Hermione was strolling down Hogsmeade by herself, Valentines Day no less. Though, she was used to this anyway. Her best friends, Harry and Ron, were out with their girlfriends, Ginny, and Luna. And they should be, and she was glad for them, but that didn't stop her heart from mourning every Valentines Day.
To everyone it was a day spent with that special someone, to her it was another day alone. Don't get her wrong, Hermione spent many a day alone, visiting Hogsmeade or in the library, throughout the year. But it was this day that shook the happiness that she got from her solitude. She wasn't alone because she wanted to be, she was alone because no one wanted to be with her. Though, she could not blame her friends; today was a day for couples, and she was not part of one.
Hermione sighed and looked up, glancing at the golden letters on the front window of Honeydukes before opening the door and entering the tiny sweet shop. Even growing up with dentists as parents, Hermione had always had this sweet tooth. She would always come here first on this day to try and ease her heartache with a sugary sweet.
Hermione side-stepped to avoid the enormous stand, displaying a great number of heart-shaped candy, stationed at the front of the store, and made her way to the back of the shop. After a quick search she found her favourite candy, lemon sherbet jelly beans. Hermione smiled bitterly and picked up a bag, and then another. She was feeling slightly more depressed than normal this Valentines Day.
She continued to browse through a few more aisles, absentmindedly reading the candy packages. Sugar Quills, Jelly Slugs, Pink Coconut Ice, Chocolate Frogs, Acid Pops…
Hermione stopped when she came across a package of redvines. She remembered Harry and Ron's pouty rant the other day about not getting to go to Honeydukes till the next trip, which was in the spring, and so, they could not refill their redvine supply. Their girlfriends had given them both stern looks upon hearing their desire to go buy candy rather than spend time with them, especially on Valentines Day.
Hermione chuckled, and picked up a package for them. Even though they were in their seventh year, they were as childish as ever. Hermione was like a mother to them, scolding them when they didn't finish their homework, and comforting and advising them when they fought with their girlfriends. She didn't mind though, she liked knowing that she was important to them and that they needed her.
"I'll just take these please." said Hermione, walking up to the cashier counter and dumping the candy on top.
"Ah Hermione, didn't think I'd be seeing you again." said Elyssa Flume as she started to ring up the candy.
Hermione gave a melancholy laugh. "I'm here every year, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon." She rummaged through her bag till she found her money pouch.
"Oh, don't say that. A pretty thing like you, I bet you'll find someone out there today on those romantic Hogsmeade streets... In fact, I met at the Three Broomsticks. Oh what a magical evening—..." Elyssa chuckled and flashed Hermione a small smile. "It may take a little while, but when you find him the wait will have been worth it."
"I hope so..." Hermione said, her eyes fixed upon the heart-shaped chocolate laid out in the glass cabinet behind the counter.
Elyssa curiously followed her eyes to the chocolate, and smiled. She turned around and slid the glass door aside. Elyssa grabbed a chocolate heart, and then placed it inside the small bag with the rest of Hermione's sweets. "Now you go out and enjoy yourself, alright? I hear Rosmerta has this new minty fresh Butterbeer, I think that you might like it." Elyssa said as she passed Hermione the single bag of goods.
"How much?" asked Hermione, referring to the sweets piled in the bag, as she started to take a few coins out.
"Nothing at all dear, a little gift from me." Elyssa smiled at Hermione.
Hermione opened her mouth to object but closed it with a grateful smile. "Thank you." Hermione put the coins back, and grabbed her bag off the counter.
"Have a good day Hermione...Oh! And Happy Valentines Day." Elyssa said as she waved to Hermione.
"You too... and, err, Happy Valentines Day as well. " Hermione smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. She waved goodbye to the sweet shop owner and rang the door's bell as she stepped out into the cold snowy street again.
Hermione pulled her scarf over her nose as she walked out of the shop. She didn't want to catch a cold; her night wasn't going to be ruined as well.
