tried her best

status: OPEN where: the entrance to Knockturn Alley.

“What in the ever-bleedin’ fuck is this?”

A mother hastily covered the ears of the child she was in the process of shooing away from him as the monolith of billowing red and white fabric, slowly, disarmingly winked down at him, an arm slowly creaking up to wave at the shoppers in the alley and shop fronts it towered over. It’s bushy beard rustled faintly in the bitter winter wind, it’s eerie eyes twinkling behind fake giant rims. On that breeze drifted a squeaky bastardisation of Sleigh Ride sung by a chorus of manically enthusiastic House Elves whose forced cheer was decidedly at odds with the grim tone of the .. well, of the everything. Mundungus was fairly sure that they had just shifted the towering Santa’s boots over the latest bloodstains left behind by Greyback’s pack.

Mundungus knew, deep down in his dark and gloomy bones, that this was Moribund’s doing.

“This is a fucking embarrassment to Knockturn’s name,” he snarled up at it, baring his teeth as the Santa winked back down at him. 

---

Amelia heard the singing just moments before she heard the distinctively loud cursing from Knockturn Alley’s direction, and between the two of them she decided she had to quell her curiosity before she could continue about her day. Rather than continue onward toward the shops of Diagon Alley, she turned at the intersection between the two shopping districts and immediately saw the abomination passing as Santa Claus, house elves singing with forced cheer underneath of him and --

-- was that blood?

Mundungus was easy to spot, as he was the only one openly staring at the thing with disgust, and she made her way over to him to get a closer view of the thing. Anywhere else, it might’ve seemed like a perfectly normal Christmas decoration, but in the middle of Knockturn Alley, the slow wink and the bright red of its jacket made it... concerning, to say in the least. Mundungus seemed to agree, and, deciding to mess with him a bit, Amelia crossed her arms across her chest and tilted her head up to look at it fully.

It wasn’t often that Severus found himself in the pub after work, but it was one of those days were he wanted a bit of space before returning home to his family, who were, at the best of times, overbearing. Can of pop in hand, dark eyes scanned the dingy pub. There were no empty tables for him to skulk off to, and the last thing he wanted was to make small talk with the patrons propping up the bar. Spying a familiar face he quickly made the decision.

“And that is precisely why I’m here.” He stated as he set the can down before taking a sip. “You’re the only one in this place who won’t bother me, Bones.” Surely that would be obvious to even her? He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

---

Well... it could’ve been worse company. Amelia registered who, exactly, was at her side about a moment after snapping at him, but clearly Severus took no offense to the action, so she let herself relax. He was one of the few people who she could tolerate for long periods of time, namely because they could reach one another rather well. She was in a mood, and Severus understood that. Her lips quirked up, and she took a long swig from her glass.