Chapter 24:

"Valentine's Day"

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

"Two more days, Harry," Vanella said excitedly. "Valentine's Day is Saturday. Two days away! Imagine!"

Harry rolled his eyes and petted his snake in the empty common room. It had been another month since Vitesse's return, and she was back to her usual self. The past month had been fairly inactive, nothing out of the ordinary happened, not that Harry really expected anything. He was worried, though, at why someone had hurt Vitesse. He assumed it was just a scared girl who went into the bathroom, saw a snake, hit it with a curse and ran, but something about Vitesse's refusal to talk about it told him otherwise.

Harry's grades, to the pleasure of his teachers, were back to their usual level: good, but room for improvement. They still said that if he applied himself he'd be much better.

"Why are you so excited? You have a mystery date?" Harry asked with a smirk.

She shot him a look. "No."

"Well?"

"Valentine's Day is just a cool day. Imagine, a day devoted completely to love and such."

Harry rolled his eyes again, not one for love.

"Well, what about you, Harry? You have a secret girlfriend you're hiding from us?" Her eyes flashed animatedly. "Or a boyfriend?"

Harry glared at her. "Neither, thank you very much."

She put her hands up, palms to him as if defending herself. "Hey, not that it's any of my business. It's totally up to you if you have a girlfriend on the side."

He snorted. "Like you wouldn't care."

"I didn't say I wouldn't care." She got up from beside the fire and sat next to him on the couch. "You're like a brother. I'd have to watch out so no one hurts your sensitive little heart." Her voice drifted into sing-song baby talk.

He snorted again.

She pinched his arm and he yelped. He glared at her as she laughed richly. After awhile he gave up and laughed too.

After a quick check to make sure all their homework was done, they went to bed, Harry and Vitesse to the first year boys' dorm, and Vanella to the girls'.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Friday was a typical day, each class dragging on forever to the students. The talk going around the school was mostly about the next night's Valentine's Day Dance, the occasion being advertised by the flashing pink heart signs scattered all over the school. The dance was apparently organized by the sixth- and seventh-years. Most of the girls had sent out to magazines for special dresses, made them themselves, or had them sent from home. Either way, this dance was supposed to be the occasion of the year.

The castle was decorated with many a pink heart, and undying roses were all over the place, beautifying the courtyard, grounds, halls, staircases, classrooms, and even, to Professor Snape's loathing, the dungeon.

Vanella was in happy spirits, skipping around the common room in pink and red robes that she had worn throughout the day. Teachers didn't approve, but let it pass given the holiday.

"La-dee-da-dee-da…" she sang, skipping around her scowling housemates.

Eventually Harry approached her. "What is up with you?" he asked cautiously.

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day!" was her brisk reply.

"So?"

"So tomorrow's Valentine's Day!"

Harry gave up and sat down in a chair next to where Draco was reading for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Do you think she's possessed?" Harry asked.

Draco squinted at the overly enthusiastic girl over the top of his book. "Nah, I'd say this is her favorite holiday. Everyone's got one."

Harry frowned. "I like Saturdays, but I don't skip around like a pixie at the end of every week."

Draco closed the book and watched Vanella prance around the room. "I don't know. Maybe Valentine's Day is something she feels she should celebrate because of something that happened on a Valentines Day in the past. Or maybe she is possessed."

"What kind of possessor makes someone act like that?"

Draco shrugged.

They watched her annoy everyone else a little longer, causing the crowd in the common room to dwindle. Eventually Draco got up and went to bed, stating in his bored drawl that merely watching her jump around like that was making him tired.

Once everyone but Vanella and Harry went to bed, Vitesse came out and was petted. Harry took a book off a shelf in the back and began to read.

A few minutes before midnight, Vanella stopped bouncing and sat in front of the fire, watching the flames dance around in the hearth. She sat there until the clock struck 12, when she closed her eyes dreamily.

Harry watched her closely before standing. He put the book away and sat next to her. She had a small smile on her face.

Harry stood after a few minutes. Looking down at her in quiet contemplation, he softly said a "Happy Birthday" and walked up to his dorm.

