No, I am not JK Rowling. /jealous
Anyways, the following characters will probably be pretty OOC. I do not pretend to make a good Hermione or Ron, but this was a present for my friend and who was I to deny her request? I love you, Mads, this is for you~ :)
"Did you hear about Luna?"
"What on Earth are you talking about, Ginny?"
Hermione Granger was scurrying back and forth around Diagon Alley, clearly distressed as she searched desperately through the shops and pressed her face against window displays. Ginny Weasley followed diligently, chattering happily about this and that in an attempt to distract her friend from having a complete meltdown.
"Both Draco and Neville gave her chocolates and flowers this morning!" Ginny exclaimed, observing the other girl closely as she spoke. This finally caused Hermione to pause in her frenzy, blinking as she turned a surprised gaze towards the redhead.
"Malfoy?" she asked, her nose scrunching in distaste as she uttered the name like it was poisonous. Ginny grinned, nodding eagerly as she moved to Hermione's side and lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Apparently Draco's fancied Luna for a while, but nobody knew until today. Everyone's been suspecting that Neville had a thing for her, of course, but even Luna was thrown off by being fought over."
"Fought over?" That didn't sound like Nevile Longbottom at all.
"Well, it's not like Neville and Draco really got into a tiff, but you know what I mean. I heard Draco seemed upset, though, and Neville was very nervous. You know how that boy is, the idea of accidentally crossing a Malfoy scares him to death. Oh, and if you'd only seen the look on Pansy Parkinson's face when she found out! I just feel terrible for poor Hannah Abbott. She'd gotten a Valentine's Day gift for Neville, but she lost her nerve when she heard about what happened," Ginny explained, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
The words 'Valentine's Day' brought Hermione back to her current problem.
"Ginny! Stop distracting me! I have to get a present for Ron!" she gasped, hurrying into yet another shop. It was noon on Valentine's Day and she still couldn't find the perfect gift for him!
"Hermione, you're being ridiculous. You're letting your perfectionist nature get in the way of the romantic part of you!" Ginny scolded lightly, like she was talking to a child who didn't know how to behave properly. Hermione frowned, ruffled as she anxiously tore at the shelves.
"You don't understand! This is our first Valentine's Day together as an actual couple. I know that some of you might have, um..."
"Seen this coming?" Ginny teased, smirking as she crossed her arms over her chest with an amused expression. Hermione, not finding it funny in the slightest, glared harshly at Ginny as her cheeks burned a cherry red.
"Yes, well, we weren't in a real relationship until last year and that was after Valentine's Day! If this is going to be, you know... long term, I want our initial holidays to be... to be bloody fantastic! Is that so wrong?" Hermione was extremely flustered by this point, her fingers twiddling about awkwardly as if she was trying to find something to do with them. It was a habit of hers, when she became embarrassed. Ginny couldn't help it; she laughed. Hermione scowled at her, at last placing her hands on her hips. Ginny smiled innocently, sighing at what she considered to be the brunette's silliness.
"Hermione, it's Ron! He doesn't need or expect anything extravagant from you!" Hermione bit her bottom lip, chewing at it gently. Ginny was right and she knew it, but...
"He should have a nice present for once. Everybody deserves that, don't you think? To have something a little expensive that you can be proud of?" It wasn't that she thought that wealth was important, but she knew that Ron could be a tad sensitive about not being able to afford some of the finer things. Ginny's features softened abruptly.
"Look, Hermione, Ron loves you. You don't have to prove that you love him too by buying him a stupid gift that would probably cost more than it's worth, because he knows that you do!" she insisted, giving Hermione a quick hug to reassure the older witch. Hermione was touched, but she certainly wasn't ready to give up yet!
"What about you? You already have a present for Harry!" Ginny shrugged, nonchalant about the fact that Hermione had stated defiantly.
"That's because I didn't worry about this like you are. Harry and I are happy and I'm not concerned that it'll ruin us if I don't get him the most amazing gift. I know he'll like it enough because he cares about me like I do for him and that's what matters. At least, he better or I'll give that ingrate a swift kicking in an area that shouldn't be mentioned," she joked, giggling as Hermione rolled her eyes at the younger female.
