The moonlight was clear, and the lake shimmered.
The oars parted the waves, setting the sea of clouds rolling.
The starlight and moonlight were bright and crisp tonight, making the Black Lake seem exceptionally clear and luminous.
Hermione sat in the narrow wooden boat as ripples spread around her, the water filled with drifting, swaying silvery light. Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest had both settled into the stillness of night. A hazy mist rose from the lake, silver radiance fell across the ground, and the whole world seemed draped in a thin veil, airy and distant, as though it had left the mortal realm behind.
When they first arrived at Hogwarts seven years ago, they had crossed the Black Lake by boat just like this. She could no longer remember whether the moonlight that night had been as clear as it was tonight.
Time seemed compressed and folded. What lay before her was the present, while what filled her mind was the past, leaving her in a constant daze.
"Splash..."
The oar swept through the water, stirring up a crisp wash of waves. Loren's familiar voice came from beside her. "What are you thinking about?"
"A little nostalgic..."
Hermione withdrew her faraway gaze and turned to look at him.
Under the faint moonlight and reflected glow of the lake, his features were handsome. He had a citrus-flavored lollipop between his teeth and watched the water with interest, looking as he always did, as though he found every ripple fascinating.
He was always like this. They had already returned late from Hogsmeade, but the moonlight was lovely tonight, and on a whim, he had dragged her out onto the Black Lake. There was no set route and no plan whatsoever. He had simply plucked a few leaves and turned them into