"Here you are, M-" he paused "Ginny"
"Honestly, Felix" Ginny said, smiling and taking a steaming cup of tea from his hands. It smelled strongly of oranges and spice. She breathed in deeply, relishing the aroma. "You'd think we were complete strangers. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't like you"
Felix leaned against the counter slowly, the steam from his own cup fogging his nebbish, square rimmed glasses. Ginny suppressed a laugh as he blew upwards, trying to clear his vision. This only succeeded in making his hair stick up every which way.
"Felix"
"Yes, Ginny?"
"You have..." her smile grew broader "Er... would you get the paper for me please?"
"Of course." He opened the front door to the shop, pausing as the bells on it rang merrily. Stooping down, he picked up the paper and levitated it over to her.
"Thank you" Ginny said absentmindedly as she grabbed it from above her head, folding it out. She brought the cup of tea to her mouth.
It had hardly touched her lips before she dropped it. Pieces of pale green shattered, mixing in with the husky orange of the tea all over the floor. Her hand stayed by her mouth, as if she were still holding it.
"Ginny?" Felix said worriedly "Ginny, are you alright? It wasn't too hot, was it?"
"What?" Ginny said, tearing her eyes off the paper "Oh! No, not at all love." She reached into one of the pockets in her apron, searching for her wand. "I just... oh, here we go." She withdrew her wand from her pocket. A flick of her wrist and the pieces of the cup rose and came together. The tea disappeared. "Good thing I could fix that. That was my favorite tea mug."
"Ah... you just what, Ginny?" Felix asked, leaning forward in attempt to sway the conversation back to the problem.
"I what? Oh!" she said, "I just saw someone I knew in the paper, that's all."
Felix leaned over her shoulder to the picture in the center of the paper. It held the image of a handsome young man with unruly black hair holding hands with a small, charming Asian woman. They looked quite relaxed and happy to be together. The Asian woman was nibbling on an ice cream cone, while the man was smiling at her.
"You know Harry Potter?" Felix asked, a trace of impression in his voice.
"Ah...knew, actually" Ginny said, a finger tracing the outline of the picture. "We haven't exactly kept in touch. Truth be told, I never was all that close to him, that was my brother. He would spend every summer at my house." She laughed a little. "It was odd, really. Having the boy that you lo-"
She caught herself quickly. Felix looked at her curiously.
"...that you looked up to so close by." She finished softly.
Felix shuffled his feet a bit. "Well." He said, breaking the silence. "I suppos-" He was interrupted by the jingling of bells, meaning the daily rush of customers had come in.
"Shit" Ginny exclaimed quietly, should there be any haughty mothers with children around. "I need to finish that potion."
"I'll finish it, Ginny" Felix said "I need the practice anyway. Are the instructions nearby?"
"Yes, their laying on the table by the big wooden spoon." Ginny said. "Are you sure, because it's not really your job to do my work for me."
"Don't worry about it." He said, shrugging it off, "I suppose you owe me now" he said thoughtfully
Ginny laughed. "Okay, then." She watched him retreat to the back room. "Be careful not to add the porcupine quills too soon!" she called after him. "Oh! And make sure that it's LIGHT gray when you finish."
"Stop worrying, Ginny" Felix called back. "The potion will be fine." He closed the door softly.
"Ginny?!" a woman's voice squealed behind her.
She turned around to face Hermione Weasley, her sister-in-law.
"Honestly, Felix" Ginny said, smiling and taking a steaming cup of tea from his hands. It smelled strongly of oranges and spice. She breathed in deeply, relishing the aroma. "You'd think we were complete strangers. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't like you"
Felix leaned against the counter slowly, the steam from his own cup fogging his nebbish, square rimmed glasses. Ginny suppressed a laugh as he blew upwards, trying to clear his vision. This only succeeded in making his hair stick up every which way.
"Felix"
"Yes, Ginny?"
"You have..." her smile grew broader "Er... would you get the paper for me please?"
"Of course." He opened the front door to the shop, pausing as the bells on it rang merrily. Stooping down, he picked up the paper and levitated it over to her.
"Thank you" Ginny said absentmindedly as she grabbed it from above her head, folding it out. She brought the cup of tea to her mouth.
It had hardly touched her lips before she dropped it. Pieces of pale green shattered, mixing in with the husky orange of the tea all over the floor. Her hand stayed by her mouth, as if she were still holding it.
"Ginny?" Felix said worriedly "Ginny, are you alright? It wasn't too hot, was it?"
"What?" Ginny said, tearing her eyes off the paper "Oh! No, not at all love." She reached into one of the pockets in her apron, searching for her wand. "I just... oh, here we go." She withdrew her wand from her pocket. A flick of her wrist and the pieces of the cup rose and came together. The tea disappeared. "Good thing I could fix that. That was my favorite tea mug."
"Ah... you just what, Ginny?" Felix asked, leaning forward in attempt to sway the conversation back to the problem.
"I what? Oh!" she said, "I just saw someone I knew in the paper, that's all."
Felix leaned over her shoulder to the picture in the center of the paper. It held the image of a handsome young man with unruly black hair holding hands with a small, charming Asian woman. They looked quite relaxed and happy to be together. The Asian woman was nibbling on an ice cream cone, while the man was smiling at her.
"You know Harry Potter?" Felix asked, a trace of impression in his voice.
"Ah...knew, actually" Ginny said, a finger tracing the outline of the picture. "We haven't exactly kept in touch. Truth be told, I never was all that close to him, that was my brother. He would spend every summer at my house." She laughed a little. "It was odd, really. Having the boy that you lo-"
She caught herself quickly. Felix looked at her curiously.
"...that you looked up to so close by." She finished softly.
Felix shuffled his feet a bit. "Well." He said, breaking the silence. "I suppos-" He was interrupted by the jingling of bells, meaning the daily rush of customers had come in.
"Shit" Ginny exclaimed quietly, should there be any haughty mothers with children around. "I need to finish that potion."
"I'll finish it, Ginny" Felix said "I need the practice anyway. Are the instructions nearby?"
"Yes, their laying on the table by the big wooden spoon." Ginny said. "Are you sure, because it's not really your job to do my work for me."
"Don't worry about it." He said, shrugging it off, "I suppose you owe me now" he said thoughtfully
Ginny laughed. "Okay, then." She watched him retreat to the back room. "Be careful not to add the porcupine quills too soon!" she called after him. "Oh! And make sure that it's LIGHT gray when you finish."
"Stop worrying, Ginny" Felix called back. "The potion will be fine." He closed the door softly.
"Ginny?!" a woman's voice squealed behind her.
She turned around to face Hermione Weasley, her sister-in-law.