Little Gifts

Little Gifts

Ginny flopped onto the cushions in one corner of the Common Room, glaring at the black-haired boy sitting quietly in front of the fire. It was Valentine's day, in her sixth year, and Harry had yet to acknowledge that oh so important fact. She didn't care that he had broken up with her; they could still be friends, right? And he had asked her to Hogsmeade this weekend. She sighed. Maybe he was just dense.

She looked up just to see Hermione slam the Common Room door shut. Ron was following behind her, fuming. Hermione noticed Ginny and stalked towards her, smoke literally pouring from her ears.

Hermione flung herself onto the cushions, her arms crossed across her breasts and a very angry look on her face.

Ginny wiped the smile off of her face and turned to her friend. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Before Hermione could answer, Lavender and Parvati sat on the floor next to the two girls. Parvati was angry as well, but Lavender seemed merely cool towards Seamus. The sandy-haired boy was staring at her back, an incredulous look on his face. Both girls said hello, then pretended to smile.

Hermione was still fuming, but the smoke was a little thinner than it had been. She opened her mouth, again, to tell Ginny what had happened, but again, she was interrupted. Sarah and Jamie, Ginny's roommates, rudely shoved Ginny off of her cushion and stole it. They sat with the girls, too, and looked at Hermione's smoke with rapt fascination. Sarah seemed to be dancing on clouds. She had a narrow silver chain around her neck that hadn't been there before, and Ginny assumed it was from her new boyfriend, Neville. Sarah was pretty, in a way, with a wide mouth set in a heart-shaped face, and brilliant blue eyes that danced beneath a cloud of dark brown hair. This was their first date, and it had obviously been good. Jamie, on the other hand, seemed furious with her longtime boyfriend, Colin Creevey. Jamie was lovely, with dark swarthy features and dimples in both cheeks.

Ginny stopped the other girls from saying anything, than turned to Hermione. "What were you saying?"

Hermione was red-faced and angry. "Ginny, I swear, that brother of yours is IMPOSSIBLE!"

The whole common room, even Harry, turned to look at Hermione. Steam had erupted from her ears, and her hair had tiny drops of condensation building up around her face. Her curls, Ginny noticed, weren't even the same brown they had been; they were slowly turning blue.

Ginny refrained from telling her this and instead put on an interested face. "What happened?"

Hermione seemed to notice that the people in the room were staring at her. Her voice was low, but dangerous, when she spoke next. "He thought it would be sweet to give me my present at desert, in the Great Hall. It must have been from the Twins' shop. I opened this nicely wrapped little box and pulled out a lovely box of chocolates. They were even my favorite kind, or so I thought. I popped on into my mouth when low and behold, smoke starts pouring out of my ears and my hair turned bright green! I hate him!"

Ginny smothered a giggle. Ron had obviously tried this year, but the Twins' had gotten the better of him. She said so to Hermione. The older girl nodded, but her face was no less angry. "Then I will have to send the Twins something for Valentine's Day, won't I?" She began to rant. "I mean, just once I would like to have your brother give me something that won't explode in my face or make fun of me, something that shows he really cares- a card, a smile, a hug; something to prove I'm a girl!"

Ginny gave Hermione a hug. "I'm sure it was an accident. Ron probably didn't know that would happen, so really, Hermione, maybe he did try. I mean, he knew what your favorite chocolates were, right?"

Lavender nodded. "And at least he got you something. Seamus didn't even do that!" The other girls, even Sarah and Jamie, agreed.

Lavender launched into her story. "Seamus promised me a nice day. He invited me to Hogsmeade on Saturday, then tells me that because it's not Valentine's day then, he'll do something really special today. Do you know what he did?"

The other girls shook their heads. Lavender glared at Seamus, who was watching the girls apprehensively. "He serenaded me in the hallway between every class. I told him to stop, but there he was, at the doorway, singing Irish love songs to me. He was totally off-key, and it wasn't all that romantic to hear Seamus singing about how much he loves my long blond hair." She pulled a strand of her pale brown waves out from her face. "It's like he doesn't even know what I look like. I have no idea what he was thinking."

