Prologue
Monday, September 1, 1997
London, England
King's Cross Station
10:45am
It had been three weeks since she'd left home, three weeks since she'd last seen her family. Three weeks since she'd learned the truth. She'd been living on the streets for the past three weeks, eating what she could, when she could, which wasn't much and spending the days in a library in Muggle London, a book on the table in front of her while she tried to get some sleep, making it look as if she'd simply fallen asleep while studying. The nights were spent wandering the streets of Muggle London. When she'd run from the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, she knew the first place anybody would look, if they even cared enough to bother, was Diagon Alley. The likelihood of coming across anyone she knew or who knew her was far lower in Muggle London than in the Wizarding World, hence her choosing to avoid the Wizarding World altogether.
She'd been on her way to the library when her feet decided to take her on a different path. She didn't know what led her to come here, nor why she made her way inside, she just found herself standing in the shadows, hiding behind a pillar in King's Cross station as she watched family upon family, including her own as well as her brother's friends, make their way through the station and through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾.
As the clock chimed eleven, she sighed and slowly made her way out of the station, knowing that the Hogwarts Express had already left the station and everyone's parents would be making their way home. She knew that leaving had been the right decision when she'd watched her family walk by where she had been hiding, never once hearing her name mentioned. Just because it had been the right decision didn't mean it didn't hurt. It was then and there that she realized what she needed to do in order to survive on her own. She needed to be as cold and clear as water, she needed to show them that they couldn't hurt her, not anymore, and in order to do that, to not hurt, she needed to stop feeling. You couldn't hurt if you couldn't feel.
She had walked by the building everyday for the past three weeks, never really giving it or the sign on the door much thought, at least not until this morning. She was tired and hungry and she knew that if she was serious about wanting to survive then she needed to do something about it. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and pushed the door open, stepping through and into the building. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dimness inside but once they had, she was not quite prepared for what she saw. There were a few men scattered around the room, being waited upon by scantily clad, rather well endowed women. As she made her way across the room towards the bar, she heard what she could only assume was a woman's moan coming from a shadow clad booth in the corner.
"Make a wrong turn Miss?" asked the man behind the bar gruffly. He was about six feet tall with piercing blue eyes, dark brown hair and all muscle.
"I'd like to speak to the manager please," Ginny said, hoping her nervousness didn't come through in her voice.
"What do you want to see him for?" You want a job or something?" laughed the bartender.
"Actually I do," Ginny said. "I saw the sign on the door and I thought…"
"Thought what, that you could get a job here with that scrawny figure of yours. To get a job here Missy you gotta look like that," he sneered as he indicated a waitress that walked by, the same girl Ginny had noticed on her way in. "Why don't you just run along home now and be a good little girl and go work in some bookstore or something."
"But you don't understand. I don't have a home to go back to," Ginny argued.
"Of course you do Sweetheart. A nice wholesome girl like you always has a home to go to. Now go on and get out of here before I call the cops."
"But sir, you don't understand. I need this job," Ginny pleaded.
"Sure, whatever you say Sweetheart," the bartender said as he signalled the bouncer.
"Wait! Please," Ginny cried as the bouncer came up behind her and forcefully grabbed her arm.
"Let's go Miss," the bouncer said who was a large black man who probably weighed twice what Ginny did, most of that weight being muscle.
"Let go of me," Ginny ordered as she struggled to free herself from the bouncer's hold.
"You heard the young lady Peterson, let go of her," ordered a voice from the far corner of the bar.
"Of course, Mr. Carrows," the bouncer replied, doing as he was instructed as the man that had spoken made his way towards where Ginny and the bouncer were standing.
"I'm terribly sorry Miss…"
It took Ginny a split second to realize that giving her real name to these people might not be the wisest or safest of things to do. "Kensington," she said. "Fyre Kensington."
"Fyre eh? Interesting name. You certainly seem to live up to it, at least from the little I've seen of you so far," he said as he finally stepped into the light enough for Ginny to get a look at him. The man before her stood about six foot five with a trim, yet fit physique judging by the clothing he was wearing, he had high cheekbones under a pair of green eyes and his short sandy brown hair had a light wave to it. "My name is Simon Carrows. I'm the manager slash owner of The Hidden Pearl. How can I help you?"
"I need a job and I saw the sign on your door," Ginny said.
