Things Unsaid

I knew what they thought of her, what they called her. At first I just agreed, an occasional nod here and there. I didn't really know her, and to be honest, I didn't really care. She was a Ravenclaw, I was a Gryffindor - it wasn't like we'd become the best of friends.

Sometimes I'd see her wandering the corridors, all alone, her head in the clouds. She always had a secret smile on her face, like she was having a private conversation in her head in which no one else was allowed to share.

Come to think of it, that's probably pretty close to the truth.

After a while, I started to watch her. Soon I started to notice that she wasn't as "weird" or "loony" as everyone thought she was. She was interesting, intriguing. True, she often lived in a world of her own, but why was that so bad? Why did we have to reject her just because we didn't understand her?

I'm ashamed to admit it, but it took me two years to recognize any of this. However, once I did see it, I made it my mission to become her friend. I wanted to understand her. I wanted to share in the freedom she seemed to enjoy.

Freedom from worry. Freedom from insecurity. Freedom from what others think.

That's what Luna had, and that's what I wanted.

Maybe it was selfish, but that's really how I felt. I had always lived in the long-reaching shadows of my brothers. I had always struggled with finding my own identity, but I was afraid to step out, afraid of what would happen if I came out of my shell.

Luna was the only person I knew who wasn't afraid to be who she really was, and I craved that more than anything else.

We had Transfiguration together our third year. I was determined to befriend her, but on the day we got our term project, she beat me to it.

"Would you like to be my partner for the project?" she asked, her eyes wide.

I grinned and thanked my lucky stars. "Sure."

That was the day that I became friends with Luna Lovegood.

We couldn't spend a lot of time together since we were in different houses, but it was nice to know that I had a friend anytime I needed her. I knew that I could talk to her about anything - Merlin, I've lost count of the times I cried on her shoulder about Harry and how he would never love me... I know how pathetic it was, but Luna never made me feel that way. She would just pat my shoulder and say, "Love is just love, Ginny. You can't control it, but you can make the most of it."

She was right, of course, and eventually her words sunk in. She wasn't just talking about love - she was talking about my life.

I couldn't control it, but I was going to make the most of it.

The more time I spent with Luna, the easier it was to be myself. I laughed more easily now that I was unafraid of being seen as a silly little girl. I teased my friends without fear that they would tease me back. I spoke my mind, completely free of my insecurities.

It was her gift to me.

The night we fought in the Department of Mysteries, I took that gift with me. I wasn't afraid of what would come - I now knew my own strength. I knew that I really was brave and powerful in my own right. I didn't have to find my identity in my family - I had found it in myself.

Thank you, Luna. Thank you for showing me who I really am.