It was Christmas Eve, and Luna Lovegood was doing something she never thought she'd do - going to a Muggle shopping mall with a best friend who just realised she hadn't bought anyone presents and a casual friend who was trying to keep things under control and, for the first time in her life, failing. It was such a deliciously unusual concept that Luna couldn't do anything but love it. She didn't have anyone to get presents for, having made Ginny and Hermione's three weeks earlier, so she was going to watch and laugh at the horrible things her friends bought.
"This place is HUGE," Ginny sighed as they arrived at the shopping mall. "How many shops are in here?"
"Sixty-something," Hermione guessed, since that was an average number for a mall. "We're just going to the department store, a few specialty shops, and the food court, though, so we can't get too lost."
"There's no way we're getting lost, not with the map you've probably got inked in your brain," Ginny muttered just loud enough for Luna to hear.
"Just remember," Hermione said as they entered through the department store, "we're normal girls today."
"Normal - I believe that means boring," Ginny laughed. She was completely out of control, Luna and Hermione decided at about that moment.
"You know what I mean by NORMAL, Ginny," Hermione snapped. "If we botch this up, your mum's going to have the canary to end all canaries."
---
Ninety minutes later, the girls were in line to purchase their items. Luna had found a lacy lavender dress that Hermione had talked her into getting, Hermione had assorted junk for lesser persons, and Ginny had decided that her mother would LOVE a proper suitcase. Though Luna had pointed out that lime green was certainly not Molly's color, that comment had no effect on the idea. Ginny also had an array of lesser items, but none of those are worth mentioning.
"I fail to understand why normal people like this sort of place," Luna said as the line inched forward. "Why exactly are we here in the first place?"
"Because it's Christmas Eve," Hermione explained, "and this is the only place I could think of within sixty kilometers of the Burrow that's open. That enough for you?"
"I'll live with that," Luna chirped.
---
Four hours later, the girls had done every last bit of their shopping. The others had coaxed Luna into getting things for a few more people, although most of these were boxes of chocolates. Ginny and Hermione each had more shopping bags than they knew what to do with, which was certain to make wrapping all the presents into a full-blown nightmare.
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A/N: Since I have no idea what British shopping-malls are like, I went by what us Americans get to shop at. Also (random moment), the canary-to-end-all-canaries line was originally said by my art teacher, in case you were wondering where I got that.