Chapter 8

Weeks had passed since the little incident in the hallway. It was now nearing springtime, and along with it, Valentines Day.

They had never really talked about it and Ginny had almost forgotten about it completely. She only remembered when Hermione brought it up casually while in the common room, a sleeping Crookshanks in her lap.

"…So what are you and Draco doing for Valentine's Day?"

Ginny, who had been falling asleep on the couch, just stared blankly.

"Valentine's Day?"

"Yes, you know, next Thursday? Only the most exploited day of the year next to Christmas, it existence an excuse for those in love to -" She blushed furiously and quickly got back on track. "-What have you two got planned?"

"Oh nothing." She tried to look calm but couldn't help biting her lip as she tried to think. Would Draco be expecting her to do something?

But she was soon brought back by the sound of Hermione trying not to laugh.

"What?"

"Oh come on. I know that look on your face by now. You're going to 'go at it' and don't want Ron to find out. But I swear you can tell me I won't tell a soul. And I want all the details," She wriggled her eyebrows in a way that sent Ginny rolling with laughter. It looked like Herm was catching on to some of Ron's bad habits.

When she caught her breath, she looked at her friend and sighed.

"Actually, we really were going to do nothing. We haven't made plans, well that I know of, and we never really talked about it. Not that we have time to any ways with him always wanting-." She suddenly stopped remembering that she was not ready to share that part of her love life, especially not to her brother's girlfriend.

"Oh come on. Share the wealth. Tip the press. Spill the beans. I'll tell you about mine." Hermione was giving her a pleading look.

"Ugh. I don't want to know the things about my brother you know, especially not about that. NO, and that's final."

Huffing, Hermione went back to staring at the fire before asking, "Will you ever tell me?"

" 'In another life, when we are both cats.'" She laughed at the loud sigh of resignation that came from her friend. They both settled into a comfortable silence, until an ivory white owl came a dropped a letter on Ginny's lap.

At about the same time, Draco was sitting in one of the chairs in his common room, staring into the hearth, thinking about her.

A year ago, he would have never believed that he would find someone like her. She was his everything. An escape from the eyes of his father and even and escape from the charade he had on for the rest of the school. It melted away whenever she was around.

In fact, he noted with a small shock, he had started acting nicer ever since they became public. Especially in DADA. He had done something that was so unlike him that it made him laugh.

It was about two days before, and he was in class with the Gryffindors, as usual. They were all writing essays on humming manegmi, a type of flying nymph that emitted low humming sounds from its wings. This noise is deafening to the victim, meanwhile the manegmi continues burying its self into the person's chest. There it will remain, living on the electrical currents from the nerves and slowly draining the body until the person's dies. Professor Valentine was walking around checking their work, and scolding those who were doing other things.

Sylvia Valentine was a woman in her early twenties and, he dared say, beautiful. She had long curling raven hair that was always pulled back at the side, pale white skin, and startling pale blue eyes that were framed in dark lashes. A small nose and soft supple lips, that were always slightly reddened, completed her face. She always wore deep blue robes, and had been the object of many crushes from the male student body. She was always cool and collective, her voice never rising above speaking level, and had a sharp tong. She could make you feel lower then pun scum in 5 words or less, if that.

She was scolding Hermione for not working. On further inquiry, he found that she had been working but not entirely, as he saw Ron's hand on he knee, gently making circles. This of course caused poor Hermione to stare at her paper in a daze. When she was done, Hermione looked as though she was going to cry. As far as Draco could tell, she hadn't lost any points and was not in trouble of any sort. The bell rang shortly after and he stopped by her desk to talk to her, he had no idea why. Ron however still thought the worst of him.

"So, Malfoy, still here? Want to rub the salt in the wound?"

Draco quirked an eyebrow and didn't rise to bait. "Actually I was going to imply that Hermione might not want to cry as to ruin her parchment, not to mention it would rather make her look rather unpleasant. She isn't in a terrible amount of trouble after all. There is a first time for everything, even for you." He nodded his head slightly at them both and walked away with Ron's jaw on the floor.

No wonder he looked like that. Bet he'd never here reassuring advice from him. He laughed to himself and sat for a while, before a blood red owl dropped a letter on his lap.
The Thursday next, proved to be quite a show. The great hall was decorated with small streamers of pink and pale red and had flame hearts floating over the table, instead of the usual candles. Even Professor Valentine had changed from her usual blue to a deep crimson, that, Ginny had to admit, flattered her figure very well.

But her mind was not on the decorations or the hearts, or the colored robes, or, even, the few valentines that she had received that night at supper. Instead she was focused on that note from the week before.

Ginny had never seen the ivory owl before, but when she opened the letter her thoughts went from the owl to the words written.

Meet me on Valentine's Day at the usual time, usual place. I'll be waiting with a surprise you'll never forget.
D.

She felt her heart leap as she thought of the note, and absentmindedly ate her treacle in a rush to go to her dormitory and get ready. She had noticed that Draco had left early, most likely to get things ready, and silently smiled to herself at the thought. She hadn't gotten time to get a hold of him to ask for a hint as to what the surprise was, (Bloody exams!) but Ginny was sure that it would be good.

As soon as her plate was cleared she excused herself, caught Herm's knowing glance.

Ginny left the hall with a smile on her face. As she finished getting ready in her room, she couldn't help smiling at the thought of what the surprise could be.
"You should have known that he was going to have something planned. It is your first Valentines together you know," she said to her reflection.Ginny reached the astronomy tower thirty minutes later. She straightened herself out before opening the door. "Well, here goes nothing." She opened the door, and what she saw was definitely something she was never going to forget.