In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter XXIV: Branch Within My Reach

In this sea of change, understanding is our shore
I disappear with no control
The current is strong, my arms are weak
But you are the branch within my reach
Though I cannot catch my breath

"Currents"
Sleeping At Last

LUCY:

Hermione's birthday in 1992 fell on a Saturday, which meant I tossed and turned the night before, trying to decide if I should wake her up before I left for Quidditch practice to steal a couple quiet moments with her to give her my gift or if I should just wait until after practice and have it be less rushed.

But since I was still awake at midnight, I grabbed the small package out from under my pillow and tucked it into my pajama pants pocket before sliding out of bed.

"Hermione, Hermione, wake up, it's urgent!" I whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Lucy? What's wrong, are you okay?"

"Just follow me," I urged, grabbing her hand and pulling her down to the common room, careful not to wake our roommates up with our commotion. I led her to my favorite window seat and patted the cushion next to me.

She now looked wide awake and worried. "What's the matter? What's going on?"

"It's your birthday!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around her.

"Oh," she said, giggling and blushing ever so slightly. "I suppose it is, yeah."

"I wasn't sure if you'd rather have me wake you up before I left for Quidditch practice or wait until after I got back to give you your gift, but since I realized it was after midnight and therefore technically your birthday..." I drew the small box from my pocket and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Hermione."

She tore the paper off and popped the lid open. She smiled. "It's beautiful," she said in a hushed voice, drawing the silver ring from the box and putting it on. She blinked in surprise as it instantly became half-purple and half-green. "What do the colors mean?"

I lifted my hand to show that the ring on my finger was also half-purple and half-green, purple on the left and green on the right. "I heard that Muggles like to wear rings that change color and call them mood rings. I asked Dean Thomas about them, but he laughed and said they change color because of temperature, not mood. But I enchanted these to match our moods, for real. I'm on the left and you're on the right, since I'm left-handed and you're right-handed, and as long as we wear these, we'll always get to see what the other is feeling."

"Whoa," she said, holding her hand up next to mine. "So you're purple? What's purple?"

"Nervous, I think. I haven't figured all the colors out yet," I admitted. "I haven't personally been able to test the extent of the ring yet, because the magic works best when we're both wearing them. But I think purple is nervous, and green is excited. Does that sound right?"

She nodded, and the entire ring glowed yellow. She gasped. "What's that one?"

"Happiness," I said with a smile. "And I think that the stronger the emotion, the more the ring glows."

"This is the best present ever!" she exclaimed, hugging me tightly. "Thank you, Lucy!"

"Of course," I replied. "I'm so glad you like it. We can head back to bed now, if you'd like. I just wanted to take the time to explain the rings to you, rather than trying to leave a note or letting you think I forgot about your birthday."