Author's Note: Soooo… (nervous laughter) I'm so glad that you lovely readers are so patient with me. I promise to reward that patience. I'm talking good rewards. There's the small stuff, of course, like new chapters, but I am now promising that I will get to the good stuff you've all been begging for in the near future. (waits for big cheers) Well. You don't have to believe me yet. But I swear. It's coming. ;) I love you all!

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Monday morning was clear and sunny, which Ginny took as a good omen. She sat up and stretched. It was six o'clock – she was supposed to meet Velma at seven-thirty. Just then, a loud knock sounded on her bedroom door.

"Ginny! Ginny! Wake up, it's your first day of work!"

Good lord, she sounds way too excited about this…Ginny sighed and scrambled out of bed. She really had no idea what she had to look forward to… she'd been pretty good at Potions in school, but she'd never thought much about the subject outside of Hogwarts. Oh, what have you gotten yourself into? she started to think. But hey. It was a job. Her very first job, actually…

By the time Ginny had washed her face and started downstairs, she had an excited fluttering in her stomach – the kind of feeling she always had on the first day of school. She walked into the kitchen, and saw her mother standing in front of the table, which was laid with more than enough food for all six Weasley boys combined.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley called, in a voice that could not contain her pride.

"Mum… what's all this?" Ginny stared in amazement at the breakfast feast.

"Your mother doesn't want you starting work on an empty stomach, so she decided to make breakfast for you," her dad said, from the head of the table where he had been sitting and reading the Daily Prophet. "However, once she started, she got a little… erm… carried away,"

"Oh Arthur, hush now." Mrs. Weasley tutted at her husband, and ushered Ginny to the table. "Now, you just sit here, and enjoy your meal, and I'll go get your clothes laid out for you so that they'll be ready when you finish eating…"

"Mum, please. I'm not six anymore, I can pick my own clothes." Her mother's face fell a bit. "But this breakfast is great, thanks Mum," Ginny said quickly, and smiled warmly at her mother.

"Well, whatever you like. Oh, where is that boy?" Mrs. Weasley walked to the bottom of the stairs. "RONALD! GET OUT OF BED AND COME BE HAPPY FOR YOUR SISTER ON HER FIRST DAY OF WORK!" Ginny shook her head, grinning, as she buttered herself a scone.

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Draco had been suspicious of his mother since the conversation they'd had the week before. He had taken to listening very closely to everything she said to him, trying to fish out double meanings. By Monday, he had driven himself crazy. He stalked over to his desk, above which he had posted his list concerning the young miss Weasley. Grabbing a quill, Draco scribbled out the words furiously, and wrote in thick letters:

ACTING LIKE A PARANOID OAF IS HEREBY PROHIBITED.

He stepped back and admired his work. Satisfied, he took a deep breath, and went for a shower.

As steam rose around him and began to soothe his fragile nerves, Draco considered his current situation. He had already admitted to himself that he was attracted to Virginia Weasley. The question was, how much? As he reached for the soap, he realized that he'd already answered that question. By allowing himself to be even slightly attracted to her, he'd condemned himself. Draco sighed, and rubbed his shoulders with lather. Alright, Malfoy. Admitting the problem is the first step to finding a solution. Say it out loud.

"Oy." He took a deep breath. This was harder than he thought it would be. "IlikeVirginiaWeasley." Actually, that felt kind of good. "I… like Virgina Weasley." A weight was slowly being lifted off of his shoulders, and he was beginning to feel slightly giddy. "I like her. I like a Weasley. Virginia Weasley." By now he was grinning stupidly. "I LIKE VIRGINIA WEASLEY!" He shouted, and pulled the shower curtain back. He grabbed a towel, and burst into his bedroom.

"That's a very interesting admission, mate," Draco nearly jumped out of his skin. Tony Leoni was lounging on his bed, languidly flipping through a copy of WAQ! – the World Association of Quidditch magazine. Draco's good mood vanished.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tony?" he snarled. The other boy laughed, making Draco even grouchier.

"What, I'm not allowed to drop in and see an old friend? Come on Malfoy, you can't have forgotten! We're supposed to play Quidditch today," Draco had forgotten, completely. And while he currently would like nothing better than to tear around on his broom at dizzying speeds, there was no way he was going with Tony, after what he'd just overheard.

"Sorry, not today," Draco huffed, and went back into the bathroom to change.

"Ah, Draco, don't be so uptight! You have to admit, it's pretty amusing… after all, I've never seen you this wound up over any girl, let alone a Weasley…"

"I'M NOT WOUND UP!"

"…but it's perfectly understandable. I mean, she is absolutely delectable, and the way she moves those hips… hey, if you're too chicken to do anything, can I go after her?" Draco scowled, and kicked the wall violently.

"FUCK!" he shouted, as he his toe collided sharply with the doorstop. Tony chuckled. "Look, Tony, you know you're a bloody asshole, so why don't you just go home and leave me alone?" Tony stood and stretched, grinning broadly.

"Alright, but I'll see you soon," He winked, and left. Draco collapsed onto his bed, fuming. Of all things for someone to overhear… this was not going to be a good day.