Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters featured in this story are owned by JK Rowling. If I had a time turner, I would go back to the day she wrote the epilogue and make her see all the wrong things in it.

A/n: A big THANK YOU to all of you for getting this story to more than 3k views before hitting the monumental tenth chapter!


Chapter Eight:

8th February 2005

Gone were the Christmas décor. Instead, pink, red, and white hearts littered the walls and hung from the ceiling of Tesco. There was an abundance of heart-shaped chocolates, cards, everything frilly, really. Jane was requested by the management to lend a hand at the florist's counter, which was usually manned by a single person on any other day. Valentine's Day was in less than a week, so there has been a sudden influx in demand for flowers.

While her co-worker for the night, Ashley, took down an order from a teenage boy, Jane skimmed through the inventory for the coming week. Considering the amount of orders they received today alone, they might have to get more roses and lilies from their supplier before the week was over.

"Hello, I would like to- oh, Jane, since when did you work for this part of the store?"

Jane's head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice. Draco Malfoy looked back at her curiously, dressed in his well-pressed suit and tie.

"My new job title is 'go-to-whoever-needs-help', and since it's Valentine's Day soon, here I am," Jane shrugged nonchalantly. "Did you come here straight from work?"

"Yeah, I need to order flowers for Hermione," he blushed.

"What, no chocolates?" Jane smirked.

"You and I both know that she doesn't like chocolate, unless it's on McVitie's biscuits," he lifted the basket he was carrying. Jane counted seven boxes of McVitie's milk chocolate digestive biscuits, and an amused smile graced her lips.

"One for each day until the fourteenth?" she guessed. Draco nodded. "Maybe you are bribing her with food."

"And flowers," he handed her a scrap of paper. "I want these delivered to Hermione's doorstep every day for the next week, and I specified which others will be sent on the actual day."

Her smirk immediately fell when she read the order with wide eyes. 9th-13th: twenty (20) bouquets of a dozen long-stemmed red roses, to be sent with one (1) box of McVitie's chocolate biscuits each day. 14th: three (3) bouquets of two dozen long-stemmed red roses, with two (2) boxes of the biscuits, to be sent at 7am, 6pm, and 11pm.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jane gaped. Draco blinked innocently.

"I understand that it'll cost a lot of money, but-"

"No, Draco," Jane waved the piece of paper in the air. "This isn't what Hermione would want for Valentine's Day. It would make her feel special, yes, but bombarding her with red roses doesn't have the same impact as giving her something more personal. Gifts don't have the same effect on her as other girls in your acquaintance."

"What would you suggest?" he sighed, defeated.

"Did you plan something with her on the actual day?"

"Dinner at my flat, I'm cooking," he grinned. "Just like our first unofficial date."

"How about we deliver the twenty bouquets of red roses to your flat for the fourteenth, so when she walks in, it's littered around your house? Then for this coming week, we send one, I repeat, one bouquet of hyacinths and purple peonies every day to her flat, with the digestives? You'll give her a final bouquet of peonies and hyacinths before the dinner and declare your undying love for her."

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched, and Jane narrowed her eyes at him accusingly.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" she crossed her arms.

"I plan on doing it for Valentine's, right after dessert," he said.

"You're planning on when you say the three magical words," she deadpanned, unimpressed.

"I want everything to be perfect," he explained. "Her reaction to my, as you say, 'undying love' will determine when and how I propose to her." Jane squealed excitedly, catching the attention of Ashley and the teenager.

"So did your dad give you the green light?" she asked with bright eyes. He looked confused for a moment, but comprehension replaced it immediately.

"Yes, he did," his eyes turned soft. "I was surprised that he took my news so well. Maybe he had a change of heart after all we've been through. He told me that I'm free to choose any of the engagement rings in the Malfoy family vault, but I don't think any of them would suit her."

"She won't like anything flashy, but she wouldn't want a plain solitaire, would she?"

"I'm thinking about getting it custom-made."

"Look out, we've got Mr. Rich Guy over here," Jane laughed.

"I'm serious," Draco smirked. "Like you said, she likes personal gifts."

"Why don't you ask her best friends what she would like in a ring?" Jane suggested. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, of course," he drawled sarcastically. "I would ask Potty and The Cheating Ex about rings. There are two problems here, Jane. One, they're both boys, and two, the Weasel is not in Granger's good graces just yet."

"I'm talking about her girl friends, you dolt," Jane scowled, growing impatient.

"Weaselette and Loony?" Draco frowned. "They won't be able to keep their mouths shut about it for one second."

"Oh ye of little faith," Jane shook her head.

"I have time, " Draco nodded resolutely. "I'll figure something out."

"Fair enough," Jane handed Draco a clipboard with his order on it. "We're going with the red roses for your dinner and a gigantic bouquet of purple peonies and hyacinths, no fillers, the rest of the week, correct?"

"Correct," he signed the bottom of the paper. He gave her a couple of bills to pay for the deposit.

