Valentine's Day

It had been several weeks since Christmas. December had blurred into January and then to Feburary; now Hogwarts was alive with the constant buzz of students, teachers, and magic. All of the winter decorations had been removed and replaced with garlands in red and pink as well as hanging hearts all over – it reminded Hermione of her Second Year when Gilderoy Lockhart had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and taken things way too far overboard. Hermione was quite grateful that the singing dwarves had been forgone in the years since.

"Professor Granger!"

Hermione paused and turned around, a smile sprawling across her face when she saw who was calling for her. It was one of her favorite students; Alyssa Bones.

"Oh, Miss Bones, what do you need?"

"I had a question about our homework – just one second, sorry - " the small, brown-haired girl began to rustle in her bookbag, clearly looking for something. A moment later, she held up a piece of battered parchment and looked triumphant. "Okay, it's this symbol. I keep getting it mixed up with another one…" she pointed to two symbols scrawled in the margins.

"You know, I think I got this one wrong on an exam when I was still in school," Hermione said, chuckling slightly. She pointed to one of the pictures. "This one is 'ehwaz,'" she said, "which means partnership. The other one here – 'eihwaz' – is defense."

"Thanks, Professor!" Alyssa said, scribbling the definitions down and smiled up at Hermione.

"That's Ancient Runes, not Arithmancy," Hermione pointed out. "Why not go to your other Professor for answers?"

"Oh…" Alyssa sounded disappointed at the suggestion. "Well, he's not exactly easy to talk to. And you know everything anyway."

Hermione laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment, but try to talk to him first next time. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to thaw him out with the right question."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Professor Granger," the girl said before hurrying off. Hermione shook her head as she watched the girl's brown hair whip around a corner and out of sight. She didn't mind providing answers to her students, but had always preferred to avoid stepping on other Professor's toes, just in case they were as touchy as Professor Vaine had been when she had come to teach just a few years earlier. She had been the Muggle Studies Professor for just a couple of years before leaving and nobody was sad to see her go.

Hermione walked down the empty corridor, taking her time and looking out the window at the snow that had been falling since before Christmas. She currently had a free period before the after-lunch classes were upon her and decided to head back to the teachers' lounge to grab some hot chocolate again. Even with magic all around, the castle was cold and drafty; she pulled the neck of her sweater up to the bottom of her jaw as she walked, trying to warm herself up.

Just as she was about to reach the lounge, Hermione was greeted by a rather large eagle owl with beautiful dark coloring that she hadn't seen before.

"Well, hello," she said to it as it landed on the railing beside her and clicked its beak. She was about to continue walking when it ruffled its feathers and clicked again, this time more loudly. "All right, all right…"

It was then that Hermione saw the note tied to its leg. She untied it and gently tore it open, the smile on her face growing more pronounced as she read.

Hermione Granger,

Did you know that Valentine's Day is next week? I don't know if you've suddenly found a hot date to spend it with, but I've been thinking about you coming over so I can show you how to properly skulk around a manor…

After our Christmas dinner, I'm not sure whether to refer to you by your first or surname. It's looking like I'll need some advising on that.

I'll await your owl,

Draco

Something deep inside Hermione stirred and she found herself chewing on her lip. The first thing she wanted to do was respond, but there was something holding her back. She pocketed the letter and then found herself face-to-face with the owl, which was looking at her expectantly.

"I don't have anything for you, unfortunately," she said. It clicked its beak. She took a few steps and it fluttered alongside her.

I guess my plans just changed, Hermione thought, offering her arm to the bird. It immediately landed on her forearm – which buckled a little with the sudden weight – and they were off towards the owlery in hopes of finding treats.

The two finally reached their destination and Hermione was hit in the face with the smell of owl pellets along with the icy air. She shivered and hoped she could find something for this owl quickly so she could get back into the castle and its marginal warmth as soon as possible.

"Thank goodness I always have some parchment and a quill on me," she muttered to the bird as she began to scrawl her response to Draco.

Draco -

Yes, I have a very hot date for Valentine's. He's invited me to his manor. He's very impressive and important; I think you would like him.

Hermione
P.S. Your bird is quite spoiled. He wouldn't leave me alone until I brought him to the owlery for a treat – I bet you would be proud.

