A/N: Told you it'd be up quickly, but yes here is the first chapter of the sequel! Thanks so much for the last reviews, I'm very appreciative. So here's this one and tell me what you think...
and incase you haven't read the first one you definately should or else you'll have no idea what's going on.
Enjoy!
The hot sun beat down from the clear Romanian skies, and no one felt the heat more than the dragon tamers. Since early that morning they had been working nonstop on a new shipment of dragons. There were three baby Hungarian Horntails and all had nasty tempers. They had gotten two of the dragons settled down and in their cages, but one – named Brutus – was still causing trouble. He had coursed through a rain storm the previous week and was now suffering from a cold making him put up more of a fight.
Sweat trickled down her back as she held as tight as she could onto the chain that was collared around his neck and strung out into a leash. Brutus was swinging his head back and forth and she could barely keep her legs fastened.
"I could use a little help here!" She shouted as she swayed dangerously forward.
Alex rolled his eyes from his position on the ground. He pulled the chain tighter from around Brutus's ankle and hooked it onto the bottom of his cage.
"It's not as easy as it looks, Bennington!" He shouted up at her with a smile.
"That's hard to believe," She grumbled before being thrown of the dragons back. She somersaulted in midair and grunted as she landed hard on the dirt ground.
"Alyssa!" Brad shouted, and sent Alex – who was bent over laughing – a dirty look.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." She shoved herself off the ground and wiped the dirt off her pants. She glared at Brutus before shouting, "That's it," She growled; she swung her arms from Brutus to the direction of the half empty cage and the dragon was sent flying into it, crashing into the back and flipping over backwards. He breathed out a gust of flames and grazed Alex's shoulder as he rushed forward to fasten his chains. She took a few deep breaths and some steps back and wiped the hair from her sticky face with her dirt covered hand as drips of sweat fell over her brow.
"Everyone, move in!" Alyssa shouted. And as Alex backed away the rest of the tamers closed in on the cage and finally restrained the dragon. "You okay?" She asked Alex as she walked over to him. He was being attended to by a Healer and winced as he was being poked and prodded by their wand.
"Just a flesh wound," He said with a wolfish grin.
She rolled her eyes and took off her dirt covered tank top only leaving her sports bra. She sat down on the table next to him as he got healed up. A few minutes passed before Brad came over and handed her an ice cold water bottle. He wiped the sweat off his forehead as he twisted open the cap and chugged some of it down.
"You want to help with the next dragon?" He asked.
"Ha!" Alyssa clapped her hands together after taking a sip of water. "I am done for the day… nothing would give me more satisfaction than taking a nice cool shower." She took down more sips of water before hopping off the table and walking back towards the Shack. Brad walked next to her; their feet crunching on the dry dirt below them.
"That was pretty swift – what you just pulled off, I mean." Brad commented.
Alyssa shrugged, "I'm getting pretty sick of being thrown of dragons; I've got bruises to show for it." She replied. "Besides – it was nothing too fancy."
"You took out a dragon." Brad said sardonically, causing Alyssa to laugh. Their faces relaxed once they were covered by the shade of the roof. Although it was called 'the Shack,' the place was actually quite striking. The tamers that were regulars – like Brad and Alyssa – all pitched in to create a place where they could all spend their down time or crash for a few days. There were three different levels and was supplied with bedrooms and bathrooms. There was also a kitchen and a living room that was equipped with couches and even a television. Alyssa walked briefly into the kitchen to stick her water bottle in the fridge before walking up to the top level with Brad following.
Alyssa had stayed there for the past few days; it was the last days she'd be working for a while so she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her friends there. She walked over to one of the beds and reached under it where her duffel bag was.
Brad leaned against the doorway and looked at his watch – it was almost three in the afternoon. "So are you takin' off tonight?" He asked.
"I thought you were going to the bar later." Alyssa said. She dropped the bag onto her bed and pulled out a fresh set of clothes.
"Well, I am, I just wanted to know what your plans were."
She also grabbed her comb and set it with the clean clothes. "I'm going to Oliver's first thing tomorrow to get the rest of my things." She replied.
"What do you mean?"
