The Search for an Undercover Scoop
Chapter 1
Ginny Weasley settled down in her comfy old brown couch, holding a romance novel in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She was hoping that this one was not as mushy as the last one, she usually skipped over those sections.
Why was she, the type of woman who was raised with all brothers and never like girly things but instead preferred sports, reading a romance novel you wonder?
Well, the answer is short and simple. She wrote the book review column for the wizard newspaper called Warts. It was her first real job after graduating from Hogwarts and so she was excited to start working. That was until she found out that they would only let her do book reviews until she wrote something good enough for her boss to know she was ready to write for a different section of the newspaper.
They chose the books she had to review, and so she had to bare through the two-hundred pages of unrealistic sappy romance scenes. That was why she needed the coffee. It helped her survive the torture without falling asleep. Plus, she had become a coffee-holic, and was proud of it.
She took a sip of the coffee and glanced at the cover of the novel. It had a picture of a woman, with long brown hair flowing in the wind and a perfect figure with a summer dress covering her, standing in front of a man. The man had short black tousled hair and he was wearing a white shirt that was unbuttoned and baring his perfectly chiseled chest. The title was 'The Preacher's Daughter'.
Yes, this book was going to be just like the five others she was forced to read in the past six months. The usual plotline consisting of a good-looking heroine and hero, both falling in love with each other and having incredible sex, of course while at the same time overcoming unrealistic obstacles that test their love for each other. Yippy.
After studying the cover, she opened to the first page. Taking another sip of coffee she began to read the first sentence. "Cassandra stood on the field outside her home looking out at the sunset...."
The phone rang, startling Ginny and causing her to spill her coffee on herself and the book. "Shit!" she yelled, dropping the book and setting down what was left of the coffee. She grabbed some tissues and started wiping herself as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she asked, with annoyance in her voice. Whoever this was it better be good... or else they were in for it. It was bad enough she had to read romance novels in the first place, but now she was spilling her beloved coffee.
"Ginny? It's Hermione." the voice replied.
"Hermione! Hi. How have you been?" Ginny asked, now all of a sudden happy. It was good to hear her best friend's voice. She hadn't seen Hermione in about two weeks because she was busy with her work as an Auror.
"Good. How about you? They still have you reviewing books?"
"Yeah, unfortunately." she replied, forgetting all about her spill and the book that fell to the floor. "But I have been working on something that I hope will get me promoted."
"What is it about?" Hermione asked, interested.
"A conspiracy within the Ministry of Magic. I have an anonymous informant that has been giving me information for my report." Ginny proudly announced.
"Really? Sounds interesting. Who does it involve?"
"Sorry, can't tell you. You will have to wait for my article, so you better start planning my promotion party pronto. I'm turning in the article tomorrow morning." she confidently replied. She could not wait till tomorrow. She was positive that this was the piece that was going to get her the position at the newspaper that she had wanted for a long time.
"So, can Miss Next Big Time Reporter come out tonight with me and Ron for drinks?" her friend asked with a mocking tone in her voice.
"Yes she can. What time should I go pick you two up?"
"Eight." Hermione answered abruptly. "Oh, and how has Harry been lately? I haven't been able to get in touch with him."
"He has been working with the Ministry on something 'top secret'. He'll be back in a couple days, so you can see him then."
"I see. How are you two? Trouble in paradise?"
"I should be asking you the same thing. But, no, we are doing fine. I just don't get to see him that often because he is always working." Ginny said. Harry and her had been dating since his seventh year. She had always had a little crush on him, and after he got over Cho he decided to ask her out. They had broken up a couple times, one being her whole last year of Hogwarts, but when she graduated and they saw each other again they instantly clicked.
Now, she wasn't sure if he was 'the one' or 'Mr. Right', but he was a good boyfriend when he was around and she liked spending time with him. She did love him, but she was not in love with him, or at least she wasn't sure if she was or not. Her life was no romance novel.