"Done, done, and done." Hermione lazily checked off all the shops as she walked past. She had gone to almost every single one, even just to browse. Her arms ached from the heavy shopping bags, and her money pouch was as light as a feather. Though, that couldn't be helped. If she didn't shop around Hogsmeade all day, that just meant staying longer in the Three Broomsticks, surrounded by lovesick couples and heart-shaped everything. It was bad enough with the snogging couples every which way, and now the place reeked of Valentine's Day cheer. Though, despite the drawbacks, she had been looking forward to trying the new Butterbeer concoction Rosmerta had invented. Hermione had been hearing recommendations all day from various shop owners. It would be a good way to end her slightly depressing day at Hogsmeade. Now, only if the day could end sooner…
Her fingers were frozen and cramped by the time she got to the Three Broomsticks. She was quickly greeted by Rosmerta with a warm smile. Rosmerta helped by grabbing a few of Hermione's bags and led her to the only free table, near the back of the pub.
"How was your day, deary?" Rosmerta asked as Hermione settled down in her seat.
"Quite alright, thank you." responded Hermione as she unwound her scarf and took off her giant winter coat.
"I suppose you'll want to try the special minty Valentine's Day Butterbeer?" Rosmerta asked with a bright smile.
"Yes, I would very much like that." She flashed back a fake smile, hoping Rosmerta would not notice her lack of a date. Rosmerta gave Hermione a cheeky wink, leaning in confidentially and peering around for eavesdroppers.
"You know... this butterbeer will give that perfect minty breath for a good snogging."
Hermione blinked in surprise and chuckled lightly as Rosmerta left to take more orders and prepare the drinks. Hermione's mood soured as soon as Rosmerta left.
Her eyes drifted down towards the aged oak table, studying the lines etched in the wood; she had nothing better to do. Though, her eyes couldn't help but wander around, observing the many couples that filled the tiny tavern.
Some were amiably chatting and laughing, some were holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, and some... well, let's just say they were too busy to be enjoying their, now cold, Butterbeer.
Hermione diverted her eyes back to the old wooden table. It seemed like everyone had someone with them today. She unconsciously let out a sigh and rested her chin upon her hand.
Her eyes wandered up to the rusty clock above the bar. Hermione watched the third, second-counting, hand travel around the clock once, twice, and a third time. It was ten past two. The day was slowly coming to a close, but was still not over yet.
If she arrived back at Hogwarts before four thirty she could make it back to her room before the swarm of Gryffindor couples crowded the common room. How nice it would be to see Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna. But they would be locked in couple mode, lip-locked to be exact. As much as she loved her friend's company, she'd rather not witness another smooch-fest; she barely survived the last one.
Rosmerta returned with a tray full of drinks. "Here you go." She said as she slowly placed one Butterbeer on the table in front of Hermione, careful to keep the others balanced. Hermione quickly thanked her before she rushed off to another awaiting table.
Hermione grabbed the steaming mug with both hands, bringing it up to her nose. She closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet aroma. Just the smell of the Butterbeer was enough to warm her up and brighten her mood. Hermione brought the mug to her lips and took a lingering sip, careful not to burn her tongue.
The Butterbeer was warm and pleasant, making her forget about her tired feet and arms.
Hermione emerged from the Three Broomsticks with her spirits high. Today had not been so bad, especially with that steaming cup of Butterbeer to cheer her up. The shopping bags seemed lighter than before and there was a tiny bounce in her step. She smiled at the sight of the castle's walls in the distance. Her pace quickened, making her way towards the castle; looking forward to seeing her friends, even if they started snogging afterwards. It wouldn't upset her as much as it normally did, and she would just excuse herself with indifference instead of the usual sadness.
As Hermione began to close the distance between herself and the giant Hogwarts gate, she found that the distance was actually growing.
She looked down at her feet, alarmed to find she was going backwards despite her forward steps. Hermione tried to reverse her legs' movement but still her steps took her farther and farther away from the gate.
She swiftly equipped her wand with her right hand, moving all her bags to her left. Hermione took a confident, calming breath before pointing her wand towards her legs and saying "Finite." The spell didn't work. Her legs kept moving swiftly back, her brow narrowing in frustration.
"Finite. ...Finite!" She shouted forcefully. She made a low growling noise after her spells didn't work. This was a complicated sort of magic, and she didn't have the time to stop and think.
Her eyes darted left and right, searching for someone, anyone, to come to her aid. She saw no one on the snowy streets of Hogsmeade, all of them were inside and warm while she was potentially being dragged to her doom. She tried to dig her heels or toes into the snow to stop herself but almost fell; her wand and bags tumbling down into the fresh snow. She swung her head back upright, frozen strands of hair clinging to her face.
"Help! help!" Her cries echoed down the empty street.
Hermione frantically grabbed at her jeans, trying to regain the control over her legs. Her fingers clung and pulled at the fabric uselessly.
