Disclaimer: You know. . .
~ Thurs., Nov. 6 ~
I'm going to try.
I'm going to win Alicia over (Hmm that sounded weird. Okay, win her over in a non-lesbian way.). We'll become best friends then she'll give me the love advice column. And then we'll go on holiday together and talk with each other at work and everyone will be so jealous because I'm so cool, I'm friends with the boss. Especially Emma Worth, over in human resources. She's always sending nasty memos informing me how late I was for work. . .So what if it's her job, I can tell from the way she writes it that she just loves to chide me. . .Plus, I am never that late. Only when I have a good reason (Like when my watch broke; I had to go fix it, of course! I couldn't go around not knowing the time - I'd be late for stuff. I even wrote that on the reply memo. I don't think she wrote me back. . .). Plus, I think she stole my cute little stuffed cat figurine that I had on my desk. It's gone missing and she was always looking at it. . .
Well, there are more important things I suppose (although I really do miss my cat). I've got to convince Alicia to be my friend. Or give me the column. Whichever comes first.
Gosh, I'm so scared though . . . Last time Alicia was yelling at me and everything. Well, sort of. But she was really really cross. Maybe I should wait awhile. . .
~ 9: 06 A.M. ~
No I have to be confident. I will sell my case in a confident and persuasive, yet not too arrogant or pushy manner. And she will be so mesmerized by my speech that she will have to give me the column. And perhaps give me a raise.
Hmm. I need a bait, though. How about I give her my article? It's a day early, but it shows responsibility. If I could just find it. . .
~ 9: 10 A.M. ~
Ooh I found my cat! I wonder what it was doing under my desk? Emma Worth must have purposely knocked it down or something. . .
~ 9: 21 A.M. ~
Finally found the article! It was on the windowsill, under this potted plant I bought (I don't really like plants - they're a little boring. But it seemed so. . . well, posh, to have a fresh-looking office.). I guess I must have been sitting here while I was proofreading it. It's always nice to look out the window. There are lots of trendy shops and you can see people from all the way up here. Although I guess that makes sense, I'm only on the second story -
Is that Michael? Walking with Padma?! But I thought they broke up. . . Lavender said they broke up. . .
Wha??
Maybe they did break up. And they're just talking. . . No, of course not, why would anyone want to talk to Michael after he's been such a jerk? Maybe they never really did break up, and Lavender just lied. . . But why would she lie? There's no reason. . . So then. . . Padma lied? But still, no reason to. . .
God I'm so confused. . .
They don't even look like they're arguing or anything. . . Well, I can't exactly tell, but they're not hitting each other or anything (hmm, lovely mental image of Padma beating Michael up). Gosh, I wish Michael would move his fat head - I can't see Padma's face. Wait, never mind, I see her. Well, it's hard to see exactly, I'm too high up. . . I don't think she's smiling. . . Though one cannot smile twenty-four hours a day, I suppose. . .
Ugh, what's going on?!
~ 9: 40 A.M. ~
So I went to go ask Seamus about this. I mean, he would know, right?
Haha. No.
"Seamus!" I said, bursting into his office.
"Oh hey Ginny, want to go get some coffee, I was just on my way out -"
"NO!" I interrupted him, "We can't go out there, Padma and Michael are out there." I paused for affect.
And got a perplexed stare back from him.
"Padma and Michael," I said again, dramatically. "Together. Outside. On this very street!" I exclaimed, pointing at the floor, frustrated.
"Soooooooooooo?"
"So! They're supposed to be broken up, Seamus! Since yesterday! Your wife told me so!"
"Hmm, really? I didn't know. So you don't want a coffee?"
"No!"
And with that he left.
GAAAAH. Stupid Seamus doesn't know stupid anything. Gosh, why are they together? Maybe Padma doesn't know what Michael did. . . no, she must, Lavender said she told her. She said they were going to do that stupid voodoo together. I didn't see her there yet, but I'm sure she came later, I'm sure Lavender told her. . . They even had that "friends before fatheads" or something. . .whatever, I was paraphrasing.
I'll talk to Lavender later. . .
~ 1: 32 P.M. ~
I almost forgot to give Alicia my article. It's such a good thing I did!
