The morning after their kiss, Hallie awoke with the kind of glow that wasn't magical—though if someone had told her her smile was radiating a low-level charm aura, she wouldn't have argued.
She floated through the day.
Quite literally at one point—her accidental levitation during breakfast had startled three first-years and tipped over a pitcher of pumpkin juice.
But she didn't care.
Because she could still feel Luna's lips like the memory of music—soft, strange, and utterly perfect.
That evening, she found a note tucked into the folds of her Transfiguration robe:
Meet me in the Room of Hidden Whispers. Third floor, behind the tapestry of the dancing Doxies. Bring no books. Just you.
—L
She knew better than to question Luna's instructions. At this point, she'd follow her into a Pensieve with no idea what memory they'd land in.
The Room of Hidden Whispers wasn't marked on any map. Luna said it was a cousin to the Room of Requirement—one that showed up only when someone needed to hear themselves clearly.
Inside, Hallie found Luna standing by a full-length mirror, surrounded by soft glowing lanterns, and—unexpectedly—a low table covered in fabric, jewelry, and enchanted perfume bottles that shimmered with color.
Hallie blinked. "What… is all this?"
Luna turned to her, that quiet, lovely smile lighting her face. "An experiment. Or maybe a celebration."
"I don't follow."
Luna walked over, took both of Hallie's hands in hers. "You've spent so much time learning how to be magical again. But not enough time just… being."
"Being what?"
"A girl. Yourself. The soft, beautiful you that you keep catching in the mirror and not quite believing."
Hallie felt her cheeks heat. "I—Luna, I don't really know how. I only just started feeling like I even belong in this body."
Luna tilted her head, then stepped aside and gestured to the mirror. "Then let's play."
They tried everything.
Floating earrings charmed to shimmer with the light of the moon.
Ribbons that whispered affirmations when tied in your hair.
A silken robe in deep navy blue that adjusted itself to fit exactly right—snug in the waist, loose in the sleeves, swishing just the way Hallie imagined a fairy tale princess might move.
Luna gently coaxed her to try a bit of shimmer across her eyelids—a soft silver. "For starlight," she said.
When Hallie finally turned to the mirror, she froze.
Not out of shock.
Out of recognition.
The girl looking back at her had her mother's red-gold hair, her own thoughtful eyes, and the warmest, most genuine smile she had ever worn.
Luna stepped behind her, resting her chin lightly on Hallie's shoulder. "There you are."
Hallie blinked. "Is this really me?"
Luna squeezed her hand. "It always was."
They curled up on the cushions afterward, Luna braiding Hallie's hair slowly, like it was a ritual.
Hallie spoke softly. "Sometimes I still feel like an impostor. Like the world gave me a second chance and I don't deserve it."
"You don't have to deserve love to receive it," Luna whispered. "You just have to allow it."
Hallie leaned into her. "And… do you love me?"
Luna didn't answer immediately.
She pressed a kiss to Hallie's temple and said, "Let's find out together."
That night, as Hallie removed the shimmer from her eyes and laid her new robe gently over her trunk, she looked into the mirror again.
She smiled.
Not for the first time.
But for the first time like she meant it.
Like she believed it.