Luna

"As all of Wizarding Britain continues to celebrate the downfall of You-Know-Who, concerns are being raised regarding how much activity is being noticed by the Muggles..." droned the voice on the wireless as the Lovegood family sat down to dinner.

"Open wide. Here comes the broom! Whoosh!" Pandora said as she directed the spoon of strained squash into nine-month-old Luna's mouth. She then turned and saw that Xenophilius had barely touched his food.

"A Knut for your thoughts, dear?"

Xeno heaved a deep sigh. "Dora, I swear, people are so narrow-minded! I don't know what I'll do if I lose another job."

"Well," Pandora asked as she continued to feed Luna, "have you considered finding a job that you truly enjoy? A job that you could be really passionate about?"

"Dora, right now all I care about is securing a good-enough job to support us financially. We do have a daughter to raise, after all."

"Yes, that's true, but you were clearly not happy with the jobs you had in the past. I took up spell experimentation because it's what I love. Perhaps you could find something you love as well."

Xeno smiled. "I'll think about it." They continued to eat in silence until Pandora got up and said "Shall I serve the pudding, then?" and went to fetch the pudding from the counter.

"Puh-ing!"

Both adults turned to the infant in shock.

"Puh-ing!"

"Xeno..." said Pandora slowly. "I think she's trying to say..."

"Puh-ding! Pudding! Pudding pudding pudding pudding!"

Xenophilius and Pandora exchanged smiles.

"Our little girl," said Xeno, "has just spoken her first word."

Not long after Luna had said her first word, Xenophilius decided it was about time for him to start teaching her all about the magical creatures he believed in. So one day he walked into Luna's room to find her happily playing on the floor with her stuffed Crumple-Horned Snorkack which Pandora had made for her before she was born.

"Come along, moonbeam," he said, scooping the baby up and carrying her down to the sitting room. "I have some pictures I'd like to show you."

Luna looked on curiously as her father picked up a stack of drawings of various creatures. The first one he showed her was a drawing of what looked like a bright purple fairy with silver wings.

"This is called a Nargle."

"Nah-guh," babbled Luna.

"These are very nasty creatures that hide in mistletoe and steal things." Xeno held up a butterbeer cork. "This keeps them away. Now this," he held up a picture of what looked like a round red fly, "is a Wrackspurt."

"Wwack'puht," Luna repeated.

"That's right. Now, Wrackspurts are invisible to the naked eye, but one can use special glasses to see them. You should be very careful around Wrackspurts because they float in through your ears and cause your brain to go fuzzy." The next picture showed a creature that resembled a rhino except for the crumpled horn on the top of its head, much like the stuffed toy Luna was still clutching.

"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks live in a place called Sweden, but they are very hard to find," said Xeno. "Perhaps one day when you're old enough, you and I will try to find and catch one."

As Xeno continued to go through the stack of drawings, he found himself thinking about all those close-minded people who ridiculed him for his beliefs and deemed him insane. If only they could open their minds and be as eager as Luna was to learn about all these wondrous creatures, and if only there was a way to really get his message across. It was at that very moment that an idea struck him.

"Dora, I've thought about what you said. Why should I care about making money when I'm doing something I truly love and that could help change the world? And I know just what I'm going to do: I'm going to launch a magazine that publishes important stories the public should know. Stories that the Daily Prophet does not have the desire nor the motivation to publish."

"That sounds like a fine idea, Xeno," said Pandora.

"I have become so fed up with close-minded people quibbling over the validity of my way of thinking. With any luck this magazine could be the key to-That's it! I'm going to name it The Quibbler!"

"The Quibbler?" repeated Pandora.

"Yes, The Quibbler. It's the perfect name for my magazine."

"Kib-ber! Kib-ber!" Luna babbled, clapping her hands.

Xenophilius stroked the little girl's hair. "That's right, moonbeam."

Unlike most infants, Luna never cried upon waking up in the mornings. Instead, she would sing in baby talk, which was exactly what she was doing when her mother came into her room on this particular Sunday morning.

"Good morning, Lu-Lu," she cooed. "Did you sleep well?" The thirteen-month-old simply stared at her and gurgled.

"Well then, let's go and get breakfast started, shall we?" Pandora sniffed the air and held Luna up close. "After I change your nappy, of course."

A few minutes later found Pandora busily making breakfast with Luna seated in her high chair, happily babbling. "Dada," said the little girl as Xenophilius entered the kitchen.

He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek before kneeling down to stroke the baby's soft blonde hair and plant a soft kiss on her little forehead. "Good morning, my little moonbeam. Breakfast smells great, dear," he added to Pandora, and within minutes the family sat down to sausages and eggs (and porridge for Luna).

