In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter LXIV: What Do You Know About Love?

With miles and miles to go
I guess it's nice to know
That I can trust you
Though the question still remains
What do you know about love?

"What Do You Know About Love?"
Jelani Alladin and Patti Murin

LUCY:

On Friday night, I was in the common room reading the copy of The Quibbler Luna had given me that day after dinner when it was suddenly yanked from my hands and promptly disappeared.

"Bloody hell, Harry!"

I jumped up from the chair and lunged in the direction I thought he was. Surely enough, I grabbed invisible fabric, and when I pulled, Harry became visible again bit by bit, clutching the egg and the Marauder's Map in one hand and the magazine in his other.

He pouted. "How'd you know it was me? And wait, how did you know where I was?"

"Lucky guess," I replied with a smirk. I held out my hand. "Give that back, it's my entertainment while you're off taking a your special Cedric-endorsed bubble bath."

He tossed the magazine back at me with no small degree of sass. "Now you've made it weird."

"My brother told me, and I quote, 'Tell him to take a bath, take the egg with him, and mull things over in the hot water. Oh, and tell him the password to the prefect's bathroom is pine fresh.' So really, it's Cedric who made it weird by not telling you exactly what to do in the first place, but he's a Hufflepuff and thought that would be unfair to Viktor and Fleur, so he gave you a hint instead. Besides," I bit back a laugh, "something tells me Fleur would probably have gotten the wrong idea if Cedric told her to take a bath."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, probably. Well, I understand that, but where did you get the idea I would take a bubble bath?"

"Henry told me a few days later that Cedric had mentioned something to him about Myrtle. Trust me, you'll be glad for the bubbles."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

I held my hands up in surrender. "I wish I was! I have to deal with enough living girls wishing they were taking a bath with my brother. Trust me, I was no happier to find out about that detail than you are right now."

"I mean, fair enough. But still, you're not the one about to take a bath with Myrtle! I mean, no, not with- wait, that came out wrong-" His face burned bright red. "What I meant was-"

Whatever he tried to say was drowned out by my laughter. "Look, you're the one blushing for once."

He grinned and tossed his Invisibility Cloak over his head. "Prove it."

I rolled my eyes, grinning back. "I hate you."

"No you don't."

"You're right, I don't. Now go, before I change my mind. Your ghostly gawking girlfriend awaits." I tucked my hair behind my ear and said in my best Myrtle impression, "'If you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet.'"

An invisible force poked my forehead, pushing me back down onto the couch. I complied and laughed. "Have fun."

"Yeah," he replied sarcastically. I could tell it was taking him every ounce of willpower not to laugh. "You too."

I watched the portrait hole swing open then shut again, and curled up with my magazine.

The Daily Prophet still hadn't said anything about the new legislation. Hermione and I both found it incredibly strange, and we still searched each newspaper for anything we could find, but there was nothing. The silence was almost worse... almost.