Doing the Unthinkable

Hermione tapped her quill in frustration, staring murderously at Arithmancy problem # 15. For some reason, she just couldn't get the correct answer. It was Friday night, and dinner was just over, so she got the privacy she greatly desired in the library. Although her assignment wasn't due until next week, she figured that by doing it this week, it would give her time to get a head start in History of Magic, where they were studying the Importance of Hinkypunks in the First World War.

"Hey, beautiful," a male voice said softly.

She jumped and looked around, smiling when she saw whom it was. "Hey handsome. I need some help with my Arithmancy."

Draco Malfoy walked over and leaned over her shoulder. He stared at her paper for about two seconds before grabbing her quill. "You forgot the plus sign. See, negative times negative is positive."

Hermione sighed deeply, inhaling the scent of his expensive cologne. "Thank goodness I have a boyfriend who's gifted in Arithmancy."

He grinned down at her. "Hey, I have something for you," he passed her a note. Just then, a sound was heard outside. Quickly, he made his way to the nearest bookshelves.

Right on cue, the door opened, and a couple of Hufflepuff girls came in. Hermione was just wondering what they were doing in the library on a Friday night when they brought out a couple of magazines from their bags. They began giggling and swooning over the guys that Hermione suspected were the least intelligent and therefore least desirable. (To her, at least)

Checking to see that the girls were still engrossed in their 'studies', Hermione opened the piece of paper Draco had given her.

Hey, last time I checked my calendar, it was almost Valentines Day. How about you and me get together in the Astronomy Tower at 11 PM? Let me know.

Hermione glanced around, her heart beating quickly. Notes weren't uncommon between them; in fact, it was how they first got together. She saw Draco leaning against a bookshelf, obviously waiting for her reply. She raised her eyebrows in affirmative and smiled at him. He winked back and disappeared.

There was a Valentines Dance coming up on February 14. They both knew that it was out of the question for him to take her, but perhaps they could slip off for a while. They both decided not to have dates; they could dance with anyone they pleased, except each other.

She turned to her homework, and suddenly Arithmancy was fun. It seemed so much easier than it had before his visit.

Draco walked away, breathing heavily with relief. He hated to admit it, but even after months of going out with Hermione, he still couldn't read her like a book. For all he knew, she would have turned him down. But then, he reflected it is Valentines Day we're talking about.

He did his homework in the Slytherin common room, his adrenaline pumping because of her acceptance. Valentines Day was Sunday, and tomorrow, Saturday, was declared a Hogsmeade weekend. He would shop for a suitable present then.

A bolt of worry hit Draco. His father had sent him some rain gear and extra vitamins to keep him from getting sick because a rainstorm was brewing. He hoped the trip to Hogsmeade wouldn't be canceled. He would need a backup plan.

Before he went to bed that night, he noticed the soft sound of a light rain falling. Draco hoped that the skies would clear by the next morning. But when he woke up, it was a full-fledged tempest.

Rain beat down on the castle walls and the lake was swollen with the extra water. It would soon overflow. The corridors in the castle were so dark that all the torches had to be lit, and the ceiling in the Great Hall showed dark clouds rumbling overhead.

It looked like Hermione hadn't slept that well either. She looked tired, and her face was twisted in worry. She silently took her place between Ron and Harry, but she didn't fill her plate with any food.

At the end of breakfast, their fears were confirmed. "The Hogsmeade visit has been postponed," Professor McGonagall announced. All the students Third year and up groaned. "We are only looking out for your safety. We do not wish to be responsible if anyone gets hurt. Now, run along."

The students stood up silently before breaking out into angry murmurs. "I need to go shopping!" Hermione said fiercely.

"So do I, if you can believe it," Harry replied gloomily. "Now what are we gonna do?"

"I'm sure Ginny will understand, Harry," Ron told his best friend. "Maybe you could give her something some other time to make up for it."

"I guess so."

"How about a game of chess?"

"Sure, Ron. What about you, Hermione? Care to join us?" Harry offered.

"No thanks, you know how much I loathe chess." Hermione grinned. "I'll just see you later. I have stuff to do in the library."

