As Harry thought about all of the things he should know about, he walked down the stairs from the boy's dormitory to the common room. Generally Harry was the first awake, but this time someone else had beaten him. Standing in front of the fire place in the dark red room stood Hermione with her back to him. From this angle, Harry could see that she was holding a dark red rose with a gold stem and leaves.
He didn't say anything as she whispered a vanishing spell. He wondered where she sent it, but he pushed the thought away when Hermione turned around to look at him. Her cheeks were flushed a light red. Instead of drawing attention to her embarrassment, he smiled and gestured for her to lead the way to breakfast.
All day, the thought of where Hermione had sent the rose plagued his mind. He wanted to know. It wasn't until later that day did he figure it out. Beside him, Hermione was smiling brightly as she wrote on her parchment. He frowned as he wondered what could make his friend smile so brightly after the fight with Ron. He glanced around the room. Behind the desk at the front of the room, sat Professor McGonagall, twirling a dark red rose with gold leaves in her hand with a small smile.