Okay, this one's quite soppy… Again, not sure exactly what chapter or page, but the one where Harry talks to Rita in Hogsmeade.

Happy Valentine's Day - TOOTP

"So, how did it go?" Ron asked as he sat down on the armchair next to Hermione.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading. "How did what go?" She replied.

Ron looked over his shoulder towards the boys' dormitory, which Harry had just disappeared into. "The interview," he said in a low voice. "Harry said it was fine, but how was it really?"

Hermione marked her page in her book and closed it, looking thoughtful. "It was… well, I was really impressed, actually," she said, looking faintly surprised.

Ron's eyebrows went up. "Really?" He asked.

Hermione nodded. "I was really worried he was going to refuse or something-"

"Or get really angry," Ron said, voicing what Hermione had been thinking. She nodded again and continued.

"But he didn't at all. He seemed a bit surprised – understandable, I suppose, since we didn't tell him about it – but he really opened up. He told the entire story – I honestly don't think he left anything out."

Ron nodded. "Well, that's something," he said. "But I still don't think it'll make much of a difference – I mean, it's The Quibbler for crying out loud…"

Hermione shook her head. "Trust me, it will," she said. "The Quibbler might not be as well-respected as The Daily Prophet , but lots of people read it, and they'll get their friends to read it, and soon the story will spread through the whole community."

Ron looked unconvinced. "If you say so," he said, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the chair. Hermione smiled.

"Tired, are you?" She asked.

Ron nodded and opened his eyes again. "Angelina's gonna kill us all," he said sincerely. "She's a slave driver! I mean, I'm all for practising, but not only did she make us miss Hogsmeade, she didn't let us have a rest for five hours!"

"Did you really want to go to Hogsmeade today?" Hermione asked curiously. Ron had grumbled about the extra practise, but he hadn't voiced any real concern about missing a trip into the village.

Ron shrugged. "It's always good to go to Hogsmeade," Ron said. "And… well, I felt a bit bad that you had to go by yourself, with Harry going with Cho and all."

Hermione noticed Ron's ears had gone a bit red, and she couldn't help smiling at his words.

"I wasn't by myself for long," Hermione said. "I was with Luna for a while before we went to meet Rita and Harry."

Ron snorted. "Wow. Great company for Valentine's Day," he said sarcastically.

Hermione could feel her cheeks going warm, and hoped that Ron would keep looking into the fire.

"I… well, I didn't really think about that way," she said quickly, to cover her embarrassment. "I mean, Valentine's Day isn't even a real holiday…"

That got Ron's attention. He looked round at her with a frown. "What do you mean not a real holiday?" He asked.

Hermione shrugged. "It's just a silly notion blown out of proportion by card companies," Hermione said. "It's taking advantage of people's relationships to make money. It just commercialises feelings."

Ron's eyebrows were practically in his hair. "Silly?" Ron repeated in disbelief. "Valentine's Day isn't silly! It might have become a bit too much about the cards and the presents and stuff, but the idea of it is still there."

Hermione was surprised. Valentine's Day wasn't a subject that she would have pictured Ron getting riled up about. Even Ron seemed to be a bit surprised by his outburst.

He shrugged, looking sheepish. "Sorry," he said. "Valentine's Day is a big deal at my house."

"Really? Why?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well, Valentine's Day is my Mum and Dad's anniversary," he told her. "They got together on Valentine's Day and they got married on it too."

"It's their wedding anniversary today?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, so it was always a big deal. They always get really soppy," Ron pulled a face, but then shook his head, smiling. "But they always said the same thing – that Valentine's Day is a day for spending time with the people most important to you and showing them what they mean to you. And what was the other thing Mum used to say…?" Ron said, half to himself. "Oh yeah – that when you wish someone a Happy Valentine's Day it's really a way of saying that you care."

Hermione was staring at Ron with a half smile on her face. She grinned when she saw how embarrassed he got at her scrutiny and what he'd just said. "That's actually really… sweet," she said. Ron shrugged and went back to looking in the fire.

"I suppose when you do strip away all the commercialism Valentine's Day is probably one of the most selfless holidays there is, celebrating the important things in life," Hermione said, also looking at the fire. She'd never looked at the day from that perspective before, and now she did she felt a bit bad that she hadn't got to spend more time with Ron today. Especially since it was so important to him.

Ron unsuccessfully stifled a yawn and looked at his watch. "I'm gonna head to bed," he said, starting to get up. "Good night."

Hermione nodded. "Good night Ron," she answered, watching as he stood up, stretched, and started to walk round his chair.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

Ron stopped in his tracks and looked back at Hermione, who could feel her cheeks heating up, his eyebrows once again duelling with his hairline. Then his surprised expression broke into a grin.

"Yeah, Happy Valentine's Day," he said, still grinning. Hermione grinned back for a couple of seconds before Ron turned back towards the dormitory with the air of someone just remembering where he was going.

Hermione looked back at the fire, her hands mechanically reopening her book without her having to look at what she was doing, before deciding it was too late to keep reading and she might as well go to bed.

She was still smiling when she fell asleep.