A/N: The Draco Ginny ship will be coming I swear, but you'll have to be patient because this is important to the plot. Well as of the moment it is. It's subject to change. Read, Review, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I disclaim.
As Draco began to detangle himself from the now sleeping brunette and get ready for a long night at the paper, Hermione Granger was having issues of her own.
The Teen Howler Head Quarters, HQ as Blaise frequently called it was filled with howlers. HQ was a substantially sized flat in Diagon Ally. There were three private offices right next to each other so that Blaise, Draco and Hermione could all have their space to do their work but, could easily have access to one another if it was necessary, though Draco was rarely, if ever, in his office.
Each office was decorated according to who was in it, but all three of the rooms had a beautifully carved oak, mahogany or ash desk and a fireplace of marble each a different color stone depending on the room.
Aside from the private offices there was the main foyer with a large marble fireplace for walk-in guests and a smaller fireplace to the side of the reception desk for quick notices from Pansy.
Pansy didn't have an office, not that she minded. She only had a desk, a desk that could only be unlocked by a special password that only she was privy to. Pansy worked Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays helping out with people who came into HQ looking to publish an article. The good thing about Pansy was that when she worked, she actually worked, she didn't sugarcoat or bullshit. She gave her opinions honestly and directed away unwanted people. The downfall was that Blaise never knew when she was actually going to show up and at what time. Pansy was only helping; she didn't need this job like Granger did, so firing her wasn't much of a threat. She would only walk away laughing, waiting for Blaise to call her back.
There was also the printing room, the processing room, the discussion room, the filing room and the storage room. Other than that, Blaise figured that they were in Diagon Ally for Merlin sakes; anything they could possibly want was at their exposure and within walking distance.
Luckily, Blaise anticipated numerous howlers from various parents, women and students alike and magically added another room. Katie was a very popular girl after all, but it wasn't the first time Draco published an article like that…okay maybe it was, but Blaise knew it was only a matter of time before he published it.
Unluckily for Hermione, she was forced to deal with them. Not only did she have to listen to screeching owls, but she had to listen to every single one because Blaise, being the clever boy he is, found a spell to stop the howler from exploding before it's read. In addition to listening to every message and taking notes, she also had to write an apology note, on top of all her other duties as editor, journalist, and finishing homework before the start of term in addition to her new duties as Head Girl.
Hermione got her Hogwarts letter in the mail mere seconds before Blaise made her get to work, as usual. Every time she attempted to enjoy a personal moment Blaise would insist that Hermione get to work. It was not to say that Blaise was a bad boss so to speak, quite the opposite in fact, it was just Hermione was overwhelmed and with the start of term, she was going to need some help. Even she recognized that she couldn't do it all by herself.
Hermione was sure she was Head Girl and there was no reason to believe otherwise. She was top of her class and had more experience in leadership than half the people in her year.
Hermione finished the last apology note with a heavy sigh. "Finally, now I can read my letter." Picking up the envelope, noting its weight, she knew she was correct in assuming she was Head Girl. Sure enough as she opened her letter her Head Girl Badge fell onto her desk. As she finished reading her supply list, her head girl duties and counted all of her O's Blaise and Draco walked in.
"I see you've finished shagging another poor innocent girl Malfoy," she spat.
"I find it interesting that you pay attention to who I'm shagging Granger," he drawled.
Before Hermione could retort, Blaise jumped in with "I see you got your letter too, that means we're going to have to chat with Dumbledore. There's no way we will be able to run the paper with you two as Heads, in two different houses and on opposite ends of the castle. And I'll be damned if I let my bloody paper go to waste."
"How did you know I was Head Girl?"
Blaise shot her a look that could only be interpreted as "you have got to be kidding me right?"
Hermione shot up saying "Never mind, I have an idea for a letter to Dumbledore, I'll write it up and then show it to you."
Hermione rushed out of the howler room and ran too her office. As her door slammed, it gave Draco and Blaise time to process what happened.
"Your paper," said Draco with a raised eyebrow, "That's a new one; I was under the impression that it was a joint ownership."
"Ohh please, you are rarely here to run this, it's more Granger's paper than yours, not that I don't love you Drake, because I do, you're like a brother to me, but you don't need this paper like I do. It gives me something to be proud of, something to say that I did all on my own, without 'Daddy's help'."
