"Shut it..." Zed muttered, carelessly batting his arm in the vague direction of the less than glamorous bird he had inherited from his sister. The creature never ceased to annoy him. He had been meaning to replace it for months but there always seemed to be some other expense to be covered first. There had been the poltergeist to deal with in the first few weeks of moving in and then the damage that had caused to repair. And then of course, there had been his weakness for new robes to fund. Needless to say, he hadn't had enough spare money around to justify buying a new owl just yet, even if the current one insisted on waking him every single morning at an ungodly hour just because the paper had arrived. Knowing fine well, the animal wouldn't cease his awful screeching until it was fed, Zed dragged himself from the comfort of his bed, making sure to move his fingers before the idiot of an owl mistook them for breakfast.

He threw the paper on top of the clutter that had accumulated on his kitchen counter before waving his wand towards the kettle. Zed rubbed the sleep from his eyes impatiently, barely suppressing a yawn. He hated mornings.

It was only after shovelling breakfast into his mouth and downing the coffee he had made that he finally made a grab for the Daily Prophet. He let out a low whistle when he saw the picture adorning the front page. Rose looked... stunning. There was no other way to describe it. She was waving, a smile dominating her face. The blue in her dress only served to highlight the fiery locks he loved so much. He flicked to page 4, where the interview was and scanned through the text. She was her usual bubbly self, it seemed. Even just reading this, he could understand why so many people loved her let alone spending as much time with her as he did. Suddenly, there was something which caught his eye, something that caused that small spark of hope to ignite with a ferocious intensity.

You're notoriously quiet about your love life, Rose. Is there anybody special in your life at the moment?

(laughs) right now? I'm single. I mean I'm trying to date but I'm just so busy!

What are the rules you wouldn't break then? Would you date a co-worker? A friend?

Either! Both! At the end of the day, I think you need to be with someone you. It shouldn't matter whether you work with them or you class them as a friend as long as they make you happy –

All of a sudden, Zed had a feeling today wouldn't be as bad as he had first worried.

The witch sighed, causing a tremble of fear to ripple through the messenger's body. This was one woman who didn't follow the old age phrase when receiving bad news. With a cautious look, he watched her replace the lipstick on the dresser in front of her. She rose in a fluid motion and came towards him with a slow deliberate gait. Even in his fear, he couldn't deny she was a beautiful woman. Her skin was pale, as if she rarely went outside, her eyes dark and intriguing. It was little wonder she had the support of so many disgruntled wizards. You were lured in by her beauty and held hostage by her cruelty. There was no escape when her lacquered were latched in your skin. She was not a woman you walked away from, that was for sure.

"Put him over there." She drawled, pointing lazily at the chaise longue in the corner of the magnificent chambers. He stumbled once while racing to meet her demands, struggling to regain his balance as she laughed, once, short and harsh. The witch never did anything quickly. When she spoke, each word was drawn out which only made the trepidation so much worse. You knew everything she did was deliberate. If you crossed her, you could be sure she would think of how to hurt you personally, to find your personal hell and drag it to your feet.

He watched as she ran her hands down the dead man's cheek, caressing him. Her hand lingered for a moment, as she closed her eyes. The minute dragged and he couldn't shake the feeling he was interrupting something he shouldn't be. He was about to leave when that slow, sensual voice began again.

"There is only so long we can hide in the shadows. We are not cowards. They think they can kill us," she opened her eyes in a flurry of fury and met his anxious gaze, "Like we are pests, vermin. That was their first mistake."

Finish the report

File the information from Steve

Call Mum

Rose mentally ran through the list of things she had left to do as she hurried back to her office, seriously regretting her choice of footwear today. If she had known she would have been this busy, she definitely would have worn flats. As it was, a niggling ache had developed in her feet and she was pretty sure she would find plenty of blisters when she finally got back to her apartment late tonight. Not that she really had time to worry about that. Along with all the work she had left to do before she left here, she was expected to attend some family dinner tonight that, in true Weasley style, was unlikely to finish before late. Normally the idea of seeing her family would have brought a smile to her face but she right now she was so tired, no exhausted, she couldn't think of anything worse. Her only hope was that she could sink into one of the plush couches her mother had bought a few years ago when redecorating and not move for the rest of the night. The problem with such a large family that you barely had to lift yourself from a seat before it was snatched by some weary relation. Not tonight though. Oh no. If any of her cousins so much as looked at her seat she would be sure to send a less than pleasant spell their way...

Confusion, and a hint of pleasure, ran through her when she spotted the large, ornate flowers that had appeared on her desk while she had been in the meeting. Carefully depositing the stack of paperwork she had so precariously balanced in her arms on a filing cabinet, she made her way towards them. She drew in a deep breath, a large smile forming on her face when the fragrant smell filled her nostrils. She loved flowers. She took in the multitude of petals arranged so lovingly, spotting many of her favourites among the bunch. A daisy. A petunia. Some lavender. It was beautiful.

Her mind whirling from trying to guess the person she was so grateful to, she picked up the small card that could be found tucked behind a tulip. There was no name, just an inscription. Unbidden, a small smile formed on her lips as she read it once, twice, her lips forming the words as she breathed them aloud to the empty room.

Rose, in the hope that these make you happy...