Alyssa shrugged her shoulders, "This isn't gonna be a quick visit for me, Brad. I'll be there for a while so I'll be needing my stuff to last me a while."
Brad pushed himself off the doorway and set down his water bottle. "Wait – what? How long are you staying? I thought you were just going for the wedding."
She rolled her eyes and crossed the room with her things to put in the bathroom. She opened the window so the room wouldn't fill with steam before walking back out to look at Brad.
"I've seen Ginny once since I left Hogwarts, Brad." She started slowly, "And I haven't seen anyone else, I don't want to just stop in for a wedding and then disappear again." Brad nodded understandingly. "Speaking of," She added, "You're definitely going to the wedding, right?"
"I thought about it." Brad said stiffly.
"Brad, you've got to go. I'll need some sort of mental support going back to England and all… besides, I already told Ginny you were going."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. No worries – I just need to get a nice tux."
Alyssa smiled triumphantly as she pulled an envelope out of her bag before throwing it back under her bed. She walked over to Brad and handed the envelope to him.
"Here's the invitation," She said, "I have an extra one at Oliver's so you can take this one; don't want you conveniently forgetting what date it is."
Brad pulled out the glittering invitation and looked it over before a thought occurred to him. "Shouldn't you be taking Oliver instead?" He asked curiously. She gave him an odd look and he dropped his hands to his sides. "You're not ending it with him, are you?"
She shrugged slightly and shifted on her feet. "I'd thought about it… he's just so caught up with Quidditch – I don't think he'll ever be able to have a real relationship. Plus I'd rather you be there with me. I don't think he'd understand…" She trailed unable to finish her sentence but was comforted at Brad's nod. "Anyway, I'll be in the shower. Looks like you could use one, too." She added looking him up and down. His white t-shirt was covered with sweat and dirt and his shorts were ripped at the hem. He rolled his eyes at her and she turned to walk into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.
It wasn't long before she stepped out of the shower and combed through her hair. She observed herself as she got dressed; Alyssa hadn't changed much in the three years that had passed. Her chest was slightly fuller, her hips were slightly wider, and she had grown a grand total of one inch. The two inch long scar on her abdomen was as prominent as ever; she always thought that'd be the one thing that would never change. Her violet eyes still shined brightly and her black hair cascaded in smooth waves down to her waist. And since she had started working with dragons and realized how physically demanding it was, she got into ridiculously good shape. She had gotten dressed for the bar later that night so she was wearing dark denim jeans and a black halter top.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "What is it?" She mumbled as she put up her hair in a loose bun to dry.
"I need to use the bathroom." Alex replied.
"There're three other bathrooms in this building for a reason." She answered back. She opened the door to see Alex standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. Alex was also American; from Florida. He was around 5 foot, ten inches with broad shoulders and a buff chest. He had scars all over his upper body, mostly around his forearms where he'd gotten burnt or otherwise injured by a dragon. He had moved to Romania with his family when he was sixteen and without hesitation entered the career of being a dragon tamer.
"It just so happens that they're conveniently occupied." He said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and impatiently wiped away the drops of water that fell from her hair. She turned around to grab her clothes and as she stepped out of the bathroom, Alex shoved himself in and shut the door behind him.
She walked over to her bed and pulled on her boots before heading back downstairs where she found everyone dressed and ready to go. Brad was down there, along with Jamie and Trish (two Romanian girls), Eric and Samantha (from England), and Daniel (from Scotland). Once Alex came back downstairs they left the Shack and apparated to a safe spot outside of the small Muggle town their usual pub was located. As soon as they entered the pub, they were greeted with the smell of cigarettes and the near deafening sound of blasting music. Brad raised his hand to the bartender indicating a round of drinks. They sat down at their usual spot which was a large round leather booth in a dark, candlelit corner of the room.
Soon enough, Orlando – the good looking bartender – came around carrying a tray topped with eight mugs of beer.
"What's the occasion tonight, ladies?" Orlando slurred.
Jamie wrapped her arm around Alyssa's shoulder with a pout on her face, "Our loved one is leaving for England tomorrow," She said sadly.
Orlando quirked his lips, "Ah, well let's make this a good one then, yeah? Drinks are on me." He said with a wink.
