Hello Everyone! Sorry for not posting last week, I was out of town, and didn't really have time to post this, but without further delay,

A.N. My ownership over these characters is nonexistent. They belong to the renowned J.K. Rowling.

Lazy Summer Days

Luna listened as her brother told her his strange dream and wondered what it could mean. Could it be the Nargles messing with his head again? Could he be a seer, and that was a vision? Could it be symbolic of his past life, like the book in father's library about Sy-ko-nalsis said?

"Um, hello? Earth to Luna!" joked Albus.

"Oh, sorry! I was just wondering what it could mean," she said dreamily.

"Exactly! I don't want Auntie Pan to get her hopes up or be angry, because I've got no idea what this one means," he huffed. "And the worst part is that I can't remember most of it. Just Tenrō and the night sky."

"Well, I don't think mum will be mad. Maybe if we get some breakfast, we could work this out later."

"Or would could just go down to the Waldon like you suggested," replied Albus, clearly trying to put the whole event behind them.

"Oooh! That sounds like a better idea!" replied an excited Luna as they walked down the stairs to the kitchen. When they entered, they encountered rich aromas and joking parents.

"Oi! Just because you finished your part Xeno doesn't mean you sit down, you lazy bugger!" cried Pandora.

"Um Evie? You just said that in front of Albus and Luna," he replied hastily, using her middle name to avoid her wrath. Luna and her brother giggled at that comment. Pandora glared at her husband anyway. Xeno sighed.

"Oh fine. Come," he gestured to the two children, "let's help your mother finish grilling plantain," said Xeno, rising from his chair.

"But what about rice and pickled plums?" asked Albus a bit desperately. He definitely wanted some comfort food at the moment.

"You really like those don't you?" teased Luna.

"We can't have those every day, Albus," explained their mother calmly. "If we did, you would get bored of them quite quickly. Today we're trying omelet and fried plantain instead. Is that ok?"

"Fine," replied Albus glumly. Luna, wanting to make him feel better, dragged him to help cook said fruit, resulting in multiple incidents. It was quite hilarious really, especially when her father slipped on one of the peels. She hoped he hadn't cracked his tailbone when he fell. After an hour of this repetitive cycle of cooking and falling, breakfast was finally ready.

"There! Was that so hard, Xeno?" asked Pandora sweetly.

"Yes actually. I don't see you all black and blue at the expense of banana peels," he replied, slightly bemused.

"Plantains, love," she corrected. Luna and Albus just laughed. They settled into a delicious silence of eating, until Xeno decided to quiz her and her brother for the sake of quizzing.

"Now children, I trust you've been reading." They nodded their heads. "I see you in the library so often that I'd like to think so." The quasi-siblings gave another nod. "I see. Well It was God who suffered them, though he restrained them…"

"They landed with horror, with lofty deed…" replied Albus.

"In their cloud of mighty combat of spectres…"continued Luna.

"Upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht," they finished. Xeno smiled. They had poured over a giant tome just to get that information, but it had been a quiet, fun afternoon.

"Ah, the Lebor Gabála Érenn. The story of the Tuatha Dé Danann, first wizards to reach Ireland. A wise pick," beamed the elder Lovegood. "You know our family is from Ireland," he began explaining to Albus.

"Here we go again," muttered Pandora. "I'm glad I stick to my potions. Four pepper-ups, a draught of peace, six spattergoit remedies, two wolfsbane and Bob's your uncle!" Luna noticed her father seemed mock-hurt at that comment.

"Fine! I shall be off to the printing press!" he declared.

"You mean the basement," stated Pandora flatly.

"Yes that!" he huffed. "And if Reggie Cattermole flooes, tell him his article's due tomorrow, no exceptions." He blustered down the stairs the instant he'd finished his mock tirade, but quickly turned around, popping his head out the door. "Oh and I left the letter from your mother on the mail desk," he mentioned, before returning to his predetermined task.

"Thank you!" she called to him, laughing at his dramatics.

