Disclaimer: I own no Harry Potter content, I promise.

Chapter 41

It was Valentine's Day weekend in a quaint magical village known as Hogsmeade. Many happy couples were happily strolling the streets, perusing the stores, and enjoying each other's company to celebrate the holiday of love. One such pair found themselves in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop – known as the haunt of happy couples. Instead of feeling compelled to celebrate the day, however, both boy and girl found themselves repulsed by the tea shop. The lurid pink flowers plastered to the walls along with the frilly decorations from floor to ceiling reminded them both of a year prior, when a certain Gilderoy Lockhart had taken it upon himself to decorate the Great Hall for Valentine's Day. Needless to say, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were appalled.

"This place is just…weird." Harry grimaced as he sat down across from his date.

"I blame you for taking advice from Angelina, Alicia, and Katie." Hermione retorted, eyeing the pink décor warily.

"I was nervous! It's our first Valentine's Day as a couple, and they asked me after practice the other day what we were doing to celebrate, and I sort of told them…you know…"

"That you had no idea?"

"I wasn't as blunt, but yes."

"And they suggested you take me here?"

"Urged would be a better word."

"I should kill them." Hermione mumbled to herself, drumming her fingers on the table. "I'm already mad at them for kissing you on the cheek after the last match."

"You said you would let it slide!"

"I changed my mind."

"It was an expression of excitement, not affection!" Harry sighed. "Come on, you can't seriously – "

"Can we not talk about other girls kissing my boyfriend? I already find this place nauseating enough, I don't want to make myself vomit." Hermione tried hard not to make a face as a cherub flew past their table, blowing kisses at the two of them.

"Hermione, if you want to leave, say the word. I'm happy to put as much space between myself and this building as possible."

"I suppose we should at least give it a chance." She sighed. "Maybe the tea is really good, and that's why they recommended it to you."

"I think the fact that Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater haven't touched their tea since it got there tells you just how good the tea is."

"Good lord, are they giving each other colonoscopies with their tongues?" Hermione gagged at the Head Boy and his girlfriend at the other end of the room. She turned back to Harry, suddenly looking very self-conscious. "We don't ever look like that, do we?"

"Well, if we do, at least we have the decency to do it without two dozen witnesses." Harry snickered, placing his hand over top of Hermione's. She gave a shy smile at the contact and nodded as if she was reassured by his words. "Seriously, though, we're not that gross. If we ever start to look like that, bring back Voldemort and let him try the Killing Curse on me again."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, but she couldn't subdue her amusement at his disgusted expression. "We really shouldn't be so mean to them, you know. They're just being a happy couple, and it's not like they're the only snogging people in here."

"No, I suppose they aren't." Harry muttered, surveying the other cramped tables in the room. Roger Davies, whom Harry had just defeated a week ago in the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match, was kissing a fairly attractive blonde girl like he was leaving to fight in a war tomorrow. Ryan Westrup, a prefect that Harry had never really spoken to, looked like his lips had been glued to his date's mouth. Marcus Turner was a few tables over and had only been sitting across from his date – Hayley Dakota, a Gryffindor – for a couple seconds before they were snogging each other senseless.

"I think we're the only people in the building who are actually talking to each other." Hermione mused. "I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing."

"I think it's a good thing." Harry answered quickly, squeezing her hand. "You're more than a pair of lips to me, Hermione."

"Thanks." She blushed. "You're more than a pair of lips to me too."

"You had me fooled."

"Hey!" She swatted him on the forearm, smirking despite her minor vexation. "Well, since we're actually conversing with one another, is there anything you want to talk about?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know. I'm pretty nervous, to be honest, I – "

"You feel nervous?" Hermione blushed, squeezing his hand.

"Very." He nodded awkwardly. "I just…I don't want to mess up." He felt a blush of his own creep up and looked at his lap. "It's only my third date ever."

"Mine too."

"Yeah, well, I'm the one going with someone way out of my league." He smirked, and it was Hermione's turn to blush and look into her lap. "Actually, we're not even playing the same sport. It's kind of like you're a professional Quidditch player, and I work in a furniture store next to the stadium."