It was a beautiful spring day; the sun was shining with nary a cloud in sight, and there was a gentle breeze caressing Pandora's face as she breathed in the fresh air. To the young woman, it was a lovely day for a walk, so she headed back into the house to fetch Luna.

"Want to go for a walk with Mummy?" she asked the little girl, placing her into her stroller.

"Mummy," Luna repeated, "walk."

"Xeno!" Pandora called. "Luna and I are going for a little stroll. We'll be back soon."

"All right, dear," Xenophilius replied without looking up from the article he was working on, which discussed recent sightings of Heliopaths in Wales.

They had set foot outside and were about to be on their way when Pandora spotted a figure headed up the path towards them, a short, plump, red-headed woman holding a green box. This was Molly Weasley of the Weasley clan, who lived not far from the Lovegoods.

"Hello there!" she called. "Long time no see."

"Likewise," replied Pandora. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to give you one of my homemade mince pies," said Molly. She then spotted Luna. "And this adorable child must be your daughter! She's the spitting image of you, Pandora."

"Yes, that's my Luna."

"Wuna!" the little girl said, pointing to herself. "Wuna!"

"We were just about to take a little walk," said Pandora. "Would you like to join us?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't stay long. Arthur and the children are waiting for me," answered Molly.

"So, you have seven children now, is that correct?"

"Yes. Finally had a girl about seven months ago. Anyway, I'd best be going. Say hello to Xenophilius for me."

"Will do, and thank you so much for the pie!" Pandora called as Molly headed back to her own home.

"Back so soon?" Xeno asked when he saw Pandora come back into the house with Luna.

"Oh no, we haven't started yet. Molly stopped by to give us one of her mince pies," said Pandora, holding up the box.

Xenophilius scowled. "Pandora! You know perfectly well I don't like mince pie!"

"I'm aware of that," sighed Pandora, "but I couldn't just say no. You know how Molly gets when people reject her cooking."

"Pie! Pie!" Luna begged, trying to reach for the box.

"Not now, sweetie," her mother told her. "This is for after supper."

"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Luna wailed, and she burst into tears. Pandora picked her up and immediately began to try to soothe her, saying "Shh, shh, it's okay. No more tears..." She turned to Xeno. "We'd best get going. Maybe being out in the fresh air will calm Luna down."

Sure enough, Luna's sobs began to subside as the two of them went on their way, and before long she was babbling excitedly at all the sights and sounds of the outdoors.

"Oh look, Luna, a butterfly!" Pandora said, pointing at the said insect as it flew around a few times before landing on the baby's tiny hand.

"Buddahfwy," Luna echoed; after a few seconds the butterfly flew off. "Bye-bye buddahfwy."

They continued their walk with Pandora pointing out various sights, from a field of flowers to birds building nests, and after about an hour Luna started rubbing her eyes sleepily, which Pandora interpreted as the cue to head back home. As they made their way back up the path toward the Rook, Pandora couldn't help thinking about how nice it was that her daughter loved nature as much as she herself did. You can do it, Lu-Lu. Come to Mummy," Pandora said, holding out her hands.

Luna slowly let go of the coffee table she had been holding on to and managed to stay upright until she moved her leg to take a step, but then swayed and fell to her knees.

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll try again later." Pandora turned to Xenophilius. "I'm starting to get worried, Xeno. Luna's almost eighteen months old; she should have taken her first step by now."

"Patience, Dora. She'll walk when she's ready," Xenophilius assured her.

"I know, but I'm still concerned. You don't think there's something wrong with her, do you?"

"Of course not. Remember, every baby learns to walk at his or her own pace. For instance, I didn't take my first step until I was 21 months old. Give Luna some time."

"I suppose you're right," Pandora replied, scooping up Luna. "Come on, sweetheart, it's time for your bath."

A few days later, Pandora and Luna spent the afternoon in the park. With the soft breeze, it felt more like spring than early August. "Bunny!" exclaimed Luna as she spotted a gray rabbit about three feet away. She slipped out of her stroller and started to crawl toward the rabbit.

"Luna, what are you-"Pandora began, before she gasped in shock; the little girl had just pushed herself up onto her feet. She wobbled for a moment as she struggled to maintain her balance, then took several shaky steps toward the rabbit before reaching out a tiny hand to pet it.

Pandora quickly picked Luna up and swung her around. "You walked!" she cried happily. "Wait till I tell Daddy!"

"Xeno, we have something to show you." Pandora gently placed Luna on the floor in front of Xeno; the infant took a few wobbly steps before collapsing into her father's waiting arms.