I was walking past her room during the lunch break with my article, to get a folder for it from the supply room, when I heard a voice coming from her office. The door was open a crack, so I went up to it. Since everyone was out on break, nobody would catch me eavesdropping - wait, no "listening" to my boss's conversation.
"But Preston, they're my friends," she was pleading. "How can I just leave them like that?"
In my head: Who's Preston? What a weird name (no offence).
"Yes, but - but - I know that, but I can't just forget about them like that!"
In my head: Forget about who?
It seemed that she was talking through the Floo or something, I couldn't really hear anybody else too well. She was starting to speak quieter now. I leaned closer to the door to hear better.
"You have no idea what you're asking of me, do you?" Her back was to the door. Darn. Because she sounded like she was close to tears.
"Of course I want this to happen, but. . ."
This was too juicy to miss. I leaned in closer and closer till. . .
"Oof!"
I kind of leaned too much and the door opened. Oh yeah, and I fell on the floor.
In my head: Ow.
Alicia spun around, and I was so ready for her to start yelling at me. 'Good thing no one else is here to see this' I thought, considering the embarrassment. 'But then no one will save me. . .'
I looked up and Alicia was talking into a Muggle telephone. She was looking down at me, kind of oddly. Like she saw me, but wasn't actually registering the fact that I was there. And I was right about her crying, her eyes were kind of red.
"Preston, I can't talk right now. I've got something to do. . ."
In my head: Something to do? Like FIRE me?
"Yes, I love you, bye."
In my head one last time: So Preston is her fiancé!
"So Preston is your fiancé!" I said.
"What are you doing here?" she ignored my comment. "Why are you still here, everyone's at lunch, and what are you doing eavesdropping on me?"
'Not eavesdropping, listening,' I protested in my head.
"Well? So what were you doing?" she said to my silence.
I looked at my crumpled piece of parchment that I had fallen on. My poor article! I wondered if that would be the best way to propose my plan now. . .
"I just. . . I heard you were a bit down and wanted to stop by to see if I could cheer you up?" I lied. She looked dubious. "Aaaand. . ." I started again, "I got you. . . this gift card to Honeydukes!" I pulled the gift card Harry had given to me when I said I was craving some chocolate. I was planning to use it today (darn!) but this was more important. And generous. That good karma thing. . .
"Ooh," Alicia said under her breath. She grabbed the card and turned it over. "Ginny, this is only seven sickles worth." Darn. It was originally 10 galleons. . . But I spent a lot of it. . . Gosh, I wish the stupid card didn't stupidly update how much money was on it after you use it. Maybe I should have charmed it. . .
Oh whatever. It was good chocolate.
"Seven sickles and. . ." I said, fishing in the pocket of my robes again, "two galleons." I deposited the coins in her hand with a flourish. "Oh, and nine knuts."
Alicia stared at the money, then shrugged and put it on her desk.
"Just don't tell anyone I'm accepting money from my employees," she said.
Wow, close to humor. I decided it was safe to joke with her. "Only if you share the sweets." We both laughed.
"So. . ." I started casually, "who were you speaking on the phone with?"
"My fiancé. . ." she said, her expression changing.
"Oh really? You're getting married?"
"Shut up, Ginny. You already said that to me a few days ago."
Did I? Pooh. . . But she looked amused. Must have been the gift card.
Since she was in as close to a good mood as I had ever seen her in I decided to have a go. "Alicia, do you wanna be friends?"
Alicia stared. "What the-"
"Well, in our modern magical business society, more employers than not have a very distant relationship between their employees and themselves. But study shows that the closer you are with your coworkers the better the work environment functions -"
"You're lying, Ginny," she interrupted.
Durr. How can she always tell?
"Alicia, is there something wrong between you and. . ." your fiancé? I was afraid to finish, not sure how touchy the subject was.
Alicia looked down. "It's not really anybody's business. . ." but she looked unsure.
"Well. . ." I started, "everyone says, I give really good advice. And you look really sad, I'm sure you'd like to talk about something."
"Hmmm. Do I really look that bad?" she asked.
"Your eyes are kind of red."
She sighed. "Well since you already heard half the conversation. . . I guess I'm kind of torn. Preston. . .he doesn't really like my friends. You know, Katie, Angelina, your brothers . . ."