Hermione read her response at least seven times before she finally deemed it appropriate to send, attaching it to the owl's leg and giving it a small treat that had been in a bag attached to one of the owlery walls. She hadn't flirted with anyone since she and Ron had started dating and it felt particularly weird now that her divorce was official and it hadn't even been two full months since.

All of the feelings and emotion around the divorce had ebbed and flowed for Hermione; some days, it felt like she was free and clear to pursue the life she wanted and felt she deserved, but others, it felt like she had made the biggest mistake of her life and she should go crawling back to Ron at her first opportunity.

Once she and the owl were both satisfied, Hermione sent it on its way into the freezing sky with her response to Draco and began the long journey back through the castle to her classroom to finish her teaching for the afternoon.

...

"All right, everyone, you know the homework. I expect quality over quantity – if you can't get the full two feet, just make sure you've packed the essay full of factual information."

There was a rustling as the students before her began to pack their things and get ready for dinner; they had finally made it through the last period of day. Hermione turned and waved her wand at the chalkboard behind her, vanishing all the scribbles she had made and returning it to its normal deep green color.

All the students slowly filed out of Hermione's classroom, a small owl fluttered in and plopped down on the desk in front of her. She recognized it immediately: it was Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl. Her heart sank to the floor. She didn't want to take the small letter attached to its leg, but knew the tiny ball of feathers wouldn't leave her alone until she did.

Once the letter was in her hands, she stroked the owl's soft feathers and sent it on its way, glad to see it go. She had always had a soft spot for the tiny thing, but seeing it now only brought another sharp pain to her heart. She had been doing so well not thinking of Ron this Valentine's Day…

…

"Surprise!" Ron shouted when Hermione entered their small flat. She jumped and held a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

"Ron, you know I hate it when you do that," Hermione scolded as she walked into the kitchen where her husband was waiting. A smile erupted onto her face when she saw the bouquet of roses on the counter and the box of chocolates in his hand.

"This seems worth a little scare."

Hermione rushed over and embraced Ron, kissing him over and over before settling into a hug. When she pulled away, both of them were smiling at each other.

"I love you, Hermione," Ron said, pulling her in again, this time for a deeper kiss.

"I love you, too," Hermione murmured against his lips. Things deepened and grew and they found themselves spending the rest of the day together in bed, curled up in each other's embrace and their bedsheets.

…

The sweet memory of her and Ron followed Hermione all the way back to her room, where she threw herself onto the small bed underneath the window and pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Valentine's Day had always been a good holiday in her marriage and she wished she could have skipped it this year to avoid thinking about how different things would be from now on. While it had been less than two months since the divorce was finalized, there were times that it still felt like the first day she had filed, the pain just as fresh now as it had been then.

A knock on the door jarred Hermione out of her stupor and she shot out of bed, pulling the door open and immediately shocked to see who was behind it.

"Ginny?"

"You sound surprised," Ginny said, her brow furrowed.

"I am. I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Didn't you get my owl?"

Hermione remembered the letter that was still in her pocket and shook her head. She didn't want to ask why Ginny was using Ron's owl at any rate – this holiday was already proving difficult enough without bringing him into the conversation.

"Well, I wanted to go out tonight. Harry's busy at work and I don't want to be alone on the most romantic day of the year."

"Well, actually…" Hermione paused, not sure how to proceed. After the weird night that they had run into Malfoy, she had a feeling how her friend would react to hearing that Hermione was about to go on a date with him. Ginny crossed her arms and stared at Hermione.

"Hermione… do you have a date tonight?"

A blush began to creep up Hermione's cheeks and she swallowed hard.

"I guess you could say that."

Ginny's face took on an expression that Hermione couldn't read.

"Gin," Hermione said, "I don't know what it is. I don't - "

"Part of me wants to be happy for you," Ginny said, cutting Hermione off mid-sentence, "but you and Ron haven't even been divorced for two months. Isn't it a little soon?"

"That's why I don't want to put a label on whatever it is. It could turn out to be nothing. I'm just… dipping my toes into the water again, I guess."

Ginny's frown grew more prominent. "Who is it with?"

