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She had promised her publicist that she would stay until midnight. Midnight, Marcia had begged, For the pictures! Make sure you have a champagne glass in your hand to cheer! Scarlett limply held the flute in her hands, arms crossed as her bleary eyes watched the countdown begin. She had not stayed up this late in what felt like months and she was beyond grateful that she was not heading to Istanbul tomorrow. Her exhaustion was the only thing that could numb the feeling of being unable to claim a country as your birthright, though she threw all of her weight in support of England because she'd lived in London all her life. This party was simply a way to detract from the negative press of supposedly being caught behind the stadium with Ludo Bagman, lady-killer extraordinaire. He was the absolute last person she wanted to be associated with and if coming to this all night, though admittedly aesthetically pleasing, party meant that she could be rid of some of the filth his reputation laid upon her shoulders, than so be it.

Only four more seconds until midnight, hopefully she could make it.

Scarlett lifted her glass a bit early, and took the salutatory drink before the clock actually struck midnight. The roar of the crowd hurt her ears and Scarlett silently scolded herself for not bringing the ear plugs she used during matches. She didn’t have to pay too much attention to Bagman’s shouts and orders to the chasers and beaters; if she kept the quaffle out of the goals, he let her do as she wished. Already stalking off as the traditional New Year’s music began to play, Scarlett planted her glass on a nearby counter and made her way toward the exit. She had stayed until midnight! She had even gotten her picture taken with some of her teammates, the ones that she didn’t despise.

A prickling on her back made tilt her face up to the ceiling, and even Scarlett could not deny the beauty of the fireworks display. It was phenomenal, and as the glittering bits floated down onto her face she shut her eyes and reveled in the lovely feeling that was now coursing through her body. Her lips pressed into a smile, feeling as if in a trance. Scarlett dropped her chin and let out a slight gasp.