"Why?!" My brothers were the coolest people in the world. Grr. Indignation.
"Well. . . I guess it's more like. . .well, everyone. My family, too."
"WHY?" Seriously, how could this guy tell her he doesn't like her family, too?
"Because. . . because they're different."
"What?"
"More like. . . because we're different."
And then I got it. The telephone. How we're different. The guy was a Muggle. Weird.
"How can you marry this guy after what he said?!"
"Hey Ginny, I thought you said you were going to give me some good advice," Alicia scowled.
"Oh. Well if he doesn't like us, then why does he accept you?"
Alicia sighed again. "Sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with."
I just stared.
"Besides," Alicia started again, more to herself than to me, "it's not like he's rude to them, he sends them gifts and stuff. He just doesn't want to visit them. . . He took it hard when he found out. . . what I was. . . Just a little surprised."
Gosh. . . No wonder Alicia is always so upset. She's been dealing with this for. . . well, as long as George has been mad at her at least. It just made me think, can some things be more important than love? Like her family and friends, who never did anything to her fiancé-guy, and now he wants her to leave them for himself?
"Are you going to. . . listen to him?" I asked, and for some reason, my voice shook. Something at the back of my head was trying to come out of my mouth.
"Well, that's the thing, you see," she said, staring at her hands, "I really want things to work with us, he's such a great person. But. . ." She looked up, and I saw she was crying. The first time at had ever seen her show actual human emotion (besides anger). "He wants me to live with him in London where he owns this big executive company. He says I don't have to work anymore, but I want to! How can I just block out my family like that? My whole life, my career, my friends?"
And then, in a split second, I remembered, and my mouth opened before I could stop it. "What about George?"
Alicia stared. "George?" she said, sniffling a little.
"Yes, he-"
"Oh, I know he's really mad at me, sometimes more than anyone else. . . I've tried talking to him, but. . .oh, he really doesn't like Preston. . ."
"Actually that wasn't what I was gonna say -" But I stopped. She didn't know about George and Love and all of that. Should I really be the one to tell her?
No.
But Alicia was looking up at me expectantly so I said, "I know you love that Preston guy, but isn't what he's asking just a little bit unreasonable? You're giving up a lot of things just to be with him, and a marriage should be more about compromise. You should talk to him about it." And, because it seemed like it needed some sort of fancy flourish, I added "Plus, if he really loves you, then he would understand."
We were silent for a moment while Alicia looked thoughtful. Then she said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right, Ginny." She stood up and walked to the door. "I should go wash up. Wouldn't want anyone to see me like this," she said, indicating her red eyes. "Oh, and thanks Ginny. You really do give good advice." She smiled.
"Does that mean we can be friends, then?" I asked, grinning.
She laughed. "I guess so."
"Oh! And before I forget!" I handed her the crumpled piece of parchment in my hand. "My article."
"It's early," she said, and started to open it. "You obviously went through. . . great lengths to get it here. . ." She started squinting at the writing, rotating the paper every which way. "Well, it's the thought that counts, so thanks."
"Wait! One more thing, Alicia!"
"More? I didn't want to say this out loud, but I've really got to have a wee."
"Oh, um, sorry," I said, but she was laughing. "You know the love advice column I talked about a few days ago? Do you still. . . ?"
She smiled. "I'll think about it." Then she ran off to the toilets.
Oh god, I'm so happy! I mean, not for Alicia or anything, but. . . Oh, who would of thought? I actually do "make friends" with my boss, and might be getting my own advice column! I did lose some chocolate money, but really, it's a small price to pay in exchange for the de-drearinessing of my job! Gosh, for once Lavender was right about something!
Oh! Lavender. . . I have to ask about Padma and Michael. . . OK, I promise I will tomorrow. . . Definitely. . . Yep.
A/N: Wow, I think this is my best chapter in a long time (way to be modest!). Well, no, it's more like because the other ones sucked. Well, some notices: be on the look out for some weird parody I might be doing, and of course, that spiffily cool Alicia + George story KEKEKE, so excited! By the way, Preston the Muggle and his meanness to Alicia is © tR00 kaNgaR00. I'm afraid people might bite it.