"Ginny, I - "

"It's not Malfoy, is it?"

Hermione was only half surprised that Ginny had come to that conclusion so quickly, though her accusatory tone only dug up a strange protective feeling in Hermione's chest.

"Why do you hate him so much, anyway?"

"Don't ignore the question, Hermione."

"You just ignored mine."

The two women stared at each other for a moment. Ginny finally cleared her throat and spoke first.

"Do you really think he can be a good person?" Ginny asked. "After everything his family has done? He didn't even try to rebuild things after the war. He's just lived off of his family's money – most of which they got at the expense of other witches and wizards – and ignored the damage that same family helped cause."

"Do you really think that people can't be different from their parents?" Hermione retorted. "Look at Sirius. His entire family was pro-Voldemort and yet he sacrificed his life to help Harry."

"I don't know, Hermione," Ginny said. "Malfoy was branded with the Dark Mark in my Fifth Year, remember? And he was literally tasked with killing Dumbledore. I don't think people just… I dunno… grow out of something like that."

"You do remember who actually ended up killing Dumbledore, don't you?" Hermione snapped. "Draco hasn't done anything wrong. It's not his fault that his family was on the wrong side of the war."

Ginny shook her head. "'Draco,' Hermione? Really? As if he wasn't a terrible bully in school on top of everything else? I thought you were smarter than this."

"You're being just as prejudiced as his family was," Hermione shot back. "And it's none of your business anyway."

Shaking her head, Ginny backed out of the door and began to walk away from Hermione's room. Neither woman said anything as Ginny continued to walk away and disappeared from sight.

Now I've lost my best friend, Hermione thought. What else is this divorce going to take from me?

...

Hermione was in the Entrance Hall at six o'clock that evening, wearing a dress that she had gotten months ago but hadn't had the chance to wear. It was a pinot-noir-red and had a strap over her right shoulder, leaving her left bare. She had also worked very hard to tame her hair and put it up in a tight knot on top of her head, even applying a light amount of makeup to her face. She had always wished she was better with makeup, but hadn't taken the time to practice. She still envied the way Ginny made it look so effortless, even though she was still quite upset with her ex-sister-in-law.

"Wow, Granger," a silky voice penetrated her thoughts and drew her attention toward the tall blond man now standing in front of her. "You look…"

"It's too much, isn't it?" Hermione immediately fretted, nervously tugging at the hem of her dress. "I didn't know what else to wear - "

"No, it's perfect." Draco reached out and took her wrist in his hand. He pulled her arm up and pulled her into a twirl so he could see all of her. "You're perfect."

Hermione blushed deeply.

"So…" she said, "are we going to your place? I can't be out too late…"

Draco laughed. "Relax, Granger. I promise to have you home by curfew."

Hermione chuckled nervously.

"Let's go," Draco said. He offered Hermione his arm; she took it and they walked out of the large front doors of the castle and onto the lawn.

Although there were still plenty of security measures still in place around the castle, there had been a shortening of the distance it took to Apparate away. Once Draco and Hermione were safely outside the line, Draco took the lead and, in an instant, Hermione felt like she was being squeezed through a tunnel – the pressure was coming from all sides and only getting worse –

And then they landed, hard, on a stone pathway. If Draco hadn't been holding her up, Hermione would have fallen, her face going first, and most likely broken her nose.

"Careful, now," Draco said, helping Hermione adjust and get steadied on her feet. "Think you can make it inside?"

"Yes." Hermione was glad it was dark enough outside that Malfoy wouldn't be able to see the deep blush that had once again taken over her face. They walked up the long path to large, wrought-iron gates that Malfoy waved his wand at to open.

"When father was still alive, there were peacocks all around the lawn," Draco said, surprising Hermione. She looked around. The gardens seemed long-dead and there was a heavy energy all around the manor that loomed ahead.

"What happened to them?"

"I gave them to a few old family friends," Malfoy replied. "It was either that or a magical zoo and I didn't want them being ogled at. There's been enough staring at my family, especially the eccentricities of my father."

Hermione didn't answer and kept her eyes ahead. The manor continued to grow in her vision and Hermione was struck with how strange it was that Draco had asked her to come here for supposedly the "most romantic" day of the year.

