A couple's favourite day where it was socially acceptable to be all over each other. People got themselves dates for this special day and they held hands, spoke words of love to each other and snogged. A lot.
For Hermione on the other hand, every year since she started dating Fred Weasley, something embarrassing seemed to happen on every special day. First it had been her birthday, then it was Halloween, then Christmas and the most recent one was New Years. Surely she had a reason to expect something today. And she wasn't entirely wrong.
"Wake up, love~" Fred shook his girlfriend's arm as she groaned.
"Fred, how in the world did you get into the girls dorm?" she grumbled, trying to hide her bed hair.
"Levicorpus and George. Works wonders." Was all he told her. "Get up, love. You're the last one awake."
"But it's Saturday~"
"Love, you're starting to sound a bit too much like me. It's unsettling. Get out of bed before I pull you out myself." He threatened her. When she groaned and pulled the blanket closer to her body, he laughed ominously before tugging on the other end of the blanket.
"Wha- Fred! No!" Her grip suddenly became steel like on the blanket and tugged it back to herself.
"Then get out of bed!"
"Ugh, fine! But leave first!" she motioned to the door with her eyes. He rolled his eyes with a chuckle and strolled out of the room as she groaned loudly when the door shut behind him as she stretched her arms and let the blanket fall around her waist. It was too close of a call. She had decided she would sleep in her expensive undergarments, and only that. Couldn't let Fred see that. Not today anyway.
She quickly got dressed into her casual clothes and strolled down the stairs, encountering other Gryffindors who were still lingering. Fred was waiting on the sofa with a letter in his hand. "For you, my Gryffindor Princess." She hesitantly took the letter and opened it, not sure what to expect.
"My dear Hermione, you know what today is, don t you? The oh-so popular and obviously your favourite day of the year! Valentines day! All throughout today, things will come your way, figuratively and literally. Enjoy! Much love, your boyfriend, future fiance, future husband and future father of your 26 kids, Fred." Hermione looked at Fred while shaking her head in disbelief. "Definitely Brave" she looked over to her Red haired boyfriend as he returned a wink her way and a kiss on her cheek.
"Breakfast time. Let's go to the great hall." He pulled her up on her feet as she stashed the letter away into her shirt.
"Fred... What do you have planned" Hermione looked at her boyfriend suspiciously.
"What ever could give you that idea?" He faked dramatically.
"Your letter said so. What am I suppose to expect?" Hermione questioned him further.
"Oh look, the first task." Fred pointed to the owl, or more specifically Errol. Hermione squinted her eyes to focus on what the bird was carrying and instantly spotted it.
"Is that...a howler?" she looked at him as the owl crashed onto the table and she took the letter. The letter shook before exploding.
I LOVE YOU HERMIONE. DO YOU LOVE ME BACK? Hermione looked at Fred with a small frown, a bit of pink showing on her cheeks.
"Yes Fred. I love you back. Don't tell me yo-"
"Sent you a bunch of howlers professing my love for you? Of course I did." He gave her a big kiss on the cheek as he skipped out of the hall, humming to himself as Hermione groaned at the bench as another howler came her way.
HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, YOU'RE THE HOTTEST PERSON I KNOW! BURN ME PLEASE!
"Oh for crying out loud" Hermione buried her face in shame and embarrassment as a few people looked over curiously at the brunette, a few snickers or whispers being heard.
"Ginny, He won't stop sending me howlers! It's so annoying." Hermione complained as another owl came her way. "I swear, if that's another one..."
"Mione, it is." Ginny pointed to the red letter. When the owl landed, two letter were dropped. The red letter shook before exploding, Hermione no longer surprised.
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! DID YOU KNOW THAT? followed by the second letter, a pink one, exploding into fireworks in the shape of a heart.
"Well, at least you know he loves you. All Harry's done is that he got Seamus to give me a bunch of roses and say it was from Harry." Ginny laughed. "The least he could is give them to me himself. Oh Hermione, the-" Hermione looked to where she pointed and saw an owl come in holding a bouquet of roses.
"Aww, finally. No love howlers." The owl landed and she took the flowers, smelling them and instantly noting how they smelled oddly. "Uh These don't smell like flow-"
*POOF*
The flowers exploded one by one in a flurry of red petals. "Flowers... They exploded." Hermione mumbled.
"Whoa. Exploding flowers and love howlers? I do not want to be you right now, but I also do." Ginny laughed wholeheartedly as they watched the remaining flowers petals fall the ground. It was like a blanket of red. "Well, the good part, is that now the room actually smells like roses now. Well, roses and gunpowder."
"I need a break."
"I know you aren't going to like this, but I think that bouquet is for you as well." Ginny pointed to the incoming flowers.
