A/N: Sorry this took me a while to upload- life is just plain CRAZY! Anyway, definite thanks to my best friend, Cayla, who gives me great ideas and pushes me to upload as often as possible. So... you guys should thank her too!
Please review, since it really does speed along new chapters! Thanks.
Oh, and I'm really sorry- it's REALLY lengthy. I already chopped it in half and I don't think I can chop it anymore!
Chapter 2
"Ginny. Ginny. Ginny!"
Ginny sat up straight in her bed, I thought I moved out, She thought groggily.
"Ginny, do you hear me? Are you even there? You better be here and not out partying and Merlin knows what else!"
"Mom, chill," Ginny said as she sleepily walked into her living room, "Why are you yelling at me to get up?"
"Well dear, it's already ten. Anyway, Fred is at St. Mungo's. He fell off his broom during practice."
"Practice," Ginny said with a smirk on her face.
"That's what I said, he couldn't even wait until an actual game. Anyway, just come on down and see him okay?"
"Okay, just give me half an hour and I'll be there."
"Half an hour," her mom asked.
"I'd like to get a shower, mom. Is that okay?"
"No, a shower can wait. Just head on over here."
"Um, no. I'm taking a shower."
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! I told you to get over here now!"
By the time she had got her sentence out, Ginny was already into her hallway, "Get over it, mom. I'm taking a shower," then she slammed her bathroom door shut so she couldn't hear her mom's reaction.
I'm so dead.
~*~
An hour and a half later, Ginny walked into Fred's room at St. Mungo's.
Fred looked at her, "Mom is so pissed. You're an hour late."
"It's nothing personal, Fred," Ginny said siting down in the visitor chair.
"To mom it is."
"Oh it is personal to mom."
"Oh, I get it. You put off seeing me to make mom mad?"
Ginny smiled sheepishly, "Sorry Fred."
He shrugged, "Hey, I ain't the one that's going to have to move back in with mom so she can teach me respect."
Ginny sat up in her chair, "She said that?"
Fred nodded with a knowing smile on his face.
Ginny leaned back hard in her chair, "Shit."
Ginny looked around as her father came into the room.
Arthur looked at his daughter, then retreated to the doorway to look back into the hallway. He stepped back in and closed the door behind him, "I think you should go ahead and leave dear. I know you would rather have the conversation through your fireplace, she can't lock you in from there."
Ginny jumped up. She didn't have to be told twice, "I didn't mean to be disrespectful, but she's being disrespectful to me. She doesn't treat any of my brothers that way."
"I know, but you do need to watch your mouth from now on," he gave her a quick hug.
Ginny went over to Fred, "Next time, play that hard in a game instead of practice."
Fred tousled her hair and said, "just get out of here before I team up with Mom."
Ginny laughed and left the room.
~*~
When she got back to her flat, she noticed a brown owl perched on her window sill.
She set her purse down, and let the owl in.
It dropped a blue envelope onto the table and took off.
Ginny watched it for a moment before picking up her envelope.
Dear Ms. Weasley,
We are sorry to inform you of your termination. If you have any articles that you have written, but have not turned into our office, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you and have a good day.
Sincerely,
Hope Winthrope
Chief Editor of Daily Spell
Ginny read threw the letter three times before screaming into the air, "This is ridiculous! This is absurd! I can't be fired, not now!"
She grabbed her cloak and her purse and flooed to the office.
She stepped lightly out of the fireplace, trying to hold as much soot on her as possible.
She walked quickly to Hope's office. The door was closed and she started to just burst in, but decided to wait.
After a few minutes she could make out the words from the other side of the door, "Oh, I am sorry to interrupt, I'm just looking for a friend named Hope, and you were the only one in the area. I guess she doesn't live around here anymore."
"Yes, I suppose so. It's really no problem sir. You have a good day."
"Thank you and you do the same."
The door opened and Ginny was faced with Draco Malfoy.
He stopped and said, "There you are, I've been looking for you."
Ginny turned and ran back down the little hallway and into the lobby. She burst through the doors that led to muggle London. She could hear him following her, calling after her to stop.
She didn't listen, she just kept running. Why did I have to tell him a name that is close to me? I should've known. . . stupid. . stupid. . . stupid. . ."
She chanted to herself as she ran, and turned abruptly down a little alley way that had a place that she could enter Diagon Alley again.
She entered and walked into many shops and little alleyways until she was sure she lost him.
~*~
She went back to the office and stormed into Hope's office. She dropped the letter on her desk and shouted, "What is the point of this? I don't deserve to be fired!"
