Chapter 1:
"The One Where Ginny gets a Job at Malfoy Mannor"
Disclaimer:
I obviously own none these characters because I am broke!
In the years it took her to achieve this Hermione Granger never expected the outcome to be so extreme. Of course, it was a liberation of sorts, the house elves leaving their homes in retaliation for years of service without pay. Some chose to stay for meager allowances that scarcely justified their services to the family, but those cases were few and far in between. There were half way houses being set up for the homeless elves making their transition into individual members of the magical community. Some wizards were happy about this, saying it was a long time and coming. More were sending howlers and, um, other things to Ms. Granger's office. It was fast becoming a necessity to move the young witch to a place that was unplotable. This, in turn, caused many difficulties for her flat mate, Ginny Weasley.
"Hermione, dear, did you have to do all that now while we're still young enough to enjoy a happy and healthy life? Couldn't you have waited to free the elves until, well, after I died, got married, moved out, what ever comes last?!?" Ginny screamed, throwing the bag of letters and howlers that were owled in this morning at her roomie's door. "You better come out and face this, I hope that you have an alternate source of funds available because I just got sacked from my job today for merely knowing you, let alone living with you. My boss had three house elves he lost due to your amendment and was not to pleased. Hermione, will you answer me please!"
Slowly the letter battered door opened and out stepped Hermione, only it was not a Hermione that Ginny was used to. This Hermione had red rimmed eyes and (oh my god, please don't laugh, do not laugh GINNY!) ears and mouth that better suited Dobby.
"Who did this to you?"
Hermione sniffed and her nose fluctuated to that of a house elf and back to her normal pointed one. "I opened a letter. It looked like our monthly rent bill but it was, well, something else. I've reversed most of the effects, but I can't seem to get rid of this!" she wildly waved her arms towards her face and burst into tears once more. Ginny sighed. At least her day had not been as dreadful as her friend's.
"I'll floo Mum. She may be able to do something."
* * *
By the end of the night Hermione's ears and mouth were back to normal, but the problem with her nose had yet to be solved. Ginny had found the source of the hex laying on the desk in the study. It contained one sentence:
Maybe now you will be more suitable to your affiliates.
Ginny almost laughed when she saw this, thinking of what a perfect prank this would be if it was pulled by Fred and George. She could almost see it now on the shelf at their shop, right next to the ant antennae suckers:
Lost your house elf and in dire need of a replacement? Come to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and pick up a supply of instant elf, the one hex guaranteed to turn the recipient into a fully operational house elf.
Ginny crumbled the note and tossed it in the small waste bin next to the desk. She fumbled around the room for a few minutes looking for the morning's Daily Profit for the want ads. With Ron's wedding coming up she desperately needed to not be unemployed for long amounts of time. She was supposed to be Luna's maid of honor and that required a dress, accessories, and throwing a bacholorette party. All those things require and abundance of disposable income which Ginny did not have in her possession. After a few more minutes searching she found what she was looking for. The her surprise this morning's edition was thicker than usual. Upon further inspection it was revealed that this was due to the large number of job openings in the fields of housekeeper, butler, maid, gardener, and (the most appealing to Ginny) chef. There was even an address to owl a resume to that would find you employment suitable for you in the ever expanding (translation being 'house elf vacant') field of home services. Ginny quickly charmed a quill to write her resume along with her current immediate availability for work and left the room to find her owl, Pig.
Three hours later a small and fidgety owl deposited a rather extensive resume on the desk of the proprietor of Zabini Employment. The dark haired man behind the desk fed the small creature a treat and picked up the letter to scan it's contents. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face when he read the name.
Blaise laughed. "Ms. Weasley, I know exactly where you will be most needed, and immediately as well."
***
Narcissa Malfoy was not in a good mood. She had just lost her second house elf this year do to another of Draco's old school mates. In addition she had missed her morning massage, three visitors (no one had answered the door and she sure as hell wasn't going to do it), and every meal. No one had cooked. Once she realized the problem she immediately flooed her son Draco at his job in the Ministry of Magic to fix it. Although he looked slightly irritated he coolly informed her he had contacted an agency that would be taking care of everything and it should be back to normal by dinner tonight. He wouldn't be home until late so she would have to see to the particulars and cousin Blaise would be by to assist her. Have a nice day.
Oh, and he also informed her she would have to answer the door, it was probably Blaise she was ignoring.
Narcissa sat in the foyer for the rest of the day. Her shoulders ached, her stomach made obscene noises, and she noticed dust on the table and sofa in the room. When the visitor came again she rushed to the door and flung it open, a look of hope and expectation on her face. Standing before her was son's third cousin Blaise Zabini and he had with him an entourage of three. One was a balding middle aged wizard with pale blue eyes and gray hair. The next was slightly younger than the male, a witch with black hair and a pudgy build. The third was a small wisp of a girl, looking barely older than 17 with her flame red hair pulled back into quite a severe bun. On her young angelic face she wore no make up and her ears and neck were naked of any adornments. She was dressed in black robes that reminded Narcissa of her son's old school uniform. She placed her attention back on Blaise. "Come in and situate the staff. I would like a short introduction to each and I will inform them of what their duties shall be." Narcissa stepped to the side to allow her new employees in, each meeting her eyes as they entered, each offering a faint smile. Each, except for the last. The pale red haired girl kept her eyes glued to the floor, seemingly mesmerized by the spacing in between each marble tile.
