Back at Hogwarts for the next term, Hermione found that she was busy. Ron kept complaining about it being absolutely ridiculous that Malfoy wasn't the heir. He had been so certain, even though she had tried to steer him away from the idea.
Harry had found a diary belonging to one Tom Riddle. Hermione couldn't figure out who he was. She'd started looking for mentions of him in the library. But the diary seemed empty and it was almost as if its owner hadn't existed.
It wasn't until Valentine's Day that Hermione recalled the letter Viktor had sent back with her. She'd opened the package to reveal a beautiful mirror that would fit nicely into any pocket she had.
She tucked it into her robes, and opened the letter. She read it quickly, once, then twice. When she had read it enough to be sure she had not misunderstood, she wrote a quick letter. Her Greek was more scrawly than usual due to her speed.
"What's got you in a tizzy?" Ron asked as they headed down to breakfast.
She'd met up with them after a brief dash to the owlery. "Nothing," she said breathlessly.
They walked into the Great Hall and found themselves staring at a sea of pink. Lockhart had decorated. And he matched his robes to it. It was a bright sight no one had been expecting.
Lockhart gave a speech in which he emphasised that no less than forty-six people had sent him a card. He then announced that there would be "card carrying cupids" sending out valentines.
"Please tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," Ron said to Hermione.
"Of course I was," Hermione said. "I sent a small card to all of the teachers."
Ron looked mollified by that. Hermione reached into her pocket and cupped the mirror that lay within. She had no feelings for Lockhart. She didn't know why he bothered Ron.
The rest of the day was chaos. People had cupids giving out valentines in the most awful way Hermione could imagine. She didn't like the attention. Thankfully for her, no one sent her one. And she didn't mind. She already had the best gift she could have asked for.
A/N: I know. I know we're deviating from cannon. But that was already a thing. Also, I might skip key plot points of the book if Hermione isn't there for them. Just assume they happened.