Alyssa shook her head immediately, "No, Orlando, you really don't have to do that." She winced as Alex suddenly pinched her side.
"Oh, please. No problem – it's the least I can do, Bennington." He tucked his tray under his arm before turning to leave, "I'll round back in a few."
Alyssa rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, "You guys are so ridiculous."
"But you love us anyway, isn't that right?" Trish said. She looked around the bar after him, "Now let everyone finish their drinks so he can round back."
"You're unbelievable!" Sam scoffed, "Why don't you stop wasting time and make a move on the bloke; you've been after him for ages."
"Do you want me to say something?" Alyssa suggested. She looked over at Alex who rolled his eyes while taking a sip of his drink.
"No! Don't do that!" Trish said waving her hands, "What if that comes off too desperately?"
"And going mad behind his back isn't desperate?" Alex mumbled in Alyssa's ear.
"That's exactly why you should go up to him yourself." Sam said, "You're getting too old for this nonsense."
"Bloody hell," Eric said, "I'll sodding do it if it gets you to stuff it."
"Please, do." Sam agreed, sighing loudly. Eric stood up from the booth and disappeared into the crowd. Trish shouted after him and stumbled out of her seat as she tried to follow suit. "Ah," Sam cooed, "Young love."
"So I'd like to propose a toast," Dan shouted over the music, "To our lovely Alyssa, who livened things up around here, and who is sadly leaving our presence to go to England, for hopefully a short period of time." He looked over at Alyssa as he raised his mug and sent her a wink.
"To Alyssa," They all said raising their mugs; they clanked their mugs together before taking a swig.
"That was touching, Dan," Alyssa said rolling her eyes. She shared a look with Brad who raised his eyebrows and nodded sarcastically. As everyone set their mugs down, Eric came back to the table and scooted into the booth.
"Did you talk to him?" Sam said smiling.
"I wasn't even planning on doing anything," Eric said, shaking his head and grabbing his beer. "All I had to do was walk towards the bloke and Trish took off, grabbed him, pulled him off somewhere and I lost sight." He raised the mug to his lips and started chugging it down.
"Ah, the empty threat," Sam mused.
"Who else wants to order food?" Jamie asked looking at the menu. Brad, Alex, Sam and Dan all raised their hands so she looked up for a waiter.
"Don't worry 'bout it." Eric said standing up again, "I'm gonna get us some more drinks as well."
"That man is going to drink himself into a stupor." Alyssa said shaking her head after him.
Brad laughed and Alex rolled his eyes saying, "You say that as if it's new to us."
"So why are you going to England, anyway?" Jamie asked Alyssa.
"Well," Alyssa started after setting down her mug, "It's my best friends wedding in like… two weeks. And I haven't seen her or any of my friends from Hogwarts in years, so I thought it'd be time to visit."
Jamie nodded her head in agreement. Alyssa hadn't exactly filled the people from Romania in on what had happened during her short time at Hogwarts. All they knew was that she had a complicated relationship and made some great friends. They didn't even know she had left the school year early; if you were to ask them, they'd say she took the exams and passed with flying colors. Alyssa decided ahead of time she wasn't going to tell them; it would just avoid lots of questions that were extremely difficult to answer.
The next morning, Alyssa woke up around seven in the morning still dressed in her clothes from the night before and slightly hung over. She raised her head from her pillow to see Jamie and Dan sleeping on either side of her. Muffling a groan, she rolled out of bed and slumped to the floor. She had already said her goodbye's to everyone so she decided to be as quiet as possible and let everyone sleep. There was no point in changing considering she'd be showering later at Oliver's flat so she slipped her boots back on, grabbed her duffel bag and her purse, and headed downstairs.
It was another bright and sunny day, the light poured through the windows lighting up the kitchen and living room of the Shack. She walked quietly down each step and into the kitchen to get a drink of orange juice.
"Morning, Alyssa."
Alyssa – stifling a scream – grabbed the nearest object and held it in front of her to face her attacker, only to sigh in relief and press her back against the fridge.
"Jeez, Elizabeth – you scared the shit out of me." Alyssa snapped.
