Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine.

"Luna," Pandora said slowly and clearly.

"L-L-Luna," the two-and-a-half-year-old repeated. For the last few days Pandora had been helping Luna work on her pronunciation skills. She had done the R's the previous day and today she was working on her L's.

"Very good," said Pandora. "Now try this sentence: 'Little Luna loves to learn.'" Luna repeated each word carefully.

"Dora!" Xenophilius called from the doorway. "I need to talk to you!"

"I'll be right there, dear," replied Pandora. Turning to Luna, she said, "Mummy will be right back. Keep practicing your L's."

As Luna continued to practice, Pandora followed her husband into their bedroom. "What is it, Xeno?" she asked.

"I've been thinking - Quibbler sales have gone better than I've hoped these last couple of months, but I'd like the next month's featured article to be the biggest one yet. So I've decided we should all go on an expedition to Russia this weekend to search for the ever-elusive Three-Tongued, Plaid-Tailed Kroogbear."

"Xeno, are you sure you want all of us to go?" Pandora asked. "Luna's still very young and this trip sounds as if it's going to be very dangerous."

"Of course I'm sure. I want Luna to learn as much as possible about these creatures. Wouldn't it be great if she were to see an actual Kroogbear up close?"

"Maybe, but I refuse to put our child's life at risk. Why don't we have her spend the weekend with the Diggorys? She can have fun with Cedric, and we can tell her all about our trip when we get back."

Xeno sighed. "Well, it's not the same, but I suppose you're right." They immediately went to tell Luna the news.

"Wussia!" exclaimed Luna, jumping up and down in excitement. "We go Wussia!"

"Russia, sweetheart," Pandora told her. "Remember how we practiced our R's yesterday? And I'm afraid it's just going to be your father and me who go this time."

"But I wanna come too!" cried Luna, stamping her foot. "I wanna see a Kroogbear!"

"Sweetie, it's too dangerous. You're going to be staying with - " But before Pandora could finish, Luna threw herself on the floor, kicking and banging her fists while howling "I WANNA GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pandora and Xeno looked at each other in anguish. Luna was generally a calm little girl, and while she did cry from time to time, she seldom threw full-on tantrums like this.

"We really should let her accompany us, Dora," said Xeno over the little girl's screams. "It would be a great learning opportunity for her."

"Xeno, we've already agreed it's too dangerous for her at such a young age." Pandora put a gentle hand on Luna's shoulder. "Luna..." she said softly. The toddler's screams subsided as she looked up at her mother.

"You're going to spend the weekend with the Diggorys. You like Cedric, don't you?" The little girl nodded with a sniffle. "And when we come back we're going to tell you all about it. How does that sound?"

Luna gave a little smile despite her tears. "Promise?"

"Promise," her mother said, giving Luna a hug. "And when you're older we'll take you with us on our trips." She got out a handkerchief and helped the toddler clean her face and blow her nose.

"Cedric, have you cleaned your room yet?" Ophelia Diggory asked her son. "The Lovegoods will be here any minute!"

"Yes, Mum."

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Have you brushed your hair?"

"Yes, Mother," Cedric said in an annoyed tone.

"Good," Ophelia said, satisfied. A few minutes later the flames in the fireplace turned green and the Lovegoods emerged; while Xeno went to help Amos Diggory set up Luna's guest bed in Cedric's room, Pandora handed Ophelia a bag with Luna's things (on which she had put an Undetectable Extension Charm to ensure that everything fit) while giving her some last-minute instructions.

"...and finally, make sure she doesn't have any sweets after 8:00; otherwise she'll be up all night." Pandora turned to her daughter. "Now you be a good girl for Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, okay?"

"Yes, Mummy. Love you."

"I love you too, sweetie," Pandora replied, kissing Luna lightly on the cheek. "Xeno! We're going!"

Within minutes Xeno and Pandora were heading out. "Bye, Mummy! Bye, Daddy!" Luna called after them, blowing kisses.

"C'mon, Luna!" Cedric said, taking the toddler's hand and leading her into a small playroom next to the sitting room. It was scattered with various toys, most of which were Quidditch-themed.

"Ever watched a Quidditch game before, Luna?" the six-year-old asked. When Luna shook her head, Cedric gave her a simple explanation of the rules of Quidditch, then led her over to a miniature Quidditch playset on the other side of the room.

"You can help me act out a Quidditch match," he told her. "I'll be the Wimbourne Wasps; you be Pride of Portree." And so they began.

"...and it's Gatsby, Gatsby of the Wasps with the Quaffle, he's heading for goal - ooh, nasty Bludger work by Truman, Quaffle intercepted by McIntosh of Pride of Portree," Cedric commentated as the figurines moved around. "Oh, and it looks like both Ritter of the Wasps and Norwood of Portree have seen the Snitch! Both Seekers are closing in..."

"Go Norwood!" Luna cried.

"Cedric?" Ophelia peeked into the room. "Can you help me set the table, please? Supper's nearly ready."

"Mum!" the little boy said indignantly, stamping his foot. "We're in the middle of a match!"

"You can finish your match later. Just come and help me, please."

"Oh, all right," grumbled Cedric as he followed his mother.

"Mmmm! Good roast chicken, Mum," Cedric said as everyone sat around the kitchen table.

"Yummy," agreed Luna. Even though Ophelia's cooking wasn't quite as good as her own mother's, it was delicious nonetheless. As the family talked about everything from Quidditch to Amos' job at the Ministry, Luna hummed softly to herself until Ophelia announced it was time for pudding.

"PUDDING!" the little girl shrieked, and when it was served she was the first one to finish.

"Hey, Mum, can I read to Luna tonight?" asked Cedric.

"May I read to Luna tonight," his mother corrected him.

"Oh, all right, may I?"

"Yes, you may. Goodnight, children," Ophelia said as the left the bedroom.

"Which story do you want to hear, Luna?" the young boy asked, opening The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

"Three Brothers," Luna said at once, and so Cedric read that to her until she fell asleep.

"Mum! Mum! Mum! Wake up!" Cedric whispered loudly.

Ophelia rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What is it, honey?"

"It's Luna! She's had an accident!"

"Oh, dear." Ophelia got up with a sigh. Pandora had warned her this might happen; Luna may have come close to mastering daytime toileting but she still had a problem with frequent bedwetting.

"Huh? Wha?" Amos muttered groggily.

"Nothing, dear. Go back to sleep," his wife replied. "On second thought, could you change Luna's bedsheets while I get her cleaned up? Cedric, you just go back to bed."

The toddler was whimpering softly and sniffling as Ophelia cleaned her up and dressed her in a fresh set of pajamas. "It's okay, sweetie," she said gently. "Accidents happen. Now let's get you back into bed."

TO BE CONTINUED