A/N: Okay,
there's a song in this chapter that's pretty interesting. It goes to the tune of a song… I'm not sure
of the name. It's an old song and if
you've seen the newer version of 'The Parent Trap', it plays at the beginning
of that. If you've ever heard the song,
though, you should be able to pick out the tune. (And no reviews asking how in the world he knew about that
song! He just knew it, okay?!) Yeah. Well, on with the chapter.
Chapter 15: Valentine's Day
"Hermione,
are you sure you're okay?" Ron asked, giving her a concerned look.
"Wha… Oh, yeah. Sure…" she mumbled, burying her head in her arms.
"Couldn't
sleep?"
"Yeah,"
she yawned, "Something like that."
"Have
you slept at all since we came back?"
"Nope."
Ron
gave her a stern look. "Look, it's been
a week. I know Harry being gone is
something to worry about, but you can't do this to yourself. Risking your health isn't going to make
things better."
"I
think Azar needs this talk more than I," she said, glancing up at him, "She hasn't
even been in the Great Hall since we got back. Not that I know of, anyways. I
may not be sleeping, but she's not eating."
"You
don't know that," Ron said, not believing the words himself, "She looks
perfectly fine to me."
"Has
she smiled this whole week, Ron? Has
she raised her hand in class? Has she
even used that 'kit of mayhem'?"
Ron
stared at his feet a moment. "Well,
we'd better get to class. Breakfast is
over."
The
two trudged out of the Great Hall, not even noticing the footsteps that rushed
past them.
Draco
Malfoy hurried down the hall, trying to keep the Invisibility Cloak all the way
on as he went. He headed straight for
Dumbledore's office. Racing around a
corner, he ran smack into Snape. They
both stumbled back from the impact. Snape looked around, perplexed for a moment, then gave the air next to
Draco a piercing glare.
"I'd
think you'd know better than to cut corners in that cloak by now, Draco."
"Sorry,
Professor. I was in a hurry."
"Well,
go on then," Snape said, still looking at the space next to where the boy
stood, "and watch where you're going next time."
Draco
hurried off to the gargoyle, whispered "bloodsicle," and then scurried into the
office. Finding it empty, he whipped
off the cloak, prepared to wait for Dumbledore.
"Hey,
Fawkes," he smiled, petting the bird under its chin, "I have something for
you."
He
pulled out a small container holding something semitransparent and yellowish in
color. "It took me forever to find out
what frankincense is," he told the bird as it eagerly gulped the gum, "And then
I was lucky Professor Sprout had the right kind of trees."
"I
see you've been doing your research."
Draco
turned around to find that Dumbledore had come in.
"I
think that's very kind of you to go through all that trouble so Fawkes could
have a snack."
"Ah,
it's nothing. I've got nothing better
to do, anyways," Draco said, shrugging.
"So,
do you have any news for me?" Dumbledore asked, sitting down.
Draco
followed suit, giving a slight sigh. "Ron and Hermione aren't taking it so well. Hermione doesn't seem to be sleeping. I think she's hiding something, too. Like she's doing something else each night, rather than just
lying awake."
Draco
continued, not noticing the sparkle that came to Dumbledore's eyes at hearing
this. "They seem to think Azar's not
eating, but she is. She just gets to
the Great Hall before anyone else and takes her food outside. You know, it's kind of weird," Draco mused,
"You'd think she'd be saddest of all, and she acts like it. She doesn't even talk unless she has to…but
I don't think it's because she's depressed. It's more like…well, this may sound weird, but she just seems to be
thinking a lot."
Dumbledore
nodded, smiling. "Yes, I expected as
much."
Draco
looked surprised. "But doesn't she like
him?"
"I
am not able to read minds, Draco."
"Well
it certainly seemed like she liked him. And I know that if He- er… if someone I liked disappeared, I wouldn't
just be thoughtful," Draco said, trying not to blush at his near slip.
Dumbledore
seemed amused at his comment, but continued on. "She has reasons, Draco. A girl like that has every basis to be thoughtful. So, how are your studies? I hope this hasn't hindered them in any
way."
"No. I'm actually doing better than I ever did
before. As I said, there's not much
else to do."
"Well,
you'd better get back to class. The
halls should be empty by now."
