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February Fate
By Jim McGuffin

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Category: Angst Valentine Challenge (2006-1)
Characters:None
Genres: Angst
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 10
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, but the boys are nowhere to be found. All the girls can talk about is how disapppointed they are on this Tuesday in February.
Hitcount: Story Total: 3936







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Disclaimer: Rowling, not me.

A/N: As usual, this takes place about two months after my last challenge fic.

There was a knock at the door. No, it wasn’t easy being Head Girl. Sure, Hermione Granger had looked forward to the position ever since her first year at Hogwarts, but the problem was that the other students approached her with their problems when she was completing her Arithmancy homework.

“Come in,” Hermione sighed.

The door opened, and in walked Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, her former roommates. For as the Head Girl, Hermione had her own room, a large room at the top of the girls’ staircase that magically appeared in years when the Head Girl was from Gryffindor.

“This must be, like, the worst Valentine’s Day ever,” Lavender complained.

“No doubt about it,” Parvati agreed.

“I see what you mean.” Hermione stared outside. From the window at the top of Gryffindor Tower, she had a perfect birds-eye view of the sun, brilliantly shining as it set over the vast Hogwarts grounds -- or at least, she would’ve had such a view had there not been so many dark clouds and flurries of snow. “The weather today is horrible.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Lavender explained in an annoyed tone. “The real problem today is Seamus.”

“Sit down,” said Hermione as she closed her Arithmancy book. Lavender and Parvati were always coming to her to discuss their boy problems. She wondered why they always came to her for problems, for after all, she was only the Head Girl and the top student in their class. That didn’t mean that she could make boy troubles go away.

“You see,” Lavender began, “today is Valentine’s Day, but you wouldn’t know it by the way the boys are acting today. Seamus hasn’t done anything special for me today.”

“Maybe because it’s Tuesday,” Hermione reasoned, “and he’s busy with his schoolwork, just as I’m busy with my own.”

“Who cares what day of the week it is?” asked Lavender angrily. “It’s Valentine’s Day, for Merlin’s sake!”

“So what do you expect him to do for you today?”

“We’re supposed to go to Madam Puddifoots, and he’s supposed to buy me chocolate, flowers, and jewelry, you know, like a thick gold necklace proclaiming me to be his sweetheart.”

“What do you mean, a gold necklace?” asked Hermione. “What student in their right mind would buy their sweetheart a gold necklace?”

“I did. I bought a necklace for Seamus, just like last year at Christmas, when I bought one for R --” Lavender stopped herself.

Hermione scowled. So Lavender had bought Ron Weasley a gold necklace the previous year. No one had bothered to tell her this interesting fact before now. She wondered what other things Lavender had bought Ron that year.

“Anyway,” Lavender continued, “I decided to give Seamus the necklace in Herbology, and, well, if looks could kill. He just stared at me and said, ‘You expect me to wear that contraption around my neck?’”

“Oh,” said Hermione consolingly. “That’s why you stormed off crying right in the middle of Professor Sprout’s class.”

“Well,” Parvati interrupted, “what happened to Lav today isn’t half as bad as what happened to me!”

“Okay, Parvati,” Hermione turned toward her other former roommate, “tell us about your day.”

“You see, I was on my way to the Great Hall for lunch after Divination --”

Hermione gagged, as she did whenever Divination class was mentioned. She recalled from the previous year how Firenze would teach the odd-numbered years and therefore the seventh year. Therefore she had to endure stories from Lavender and Parvati everyday about how cute Firenze was. It made her sick to think about her two former roommates fascinated with a half-horse.

“-- and I was hoping to have a nice romantic Valentine’s Day lunch with Neville. Are you paying attention to me, Hermione?”

The Head Girl was snapped out of her reverie, still thinking about her friends’ cross-species crush. “Uh, you were saying something about Neville?”

“You know, Neville, my boyfriend?” Parvati continued. “And some boyfriend he turned out to be! Instead of sitting at the Gryffindor table, he was at the Ravenclaw table instead. And I couldn’t believe he was talking to Padma!”

“Padma?” Hermione repeated curiously.

“You know, Padma, my sister? And you won’t believe this, but he was more than just talking to her. He was actually snogging her!”

“Well,” said Hermione thoughtfully, “it’s probably an innocent mistake. You know how Neville can be, well, a tad bit forgetful sometimes. And you and Padma are, after all, twins.”

“Twins?” asked Parvati incredulously. “We’re not even identical! I’m tall and she’s short. She has a mole on her forehead and I don’t. She’s in Ravenclaw and I’m in Gryffindor. She’s a prefect and I’m not. I love Divination and she’s hates it! She loves Transfiguration and I didn’t even make it into the class! I have no idea what he was thinking, but there’s no way anyone, not even Neville, could mistake us. It’s not as if we’re Fred and George, after all.”

“Hey,” Lavender broke in, “how come you’re so calm about Valentine’s Day anyway, Hermione? Did Ron buy anything expensive for you today?”

“No,” Hermione replied truthfully. After all, she and Ron had had an agreement not to buy each other any lavish presents. Even though Ron’s family wasn’t as poor as they used to be, he was still uncomfortable with the idea of large gifts.

“So?” asked Lavender.

“So what?” Hermione replied. “I understand completely if Ron couldn’t do anything for me today, since today is Tuesday after all, and we both have to study. We can have fun together on Saturday. That’s a Hogsmeade weekend.”