Hermione made her way to the library, thinking deeply. She really needed to get Draco a gift, and she didn't know what to get him. If only I could get to Hogsmeade! It would be no problem for Draco, a guy with no conscience. He could easily sneak his way there...no one would be the wiser. It doesn't seem so bad...I can try it myself...I just have to be careful so I won't get caught.

With her mind made up, Hermione made her way to the statue of the one-eyed witch that served as a secret entrance to Hogsmeade. Hermione emptied her bag and stuffed all it's contents into a crevice in the wall. She transfigured her bag into an umbrella and her quill into a thick, warm cloak. She didn't want to arouse Harry or Ron's suspicion by getting her cloak in Gryffindor Tower, so she wasted no time and muttered the password. Hermione found herself in a dark, narrow stone passageway.

Meanwhile, Draco was brooding in his dormitory. He really needed to give her something special...maybe he should sneak out to Hogsmeade. Nah, that's not special enough. I sneak out almost every weekend anyway. It has to be really special. I have to make a sacrifice for it. I have to make it...the Muggle way. Yep, no magic involved, that's the way to go. She'll be really proud of me.

Draco got out his art materials. He was an artist, so he had plenty. Although he was best at abstract, he had to make an effort for Hermione's gift. He decided to make it a mosaic. A mosaic of them together.

Problem was, he had no glue. A problem that could be easily remedied if he used magic, but since he was pretending to be a muggle, he would have to steal it. No biggie.

Draco roamed around the school until he saw a group of students lounging around the library. None of them were using glue sticks, but they would probably have. He waited until they went to get their books from different aisles before he poked around in their bags. He knew some of them were Muggle-borns.

In one bag he found a weird contraption that was yellow with a pointed tip. He recognized it to be a pencil. He took it. Feeling proud of himself for knowing what a pencil was, and pleased because he recognized an eraser, Draco grabbed both and left before the owner returned.

Still, he had no glue. He checked his watch and noticed that he had wasted half an hour. Draco ambled along, staring at the ground. Suddenly, something caught his attention. Just what he needed-a stick of glue. It was right next to a crack in the wall, but he didn't notice the other things there. He just picked it up, and reading the print that said 'glue', he pocketed it and made his way back to the dormitory.

In the dark passageway, Hermione was miserable. It was wet, with water dripping from the ceiling, but it was too narrow for her to open her umbrella. She just kept on walking, thinking of the surprise Draco would get when he'd see her gift to him. If she could find something for him!

Hermione went on, trying to remember how far Harry said the tunnel went. It felt like hours before she stumbled on the steps that Harry said led to Honeydukes. Carefully, making as little noise as possible, she emerged and escaped into the wet town.

Opening her brolly, Hermione decided to first try the bookstore. Surely there were some books he didn't have yet! She entered the shop, giving her umbrella a tap with her wand to dry it up. She browsed through the books, looking for a good one on hexes and curses. There were several that looked promising, until she saw the price. Some reached as high as 100 galleons! Hermione checked the author, wondering who would be so stupid as to make the book that expensive. Of course. She put the book back. Gilderoy Lockhart. And to think she had actually found him handsome before!

Next she tried the mystery section. They were much cheaper, good old paperbacks. But they aren't really special, are they? They have no originality, no flair. She needed something that would remind him of her.

Checking her watch and swearing under her breath, she headed for the exit. Just as she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, a man entered. Her blood ran cold. Professor Snape!

She bent down as if tying her shoelace, keeping her face from view. The professor made his way to the back of the store, where the books on potions were kept. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione made her departure.

She leaned against a lamppost; not caring if it was sopping wet. Why didn't I think of it before? Of course the teachers would come, they have their own errands to run and they would check to see if any student, such as myself, would disobey the orders. She chewed on her bottom lip worriedly. But hey, if I fooled Professor Snape, I could fool anybody! Suddenly, her spirits rose again, and she felt determined to get Draco the best gift possible. Now she knew why Harry and Ron sneaked out so often. She knew the thrill of breaking the law. This is fun!