"Yeah,
okay. Thanks, Professor. I'll see you around."
The
man nodded, unable to hide the smile that crept to his face. He was pleased with his part-time spy. In fact, he was beginning to see why Snape
had insisted on giving Draco the small job.
****
Ron's
face brightened greatly as he read the post on the bulletin board. It read:
"Somewhere In My Heart"
Due to the great success
of the school dance two years ago, the prefects have decided to have
another. It shall be held on February
14th, Valentine's Day. Only
students of fourth year and above may attend. There shall be a party in the library for all those too young to
participate. The theme is "Somewhere In
My Heart" and dress robes are required. You may choose to come alone or have a date. There shall also be a voting booth where you can vote for the
"cutest couple" in your year. Winners
will be announced near the end of the dance. This is the perfect time to let that special someone know how you feel,
so don't miss out!
He
knew exactly whom he was going to ask, but Ron decided not to do it that
moment. After all, he felt he owed
Hermione something after he had been so awful about the Yule Ball. He didn't know what, but he knew he was
going to do something big, something spectacular, something that would be
talked about for years to come…
"Oh
hey, cool. Only two weeks away," Seamus
remarked, reading the notice, "You gonna ask Hermione, Ron?"
"What? Why? You're not going to ask her, are you? You'd better not!"
"Whoa,
relax," Seamus said, holding up his hands defensively, "I was just asking."
"Oh. Sorry," Ron smiled awkwardly, "Hey, could
you make sure no one asks her until I get a chance to?"
"Uh,
sure, but why don't you just ask her now?"
Ron's
grin widened. "You'll see."
****
Hermione
sat in the library, trying to study. She found it very hard, for her sleep-deprived eyes constantly kept
drooping. She was just about to doze
off when suddenly a pair of shoed feet appeared on her books. Perplexed, she looked over and saw that the
chair next to her was seemingly leaning back on its own.
"Hey,
mudblood," came a familiar sneering voice.
"Oh,
it's you," she snuffed, "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"I
was so bored that I just happened to wander in here. It's my luck that I found someone to pester. So, that Weasel ask you to the dance yet?"
"Not
that it's any of your business, but no," she said, glaring at the chair.
"What,
he losing interest? Did he finally
realize that even he could get a better catch than you?"
She
glowered at him, and then reached out, shoving hard against his invisible
chest. Hermione smiled as she watched
the chair tip, it and its contents falling to the ground with a loud
clatter. Draco's sprawled legs were
visible for a moment, but he quickly hid them, knowing the noise would bring
Madam Pince. When her angry face
appeared from around a bookshelf, Hermione smiled sweetly.
"I'm
sorry, Madam Pince. I accidentally
knocked over a chair. I promise it
won't happen again."
"It
better not. The library is a place for
study, not for noise!"
She
skulked away once more and Hermione heard Draco get up.
"You
lousy little mudblood!" the boy hissed, "What was that for?!"
"Ron
was right," she said calmly, turning back to her books, "You are just a useless
little Death Eater."
Suddenly,
the chair she was sitting on was pulled out from underneath her and she fell to
the ground with a dull plop.
"Never,"
came Draco's voice, sounding extremely strained, "compare me to those mindless
murderers. I am not one of them!"
With
that, the chair flew through the air, smashing against the wall. As Draco's quick footsteps faded, Madam
Pince appeared once more. Before
Hermione could even try to explain, the woman ordered her out. Hermione picked up the books off the table
and headed out, pausing by the broken chair. With a bit of a jolt, she realized that Draco could have thrown it right
at her. As she walked out of the
library, she wondered why he hadn't.
****
"Please
eat with us, Azar," Hermione begged, pulling the girl toward the Great Hall.
"Oh,
all right," she complied, grudgingly following Hermione.
They
entered the Great Hall and headed for Gryffindor table. Ron, who was at the end nearest the staff
table, waved at them. They came over
and sat down right across from him.
"So,
you eating with us, Azar?" Ron asked, his voice higher pitched than normal.
She
nodded, glumly stirring the pasta with her fork. They ate in silence for a moment and then Ron stood up with a
jolt.
"Er…I-I
just remembered that I forgot something in-in my dormitory," he stuttered,
going bright red, "I'll be r-right back."
