Professor Snape was pacing in his chambers at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  His favorite ex-student, Draco Malfoy, was sitting on the window seat watching his friend pace and getting dizzy because of it, while absentmindedly twirling a strand of his hot pink hair.  It happened to be the product of a very mean joke.  "Would you stop pacing?  You're causing me to become very dizzy," Draco told him firmly.  "And besides, what are you worried about? It's just a stupid date."

"A date? A date? Just a date?! It's a blind date or have you forgotten about Ikea," Snape shuddered as he said that name.

"Oh," Draco said hurriedly. "We're really sorry. You know we didn't know what she was, right?"

"I know that!" Snape exploded. "But that doesn't mean that I've forgiven you yet.  I mean, really! You set me up with a demoness!"  A few months before, Draco and his significant other had been celebrating their second wedding anniversary in Cairo.  They were at a bar where Draco had met a girl who was just seemed perfect for Snape, so he had set them up.  They'd dated for about two months before Snape found out she was a demoness.  He found out by accident, because he had seen her kill someone. He'd dumped her soon afterwards.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Harry Potter said as he walked in the door.

"Harry!" Snape said severely as he saw his mischievous grin. "Okay, I'm not even going to finish that sentence.  But if you two want to engage in your usual greeting, can you please wait until you're at home?"

"Aww, but what would be the fun in that?" Draco asked as he came over.  And with the same type of mischievous grin that Harry had worn, he bent down to kiss Harry full on the lips.

"Eww!" Snape moaned.  "It was bad enough at the wedding, and it's even worse watching Remus and Sirius on a daily basis. But can you please cut that out? I'm trying to get ready for a date and this isn't the image I want to be concentrating on!"

"Ooo! Snapey's got a date! Snapey's got a date!" Harry said in a sing-song tone of voice.  "With whom?" he asked as soon as he calmed down.

"First off," Snape said in a growl, "don't call me Snapey! Secondly, I met this girl in a French magic Shoppe. We've become friends and when she found out that I didn't have a date for Valentine's Day, she decided that I'd be perfect for her older sister."

"So you have to apparate to France?" Harry asked him.

"Unfortunately.  And the only thing I know about my date is that she's twenty-three and in her final year of journalism. Oh, and her name's Phoebe Halliwell."

"Halliwell," Draco mused. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"How should I know?" Harry asked.  "But you're right.  I've heard it before as well."

*************************************

The Burrow

"Hey Bill," Ginny said sticking her head into the room. "Where are you going?"

"A friend of mine, Annie Thelan, has a friend whose sister I'd be perfect for.  Unfortunately, said blind date lives in America. Luckily, Annie said that Prue is a witch, trained at Lady Ileana's."

"You finally get a vacation and you have to meet an old friend of yours' best friend's sister. Bloody typical."

"Ginny, don't swear."

"I'm not three. Don't tell me what to do."

"You sound three," Ron said, coming out of the bathroom.  "Mione and I are going to go to Hogsmead and meet up with Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Draco. Wanna come with?"

"No thanks, I'm meeting up with Neville. And I'd feel like a third wheel if I did come. I mean all of you are happy couples. There are reasons why Neville and I are going to a strip club for Valentine's Day…not the least of which is the fact that we're both single and dateless."

"A strip club? Ginny, why can't you go to a single's bar?  I'd feel so much saner," Bill said in his best 'I'm the big brother who doesn't want his sister to get hurt or grow up' tone.

 "You, sane?"  Ron asked his voice full of uncontrollable mirth. "Please don't—gasp—make—chortle—me laugh!  And—gasp—Ginny—snicker—Mione and—snicker—I are dateless—gasp—too."

"Then why are you joining the perfect gay couples?  I mean, you need to find a nice girl soon. Mum wants grandchildren and I'm not providing them."  Ginny had her reasons for not planning on providing grandchildren…mainly the fact that she had long since known she liked girls.  Neville liked guys, but didn't want to tell his Gran anymore than she wanted to break her sexuality to her parents so going bar hopping posing as a couple made sense. In a really weird way.

"Hey," Ron said defensively, "Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred, and George get to do the honors of grandchildren.  Trust me when I say that there will no be grandchildren from me.  Not going to happen, sorry."

"What about Hermione?" Ginny questioned. The popular opinion was that Mione and Ron were in love with each other but a talk with Harry had dispelled that notion from her brain.  However, that still hadn't explained what exactly Mione was to her big brother.

"Mione and I are friends. Nothing more to each other, nothing less; we definitely don't like each other like that, is that bloody clear?"

"Fine," George said deciding that this would be a good time to interfere. But he was still a meddlesome Weasley, and one of the twins to boot, so… "Just a question, but is your dream girl a Patil?"

"George Weasley!" Ron yelled at his older brother as he lost it.  "It's my life and I don't like any of the people we know!  Don't bloody stick your nose where it doesn't belong before you find yourself minus a nose!  Is that clear for all of you?!"

"Yes, Ron," his sister and two brothers said looking shamefaced.

"Good," he snapped, "doesn't everybody have places to be?"

"I'm leaving now," Bill said.

George shrugged. "Alicia and I are going to dinner, so I need to be going, too."

Ginny glanced at her Muggle watch. "I need to be meeting Neville at the club in fifteen minutes."

"And I'm sorry I yelled at all of you," Ron apologized. "I didn't mean to act like a git. Since I need to be in Hogsmead, let's meet back here tomorrow night, eight o'clock to compare dates."

"Sure," Ginny said nodding. Everyone else agreed.

Maria's Note: I'm so sorry. Nokia decided that she no longer wanted to help so I had to balance writing this fic with all the other ones I've got going over under the name Lady Maria. If you've read those ones, tell me which ones you want to see updated first. Can't say it'll happen but it might.