"I knew you could do it, Moonbeam," he said proudly. "You see, Dora? Patience works wonders."

A mere two weeks later Luna was toddling all over the place, and each time she fell she would simply laugh hysterically and start all over again.

"Our little girl is growing up fast," said Xeno. "Before you know it she'll be boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time."

"Indeed," Pandora replied. "I can't wait until that day comes..."

was nearly bedtime and Pandora was tickling Luna on the tummy, making the toddler giggle considerably, when Xenophilius walked into the bedroom. "And how are my two favorite women doing this fine evening?" he asked.

"We're just fine, dear," answered his wife.

"Jus' fine," echoed Luna.

Xeno sat down next to Luna's cot. "Would you like Daddy to read you a story before you go to sleep?" Luna nodded happily, and her father opened a book titled The Tales of Beedle the Bard. "You'll love this one; it's called The Tale of the Three Brothers."

Pandora rolled her eyes. Oh here we go again, she thought. Lately, Xenophilius had become increasingly obsessed with finding and proving the existence of the Deathly Hallows, and as much as Pandora was willing to support his beliefs in all kinds of fantastical creatures and even consider their possible existence, she felt this Hallows mania was a step too far. And she certainly didn't want her daughter involved in that either. "Mummy has a much better story for you, sweetie, and she made this one up herself. It's called Sebastian the Straight-Horned Snorkack."

"Dora, I already promised Luna I'd be the storyteller tonight," Xeno said sharply. "Besides, she needs to know about the Hallows." Luna was standing up in her cot, looking from one parent to the other curiously. "Do you know what? Instead of arguing about this, we should let Luna choose which story she wants to hear tonight." They both looked at the twenty-month-old girl.

"Which would you rather hear, Lu-Lu - Mummy's story or Daddy's?" Pandora asked.

Luna seemed to ponder this for a minute, torn between curiosity about a story her mummy had made up and eagerness to hear her daddy's story considering the fact that he had promised her his first. She then pointed to Xeno. "Daddy," she said. Of course, Pandora thought.

"I'll leave you to it, then," she said as she exited the room.

"Right," said Xeno. "'Once there were three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the three came across a river that was too deep and dangerous to cross, so they conjured up a bridge..."

By the time he had finished the story, Luna was fast asleep. Xeno gently ran a hand through her hair and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams, my little moonbeam."

"Luna! Time to wake up," Pandora said softly, gently shaking the little girl awake.

Luna rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Goo' mowning, Mummy."

"Good morning, sweetie. Do you know what day it is?"

Luna thought for a moment and then said "Wuna's birfday!"

"That's right. How old are you today?" The toddler held up two fingers. "Yes! You're two! And you are going to have such a wonderful day today. You're going to have a little friend coming over for your birthday party, Mummy will make your favorite cake, and you'll even be getting a bed."

"Bed?"

"Yes, a bed. You're getting to be such a big girl now, it's time you got one."

"Big girl!" Luna repeated happily as her mother lifted her out of the cot, and within minutes she was seated in her high chair awaiting breakfast.

"Now, what would you like for breakfast?" asked Pandora.

"Eggs!"

"Eggs, what?"

"Eggs an' bacon!"

"Eggs and bacon, what?"

Luna took a few seconds to think about it and then said "An' orange juice!"

"Eggs, bacon, and orange juice...what?"

The little girl finally realized what answer her mother was looking for. "Pwease?"

"Of course, sweetie," said Pandora as she got to work on the requested food.

"I can't believe you invited Cedric Diggory here," an indignant Xenophilius said. "I wanted this to be strictly a family party. That's what we did for Luna's first birthday."

"Xeno, I've met him before and he seems like a perfectly nice boy," his wife replied. "Besides, he's eager to meet Luna and become friends with her."

Every month for the last several months, Pandora would bake two batches of her famous Dirigible Plum biscuits; one for her family and one for the Diggorys. (She had made some for the Weasleys once, but of course Molly wouldn't accept them.) On her last visit to the Diggory home, she had mentioned that her daughter had a birthday coming up, asking if Cedric would like to attend the party. The young boy had never visited the Rook before, but he was glad to have the opportunity to meet another child from a wizarding family even if she was a few years younger than he was.

"All right, fine," sighed Xeno, "but hopefully this will be the last time we invite anyone outside the family into our house." Honestly! Pandora thought to herself. Just because he's had some miserable experiences with people doesn't mean he has to be so distrustful. She then looked at the clock and gasped, "Oh Merlin, we'd better start getting ready! Cedric will be here any minute! Come, Lu-Lu, let's get you into your party dress."

