Captivate and Mesmerize

Mesmerize; Part 2.1

mesmerize (verb)
to have someone's attention completely so that they cannot think of anything else

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She blamed Ginny. None of this would have happened if the redhead hadn't forced her!

It was her 26th birthday, so the ladies of her life decided to take her out for a night out. It was quite a spectacle. Her, Ginny, Megan, Angelina, and Fleur dressed in their "tasteful but sexy" (as described by Ginny) dresses to have dinner at a fancy restaurant in an up and coming part of Diagon Alley which was embracing more of Muggle culture. After, they headed to a popular Muggle club near Magical London where they (except Megan, of course) drank cocktails and tried to coerce Hermione into dancing. They stuck to their own group and danced with each other, and many of the club's occupants glanced at their direction. Hermione was told to let go, and she did. She wasn't uptight, but she was more of a stay-at-home-and-read kind of girl than the clubbing sort. She preferred dinner parties over dancing and would rather get lost in a good book or movie than deal with large crowds and strangers. But her friends wanted to experience new things with her, and that included clubbing. So, she let them do her up like their personalized doll and take her out around town. She didn't realize how much fun she was having until she burst out laughing at Fleur's appalled face when the DJ, as a joke, decided to play T-Pain's Apple Bottom Jeans and the whole club cheered, sang along, and gyrated to the floor when shawty got low. Angelina told the DJ that it was her birthday too so everyone sang her the birthday song.

Perhaps it was the excess amounts of endorphins in her system from having so much fun, not to mention all the alcohol she had consumed, that she went along with Ginny's crazy idea. She was riding on the high from being taken out of her comfort zone and actually liking the experience that she said yes to this new experience too.

Ginny wanted to get a tattoo and had convinced the rest of them to get one with her. Angelina immediately said yes. She was no stranger to ink since she already had some on her skin. Also, it seemed like George really liked her tattoos so of course she was up for a new one! Sweet, sweet Megan timidly said yes since she apparently had always wanted a tattoo. Fleur took a bit more convincing. The beautiful part-Veela didn't want to mark her skin but Ginny said that they were going to get no ordinary tattoos but magical ones so she needn't worry. Her tattoo could be magiced to only be visible when she wanted to and also Bill (who had some of his own) wouldn't mind at all if she got one herself. Fleur blushed and agreed. Hermione surprised everyone and said yes too. Why the hell not? It was her birthday, she was an adult, and a tattoo sounded like a fine idea to her. She had always loved looking at Harry's tattoos so what would it hurt if she got one on her skin that she could then admire?

So the witches went back to Diagon Alley and followed Ginny into a shop. In hindsight, Ginny seemed to know exactly where to go which surprised Hermione. It didn't seem like such a spur of the moment idea since the redhead steered them through the alley and straight into the shop with beautiful and colourful images posted on its windows. Ginny explained that this shop was always open late, which was an understatement since it was just shy of midnight. A man in his late twenties was seated on a plushed chair reading a book and he glanced up when they entered through the door. A smile illuminated his handsome face and he stood up to take Ginny in an embrace. Hermione and Megan shared a knowing look.

"Everyone, this is Ashton Suzuki, an artist friend of mine. Ash, these are my dearest friends and sisters-in-law, Angelina, Megan, Fleur, and the special birthday girl Hermione!" Ginny made the introductions. Ash, whom Hermione noted was very handsome and looked to be of mixed heritage with auburn hair and dark brown eyes, kissed each of their hands in greeting. Hermione heard her friends sigh when his lips touched their skin and she stifled a grin. That was one way to win them over.

"Ladies, it's a pleasure to have you in my shop," he said, his voice silky smooth and slightly accented with Japanese. "Will you be getting any of my art on you tonight?"

Hermione liked that he referred to his tattoos as art. She looked around the parlour to see images of the tattoos he had done before and was amazed at the sheer talent displayed in them and the wide range of styles they covered. There were some in Japanese style; tattoos whose bold colours told the tale of the rich Japanese history and folklore with images of kaijus, dragons, and phoenixes. Some tattoos were what Hermione would consider "traditional" with their more iconic designs like roses, skulls, and tribal patterns. But what Hermione did not expect were to see some of the images move. She had to blink a couple of times to ensure it wasn't just a trick of the light that made the woman in the pinup tattoo wink or the dragon roar. Some of the tattoos were indeed moving atop the skin and she looked awestruck at them. So this was what Ginny meant by magical tattoos.

"I've convinced them," Ginny said with a wink. "So, who wants to go first?" At their silence, Ginny rolled her eyes and offered herself up as tribute. "Fine, I'll go first." She said. Turning to the artist, she added, "Ash, I know exactly what I want to get."

Ash nodded his head and faced the rest of the women. He gave them a dazzling smile and gestured to the comfortable seats in the waiting area. "Ladies, excuse me for a moment while I work on the design for Ginny. Meanwhile, please think about the art you would want to get tonight. You can watch later when the tattoo is being done if you're curious," he said. "My assistant will be here to help you with anything you need." With a nod, he turned around and joined Ginny already sat by a table at the far end of the room.

As if on cue, the shop assistant emerged from the back room carrying a tray with a tall pitcher of water and another pitcher of light orange liquid. It looked alcoholic, Hermione thought, and a small sip from her cup confirmed it. It had a kick and it tasted so good. It's a dangerous drink, whatever it was. They were also given some pastries and salty snacks and were handed an album containing even more designs for them to look through.

Ginny's consultation with Ash took but ten minutes and soon all of the women, with drinks in hand, hovered around a plushed chair where Ginny was sat. Her right arm was extended and a stencil of Ash's design was on the skin above her wrist.

It was a drawing of a single tree. The trunk extended to long branches which held a multitude of leaves.

"You're getting a tree?" Angelina asked incredulously.

"Yes, I like trees." Ginny said with no hesitation. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

Ash ignored them and sat on a stool to the side of Ginny's outstretched arm. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows which revealed sleeves of brightly coloured tattoos underneath. Hermione felt her jaw drop as she looked at all of the intricate images. He removed his wand from his pocket and pointed it to Ginny's arm.

"Circumlinisti stibio," he murmured. He then touched the wand tip to the drawing on Ginny's arm. A small bead of light erupted from the tip and he carefully traced the stencil with the light. He murmured another incantation and drew outside of the stencil. Since the drawing was quite small, the procedure was finished in less than ten minutes. Ash withdrew his wand from her skin and flicked it causing the light to disappear. He gently took Ginny's arm from the cushion and tilted it to be in full view. The tree was so lifelike with its lush green leaves. She saw that Fleur was about to ask something when Ash ran a finger through the drawing. Speechless, Hermione watched as the tree bloomed. White flowers emerged from the green leaves and a couple of birds flew from between its branches.

Ginny was grinning broadly at her new tattoo. She leapt from her seat and gave Ash a hug. "It's beautiful! Thank you, Ash." She said. The artist only gave her a lopsided smile and kissed her at the side of her head.

The redhead turned to the rest of the group. With a small smile on her lips, she narrowed her gaze and looked at each of the women one by one. "Who's next?"