"Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy turned from where she'd been choosing crystal stemware at one of the new employees. "Yes?"

"Miss Granger is outside."

"Thank you." Turning back to the man holding the choices of water glasses, Pansy studied each one of them carefully. She pointed a manicured nail to the second one he'd shown her. "That one. We'll need at least three-hundred. I'll look at the others another time. If you'd excuse me."

After learning that Draco was relatively safe, and feeling foolish for thinking Blaise and her would have been able to find him, she'd tried to busy herself with her roses and the spa. It was coming along nicely, and having the distraction was welcome. She had already decided to visit Draco tomorrow, whether he wanted a visitor or not, so for today, the order was to get as much done on the spa as possible. Having Hermione here would help accomplish that task.

Making her way through the lobby, glaring at a woman who rushed past her with arms full of plain white towels, Pansy passed through the front door and saw Hermione writing furiously on a piece of parchment. "I can see you found us easily enough."

"I did. And it looks great from the outside." Hermione looked up from her notes at the sound of Pansy's voice. "Are you going to put any signage up? I was thinking if we didn't put anything up it would make the place seem more exclusive."

"I was thinking the same," Pansy answered. None of the spas she'd ever frequented had needed to advertise. She'd already decided that Choyer would be far superior than any spa she'd ever given her patronage to. "I see you have a list of ideas. Let's hear them."

"I'll just go down my list then," Hermione said as she perused her list as she followed Pansy. "I've been working with obtaining the proper permits for the spa with the Ministry. They should be coming through soon. What do you want to do about wards, elves, the press release?"

"I actually know about the permits. They owled me and gave me some drivel about not being cleared for commercial businesses in this area..." she trailed off, Pansy's eyes narrowing a bit. The Ministry had been nothing but a thistle thorn in her side. Luckily for Choyer, Pansy knew someone rather high in the Ministry's workings.

"I've talked to Draco about the wards on the building," Pansy said, walking along the plush walkway. The rose bushes were in bloom and their scent was heavy and sweet in the air. Already having decided that she would leave these particular roses up to their gardeners, Pansy continued. "He said it may be a bit large for his expertise, so he'll be commissioning help from outside sources." She paused, turning a surveying eye towards Hermione. "I hadn't thought about acquiring elves. Do you think we'll need them in addition to the staff?"

"I think with the appropriate compensation, they would be helpful in keeping things running smoothly," Hermione smoothly said as she noted Contact Draco Malfoy re: wards in her notes. "What about the press release? I have a friend at the Prophet that I know we can trust to give us a spectacular review."

Pansy decided it was best not to ask what sort of 'compensation' she thought house-elves required or deserved. That line of questioning would not lead to anywhere amicable, as her recent dealings with house-elves had made her a little leery of the creatures in general. "If you trust someone at the Prophet then I have no preference." Her eyes narrowed and she stopped to look over at Hermione. "Unless your friend is Ticky Boxman."

Hermione cringed at the name. "Goodness gracious, no. He's almost as bad as Rita. The fool doesn't know the meaning of the word journalism. It's Mandy Brocklehurst that I'm talking about," she cautiously said. "Mandy said you and her had a bit of a run in in the past?"

"Were those her words," Pansy asked as she began moving again. "If I recall properly, there was a significant amount of running from her." Unable to keep the corner of her mouth from turning into a smirk, Pansy waved her hand dismissively. "If you trust her to give us an adequate review, then by all means, have her do so."

They were now standing in front of the manor that stood next to the spa. The buildings were connected by an open courtyard, giving the manor some semblance of privacy. "Did you have any ideas for the advertising?"

"I was thinking about running some full-page ads in the Prophet. Something similar to these," Hermione said as she handed over some muggle magazine ads for diamonds. "We'll portray the spa as a luxury item that the men can get their wives as the ultimate gift and sign of affection. What do you think?"

She admired the exterior of the connecting manor as Pansy studied the ads. "What were you thinking as artwork for the spa? Did you want to commission a few pieces?" She would not ever say it to Pansy, but the idea to have an adjoining manor was genius--the staff would always have a retreat, the spa offices would be posh, and it was beautiful.