"I don't have that problem. Ron is always available. Sometimes even too available. It can get annoying. Especially when he wants to do something and I am swamped with work. It's hard being the busiest woman in the world, who happens to be the Head Auror, and be dating the least busy man in the world. I don't see how we ever get along, being as different from each other as night and day..." Hermione rambled in response.
"Opposites attract, you know." Ginny said, interrupting her friend. She knew very well that was the case with her brother and her best friend. They started dating after they graduated Hogwarts and they had been going strong ever since. Ginny was expecting Ron to come to her for advice on proposing any day now. "And at least you have a boyfriend who has time for you. I could be cheating on him with ten different men right now and he would have no clue."
"You aren't thinking of cheating, are you?" a concerned voice asked promptly.
"Oh yeah. Right now I have two men in my bedroom waiting for me to return. Then I have a date at five with a different man named Rufus, and tomorrow a sexy date with my Spanish love Juan." Ginny replied sarcastically. When she heard no response she added, "Just kidding! Do you really think I would date someone named Rufus?"
"I would hope not." Hermione said relieved and then laughing slightly. "Well, I'll let you go. See you at eight. Don't be late like you were last time."
"Hey! That was not my fault." she replied, defending herself.
"Ok, bye."
"Buh-bye." Ginny hung up the phone. Then she glanced at the clock. It was a little past four. She had time to read some of the book, eat dinner, and then be ready to go out by seven thirty. She got back into her previous comfortable position, forgetting all about the coffee spill that was now dried up, and she picked up her book from the floor.
It had a yellow spot on some of the pages, but it was still readable. 'Unfortunately' she thought, opening the book up to where she had left off. Right, that was where she was, "Cassandra stood on the field outside her home looking out at the sunset...."
Fifty pages later Ginny wanted to strangle Cassandra with her phone cord. The character was perfect at everything, yet she was a whiney little twit who did everything in her power to keep herself from being truly happy by making stupid decisions. In other words, she was not someone that Ginny would be able to get along with.
So far she had found out that Cassandra was the preacher's daughter, and her mother was dying of some kind of cancer. The preacher, meanwhile, decides to let a young man who was a town outcast because of his bad reputation move in with them temporarily so he could help 'save his soul'. Cassandra, of course, was attracted to him, but didn't trust him because of the stories she had heard.
This whole storyline was trite, Ginny knew that, and she wondered why someone would purposely subject themselves to that kind of filth. Or at least it was filth in her eyes. Ok, she could admit that romance novels were not as bad as she described them as, but she just didn't like them. They were too unrealistic for her taste.
Ginny set down the book and turned on her TV to the sports channel so she could watch some Quidditch. That was something that always put her in a good mood. She stood up and went into the kitchen, grabbed something quick to eat, and returned to her loyal television.
Around seven fifteen Ginny decided to get ready, it didn't take that long for her as opposed to the girls who would spend hours trying to look presentable and just ended up wasting time and looking like they overdid it.
She put on a red tank top and black pants and pulled her blonde hair back in a ponytail. Yes, Ginny had blonde hair. It was sort of a dare from Hermione, to do something drastic with her hair, and so she changed it from her natural bright red to a honey blonde color. Surprisingly, it actually looked good on her, and Harry didn't even get a chance to see it yet. She couldn't wait to see her boyfriend's reaction when he saw her.
Without even taking another look in the mirror, she picked up her bag and proceeded to leave her apartment. She turned off the television, throwing the remote on the couch, and locked her apartment from the outside. Then she set off to Hermione and Ron's apartment.
They had moved in together several months ago, deciding that they were ready for the plunge. That was when Hermione had a mental breakdown. It took her awhile to get used to Ron's sloppiness and at one point she even considered them going back to having separate apartments, but then she got over it. His messiness still bothers her, but now he was trying to be clean and she hired someone to clean the apartment every now and then.
Ginny walked up two flights of stairs, and then found herself in front of their door. She knocked three times before the door was pulled open from underneath her fist and she was faced with the happy expression of her best friend.
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A/N- Just first chapter to give some background, it will get better. Please review and tell me what you think.