"Well then, why don't you come with me and we'll talk," Simon said, holding his hand out to indicate Ginny should precede him. "Now then Miss…Kensington, was it?" he began as he led Ginny into his office, closing the door behind them, allowing the locks and wards to fall silently into place immediately as the door closed. "How can I help you?"
"As I said out there, I need a job," Ginny said.
"And you want to work here," Simon said.
"Mr. Carrows, I will do just about anything. I really need a job. I've been on the streets for three weeks and I've barely eaten or slept the entire time. The last time I've eaten anything recently was I think three days ago. I just…I really really need a job and as I said, I'll do just about anything at this point if it means I can have a roof over my head and food to eat," Ginny said.
"Anything?"
"Yes Mr. Carrows, anything."
"Then strip," Simon instructed.
"Excuse me?" asked Ginny in shock.
"Remove. Your. Clothes," Simon told her. When Ginny still made no move to do as he said, Simon pushed up off the desk he had been leaning on and started for the door. "Good day, Miss Kensington."
"Wait! Please," Ginny pleaded.
Simon stopped feet from the door when he heard Ginny call out, turning to look at her, one eyebrow raised expectantly. "I'm waiting Miss Kensington."
Slowly Ginny started to remove her jacket, letting it drop to the floor at her feet as she toed her shoes off. When her arms were free of her jacket, she lifted her sweater up over her head. Once free of her sweater, Ginny hesitated for a split second before undoing her jeans and pulling them off her legs, making sure to remove her socks in the process. Dropping her jeans into the pile with the rest of her clothes, she turned her attention to her blouse, fumbling with her buttons somewhat as she tried to control her trembling. She dropped her arms to her sides, her hands balled into fists as she fought the overwhelming urge to try to cover herself after she had added her blouse to her pile of clothes.
"All of it Miss Kensington. The camisole and panties as well," Simon instructed.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny crossed her arms over her stomach and took a hold of her camisole hem in both hands and slowly pulled it up over her head, dropping it onto the pile of clothes at her feet before slipping her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and pulling them down her legs and adding them to the pile as well. As she stood back up she could not stop herself from wrapping her arms around her waist protectively.
Simon stood there taking in the now naked young woman before him. /-/Nice long, shapely legs, despite her rather short stature, slender waist, breasts are on the too small side but that can be fixed easily enough,/-/ he thought to himself as he stood for a few minutes looking Ginny over before starting to circle her. "How old are you, Miss Kensington?"
"Si-sixteen," replied Ginny nervously.
"Sixteen," Simon mused as he stepped in front of Ginny, leaning back against his desk once more. "You seem quite a bit younger than sixteen Miss Kensington."
"I'm sixteen," Ginny snapped. "I turned sixteen three weeks ago."
"I see," Simon said as he leant over and carefully picked up Ginny's discarded camisole off the pile of clothes on the floor. "It is my belief Miss Kensington that you can tell a lot about a woman by her choice of undergarments," he said as he straightened up. "This camisole top of yours for instance. You say you are sixteen, you even have the body of a sixteen-year-old young woman and yet you are not wearing a proper bra to support your breasts, instead you are wearing this," he said as he held out the camisole and let it hang from his fingers, "the undergarment choice of a young child, and one that looks like you've probably been wearing it for the better part of the last five years or so if the mending and holes are to be considered. This tells me you are a young woman who has been repressed by her family for years; a young woman who is not being allowed to grow. A young woman who may have made a mistake as a child and who is being punished for it by harsh restrictions, restrictions to try to keep you the child you were before your mistake, not the woman this mistake will turn you into. The choice of colour is also very telling. Tell me, Miss Kensington, are you a virgin? Are you untouched by man?"
"I…I…"
"Tell me truly, Miss Kensington," Simon instructed. "Is your maidenhood still intact?"
"Yes," Ginny replied, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that, Miss Kensington," Simon pressed. "Are you a virgin?"
"Yes," Ginny said, her voice it's normal tone, even if it did have a slight waver to it.
"Have you yourself or anyone else ever touched you?"
"Touched me?" asked Ginny in confusion. "Touched me how?"
Simon held his hand out towards Ginny, indicating for her to take it. When Ginny's hand was in his he pulled her close, standing her between his legs. "Has anyone ever caressed your breasts or touched you here?" he asked as he laid a hand on Ginny's abdomen before letting it slide ever so slightly down so it was nestled in the hair between her legs, his fingertips mere millimetres away from their target.
"N-no. No one's ever…"
"What about here?" Simon asked laying his finger on Ginny's lips. "Have you ever been kissed Miss Kensington?"
