It was a beautiful day in early October when I got the news. I spent the Saturday afternoon in the library with Luna, Parvarti, and Neville Longbottom, reading Transfiguration Today. There was a story inside about a young witch who had tried to transfigure herself into a pegacorn and, because it was done improperly, she remained permanently stuck as the horse. I had to reread it to believe it. None of us really said anything for a while until I saw Neville staring at my wand like it was a big, hairy tarantula. It was on top of the table next to Luna's stack of the Quibbler, glowing and vibrating.

"Fay!" Neville gasped a little too loudly, "You-...you've been chosen!"

"For what? For what?" I panicked.

"Shhh!" The librarian shushed us from her desk.

"But, ma'am," Neville stood from his chair, announcing to everyone in the library, "She's been chosen for the Clash of Magic!" I slumped down in my chair and folded my arms, no longer panicked, but frustrated.

Of course. Of course I have.

I stared at the floor angrily for a few minutes before Luna waved her hand in front of my face and broke my stare. "You okay?" She giggled.

"...Yeah." I lied.

"Good. So, daddy told me to invite you over for dinner next weekend. Want to come? He's dying to meet you."

"Is he?" I asked.

"Yes. There'll be pudding." She smiled. Xenophilius Lovegood was, or so I had heard, just as bizarre and quirky as his daughter. To many, he was nothing but a fool and a fraud, but I stopped listening to people's opinions a long time ago.

Luna and I took a train from Hogsmeade to Devon that following Friday night to Ottery St. Catchpole, a little town where she and her father lived. During the ride, she and I discussed what had happened between us in the room of requirement. Quite bluntly, Luna told me that she liked me. A lot. We had so much in common, and enjoyed each other's company more than anyone else's. So, we made it official, deciding to keep it only between ourselves until Luna assured me her father would be more than accepting of it. It was a happy moment, but it was also heart-rending; I had a great deal of feeling for Harry Potter as well.

Luna's house was black with a strange cylindrical shape, kind of like a chess rook, and sat on top of a hill with a stream at the base of it. In the garden was a variety of odd-looking plants and flowers, and a little owl was perched on a tree branch. The closer we got to the house, the delicious scent of crab apples and Dirigible plums became stronger. Luna took my hand and knocked on the front door with an eagle-shaped knocker. A few seconds later, it opened and a man who looked like the male version of Luna emerged. He was a very attractive wizard, but obviously a little...different. His shoulder length platinum blonde hair was like candyfloss, and his blue eyes sparkled just like Luna's. He wore a beige, stringy jacket, matching pants, and brown flats. His necklace bore the symbol of the deathly hallows which included the elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the cloak of invisibility. If he weren't a wizard, I would've thought he was some sort of hippie.

"Luna, my darling!" He swept his daughter off the floor and twirled her around in a hug. I couldn't imagine her weighing anything over 7.5 stone.

She giggled, "Daddy, this is Fay Woodcroft."

Her dad shook my hand, "Oh, I know who you are. Xenophilius Lovegood. I've heard a lot about you, Miss Woodcroft. Come inside." He stepped aside and let us in. We followed him into the kitchen. I was overwhelmed by the amount of colour in the room; everything including the stove and sinks were painted brightly with flowers, birds, and insects. Luckily, because it filled the room with its pungency, whatever Mr. Lovegood was cooking smelled amazing.

"Come on." Luna took my hand and led me up a spiral staircase that led to her room. The carpet was blue, the walls were white, and the ceiling was painted with breathtaking pictures of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville with the word 'friends' written in golden ink. Scattered on the floor were art supplies like paintbrushes and bottles of paint. Luna grinned, excitedly, "Grab a brush. Let's get to work."

In a little less than two hours, Luna and I created something beautiful, a painting on the once blank wall facing her bed of her and me holding hands. Written above it in the same gold ink was 'amare', the Latin word for 'love' I had learned in the Frog Choir. Luna smiled up at it, as did I. I'd never felt this way before, especially about another girl, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. Her father called us down for dinner soon after. He had baked a steak and kidney pie, a favourite of mine, Dragon tartare, brussell sprouts, and Yorkshire puddings. To drink, we had pumpkin juice. As we ate, we talked about the Quibbler, and our strange beliefs. "I'm telling you, Rufus Scrimgeour is a vampire!" Mr. Lovegood told us repeatedly. Near the end of the meal, Luna brought up our new-found relationship. I looked down, unable to make eye contact with Mr. Lovegood. "Daddy, Fay and I have something to tell you." She smiled confidently.

"Oh?" Her father popped a sprout in his mouth.

Here we go...

"We're in love." She announced without hesitation. Her father was silent for a moment, but a grin slowly spread across his face. It wasn't what I was expecting at all.

"That's wonderful, pumpkin."

Well, he's taking this remarkably well…

"I read your front page article in the Daily Prophet a while ago."

"We want to go to the Warlocks' Prom together...but, of course, that's impossible..." Luna sighed. I had to agree, it was pretty shitty that same-sex couples weren't allowed. Her father looked across the room, his finger against his mouth as he thought. "...Maybe it isn't..."

"Hm?"

"...Cross-gender transfiguration…" I looked at Luna's father like he had grown two heads. "You two can go to the prom...if you use cross-gender transfiguration."

"Ready, my angel?" Next thing I knew, we were in the living room and Mr. Lovegood had his spiraled wand pointed at his daughter, who remained as calm as ever, while I, of course, was biting at my fingers. There were books and papers scattered everywhere, and on top of a desk was a printing press with newly printed out copies of the Quibbler surrounding it that I was incredibly tempted to steal.

"Yes, Daddy. I'm ready." Luna nodded. In the blink of an eye and the flick of a wand, Luna's waist long blonde hair shortened until it stopped at her chin, her jaw widened, her eyebrows lowered and lost their arched shape, and she grew about seven inches taller. As for her clothes, her purple flowered dress vanished and turned into an everyday Hogwarts uniform for boys. It was as if a younger version of her father had appeared. My mouth dropped open and nearly hit the floor.

"Well, hello, son." Mr. Lovegood laughed in disbelief. "How handsome you look."

Luna felt her new face, "...It…It worked?...How do I look?" Her squeaky voice had dropped to a low pitch.

"See for yourself." I passed her a mirror from on top of Mr. Lovegood's desk. Luna put her hand over her mouth as she stared into the mirror at her new reflection.

She grabbed at her hair and felt her face again, "I-...I can't believe it...It's like...I'm looking at myself...but there's a different person looking back…"

"Use this spell for the prom, and no one will suspect a thing." Mr. Lovegood assured us.