Stacked with: Summer Bingo; StL; ER; FPC; BAON; ToS; Star; SF

Individual Challenges: Short Jog; The 3rd Rule (Y); Gryffindor MC (x3); Ravenclaw MC; Red Moon Quindrabble; Witches Coven 2; Flags and Ribbons (Y); Inks & Stinks (Y); Trio of Silver (Y); Letter of the Day; Times to Come (Y); Shipmas (Y); Themes and Things A—Friendship (Y); Themes and Things—Surprise(Y); Themes and Things C—Flowers (Y)

Representations: Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley; Neville Longbottom; Charlie Weasley

Bonus Challenges: Brooms Only; Clio's Conclusion; A Long Dog; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Second Verse (Bechdel Test; Not a Lamp; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice); Chorus (Endless Wonder; Odd Feathers; Fizzy Lemonade; Peddling Pots)

Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Satisfaction (FR); Liberation (FR); Thimble (T3); Poppy (LiCK); Yarrow (LiCK)

Word Count: 2418

Summer Bingo: Space Address—3D; Prompt—Sun

Warnings: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia; actual depiction of tattooing process

Author's Note: So this is significantly longer than I intended for it to be, but the storyline was like a big dog on a leash—it took off on its own, and all I could do was follow. I hope you enjoy it just the same! Also, I really need to give an enormous shout out to my friends, especially Aya and Gab, over at the Monthly Challenges for All forum. They've been so incredibly kind as to beta these chapters for me and make sure that a) things come out the way I mean for them to and b) I don't lose my motivation. I couldn't do it without you guys!

Thanks to Ginny's knack for advertising and the rekindled feud between Harry and Malfoy, business had steadily increased. More customers, however, meant more money moving in and out, so it took far more effort to keep their finances in order. That's why, when the silver bell over the door announced a new arrival, Ginny was too focused on the bookkeeping to look up.

"Nice digs, little sis!"

Ginny looked up to see Charlie looking around the shop in appreciation.

"Charlie! What are you doing here?" she cried, nearly bowling him over with a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Gin," Charlie laughed. "I had some time off from the reserve, and I figured I should try to make it up to Mum for missing last Christmas."

Ginny winced. "Good luck with that."

"Kind of figured as much. Though it might be easier now that my little sister has turned into the rebel of the family."

"Yeah, I guess you've heard that Mum's not exactly thrilled about the shop…"

Charlie slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "She'll come around. But in the meantime, what do you say we give her something else to bitch about?"

Ginny perked up and then grinned slyly. "Whadya have in mind? A nice ear piercing so that you can match Bill? Mum says that you used to love when she dressed you two alike, but honestly I think you're getting a bit old for that."

"No, you little turd." Charlie rolled his eyes. "I was thinking—wait, you're not the one doing the ink, are you? I've seen your drawing skills and—

"Hey!" she cried, slugging him in the arm.

"Just checking!" he said with a grin. "Anyway, I've always thought that, since I work with dragons and all, it might be kind of cool to have some wings of my own."

Ginny nodded. "Sweet! That'll be right up Luna's alley."

The blonde stepped out of the consultation area. "Hello, Charlie! What'll be right up my alley, babe?" Luna asked.

"Charlie wants his own set of wings!"

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Come on, Charlie, let's go have a little chat."

As they disappeared back behind the beaded curtain, Neville walked in the front door armed with another potted plant. "Hey, Gin! You guys have looked a bit busier this last week."

"Yeah, it's been great. We've really been able to capitalize on the publicity from the old Harry/Malfoy rivalry starting up again." Ginny motioned to the pot in his hands. "What do you have there?"

He grinned and hoisted it a bit higher on his hip. "This, my friend, is an oak-leaved geranium. I've got a couple at my place that are getting pretty big, and I thought you two might like one for your front window. I figure some plants might make this place seem a bit less intimidating, you know?"

Ginny's fingers brushed one of the pink and purple flowers. The blooms didn't seem to have much scent, but the leaves smelled delightfully green and spicy. "Thanks, Nev, that's really sweet of you. I never really considered that. What did we ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Helped me organize a resistance against the Death Eaters and let me hang around your shop?" he snarked. "I do have an ulterior motive, though, because I always feel more at home anytime an office or shop has plants around," he said.

