Practice Makes Perfect ((Tiernan))

[Merrick Marr]

Another boring day…very boring day. There was nothing wrong with the holiday break, not in theory at least. It had its good points, high points on the scale to be exact. There were drinks, magic, and games. It was a regular old holiday at the Marr manor. Every holiday was the same…the party, the dresses, the blurring of figures moving one by one or together past him, sometimes twirling in blurs. Or maybe the blurs only came after the drinks. The Marr’s threw a notorious holiday party every year…this year it was yet again a boring affair and yet again Merrick had invited Tiernan McCoy there as well. Tiernan was a Slytherin, just a year beneath him and as far as Merrick would say, he was his…best friends, even though Merrick has probably never mentioned those words to him.

The winter break didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. All Merrick really had on his mind was Quidditch and graduating. He already had an audition set up with the Irish National Team as soon as he was finished with school…not his rule, but his fathers. William was making sure his son was well educated before joining a Quidditch team…even if it was his dream to see his son do so. This meant there was little room for mistake. He would have to graduate with high honors and make the Marr family proud before being allowed to spend his time trying out for Quidditch teams. It was a fool hardy request to try to get away from having to graduate…he had already tried more than once to schedule a meeting with different national teams, but his father had been quick to thwart him. As he sat there, facing the door beside Tiernan, Merrick wondered if his friend was also considering Quidditch as a career or if he would follow in his father’s footsteps. Whatever he chose…it would be a surprise to Merrick, of that he was sure.

A figure bolted across the main double door as the music from below crescendoed. The Marr house was full of life…too much life if you were to ask a few of the residents within the large manor. In fact the two sitting in front of that door were two such residents. The constant sound of padding feet down the hallway had created both men to find a way to “quiet” the world around them. It was not the most suitable of ways to be going about making sure the world was at peace, but it seemed to be the most effective at the time. So the two decided to make the house a bit more peaceful in their own ways, even if it wouldn’t quiet the noise from the party below. Another figure darted past the door, the sound of laughter reaching Merrick’s ears.

“You got him?” Merrick asked just before the figure darted back across the double doors. He flicked his wrist at the door and suddenly the figure stopped in mid motion. Merrick smirked as he brought his hand up, his face turning toward one of his 14 year old cousins. His wand was held loosely in the hand he had flicked at the doorway and he was still pointing it at his cousin. “Which one haven’t we tried yet? Something that won’t leave too many marks…you know Aunt Kara hates it when it scars.” His eyes flickered to Tiernan briefly before he flicked his wand again and Daniel, his cousin, careened to the floor. “Better start running again, we need to practice.”

[Tiernan McCoy S7]

He had to resist the urge. He skin tingled in that particular way when it wanted your attention. Tiernan refused to give in. He would not scratch. Although it was just Merrick and he had seen Tiernan scratch his scar many a time, Tiernan was trying to be on his best behavior. They were at the Marr's trying their best to suffer through a exhausting party. Tiernan's scar was placed in a less then desirable location and he had caught many stray eyes look at him when he went to relieve the itch. Although he wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just scratching himself. A normal thing to do. But some of the glares he received... He had received the scar when the Healers decided to save him instead of his mother. It wasn't his fault that the scar was where it was.

Tiernan sat with his friend Merrick on Merrick's bed. Tiernan called Merrick his friend but never to his face. They just were. Why did someone have to put a label on it? Tiernan held a glass with some kind of red wine in it. One of the many many guests had brought it with them and the boys had decided to take it upstairs with them. No one would miss it downstairs. Probably no one would miss them either. After downing his third glass, Tiernan could feel the alcohol affecting him. Still he tried his best to keep it together. He would never hear the end of it if Merrick knew he was tipsy and/or drunk off of wine. He looked at his best friend who looked absolutely bored. Who could blame him? His family was making him stay in for the evening but it was not an event that interested the seventh year.

Merrick's double door was open so that if his father did decide to look for him, he could be found. That also meant that the boys could hear the noise travelling up the stairs from the party. Since they were not going to try and have fun with the so-called adults, they would have to make their own fun. Fortunately Merrick had many cousins. As one passed the doorway Merrick used his wand to stop him and hold him in mid-air.

“Which one haven’t we tried yet? Something that won’t leave too many marks…you know Aunt Kara hates it when it scars.”

Tiernan pointed his wand at the young boy and with a flick and a swish sent a hex. The sixth years had been learning non-verbal spells this year and Tiernan wanted to master it. He had turned seventeen before the start of the his sixth year and so he had been able to practice spells all holiday. The skin of the young boy began to grow dark spots but they didn't get very dark and didn't do what he wanted them to. He had hoped that they would grow into boils and explode so that the boy would be covered in his own puss but to no avail. Tiernan either needed to stop drinking for the night or work on his non-verbal spells. Frustrated, he spoke the incantation for a stinging hex and nodded to Merrick for the boy's release.

As soon as Daniel hit the floor he got up and ran away crying. Another boy came looking first after the crying Daniel and then over at the two older boys. Tiernan lifted the boy into the air with a swish of his wand and held him there to return the favor. "I can't get the hang of non-verbal spells. And these buggers aren't helping."

