A/N: Okay, so this little plot bunny popped into my head recently and I just had to turn it into a fanfic.
This story takes place three months after The Trials and Tribulations of Motherhood, but you don't really need to read that story to understand this one.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except the plot.
It was a typical morning in the Weasley household. The family was gathered around the kitchen table; four-year-old Fred and George were playfully shoving bacon into each other's mouths, two-year-old Ron was cramming large amounts of food into his mouth and had eggs all down his front, and eleven-year-old Bill was trying to persuade one-year-old Ginny to eat more porridge.
"C'mon, Gin-Gin," coaxed Bill, holding out the spoon of porridge. "Just three more bites?" The infant shook her head.
"Two more bites?" Another shake of the head from Ginny.
"One more bite?" Ginny shook her head yet again and turned away. Bill held the spoon up to his lips, pretending to eat the porridge. "Mmmm! See, Billy likes it." The little girl responded by blowing a raspberry at him.
Molly couldn't help but chuckle at this. Ginny was always such a stubborn baby. Turning to Ron she said, "Here. Let Mummy clean you up," and wiped the eggs from the little boy's shirt.
As Molly was changing Ginny's nappy later that morning, she could hear Percy's voice from his room. "But I don't want to go!"
"Oh, come on, Perce!" Molly heard Charlie reply. "You'll have a great time!"
"No!"
"But just think of it, little bro! You'll be spending the next few hours out in the wilderness with Dad and all your favorite brothers; it's the ultimate male bonding experience!"
Arthur had decided to take the boys for a walk in the woods that day, and in the meantime Molly was considering spending the day in the park with Ginny. As soon as the boys had left, she asked the little girl, "Want to go to the park with Mummy?" Ginny gurgled happily.
The two of them headed out into the warm August air; Molly had packed a few extra nappies and some jars of baby food, along with a couple of baby bottles and Ginny's pacifier. The infant was squealing excitedly and slapping the tray of her stroller with her little hands. "I hope the twins don't stir up trouble out in the woods," Molly muttered to herself. "Oh, what am I saying? They always stir up trouble, or at least they always try. I only hope Arthur can keep them under control this time."
Once they had reached the park, Molly caught sight of two familiar faces - a tall blonde woman sitting on a bench, and her daughter who had the same blonde hair and wide eyes. "Pandora!" she called out. "Fancy running into you here!"
"Hello, Molly," Pandora Lovegood replied. "That's your daughter, isn't it?" she added, looking at Ginny. "She looks so much like you."
"Thank you," the redhead said, smiling. The two women watched the little blonde girl chase after a rabbit, toppling over several times and laughing each time she fell.
"Luna's only just started to walk," Pandora explained. "I must admit I was worried there might be something wrong with her, taking her first steps as late as she did." All of Molly's children had taken their first steps before they had reached eighteen months of age; Ginny, now twelve months old, had already started walking at ten months. Even Percy had learned to walk when he was sixteen months old, so she understood why Pandora had been so worried about Luna's motor skills development.
"How's Xenophilius?" the russet-haired witch asked.
"Oh, he's fine. You know, ever since he first launched The Quibbler he's been really absorbed in his work. In fact, sometimes I wonder whether he loves his magazine more than he loves Luna and me." Molly chuckled.
"What about your family, Molly?" asked Pandora. "How have they been?"
"Oh, well, you know, the usual," answered Molly, lifting Ginny out of her stroller and gently placing her on the ground so she could toddle around. "Bill's due to start his first year at Hogwarts in four days."
"Really, now?" Pandora then noticed that Luna was toddling farther and farther away. "Don't stray too far, sweetheart!"
"Same goes for you, Ginny!" Molly called to her daughter. Just then Ginny tripped over a rock and fell over on her stomach and started crying. "Oh dear," the redheaded woman sighed, rushing over to pick Ginny up and examine her for injuries. She saw that the little girl had cut her knee. What am I going to do?! Molly thought desperately. I could use magic to mend it but there could be Muggles watching! And I've got to do something quickly!
"Not to worry, Molly," Pandora said with a smile as though reading Molly's thoughts, pulling out a first-aid kit. "I always come prepared."
"Oh, thank you so much..." Molly's voice trailed off as she noticed something rather odd. Tears were usually contagious; for instance, whenever Ginny cried Ron would also start crying, and vice versa. She also remembered the days when Bill and Charlie were tots; when one burst into tears so would the other. Now she was noticing that Luna was not crying with Ginny; instead she simply stared unblinkingly at the little redhead with her head cocked to the side.
"Er...Pandora, why...?"
"Luna has always been an unusually calm baby," the blonde witch answered. "But I like to think of it as a good thing." She gestured toward her daughter, who had tottered up to the bench where Molly was cleaning Ginny's cut and had started patting the top of Ginny's head while humming a song. Slowly, the redheaded baby's cries began to subside.
Molly's mouth fell open in amazement; Luna was certainly an extraordinary little girl. Soon Ginny's cut was bandaged and the two infants were happily digging holes in the sandbox while their mothers chatted about everything from Fred and George's antics to Pandora's magical experiments. They then had a nice lunch before deciding to call it a day and head home.
As they were making their way out of the park with Ginny and Luna in their respective strollers, Luna suddenly cried, "Mummy! Ice cweam!" while pointing to a nearby ice-cream vendor.
"Splendid idea, Lu-Lu," Pandora said. "Why don't we all get an ice cream before we go home?"
"But Pandora, I don't have - "
"I've told you, Molly," the blonde interrupted, "I always come prepared." She held up a wad of Muggle money. "I can pay for all of us." A few minutes later found the two mothers and daughters happily eating their ice cream. At one point Luna actually held out her own ice-cream cone to Ginny, which the little redhead gleefully licked. Molly and Pandora couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well," said Pandora after everyone had finished eating, "I suppose it's time we went our separate ways. It was nice to see you again, Molly. Goodbye, Ginny," she added, leaning down to the twelve-month-old's level.
"Likewise, Pandora," replied Molly. "Goodbye, Luna. Be a good girl."
"Good girl," repeated the eighteen-month-old. "Bye-bye!" she called out as Molly and Ginny headed for the Burrow.
Molly had just put Ginny down for her nap when she heard the front door open. "To your room, right now!" came Arthur's furious voice as Fred and George marched up the stairs, scowling. "And you stay there until your mother or I say you can come out!"
Molly then noticed that Percy was sobbing uncontrollably. "What's the matter, dear?" she asked. "What did Fred and George do to you? Tell Mummy!"
But Percy was crying too hard to answer her. Molly glanced at Arthur, who explained, "The twins decided it would be funny to play a joke on him."
"What kind of joke?"
"Trust me, you do not want to know." Charlie, meanwhile, was attempting to soothe a whimpering and sniffling Ron. "It's okay, Ronnie, Percy was just scared, that's all."
Bill walked up to Percy and said, "C'mon Perce, I know something that'll cheer you up. Wanna look through some of my new schoolbooks?"
"O-okay," sniffed the six-year-old as he followed his older brother upstairs. Three thoughts ran through Molly's mind at that moment. One, she would need to come up with an appropriate punishment for Fred and George. Two, she wished she could run into Pandora Lovegood more often. And three, Luna could make an excellent playmate for Ginny, not to mention they had the potential to be close friends at Hogwarts when they were older.
A/N: Well, there you have it! I figured because the Weasleys and Lovegoods live so close to each other and because Ginny and Luna were good friends at Hogwarts, it'd be interesting if their mothers were also good friends before Pandora passed away. Reviews are welcome.
