Omigosh, this is a big chapter! So many subplots will be somewhat resolved in this chapter, & I'm excited to see what you think! I'm a little worried about how I portrayed Cho - I truly hope that I wrote a grieving, overly stressed, & embarrassed sixteen-year-old girl realistically! Please let me know if you disagree (respectfully, of course!) & tell me what I can improve!

A million thank yous to the seven people who reviewed the last chapter - your reviews really brightened my day!

To ThingsCanBeTwoThings & Silverleone, to answer your questions about Snape's reaction - it's not how Reggie said something or how she looked when she said it. It's more about what she said - "Save your breath." I had to double-check a chapter in book 7 - "The Prince's Tale" - to find the right words, but it's something Lily said to him on the night she finally cut him off. Basically, she gave him a PTSD flashback to the worst night of his school years by unknowingly using Lily's words.

To everybody else - NicoleR85, shelbyharris0323, AquaEclipse, Littlecosma001, & DevineAurora - I'm so glad you liked my twists & I hope I continue to create something you enjoy!

As always - read, enjoy, & review!

- Owlix

Chapter Forty-Five: Valentine's Day

The next week was spent in total fear regarding Snape's reaction, causing me to be unusually well-behaved in Potions class. Apart from almost complete avoidance in class, the only response I got from Snape was a letter detailing my detention schedule - I'd be spending every evening this week with Snape for "insubordination", despite having Quidditch practice on Friday after class. At first, I thought that this couldn't be the entirety of my punishment, but after talking with Tracey & Theo, I understood why the reaction was so mild.

"We're fifth-years," Tracey said, "so we can't get a whole month's worth of detentions, or we'd never turn in our homework!"

"Plus, any detention that lasts longer than a week needs to have special permission from the Headmaster," Theo added. "Whatever ye said to Snape, he doesn't want Dumbledore to know about it, so he's giving you the maximum. He'll be giving ye hell during those detentions, though; I guarantee it!"

"Great …" I groaned, knowing that Snape would be planning up something particularly awful for whatever I'd said to him that caused him to react so strongly.

Turns out that I was right.

Every night that week, I was assigned three tasks at six p.m. to complete by nine p.m., which was curfew for the fifth years.

Number one: write the words "I will obey my teachers" one hundred times with a regular quill & regular ink.

Number two: scrub one of the most encrusted cauldrons in Snape's collections so that the encrustation was completely removed.

Number three, gut five foul-smelling lizards in order to get their hearts, livers, & kidneys, all without damaging said organs.

By the end of each night, my hands burned & ached from the writing & the soap, my back & arms ached from scrubbing, & my entire being reeked with lizard guts.

After that, I would stay up until two or three in the morning to complete the mountain of homework assigned to me every day. The only thing about those nights that made me smile would be the plate of dinner that Harry would have Winky deliver for me, which I would always thank her for.

After that hell week was over, I absolutely refused to speak to Snape unless I was specifically asked a question, despite the fact that he'd upped the quantity & quality of his verbal jabs in class. Otherwise, I would sneer at him with all of the disdain & rage that I could muster whenever he was around. I also refused to talk to Harry, Ron, or Hermione about what I had done to deserve detention; all I told them was that I went to talk to Snape about something & he hadn't liked what I'd said.

Before I realized what day it was, February had arrived with an explosion of wetter & slightly warmer weather, as well as an atmosphere of excitement concerning Valentine's Day.

The day before the Special Day, Theo sent me a letter detailing what we'd do. I'd meet him in the Entrance Hall & go down to the Hogwarts kitchens for a chill brunch. We'd enjoy each other's company privately as friends before Tracey would turn up just before midday for a more romantic meal. At that time, I'd leave to head down to Hogsmeade to just hang out.