After much struggling and cursing, Hermione, regrettably, finally stopped resisting the mysterious force and just let her feet take her wherever they wanted to go. She would deal with the situation once she was stopped and could finally think clearly. Hermione tried to take some deep breaths as she closed her eyes; waiting for the moment when the spell would relinquish its control over her.
After a moment her feet halted abruptly in the middle of the snowy street, almost making her lose her balance. Hermione straightened up, pushing the hair out of her face.
She frowned, looking back to her wand and fallen shopping bags, their contents scattered around. Without her wand she couldn't use any magic to help herself. Hermione turned her attention back to her feet. She tried to move or lift them up but it seemed as if her lower half were made of stone.
Hermione tried to look for some sort of clue to this odd, and rather bothersome, dilemma. Her eyes narrowed as she searched for anything out of the ordinary.
The wind whistled, and the snow silently fell. The silence pressed against her ears, bottling up the tension and anxiety she felt inside of her. What kind of spell could have bested her? She was Hermione Granger for Merlins sake! She squinted in the dim glow of the lamps that decorated the sides of the snowy street, searching for a sign of another human being. But of course nobody with good sense would be out here in the snow while the shops and houses practically screamed out with warmth and comfort. The only things moving were the fat snowflakes, slowly but steadily erasing any definition of the cobblestone ground, and her foggy breath that rose against the flakes in wild wisps.
There seemed to be no cause of this phenomenon; and worse, no solution. This was just not her day.
It was almost as if she was cursed to have the worst Valentines Day in possibly all of wizarding history. To hell with it, she could probably count this as the worst Valentines Day in the entirety of human history as well.
She shut her eyes and threw back her head with a groan; her face tilted up to the white sky. With a calming breath, Hermione's eyes slowly opened up. A small sprig of mistletoe, suspended in the air, lay just above Hermione's head.
At first it just looked like a typical, harmless plant. Once Hermione realized what it really was, her face lost all its rosy red colour, becoming as pale as the snow underneath her feet. 'Mistletoe? In February?' She let a quiet whimper, biting her bottom lip.
Hoping that she had just imagined it, she squeezed her eyes shut, and covered them with one hand for good measure. Hermione desperately tried to pretend as if she were only hallucinating and had not really seen mistletoe.
Her hand slid slowly off her face, her eyes darting upwards. 'Bloody Hell.' Why wasn't that mistletoe gone?!
She tried to take some deep breaths. It was just a plant, a weak measly plant. She, brightest witch of her age, could surely think of some way to break free. Hermione had practiced a few simple wand-less spells. She hadn't wanted to admit to her friends that she had only successfully learnt two, very simple, wand-less spells, so as long as they didn't ask, there was no reason to tell. She did have a reputation to keep up after all, didn't she?
It was just a little mistletoe, it couldn't hurt her. This would be a piece of cake. Blasting it away would be absolutely no problem for the brightest witch of her age. She had accomplished more spells than most of her year would even think possible. One wand-less spell was nothing compared to the hundreds of spells she had already successfully mastered. She could do this, she could do anything.
She stood confidently, eyes fixed upon the mistletoe. Hermione's lips parted slightly, as the beginning of a spell danced across the tip of her tongue. As soon as her lips started to form the first word, they froze. Her confidence wavered as she suddenly remembered her last attempt to best the vicious mistletoe magic. To say in the least; it had not ended well.
Hermione's body and mind were as frozen as her legs. A grimace marred her face.
Unknown to her shocked form, a figure emerged silently from the shadows behind her.
A low chuckle brought a wave of dread and anger that washed the stiffness from her upper body. Hermione's head spun around to confront the noise.
The first thing her eyes focused on was that infamous blond hair that carelessly strutted down the halls of Hogwarts each day. Her frown deepened upon seeing him.
"You don't really think you can actually blast it away do you? I heard that you were in the infirmary for over a week during Christmas Break because you attempted to do the same at Hogwarts." He smirked and laughed, her cheeks tinged a light pink, remembering said incident.
Hermione glared at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"What do I want? Nothing in particular. Though, today has been rather boring and I think it would be amusing to watch your useless attempts to escape."
Hermione was already fed up with his insults and decided to turn the tables onto him, instead of focusing on her current dilemma. "Boring day? ...where are your goons, I'm sorry, friends—" she smirked, "—that keep you amused?"
