A Partnership to help us Both

Sandra lounged at a table sitting outside a small restaurant on the far side of Knockturn alley. The restaurant itself was horrendous - a dim, filthy thing that made meals out of things Sandra hadn't even known was edible. If not for the fact that it had a seemingly endless supply of 10 year Glenmorangie.

Sandra swirled the scotch in her glass before taking a sip, leaning back, and closing her eyes. Bliss. Her feet were propped up on the table in front of her, right next to the day's issue of the Daily Prophet, which Sandra had been poring over for any mention of the Death Eaters, but alas, no such luck.

For a moment or two, Sandra contemplated the inefficiency of the Ministry. After some thought, she decided it was both a blessing and a curse - but mostly just funny. That was good. Life had few enough sources of amusement.

Glancing at the people scurrying back and forth down the alleyway, Sandra's eyes were drawn to younger looking girl heading her way. She looked familiar, though Sandra couldn't quite put a finger on it. Hogwarts student, maybe?

Piper had been really angry with Renny that morning. Yes, Piper had come in late, but she had not been doing anything bad. Their grandmother had been whining more than necessary and Piper had found the need to go for a walk. And after a summer of heat, she had been releived by the cool night air and decided to stay out longer. She must have lost track of time because she came in about one in the morning. Renny had pinned her down and demanded to smell her breath for alcohol.

Piper had slept after screaming at her sister and now felt the need to commit the crime she had been accused of. She managed to get her sister to apparate her to Diagon Alley and had escaped to Knockturn, figuring she could get away with some harder alcohol there. However, the manager of the restaurant she had picked drove a hard bargain.

"Here's the deal, girlie. You can get a drink if you wait a few tables for me."

"I'll go elsewhere."

"Then I'll find that pretty little sister of yours and let her know what you're up to."

Barmen in Knockturn were stalkers on top of smelly creeps.

So now she was handing drinks out to various occupents, carrying a pitcher of water in the other hand. She began walking towards a woman to ask if she wanted water when she recognized her as a teacher at Hogwarts. She quickly tried to turn away but the barman was standing there, offering her a mug and taking the tray from her hands. She took the mug and the man said, "Good girl. Now drink up before any Aurors catch you."

The sarcasm was unneeded, she felt. But now she was standing here in front of her professor, an alcoholic drink in hand.

What now?

((OoC Note: Sandra got her face changed to help hide herself from the DE/Ministry, as seen by her new PB. Since this thread hinges on Piper and Sandra recognizing each other however, we'll say this happened a few days before said face-change. That good?))

Sandra lifted her eyes from her drink momentarily (a feat that would've shocked even God Almighty, had he chosen to observe this particular moment) to see a young girl heading to her table with some water. Sandra smiled. A few drops of water, while seen by some to be weak, acted as an excellent tool with which to bring out some of the scotch's best flavor. Unfortunately it dulled the "burn" the scotch carried, a feeling she had come to enjoy immensely, but Sandra was sophisticated about her drinking dammit, and she would drink her scotch the proper way, with water, and not like some brainless barbarian.

And then the girl turned around and tried to go the other direction. Perfect. Sandra rolled her eyes and raised a hand, intending to demand to know why she was being ignored, until she realized that her earlier instinct had been correct - the girl was from Hogwarts.

Curious. What was a Hogwarts student doing serving drinks in Knockturn alley? Especially at this bar of all places - surely there were more reputable places for young women of this day and age to work. She didn't look like a dropout, and Sandra decided she didn't look dirty enough to have been thrown out of her house. So what...

Suddenly, the girl was cornered by the creepy bartender, given a mug of something, and told to drink up. Sandra smiled. She was working her way to some alcohol. Tut tut. So young. She looked hesitant though, and Sandra couldn't blame her - aside the scotch, the stuff they served here was horrid.

"Dawson," she drawled, speaking to the bartender. "Please. You're insulting me by feeding her that piss. Do you honestly expect her to drink it?" She made a 'come hither' motion towards the girl, and with a wave of her wand summoned a small glass. "Come here. Sit down. You're going to learn how to Drink today my dear, and yes, that's Drink with a capital D." She poured some of the scotch into the glass and tapped the edge with her wand. "Aguamenti." A few drops of clear water fell from the tip of her wand and into the scotch, which she then handed to the girl. "There we go, a drink for a proper lady. Bottoms up," she said with a smile, downing the scotch still remaining in her glass.

((right, right, right! Yes, that sounds good. Maybe another thing to build a sort of trustworthy relationship between them))

There was an awkward moment as both of them stared at each other, before the professor broke the silence, calling to the barman, seemingly irritated by the fact that the barman had given her a bad drink, rather than appalled he had given her a drink. Piper conceded that as much was expected from anyone who could be found in a bar in Knockturn Alley. Knockturn was not exactly known for righteous and morally upstanding characters.

Piper was even more surprised, however, when the woman waved her over. Piper realized if she did not obey the woman could make her life very difficult- besides she had only helped her out so far and she seemed really interesting. How many ex-professors spent their time in Knockturn Alley, helping students get alcoholic drinks? Not many at all.

Piper nodded and walked forward, sitting across from the woman. She informed Piper that she would be teaching her to drink that day. Piper felt a small smile unfurl on her face and said, “Oh? Goody.” She watched as the woman poured her a drink and then mixed it with some water. Piper reached forward, watching the woman drink before mimicking her.

Piper was actually not a bad kid- she had a bad attitude. She had a bad reputation. She smoked and drank the occasional Firewhiskey- that was the extent of her bad behavior. So the alcohol hurt, did not taste as great as she had expected, and made her want to cough it up. But Piper had great self control and managed to swallow it as though she was used to it. She set down the glass and sat there, before finally coughing, her eyes shining. “Wow, that’s… new.”

"It's an acquired taste, I'll admit," Sandra said, filling her glass again. "You don't drink scotch simply to get drunk m'dear, there are far more effective ways to do that." She smiled slightly to herself. "But if I may offer some advice, drinking simply to get drunk is...rather pitiful."

She chuckled to herself now, looking down into her drink. "That from a former alcoholic. That was why I stepped down from Hogwarts you know. Hogwarts and...other duties." She waved her hand nonchalantly. "My point still stands however. There are several advantages to being sober when everyone around you is throwing up their stomachs, and I'm not taking about not getting vomit in your hair." She smiled again, a large one that showed her teeth. "Though that is a relief, I admit."

She swirled her scotch again and downed it. "And scotch being an acquired taste only makes it more impressive. There are few things in life more personally satisfying than watching someone choke all over something you yourself are enjoying. I'll give you points for not spitting it all over the table." Sandra paused for a moment, thinking, and finally said "What's your name?"