"Whatever you say Blaise, whatever you say. But for the record, you're wrong. I do need this paper." And with that Draco walked out of the room leaving a slightly confused and more than slightly shocked Blaise.
Meanwhile in her office:
Hermione worked diligently and tirelessly to get her proposal together for the boys and Dumbledore.
Hermione's idea was brilliant, if she did say so herself, but it would take quite a bit of work. The Teen Howler would not only be a teen newspaper, but a school one as well. It would have all their regular articles, plus a school section for students and teachers for homework reminders, practice reminders and such. The teachers would obviously get a special addition as some articles were clearly not appropriate [Draco Malfoy –cough, cough-] but in general it could work. That's the part she had to get Blaise to bend on. She knew this paper was like a child to him, but making it school related was the only way to get it approved.
The main problem was getting their Diagon Ally office in Hogwarts, and it wasn't as if it couldn't be done, because it most certainly could be done, especially if Dumbledore was going to be at their exposure. The problem was that the Hogwarts office needed to be much bigger than the Diagon Office. Besides which, they really were going to need help. If the Teen Howler was going to survive the Hogwarts transition, it could no longer be exclusively between the four, and that was going to be another issue Blaise must overcome.
With Hermione's revisions, the Teen Howler was going to have to consist of all four Hogwarts houses. Allowing in Slytherins and Ravenclaws to help with the paper was not one of Hermione's concerns; The other two houses would take some convincing before being accepted. Having Gryffindors was testing Blaise's limits, but could be allowed as Hermione was a Gryff, but Hufflepuffs, that was out of the question. Blaise might grudgingly agree, so long as it kept the paper together, but Malfoy would never agree. Allowing Hermione to work was one thing, (one that took much convincing in itself) but multiple mudbloods? They didn't stand a chance.
Not only was she to encounter difficulties convincing the other two owners to allow members of all four houses to be a part of the paper in order for the paper to be approved by Dumbledore at all, but once she managed that, there needed to be an area on the main floor near the Great Hall where all houses would have access to the office. No such room existed as of yet.
If HQ was on the main floor, then there needed to be a place where the staff could stay/sleep because there was no way with all the late nights that 10+ kids would be allowed unlimited access to the school at all hours. Filch would have a fit and that couldn't possibly mean anything good.
The final problem was they would need access to floo. This was vital in order for all their outside and anonymous senders and receivers to be able to have access to the paper; there was no possible way that Hogwarts could be privy to thousands of owls a day, during all hours in addition to the regular owls that came to and from the castle. Inter-paper messages to staff could be handled easily with a simple flying parchment airplane, similar to those at the ministry. But everyone that was associated with the paper outside of Hogwarts would encounter issues.
She wrote the proposal to Dumbledore with all possible concerns and solutions and then began a list of names and jobs.
Hermione knew she was going to have to be very careful in regards to the selection of those needed to assist with the paper for several reasons. The main reason being Draco's and Blaise's standards, others being competency, compatibility, and whether or not, despite their skill, the individual will actually do the task required instead of fooling around. The list was surprisingly more vast than she had anticipated. Another factor she had to consider was that Dumbledore and the Heads of House would only approve of certain students joining the paper. These students had to not only accommodate the newspaper, but be able to keep on top of their homework and classes as well. Hermione, Blaise and Draco had no problem in this area as they were Head Boy, Head Girl and Prefect; however it did narrow down her list of possible prospects quite a bit.
She looked down at her list and crossed of some more names including the names of her two best friends, of which she had tried to avoid crossing off. She adored them to pieces, but those two in the same room would never get any work done, let alone while Malfoy was there. In addition neither Blaise and Malfoy nor Dumbledore and the Heads of Houses approve. She was disappointed because she knew there would be little time to spend time with them with all of the hours she'll be putting into the paper, and her studies especially with her NEWTS examinations this year.
Next she wrote down a list of jobs and their descriptions of every possible job they would need.
Fan Feedback – someone to read all the letters from the readers and respond accordingly.
Quidditch Reporter - to gather information needed to update readers on Hogwarts Quidditch.
Teacher Student Coordinator – to check with the teachers, all of the teachers, and make sure all teacher announcements are entered in the paper.
Editor for Teacher Newspaper - to make sure that all articles in the paper are edited and 'appropriate' for teacher viewings.