"Girl, what is your name?' She directly addressed the child. Honey brown eyes looked up at her and the child opened her mouth to speak, but Blaise jumped in between the two females.
"This is your new chef. She has references from Le Martinique and one very personal one from a family friend of my mother's. She also has had extensive training in apparation and disapparation of inanimate objects, such as your meals, Mrs. Malfoy. In short, you will never know she is here, her presence will never be required anywhere but your kitchen."
Narcissa looked perplexed for a minute, her brows furled, and her mouth went into a hard line. The look she bore was as if something of importance were eluding her, her grasp was nearly there, but not quite. Then her expression cleared and she let whatever was (or in her case, was not) going on in her head go. She looked to Ginny and smiled.
"The kitchen is to my right through the hall and around the corner. Dinner is served promptly at 7:30 in the Malfoy household and I expect a three course meal every night. Neither I nor my son enjoy salads so you can skip that, and my son does not particularly enjoy ham. Breakfast is at 10:30, and lunch at 3 in the afternoon. I live in a late rising schedule and my meals accommodate such. The only meal my son shares with me is dinner, so I prefer it to be impressive, to say the least. And without interruptions." Narcissa motioned to her right with her hand in a lax gesture of giving an order. "Go to it girl. I have not eaten all day and it is almost three."
Ginny nodded and nearly ran to the kitchen, tears stinging her eyes. At that moment she knew why the Malfoys were notorious for their treatment of their subordinates. In that woman's eyes Ginny was so far below her on the social scale that she didn't even recognize her.
* * *
Blaise lead the staff through their duties. Kaenery was the maid and overall head of house. She would see that Ginny got all the supplies she needed in the kitchen; it was Ginny's duty to provide her with a list on Sunday morning for the rest of the week. Conner, the butler, took care of guests and general house cleaning with Kaenery. While Ginny and Conner were allowed to leave after their duties were over, Kaenery was to reside on the property in a guest room. If they needed time off or a vacation Blaise would see to a temporary replacement for that time. Mrs. Malfoy had one order she had given to all three. They were not to be seen unless called for.
The pay was substantial, and wanting to impress her new boss with her culinary skills Ginny made a light and airy spinach and sun dried tomato soufflé with cream cheese and mozzarella. For the protein of the meal she sautéed prong shrimp with scallops in a pinot grigio butter sauce. She then garnished the plate with a bit of fresh rosemary and ground chipotle. At exactly three p.m. Ginny waved her wand over the dish and watched as her masterpiece disappeared in front of her. With that done Ginny began her exploration of the cabinets and cooler of the Malfoy kitchen. She smiled to herself. With everything that this place had stocked she would be able to wow her employers for months, but most especially tonight.
Ginny removed her most prized possession from her robes, a cook book that was nothing but hand written recipes. Some were her mother's (personal favorites of Ginny's). Others were a combination of things that she and Hermione had come up with, desserts, appetizers, some just drunken girls splattering the pages with flour and wine in an attempt to make something tasty, or in the least edible. Most were her own personal creations. What she wanted to prepare tonight was one of her favorites, but very simple. From the cooler she removed about two pounds of chicken breast and began to cut it up into centimeter thick slices. When she was done she placed the chicken in a bowl and added two tablespoons of worcestershire sauce, two table spoons of Italian seasoning and one teaspoon of jerk seasoning. She tossed the chicken in the bowl until it was evenly coated with the marinate and placed a chilling spell on the bowl so that it could set thoroughly.
This kitchen had one accessory that Ginny absolutely adored. When she would sit and dream about her big house fantasies and how she would decorate every room, the kitchen was the only room she saw clearly. It always had a marble island in the middle, but it also had the pots and pans hanging from a wire rack suspended from the ceiling. A gasp left her slightly parted red lips in utter awe. Ginny removed a small sauce pan from the rack and placed it on a simmering heat on the stove. She then added about a tablespoon of butter to the pan and waited for it to melt. As she did this she finely chopped green onions and minced a clove of garlic. By the time she was done the butter was sizzling. She sautéed the onions and garlic until the onions were a dark green. Ginny peered toward the cooler, eyeing what she needed.
"Accio cream," and then added one cup of heavy whipping cream to the mixture. She left it to simmer at the lowest possible heat. She noted that the time was already six. Taking out a package of mozzarella she cast her wand to the table to do it the good, old-fashioned muggle way. She began shredding the cheese. When she had about a cup full she added it to the cream butter sauce. Now 6:30. Sighing that she'd have to use more magic than she wished to (Ginny was a hands on sort of girl, it was something she picked up from Hermione and their cooking nights) she set a spoon to continuously stir the sauce to melt, but not burn the cheese. Looking up again she picked another sauce pan, this one shallow and perfect for pan frying and searing. "Accio olive oil", and then coated the bottom of the pan with a small layer. Setting that to medium heat she accio-ed the chicken as well. Once the oil moved smother than water over the pan she began to cook the chicken a few pieces at a time. Pan searing chicken gave a wonderful crisp texture to the poultry while locking in the moisture on the inside. She checked on the sauce and smirked to herself, it was smoothing out wonderfully. Ginny then flipped the pieces of chicken and went about shredding another cup of cheese.