"I need to go change before coming back here with Hermione," he waved. "Thank you, Jane!"

"You're welcome," she called after him.

Her co-worker finished the paperwork for the teenager's purchases and added it to the growing pile on their counter. "Who was that?" she asked. "He's really good-looking."

"He's already taken," Jane watched as Ashley picked up Draco's order sheet.

"Holy crap," her blue eyes widened as she read what he ordered. "That is one lucky girl."

"She is, and she knows it," Jane grinned.

For the rest of the night, Jane and Ashley took down orders for various flowers. When Draco and Hermione passed by her counter during their weekly grocery shopping, the brunette grinned and waved, but didn't stop to chat. 'Dinner reservations' she mouthed. Jane nodded understandingly and waved back as the two walked with their hands intertwined.

"Is that the girl?" Ashley nudged Jane as the couple disappeared from their line of sight.

"Yeah," Jane nodded. "They used to be childhood rivals in their boarding school."

"How cute," Ashley commented. "They look like complete opposites, but they seem to be in tune with one another."

"That describes them perfectly," Jane said, a smile playing on her lips.


15th February 2005

Now that Valentine's Day was over, it meant that all decorations needed to be put away. Of course, as the floating employee, Jane was the one designated to clear the store of all traces of hearts and cupids. She stood on a ladder, prying a stubborn pink paper heart off the wall.

"Jane, are you sure that's safe?" someone called from below. She looked down and saw Hermione's friendly smile. She had a trolley with two baskets in it, one with her usual groceries and the other filled with Draco's.

"I hope it is," she laughed, descending the ladder once she had the pink heart in her hand.

"How was your Valentine's?" she asked once her feet hit the floor.

"I'm sure you knew exactly what he planned," Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Where else would he buy chocolate digestives?"

"That much is true," she said. "Did you like the flowers?"

"Of course I did," Hermione grinned. "He told me he loved me the moment I stepped into his flat." Finally!

"He said he planned on saying it after dessert," Jane muttered under her breath. Apparently, it was still loud enough for Hermione to hear.

"After dessert?" she laughed. "I swear, he opened the door for me, pulled me into a tight hug and said the three words."

"Is tight hug a euphemism for snog?" Jane asked, fluttering her eyes mockingly.

"No, the snogging came after dessert," Hermione winked.

"And then some more?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Maybe," Hermione blushed. "It was so romantic, Jane, the entire set up. Red roses everywhere, purple peonies and hyacinths in his arms," she sighed wistfully.

"If you found that romantic," Draco suddenly appeared, dropping a pack of Oreos into his basket. "Just wait until we're married."

Hermione's blush intensified and Jane's eyes flitted to her left ring finger. No ring.

"I've been told that men usually forget all about romance once they're joined in holy matrimony," Hermione scoffed.

"I assure you, darling, I am not like most men," Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist, murmuring into her ear.

"Keep it PG-13, will you?" Jane crumpled up the heart as best she could and stuffed it in a big black garbage bag. Draco simply laughed, while Hermione's blush deepened. She raised an eyebrow at Jane, and the blonde braced herself for what she had to say.

"Luc knew I was coming over," Hermione said. "I wonder who told him."

"My loyalties lie with the cute French boy, sorry," Jane shrugged.

"Did he outdo my Valentine surprise for Granger?" Draco asked.

"If you mean did he confess his undying love for me and we shagged afterwards, then no," Jane smirked when she saw how red the couple's faces went at her comment. "But he sent a bouquet of pink lilies to my lecture, with a time and place to meet for dinner."

"He's treating you well, then?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I would say he is," Jane nodded. "Why, if he didn't, would you send Draco over there to beat him up?"

"More or less," Hermione chuckled. "I would do it myself, honestly." Jane laughed, grateful for how her friendship with the two has progressed over the months she's known them.

"Come along, love," Draco started to push the trolley. "We're not even halfway through your grocery list."

"See you around, Jane," they called out together as they walked away.

"Again," Jane said, disgruntled. "Getting creepy!"

She watched with amusement as the two laughed, turning for the cleaning supplies aisle. Jane tied a knot to close the black bag filled with white, pink, and red decorations from Valentine's Day. She wondered if she and Luc fit together the way Draco and Hermione did. She smiled to herself as she slung the plastic bag over her shoulder. And to think, none of this would have happened if I didn't listen to my father.


A/n: Yes, yes, very short, but I promise you that the next two will blow your socks off. Well, I'm back from my week-long retreat, and here's the eighth chapter, as promised! Batta loved this chapter, so leave a review if you did, too. She's leaving for university soon, can you believe it? She's ditching me for Manchester. *cries* Anyway, thank you for the favourites and follows- especially for the lovely reviews! There was a technical issue with chapter seven when I posted it, but I do hope it's all fixed now. To the Guest who said that my story converted them to dramione- you're welcome, and I'm so glad you decided to join the ship that never sailed in canon. x, Jellie