Malfoy strolled casually to her side, hands buried deep in his silk-lined pockets. "My, Granger, I never knew that you would be so interested in the…activities of my friends on Valentines Day. You know, now that I think about it, I do believe I detect a sort of a sweet spot between you and Goyle."
Hermione's cheeks coloured red once again. The nerve of the smarmy bastard! "Actually, I was thinking that maybe you and Goyle already had something going on."
She almost smiled when the shock registered on his face for a second, before it settled back on his usual mask of snobby indifference. He walked around to her front, until he only stood about a foot away.
Ignoring her glare he dragged out his luxuriously fur-lined gloves from his pockets and put them on, reminding Hermione of her own trembling fingers. "Awfully cold out today, isn't it?" That infamous smirk of his found it's way to his lips.
Hermione refused to answer him. She would not give him that satisfaction.
"You're all alone too, aren't you? I suppose all your friends ran off with their beaus? Such a pity, isn't it? You never have had the chance to enjoy the delights of having an actual date on Valentines Day." Malfoy held her gaze steadily, and Hermione tried not to flinch under the intensity of his striking grey eyes.
She frowned sourly as the comment hit a tender spot. "Shut up, Malfoy. What in Merlins name do you want with me right now?"
"I've told you already, Granger. This is much more entertaining."
"More entertaining than what? Where's that parade of bints that you take out for a walk every Valentines?"
The Slytherin raised his brow at the brunette's snarky comment. "There's really no need to insult all the girls at school."
Hermione scoffed haughtily. "I might feel a bit sorry for them. Every girl who has had so much as a fleeting fancy for you must have been desperate, you're nothing but an insensitive twat."
"Insensitive twat, am I?" he raised his hands in a mock signal of defeat. "I supposed that this insensitive twat may as well leave you to freeze in the snow, you know, on account of his being a total arsehole, hmm?" Malfoy shrugged and began to saunter away, Hermione staring after him in astonishment.
"W-Wait! Malfoy!" she lurched forward, pinwheeling her arms for balance as the invisible force still held her fast. "Malfoy! What do you mean?" She questioned him as she regained her balance.
The blonde turned around, giving her a look of exasperation. "What do you think I mean?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "You don't mean to kiss me yourself, do you?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "No, I think I'll just drag the Weasel all the way here after all."
Ron? Snogging Ron? The thought of Ron kissing her made Hermione shudder. Besides, what in Merlins name would Luna say? That shouldn't even have been an option.
"No, but…" Hermione struggled for words as her face turned an impossibly vibrant shade. "…you don't even like me." She finished lamely.
"Wow Granger, you're actually right for once, I most certainly do not fancy you. ...Oh come on, Granger, just let a boy kiss you, it's not that bad. ...you have had your first kiss before, right?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I have. I just don't believe in carelessly giving out kisses. To some people, a kiss means something." With her head held high, she subtly insulted him.
"You don't think a kiss means anything to me?" His tone was harsh, unlike the playfulness before. Draco started making his way towards her again with slow strides.
"Who knows with all those snogging sessions of yours." She rolled her eyes.
"Those have never meant anything to me. Had it ever occurred to you, Granger, that I am actually trying to find a girl who's kiss means something to me?" His eyes narrowed slightly as she struggled to find a insulting response to throw back in his face. "That I'm not carelessly snogging, I'm snogging with a purpose."
Hermione scoffed. "Good one! 'Snogging with a purpose.' Ha! Can't wait to tell that to Ginny and Luna." She started to giggle, building up to a roaring laugh that hurt her stomach. "Merlin, I can't breathe." Her shoulders shook silently as she tried to double over in her paralyzed position, while gasping for breath.
Draco frowned at her laughter, still stepping closer and closer to her.
She tried to stop or at least muffle her laughter with her hand but burst out in a fit of snickers. Draco stopped, one pace from her, but she had not noticed.
She was still laughing her head off and her eyes were shut closed. He smiled slightly at the girl in front of him. For the first time in his life he saw Hermione as someone other than the bossy, stubborn bookworm. She actually had a nice laugh, a loud one, but a very pleasant one. Draco just stood there, chuckling silently to himself.
Hermione leaned forward, crossing her arms at her stomach, trying to stifle her outrageous laughter. With a small squeal, Hermione felt her balance disappear as she pitched towards the ground expecting a face-full of icy snow, but instead she hit something strong and solid. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at what she had just hit. She looked up and expected to see Malfoy seething with disgust in front of her. Instead he just looked a little dazed, a crooked smile threatening to tug at the corners of his lips.
