"She was quite an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment...and one day, one of her spells went badly wrong. I was nine."
A week later, they were still sorting through her mother's old things. Luna's father was off at work, so she took it upon herself to arrange her mother's desk.
Surrounded by her mother's old papers and notes, she began digging through the final drawer. She drew back as she felt her hand touch something that wasn't paper. Gazing down into the wooden box she saw that only two things remained; a butter beer cork and a piece of parchment ornately decorated with gold thread. Luna recognized her mother's loopy handwriting.
Luna picked up the cork and felt it squish between her fingers. There was only one reason her mother would keep something as simple as this; it must have been a charm.
The cork rested on her lap as she reached in for the paper.
'To my dearest Luna'
Luna's breath caught in her throat. This letter was addressed to her. These words were written by her mother's own hand, for her. But why hadn't she seen this before? It must have been important. Taking a deep breath, Luna started to read.
To my dearest Luna,
I am writing to you on the day of your 7th birthday. I am so proud of the beautiful girl you are becoming. And I know that by the time you read this, you will have blossomed into an even more beautiful woman than your father and I could ever have imagined.
The fact that you are reading this letter means that you are reaching a pivotal point in your life. Tomorrow night you will graduate from Hogwarts. Your father and I will arrive tomorrow to see you through this momentous occasion. But for now, I want you to have this butter beer cork.
This cork has been my good luck charm since I was 19 years old. On October 15 I opened a bottle of butter beer at The Three Broomsticks. I met your father that day. I've carried this cork with me ever since; my first real date with your father, our wedding and most importantly, your birth.
I want you to have this cork. I hope that it will bring you the same good fortune it brought me. When you hold this cork, I hope you remember that you always have a part of my heart with you. No matter how far you travel, as long as you carry this you will have a part of me.
All the love in the world,
Your Mother
Luna clutched the cork tightly in her fist as tears began pouring down her cheeks. Her mother had left this to her. This cork had been her mother's, and her mother had left it to her.
She knew exactly what she was going to do. Reaching into her pocket she dug out a piece of string out of her pocket. She strung it through the cork and tied it around her neck. The cork lay at the center of her chest.
Now her mother would always be by her heart.