I'm back. Whoop. I don't think my predicament's hurt my sense of humor… but we'll find out won't we?
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Chapter 2: Of Girls and Boys
Girls are such complicated creatures. One second they're all nice, and the next they're either yelling at your or pushing you away. How can the world come to an end without the smallest unnecessary items?
It was Ron's turn to make the coffee because Hermione was sulking in bed; something about having too little of a workload for her first weekend in her new apartment. He could've sworn that she planned her life out for the next ten years and she planned this weekend to have insane, well at least to him, amounts of work load. Harry was getting ready for a meeting that he was running off to, something that Ron would be doing, but Harry decided to cover for him when he came in late.
Just then, he heard a moan come from Hermione's room. He picked up a nice cup of cappuccino, they had decided that the new home needed a new twist, and walked into her room without knocking. She was in bed, sprawled up over the entire comforter, glaring at the ceiling. He brought the mug up to her, which she snatched quickly, and then he sat on the edge of the bed thinking, once again, about how girls were weird.
She said quietly, "I think they're going to fire me." He turned towards her and asked, "Why do you say that?" She sighed and said, "well, they've always given me stuff that I could do over the weekend, but, but, last night, the head of the department said she had nothing to give me."
He smiled and started to comfort her when Harry ran in saying, "I can't find my tie, anyone seen my tie?" Hermione looked up and said, "which one?" He replied, "the only with the snitches on them…" Ron said, "Mate, you should wear that 'I love Harry Potter' one you got in the fan mail." Harry shook his head and gave a pleading glance at Hermione. She said, "Bottom drawer that Ron tried to stuff his extra candy stash into."
Ron protested. "Hey! That was supposed to be a secret!" She smiled and said, "Merlin Ron. You can't trust Harry over me. He'll have that stash completed in a day." Ron ran behind Harry as he sprinted out of the room. Some chocolates were in dire need of protecting.
~*~*~*~
Hermione stared up at the ceiling of her room once again. Boys were so weird. She really liked Harry and Ron as good friends and all, but they had the whole macho appearance thing that annoyed her.
She remembered that time Ron tried to prove to Harry that girls liked him for his good looks. Harry wasn't really keen on participating, but Ron went out and brought home, at that time it was the Burrow, a beautiful yet very ditzy girl. The girl laughed at everything he said. Everything. She even couldn't figure out the fact that Fred and George kept making rude gestures at her. They just covered it up saying that it was Hermione.
And then there was the time that Harry sulked over loosing the job for the tele-announcer. It was part of the whole muggle-wizard bonding thing. He didn't even want the ruddy job just tried it for fun… But gosh he sulked for days. Not like him to, but something about the beautiful girl who got selected as a forecaster…
She sighed and turned over. Why didn't her boss give her more work? She liked the whole vacation aspect of things, but didn't the head know that two boys with the world's best puppy-dog eyes would be the death of her? Somehow she could hear them asking her to unpack a few things in their rooms. And she would, except she didn't want to know what went through her best friends' minds.
Boys. Better off leaving them to their fetishes.
~*~*~*~
Virginia Weasley woke up with a start. Her red hair spilled over her shoulders as she breathed heavily. She could have sworn that something was wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on what.
Suddenly an annoying screeching noise filtered in. It was her alarm clock. She looked at the time as she turned it off and screamed.
She managed to untangle herself and run to the bathroom in less than one minute, a record for the girl who slept in frequently.
Her roommate laughed and watched Ginny rush from bedroom to bathroom about five times before she came into the kitchen. Their flat was not as feminine as Ginny would have preferred, but she lived with it. After all, Anita Rogers was not one to mess with.
She cleared her throat and held her hand out. Anita passed her a plate of bacon and eggs and watched Ginny devour it with a passion. Ginny said, "C'mon 'nita we're getting our new assignments today."
On the other side of town, another was pacing with frustration and anger…
~*~*~*~
One look at Mr. Draco Malfoy spelled 'hot', for the women, of course. It had been a long time since he'd given up the gelled back hair for a more natural look. Something that he'd prided in as one of his better decisions; then again, when you're a Malfoy, you can't make a bad decision.
Or so it was, till this morning, when he regretted ever becoming an Auror.
