Sunlight was tickling her eyelids and soft, feminine giggles could be heard. Hermione jerked awake, and into a sitting position. But she was in bed. Her bed, in her dormitory, safe and sound. The giggles she could hear were those of her two roommates, Lavender and Padma.

"Morning sleepyhead" Lavender chirped bouncing over to sit on the corner of her bed.

Padma joined her. "How anyone can possibly sleep in on Valentine's Day is beyond me!"

Hermione blinked owlishly at them "V- valentine's Day?" she croaked out, her thoughts sweeping through her mind faster than the speed of light. St. Valentines Day was on Sunday the 14th of Febuary, and last night had most definitely been Friday the 12th.

"Lavender I think you've got the day confused, Valentines Day isn't until tomorrow."

"Oh don't be silly, Hermione" Padma playfully chastised her. "As if we wouldn't know what day Valentine's Day was, I mean, it's only..."
"The most Romantic Day of the year!" Lavender cut off her friend mid sentence. Padma nodded.

"And just when we're you planning to tell us? Who is it?" she asked

"It can't be Ron, he couldn't keep it a secret for so long" Lavender mused.

"Is it Harry?"

"Or Neville?"

"Oh don't be silly Lavender, Neville could never be so romantic!"

Hermione watched the two her eyes shifting back and forth between the two as if witnessing a tennis match. She interrupted their tirade with a curt "I have utterly no idea what you're talking about" Her mind was still trying to calculate the fact that she had somehow witnessed the passing of an entire day, and couldn't remember a second of it.

Two blonde heads were cocked at an angle looking at her with hurt expressions.

"So you're not going to tell us?"

"That is so unfair"

"Don't you trust us?"

By now she had lost track of who was saying what, and a dull pounding had arisen in her head.

"Lavender, Padma, if either of you could give me a clue as to what your talking, I would be eternally grateful." She said, lifting her hand to massage her temples.

"Well," One of the voices began, "I heard it from Patit, who head it from Susan Bones, who heard it from Hannah, who heard it from Ernie Macmillan, who saw you snogging with a boy in the corridor yesterday, while he was dong his prefect patrol"

Hermione's eyes snapped open at this "What! This is slander!"

Her two companions just stared at her with identical amused expressions.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of"

"So come on, tell us who he is!"

Hermione dimly heard a choking sound, and realised it was coming from her.

She jumped up. "I did not... I would never. I, I." She realised she was rambling.

Taking a calming breath, she began again. "Lavender, Padma, What Ernie said is an outright lie. I would never act so irresponsibly. I have never been kissed in my life, let alone.... Well, you know... snogged someone!.

Lavender and Padma both shared a look. "All right then," said Padma slyly "If that's the position you chose to take. You will forgive us for doubting you, especially given the card and the roses."

Again Hermione found herself stumped "Card? Roses? What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't know?" asked Lavender incrediously "The common room is crammed full of roses"

"Bunches and bunches of them" finished Lavender

"so? It's Valentines Day, is that really so incredible? If you add up all the roses given to all the students, I'm sure the common room would be full" stated Hermione.

"Which brings us to the card, you see, all the roses are for only one person Hermione"

"I am still failing to see what any of this has to do with me..."

"Honestly Hermione, here read the card" Lavender thrust a square piece of cardboard at her. Written in a neat, precise handwriting was the message

Hermione,

Yesterday was the first day of the eternity we shall spend together.

Until forever my love.

She held the card limply in her hand. The words blurring.

'Yesterday'. What had she done yesterday? Who had she been with?

Why couldn't she couldn't remember.

"Listen, Lavender, I...that is, I don't know who sent this." She decided at the last minute not to confess her memory lapse, it would be all over the school by lunchtime.

"oh." Lavender looked thoroughly disappointed. She got up from her position on Hrmione's bed.

"Oh!" exclaimed Padma suddenly "I almost forgot, the roses, they also came with this"

She shrugged handing Hermione a green package.

Reluctantly, Hermione opened it. Inside was a leather bound book. The title written in a language she had never before seen. Despite herself, she found her interest piqued. Her two companions, apon seeing the boring contents of the package promptly lost interest and went back to their side of the room.

Idly Hermione began flipping through the pages of the book. Not a single word made sense to her. She would have to do some researching. Lost in the mystery of the books language, Hermione completely forgot the fact that she could remember nothing of the previous day.