Okay, Draco thought as he cut up more brown bits of paper for Hermione's hair. I'll need a lot of paper for a lot of hair. He chuckled to himself. Then he felt guilty. She was his girlfriend after all, he had to take her, and whatever strings attached. In this case, the hair attached. Chuckling again, he thought that this was quite fun. He imagined the smile on her face and the kiss he'd receive when she saw it.

A thought occurred to him, and he frowned. What if she doesn't like it? What if she thinks that she looks like a horse? What if I cut the pieces for her teeth too big and she gets offended?

A gust of wind blew in from the window and the bits of Hermione's hair flew away. Draco jumped up from his seat and quickly closed the window, using magic to keep it closed. He hastily grabbed all of the tiny pieces of paper from the floor, reprimanding himself for not gluing them sooner. Sitting down at his desk once more, he coated the part he had outlined in pencil as Hermione's hair in glue and stuck the pieces one by one with painstaking care. He knew his patience would run out soon; it was not one of his most attractive virtues.

Fun? Hermione thought, breathing hard. How could I have thought sneaking out was fun? I must have been temporarily insane! Well, it's too late to back down now. She had been to so many shops, and each of them had a teacher conveniently in them. She cursed again, something she rarely did, and patted her growling stomach.

An idea dawned on her, and she wondered why she bloody didn't think of it before. Fred and George had a shop on the other side of town. It wasn't so far, she could walk there and eat lunch with them and they'd help her with her problem. For a genius, Hermione, she scolded herself, you sure can be pretty dumb.

She saw the bright sign of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes long before she reached it. Even in the rain the sign glowed with a steady light, and she thanked God for it. There was no one in the store when she entered, so she dried herself off with some magic and rang the bell. Fred came in.

"Hello, what can- Hermione!" his face registered surprise. "I didn't know it was a Hogsmeade weekend today. As far as I heard, it was canceled." He looked at her significantly.

"Yeah, it was," she admitted. "But, I umm, needed to get out from the castle. Certain people driving me crazy." Like myself, she thought gloomily.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with Valentines Day being tomorrow?" George came in, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

"Umm... maybe." She wasn't good at lying, why start now? "D'you have any food? I haven't eaten a thing all morning."

The twins looked at each other. "Yeah, come in. You and Harry and even Ron haven't visited us in a long time. Thought you'd forgotten us." Fred opened the door leading to the upstairs, where they lived.

"I don't think I could forget you. My pride is still sore from the last joke you pulled on me."

"That's good. Someone needs to keep you humble."

Lunch with the twins was an interesting affair. Each kept trying to make more hilarious jokes than the other. Then the bell rang downstairs, and Fred went to see whom it was.

"Professor Flitwick!" Hermione heard him say. "Welcome to our humble store. How may we serve you?"

"I was just wondering," Flitwick squeaked, "if you've seen any students wandering about? We canceled the Hogsmeade weekend, but students may sneak out. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw, say, Draco Malfoy or any of the Slytherins around."

Hermione tensed. The twins wouldn't tell on her, would they?

"Well, sir," Fred was saying. "I haven't seen any Slytherins around. They wouldn't be likely to come here since they know George and I hate them. As for other students, well, not at all. In fact, we haven't had many customers today. Would you like to purchase something?"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when Fred changed the subject. George noticed.

"What's up, Hermione? What's with you sneaking out anyway?"

Making a quick decision, Hermione thought that George might be able to help her out. "Promise not to tell anyone, not a soul." When George nodded, she continued. "Like you said, it's Valentines Day tomorrow, and I need something for my Valentine. I just don't know what to get him." She blushed.

"Just who is your Valentine? Is it so hard to find something for him that you need to resort to sneaking out?"

"Erm, I can't tell that. But it is hard to find something for him. What's nice?"

Back at school, Draco was at the end of his patience. "Stupid pieces of paper! They keep disappearing!" He ran his fingers through his pale hair. "I need to cut more!" He grabbed more sheets of yellow paper for his hair. His hands were so sticky that he couldn't get it off. "Bloody hell!" he shouted. "I hate glue!" He tried unsuccessfully to pin the paper down with his elbow, but he ended up tearing the paper. When he had finally cut enough pieces for his hair, he grabbed the glue stick and set to work. Five minutes later, however, Draco was almost tearing out his own hair in frustration.