"Well that was fun, but those potions aren't going to brew themselves," her mother mused. "Play safe dears and be back for lunch. Oh, and don't forget that you're both helping me this afternoon in the lab," with those words, Pandora Lovegood grabed her mail, and drifted upstairs. Seeing as they were the only two left in the room, Luna glanced to her brother. He glanced back to her with a wicked smile on his face.

"Last one to the river is a rotten snortkack!" he cried, bolting out the door. It took her a moment to process what had just happened, but when she did, she took off right after him. He was clearly ahead of her. She didn't even see him the whole time. When she finally got to the river bank, she hadn't seen hair nor hide of her brother.

"Albus?" she called. Suddenly, a hand waved at her through the grass. As she approached, she saw Albus flat on his back, panting.

"Are you alright?" she asked reluctantly.

"Give…me…a minute…gah!" he panted, gasping for a lungful of air.

"What happened," she said worriedly. After a few more moments, he managed to catch his breath.

"I think I accidentally apparated," he stated. "I wanted to beat you here, and you know I don't run fast, so I tried to speed myself with magic. Well, it worked. Too well. Gah!"

"Breathe! Isn't this why mum tells us to be careful with magic?"

"Yeah," he admitted sheepishly. "But it felt like something familiar."

"Familiar?" asked Luna.

"Yeah familiar," replied Albus. "Like I'd already learned how to do it."

"But mummy says that you can't do that until you're grown up," stated a confused Luna.

"But I remember doing it before!" Albus insisted. "I accidentally did it in class while we were learning Lumos!" he exclaimed. There was a beat of surprised silence, before Luna grinned at his outburst.

"You remembered!" she exclaimed. "It looks like the Nargles are leaving your brain." She saw how his face shifted from shock to surprise to excitement.

"Yeah I did!" he laughed. "Well I guess I went to school." Luna thought hard about this new information.

"Well you should tell mum and dad because that helps figure out where you came from."

"Ok, I'll do that when we get home."

"Good. You know, you're the only big brother I know that lets himself be bossed around by his younger sister," she said smirking.

"That's 'cause I'm your only brother," he deadpanned, looking up at her in bemusement. She found it amusing. She offered him a hand, and he was quickly back on his feet. They decided to start looking for anything different, or that caught the eye. She quickly managed to point out a purple rock, a whaup's nest, and four dragonflies. Albus found a heron, a spider's web covered in dew, and a rat that looked uglier than Scabbers. The mid-August sun beat high in the sky, not a cloud in sight; it was unusual weather, but Luna loved it all the same. They were looking at a flock of Moorhens, when Albus' attention shifted abruptly.

"Hey what's that over there," he pointed. She turned her gaze in that direction and was amazed at what she saw. There, under the willows, between the cormorants and the dippers, was a flock of giant birds like she'd never seen before. Bright gold feathers lined their backs and wings, while dark sapphire feathers lined their breasts and stomachs. Their heads were like those of falcons, but their bodies were similar to herons. They stood regal and proud, almost as though they owned the river and everything in its environs.

"They're Adar," breathed Albus. It suddenly clicked for Luna.

"Adar Llwch Gwin! Of course!" she cried. "They're much more beautiful in person."

"Obviously! That old book made them look like fat, oversized cranes!" he laughed. "Well do you wanna call them over here?" Luna shrugged.

"You remember that even though they understand human speech, they'll take your words literally. They must be migrating to Antilla for the winter." Albus nodded in agreement, and they went back to staring at the beautiful birds. After spending ages admiring them, the majestic birds suddenly took off, followed by swarm of plovers, dunlins, and goosanders. As they watched the departing swarm, Luna remembered what their mother told them.

"Hey, do you know the time?" she asked the boy. He gazed up at some indefinite point as he thought about it.

"Haven't the foggiest," he stated bluntly, looking back to her.

"Why don't you try to get it magically?" asked Luna.

"After nearly fainting of exhaustion?" he teased.

"Just do it."

"Fine, fine, give me a moment," he said. He scrunched his face as he strained to produce any effect. Sure enough, Luna noticed to faint analog clock hands appear in the air.