Chapter 1
Ginny Weasley settled down in her comfy old brown couch, holding a romance novel in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She was hoping that this one was not as mushy as the last one, she usually skipped over those sections.
Why was she, the type of woman who was raised with all brothers and never like girly things but instead preferred sports, reading a romance novel you wonder?
Well, the answer is short and simple. She wrote the book review column for the wizard newspaper called Warts. It was her first real job after graduating from Hogwarts and so she was excited to start working. That was until she found out that they would only let her do book reviews until she wrote something good enough for her boss to know she was ready to write for a different section of the newspaper.
They chose the books she had to review, and so she had to bare through the two-hundred pages of unrealistic sappy romance scenes. That was why she needed the coffee. It helped her survive the torture without falling asleep. Plus, she had become a coffee-holic, and was proud of it.
She took a sip of the coffee and glanced at the cover of the novel. It had a picture of a woman, with long brown hair flowing in the wind and a perfect figure with a summer dress covering her, standing in front of a man. The man had short black tousled hair and he was wearing a white shirt that was unbuttoned and baring his perfectly chiseled chest. The title was 'The Preacher's Daughter'.
Yes, this book was going to be just like the five others she was forced to read in the past six months. The usual plotline consisting of a good-looking heroine and hero, both falling in love with each other and having incredible sex, of course while at the same time overcoming unrealistic obstacles that test their love for each other. Yippy.
After studying the cover, she opened to the first page. Taking another sip of coffee she began to read the first sentence. "Cassandra stood on the field outside her home looking out at the sunset...."
The phone rang, startling Ginny and causing her to spill her coffee on herself and the book. "Shit!" she yelled, dropping the book and setting down what was left of the coffee. She grabbed some tissues and started wiping herself as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she asked, with annoyance in her voice. Whoever this was it better be good... or else they were in for it. It was bad enough she had to read romance novels in the first place, but now she was spilling her beloved coffee.
"Ginny? It's Hermione." the voice replied.
"Hermione! Hi. How have you been?" Ginny asked, now all of a sudden happy. It was good to hear her best friend's voice. She hadn't seen Hermione in about two weeks because she was busy with her work as an Auror.
"Good. How about you? They still have you reviewing books?"
"Yeah, unfortunately." she replied, forgetting all about her spill and the book that fell to the floor. "But I have been working on something that I hope will get me promoted."
"What is it about?" Hermione asked, interested.
"A conspiracy within the Ministry of Magic. I have an anonymous informant that has been giving me information for my report." Ginny proudly announced.
"Really? Sounds interesting. Who does it involve?"
"Sorry, can't tell you. You will have to wait for my article, so you better start planning my promotion party pronto. I'm turning in the article tomorrow morning." she confidently replied. She could not wait till tomorrow. She was positive that this was the piece that was going to get her the position at the newspaper that she had wanted for a long time.
"So, can Miss Next Big Time Reporter come out tonight with me and Ron for drinks?" her friend asked with a mocking tone in her voice.
"Yes she can. What time should I go pick you two up?"
"Eight." Hermione answered abruptly. "Oh, and how has Harry been lately? I haven't been able to get in touch with him."
"He has been working with the Ministry on something 'top secret'. He'll be back in a couple days, so you can see him then."
"I see. How are you two? Trouble in paradise?"
"I should be asking you the same thing. But, no, we are doing fine. I just don't get to see him that often because he is always working." Ginny said. Harry and her had been dating since his seventh year. She had always had a little crush on him, and after he got over Cho he decided to ask her out. They had broken up a couple times, one being her whole last year of Hogwarts, but when she graduated and they saw each other again they instantly clicked.
Now, she wasn't sure if he was 'the one' or 'Mr. Right', but he was a good boyfriend when he was around and she liked spending time with him. She did love him, but she was not in love with him, or at least she wasn't sure if she was or not. Her life was no romance novel.