[Merrick Marr]

Merrick took another gulp of the wine…making a face at it. He couldn’t stand the sweet taste of wine. It was like trying to drink pure sugar. “How can you drink this crap?” he groaned as he glanced over at Tiernan. His eyes didn’t linger long on his friend as his attention was torn back to the door and the boils that began to appear on his younger cousin. The smirk came quickly on his face before he let his cousin go, the crying sound of his voice carrying down the hall, before Bryant stuck his head in to see what all the commotion was about. This time Tiernan lifted the boy into the air and Merrick flicked his wand at him, using the same non-verbal spell as Tiernan, but with more success as the boils exploded covering him in pus.

Merrick laughed in glee as he smirked at Tiernan. “Just have to shout them in your mind…just pretend that you’re saying it out loud, visualize it and everything. That’s what I do.” Merrick grinned in triumph as he drained his glass of wine. He pulled up quickly from the bed at that and moved to his dresser. He tapped the third drawer twice with his wand before opening it, revealing a nice stash of whiskey and other liquors. Fingers wrapped around the bottle of whiskey and he brought it out with a broad smile on his face tossing it to Tiernan. “This will taste so much better than Aunt Kara’s wine. She always did love that stuff too much for her own good…at least the whiskey will help drain the taste from our mouths.”

Just as Merrick suspected he heard a sound just outside his door and moved quick enough to grab the arm of one of his cousins and pull them into his room before they could run off to tell his father as they so liked to do when they caught him doing something his father didn’t approve of. Bernard stood in the room silently…one of his older cousins who attended Durmstrang. He was 14 years old and Merrick hinted at the jealousy that ran through him at Merrick being the favorite and oldest of the Marr family. Of course it was going to be that way when you were the last one with the Marr name. His cousins though still in his bloodline held a different last name, as their mother was the one that connected them to the Marr family tree. It made Merrick’s life all the more enjoyable, knowing he was the one to carry on such an important and upstanding name.

Merrick twisted his arm up and around his back, causing the younger kid to cry out. Anytime he moved to get out of the hold it applied pain to his pressure point in his forearm, causing another sharp cry. “Tell my father and you’re going to be wishing I’d broken your arm,” Merrick hissed in a dark voice before smirking over at Tiernan. “Have anything to add Tier?”

[Tiernan McCoy S7]

"Booze is booze," he stated simply in response to Merrick's question. He wasn't fond of the taste but he wasn't really fond of the taste of hard liquor either. What McCoy was interested in was the alcohol. If something could get him drunk he liked it. Even if it was a 'girly' drink. It still got you wasted the same as the 'real' thing. Still holding the boy with his wand, he finished the last of his drink. He watched with envy as Merrick completed the spell that he had been trying. Just like Merrick, to show him up. "Thanks Professor Flitwick," he said with a smile in a sarcastic way. He realeased the boy as he went crying off somewhere, his puss getting all over the floor. McCoy watched as his friend opened a drawer and his stash of liquor revealed itself. McCoy caught the bottle tossed at him, pulled the cork, and was about to raise it to his lips when they heard something.

"Hello Bernard." This wasn't the first time that the two had to 'deal' with Merrick's younger cousin. He was always trying to get the two in trouble somehow. Something about blood and family names that McCoy really didn't care about and Merrick really hadn't tried to explain. "I had always thought that they hated yellow livered weasels in Durmstrang. But I guess they let you in. Shows you what I know." He poured some whiskey into his glass. "Let him go Merr. I've always wanted to try the Cruxis curse." The sides of his mouth curled into a smile. Bernard's eyes went wide with fear. "I know what you're thinking. That's unforgivable. Merrick," he looked at the older Slytherin innocently, "Would you forgive me?"

[Merrick Marr]

Merrick laughed at his friend’s reference to Flitwick. It wasn’t uncommon for Merrick to show up Tiernan in his Charms work. Merrick was, after all, one of the best in his year at it. There were a few more charming opponents among the Ravenclaws, but if there was one subject Merrick just got, it was Charms. It was his best subject and very entertaining for him. Wasn’t his fault it came naturally to him, unlike it did to Tiernan. Maybe his friend would get the hang of it sooner or later, but non-verbal spells really were difficult, that’s why they weren’t taught until the beginning of the 6th year and not perfected until the 7th year. That was more than likely one of the reasons why Merrick was better at it than Tiernan. Sooner or later Tiernan would probably figure it out and start showing him up, but until that day Merrick still had the upper hand in their friendship.

Speaking of upper hand, Merrick thought to himself as he twisted Bernard’s hand a little more. He was smirking hard at Tiernan, just waiting for something brilliant to come to mind, some new form of torture that would get them both laughing. Merrick’s lips curled up into a cruel smile as he heard Tiernan’s words. “Oh yes Tier, I would forgive you for getting this weasel out of my hair,” Merrick laughed as he released Bernard and watched the kid bolt for the door. Merrick quickly pulled his wand out and slammed the door shut with a flick of his wand. “You dare speak to my father about any of this and you won’t just have one unforgivable spell cast your way, but two.” Merrick flicked the door back open and Bernard rushed out of it. Merrick burst into laughter as soon as he shut the door, his eyes turning on to Tier. “Next time man, I won’t let him get away. The look on his face though was just too priceless. So…anyway, where were we?”

Merrick glanced around the room quickly before landing on the open alcohol drawer. “Right, alcohol,” he said more to himself as he headed back over. “What did you say you wanted Tier? Booze is booze right?” Merrick grabbed out a bottle of vodka and tossed it to Tier who he knew would catch it as he always did when Merrick threw stuff in his direction. “Anything else you want before we head back down to my father’s party. I think we have enough booze to get through the next few hours before needing to come back up here for more.”