A/N: A non-romantic Valentine's Day cookie. I wrote it with my fave pair Ginny and Remus set during Prisoner of Azkaban just to see if I could do it. It's fluffy, but please read.
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Professor Remus J. Lupin looked at all the assorted contraband on his desk. Even with the threat of Sirius Black, most of Hogwarts life still stayed the same. He had confiscated several love notes and chocolates and various other little reminders of student hormones. It was definitely Valentine's once again.
He sighed as he picked through a few pieces of the chocolate and took one for himself. So it was a weakness of his. That was a year-round thing and had nothing to do with romance or, at this moment, a lack of it. Damn but it was hard trying to be romantic with someone while being a werewolf. Most people wanted those romantic walks under a full moon, which he couldn't accommodate.
He looked up as he heard a knock at the door. It was unmistakably a Weasley with the bright red locks. Red was yet another Valentine's favorite because it denoted passion. If it was the twins, he would have said a passion for mischief. It wasn't them, though, but the youngest and only girl, Ginny.
"Come," he said and watched as she made her way across the classroom.
He, like most of the school, knew she had a thing for James and Lily's son Harry. The others probably didn't know that together the pair was almost a complete visual recreation of his parents. Sometimes Remus would have to remind himself that he wasn't seeing his old friends.
"Here are my parchments, sir. Thank you for giving me extra time to do my homework," she said shyly.
"You're welcome. I will assume this work is simply top notch, especially since I gave you extra time to do it."
She laughed nervously, looking at him and then quickly looking away.
"So, will you now be going Valentine's crazy with the rest of the student body?"
Ginny blushed wildly. "I don't think so." She couldn't tell her professor of the embarrassment that happened on Valentine's Day last year.
"So no plans with Harry?" he questioned conversationally.
Ginny shook her head and admitted sadly, "He doesn't like me. Not the same way I like him."
"He's just a boy. Give him time, and he might come around," he said in consolation.
Ginny doubted it. Her young heart hurt with love for the boy, and he didn't even seem to notice that she was alive. To him, she was just his best friend's younger sister.
Seeing the sad look on her face, Lupin tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. It will happen in the right time and the right place, even if it's not with Harry. It might be someone else you never even knew you liked until it hits you just like Stupefy."
"Is it that easy? Can you really find someone you like that actually likes you back?" she blurted hotly. "Is there someone like that out there that likes you?" Ginny's hand flew to her mouth when she realized what she'd asked him.
"Loving me is a little more complicated than that, Ginny," he said evenly. "It's also not something that is appropriate for me to discuss with you."
She paused and then said, "Oh well, if I'll find my own Valentine one day, you will, too. Right?"
She blushed furiously again. This wasn't the way to talk to her teacher. Ginny had to get out of the room and walked quickly to the door.
"Ginny!" Lupin called after her.
When she sheepishly turned, he threw a bag of chocolates to her, which she caught surely in her hands. "Happy Valentine's Day."
"Happy Valentine's Day, sir," she said with a small unsure smile before leaving the room like her head was on fire.