The girls nodded and murmured small sympathies, all the while thinking the same thing- boys are dumb.

They all looked to Parvati next; it was like they had talked about how they would complain beforehand. "Dean drew me a picture. It was like he did it last minute, and I just know he put absolutely no thought into it! It makes me so mad!" She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out the parchment with the drawing. Compared to what he normally did, it was shoddy work. It was Parvati, sitting at a table in front of a large stained glass window. She was leaning over a book, and a tiny curl had escaped from the large loose bun sitting on top of her head. Ginny had seen much better; in fact, she had kept much better from the tall black boy.

The girls all told her exactly what they thought of Dean. Parvati smiled and threw the paper back in her bag; she thought they were being a little harsh, but it was nice to be backed up by your friends. They all looked towards the fuming Jamie; she had been steaming the entire time. Her normally tanned skin was red high on her cheeks, and her voice, rich and melodious, was full of anger.

"Colin didn't even wish me a Happy Valentine's Day! He just sat next to me at dinner, eating like the day was nothing special. When I asked him about it, he said that he remembered the day, he just didn't think it was important. And then, when he was gone, guess what? I saw him talking to a girl. Not just any girl, mind you, but Juliet Wetherby, the slag of Hogwarts! I mean, I couldn't believe he was talking to Juliet! She hates me!"

The girls all looked to the portrait hole, where Colin stood, fidgeting. They glared at him, and he seemed to sense it. He looked directly at them, then shied away when he saw all six girls with looks that bored holes into his entire body. If looks could kill, Colin would have been dead six times over. He turned around and walked right out of the common room, not looking back.

They all looked at Sarah. She was smiling, not pissed like the other girls, and when she looked at Neville, she grinned wider. "I have nothing to complain about. Neville had been really sweet to me all day. He even gave me these." She pulled out a bouquet of flowers. They were large blue flowers, with bright red and green spots, and long red stems. "They're something he's working on, and he named them for me. He's called them Spotted Sarahs, and he says that Professor Sprout is talking to the Board of Herbologists, to get the name official. He is so sweet!" She waved at Neville, and he blushed and waved back.

The other girls stared at Sarah. She was very happy, and they didn't want to spoil it. Suddenly, Ginny turned to them it was her turn, but suddenly, she didn't feel like sharing. "I...I need to go to bed."

The girls pulled her back. Parvati raised her eyebrow. "So, what about Harry? Didn't he mess up like the rest of them? I mean, sorry Sarah, but the boys at Hogwarts don't really seem up to it this year."

Ginny turned to the girls. "I can't really complain about Harry, right? He's no my boyfriend anymore." She smiled at the rest of the girls. "Goodnight."

She looked at the boy sitting by the fire. He was staring at the flames, his green eyes unfocused. Suddenly, he looked up and saw her standing there. She blushed a little; she always did when he caught her staring. Then she turned around and walked away.

***

The girls of Hogwarts may have been upset on Valentine's Day, but Saturday more than made up for it.

Ron slept in on Saturday, and Hermione had stood at the bottom of the stairs, tapping her foot, waiting for her boyfriend to come down and surprise her. But he didn't. After all of the boys had come down the stairs, Hermione put a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes spell on the doorway, and told the boys not to go in the room.

Hours later, Hermione was sitting at a table, doing homework, when her boyfriend came down the stairs, obviously unaware of his state. He had a robe on, of course, but now it had bright yellow sunflowers covering it. His long red hair was streaked with purple and in tiny ponytails, and his eyes were shaded in pink. His lips were pink, too, and his nails were done up in pink with bright sunflowers on them as well.