"You did it!" she cried of excitement. He looked at his work and smiled. The smile quickly faded as he realised the time the hands read.

"We're late!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and running. She quickly pulled ahead of him in a race to get back home first. She came to a skidding halt in front of the back door, and bolted into the kitchen, Albus right on her heels.

"Ah right on time," said a voice in the other room. "Oh Luna?" it continued, hinting frustration. She recognized when her mother was upset, so she forced herself to wear a distant gaze and floated into the dining room. Rounding the corner, she saw her mother holding a struggling rabbit.

"Hello mother, is something wrong? You look awfully blue today. Did the heliopaths try to gouge out your eyes again?" she replied, soft and dreamy.

"Nice try. You know I've been able to see through that since you were six," replied her mother, clearly not amused. The fact that the rabbit began trying to bite her didn't help improve matters either.

"I wanted to make sure it was safe last night. It could've been fox prey the way it looked," she pleaded.

"That's all fine and dandy, but when it nearly crawls into a vat of Felix felicius, then it's a menace to my workplace," she said sternly. Luna heard Albus munching away on lunch back in the kitchen and sighed finally looking back to her mother.

"Fine I'll put it back in the thicket," she said in hushed tones.

"And you'll be helping me clean out some of the cauldrons too. Don't think you're getting off that easy," she continued.

"I'm done Auntie Pan" called her brother, passing through the hallway, and up the stairs.

"Don't touch anything before I get there!" replied her mother in suit. As she reached for the restless rodent that she'd been tasked to 'dispose' of, she got an idea.

'Next time you get curious, make sure Albus is your alibi.'

-oOoOoOoOo-

Ron was anxious. In the past week and a half he'd known Albus, they'd become fast friends. Life was much more fun when he had a friend around, even if he put his foot in his mouth more times than he could count. He also had pretty funny stories, like what happened when Luna left a rabbit in their house the other day. However, Albus was late today. 'He's never late,' thought the boy. 'Maybe he doesn't want to be around me anymore, or maybe he liked my brothers better, or maybe-'

It was at that moment that Albus came bounding over the hill near Knott's Wood, clear excitement on his face. Whatever worry Ron was feeling, it quickly vanished as he shot the other boy a genuine smile. Albus came careening down the hillside, momentum propelling him headlong into Ron, and straight into the ground.

"Geroff me Al!" laughed Ron. The other boy smirked.

"Maybe I should call dog pile," suggested Albus mischievously, earning him a punch in the back from the ginger on the ground. "Alright, Alright, I'm up!" he cried, hauling himself upright. After dusting himself off, he offered Ron a hand.

"So whacha wanna do?" asked Ron.

"Well we've done a lot of things around here. We've even been in my dad's library," joked Albus.

"Hey that's only cause your dad's got tons of wicked things in there," exclaimed Ron.

"Like books?" grinned Albus.

"And other things."

"So the great Ron Weasley agrees he likes books."
"Yea-wait what?" asked a very confused Ron.

"You said 'and other things' meaning you liked the books to begin with," explained the dark-haired boy.

"But I-I didn't mean-," he sputtered while Albus laughed.

"I'm only messing with you, mate." Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "But seriously, I saw you, and you did like the books in there."

"Yeah…I guess you're right," he admitted. "But that still doesn't solve the problem. What are we gonna do today?"

"We could always go down to Ottery St. Catchpole," suggested the other boy.

"Ottery St. Catchpole? Really Al? The muggles?" asked Ron, almost gob smacked at the idea.

"Why, not? I mean there's really nothing better to do here, might as well go up the road to town," stated Albus in a reasoning tone.

"You're strange, Al."

"I am a Lovegood, am I not?" Ron couldn't help but laugh, quickly following the other boy who'd begun the march to town already.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get there, seeing as they'd had to take the long way around, but when they got there, Ron was mesmerized. Glancing over to Albus, it was clear he was just as amazed as the taller boy was.

It wasn't a large town, but everything about it was fascinating to young wizards who'd never been exposed to the muggle world before. The lorry by the church, the lamppost, random ladies chatting each other up about 'politks', and most importantly, the shiny coin on the ground.

