Dear Diggory

chapter 4

The girls began swooning over him, discussing in depth the way his shirt showed off his body. Amy said he had the perfect tortilla chip ratio, whatever the hell that meant.

I frowned to myself. It made me uncomfortable the way they looked at him. We didn't know him after all, and he must've been annoyed that the girls stared wherever he went. Or maybe he enjoyed it, what did I know about the male psyche after all.

I stood up and began walking into the green forest behind us, unable to listen any longer.

"I'm going for a walk" I called over my shoulder but none of the girls turned to look at me, too absorbed in their chatter.

I didn't have to walk far into the trees before I came across a familiar face.

Bent down, staring intently at a mushroom with a book in her hand, was Luna Lovegood.

We weren't the closest friends, but she was in Ravenclaw so we talked often during quiet nights in the common room. I had always considered her to be lovely and frequently admired her style. I knew some others were wary of Luna because she didn't fit in so well, but I really enjoyed her company.

She stood up as she saw me coming and smiled in a way that only she could, as if she was already expecting you.

"Hi Lila! I haven't talked to you since we came back, how was summer?"

"It was good thanks, I travelled a lot with my dad. How about you? Did you tell your father in the end?" I looked at her hopefully as I sat down on a mossy log, happy to be cocooned by the mist of the woods.

She joined me and took a deep breath and for a moment I braced for the worst. But then she smiled so brightly that it put the sun to shame.

"Yeah I did. He took it really well actually. He told me that he loved me and I shouldn't be afraid to be exactly who I want to be. We hugged and cried a lot, but things are really good now." Her tone was so delicate and light I was almost surprised it didn't get lost in the soft wind.

I smiled back, relieved that the truth was out there. In fourth year she'd come forward as transgender. Before that she was named Kasper but she began transitioning.

In fifth year she returned as a guy but cast her transformation spells, I knew she hadn't told her father by the end of the spring term. She'd told me how scared she was on one of our last nights in the common room, afraid that revealing the truth to him might change things significantly.

I leaned forward and hugged her, careful as I wrapped my arms around her delicate frame. "I'm so happy for you! Actually I made you something over summer, I hope that's okay, you know I like to paint." I blushed slightly at my confession as we pulled apart.

She grinned, "that's so sweet, what is it?"

I pulled out my wand and chanted inventory revelare tabernus.

The boots materialised in my hand. They were black made out of a fake leather material. They had a slight heel to them, when I saw them in London I knew immediately that they were Luna's style. Painted all over them was an array of flowers, including one larger decoration. It was a delicate snowdrop, one of her favourites.

She gasped as I handed them to her.

"I knew you hadn't had the chance to buy heels yet and I thought this would be a good start. It's easier to practice on a wider heel first so you don't fall. Check the inside of the ankle by the way." I chewed on my lip, nervous for her reaction.

She peeked inside the right shoe and I studied her face as she took in the words.

"Follow your heart and you will never get lost" she whispered, her eyes running across the lines a few times.

When it seemed to have sunk in she looked at me and I could see the tears brimming as she held the shoes delicately. "This may be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me Lila, thank you."

I smiled at her, relieved she approved of my creation. "You're welcome, and if you want to go shopping anytime then I'm happy to come with you, just incase you get nervous or something" I stuttered, not sure if it was the right thing to say. I'd never known anyone who was transgender, but I tried to think of what it might feel like to be in her position, to be experiencing everything as the opposite gender for the first time.

She nodded at me and I could feel the exchange of gratitude between us. That was what I liked most about Luna, you didn't always need words to understand her.

We sat in peaceful silence for a few minutes before I spoke up again, "what are you reading anyway?"

She handed me the book she'd been holding, it was titled Floralia's Guide to Forest Herbology.

"I've been trying to identify the flora and fauna of the forest for Sprout's class, but I'm not getting very far. It's pretty difficult."

I nodded in understanding as a thought struck me. "Actually, I think there's someone perfect who could help. You know Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor? Last year he got really into Herbology. I'm sure he'd be happy to assist you."

She grinned at me, suddenly excited by the prospect of a study buddy.

"That's a great idea, I'll go find him now!" She rose from the log before I could reply and started running further into the forest, her long blonde hair fluttering in the wind.

Before she disappeared entirely, she turned around to me and raised the boots in the air. She mouthed thank you one last time before she ran off, disappearing between the trees.

I smiled to myself, relieved that I could be of some use to girl. I took one last look around the peaceful woodland before standing up and brushing moss from my hands as I wandered back to the cove.