A/N: Are you getting a sense of déjà vu? Well that's okay, because although it seems to be the same chapter, its not!
The next Hogsmeade weekend came around pretty quickly after the students got back into their old routines. By now, snow was falling on the grounds as winter slowly approached. The trip to Hogsmeade wasn't until the afternoon, so Harry and Ron had an entire morning to fool around.
"So what're you going to wear?" Ron asked Harry, while trudging through the snow on the grounds.
"Wear? I didn't think I had to dress up or anything. I mean, I never dressed up when I went out with Cho," Harry said, puzzled.
"But Cho dumped you, didn't she?" Ron remarked.
"Well, yeah, but I don't think it had to do with what clothes I was wearing. She was more concerned about the fact that I was going to meet Hermione in the middle of our date," Harry grumbled.
"I'm not sure what I'm wearing yet…probably normal stuff. You think the girls are dressing up?" Ron asked.
"I shouldn't think so…at least not Hermione. She's known you for years, there's no reason for her to try to impress you," Harry said.
Why shouldn't she try to impress me, Ron thought. I mean, she's just as inexperienced in dating as I am. I mean, the only person she's been on a date with is Krum, and that doesn't even count. I'm sure she's just as nervous as I am.
"Yeah? Well I'm certainly going to try to impress her. I've annoyed the hell out of her for six years, so I'd better do something drastic tonight," Ron said.
"I really don't think you should do anything drastic. Hermione obviously wouldn't have said yes to a date with you if she didn't think you were…dateable," Harry reasoned.
"Well, let's go to lunch then, shall we? Give us time to get ready for the big date?" Ron said.
"Take it from experience, Ron. Don't get your hopes up," Harry warned. "But lunch sounds good anyway."
I can't help it, Ron thought. I've been dreaming and thinking about taking Hermione out on a date for months. Hell, years…but don't tell Harry. Now that my dream is finally coming true, I'm determined not to end up like Harry and Cho.
The two friends walked back to the castle and into the Great Hall where they found Ginny and Dean, enjoying their own dinner.
"Hello, Harry!" Ginny called out.
"Hey Ginny," Harry said, sitting down. Ron sat down, eyeing Dean.
Is Ginny still dating him?, Ron thought. I don't know what she sees in him. I mean, he has a poster above his bed of a sacker player. Whatever that is. The pictures don't even move.
"I heard about the big date, Harry. Congratulations!" Dean said.
What about me?, Ron thought, jealously. Can't I get any congratulations for finally landing a date with the smartest girl in school? Harry has the limelight again. I just wish for once it was me. I mean, winning the Quidditch Cup was great, but that only lasted a couple of weeks. Harry's famous for life.
"Yeah. Hopefully me and Stella will have a good time this afternoon," Harry said.
"You and Stella?" Dean said, looking confused.
Ginny made desperate signs over Ron's head attempting to stop Dean before going any further.
"I thought it was you and Hermione…," Dean said.
"Why would you think that?" Ron interrupted, angrily.
"Well, everyone thought it was pretty obvious that they liked each other. So when we heard that Hermione was going on a date, we assumed it was with Harry," Dean answered.
"So is it not possible that Harry DOESN'T like Hermione and someone else does?" Ron said, with clenched teeth.
"I guess…," Dean trailed off. "Who is Hermione going on a date with then?"
"Me, you idiot," Ron said, face getting redder and redder.
"Oh, right. Er…that was my…uh…second guess. Um, Ginny…don't we have that…um…thing?" Dean stuttered.
"Yeah, we better go," Ginny said. "We don't want to be late for the, uh…, thing."
"Slimy git. Never liked him anyway," Ron muttered.
"So did I miss the owl saying that I liked Hermione? I thought people realized that that article Rita Skeeter wrote was just rubbish," Harry said.
Harry and Hermione?, Ron thought. That was just in Rita Skeeter's articles. He doesn't really like her…does he? No, Ron. You're being stupid and jumping to conclusions. If Harry liked Hermione, he would've asked her to Hogsmeade and not Stella.
"I guess not," Ron said. "It's the first I've heard of it."…
…Snow fell lightly on the Hogsmeade paths as the two couples made their way into the small village.
"I heard there was some sort of a tea shop here," Stella said, "Maybe we could-"
"It's really not that good," Harry interrupted. "Why not try Honeydukes?"
"All right, then." Stella agreed.
Once inside Honeydukes, the four paired off to sample the chocolate. Harry and Stella ventured towards the chocolate while Ron and Hermione went towards the more adventuresome candy.
"Blood Suckers?" Ron smirked. "Perhaps a Christmas present for Snape."
"Don't be silly Ron, that's a candy for vampires," Hermione said.
"Exactly. Haven't you heard the rumors that Snape is a vampire? It would sure fit his character. Ever wonder why he hides away in the dungeons all the time?" Ron said.
"Actually I have," Hermione said. "I think he has porphyria."
Ron stared, waiting for some sort of explanation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stella and Harry leave the shop.
Making your move already Harry? Ron thought, with a smirk.
"Don't you read, Ron? I mean, honestly. There have been stories in the Daily Prophet of increasing numbers of porphyria in the past decade," Hermione said. "It's a disorder where wizards exhibit symptoms similar to the characteristics of a vampire. Their skin is pale and extremely sensitive to light, therefore they are advised to stay inside during the day."
"Sounds like a vampire cover-up to me," Ron said.
"So what do you want to do?" Hermione asked.
"Do?" Ron asked, confused.
"Well, we're not going to stay in Honeydukes all day, are we?" Hermione said.
"I guess not, where do you want to go?" Ron asked.
"Well, the bookstore would be nice, and also the pet shop. Crookshanks needs some more treats," Hermione explained.
"Right, Pig needs some as well. Before we go, though, I need to pick up some Chocolate Frogs. Fred and George need them for something," Ron said.
"A dangerous something more likely than not," Hermione said.
Ron walked to the back of the store to find some Chocolate Frogs, leaving Hermione to look through some more candy.
Fred and George need them for something? Ron thought. That was the best you could come up with? Well, you did need some way to get in the back and buy them without her seeing. It supposed to be a surprise.
After buying the Frogs, he found Hermione looking out the window at something. "Hermione?" Ron said, attempting to get her attention.
"What?" Hermione said, suddenly snapping back to the real world. "Oh…time to go? Alright then, to the bookstore?"
"To the bookstore," Ron agreed. On their way to the bookstore, Ron noticed that Stella and Harry had left their posts at the bench. While walking down the pathways, he revealed his surprise.
"Chocolate Frogs? Oh Ron, you shouldn't have," Hermione said, with a smile. He knew she liked them, what with all the interesting information on the cards. "Let's open them together."
They opened them on the count of 3, enjoying their chocolate and discovering what cards they got.
Damn, Ron thought, Dumbledore again.
"Look what I have," Hermione said, with a secret smile.
"It's Agrippa," Ron gasped.
"And now it's yours," Hermione said, closing the card in his hand.
"You don't know what this means to me," Ron said. "I've been collecting these cards since the age of six. This card is the rarest one of all. In fact, there are only one hundred in the world."
"Well then consider it MY surprise," Hermione said.
How does she do that? Ron thought. I feel warm, crazily warm. Like I don't even need my jacket.
"So did you read the information on the card? You know Agrippa was a world-famous alchemist. I read his book, quite good actually. You should read it sometime. It's called Of the Uncertainty and Vanity of the Sciences and Magic," Hermione prattled.
There goes that warmth, Ron thought.