DISCLAIMER: The setting and characters of this story belong to the wonderfully talented J. K. Rowling. No money is being made from this story, and I claim no ownership over anything.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: thegreenflametorch Valentine 2005 fanfic Challenge. Rating G through to PG-13, 500 to 5000 words.
One of the characters (you choose who, as long as he/she is from the HP books) has been receiving strange little love notes from someone since December 25th, all hinting at a very sexy surprise that he/she will be receiving for Valentine's Day.
Requirements:
Someone needs to wear a pink dress/robes (not necessarily Lockhart).
A ghost in love is needed.
Required phrases in a story:
"Would you please stop referring to yourself in the third person"
"What are you doing there with that grindylow"
"I always loved looking at Uranus."
"You mean you've seen Snape brewing an aphrodisiac potion"
Rating: PG-13, for a kissing scene
Title:
A Push in the Right Direction
By: Fred and George Weasley are MY kings
AKA: PhoenixQuill89 and bindl123
Ron Weasley sat in stunned silence as he read the small card on a cold January morning. He had received three other cards, over a period of about two weeks, and they had each been neatly folded and written in guarded and impersonal manners as if to make sure nothing about the sender was to be known. The sender had slipped the cards in Ron's bag, and Ron, who had such a demanding schedule, never noticed the pink heart-shaped parchment, nor the person whom had so ingenuously slipped it in his bag, until he unloaded his bag to do the day's schoolwork.
At first he had assumed it to be a joke… Harry was in a rather festive mood for the approaching holiday of Valentine's Day (Ron wasn't sure why) and Ron figured that Harry must've been having a spot of fun. Especially considering the fact that the letters all bore such horrible clichés such as, 'Be my Valentine,' and 'I always loved looking at Uranus.' However, it seemed as though the person was growing much more serious with every passing card.
The fourth letter, which had caused Ron to sit up straighter as he glanced over it, explained deeply of the feelings they had for him, and that they only truly wished he returned the favor. Knowing that it was no longer his best mate playing a rather dirty joke, Ron's anxiety increased. He had no idea who this person was… although he did have a few wishes. Unfortunately that was all they were, mere wishes and fantasies… something that would surely never come true. What if it was someone truly horrible? Someone who he had no interest in whatsoever?
Then the logic started to sink in a bit. Whoever had so cleverly slipped this in his bag must've been around him for quite sometime, a friend most likely. His stomach sunk nervously as he instinctively brought his nails to his mouth for him to chew. He had just settled upon a rather odd thought: Could it be Hermione? Even more odd then the thought itself was the reaction that he had gotten from his own body and his own emotions. His ears immediately blazed as they were so keen to do when he was under any kind of pressure, his stomach filled nervously with pesky butterflies, and his heart began pounding madly as he felt warm all over. Was it Hermione? Did she really feel this way about him when there were so many others she could choose?
IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI
Valentine's Day made a speedy approach as January ended, and February bloomed wildly with more snow that elegantly covered the school grounds in a thick white sheet. Ron's anxiety over the mysterious letters had quickly ended just like the very month of January. They had again gone back to the cheesy and rather corny sayings that he couldn't bring himself to take seriously. He had, in fact, gone to such measures as to show them to Harry and the two laughed at them for quite a good amount of time. Ron had also stopped pondering over the fact that perhaps Hermione had been the sender. Hermione was too clever to send such sayings to Ron, and he knew it wasn't her penmanship. Another thing brought to Ron's attention, which ruled out her possible involvement in the matter, was the fact that she had remained the same over the past few weeks, giving no hint of a growing romantic interest. Although Ron wouldn't admit it to himself or anyone else, the sour taste of disappointment still lingered in him.
Then two days before Valentine's Day, another letter had again appeared in Ron's bag. This time, however, was even stranger then the others. Ron had vowed not to let the bag out of his sight the whole day, and he had kept a watchful eye cast over it. Then as he was just begin to tire of the practice, he noticed a strange little creature make its way sneakily to the bag, which was currently located on the common room floor. It was caring a letter, and Ron suddenly realized how the mysterious sender had gotten the letters into his bag without being seen. The creature slid the letter in his bag, and then turned to leave quickly. Unfortunately for the creature, it was not fast enough as Ron pounced on it and caught the little devil in his hands. Upon further examination, Ron saw that it was a Hermes, or a small creature, which was used for lesser mailing tasks then that of what owls were used for and they slightly resembled Grindylows. Harry entered the common room at that precise moment, only to say, in a very confused manner at that"What are you doing there with that grindylow" Ron explained what had happened, and the two then proceeded to read the letter
This letter again brought on the heated anxiety as he read the rather choppy writing (which again was definitely not Hermione's). It read:
Ronald,
Valentine's Day is near
And yet I still fear
That you do not know who I happen to be
I have had feelings for you for quite some time,
Meet me at the back of Three Broom at 3:00 on the great day
For a speck of surprise
I really hope you'll be my Valentine
Ron drew a heavy sigh at reading the words, obviously carefully chosen, as they seemed to keep somewhat of an odd rhythm. Then again he was probably buying way too into it… They had probably chosen the words at random.
