Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Well...not even the plot, really. But whatever.

Recommended Soundtrack: You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse

A/N: Sooo, being attached to both fandoms of Grey's Anatomy and Harry Potter (lately, more so the latter), I thought it would be fun to kind of...combine the two. So, this is NOT A CROSSOVER! I repeat, NO CROSSOVERS IN SIGHT! This is just my HP version of Grey's Anatomy, in a way...if you've seen Grey's, then I'll have you know, this will not be me just writing down transcripts and changing the names. Yes, at first, the plot will be very similar, if not identical, but that's just to get started up. It will take on its own identity soon enough, and I ask you to try not and spoil anything for the first few bits. If you have not seen Grey's...well, then, enjoy!

And after that ridiculously long author's note, without further adieu, I present you...

Prologue

How We Operate

She sighed heavily, letting her body rest against the worn leather seat that had surely held so many filthy bodies before her.

Although the day had been just as any other, she was exhausted from trying to keep up appearances and the constant flow of fake smiles and insincere greetings, and she rather fancied a few shots of straight-up Gremlin's Scotch, which was in actuality just an intensified version of Muggle's tequila.

She sighed again, fiddling with the straps of her navy blue dress, which she'd expertly picked out to set off the shade of her fiery red hair. She wasn't one to dress up every day, or even often, but she did pull it out when she needed to, and she'd chosen this number exactly for that reason.

If given the choice, she'd be in jeans and a jumper. However, the dress code at the mixer she'd just attended was black tie. Why St. Mungo's thought it pertinent to have an alcoholic party so that the new Junior Healers - who would, not so coincidentally be starting the next day - could get to know each other, she had no idea. She was sure that a load of hungover Healers did not a functioning hospital make.

The low, deep base notes of the music thumped through the bar, reverberating throughout her chest and giving her a swimming, floaty feeling that was not at all aided by the four shots she'd just downed in as many minutes, stopping only to wait for the bartender to make his way down the long counter to fill her nearly minuscule glass to the brim.

She tapped her feet to the beat of the music, and chanced a glance around the crowded establishment to make sure that no one who might approach her was nearby - she'd chosen this place for the exact reason that she was almost positive nobody would recognize her here...she was new in town, but you never know who you're going to run into in the wizarding world, especially in London. However, her quick scouring of the thumping bar gave her a momentary view of a gorgeous, dark haired man with flashing green eyes sitting at her 4 o'clock, blatantly staring at her through a set of dorky [and yet incredibly sexy glasses, with a tiny smirk on his face. Her eyes glazed over him instantaneously, trying her hardest not to give him any hints or lead him on in any sort of way that gave him the go-ahead to approach her.

However, despite all outward oozings of disdain and anti-social attitude, the adonis sitting at the dark table in the corner got up and crossed the crowded room to stand next to her, his hand resting firmly yet softly on the back of her chair, careful not to touch her and be too forward.

"Excuse me," he said politely, "Do you have the time?" She noticed that his voice was rough and deep, but not gravelly and grating like many of the wizards that had hit on her in previous times, and this immediately attracted her to him, despite her strongest intentions to spend an evening drinking, alone.

"Uhhh," she said, filling the space it took to check her beautiful, Muggle-made watch that had been a birthday present from her father, a long, long time ago, "About 11:30," she finished with a polite smile that clearly said, 'Back up before I castrate you with a Slicing Charm.'

"So it's July 31st, 2007, 11:30 PM," he said, and she gave him an odd look, "Thanks. I just wanted to remember the exact moment I met you."

Despite herself, she felt herself biting her lip in an attempt to stop the corners of her lips from coming up in a smile.

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PS - This fic is named for the song, 'How We Operate' by Gomez.

What did you think for the prologue? Please review!