Ginny shook her head before starting to lean forward into Simon's touch.
"Excellent," Simon purred as he stood up suddenly, causing Ginny to step back quickly so she didn't get knocked over as Simon walked around his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a box which he set down on the desk. "You shall become one of my most valuable pearls, Miss Kensington. That is if you accept of course," he said as he picked up the box and held it out towards Ginny.
Ginny reached out and took the box from Simon, letting out a gasp when she opened it to reveal a strand of blue pearls.
"You have two choices Miss Kensington. You can hand the necklace back to me, pick up your clothes, walk out that door and return to the streets or you can put that necklace on, thereby agreeing to be one of my pearls and I will ensure that you have both a roof over your head and food to eat. The choice is yours. I will leave you alone to make your decision. I will return in five minutes time for your answer," Simon said before making his way out of his office.
He could not keep the smirk off his face as he re-entered the office a short while later. He was quite pleased to see that the potion he had doused the pearls in earlier had worked as he had hoped, when he found Ginny lying unconscious on the floor, the necklace secured around her neck. Closing the door behind him, he made his way over to the far corner, pulling his wand out in the process and quickly lighting a fire in the fireplace hidden there, before throwing a pinch of Floo powder into it. "Wormtail!" he bellowed.
"Y-yes s-sir?" stuttered Wormtail as his head appeared in the flames.
"Tell the Dark Lord, it is done," Simon said.
"It-it's done?"
"Did I stutter Wormtail? It is done," Simon snapped angrily. "Now be a good little lackey and tell the Dark Lord I have the one he seeks," he ordered, ending the fire call.
"Where is she?" demanded a voice from the corner a few minutes later.
"She is here, my Lord," Simon said as he rose from his desk and walked around to the other side of it, to where Ginny lay unconscious on the floor.
"You're certain it's her Carrows?" Voldemort demanded as he made his way around the desk.
"Yes, my Lord," Simon said. "The girl may have introduced herself as Fyre Kensington but she is Ginevra Weasley."
"If she gave a different name, how can you be so certain?" questioned Voldemort as he took in the young woman who was lying naked and unconscious on the floor.
"There are two things that tell me she is Ginevra Weasley, my Lord. First, her hair. It's the same colour as all the Weasleys. The second is the fact that she is lying unconscious on my floor," Simon said.
"I'll grant you the red hair," Voldemort said, "but how does her being unconscious tell you it's Ginevra Weasley?"
"With Watterly's help, I managed to alter one of Snape's potions. By adding a single strand of Ginevra Weasley's hair, supplied of course by her brother, to the potion, we were able to key the potion to her magical signature. The necklace you see around her neck was doused in the potion. The effects kicked in shortly after she put the necklace on. The one you seek is yours, my Lord," Simon said as he bowed.
"Excellent," Voldemort purred. "I want her under the control of one of the inner circle."
"Malfoy, my Lord?"
"He would be my first choice yes, but he has not shown his usual lust for this sort of thing as of late," Voldemort observed. "No I think Zabini would be the next best choice. He'll be able to control her just as well as Malfoy could once he's claimed her power for our cause. I want her unrecognisable as Ginevra Weasley and she needs to meet Zabini's preferences. Do you have the required potions ready?"
"I have them here, my Lord," Simon said as he pulled two bottles off a shelf.
"Good. Give her the first and we'll get to work then give her the second to make the changes permanent," Voldemort ordered.
Simon walked over to where Ginny lay and rolled her onto her back, laying her out spread eagle before forcing the potion down her throat.
As soon as Simon stepped back, Voldemort set to work casting spell after spell, altering not only Ginny's physical appearance but altering her on the inside slightly as well, making it so she no longer bled monthly and so that there was no possible way she could get pregnant accidentally or otherwise. When Voldemort was done altering Ginny, he had Simon administer the second potion, which would lock in the changes he had just done to Ginny, permanently.
When everything was done and Voldemort had gone, Simon picked Ginny up and apparated from the club, appearing in a bedroom next to a bed, which he laid Ginny down on, pulling the blankets up over her and placing a key and an envelope on the bedside table before apparating out of the apartment and back to the club to wait for the signal that would tell him Ginny had woken.
Thursday, September 4, 1997
Somewhere in London, England
9:30am
Ginny moaned tiredly as she rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. Opening them slowly she looked around the room as she propped herself up with her elbows, taking in her surroundings. She found herself in a nicely furnished room in what she guessed was a queen sized bed under a white silk comforter. As she looked around the room she noticed an envelope on the side table. Reaching over she picked up the envelope and pulled the letter out, letting her head fall back on the pillows as she began to read.