However the sender had chosen the layout of their letter, it was soon forgotten as Ron realized he had bigger problems at stake. There was a person out there who wanted to meet him in Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day. Nervousness flowed steadily through his veins like a stream of gurgling water rippling its path through a thick mass of forest. Who was this mysterious card sender who claimed to have an immense crush on him? Should Ron meet them at the Three Broomsticks? His mind told him no. It was most likely a joke. Had Fred and George somehow snuck into Hogwarts? Or was Malfoy out to embarrass him, something that seemed to be always falling on Malfoy's agenda?
It was a bit awkward, presenting the issue while Harry was there, but the boys had matured greatly from the start of sixth year. Ron, who had been hoping for some logical reasons not to attend this little meeting, was discouraged, as Harry seemed to think it was only polite to attend. This girl apparently had feelings for Ron, and to reject her and leave her alone at Three Broomsticks, standing in the cold February air alone, was certainly rude, and even a bit cruel. She had after all taken such great care in the perfectly guarded letters and the letters' mysterious appearances.
Ron agreed reluctantly, after Harry began making his comments in more of a demand format rather than a layout of mere suggestions.
IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI
Valentine's Day came, and Ron's nerves were so close to the edge that Harry, who seemed to pity Ron's situation, had promised he would accompany him to his special meeting. Ron found the entire situation, including his nervousness, stupid. Here he was nervous beyond any reasoning, meeting some girl, who was apparently infatuated with him, who he didn't know.
The bustle of Hogwarts students trip to the small village of Hogsmeade helped Ron clear his head and regain his nerves to the point where he could at least function properly again. The Hogsmeade trip was scheduled on Valentine's Day almost every year, but Ron had never seen it this adored. Girls were covered with thick pink dress robes, and Ron noted with disgust that some robes had red hearts scattered over the surface. The total effect made him a bit dizzy after staring at the horrible invention for too long.
Lavender Brown, who was one among the many sporting a pink dress robe, could be heard chatting adamantly to her clique of gossipy friends. Ron had to suppress a roar of laughter as he heard one of the lesser intelligent girls (not that any of them were actually intelligent) ask loudly, "You mean you've seen Snape brewing an aphrodisiac potion?" Under normal circumstances the comment would've just been an odd remark. However, in this case, it was rather stupid and amusing, seeing that the girls had been talking about who Blaise Zabbini was currently dating two seconds earlier. Ron had to give her some credit though… She did appear to know what aphrodisiac meant, which was probably more then he could say about her friends.
Hermione soon caught up to the two looking rather flustered as she soon began complaining to Harry that it was his fault that she had arrived so late. Hermione had supposedly been trapped in the girl toilet with a murderous Moaning Myrtle, who was suffering sever depression after Harry had (as nicely as possible) turned her invitation to share her toilet on Valentine's Day down. Hermione had tried to calm the lovesick ghost down, but she claimed it wasn't any use, and she finally left. Ron was a bit pleased to see that he wasn't the only one who had a bit of "Valentine's Day" issues.
Three 'o'clock came quickly, and Ron was again forced to lose control of his fidgeting nerves. He and Harry gallantly made their way to the back of the Three Broomsticks at five to three and waited. Ron stared intently at the ground, pretending to be very interested in his shoes, as he remained silent. Then much to his surprise two girls appeared. Ron's mouth dropped open in shock as he saw Harry's curve into something that looked suspiciously like an all-knowing smile.
Luna and Hermione appeared, in an almost trance like state, with Hermione bearing a confused expression as her eyes darted wildly from Harry to Ron. It was Harry who spoke up first, as everyone else remained silent from the awkwardness of the situation. "Well, Harry and Luna should probably let you two be alone," Harry said in a slick manner as Luna bounded forward, away from Hermione.
"Would you please stop referring to yourself in the third person" Hermione said, apparently tensed by their current situation. So Hermione had sent Ron the letters? Impossible… it couldn't be. But… what if it was? Ron felt his spirits soar as Harry simply laughed at Hermione's last comment and walked away with Luna by his side.
So it must be Hermione then, there was no other explanation. Ron felt the happiest had ever been in his entire life as his heart began pounding wildly in his ears and he felt warmth run through him. Now was his chance to prove just how much she meant to him. Ron walked towards her and within two seconds their lips were connected and Ron felt the kiss being returned. Her lips were as soft as the finest silk and Ron parted them softly and let his tongue roll into her mouth as warmth spread through out his entire body. He could feel his heart beating, his temperature rising, and stomach turning as she ran a hand through his red hair. They were finally forced to pull apart, for the need to breath was becoming too strong to ignore.
As they broke away, Hermione muttered, "I was debating for so long if it was you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I wanted the letters to be from you, but I really wasn't sure who had sent them."
"You mean you received letters?" Ron asked confused
"Yes… you gave them to me, didn't you?"
"Hermione, you sent me letters."
"No I didn't."
Silence pervaded for a span of about two minutes as the two sat with their thoughts trying to sort through the mess that had just presented itself.
Finally the realization of what had truly happened dawned upon them. Someone else had set this up… Harry. But, Ron finally realized that it no longer mattered. Harry had known all along that his two friends were mad about each other and he had just given them a light push. Ron shrugged and took Hermione's hand, "I sent you the letters."
Hermione smiled brightly and the two again brought their lips together.
Harry and Luna watched with wide smiles from under the invisibility cloak and silently congratulated themselves and each other.