The next Hogsmeade visit took place on the fourteenth of February- Valentine's Day. Konata squealed excitedly when Blaze said she planned to spend the day with Satoshi, but her shoulders fell sadly when Blaze added, "…on the Qudditch field. We have practice during the Hogsmeade time."
So, Konata and Shiro headed to the village by themselves. Shiro repeatedly tapped Konata's arm, pointing excitedly at Cho Chang. "Look, Konata! She's with Harry! Harry! They're going on a DATE! That's so bloody wonderful, those two are some of my best friends…" Konata smiled softly, staring after Cho and Harry. If Shiro was happy about it, she'd be happy about it.
"Where are we going to go? Window shopping? Three Broomsticks?" Konata inquired as she and Shiro walked through the village hand in hand. Shiro shook his head.
"I was thinking… There's this nice little coffee shop called Madam Puddifoot's. It's small, and pretty unnoticeable, but I hear it's the perfect place for couples on Valentine's Day…" Shiro paused and turned to Konata. "Of course, we won't go if you don't like coffee."
Konata quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, it's fine with me! I mean, I'm not too much of a coffee person, but I enjoy it when I put a ton of sugar and cream in it…" Shiro chuckled softly and led her down a tiny road they'd normally overlook. They entered a steamy little shop decorated with hearts, roses, and numerous frills and bows. Cherubs floated above tables for two, throwing pink confetti over couples. The air of romance was so strong, it almost had mass to it.
Shiro pulled a chair out for Konata, she thanked him sheepishly, and Shiro took a seat across from her. Madam Puddifoot shuffled over after not very long, and took their orders. The couple entertained themselves by playing Would You Rather until the woman came back with their coffees. Konata didn't hesitate to take the cup of milk and poured a little more than a quarter of it into her mug, adding 4 packets of sugar shortly afterwards. Shiro chuckled, added a drop of milk and single packet of sugar to his own, blew the beverage off, and then took a sip.
Gradually, Konata felt her shoulders hunch in awkwardness as she and Shiro drank their coffees in silence. Her eyes wandered around the shop, and felt her heartbeat change as she realized every single couple was either holding hands or kissing over the table. What really made her uncomfortable, though, was that more than once she noticed people look over at her and Shiro, give them unfriendly stares, and quickly avert their eyes. Her own gaze drifted over to Shiro's face, and before she could even blink he inched forward and pressed his lips against hers. Blushing, she closed her eyes halfway. She felt Shiro take her hand, and the moment he moved back, she put her lips back on his. After about 3 more kisses, Konata smiled timidly. It didn't last long, though, for now she could FEEL people sending them short lived dirty looks.
"What's everyone glaring at us for?" she wondered aloud quietly. Shiro glanced around, and his pleasure seemed to seep away.
"I haven't a clue…" He sat there pondering silently, until his concentration was interrupted by the arrival of another couple. He smiled slightly when he saw it was a fellow Ravenclaw, Roger Davies, along with his blonde girlfriend. The two of them sat at the table beside Konata and Shiro; Shiro leaned over and hesitantly tapped Roger on the shoulder. The older boy glared for a moment but quickly stopped when he saw who was touching him.
"Oh, hello, Shiro."
"Hi Roger. A quick question, if I may..." Shiro lowered his voice a bit. "Why are all these people giving Konata and I brief dirty looks?"
Roger's face looked a tad grim; his girlfriend looked like she wanted to stab Shiro for talking to her boyfriend during their date. Roger spoke quietly: "Well, see… It's fine that you two are being lovey-dovey here- that's what this place is FOR- but, word's got around that you two," he cleared his throat slightly, "snog openly, and often. The last Hogsmeade visit, in the halls, on the grounds… People think you two have no shame. I mean, I highly doubt you'll lose any friends over this, but people who don't know you personally are rather disgusted with you."
