8. Secret Admirer
February arrived and what was left of the snow that fell during the previous months was beginning to melt away with the warm rays of sunlight that were becoming more pleasant as the days passed.
Hermione was beginning to wake up. Since it was Saturday, she wasn't in a hurry to get up and start with the day. She decided to stay in bed for a little longer. Hoping sleep would come back to her, she didn't open her eyes or even shift her position, lying on her side.
The last weeks had been so tiring, taking most of her strength away. She felt as if she had been running the marathon nonstop all through the week. Then a distinct smell filled up her senses. Hermione wondered where that smell was coming from.
She opened her eyes. Something deep red was right next to her face on top of her pillow obstructing her view. She pulled her head back and open even more her brown eyes. She realized the red thing on her pillow was a long-stem red rose.
Hermione raised her upper body up looking at the rose. She sure was glad to have a room for herself. This way she didn't have to give explanations to anybody about the rose or even worry about the curious looks of other girls.
"How did this get here?" she asked herself. But Hermione's biggest question was: Who send it to her? With caution, as if she was going to take a bomb with her bare hands, Hermione grabbed the rose and examined it intently.
It seemed real, though Hermione wondered how someone had been able to find a rose so fresh and beautiful on that time of the year. "It must be some kind of spell," she thought.
She brought the rose to her nose and was invaded by the most exuberant aroma she'd ever smelled. A shy smile appeared in Hermione's face. She couldn't help but feel flattered. Not only for the rose itself, but also 'cause someone had gone through all the trouble of getting inside her dormitory to place it on her pillow.
"Well," she thought. "Whoever it was, they do know how to make a girl feel good."
When see finally made it to the Great Hall for breakfast, with a dreamy expression on her face, she didn't realize that Harry and Ron were glancing at each other, a mischievous smile on their faces.
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The following week was full of excitement. Valentine's Day was just around the corner. Since it was going to fall on a Sunday. Dumbledore had agreed to change the student's usual visit to Hogsmeade to Sunday instead of Saturday, giving the students a chance to celebrate in the village.
Even when the rose had raised Hermione's spirit, she wasn't looking forward to the weekend. The last thing she needed was to look at other couples kissing and hugging all day long.
She had made a point to let Harry and Ron know she wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade saying she had too much work to do. Hermione had been a little surprised when none of them complained about it, but was even more surprised when they said they weren't going either.
That Saturday, Hermione woke up early as usual, and found that once again someone had come into the dormitory at night and left something on her pillow. This time, however, it was a note.
With trembling hands she grabbed the note. Her name was written in the outside of the envelope in a neat handwriting she did not recognize. Hermione took a deep breath, and slowly began to rip the envelope open, waiting for it to explode in her hands.
With a feeling of anxiety she could not contain, she run her eyes over the piece of parchment. Hermione tried hard to recognize the handwriting, but she couldn't. She was sure she'd never seen it before. She knew the handwriting of almost all of the students in her year.
The note was brief and wasn't signed. It read:
"There's something you must know.
Come tomorrow to the big pine tree by the lake at noon.
You won't regret it."
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That night at the Common Room, Hermione couldn't hide her anxiety. She had been thinking about the note all day, which she had spent hiding in the Astronomy Tower. She hadn't even showed up for lunch.
Ginny was reading the last issue of The Quibbler, she had borrowed it from Luna, when she saw Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole. Without even looking at Ginny, or anybody else, Hermione headed to the stairs.
Once in her dormitory, she threw herself on her bed and rested her head in her pillow. The red rose she had received, laid in a glass vase on her night table. A couple of minutes later, the dormitory's door opened and Ginny stuck her head in.
"Hermione?"
Hermione raised herself up and beckoned Ginny in. She walked in, closing the door behind her, and went over to Hermione sitting next to her.
"Where were you today?" asked Ginny with a tone of concern in her voice.
Hermione let a sigh out. "I was… hiding," she said honestly. Then seeing Ginny's puzzled expression, she added, "I was in the Astronomy Tower."
"What's wrong? Why weren't you at lunch?"
Hermione looked at the red haired girl. She needed to confide in someone to let out all the things that were swirling in her head. Without preamble, she proceeded to tell Ginny all about the rose and the note she had received.