Hope just smiled her stupid annoying smile. She always reminded Ginny of Mrs. Umbridge. "Of course you deserve it. You are never at the office, you rarely turn in your articles by the deadline, and someone was just hired. And she's a better journalist than you."
Ginny just fumed, "What am I supposed to do now? How am I going to pay rent?"
"That's not my problem," she handed Ginny a little sack, "This is for your last article. Now have a good day before I have to call security."
Ginny scowled, snatched the bag out of her hand and sulked out of her office.
She was staring at the back of Draco Malfoy. He was standing at the main desk talking to the receptionist, "She's about 5'2" and has dirty blonde hair. She was in here a few minutes ago and she ran out the door. I need to know her name."
"Well, I'm not allowed to do that, sir, safety precautions and all, but she might be standing behind you right now."
Draco whirled around, and Ginny did too, ducking into an office. She locked the doors and pressed her ear against it.
"Well, now that I've seen her, can you give me a name?"
"Actually, I was just informed that she no longer works here, and since you're so dreamy. . ."
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Her name is Ginevra."
"And the last name would be?"
"I don't know. She wasn't in the office much, so we didn't get to know each other that well."
"Figures."
Ginny heard the door slam, so she slid out of the office and flooed to Neville's bar.
~*~
Draco couldn't believe how his day was going. He had went to at least a hundred businesses and homes that day. He had made a list of all the addresses that had a `Hope' connected to it. He was on his last address when he found her, and turned out her name wasn't even Hope, it was Ginevra.
He was certain that finding her again would be easier. Honestly, how many Ginevra's could there be?
~*~
"What am I going to do," Ginny whined at Neville.
"Well, I thought you said that you were going to turn your hair back to red. If you had, this probably wouldn't have happened."
Ginny thumped her head down onto the bar, "I know, but this morning my mom woke me up and I was so mad, then I had to go see Fred because he fell, and then I get that owl saying I'm fired. I just didn't think about it."
"Wait, they fired you? Why?"
"They say I'm not good enough. And really they're right. I just need the job so damn bad!"
"Well, it's ridiculous. They should've given you at least a week to get a start on a new job."
"Yeah, but Hope is a bitch."
"Is that how he found you?"
Ginny looked up from the bar and nodded.
Neville rolled his eyes, "So how do you plan to get rid of Malfoy?"
"Well, I'm not to worried about it because I'm hoping against hope that as soon as he finds out I'm the girl weasel he'll forget about me."
"Or kill you, depending on how mad he is."
"Well, that too."
~*~
He couldn't believe it. If this girl that had him so riled up and turned on turned out to be Ginny Weasley, he would scream.
What would he do if it was her? He walked over to her flat and found that she had almost no security. He pretty much just waltzed right in.
He looked around her shabby apartment. Even though it wasn't nice, and her poverty was evident, it seemed to fit her, and that intoxicating smell of vanilla was driving him wild.
He looked through her kitchen and found that it was pretty much empty of food. He went through her bedroom and found just a week's worth of clothes and nothing else of importance.
He went back into her living room and sat on her couch to wait.
~*~
After three more firewhiskeys and a Sober-Up potion, Ginny apparated into the hall in front of her door. She opened the door and stood in shock as her eyes fell onto a man sitting on her couch.
"What are you doing here," she yelled at him.
"Waiting for you," he stood up and walked closer to her, "Do you have any idea what I have been through the past two days?"
Ginny just stared at him, caught between shock and anger.
Draco continued, "I have been through hell."
Ginny just stood there, scared and attracted to him by his attitude, "Um. . . what?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "Why did you lie?"
"About what?"
"About us in school."
"Oh. Well, to make you go away I guess."
"And just how would that make me go away?"
"Well, I figured if you thought you'd already had sex with me, then you would just move on."
Draco nodded and said, "Well, since I remember every girl I've ever shagged, maybe not their name, but at least..." he looked down her body as he finished, ". . . their body."
Ginny unconsciously covered herself with her cloak, even though she was completely clothed.
She was desperate to change the subject and getting him to quit staring at her, "Um. . . do you want some tea? Or to leave. . ."
"Do you want me to leave?"
"Honestly, yes."
Draco was surprised but tried not to show it, "Why?"
"You make me nervous."
He stepped closer to her and leaned in until he was mere inches from her ear, "Because I scare you, or because of something else?"
Her breathing faltered, "Both- I mean else- I mean you scare me- I mean- just- go!"
He smirked and walked out the door.
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