By the time Cedric was due to arrive, Luna was clad in a deep blue dress with bronze stars and crescent moons, with a matching pair of shoes. "You look absolutely beautiful, moonbeam," Xeno told her fondly. The toddler beamed. Just then a knock on the door sounded, and Pandora opened it to find Cedric standing there with his mother. "Hello, Ophelia. Hello, Cedric," she said graciously.

"Hi, Mrs. Lovegood," Cedric replied. "Happy birthday, Luna," he added as the little girl toddled up to him.

"Why don't you set Luna's present on the kitchen table with the others, and then we can get started on the cake," said Pandora. "Xeno, you go and set up Luna's new bed."

"Have a good time, Cedric dear," Mrs. Diggory told her son as she headed to the door, "I'll be back to pick you up around 3:00."

They then made their way to the kitchen where Pandora brought out the cake: strawberry-cinnamon with marmalade frosting. After the birthday song had been sung and the cake eaten (Cedric discovered that despite the odd flavor combination, it really wasn't that bad), it was time for Luna to open her presents. She had received a pop-up book of magical creatures from her mother, a plastic necklace with the Deathly Hallows symbol from her father, and a stuffed eagle from Cedric that made a screeching sound when hugged ("I thought Luna might like it since it's the symbol for Ravenclaw and she might be one when she goes to Hogwarts, just like you and her dad were"). Luna giggled as she repeatedly hugged the stuffed eagle.

"What do you say?" Pandora prompted.

"T'ank you, Cedwic," said Luna. "T'ank you, Mummy."

At that moment Xenophilius peeked into the kitchen from the floor above. "The bed's finished. You may come up when you're ready."

They quickly headed up to Luna's room; in place of the cot that had been there that morning, there stood a cute little bed with a bright blue bedspread decorated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. The little girl squealed with delight at the sight of it.

"You did a fine job, Xeno," said Pandora. "It looks perfect." She checked her watch. "We'd best head back downstairs; Ophelia will be here in a few minutes to take Cedric home."

That night found Luna excitedly bouncing up and down on her new bed, shrieking at the top of her voice. She started to settle down when she saw her father come into the room to tuck her in. "You really like your new bed, don't you, moonbeam?"

"Big girl!" Luna told him proudly.

"That's right; you are a big girl. Now why don't you get under the covers and Daddy will read you a bedtime story."

"Fwee Bwovvers?"

"Of course, moonbeam," Xeno told her, and he began the story...

"...he greeted Death like an old friend and, as equals, they departed this life. The end."

"The end," repeated Luna. "More stowy? Pwease?"

"Luna, it's getting late. You really should get to sleep now. Daddy will tell you another story tomorrow."

But the toddler stuck out her lower lip. "More stowy now!"

Xeno sighed. "Well...I suppose just one more story wouldn't hurt. And it is still your birthday after all." And so he proceeded to tell her the story of Sebastian the Straight-Horned Snorkack (for he had heard Pandora tell this story a few times and thought it was truly interesting):

"Once upon a time in Sweden there lived a herd of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and they were a happy bunch. However, there was one Snorkack who didn't fit in, and his name was Sebastian. You see, something had gone seriously wrong during his birth and he ended up with a straight horn rather than a crumpled one. His parents tried everything, but no matter what they did, they simply could not make him look like the other Snorkacks."

"Poor Sebastian," said Luna sadly.

"Indeed. So one day he ran away from home, hoping to find some creature somewhere who would accept him. And no sooner had he set out on his way than he happened upon a Nargle named Noah. Now, Noah was not like the other Nargles because instead of stealing possessions from humans, he would give them back, and he didn't like mistletoe. Noah told Sebastian of a special place where the two of them could be free to be themselves without any other creatures bothering them.

"And so the two friends went to a large clearing in the woods where they found plenty of food, a crystal-clear watering hole, and plenty of material to make comfy nests. It was paradise. But, alas, it was not to last. What the two of them didn't know was that an Umgubular Slashkilter had somehow figured out the location of the clearing and had become desperate for something to eat. So about a week after Sebastian and Noah had settled into their new home, the Slashkilter burst into the clearing and gobbled Noah up in one bite. Poor Sebastian was saddened by the loss of his friend, but he never felt truly lonely again because he knew that as long as he remembered Noah, he would never be truly gone. He also learned that you should always be yourself because there will always be someone who will accept you as you are. The end."

