Business Partners

"Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three! That's it, Luna, ninety-three Galleons." Ginny had just finished counting out their fighting quill profits behind the Sharp Quills stand, while Luna sat on a nearby stool, counting the drops of water in the courtyard fountain and twirling her hair with her wand.

"Lightly, free stallions? Ginny, I thought you were allergic to horses!" Luna's lazy eye went all, well, lazy.

"Not lightly free stallions, ninety-three Galleons! That's how much we made off of our quills!"

"Oh, that's a great job, we earned more money than your family owns!"

"Er, thanks Luna...I think." Just then, Draco Malfoy walked up to the girls, dragging behind him an enormous satchel, bursting at the seams and full of holes.

"I...ha...have yo...your ord...dd...er, lad...ies!" Malfoy panted, sting down is burlap bag. He undid the drawstring, and out spilled about 400 quills.

"BLOODY HELL! Malfoy, where did you get all those quills?" Ginny asked in earnest.

"Well, I just...er...got them. Okay bye then!" Malfoy ran off, looking shaken up. Ginny and Luna glanced at each other, shrugged, and started unloading quills. There were quills of every shape, size and color imaginable. One quill they pulled out even had something that looked like "Merella Enterprise", which they had never heard of before. And that was not the only one. They also found "Coo Circus", "Neervel Long Business", and even "Pengy Products and Son". Of course, every one was a big mess and not quite determinable. Oh well, they thought.

The next day, a throng was gathered around their stand, and people were ordering them in huge amounts now. Ginny and Luna sold almost all of the quills provided by Malfoy. At the end of a busy day, the girls were approached by Neville Longbottom.

"Welcome to Write n' Fight, what can we help you with Neville?" Luna said.

"Well, it's just...I really need some of those quills."

"Troubled social life, Nev?" Ginny replied.

"No, I need some quills as in someone stole all my quills last night."

"WHAT?" Luna and Ginny cried in unison.

"Yes, I had my name written on them and everything!" Neville was quite upset.

"Well, have a free set." Ginny handed him a pack of quills.

"Thanks girls." And with that, he walked away. Ginny started digging through their crate of unpackaged quills, until she found the one from Neervel Long Business.

" Luna, this doesn't say Neervel Long Business. It says Neville Longbottom!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh dear, it seems that this one, that we thought was Merella Enterprise, I think it says Marietta Edgecombe!" Luna said.

"Oh no, Luna...Do you think Malfoy stole all these quills?"

"Would he?"

"Seems like a very Malfoy-ish thing to do. Aargh, I knew there was no way we could trust him!"

"I agree. Maybe we should return them?"

"We can't, because then we would be accused and our business will be shut down forever! We can kiss our money goodbye, if we tell!" Ginny was in hysterics.

"I have an idea. This might actually work," Luna whispered. Oh great, Luna has an idea, Ginny thought.

"No really, Ginny, this might actually work." Ginny leaned in closer to hear what Luna's idea was.

TO BE CONTINUED...