Chapter 24- Valentine’s Day
It was finally here. Saint Valentine’s Day had officially made it’s entry into the gates of Hogwarts, sweeping the whole school into whirlpool of romance. Walking down the corridors, you could see the telltale signs: roses, chocolates, little gifts, the cuddling, the hand-holding… And if that was not obvious enough, there were always the enchanted cupids flying overhead that shot red, sparkly arrows all over the school.
Not everyone was in the mood for love, however. Ron was still sulking this romantic Saturday, completely ignoring Hermione as she came to greet him, Harry and Ginny at the Quidditch pitch in the morning (Gryffindor had just finished an early morning training session).
To make matters worse, Draco had to be an annoying brat (i.e. himself) and mock Harry about them having Quidditch practice at such early hours. It took Hermione quite a while to settle the row between the blonde Slytherin and her three Gryffindor friends.
“So, what are your plans like tonight?” Hermione asked after everyone had cooled down considerably. They were heading back to the castle and she was walking with Harry and Ginny (Ron was deliberately tailing along quite a distance behind).
“Actually, I'll be going out with someone,” Harry admitted, a faint blush rising up his cheeks, adding to the flush he had from practice.
“What?!” Hermione and Ginny cried in unison. This was a revelation to both of the girls and they stared at Harry open-mouthed. Ron was aware about this bit of news though, as he displayed no surprise. He was pouting more than before though (if that was possible).
“A girl agreed to go out with you, Potter?” Draco scorned with amusement. “She must be mental.”
Hermione nudged Draco in the ribs. “Do tell us who she is, Harry,” she said, looking genuinely interested.
Harry cleared his throat nervously. “It’s… it’s Luna,” he faltered slightly.
“What do you know, I was right!” Draco snickered. “She is mental!”
“Belt up, Malfoy,” Hermione snapped. “Don’t be rude.”
Ginny, who was unusually quiet for a while now, sneaked Harry a look. “I didn’t know Luna was interested in you.”
“She’s not!” Harry said quickly, the redness rising up his cheeks once more. “It’s not technically a date or anything.”
The youngest Weasley did not look too convinced though.
“She asked me quite suddenly last night. Wants me to teach her flying. I'm not entirely sure why though,” Harry continued, glancing around uncertainly.
“Aww, isn’t that sweet?” Draco said in falsetto. “Potter teaching his icky little demented girlfriend how to fly.”
This time, Draco got nudged so hard by Hermione that he was certain he had broken a rib or two.
Breakfast at the Slytherin table felt different this morning. It took Hermione a while to realize it was because Pansy was not leeched on to Draco today. Instead, the Pug-faced Slytherin parasite had found a new victim” Vincent Crabbe.
She sat diagonally across Draco, purposefully stroking Crabbe’s arm and giggling in his ear at regular intervals. Pansy had apparently found herself a date, but Hermione almost felt sorry for her when Crabbe looked relatively clueless about her flirtatious gestures. Almost.
And, truthfully, Crabbe was quite possibly the most pathetic excuse for a date (aside from Goyle). If Pansy was intending to make Draco jealous (which she pretty obviously was trying very hard to do), the least she could do was find a better date.
So all through breakfast, Pansy’s advances on Crabbe went unnoticed, both by Draco and Crabbe himself. When Draco stood up to leave the table, Pansy shot him a look that could have caused hell to freeze over. Unfortunately, even that went unseen by the blonde Slytherin.
The rest of the day flew by fairly quickly, and before Hermione knew it, she was back in the Heads’ common room, with only a couple of hours to go before her date with Viktor.
“I love Valentine’s Day!” Godric Gryffindor gushed from his place above the fireplace, looking especially cheerful today. “Don’t you?”
“I'm not particularly fond of it actually,” Salazar Slytherin remarked, contorting his face in disgust. “The romance goes up to a point where it becomes simply nauseating.”
“Oh, don’t be such a wet blanket, Salazar,” Godric Gryffindor chuckled. “You're just sour because you don’t have a date, unlike me.”
“You have a date?” Draco asked.
