That month passed by really quickly, and even some of my High School friends called me to know if I was coming.
The day of the reunion, I got out of the cab and looked at my childhood home. I smelled the breeze full of grass and flower scents, just like I remembered. The driver helped me with my suitcase, and after I paid him he went away in his yellow car.
I walked to the front porch, and took the spare key off the frog vase. Opened the door to an empty house. My parents weren't there, they were on a trip to Ireland, where my mom's from. So, this weekend I would be alone in my parents' house for the first time in years.
After I opened the closed windows of the first two rooms to let some fresh air in, I went to my old room. It looked like the same room I left 5 years ago, when I went away to college. I sat on the end of my bed, looking at the wall in front of me. It was covered with all these pictures of my senior year. Faces I haven't seen for a long time. And right in the center, me and Draco in a big picture making crazy faces at the camera. I giggled. I had forgotten about this. Now it seemed creepy to sleep here with all those eyes looking straight at me.
I got up and started to arrange everything for the evening. I got my dress and shoes out of the suitcase, and after a quick shower I tried to do something with my plain red hair, but I just gave up after a while. I just couldn't do anything with it, and I didn't had time to ask Luna to do it before I left. So I just looked online for some video of cute and easy making bun, and that was it. Applied some light make-up (I hate heavy stuff, because I'm so pale and it seems too artificial) and it was time to dress up.
Got into my date underwear – that I bought with Luna in some weird trip to the mall –, perfect to use under dresses and still look like you weren't using anything, and then it was time to put on my fabulous dress. I looked at myself in the mirror, and smiled. All that starving and work out did wonders to my tights, they didn't seem so big anymore. Now put my shoes, a romantic necklace I had chosen and voilá, I was ready to party.
Now the question was… how would I get to the party in these huge heels and no car?
Guess that was my lucky day, because my front door neighbor, Lavender Brown, noticed the windows open and came to my rescue, taping on my door like in the old days.
"Lavender!" I said in surprise, when I opened the door.
"Ginny!" she screamed, pushing me for a tight hug "I noticed you got home because your parents always leave the windows closed when they are out of town" she said, letting me go with the feeling that some of my ribs were broken "So I just finished preparing myself for the reunion and I thought that we could go together! I mean, I think you don't have a car right?" she asked, with a little concerned look on her eyes.
"Yeah, you're right, I don't have one" I said, smiling "I was just wondering how would I go with these huge heels on-"
"Oh my, that's why I thought you seemed so big next to me" she said, hiding a giggle with her hand "Come with me and Jason, we're leaving right now"
"Thank you so much Lavender" I said, getting my purse and jacket, that I left strategically by the door, and closing the door.
I followed her to her shiny BMW, from where Jason waved at us.
"Hi Jason!" I said, hopping into the back seat.
"Long time no see, Ginny" he said, starting the car at the same time that Lavender closed the door "So, how's the big city?"
"You know, it's in the same place" I was trying to joke a little but I was terrible at it "It's been a rough year at the station, a major channel is trying to buy us so I don't know what will happen"
"I see, that's crazy" he said, making a turn on the end of the road.
"Me and Jason just got back from our honeymoon" said Lavender, smiling and looking back at me "It was so sad that you couldn't attend the wedding. It wasn't the same without you, you know"
"Yes, I'm so sorry for that, I really wanted to be there" I was lying. I really didn't wanted to be there. I had just been dumped and I didn't even wanted to go out on the street, let alone attend a wedding "But you guys just enjoyed your honeymoon now?"
"We know, it's been like a year and a half since the wedding, but Jason was so busy with the company" she said, now looking at the road "But we got time last month and so we decided to go!"
"That's terrific" I said, while Jason parked in front of the High School. My eyes widened up when I saw the school, kind of not believing I was there already, after all this time. I got out of the car, and walked with Jason and Lavender to the gym.
Right in the entrance of the gym, there was Romilda Vane, the same girl who was selling and getting the tickets on our prom and all the formals, giving the name tags to everyone. Like we needed name tags. I mean, the only one who needed one was Pansy Parkinson, I thought, looking at her entering the gym. She definitely had a nose and boob job.
"Penelope, good to see you girl! Colin, here is your name tag. Hey Jason and Lavender!" she was talking so fast, trying to give everyone the right names, and briefly waved at us "Oh, Ginny, you came!"
She smiled and handed me my name tag. I said hello and grabbed it, and looked into the space without putting it on, like everyone had done.
"So, you just have to look at the chart in the entrance" I heard Romilda telling Lavender "Everyone was grouped with their school friends, but of course you can always move if you don't want to be near someone. I happen to know that Padma Patil asked to move away from Michael Corner. Bad breakup…"
I used the time that Romilda was distracting Lavender and Jason to enter the gym. I looked at the chart and saw my name in the 6th table, right next to Draco's name. I looked at my left, where the table was. Sitting there alone, while everyone was talking and walking around him, was the platinum hair I was hoping to see.