Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the one who owns all Harry Potter content, I am just doing this for kicks because I am bored and lack the originality to come up with my own characters.
Chapter 21
Harry hadn't felt so at ease since before Halloween. Hermione had been out of the Hospital Wing for two weeks, and they'd easily fallen back into their past rhythm of studying hard in the library during their free time and conversing about anything and everything. There hadn't been an attack for almost two months, and although most still suspected Harry to be Slytherin's heir, he'd grown increasingly indifferent to their whispers.
Following a relatively normal Saturday morning and afternoon – including a grueling Quidditch practice at dawn that left the star Seeker particularly sore – Harry and Hermione had opted to spend their last hour before curfew studying in the library.
"You know, I overheard some Hufflepuffs this morning talking about how you have a pet snake."
"That's the new rumor?" Harry snorted, turning back to his book. "Do these people ever talk about themselves? I almost wish there were more Malfoys in the world…" He sighed, dejectedly placing his chin on the table. Hermione forcibly dropped her book onto the table and nudged Harry's foot with hers so he would meet her eyes.
"First of all, if there were more Malfoy's in the world I would move to a different planet." She stared at Harry until he cracked a small smile. "Second of all, why do you care what a bunch of random Hufflepuffs think? Anyone with half a brain knows you can't be the Heir of Slytherin, which means the only people talking about this are halfwits."
Harry shrugged and returned to reading about Swelling Solutions halfheartedly. He heard Hermione sigh before she reopened one of her many books. After a few minutes of perusing their texts, they heard footsteps from the shelves near their table. Both looked up towards the source and saw a flash of red hair. The moment Harry spotted it, it was suddenly hurrying through the stacks as if it had been caught stealing.
"Was that – "
"Ginny." Hermione sighed, staring inquisitively at where the youngest Weasley had been standing.
"Why'd she run off like that?" Harry couldn't hide his confusion. He'd barely spoken to the girl since the beginning of the year – she'd been practically despondent towards him besides blushing furiously whenever they made eye contact.
"Probably because she's your biggest fan." Harry looked back to Hermione and expected her to be smirking, but she looked disgruntled. "Have you ever noticed how she's never able to get a word out when you're in the same room?"
"Oh…" Harry sat up straight, feeling even more confused. "I honestly thought she'd just been upset about the attacks. Ron said she really likes cats, and I know she sat next to Colin Creevey in a lot of their classes. I thought she was just taking everything really hard." He finished, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness for her. Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Well, that's very empathetic of you." She said, and Harry detected surprise in her tone. It was his turn to raise his eyebrows. "Truth be told, I hadn't thought about that at all. I just assumed she was one of those girls who thinks you're some big hero and can't see straight when you walk by." She looked like she was trying very hard to not roll her eyes.
"Does that bother you?" Harry asked, tilting his head questioningly. He absent-mindedly closed his Potions book, more interested in this conversation than anything that involved Severus Snape.
"Well, I don't like to think of you as the Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter." Somehow, Harry's eyebrows shot up even higher. "I like to think of you as, you know, Harry." She clarified, her cheeks turning pink. "You're the boy who I met on the Hogwarts Express, who was nice and complimented my teeth and studied with me and spent time with me when nobody else would." Her voice was growing quieter as she continued. "You're a great person, Harry. Truly. And I wish people knew you for that instead of what happened to you when you were a baby."
Harry straightened in his chair, surprised at Hermione's sudden – and emotional – explanation. She averted her eyes and began mumbling something incoherent.
"You know." He said slowly.
"What?" She asked, snapping her head back up to meet Harry's eyes.
"You know who I am. And Ron, and even the rest of our year in Gryffindor know I'm not just the Boy Who Lived. I can't ask for much more than that." He gave her a small smile, and it did the trick. Hermione nodded slowly, returning with a smile of her own.
"We should head back." She said quietly. Harry nodded and they wordlessly put their books back on the shelves where they belonged and departed the library. They bade Madam Pince good-bye and strolled through the corridors back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Any luck with that diary you found?" Hermione asked as they ascended a staircase. Harry shook his head.
"It's completely blank. Just says T.M. Riddle. No entries, no nothing." He sighed.
"I just can't understand why someone would try and get rid of a perfectly fine book."
"To be fair, not everyone shares your fondness for books. In fact, I don't think anyone does." Harry joked, earning a playful elbow.