What was supposed to be a time of joyous celebration, where he finally got rid of one of the worst interns he'd seen in a while, he got stuck with the one girl he hated with a passion. Oh no, not Granger, he even had the slightest of respect for her, but, it was the youngest of the clan of red heads. Yes, it was Virginia Weasley. She was better than the rest of the family, he could admit that, but there was something about her personality. That and the fact that she was the Auror who still didn't understand what it meant to be 'on time'. Then again, he couldn't blame her. Even her prat of a brother had an issue with that.
But he'd actually woken up early, taken a shorter time to get ready, yes 55 minutes is much less than one hour, and strolled into the office to find out early. And what did he get? Virginia Weasley. Of course there was no point in arguing with the current head, Nymphadora Tonks, since they'd never gotten along even back in his school days.
He paced instead, back and forth, back and forth, and watched people come and go from the department, but she didn't show up.
Finally, getting frustrated, he muttered a locator spell and apparated to her home. Unknown to him, he would find more than her to deal with there…
~*~*~*~
A/N: this is where the old version of Chapter 2 stopped. But I didn't want it as a cliffy. So enjoy
Amidst a chaotic morning, more chaos ensured as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley walked out of their flat the same time as Ginny and Anita. Of course Hermione was accompanying Harry and Ron out the door, after they pacified her enough to get her moving. But it seemed, as if she was the only one who still had her head on, and she cleared her throat and said, "Hello Ginny, Anita. How are you two?" Anita looked cautiously at Harry and then replied, "Well, and you?" Hermione smiled and said, "as good as I've ever been."
Ron then looked at Ginny and said, "So what are you doing here?" She snorted and said, "Well, if you didn't read the door name Ron, we live here." Harry said, "Wow. That's really nice. I think. We live here. Just moved in yesterday." Anita said, "I can see that you're new Potter."
And that's how it started.
Anita Rogers and Harry Potter never got along. She was a tall strawberry blond with hazel eyes, and a very fiery attitude. Especially towards the Boy-Who-Lived, who was the one person she couldn't stand in the entire world. Well, one of the few. One would wonder if she got sorted into the wrong house, as, when she got to Hogwarts for refuge in her 7th year, she was immediately put into Ravenclaw. But Hogwarts proved once again that one's blood did not define them.
So many ones…'scuse that
As their verbal sparring continued, an own flew in, followed by a very angry Draco Malfoy. If everyone was shocked at seeing each other, it was even greater at seeing him there.
He nodded towards Anita, his unfortunate blood relation, and then said, "Well Weasley, are you ready to go?" She looked at him shocked and Ron said, "What do you want you little bugger." Draco looked at Ron and said, "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the one with some brains."
Ginny blushed at this but then remembered whom she was thinking about. She said, "But I would like to know what you're doing here Malfoy." He said, "Well, we're partners in the next assignment." Her eyes widened with shock, and Hermione gasped and ran into the house.
Draco looked at Harry and Ron and commented, "Didn't know you guys would be desperate enough to both go for Granger." Harry held back a fuming Ron and said, "there's nothing of that sort Malfoy and you know it. Unless you want a couple hexes I suggest you keep quiet." Surprisingly, Malfoy did what he was told to do. He couldn't find out his exact assignment until Weasley came, and he didn't want to avoid being partnered with her by being bed ridden.
On the other hand, Anita still had a bone to pick with Harry, and she said another comment and the two ended up arguing again while waiting for Hermione to say something.
Hermione came back out a couple minutes later to questioning glances and said, "You should have been there by now. There's something wrong. Even I'm wanted."
So the six left, not even having a clue of how greatly Hermione understated the situation or of how their lives would take a turn for the better…
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Eek, cliffy, but at least it's longer right?
Crappy pointless chapter, I know. Yet now that introductions are out of the way, I can get into the storyline.
If there're still doubts about the pairings, they are: Anita and Harry, Ron and Hermione, & Draco and Ginny.
And, once again, many apologies for not updating. You could say I'm going through a much-delayed 'phase'.
I should be more systematic about updating. You'll prolly see updates about once every two weeks.
Thanks go out to those who reviewed:
Dracomalfoy23
Headmaster Cromwell
Adipodes Poe
Harryforeva
PotterPrincess
Lis
And special thanks for Lissa and Ginny for being supportive.
Oh and you'll definetely see more of Anita Rogers. Her technical facts:
Name: Anita Hannah Rogers
Original school: Durmstang
Hair: Strawberry Blond
Eyes: Hazel
Quidditch: Seeker (takes Cho's spot)
And the rest is for later…
~*Spectraangel*~