“Yes, I do! With one of the pretty portraits from the fifth floor,” the Gryffindor founder told Draco proudly. “Apparently, she finds me rather brave and dashing.”
Salazar snorted. “I feel the nausea rising.”
“That’s wonderful,” Hermione smiled at Godric Gryffindor. “I do hope you have a good time.”
“I'm sure I will, Hermione!” he beamed in response. “And I hope you do too.” With that, he vanished from his picture.
“Speaking of which,” Draco glanced down at his watch, “shouldn't you be getting ready, Granger? I don’t want to be late meeting Simone at the Entrance Hall.”
Hermione scowled at the mention of the Ravenclaw. “I'm certain you're dying to meet her,” she said sullenly as she stood up from her seat.
“Why wouldn't I be?” Draco smirked and stood up as well. “Have you seen her?”
Rolling her eyes, Hermione made her way to Draco’s room.
“Why are we heading for my room? Have you forgotten that your room is up the other flight of stairs?” Draco frowned. “I understand you're excited to meet Krum and all, but that doesn’t mean you forget the way up to your own room.”
Hermione halted outside Draco’s door and stared at him. “Don’t you need to get dressed too?”
“Of course I do, but shouldn't you do so first?”
“No, I rather you first.”
Draco eyed Hermione curiously. “Why?”
“Because I'm in the mood to be nice.”
“Yeah, right, and I'm a little fairy,” Draco grunted. “Seriously, Granger, what’s going on?”
Hermione sighed. “Look, I'm a girl…”
“Glad you noticed.”
“…and I think I’ll take a longer time than you to get dressed. So it would make sense for you to change and wait for me, instead of me having to wait for you.”
Draco took some time to consider this. It did make sense. It would only be gentlemanly for him to wait for her, but then again when has he ever been gentlemanly to her?
“All right then,” he said finally, deciding to give in to her request. “I’ll change first. Then we can head over to your room.”
Opening the door to his room, Draco stepped in together with Hermione. He went over to his cupboard, threw it open and quickly pulled a set of clothes off their hangers. “I’ll need to take a shower,” he told his companion as he walked into the bathroom. “Need to look as fresh as I can for Simone.”
“Whatever. Just hurry it up,” Hermione grumbled as she sat down at her usual spot beside the bathtub.
She heard the shower run and within a few minutes got the smell of his bath foam” peppermint with a hint of some sort of spice she could not quite identify.
Hermione sat in silence, waiting for Draco to end his shower. She was grateful when she heard the water stop and stood up from her spot upon hearing the shower curtains being drawn. “Finally. I thought you””
The words never completely left her mouth because the sight in front of her was not one she had anticipated.
There stood Draco Malfoy, with nothing but a towel tied around his hips. His wet hair framed his face, while droplets of water trailed down his neck, chest and lean torso, glistening in the light of the room. It was definitely a sight to behold and Hermione was finding it hard to tear her gaze away.
Stop staring, Hermione, stop staring! she scolded herself. It’s not like you've never seen him without his shirt before!
“You could be less blatant about the staring, you know,” Draco said lazily, stepping out of the tub.
The statement caused Hermione to look away. She cursed inwardly as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I...I wasn’t staring.”
“You don’t lie very well in such situations.”
Hermione chose to remain silent.
Draco watched her squirm slightly, and found himself smirking at the effect he was having on her. Her brown eyes darted all around the spacious bathroom, but refused to settle on him again. She pressed her lips together several times, causing them to acquire a pinkish color that matched her cheeks.
“I don’t suppose you're going to dinner like that?” she said calmly, having finally found her voice. Her eyes still refused to make contact with Draco’s.
Draco leaned against the wall beside him. “Why not?” he asked cockily. “I reckon Simone will think I look pretty good. Don’t you think so?”
“Quit flattering yourself.”
“Touchy, Granger,” he said, propping himself up. “I realized that I had to shave, so I didn’t want to ruin my clothes.”
“Are you that bad at shaving?” Hermione gave him a questioning look.
