"Twins? Are we dressed?" Luna called up the stairs.
"Yes, Mummy!" Lorca yelled back, tumbling down the stairs, trailing her robes, with no socks or shoes. Lysander walked down primly, completely dressed, but with his robes on backwards. Luna met both three-year-olds halfway up the stairs, scooping them both up and taking them back to their room. Neville met her at the door, coming from their own bedroom. He took Lorca, who almost always needed extra help than Lysander, and quickly set her to rights, poking gentle fun at her as he did so.
"Somebody wanted to get to Diagon Alley so fast she forgot her shoes, didn't she?" He asked, strapping them onto her feet.
"Don't like shoes. They're heavy." His daughter answered, swinging her legs playfully.
"Well, you need them, love. They protect your feet from stuff on the ground." Neville told her seriously.
"As well as from Kleptonic Podiats. Those bred overly well this past mating season. They like licking feet." Luna chimed in, hoisting Lysander onto her hip.
"But Mummy! Feet are nasty. They stink." Lysander said. He was slightly upset that he hadn't put his robes on correctly and had needed her help. Luna was privately amused at how much her son reminded her of Percy Weasley, right down to the preference for horn-rimmed glasses.
"True, my little scholar. But they enjoy the scent that we find repulsive." She said, bouncing him slightly.
"Are we taking the Floo or are we going to Side-Along them?" Neville asked her, mimicking her actions with Lorca.
"The Floo, I should think." Luna responded as she spelled her hair up into a bun so it would be out of Lysander's face.
"Floo!" Lorca cheered. Her brother pouted; he preferred to Apparate. Neville smiled, heading for the main fireplace in the parlor.
"What's the spell to make a fire, love?" He asked, poking Lorca in the ribs.
She squirmed and giggled before she answered "Inciendero!"
"Not quite, love. Incendio." He corrected, enunciating each syllable for her.
"Eeen sen deee oh." She imitated.
"Very good, Lorca. Lysander, which spell could create water?" Luna asked.
"Aguamenti. But I can't remember the movement."
"Swish and flick." Luna and Neville answered together, before smiling at each other. Arriving at the fireplace, Luna lit it with the Incendio spell, and Neville flung in a handful of Floo Powder.
"Hold tight love." He told Lorca. Neville waited until she tightened her grip before articulating "Diagon Alley." The green flames swirled around them, sending them off. Luna and Lysander soon followed.
"Flourish and Blotts, Quality Quidditch Supplies, or the Apothecary first?" Neville asked.
"Rich butts!" Lorca cheered. Neville and Luna snorted together, while Lysander insistently corrected his sister's mangled pronunciations. The family of four headed for the bookstore, where the two adults let the kids run off to the small children's book section, while they perused the latest selections for their respective Masteries. Lysander soon wanted his mother's opinion on a rune puzzle book, and Lorca followed her father around the Herbology section rather than talk to another toddler in the kids section. After paying for their purchases and shrinking them to fit in Neville's pocket, they headed to Quality Quidditch Supplies to momentarily gaze at the newest brooms and equipment and receive an offer for places on a junior-league Quidditch team. Luna and Neville promised the twins that they would seriously consider the offer, before herding them off to the Apothecary.
The apothecary, none other than Blaise Zabini, quickly engaged the twins in creating a small slimy potion that they could stretch and play with, letting Neville and Luna have free range of the shop. Blaise and Luna had been friendly in Hogwarts, and he always gave her and Neville the best deals and information about certain items possibly useful in their research.
Once they finished conducting their business, the Longbottom family headed for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. The twins shared a butterbeer float, while Neville had a salted caramel shake and Luna a chocolate coffee sundae. The adults decided to head home for the evening when the twins fell asleep curled against one another, nearly knocking over the empty float glass.
After laying the twins down to bed, Neville and Luna sorted through their purchases and put everything in its rightful place before joining their children in slumber.