"Shut up." Hermione squeaked, slowly lifting her head. She had the shyest of smiles on her face, and her cheeks were the same color as her Gryffindor jumper. "That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, even if it's complete rubbish."

"How dare you?" Harry said instantly, causing her to giggle into her hand. "That's my girlfriend you're talking about." With that, they both broke out into laughter, their fingers still laced together on top of the table.

Eventually, Harry managed to stifle his laughter, and he spotted a bowl of chocolate hearts that had been placed on the table along with their tea. "Hey, do you remember when we saw Sleepless in Seattle?" He perked up excitedly. Hermione raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Remember the popcorn game?" He grinned, and her eyes lit up in realization.

Soon enough, the pair were lobbing chocolate hearts into the air for the other to catch in their mouths. Harry found himself applauding his date every time she made a catch, much to her delight.

"Brava!" He cried out as she leaned back in her chair, coming precariously close to toppling backwards, but quickly bending forward once she snared one of the chocolates between her teeth. "I'm impressed."

"Why, thank you." She blushed before picking out another heart and tossing it high into the air. It practically brushed the hot pink ceiling, but Harry tracked it all the way down and caught it with a wink. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Can you believe this is what we're doing in Madam Puddifoot's?" Harry shook his head in amusement as he flung another candy in the air for Hermione to catch. "I mean, every other couple here is snogging the other senseless and we're playing catch."

"Are you complaining?" Hermione bristled, and Harry paled.

"No!" He answered quickly. "Not at all. I think you and I are probably having more fun than anyone else in here, don't you?"

"I agree." She nodded, beaming at him. "It feels like…us, if that makes sense. I don't think we have very much in common with the other couples in here, which is why we're doing something so different from what they're doing." She nodded pensively after catching another heart.

"You don't think I have very much in common with Percy Weasley?" Harry gasped in mock surprise. "How could you say such a thing? He and I are very – "

"I'm being serious, Harry." She giggled. "How many of these couples were best friends for two years before they started dating?" Harry just shrugged and let her continue. "Do you think any of these couples have had nearly as many life-threatening adventures as we have? How many of these boys saved their dates from a troll? How many had to sit by their date's bedside while she was petrified, or while she was part-cat?"

"Not many." Harry smirked, popping a chocolate heart into his mouth.

"Exactly. How many of these girls saved their dates from You-Know-Who in the Forbidden Forest? How many of the girls in here saved their boys from Devil's Snare, or the world's most dangerous game of chess, or from drinking poison?"

Harry just held up his index finger, and Hermione beamed at him again. "Just one girl in this room. Just one girl in the entire world, I reckon."

"You see? We're just different. This," she gestured to the two of them, "is very different from that." She pointed to Roger Davies and his girlfriend. "And that." She pointed to Ryan Westrup and his date. "And that." Now she was pointing at Marcus Turner and Hayley Dakota. "And it's definitely different from that." She motioned towards Percy and Penelope, who should have passed out from oxygen deprivation ages ago.

"Good different or bad different?" Harry asked tentatively. Hermione just chuckled at him.

"The best kind of different. I wouldn't change a thing about you and me." She paused pensively. "Though, given the option, maybe I'd shrink my front teeth a bit."

"Don't say that." Harry said automatically, then he grinned triumphantly. "You have nice teeth."

"Oh, stop it." She blushed furiously, ducking her head. "You're going to turn me into a pathetic eleven-year old all over again."

"Eleven-year old Hermione Granger was far from pathetic." Harry nudged her foot under the table with his own. "She was brilliant, and determined, and caring, and tenacious, and downright scary sometimes." Hermione giggled again, and his heart soared at the sound. "And for what it's worth, fourteen-year old Hermione Granger is even more brilliant, even more determined, even more caring, even more tenacious, and from time to time, even scarier than her age eleven counterpart." He grinned as Hermione laughed again, meeting his eyes with a small smile. "That's what makes her not only the best girlfriend, but the best friend I could ever ask for."

"You're sweet." She mumbled shyly, taking his hand once again. "But, I don't know if you've noticed, we're out of chocolates, and I'm tired of watching my schoolmates play tonsil hockey. Can we go?"

