It had been an early morning for Augustus. Their match against the Kenmare Kestrals a few days earlier had gone disastrously, losing 70-250 not very far in to the game. Yesterday was a bit of a poor excuse for a day, as a report had been published in the Daily Prophet about the occurences in the match, and the clear loss to the other team.

Augustus' head had been in the clouds all morning. He got up at his family home, pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt as it was relatively warm outside. He threw some cereal down his neck, then apparated to Hogsmeade. He made his way to the Three Broomsticks, greeted the barman with a nod and the request of a strong coffee.

Augustus sat himself at a table, drumming his fingers on the table top nervously. He was meeting with Dominik Wiedman, regarding his actions on the playing field. Normally, Augustus wouldn't berate his players for beating another, as long as he was on the opposite team. In fact, more often than not, he encouraged his players to take their aggression out on the other team. It was more entertaining for the spectators that way, and Augustus only aimed to please.

His eyes flicked to the copy of the Daily Prophet, with a picture on the front of Dominik on his broom, with a furious expression on his face and brandishing his fist at the referee, Samir Banda. Augustus' eyes narrowed in annoyance. It didn't help that the wench Cornelia Crabtree was following him around like a bad smell, waiting for him to give her some juicy gossip that she could report to the readers of her column at the Daily Prophet. That woman really was insufferable. Augustus looked around the pub and towards the windows, making sure that she hadn't followed him here. The coast seemed clear for now, but he assumed it wouldn't be long before she was treading on his feet once more. He picked the paper up, folded it over so that the front page was hidden then set it back down on the table top. He sighed as he watched the door tentively, waiting for his best beater to come through the door full of hell. His normal lopsided grin was replaced with an even more lopsided grimace.

This tended to be the way things were with Dominik - a match would be played, and he would be aggressive. If the match was in the Falcons' favour, everything would be fine. If it didn't, however, there would be a bad review, deeming Dominik unfit for wizarding sport and Augustus a bad coach. Then Augustus would call an emergency meeting with Dominik, and they would talk about what went wrong. Normally, these meetings tended to end with the two of them being drunk at the end of the night, stumbling home and generally being a nusance. This meeting, Augustus was sure, would be no different to those many they had had before.

It was one of those kind of weeks for Dominik.  Literally.  As of midnight on Sunday everything was intensity central, all over the place.  In fact all he wanted to do was hole himself up in his apartment and smear oil paints around so he could have his own Rocio, but the week was scheduled obviously months in advance and he'd had to play.  Not that he minded that, at all really, it was just inevitable that his Saturday night adventure would bear consequences on his performance in the pitch.  He was wound up and if it wasn't art that could channel his feelings, it was outright violence that was called upon for the job.

It was bad enough that Dominik had showed up late to Sunday's press conference, unshaved and rough around the edges.  But the fact that he'd pinned the Kestral's Keeper against the goal post, knocking him off his broom, then followed him out with a bludger traveling fifty odd miles per hour... it was a bit much for his spectator's to swallow.  And the headliner was blaring.  Wiedman Skivving on Second Chance -- he could hardly believe his eyes when he'd seen who had written the article.  Though he supposed Niobe was now in with the anti-Dominik fanclub league of lesbian former lovers, her name in the present context still dug a bit under his skin.

Dominik apparated to a side street in Hogsmeade on Thursday morning, squinting hard against the bright sun upon his arrival.  He made his way round to the Three Broomsticks, sincerely hoping beyond all plausibility that Augustus was the only Wizard round who knew his face.  He was disappointed, straight away, by a mother ushering her youth away from him with a foul and disapproving expression clad on her face.

Sleeplessness evident in his own features, Dominik slunk into the cafe and found his Coach waiting for him.  He took a seat at the table across from Snark and his drumming fingers, ready to be half-arsedly subservient to his three minutes of torture before he'd have a buddy to commiserate with once again.  Although Dominik had a feeling that this foul might have scored him a little over just the usual three minutes.  He ordered a black coffee to follow suit with present company (having to say, "Just get me a bloody coffee, mate," to avoid answering yet another common question by yet another common bloke).  Dominik leaned back with a heavy sigh, rubbing at his sleepless face.  He was so tired of all this attention.  The next person to comment was going to get fitted with a black eye, that was sure.

"Give me some good news," he said, kicking his legs up onto a third chair.

Madam Rosmerta made her way over to Augustus with his mug of coffee perched on a shiny silver tray, along with a small decanter with cream in and a small pot of sugar. Her hips were swaying as she smiled at Augustus. He smiled back but couldn't for the life of him hide his blush. It didn't creep up, so much as stomp up and slap him right on the face. It was just there, a burning, fierce red flame in his cheeks that he couldn't control. He averted his eyes and began to whistle a tune. Not a particular tune. Just a tune he was making up on the spot. God, what an awful tune it was. If the Weird Sisters released that they'd probably get thrown in Azkaban! But at least he was occupying himself, while Madam Rosmerta thrust her - well, rather large cleavage in his face as she put the tray on the table. That was it. His eyes were now focussed on her low neckline, his lower jaw slightly dislodged from the upper. As she turned away, she raised an eyebrow at him, then swayed off in the direction of the bar. Damn - she caught him.

Augustus picked up the teaspoon and started his tirual of spooning three lare heaps of crystal white sugar into his coffee and stirring like mad. He then doused the coffee in cream, until it almost resembled tea in colour. He stirred it, removed the spoon and proceeded to hungrily lick the remnants of coffee, sugar and cream from the spoon before setting it down on the saucer. Just at that moment the bell above the door jingled, and in came Dominik. Augustus furrowed his eyebrows at what he would have considered an 'I-don't-care' swagger. Dominik looked tired and fed-up, just the way he himself was feeling.

Augustus watched as Dominik slumped himself into a chair, and kicked his feet up onto a third chair. Augustus [being the mother that he was] slapped Dominik's right leg, just below the knee. "Get your feet off the chair." he snapped. He looked up to where madam Rosmerta was watching as she dried a glass with a checkered tea towel. "Don't be such an animal!" He said quietly as he took a sip of his hot coffee.

"Give me some good news,"

Augustus almost spat his coffee out. In fact, a little bit dribbled down his chin. He grabbed a napkin and wiped it across his stubble, keeping his eyes lowered. "Good news?" he spat, putting his coffee back down. "Good news? I'll give you good news! It's bloody good news they haven't banned you for bloody life!" He paused and looked around to make sure they weren't causing a scene. A warlock was sat in the corner, hunched over a tankard of mead, and a goblin was sat at the bar, hunched over the bartop drooling on a beermat in his sleep. "How's that for good-bloody-news?" he shook his head and picked up the paper he had folded over only minutes before. "Seen that?" he asked as he shook the paper so that it would unfold itself. "Front page news! And not for a good reason!"