Xeno looked down at the sleeping form of his daughter and kissed her on the cheek before quietly exiting the room. It was a quiet afternoon at the Rook; Xenophilius was in London attending a meeting regarding the latest issue of The Quibbler and Luna was playing quietly in her room. Pandora had just figured out the perfect way to enhance her Wrackspurt-Repelling Charm. She was heading for her lab when she reached into her pocket and discovered her wand was missing.

That's strange, she thought. I could have sworn I put it there. She looked on the coffee table, on the chairs, next to her husband's printing press, and even under the sofa cushions. No wand. She then proceeded to the kitchen, figuring perhaps she had accidentally left it there earlier during lunch. Still it was nowhere to be seen.

As Pandora went back upstairs, she could hear a soft tapping sound coming from Luna's room. She immediately went to investigate, and sure enough there was Luna tapping the carpet with a thin wooden stick that was letting off multicolored sparks - Pandora's wand!

"Luna," Pandora told the little girl gently yet firmly, "that's Mummy's wand."

"Mummy's wand," Luna repeated.

"Yes," her mother said, gently prying the wand from the two-year-old's tiny fingers. "You do not touch this; you could hurt yourself with it and you could break it. Mummy needs this wand to do very important things. Understand?" Luna nodded. "Good. Now go play." The toddler went over to her toy box and got out some toy animals as Pandora once again made her way down to her lab to work on her Wrackspurt-Repelling Charm.

Luna knew that her mummy had told her not to touch her wand again, but that did not stop her curiosity from getting the better of her. She was too young to watch Pandora working on her magical experiments in the lab, but she had seen her use her wand for various other things like cooking meals, making things float, and turning objects different colors. The toddler wanted so badly to be able to do magic just like her mummy.

So the next day while her parents were discussing Pandora's latest experiment, the little girl once again slipped her mother's wand out of her pocket and ran up to her room, where she repeatedly tapped her bedspread in an attempt to turn it from blue to orange, saying over and over, "Owange! Owange! Owange!" Nothing happened except a few sparks erupting from the wand.

"Luna!" The toddler turned around to find her mother standing in the doorway with a very stern expression on her face. "What did I tell you yesterday?"

Luna gazed up at Pandora with her wide, silvery eyes. "No touch Mummy's wand."

"Exactly. I asked you not to touch it, and you did it anyway." Pandora placed a tiny chair into a corner of the room and gestured toward it. "I'm afraid I have to give you a time-out."

At this, Luna's eyes started welling up with tears and she began to sniffle. All she wanted was to be a witch like her mummy! She hadn't meant to make her angry!

Pandora's expression softened a bit as she placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Listen, sweetie. You'll get your own wand when you're older, but Mummy needs to use hers and she doesn't want anything bad to happen to it. Now you stay there until I say you can come out."

When Pandora came back downstairs, Xenophilius looked up and said, "I hope you weren't too hard on her."

I'm sure I wasn't," she replied. She shook her head sadly. "I can't believe I was so foolish as to leave my wand in my pocket where Luna could get it. I mean, you and I both know what an intelligent and curious little girl she is. I'll just have to find a better place to put it." After about five minutes she called, "Luna! You can come down now."

The small girl ran down the stairs and hugged her mother's leg, eyes red-rimmed from crying. "I sowwy, Mummy."

"It's all right, sweetheart," Pandora replied, picking Luna up and carrying her out of the sitting room. "Now let's go and get ready for dinner."

"Oh no, not again!" Pandora grumbled the very next day. "Where could my wand have disappeared to this time?! Xeno, you don't think Luna could have gotten hold of it again, do you?"

"She can't have. You disciplined her the last time she did it, didn't you? I'm sure she wouldn't take your wand again after that."

"Still, it can't have just vanished into thin air!" Pandora cried. Luna, who had been sitting on the rug drawing pictures, looked up curiously.

"Mummy's wand?"

"Yes, Luna, we're looking for Mummy's wand," said Xenophilius. "Do you know where it is?" Immediately the toddler jumped up and ran at top speed toward the cupboard where Pandora kept her potions ingredients. The cupboard was too high for Luna to reach, but she began jumping up and down while pointing to the cupboard door. Pandora walked over and opened the door to peek inside - and there was her wand, safe and sound.

"Oh there it is! Thank you, Lu-Lu!" she said happily, picking the two-year-old up and hugging her. She turned to Xeno. "I think I know what happened. I've gotten so used to keeping my wand in my pocket that I reached in there for it out of habit only to find it was missing, and I guess in my panic I completely forgot that last night I had placed it in the potions cupboard so Luna couldn't get it. She must've figured out that because I keep my potions ingredients out of her reach, I would do the same with my wand. Luna, you clever little girl!"

Luna simply smiled.