On the morning of the fourteenth, I made sure to dress properly. I was trying to look sexy but not exactly available while still being able to walk. After looking out at the bright, breezy day, I decided to wear a flowy black spaghetti-strap tank top with red detailing down the front, black leather pants, black high-heeled combat boots, & a black jean jacket with the words "Property of No One" on the back. After putting the outfit on, I went into the bathroom & arranged my dark curls into a high ponytail that was held in place with loads of hairspray. After sweeping the end of my ponytail over my shoulder, I applied thick eyeliner & dark red lipstick that completed my punk-vampy look.

Giving my reflection a confident, sexy smirk, I turned on my heel & walked out to the common room, making sure to grab my purse on the way out. On my way to the Entrance Hall, I noticed more than a few people giving me a double take as I strutted down the halls.

When I saw Theo, my smirk widened into a grin at the sight of him. He had a white button-down shirt under a set of classic, well-made black dress robes, but the way he was wearing the button-down was what made me grin - he'd unbuttoned the top two buttons, exposing a leanly-muscled chest, & popped the collar to accentuate his long neck & prominent cheekbones. If our own hearts hadn't already been taken by others, I could honestly see myself falling for this guy!

"Well, well, well …" I purred, walking around him in order to get the full view only to have him keep eye contact as he turned with me. "Dressing up for someone, Theo?"

He shrugged elegantly & began to take slow, leisurely strides towards me.

"I'm told my lady likes to dress to impress," he drawled, smirking down at me as he reached up to stroke my cheek with the back of one finger. "I thought I'd do the same, in appreciation for the honor of her accompanying me this fine day."

"Well, I can say that she definitely appreciates your appreciation!" I grinned.

I noticed him glancing down at my mouth & felt the tip of his thumb stroke in that area before he made eye contact & raised an eyebrow. Realizing that he was asking to kiss me & remembering our agreement that it wouldn't go to past closed-mouth, I nodded & raised myself onto my tiptoes as he leaned down to give me a gentle kiss. I felt little fizzles of electricity as the Entrance Hall erupted into frantic whispers, but it was over as quickly as it began when Theo pulled back & gave me another smirk.

Ignoring the now rampant rumor-mongering, he offered me his arm & escorted me down to the kitchens. I told him that I'd only been down there once, but I knew two of the elves down there personally. He smiled back at me & told me that he had met those two particular elves & had asked them to help create a perfect brunch for two dear friends.

When we got down to the kitchens, I chuckled when I saw the spread: fluffy Belgian waffles, jars of different syrups & spreads, bowls of many fruits except for strawberries, & jugs of fruit juice & chocolate milk spread out in a buffet-style display. It was casual, it was simple, it was perfect!

We ended up eating two large servings of waffles each & having a small food fight with the condiments, which the elves cleaned up off of the kitchens (& us!) after we were done. Theo then instigated a deep conversation about house elves when he heard me thank Winky, who had insisted on taking care of me specifically. He'd wanted to know why I'd thanked her when she was simply doing what she was created to do. I'd let him know that I was trying to boost her confidence & told him about how my mother had taken a job as a waitress once when I was little.

"She always said that her favorite customers were the ones who took the time to thank her," I said, smiling at the memory. "She felt that it let her know that she really had done a good job & that it inspired her to continue to do a good job, especially for those particular customers."

"So … it fosters loyalty," he said slowly, seeming to understand, "as well as ensures a job well done?"

"Exactly!" I said with a grin. "Fear can always be overcome eventually, but it takes a LOT to destroy loyalty so completely that people will refuse to help."

We talked for a while until the spread was cleared away & started to get replaced by a more romantic setting. I immediately looked down at my watch & saw that it was just past 11:30.

"I think that's my cue!" I chirped as I stood up, giving Theo a hug on the way out.

"Give her a good snog!" I called out as I left, cackling with laughter as the portrait closed on Theo's blushing face.

I passed Tracey on the way out & gave her a smirk. Her hair was changed up slightly, sporting a French braid that draped over her head & back into a curly ponytail. She looked flirty & fun, & I knew Theo was gonna love it!