Lunch had finally arrived and Hermione was on the constant lookout for owls, howlers and/or flowers. Everything she received from Fred so far, she had been suspicious and she was right to be. Three more howlers had exploded since she entered the Hall for lunch.
HERMIONE, I FEEL RAVISHED EVERY TIME YOU ENTER THE ROOM. TURN DOWN THE SEXY-LEVEL PLEASE!
Hermione had gotten used to it. She still blushed madly every single time another howler exploded and she no longer had to explain that it wasn't true. Every student in the school must've heard at least one of the howlers so far.
*POOF!*
"Ginny~ Make it stop~~~" Hermione groaned. Ginny swept the petals off of Hermione's head as she attempted to eat her soup without the petals falling into the broth.
"I'm sorry but I can't." Fred walked into the hall with George beside him as they laughed to something the other said. He was holding a box.
"Hello, love. Enjoying your surprises?" Fred kissed the top of Hermione s head.
"No, Fred. You could tell me these things in private. But these are getting unbearable." She groaned as she looked up at him, her cheeks now dusted with red.
"Well, I have a harmless present here for you." Fred smiled as he handed her a box of chocolate. "Milk chocolate, just how you like 'em." She smiled and opened the small wrapped box, the sweet smell of chocolate and cherries wafted into the room.
"Thank you Fred. Not that I don't like them, but these aren't going to explode, are they?" she reluctantly pulled one from the box and smelled it.
"No, love. They should all be fine."
"Uh... Should be fine?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just joking. They're all fine." Hermione smiled and looked back into the box, missing the look Fred gave to George, who simply looked up innocently. "Probably."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"Well, I ll save them for later then. Now I want to finish my sandwi- Is that another howler?" She looked at the owl arriving. Another Red letter. Great.
CAN I WEASLEY MY WAY INTO YOUR HEART?
Ginny, Ron who was a few seats away, George, Harry and Hermione all groaned at the pun. It was then that everyone realised just how dorky Fred could be.
"You know, Charlie suggested that one." Fred laughed as he dragged George out of the hall, his younger twin practically crying at the pun now.
"Hermione, incoming." Hermione groaned as another howler dropped and exploded.
ARE YOU A DEMENTOR, BECAUSE YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY!
Ron choked on his piece of chicken and Harry spat out his juice onto Dean, who sadly sat opposite to him. "Come on Harry. Why me?" Dean groaned as he wiped the pumpkin juice off his cheek and neck.
"I want these howlers to stop." Hermione was tired. While she was talking with Professor Snape about the homework she missed due to an injury, another howler arrived.
I'LL BE YOUR JAMES IF YOU'LL BE MY LILY!
Hermione never saw a more frustrated scowl on the Potions master s face as he threw her out of his classroom. Almost literally.
MIND IF I SLYTHERIN TONIGHT FOR SOME WARMTH?
"Ginny. Kill your brother for me. He's pulling out the Slytherin puns now."
"Hermione, that one, was my very last one." Fred informed him.
"Oh thank Merlin... This can end."
"Oh look. Another one." George snorted as another owl landed.
YOU MUST BE A BASILISK, BECAUSE WHEN I CAUGHT SIGHT OF YOU, I FROZE!
"That one is just plain ol' insensitive." Ginny snorted.
"I'm quite enjoying them, Miss Weasley." Ginny turned around and saw Headmaster Dumbledore chuckling behind her. "Quite entertaining, if I say so indeed. Was this your idea Mr. Weasley?"
"It was sir." Fred grinned proudly.
"Splendid! 45 points to Gryffindor. Has anyone else helped out?"
"Uh, Charlie came up with one of them."
"Beautiful! Another 45 points!" The whole Gryffindor table cheered for the extra 90 points just given to them. "Do you have another one coming to you right now?"
"Actually, I do." Fred grinned. He turned to his red girlfriend and winked. "Hermione, I Dumble-adore you." The Headmaster blushed and chuckled.
"Genius. Another 20 points for the brilliant wordplay." Dumbledore smiled as he spotted another owl coming into the hall. "I do believe this one is yours as well?"
"But the Slytherin one was my last one..."
I LIKE YOU AND YOUR BUTT. CAN I TOUCH IT?
"I did not send that one. WHICH ONE OF YOU STUPID BLOKES WANTs TO FIGHT ME? RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW?" Fred stepped up onto a table and took a fighting stance. "COME AT ME!"
"10 points to whoever sent the basilisk joke." Dumbledore announced. At that moment, there was a loud cheer and two arms were spotted being thrown up into the air. "I do believe the sender of the last two is Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger."
"FIGHT ME MALFOY! GET OVER HERE!"