Draco shrugged and trotted over to the basin. “Accidents happen. Just as a precaution, I decided not to wear my dinner clothes yet.” Looking down at the array of bottles surrounding the basin, he picked up a blue one. “Besides, you should be thankful that I came out with my towel.” He smeared some shaving foam from the bottle onto his cheeks and chin. “Usually, when I'm alone, I walk around without anything on.”
Hermione cringed and felt her cheeks grow hot again. “Too much information, Malfoy. Too much information.”
Grinning, Draco wiped the foam off his cheeks using a rough green towel that was lying next to the sink (blades were not required for shaving in the Wizarding World) and dabbed on some wood-spice aftershave. “Now, turn around Granger. I need to change into my clothes. Unless you want to keep looking, that’s acceptable by me,” he added with a smirk.
Wincing, Hermione spun in the opposite direction and mumbled under her breath. “Awfully frisky today, isn’t he? Probably because he’s going to see Simone today.”
“Did you say something?”
“No.”
“You can look now. I'm done.”
“Are those jeans?” Hermione asked as she turned around, trying not to focus on the fact that Draco was looking extremely good. He was wearing a plain, dark green shirt, with the buttons undone until his chest, over blue jeans that looked barely worn. His hair was styled wet on his head and he made no effort to push back the strands that were falling over his forehead.
“Yes, that’s what they’re called,” Draco replied, looking down at the denims. “According to my tailor, they’re the next big thing in the Wizarding fashion world. I probably have one of the first few pairs, in fact.” He sprayed some cologne onto himself. “How do you know about them?”
“Oh, I've heard about them.” And I own a couple. Hermione decided that it was not such a good idea to tell him that jeans were of muggle origin.
After he was satisfied with the way he looked and smelt, Draco put on a pair of black shoes and followed Hermione to her room so that she could get dressed. They were greeted by Jinx, who was lying on the bed, facing the door.
“I say, it’s quite a miracle!” the mood ring exclaimed when the two Heads entered.
Hermione shut the door behind her. “What is?”
“Blondie actually managed to look decent today,” Jinx said approvingly.
Draco cocked his eyebrow and shook his head. “It’s amazing how you can insult and compliment at the same time.”
“It’s called talent, my boy,” Jinx gave a smug grin. “I have skills that you cannot begin comprehend.”
“You have a lot of qualities that I cannot comprehend,” Draco snorted.
“I'm a sophisticated and complex being, what can I say?” Jinx sighed dramatically. “Unlike a specific blonde bloke I know…”
“Please don’t get into a fight now, you two,” Hermione warned as she poked around her closet, picking out an outfit, which she hid from view. Trudging over to the bathroom, she beckoned Draco to follow. “I need to take a bath too, you know.”
Not wanting to dirty his new jeans by sitting on the toilet floor, Draco transfigured Hermione’s hairbrush into a stool and sat on it as she stepped into the tub.
Draco waited for a whole twenty-five minutes for Hermione to take her bathe, after which she came out dressed in old t-shirt and shorts, holding a bundle of clothes in her arms.
“Krum isn’t going to be too impressed if you turn up for the date wearing that,” Draco commented, transforming the stool back into a brush and handing it back to her.
Hermione swept past him and the aroma of lavender and roses filled his nostrils. She smelt pleasant.
“Don’t be silly,” she said, making her way to the washbasin. She placed the bunch in her hands onto the railings located next to the sink area. “I just need to do a few things before I get changed into what I'm actually wearing.” She pointed her wand to her wet hair and muttered a spell. Within seconds, it became dry, still as curly as ever. “So I was wondering if you could be so kind as to face the opposite direction as I get ready.”
Sighing, Draco turned around and wondered why women took such a long time to get dressed. He heard the clanking of bottles, the small shuffle of feet, followed by a fragrance of some sort. This went for at least half an hour.
It was when Draco thought (sarcastically) that he should have brought his textbook to read into the toilet did he hear Hermione say, “Accio Boots!”
A pair of black boots came hurtling into the bathroom (Hermione had used magic to open the door), nearly knocking Draco square in the in the face before landing behind him.