He wasn't there to see her jaw drop.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Saturday morning breakfast was a thrill. The Great Hall was full of boys. Most of the girls were huddled off together in their dorms getting ready for the dance tonight. Word was even going around that the Head Girl was having a curling-and-crimping party during the day. Boys were talking animatedly about whatever girl they invited to or planned on approaching at the dance tonight, while others were complaining about how a girl they were already in a relationship with before the dance announcement was forcing them to go to the "bloody thing".

Harry and Draco sat alone in one area of the Slytherin table, Vanella gone. Harry surmised that Grobble, the one entity that is Crabbe and Goyle, since they were always together, was off primping for the dance as well.

Draco was sitting perfectly in his seat, eating a piece of toast. "Going to the dance with anyone, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think there is anyone here who wants me for me and not me for famous Harry Potter."

Draco nodded, nibbling on the corner of the buttered bread. "I'm going with Pansy Parkinson. I think she's just in it for my family money, but…" he drifted off, shrugging. "Gotta keep up appearances, you understand."

Harry nodded absently.

"You know, that Gryffindor Seeker seems to fancy you. At least, during the Quidditch season."

"Maybe, but I never see her and don't have classes with her."

Draco continued to slowly nibble away at the toast. "That's 'cause she's a second or third year."

"In other words, I don't stand a chance even if she did fancy me during the Quidditch season."

Draco nodded in thoughtful agreement, still gnawing on the bread corner.

"What about the muggle-born that's always hanging around with the youngest Weasley brother?"

Harry shrugged. "Hermione? I think she's going with Ron, as friends."

"Vanella going with anyone?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't know."

"The famous Harry Potter is going to his first school dance all alone."

Harry scowled and helped himself to eggs and such. "Shut up, Draco. You're going with Pansy Parkinson, and that's even worse."

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Harry first saw Vanella around afternoon, when she popped into the Slytherin Common Room from her dorm room to ask if any of the boys could sew. The answer was a resounding "No!", and she disappeared again behind the door. She had still been in pajamas, hair pulled back loosely. Some of the boys began to question that they were really getting ready if at least one of the five girls was still in bedclothes.

Eventually the boys reluctantly began to get ready, showered and dressed in formalwear in less than twenty minutes, just waiting in the common room for the girls to come out of their dorms.

Couples slowly trickled out of the common room, all headed to the Great Hall for the occasion.

Harry was going to wait for everyone to leave before going, just sitting in a lounge chair in front of the fire in a black suit with a green shirt, the top two buttons undone, in a dressy-yet-casual statement, with no tie.

Draco waited for Pansy with Harry, dressed in a similar black suit, only in a blood-reddish-maroon shirt. He, too, had his top two buttons undone. He told Harry he "didn't want to go overboard with the dressy stuff", to which Harry nodded in agreement.

Pansy came out in a light lavender dress and took Draco's arm. She told Harry that Vanella was still in the dorm, which Harry had already suspected. Draco and Pansy left together, leaving Harry alone in the Common Room. He was debating just going down there when the door to the girls' dormitory opened and Vanella skipped out, a hard feat, Harry figured, in the white gown she was wearing.

Harry stood, looking her over.

She spun around, showing him all angles, then looked down at herself. "Never thought I'd wear this," she said, "but surprisingly it's pretty comfortable." It was long with buttons up the back and thin straps holding it up.

"Not bad," Harry agreed.

She had her hair pulled back with a few strands hanging down around her face. She held her arm out.

"Let's go," she said. "Either you waited out here for me or you waited because you don't want to go. Either way, you're coming with me now."

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

The Great Hall's Valentine's Day décor surprised everyone. Everything was decorated with pink and red and white hearts, there were buffet tables and punch bowls all against the right wall, and rose petals and such littered the walls and floors. A door that wasn't typically there lead to a romantic garden in back of the castle, where benches and various flowers were scattered about, settled in nooks created by a six-foot high maze of bushes.

There were tables set up around the walls of the Hall (each table had six to ten seats), but the center was for dancing and the like. The staff table was still in the same spot, allowing supervision of the whole room from that table full of teachers. There were speakers—big ones—mounted in the corners of the walls, giving the playing music a surround-sound effect.

The Great Hall was full of people. Not many people were dancing, though. Maybe a few fourth years.

Harry could spot Ron and Hermione one table over from Draco and Pansy.