* * *
Draco Malfoy's steady steps could be heard only in the immediate area, so soft were his footfalls. He was familiar with his mother's propensity to nap this time of the day and wished not to disturb her with his early return home. He noted with some interest that the furniture was cleaner than when he left, and the plants his mother loved to fill the house with since his father's imprisonment had been watered. Also, no one greeted him at the door. Blaise must have done a good job picking the new help. On his way up the stairs to his room to bathe Draco left his work robe on the resting chair. He would check to see if it had been picked up before dinner.
* * *
Ginny surveyed her handiwork. She had filled up the bottom of two small casserole dishes with baby spinach leaves. On top of that she had placed the chicken and then covered it with cream sauce. Her chocolate chip cheese cake had come out of the oven thirty minutes before and she was finished preparing the apple and brown sugar dipping sauce she would be serving with the crab rangoon appetizer. With about 20 minutes left to go she topped both dishes with the extra shredded mozzarella and a light sprinkling of unsalted sunflower seeds. At seven thirty on the dot she sent out the rangoon and put the chicken dish into broil so that the top cheese would turn a tasty golden brown and also reheat the entire dish. She knew Conner had set a bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio out as well as water to match the meal. The wine was one of Ginny's favorites and she knew it complimented the meal.
Watching the cheese color carefully she removed the chicken from the oven. Waving her wand and muttering a soft wingardium leviosa she transferred the ensemble to another plate. She topped the meal off with crumbled feta cheese and recalled the appetizer plates and smiled to herself when she found them both void of even the smallest crumb. Another quick wave of her wand and she sent the main course off for the Malfoy's approval. She had been told by Kaenery to wait at least thirty minutes before serving dessert due to the fact that the mother and son spent a good bit of their time talking during their meal. Ginny couldn't imagine what either of them had to say to each other.
"Dear, how was your hair today?"
"Fine mother, it stayed slicked back and perfect for the past twenty years, today was no different. How was your day?"
"Fine, I made the Weasley girl feel lacking by merely existing such as I do, and I brushed by hair until I fell asleep on the terrace."
Ginny laughed at her imaginary conversation. As if those two had anything of merit to say to one another.
* * *
"Have you heard from your father? The new Minister has pushed to let prisoners send owls to members of their family as long as they are previewed by an Auror first."
Draco tried to keep the look of disgust from appearing on his face at the mention of his father. Spending these past two years with out his presence since Voldemort's demise had actually been quite pleasant for Draco. No longer in his father's shadow he had taken control of many of the Malfoy businesses and made them more lucrative than his father ever could have. His only regret was protecting his mother from all his father's deeds. If he had let her know from the start his father's true role in the darker parts of the war she wouldn't still have him on a pedestal the way she did.
He sighed, "No, mother, I have not heard from father. I'm sure he is quite busy in Azkaban."
Narcissa rolled her eyes, "What, pray tell, do you think he does Draco? Twiddle his thumbs and sing 'I'm a little tea pot?'"
"Particularly good dinner, don't you agree mother? Who is out new cook again?"
"Very well, I will drop the subject for now. I didn't catch her name, but she seems young, too young if you ask me. Very nondescript in her clothing. And shy, wouldn't truly meet my eye. I almost told Blaise to send her back but he said she was a family friend of his mother's. I wonder who, though."
Draco noticed the look of emptiness in his mother's eyes. She got this way when she was reminiscing about her life before his father. He knew Blaise's mother and his had been friends at Hogwarts, but besides that his mother never mentioned any other old acquaintances. He knew he would have to ask Blaise for more information, or he could go right to the chef and ask her himself. Just then his empty dinner plate disappeared and was replaced with the most succulent dessert he had ever seen. This woman had managed to combine his two loves…. cheesecake and chocolate. The white square plate the slice sat on was adorned with chocolate syrup stripes and accented with raspberries. His wine had been replaced with a cappuccino and a glass of iced milk. Slowly, as if afraid to disturb the peaceful picture in front of him Draco delicately broke the top layer of his cheesecake with his dessert spoon and raised the bite to his mouth. Almighty Merlin, it was still warm. He risked a glance across the table to his mother. Her eyes were closed with absolute bliss. He knew that was the end of talk of his father tonight. He also knew he was going to meet to the cook as soon as he was done.
A/N: I wrote this for the LJ D/G contest The Feast. Unfortunately the version I submitted wasn't completed or edited. I haven't had this beta-ed so the mistakes are my own. Also, the food is real and good, nothing was invented (except by me in my kitchen).
I am a wino, the wine I mention is one of my favorites and runs about 20 a bottle, I highly suggest it.