"Absolutely." Harry squeezed her hand and led her out of the tea shop, leaving some Sickles on the table. When they were just shy of the doorway, Hermione stopped in her tracks. "Did you forget something?"

"No." She smirked, and before Harry could ask why she leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. Even if it was only for a moment, Harry was certain that he enjoyed it loads more than any of the other boys in the tea shop enjoyed snogging their dates. "That way you can tell your teammates we kissed in Madam Puddifoot's." She explained with a blush, and Harry grinned at her.

"You know," he chuckled as they exited the shop into the bitter February chill, "I think if I told Angelina, Alicia, and Katie that we spent the whole time playing edible catch and talking about our feelings they'd probably be even happier than if I told them we just snogged the whole time."

"Fair enough." Hermione shrugged, squeezing his hand. "I suppose I just really wanted to kiss you." She giggled. Harry blushed and tried to look anywhere except at his date.

"Where to?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Hermione grinned before tugging his hand and leading him towards Tomes and Scrolls bookstore. The waltzed through the front door excitedly and paused to admire the magnificent shelves for a moment.

"I missed my two favorite customers." The owner flipped through a novel from behind the counter absent-mindedly, giving the pair a wave.

"It's been too long." Hermione let out a blissful sigh, but Harry didn't know if she was talking to the owner or the books themselves. Knowing his best friend, it was more likely the latter.

"Have you two met Barrie?" He asked. Before the two could even shake their heads, the owner let out a sharp whistle. From the shelves emerged a black shaggy dog, panting excitedly at the sight of two customers. "Found him roaming around behind the store about a month ago. Poor thing looked starved, and he didn't have a collar or anything. Turns out he's rather polite, so I've decided to keep him." The owner shrugged. "Are either of you allergic?"

"No." Hermione shook her head before kneeling down so she was level with the hound. "What did you say his name was?"

"Barrie. Like J.M. Barrie, the Muggle author. You two know Peter Pan?" The pair nodded, and the man smiled at that. "He wrote about the Lost Boys, this boy here was lost, it just made sense to me." The owner shrugged again. "He's friendly, you can pet him. I washed him so there's no fleas to worry about."

Hermione happily scooted closer to Barrie and began scratching his ears, much to the dog's delight. Harry, meanwhile, remained rooted to the floor in fear. Trelawney's warning still lingered in his mind. He caught Hermione's eye and gave her a worried glance.

"Harry, we dropped that class for a reason." She huffed. "Trelawney's full of rubbish, right?"

"I…I guess." Harry mumbled, and Hermione beckoned him over. He kneeled down next to her and tentatively began petting the dog, who let out a content exhale that sounded suspiciously like a sigh.

"Barrie is no Grim." Hermione continued, her voice turning playful as she mussed up Barrie's hair. "He's just a big sweetheart, isn't he? Just like a certain wizard I know." Harry blushed for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon.

"I'm surprised you like dogs." Harry mused as he kept scratching.

"What, because of Crookshanks?"

"Because you were half-cat for."

"Oh, shut it." She blushed, elbowing Harry before returning to scratching Barrie's ears. "I suppose we should get shopping. I assume you still want to go to Honeydukes?"

"You know me so well." Harry grinned as he stood up, giving one last scratch to a now very pleased Barrie. "It was nice to meet you, Barrie." He chuckled, and the dog surprised them both by winking.

"Huh." Hermione tutted, scrunching her eyebrows together in thought before shrugging. "Shall we?"

"Yes please." Harry grinned, and he let her grab his hand and yank him into the labyrinth of shelves jam-packed with books. "You know, I was planning on getting some more legal books this weekend. But...you know..." He trailed off, recalling how Ron had been informed by Percy that the Ministry had moved Buckbeak's hearing up two months. Hagrid was set to return from London this afternoon, with either very good news or very, very bad news.

"It'll be alright, Harry." Hermione stopped walking and took his other hand in hers. "We did everything we could. You in particular did more than any human being should be capable of. You must have read every book about magical law in the library at least ten times."