Hermione
watched him race off from her corner seat at the table. Shaking her head, she turned back to Azar.
"Is
it just me, or is he acting a bit weird?"
"He's
acting a bit weird."
Suddenly,
the whole Great Hall went pitch black, as if the magical ceiling had just been
switched off. A murmur of surprise went
through the crowd, but was quickly silenced when music began to play. Two spotlights appeared out of nowhere,
zooming around the room for a while before coming to rest on a figure that had
appeared in front of the staff table.
He
was facing them, but his chin was down and he was holding his hat (which looked
much like the one Dudley had to wear at Smeltings) low over his eyes. The band of the hat was striped red and
white, while the rest was made of straw. He was leaning against a black cane and had his legs crossed in a
relaxed manner. He was wearing a black,
two-piece suit with white undershirt and black bowtie to match, and his ebony
shoes shone brightly in the spotlight.
Apparently
the music had reached the right place, for he suddenly looked up, pulling the
hat out of his eyes, and the whole crowd found themselves staring at the
grinning face of Ron Weasley. One of
the spotlights floated off him and found its way to Hermione, who looked
completely shocked. Then Ron began to sing
(his voice magically magnified), doing a little dance number as he went along.
"H-
is for how I love…you so. E- is for
every blessed thing…you know. R- is
really, really how you make me oh-so-silly. M- is how you're more than anything I could hope for. Oh, I- is instantly how I fell…for you. O- is only how my love…is true. N- is how we'll never, ever be anything but
together. E- is each day I spend
dreaming about you on end. Hermione,
you are just a dream…come true. If…you
left, I wouldn't know what…to do. Here's my offer, so please take it. Come with me to the dance, I hope you make it. Oh, Hermione, love was made for me and you!"
He
ended the song on one knee, one hand holding Hermione's, the other holding his
hat and cane to his chest. The whole
crowd was near hysterics, some people literally rolling on the ground with
mirth. Azar was laughing for the first
time in weeks.
A
little out of breath, Ron asked, "Hermione, will you go to the Valentine's Day
dance with me?"
Nodding
eagerly, she laughed, "Yes, of course!"
Ron
stood up, taking her in an embrace. A
cheer rang through the Great Hall as everyone got on his or her feet,
clapping. A few Gryffindor boys gave
howls of admiration. Then Ron placed
his hat on Hermione's head and literally swept her off her feet, carrying her
out of the room. Just as they came to
the door, Hermione took his face in her hands and kissed him. The cheers grew into a roar and the two
swept through the door. It was an event
that would go down in Hogwarts history…
****
"Well,
how do you like it, Ron?" Azar asked as they entered.
Being
prefects, both she and Hermione had been on the decorating committee and they
were eager for an outside opinion.
"It's
perfect," he said, smiling at Hermione.
Small
confetti hearts of red, pink, and white floated down from the starry
ceiling. Streamers of the same colors
seemed to be coming from everywhere, and quite a number of doves were flying
through the air. A few golden
statuettes of Cupid were scattered here and there. There were hundreds of tables, each one set for two with a single
candle lighting it.
Behind
the staff table was a large pink banner and on it was written "Somewhere In My Heart". Though
it looked much like the Great Hall on the Valentine's Day of their second year,
somehow Ron didn't mind it this time.
Azar
sat at a table with some other boy who had come to the dance alone, not wanting
to butt in on Ron and Hermione's date. Dinner was soon over and the band started up, playing softly by candlelight. Ron stood up, holding his hand out for
Hermione. She took it and they walked
onto the dance floor, soon lost in the music. The boy sitting with Azar asked if she cared to dance, but she said she
didn't feel like it at the moment and he went off, leaving her with her
thoughts.
Although
she was enjoying the dancing immensely, Hermione couldn't help but glance over
at Azar every once in a while.
"You
know, she's gotten better. Azar, I
mean," she commented, "She's pretty much back to her old self."
"M-hm,"
Ron murmured.
"Do
you ever think Harry will come back?"
Ron
looked her in the eyes, a little sadly. "Can we forget about that right now? Just for tonight, can we forget everything? Please, Hermione."
She
smiled slightly. "Yes, I think I can,"
she said softly, resting her head on his chest.