Draco led Hermione through the large entrance hallway and down a small maze of corridors, into a spacious, beautiful kitchen. It looked like just about every surface of the room was covered in green granite save for the oven, which was also iron, and the chairs that circled the large island in the center, which were gold.

"How very Slytherin," Hermione commented, though the awe in her voice was obvious.

"I had it cleaned up a bit after mother and father died," Draco said. He put his hand on the small of Hermione's back and guided her to the island in the middle of the kitchen, where two small place settings waited for them. He pulled a stool out and gestured for Hermione to sit.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said. She looked down at the plate, which was the same gold as the stool she now sat upon. "What are we going to have for dinner?"

"I decided on steak," Draco said from across the kitchen. He returned to where Hermione sat with a bottle of wine in his hand. "This is special elf-made red wine that is supposed to pair perfectly."

"I didn't know you were a sommelier," Hermione said in surprise. Draco laughed, an easy, happy laugh, and Hermione's heart melted slightly.

"Not quite. I just learned some tricks while traveling with mum." Draco uncorked the bottle and poured each of them a glass. "Make sure to swirl it around a little before you taste it – that's supposed to help 'awaken the flavor' or something of the sort."

Hermione laughed lightly and did as Draco instructed. She then took a sip and the flavor exploded on her tongue, much more complex than she had ever expected. There were notes of vanilla and tobacco underneath the strong profile of blackberries, all mixing together in a perfect medley just dry enough to make her want more. She took another sip, already feeling the warmth from the alcohol sweep through her.

"Wow, that's delicious," Hermione said. "I can't wait to see how it tastes with the steak."

Draco was already back at the stove, now pulling two steaks out of a cast-iron skillet that Hermione hadn't noticed before. She could now smell the cooked meat and her mouth began to water.

"I didn't know you could cook, either," Hermione commented as she took another sip of the wine.

"You'll be surprised to know that there are a great many things that you don't know, Granger," Malfoy said, but there was a grin on his face as he spoke. He served each of them a steak and a baked potato wrapped in aluminum foil.

"This is a very Muggle-like way to make a meal," Hermione pointed out, her brown eyes moving back up to meet with Draco's silver ones. There was humor in his irises that made them glint and shine in the dim light of the kitchen. Hermione blushed again.

"No more talking," Draco instructed in a low voice. "Just taste. Take a bite of the steak and follow it with a mouthful of the wine."

Something ignited deep inside Hermione as he gave her the command. She had never been one to take orders from people, but there was something in his tone that made her want to obey whatever he told her to do. She cut off a piece of the meat and slid it into her mouth. The flavor seeped into her mouth, tangy and tender with a hint of lemon pepper. She swallowed the bite and took a drink from her glass. The complexity of the alcohol mixed beautifully with the steak and created a flavor so full that it felt like it not only took up her entire mouth, but seeped deep into her body and warmed her from the inside out. This was exquisite, and certainly not something that she could have made for him with her limited cooking skills.

"Draco…" she said after a long moment. She carefully avoided his intense gaze as she took another bite and drink, enjoying it just as much the second time as she had the first. "This is absolutely incredible."

Malfoy grinned at Hermione, but there was something deeper and more intimate to it now. She found herself unable to pull her eyes away and swallowed hard, coughing slightly when some of her saliva got caught in her throat.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Malfoy said. His voice was silky and hypnotic and the sound of it went through Hermione like electricity, making her skin tingle all over.

"Happy Valentine's Day." Hermione finally wrenched her eyes away from his and looked down at the plate, though a smile was winning the fight to appear on her face.

She raised a glass to Malfoy, who clinked his to hers, and they both drank.

"To something new," Hermione found herself saying. Surprise flashed in Draco's silver eyes, but his salacious grin said it all.

"To the most romantic day of the year."

Hermione blushed again and took another bite of steak to busy herself as her thoughts began to race. She hadn't felt this happy or excited in a long time… what a surprise that this feeling came with the company of Draco Malfoy.

Maybe all the cliches she'd heard growing up were right and the unexpected things were the best ones in life. Only time would tell, and she didn't plan to think about the future tonight.

Wine, steak, and a handsome man to dine with… this really was the most romantic day of the year.