InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Come on! ROCK & ROLL!"

Mandy Brocklehurst (mands) wrote in collision_rp,
@ 2013-04-09 14:57:00

Entry tags:

!april, mandy brucklehurst, roger davies

Characters: Mandy Brocklehurst and Roger Davies
Setting: Diagon Alley
Rating: PG
Content: None
Summary: Some friends time
Status: Incomplete

It was exhausting. Mandy had known from the very beginning that being a healer-in-training was no easy task. She'd been training for nearly three years thus far and each year got more complicated than the last. The first two years were fully in the classroom, and over the past year, and more specifically the last few months she'd slowly been integrated into the ward, trying out the various areas and occasionally touching the patients. Mandy relished the challenges, and the changes that being physically present on wards posed, even if much of it meant running about on errands.

Even so, the last few days, since the carnival, had been particularly challenging. Granted, she wasn't spending nearly as many hours on her feet as some of the healers, and certainly wasn't pulling the amount of overtime that they were, but there was barely a moments rest during her day, and she'd been all over the hospital, across wards as they had attempted to make do with all the of the available resources. Even on the weekends she hadn't really been able to switch off. The house had been full, what with her siblings down form Hogwarts for the holiday, and her parents on holiday, and mandy had barely had a moment's peace.

It was for that reason that she'd decided that she'd needed a break that afternoon. With nowhere else to go, break meant Roger's and Roger's meant take-away. Armed with Chinese, she'd apparated to a secure location not far from his doorstep and walked the short distance up to his place. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently for him to answer, only realising last moment that maybe he wasn't actually alone.

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-10 04:20 pm UTC (link)

Busy was something Roger could relate to on every level.

He was busy with work, busy with life, busy with a ton of things he shouldn’t be busy with. Actually, he kind of made it that way. He needed the distraction; plus, on a particularly good night, he’d manage to squeeze in a few hours of sleep as a reward for his hard effort. Of course those few hours of sleep were always plagued with nightmares and flashbacks, but, hey, when was he ever a bonafide favorite in the Luck department? It was why he’d just continued to do the only thing he could do – busy himself with a bloody load of shit. It didn’t matter if it was paperwork, barhopping, or making plans with a bunch of people he couldn’t care less about – he just needed something to do. It was like he was one of those windup toys, except broken.

Tuesday evening was no different from any other evening. He was home tonight though instead of the Ministry or a seedy club somewhere. Considering the weekend he had, Roger decided it might be in his best interest not to hit the scene for a while. Or at least for a couple of days. He had more important matters in mind, anyway. Like Fleur’s disappearance. After Ginny had come to him for help, he’d been sketching a chart on all the locations the half-Veela had been in the past month or so. Just to see if anything suspicious came up. If he worked his way slowly down to her most recent ventures, he might be able to figure out exactly what had happened to her or, rather, who had happened to her.

He was kicked back on the couch with a bottle of Hennessy when he’d heard the knock at the door. Brows furrowing slightly, he straightened up from his lounge, sending a pile of books toppling over. Roger had somehow created his own little moat right in the middle of the living room. Stacks of volumes surrounded the furniture with a scattering of crumbled up or loose parchment papers blanketing both the couch and the once empty floor. His clean haven had turned into a monstrosity. It’d looked like a tornado had recently swept through and left debris of spell tomes and messy handwriting. Not bothering to pick up the fallen books, Roger gradually rose from his position on the sofa, drawing his wand out from the back pocket of his jeans. Last he’d checked, he hadn’t invited anyone over and no one had contacted him about making a pit stop at his place. He toppled over another pile of the hardcovers casually as he made his way warily toward the entryway. “Come in,” he called out, weapon at the ready, “Door’s unlocked.” Can’t ever be too careful.

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mands
2013-04-10 04:29 pm UTC (link)

Mandy crossed her arms as the answer didn't come right away, and frowned a little as she heard what sounded like something collapsing. She moved for the door and then paused to pull out her wand, it was probably for the best. When she heard him, Mandy relaxed and reached for the door, as she lowered her wand.

"Why's the door unlocked?" Mandy called out as she stepped into his flat, closing the door behind her. As she stepped further into the hall, Mandy frowned, wondering just where he'd gotten to. "In the living room?" She asked, heading in that direction first.

