A/N: This is a short 2-chapter fic. This chapter was written by Lain and the next will be by Missy. Please Read and Review!
Her Perfume
New years Eve... Supposed to be one of the most fun nights of the year filled with smooshing with your closest friends, champagne, and best of all, a kiss at midnight. It always has been. At Hogwarts we would throw huge parties in the common rooms with loud noises and tons of excitement.
But, this year, I was working. Working under the slave driver known as Ms. Pumpernickel. She was the head of my division in St. Mungos. I work in the emergency room so to speak. It's the only place in the hospital that you can apparate into and one of the most hectic. Especially on nights like New Years Eve. We get so many alcohol poisonings, drunken fights, overdoses, and broken bones we have a special team set up. The party poopers. Well actually it's the NYES or New Years Eve squad. And it's always the new people that get put on it. Everyone else just ends up there anyway but at least their aloud to see the outside world. And of course, this being my first year, I was a member of NYES. And with my given luck, this was the year my father had been elected Minister of Magic and decided to throw a Masquerade ball. And my father being my father wouldn't make Ms. Pumpernickel let me off. You'd think that she'd let the Ministers only daughter off to go snog her lover, and the fact that I didn't have a lover didn't bother me in the slightest... Okay so that was a bad lie but the main reason I wanted to go to the ball was because I knew Harry would be there. After all, he is the bloody boy who lived. And I knew even if he thought of me as a sister, after seeing me at the ball he'd look at me in a whole new light.
But what choice did I have? None. Work or Harry? Food on the table or a kiss? Tempting but I had to stay at work. So it was seven pm and I was tending to a small boy that had a cut on his head from falling on the ice when a fellow NYES member came over to me.
"Can I talk to you in the break room when you're finished?" Lizzy asked. Lizzy, or Elizabeth Pritchard was one of my best friends in the ER.
We often shared stories about how we were in love with our friends. She was in love with her good friend, Draco Malfoy. He'd shown his colors when he took a curse for her during the war and she's been friends with him ever since. He still wasn't best of friends with Harry but he could now go a whole day with out calling Hermione a mudblood. But I finished stitching up the boy's head and headed to the staffroom, my trainers squeaking against the floor. I was wearing my lime green healers scrubs and my hair in a wild ponytail. I pushed open the swinging door and saw Lizzy standing there in her lime green scrubs identical to mine and a Malfoy like smirk on her face.
"Ugh!" I exclaimed. "You really need to stop hanging around with Malfoy."
"After I tell you this you won't care who I hang out with because you'll be absolutely in love with me."
I gave her a skeptical look.
She continued. "Well you really want to got to this ball thing of your fathers so you can kiss Harry and then yadda yadda have children and a house and live happily ever after."
"Well I hadn't thought that far into the fut-"
"Well the problem is how to get you there..." she said pacing. "Well I've come up with the perfect solution."
I raised my eyebrows waiting for her to continue.
"Well see I called Jean who called Marybeth, who called Suzie, who called Lisa who isn't going to a party tonight and agreed to sub for you."
"Really?" I asked looking at the broken coffee pot on the counter.
"YES!" She yelled and gave me a hug to rival my mothers.
I was near bursting with excitement when something dawned on me and my heart sank.
"But I only have these scrubs…" I complained.
"Are you a witch or aren't you?"
"I have no fashion sense you know that! Plus I nearly failed transfiguration…"
"Fine I'll do it. Now close your eyes…"
I did as she told and felt my comfy scrubs change.
"oomph!" I said as she fitted the top.
"Oops sorry. A little to tight." She let it out a bit. "Better?"
"Define better. My ribs are no longer cracking but I still can't breath."
"Good enough."
I felt the pants morph into a skirt. The straps on my top melted away.
"Okay ready to open your eyes?" She asked, I could hear the excitement in her voice.
I nodded.
"Okay" I opened my eyes and gasped. I was wearing a dark, emerald green, dress. It was strapless and fell to the floor. The top was fitted and made of a satin like material. The skirt was large and puffy with an underskirt that was a mint green and then a dark green overskirt. There was a gauzy dark green shall pulled over my shoulders. It was gorgeous.
"th-thanks Lizzy!" I stuttered in awe. I went to hug her but she stopped me.
"NO! You'll wrinkle your dress. Now for your shoes…"
She pointed her wand at a pencil on the table and there was a pair of black strappy stilettos that were a perfect fit.
"Hmmm…Your hair…" she mumbled walking around behind me. She flicked her wand and it was up in a twist. No longer the focus of my head. She scurried over to her locker and pulled out her make-up bag. A few moments later my porcelain skin was dusted with a light pink blush and some faint silver eye shadow.
"Oh I need a mask!" I remembered. She pointed her wand at an empty coffee cup and it turned into a green mask with a silver trim. I applied a light pink lip-gloss and a splash of my perfume.
"Well?" I asked spinning for her.
