In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter CXLIX: Maybe the Soul

LUCY:

I was just about to crawl between the covers when there was a faint tap at the window closest to my bed.

"Secret admirer, Lucy?" Lavender asked.

I snorted. "Yeah," I replied sarcastically, "I'm sure it's from Maxence." I glanced at my calendar as I walked over to the window. "Oh, well, that's interesting! It's been exactly nine months since that fiasco. Maybe this is a formal apology."

Parvati and Lavender laughed, and Hermione probably would have laughed if she had been paying attention. Her nose was buried in a book about the witch hunts of the fourteenth century that night; the night before, it had been a book about the historical uses of wormwood, and the night before that, it had been a book about the inventor of Skele-Gro, and the night before that, it had been about the founding of Azkaban. I wasn't sure how much of that information would actually be on our O.W.L. exams, but every time Ron asked why she was reading so many extra books (Harry and I knew better than to ask Hermione questions about her study habits at that point) she merely muttered something about it being better to be overprepared than underprepared without looking up from the page. I had been preparing for my O.W.L.s too, with every moment spent not preparing for the D.A. in the common room with Harry or learning how to best use Bludgers to my advantage on the Pitch with George and Fred and Ginny. But those moments were few and far between, so I was nowhere near as prepared as Hermione. I made a mental note to start following her lead and studying when she did, as much as I could. I hoped to compensate for my lost study time while I was alone at Hogwarts for Christmas, too.

The tapping at the window was not a secret admirer, but an owl. It dropped a thick envelope into my hands before taking off into the night.

"Is it from Maxence?" Parvati asked jokingly.

"Er, no," I replied. I recognized the handwriting instantly. Brandon and Jessica had replied.

"George?" Lavender guessed.

I blinked and glanced up, momentarily distracted from the pinch of grief in my chest. "George? Where did George come from?"

"You have been spending a lot of time with him," Parvati said with a shrug.

"Yeah, learning how to play Beater," I replied slowly. "With Fred and Ginny, too."

Lavender giggled. "You mean to tell me you've been spending hours upon hours with the Weasleys since first year and haven't fallen in love with a single one? They're all so fit!"

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" I asked as I climbed into bed, setting the envelope on my nightstand to read once this conversation was over.

"For now," she replied. She wrinkled her nose. "Seamus isn't terribly romantic. I want romance."

"I want someone who will tuck a flower behind my ear and kiss me on the forehead at the same time," Parvati sighed as she flopped backwards onto her bed. "And someone who will kiss me in the rain and run through meadows under summer skies."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I want!" Lavender said. She flopped down next to Parvati and gestured wildly with her arms. "Someone who will listen to me talk about Divination and make predictions while we stargaze after our midnight picnic."

Both girls sighed in unison, and all three of us started laughing.

"That sounds great," I said, "but good luck finding any boys here who think that way. Fred and Angelina's anniversary is coming up right after Christmas break, and the sheer number of ideas Ginny and I have had to shoot down..."

"Ooh, like what?" Parvati asked, sitting up.

"Well, you know how the twins are with Dungbombs."