"This has to be the best New Year's Eves I've ever had," Hermione Granger remarked as she wandered down the street in Diagon Alley. She shifted the six shipping bags in her hands to make her fingers more comfortable. "I don't think I've ever done this much shopping in one day."
"I'm so glad you let me help you make over your wardrobe," her good friend Ginny Weasley replied. Ginny was likewise weighed down by numerous shopping bags. "I must say, I think it's your best New Year's resolution ever."
"I would never have agreed to it if you hadn't bullied me into it," Hermione grumbled halfheartedly as she maneuvered around a puddle of snowy slush.
"Exactly," Ginny said. "You would still be the poorly-dressed Hermione we've all grown exasperated with. You're seventeen. It's about time you learned to dress stylishly." She smiled. "I'm only doing this because you're my best mate, you know. Come on, what do you say to crashing a party somewhere?"
Hermione gasped and looked at Ginny in shock. "But...but...but..." she sputtered, "We're underage! I only turned seventeen in September and you just had your sixteenth birthday! We wouldn't be allowed to be in a Muggle club!"
Ginny smiled, "Oh, well that is easy to remedy. Don't you remember that Tonks taught us some disguising charms?"
"Ginny, that would be completely wrong of us! Besides," she said, "We don't have any proof of identification."
The youngest Weasley scoffed at this last statement and said, "Hermione, we are witches. Do you really think that we don't know how to conjure some up?" Hermione looked dejectedly at Ginny. She knew perfectly well that nothing was stopping them from going out to celebrate. She would have brought up Ginny's mother, but both of her parents had gone to visit Charlie in Romania for a few days.
Hermione sighed and said, "All right Ginny, you win." The younger girl whooped with joy. "But... there is no way that I'm going to get drunk tonight."
It was almost 10:30 when the girls were walking across Piccadilly Circus to a large club. At a glance, these two fit in perfectly with their surroundings. Ginny's hair was changed into a less vibrant red that was bordering on purple. She had changed her figure a bit and had charmed her eyes to look a catty gold color.
After much berating, Ginny had coerced Hermione into walking on the wilder side tonight and had overseen her transformations. Hermione now had a black pixie cut that was heavily streaked with electric blue and green, and two sparkling amethyst colored eyes. Hermione had questioned Ginny about their appearances, saying that they were too conspicuous, but Ginny had expertly pointed out that in this part of London, they did indeed look normal. Hermione hesitated outside of the dance club as she started to have second thoughts.
"Oh, come on Hermione," Ginny said in an alien voice. "You need to live a little from time to time. Tonight is the perfect opportunity for you to have some pure, unrestrained fun, and I will personally see to it that you enjoy yourself tonight. And who knows," she shrugged, "Maybe you'll find a cute Muggle bloke to dance the night away with..."
Hermione bit her lip, weighing her options, but before she could reach her final verdict, Ginny pulled her towards the bouncer and into the sea of people. At first, Hermione was a bit nervous, but after she saw a few of the stares that some twenty-something gents were giving her, she found herself becoming lost in the pulsating waves of the booming music.
Ginny saw that Hermione was too busy dancing to be bothered with getting a drink. The former redhead sauntered over to the bar and waited for the bartender to make his way over to her. She was about to order a drink when she realized that she knew nothing about Muggle liquor. She had only ever had soothing Butterbeer or burning Fire Whiskey.
She didn't notice that the guy crushed up next to her had been contemplating this girl's extraordinary features and noticed her indecision.
Ginny heard a vaguely familiar voice from beside her say, "The lady will have a Sex on the Beach, and I'll have the same."
Ginny turned to her sudden companion and nearly keeled over in shock.
Blaise Zabini couldn't remember how they had decided to go to a Muggle club this New Year's, but he was starting to think that this wasn't such a bad idea. He saw a tall and slender girl about his age waltz up to the bar. Her stunning features immediately mesmerized Blaise. Her magenta hair was majestically accompanied with tiger like golden eyes. She saw a look of confusion cross over her face when the man behind the counter asked what she wanted. When her silence continued, he realized what she was pondering. He quickly interceded and ordered them each a Sex on the Beach. The beautiful creature turned towards him and an indescribable look flashed across her face but they were immediately replaced by calculating eyes and a slow grin as she looked him over.
Blaise would have to remember to thank Draco for talking him into going here tonight.
"Now isn't that a bit presumptuous of you?" Ginny said silkily. She couldn't figure out why she was toying with this Slytherin. Her first thought was to scoff at him and walk away, but then she thought why should she? He had no clue who she was, and the point of tonight was to have fun and let loose.