She swiftly pushed away from him and straightened herself out, a blush crept upon her cheeks, heating them up to bright red. Draco's arms slowly fell back to his sides, and he remained where he was, his face an impassive mask once again. Uncomfortable with the tiny space that separated their bodies, Hermione started to slowly lean backwards and away from him.
Draco's hand gently grabbed her arm, freezing her in place. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You might fall again and I won't be able to catch you." he said as he smirked cheekily.
Hermione looked up at with disbelief in her eyes. Whoever this guy was, it was not Malfoy… Where was the malicious git she knew how to act around? She wondered whether the mistletoe had addled his brains.
"You're a smart girl, Granger." Draco bluntly stated, after a moment of their silence.
She scoffed, "I am best in our year after all."
He rolled his eyes, and then smirked at her. "That's right, you are… That means that you can probably guess at how many girls I've kissed."
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "What did you just say?"
Draco sighed. Despite her being the brightest witch of her age, she could be pretty thick. "I said… you, with your massive brain, could probably make a very accurate guess of the number of girls that I have kissed. So… how many girls do you think I've kissed?"
Her mouth is dry as she silently gulps. "Pra-practically all the ones in our year and some girls below too…I'm guessing."
"Practically?" He questioned as he circled around her
"Well, you obviously couldn't have kissed all of them."
"Oh really?" A smirk danced across his face. "Who exactly haven't I kissed?"
"I-…I… How would I know?" Hermione said while becoming increasingly interested in the hem of her right sleeve.
"Surely you must know of one girl…" He teased, as he came back to face in front of her.
She began muttering under her breath about what a cheeky ferret he was being.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, wouldn't want to risk boils." Draco said, thinking that she was reciting a spell.
"W-what?"
"I wouldn't try a wand-less spell, or even one with a wand. Mistletoe magic is very strong. Any tampering and you're guaranteed boils."
"B-but it's not like Christmas mistletoe. This must just be a cheap trick because mistletoe is only around Christmas so this should be very weak magic. I should be able to blast it away, no problem." Hermione tried reasoning.
"You could always try… but would you really risk it?" He spoke slowly. Hermione's eyes slowly gazed up at that bloody mistletoe.
"There has to be some other way." She hoped, her eyes silently pleading with the dreadful plant. Hermione began nervously pulling and twirling strands of hair around her fingers. She bit her lip, trying not to think about the obvious 'escape.'
Draco's face lit up with an amused smile as Hermione fidgeted.
Hermione chewed nervously at her bottom lip, the cold air doing nothing to pale her rosy cheeks. Despite herself, she felt captivated by the grey of his eyes, now no longer stone hard, but warm and inviting. She wondered whether this was the look he gave to every girl in order to melt them into heap of tangled female hormones. It was certainly working now, her breathing was quick and shallow, and her legs would have surely buckled if the spell hadn't made her paralyzed.
Draco smiled bitterly at her, sensing hesitation. "Come on now, you don't want to get boils again, do you?"
Hermione jerked away a little, looking down at her snow-covered boots. "Right," she spoke into the thick scarf that swaddled her neck. "The mistletoe, I, uh, forgot."
Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement. He wanted to shake this girl, so infuriating and dense at times, but so pure and innocent. Here he was, offering up his last shred of dignity on a bloody plate, yet she was still so nervous. Hermione dared look up, gauging his reaction and Draco wouldn't let this chance get away. Not this time.
He darted forward, pressing his lips firmly against hers, cupping his palms around her cheeks. Hermione gasped in surprise, the feeling of the infamous Draconian kiss igniting a warmth within her. He was slow, gentle, nothing that suggested of a cruel Malfoy that existed once upon a time.
Draco tenderly brushed her jawline with his thumb, the trail he left behind aching for another touch. His hand found its way around her waist and he pulled, closing what little space was between them. Hermione leaned closer, reaching up and encircling her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss, a part of her wishing that the moment would never end. For that moment, her world was infinite.
Then he pulled away, a smirk firmly plastered on his face, but that smirk soon become a small smile.
Hermione silently sighed, missing his warmth already. She waited for him to back away, half-afraid he would begin to realize what his pureblood lips had been tainted with. But Draco stayed where he was, his smile turning into a lopsided grin. "I see Rosmerta's special Butterbeer certainly became useful today." Hermione touched her own lips, and blushed.