"You look great!" I murmured as we walked past each other. "Knock him dead!"

When I got out of the castle, I grumbled to see that the "bright, breezy day" was turning into a "cloudy & blustery day". Thankfully, there wasn't any rain yet, so I hurried down the path towards Hogsmeade.

Unfortunately, just after I passed the school gates, the clouds all decided, in unison, to piss all over me. I decided to hurry towards Hogsmeade as fast as I could, draping my jean jacket over my head to protect my hair & giving the clouds the bird from both hands as I ran.

Once I got to the village itself, I accidentally ran into Cho Chang, who had run out of a sidestreet while bawling her eyes out. We'd both been running so fast that our collision sent us both straight into the mud.

"Oh man …" I groaned, knowing that the mud on my pants would be really uncomfortable when it finally dried.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Chang cried as she sat up & looked over at me. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah!" I said, speaking a bit louder than normal to be heard over the rain. "No blood, no foul, right?!"

"Yeah!" Chang said with a teary smile. "Um … wanna go to the Three Broomsticks? My treat, to make up for this?"

"Uh … sure!" I said, surprised that Chang was being friendly to me. Over the last few months, she'd been polite but downright chilly towards me, probably due to jealousy about how close I am to Harry.

We both hurried to the Three Broomsticks & spent a few minutes getting as much mud off as we could. Chang may not have been as good at Defense-style spells as I was, but she was much better at Charms than I was & happened to know a few new Charms for me to use.

"I had to learn these when I started Quidditch," she said when I mentioned it. "Mum & Dad hated it when all of my clothes had grass or mud stains on them."

Chang asked me to find us a place to sit while she got us our drinks. I managed to find a small table that gave me a good view of everyone in the room. I saw a depressed-looking Hagrid drinking in a corner by himself, & I actually did a double-take when I saw Hermione sitting in a booth off to the side with Luna Lovegood & a very raggedy-looking woman who was trying to look respectable.

"Here you go!"

I jumped slightly when Chang slid a large tankard of warm Butterbeer in front of me. I'd never had it warm before, but Chang was chugging hers down so I assumed it was good. I took a small sip of the sweet, butterscotch-colored liquid & was pleasantly surprised to feel the warmth spreading from my stomach to the rest of my body.

"It's good, right?" Chang asked, seeming to be much calmer than before.

"Yeah!" I said in surprise. "I've never had it warm before - this is great!"

"It feels SOOOOOO good to drink this," she sighed, slurring her words only slightly, "especially after the date I've just had!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing that Harry had really been looking forward to this date, much to my disappointment.

"Harry!" Chang said, waving her hand around sloppily as her eyes filled with tears again. "He … won't tell me about Cedric!"

"You asked him about Cedric?" I asked quietly, knowing how sensitive of a subject Cedric's death was for Harry.

"Y-Yeah!" Chang blubbered after taking another sip. "And - and he said he was gonna meet Hermione Granger here at lunchtime - TODAY, of all days! And he … he only wanted to talk about Quidditch! I d-don't understand! I need to talk about Cedric! S-Surely he needs t-to talk about it too! He s-saw it happen!"

"OhhhhK, OK, Cho?!" I responded, grabbing Chang's shoulder & getting her to look at me. "OK, I can explain a couple things, but you need to calm down! Crying's fine, but getting overwhelmed like this won't help anyone!"

I waited a few moments while Chang got a hold of herself, taking gulping breaths as she fought to get her emotions under control. Once she could take a breath without sobbing, I started talking.

"Hermione apparently had something planned that could only happen today," I said, not knowing exactly what Hermione was up to but knowing it was something important if she was requesting Harry step away from a date that he'd been really looking forward to. "It had nothing to do with the holiday; if Hermione could do it another day, I guarantee she would have! She knows that Harry was looking forward to this date! She wouldn't mess it up if she had any other choice!"

