Afflictions Of The Heart

Bourbon and Pain

Ivy's feet dragged as she climbed up the front stairs to her childhood home, the mansion that she always viewed as to large and luxurious. Her normally well kept brown hair a mess from a busy day at St. Mungo's, from being trained to be a healer. Her feet ached, her back ached as she dug her hand into front pocket of her red and white striped nurses apron searching for her key. She sighed heavily as her fingers wrapped around the cold metal of the key. 

She pulled they key from her pocket and pushed it into the keyhole pausing when she her the unmistakable sound of shattering glass from within her house followed by loud slurred yells. She rolled her eyes her Father was drunk and more than likely was trashing the house...... yet again. She tried to mentally prepared herself for what she was about to walk in on.

Her Father picked up on a nasty drinking habit after The Battle Of Hogwarts and after her Mother was inexplicably killed by Voldemort. Emerace, her father, had blindly followed in the unfathomable footsteps of the Dark Lord as a Death Eater. When he refused to follow him to battle at Hogwarts, Voldemort took his wife, Ivy's mother as collateral. He blamed himself for his wife's death and ultimately took his rage out on his daughter. 

Their once pleasant Father Daughter relationship was in complete shambles. Now resulting in him inconspicuously beating her and taking his anger out on her since she so closely resembled her mother. He was no longer her loving Father that she adored so dearly, she was terrified of him.

Ivy reluctantly put the key into the keyhole and turned it preparing herself for the worst knowing what was waiting for her on the other side of the door. She slowly opened the door and quietly crept in hoping she could get inside undetected then retreat quietly to her room to avoid the inevitable fight that was bound to happen. 

The smell of bourbon filled the air of her home, great he was drinking heavily. She sighed and quietly shut the door behind her and slipped her shoes off and placed them on the matt next to the door. 

She hung her sweater on the coat tree of near the door as she heard another loud explosion of glass echoing throughout the house, "FUCKING BITCH" her father slurred in a drunken rage. She flinched as she turned and saw him standing in the doorway a half empty bottle of bourbon clutched in his left hand and him bracing himself against the door frame with his other. 

"IVY! The fuck 'ave you been?" he yelled at her pointing his finger drunkenly in her direction while his other fingers stayed clutched around the neck of the bottle. "Work Father... You know I go to work every day." she said in a quiet voice trying not to give him any excuse to lash out on her. "should 'ave been home...." he slurred. Her eyes rolled at his statement, "You and I both know I can't stay home all day Father." she sighed softly. 

"Well you will be home from now on. I've just sent an owl with your resignation letter, no daughter of mine will be a healer. You will be a housewife and raise a home." His words boomed throughout the house. Her heart sank, "y..you didn't! FATHER WHY!" She cried out. "Gotta raise you better, need to make you a decent housewife if you ever want to marry. Merlin knows you won't get nothing with those looks" he yelled.

A lump was forming in her throat as she held back tears, Keep it together Ivy don't cry in front of him he will lash out, she thought to herself. He drunkenly staggered towards her the liquid in the bottle splashing out and onto the marble floor. "Gonna cry Ivy?" he asked. She was dangerously close to spilling tears, she quickly wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "No.." she lied.

She had worked so hard to get the apprenticeship at St. Mungo's, she had promise and it was something she enjoyed doing. Now it was gone, something she was so happy to do, her escape was gone all at the expense of her drunken excuse of a Father.