"Well… now I guess I've kissed all the girls of our year." Draco kept his hands around her for for a moment longer before his arms slowly came to rest at his side. He turned around and began walking away from Hermione.
Her knees felt weak and wobbly, and Hermione knew that the magic had worn off.
Hermione watched his retreating form, biting down on her lip hard. 'It's now or never.' She thought before she called after him, "Did that kiss mean anything to you?"
For a moment she thought that he stopped, but he didn't. He continued on his way back up to the castle.
'Brilliant, I waited too long.' Hermione sighed, but it came out as a quiet whimper. After a moment she walked over to pick up her bags and wand.
After standing up, arms full of bags once more, she looked back in the direction Draco had walked. She smiled and began to walk around Hogsmeade some more, forgetting her previous journey towards the castle. She walked, and walked, and walked; doing nothing but enjoying the moment she had just shared with one Draco Malfoy.
Hermione sighed as she watched the last rays of sunlight fade from the sky. She had been on her balcony, connected to her Head's room, trying to finish homework. The last of the lemon sherbet jelly beans found its way into Hermione's mouth. As her fingers brushed against her lips, her mind was unconsciously taken back to the kiss.
Her eyelids fluttered closed as she remember his scent, his taste. Her lips started to purse, as she had done only hours before, and after a moment she chuckled, embarrassed at her silliness. The memory was still fresh in her mind, it had been stuck up there all day. Even her friends had taken notice of her bubbly mood; she would have to be more careful tomorrow. She flushed, remembering Ginny's joking comment that Hermione had finally gotten a much needed snog. Well, it technically wasn't a snog, so Hermione wasn't lying when she had laughed and denied it.
Her eyes drifted down to the open scrolls of homework that lay underneath the empty candy packages. For once in her life her homework was left incomplete. Hermione had honestly tried to finish some of it but her mind resisted, thinking of other things…
Her eyelids slowly closed and snapped open a moment later. She was exhausted. Hermione had been sitting outside for nearly hours now. A small yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched and got up. She groggily brushed her hair away from her face.
Hermione glanced down at the empty candy bags, and decided to leave them. As orderly as she was, she was too tired to really do anything. Her hand had just reached for the door's handle when a loud squawk startled her.
Hermione jumped at the noise and spun around to find an owl perched on the railing. It's feathers were not that of the brown school owls, but a bright grey, almost silver. The bird was magnificent, the sun's fading light bouncing off its feathers.
While gawking at the beautiful bird Hermione almost didn't notice its extended talon. Tied around was a small piece of rolled parchment wrapped in a single emerald ribbon. She hurried over, untying the parchment.
The owl was gone as soon as the message was in Hermione's hands. She sat down; perplexed, examining the small roll of parchment.
It seemed to be a letter, but without an envelope. It looked like a mere note, but the beautiful ribbon made it seem more important than something as simple as that.
She rolled it around in her fingers, looking for a name, or an address, or anything really. Hermione set it down on the table, a thoughtful frown rested upon her face. Although with no envelope, the parchment looked classy and expensive with the perfect green bow wrapped around.
Her hand gingerly extended towards it and yanked at the loose end of the ribbon. The bow collapsed in a small pile of green over the parchment. Hermione's fingers slid over the parchment, pushing away the ribbon.
She started to unroll the parchment, and as she unrolled it, the inside appeared to be completely blank. Once her hands were holding the parchment fully open, a small light flashed in the middle of the paper and from it a red rose materialized. Hermione was in awe, staring at the beautiful flower. She cautiously picked it up, making note of the lack of thorns and its sweet fragrance.
Her gaze fell back down to the letter and the writing that had just appeared. Hermione picked up the letter with her left hand. Her eyes peered at the letter, quickly scanning over the loopy, slanted handwriting.
As she finished reading the letter, a single joyful tear escaped her eye, slipping silently down her rosy cheeks onto the upturned corners of her lips.
Happy Valentines Day
Hermione
p.s. it did mean something
(A/N) Thank you so much for clicking the link and reading my story. Virtual hugs for all of you. This is my very first fan fiction, so please be nice. Shout out to the fabulous Rainbow and Wad who helped push me along the way. Couldn't have done it without my rainbow! :) If you loved it or even liked, please write a small review, they make my entire week :)