Azar
watched Ron and Hermione dance for a while with envious eyes. She had been asked by a couple of guys to
dance, but she just didn't feel like it. Not with them, anyways. With a
little sigh, she headed outside. No
purpose in staying in, after all. As
she walked out the door, she looked up at the sky. It was unseasonably warm, and the stars seemed to shine brighter
because of it.
Her
mind wandered to the perplexing events of the day she had come back and found
Harry gone. She had just left Ron and
Hermione and headed straight for her dormitory, but the next thing she had
remembered was being in the owlery, watching an owl fly off. She had had these bouts of memory loss
before, and by now she knew what they were, but only once before had she found
herself in the owlery. That had been
last year, before school had even started, and she figured it was because she
didn't know where she was sending it at the time…
She
longed more than anything to know where that owl had gone, for she knew whom it
was going to. Yet, instead of even
attempting to follow it, she had gone down to dinner to meet Ron and
Hermione. It all confused her beyond
belief. Giving another sigh, Azar sat
on one of the benches, looking back at the starry night. She felt so strange. It was as if she knew Harry was all right,
that he was happy and not in danger. Yet
she missed him so.
Music
wafted from the Great Hall, but it did little to cheer her. She had never felt such utter emptiness, not
since that day weeks ago when they had come back and found him gone. He was out there, somewhere. When he'd return, she didn't know; if he'd
return at all. The thought was enough
to bring her to tears.
"Where
are you, Harry?" she asked the darkness.
"Right
here," a voice answered softly.
She
looked up sharply and saw a figure coming from the darkness. As it stepped into the faint window light,
there was no mistaking that face; that messy hair, those green eyes, those
almost goofy-looking glasses. Harry
Potter had returned.
~*~*~
A/N: *grins* I got a little silly with Ron's song, but I just had to put it in! ^-^ Please review!
Oh, and just to let you know, I had an idea while writing this chapter. Right after I kinda jotted it down, I wrote after it. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES!!! There's a few hints in this chapter about it…I just want to know if anyone can guess it. ^-^ I also hinted about something else. (and I have no idea why I'm telling you guys this, but I'm tired so I don't care.)
And thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!!! 153 reviews?! Wow, who'd've thunk it! ^-^
Abbey: Thanks! I should still be writing more soon, 'cause there are a lot of unanswered questions, eh? ^-^
Jona: You're a heck of a lot meaner than me, Jo! Golly. (Thanks. ^-^)
Katrina Skyfrost: I've had a few teachers sorta like Mr. Martin. (a math teacher who dressed up as a stick of deodorant for Halloween ^-^) And thanks for suggesting Harry asking Snape about Juni, 'cause I wrote a whole scene because of it!
Vmr: Thanks!
***StarliteStarbrite***: Thanks! But how am I supposed to get Harry's butt back into reality when I can't even do that for my own?! ^-^
Lucky Woods: lol ^-^
Raven of Death: Ah, endless possibilities. My favorite. ^-^ Thanks!
Desert Hacker: Here ya go! ^-^
Moon Warrior: Sorry I haven't reviewed your story yet. (or much. I'm not sure if I have reviewed it. *sigh*) But each time I sit down to finish it, I get interrupted. Well, thanks!!!
Jewels: ^-^ Thanks!
Princess: Yes, I figured I'd have a cool history teacher, since all of mine have been awesome. Genius? Ha, I wish. But thanks!
Dilandra: Ah, nope. He never gets a break. Thanks!
Sweets: Yeah, I don't know how much I'll go into Juni. *shrugs* The idea of even having her just popped in there. Thanks!
No need to know: …and Harry's not gonna be discreet with the info either. ^-^
Kelly: *sigh* Not much a cliffy if you can guess it that easily! *pouts* Oh well.
Selene110: Yep, here's more.
Minerva: Thanks!
1: I'll take that to mean I'm #1! *cheers* Er…sorry. It's late. ^-^
Berkeley Halperin: Wow, thanks! Another devout follower, eh? Soon I'll have enough to take over the world! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Er…did I just type that out loud? *oi* Sorry, I'm tired. Thanks again, though!
Thank you all! I love you guys!
Be excellent to each other!
-Ady