Fyre,
I am pleased that you have accepted my offer of employment at The Hidden Pearl. The necklace you received is yours and you are expected to wear it at all times while inside the club as it not only identifies you as one of my pearls but also signifies your status within the club. (I will explain this more fully this evening when you arrive for you first night of work.)
You have agreed to be one of my pearls and so I will live up to the promise I made you. The apartment you now find yourself in is yours so long as you work for me. It is yoursanctuary. Club business is just that. Club business. And as such will only take place within the walls of the club and not in your private residence. Any attempt on your part to violate our agreement within your sanctuary walls will not go unpunished. But we will speak more on this this evening.
As for attire, the club has a strict policy on what you may or may not wear while working. Again we will go through this this evening. I am sending Jennifer; she is one of my other pearls, to you this morning to assist you in selecting appropriate clothing. You can expect her to arrive around mid-morning.
Until this evening Miss Kensington.
Welcome to The Hidden Pearl.
Simon Carrows.
Ginny lay there for a while simply reading the letter over and over again, making sure she understood what Simon was and was not telling her and trying to figure out what he meant by what she could and could not wear, trying to recall what she had seen the other girls wearing only to have her memory of it go fuzzy.
Deciding she would worry about it later, Ginny rolled over and climbed out of bed, before making her way into the bathroom where she grabbed a towel as she turned the hot water on in the sink. It was as she was splashing water on her face that she noticed there was something different about her hair. Grabbing the towel she'd hung over the side of the sink, she quickly dried her face and looked into the mirror. Her once wavy red hair was now straight and multi-coloured. The underneath section was now a deep dark brown, almost black colour while the top most layer was a much more vibrant red, while the layers in between worked their way between the two colours, making her hair look like a flame. If what she was feeling was right then her hair, which was once down to her shoulder blades, now hung much longer down her back. Turning so she was side onto the mirror she stood on her tiptoes to try and get a better look at her hair. It was while she was doing this that she noticed another major change to her appearance.
"Oh God," she cried as she bolted out of the bathroom, running back into the bedroom, sure she would find a full-length mirror in there somewhere. Pulling open the closet door, Ginny found the mirror she was looking for.
"Bloody hell," she cried when she got a good look at herself in the full-length mirror. She barely recognized the girl staring back at her. Her hair was indeed longer and layered, now ending just below the small of her back and it was the colour of flame, her freckles had been removed, as had the hair under her arms and on her legs. All these things she could handle, it was the other two she wasn't too sure about, and was the most upsetting. She could barely believe that the hair that was normally between her legs was gone. She was as bare there now as she was before she'd hit puberty. Any thought that Simon had somehow turned back the clock on her was thrown out the window when she looked at what had become of her breasts. Gone were her small, barely B cup breasts and in their place were breasts that she could only guess as being double D in size if she was lucky but she had a sinking suspicion that they were actually much bigger than that.
Slowly Ginny raised her hands and placed one on each breast, letting out an anguished cry when she realized that not only did her breasts no longer fit in her hands but that from what she could tell, they were completely, one hundred percent real. There was nothing fake about her new breasts.
"But how…He couldn't…Not unless…Sweet Merlin, Ginny, what have you done?" Ginny cried as realization of just who she'd let herself fall in with sunk in.
"Knock knock!" called a voice from outside the bedroom. "Anyone home? Fyre? You in here? It's Jennifer…well Jenny. Simon told you I'd be coming by…"
"Just a minute!" Ginny called back as she quickly wiped away her tears and searched for the clothes she had been wearing when she first walked into the club. Not able to find her undergarments anywhere, she quickly pulled her jeans on and did them up before throwing her blouse on. "Damn it," she cursed when she tried to do her blouse up only to realize that it didn't fit. Actually 'didn't fit' was a serious understatement in Ginny's opinion, considering she couldn't get the blouse buttoned up, hell she couldn't get the buttons anywhere near the buttonholes since the front seams where the buttons and buttonholes were didn't even cover her nipples.
Giving up on her blouse since it was quite obvious she'd never get it done up, she pulled it off and grabbed her sweater, crying out in frustration when she pulled it over her head and realized that it was now too short. It used to stop at her waist, but now…now it barely came below her breasts, giving her about an inch of leeway if that and exposing her abdomen. She knew it wouldn't take much for the sweater to be lifted up and her breasts exposed.