"Yes, it is a bit presumptuous if I do say so myself," he said with a sense of pride. "So is that what you want?" Blaise drawled over the music.
"Is what, what I want?"
"Sex on the beach."
Ginny's eyes grew wide and she suddenly burst out into laughter. She could tell that by the look on his face, he hadn't been expecting her to openly laugh at his proposition, but then again, she couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry," said Ginny as she wiped away the tears in her eyes. "It is just that that was one of the corniest lines that I have ever heard, but it was really cute."
He ruefully grinned and then raised his hands as if to say 'I tried'. "So anyway, what is your name?"
She thought about this for a moment. She didn't know if she should keep her own name or not, and then decided against it. "My name is...Violet Stratford."
"Violet?" Blaise asked as the bartender delivered their drinks. "I'm Blaise Zabini."
"Blaise," Ginny repeated, trying not to look as if she were trying to suppress another attack of laughter. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Blaise. So tell me, do you live around here?"
"No, I only came here tonight for the drinks and the dancing." He gave her a suggestive look and a slow, sly, Slytherin smirk. "And, of course, the beautiful ladies."
Ginny laughed. "Don't flatter me," she said, reaching up to finger her magenta hair. "With a hair color like this, I'm probably anything but. Magenta really isn't my best color."
Blaise adopted a mock-hurt expression. "Do you think I'd lie to you?"
"I don't know. Maybe you would. After all, I don't know you. We only met a minute ago."
Blaise offered her his hand. "Well, let me prove myself to you. Would you care to dance?"
Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Hermione was having the time of her life. She'd never been to a place like this before, and she was enjoying every minute of it. The colored lights flashing and swirling around the room, the music blaring in her ears, the press of other dancers on all sides, all of it appealed to her immensely. It was somewhat lonely dancing all by herself, though. She glanced over toward the bar, where she saw Ginny chatting with a black-haired guy. If only she had someone else to dance with, at least for a while.
Speak of the devil...
A pair of masculine hands found their way onto her hips, and someone pressed their body against her back. Hermione couldn't see who it was, but decided that it didn't really matter. Some deity or other (supposing there were any, of course) had heard her wish and granted it, and she wasn't the sort of person to refuse gifts like this.
A strand of pale, silver-blond hair fell into her face as the guy behind her leaned forward to shout into her ear. "What's your name?" he asked, struggling to be heard over the loud music.
Hermione wasn't sure she wanted anyone here to know her name, so she said the first name that popped into her mind. "Rebekah...Nelson," she yelled back. "What's yours?"
"Draco Malfoy," he shouted back. "So do you come here often? Is something the matter?"
Hermione had stopped dancing and turned to look at him. She was suffering from momentary shock. She couldn't believe she was dancing with Draco Malfoy, of all people. She hated him, and he hated her... except, she realized, he didn't have any idea who she was. She shrugged. "No, nothing's wrong," she said. "I just thought I recognized your name, and I was trying to remember where I've heard it."
"Sorry, but I can't help you," Draco said with a shrug. "I don't think we've ever met before." They stood for a few moments in awkward silence before he said, "Say, would you like something to drink?"
"Oh, erm, sure," Hermione said, trying to force herself momentarily out of her I-hate-Malfoy mindset. Draco wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the bar. It took all of Hermione's strength not to shudder when he grabbed her, but she succeeded. What took her even more will power to suppress was the fact that the shiver was not one of disgust or loathing.
"So, Violet, are you from around here?"
"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were asking for an invite, Mr. Zabini," said Ginny slyly.
"Well, let's just say that I wouldn't be against it."
She didn't know whether to be appalled or flattered. "My best mate has a little flat around here, and I have been staying for the holidays. What about you?"
"My father keeps a room reserved at a hotel about half a mile from here."
From the corner of Ginny's eye, she caught a flash of brilliant green and blue hair walking towards them. She almost started to wave Hermione over when she noticed two things: there was no need to because she was already heading in her direction, and because Draco Malfoy was attached to her hip.
"Oh, look. It appears that my friend has found himself some company," said Draco.
For the first time, Hermione noticed where they were headed. She gasped as she saw her best mate having what appeared to be quite an intimate conversation with another devious Slytherin.
At that moment, Ginny locked eyes with her and she saw her eyes bug out from a distance. They both knew that it would take a little finesse to get through this unscathed.