Cursing, he turned around to face the owner of the leather boots. “Honestly Granger, you””
He stopped mid-sentence and took his time to take in how she looked. Her brown hair seemed silky-smooth, dropping down her back in tamed ringlets and delicately framing her face, which had hints of make-up to accentuate her features. The simple, pink earrings hanging from her earlobes matched the pink, off-shoulder sweater top she donned. A ruffled, black skirt was clad around her waist, stopping just before her knees, and, under it, she wore black leggings. To top it all off, the black boots that almost killed Draco covered her feet and came up to her knees.
Four words: She looked very pretty.
“You could be less blatant about the staring, you know,” Hermione echoed Draco’s previous words, feeling herself revel slightly under his gaze.
He glanced away hastily, pretending to be very interested in the tiles of the wall. Surprisingly, he made no motion to retort.
“Shall we get going, then?” It was a rhetorical question posed by Hermione, so she did not wait for an answer before walking into her bedroom. There, she opened her cupboard and took out a black jacket that was embroidered with pink patterns. She put it on, dumping the t-shirt and shorts she was using a while ago back into the cupboard.
“Hermione, you're looking gorgeous!” Jinx remarked as Hermione lifted her off the bed. “Knock Mr. Krum dead!”
The owner of the mood ring grinned shyly. “I'm not intending to knock anyone dead, Jinx. Now, I'm going to keep you in the drawer, all right?”
“No! Not all right! I want to go too!” Jinx protested. “I thought you were taking me along with you!”
“I think it’ll be better if you stayed here,” Hermione told her. As it is, she had to put up with Draco tagging along with her. Merlin knows what trouble will brew if Jinx followed as well. “It’s a matter of a few hours.”
Jinx sulked. “Fine, go on your bloody date yourselves. I’ll just stay cooped up in that little prison on Valentine’s Day.”
“I'm sorry, Jinx,” Hermione smiled apologetically. “I’ll take you out tomorrow, I promise.”
Jinx managed a small, lopsided smile. She could not stay mad at her owner too long. “I’ll take your word on that,” she said before the drawer shut her in.
“Simone’s meeting us at the Entrance Hall,” Draco informed Hermione without her asking. He glimpsed at his watch. “I think we’re going to be early. I'm not due to meet her till another fifteen minutes.”
The two of them had left the Heads’ dorm a couple of minutes ago and were now walking towards the Entrance Hall to meet Draco’s date. The corridors of Hogwarts were oddly calm tonight. Typically, at this time of the evening, students would be making their way to the Great Hall for dinner. Today, however, most of them were probably getting ready to spend the night out with their dates.
“Fifteen minutes? And you were afraid that you were going to be late in meeting your precious Simone ,” Hermione said, the edge in her tone obvious. “I mean, I can understand you're eager and all, but there was no point rushing me because of her, was there?”
Draco threw the brown-haired girl a quizzical look. “Do you have some sort of problem with Simone?”
“Why would I have a problem with her? I barely know her.”
“Exactly, and yet you don’t sound like you like her much.”
“You're delusional.”
“Am I?”
“Absolutely,” Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head.
“So I'm simply imagining that you’re not too fond of her?”
“Simply imagining.”
Draco folded his arms and examined Hermione carefully. “Why do I not believe you?”
“Maybe you have to learn how to be more trusting.”
“Maybe you have learn how to tell me the truth. What’s your problem with Simone? Besides the fact that she’s clearly more beautiful than you, of course.”
Hermione’s faced flamed scarlet with anger. “Excuse me, who are you to criticize the way I look? You being a shallow, superficial prat does not give you the right to pass judgment on me. And, like I said before, I have no problems with that girlfriend of yours. I don’t care how much more beautiful she is.”
“Hotheads!” Peeves’ voice reverberated through the empty hallway as he soared overhead, laughing madly and interrupting their would-be argument. “Naughty, naughty. Fighting again, are we? And on Valentine’s Day?” He broke into a song about how Valentine’s Day was the time for love and that they should not be fighting.
“So you see,” the poltergeist said impishly after he was done with his jingle, “Hotheads should not argue today; you should make lurrrrrrrrrve.”