"That's because you're more at home with plants than people," she teased lightly. "But I wouldn't have you any other way. I just hope we don't let you down with these little guys—you should know I pretty much have a black thumb. It's a miracle the last one is still alive." She glanced over at the drooping, slightly brown heather. "Er, mostly alive."

The look of horror on Neville's face was almost comical. "I didn't even think of that. I'll just—I'll come over on my way home now and again to check on them. Maybe just don't touch them?"

Ginny laughed and nodded. "Can do. I really appreciate it, and so do they."

The beaded curtain rattled, and out stepped Luna and Charlie.

"Neville Longbottom! Good to see you, mate," Charlie said, pulling him into a back-slapping hug.

"You too, Charlie, you too. Back in England to see the family?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to make nice with Mum, but I figured that I'd stop here and do something to make her a little madder first. What's new with you, man?"

"Not a lot. I've got the shop next door, so I'm just visiting and dropping off a plant. What about you?"

"Yeah, best to keep Gin away from those. Oof!" Charlie grunted when Ginny's shoe hit his shin. "Nothing spectacular to speak of, I suppose. I did just break it off with a girl back in Romania, so if you know of anyone who'd like a date any time over the next two weeks—but only the next two weeks, mind you—tell them to send me an owl."

Neville pulled uncomfortably at his collar. "Uh, sure thing."

"Say, Nev, are you seeing anyone right now?" Charlie asked with a twinkle in his eye. "I happen to know of a coworker's cousin who is sadly too young for me but might be perfect for you. She's a pretty little thing—"

"That—That—That's all right," Neville broke in. "I-I'm not really looking to date."

"Ah, you say that now, but wait until you see her," Charlie promised, waggling his eyebrows.

"Really, that's all right."

"Come on, mate, trust me!"

Neville was flushed from his hairline to below his collar. "Charlie, I appreciate the thought, but really, I'm—I'm fine. If you'll excuse me…"

The other three watched him all but bolt from the shop.

Charlie's brow furrowed. "Was it something I said?"

Luna rolled her eyes and started tugging him back toward her work area.

"Of course it was!" Ginny cried, following them back. "You all but tried to force this poor girl on him."

"I was only trying to help!"

Luna motioned for him to take off his shirt and then shoved him into the appropriate position.

Ginny took a deep breath and looked at her very confused brother. "Charlie, you have to realize that few people are as interested in dating as you. Very few, in fact."

"I represent that remark."

"What I mean is that you suck at reading social cues."

"Do not!"

"You just kept talking when Neville got flustered and stuttered and turned the color of a tomato, but yeah, that was definitely the perfect thing to do."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the buzzing of Luna's tattoo needle. When she suddenly turned it off, the silence was deafening.

"To my knowledge, Neville has never really dated, even casually," Luna murmured. "I thought he might after the war ended and we all graduated, but he's never mentioned it and neither has anyone else."

Charlie coughed uncomfortably, his ears tinged with pink. "Should I have tried to, uh, set him up with a male kind of friend instead?"

"I really think he meant it when he said he just wasn't interested in dating. I'm not sure he ever will be. Or, if he does pursue a relationship, I'm sure it will be on his own kind of terms. And that's okay, too," Ginny replied.

Charlie considered this for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I don't personally understand, but I can respect that. It takes all kinds of kinds."

"You're a good egg, Charlie Weasley," Ginny said with a smile. "Even if you are an idiot."

Ginny left Luna to do her thing while she went back to the bookkeeping, but Neville stayed at the forefront of her thoughts. It was incredibly distracting. Even though it was closing time, she'd barely finished when Luna walked in, grinning like a fool. Charlie followed in much the same fashion.

"I really think it's my best one yet!" she chirped.

Charlie nodded. "It's bloody amazing is what it is."

He turned around, and Ginny could see that Luna had crafted the most realistic dragon wings she'd ever seen not attached to a dragon. The red tips started at Charlie's elbow and stretched across his hulking triceps, deepening to a shadowy crimson over his shoulders, finally sprouting naturally from just behind his shoulder blades in a shade so dark it was nearly black. Ginny was tempted to reach out and see if the skin felt as leathery as it looked.

"Incredible, Lu. You amaze me every time." She planted a kiss into her blonde hair.

"Damn right it's incredible! Worth every Galleon. The boys back on the reserve are going to be a bunch of jealous gits!" Charlie crowed. "But as much as I would love to stay and celebrate Luna's genius with a needle, I've got to get over to the Burrow and surprise Mum."