Hermione stifled a giggle, as did the other girls in the room. Hogsmeade wasn't for another hour, after all, and they were all waiting for the go ahead from their new Head of House and Transfiguration Professor, Vesta Joy. Ginny sat next to Hermione, with Harry on the other side. Parvati and Dean sat on the couch, while Seamus and Lavender sat on another. Neville sat on the cushions in the corner, Sarah on his lap, with Jamie and Colin on cushions next to them.

The entire common room erupted in giggles, while Ron stood there, confused. He shuffled over to Harry, Hermione and his sister. "What's with them?"

Harry sniggered, and Hermione ignored him. It was up to Ginny to tell her brother what Hermione had done. "Um, Ron? Have you looked in a mirror?"

He frowned, confused. "No."

Hermione giggled a little louder. Ginny nodded. "We can tell."

Ron's eyes widened and he stared at Hermione. "You didn't?!"

She burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Ron, of course I did!"

Ron straightened his back and looked down on his girlfriend; she was actually on the floor, rolling and holding her side. "What did you do, Love?"

Hermione sat up on the floor, wiping away a tear and holding her ribs. "The sunflowers. You are covered in sunflowers. You have a whole bunch of makeup on, too." A hiccup made her pause. "You have pink makeup, Ron dear, and nails. I never thought your brothers could be so creative."

"A whole bunch of what?!"

Ron's voice echoed in the common room, causing those few who hadn't seen him to look. Roars of laughter erupted from everyone, and Ron turned brick red. He marched out of the common room, head high, and everyone could see his very red ears. He turned at the bottom of the stairs. "Thanks so much, love."

Hermione frowned at him. "Well, it was either this or dance starkers. I chose the one that fit the occasion. You would like the other too much."

/*

Professor Joy walked into the common room a few minutes later. "Every person wishing to go to Hogsmeade must sign the form and talk to me. The line will begin here."

Every person had to state their reasons for going to the tiny town, and give her their plans. The boys tried to keep it quiet, but the girls tried their very best to listen. Dean leaned over and whispered something in the Professor's ear, and she smiled. "Of course, Dean. That's wonderful."

Dean took Parvati's hand and walked down with her to the town, a large grin on her face. He had asked permission to stay slightly past curfew and took her to a small concert in the Three Broomsticks. Her favorite band was playing, and he had apparently arranged that, too. He had also gotten her a gift, a real one this time, in the form of a delicate golden necklace. It had tiny diamonds studding the lacy chain, and it looked marvelous against her glowing skin. It had matching earrings, too, and those she placed immediately in her ears.

She looked marvelous, all done up, her hair piled loosely atop her head and in shimmering cobalt dress robes that flashed silver when she moved. Dean himself wore dark red, nearly black, robes. They had her favorite meal, too, and he had asked Madame Rosmerta for her finest table, set with a bouquet of orchids, her favorite flower, and tall white candles, carved with tiny dancing hearts in silver. He whispered that the night wouldn't be over for a while yet, and she couldn't wait. It was perfect, and she told him so.

Colin dragged Jamie down to an extremely expensive restaurant she had pointed out to him. It was beautiful, with tiny private tables, all in deep blues and browns, and very rich. They were led to their table, Jamie in elaborate robes of palest pink, Colin in dark gray. She found a box on her chair, and opened it to find a think golden chain, the size of her finger, with a deep ruby set in a circle of gold. She gasped, and Colin lifted her thick auburn curls to place it around her swan-like neck. He leaned over her shoulder and touched the ruby; a picture of the two of them together played out like a short film in her mind.

They talked over a savory meal, and Colin was a perfect gentleman. He paid the musician walking around the tables to serenade her, and made every small courtesy towards her; very important, as Jamie was a member of a pureblood family. Colin kissed her, sweetly, and murmured sweet nothings in her ear, promising much more.

