𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 // hp [1]

stressed out

Herm-own-ninny's POV

(Flashback)

My heels clicked on the pavement as I walked to The Three Broomsticks. I approached the double doors with a sigh, and pushed them open to reveal a homey bar with many intoxicated customers. I made a beeline to the last open seat at the bar, and waved to the bartender.

The bartender, Ellie, arrived a few minutes later. She was a close friend of mine, since she was in the same year as me, but in Ravenclaw. She was Madame Rosmerta's daughter, so she took up the post of bartender when her mother retired a few years ago.

"Hey, Mione! What can I get ya?" Ellie smiled.

"A load of Firewhisky, please," I droned out, tapping my fingernails on the wooden bar.

"Oh lord. What happened?" She frowned, looking at me in my melancholy state.

"Jaxon and I broke up," I said, and a tear rolled down my cheek.

"What did he do? I will personally murder him if he hurt you, Hermione," El exclaimed, pouring Firewhisky into a glass.

"He cheated on me with Lavender Brown."

"What a turdface. She's always given me bad vibes," Ellie sighed, handing me the glass.

I took a sip, and my throat immediately burned. "Whew! That's way stronger then I remember!" I cried, Firewhisky dribbling down my chin.

"Yeah, Firewhisky's not for the faint of heart," Ellie smiled, but she looked over when some guys started calling for her.

"Hey, sweetheart, we aren't getting any younger over here. Are you gonna serve us or not?" The beefiest of them yelled, and the rest laughed. Some of the guys looked familiar, but I couldn't get a good enough look.

"See you later, 'Mione. Duty calls," Ellie rolled her eyes as she approached the rude customers.

I drank my firewhisky in silence as I continued to tap my fingernails on the wood. I was there for about a half hour before one of the men came up to me.

"Hey, you're hot. Do you want..." He looked at me in surprise for a moment, then laughed. "Why, isn't it Granger? The bookworm with the effed-up teeth!" He chuckled, and something about his laugh rung a bell. I studied his features for a moment, then recognized him with a gasp.

"Blaise Zabini. I almost didn't recognize you, you know, puberty definitely did you dirty," I smirked, and watched as his face contorted into a smile.

"I could say the same about you," he commented, taking a sip of his drink.

"Sure you could, seeing as you just called me hot," I laughed.

We talked for a couple more minutes until one of his friends came up to us, and I recognized him immediately.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise. The beaver drinking Firewhisky," he commented, and my face instantly hardened.

"Malfoy. Fancy seeing you here," I said sarcastically, locking his grey eyes with my own.

"Well, I couldn't say the same about you. You're quite a nuisance," he smirked.

"I'm the nuisance? What about you? You're the most foul git to roam the earth!" I yelled, taking another sip of my liquid courage. I was beginning to feel a little tipsy, and my vision became blurry.

"Yeah, alright. You're one of the most annoying people I've ever met, save for 'The Boy who Won't Die' and 'The Redheaded Beast'," Malfoy said.