"Is it just me, or this picture getting uglier?" From afar, the mosaic looked great, but from where he was standing, Draco thought it looked like kids' work. He sat back, disgusted. Deciding to take a short break to calm himself, Draco flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, it was pitch black, and there were people pounding on the door.

"Malfoy," Crabbe grunted. "Let us in! We're going to bed!"

"What's the time?" Draco shouted back.

"Almost midnight. Open up!"

"Just a minute." Draco swore vehemently and lit the torches. He had missed dinner and hadn't finished his masterpiece. Quickly, he shoved all the little squares of paper into individual bags, depending on color. Then he got the half-finished work and dumped it into a bigger bag, opened the door, and strode outside.

Draco made his way to an empty classroom, looking angry. He was in such a bad temper that his fellow Slytherins had refused to comment on his messy hair with bits of paper in it.

He worked all through the night, but didn't get very far. The classroom he chose had a leak and the bag of black little squares got wet. He spent an hour working on that. Just when he was ready to put all the flesh-colored pieces in place, he slipped on the wet ground, and all the pieces went flying. Draco summoned them all up, but they were all wet, so he decided to use magic to dry them as he was getting so frustrated.

When he finally got back to work, things went smoothly for about an hour. Then he lost the glue stick.

"Hell! Where is it? Don't tell me I have to steal another one," Draco groaned to no one in particular. He looked for it frantically before he realized he had it in his pocket. "Stupid thing. How did it get there?" he asked aloud, although he remembered putting it there himself.

Hermione had finally gotten Fred and George to help her. She bought a bracelet for Draco, a charm bracelet that had real charms on it. It was in the shape of two snakes intertwined, and she knew he would like it. It was set to ward him from mild potions and mild hexes. She decided to put more wards on it just in case.

It was midnight and she still had to get back to the castle. She hoped Harry and Ron hadn't told the teachers she was missing. She had owled them, anyway. They wouldn't snitch. When she arrived, she fell into bed without changing her clothes, and fell asleep.

It was still raining when she woke the next morning, Valentines Day. With a sort of trepidation she went to the Great Hall, but breakfast was over. She met Ron in the common room. He was furious.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? Staying out after midnight! I never would have thought it of you Hermione, I thought you knew better than that." His face was slowly matching his hair.

Hermione tried to explain the situation. "Listen, Ron, I hope you covered for me. I got you some treats from Fred and George. Happy Valentines Day!" She handed them to him, hoping to appease him. "Anyway, I had to do it. I needed to buy something, and I couldn't bring you along. You had to stay and cover for me. It would look weird if all three of us were missing, but the teachers would assume that if you two were around, I would be around somewhere."

"You had us dead worried until the owl came." His voice was muffled as he fiddled with the bag from the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. "It came just in time. What were you doing anyway? Shopping? Just having fun?"

"Umm... well, you don't need to know."

"Why not?" he glared at her. "I'm your best friend Hermione, surely you can tell me."

"No, I can't, Ron." She stood up to go to her dorm. "I did girl stuff, okay? Do you want me to tell you? First, I went down to Lady Liberty's boutique and-"

"Stop! Okay, don't tell me. It's girls stuff." Even at sixteen, Harry and Ron hated talking about women's stuff, whether it be facials or women's clothing or whatever.

"Where's Harry anyway?" Hermione called, halfway up the stairs already.

"Library, I think. I just came from there when I met you. He's with Ginny."

"Okay, listen, can you tell him what I said?" she ran up. "Thanks!"

"I hate this stupid thing!" Draco yelled that morning. He didn't have to worry about anyone hearing him; all the boys were at breakfast, and the rain drowned out any sound he made. His masterpiece was almost done, but Draco had lost a whole night's sleep on it. He thought it looked a sorry sight from up close, so he tried looking at it from afar. Unfortunately, his arm wasn't long enough, so he tried to prop it up against the wall. Then he'd turn around and walk to the other end of the room. Every time he faced it, though, it sagged, and he'd have to go back and fix it.