"But we didn't find a single precedent to help Buckbeak." Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping involuntarily.

"The truth is on his side, Harry. Things will work out." She reassured him. He gave a noncommittal shrug, and she wrapped her arms around him. The embrace was uncharacteristically not bone-crushing, but rather tender and reflective of how much Hermione cared. He returned the hug, resting his cheek against her red beanie. "Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?"

"Just be Hermione." He mumbled, and she stepped back and beamed at him before pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I'll try my best." She offered before leading him deeper into the stacks of books. "I've always wanted to read Why I Didn't Die When the Augurey Cried because it's supposed to be a fascinating read. Apparently it dispels a myth about how hearing the cry of the Augurey signals impending death." She mused as she pulled out a little red book. "It's all about how wizards and witches shouldn't worry so much about things that can't be proved."

"You're just trying to get me to stop worrying about the Grim, aren't you?" Harry smirked as he pulled out a biography of a famous Quidditch player named Charles Skinner.

"Look at you!" Hermione giggled, leaning into his side affectionately. "I wasn't sure if you would pick up on that. I thought I was being quite subtle."

"Uh-huh." Harry shook his head in amusement, flipping through the pages detailing the life of Charles Skinner. Hermione nudged him with her elbow and held up her book.

"I think this is all I need. Will you be purchasing that book today, Mister Potter?"

"No, I'm alright." Harry chuckled. "Here, I'll bring it up to the counter." He held his hand out, but Hermione shook her head. "I'm paying for you, Hermione, whether you like it or not."

Hermione just shook her head again before glancing around. Harry tilted his head in confusion, but she darted her hand out and grabbed his wrist, dragging him all the way to the far end of the store.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Harry asked as he stumbled along, but Hermione just stopped once they reached the end of their row. He raised an eyebrow, to which Hermione ducked her head in minor embarrassment. "Why did you drag me to the section on Dragons? I have no desire to read about Norbert and his friends."

"Neither does anyone else, clearly." She whispered, slowly meeting his eyes. She gestured around, and Harry noticed that even though the bookstore was usually mostly empty, this section in particular was deserted except for them. He turned back to her to see her batting her eyelashes.

"I guess dragons aren't that – oh." He stopped, unable to subdue his smile as realization washed over him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Hermione Granger." He stepped in front of her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Harry Potter." She whispered cheekily, fluttering her lashes one more time for good measure. Harry felt his pulse quicken as they paused for a beat to stare at each other. Then, he cupped Hermione's cheeks with his and captured her lips with his, his entire body flooding with a pleasant heat as he did so. He heard Hermione let out a blissful purr as she brought one of her hands into his chaotic mess of hair, the other gripping his shoulder.

Harry felt utter euphoria as Hermione darted her tongue against his lip, and the pair dove into their kiss even more. Hermione pulled back first, and Harry found himself instantly missing the warmth that had permeated his entire body.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked resting his forehead against hers, and Hermione just blushed.

"I wanted to see your face." She smirked.

"Clever girl." Harry grinned before Hermione attacked his lips like she was trying to rip the air out of his lungs. Harry felt as if the air around him was crackling with electricity, and found himself wondering if his excitement was about to set off some accidental magic and send a dozen or so books flying off the shelves.

Instead of worrying about his surroundings, however, Harry opted to enjoy the kiss as much as he could, letting his eyes remain closed as a New Year's Eve fireworks display lit up from behind his eyelids. The soft skin of her cheeks was enough to send him flying into the stratosphere with delight, but their softness was nothing compared to the velvety feeling of her lips. If her cheeks sent him into the stratosphere, her lips sent him into an entirely different universe.

Silently, a familiar shaggy black dog lumbered into the Dragons section before stopping in its tracks. The two oblivious teenagers continued about their business, and Barrie quickly turned around and left them in peace, an amused twinkle in his black eyes.

A/N: Please don't be mad at me for not posting yesterday. Yesterday would have been my graduation, so I spent the day celebrating with my family and I spent the night celebrating with my friends, the latter event I am regretting because my head feels like it has been attacked with a mallet.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all of your support and all of your kind reviews! I love you all, and stay safe!