Ginny's eyes opened wide for a few seconds. Then she smiled with a big grin. "You have a secret admirer!"
"Oh, Ginny!" said Hermione while moving her hand as if to push that thought away.
"You do! I wonder who it is."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have the slightest idea.
"Oh, this is so romantic!" giggled Ginny. "Are you going tomorrow?"
Hermione stood up. That was exactly the question that had been in Hermione's mind all day. She hadn't made up her mind, yet.
"Uh, I don't know Ginny."
"You have to," said Ginny standing up, too. "I'm sure that important thing you have to know is that he, whoever he is, fancies you. And he's going to tell you on Valentine's."
Hermione smiled at Ginny's excitement. She was totally sure Ginny was excited enough for the both of them.
"I wish someone'd do something like that for me," said Ginny between giggles. She laid down in Hermione's bed with a dreamy expression on her face. Then, turning her body around, so now she was lying on her stomach, her elbows lifting her upper body and her feet up in the air, she continued talking.
"You know, what amazes me more is how he was able to get inside your dormitory. You know boys can't come up here, right?'
Hermione nodded. She had been wondering that herself.
"You think maybe he levitated the letter in from downstairs? That'd mean it must be a Gryffindor!"
Ginny's last comment, made Hermione think about it for a while, but pushed the thought aside. "I don't think the note was levitated in. It'd be kind of complicated."
"Well... however he did it, he sure deserves a chance to be heard," said Ginny in a this-is-serious-business tone of voice. "Hermione you have to go tomorrow."
"But what if there's no he? What if this is all just a stupid prank someone wants to play on me?" Finally Hermione was voicing out her real fear. Someone could just be trying to play a very mean joke on her. Hermione wasn't willing to put herself up to that.
"I don't think so, Hermione. I think this is real."
Still, Hermione resisted believing it. "Well, then you'll come with me."
Ginny looked at her as if Hermione had just said the world was flat. "You're not serious. I can't go with you! This is supposed to be a romantic meeting."
"Maybe, but I'm not willing to taking any risks."
Finally, Ginny agreed that she'd hide somewhere close by where the secret guy couldn't see her and if things got tricky, Ginny could come to the rescue.
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The next day, at fifteen minutes to noon, Ginny and Hermione left Gryffindor Tower and headed to the lake. Hermione hadn't been able to sleep all night. She had this feeling of anxiety. As they were walking across the castle, Hermione was expecting someone to jump out of a corner and tell her it all was a joke.
However, they made it to the lake with no incidents to report. Before reaching the spot where Hermione was to meet the secret guy, Ginny stopped and took a different direction, just in case "he" was watching them, to make him think Ginny was going back to the castle.
In reality, Ginny went to find a spot underneath some big bushes where she could see Hermione perfectly well.
Feeling uneasy about the whole thing, Hermione walked towards the pine tree. The area was deserted. She couldn't see or hear anything but the sound of the wind rustling the tree's leaves and the water in the lake.
For a moment Hermione thought her fear had been confirmed. There was no secret admirer. Nobody was going to come meet her and she'd be left there waiting. Hermione was convincing herself that had been the real purpose of the prank, to make her believe someone was going to meet her when in fact no one was coming, when she spotted something lying in the ground near the tree trunk.
Her curiosity got the best of her. Hermione walked closer to the tree. There she realized what was lying on the ground was a leather bound book. Hermione leaned over to read what the words written in the cover. It said, "Read Me."
Forgetting all sense of caution, Hermione took the book in her hands. It looked like any other regular book. Hermione opened the book and looked at the first page. It was blank. Then suddenly she felt a familiar pull in the navel that made her spin for a few seconds before disappearing.
Ginny who had been watching everything, gasped as she saw Hermione disappear. Just then Ginny realized that a pair of big saucer-plate-like eyes had also been watching everything very closely. Ginny looked at the small being standing a few feet away from her.
"Dobby! What are you..."
"It's okay Miss," said the elf trying to keep Ginny from yelling.
"Dobby, Hermione, she's... gone!" Ginny could hardly clam down. She was close to screaming for help.
"It's okay, Miss. It's okay. Dobby can explain," said Dobby while pulling Ginny's hand to make her sit down and listen to him. "Dobby can explain, Miss."