Bulla Aurea Puerorum

Jupiter's Moons

Jupiter's Moons

I woke up much later, my head tucked in toward my bent legs, curled into a ball under my quilt. I could feel the stickiness of dried tears covering my cheeks, and wiped my eyes on my shirt sleeve. I was fully clothed still, my jeans now uncomfortable.
Sniffling, I kicked the hot blanket off of me and swung my feet off the bed. But as I slid myself off the bed, my feet landed on something squishy that yelped instead of the hardwood floor.

"Lucy!" I exclaimed when my eyes adjusted to the light conditions.

"Shh!" She said, gesturing towards the other 2 beds in our dorm, where our dorm mates, Anna Achlys (who, I just now realized, was probably Argo's sister) and Lorraine Evans, lay asleep.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her, watching as she sat up from her makeshift blanket bed.

"Well I WAS sleeping, until you stepped on me." She grumbled. "Anyway, I was tired. And I didn't want to go all the way to my bed."

Her words were slightly slurred still, and I gaped at her.

"The two feet, to your bed??"

"Yes."

"Good lord, you've had too much to drink."

She just shook her head, and sank back down onto the pillow.

"Whatever, Lucy. It's your back." I shrugged.

She responded with a deep snort and a rude gesture.

Shaking my head, I moved to change into my night clothes, pulling the oversized gray cotton t-shirt over my head. I'd stolen it from Eddie last year at Christmas, when I'd watched his Quidditch practice and got soaked. It was just so bloody comfortable.

He didn't seem to mind either, as he'd never asked for it back. 

I climbed back into the warm sheets and fell asleep quickly, the watch on my nightstand reading 2 o'clock.

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The weeks of September went by uneventfully, October coming quickly with a deep frost that covered the grounds and chilled our bones. I spent many hours attending Eddie's quidditch practices, walking with him there and back soon becoming one of the highlights of my week. He gave me his jumper to wear as I watched, "To keep it warm," in his words, and because I had a notable deficiency of warm jumpers. Watching Quidditch was one of my favourite things, especially when Eddie played. I felt like I was watching a national player when he executed saves that looked as if they were defying Newton's Laws. He was Hufflepuff's best player, and I wasn't sure what they would do when our famed Keeper graduated. 

With Quidditch and everything else, classes moved as quickly as ever, the subjects being as interesting as always. So far this year, I'd been particularly enjoying potions and astronomy. I was probably one of the only Hufflepuffs who did. Slughorn idolized Eddie because of his skills as a Keeper, (hasn't let a Quaffle in since 1996, thank you very much.) but not so much for his potions skills. I distinctly remember Eddie's last project turning his cauldron into a melted lump of silver. It was good that he partnered with one of his bunk mates, Henry Fleece, who was distinctly more talented than him. Luckily, Eddie had a knack for astronomy, and he and Lucy always succeeded on those late nights.

And it was a bonus that the Gryffindor sixth years shared those blocks with us... I got an hour and fifteen every day to spend with Ginny, in potions one day and astronomy the next. I treasured it.

It was there, in astronomy, one particularly cold Wednesday in the middle of October, that it happened.

I was working on a detailed chart of the moons of Jupiter, Lucy and Eddie just to my left, bickering over who's turn it was to look through the telescope. Ginny sat to my right, her brilliant hair pooling around her shoulders as she bent down to look through her textbook. We worked quietly in astronomy, just enjoying each others company. Usually the only sounds came from the other Hufflepuff girls, Anna and Lorraine, who frequently took to giggling about that or the other, and Lucy and Eddie. 

I rolled my eyes as Eddie whisper yelled "Luce!" after she ripped the telescope out of his hands. Shaking my head, I returned to inking in Pasiphae, having just finished marking done Carme. I rubbed my hands together for a moment, the cold getting to me up in that highest tower.

I stopped examining my chart for a moment, looking over to where Ginny sat. On her left hand, she always wore a simple silver ring on her middle finger, and it glistened in the moonlight, reflecting off her perfectly smooth, pale, freckled hands. 

Bringing my eyes up to her face, I saw her brilliant brown eyes reflecting the cluster of stars around Aries as she peered upwards into infinity. 

My breathing hitched in my throat. My heart plummeted into my stomach, lightning erupting out of it. I suddenly had the urge to cry as my eyes flitted over her face. Her cheekbones, the soft freckles lining them. I wanted to kiss each one. I felt fuzzy brained, my thoughts swimming as my tears blurred the edges of her face.

 Oh merlin, I thought, the lump growing larger in my throat. I'm in love with Ginny Weasley.

My breathing almost stopped when she looked down at her chart just then, her eyelashes fluttering. My heart throbbed at the beauty of that simple movement. How could one person be so perfectly lovely? 

I suddenly felt very aware of my tongue. Aware of how close I was to her. I could reach out and slip my fingers through hers, could rest my head on her shoulder. 

It took several moments before I could overcome the wave of emotion that threatened to drown me.