Hallie had never flown on a broomstick before.
Sure, she'd read about it. She knew the rules of Quidditch, the types of brooms, the posture, the theory—but when Madam Hooch blew her whistle and barked, "Up!" it wasn't theory that made her Nimbus 2000 leap to her hand like a loyal pet.
It was instinct.
"Wow," Ron muttered, watching her. "That broom wants to be with you."
Hallie mounted it smoothly, her hair catching in the breeze. The moment her feet left the ground, her heart did, too. The castle spread beneath her, the lake shimmering in the morning sun, her robes whipping behind her like wings.
She laughed—full and bright—and for a moment, she forgot everything. She wasn't a reincarnated man or a famous girl or a magical mystery.
She was free.
Later that week, she sat alone in the Ravenclaw library annex, a quiet room with enchanted ivy curling through the rafters. Her legs were tucked under her robes, and her notes on magical theory lay forgotten in her lap.
She wasn't thinking about classes.
She was thinking about Luna.
Not in a whirlwind, storybook kind of way. Not even in the "I have a crush" kind of way. It was... quieter. Slower. The way Luna's presence stayed with her like the scent of lavender. The way her words echoed in her mind long after she left.
"Do you like being a girl?"
Yes. She did.
"You were always meant to be."
That one lingered the most.
Hallie didn't realize how long she'd been staring at the ivy until someone sat beside her. She looked up.
Luna.
"Hi," Hallie said, surprised. "I didn't hear you come in."
"I walk softly," Luna said, setting a small book down. "So I don't disturb the stories."
Hallie smiled. "What are you reading?"
Luna tilted the cover so she could see: The Language of Flowers in Wizarding Courtship.
Hallie's stomach did a curious flutter.
"Oh. Romantic reading?"
"Not exactly." Luna blinked slowly. "I just like how flowers say things people are too shy to say."
They sat in companionable silence for a moment, until Luna reached into her bag and pulled out a tiny violet flower. She tucked it gently behind Hallie's ear.
Hallie froze. "What does that one mean?"
Luna tilted her head. "Shyness. Wonder. Curiosity."
Their eyes met. And something—just a thread, no more—stretched quietly between them. Not heavy. Not rushed. Just real.
Hallie felt her cheeks warm. Her heart beat a little faster. She wasn't sure if this was the beginning of something. She didn't even know if Luna liked girls that way—or if she did.
But she didn't pull the flower out.
That night, Hallie couldn't sleep.
She wandered the common room in slippers, then found herself tiptoeing into the Astronomy Tower under the cover of stars. The sky was velvet and glowing, the wind soft with autumn promise.
Luna was already there, sitting cross-legged on a blanket, her hair illuminated by moonlight.
"I thought you might come," she said simply.
Hallie sat beside her. They didn't speak for a while.
Then, Luna gently offered her hand. Hallie took it.
Not with fireworks.
Not with fanfare.
Just two girls, beneath a sky of magic, quietly learning how to hold something delicate and new.
Something they didn't have words for yet.
But they would.
Eventually.