"How about I flush your copy of A Few Good Men down the toilet? Let's see how you react."
Harry clutched his bag to his chest with mock panic, earning a giggle from Hermione. "Don't even joke about that." He hissed, which only elicited more laughter from Hermione. They walked cheerfully to the Fat Lady, entering the common room to join those in their year who were still awake. Harry and Hermione helped Ron and Seamus with their Transfiguration essays before everyone decided to call it a night.
Harry woke the next morning hoping for a Sunday equally as normal and enjoyable as the day before. The moment he entered the Great Hall, he knew that would not be the case.
"What's with the pink…everything?" Harry asked sleepily as he sat down next to Hermione and across from Ron.
"It's Valentine's Day!" Hermione beamed, and Harry nodded distractedly, taking in his surroundings. The walls were adorned with ten-foot wide pink flowers, and pink heart-shaped confetti descended from the ceiling like snowflakes. Harry angrily ruffled his hair and watched half a dozen pieces of it flutter onto the table.
"They didn't do this last year, right?" Harry asked, unable to hide his displeasure. Harry didn't despise Valentine's Day, in fact he was more indifferent than anything. But the bizarre display of pink and superficiality that surrounded him rubbed him wrong the way. It seemed like the work of one…
"Lockhart." Ron grumbled through a mouth full of toast, ripping Harry away from his train of thought. He pointed towards the faculty table, a spiteful expression on his freckled face. Harry turned to see their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor wearing pink robes to match the decorations, his face lit up with a gigantic smile. Harry groaned as he stood up from his seat, holding a pile of letters.
"I'll be giving out Valentine's to brighten some of your days! Alas, I only had enough cards to save them for my top students – "
"Oh thank Merlin!" Ron snickered.
" – so stay where you are, I'll find you! Let's see…where is Percy Weasley?" He called out, and with that he began waltzing to and fro across the Great Hall, calling names and handing out letters. Harry decided he'd rather fight Slytherin's monster with his eyes closed than deal with Lockhart, so he gathered his things and made to leave.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked worriedly. "Is something wrong? You're all pale!" She gasped, instinctively placing her hand on his forehead. Harry felt his face heat up at the sudden contact and tried to get up even faster. "Your forehead is really hot, Harry." She said worriedly.
'I wonder why…' Harry's internal voice mocked, and suddenly he was ready to blow the Great Hall to smithereens if it meant he could get out of there.
"Well it's obvious why, Hermione!" Lavender, who was next to Ron, giggled. Both Harry and Hermione cast her confused glances before Harry resumed getting ready to leave.
"Yeah, it's obvious!" Ron grinned. Lavender whipped her head towards the redhead in what Harry assumed was surprise. "This one doesn't want to deal with Lockhart!"
"Precisely." Harry nodded, picking up his bag. "Thank you, Ron. Thank you, Lavender." Harry tried to throw them both appreciative glances. Ron was snickering again, and Lavender was shaking her head. He turned to see Hermione was also getting up. "You don't have to leave – "
"I lost my appetite the moment I saw all this pink." She reassured him, giving him a sympathetic smile. "We'll see you two later?" She turned to Ron and Lavender.
"Seamus and Dean are organizing an Exploding Snap tournament this afternoon." Ron grinned. "You two better be there."
"Ah, yes, playing with fire." Hermione huffed sarcastically. "My favorite hobby."
"Hey!" Ron interjected good-naturedly. "All of our year is playing. It's a group bonding thing."
"We'll be there." Harry grinned, and Hermione rolled her eyes before the pair walked towards the doors. Before he could get lectured by his best friend about the most productive ways to spend free-time, the last thing he wanted to happen actually happened.
"Harry Potter!" An all-too-familiar voice bellowed after him. Instinctively, he froze. "Harry, my boy, I've got something for you!"
Reluctantly, he turned to see Lockhart bounding towards him. Harry suddenly felt like he'd swallowed a triple dose of Skele-Gro and fought the urge to dry-heave. Before he could come up with a pathetic excuse for being in a hurry, Hermione stepped in front of him.
"Good morning, Professor." She said pointedly, crossing her arms. "What were you saying?"
The wavy-haired professor stopped in his tracks, his unnervingly wide smile vanishing from his face. "M-Miss Granger, I – "
"What were you saying?" Her voice turned even sharper, and she stepped towards Lockhart fiercely.
