(no subject)

[sees_them_too]

Luna comes into the bar, pink-cheeked from chilly air and quiet exuberance. Her very first trip into Hogsmeade Village has, in her opinion, been an overall success.

She has enjoyed herself immensely. She'd bought a candy-coated apple from a tiny street stall, sent off a few touristy cards from the post office, joined a handful of Beauxbatons students for a bit of an informal walking tour and, even though it's early, gotten some Christmas shopping done.

She had planned to finish up with a mug of butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. In fact, she had been several steps into Milliways before she realized that she was not in the Hogsmeade pub. But not matter. Milliways is just as good.

Luna sets several colorful shopping bags down on a table, and begins to unwind a long, plum-colored scarf from around her neck.

Comments

[pullsneedles]

The waitrat goes off to fill the order.

Lucas finds another bean, this one kind of pink and multicolored. He pops it into his mouth without trying the edge and immediately rushes for the napkins to spit it out. He didn't really want to know what a vomit flavored bean tastes like.

"That's awful nice of your dad. And if they're not doing anything to your yard, there's not much point in bothering them."

[sees_them_too]

"Oh, they're very good luck. Well worth some disruption of the flower beds."

"Dad got a nasty bite off of one last summer. One built a den in one of Dad's rubber boots that he left out on the stoop, and Dad didn't realize it before he put them on."

"But it healed up just fine. And besides, gnome saliva is quite beneficial."

Luna watches Lucas expel the bean.

"Did you get a nasty one, then?"

[pullsneedles]

Lucas nods and is very grateful when the waitrat comes shortly after with their drinks. He takes a sip of root beer before he speaks again.

"Yeah. It tasted of sick."

He's going to be careful of the pink and spotty ones from now on.

"I suppose that's what your dad gets for leaving his boots out. I don't know who would've had it worse, your dad or the gnome."

Lucas is pretty sure he wouldn't want a giant foot invading his den or something living in his shoe to take a bite on him.

"Does your dad work in the garden often?"

[sees_them_too]

"Vomit, then. That's one of the nastiest. So is earwax. I'm not terribly fond of farm dirt, either."

Luna takes a sip of her hot butterbeer.

"He likes to, sometimes. He says it helps him think. But mostly we let things grow as they please. You get such interesting things that way."

[pullsneedles]

"Mom liked that about gardening, too. She planted a lot of garden boxes in the city. It's one of the few things about Tazmily that hasn't really changed."

[sees_them_too]

"What did she like to plant?"

There are all sorts of possibilities when it comes to gardens.

Even among non-wizards.

[pullsneedles]

"Gardenias and sunflowers. She always liked to keep some on the table. There's a field of sunflowers not too far from Tazmily and Dad would sometimes find the biggest ones he can, taller than Claus and me, to bring back to her."

There's no denying that Lucas's parents were really in love. Most people in town said their love made even the little birds in the trees jealous.