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-10 11:46 pm UTC (link)

At the sound of Mandy’s voice, the previous tension in his body immediately evaporated. Roger tucked his wand back into his pants’ pocket, a slow smile beginning to replace the wariness from before. Kicking over another stack of volumes, he’d dropped back down onto the comfort of his isle, picking up where he’d left off with his Hennessy. “Living room,” he confirmed, tipping the content of the drink into his mouth. “What are we having tonight?”

Considering the state of the world they’d lived in now, it was reasonable for everyone to be on edge. It was just worst for him since it came practically second nature – no thanks to his job. “I don’t like to open the door,” he said simply, resting his head back against the furniture. It also gave him control of a situation if there was a situation. Whatever that situation might be. Plus, what did he possibly have to guard himself against that’d go through the front door. All the threats he knew could just apparate right in. Well, at least they could if he hadn’t placed protection against it. “And I could smell you coming from a mile away. Is that Chinese?”

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mands
2013-04-11 11:04 am UTC (link)

"What in Merlin's name did you do here?" Mandy asked as she stepped into the living room, her eyes scanning the scene. Usually rather impeccable, Mandy couldn't really remember the last time Roger's place had looked this out of order. No wonder he didn't like to open the door, what with the obstacles he'd have to cross. She would probably have said something about an open door policy and the potential for burglars, but then Roger was an Auror, and he couldn't possibly be that naive.

"Should I be offended that I smell?" Mandy asked with a smirk and a shake of her head as she stepped toward him, attempting to avoid the piles of books before making her way to clear a spot for herself. She held up the food. "It is Chinese, got your favourite." She said, as she glanced around, trying to find a place to put the containers. This was going to be a bit more difficult than she thought. "Go get me a drink." She suggested as she finally found some place clear of clutter. "What's with the book hurricane? You should be ashamed of yourself, Ravenclaw."

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-11 02:29 pm UTC (link)

“You should be offended,” he grinned right back at her, “Offended for all the women out there that don’t smell half as great as you do. Modesty is key.” Finishing off the rest of his beverage, Roger parted ways with the couch to go fetch her requested drink, giving her a greeting kiss on the cheek as he passed by. “And what is there to be ashamed of?” He disappeared into the kitchen, continuing to speak (albeit in a slightly louder tone of voice), “It’s like the typical scene you’d walk into for every other Ravenclaw out there. At least I have a telly.”

Returning to the living area, Roger passed over a glass of the cognac before taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. “It’s work,” he explained, glancing down at the mess that once was a coffee table, “I don’t have the luxury to do spring cleaning right now.” With a decisive swipe, he cleared everything up from the tabletop and... onto the floor, satisfaction evident in his smile. “Man, am I starving,” he announced, settling back down on the couch, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Patting the cushion beside him, he nodded toward the spot, inviting her to come join him. “So, what's been going on in Mandy's World?”

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mands
2013-04-11 07:54 pm UTC (link)

"Right, right. I'll try not to show off so much." Mandy retorted with a laugh and a shake of her head. As if anyone would ever be jealous of her for anything. When he got up to get them drinks, she smiled as he kissed her cheek. "The way you're treating the books, Mr. Davies. Not very nice or Ravenclaw-ish" Mandy called back to him in the kitchen, making sure to tsk loudly. "Yes, yes, you know muggle things, We all know that." She added teasing, leaning back a little on the sofa so that she could look out toward him.

When he brought her her glass, she smiled as she accepted it. Usually a lager sort of girl, she'd gotten a bit more used to the harder stuff around Roger, even if it was only on occasion. "It's not that hard, love. You do have a wand." Mandy added with another teasing smile as she sipped her drink. She didn't mind in the least, especially given her room usually had piles of clothing all over, but then teasing was part of their relationship. When he pushed the books onto the floor she laughed and shook her head, but started to partition the food.

"It has been far too long." Mandy agreed as she opened her container and picked up one of the forks. "Mandy's world? Busy, busy. The carnival had us all running all over the place. Mostly settled down now though, which is good, though I did like being involved. What's with you?" Mandy asked as she waived her hand over the room. "And all this? Case?"

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-12 04:06 pm UTC (link)

“I’ll make sure to apologize to each and every one of them afterward,” he replied, taking in all the chaos. Maybe he could have organized it a bit better, but, at this point, he couldn’t really be bothered. Massaging his temple, Roger set the Hennessy down, reaching out for one of the forks. “Considering my parents’ all around the world bar spree, you bet your arse I know about Muggle things. Enough to appreciate some of them, anyway,” he gestured at the television set across the room.

