Chapter 4

It had not escaped Draco's attention that an alarming number of people seemed to be making their way towards Gidden's Gidgets today, this was an amusing enough rarity. His family would never use the kind of items they sold and he was convinced none of them had ever even set foot in the store. Having bought his books Draco had little else to do since his mother seemed to have forgotten her need for an escort, although he was beginning to anticipate her need for a luggage handler. So he allowed his natural curiosity and derisive sense of humour to lead him into the shop. Scoffing inwardly at a range of adapted baby products he did however involuntarily smirk at the aeroplane spoon that actually flew when you fed the child. He was vaguely heading towards the group of people who seemed to be ogling over that new 'mobile' thing he'd seen advertised everywhere. Not that he'd ever be seen with one of those, a Malfoy with some crazed muggle contraption? His mother would faint for even finding him in here. Thoroughly disappointed that he could not find amusement even in here, he turned to leave when he spotted something that made his heart skip a beat. That red hair! ...and the body it was attached to, as well as a similarly attractive blonde! They were at a counter a few metres away chatting up the smarmy git Roger Davies. Well that was funny enough he supposed, just wait til he told Parkinson that he saw him working in here, that would show her.

Curiosity rising again he walked a little closer on the pretext of browsing the shelves, letting his glance slide across the floor over to where they were standing. The molten hot red head was leaning a little into the counter which provided Draco a subtle presentation of what he considered her perfect buttocks. She kept one leg straight to take the weight of her body as she leaned in to see something Davies was showing her. One knee was bent at a coquettish angle which emphasised the more subtle curves and slopes of her body. He drank in every detail of her long shapely legs. A lump rose in his throat as she shifted her weight and he could see the slow roll of her hips. Without thinking he began to make his way over to the counter, half formed thoughts about introducing himself and demanding that he take the two of them out to lunch. His mouth was halfway opened when the girls abruptly finished their business with Davies and turned around. Draco stood stock still feeling as though he had been doused in ice water. All of a sudden he was face to face with Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood... and they halted as he blocked their path.

"Watch where you're going Weasley" The words were out of his mouth before he could even believe he had said them.

"The world isn't your personal footpath Malfoy maybe if you opened your eyes once and a while you'd stop running into things" Ginny retorted sharply, standing her ground waiting for him to move out of the way.

Changing the subject Malfoy glanced at the package in her arms, a mobile! "Must have underestimated you Weasley, expensive toys like that, your father must've been saving for years"

"Unlike you Malfoy in my family we earn our rewards! Besides you'd think with all this free time over summer you could come up with some new material" Ginny, like Ron, was especially sick of being taunted for her family's lack of wealth.

"Do you have a mobile Draco?" Luna asked politely, she had apparently forgotten who they were talking to.

"What!" Draco scoffed, out loud this time, "Me? With one of those things! Don't be ridiculous Loony, although I suppose you can't help it can you?"

Yet Luna had already stopped listening to him and Ginny rallied.

"Then what on earth are you doing here slimeball! Just come to have a go at everybody then?" She'd had enough of this game, she knew Draco wouldn't let them go without having the last word. But what was he even doing here? One did not simply run into an offspring of the Malfoys at Gidden's Gidgets, the thought alone was ludicrous. There was also something odd about the way he had looked when she and Luna had turned around to leave, something that had never been in his eyes when he looked at a Weasley before, and she had a good idea of what it was too.

Casting his eyes around desperately for something even remotely credible, Roger was still behind the counter, "Davies, I'm here to see Davies" he said at last.

"Whatever you say" Ginny said narrowing her eyes, but changing tack she motioned for Luna to take her hand and as the two girls were leaving Ginny flipped her hair around and said in a casual voice to Draco "It's a shame you don't have a mobile Malfoy, because then you couldn't ever ask me for my number!" She quickly turned making sure that she gave him no opportunity for rebuttal, herself and Luna strutting out of the store leaving him in their wake.

Not having any clue of what she had just meant, and wondering vaguely if she had any idea of what he was thinking before he knew who she was, Draco stormed up to the counter and relented.

"Davies, get me one of those idiotic mobile things."

The last few hours of the holidays had passed unremarkably as Ginny slowly packed her things for school. After assuring her mother that she had bought the cheapest model possible and that it wasn't like the junk her father tinkered with, Ginny aided her mother in a demonstration.

"No you don't need one too, they've reinvented the idea magically. Look mum, I'll be in the lounge room and you just throw in the floo powder and instead of saying a place, you just say my name" She instructed for the second time now.

"Alright then," as the fire flared a bright green she called "Ginny- I mean, Ginevra Weasley"

In the distance Mrs Weasley was sure she heard a faint ringing sound.

Ginny quickly answered her phone "Hello mum! Can you hear me?"

Mrs Weasley was astounded when she heard her daughters voice through the fireplace clear as day.

"Yes dear! Gosh, I don't know how they did it but it's about time someone did! Now, how do I 'hang up'?"

Ginny was correct in her assumption that her mother would whole heartedly embrace this particular movement in communication, she did like to know that her daughter was ok. In fact Ginny would be surprised if by the time she came home for Christmas her father didn't have one too.