Draco flinched at how wrong that sounded and saw Hermione do the same.
“Leave us alone, Peeves,” the Head Girl said in an attempt to make the ghost go away.
“Not until Hotheads show me some lovey-love,” Peeves replied, producing smacking sounds with his lips to indicate what he meant.
“Forget it, Peeves,” Draco scoffed.
“Why is he always so intent on us kissing anyways?” Hermione grumbled softly, so that only Draco could hear her.
Draco shrugged to imply his lack of understanding on the matter. He started walking forward and motioned for Hermione to do the same. Maybe then the poltergeist would get the idea and leave them be.
“One kissy-wissy, snoggy-woggy,” Peeves urged, floating along with them expectantly, his ghostly eyes wide with mischief.
Quite suddenly, he began zooming around Draco and Hermione, stopping them from moving further. He cackled boisterously when he managed to corner the two students, and produced Dungbombs from within his pockets.
“Kiss-kiss or Dungybombs?” Peeves asked, grinning from ear-to-ear. He made smooching noises again.
Groaning, Draco glared at the ghost hovering overhead. He remembered having been given that same choice during Christmas, when he first got stuck to Hermione. Peeves had done an identical routine, except now, mistletoe was not involved. He also remembered that then, having been given an option, Draco had secretly chosen to have Dungbombs spewed all over him rather than kiss the girl beside him, though the poltergeist knew not of this decision.
Now, looking and smelling like a million galleons, Draco was not too sure if he wanted to take the risk of reeking of manure.
“We want neither, Peeves!” Hermione was practically shouting. “So, get lost before I call the Bloody Baron!”
“The Baron is far, far away tonight,” Peeves sniggered, holding the Dungbombs from their tips. That scare was not going to work on him tonight.
Before Hermione could think of anything else to yell at the mischievous spirit, she felt Draco tug at her arm, causing her to face him. She assumed he was going to tell her something, but seeing his face inching toward hers and hearing Peeves egging him on from above, she realized what his intentions were. It seemed like he had picked one of Peeves’ options, the option not involving Dungbombs…
Blood rushed to Hermione’s face and she could feel her heart thumping in her ears. She sensed that she needed to move away, to break out of his grasp, but something rendered her immobile. Maybe it was his hot breath against her cheeks, or maybe it was his alluring scent, or maybe she just wanted to…
Hermione was snapped out of her reverie when Draco released her from his grip and turned his face away from hers.
What in the world was I just trying to do?! he asked himself wildly, unable to believe what he nearly did. It had occurred to him only moments ago that being bombarded with Dungbombs was not such a big deal after all; all you required was a simple spell to clear the mess up. Was I trying to…to snog her?! I Have I gone completely off my rocker? What was I thinking??
Draco’s ponderings were cut short as he was hit hard several times, after which he felt slime drip down his face, neck, arms and shirt.
Apparently, Peeves had kept his word. The poltergeist hooted gleefully as he disappeared in the opposite direction.
“Yuck! Bloody Peeves!” Draco cursed. “That stupid maniac ruined my hair and clothes! Granger, could you get my wand out of my pocket? I’d do it myself, but I have Dungbomb crap all over my hands.”
An uncontrollable surge of fury spurred within Hermione.
He rather get pelted with Dungbombs than kiss her?! True enough, an easy spell was all that was needed to clean up, but it was still smelly, revolting goop we were talking about here! As if that was not bad enough, not only did Draco, after making her believe for a second or two that he was actually going to kiss her, not do so, but now, he had the audacity to demand that she take his wand out of his pocket for him? Ha!
Hermione wished that the pungent smell of Dungbombs would never leave him, even after performing the Scouring Charm. She did not care if she had to put up with the stench for the rest of her life.
“Oi, Granger, did you hear me?”
“You can jolly well get it yourself!” Hermione spat vehemently. She wanted nothing more than to stomp off from there, but the Love-Knot denied her that alternative. For now, she satisfied herself by staring off into space in the other way, refusing to look at him.