“But, yes,” he answered heavily, picking up a carton of the Chinese food, “case. Missing persons. I’ve been collecting data to map out her route from the past three months.” Peering inside the box, he stabbed his eating utensil inside before slowly leaning back against the couch. “It’s basically consumed the better half of my life, so flicking a wand’s not an option. I need everything in here.” A pause. “Well, almost everything in here. I’m pretty sure I could get rid of Jim.”

A small smile broke across his face, softening his features at the sight of the small black kitten that had waltzed itself straight into the warzone. “Here, buddy,” he called out to it, patting his lap. The feline stopped in its tracks to stare at him for a moment. Then, with the gracefulness only a cat could possess, it turned on its paws and walked away. “Oh, c’mon. It was a joke. Bloody cats. So freakin’ sensitive. He’s lucky he’s cute.” With a shake of his head, he returned his attention to his chow mein, twirling his fork around a few strands. “I’d missed the carnival,” he commented, digging right in, “Mission took me off from Party at Clown Town, but I wish I hadn’t.” His expression grew more solemn as he continued, “No point regretting over something I couldn’t control, but I could have helped.”

Too bad fortune never crossed his path when it was crucial.

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mands
2013-04-13 12:02 am UTC (link)

"Good, thank you." Mandy said trying to look serious before grinning. There was no point trying to pretend as Roger saw quite clearly through her. "I know, show off." Mandy said with a shake of her head. Sometimes she did envy his knowledge, but she was sure that it wasn't the right moment.

"Missing persons? Since when do you do missing persons?" Mady asked with a frown, and why would missing persons require so many books? "How long has she been missing?" Mandy asked, wondering briefly is she knew the person. There was Fleur, who Ginny seemed to be worried about, but surely the Auror office wasn't involved.

Glancing over at the the kitten, Mandy smiled as she spotted it, laughing as he seemed to shy away from Roger. "Awe, Roger, it's not his fault you're so mean. Is it, Jimmy?" Mandy said, cooing at the kitten. When it seemed to ignore her too, Mandy went back to her food, taking a few fork-fulls. "It was probably better that you missed it, Rog. It was such a mess. I'm surprised there weren't more casualties."

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-13 11:02 am UTC (link)

“Almost two weeks now,” he replied bleakly, poking at his noodles disinterestedly, “and never. I don’t do missing persons, but this is kind of…” He hesitated for the briefest of moments, struggling with an unknown decision. Then, he suddenly went on again as if there was never any internal struggling to begin with, saying in a light, yet bitter tone of voice, “It’s special circumstances.”

He didn’t know whether he should tell Mandy about his involvement with the case of Fleur’s disappearance or not. It never felt right to keep things from her, but, at the same time, if his suspicions with Bellatrix Lestrange were true, he didn’t want to endanger her. That was the last thing he’d ever want for his best friend. He wanted to keep her safe which meant the less she knew, the better. Roger was well aware of the fact that she’d be bloody mad at him if he didn’t tell her though, if she found out through someone else.

But he’d rather risk her anger than her safety. “Let’s drop the work talk,” he said decisively, an easy smile sliding into place, “We’ve barely had any time to hang out with each other and I don’t want it to ruin this.” Shoveling another forkful of the chow mein into his mouth, he silently thanked whoever the hell was out there – the goddamn Chinese – for inventing good Chinese food in medium red and white takeout cartons. “Anyone we know injured? I haven’t had the chance to check the casualties list.” Rather, he’d been postponing it.

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mands
2013-04-14 11:26 pm UTC (link)

"It's not Fleur, is it?" Mandy said after a moment as she considered it. Granted, she supposed that there could be a lot of people missing, but the wizarding world was tiny, and she hadn't heard about anyone else missing. Though she still wasn't sure why Roger would be involved, given

"Right, dropping the work thing." Mandy said with a nod before she took another fork-full of her chicken and mushrooms, swallowing before speaking again. "I know, I think sometimes we really don't get enough time together." Mandy said before pausing to take another bite. "No, I think most of our friends escaped well enough. Ginny was in hospital for a bit, but she's out now, and Justin and Megan were out for a bit, but I don't talk to them much."

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-15 11:11 am UTC (link)

That was the downside of having a fellow Ravenclaw as a best friend. Nothing could escape her intuition. Of course, he wasn’t a Ravenclaw just for shows either. Deciding he’d really rather not broach the topic of Fleur’s disappearance and possibly ensure Mandy’s involvement with the entire case, he simply decided to give a half assed answer in which he promptly switched the subject to something much more concerning. “Yeah, I’d heard about her disappearance,” he responded casually, “It’s taking a hard one on Bill. Let’s hope he doesn’t get any brilliant ideas.”