His hair, already wild from the times he tore at it in frustration, suffered some more as he continued his work. It was too late to back down now. He stared at the calendar on his desk. February 14 was encircled and below it said 'Happy Valentines Day!'

"Yeah, Happy Valentines Day to you, too," he growled. I'm pathetic. He buried his head in his hands as tears of frustration threatened to leak out. I'm here, moping about, not even eating when she's probably not even going to give me a present. And I still have to prepare for the dance tonight... what am I going to do?

He sniffled and sat back again, using his hanky to wipe his nose. A sound in the room made him spin around. "What are you doing here?" A quick wave of his wand made his face immaculate, his hair perfect, his robes unwrinkled.

Pansy Parkinson stood in the dorm, her eyes frightened. "I was sent here to give you these. They- the girls- said I should do it, since I'm closest to you." She thrust a large bag that was full to bursting at him, and scampered away.

Draco opened it curiously, and over four dozen Valentines Day cards came gushing out. Most of them came form people he didn't know, saying stuff like 'Be my Valentine, Draco.' And 'I love you Draco, Happy Valentines.' And 'save a dance for me, won't you?' There was one with no signature, but he knew whom it was from.

Don't forget tonight. Happy Valentines Day, Draco.

It could only have been from Hermione. She was the only one with writing like that.

He smiled. It was exactly like the note he had sent her, except it said Hermione. Draco slipped the note into his pocket, and counted his valentines. There were 53 in total. 19 of them had given chocolates, at least 3 had given flowers, and 2 had given pictures. Some had sent him letters twice.

Draco was disgusted at how people openly flirted with him. Have they no shame? he often wondered. He wrote a scathing reply to the letters and used magic to multiply them.

Thanks for the touching care and loving concern. I really appreciated your owls pestering me this morning, it was so good of you to disturb my sleep.

I am truly very sincerely sorry to say that I already have a valentine, so LAY OFF MY CASE! I know I'm really very handsome and rich, if you're after money, but I don't even know you so bug off and go bug Potter. I'm sure he needs the attention.

-DRACO MALFOY

Draco thought for a while. Poor girls, they'll have their hearts broken on Valentines Day. He felt his pocket for Hermione's note. She wouldn't want me to be this mean. Sighing, he started again.

Hey, how are you? Thanks for the valentines, I really appreciated them, they're all hanging up in my room with the ones the other 52 girls gave me. Don't worry, I'll find some space somewhere to hang yours up, I'm sure.

I already have another valentine, by the way, and I'm just doing this to be polite. Don't get your hopes up. You can try next year, but I doubt it. If you're pretty enough at the dance tonight I'll dance with you. If.

Oh, yeah, by the way, Happy Valentines Day.

-DRACO MALFOY

There, he thought. Much better now. Hermione could thank him for being nice to her friends Parvati and Lavender. He hadn't broken their poor, pathetic little hearts. He used magic to make 52 more copies, gave them to his phoenix, Mione, and sent her off. Now what to do with these copies? He scratched his head as he looked at his earlier attempt. I'll save them for next year, he decided.

Whistling, he tidied up and headed for breakfast. Hermione wasn't there, but he wasn't worried. He did come late, after all. She was usually early. He helped himself to some toast and ate quickly, because he still had to finish his present for Hermione. He saw a number of tears at the Great Hall, probably from the girls who had received his note. He learned that Potter had received only 50 valentines, and his spirits greatly improved. He had beaten Potter, as usual. It was nothing new, but it was fun every time.

Hermione had holed up in her dorm, locking the door. She worked for hours to add extra charms to the bracelet. It was hard work, because she still had to research what she wanted and practice before she got it right. Her head was aching by the time it was time for lunch, but it was her first meal in the castle since breakfast the day before, so she had better make an appearance. She saw Draco eating, and decided that a little headache was worth it. He was smiling and laughing, although he did have a bit of paper sticking to his forehead. She wondered why none of the Slytherins told him. Maybe he had put it there on purpose.

Draco had almost finished the mosaic. All that was left to do was his hand and the background, but that could wait until after lunch. He was in a great mood during the meal because for the first time that day he saw Hermione. She was looking at him peculiarly for a bit, but then she just shrugged and went back to her meal.