"Try not to rile her up too much," Ginny said, hugging her brother goodbye.

"No promises!" Charlie called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

They quickly cleaned the shop and got ready to Floo home when Ginny remembered the new plant.

"It's got to go in the front window, probably for sunlight," she told Luna, levitating it onto the small window display area. She was twisting it so that the maximum number of flowers would show from the street when she noticed that light was still coming from Neville's shop window.

"Lu, Neville's still here. Do you want to go over there with me and see if he needs anything?"

"Yes, I think—" Luna's eyes glazed over for a moment, and then she shook her head to clear it. "Let's go head on over."

"You're not going to tell me what you Saw, are you?"

Luna smirked. "Nope."

Ginny sighed and motioned Luna out the front door, locking it behind them. She tried Neville's door and found it unlocked.

"Hello? Nev?" she called, poking her head inside.

"Back here, be with you in a moment!" he yelled.

Ginny and Luna slowly made their way to the counter, trying to remind themselves that, despite being enveloped by hundreds of plants, they were not, in fact, deep in a jungle.

Neville came in from his back room, dusting his hands on the front of his shirt. "Gin! Lu! What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

Luna raised an eyebrow at him. "I think you forgot to lock up. And I might ask you the same question, sir. Aren't you usually home by now?"

"Yeah, but I've got a ton of orders backed up right now. I was just finishing up for the night," he said. "Come on back and I'll give a quick tour of the place."

They quickly realized that the small front area was misleading. Neville's shop was much larger than their own, and it was all growing and work space. Ginny's head kept swiveling about as he pointed out the different areas—the greenhouse corner, order prep and mailing, seedlings, poisonous plants, and so many more that she simply couldn't keep up with.

"This is amazing, Nev. How do you keep up with it all by yourself?" she asked.

"Well, as you can see, it's not the tidiest or most organized place," he said sheepishly.

Ginny looked around and started to notice small things that were out of place. Seed packets were strewn across a workbench instead of being filed in their correct boxes. Leaves, dirt, and other detritus were starting to pile up in corners and under tables. They were all little things, but they likely impeded Neville's ability to work efficiently and comfortably.

"Let's just say I have to do a lot of Summoning so that I can find things," he explained. "I really should hire someone else to work the front end, but I just don't know of anyone who has the right experience and knowledge. I and my customers can't trust the Herbology knowledge of just anyone. So I'll just keep pulling a lot of overtime until I get everything straightened out. I never thought I'd hope that business would slow down, but that's where I'm at."

"What if we helped you?" Ginny blurted out. She hadn't really thought about it, but now that it was out of her mouth, it just felt right. Of course they would help him.

Neville's brow furrowed. "What?"

Luna nodded, smiling at her girlfriend. "Gin's right. What if we helped you out here on Sundays when both of our shops are closed?"

"I can't ask you to do that," he replied. "Besides, you said it yourself that you have a black thumb."

"Ginny might, but I don't," Luna said.

"What is it, National Pick on Ginny Day?" the redhead muttered under her breath.

Luna ignored her. "I'm actually pretty good with sentient and semi-sentient plants. I don't know a lot about mundane plants, but I'm also pretty good with magical plants, especially potion ingredients."

"And I would promise to stay away from anything that's alive," Ginny added. "I'll just help you keep this place a little more clean and organized. I've got all those household charms down pat."

To demonstrate, she pointed her wand at a sink full of trowels, pots, and clippers. With a silent charm, the soap and scrub brush came to life and started to clean them all very quickly.

"I'm also pretty good at the books and advertising, and I can help mail out orders if you need me to," she said, finishing the washing with a flick of her wrist.

"I seriously can't let you guys do that for me!" Neville cried. "It's not like I can do any of the shopkeeping work better than you, and I certainly can't tattoo or pierce someone for you. I have no way of paying you back."

Luna put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Friends help friends regardless of their ability to return the favor. And who knows? There may come a day when you're in a position to help us, perhaps in a different way. But even if that doesn't happen, we still want to help you, Nev. That's what friends are for."

He opened his mouth as if to argue but instead heaved a deep sigh and relaxed. "Thanks, you guys. I promise I'll make it up to you someday."

Luna's eyes shone with what Ginny thought was mischief. "I'm sure you will."