Draco eyed Hermione, frowning. “Don’t need to get your wand in a knot. I’ll do it myself.” Reaching for his pocket, he pulled his wand out slowly and performed the charm. Instantly, the gross Dungbomb gunk vanished from Draco’s body and he returned to smelling and looking good again.
Without waiting for her counterpart to make a move, Hermione started heading for the Entrance Hall. Or more like stamped toward it. She made sure that she stayed a good distance away from Draco, not exactly in the mood to begin a conversation with him “ argument or otherwise.
What did I do? Draco wondered as he jogged to catch up with Hermione. Every time he got near her, however, she sped away, maintaining the two feet gap between them. He stared at her, his brows knitted slightly. Her quarrelling with him was tolerable. It was when she got abnormally quiet that there was then a problem.
He had no time to ask her what had gotten her so worked up though, as they had arrived at the Entrance Hall and Simone was already waiting for them there.
Initially, Hermione felt somewhat surprised to see that Simone had showed up. She had half expected Pansy to pummel the Ravenclaw girl into tiny pieces upon finding out that she had captured her darling Draco’s fancy.
But now, seeing Simone standing there in a model’s pose only served to worsen her mood. Damn, that girl was stunning. She stood there, dressed in a blue-gray miniskirt that emphasized her long legs, which were covered by dark maroon, thigh-high suede boots. Her strawberry-blonde hair was swept up in a high ponytail, with large, hoop earrings hanging from her ears. Make-up decked her face, highlighting her sharp features. Hermione could not see the top she was wearing because it was covered by a maroon zip-up cardigan she had on.
“Hey gorgeous,” Draco greeted huskily, walking pass Hermione, who had stopped a few feet away from Simone. “You look unbelievable.” He planted a kiss right on her lips.
“Thank you,” Simone replied, chuckling as she wiped her lipstick stain off Draco’s lips. “You're looking fantastic yourself.” She winked, causing her date to smirk.
“Hello, Simone,” Hermione ventured loudly, making her presence known.
“Oh,” Simone seemed momentarily startled by Hermione’s presence. It took her a moment to realize that she, Hermione, was going to be coming along with them. “Hello, Hermione. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
Hermione forced a smile. “That’s quite all right.”
Draco wrapped his free arm (the arm that was not tied to the Love-Knot) around Simone’s waist. “So, where are we going to meet this date of yours?” he asked, glancing at Hermione.
“At Hogsmeade,” Hermione replied coldly. “Near The Three Broomsticks.”
“Where are we going to have dinner then?” Simone queried.
“We should decide once we meet Vik” my date,” Hermione told her hurriedly.
Simone nodded. “OK then, let’s get a move on.”
The walk to Hogsmeade was anything but good. Hermione trailed behind Draco and Simone, who were acting like long-lost lovers. There was touching, hugging, cuddling, swapping of small kisses and giggling on Simone’s part. The Head girl tried her best to look everywhere but at the sight in front of her. That proved to be a rather difficult task because it as if they wanted others (especially Hermione) to notice what they were doing.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached their destination. Yet, the sappy behavior did not stop there. Hermione looked around for Viktor, but saw no sign of her date around The Three Broomsticks. She wondered if she had gotten the meeting point wrong.
“Herm-own-ninny?” someone called from the dark alley beside the pub.
Hermione recognized that voice at once. There was no mistaking that accent, or that pronunciation of her name for that matter.
“Viktor?” Hermione called out, toddling towards the alleyway. “Are you there, Viktor?”
The tall, thin Bulgarian Seeker stepped out of the shadows, a broad smile in place upon seeing Hermione. He knelt down in front of her in one swift motion, taking her hand in her own and giving it a small kiss. “You are looking very beautiful, Herm-own-ninny,” he said, his voice thick with that Bulgarian twang.
“Herm-own-ninny?!” Draco guffawed. “It’s Hermione. Even I, of all people, know that.”
Hermione cast Draco a piercing look. “I think it’s cute the way he enunciates it,” she snapped.
“Cute?” the Head Boy snorted. “You have weird taste, Granger.”