Her behavior puzzled Draco, so he pulled out a mirror and scrutinized his face. He saw the problem almost instantly. There, glued to his forehead, was a bright yellow square of paper. He felt his face heat up and he turned to his house mates.

"Why didn't you tell me I had a square of paper on my forehead?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his temper under control.

"We, uh, thought you put it there."

"You thought I put it there to make myself look like a fool?" He gave a harsh laugh. "Here was me thinking you could go no lower, Goyle. To hell with all of you!" Draco strode out of the Great Hall, not caring if everyone heard his last words.

Hermione saw him leave. He didn't have that square of paper on his forehead. She figured that someone must have told him. Maybe that was why he blew up. She chuckled to herself. Sometimes Draco was just too vain.

She was leaving the Great Hall when she remembered something. Walking back to the crack where she had inserted her things, Hermione took them out. She carefully counted them-nothing was missing except for a glue stick. She shrugged it off- it was nothing important. It was easy to buy or send for another one.

She decided to go to the library and finish her homework. She still had quite a bit to do, but she was positive she'd finish before it was time to get ready for the dance. Draco's bracelet was finished, she could just keep adding if she found anything interesting. It's not like she wanted him immortal; she just wanted him to be safe.

Draco was frantic when he got to the room. His phoenix was there, along with a dozen notes from various girls. The place was a mess. Mione must have caused the papers to fly when she landed. Stupid bird!

Using magic to clear up the mess faster, Draco groaned. How was he ever going to finish this now? He got himself together and set to work.

At five o'clock that evening, Draco still wasn't finished. He had run into a lot of mishaps that afternoon, from cutting himself on the scissors, and even losing the picture. He had fallen asleep again, and still had to do half of the background. Running his fingers through his hair again, Draco carefully placed another piece of paper into its proper place. He painstakingly glued piece after piece into place until he was finished. Just then, he realized it was six. He had half an hour to get to the ball!

Jumping up, using magic once again to tidy the place, Draco conjured a frame for his work. He figured that it didn't look so bad, and he was proud that he hadn't used magic to make it. Hermione had better appreciate it! He rooted through his closet, looking for the dress robes his mother had sent him for the ball. Black, he noted with approval. Clearly designer made, even with the Malfoy family crest on. He carefully checked his appearance and, after making sure no bits of paper were sticking to him, he joined the party.

As usual, many heads turned to greet him as he entered. The only girl whose head he failed to turn was Hermione. She was eating (he had come a bit late) and laughing with Harry and Ron. She looked stunning in blue, just like an angel. He knew he was staring at her, so he tore his eyes away and forced himself to admire the decorations. He sat down and ate, his eyes constantly roving to the Gryffindor table. After a while, the dancing began, and he tried to fade into the background. He didn't feel like dancing. Yet.

Hermione tried hard not to look at Draco. While every other female in the Hall was checking him out, she loved to go against the flow. It was hard, though. When the dancing began, Ron got to her first, since Harry had asked Ginny. She danced with him, looking over his shoulder (with difficulty) for Draco, wondering whom he was dancing with. The Head Boy and Head Girl, by special request, danced with each other and Hermione hoped they would be able to do that next year.

A couple of pretty girls approached Draco, and, not willing to give up his cover, he accepted. He danced with them, his hands as impersonal as any dancing instructor. After them, many more were bold enough ask him, but, living up to his reputation, he only selected the pretty ones.

At ten to eleven o clock, Draco pulled himself away from his fans with various excuses. He was proud to note that he was the most sought after guy there, and Potter fell a scant second place. He rushed up to his dorm, glad he had made the 'preparations' before hand the night before. He glanced at his picture, mentally checking his background. It was a Christmas theme, because the cold brought out the flush in Hermione's cheeks, and it was around the time that they got together. Christmas tree- check. Snowman- check. Full moon- check. He rattled his brain for anything he might be forgetting.

Snow!

Damn!

Quickly, he removed the frame and opened his bag of white squares. Thank goodness he had extra! He sprinkled some here, a little there, and lifted it up. The 'snow' came tumbling down, as a horrified Draco tried to see what he did wrong. Then he realized that he didn't glue it.