"You learned that from Fred and George, I'll bet."
"Perhaps!"
Hermione was about to reply in a sarcastic manner, but her attention was suddenly grabbed by the most marvelous item in the entire store. An elegant silver wristwatch. Simple, but beautiful. It was a great idea; Ron was constantly forgetting the time.
"That! I have to get it for him, Ginny!" she squealed excitedly in a rather unladylike fashion, rushing to it and snatching it before anyone else could claim it. Ginny shook her head, but she gave Hermione a thumbs up in approval. It was definitely a wonderful present for Ron, she couldn't deny that.
Five minutes later and the pair had left the store, Hermione gladly sporting a small gift bag.
That night, Harry and Ron met with Ginny and Hermione at The Three Broomsticks Inn at Hogsmeade. It wasn't a Hogwarts weekend, so the pub was free of students. The four of them ordered butterbeers and sat down at the first empty table they spotted. For about a half hour, they merely conversed and sipped at their beverages.
"Harry, can I give you your present now?" Ginny begged, obviously ecstatic to see Harry's reaction. Hermione raised an eyebrow at her, but she pretended not to notice. Okay, so maybe Valentine's Day was a bigger deal to her than she'd acted like it was earlier. However, that was solely because she'd wanted to comfort Hermione!
"Yeah, let's do it!" Ron enthusiastically joined in, agreeing that they should exchange gifts as soon as possible. He was secretly uneasy about whether Hermione would enjoy what he'd gotten for her, but he simultaneously anticipated seeing her face light up with joy at the sight of it. Hermione winced, apprehensively tugging at the sleeves of her shirt. Ron would like the wristwatch, wouldn't he?
"Sure, why not?" Harry chuckled, wrapping his arms around Ginny as she pulled out a wrapped box and slid it in his direction. He did the same for her and pecked her temple as the two of them contently opened their presents. Harry was thrilled with his new quill and Ginny was practically bursting with pleasure when she revealed her gorgeous robes. Ron and Hermione were delighted for them, complimenting their awesome gifts.
"It's your turn!" Ginny urged, gripping Harry's hand and cheerfully intertwining their fingers. Ron and Hermione hesitated, then Hermione leaned in to kiss Ron's nose before offering him his present. Ron ripped the wrapping to shreds, freezing as his eyes landed on the wristwatch.
Hermione's heart dropped.
"Bloody hell, Hermione! This is excellent!" Ron grinned and pulled Hermione into an embrace to show his elation, kissing her forehead. Hermione was flooded with relief and she returned the gesture, blissfully resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment. Then she felt Ron separating from her and tentatively pushing a box into her hands, looking sheepish as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Hermione gazed at him suspiciously, noting his edginess. She then slowly unwrapped her gift cautiously, stunned at what she saw.
It was the prettiest golden necklace that she had ever seen.
"Ron! How did you-"
"I had to save up... and I sold a few things, but I saw it and I was hoping that you'd li-" He was quite rudely interrupted when Hermione's lips pressed against his, feeling her smile. The tension in his muscles immediately relaxed and he stopped fidgeting as he reciprocated. When Hermione pulled away, they helped each other to put on their superb accessories.
"Thank you very much, Ron. It's magnificent!"
"You look incredible with it on, Hermione. Well, you know, even more incredible than you always do." Hermione, flattered (despite the obvious act of Ron kissing up), proceeded to snog her boyfriend again.
Harry and Ginny, entertained, shared a glance as they chortled. Continuing to snicker as their companions' intense make out session dragged on, Ginny snuggled further into Harry's arms.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Harry."
"Happy Valentine's Day, Ginny."
I'm sorry if I disappointed anyone with this, but I usually avoid the Harry Potter fandom because... I'm really only a decent Luna and Draco. xD TELL ME HOW TO IMPROVE IN A REVIEW, THOUGH. Thank you all for reading!