"It's a pound I think," declared Ron as Albus picked it up.

"Well that's what it says on the coin."

"Wait! That means its money!" he exclaimed, face as bright as his hair.

"So you want something from that apothecary we passed on the way in?"

"Nah, didn't look like anything but bottles of who knows what."

"Then let's look for a store," announced Albus happily. They searched less than two minutes before entering a store that appeared to be a grocer.

"What can I get for ya, lads?" asked a cheery shopkeeper, standing by the counter. His store was full of shelves containing produce, boxes, cans, and sundry things.

"We'd like to know what we can get with this," stated Albus, holding up the coin, Ron nodding in agreement.

"Lemme see that," said the store owner. Albus passed the coin over to the elder man, who examined it momentarily. "It's a pound. Well what do ya want for a pound?" he asked. "I've got bags of assorted candy, 3 apples, a can of soup, or a couple of boxes of biscuits all for a pound." When Ron heard biscuits, his heart started jumping out of his chest.

"Al!" he whispered loudly, "We get candy way more often. Heck, my brothers bring it back every time they come home for the holidays. Let's get the biscuits."

"Well since it's our pound, and I've never tried biscuits-"

"Never tried biscuits! We're remedying that now! Sir," he called to the shopkeeper, "we're buying the biscuits."

"Sure thing. First aisle on the left." The boys scampered down the aisle, grabbing the first boxes they saw, and came back to the cashier, eyes full of glee. As they approached the counter, Ron noticed the man's own eyes light up for an instant.

"Say. Are ya from round here?" he asked Albus.

"Yes, why?"

"You're accent's really off. You're new here though, right?"

"You could say that," replied the boy in a 'sure-let's-go-with-that' tone in his voice.

"I see. Well, how would ya boys like a pound each?" he offered. Albus nodded happily in agreement, matching Ron's smile and nod. "I have a shipment of melons out back and I need to put them there," he said, pointing to the empty shelf between the cucumbers, and the blueberries. "I'm sure some strapping young boys such as yourselves wouldn't mind a little bit of work."

"I'll do it," cried Albus instantly. Ron, not wanting to say no when his only friend had agreed, accepted the job as well. After leading them out back, they caught sight of the shipment and were surprised at what they saw. It was a modest assortment of all types of melons, some bigger than Ron's head, others small enough to hold in one hand.

"Bloody hell," he breathed.

"Thank Merlin, your mum isn't here," said Albus. Ron caught the shopkeeper rolling his eyes, talking aloud; 'kid's these days.' So the two boys began hauling the melons into the store. At first the work was slow, but they quickly worked out a system to speed the job up. Oh, how those giant fruits killed his arms. It took a good hour, but at the end of it, all the melons were sitting on the shelf, sparkling and ready to for hungry townspeople.

"Well, I'm surprised! Most of the lads 'round here would've given up after twenty minutes. I think this deserves more than just a pound." He walked over to the register, and pulled out four thick brass coins, identical to the one they found on the street. "Here you go boys. Two pounds apiece for ya service."

"Thank you," the chorused, supporting each other from falling down.

"Now scat, I'm sure your mothers want ya home for dinner, and ya never want an angry mum on ya backs, eh?" They shook their heads, too exhausted to do anything else.

"Bye, sir!" called Ron.

"Hope your melons sell!" finished Albus as they hobbled away, biscuits in hand, still recovering from the hard labour they'd preformed.

"I can't feel my arms," moaned Ron, struggling more than the dark-haired boy in front of him.

"Well Ron, you don't want to be a squishy wizard forever, do ya?" said Albus brightly, taking off. Ron felt his face burn.

"Oi! Get back here you prat!" he yelled, finding a hidden well of energy to chase the boy. After all, his honour was at stake. As they ran over the hills towards the Burrow, Ron was sure of one thing.

When Albus was around, the word 'dull' simply didn't exist.

Comments, Reviews and Opinions are highly welcomed.

Cheers,

Cepheus