“From the Diary of Penelope Clearwater”

This is a work of fan fiction based on the world of Harry Potter, copyright J.K. Rowling. Here is a very short story involving a lake, the moon, and a thousand tiny stars. The tale of how Miss Penelope and Mr Percy Weasley first fell in love. Originally published under the name “M. Broom” and winner in the romance category for the HP Writers’ Guild FanFiction Tournament.

It was after sunset and I was just beginning to get chilly. The moon had already risen to cast its eerie, pale glow over the world. The lake was absolutely still. There were a million stars in the sky and I was in heaven. I had been lying there lazily for at least twenty minutes when the moon was eclipsed by a shadowy figure. I started, but realized that it was only Percy. Ha. Only Percy.

“What are you doing out so late?” he asked.

I wondered if it was Percy asking or the Prefect in him. I mumbled something about studying the moon and Professor Trelawney, while brushing the grass and twigs from my clothing. Then, unexpectedly, he sat down beside me. Imagine Percy, the Prefect, sneaking out of Hogwarts in the middle of the night to sit under the moon with a girl. Outrageous. No one would have ever believed it.

He pointed out the Milky Way, as if it wasn’t obvious to the one who had been lying there for almost a half an hour. He did it to annoy me. I hate that. Ok, so maybe I don’t hate it…I guess it’s kind of cute…in and annoying sort of way. For the last few months, we’d been sitting next to each other in almost every class. He’d always wait until I was just about to finish the problem, and then he’d lean over and whisper the answer in my ear. In retaliation, I’d scribble spelling and grammar corrections on his notes. Sometimes he’d laugh. Sometimes he would gaze at me with an odd sort of look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite guess at.

Smiling slightly, I turned to him. “If you’re so Prefect, why do you annoy me so much?” Percy hates puns. He told me so.

“I hate puns.” Then he asked me again, “What are you doing out here?”

I couldn’t help but smile. Getting up, I walked a few feet further down to the lake. I wasn’t sure he would follow me, but I wasn’t sure I cared. O.k., so I cared…but I didn’t want him to know that. The truth was I was out there because of him. I liked him. I liked him a lot and I realized that he probably thought I was dim-witted and annoying and that he probably has no interest in dim-witted, annoying girls.

After coming to that realization, I couldn’t sleep. So, I had journeyed down to the lake to think…and perhaps in hope that a giant squid would reach out and gobble me up, ending my misery. I saw Percy’s shadow slip up behind mine. He uhmmed and then sighed. I huffed and folded my arms into my “not cooperating” pose. He was going to ask me what was wrong. Either I would tell him and he would just laugh and walk away, or I would say “nothing” and we would go on annoying each other. I just knew that any second now he was going to say-

“You look cold.”

He put his arms around me. He’d never… My heart jumped. It all felt like a cheesy romance novel – not that I read those things. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next so I just stared down at his arms, all wrapped around mine. I had never really looked at his hands before. His fingernails were neatly clipped, just above the quick, and his fingers had soft, worn-in, pink spots from where his quill sits when he writes. His hands looked so relaxed and I suddenly realized how tense my body was. I forced my shoulders to lower and my arms to loosen but my heart was still pounding.

It felt like we had been standing there forever, not moving, when he finally spoke.

“Penelope, I fancy you.”

I had to laugh. Who says ‘fancy’ other than Percy?

“Please don’t laugh.” And I stopped, but he let go of me anyway and it was suddenly very cold.

“Oh, Percy, I’m sorry.” I turned around and took his arm before he could walk away. “I wasn’t laughing at…” He looked at me and I saw that I had truly hurt his feelings. He didn’t hold my gaze for long.

“I should get back up to the Common Room. It’s late.” He pushed past me. I felt horrible. I liked him. I hadn’t meant to hurt him.

“Percy, wait.” He didn’t. I ran and blocked his path. The moon was behind me. It illuminated his face, showing the tears that threatened the corners of his eyes. “Oh, no. Percy- I just-” I stumbled and laughed nervously, desperately. Again, he moved to get past me but I persisted. Deep breath.

I looked in his eyes – forced him to look back – and took his hand. “I…uhmm…I fancy you too, Percy.”

He wiped his face with his free hand. “You must think I’m a complete fool.”

I squeezed his hand. “Of course I don’t.” Then, as if realizing what was happening, we both blushed and looked away. I felt my pulse race again. What was I supposed to do? I really liked him. Quite a bit. I just wasn’t sure how to take the next-

He broke off my train of thought when he took my hand again. He looked in my eyes and I felt like I was going to melt. I thought for a moment that he was going to kiss me, wondered if I was ready.

Then, he sat down on the soft grass and patted the ground beside him. He leaned in close to me and put his big, sweatered arm out invitingly. I sensed that he still had something to say. “Percy?”

“Penelope, are we… Well, what just…” His other hand was moving nervously, picking the grass off in little bits. I put my hand over his and leaned back into the crook of his arm. This felt right. It felt comfortable.

I looked up at him and smiled. “Are you going to let me answer that one?”