"I…" He looked as if he was shrinking in on himself, backing away from the second-year. "N-nothing. Happy Valentine's Day!" He squeaked, rooted to the floor in fear.
Harry didn't think he could be more surprised at Hermione's actions. Obviously he'd heard about how she erupted at Lockhart on the Quidditch, but now she was openly intimidating a teacher. It was definitely near the bottom of the list of things he expected of the bushy-haired bookworm, right around trying out as a Chaser and vandalizing a library book.
Suddenly, Hermione jab-stepped towards Lockhart. He squeaked again before scurrying back towards the faculty table, frantically smoothing out his hair and trying very hard not to look at the snickering students he passed. Harry was certain his jaw was on the floor as Hermione turned around, sporting a look of smug casualness.
"What?" She asked nonchalantly before strolling past him, bumping him with her shoulder. Harry had to use his hand to close his mouth before turning to follow her.
"Where did that come from?" He asked as he finally caught up to Hermione. She turned to him without breaking stride, still looking particularly self-satisfied. His surprise only multiplied when she looked forward again and shrugged. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" He grinned, and Hermione gave a small smile of her own.
The pair roamed around the castle for a bit before deciding to venture into the library. After claiming their usual table, Harry looked to his best friend expectantly.
"Is this visit for academic or…research purposes?" He asked. Hermione raised her eyebrows, and Harry shrugged good-naturedly. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to figure out what the voice he kept hearing was. And he wanted to see if there was any more information out there about the Chamber of Secrets.
"We can research, I suppose. You've done all your homework?" She asked. Harry took a page out of his best friend's book and rolled his eyes, earning a swat on the shoulder. "Don't be a prat. Someone very smart once said that studies come before leisure." She smirked.
"That might be one of my favorite compliments you've ever given me…" Harry mused as the pair entered the shelves of the History section.
"I was talking about Nearly-Headless Nick." She shot back matter-of-factly.
"Sure." Harry grinned, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
The pair pored over dozens of books for almost two hours, and each time one of them slammed a tome shut in exasperation, they felt more and more like doing anything else. Suddenly, Hermione let her head drop onto a page of Most Macabre Monsters in exhaustion, sighing dejectedly.
"Intimidating a teacher? Getting tired of reading?" Harry tried to feign concern but felt a smile pulling up on the corner of his lips. "This is not the Hermione Granger I'm used to."
"Oh, I'm full of surprises today." Hermione muttered into her book. "Honestly, I just can't focus. I don't think I've absorbed any of what I've read in this book. Or the other ten I've opened today." She sighed, lifting her head and gingerly closing the ancient-looking text.
"I take it you want to do something else?" Harry stood, stacking the books on their table so he could return them. Hermione nodded, handing him her tome before standing and grabbing her bag. Harry strolled back to the shelves they'd perused for the past couple of hours. When he returned, he thought Hermione was looking particularly anxious. She was wringing her hands, something she usually did when she was tense, but she was doing something Harry had never seen before – biting her bottom lip. He raised an eyebrow when he reached their table.
"Nothing. I mean, what?" Hermione asked, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
"So…you've been acting strange." Harry observed, mockingly stroking his chin. "Are you feeling sick? Or, are you nervous about a test?" He paused, relishing Hermione's minor discomfort at his ridiculousness. "Ah, I know what ails you!" He flourished his arms dramatically, as if he were having his own Eureka moment. "You want to tell me that you're the Heir of Slytherin. Am I right?"
As apprehensive as she'd looked when he walked over, Harry saw Hermione crack a smile before shaking her head. She let out a sigh before turning to walk with him towards the doors, not saying anything.
"Seriously, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Harry asked, abandoning the playful tone from a moment ago.
"It's nothing." She answered, wringing her hands once again. "Common room?" Harry nodded wordlessly, silently wondering what had bothered Hermione enough to make her want to leave the library. The pair turned a corner into what they thought was an empty hallway – until they heard a small gasp to their left. Turning, Harry saw Ginny Weasley on a bench, sitting on her hands. She quickly ducked her head, focusing on the ground instead of making eye contact with the pair. Harry turned back to his best friend.
"I just want to see how she's doing. With…everything." He said, and Hermione nodded in understanding. She stepped back, and Harry went to move towards Ginny. Before he could even ask how she was feeling, he heard suspiciously quiet footsteps approaching.
