Chapter One, How To Loose A Guy In Ten Days
Authors Note: I hope everyone likes this story! It is a kind of Harry Potter version of How To Loose A Guy In Ten Days
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Witch Weekly.
The Wizarding World's top magazine -- for witches, of course. Although some female Squibs still subscribed to read the latest gossip, shoes, and clothing every week.
Hundreds of witches poured their blood, sweat and tears into each and every weekly magazine, and got a small check in return.
Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood were several of these witches.
Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood were the only aspiring writers out of the three women -- er -- witches.
Ginny Weasley had always kept a diary. Eventually, her diary led her to writing small articles about important "stuff" that mattered to her. Stuff like the wars that killed thousands of people, hurricanes that blew cities away, and relief for those people who were most effected.
Witch Weekly didn't allow her to write those things. Ginny was assigned to the "How To" column every week. Things like, "How To Loose Five Pounds Without Dieting", "How To Make Your Man Feel Proud", "How To Flirt", etc. . .
However, her boss, Mrs. Yuna, had promised Ginny a promotion IF she did something really special with the "How To" Column.
I suppose you're wondering why Luna Lovegood worked at Witch Weekly, as apposed to The Quibbler. After her father died, he left his beloved magazine business to his daughter. Luna couldn't make one magazine. She was too depressed. The keys to the offices to The Quibbler were now kept under her mattress. She just couldn't look at them.
I also think you're wondering why Hermione Granger, of all people, would work at Witch Weekly. Well, after getting engaged to Ron Weasley (who worked at the ministry), Hermione decided that they needed a little nest egg to help during tough times in their life. Ginny and Luna finally convinced Hermione that working at Witch Weekly would at least help them start their nest egg.
I suppose before I get really deep into this story, you should know the following:
Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort in his seventh year. No one that Harry knew had died; it wasn't really a "war". He had to fight of Voldemort all by himself, after finding all those horcruxes.
Harry was only seen once after defeating Voldemort. Then, he told the Weasleys and all of his other friends that he needed to go somewhere to rest his restless mind for a while.
Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom had started going out.
--
Ginny sighed unhappily to herself. She always got lost when she was trying to find Luna's rat-trap of a house.
But she knew that something had to be going on with Luna -- she hadn't been to work for a whole week; that was all of her sick days gone down the drain. Ginny knew that if Luna didn't show up for work on that day, Mrs. Yuna would fire Luna without even asking any questions.
Ginny sighed. Where was Luna's house?
Luna's father had died barley a year ago, leaving Luna depressed and practically suicidal. The Luna that Ginny (and Hermione) knew was always light-hearted and talking about nargles or something or the other. Luna took her mother's horrible death (which happened while both Luna and her mother were young) extremely well. Why was she acting this way for her father? Neville Longbottom asked Luna out for a date at least three months before. After being in a meaningful relationship with Neville, Luna seemed to have put her father in the back of her mind. She was once again, light-hearted and talking about snarklebacks, whatever the hell that meant.
Now, it seemed that Luna had once again gone into a fit inspired by depression.
"Ah-ha!" Ginny said. Luna's broken-down house was quite a lovely sight to see when you had been looking for it at six o' clock in the morning and had to get Luna up, up, up out of bed and ready for work by eight.
Ginny ran to Luna's door and quickly shouted, "LUNA! I know you're in there! Get up now! Time for work!"
No answer.
"Look, Luna, I don't know why you've missed a whole week of work, but it's time for you to GET UP, NOW!"
"Who is it?" It was a very soft whisper.
"Ginny."
"Ginny?" If possible, the second whisper was lower than the first.
"Yeah, Ginny. Now, I'm going to come in now."
Ginny opened Luna's door, which was never locked.
Ginny looked in horror at Luna's house. Kitchen plates and pans were dirty and strewn all over the place; clothes were everywhere on the floor, candy bar rappers were piled high, and there Luna sat, on her sofa, with a dirty blanket pulled up over her head.
Ginny tried not to say anything that would be considered offensive.
"Look, Luna, I know you miss your dad but he's better off where he is now, sweetheart." Ginny tried a soft approach.
"I know!" Luna cried. "I know that!"
"Why don't you come to work, then?"
"NO! I'm to sad!"
"I think that you should get your ass to work, Luna if you KNOW that you're dad's in a better place now!" Ginny shouted. "Mrs. Yuna is like THIS CLOSE--" Ginny spread her index finger and thumb around a centimeter apart--" to firing your ass. And if you don't get the hell out of here with me, you'll get my ass fired, too!"
So much for the soft approach.
Luna burst into tears. "It's not my dad I'm upset about!" She said, dramatically. "It's -- it's -- "
"It's what?" Ginny said, crossly. But all the anger faded within her when Luna told her,
"It's Neville."
"Neville?"
"Yes. He broke up with me!" Luna sobbed.
"Why?" Ginny asked, gently, "Why, honey? Did he give you a reason, at least?"
"He said -- he said -- that we're so different -- "
Luna sobbed some more. "And that I was getting too clingy--"
Luna howled. "And that -- and that -- it's better to end it now than later -- And oh, Ginny, it was so beautiful, what was between us! I mean, the first time we kissed, I cried!"
Ginny looked at Luna blankly.
"You what?"
"I cried, Gins."
"I hope you mean like a gentle teardrop running down your cheek."
"No, I was really emotional about it. I really broke down and sobbed. I don't understand why he broke up with me!"
Ginny stared at her friend in disbelief.
"Okay, well, sweetie, don't get broken down over Neville. It's him who lost out, anyway. Now, I have exactly an hour to get you ready for work."
"I don't wanna go!" Luna cried, sounding like a child.
"If you 'wanna' keep your job, you have to go." Said Ginny, already going through Luna's pile of clothes, finding something that was at least clean for Luna to wear.
--
Hermione woke in Ginny's old room at The Burrow. She sighed deeply, realizing that Ron was in the same house as her. After getting up, and changing quickly, she opened her, er -- Ginny's -- door to find Ron a few feet away from it.
Mrs. Weasley had let Hermione move in, but not into Ron's room.
"You can have Ginny's old room, dear," Mrs. Weasley had said. They wouldn't be living in sin under Mrs. Weasley's roof.
" 'Morning, love," Ron said, kissing Hermione lightly on the lips.
" 'Morning," said Hermione, kissing Ron back and sighing happily to herself.
"I was thinking, 'Mione, maybe we could go out for dinner tonight."
"Of course. And I was thinking, Ron, we could run by some wedding plans--"
"Certainly, my love. I can't wait until you're my wife." Ron took Hermione's hand and kissed it. Hermione sighed happily, while Ron thought once again how lucky he was to have Hermione in his life.
"Well, I'm going to work now," Ron said.
"Yeah, I guess we better get a move on," Hermione said.
Hermione prepared to apparate when Ron shouted,
"WAIT!"
"Yes, Ron?"
"I love you!"
"I love you too!"
One last kiss, and they were both at work.