Not that he could blame the bloke. His wife had been kidnapped – or, well, presumably kidnapped. He didn’t have enough evidence to pinpoint it on Lestrange yet. But he was getting close. “Promise me you’ll be careful, alright?” He turned to look at her directly in the eyes, a sudden solemnity falling into place. “I don’t want you getting involved with anything too heavy. No matter what.”

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mands
2013-04-15 03:35 pm UTC (link)

"That's good of you to help." She said with a nod as she picked up more of her food, before frowning slightly at the mention of Bill Weasley. She couldn't really imagine how hard it must be to have one's partner disappear. "Hopefully he won't, but I imagine it isn't easy to think rationally when your wife's missing."

At Roger's next words, Mandy looked up and considered her words before answering. Careful, she could be, but she supposed that she was already very involved with something 'heavy'. First the DA whilst back at Hogwarts and now, the Order, but she couldn't very well have sat back and let it all happen, even if sometimes it really felt like that was what she was doing. Meeting his eyes, she nodded. "I promise to be very careful." Mandy said, leaving out the part about getting involved in anything. She didn't want to lie to Roger, but she wasn't sure he would understand her involvement.

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-16 01:13 am UTC (link)

“Great.”

He didn’t know what he’d do if anything ever happened to Mandy. She was basically the only good thing in his life right now, only person he could trust and depend on. They’d been best friends since Hogwarts and he’d always felt an overwhelming sense of protection over her. If something happened to her, he was pretty damn sure he’d never forgive himself. But, of course, he knew at the same time that he couldn’t control her. She had her own mind, her own beliefs.

He wanted to believe in her words though. If she said she was going to be careful, she was going to be careful and the most he could do was trust that she’d be smart enough to avoid anything too dangerous or life-threatening. Clearing his throat, he allowed the return of a leisure smile, stretching his arm along the top of the couch. “Want to watch a film?” It’d be better if they’d swerved off of the more serious conversation since he just wanted to spend some time with her – do something fun and not have to worry about all the things going on in his life at the moment. “I’ve got snacks in the kitchen.”

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mands
2013-04-16 01:56 pm UTC (link)

"Film sounds lovely." Mandy said with a nod, leaning slightly back against the sofa. Having just finished the last bites of her meal, Mandy shook her head at the offer of snacks, but did place the empty container back on the coffee table.

"No snacks for me, but I will got grab us some more drinks." She said as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Start up the film, and I'll be right back." She said before bouncing off to the kitchen. It might be his flat, but she knew it almost as well as she knew her own, and unlike the telly and players, she knew her way around the kitchen. "Do you want snacks?"

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roadtoinsomnia
2013-04-18 04:59 am UTC (link)

His lips curved upward as she pecked him on the cheek. Watching her head off to the kitchen, he gave a small shake of his head in amusement before he reached over to collect the remote control from the stand beside the couch. He turned the telly on as he mentally went through the list of possible movies they could watch. “Grab me another Hennessy,” he called back toward her, “There are also some crisps in the cabinet.” A pause. “You know what? Bring the sweets too.”

As he switched on the DVD player, Roger decided to settle on either an action or comedy film since it would help lighten up the mood. He was sure they could both use a good laugh or sweep their problems under the rug with a couple of old fashioned “heroes” flick. Considering life liked to be stressful recently, it would be a nice change of pace for once; instead of receiving pressure to do the “right” thing (whatever that was anymore), they could watch other people face and overcome their issues. Or maybe just watch a bunch of idiots make a fool of themselves. “Comedy or action?”

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mands
2013-04-18 02:55 pm UTC (link)

"Okay, Hennessy it is." Mandy said as she went for the fridge first, easily finding the bottle and a glass. "Do you have any lager?" Mandy called back, as she went back to the fridge to fins herself some. "Never mind." She called out having spotted it. Moments later, armed with his glass, her tin and the snacks, Mandy returned to the living room where Roger was fiddling with the telly.

"Comedy, not in the mood to watch people blow up." She said, as she stepped toward him and held out the glass for him to take, before going back to the sofa with her bottle. Using her wand to open it, she took a sip and smiled before leaning against the back of the sofa. "What's it called anyway?"

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