Shiro and Konata stared at him blankly, attempting to take in what he was saying. Konata's face grew increasingly red to the point that her eyes began to water. She propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. Shiro gave off the vibe of a puppy that knew they'd misbehaved and glanced at Konata sympathetically. "Thanks for telling us, Roger…" Roger nodded, pulled his girlfriend forward, and began kissing her repeatedly over the sugar bowl.
"Why have we not noticed before…?" Shiro whispered.
Konata's voice was semi choked. "I WOULDN'T have noticed… Remember how badly I was bullied way back in second year? Well, it's helped me to endure odd stares to the point that I don't even notice them..."
Shiro bit his lip. "And come to think of it, I probably would've dismissed any stuff like that because not everyone likes prefects…" He rubbed his temples. "Konata, love, I'm sorry… This is all my fault…"
Still red in the face, her eyes getting puffy, Konata suddenly faced Shiro. "No, it's not, honey! It's not like you force it upon me… We share the blame here."
Shiro sighed, stroking his girlfriend's hand with his pinky. He offered a feeble smile. "If you say so…" With that, they finished their coffees wordlessly, paid, and exited Madam Puddifoot's.
The couple spent the next few days being extra precautious. It was true that people were looking at them differently; as a result, Konata and Shiro refused to ever kiss- not even on the cheek. After about four days, however, they noticed that people were suddenly treating them the same once more.
"Have people been laying off about you and Verdent?" a smooth, masculine voice asked one day as Shiro was patrolling the halls. Recognizing the voice, he halted abruptly and was hesitant to turn around.
"Yeah, I have…" He sucked in his breath slightly. "Draco."
Draco Malfoy tilted his head with an odd smile on his face. "Glad to hear. Bet you wonder why people have changed their minds?" Before Shiro could respond, Draco strode over to him and lightly gripped his shoulder. "All students have a special," he gave a soft, malicious chuckle, "RESPECT for Slytherin prefects. I may have suggested that people lay off poor Shiro Ueda and Konata Verdent- you know, acknowledge all they did was kiss- or else there'd be… consequences. And you're aware of how quickly word spreads around this school…"
Shiro stared at him blankly. "Well, thanks, Draco…" Draco opened his mouth to speak further, but Shiro quickly interrupted with, "But I'm not going to make any deals with you. I know better than to repay you for anything."
Draco smiled malevolently. "I should have expected… A goody-goody like you is afraid to get his hands dirty in any way, hm?"
Goody-goody? Shiro did not particularly take fondly to that. 'I won't make any deal with him, no, but I CAN show him I can bend rules if I want,' Shiro thought. But what could he do that wouldn't land him in a situation he'd regret getting involved in? He suddenly recalled Satoshi saying that earlier in the year, Umbridge deducted points from Gryffindor because he'd been snogging a girl in the hall, and the same happened to Jeffrey…
The sound of steps echoed throughout the hall. Shiro glanced around the corner to see Umbridge approaching. The opportunity was perfect, but how…? A crazy idea exploded in Shiro's head. Before he could shoot it down, Umbridge came into view, and… Shiro pulled Draco forward by the collar of his robes and gave him a kiss right on the lips.
Umbridge stopped dead, her disturbingly cheery smile faltering. "Oh, my… No public displays of affection, Mr. Ueda. 20 points from Ravenclaw," she declared in her sickeningly sweet voice. With that, she continued on her way.
Shiro stepped away from Draco, grinning triumphantly. "Well, it's no detention, but I did lose points for my house. A true goody-goody would never do such a thing."
Draco was standing statue still, shock covering his expression. He looked as though he'd been petrified by a Basilisk. "Shiro… You, you bloody GIT… You just KISSED me!" he gasped after finding his voice.
"I'm quite aware of what I did. Let's not let Konata hear word of this, hm?" Shiro exclaimed, clapping Draco on the shoulder. He then swept away, leaving a still stunned Draco behind him.
"Shiro, do you happen to know how we lost 20 points?" Padma Patil asked later that day. With his arm around Konata's shoulders, a permanent grin on his face, Shiro responded, "I don't have the slightest clue."