~ Thurs., Nov. 6 ~
I'm going to try.
I'm going to win Alicia over (Hmm that sounded weird. Okay, win her over in a non-lesbian way.). We'll become best friends then she'll give me the love advice column. And then we'll go on holiday together and talk with each other at work and everyone will be so jealous because I'm so cool, I'm friends with the boss. Especially Emma Worth, over in human resources. She's always sending nasty memos informing me how late I was for work. . .So what if it's her job, I can tell from the way she writes it that she just loves to chide me. . .Plus, I am never that late. Only when I have a good reason (Like when my watch broke; I had to go fix it, of course! I couldn't go around not knowing the time - I'd be late for stuff. I even wrote that on the reply memo. I don't think she wrote me back. . .). Plus, I think she stole my cute little stuffed cat figurine that I had on my desk. It's gone missing and she was always looking at it. . .
Well, there are more important things I suppose (although I really do miss my cat). I've got to convince Alicia to be my friend. Or give me the column. Whichever comes first.
Gosh, I'm so scared though . . . Last time Alicia was yelling at me and everything. Well, sort of. But she was really really cross. Maybe I should wait awhile. . .
~ 9: 06 A.M. ~
No I have to be confident. I will sell my case in a confident and persuasive, yet not too arrogant or pushy manner. And she will be so mesmerized by my speech that she will have to give me the column. And perhaps give me a raise.
Hmm. I need a bait, though. How about I give her my article? It's a day early, but it shows responsibility. If I could just find it. . .
~ 9: 10 A.M. ~
Ooh I found my cat! I wonder what it was doing under my desk? Emma Worth must have purposely knocked it down or something. . .
~ 9: 21 A.M. ~
Finally found the article! It was on the windowsill, under this potted plant I bought (I don't really like plants - they're a little boring. But it seemed so. . . well, posh, to have a fresh-looking office.). I guess I must have been sitting here while I was proofreading it. It's always nice to look out the window. There are lots of trendy shops and you can see people from all the way up here. Although I guess that makes sense, I'm only on the second story -
Is that Michael? Walking with Padma?! But I thought they broke up. . . Lavender said they broke up. . .
Wha??
Maybe they did break up. And they're just talking. . . No, of course not, why would anyone want to talk to Michael after he's been such a jerk? Maybe they never really did break up, and Lavender just lied. . . But why would she lie? There's no reason. . . So then. . . Padma lied? But still, no reason to. . .
God I'm so confused. . .
They don't even look like they're arguing or anything. . . Well, I can't exactly tell, but they're not hitting each other or anything (hmm, lovely mental image of Padma beating Michael up). Gosh, I wish Michael would move his fat head - I can't see Padma's face. Wait, never mind, I see her. Well, it's hard to see exactly, I'm too high up. . . I don't think she's smiling. . . Though one cannot smile twenty-four hours a day, I suppose. . .
Ugh, what's going on?!
~ 9: 40 A.M. ~
So I went to go ask Seamus about this. I mean, he would know, right?
Haha. No.
"Seamus!" I said, bursting into his office.
"Oh hey Ginny, want to go get some coffee, I was just on my way out -"
"NO!" I interrupted him, "We can't go out there, Padma and Michael are out there." I paused for affect.
And got a perplexed stare back from him.
"Padma and Michael," I said again, dramatically. "Together. Outside. On this very street!" I exclaimed, pointing at the floor, frustrated.
"Soooooooooooo?"
"So! They're supposed to be broken up, Seamus! Since yesterday! Your wife told me so!"
"Hmm, really? I didn't know. So you don't want a coffee?"
"No!"
And with that he left.
GAAAAH. Stupid Seamus doesn't know stupid anything. Gosh, why are they together? Maybe Padma doesn't know what Michael did. . . no, she must, Lavender said she told her. She said they were going to do that stupid voodoo together. I didn't see her there yet, but I'm sure she came later, I'm sure Lavender told her. . . They even had that "friends before fatheads" or something. . .whatever, I was paraphrasing.
I'll talk to Lavender later. . .
~ 1: 32 P.M. ~
I almost forgot to give Alicia my article. It's such a good thing I did!
