Stardust

“They’re back.”

The faraway sound of her voice was enough to make him open his eyes. From what he could tell, it was nighttime. How long had he been asleep? Ron looked over toward the window where moonlight cascaded through the glass. She was perched in the corner of the window seat, looking ever so small and delicate. Ron felt a slight blush rise into his face, as though he had invaded some sort of secret place that she alone was allowed to visit.

“Who’s back?” he asked quietly while rising out of the bed and making his way over to her. He knelt by her side. Luna turned to face him, her eyes bright.

“The stars,” she responded, beaming. Ron smiled in return, though he was rather confused.

“What do you mean? The stars hadn’t gone anywhere,” he asked softly. Luna’s smile faltered, and she turned her head back toward the window. Ron felt a pang in his heart.

“Not that they couldn’t have gone anywhere,” he tried, “I just meant that-“

“I know what you meant, Ronald. I suppose I should be more specific,” Luna responded, her smile back. Ron felt himself sigh slightly with relief.

“What I meant,” Luna continued, “Is that the war has been over for a year, and just now are the stars starting to shine as brightly as they did before it had begun.”

She turned her gaze back to the sky while Ron sat in silence. The war was never an easy thing to think about, for any of them. Yes, a great evil had been defeated, but all of the strife and bloodshed hadn’t made it easy for survivors to move on. Ron rarely thought about what had happened. In fact, he instinctively tried to avoid it. But he knew he couldn’t run forever. He looked back up at Luna, seemingly so fragile. Then, it occurred to Ron that she wasn’t fragile at all. She had lived through the horrors just as he had, and she had her own losses. The only difference between them was that Luna allowed herself to continue to dream. She knew that the goodbyes of this earth weren’t forever, and that, despite how tragic it all may seem, beauty and magic can always be found. Ron felt himself smile. He cupped Luna’s cheek, turning her to him. He pulled her into a gentle kiss, and he felt her smile. They both looked up through the glass at the night sky.

“You, know Luna, I hadn’t noticed that the stars hadn’t been shining as brightly,” Ron said.

“Why do you think that is?” she responded. Ron grinned.

“Because they are always radiant when I’m with you.”