A new day brought with it a hoard of new troubles. The flue to the fireplace in Ginny's flat had rusted shut and refused to stop blowing out remains of soot, covering both Ginny and the interior of her flat with gritty blackness. Now, not only was she covered head to toe in black ash, but she was also late for her interview at the children's hospital.
As a result, Ginny didn't have enough time to shower and redress and, instead, dashed out her door still lack with
soot so that when she arrived at the hospital she looked a modern version of the maddened
Cruella DeVille.
Considering her current state, it wasn't surprising that she'd been refused work at the hospital. She hadn't even made it past the receptionist's desk.
"Sorry, but the position has already been filled," replied the haughty receptionist to her inquiry.
"But how is it possible? I was called and was informed to be here and well, I supposed that the job was mine," said Ginny sounding dumb to even herself.
"Sorry ma'am, I think that there's been a mistake. You were never guaranteed the job," she replied.
"But I think you'll find my qualifications suitable for the job," Ginny questioned with apparent distress.
"Well ma'am, your qualifications are all good, but we at this hospital also care about the appearance of our staff members." This coming from a toad-like woman dressed from head to toe in shocking pink, brightly colored makeup that looked like it was applied with a spatula, and an upturned nose.
On a normal day, Ginny might have been amused by this woman's choice of attire. However, this was no normal day and Ginny was not amused. But she needed the job, so she attempted to suck in her growing anger and try again
"Look ma'am, lets try to be reasonable here, I don't usually look like this, and well…" Ginny bent
over the counter. "Don't tell me you don't have days when nothing seems to go right! This is one such day
for me,
so please just let me through and you'll be doing womanity a huge favour," said Ginny
conspiratorially.
"Look lady, you turn up at a hospital looking like some sort of maniac, you don't bring with you this letter
you speak of as proof that you even have an interview today. Your family name is shameful and you've done
absolutely nothing today to prove you are a better witch than them. Despite all of this, you expect me to let you
through? Walk out of here this instant or I'll call security."
That ticked her off. Some Umbridge woman dressed like a clown, talking about her family in such a disgraceful
manner brought on her Weasley temper to a flaming height.
"I want to meet the head of this hospital! Where is the owner of this place?" shouted Ginny.
"Now Miss Weasley, don't you forget that this is a hospital," said a drawling voice from behind her.
Ginny turned toward the voice and locked eyes with the last person she'd expected. Draco Malfoy.
The receptionist immediately flushed at the mere sight of Draco Malfoy, "Sir, this lady insists she be given a job."
Draco Malfoy looked over to Ginny who was standing in the middle of the white hallway, covered in black soot and making quite a mess on the clean, white tile flooring.
"I'll take it from here, my dear. Miss Weasley, why don't you follow me."
Ginny didn't remember the walk to Malfoy's office…all she could think of were the times Malfoy had been rude to her and Ron and most important of all, Harry!
And now, here she stood in Draco Malfoy's office, looking quite the nutter in her blackened outfit and disheveled hair, waiting to see what he could possibly want with her.
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**Later that day**
"So you're telling me that Draco Malfoy offered you a job?" asked an incredulous Hermione.
"Not just any job. I get to be his personal assistant for a while, after which I get to join the hospital at a permanent basis!" finished a rather excited Ginny.
"Wait, give me a second to take it all in."
"Hermione, what's there to take in? It's just a job for goodness sake," Ginny reasoned.
"But do you really trust him enough?"
"Look, I appreciate your concern for me but believe me when I say that he can't harm me in any way."
"How can you say that?"
Ginny thought for a moment, "Well… it shows from the way he spoke to me. I can just tell."
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**Flashback to earlier that day**
"Miss Weasley, you've been in the news," smirked Malfoy.
"Look Malfoy-"
"It's `Mr. Malfoy' now Ginny dear," he cut in sharply. "We're no longer students at Hogwarts."
"Okay, Mr. Malfoy, I came here for a job at the hospital. Considering that there isn't a vacancy I think I'll apply some place else."
"Oh, but there is a vacancy available Miss Weasley," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Is there? And which one is that, if I may ask Mr. Malfoy?" by now Ginny was seething with anger.
"My personal assistant," he finished.
A heavy silence hung in the room for quite a while. Ginny could only watch him with a blank stare as she tried to make
the words sink in, hoping that she might have heard him wrong.
When Ginny finally spoke, the only words she could mutter would have sounded more intelligent coming from a cow.
Malfoy cracked a smirk at her confusion, "I know it sounds absurd but I ask you to put aside our petty childish differences and think beyond them."
"But why me?"
"Well, you have been one of the managers of the Weasley Empire."
"Only for a matter of five years."
"I think that's fine enough and your job here would not require you to display your mental ability or your
genius in arithmetic."
"What do you mean?" she eyed him suspiciously.
"With time you will come to know."
Ginny shifted uneasily in the posh armchair, "What's in it for me?"
"Well, let's say about two hundred galleons per month."
"What--"
"Plus if you would like, new living arrangements," Malfoy added eyeing her current unkempt state. Ginny could
only assume he'd overheard her conversation with the receptionist.
"But what is the nature of this job?"
Malfoy sat back in his overstuffed chair and grinned at her, "You will find out in time. I want you make yourself
presentable when you report for duty at seven o'clock tomorrow morning and I expect you to be
prompt."
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thanks for reading! Time for individual thanks
Afourleafclover- I know sometimes its quite difficult to accept the fact that the Waesley's can turn nasty, but this was necessary here, as the disinheritment plays a major role in the climax of the story. I'm delighted that u like the story!
Janet-Reviewers like you make my day! Yeah, it is pretty mean of Molly and Arthur, but well as its there in this chapter Power!! It makes people go crazy!! Oh and Harry's here! He obviously not voiced his opinions yet but I'll make sure he does once the plot move on!
Michou- thank-you for the review!! It really is good to see such good response!
Silverbutterfly- there you go. Not healer, not owner! Oh and this hospital is not St Mungo's, it's a private hospitial! Yeah, poor Ginny! But she has Ron and Hermoine still with her. Thanks for the review!
Isabelle Marie- thank-you! I hope you liked this chapter!
S- I know it's a Harry/Hermoine site, but Somehow, Hermoine plays a key role here and I wanted her to be related to Ginny! I hope u don't mind!
Although I have more reviews than I expected, I sure hope I get a little more! Remember a little
appreciation never goes waste!! So review people!!!
Rid
Special thanks to Tabitha my beta reader. Sorry didn't mention her before! Don't know what I would have done without her!