Author's Note: This is written for the Write All the Ships Challenge. Enjoy!
Lavender had a letter to deliver to her parents, and she desperately wanted their response, for the letter was about Dolores Jane Umbridge, who had put her favorite teacher, Professor Trelawney, on probation. The Gryffindor fifth-year wanted her parents', particularly her mother's, advice on trying to get Trelawney off probation, though she knew that she would likely not have much of an effect. However, Sybill Trelawney was Lavender's favorite teacher, so Lavender would do as much as she possibly could.
She rushed up to the Owlery, not paying attention to her surroundings. She had already searched through the owls, trying to determine which ones belonged to students and which were the property of the school, and selected one of the school owls to borrow when she heard a voice behind her.
"Hello, Lavender." Lavender froze. She would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Luna Lovegood, a fourth-year Ravenclaw, who Lavender always seemed to be shy around. You do not like her, Lavender told herself firmly. You are a girl. Girls do not have feelings for other girls. They have feelings for boys and boys only. Besides, that's Loony Lovegood. Everyone makes fun of her.
"Um – hi, Luna." Lavender turned a brilliant shade of pink. "Er – how – how long have you been here?"
"I've been here since six."
Lavender was puzzled. Three hours in the Owlery? Luna must have sensed the other girl's puzzlement, for she explained further:
"Blibbering Humdingers like owls. I was waiting for one to come in. You seem in a hurry," she remarked.
"Oh, yes, I – I have a letter. For – my parents. It's just – Umbridge has been so – cruel lately. Putting Trelawney on probation!"
"I feel sorry for Professor Umbridge. Something horrible must have happened to her to make her so unpleasant. Perhaps a Crumple-Horned Snorkack attacked her family. They are docile, normally, but when provoked, they can cause great damage. I hope she starts being nicer to people." Luna looked slightly sad in pity for Umbridge.
Lavender had never thought of Umbridge's meanness in this way before. "Maybe you're right. Er – what's a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" she asked, confused.
"Oh, well, I'm not sure what one looks like, exactly, but I know that their horn is swirly and they live in the wild. I've never seen one, but Daddy knows they exist, and there have been loads of sightings. It was nice of you to ask," Luna added happily. "Most people don't care. They don't believe in anything they haven't seen. I wish they were more trusting." She looked saddened again.
"I – I care!" Lavender blurted unexpextedly. WHAT? Lavender didn't care, couldn't care! This was the Loony Lovegood. Nobody cared about her. She was the weirdo, the outcast, the odd one out.
"That's very kind of you. I care, too."
"You – what?" Lavender exclaimed, shocked. "Sorry." She apologized quickly, hoping she hadn't offended Luna.
"No, it's fine. It's okay to be surprised. Surprises can be fun." And with that, she kissed Lavender.
It was a gentle, beautiful, blissful kiss. Lavender was tentative at first, then truly let herself relax and enjoy, to appreciate that Luna loved her back. They pulled apart gently. Luna smiled.
"Thank you," said Luna simply.
Lavender was silent. She crumpled her letter and shoved it deep into the left pocket of her robes, deciding not to deliver it. The owl, seeing this, flew off to the other side of the room. She had gotten all the advice she needed from Luna. Pity Umbridge, however inexplicably cruelly she might behave, for one cannot make assumptions about her past.
Luna said nothing more; she continued to stare out of a window, watching for Blibbering Humdingers, Lavender supposed, whatever those were. Lavender slowly walked out of the Owlery, then turned back.
"I – I love you, Luna."
Luna beamed.
Lavender walked towards the Gryffindor tower, still slightly in shock. Outside of the portrait, she paused and shook her head to try and rid herself of thoughts of Luna Lovegood, but they remained stubbornly put. Ah, well.
She said the password and climbed through the portrait hole.
"What took you so long?" Parvati Patil, her best friend, demanded the moment Lavender set foot in the common room. "I thought you were just delivering a letter."
Lavender thought fast. "I was – stopped by Umbridge."
Parvati seemed to accept this. "Oh, okay. She's awful, isn't she?"
Lavender hesitated, then decided she couldn't give any clue that she had changed a bit. "Yes, she's simply horrid."
They went on to discuss Charms homework, Professor Grubbly-Plank, and other trivial things of the sort. All the while, Lavender felt a fire burning inside her, kindled by her love for Luna Lovegood.
Meanwhile, Luna was still in the Owlery. She hadn't been very surprised at Lavender, for Luna had suspected the other girl's true feelings for a while, but she was thrilled nonetheless. Lavender loved her, she loved Lavender. It was as if it were a fairytale.