Today was Valentine's day. Hermione insisted that I sent a Valentine's Day card to Lavender. But I really didn't want to. I didn't like Lavender. What Hermione doesn't know is that I rather send a Valentine's Day card to her than to Lavender...and I don't intend to let her know that. So pretending to be eager and embarrassed about it, I sent a Valentine's Day card to Lavender, signing it off as Someone in Gryffindor. I was not going to let Lavender think that I like her, you know.

I attached the card to Pig and told him to send the card to Lavender Brown.

"So you did it already?" Hermione asked, as she watched me attach the card to Pig.

"Yes," I said. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Cool," she said, smiling. Somehow, her smile wasn't very natural.

"Is there something wrong, Hermione?" I asked. I didn't like to see her upset or worried.

"What? Oh, no. Of course not. Just wondering if I'll be receiving any Valentine's Day cards today."

"Of course you will," I said, perhaps a little too surely.

"How do you know?" she said, looking at me curiously.

"I...well...a nice girl like you will surely receive a Valentine's Day card," I replied.

"Hmmm. I don't know. Hey, I'm going to be late for Arithmetic. See you around," she said, smiling.

"Okay, bye," I said, trying not to sound disappointed.

She turned and walked away towards the Arithmetic classroom.

I went towards the Gryffindor Common Room. Divination doesn't start until half an hour later.

The moment I stepped in, I heard someone squeal. It turned out to be Parvati Patil.

"Oooh! Lavender! You actually got a Valentine's Day Card! Who is it from? Who is it from?"

Oh man. I noticed Harry staring at me, and I gave him a look that said 'Please don't give me away'.

"I don't know, Parvati," Lavender responded. "It's signed 'Someone from Gryffindor'. No other identification."

"He's from Gryffindor! That narrows it down a lot. Now, who could it be?" said Parvati, looking from Harry to me to the other boys in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Sheesh. They better not find out who it is. I'd die of embarrassment.

"Say, what was the owl like?"

OH DAMN.

"It was a little owl. Looked like Ron's..." Then something seemed to dawn on Lavender. "Ohhh...."

She looked at me. I couldn't help but turn red. I mean, I was so embarrassed!

She turned red too. "I gotta go," she said, running up to the girl's dormitory.

"So Ron...you're the secret admirer! Wait till everyone hears about this!" said Parvati.

Oh God, no.

She ran up the stairs after Lavender, giggling.

I slapped my hand against my forehead. How could I've been so careless! I should have used the school owl or something.

I looked at Harry. He shrugged.

"Well, you were too careless, Ron," he said, grinning.

"Shut up, Harry," I said, scowling.

**

Divination lesson today was particularly hard to endure, with all the girls giggling, and whispering. I felt like I could explode.

"So Lavender, what do you think of Ron? Do you like him?" I heard Parvati whisper to Lavender.

"Well, I don't know," came the reply. "He IS quite nice."

"You know, I don't think--"

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP ALREADY?!" I cried, frustrated...cutting off Parvati.

Parvati and Lavender looked at me, shocked. Professor Trelawney was not very pleased either.

"Mr Weasley, would you kindly sit down, and tell me what you see in the crystal ball?"

I sat down, and stared grumpily at the crystal ball.

"Nothing. There's nothing inside," I said.

"Well, Mr Weasley, you would see something if you had been paying attention to what I said just now," she said.

"Whatever." Suddenly, I thought of Hermione. She was at Arithmetic. How I wished I could see her now.

I bit my lower lip, and tried to pay attention to what the professor was saying. This had to be the worst day of my life.

I suddenly got an idea.

"Professor...I think all that shouting had made me get a stomachache. May I be excused, please?" I said, trying to give the professor my best 'pleading' look.

She looked at me. Harry stared at me too. None of them could think of what I was going to do.

"Well, all right, but be back quickly," she said finally.

"Thank you, Professor," I said. Then I whispered to Harry, "I'll explain later."

He nodded, and I climbed down the tower. I ran towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

I grabbed the pack of Valentine's Day cards I had bought.

"Dear Hermione," I wrote in one. "I really really like you, but I don't dare to say it openly. I feel like I'm such a coward."

It was time for the sign off. I pondered for a while...and then I wrote, "Your secret admirer."

I pointed my wand at it and cast the spell for changing the handwriting. In the place of my untidy scrawl, a neat, cursive, handwriting appeared. Then I ran to the owlery. I wasn't going to make the same mistake this time. Attaching the card to one of the school owls, I told it, "Hermione Granger, please."

It nodded, and flew away. I ran all the way back to Divination class.