Elizabeth smirked at her as she flipped a page of the morning paper. "Sorry, and a bit of advice – I don't think an orange juice carton would've saved you."
Alyssa cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the carton that she had almost used as a weapon. "What the hell are you doing here so early, anyway?" She asked instead. She turned back around to put the carton back in the fridge and sipped at her glass of juice waiting for a response.
"I have an early meeting, thought I'd stop by and see Brad." She replied.
"Brad's not even awake." Alyssa reasoned. Yet seconds later the front door opened and Brad walked into the kitchen holding a black charred object. "What the hell is that?" She asked.
He held it up in front of his face and scrunched his nose, "It was my boot. But Alice decided to burn the life out of it." He frowned mockingly before throwing the boot in the trash. He walked over to the table Elizabeth was sitting at and bent down to kiss her cheek. Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned away from the pair. For eight months Brad and Elizabeth had been married. Liz had light brown curly hair, was usually cheery and had an ever-present glow that was slightly unnerving. She was about two inches taller than Alyssa but was nowhere near the same physical condition she was in which made her look a bit too skinny for comfort. Alyssa, of course, had picked out the annoying things out from her first, but in truth Elizabeth wasn't that bad. Alyssa couldn't think of a better older sister in law.
Alyssa checked her watch after finishing her drink and put the glass in the sink. "Well, I must be going." She grabbed her bag back off the floor and slung it over her shoulder. "Brad, I'll see you at the wedding?" He nodded and she reached up to give him a hug and kiss his cheek. "Catch you later, Elizabeth."
"Have fun." She replied.
About two minutes later she had apparated in front of the door to Oliver's flat in Scotland. She fished through her bag to get the key, unlocked the door and stepped in. She sighed and dropped her bag to the floor and looked around. Obviously the flat looked like it hadn't been lived in for weeks; Quidditch was in season which meant Oliver was traveling around the world playing for his team. Since they had started dating, his flat had become like a second home to her besides the Shack back in Romania. Alyssa hadn't been to the Bennington Estate in ages; the last time she was there was after the war ended. Her mom had decided to take some time off work and after the 'fiasco' with Alyssa, she had finally figured out that there had been too many lost years and wanted time to bond. It was the only few solid months Alyssa had been back home since she was a kid.
She bent over to pick up the old Owl post from the floor and moved into the kitchen sorting through envelopes. Most of them were addressed to Oliver so she didn't even bother looking thoroughly. The only useful thing was another invitation to Ginny's wedding so she stuffed that back into her duffel bag. Looking at her watch she noticed that there were only five hours left until she'd be meeting up with Ginny and Blaise. Butterflies coursed through her stomach; it had literally felt like a lifetime since Alyssa had last seen everyone. She looked at her watch once more and decided to take a shower and afterwards changed into a yellow sundress anticipating nice weather in England.
Out of her duffel bag she pulled out a small box and after placing on the floor and flicking her wand it enlarged into a suitcase. She rolled it into the bedroom and started packing. She hadn't been there in a while so the clothes in her dresser were folded and clean and were easily transferred to the suitcase.
An hour and a half passed and she was done packing. She could've sworn she was forgetting something but she had packed just about everything so it would have to do. She headed back into the kitchen and searched the fridge. Thankfully there was a bottle of Butterbeer and she pulled off the top and took a giant swig. Suddenly the door swung opened and slammed into the wall; Alyssa spat out her drink as she took another sip and instinctively pulled out her wand. She peered around the corner only to see a bag being tossed through an empty doorway.
A second later Oliver walked through the doorway holding another bag and dropped it to the floor. He looked up and, startled, raised his hands in defeat at seeing Alyssa standing there with her wand pointed at him.
"S'all right, it's just me." He said nervously as she let out a breath of relief.
"What is with people scaring the crap out of me today?" She said exasperatedly.
He smiled a crooked grin and crossed the room to pull her into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?" She mumbled into his chest.
"Not happy to see me?"
Alyssa rolled her eyes and pulled away slightly so she could see him – although it didn't do much considering he was a good five inches taller than her. "Of course I'm happy to see you! I just wasn't expecting it with Quidditch and all."
