Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Story updated on Mondays and Fridays.
Hermione rolled her eyes at the garish decorations strewn throughout the Great Hall. It looked like Madam Puddifoot's boutique tea shop had exploded all over the room, leaving pink cupid garlands and floating glittery hearts in its wake.
She reached delicately into the basket of scones centered on the baby pink tablecloth of the breakfast table, pulled one out, and skeptically examined the tiny heart design that had been baked into it.
Ginny grinned. "The house elves really outdid themselves this year. I'd bet my broomstick that Dobby had something to do with it."
She seated herself next to her friend and reached for a heart-shaped scone that was softly singing A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love.
Hermione shrugged. "You know, loads of muggles like to think of Valentine's Day as a rubbish, made-up holiday. Their logic is flawed- it's been around since the middle ages. Technically speaking, it's been popular nearly as long as Christmas has."
She picked at her scone, lost in thought. "I understand the appeal, though- Valentine's Day is no fun when you're single."
Ginny scoffed. "Hermione, you are not single."
Hermione shot her a silencing glare. "I am completely single. And so are you. And being as such, we should have a girl's night. A Galentine's Day party, if you will."
"Does that mean I'm not invited?" Theo cut in from behind the seated girls, mock outrage coloring his tone.
As Hermione turned, her eyes landed on two enormous velvet boxes of chocolate he had stacked precariously one on top of the other in his arms. A ridiculous shirt- bright pink and covered in red cupids shooting arrows at each other- peeked out from under his robes.
"What?" he grinned, amused by the look of indignation on his friend's face. "I was hoping to secure myself a double date this Valentine's Day. And by double date, I mean the one and only me-" he pushed his pointer finger into his chest, stopping the path of an arrow that had been shooting across his enchanted shirt- "with the two of you. Happy Heart Day!"
He plopped a box of chocolates in front of each of the two girls and proceeded to squish himself between them on the bench, forcing them to scoot aside.
Ginny squealed in delight as she divested the box of its lid and eagerly examined dozens of heart, star, and arrow-shaped truffles. "Bribe me with chocolate, and I'm yours any day of the week."
"Yes, yes, you're very charming" Hermione said, waving her hand over the chocolates. "But Ginny and I already have plans for tonight- we're having a Galentine's Day party. There will be chick flicks and chocolate ice cream. And you, I'm afraid, being of the male persuasion, are not invited."
Theo's lips jutted out into an exaggerated pout. "Well in that case, I'll be expecting my kisses up front. If my two best girls are bowing out on me, the least I can ask for is a small show of affection."
Hermione let out a merry laugh and shot a conspiratorial look at Ginny. "On three, then. One… two..." On the third beat, the girls each planted a kiss on one of Theo's welcoming cheeks, causing a broad grin to spread across his face.
With a satisfied sigh, Hermione covered her lap with a fluffy down blanket and settled in next to Ginny on the couch. She nestled a bowl of chocolate ice cream into her lap.
"Now this is how you do Valentine's Day." said Ginny.
She picked a tiny cauldron filled with peanut butter out of her bowl and tossed it into her mouth before she started to slowly shuffle through the stack of videos Hermione had plopped onto the cushion between them, considering each in turn.
"Let's see… Titanic, You've Got Mail, Pretty Woman… ah, here we go- Sleepless in Seattle."
Hermione smiled wistfully at the title Ginny was waving at her. "My parents used to take me to Seattle for summer holidays when I was little. I was quite surprised to learn that the city is steeped in a deep wizarding culture. I've always wanted to go back to see it for myself."
Ginny looked intrigued. "In Seattle, really?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes. Apparently way back during the Gold Rush some wizards thought it would be a great place to settle. They had hoped they'd be able to practice magic more openly if they weren't around as many Muggles." She shrugged. "Eventually it became more crowded than even the bible belt cities they had escaped from. But lucky for the wizards, Muggle culture there is markedly more liberal."
Ginny smiled. "Maybe after the war, the two of us can go visit there together. Check out the sights, check out the Quidditch team… that is, of course, if you're not already married by then." She smirked, tossing a piece of popcorn up into the air and catching it in her mouth.
