Ginny Weasley hated Astoria Greengrass, and Astoria Greengrass hated Ginny Weasley.
It was one of those universally known things in the workplace that everybody just learned to eventually accept.
Actually, in retrospect, Ginny had no idea how this happened. When Ginny had started working for the Daily Prophet, it had never been like this. She hadn't known Astoria very well, but there were no mutual feelings of any sort, positive or negative.
Now, it could be considered lucky if a day went by when they didn't exchange hateful barbs at each other. The workplace was constantly in danger of turning into a war zone as each one tried to one-up the other.
Ginny supposed that it had all started the time when they'd both been sent to cover a Ministry gala. Somehow, in the span of that one night, Astoria and Ginny had gone in as strangers and came out as enemies. Now, everything was a competition in the workplace. For example, like the Goldberg article that they were currently writing.
If Astoria had never existed, the Goldberg article would never have been an issue, and Ginny wouldn't have been late for it.
Ginny pumped her legs faster as she ran from the Apparition point to where the Daily Prophet's office was located in Diagon Alley.
To her credit, it wasn't exactly her fault. After all, if that stupid cow hadn't proposed that everyone come in on a Saturday morning to finish up the revision for the article, this would never have happened.
Saturday morning, Ginny thought mournfully. She should've been sleeping in. Instead, she was being pulled in for overtime.
She checked her watch and ran even faster.
*
Ginny breezed through the doorway fifteen minutes late.
She passed by Astoria's office, grateful that it was empty, and headed for her own, pausing to make herself a nice cup of wake-up coffee.
"Tough morning?" Hannah Abbott asked sympathetically. She'd turned out nice enough. Ginny had never talked to her back in Hogwarts, but the loyal Hufflepuff who wrote for the gossip column was always there to talk, which was more than Ginny could say for a certain co-worker.
"Yes," Ginny hustled into her office, throwing down her cloak onto her desk.
"Oh, and Cromwell wants to see you. Just so you know," Hannah told her, sticking her head in.
Ginny groaned. "Do you know what he wants to see me for?"
Hannah shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, but I heard he's calling in Astoria as well."
Ginny gnawed her lip in worry. "I better go see what he wants then," she sighed, heading out the door, hands running through her messy ponytail.
She racked her head, but couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary. Well, there had been that minor fight over who could cover the war memorial's five year anniversary, but they'd grudgingly compromised on splitting it. In fact, aside from the fact that Astoria had dragged Ginny out of her Saturday lie-in, it'd been a good week for them.
Ginny rapped smartly on Cromwell's oak door and entered, noting with a plummeting heart that Astoria was already seated in her chair, right leg crossed over left and smug smile spread over her face.
"Mr. Cromwell, you wanted to see me?" she asked politely, closing the door and sinking into her chair, taking great care to ignore Astoria.
"I'm glad that you could make it, Miss Weasley," he said, and there was a heavy tinge of disapproval in his voice.
"Sorry I'm late," Ginny coughed in embarrassment. Beside her, she could practically feel Astoria smirking victoriously.
"As I was telling Miss Greengrass earlier," Mr. Cromwell said, "I have recently been informed that the position for editor in the gossip column has opened, and I have managed to narrow my choices down to the two of you. In fact, if your work relationship hadn't been so bad, I might've even hired both of you."
Ginny and Astoria both turned simultaneously to eye each other, giving each other narrowed eyes before each turning back to Cromwell resolutely.
"So, I'm asking both of you to write a series of articles over the course of summer that I will then evaluate and compare," Cromwell explained, leaning over and allowing the morning light to hit the top of his bald head in a way that Ginny thought made him resemble an egg.
"I have the perfect article, Mr. Cromwell," Astoria beamed sycophantically. "My good friend, Draco Malfoy—you have heard of the Malfoys, haven't you?—is having his annual summer function at his manor. And even though he almost never allows any press coverage, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to make an exception for me. After all, our families are such old friends..."
"Oh, yes. I, too, have the perfect article," Ginny drawled in a close mimic to Astoria's tone. If she wanted to throw around famous names, Ginny could do the same. "My good friend, Harry Potter—I'm assuming that you have heard of the Harry Potter, haven't you? I mean, who in the Wizarding world hasn't?—is hosting the St. Mungo's Charity Benefit. I'm sure he'll let me have an exclusive and personal interview. After all, he's practically part of the family..."
She smiled beatifically and looked over to see that Astoria was giving her a look of deepest loathing.
Today was just about to redeem itself.
*
Draco Malfoy glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time since he'd sat down. Astoria was late again, and if there was something he truly hated, it was tardiness. In fact, if he hadn't been so hopelessly besotted with her, he would've left already. Unfortunately for him, ever since he'd seen her newly formed, luscious body two years ago, he'd been trying to get her to go out with him. In his mind, she was the epitome of the perfect wife. Astoria came from a good, pureblood family, had a decent fertility background, and was beautiful enough that he was sure he'd never tire of shagging her.
Unfortunately for him, she'd also been steadfastly rejecting him for two straight years, claiming that she wanted to be "just friends". That should've been a turn off for any guy, but it only made him more desperate to have her, if only to prove that he could.
But now, it was starting to lose appeal. There was only so much rejection a he could take, after all. Today was going to be the last time he appealed to her to progress their relationship. After that, he was going to accept fate and move on. There were still many, shag-worthy girls out there, after all.
He looked at his watch again, a coming-of-age present he'd received from his parents five years ago, and was about to give up and leave when he spotted Astoria's curly brown head pop through the door.
"Sorry I'm late," she panted, sliding into her seat smoothly and plopping her bag onto the back of her chair. "Work was hectic; we're all trying to make the deadline for the upcoming June summer spread, and the Goldberg article was giving us problems."