Seamus and Lavender didn't leave Hogwarts; they had a homemade meal in the rose gardens. It was a lacy white table, covered in a transparent yellow cloth, surrounded by a warming spell; the flowers bloomed from another spell. They were served by fairies glowing gold, on golden trays, and on golden plates. Lavender clapped her hands in delight at the delicate meal; she gasped at his gift of a necklace of gold lavender.

Lavender brushed fairy dust from her creamy gown, and lifted a rose petal from her soft brown waves. Seamus reached over the table to touch her arm, moving his emerald robe out of the dish; she smiled and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

"Seamus, my love, it's wonderful."

Neville, in navy velvet, also stayed at Hogwarts. He led Sarah to a small greenhouse that Professor Sprout had let him build. She gasped when she walked in, dropping her black and gold skirts; she was surrounded by Spotted Sarahs. They had a table in the center, with a meal for two set on carved plates. Neville blushed as he told her that he had done the carvings himself; they were part of his gift. She gasped in shock as he dropped to one knee. A silver ring set with an opal lay in the black velvet box.

"Sarah...wow...Sarah...will you...um, will you marry me?" It took long time for him to say, but only a second for her to fling herself in his arms and accept. As he spun her around, he told her that the night wouldn't be over for a long time, and she kissed him.

"As long as I'm with you, Neville, this night will never end."

Ron led Hermione by the hand down to the gate of Hogwarts. A carriage waited for them, pulled by a white horse and trimmed in red roses. She lifted her heavy jade skirts to get into the carriage, and held his hand as he helped her up. Ron sat next to her, holding a long thin box of black silk. He opened it, and she pulled out a thin silver chain. Puzzled, she held it up to the light.

"What's this?"

He put the chain over her bushy hair. "It's a key."

"To what?" Her brows pulled together over her rich brown eyes; he had picked the color of his robes from the shade of her eyes.

"You'll see."

They pulled up a side street that Hermione had never seen before, to a small building, glowing with candlelight. Ron stopped the carriage and held his hand out to the door. She put the key in the lock, walked in the room, and stopped. It was a library.

"All yours, Mione."

She turned to him, something shining in her eyes that Ron couldn't read. "I love you, Ron."

He smiled, his ears burning. "Love you to, Mione."

Harry led Ginny to a tree by the lake, stopping before she could see what he had done. The moon hung low in the sky, a red harvest crescent that spoke of promise. A warming spell had been placed here, too, and Ginny loved the feel of summer when there was snow on the ground. The red silk gown she wore dragged across tiny white flowers, and didn't clash with her mane of strawberry hair at all.

He carried her the rest of the way to the picnic dinner he had made that morning. She opened her eyes and threw her arms around his neck. "It's perfect!"

She climbed out of his arms and straightened his deeply golden velvet robes. On her plate rested a red rose. Around the stem was an ancient ring-the Potter family ring-and she slipped it on her finger without a word. They ate without a word; there was no need to speak.

/*

Later, every couple in Hogwarts over the age of fifteen met in the Great Hall. They danced the rest of the night away; there were so many happy couples that hadn't been on the fourteenth. Harry floated over the floor with Ginny, her diamond ring glinting in the light from hundreds of floating candles. Neville and Sarah danced, too, and he didn't step on her toes once. Dean and Parvati, Seamus and Lavender spun elegantly in circles around each other, forming a pattern that seemed never ending. Colin and Jamie waltzed in the corner, Colin blushing fearfully; it wasn't a waltz, but it was the only dance he knew. And, to add the final touch, Ron leading Hermione in a smooth and elaborate set of moves that Ron had learned in the lessons all of the boys had taken for the past few weeks.

Minerva McGonagall stood in her office, watching the scene through her magic mirror; as Headmistress, she had access to nearly every room in the castle. Dumbledore's portrait looked on with her.

"Minerva, my dear, the boys have outdone themselves tonight."

"Yes, Albus. They really have. This is a night for love." She turned dark, watering eyes to the painting of her former friend.

"Yes, Minerva. A moonlit night for love."