"Yeah," Hermione said, pointedly ignoring Ginny's marriage comment. "You'd love Pikes Place Market. My parents always used to joke about moving to Seattle and setting up a flower booth there when we visited. I guess they were a bit enchanted by the whole thing."
By the time the movie was wrapping up, Hermione had started to drift off in her warm, cozy spot under the self-warming blankets. Ginny's eyes were still riveted on the television, unaware of her surroundings. Neither girl was expecting the invasion currently descending upon them.
Bang! Bang!
Hermione yelped, startled out of her partial-slumber. Paper hearts in red, white, and pink rained down from the ceiling, and loud trumpets played a warbling tune.
But loudest of all, so loud that it drowned out even the sounds of the trumpets, was Theo's booming laughter.
"Theo!" Ginny leapt from her seat, fingers like claws in front of her face. "You've made me spill my popcorn!"
Not to mention he had ruined of the end of their chick flick, which was now engulfed in a sea of static in reaction to the magical paper bombs.
"Ooooohhh you've got it coming this time. What part of 'females only' did you not understand?"
Ginny, with a mighty roar, jumped over the back of the couch arms first and crashed into Theo's wide chest. Just as they fell into the hearts like a pile of pastel leaves, Draco stepped confidently through the portal.
His face twisted as he brought his hand to his chin and observed the scene in front of him. He turned and looked back at the doorway as though considering whether he should just come back later. With a fortifying breath, he skirted around the rag rug where Ginny was now attempting to smash her spilled popcorn into Theo's hair and plopped softly on the couch next to Hermione.
"Do you ever get tired of it? Hanging about with two overgrown puppy dogs?"
Hermione snorted. "Well, there's certainly never a dull moment." She angled her chin towards the box in his lap. "What's that you've got there?"
Draco held the carton in his fingers and jiggled it teasingly. "Rumor has it that Theo somehow secured two witches for himself this year. I'm afraid I was planning on sharing these with my Valentine's Day sweetheart, but regretfully, it seems that you are already spoken for."
He lifted the flaps of the pink and white striped box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, pulled out a brown piece, and popped it into his mouth. He moaned, "mmmm yes, chocolate truffle. Outstanding."
Hermione pouted and eyed the package with open jealousy. "Are those the Valentine's Day edition? I looked for those in Honeydukes during the last Hogsmeade trip, but they were all sold out."
He smirked diabolically as he chose a pink bean from the box and examined it. "Why yes, in fact, they are. Every festive flavor you could possibly imagine, packed into one box. Much more satisfactory than the usual variety- I doubt you'll find any vomit flavored sweets in here."
He popped the pink candy into his mouth and nodded. "Rose petals. Positively sinful."
"So, just making sure I understand- in order earn tasting privileges, I'm required to agree to be your Valentine?"
Draco's eyes sparkled. "That would be the prerequisite."
"Ok, done. I'm officially your date." She wiggled her fingers and reached for the box, only to be stymied when he moved the box to his left hand and stretched it to the opposite side of the couch and out of reach.
"Not so fast. Theo got a kiss out of it." Silver puppy dog eyes looked hopefully into her chocolate ones as a single pointer finger tapped the fleshy expanse of his cheek.
She snorted. "Such a Slytherin. I'm not kissing you."
He nodded, unsurprised. "Can't blame me for trying. However, if you won't consent to that, perhaps you will consent to a smaller favor- a temporary lift on the hand-holding ban? Just for tonight? After all, you did agree to be my date."
She pondered his words for a moment as she thought back to the last time they had held hands, and the explosive emotions it had stirred within her. Not that she didn't get a certain thrill from merely being next to him. She knew it was a dangerous game she was playing, allowing him even an inch of leeway to worm himself deeper into her heart. And yet… perhaps, just for tonight, it would be alright.
Draco sat quickly, watching the wheels spinning in her head. He could practically see her wavering, leaning towards concession.
He grinned like an opportunistic fox as he picked out another bean from the box and made an exaggerated sound of enjoyment. "Creme burlee."
"Fine." She reached across him towards the cardboard pail with greedy fingers.
His eyebrows shot up in surprised pleasure and a brilliant smile slowly spread across his face.