Hermione paused after writing that. 'We can't very well call it the Teacher paper. I'll have to talk to Blaise…err…Zabini and see if we can call it something like the Student Teacher Howler it'll sound more professional. And then well just publish two papers instead of just one. I'm sure he'll agree with it,' she thought.
Then Hermione frowned. That would mean there would have to be more staff. She crossed off some things from the first list, made a new list and continued her work. When she was done, she had three lists: The Teen Howler, The Student Teacher Howler, and Newspaper Heads and Coordinators.
The Teen Howler
Fan Feedback – to read all the letters from the readers and respond accordingly.
Article sorter – to sort all the different articles into manageable piles so the editors can sift through and decide which articles should be entered in the next edition of the paper.
Layout editor - to put all articles in the proper format.
The Student Teacher Howler
Quidditch Reporter - to gather information needed to update readers on Hogwarts Quidditch.
Teacher Student Coordinator – to check with the teachers, all of the teachers, and make sure all teacher announcements are entered in the paper.
Proof Reader- to make sure everything in the paper was edited and 'appropriate' for teacher viewings before its publishing.
Article sorter – to sort all the different articles into manageable piles so the editors can sift through and decide which articles should be entered in the next edition of the paper.
Layout editor - someone to put all the articles in proper format.
Newspaper Heads and Coordinators
Blaise Zabini – Owner, Chief Editor, and Advisor – Has the ultimate role in all aspects of the paper, makes rules and has final word on all decisions.
Draco Malfoy - Owner, Chief Editor, and Advisor – Has the ultimate role in all aspects of the paper, makes rules and has final word on all decisions.
Hermione Jane Granger – Assistant Chief Editor, Assistant Advisor – Edits all articles , proofs layouts, gives final presentation them to Chief Editor. Everything is to go to Miss Granger before Mr.'s Malfoy and Zabini; in the event that neither advisor is available Miss Granger is Advisor.
Pansy Parkinson - Reception Coordinator –directs things into the proper sections of the paper, organizes who comes into HQ and does all scheduling and appointment making, is ultimately in charge should the above be unavaliable.
Hermione was very pleased with her work. It was nearly 6:30 when she finished. She quickly sent a floo to the Weasley home where she stayed most of the summer saying she would be late.
She ran into the discussion room with her hard work and went to prepare her work for the boys when she stopped in her tracks. Zabini, Malfoy and Parkinson were all waiting for her.
Not even looking at her Malfoy drawled, "Nice of you to join us Granger."
"What are you all still doing here, I thought you all would have left hours ago, especially you Parkinson," said Hermione.
"Well I couldn't leave and miss all the fun, now could I? You ran into your office and locked yourself in for hours attempting to 'save the paper' as Blaise put it. Besides I know there are compromises to be made and I want to see Blaise squirm," she said with an evil glint and a complimentary smirk.
"Funny Parkinson, alright Granger let's see what you've got," said Blaise slightly eager.
Hermione showed them her proposals and her lists. To say that they were impressed was an understatement. Blaise was blown away, as was Malfoy, not that he would admit it.
"Good work Granger, you even gave me a proper title," said Pansy.
"Thanks Parkinson, Zabini? Malfoy? What do you think?" asked Hermione.
Blaise started in shock at all her work, besides the fact that she did this in mere hours, it was bloody fantastic, it couldn't be more detailed, and he wasn't even terribly upset about the other houses, the compromises could have been far worse. The Student Teacher Howler couldn't be a better idea, and she even had a vague sketch of the size of the area they would need! Blaise looked up at Hermione who was biting her lip and looking nervous at him. He grinned ran over and threw himself at her and gave her the biggest hug. "Granger! You're bloody brilliant!! I think you just saved the paper!"
"Yes, and I love the part where she deemed herself second in command. I was unaware that you had enough credit to claim that position Granger," drawled Draco.
Letting go of Hermione but still grinning Blaise said, "shut it Drake, it was a genius plan and you know it, and she's the only other person who can run the newspaper. Pansy is lovely and all, but really all she can do is organize things and yell at people, no offense love."
Pansy only raised an eyebrow at the comment while Hermione said "well before we send this to Dumbledore, I think we should talk to a few people and make a list of people who can help with the paper. I think we should have everything ready before we send it; we don't want to give Dumbledore a reason to say no or put off saying yes. I think two people per position are sufficient enough, in addition to our own jobs."
