Secrets

Chapter 30

Haley J. The Bat

A few weeks later on an early Saturday morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione could be found sitting in the Common Room playing a quick game of chess. (Hermione and Harry were playing on one team together against Ron in hopes of finally beating him. They were losing.)

"Hermione, you're getting crumbs all over Harry's pieces," Ron said in disgust, gesturing to the toast she couldn't resist snatching from breakfast.

"Harry doesn't mind; do you?" She smiled charmingly at Harry. Hermione shrugged when Harry didn't say anything. "Besides, Ron, this toast is all for the well-being of your child."

"My child?" Ron scoffed. "Like you had no part in this."

Harry made a sound of disgust. "If you continue this conversation, I'm leaving."

Hermione patted Harry's arm. "See, Ron? You're traumatizing poor Harry."

Ron rolled his eyes. He smiled winningly after studying the board for a moment. He directed one of his pieces then looked up smugly. "Checkmate."

"Who saw that coming?" Harry grumbled. He start putting his pieces back in the little bag. The pawns were all covered in crumbs. Those were the pieces Hermione had been using.

"You don't want to play another round?" Ron asked.

"Even if we did," Hermione replied, "you've got work."

"Damn," Ron cursed under his breath.

Hermione's eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"

"Darn. Whatever." Ron shoved all of his pieces into their bag carelessly. "I hate Saturdays."

"You only work two and a half days," Harry pointed out.

"And Saturday is the worst." Ron leaned down to kiss Hermione's cheek. "I'll see you tonight, love."

Hermione smiled dreamily at him as he left the Common Room.

Harry started to get up. He could tell a mushy moment was about to happen, and he wasn't a big fan of them.

Hermione grabbed his arm. "Wait, Harry."

Harry would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't afraid of her. "What?" he settled for asking impatiently.

Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Er . . . are you aware of what Monday is?"

"Monday?" Harry suggested. "Potions? I don't know."

Hermione sighed. "Never mind."

Harry started to leave, but Hermione looked so distraught that he sat back down. "Tell me, Hermione. What's Monday?"

Hermione bit her lip. "The fourteenth."

"And?"

"The fourteenth of February," Hermione elaborated.

Harry's mind raced. What was the fourteenth of February? Was it a date of significance? He didn't think so . . . "Oh," Harry said suddenly as it hit him. "Valentine's Day."

"Yes," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "Valentine's Day."

"What about it then?" Harry asked, confused.

"Well . . . If you didn't know it was Valentine's Day, do you really think that Ron will remember?" Hermione asked, scowling.

"You're right," Harry said. "I'll tell him for you then."

Hermione looked up sharply. "You will do no such thing!" she commanded shrilly.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because he should remember on his own!" Hermione stood up angrily. "If he doesn't figure it out, then he'll pay the consequences." She eyed Harry. "And if you tell him, I'll know."

Harry didn't like the unspoken threat in her words. He merely watched as Hermione left and went up the girls' stairway. When she was out of sight, he sat back with a sigh of relief.

* * * * *

Later that evening, after an exhausting day at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Ron trudged into the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was sitting alone and working on his homework. Neither Hermione nor Ginny were in sight, so he walked over to Harry and fell backwards on the couch across from him.

"Tired?" Harry asked.

"Tired," Ron confirmed. "Where's Mione?"

"I think she and Ginny went to the kitchens for food." Harry looked around him. "About an hour ago."

Ron looked annoyed. "Why didn't you go with them?"

"To protect them?" Harry mocked. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, to protect them. You never know what could happen to you if you wander aimlessly in these halls."

"Then they should be fine; they had an aim: food."

"If Mione shows up dead, I'm blaming you."

"Go ahead," Harry replied, thinking that the likelihood of it happening was next to nothing.

"I will, then," Ron murmured.