Viktor, who had a puzzled expression all through this exchange, got up from the ground and scrutinized Draco. “You,” he said, taking a step closer to him. “I am remembering you. From the time I vas staying at Hogvarts.”
Draco cracked a pompous grin, apparently pleased with the recognition from Viktor. He extended his hand towards the Bulgarian. “Draco Malfoy,” he said. “From Slytherin. You stayed with my house during the Triwizard Tournament.”
Viktor shook Draco’s hand firmly, comprehension dawning upon his sallow features. “Yes, yes, now I recall,” he said with a nod. “You are the boy alvays folloving me around the castle.”
Hermione was rather unsuccessful in concealing the smirk that had formed on her lips upon seeing the deflated look on Draco’s face.
“Aren’t you the funny one,” Draco said, attempting to cover up his disappointment with a strained laugh. “By the way, this is my date, Simone.”
The Ravenclaw girl, who had not spoken out of shock and awe of Viktor, looked as though she was about to swoon as he shook her hand politely.
“Hello, Simone,” he said. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine!” Simone gasped, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was shaking Viktor’s hand so fervently that Hermione was afraid she was never going to let go.
“That’s quite enough, Simone,” Draco told her bitterly, removing her hand from the Seeker’s.
“You didn’t tell me your date was Viktor Krum!” Simone squealed.
Hermione allowed herself a smug smile and linked her arm in Viktor’s, saying nothing.
“Calm down! You're suppose to be my date,” Draco whispered urgently in his Simone’s ear, who tried to compose herself.
“Herm-own-ninny,” Viktor spoke, turning to look her. “You have not told me vy these people are vith you. I vas thinking that it vas only going to be the two of us.” Evidently, he had not seen the Love-Knot stretched between the two Heads.
Hermione sighed, suddenly feeling guilty about not having told Viktor about her condition before. He was planning to have the evening alone with her, not expecting any company, and she had ruined it for him. “Well, Viktor,” she began sheepishly, “I have a small situation.”
“Vat situation? I am not understanding, Herm-own-ninny.”
Lifting her left wrist, Hermione brought the Love-Knot directly into Viktor’s line of vision.
Viktor said something in Bulgarian as his dark eyes traced the silvery ribbon to Draco’s right wrist. “This is a Love-Knot,” he said in English this time. “How is it that you are having it?”
“We don’t really know, Viktor. We don’t even know who sent it to us.” Hermione felt bad lying to him, but she knew she could not tell him the truth as long as Simone was around. “I'm sorry, I should have told you before.”
Viktor smiled at Hermione, cupping her cheek with his hand. “It is all right, Herm-own-ninny. Let us not let this spoil our dinner together. I am simply happy being able to see you.”
Draco scowled noticeably in the background.
Hermione grinned back, grateful that he understood. She covered his hand with her own. “Thank you, Viktor,” she said. “Now, where are we going for dinner?”
“I vas passing a restaurant ven I vas coming here,” Viktor said. “It vas called The Four Clovees, or something. Shall ve try there?”
“The Four Cloves! That new restaurant.” Hermione looked around the group. “I don’t mind trying the food out.”
“Just as long as the place is romantic,” Draco drawled, nuzzling Simone’s neck.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at them, decisively snuggling up closer to Viktor.
Seeing her do so, Draco used his finger to stroke the other side of Simone’s neck, producing a soft giggle from the strawberry-blonde.
In response, Hermione unlinked her arm from Viktor’s, choosing instead to place her entire arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
It was going to be one long night.
Author's Note: Hey people! I'm baaack! Sorry about the ridiculous wait. But to make up for it, I hope you enjoy the extra long chapter (again)!
Just a few things to say. First, I don't know how exactly do wizards shave, so I kinda invented my own version of shaving. Hope it makes sense.
Second, I just had to make Draco wear jeans because, and I think most of the girls out there will agree with me on this, I think he'd look drool-worthy in denims! *sigh*
Lastly, updates are going to come faster now, since I'm more or less very free! So do look out for the upcoming chapters! Thanks for sticking around, guys. You're the best!