AN: This is my new series, though I warn you that after the first couple of updates, updates will become rather irregular. I promise I'll do my best to see this through, though.

It is set in the same universe as all my other Harry Potter stories, except Broken Wings, but no knowledge of them is required. In particular, it will refer to Lessons.

'Sis, sis!'

Padma turns around, but Parvati speaks again before she can.

'Come Muggle clubbing with me and Lav tonight? Please? To celebrate you finishing your Healer training?'

Padma sighs internally.

She doesn't want to go. She doesn't like loud places. She doesn't like crowded places. She doesn't like dancing very much, and dislikes what passes for 'dancing' in Muggle clubs even less. She doesn't drink alcohol. She loathes wearing the 'clothes' that one wears for such an activity.

It's a Saturday night, only a handful of days after she'd qualified as a Healer.

She would much rather spend tonight in much the same way as she'd spent last night. (Terry had left work at the Ministry on time, a rare occurrence, they'd packed a simple picnic, and gone to a quiet Muggle park to eat, star-gaze and talk, as a celebration of her graduation.)

If it was just about what she wanted, she'd like to have a sedate dinner with Terry tonight, and discuss the latest anti-prejudice education reforms, an interesting article on Muggle-Magical complimentary medicine she'd read this morning and his latest spell-inventing project.

But it wasn't just about what she wanted. It wasn't just about her.

In fact, it was really more about what Parvati and Lavender wanted, it was really more about them.

It was a little over three years after the War, and both Parvati and Lavender still attended weekly sessions with a Mind-Healer.

Lavender had been attacked by Greyback, resulting in terrible scarring to her body. But that scarring had also left her with equally, if not more, horrible mental scars.

Parvati had suffered as they all had during the War, but she'd also had to see her best friend ripped apart, lying deathly still, and deal with the mental wounds of the man she loved. She'd had to hold Lavender and Dean together when they couldn't. In the end, Parvati had needed the Mind-Healer almost as much as they had.

The first two years had been really, really bad.

Of late, they were getting better.

(Padma reckons that Parvati quitting her job as an Auror to start a robe shop three months ago really helped.)

The two giggly, gossipy girly-girls that Parvati and Lavender had once been were gone forever.

But, two social butterflies of young women, who were inordinately fond of clothing and jewellery and Witch Weekly were emerging.

Oh, they had their bad days.

Everyone who'd lived through the War had their bad days.

But things were looking up.

In the last few months, Lavender and Parvati had taken up Muggle clubbing. They were so young still, barely into their twenties, so it was very natural, and very good, that they wanted to experience such things. And it was so much easier to go out into the Muggle world; they didn't have to see reminders of the War everywhere, didn't have to be mobbed and recognised. They didn't have to put up with the looks, the stares, the whispers.

Besides, Muggle clubbing was much more fun than visiting Wizarding bars, or so Padma had been told.

The Mind-Healer had told her that it was important to encourage Parvati and Lavender in this endeavour. It was important to their recovery, she'd said, and Padma's own knowledge and training backed that up.

Thus, she'd found herself in Muggle clubs a handful of times in the last few months.

And tonight will be no different.

She smiles.

'Okay, Vati.'

'Oh, come on, sis, you can't possibly wear that!'

Padma looks down at her dark blue, knee length, short-sleeved dress, tights and black flats.

Yes, yes I can.

Lavender shakes her head.

'Absolutely not, Pad! You're twenty-one and fit! You should dress like it sometimes!'

And she waves her wand, and Padma watches as her dress's hem goes up to mid-thigh, the sleeves are replaced with straps, her tights vanish, and her sensible flats are replaced with sky-high heels.

Padma grimaces.

I'll go for their sakes, I'll do a lot for their sakes, but this might just cross the line...

Lavender grins.

'Oh, come on! It's not that bad at all! If I didn't have a few things to hide, I'd go for something even more daring! Don't tell me you never dress like this!'

She takes one look at the expression on Padma's face.

'Seriously? Not even for Terry?'

Padma blushes.

Terry happens to be rather fond of the original version of this dress...

Parvati snorts.

'It's my sis we're talking about, Vati. She's a lost cause.'

A slow, almost-wolfish, smile slides across Lavender's face.

'Oh, I don't know about that...'

And then they attack her with lipstick and blush and mascara and goodness knows what else.

It's not the first time this has happened, not at all. It's a repeat of what happens every time before they go out clubbing, a little series of events that's become like a ritual.

Padma hates the makeup and the clothing and the noise and the dancing and the alcohol and the being hit on by men.

In short, she hates going Muggle clubbing.

She doesn't like it when Parvati tries to drag her out on the dance floor to dance with some young Muggle.

('I have a boyfriend, Vati! As a matter of fact, you and Lavender are not unattached, either! What about Dean and Seamus?' Parvati rolls her eyes. 'We're not even flirting with other guys, it's just dancing! And yes, we love them and are faithful to them and all that, sis. Besides, they know we're here, and they understand...')

But it's all worth it when she sees Parvati laugh and grin, her eyes full of happiness as she dances.

It's all worth it when she literally sees Lavender's self-confidence rise as she catches the eyes of men in the form-fitting bodysuit she's taken to wearing when they go out like this.

(It hides the scars, and shows off her figure. It's perfect, Lavender says.)

It's all worth it to see them living as, acting like, being the two young women they should've been, even if it's just for a few hours.

It's worth it.