"Alright Granger," said Malfoy, "Who exactly do you propose, because the Dream Team will NOT be on my paper."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but made no retort in regards to his comment. Instead she answered his question. "There are eight positions, two people for four of those positions, and there are four houses. That's twelve positions so three people in addition to our group from each house. Hypothetically, however the only other person in your house besides you three that has any brain cell and would be approved by a teacher is Nott. Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw would be really helpful, her dad runs the Quibbler. Padma Patil and her sister Parvati work great together, Lavender Brown the toad that she is would do well with fan mail, her and Parvati would do well there. Padma should proof. Ginny's quite smart, she'll be in advanced with us, so she can do teachers, Colin would take amazing pictures for The Student Teacher Howler and I know that would be four Gryffindors, but technically he doesn't have an official title, I should write that down…"
As Hermione writes 'Photographer' under The Student Teacher Howler list, the other three stare in shock, with their jaws dropped still trying to process what she said. Still unaware of the others, Hermione continues "As for Hufflepuff the only ones who would even successfully accomplish work are Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. So that's nine people minus Colin because he wasn't part of the original twelve, so that's still four more people, I suppose Zacharias Smith could do Quidditch if we have to let him, Susan Bones from Hufflepuff makes for two more so Michael Corner from Ravenclaw and I guess Millicent will have to do." Hermione now finished with her thoughts turned and looked at her peers who were still in shock. "What?"
"Where did you get twelve from!?"
"Loony Lovegood!?"
"Brown, the nosy gossip harpy!?"
"Weaselette!?"
"The she-weasel is in advanced classes!?"
"I HAVE TO SHARE CLASSES WITH WEASEL AND WEASELETTE?!"
"How did you talk so fast?"
"Did you even breathe when you were speaking?"
"I HAVE TO SHARE CLASSES WITH WEASEL AND WEASELETTE?!?!"
"How were you thinking that fast?"
"How did you not die of oxygen deprivation?"
"I HAVE TO SHARE CLASSES WITH WEASEL AND WEASELETTE?!?!"
The other three finally turned to Malfoy who had a look of shock and disgust on his face.
"Honestly Malfoy, you're Head Boy, and did you three even listen to a word I said?"
"Yes! I have to share my classes with Weasel AND Weaselette!!"
"Malfoy is that all you heard?"
"I'm sorry Granger, while you were rambling on at speeds of 50 words per second I only caught the words that directly affected me."
Hermione sent him a glare that would have impressed both Snape and Molly Weasley.
"Alright, alright you two, we have a list to make, Granger let's get started on that list, because clearly you are the only one who can understand your thought process."
Hermione grabbed her lists and within five minutes she had a list that neither Blaise nor Draco could argue with.
The Teen Howler
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil:
Fan Feedback – to read all the letters from the readers and respond accordingly.
Hannah Abbott:
Article sorter –to sort all the different articles into manageable piles so the editors can sift through and decide on which articles will be in the next edition of the paper.
Luna Lovegood:
Layout editor - to put all the articles in proper format.
The Student Teacher Howler
Zacharias Smith:
Quidditch Reporter - to gather information needed to update readers on Hogwarts Quidditch.
Ginny Weasley:
Teacher Student Coordinator – to check with the teachers, all of the teachers, and make sure all teacher announcements are entered in the paper..
Padma Patil and Michael Corner:
Proof Reader- to make sure everything in the paper was edited and 'appropriate' for teacher viewings before its publishing.
Ernie Macmillan Susan Bones:
Article sorter – to sort all the different articles into manageable piles so the editors can sift through and decide which articles will be published in the next edition of the paper.
Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott:
Layout editor - someone to put all the articles in proper format.
Colin Creevy:
Photographer: - takes pictures of every Hogwarts event and anything specified by the editors/advisors.
"Well?" She asked.
The three Slytherins looked at each other. Draco and Pansy smirked, while Blaise grinned. "Granger, You. Are. Brilliant."
"I'll send these letters to our new staff then, I'm sure they'll except, and I'll mail all of this to Dumbledore and we'll get started on phase two of operation 'Move HQ'" with that, she walked out of the room.
"Blaise, listen carefully, because I will never say any of these words in the same sentence again. You were right, when you said we needed Granger. I'm not going to lie, I thought you were absolutely nutters when you hired her, but bloody hell, it's a good thing you did, otherwise we would be fucked."