He and Ginny both whipped their heads around to see a dwarf marching towards them, holding a scroll in front of him. Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up in a mix of surprise and confusion. The dwarf stopped when he was right in front of him, barely a foot away.
"Are you 'Arry Potter?" The dwarf barked, and Harry finally noticed that he was ornamented with fake golden wings like an angel, although they looked cheap enough to come from a Muggle store. "I said, are you 'Arry Potter?"
"Erm, yes?" Harry managed, unsure what to make of a random dwarf knowing his name while dressed like an angel.
'Or like a cupid…' His inner voice prodded.
"Oh, no, please don't tell me – "
"I've got a special Valentine's message for yeh, listen here: His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's really divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord!" The dwarf read in a sing-song voice, looking almost as disgruntled as Harry looked bewildered. "Bye now."
With that, the dwarf marched off in the direction from which he'd arrived, muttering something about humiliation. Harry stood dumbfounded, grateful that the hallway was empty with the exception of Hermione and Ginny. Shaking his head, he turned to Ginny, remembering his original intent. The youngest Weasley was staring at him. Her entire face had matched her hair in color, but she was looking at him expectantly. Harry cleared his throat.
"Right, sorry." He began rather articulately. "I don't know what the hell that was all about, but I just wanted to ask if – "
He didn't finish his sentence. Ginny's expression had changed entirely to something Harry could barely recognize, and somehow her cheeks turned even redder. With a squeak, she leapt off the bench, sprinting down the corridor and out of sight.
Harry stood with his mouth open, feeling totally and utterly confused. He turned to Hermione, who barely stifled a giggle at the sight of his expression. She walked over and gently nudged him.
"I think we both know how much I like to say 'I told you so,' but I won't say it this time." She sighed before turning and walking towards Gryffindor Tower. "Are you coming?" She turned back to Harry, who hadn't budged and was now feeling even more confused.
"Sorry…" He sputtered, jogging to catch up to his bushy-haired friend. "You told me so about what?" He asked as they began walking side-by-side. Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry swore she mumbled something about boys before turning back to him.
"That Valentine was clearly from her. She wanted to see how you would react." She explained as if it were the simplest concept in the world. "Now, I can't read minds, but I don't think your reaction was the one she was looking for."
Harry felt his brain gradually begin to process what Hermione had told him. "So, sneaking around us in the library, always getting flustered when I walked by…she really was just – "
"Just being a fangirl." Hermione shrugged. "Although your concern for her about how she was taking the attacks was really sweet of you. Just, you know…"
"Wrong?"
"Something like that." Hermione smirked, and Harry did the same, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You love being right, don't you?" Harry looked to see Hermione was blushing and keeping her eyes on the ground. He smiled again, and kept smiling as they walked back. "That really was the most bizarre poem I've ever heard in my life." He said after a few moments of silence.
"Me too." Hermione snickered. "I…I don't think your eyes are toad-like. I think that's actually insulting to them." Harry turned in surprise to see Hermione was blushing again.
"Well, how would you describe my eyes without insulting me?" He asked playfully. Hermione rolled her eyes, but her cheeks remained Gryffindor scarlet.
"Not toad-like." She practically squeaked.
"Good answer." Harry smirked as they reached the Fat Lady. The pair entered the common room, and Harry went to drop his bag off in his dormitory before Hermione grabbed his hand. He turned around to see Hermione's anxious expression return.
"I…I have something for you…" She whispered. Harry nodded, curious as to what could have brought on this nervousness from Hermione Granger, but he didn't say anything. Slowly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pink envelope. She handed it to Harry, and he turned it over in his fingers a few times. "It's a Valentine."
Harry smiled appreciatively, then suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. "Sorry…" He trailed off. "Mine's in my room, it's not nearly as nice as this one…" He paused, unsure how to proceed. "Erm, I'll be right back!" He said a little louder than he intended before bolting to his dormitory.
It was true, he had made her one. On a spur-of-the-moment idea last night, he thought he would impress her with his use of the Severing Charm by cutting a heart-shape out of a scroll of parchment. It had turned out well enough, a bit jagged on one side, but it looked like a heart, so he went with it and wrote a few kind words on it. As he sprinted towards his bed he ripped one of his bedside table drawers open for an envelope. Hurriedly folding the heart and stuffing it in, he raced back down the stairs after writing a few words on the envelope.
