Clear beaming sunlight jetted through my window blinds. It was the morning after my graduation party, and it had been a very, very late night. The last of my guests hadn't left until after three. Harry wasn't one of them.

But that thought was not going to ruin a perfectly wonderful day. I was going into Diagon Alley today to spend the afternoon with Ron and Hermione. Those two were closer than ever, and I among others could sense an engagement in the near future. It was obvious in the way Ron would simply beam at me when I gave him a look pertaining to her instead of elbowing me in the shoulder. He's so tall; it isn't fair.

There wasn't a specific reason for our outing. I had gotten quite a bit of present money and thought of treating myself while the two love birds spent time together. So I wriggled out from beneath my covers and began getting ready.

An hour later, I trudged down our unsound old staircase. Ron was sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in old jeans and a blue t-shirt, reading the Daily Prophet. His blue eyes were grazing over the paper as a hand traveled up to his soft, slightly spiky red hair and tousled it a bit.

"Morning, Ron."

He looked up at me for a second, "Mornin', Gin," and the continued with his reading.

I kept staring at him expectantly, but my faced dropped a tad. "Well, are we going? I want to get there before it gets too busy."

"I have to wait for Hermione." He murmured. My eyebrows rose.

"She's not here yet? Bit unlike her, eh?"

Ron put the paper down and shrugged his shoulders smiling. "I s'pose. But if you really can't keep your shorts on for a few minutes, you can go on ahead."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, but I'll be around the Flourish and Blotts area, ok?"

Ron snorted. "Right, then we won't have trouble finding you. Hermione'll want to make a stop there soon as we arrive."

I chuckled to myself as I closed the kitchen door. Then making sure my money was securely in my pocket, I focused my mind and disapperated.

With a POP, I apparated in front of The Leaky Cauldron and headed inside. I made my way through the dull, hazy pub to the back door. Three taps later, the doorway of Diagon Alley opened before me.

To my relief, only the residents were out and about, and the shopkeepers and street venders were opening their doors and preparing for business. Sure, you'd assume that living with six older brothers would make me a late sleeper, but actually prefer the mornings when the world is waking and the day is clean and fresh.

I entered the shop with the still shadowy sign of Flourish and Blotts overhead. Besides the shopkeeper, Ervin Blotts, grandnephew of Ingo Blotts, co-founder of the shop, there wasn't a single other person besides me perusing. Ervin approached me, bright blue eyes upon my red hair.

"Good morning, Ms. Weasley. May I help you?"

I put my courteous shopper-smile on. "Yes, I was wondering if the book I ordered had arrived yet."

His eyes shifted upwards to the left in thought and he made a 'hmm' sound. I tried hard not to scoff; some people make such a show of thinking.

"Ah, yes." Finally. "It just came in yesterday. I'll be right back with it."

As Ervin sauntered off to the back room, I wandered over to look at the display table books. This week's theme appeared to be the Culinary Arts of Magic. Several magical chefs' books with their faces plastered on the cover smiled at me. They yowled out sayings like, "Buy my book, and you'll never burn those dinners again!" or "Horrible at cooking? Things literally blowing up in your face? Well, this book will solve your every dire problem in the kitchen."

"Sorry, guys, I'm not really a cook." I turned my back on the uproars of ruses, and closed my eyes. It was either my hormones kicking in, or something else, but I suddenly felt wretched and empty. Only two weeks ago had I encountered Harry and Cho, but the feelings they caused me to swallow were slowly tearing me apart. And where was Ervin with my order?

Ervin flounced back into the room clutching a thick red book. "Here you are, Medicines of Many: A Guidebook to Magic and Muggle Remedies to Countless Maladies. Looking into a healer position, Ms. Wealsey?"

I blushed. "Oh, don't be silly, Ervin. I could never pull through in that field."

He shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so, but I hear that they're in a bit of a shortage right now, what with the whole situation of the Dark Lord at large. St. Mungo's needs new healers, ready to learn and get to work."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and made a small 'hmm' sound of my own. I paid for my book, bid Ervin goodbye and left the store with a small spring in my step.

The sun was fully risen by now and more people speckled the cobbled alley way. I was thinking about going into the apothecary when a piece of paper taped to the bookstore window caught my interest. The paper read:

Attention!

To all those interested in pursuing a career in medicine…

St. Mungo's Hospital has been recently going through a terrible shortage of Healer

staff. If Healing has been a long-time dream of yours then please, please consider

employment under St. Mungo's. Our seminar will be held the eve of July 1st at the

Hog Hub in Hogsmeade. More information will be given then about this exciting

opportunity.

I looked back in the direction of Ervin inside the shop. Then turning to the paper once again, I mumbled. "I'll be darned..."

I turned away from the flyer smiling.

Ginny Weasley, Healer. Oh, I liked the sound of that.

I thought of meeting up with Ron and Hermione and heading over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Of course, Ron and I would have to pry Hermione away from whatever book she'd be clutching, and then she would make a big protest of why we shouldn't eat ice cream in the morning. That's hogwash to me, that is. I'll take a double scoop of strawberry smothered in chocolate anytime.

Seeing as Ron was so tall now, I gazed over the growing crowd of people, searching for the red hair and long neck. And being much shorter than any of the other Weasley children, this was quite a challenge for me.

I must've looked like an idiot, hopping on my tiptoes in front of the entrance to Flourish and Blott's. As I continued to crane my neck and hop about, I didn't realize that I had violently bumped into some poor passer-by.

"Oh lord, I'm so sorry," I said as I was picked up from the ground. Looking down at the stranger's arms that were steadying me, I noticed they were a pair of man's arms, and I was suddenly dreading who those arms belonged to.

Swallowing, I raised my eyes to look at the face of the man, and I saw that it was no stranger at all.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" Came the voice of Neville Longbottom. He was watching me with concern in his eyes, his arms still on either side of my waist.

He withdrew them, blushing, and the same warm, sympathetic appreciation came over me that I felt whenever I saw him.

"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks, Neville. I s'pose you might just call me Grace."

He raked a hand through his dark hair, chuckling. "Well, that was quite a fall you took there."

Now it was I who blushed. "I'm sorry, Neville. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He waved off the question as if me hurting him was an impossibility, and I soon saw why.

Apparently, whatever profession Neville had chosen had required a bit of shaping up, for he was no longer the round boy I remembered. His shoulders were broader; his arms were muscled as well as his chest and stomach. He now stood quite a few inches taller that me too. Was I drooling, or had there been a sporadic sun shower just now?

Oh, dear…