He shrugged looking down at her, "How could I miss you leave? I already haven't seen you in weeks, who knows how long it'll be till next time." He said charmingly. She sighed as he lowered his head to press his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. "So what time are you leaving?"
"I'm meeting Ginny at one… so a bit before that, I guess." He nodded and took off his jacket to hang up on the coat rack. "What's all the baggage for?" She asked.
Oliver shrugged again, "Just some Quidditch stuff." He adjusted his ruffled shirt causing her eyes to go wide; there was a large, dark purple bruise covering his collar bone, possibly running even further down than that.
"What the hell happened to you?" She demanded. She took a few steps forward and brought her hands to his chest to move the shirt out of the way and get a better look at it.
"Nothing that'll kill me," He said rolling his eyes. He covered her hand with his and said, "You want to make me better?" Alyssa cocked a brow and looked up at him to see he was smirking at her – it was her time to roll her eyes.
"Ha-Ha, funny," She took a slight step backwards smiling at him, "No thanks; I'm already showered, clean and ready to go."
"Ah!" Oliver exclaimed gleefully, "Just how I like 'em." He bent over and scooped her into his arms, setting off down towards the bedroom.
"Oliver, no!" Alyssa protested slapping at his arms. "I just showered!" But her shouts were ignored and turned to muffles as he kicked the bedroom door shut behind him.
During the war, Alyssa had decided to help the only way she could. She volunteered as a Healer in different Wizarding hospitals for people who were injured from fighting in the war or just any other injury in general. Among one of her patients, Oliver Wood had been admitted – unsurprisingly, suffering broken bones and a concussion from a Quidditch match. Alyssa was quite astonished to have met him; she, along with pretty much anyone who followed Quidditch, heard about him and his talent. And she had absolutely no shame in admitting she had been a bit star-struck when he came in.
When she first met him, he had complimented her on how pretty she looked. Obviously, she thought he was delirious and had brushed it off as she gave him a potion. But when he checked out in perfect health he had insisted that she join him for dinner. That had been about nine and a half months ago. They'd been dating pretty seriously since then – or at least, she wanted to think it as serious. With him in Quidditch he was always traveling around the world playing – not that she didn't understand, it just wasn't what she could call a stable relationship.
Oliver was her first serious boyfriend since… well, she didn't really like to say his name. She had strangely put herself out there pretty quickly and dated two guys. The first one had a small problem of being a bit of an abusive drunk. After the second hit, Alyssa decided that she was tired of dealing with men and their trust issues and had no problem with abruptly ending that. Her second was Alex who she met once she got to Romania. They dated for a while, but Alyssa knew that they were just having fun and it'd never get serious. That, and the fact that he liked to bone anything that walked.
After those two experiences, Alyssa found she was pretty sick with the opposite sex, and doomed herself to be alone for the rest of time. But then Oliver showed up and here they are now.
"What's gotten into you?" Alyssa asked exasperatedly, "I figured Quidditch would wear you out."
He chuckled softy and rested his hands behind his head. She curled to his side instantly. "So how long will you be in England?" He asked curiously.
She shrugged slightly placing a kiss on his chest, trying purposely to miss the bruise, "A month… maybe two. I don't really know."
"That seems like a long time." Oliver replied wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, well… you can always visit. I'm sure it's been a while since you've seen the Weasley's, and Harry and all those people." She turned and looked over her shoulder to look at the clock. "And speaking of – I should get ready." She moaned as more butterflies passed through her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow.
"Not wanting to go?" Oliver asked with a smile.
Alyssa rolled over and touched her feet to the floor. "Just nervous," She mumbled. She quickly put her underwear back on followed by her sundress. She went back into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup before finding a pair of shoes to wear that she hadn't already packed.
"What is there to be nervous about?"