He placed the box between them on the couch and pulled out a taupe colored bean. A twinkle of mischief in his eye, he lifted it to her lips and waited while she chewed thoughtfully. He chuckled as her eager expression morphed into unadulterated disgust. "Oysters," she shuddered.
Draco's laugh roared through the room and only grew deeper as Theo rounded the couch. On his head lay an enormous set of pink velveteen horns, a casualty of his brawl with Ginny.
"I've been turned into a cow. Can I go home?"
Ginny waved her hand at him. "You're excused. I'm going up to bed, too- are you coming, Hermione?"
Draco shook his head dismissively. "Hermione has a date. You all can go now."
Theo shook his head. "Typical Draco. Always stealing my Minnie away."
Hermione didn't comment. She was digging through the carton of jelly beans, staring at each one with suspicion and searching for something peppermint flavored to banish the fishy taste from her mouth.
After their friends exited through the portal, Draco put his fingers to his lips and considered his options. After a minute, he walked over to the CD player in an attempt to turn on some background music. A loud buzzing sound emitted from it and he quickly shut it off to put an end the maddening noise.
"Looks like it's going to be a while before we're able to use the muggle tech. Theo and Ginny were a bit generous with their magic just now," She barely spared him a glance before she returned to her search.
Draco shrugged. "Just as well. How have you been holding up? I feel like it's been a month since we've been alone together. I'm trying not to disappear to the library too often- don't want to arouse suspicion."
She sighed. "I'm doing alright. I've been awfully busy with my school work, as well as researching defensive magic. Trying to keep from getting behind and also feel better prepared to be useful in a fight."
He frowned as a mental image of his witch surrounded by streaks of offensive magic flashed through his mind. "Maybe there's a few things I could teach you." He tapped his head with his pointer finger. "Insider knowledge, you know. I do know a few things about Death Eater fighting styles."
For the next hour, Draco relayed all the useful tips he could think of, offering up a list of commonly used hexes, weaknesses of specific fighters, and effective shield spells. It wasn't until she started hiding her yawns behind her hand that he paused.
"I think it's been long enough now- I'll bet we could get a show going. I still haven't taken advantage of your temporary relaxation of the rules."
She nodded, walked over to the set, and pushed West Side Story into it. "I had something in mind. Another film adaptation of a play- an adaptation of an adaptation, really."
As she turned back to the couch, her heart fluttered at the sight of his arms outstretched, his fingers waggling greedily. She smiled and slid next to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulder.
"Aaaahhh," he said. "You know, I never truly feel quite settled, unless I have you under my arm."
He pulled his other arm around, reached for her hand and gently enclosed it in his own. A deep sense of warmth and comfort enveloped her as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. Oh, she had nearly forgotten how this felt.
The longer the movie played, the more her senses were heightened as he slowly ran a finger up and down her arm. She wondered if her heart could truly continue beating indefinitely at this pace, or if would eventually burst free of her chest.
After well over an hour of the exquisite torture, the credits rolled and she found herself staring into Draco's deep silver eyes. He held her gaze for several intense moments before he shifted to stand and pulled her up by her hands.
"Any more of that, and I'm going to do something you might not forgive me for." He dropped one of her hands but held tight to the other as he led her to the portal doorway to say goodnight.
"Hermione-" he hesitated and cupped her cheek in his hand. "You probably don't want to hear this, but I won't be able to live with myself if I don't say it. If I never get the chance to say it. When I look at you, the whole world shifts into place. Everything I do, everything I am- it's all for you. Always for you." He paused to measure the look of rapture in her eyes before he dropped his voice to a whisper. "I love you." He braced himself as he watched her eyes go wide with terror.
No, no, no; this wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't allowed to say that- to feel that. She trembled. As if he had anticipated her reaction, he held steady, not daring to drop his gaze.
"No," she whispered and covered her face with both hands. She left him to stand alone as she turned and rushed out. Out of the secret room, out of the library; out of his arms.
AN: A million thank yous to my beta, Chandlure Traniez, for your help and support in shaping this chapter.
For my readers, a question with this chapter: Do you agree with Hermione about Valentine's Day? Is it a rubbish holiday, or just as credible as any day we celebrate in modern society? Share your thoughts in the comments.