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Luna doesn’t babysit often. Not because she doesn’t love these kids, her little godnieces and nephews, but because her travels take her far and wide and she’s also a little busy courting someone who notices everything in the world except the fact that she’s courting him. She doesn’t mind; it’s more fun this way and he’ll come around eventually. Or he won’t and at least she’ll have enjoyed herself along the way.
She doesn’t babysit often, but when she does it is quite the experience. It’s usually not the entire Potter-Weasley-Malfoy brood all at once because the children are a bit much for one person. Today, it’s the youngest two. Hugo and Lily are only a few months apart but they might as well be twins for how close they are, inseparable to the end. Luna leads them by a hand each through the tall, decorative archway of the Museum of Wizarding History. (Had Rose not been claimed prior for a sleepover of apparently great importance, Luna would have liked bringing her along. Rose has a singularly wonderful mind to fill.)
Hugo is a cautious thing, hanging close as he can to Luna’s leg, but Lily bounces along as if the only thing holding her back is Luna’s hand. Her copper curls bounce with her, catching the light and going gold or crimson with every move she makes, just like her mother’s. Or her father’s? Luna isn’t sure which of the Weasley siblings parented her, or even if one of them did, but that’s never been something she worried about. It’s something she’s been called to defend a time or two, but what friend of the clan hasn’t by now? And she would defend them and their children to the end if she had to.
It’s part of what she owes to them for their friendship and their love, just like they owe it to her. A comfortable sort of transaction.
There are plenty of children at the museum today. Luna leads her two through the crowd, keeping firm hold on them lest Lily try to wander off. There’s a bigger danger in it than with Hugo because if Hugo wanders, he’ll at least answer if one calls him. He and Lily are nearly four years old but Lily has not yet spoken a word. It’s something Ginny worries about terribly, but Luna knows Lily is happy and bright and will talk when she’s ready to.
She might have a bit of a soft spot for her namesake.
They find their way to the big auditorium and Luna lets Lily drag them down to the front, right along the stage. They’re early enough to get three seats together. As Luna sits, she notes with curiosity the way Hugo stares at his seat, mouth pressing to a firmer line, but he sits at the edge of it after a bit. The seat reforms itself, lowering so his feet will touch and growing smaller in general to fit him. Hugo relaxes and Luna turns her attention to Lily, who’s bouncing in her seat excitedly. It’s also changed to accommodate her, while Luna’s remains at the adult size.
“Do you think there will be a dragon?” Luna asks thoughtfully and Lily shifts onto her knees in her seat, leaning into Luna’s space with an expectant look on her face. “Well, the old tale has one in it. I wonder how they’ll manage one on stage...”
Lily trembles with anticipation and then twists to look around Luna to her brother, grinning widely. He returns it, thrilled as well at the prospect because nothing is better than a big dragon fight. Luna sits back and watches them as Hugo shyly chatters, responding to Lily’s silent looks and gestures as if he can read her mind. It’s fascinating, really. Another reason why they seem like twins to her in a way that Rose, Scorpius, and Albus don’t seem like triplets.
“Are there any princesses in this story?” Hugo asks, giving Luna a sideways glance.
“I don’t quite remember,” Luna admits with a tilt of her head. “I was more interested in the nature spirits.”
Lily perks and leans against Luna’s arm, little hands squeezing near her wrist. So Luna tells her all about nature spirits, or at least the fictional kind. Despite her age, Lily is completely attentive, her face showing all the expressiveness her voice won’t. Luna promises to get her a book on the subject and Lily kisses her cheek, but the show is starting, so they settle down.
There is a princess but Hugo doesn’t protest because she’s the rough and tumble type (“Hehe, she talks like Jamie.”) and there is the dragon Luna remembered, some kind of magically animated costume that is rather complex and wonderful and maybe she would have liked seeing how it worked, and also nature spirits that sing and twirl and have Lily bouncing again.
They leave excited and happy and Hugo chatters nonstop and Lily's almost vibrating with every step. Luna decides it’s been a good day. She takes them for ice cream and then they head back to the house. The rest of the clan is back and welcomes them for lunch.
Luna is unusually at home in this chaos. She sits aside with a mug of sweet pumpkin juice and watches as Hugo describes the play to his siblings, Lily rocking in place beside him. Something draws her to Lily’s face. And... Ah. Things click into place and suddenly she understands. Luna gets up and goes to the gaggle of children, sinking down to sit next to Lily. She leans over and murmurs soft between them, “If he’s leaving out the good parts, you’ll have to tell them yourself.”
Lily stares at her, big brown eyes not shocked but... Thoughtful, somehow. Like it has never occurred to her that she might have to, that her family wouldn’t intuit what she meant. Lily looks back to the rest and it sounds like Hugo has skipped over much of the plot to get to when the princess took up her sword and fought the dragon-
“Fae sword,” Lily says clearly. “The spirits gave it to her, that’s important.”
“Right, the fae sword-” And then Hugo stops. And he looks at Lily, who gives him an expectant stare back. The other children are just as stunned.
“Did you just-” Jamie starts.
“And the barrier spell, don’t forget that.” Lily leans against Luna’s arm and her fingers curl at her wrist with faint nervousness. “Made it work.”
There is a pause before Scorpius recovers enough to ask about the barrier and the sword then Hugo and Lily are tag teaming to tell him everything. As if this isn't the first time Lily had ever participated verbally before. Rose observes things with a seriousness beyong her years but they all seem to realize they shouldn't call attention to it blatantly.
When Lily forgets Luna is even there, Luna gets up to go find Ginny and tell her to stop worrying. She feels a warm pride in her belly that only intensifies when Ginny hugs her tight. Ginny’s hair is soft under her petting hand and for a moment, Luna laments a little that she never swept Ginny up to her side, but... Well. She knows Ginny is happy like this. And besides, Luna has a naturalist to think about.