Alyssa paused while putting her shoes on. There really wasn't much to be nervous about. Well, other than the fact that she nearly died there, fell in love, sent her dad to Azkaban, and then left everyone and practically disappeared off the face of the earth. She shook her head and continued on with her shoes then stood up.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something." She said quietly and quirked her lips as she pondered. Oliver rolled his eyes and put his boxers on before getting out of the bed. He left the room saying he was getting a drink and in the meantime Alyssa eyed the room looking for something she might have looked over. She looked at the clock again and realized she really needed to get going soon. She'd be apparating but she still needed to find the place she was meeting Ginny at. Her eyes finally fell on the dresser where her old jewelry box was sitting. She hadn't packed any jewelry and that might've been a good idea for a wedding. She crossed the room and cracked the box opened and started sorting through the jewelry. Her rings were at the top as well as some earrings and she slid that part opened to the bottom of the box that was filled with necklaces. Most of the things she hadn't worn in years, some were even unrecognizable and rather suddenly, her heart stopped beating. At the very bottom of the box was that necklace, his necklace. Her fingers trembled as she picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand.
Alyssa didn't know what to expect. Surely, it wouldn't glow. She had no idea what he was doing or where he was… no one did. A sob threatened to escape her mouth and she dropped the necklace and placed a hand to her lips. Alyssa hadn't worn it since the day she left Hogwarts; she had been in too much pain to see that glow and couldn't bare it. She snapped the box shut and decided to pack the whole thing anyway. She shrunk it a bit and placed it safely in her bag.
She looked at the clock once more and nodded. "All right, Oliver, I'm leaving." She called as she left the room and went to the kitchen. He was sitting on the table drinking the rest of her butterbeer and hopped off as she entered the room. She dropped her heavy bag from her shoulder as he walked towards her. "I don't know how long you'll be here, so if I don't Floo I'll just write to you." She said.
"I'll miss you," Oliver said, he took another step forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "But have fun, and tell Ginny I said congratulations."
"I will; and I'll miss you, too." Alyssa replied, returning the hug. "Think about what I said, though. You really should visit."
"I'll think about it." Oliver said; she already knew he had Quidditch running through his mind. She rolled her eyes yet leaned in to give him a kiss. She retrieved her bag and hiked it up her shoulder before walking out the door and shutting it behind her.
It was bright and sunny in Surrey, but somewhat chilly so once Alyssa arrived she pulled a sweater out of her bag. She held a hand to shade her eyes and looked up to make sure she was in the right spot – she was. And looking at her watch she was happy to see she was right on time. She set off down the busy sidewalk and walked three blocks down the street before finding the pub that Ginny had planned on meeting her. It was called St. Matthews Pub; she stepped inside and her face relaxed from the lack of sunlight.
The pub was filled with people but no one could ever miss the red hair of a Weasley. Alyssa's mouth stretched into a huge smile; Ginny was sitting on the opposite side of the room, practically bouncing in her seat and it seemed that almost as soon as Alyssa looked her way, she caught Ginny's attention.
"Alyssa!" Ginny bolted out of her seat and nearly sprinted over, Alyssa laughed as Ginny almost sent her to the floor in a tight hug.
They pulled away but were still in each other's arms, "You look amazing!" Alyssa said as she looked her over. Ginny had definitely grown a few inches since the last time she saw her, and if it weren't for the heels Ginny would probably be taller than her. Her blood red hair looked exactly the same but was down to her elbows in soft waves.
"So do you! Oh, it's so good to see you!" They hugged each other again and both fell into a fit of giggles as they realized how much attention they were getting. "Cmon, let's sit down." Ginny grabbed her hand and pulled her to the table where Blaise was sitting.
"Blaise," Alyssa breathed as he stood up. He looked as handsome as ever, and his white teeth still gleamed perfectly as he smiled at her. They gave each other a kiss and had a tight hug.
"It's been too long, Alyssa." He said.
They all sat down and Ginny ordered a round of drinks which came by almost immediately.
"So how have all of you been? I feel like it's been a lifetime!" Alyssa said sipping her drink.
"Please," Ginny said shaking her head, "I should really be asking that question; you're the one who's been living Merlin knows where these past few years."
Alyssa had only been able to make it to England once to visit the Burrow during Christmas. At the time only the Weasley's were there so she was only able to really see Ron, Ginny and Hermione. Plus she finally got to meet the rest of her family. That was the year of what should have been Ginny's seventh year at Hogwarts. Ginny, much to the protest of her parents, didn't attend her last year at school and left to go fight in the war.