Harry and Vanella walked over to Ron and Hermione's table, figuring Pansy and Draco would be fine by themselves. The two Gryffindors nodded their greetings to the Slytherins. Once seated, Harry looked around, looking for people he knew. Then he glanced up at staff table, seeing who was there.

He nudged Vanella. "Why's Filch here? Shouldn't he be patrolling the halls, like usual?"

Vanella shrugged. "Everyone's here. Even Hagrid. Maybe they wanted to give everyone a chance at Valentine's Day love."

Harry rolled his eyes. Then he scanned them over the staff table again, seeing who was talking with whom. The new substitute Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the rest of the year was talking with Filch and Snape. She was a tall, blonde woman Albus had hired, saying she was here from America until the school year was over.

"Ow!"

Hermione, Ron, and Vanella all looked at him. "Problem, Harry?" Ron asked cautiously.

Harry was rubbing his forehead. "Yea, I'm fine, I just… my head hurt for a second there." Harry stopped rubbing as the sudden pounding dulled down to an easy thump.

Vanella was looking at him curiously. They both remembered the last thing that had made his scar hurt. Quirrell. But who took Quirrell's place causing pain? Vanella pulled Harry up and made him dance with her so they could talk alone.

"Your scar?" she asked when they were safely in the middle of a crowd that didn't care about what they said.

Harry nodded, dancing.

"Who were you looking at?"

"The new substitute, talking to Snape and Filch."

"The new substitute? Surely she's not on Voldemort's side?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose it's possible."

"Then what happened? Voldemort found someone new to use when Quirrell died?"

"That's my guess."

"Possession, then."

"Most likely."

"How do we stop her?"

"I say we go to Professor Snape or Dumbledore."

She shook her head. "Uh-uh." She thought a minute. "I don't think it's her. I would have sensed the darkness when we were in her class, even if she wasn't doing evil things yet." She paused. "It's my father doing the possessing, remember," Vanella added with a scowl.

Harry nodded. "I know that. But he probably knows you're here by now, too, and cast something on himself so you couldn't sense him."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Maybe, but I doubt it. Besides, you probably would have sensed him too, when you were in her class."

"Probably, but it might have been so weak that I didn't notice."

"Again, I doubt it."

The song ended and a new one began.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Harry asked.

"We keep a close eye on her."

They broke apart and walked back to the table. Ron and Hermione were having a heated conversation about how Quidditch was a necessary part of education and entire days should be devoted to their lessons. Hermione was against the idea.

Harry put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. His head was throbbing again. He looked up at the staff table at the substitute, Professor Grise, and saw that she, Professor Snape, and Filch were all looking at him, probably contemplating his behavior.

Harry groaned a bit and apologized to Vanella, Hermione, and Ron, bid farewell to Draco and Pansy, gave a small wave to Professor Snape he left, headed to the Hospital Wing for Headache Elixir or something to that effect. Vanella was a little crestfallen, but Harry promised to make it up to her when he felt better.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Monday morning, Harry slumped into the Great Hall yawning, with a throbbing headache. It had escalated slowly but surely since it started on Saturday night. Technically, it couldn't be considered a headache, because it was his scar that was doing the throbbing.

It hurt so badly he couldn't quite walk right, and everybody in the Hall had their eyes on him as he staggered past the Slytherin table, dropping his bag by the already seated Vanella as he passed. He headed straight on to the staff table, where the teachers were watching him with worried curiosity.

He teetered up until wobbling unsteadily in front of Severus. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out which Severus to talk to. He finally swallowed, and said to all three, "M-my head, P-p-professor. It h-hurts."

And under the watchful stares of everyone present, Harry fell in a dead faint.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Author's Note: I confess, short chapter. Of course, this was more of a fluff chapter anyways. I had to get this all out of the way, though. I actually like fluff chapters. And I hope that wasn't too bad of a cliffhanger.

The star, squiggly line thing is still not working, apologies.

And as a postscript, no, Harry and Vanella are not in a relationship any more than friends. I thought I'd add that in because I have a feeling that after this chapter people will say they will be. No, no, no. Just good friends.

'Grise', the name of the substitute professor, actually is French for "Gray." I'm not terribly original.

Only one review as of now, from:

Shadowface: to which I can only say thank you!

Next Chapter:

"He's Back…"

I'll have it up A.S.A.P., promise.