From a very young age, I believed in karma. Do good things, and good things will happen. I was convinced that the universe balanced out. I met a man when I was fifteen. He was in Gryffindor and I was in Ravenclaw. Two years later, we were madly in love. It was the kind of love you read about in story books as a child. It was too good to be true. I married him, and we were happy together.

I continued my education. Turns out I had a passion for law enforcement. I now realize I was simply trying to help the universe by catching the wrong-doers. But one day, the bad guy caught me. My husband was murdered just outside our home, right in the street. I waited up for hours for him to come home. I had no idea I just had to look out the window.

That was when I lost my faith in karma. What had I done? I was a good person. I never wanted to be rich or beautiful. I wanted to help the unfair victims of the world. Now I was the victim. My life was ruined, and I stopped caring. I went nine years without sleeping in a bed. I was angry at the world because I felt I was being punished for something I didn't do.

Just when I believed there was no reason for my pathetic life, my eyes were opened. I met someone just as lost as I was. The difference was, he didn't know just how alone he really was. He convinced himself he was happy living his life with no one appreciating who he was or what he did. I knew my mission now.

It wasn't love at first sight, I promise. But he was my motivation to get up in the mornings. I created excuses to see him, to talk to him. I knew the universe was on my side again when we met so many times by mistake. I had to show him that there was a big, wide, world out there that he was missing. This task would prove to be harder than I thought. How do you convince someone that they're living an illusion?

I didn't mean to fall in love with him. But I did. I fell hard. On one hand, our closeness helped me to get him out of his shell. On the other, I was certain my feelings for him were not returned. I didn't care that I was a Pureblood and he was a Muggle-born. I didn't care that the shop where he worked smelled of various pickled creatures. I didn't care that his boss hated me. None of it mattered. I was determined to help him. I was scared. It wasn't the sort of 'help' I was used to giving. And it was definitely not the sort of help he was used to receiving.

Just when I thought I had failed, when all was lost, I tried one last time. This time, I spilled everything. I told him that I had thought about him every day since we met. I told him that I had fallen in love with him. That it made me sad to see him so alone, with no one he could really confide in. I told him he was my best friend-- He was a good person, who deserved much more than he got. I told him everything.

And, miraculously, he finally understood. He finally saw what I was trying to do for him, even if I didn't fully understand at this point. My faith in the universe was restored the moment he told me he loved me, too. I learned that day that nothing is ever taken from you unless you have the chance to win it back. I thought my life was over. But, it turns out, I was just waiting for my opportunity to help someone, and, in turn, help myself.