"Fyre? Is everything alright?" asked Jenny in concern when she entered the bedroom and found Ginny sitting on the side of the bed, her head in her hands. She had raced to the bedroom the minute she'd heard Ginny's cry. "Fyre, look at me," Jenny instructed as she knelt down in front of Ginny. "What's wrong?"
Ginny slowly raised her head to look at the other woman, taking in her appearance. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes and a slender build.
"My tops don't fit," Ginny said quietly.
"I see. Well come with me and we might be able to find something of mine that will fit," Jenny said standing up, giving Ginny a better look at her five foot seven frame. Grabbing the keys off Ginny's nightstand while Ginny threw her shoes on, she took Ginny by the hand and led her out of the apartment and down the hall, leading her into another apartment. Jenny led her into a bedroom and opened the closet. "Try this on," she said, handing Ginny a blouse.
Ginny took the offered blouse and turned around before pulling her sweater off over her head.
"How's that?" Jenny asked curiously after Ginny had put the blouse on.
Ginny shook her head, trying to hold back her tears.
"It can't be that bad," Jenny said as she turned Ginny around. "Then again," she said when she got a good look at Ginny.
Ginny had managed to get the blouse done up but only just and the blouse looked ready to burst apart at the seams unless the buttons gave first.
"Wow. Okay…uh…" Jenny trailed off as she looked at Ginny. "That blouse is big on me and I'm a double D," she observed. "Okay, onto plan B then," she said as she rummaged through one of the drawers, pulling out an overly large Cambridge sweatshirt. "Put this on and we'll head out and get you something to wear. I have instructions from Simon to get you to the club early as he'll want to approve of anything we buy for you to wear to work and he'll probably pick your outfit for tonight."
Ginny took the sweatshirt from Jenny and quickly put it on, leaving the blouse on the bed and joining Jenny in the other room so they could go shopping.
Thursday, September 4, 1997
London, England
The Hidden Pearl
6:30pm
"Good evening Peterson," Jenny greeted the bouncer as she and Ginny stepped into the club.
"Good evening Miss Barnes, Miss Kensington," Peterson greeted in return. "Mr. Carrows is expecting you in his office, Miss Kensington."
"Thank you Peterson," Ginny said as she followed Jenny into the main room of the club, which was already filling with men.
"You okay to find your way?" asked Jenny. "I'd take you myself but I see one of my regulars over there and he doesn't like it when I keep him waiting."
"I'm okay…I think. His office is the door on the other side of the bar right?" replied Ginny.
"That's it. See you shortly," Jenny said as she ducked into the change room, leaving Ginny alone to make her way over to Simon's office.
"Good evening Miss Kensington," Simon greeted from his spot behind his desk.
"Good evening Mr. Carrows," replied Ginny as she closed the door behind her.
"Take it off Miss Kensington," Simon instructed. "I need to see what you're wearing."
Ginny did as she was told and removed her jacket, blouse and jeans, revealing a white bikini, the top of which only just fit her even though Jenny had gotten her the biggest size possible.
"That outfit is completely unacceptable, Fyre," Simon snapped in irritation.
"But Jenny said that…"
"I don't care what Jenny said Fyre. She knows better. She should have taken one look at the colour of the pearls around your neck and gotten you the appropriate attire," he snarled as he rose from his desk and stalked towards Ginny, causing her to back away from him until her back hit the wall and he was able to trap her by putting his hands on the wall on either side of her head. "Jenny is a black pearl, she knows the feeling of a man between her legs, whereas you, you are a blue pearl. One of the most precious and sought after pearls. You, who has never experienced the feeling of a man touching you, let alone pounding into the sweetness between your legs. What applies to Jenny does not apply to you. The rules that govern Jenny's actions and attire are completely different from the ones that govern you. You are what the men want and I make sure I give it to them," he told her as he fought the urge to lay claim to Ginny right then and there. He knew her power was meant for another but that did not stop him wanting to ravage her and he knew his feelings were quite evident by the fact that Ginny had suddenly raised her eyes up so she was no longer looking down but straight at his chest.
Pushing off the wall, Simon stalked back over to his desk, pulling something out of the top drawer before walking back over to where Ginny still stood against the wall. "Completely," he said as he took a pair of scissors to the strap around Ginny's neck. "Totally," he said as he cut the strap between her breasts. "Intolerable," he said as he cut one of the straps on Ginny's hips. "And unacceptable," he finished as he cut the final strap on her other hip before pulling the destroyed bikini from Ginny's body. "This is the attire of a blue pearl," he said as he held up a piece of fabric.
