A sequel to 'A Tale of Two Teachers.' I think Luna and Neville's encounters with the other's parent(s) would have been most interesting.
My humble apologies if Xenophilius comes across as too talkative or crazy. I really struggled with that.
Thanks for reading!
Inkwarrior 3
The first time Luna met Neville's mum Alice hid herself under her bed. Neville's father, however, shook Luna's hand firmly...and wouldn't let go for the next half hour.
"I'm so...oof...sorry, Luna." Neville apologized as he tried, unsuccessfully to pry his father's fingers from her own. "They usually aren't this difficult."
"No, no, your father is a charming man. Very friendly." She smiled at him. "Your mum probably is just shy." Eventually, after some struggles, she separated her hand from Frank's and they began to leave. As they were going, however, a hand shot out from under Alice's bed and grabbed the hem of Neville's robes. He knelt down and the hand thrust a blue wrapper at him, which he quickly pocketed, looking embarrassed. Luna took his hand and smiled, an idea quickly forming in her mind.
The next day, Luna went to St. Mungo's again without Neville's knowing. Alice dove under her bed again, and Frank took her hand. Luna smiled at him "Nice to see you too." She slipped a wrapped piece of Drooble's best blowing gum under the bed with Alice, sat down on a chair and began to chew a piece herself, filling the room with bright blue bubbles. She sat there for an hour, Frank hanging tightly onto her arm and Alice hiding under her bed. She hugged Frank goodbye and pried his fingers from her arm. She was halfway out the door when she realized she'd forgotten something. She walked back to Alice's bed, crouched down and slid her own blue wrapper underneath it.
She came back everyday for a week, letting Frank hold onto her and giving gum and wrappers to Alice. Nothing new happened for a while, but on Tuesday, as Luna was leaving, Alice reached out from under the bed, grabbed onto the hem of her robes and gently placed a blue wrapper into her hand.
The next time Luna came to visit, Alice didn't hide. She sat on her bed, smiling shyly at Luna as the two women blew great blue bubbles together.
Neville had seen Xenophilius Lovegood before, and had even been briefly acquainted with him, but nothing had prepared him for meeting Xenophilius officially.
"My dear boy!" Xenophilius boomed as he shook Neville's hand. "Luna tells me you teach Herbology. Fascinating subject. You really must take a look at my dirigible plums sometime, they always tend to droop. Luna likes wearing them as earrings, don't you dear? I always liked them better in pies. Luna's mother made wonderful pies." His bright eyes became a little misty. "Lovely woman, Luna's mother. A brilliant witch. Why, I remember the day we were married. We both wore yellow. Sun colours for a wedding, you know. Are you two going to be dressed in sun colours? Well, speak up boy! You're so quiet!"
"I think we will," interjected Luna quickly, "won't we?" She looked at Neville.
"Well," Neville squirmed, "my Gran, she..." He looked into the identical stares of Luna and her father, "of course we will, dear." He added quickly.
He was quickly smothered in a bone crushing hug from Xenophilius. "I knew you were a decent fellow," he began babbling again. "So few understand the significance and ancient tradition of Sun colours at a wedding..."
As he listened to Xenophilius ramble on and on, Neville thought to himself that having him as a father-in-law was going to be very interesting indeeed.
