradition, and the more of their mad ideas that made it into mainstream wizarding culture, the worse it would be for wizards everywhere.

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healer_jones
2009-01-25 05:34 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, I suppose it does," Hestia said as she finished her last pint. Beginning an argument, especially in her current state, would not be wise, Hestia reminded herself. It was late, she'd spent more time at the bar than she'd originally intended, but she knew that having another drink while Selwyn was still about would be a mistake.

"I believe this will have to be the end of our visit," she said as she pushed her empty glass away. Hestia placed a few coins on the table before giving up her seat. "Good night, Mr. Selwyn," she said with a nod.

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	xavierselwyn 2009-01-25 05:36 pm UTC (link)
	Xavier watched her go. Interesting. He'd have to see what he could find out about that one. (Reply to this) (Parent)