"Perfect. Just remember, Lisa has a daughter and HAS to be home no later than 12:15am. So get your kiss and get your arse back here."
I nodded.
"Now you'll never get that kiss unless you get your arse to the ball!" She shooed me toward the apparating point. I waved a goodbye and disappeared.
I materialized at the front entrance to the ministry's ballroom. The door was adorned with gold and silver hangings. I walked toward it and saw my father getting out of a ministry car. I hurried over to him holding my dress up so it wouldn't get dirty.
"Dad!" I called out. He spun around and his mouth dropped.
"Gin...Ginny?" he asked.
I nodded blushing.
"Princess you look amazing. How ever did you get off work?"
"I found a sub."
"Wonderful. Now I must get inside."
'Oh Dad… Don't talk to me tonight okay? I don't want anyone to know who I am…"
He nodded and winked as he disappeared through the door.
I breathed deeply. This was it. I composed myself and walked to the door. The two men opened the doors and I stepped inside. I was at the top of a long staircase. It had a gold carpet down the middle. A house elf appeared and took my wrap.
I began my descent down the long staircase, very aware of all the eyes on me. I reached the bottom and was immediately surrounded by many gentlemen asking me to dance. But I was only looking for one. One with raven black hair and sparkling green eyes. Then I saw him. He was walking toward me. I saw the others shrink away as if they knew who he was. I knew. He stopped in front of me.
"A dance?" he asked in his oh so sexy voice that makes me want to melt.
I blushed and nodded. All the other men slowly walked away depressed that Harry had gotten the prize. Only Harry could ever get me.
He offered his hand and I placed mine in it. I looked into his eyes and I knew. I knew he didn't know who I was. He would never look at little Ginny Weasley that way. We went out onto the dance floor and I saw my father watching us. I curled my arm around his shoulder and he placed his firmly around my waist. The band struck up a waltz and we were off. It was certainly not the same Harry Potter that was afraid of dancing at his fourth year Yule ball. He was excellent. It might have been the force of confidence he exerted even more than his dancing skills. But then defeating Lord Voldemort and being proclaimed as the most powerful wizard ever can make one a bit confident.
The song ended and Harry went to get some drinks and I went to use the ladies room. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw Draco. I thought about my dress, shoes, make-up, and all Lizzy's help and I decided it was time to pay her back to a certain extent.
I tapped Draco on the shoulder and he spun around. He gave me a puzzled look and I realized he didn't recognize me.
"It's Ginny." I said softly.
"My lord…Your little Weaslette?"
I laughed and nodded.
"Amazing…" He said twirling me.
"Lizzy did it."
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Where is she?"
"She had to work. Draco?"
"What?"
"What are your feelings about a certain blond friend of mine?"
He blushed.
"I knew it!" I exclaimed happily.
"Just don't tell her, promise?"
"Yes…"
"Good"
"Well I won't because you will. Tonight."
"But Gin…"
"Don't 'But Gin' me. If I have to hear one more 'Draco did the sexiest thing the other day…' story again I'll go so crazy that I'll be locked in the St. Mungosinsane ward."
"She likes me?" He asked softly, in a very un-Malfoy voice.
"She's probably going to kill me for telling you this, but she loves you. Always has."
"Wow…"
"Draco?"
"What?"
"What the bloody hell are you still doing here?"
He chuckled.
"Still swears like a sailor…"
"GO!" and he ran toward the exit grinning goofily. I sighed at my best friend who was about to get her true love.
Then I remembered Harry. I hurried off to find him.
"I was beginning to think you'd ditched me." A deep voice said from behind me.
"Long line." I lied.
"Here's your drink. Gin and tonic if that's okay." I nodded shaken. I thought he was about to say my name.
"Another dance?" he asked smiling.
I nodded following him to the dance floor.
We danced a few more songs before retiring to the balcony for some air.
"It's a beautiful night…" I said looking at the clear sky.
"Not as beautiful as you." He replied.
I giggled at his cheesy line but blushed still the same. He stepped closer to me and put his arm around my waist.
"What's the time?" I asked remembering my curfew.
"Five 'til midnight…" he replied.
Shit. Five minutes until I had to leave. The I heard counting. Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven.
His watch had been wrong. I turned and looked into his eyes. He leaned toward me.
"Five" I said.
"Four" he replied.
"Three"
"Two"
"One" I said in barely more than a whisper.
I put my hand behind his head and pulled him toward me. And I kissed him. I kissed Harry Potter. His tongue flicked my lip asking for entrance and I allowed it. We stood there locked in our kiss when I remembered the hospital. I broke the kiss. Breathless, I gave him another quick kiss.
"I'm sorry Harry…" I said quietly. I couldn't do it. I couldn't show him who I was. And it killed me. I let a single tear fall down my cheek and apparated away leaving only the linger of my kiss and the scent of my perfume behind.
There's the first chapter. Hope everyone liked it. Expect the second later today.
Lain and Missy
Please Review!