I was walking past her room during the lunch break with my article, to get a folder for it from the supply room, when I heard a voice coming from her office. The door was open a crack, so I went up to it. Since everyone was out on break, nobody would catch me eavesdropping - wait, no "listening" to my boss's conversation.
"But Preston, they're my friends," she was pleading. "How can I just leave them like that?"
In my head: Who's Preston? What a weird name (no offence).
"Yes, but - but - I know that, but I can't just forget about them like that!"
In my head: Forget about who?
It seemed that she was talking through the Floo or something, I couldn't really hear anybody else too well. She was starting to speak quieter now. I leaned closer to the door to hear better.
"You have no idea what you're asking of me, do you?" Her back was to the door. Darn. Because she sounded like she was close to tears.
"Of course I want this to happen, but. . ."
This was too juicy to miss. I leaned in closer and closer till. . .
"Oof!"
I kind of leaned too much and the door opened. Oh yeah, and I fell on the floor.
In my head: Ow.
Alicia spun around, and I was so ready for her to start yelling at me. 'Good thing no one else is here to see this' I thought, considering the embarrassment. 'But then no one will save me. . .'
I looked up and Alicia was talking into a Muggle telephone. She was looking down at me, kind of oddly. Like she saw me, but wasn't actually registering the fact that I was there. And I was right about her crying, her eyes were kind of red.
"Preston, I can't talk right now. I've got something to do. . ."
In my head: Something to do? Like FIRE me?
"Yes, I love you, bye."
In my head one last time: So Preston is her fiancé!
"So Preston is your fiancé!" I said.
"What are you doing here?" she ignored my comment. "Why are you still here, everyone's at lunch, and what are you doing eavesdropping on me?"
'Not eavesdropping, listening,' I protested in my head.
"Well? So what were you doing?" she said to my silence.
I looked at my crumpled piece of parchment that I had fallen on. My poor article! I wondered if that would be the best way to propose my plan now. . .
"I just. . . I heard you were a bit down and wanted to stop by to see if I could cheer you up?" I lied. She looked dubious. "Aaaand. . ." I started again, "I got you. . . this gift card to Honeydukes!" I pulled the gift card Harry had given to me when I said I was craving some chocolate. I was planning to use it today (darn!) but this was more important. And generous. That good karma thing. . .
"Ooh," Alicia said under her breath. She grabbed the card and turned it over. "Ginny, this is only seven sickles worth." Darn. It was originally 10 galleons. . . But I spent a lot of it. . . Gosh, I wish the stupid card didn't stupidly update how much money was on it after you use it. Maybe I should have charmed it. . .
Oh whatever. It was good chocolate.
"Seven sickles and. . ." I said, fishing in the pocket of my robes again, "two galleons." I deposited the coins in her hand with a flourish. "Oh, and nine knuts."
Alicia stared at the money, then shrugged and put it on her desk.
"Just don't tell anyone I'm accepting money from my employees," she said.
Wow, close to humor. I decided it was safe to joke with her. "Only if you share the sweets." We both laughed.
"So. . ." I started casually, "who were you speaking on the phone with?"
"My fiancé. . ." she said, her expression changing.
"Oh really? You're getting married?"
"Shut up, Ginny. You already said that to me a few days ago."
Did I? Pooh. . . But she looked amused. Must have been the gift card.
Since she was in as close to a good mood as I had ever seen her in I decided to have a go. "Alicia, do you wanna be friends?"
Alicia stared. "What the-"
"Well, in our modern magical business society, more employers than not have a very distant relationship between their employees and themselves. But study shows that the closer you are with your coworkers the better the work environment functions -"
"You're lying, Ginny," she interrupted.
Durr. How can she always tell?
"Alicia, is there something wrong between you and. . ." your fiancé? I was afraid to finish, not sure how touchy the subject was.
Alicia looked down. "It's not really anybody's business. . ." but she looked unsure.
"Well. . ." I started, "everyone says, I give really good advice. And you look really sad, I'm sure you'd like to talk about something."
"Hmmm. Do I really look that bad?" she asked.
"Your eyes are kind of red."
She sighed. "Well since you already heard half the conversation. . . I guess I'm kind of torn. Preston. . .he doesn't really like my friends. You know, Katie, Angelina, your brothers . . ."