Disgusted at his own stupidity, he brushed hair out of his eyes and set to gluing the pieces properly. He was almost ten minutes late when he was done, so, leaving the cleaning up to magic, he reframed it, finger-brushed his hair, and bolted for the Astronomy Tower.

When he finally reached the Astronomy Tower, Hermione was there waiting. She seemed anxious at first, but laughed when she saw him.

"What?" Draco wanted to know.

"I didn't know it was snowing," Hermione moved closer to him, then reached up to remove the pieces of paper in his hair.

At least she can tell that it's snow. He put his arms around her and whispered "Happy Valentines, Mione."

She let him kiss her, then she replied, "Happy Valentines too, Draco." He kissed her again. Then she giggled and stepped back. " I can't remove the paper from your hair if you keep kissing me. No, hold still. Where did you get all this paper anyway?"

"Just... doing stuff." All of a sudden he was embarrassed of his 'masterpiece'. It didn't even look like her, even with a lot of imagination. "I have something for you," he muttered.

"Really?" she was delighted. "I have something for you too. And I did something unthinkable for it. It's really special. You'll never guess what I did. Umm... Close your eyes. I didn't wrap it, so you have to close your eyes."

He obeyed, and she took his hand. She slipped the bracelet on and fastened it, hoping, praying that he'd like it. "Open."

He opened his eyes, and let out a yell of delight. "This is great, Mione! How did you know? I saw it in Hogsmeade the last time I was there and I was going to get it only I didn't have enough time." He kissed her sweetly. "Thank you."

She laughed, glad that he liked her gift. "You'll never guess what I did to get it."

"It must be something really against the law..." he thought hard. "I can't imagine. It's not like you'd sneak off to Hogsmeade against the teachers orders." He had expected her to glare at him and say of course not; he hadn't expected her to hang her head and blush. "No way."

She nodded, smiling, but ashamedly. "Yeah. I needed a good present and they canceled the trip... so I snuck out. I had to be careful of the teachers, though. They were all patrolling. Flitwick even asked about you from Fred and George."

Draco's face beamed with pride. "Well, I'm proud of you! You snuck out!" he laughed, a real laugh that made her happy just listening to it. "And just for me! Wow, no one has ever done such a thing for me." He hugged her tightly, then reached for his gift. "Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

She complied, and he gently shoved the present into her hand. "Happy Valentines Day, Mione." She opened her eyes, staring at the mosaic he had carefully made.

"Oh my- Draco, did you make this?"

He nodded meekly, waiting for her to laugh and scorn him. That bracelet must have cost her a fortune, and he had just made her a pathetic excuse for a mosaic. "It's wonderful! I bet it only took you an hour or something, you're such an artist." She marveled at it, holding it from different angles.

"Actually, it took something like two days. I didn't use magic."

"Really? No magic? Just plain old glue and paper? Wow! Draco, thanks... I mean, really, thanks. It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. It looks beautiful." She set it down carefully and embraced him. "So that's how you got all those bits of paper in your hair," she chuckled. "And that one on your forehead earlier."

He felt his face heat up. "Umm, yeah. None of my house mates told me about it. Some friends," he grumbled.

"Where did you get the glue? My glue stick is missing, you know," she said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, um, was that yours? The one near the crack in the wall? How was I to know who owned it?" Draco flushed. "Sorry, I didn't know. I never would have taken it, had I known." He looked at her guiltily. But his bad mood quickly disappeared when Hermione pressed her lips against his.

"It is Valentines Day after all," she whispered.

He looked her in the eye, his own grey ones glinting mischievously. "No, it's Valentines night." He clapped his hands twice, and gentle light surrounded them. Soft music filtered through the air, and he offered his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

She took his hand, glad it had stopped raining earlier. She sighed as he put his arms around her. "Oh, Draco- I don't know what to say."

"I've discovered that this method is a lot more effective than when I was trying to shut you up with insults," he laughed. "How about- I love you Draco?" he suggested.

She tightened her arms around him as they slowly revolved around the tiny balcony. "I do love you Draco."

"I love you too, Hermione."