Business Partners

"Hey Gin, listen to this! It says 'we are looking for any fourth years to set up concession stands, merchandise, and other Hogwarts-related businesses set up around the school. The business can be anything, as long as it is Hogwarts-related. Creativity is valued and good business may teach you students how to make it big in the magical world! Sign up with Fawkes, who will be in the Great Hall from October 1 to Halloween!" Luna read the poster on the message board outside the Great Hall to Ginny with excitement.

"Hm...may be worth a shot, Luna. Why not?"

"Okay, let's go inside," Luna said in her dreamy, dazed tone. The two girls shoved the heavy wooden doors open and strode up to Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Luna wrote down their names.

"Uh...Luna?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know how to say this, but my name is Ginny, not Gibby."

"Oh, sorry." Luna scratched off her mistakes. As soon as it was finished, Fawkes exploded into flames, probably delivering the message to Dumbledore.

Afterwards, the two girls were waiting for Transfiguration to start, making their quills race all around the room. Luna's quill won, and bowed with perkiness before lying flat, ready to write. Ginny's quill ran over to Luna's and rolled it off the desk. Soon, the two quills were engaged in battle, and everyone was watching intently with interest as the girls tried to control them.

"Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley, would you please be kind enough to stop the quills?" Professor McGonagall stepped in and the girls both flushed. They tried to pull the quills apart, and everyone started laughing as they failed miserably.

"Let me handle it, girls." McGonagall strode over and countered the spell. The girls were ashamed, but everyone enjoyed the fight intently...

The girls could not hang out in each other's common rooms, so they found a way to chat throught dormitories. They asked a very preoccupied Hermione to make them a method of communication. She made them a writing pad similar to Tom Riddle's diary. Luna wrote and it dissolved, reappearing on Ginny's pad, and vice versa. Ginny had her pad in hand, as did Luna. She got an inky message just moments later.

"So, have you thought of any ideas yet?" Ginny's ink dictated. Luna wrote her response.

"I thought we could make merchandise to protest against the senseless slaughter of this generation's Crumple Horned Snorkacks." For the millionth time, Luna, those things do NOT EXIST! Ginny thought, but replied anyway.

"For the millionth time Luna, those things do NOT EXIST! Anyway, I thought we could sell spruced up house badges, you know, for Quidditch matches."

"No, people can do that by themselves."

Just then, Ginny had an amazing revelation. She remembered Transfiguration, and how all those people from different houses had thoroughly enjoyed their quills fighting, and that they hadn't even stopped when McGonagall told them to stop. But maybe they wouldn't have to...

"Luna, oh my gosh, I ust had the best idea! We can't let anybody hear us, though, they might steal it. Meet me in the Owlery at midnight, and don't get caught." It was 11:30 at night, so Ginny ran up to the 5^th year boys' dormitory and stole Harry's invisibility cloak, put on her muted fuzzy slippers, muted herself so nobody would hear her, stuffed her wand in her robe pocket, and slipped out. She got outside and into the Owlery unnoticed. No owls were there, it being midnight. Luna was already there, transiently gazing off into space.

"Hey, how did you get by unnoticed?"

"I asked Harry for the Marauder's Map, so I wouldn't run into anyone."

"Harry? But he was in the dormitory!"

"Well, he was just going inside when I ran into him. He got it for me and I left."

"Okay, well, here's my idea. Remember how everyone loved the quill fight?"

"Yes."

"I think we should sell quills in packs of two or three. You can write with them whenever you are in class, but only take one out of the case when you want to write. Then whenever you are bored, you take two or three out of the case, and they will start to all fight each other!"

"Great idea. Now where will we get all the quills?"

"I think I have an idea..." Ginny smiled wickedly.

"Okay, now WHY on earth would you even ask me for help, you little Weasley?" Ginny and Luna had halted Draco Malfoy at the Great Hall entrance.

"Because we have decided that if you get quills for us, then we will give you a free set of our merchandise, which we need the quills for." Ginny pulled out two wiggling quills.

"What would I want with wobbly quills?" Draco looked disgusted. He attempted to go inside, but Luna stuck her wand in his face. He promptly backed up.

"Because of how they act!" Luna cried, and Ginny set the quills on a nearby bench. The charmed quills proceeded to beat each other up twice as badly as the ones from Transfiguration.

"Heh...well, I have to admit, those are really awesome. Okay, I will get you a large supply of quills. How many would you need?"

"Hmm... maybe about 200 for starters."

"Damn! I should start working on that then!" Malfoy hurried out, looking thrilled. Ginny and Luna high-fived, and started practicing their quill charms. Just then, they noticed the calendar, which dictated October 31. Time to get their stand.

"Hello ladies. I suppose you are here to receive your business station."

"Yes, Professor. Where will we be stationed?" Ginny asked.

"Well, you may take your pick of the outside courtyard, the Great Hall antichamber, at the top of the main staircase, or the entrance to the grounds."

"Hmm...Ginny, how about the courtyard? Students go there all the time on free periods," Luna suggested.

"Well...alright. We will sell in the courtyard, Professor," Ginny told Dumbledore.

"Very well. Let us go and set it up." He strode past the girls, and they followed him, wondering how Draco was coming along with his quills. Speaking of which, Malfoy jumped right in front of them, holding out about 20 quills.

"First delivery, I'll have more later!" he said breathlessly. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his face was red. He bowed slightly and ran off. Just then, a huge stand popped up in the courtyard, and the girls were ready to begin. They poofed up a title "Sharp Quills- Write n' Fight!" and took their places behind the desk. They charmed the pens and set out a display. Soon, the booth was overflowing with customers. They quadrupled their profits by duplicating and re duplicating their quills from Malfoy. By the end of the day, they had made 400 galleons at a mere 10 knuts per quill set (15 for packs of three). The girls stayed up all night with their notepads, counting their profits. It doesn't end there...

TO BE CONTINUED...