The narrow beams of light that found their way though the shutters awoke Ginny. She sat up in bed with a grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat, for today was the day she had been waiting for her whole life :Valentine's Day. Lucky for her, the day's plans allowed her to be able to reveal her feelings to Harry James Potter. Beingherself, she wouldn't just walk up to him and plant a kiss on his large luscious strawberry red lips. WOW! She needed to stop drooling. Instead, she would want to send a Valentine's Day card to him. Definitely not one with her name on it, but one that was from a hot secret admirer whom she would meetin the astronomy tower at midnight, if he wanted to find out who she was. She would reveal to him her exquisite charm and woo him with her beauty. Maybe if she did it through a card, she would have chance.
Ginny felt that since everything seemed to be falling into place that day, what excuse did she have for not to tell her true love how she felt? Dumbledore supplied her with Cupids much like the ones in her first year, but this time it would be her that actually sent the card, not her brothers! The dance later on that night would give her the chance to let him see how radiating her beauty was, and Hermione had promised to keep her brother at bay (though she thought that Hermione had jumped at the chance a little too willingly!). This day was definitely going to be the best day ever!
Harry turned over in his bed, unwilling to wake up to the bright cherry sun light that intruded his personal space. Why did everyone insist that they do everything? Why did they want it to be done? Why couldn't the sun just stay down for the all of eternity! Harry sighed. He needed to check his attitude before he left his dorm or the girl he wished he could go to the dance with wouldn't go with him at all!
Hermione sat in her large overstuffed chair reading a book, waiting for Ron to come down with Harry. Though, truth be told, she wasn't into her book at all. Instead, she was thinking more about the actions she had to carry out today, because if she didn't, she never would. On top of that, Ginny was relying on her. She smiled coyly. Everyone was not going to believe the new Hermione that awaited for them.
The noise in the Great Hall reached a level unheard of by the students. The hum of the owls swooping down to their recipients was conjoined with the students' gasps, laughs, and shrieks from their gifts, but that wasn't the reason behind the added volume. It was the whizzing and whistling noise the arrows made as they hit the tables in front of the students with cards, flowers, and gifts entrapped between the thin metal heart shaped arrow and the thick mahogany tables.Ginny held her breath as she saw several hit in front of Harry. She wasn't sure which emotion to feel: nervousness, jealousy, hatred, fear? She was quickly put at ease as the first one began singing the same song she sent him during first year. This time she didn't blush, because it had been Ron who had sent it as a joke and he made sure Harry had knownbecause at the end of the day, he didn't want to be the receiver of her wrath. The next one did make her stomach go in circles, because it was from her. Good thing these things could be anonymous! Harry smiled and lifted his gaze from his card, but unfortunately, Ginny was seated in front of him, literally staring hard at him as he looked up and caught her like a deer in headlights. His smiled remained, but if Ginny hadn't been too busy trying and hide her own blush she would have noticed his.
The headmaster stood and caught their attention just as the noise level started to increase even more. He began by reminding them of their dance open to fourth years and up. He also warned them that just because the teachers were being lenient that Friday with their studies and allowing "cupids" to fly about their classrooms, did not mean that their lessons were nonexistent. Their attention should be remain kept, and being the wonderful and funny person he was, he reminded them that if any couples were caught by prefects smooching, the punishment would be a Valentine's spell. Leave it to Dumbledore to have the students thinking about his hidden meaning so early in the morning,which could only mean more talking in each of the morning class that the usual. The teachers all shot death glares at the headmaster.
"Really Albus!" began Magonagal in her ranting. "Must you cause such a riot on this day? You of all people know how much I detest these days! And, why did you allow those stupid cupid things to come back? Wasn't once with Lockhart enough?" She finished with a gasp of air. He merely chuckled knowingly. "Minny, when you come to me at the end of the day with tears in your eyes from laughter, I promise not to say 'I told you so.'"
Draco laughed as he watched all of his pranks get carried out; everything was going exactly as he planned. Send some fake cards, get the school riled, and have everyone turn against one another. "Ahh…" he sighed, "the perfect plan." Now all he had to do was send the girl he liked a Valentine and make her realize he was actually in love with her; but in the mean time, he planned to watch as the school caved in on itself, so that people thought false things of others. Oh, the sweet bliss that is pranking!
Another prankster that was quickly at work was none other than Hermione Granger! She thought to herself just how upset everyone was going to be tonight, but she really didn't care. Hopefully Ron would be the one in her charm and all would go right for them. Hopefully. The rest of the school would eventually be grateful; they would all have dates, at least (he he!). "Well," she thought, "at least I found some humor in the situation I'm putting them in. Now for the final spell in the charm." She then recited:
"When the faeries dance and the love grows strong,
let lovers find their way into the cupid's throng.
They know it not, but time will show what's true.
Their hearts are linked as their wrists turn blue,
Minds protest, but love lies not to cupid's spell.
and together will they stand until they tell,
Or when 14 meets 15 under the night skies
and young true love waits for later and dies."
Hermione sighed as she finished the spell incantation. What had she just done?