"That?" asked Ginny in disbelief.
"This," Simon replied holding it out to Ginny. "The men need to see what they are bidding on after all. Now put it on."
Swallowing nervously, Ginny took what Simon was holding out to her and slipped it on.
"Let me have a look," Simon instructed holding his hand out to Ginny, indicating for her to take it. After leading her into the centre of the room he let go of her hand and circled around her, taking in her appearance.
Ginny could not believe what was happening. How did she end up here, standing in an office, her breasts, which had been altered to be much larger than she was accustomed to, completely exposed and in nothing more than a pair of three inch strappy sandals and a pearl blue thong, that barely covered anything, seeing as it was only about an inch wide at it's widest point and it only came up about maybe half an inch in the front.
"Tsk, tsk, what am I going to do with you Fyre," Simon sighed as he stopped behind Ginny. "These straps here," he began as he took the straps on either side of Ginny's legs, "are supposed to be up here," he finished as he pulled them up and over Ginny's hips, pulling the thong nice and tight between her legs.
/-/Don't feel,/-/ Ginny instructed herself silently as she closed her eyes and swallowed down her roiling emotions. /-/Your name may be Fyre but you need to be as cold and hard as ice./-/
"Much better," Simon purred as he gently brushed Ginny's hair back over her shoulders. "Yes?" he called when a knock sounded at the door.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"What is it, Watersly?" Simon demanded as he continued to play with Ginny's hair, the only part of her he was allowed to touch.
"He's here," the bartender replied gruffly.
"Excellent," replied Simon, dismissing the bartender and turning his attention back to Ginny. "It's time to introduce you to the men," he said, his demeanour calm as he suddenly grabbed a hold of Ginny's throat, causing her eyes to snap open in fear, his hold firm enough to get his point across but not enough to leave marks. "This is your one and only chance. If you want to survive, I suggest you don't screw this up. I want to see you display this courage you Gryffindors are so famous for. Understood?"
Ginny nodded in understanding, she was having enough difficulty breathing as it was, and she didn't want to risk trying to speak.
"Good. I have one gentleman in particular in mind for you, so do as I say. If I do this right, I can get a lot of money for you, a portion of which goes to you, so it's in your best interest to see this goes well. The men in the other room are interested in your body, not your mind, so either keep your answers short or don't answer at all. Tonight your job is simple. Stand there and look just like you do. Tomorrow you will start serving the men who are bidding on your goods. They can look but not touch. They have to earn that right and they earn it by having the winning bid when the bidding deadline passes," Simon explained as he released his hold on Ginny's throat. "Shall we introduce you then?" he asked as he held out his hand for Ginny to take.
/-/You can do this. You have to do this. You're a survivor Fyre, you always have been. You're as cold and hard as ice. Others have used their bodies to survive, why should you be any different. Here you have the power. Here you're the one they want,/-/ Ginny thought to herself as she looked at Simon's hand before nodding and placing her hand in his outstretched one and allowing him to lead her from the room.
Simon led Ginny out of his office and towards the bar area, climbing up on the bar before helping Ginny up after him and leading her over to the centre of it. "Gentlemen! May I have your attention please," he called out, causing everyone present to fall silent as all eyes fell on Ginny. "I would like to introduce you all to our newest Pearl. Her name is Fyre and no your eyes are not deceiving you, nor are they playing tricks on you. She is in fact a blue pearl, the rarest of all the pearls. She is as pure as the day she entered this world. Completely untouched by the hands of man...at least for the time being anyway," he smiled as laughter filtered through the room. "Who among you wants to claim the first kiss?" he asked, causing the gathered men to start yelling out responses.
"All right, all right gentlemen," Simon laughed as he called for quiet. "You know the rules. You have the next thirty days to place your bids with me. When the thirty days are up, the gentleman with the highest bid wins the right to claim Fyre's kiss. Fyre will be here every night so you can all get to know her and get a look at what she has to offer but gentlemen, remember to keep your hands off the merchandise, they'll be up for auction soon enough. Watersly, will you be so kind as to help Fyre down."
"This way Fyre," the bartender said as he helped Ginny down from the bar and out from behind it.
Once Ginny was out on the floor, Simon turned his attention back to the men at large. "Gentlemen, the bidding is now open..."