Valentine
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, although if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction now would I? They are the sole property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Warner Bros.
A/N: My first attempt at something more lighthearted. I really needed something to bring up my mood, since I'm at a crappy place in my life right now. Feel free to comment and review. I'd love to hear what you all say.
Thanks to: The entire Wonky/HOAF crew for helping me get through the good times. BtB for getting me in a bad mood in the first place, which led to the writing of this. And my best friend, Christina for being an H/Hr fic fiend. Oh, and Jere for listening to my ranting and raving. And ALL of my friends, actually. Nitya, for inspiring part of this plot bunny and for writing such amazing poems.
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Chapter Two: Butterflies
The dreaded Valentine's Day came a week later, much to the displeasure of Harry, who was still ashamed of hideous valentine that he was about to give. He didn't even want to dwell on the day of love. How could he expect to give something so horrid to a girl he thought was beautiful in her own extraordinary way.
But the minute Harry walked into the Great Hall, the feeling of dread grew even worse. It was the most lurid thing that surpassed anything Lockhart could have achieved. The Great Hall was engulfed in pink haze. Gaudy pink and red heart confetti was falling freely from the enchanted ceiling. Over a dozen cupids were flying though the air, dropping valentines in front of unsuspecting students.
Harry looked over at Ron, who had entered the Great Hall with him. His face was scrunched up in disgust. He brushed confetti irritably from his hair and leaned in towards Harry. "McDiarmid," he muttered.
McDiarmid was their latest sad excuse for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her demeanor was so overly flamboyant, that she made Lockhart look tame and normal. Her eccentricity often drove the students to the brink of insanity. She stood at the staff table directly at the front of the hall, waving her arms about dramatically with great gusto. Her appearance quickly resembled that of an overlarge stick of cotton candy.
"Grotesque, isn't it?" said Ron, voicing everybody's unspoken opinion. "If anything could put me off of Valentine's Day forever, that certainly would." The pair walked down the aisle and sat silently across from each other at the Gryffindor table.
Harry's eyes roamed around the Great Hall, searching aimlessly for Hermione, but she had not arrived yet. He sagged just slightly and tapped his robes gently. He had placed the valentine inside the pocket of his robes, hoping to give it to her that morning. He continued to stare at the entrance of the hall for just one glimpse of bushy brown hair. With a sigh, he looked away and began shoveling bits of food onto his plate unenthusiastically.
He looked over at Ron, whose face was set uncharacteristically rigid and firm. He could imagine only too well how he must be feeling. For a day such as this, it's tough to be alone and single. Fred and George once joked that it should be named Singles Awareness Day. Harry choked back a laugh as he remembered.
"Cheer up, Ron," Harry said, trying to bolster his friend into a better mood.
"How can I cheer up!" Ron exclaimed. "I'm single on the worst, bloody day of the year. What part of that is supposed to cheer me up?"
Harry dropped his fork gently to his plate. "I know that this might be hard for you, Ron. But, I'm sure you'll find your valentine soon enough."
Ron rolled his eyes upwards. "Yeah, and how soon will that be?"
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but a small heart-shaped valentine was suddenly dropped by one of the floating cupids into Ron's kippers and eggs. Ron gave an obscene gesture towards the cupid.
"Bloody hell!" shouted Ron. People in the Great Hall turned around sharply to see what the commotion was. His face turned a brilliant shade of red and he was reduced to slinking back in his chair so far that only his vivid red hair was visible. He gestured towards the valentine to Harry.
He took the hint and pulled the valentine from Ron's breakfast. Predictably it was heart-shaped, but there was definitely something unusual about it. All around it, pictures of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Harry's mouth began forming into a wide smile. It didn't take someone like Hermione to figure out who this particular valentine was from. He turned over the valentine to confirm his suspicions. And sure enough, in a glimmering script, stood the name Luna Lovegood as clear as a vile of Veritaserum.
Harry handed the valentine over to Ron, still smiling. Ron raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What are you so smug about?"
"Turn over the valentine," he stated simply. "Now, that has to be the recipient of the Best Timing award."