"Why?!" My brothers were the coolest people in the world. Grr. Indignation.
"Well. . . I guess it's more like. . .well, everyone. My family, too."
"WHY?" Seriously, how could this guy tell her he doesn't like her family, too?
"Because. . . because they're different."
"What?"
"More like. . . because we're different."
And then I got it. The telephone. How we're different. The guy was a Muggle. Weird.
"How can you marry this guy after what he said?!"
"Hey Ginny, I thought you said you were going to give me some good advice," Alicia scowled.
"Oh. Well if he doesn't like us, then why does he accept you?"
Alicia sighed again. "Sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with."
I just stared.
"Besides," Alicia started again, more to herself than to me, "it's not like he's rude to them, he sends them gifts and stuff. He just doesn't want to visit them. . . He took it hard when he found out. . . what I was. . . Just a little surprised."
Gosh. . . No wonder Alicia is always so upset. She's been dealing with this for. . . well, as long as George has been mad at her at least. It just made me think, can some things be more important than love? Like her family and friends, who never did anything to her fiancé-guy, and now he wants her to leave them for himself?
"Are you going to. . . listen to him?" I asked, and for some reason, my voice shook. Something at the back of my head was trying to come out of my mouth.
"Well, that's the thing, you see," she said, staring at her hands, "I really want things to work with us, he's such a great person. But. . ." She looked up, and I saw she was crying. The first time at had ever seen her show actual human emotion (besides anger). "He wants me to live with him in London where he owns this big executive company. He says I don't have to work anymore, but I want to! How can I just block out my family like that? My whole life, my career, my friends?"
And then, in a split second, I remembered, and my mouth opened before I could stop it. "What about George?"
Alicia stared. "George?" she said, sniffling a little.
"Yes, he-"
"Oh, I know he's really mad at me, sometimes more than anyone else. . . I've tried talking to him, but. . .oh, he really doesn't like Preston. . ."
"Actually that wasn't what I was gonna say -" But I stopped. She didn't know about George and Love and all of that. Should I really be the one to tell her?
No.
But Alicia was looking up at me expectantly so I said, "I know you love that Preston guy, but isn't what he's asking just a little bit unreasonable? You're giving up a lot of things just to be with him, and a marriage should be more about compromise. You should talk to him about it." And, because it seemed like it needed some sort of fancy flourish, I added "Plus, if he really loves you, then he would understand."
We were silent for a moment while Alicia looked thoughtful. Then she said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right, Ginny." She stood up and walked to the door. "I should go wash up. Wouldn't want anyone to see me like this," she said, indicating her red eyes. "Oh, and thanks Ginny. You really do give good advice." She smiled.
"Does that mean we can be friends, then?" I asked, grinning.
She laughed. "I guess so."
"Oh! And before I forget!" I handed her the crumpled piece of parchment in my hand. "My article."
"It's early," she said, and started to open it. "You obviously went through. . . great lengths to get it here. . ." She started squinting at the writing, rotating the paper every which way. "Well, it's the thought that counts, so thanks."
"Wait! One more thing, Alicia!"
"More? I didn't want to say this out loud, but I've really got to have a wee."
"Oh, um, sorry," I said, but she was laughing. "You know the love advice column I talked about a few days ago? Do you still. . . ?"
She smiled. "I'll think about it." Then she ran off to the toilets.
Oh god, I'm so happy! I mean, not for Alicia or anything, but. . . Oh, who would of thought? I actually do "make friends" with my boss, and might be getting my own advice column! I did lose some chocolate money, but really, it's a small price to pay in exchange for the de-drearinessing of my job! Gosh, for once Lavender was right about something!
Oh! Lavender. . . I have to ask about Padma and Michael. . . OK, I promise I will tomorrow. . . Definitely. . . Yep.
A/N: Wow, I think this is my best chapter in a long time (way to be modest!). Well, no, it's more like because the other ones sucked. Well, some notices: be on the look out for some weird parody I might be doing, and of course, that spiffily cool Alicia + George story KEKEKE, so excited! By the way, Preston the Muggle and his meanness to Alicia is © tR00 kaNgaR00. I'm afraid people might bite it.