CHAPTER LX:
party on, ginger

( January 1996 )

THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY FINALLY CAME AND ONCE AGAIN GINGER WAS CONFLICTED ABOUT WHAT TO WEAR. This was to be her first and last Slytherin party and she had no idea what to expect.

      "Merlin's sake, Ginger," Alex groaned while laying on her bed, "just pick something already."

      "I can't just pick something, Alex. It's my first party in the Slytherin dorms and I don't want to look out of place," she explained.

Alexander rolled his eyes for what appeared to be the millionth time that night. He stood from Ginger's bed and shuffled over to her closet with a huff while rummaging through it. "Wear this skirt," he said while holding out a grey and black plaid pleated skirt that she rarely wore that would hang about mid-thigh when standing, "this top," he pulled out an off-white fitted long sleeve with three clasping buttons at the top, "and the Mary Janes with knee highs. There, did your job in a minute." He bounced back on her bed.

Ginger stared at the items of clothing for a moment. "These aren't too revealing?" she questioned.

Alex groaned and rolled his head back. "Who cares if it's revealing? There's most likely going other girls barely wearing anything, so you should be fine." Ginger still hadn't been completely convinced. Alex sighed, "if it will make you feel any better, bring the knitted sweater you bought in Hogsmeade."

Ginger's face lightened at this, her freckles being pushed up her cheeks with her smile. Skipping to her closet, Ginger pulled out a medium-sized box. Inside, the contents could only be the newest sweater she had added to her collection. With emerald green knitting and two white stripes at the cuffs, the cardigan had easily grown to be one of her favorite items of clothing without even having worn it before and being a different color to her usual royal blue.

"Brilliant, now you've got your emotional support sweater and can finally go to the party. Now get ready," Alex pressured while standing from the bed and leaving the room.

The Lunette heir stared at the pile of clothes on her bed with her brows furrowed and a squint of her eyes surely creating a soft glare in her features. "No big deal. I own these clothes so I might as well wear them sometime. Wish me luck," she said the last bit quieter than the rest of the sentence, placing a kiss on the rings hanging from her neck.

      STEPPING OUT OF HER ROOM, SHOES CLICKING AGAINST THE COLD FLOOR AND SWEATER LEFT OPEN TO HUG HER ARMS, GINGER FINALLY PRESENTED HERSELF AS READY FOR THE PARTY. Her hair had been tied down in two buns, shining barrettes in her hair in the shapes of stars at the base of the buns, and she proudly wore matching star earrings along with them.

      "George is going to need to sit down before he sees you or else he'll collapse," Alex joked upon seeing the girl.

"And why ever would he collapse at the sight of me?" Ginger questioned, a gentle flush rushing to her cheeks.

      Alexander bit his tongue as he almost revealed George's lovely infatuation with Ginger. "Because you're you," he finally said, "who wouldn't?" Feeling his words strike a spark of self-assurance in Ginger to bring out her pearly white teeth and create a pep in her step that urged her to hug Alexander as tightly as possible. "Okay, let go. Get out," Alex demanded.

      Pulling away from the boy, Ginger tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and finally began heading for her first Slytherin party ever.

      GINGER HAD FINALLY FELT THE SIGNS THAT SHE WAS NEARING THE EVENT. After a steady stroll into the depths of the Hogwarts dungeons, she finally felt the pulsing of the beats of music in the ground fester through her body. It felt foreign from when she felt the sensation at the Gryffindor party. The aura was more intimidating, like every cold glare that the Slytherins gave had been rolled together to create such a menacing ambiance.

"Ah, Ging! You made it!" A voice boomed over the deafening acoustics that threatened to burst Ginger's eardrums once she fully stepped into the Slytherin common room.

It was fairly different from the other three common rooms she had been in. The Black Lake peaking through the background had cast a darkness in the room that had been faded through the emerald lighting. There was another difference from the Gryffindor party. More people were being intimate with each other and others were drinking more alcohol in larger amounts rather than through silly games. There were of course people dancing around here and there, but not too many could get her eyes off of all the other distractions.

An arm wrapping around her shoulders had gained her attention from the commotion though. Blinking through the slightly flashing lights, Ginger gazed up to see Lee Jordan besides her, a cup in his opposing left hand with Merlin knows what. "Come, we're stationed over here!" Lee shouted.

      Not thinking twice about going with him, Ginger was soon met with two of her favorite Gryffindors; Fred and Angelina. Grinning and waving her hand at the two, they all exchanged greetings once she and Lee got to their group.

"Bless that you're here! I missed you!" Angelina shouted over the music while subtly moving her body along with the beats of the song that was currently playing. "Here, try this, Fred doesn't believe me that it's good," she said while handing Ginger the cup that sat in her hand.

"Because your taste buds are tragic and have been since I challenged you to drink that pint of hot tea!" Fred defended watching Ginger raise the cup to her mouth. Taking a small sip, her eyes squinted and eyebrows stitched together in disgust. It was as if the flavors had been trying to be sweet but something had been counteracting to make it a bitter sourness that tasted horribly together.

"Angie, whatever that is has got to be the most rancid thing I have ever tasted!" Ginger handed the girl her cup back watching Lee laugh at her words.

"I knew I loved you from the start!" Fred laughed wrapping his arm around her in place of where Lee had. "Let's get you something you'll actually like," he made the jab at Angelina then began walking Ginger over to a table across the common room with drinks of all kinds.

      "Hey..." she began while surveying the multitude of liquors. "Do you know where George is?"

      Biting back a smirk, Fred leaned against the table, hands holding onto the edge. "What, I wasn't entertaining enough?" he feigned hurt with a hand over his heart.

"Fred," she drew out while finally finding a combination she liked.

      The redhead sighed dramatically before following the girl through the crowd of dancing people. "He's out and about," he finally said, turning his head all around like Ginger had been to look for his twin.

      She quickly blew air out her nose holding her liquored drink in her hand close to her. "George is out and about, yeah?" Ginger questioned feeling as though he were hiding something. She shrugged taking a large gulp of her drink. "Suppose that's one less person to party with," she said almost sounding disappointed.

      Fred glanced down at her form in front of him as they approached Angelina and Lee. Something had been bothering her that night. It was obvious in the way she had been so adamant about this being her last party and being so uneasy about it but then there she was; drinking more than she had at the party in September and ready to let all her worries away for the night.

      Maybe it was the alcohol seeping through her system already, the lack of George's presence, or her need to let all of this trouble out of her system before returning to her studies in full, but Ginger hadn't been the girl she was during the Tri-Wizard tournament and whether that was a good or bad thing was beyond Fred's knowledge for the time being.

NOTE. GUYS MY FAV IS BACK‼️ but i have a disclaimer: i barely know anything about her atm because of how long its been since ive written her so some of my plans may change but the story overall is still going in the same direction as it was back in may.