can i borrow a comb? -for Sirona
it’s a slower day at the tavern, quiet to the point where sirona can dawdle behind the counter whilst keeping a weather eye out for any trouble. she prefers it like this, if she’s being honest. though it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of excitement that takes over the three broomsticks at night, and the rowdy atmosphere does offer a unique sense of life, there’s a certain comfort in sharing the space with a few regulars who have come by to relax and unwind.
she’s used to hogwarts students pouring in on the weekends, when they're offered some leeway and an escape from classes. some are seventh years with whom sirona has had the pleasure of becoming acquainted over the years, while others are wide eyed first years drinking their very first butterbeer. they’ve taken to using her humble business as a convenient rendezvous spot, it seems, a fact that its proprietress can appreciate. it’s not just numbers, heads filling the space, though she's not exactly turning down their sickles and galleons either.
a group of three students of different houses proudly wear their quidditch robes in outspoken protest against the headmaster’s decision and quietly plot a mutiny against the school faculty. two gryffindors think they’re safe to snog in the corner for at least an hour straight. it all reminds her of her own schoolgirl days, of feeling that same pull toward whatever was OUTSIDE of those castle walls. but she stops before she becomes too sentimental, before she can fully lose herself to the nostalgia. as rosy and beautiful those years feel now, she's happy where she is, and there are patrons to attend to.
“ of course, dear. ”
she takes a brief moment to put aside her rag, wiping her hands off on the front of her apron before she is shuffling through the contents of the shelf unit behind her. deft fingers push aside quills, ink, scraps of paper she doesn’t have the heart to toss in the bin. it doesn’t take her long to locate the wooden comb she keeps behind the bar just in case, which she hands over shortly. “ i haven’t seen you around in a while. not getting into trouble, are we ? ”