Harry looked up to see that Ron was drifting off asleep. He shook his head sadly. There was no way that he was going to remember Valentine's Day, that was for sure. Harry was trying to decide whether to hint at it or not. Hermione's threat had been ridiculous but scary. Hermione herself was scary these days. She cried more than ever before; crying always made Harry uneasy.

Harry chuckled slightly as he dipped his quill in a pot of ink. He really was clueless. All of the girls had been whispering about the upcoming holiday. He had just been too dense to listen.

Harry began doing his homework again, and he was so lost in it that he didn't even hear Hermione and Ginny approaching. He wasn't aware of them until Ginny plopped down beside him on the floor. He jumped slightly and spilled ink on his parchment.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked, reaching for his wand to do an erasing spell on his parchment.

"We took the long route back," Ginny said simply.

Harry raised his eyebrows as an invitation for her to elaborate, but she didn't. Instead she looked over at her brother and clicked her tongue. "He must be tired. I can't remember him ever having to work before in his life."

Hermione shot Ginny a look for insulting Ron, despite the fact that Ginny and Ron had a lot of fun bantering back and forth. Then she put her hand on Ron's cheek and shook him slightly. "Wake up, Ron," she whispered in his ear.

Harry looked away in disgust. His eyes fell on Ginny sitting beside him. Suddenly his stomach did a weird twist. Valentine's Day was in two days. Should he do something for Ginny? Would that be weird? He had been working for months now to keep things un-weird between them; should he ruin all of that?

Ginny smiled at him. "Potions?"

"Huh?" Harry stared at her stupidly.

"Your homework," Ginny said, laughter in her voice.

"Oh," Harry said. "Er, no. I mean, yes. Yes, Potions. I have it for homework."

Ginny laughed at him. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," Harry muttered. He looked away from her sparkling eyes to finally erase the now-dry ink spot. He was starting to think that, whatever he did decide to do, he would end up screwing things up on Monday. He knew he was clueless enough to do something that could have severe effects.

Ginny bumped his shoulder. Harry felt his stomach wiggle. Most of the effects playing through his mind seemed all right to him.

* * * * *

Ginny walked up to Hermione's room that night after everyone in her dormitory had fallen asleep. She climbed into bed beside her friend.

Hermione, already awake, sat up next to Ginny with a sigh. "He's not going to do anything. He's going to ruin my life. He hates me, doesn't he?"

Ginny laughed. "I'm sure it's quite the opposite."

"Oh, you're just happy because Harry isn't as dense as Ron," Hermione snapped.

"I beg to differ. Harry is just as dense, if not more so, than Ron is."

"Then you're just happy because Harry knows it's Valentine's Day on Monday and he was giving you those looks earlier."

Ginny laughed. "Yup. Pretty much," she said confidently.

Hermione glared at her. "Get out of my bed. Only rejects are allowed in here."

Ginny laughed and got up. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Gin."

* * * * *

"Harry, why are you acting like a git?" Ron asked with a sigh over in the boys' dormitories.

Harry ignored him. "That's right. I said the fourteenth of February is on Monday."

Ron looked annoyed. "I get the picture, Harry. You've said it about ten times in the last minute."

Harry stared at Ron in a way that made Ron feel like he was failing a test. "What is wrong with you, Harry? Just spit it out."

Harry shook his head. "Never mind. I just hope Hermione doesn't kill you. I've grown to like you over the years."

"Kill me? Why would she kill me?" Ron demanded. "Because it's Monday? Everybody hates Mondays. That does not justify a need to kill me."

"Good night, Ron."

Ron grunted in response.

* * * * *

Author's Notes: I'm sorry for the short chapter; it's what came out. If you didn't read the note on my bio page, I'll fill you in. My computer's motherboard crashed a few weeks ago the very day I posted the first chapter in The Hogwarts Diaries. I had to wait until I earned enough money and found a good deal on a computer. I bought the one I'm using now two days ago. And, guess what . . . I finally have Word! Spell check galore! (Watch me misspell a bunch of words.)

~Haley