Chapter 4
Changes in the Wind
A/N: My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please. Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.
No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.
Luna drug Ginny from one shop to the next all over London, breaking only once for lunch at a fish and chips shop that had turned out to be surprisingly tasty. Luna raved on about it being one of the few shops that still wrapped their wares in newsprint. She was going on about other places not doing it because of the ink in the print getting in the food. Truthfully Ginny hadn't paid too much attention to her friend's rant in favor of actually eating her lunch. After all it takes a lot of energy out of a girl to shop all day.
The only other stop outside of clothing stores had been unplanned and also the last stop of the day before returning to the Leaky for dinner.
Ginny still couldn't believe just how much money she had spent on their little outing. Well it wasn't a whole lot in Wizarding money, but in muggle money she had spent more than she figured most would in a day. The evidence of their outing was filling every pocket they had between them; package after package shrunken to more easily carry as they moved from shop to shop.
By the end of the day she had purchased nearly an entirely new ward r f robe of muggle clothing; clothes for any and all occasions. It wasn't like she needed to justify her purchases. She was allowed to wear anything she wanted to work and often did opt for muggle jeans and pants under her standard daily wear robes. Frankly muggle clothes were just more comfortable, not to mention figure flattering. Plus a cute pair of muggle jeans could make a wizard mess his trousers. Any witch worth her womanly wiles knew that.
The most notable purchases were the ones specifically bought for her new `night life.' After all witch robes apparently weren't the accepted norm at AK and clubs of its particular rank.
To say that leather, silk, lace, and velvet were the fabrics of perversion would not be over stating her new wardrobe of debauchery. She couldn't help but shake her head and laugh to herself. If her bothers, specifically if Ron, saw the items she bought they would all cart her off to St. Mungo's ward for the mentally unstable. Or at the very least ward her into her own flat so that she could never leave it. Well maybe not Charlie. He was after all far more accepting of his little sister being a woman. He rarely ever questioned anything she did or said, aside from her month long exile.
After a quick floo back to Ginny's flat the games were on. The girls dressed quickly even though it was still early according to Luna. Ginny stared at her own reflection in the full length mirror. It was hard to believe the image that shined back at her was hers. The outfit had been toe tagged by Luna while they were shopping as being the perfect ensemble for Ginny's first venture into the underground world of clubbing Knockturn style. A black velvet buster with red lace down the sides hinted at the creamy flesh beneath it. They paired it with a black silk skirt that had a drifting hem line that started around mid thigh and tapered back so that it just barely trailed the ground behind her. Black fishnet stockings that Luna had insisted needed a few holes torn in them and Italian leather lace-up combat boots completed the new `Goth Ginny' look.
But the thing that really made the picture was the results of their last stop before dinner. On an impulse they stopped in a muggle salon. Ginny turned to look at her friend. "Luna, are you sure my hair looks okay like this?"
Luna couldn't help but laugh at her friend second guessing herself. She should have known that would be what came of doing something like this the semi-permanent muggle way. Oh sure it wasn't really undoable. Ginny's hair would grow back in a few months. It wasn't like she cut it all off, just a good six inches or so. And hair color does eventually either fade or grow out. In most women's cases both. And they were witches after all. It wasn't like they couldn't cast a charm to make it look any way they pleased if they tired of it. "It looks stunning. Though I have to admit I was surprised that you opted for a muggle cut and die job over a charm."
"I wanted something new and outrageous. Make a total change. Out with the old, in with the new so to speak; doing this the muggle way seemed the more fitting thing. " She turned back to the mirror. "Seriously though, the auburn looks good?"
"Yeah it does. I really like the black streaks. They really make the look come together."
Half an hour later both girls looked the picture of two muggle Goths. "Ready to go Luna or is it still too early?"
"Nope, we can go. Nine is by far late enough. Sorry it took me longer to do my hair than it normally does. But it was worth it, I love how it looks."
Ginny was waiting while Luna tossed all her stuff together and tucked her wand inside her boots. "Let me grab my cloak from your room. Take my word; walking through Diagon Alley dressed like this will get you the type of attention you do not want. Unless you like being the topic of Rita Skeeter's quill that is. Do you want me to grab yours too? We can always transfigure them into chokers or some other accessory when we get into Knockturn Alley so we don't have to drag them around with us all night."
"Yes please."
Moments later their cloaks were wrapped tightly around them and they were standing just outside the notorious alley. "Gin we don't have to go if you're not sure about it. There are plenty of muggle clubs we could go to instead."
"No I'm okay with it. I'm just thinking that I don't think this is exactly what Charlie had in mind when he suggested I start going out to have fun."
Luna laughed. "Probably not, but I doubt he would try to stop you from doing it; Ron, Percy, and Bill certainly, the twins maybe, but not Charlie. He's too much a danger junkie to ever tell anyone not to do something just because it's dangerous."
"You certainly do know my brothers Luna."
"Well I have spent a lot of time at your parent's house over the years. What do you expect?"
"Point taken. So are we ready?"
"I've been ready. I'll leave the first step up to you. After all you're the one all worried about it. But leave your cloak on till we are a few meters in. We wouldn't want anyone out here to see what we are wearing."
After making sure no one they knew was around they ducked into the infamous alley. It didn't take long to begin passing witches and wizards that seemed a fair shake towards the shady side of life.
"Okay we're in far enough." Lune removed her cloak and held it before her. Casting a quick transfiguration spell she turned her cloak into a studded choker that looked more like a dog collar than a necklace. Ginny followed suit but opted to turn hers into a lace necklace with a silver broken heart hanging form it. When she put it on, it came to rest in the center of her cleavage.
The rest of the walk through Knockturn Alley didn't take nearly as long as Ginny had thought it might. The crowd had been thin because of the late hour until they hit the strip of clubs that sat near the far end. Long lines of people stood waiting to enter just about everywhere. But by far the line into AK was the worst.
"Luna how long are we gonna have to wait out here?"
Luna giggled. "Not long at all." Walking up to a familiar, rather heavy set man Luna flashed a smile. "Greg you know you're gonna let me skip the line."
`Greg, why did that name seem so familiar,' Ginny thought to herself watching her best friend seemingly flirt with the bouncer. Luna's voice dragged her back to reality. "Ginny you remember Greg from Hogwarts right. Gregory this is Ginny. Ginny this is Gregory Goyle."
Wow time really did alter people. Sure he was still rather heavy, but Greg was a good foot taller than she remembered him being. "Um yeah I do. Nice to see you again."
Greg didn't reply to her half-hearted nicety. "Luna, Blaise is waiting inside." He lifted the velvet cord that held back the masses and allowed the two girls to pass through.
"Thanks Greg."
Ginny honestly didn't know what to think. Her best friend had a side that she honestly never knew existed. "You just had a friendly little chat with Goyle of all people?"
"Yes Gin I did. He's been very friendly to me since we left school. I think him losing his parents in the war might have been the best thing for him. For that matter the same can be said for a lot of the Slytherins we went to school with."
"I guess that explains why he said Zabini was waiting for you?"
"Well a bit yeah. I tend to meet him here on weekends. It's no relationship if that's what you're thinking. A bit of fun that's all."
Ginny couldn't help but wonder just how much odder the night was going to get.
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Big thanks to Renegade Faerie and Dracoginnylover24 for their reviews.
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