"I want something clean. Simple. Crisp. We're not here to dazzle them with our art. Our services will speak for themselves. I want Choyer to fall from someone's lips and have it known what they're speaking of. Our stellar quality will be our reputation. That being said, if you think we should have something commissioned, I have no qualms." Pansy watched Hermione look at the manor's facade. The girl's appreciation was clear. "Do you like it?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I'll have a few drawn up and run them by you. As for the manor, I like it. It's beautiful," Hermione said as she rummaged through her papers. "Speaking of our reputation, I took the liberty of having some potential logos drawn up. Do you like any of these?"

Pansy watched Hermione shuffle her papers while looking for the right one. An idea had formed in her mind, but she'd have to think on it a bit more before she made a decision.

Giving the papers she was being presented with her complete attention, Pansy looked over the samples. "I like this one," Pansy said, pointing to a rather intricate design. It wasn't too gaudy, something she'd seen far too many times, but conveyed an air of sophistication. "This would look good embroidered on towels. Perhaps with a simple 'C' instead of the whole name?"

Hermione nodded as she made a note. "That one was my favorite too. I'll speak with the artist. And speaking of towels and such, I assume you want custom designed robes, slippers, towels, and such?"

"Of course. Only the highest thread counts. We're a luxury spa with luxury-seeking clientele. Cost is not a consideration." Thank you very much for that, Father. "The decor in the rooms should be as comfortable and lush as possible. I'd like a say in the final decisions, as far as color and fabrics go, but I trust your judgment."

Only feeling a bit uncomfortable saying such to Hermione Granger, the taste of something close to bitterness on her tongue, Pansy started back towards the spa. The time in the air had been refreshing, and she was ready to continue the careful process of choosing what flatware would compliment the crystal.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Pansy's comment but chose not to reply. She followed Pansy back into the spa as she continued to scribble. "Do you have any particular designers in mind?"

"For the towels and robes? Not particularly. I suppose we'll just look for the softest available." Pansy could hear Hermione's heels clicking on the tile as she strode through the bustle inside the lobby.

"This place is beautiful," Hermione said in quiet awe as she looked around. "Great choice." The lobby had an impressive marble entrance way with fountains around the corner. "Are you going to have any artwork commissioned?"

"I hadn't thought about it, actually," Pansy said, a thoughtful look on her face. "I actually know an artist who might be able to do a few pieces." She knew she needed to owl Dean, and soon. It'd been far too long since they'd had dinner. "Did you have anything else on that list of yours?"

"Just a caterer and the interviews. I thought we could always have salads, snacks, drinks, and biscuits on hand for the clients. Is there anyone you would prefer?" Hermione asked as she peeked in another impressive room. "As for the interviews, I assume we can do them here? I think once I've narrowed the group down to the ones with most potential, we should have a girl's night that could double as a soft launch. Do you know of any girls who'd be interested?"

The corner of Pansy's mouth lifted. "I know a few." She nodded at one of the woman who was arranging a vase of flowers. The woman averted her eyes immediately. Rolling her own, Pansy continued at her brisk pace. "Hannah Abbott will be doing the catering. She'll be able to make anything you'd like her to. I like the idea of trying the staff out before we actually hire them. That way we can see if they're adequate or not."

"My thoughts exactly." Hermione agreed as she made note of the bakery. "And any girls you'd like to invite to the soft launch?"

"Since Hannah will be catering, she'll be here anyway. Narcissa Malfoy. Gwen Jones. Calanthe Fabiana. Simone Capper. Maybe the Minister." She turned to Hermione with an eyebrow raised. "Unless those names are a little too big for a 'soft launch'?"

"Not at all," Hermione replied coolly. "It sets the tone for what kind of spa this will be. Might I suggest inviting Hannah Abbott, the reporter, the logo designer as a thank you gesture for doing work for the spa?"

Pansy waved her hand. "Whoever you think is appropriate. Inviting Narcissa, Calanthe, Gwen, Simone and Maria is purely because they hold sway with the older," purer, "crowd and they'll put in a good word for us with who they know. Which is everyone. Besides, having the Minister of Magic for Britain attending this spa?" She turned to Hermione. "Just make sure Ms. Brocklehurst writes about her being here. It's what she'll be here for anyway."

Hold a grudge, much? "Of course. I'd be disappointed if she didn't. Well, I'm done with my list. Do you have notes for me?"

Notes? Pansy smiled. "Not that I can think of. Let me know when you find the supplier for the towels and robes. I'll want to make sure they're good enough."

Hermione made some finals marks on her list. "Done and done."


Summary: Pansy and Hermione talk 'spa'.