Chapter I
"Ginny, you have to buy dress robes. End of story," Molly said, dragging her daughter into the dress robe shop at Hogsmeade.
"Mom, can't I just wear my old robes? I really don't need new ones. They are dressy enough."
"No they are not! Your brother is running for Minister of Magic, and you want to wear your musty old second-hand robes to his campaign dinner? Ginny, where is your mind?"
She replied, "Anywhere but here," staring at the racks of robes of all color and styles.
"Could it have killed you to do something with your hair?" Molly asked, sifting through a rack.
"Yes, and I'm to young to die. Can we hurry this up? Here, this one's nice. Let's get it," Ginny said pulling out a robe of mint green.
"With your red hair and pale complexion, you would look like a backward carrot," Molly said scoldingly, taking the robe from her and hanging it back up.
"Why do I have to go in the first place? Ron doesn't have to go. Heck, you didn't even tell Bill or Charlie!"
"They know! I just didn't say that they had to come. And Ron is in America. I don't expect him to drop his studies and come to listen to Percy make a speech."
"But you expect me to?"
"Ginny, you are leaving work for one day."
"How about this one?" Ginny pulled out a somewhat low cut light blue robe.
"Well, it does have a nice style. Let's have you try it on first," Molly said, guiding Ginny to dressing rooms.
Two hours and ten robes later, Ginny and Mrs. Weasly emerged from the shop, with the pretty blue robe, and Ginny's moneybag considerably lighter.
"Have a good day. Make sure that you eat dinner to tonight, you have been losing weight recently," Mrs. Weasly said concerned, and kissed Ginny on the cheek motherly before she apperated back to the Burrow. Ginny sighed as she walked down the road to West Hogsmeade, where stood the office of Dragon Publishing.
"What a waste of a half of vacation day." Ginny thought as she strolled into the office.
"Hey Ginny. The boss said to send you into him when you came in," said Merry, the gossipy receptionist
"Thanks, Merry. Did he say what he needed?"
"No, sorry. He looked quite worried though," Merry said over a copy of The Quibbler that boasted the head line "Ten Ways To Hex Your Boss With Out Being Caught".
"Ok, thanks, see you later." Ginny smiled at her and turned to the right hall, the opposite way from her small, but homey office.
"Great, what did I do now? Probably didn't use the right font on the last press release, no doubt," Ginny thought sarcastically. She rapped strictly on the door that read "CEO - Dragon Publishing"
"Come in," he bellowed from the inside. She quickly steeped into the large office, shutting the door behind her. The architecture was modern and always impressed her every time she saw it. Everything gleamed; the desk, chairs, and book cases were made polished and reflective steel. The occupant was leaning back in his high-backed black leather chair; his perfectly polished shoes sitting on top of "important" papers on the desk; his arms were crossed behind his head and his eyes laid idly on Ginny.
"You asked to see me, Mr. Malfoy?" Ginny inwardly cringed at the name.
"Miss Weasley. Is this your article here in Witches Weekly?" He picked up a recent copy of the publication from his desk. His voice was haughty…overly haughty, seeming like he was trying to disguise another note in his speech.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, that is what the by line says. I thought you knew I was working as a free-lance writer as well as your Public Relations chair?"
"I know that Miss Weasly, but why doesn't your work that you write for this company this well written and witty?"
"Well sir, I try and put my best effort for this company."
"What I am saying, Miss Weasley, is that I think you are a spectacular journalist, and I want to place you in a job for a new magazine we are launching. Take a seat, Miss Weasly." He gestured to an industrial looking steel chair that looked cold and hard compared to the luxury of his leather chair.
"What is this magazine about? What is the target audience?" Ginny asked, watching him pull a packet of Muggle cigarettes out of an inside pocket of his crisp suit.
" Twenty-something young witches and wizards; we are calling it Phoenix Feathers. It will include everything that young people can look to for entertainment, fashion, night life, sex advice, current events, witty editorials…which is where you come in."
"Editorials? Are you sure, Mr. Malfoy?" Ginny was skeptical of this whole arrangement. 'Why me? Hasn't he hated me and my family since our Hogwarts years?'
"You have potential, Weasley and going against all of my instincts, I'm giving you this job, if you except it that is, which you should."
"Will I have to move?"
"No, the main office will be here in the Dragon Publishing building. You can keep your office if you would like." He said, lighting up a cigarette.
Ginny winkled her nose at the smell of the smoke and tried not to look disgusted. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. You won't be let down."
"I better not be, or else you are out on your little rear end." He said, taking a drag on his cigarette, and blowing the smoke up into the air above his head.
"One more question Mr. Malfoy. Who is the editor-in-chief?"
"Me of course. Who else would you think could do the job?" He let another cloud of smoke out of his mouth and smirked at her.
"Oh, well, thank you again." She pulled herself from the chair and started to exit the office.
"Oh Miss Weasly, tell you brother that I will be at this campaign dinner."
"What? You're supporting my brother?" Ginny turned and gave him a puzzled expression. 'Since when did Malfoys support any cause other than that of the Dark Lord?'
"Who else is there to vote for? That idiot Fudge? I think not." He tapped his cigarette in the ash tray on his desk and took another puff.
"Alright, I will send that message along. Have a good day Mr. Malfoy."
"Miss Weasley… call me Draco," He said almost coldly instead of the friendly way one usually says that phrase.
" If I am calling you Draco, then you call me Ginny," Ginny answered back just as coldly. 'Does he think he can scare me?'
"Get back to work Ginny," Draco said pompously, and blew another puff of gray smoke into the air.
"Ginny, what are you doing?" A voice said behind Ginny.
"Nothing…," She said a little to innocently.
"Were you going to wear my blouse with out asking me?" Hermione asked with her hands on her hips.
"No I wasn't! Your just paranoid," Ginny said, closing Hermione's closet door.
"Then why are you in my closet?" Hermione's voice had a hint of laughter behind the fake anger.
"I was looking for one of my shirts."
"Okay, so why did you have the hanger with said blouse on it in your hand?"
"Just admiring it…," Ginny replied hiding a smile behind her hand.
"I catch you in the act, and you still won't confess!" Hermione walked over to Ginny and ripped the hanger from her hand.
"I know. I want to wear it though."
"No, because I was planning on wearing it tonight on my date."
"Ohhhh, with who? Hermione, why didn't you tell me?" Ginny now took the hands-on-hips stance.
"It's just with Harry. We were both not busy tonight, and we haven't had a lot of time to really talk in a while, so we decided to go out and have dinner," Hermione said nonchalantly, pulling an outfit from the closet.
"Well, how is his relationship with that Cara girl going?"
"Nowhere. They broke up Monday. That was when I ran into Harry in Diagon Alley. He seemed really upset by it."
"Oh that's to bad. I have some news for you, Mione, but it's good."
"Oh really, what is it?" Hermione asked, sitting down on her bed.
"Dragon Publishing is starting a new magazine called Phoenix Feathers. Draco told me today he wants me to be the Editorial writer!"
"How can you stand working with that greasy, pompous little git, and since when was he Draco?" Hermione replied, wrinkling her nose.
"I don't know, but this is a great opportunity for me! I don't care if he is the Editor-in-chief!"
"He's the editor? Oh Ginny, I would have shot myself already."
"Oh for goodness sakes. I know you, Harry and Ron have this silly rivalry since Hogwarts, but he is a fair boss, and the pay is good. It's something I love to do. What else do I have to ask for?"
"A new boss?" Hermione asked.
"Ha-ha. I think it will improve my people skills," Ginny replied, smiling.
Hermione just rolled her eyes, and opened up her closet to search for an outfit.