"I've just been passed back and forth between Romania and Scotland, really." Alyssa replied with a shrug, "I've only been back to America once. But seriously, you have to tell me everything…" she sent Blaise a wolfish grin, "Like getting engaged."
Ginny and Blaise shared an adorable look that said 'is it my turn to tell, or yours?' before Ginny shook her head and started talking. "Well, during that summer – soon after you left – we broke up; just because we were both going to the war and we really didn't want that sort of a distraction."
"But that didn't really work anyway," Blaise said, "I don't know about her, but all I could think about was whether she was safe and okay the whole time."
"So, obviously we got back together after everything settled down," Ginny continued sending him a glare. "And what was it, about six months ago when you proposed?"
Blaise smiled at her, "Just about, love."
"And we've really been doing a bunch of planning these past few months," She added waving her hand around. "The wedding planner is such a twit so I've done most of it on my own."
"That's so cute," Alyssa pondered aloud with a pout, "I wish I was there to see it."
Ginny scoffed and shook her head, "Ugh, no you don't; lots of tears and smudged makeup."
"Yet lots of shagging afterwards," Blaise said. Ginny reached across the table to smack him in the arm but Alyssa threw her head back and laughed. At least he hadn't changed too much.
"So everything's all set?" Alyssa asked curiously, "Besides the dresses I mean." In her invitation it had another note of the dates for when they'd be having dress fittings for the Bride-to-be and her bridesmaids; Alyssa was the Maid of Honor.
Ginny nodded her head, "Yup…" She shared a worried look with Blaise but he shook his head, and it went by unnoticed. "But anyway, tell me how things are going. And please update me on how things are going between you and a certain Quidditch player? I'm tired of hearing it through the papers."
"He says congrats for the wedding, by the way." Alyssa said as she took a sip of her drink, "And please don't tell me they're writing about us."
"Well, Oliver is one of the best Quidditch players at the moment." Ginny counted.
"The paper is probably making it sound more exciting than it actually is," Alyssa said rolling her eyes.
"Meaning?" Blaise asked curiously.
"Meaning," She said pointedly, "I hardly ever see him with his schedule, so it's been rather difficult."
"I doubt most girls would care considering he's Oliver Wood and all." Ginny said smiling.
Blaise chuckled softly, "But we all know Alyssa's not most girls."
"Exactly." Alyssa said, nodding enthusiastically.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "So what does that mean, anyway? You want to break it off or something?"
She shrugged, "I was thinking about it… but I really do like him so it's hard to decide." They fell into silence as she went over her thoughts before shrugging again and shaking her head. "But anyway - enough about that. What's the plan? I want to see everyone; I've been dying of anticipation."
Ginny and Blaise looked at each other again, smiling, before Ginny finished off her drink. "Well, we can go to the Ministry now – don't give me that look – Harry and Ron are there working and we're eating with them tonight anyway."
Alyssa was still pretty upset with the Ministry after said 'fiasco' and didn't like to involve herself in it too much. But at the mere sound of their names, Alyssa felt adrenaline pass through her veins and she tried hard not to bounce in her seat.
"Speaking of," Blaise cut in, "You want to tell her about the arrangements?"
"Oh, yes. You'll be staying with Harry."
Alyssa's eyes popped opened, "What?"
"Well first we considered booking you a room at a hotel," Ginny said flopping her hand around, "But then you'd have to travel back and forth to come out with us and all that, so Harry suggested you could just stay with him. He's got a rather big flat, guest room and all, so I think you'll be just fine."
The adrenaline only heightened at the fact that she'd be staying with Harry. It was ridiculous how much she missed him. The one time she visited for Christmas, he hadn't been able to make it which was really upsetting. But now she was only moments from seeing him again, and she couldn't stand having to wait.
"Are you ready to go?" Blaise asked.
"Yes!" Alyssa shouted, jumping a bit too quickly out of her seat. Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head sadly at her.
"You know, I'm still surprised you two didn't end up together."
Alyssa rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, pulling it over her shoulder. "Could we not touch upon that subject?" Ginny shrugged and laughed as Alyssa downed her drink, raised her hand and said, "Check, please!"