"I don't have that problem. Ron is always available. Sometimes even too available. It can get annoying. Especially when he wants to do something and I am swamped with work. It's hard being the busiest woman in the world, who happens to be the Head Auror, and be dating the least busy man in the world. I don't see how we ever get along, being as different from each other as night and day..." Hermione rambled in response.
"Opposites attract, you know." Ginny said, interrupting her friend. She knew very well that was the case with her brother and her best friend. They started dating after they graduated Hogwarts and they had been going strong ever since. Ginny was expecting Ron to come to her for advice on proposing any day now. "And at least you have a boyfriend who has time for you. I could be cheating on him with ten different men right now and he would have no clue."
"You aren't thinking of cheating, are you?" a concerned voice asked promptly.
"Oh yeah. Right now I have two men in my bedroom waiting for me to return. Then I have a date at five with a different man named Rufus, and tomorrow a sexy date with my Spanish love Juan." Ginny replied sarcastically. When she heard no response she added, "Just kidding! Do you really think I would date someone named Rufus?"
"I would hope not." Hermione said relieved and then laughing slightly. "Well, I'll let you go. See you at eight. Don't be late like you were last time."
"Hey! That was not my fault." she replied, defending herself.
"Ok, bye."
"Buh-bye." Ginny hung up the phone. Then she glanced at the clock. It was a little past four. She had time to read some of the book, eat dinner, and then be ready to go out by seven thirty. She got back into her previous comfortable position, forgetting all about the coffee spill that was now dried up, and she picked up her book from the floor.
It had a yellow spot on some of the pages, but it was still readable. 'Unfortunately' she thought, opening the book up to where she had left off. Right, that was where she was, "Cassandra stood on the field outside her home looking out at the sunset...."
Fifty pages later Ginny wanted to strangle Cassandra with her phone cord. The character was perfect at everything, yet she was a whiney little twit who did everything in her power to keep herself from being truly happy by making stupid decisions. In other words, she was not someone that Ginny would be able to get along with.
So far she had found out that Cassandra was the preacher's daughter, and her mother was dying of some kind of cancer. The preacher, meanwhile, decides to let a young man who was a town outcast because of his bad reputation move in with them temporarily so he could help 'save his soul'. Cassandra, of course, was attracted to him, but didn't trust him because of the stories she had heard.
This whole storyline was trite, Ginny knew that, and she wondered why someone would purposely subject themselves to that kind of filth. Or at least it was filth in her eyes. Ok, she could admit that romance novels were not as bad as she described them as, but she just didn't like them. They were too unrealistic for her taste.
Ginny set down the book and turned on her TV to the sports channel so she could watch some Quidditch. That was something that always put her in a good mood. She stood up and went into the kitchen, grabbed something quick to eat, and returned to her loyal television.
Around seven fifteen Ginny decided to get ready, it didn't take that long for her as opposed to the girls who would spend hours trying to look presentable and just ended up wasting time and looking like they overdid it.
She put on a red tank top and black pants and pulled her blonde hair back in a ponytail. Yes, Ginny had blonde hair. It was sort of a dare from Hermione, to do something drastic with her hair, and so she changed it from her natural bright red to a honey blonde color. Surprisingly, it actually looked good on her, and Harry didn't even get a chance to see it yet. She couldn't wait to see her boyfriend's reaction when he saw her.
Without even taking another look in the mirror, she picked up her bag and proceeded to leave her apartment. She turned off the television, throwing the remote on the couch, and locked her apartment from the outside. Then she set off to Hermione and Ron's apartment.
They had moved in together several months ago, deciding that they were ready for the plunge. That was when Hermione had a mental breakdown. It took her awhile to get used to Ron's sloppiness and at one point she even considered them going back to having separate apartments, but then she got over it. His messiness still bothers her, but now he was trying to be clean and she hired someone to clean the apartment every now and then.
Ginny walked up two flights of stairs, and then found herself in front of their door. She knocked three times before the door was pulled open from underneath her fist and she was faced with the happy expression of her best friend.
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A/N- Just first chapter to give some background, it will get better. Please review and tell me what you think.