Ron shakily turned over the valentine and nearly fell out of his chair. Once again, people in the Great Hall turned to see what was going on. Ron recovered miraculously by holding himself steady on the table. He glanced nervously towards the Ravenclaw table afraid of what he might see.
A dreamy Luna Lovegood sat there, twirling her long blond hair absentmindedly. Her wide blue eyes were gazing at Ron in such an expression that Ron felt stupid not figuring things out a bit sooner. It certainly would have helped after the electric shock that he received after reading her name upon the valentine. She suddenly drew out of her aura of dreaminess with such force that it nearly knocked her back. It was only then that she noticed him looking back at her. However, it wasn't the usual petty annoyed look that he often gave her at times. This time is was more curious than calculating.
Ron turned back around in his seat, now facing Harry. "You know what, mate? I say Valentine's Day isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
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Hermione awoke rather reluctantly than she would have liked that Valentine's morning. There was no bright sun to help alleviate her mood. On the contrary, the sky was dull and dreary, covered with a multitude of dark clouds. She groaned loudly at the appearance of the clouds. Horrid weather always seemed to damper her mood. And today of all days!
She jumped out of bed and began to pull on her robes, not daring to speak to her fellow Gryffindor girls who happened to share a dorm with her. She knew better to speak to them when they were laughing and giggling wildly in a corner of the room. They were far to busy squealing over the valentines that they had just received to pay any attention towards her at all.
"Look!" exclaimed and exuberant Lavender Brown, shoving her valentine under Hermione's nose. Hermione looked down at it and rolled her eyes. It was a typical valentine. Heart-shaped and trimmed with lace. But it was the little artistic, magical flair that caught her eye. She vaguely wondered if Dean had helped out Seamus out with the valentine.
"Isn't beautiful?" she gushed, her face lit like a beacon. Parvati, holding up a similar valentine of her own, nodded in agreement. She eyed Hermione suspiciously.
"What about you, Hermione? Isn't there a special someone? Don't you have a valentine?"
"If I did, you two would be the first ones to know," she muttered in a satirical tone of voice.
Parvati snorted. "No need to get your knickers in a bunch. We were only curious. Pity." With that, she shrugged.
Hermione turned around to face her sharply. "Pity? What is that supposed to mean?"
Parvati rolled her eyes. "Oh, just forget about it," she exclaimed vehemently with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You're so uptight." She silently gestured to Lavender and the pair of them left down the spiral staircase for breakfast.
Hermione continued to stare at the door for the longest time. She shook her head to and fro and plopped back onto her bad with a sigh. Am I really that uptight? A sweet, familiar voice filled her ears as if to respond to that very question. 'Of course not…now get your arse down to the Great Hall.'
She grumbled and rolled off the side of the four-poster bed. Today was simply not going her way at all. Some days she felt as if she if she were living for the hours in which she spent her time with Harry. Just the sight of him at times was enough to lift even her darkest moods. Her heart lifted in spite of herself. She smiled slightly to herself at the promise of seeing him today, of all days.
Valentine's Day: A day of love, lovers, and being loved. To be quite honest, Hermione wasn't expecting much. Merely spending the day with him, as they do every day, was enough for her. That was her valentine. Nothing store-bought and predictable. You don't need a piece of decorated paper, candy, or flowers to know that you're loved. Somehow, just knowing that you are loved could be the greatest valentine that you could ever hope to receive. This was exactly what Hermione was feeling inside.
She could feel a small fluttering of butterflies within her stomach. Hermione learned that you didn't have to be near the person to feel that special feeling. Simply thinking about them is enough to trigger those little butterflies. The first time this had happened she was caught in a mix of shock and surprise. It was the moment she learned of Harry's feelings for another girl. Hermione was crushed by the thought, but everything turned out all right in the end. She sighed breathlessly to herself. Picking herself up, she exited the room and bounded down the spiral staircase, an extra bounce in her step. The sooner she saw Harry, the better.
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The fluttering in my stomach
that's now starting to feel familiar
whenever I'm anywhere near you
or even when I'm not near you
but instead thinking of you
"Butterflies" by Nitya
A/N: Yes, I know it's a short chapter. That's entirely my fault. But, I do promise a long Chapter 3. Please write helpful or complimentary reviews.