He handed it to Hermione triumphantly, and she took it with another blush. She turned it over to read what he'd written.
"The Brightest Witch of Our Age?" She gasped, and her cheeks turned even redder.
"Well…yeah." Harry said awkwardly, before cracking a mischievous smile. "Easier to spell than 'Hermione'"
She swatted him on the shoulder, but flashed an appreciative smile. She carefully opened the envelope and unfolded the heart. Harry suddenly realized how stupid it looked and averted his eyes.
"I'm sorry…I thought using the Severing Charm to make a heart would…impress you, I guess? I don't know. It looks rubbish, I'm sorry, it just – "
"Harry, it's perfect!" She beamed, throwing her arms around him. Harry coughed a few times as his best friend squeezed him tight enough to knock the wind out of him. "Thank you, Harry."
"Of course." He managed to gasp out. Hermione stepped back and looked at him expectantly. After a few seconds of confused silence it hit him.
"Oh, right!" He blurted. "Um, I…am going to go read yours right now. I'll be right back!" He stammered uncertainly, and ran back up to his dormitory, where he'd dropped the letter along with his belongings in a hurry.
When he reached his dormitory, however, he saw Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville crowding around his bed.
"What are you doing with my stuff?" Harry asked irritably, and his roommates whipped around in surprise.
"Why do you have a trick journal?" Seamus asked, holding up Riddle's diary.
"A what?"
"The diary. The ink doesn't stay on it."
"First of all, it's not my diary – "
"Harry, that just makes it weirder." Dean cut in. Harry spluttered something incoherent, but managed to take a deep breath.
"Look, I found the diary in…" He paused, realizing if his friend's thought it was weird enough to have a diary that wasn't his own, he shouldn't reveal he'd been in the girls' bathroom when he found it. "It was just on the ground, like someone wanted to get rid of it. It seemed weird that it was empty. I've been trying to figure out who it belongs to."
"Did you never notice how the ink doesn't stay on it?" Neville asked. Harry noticed he was eyeing the diary nervously.
"No…" Harry whispered, wondering what that meant. "How did you find out anyway? Were you writing in a diary that wasn't yours?"
"It's not yours either…" Ron snickered.
"That's not the point!" Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Were you writing in it?"
"Oh, no. Neville tripped and spilled an ink bottle all over your bed." Seamus grinned. The four boys parted and Harry saw his sheets were stained purple.
"I'm sorry, Harry, it's just – " Neville started, but Harry held up a hand.
"I'm sure there's some spell we can use, don't worry." Harry muttered, now more curious about the diary than he'd ever been.
"Half your things are purple, but this was on the top of the pile untouched." Seamus shrugged, tossing the diary to Harry. He caught it and flipped through the pages curiously. Each one was as blank as it had been when he'd found it.
"Weird…" He whispered to himself.
"Well, we're going down for that Exploding Snap tournament. You coming?" Ron grinned. Harry glanced up from the diary.
"Um…I'll be down in a bit. I want to figure out what's up with this." He turned back to the book.
"Alright." Ron sighed as he and the other three boys began walking out of the dormitory. "But I'm telling everyone you holed yourself in your room to write about your feelings." He smirked, giving Harry a playful shove on his way out. Harry cracked a smile but didn't take his eyes off the diary.
When he was alone, he grabbed a quill and began writing in the book. His curiosity – and fascination – grew exponentially. He remained laser-focused on the diary for the rest of the afternoon, not even joining his peers in the Great Hall for lunch.
In his captivated state, he completely forgot about the pink envelope that he'd hurriedly dropped in his bedside table drawer.
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Well, Valentine's Day in 1993, but nonetheless. Hopefully you all enjoyed Hermione staring down Lockhart. That was fun to write. Also, plot interrupting romance…sigh, how tragic. I wish there was something I could do about it. Hermione looked so anxious to give him that Valentine and everything, I can only imagine what it says. I hope we find out soon. Again, I really wish there was something I could do about that.
And to all of you beautiful souls who favorite/follow/review this story, you are amazing! My account finally stopped acting up after four days of misery, and I can now see your reviews, and the heartwarming factor has increased tenfold. Please do leave a review, or follow or favorite this story if you're liking it so far – it means more than words are capable of! Thank you all so much, and stay safe!