"It's fine," he waved it aside and motioned for a waitress to come take their order before reclining in his chair so that she could begin her rant about her day at work and the infamous "Her". She'd told him the name once, a year ago, when he'd been distracted by her low neckline, but had always thereafter referenced her hated coworker as "Her" for everything else, as if it would physically burn her throat to say the actual name.
"But it's not fine! Everything's terrible!" she said indignantly in response, and Draco could see that she was winding herself up for another tirade. "You should've heard her today at work! She was bragging so much about knowing Harry Potter that I wanted to hurl! Just because she had a thing with him once, she thinks she's so special. I hate her so much!"
"That's terrible," he said as he fastened his eyes greedily to her heaving chest. Whenever she got excited and overly aggressive, her breasts would move enticingly, and he would always taking advantage of it.
"Draco!" she snapped, irritated, pulling her shirt up. "Were you even listening?"
"I was," he assured her, trying to keep his agitation in check. He liked her better when she was off ranting on her own. It didn't involve as much work on his part. "You hate Harry Potter."
"I don't hate Harry Potter," Astoria corrected. "I hate that cow. Which reminds me: can I cover your annual summer function for the Daily Prophet? I have to write a fantastic article if I want to beat her to the editor position."
"Sure," Draco said, not really paying attention to what she was saying, "I should probably ask you while I still remember: do you want to go to the St. Mungo's charity with me? I'm representing Malfoy Enterprises."
""Sure. Why not?" Astoria shrugged, dumping a bag of sugar into her drink and stirring it. "As friends, right?"
Draco felt a wave of irritation wash over him. "No. I was thinking more of as actual dates."
What was wrong with this girl, anyway?
"Yes, Draco, but we're friends, remember?" Astoria reminded him pointedly, taking small, measured sips.
"Yes, and I'm getting bloody sick of it!" he growled in irritation. "It's been two years, and we haven't even shagged. How long is it going to take for us to get to the actual relationship part?"
Astoria looked surprised. "Well, I—I just always thought we'd always remain friends. I didn't know that you still wanted something more. I figured you got over yourself a long time ago."
Draco knitted his eyebrows together at her words, unwelcome realization starting to settle itself deep in the pits of his stomach where it churned uncomfortably. She couldn't really be that clueless, could she?
"Wait. You mean that," Draco said slowly in a deadly, quiet sort of voice as his mind twisted itself trying to input this new information, "all this time I've been waiting, I was getting nowhere?"
"Look, Draco, I'm sorry. I know you're upset—"
"Of course I'm upset," he snapped. "I've just wasted two years of my life for nothing. I sat in this stupid coffee shop, which I loathe, by the way, all because you said it was 'quaint' and 'cute'. Not only that, I showed up every time you go out to get drunk, and I didn't even get any thank-you shags for doing it! And I even got you your job at the Daily Prophet, only to have to endure your continuous freak obsession with your female coworker."
"Only because I hate her!" Astoria snapped, cheeks turning a splotchy red color.
"I think you should just shut up because at this point, I'd rather marry her than believe another word you say. You led me on for two years without telling me that you had no intention of us ever dating," he said hotly. This was supposed to be the last time he ever asked her, but his pride had chosen a bad time to make an appearance. He couldn't let go of her now. That was just too embarrassing.
Astoria's face colored at his words. "You don't mean that."
"I mean every single word of it," Draco said nastily. "At least she'd be less of a prude. No wonder no other male ever looks your way. It takes too much time to wine and dine you."
"Get off your high horse and stop talking about things you know nothing about. If you think she would ever even look at you twice, you're wrong," Astoria sneered, the Slytherin in her coming back out. "But feel free to spend two more years of your life chasing another girl who'd never want you. It's what you do best, after all."
White-hot rage surged through him as he watched her sit across the table and make fun of him.
His grey eyes darkened in incontrollable, raw anger, and whites of his eyes drew tighter together.
"Give me a month, and I'll have fucking married her," he snarled, the faintest of pink coming over his cheeks. "Not everybody is as hopeless as you."
"I don't think so," Astoria said confidently, "Your money is useless with her class of people. It'll never work."
"Just watch me," Draco threatened, and Astoria laughed in contempt.
He stood up swiftly, throwing money down onto the coffee table in front of her, his face a marble white that seemed to project his coldness.
Turning abruptly on his heel, Draco stormed out of the coffee shop in a towering rage at the curly-haired bint.
She could laugh now, but he would show her that it was wrong and unheard of to turn him down like that. Tomorrow, he'd go to the Daily Prophet's office and find out everything he could on who this hated coworker was. Then, he'd draft up a contract and pay her an exorbitant amount of money to marry him for a few months. Of course, his mother might pitch a fit about him not telling her sooner, but she would get over it.
And hopefully, once Astoria realized that she was being ridiculous, he could get his divorce, and he could finally end his two-year-long pursuit. He still wanted her, if only so that he could eventually get over his obsession and leave her in the most devastatingly humiliating way possible.
He headed back towards his company building, making a note to Floo Blaise and Theo for a guy's night out with women, Firewhiskey, and more women. Tonight, he'd first try to forget about how much it'd hurt to get rejected for the first time in his twenty-two years of life.
Then tomorrow, he promised himself, he'd go down to the office and figure out just who he was marrying. He was sick of waiting.
It was time to end this game once and for all.
A/N: This is my first time writing a real, long chaptered fic and I would love your input. I do personally respond to every review, and it would be nice to make some new friends, too. So, please read and review! Hearing from all of you would really make my day, and it only takes a minute on your part. Thanks so much in advance!
-JT