Three days later, a small ashy blob began floating towards Luna’s home. A few moments later, the image cleared and Luna saw that it was their owl, most definitely carrying something. Luna smiled, but the grin quickly disappeared. What if that owl was bringing nothing but bad news?
That was when her inner turmoil began. She fought with herself as the owl landed on the open windowsill. Pacing back and forth she thought, Should I open it? Should burn it? But eventually curiosity won her over and after feeding the owl a treat, she carefully held the letter in her hand.
As she peeled the raspberry-colored seal and tore the creamy envelope, the suspense was eating Luna up. But yet, at the same time her fingers grew numb as if her body was telling her not to open it. She didn’t want to open it. But she yearned to learn the truth about this possible new-found friendship so much. So, she opened it.
Her fingers fumbled to pull the letter out.
The envelope fell to the ground.
Her hands shook as she pried the parchment open.
Dear Luna,
She gasped and collapsed into a nearby chair. Just seeing those two words made her heart pound. As she read them, his voice played in her head and her heart tightened just at the imagined sound. It had plagued her, that voice, haunted her dreams. It had always been full of anger and hate but was now replaced by a sweet whisper, calloused with rust and grim. But Luna could feel the hope and love just beneath the surface; the dirt was beginning to chip away. And those two words were her deciding factor.
Her breathing slowed to a human rate.
The beat of her heart was not so loud anymore.
Her eyes returned to the page.
I’ve never really thought of myself as a terribly good wizard. I’m a klutz, a weirdo, and worst of all: a coward. I was such a coward that day in the Room of Requirement when you fell. I wanted to help you so badly, but that selfish little bit of me told me not to. I’ve regretted that decision since the moment I made it, Luna. Because Luna, so many people miss the unbelievable good in you, and I didn’t want to have to count myself as one of them. There’s no way you’ll truly ever forgive me, and I know that, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you decide you want it. I won’t back down ever again. I’d love to get to call you my friend.
And thank you for the letter. At first I was too nervous to reply but your owl-uh-pecked some sense into me. Have a nice Christmas Break.
With Regrets,
Neville Longbottom
By now Luna was twirling around the room and laughing with joy.
“I forgive you, Neville!” she cried to the empty room. She then looked sideways at the owl who appeared to be staring back at her, sheepishly. Walking over to him, hands on her hips, she said, “Pecked him, did you?” But instead of a harsh scolding, the owl received few ruffled feathers and a smile. “Good boy!” Luna cooed cheerfully.
Then, she went back to the letter and read it several times over, trying to capture the true depth and meaning of each word. In the end she finally realized something:
She had a friend.