"... He was?" Chang gasped, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah!" I said with a smile of my own, though my heart was clenching at the idea of helping my "romantic rival". "I promise, nothing is going on between Harry & Hermione! They're just friends - if anything, she's his bossy big sister, but that's it!

"Now, about Quidditch!" I said, trying to stay business-like in this discussion. "As far as Harry knows, that's the one big thing you have in common! He wants to know you more so he can talk to you more, but all he knows that you like is Quidditch! He's a fifteen-year-old boy who has never been on a real date before! Of course he's gonna be awkward!"

Chang looked down sheepishly, hopefully realizing that maybe she'd expected too much out of Harry for their first date.

"About Cedric …" I said quietly, praying that Chang wouldn't get overly emotional again. "Harry's … not very good at dealing with emotion. According to Hermione, he never has been. He deals with it by shutting it out & getting down to business - I don't know if that's a guy thing or a Harry thing, but that's what he does."

"He said he's talked about it, though!" Chang said, tears streaking down her face. "To Ron & Hermione … & YOU!"

"Yeah, he's told me!" I said defiantly, knowing that the crowded room would make it easier to have an argument with someone. "But I asked about it when we were completely alone! We were having a private conversation! We weren't sitting somewhere public where someone could see & hear us if we got emotional! We were somewhere quiet & safe & far away from people, & you can't get mad at him for not telling you because you couldn't choose the right time or place to ask him!"

"Well, then I won't!" Chang shrieked, standing up & starting to leave.

"Where are you going, Chang?" I asked, standing up to try & follow her.

"Away from you!" Chang responded, rounding on me & fixing me with a glare that had me sitting back down again. "You think you know soooo much about Harry, don't you? You've got him all figured out, don't you? Well, you know what?! You can have him - I'M DONE!"

With that, she spun around & stormed out, leaving me feeling both delighted that I had beaten her (despite the fact that we'd never openly fought for Harry) & horrified that I may have been the thing to destroy the possibility of Harry having a proper relationship with Chang. I turned around & put my head in my hands, knowing that if Harry chose to be angry about this, it could ruin all hope for me too! I knew I had to be honest with Harry about what had just happened, but I didn't know how exactly I should tell him.

"Reg?"

I looked up & saw Harry walking towards me from Hagrid's now-empty corner. He must've just walked in since the poor guy was soaked to the bone.

"Hey!" I said, cheering up considerably at the sight of him.

"You alright?" he asked, glancing at the two tankards of Butterbeer in front of me.

"Ummm … yeah," I said awkwardly. "I was … trying to help a girl who had a … rather awkward first date, but … I think I might've blown it."

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, taking Chang's empty seat.

I took a deep breath & summoned all of my Gryffindor courage before speaking again.

"It was Cho Chang," I said quietly. "We literally ran into each other as she left your date, & she offered to get me some Butterbeer to make it up to me. We started talking about your date & well … she didn't exactly like what I had to say."

"What did you say?" Harry asked, looking frustrated.

"That you were looking forward to this date," I said, making myself stay calm. "That Hermione is your bossy big sister, not a crush. That you want to know more about her, but all you know she likes is Quidditch. That you deal with emotions by not talking about it. And … that she shouldn't have asked you about Cedric while you were in public, if she had to ask you at all."

Harry ran his hands through his hair & sighed heavily.

"I guess she didn't like the last one," he stated, sounding resigned to the reality of his situation.

"No, not really," I said regretfully. Despite how it turned out, I know I could've handled that more delicately. "I wasn't exactly … gentle about what I said. I tried to be, but she got defensive & started yelling, which made me start yelling & it all just snowballed from there. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"You really like her," I said sheepishly, playing with my long, well-manicured fingernails, "& I could've just ruined it all for you! She may decide to not date you anymore, & if it's because of what I said -"

"Then she can deal with it!" Harry said, placing a hand on mine to stop my fiddling. "She's been around you loads of times with the D.A.! She knows you don't respond well to being yelled at! If she yelled at you & you yelled back at her, that's her problem!"

I gave him a small smile in thanks before asking, "Did she really ask about Cedric in public?"

"Yeah," Harry groaned. "She thought we could go to this place called 'Madame Puddifoot's' just down the road, & it's awful! Frills & bows everywhere, Cupids flying around & dropping confetti on everybody, couples snogging over their sugar bowls or staring at us while Cho turned into a human hosepipe - I didn't know what to do!"

"Oooohh, that does sound awful!" I said, wincing sympathetically. "Personally, I'd save the romantic stuff for the third or fourth date, if I was that kind of girl!"

"That kind of girl?" Harry asked.

"Y'know, the kind of girl who gets asked out on more than one date," I said, shrugging.

"But … didn't Nott … ?"

"Yeah, he asked me out to brunch," I replied, "down in the kitchens, so we would be chaperoned. He's a really great guy & I like being with him, but … I don't know, we come from very different worlds & I don't know how we can get them to overlap. I'm not planning on being a baby-machine right after graduating from school - I wanna be an Auror first, then maybe settle down after a few years if I find the right guy! But in his world, the wives stay home & give the kids to a house-elf nanny & go to society luncheons every week & … I don't know, maybe we'd just … y'know, be better off as friends."

"Yeah?" Harry asked. I didn't know for sure, but his eyes seemed to light up at that prospect.

"Maybe," I said with another shrug. "I'd have to talk to him about it, though. He's treated me REALLY good & treated me to two very nice dates - he deserves that much, at least!"

"Yeah …" Harry agreed reluctantly.

"Harry, Reggie! Over here!"

I glanced up & saw Hermione waving frantically at us to come & join her.

Harry & I stood up, only for me to realize that Harry had been holding my hands since he'd stopped me from fidgeting. His hands were really warm …

"Who's the woman she & Luna are sitting with?" I asked Harry as we made our way across the crowded bar.

"That's Rita Skeeter …" Harry replied, sounding more confused than ever.

"Rita Skeeter?!" I cried. "That nosy old cow?!"

"Yeah …" Harry said, still sounding stunned. "Unemployment doesn't seem to suit her, though."

"Well!" I said, wrapping my arm around Harry's & grinning confidently. "Karma is a witch named Hermione Granger!"

Harry gave a loud guffaw as we reached the table.

"You're early, Harry!" Hermione said with no small amount of glee & a slight amount of concern. "I thought you were with Cho, I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least!"

"Cho?" Rita asked immediately, staring avidly at Harry while reaching for her bag. "A girl? And who is this lovely lady?! Your newest conquest?"

"It's none of your business if Harry's dating a hundred girls or what their names are," Hermione snapped, "so you can put that away right now."

Rita's tackily charming grin soured as she put the bag back down. Harry & I sat down across from her, eyeing her warily as we spoke with Hermione.

Apparently, the plan was for Rita Skeeter to write a report on exactly what Harry had experienced when Voldemort had returned & for Luna to send the report to her dad to print in The Quibbler, which was the only paper around that might print something from Harry. The important thing for Rita was that she was to publish exactly what Harry said with no embellishments or outright lies; otherwise, Hermione would report the fact that Rita was an unregistered Animagus. During the whole conversation, I couldn't help but feel so proud of Hermione. She was utterly ruthless & totally uncaring about what happened to Rita - whichever way Rita chose, Hermione would win & get back at Rita for the damage she'd caused the year before.

Of course, that's if Harry agreed to be interviewed at all.

To my surprise, Harry did agree to be interviewed, & while it was obviously very difficult for him to talk about it, he spoke clearly & strongly about every detail that he could remember, answering every obsessively intrusive question that Rita gave him. The thing that made me smile a little was that Harry spent the entire interview with my hand grasped tightly in his for emotional support.