“Is that what you think? Well,” Lavender hesitated, unsure of whether to tell Hermione or not, “guess what I overheard your precious Ron saying to Dean in Charms today! He was telling Dean about the extra Quidditch practice he was scheduling for this Saturday. Ron said that with the Hufflepuff match a week later they needed the extra practice.”

“Did Ron really say that?”

“I’m not kidding,” Lavender replied. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you won’t be doing anything special at Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Hermione recalled the last time a Gryffindor Quidditch practice conflicted with a Hogsmeade visit. It had been two years earlier, back when Angelina Johnson was captain. Back then, she could forgive Ron for missing practice since it had been Angelina’s decision to hold practice, not his, and besides, she had her own business that day with Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, and Rita Skeeter. But this time Ron was the captain, and he’d decided to put Quidditch above his own girlfriend.

“Well, we’d better go now,” said Parvati. “We need to start our Divination homework.”

So Hermione’s two former roommates exited the Head Girl’s chambers and headed downstairs. No sooner had they left than Ginny Weasley arrived.

“Hi, Hermione,” she greeted her friend. “Why do you look so upset?”

“That git of a brother of yours,” Hermione told her. “It’s Valentine’s Day and he’s nowhere around. You know, sometimes I wonder whether he likes Quidditch more than he likes me.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Ginny agreed. “Harry hasn’t done anything special for me today either, and I haven’t even seen him much today.”

“Why not?” asked Hermione. “He’s not on the Quidditch team anymore, and he agreed with Professor McGonagall that he would only go Horcrux hunting on the weekends. It’s Tuesday.”

“That’s what makes it worse,” said Ginny. “Unlike Ron, he has no excuse for missing Valentine’s Day.”

“And you’re telling me that Harry didn’t give you anything at all?” asked Hermione.

“Well,” Ginny explained, “I sort of sneaked into his dormitory, and --”

“Ginny!” Hermione reprimanded her.

“I was just hoping that maybe Harry bought me something and forgot to give it to me.”

“Well, did he?” Hermione raised her eyebrows.

“Not really. All I found was this.” Ginny handed the older girl a heart cut out of red construction paper.

“Hmmm,” Hermione mumbled as she read the Valentine. “‘Harry loves’? But the bottom part is torn off.”

“I know,” said Ginny. “All you see is the top part of one of the curved letters.”

“Well, it’s most likely ‘G’ since your name starts with a ‘G’ --” Hermione began.

“But it could just as likely be ‘C’ for Cho,” the younger witch pointed out. “You know how infatuated He was with Cho year before last. He probably ripped the heart once they broke up. On second thought, it sort of looks more like an ‘O.’ He probably likes some girl named Olive or Ophelia now.”

“You know that’s not true,” Hermione tried to comfort her. “After all, Harry does have his plate full with trying to study for the N.E.W.T.s and finding the Horcruxes.”

“Well, whatever it is, he doesn’t seem to like me anymore. It’s not as if I wanted much. Just a card, a smile, a hug. You know, proof I’m a girl? I should’ve known even that was too much to ask for.”

Hermione continued to stare out the window. “Well, all I wanted from Ron was just one romantic evening, alone together right here as we watched the setting sun.”

“It’s snowing, remember?” Ginny pointed out. “And besides, Ron wouldn’t be able to come to this room.”

“Why not? You just told me you went to Harry’s --” She suddenly smacked herself on the forehead. “Of course, how can I forget? That enchantment preventing boys from going to the girls’ dormitories! Oh well, it’s not as if Ron would ever do it anyway. He’s probably out there freezing himself playing Quidditch.”

“You’re right. Ron kept reminding us how Gryffindor hasn’t beaten Hufflepuff since his first year at Hogwarts, and so he’s desperate for us to win. I didn’t want to practice out in the snow so I just returned to the castle.”

The two witches stood in silence for several minutes. Then Ginny suddenly noticed something.

“Hermione, I thought you said Ron didn’t give you anything.”

“I did, because he didn’t.”

“But isn’t that a Valentine right there on your desk?”

“Who says it’s from Ron?”

Ginny picked up the Valentine and read it. “It’s from that Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum.”

“Yes. This is the third straight year Viktor sent me a Valentine. I keep writing back and telling him that I only like him as a friend, but he won’t take the hint. Oh well, at least someone gave me a Valentine.”

Then Ginny noticed something else on Hermione’s desk. “I didn’t know you kept a diary.”

“Who says it’s mine?” asked Hermione again. “I’ve told you how the Head Girl’s room only appears whenever the Head Girl’s from Gryffindor. Well, apparently there hasn’t been a Head Girl from Gryffindor in twenty years. And this diary was one of the things the old Head Girl must’ve left behind, having disappeared for twenty years until Gryffindor finally had another Head Girl. I read it from time to time, hoping to find some pointers.”

Ginny, whom Hermione knew had a less-than-perfect track record with diaries, was slightly hesitant to read it until Hermione urged her on.

“Lily’s Diary, 1978.”

“Try turning to today’s date twenty years ago,” Hermione recommended, half-smiling.

“Okay,” said Ginny. “14 February. Today is Valentine’s Day, but you wouldn’t know it by the way the boys in Gryffindor are acting, especially James. I asked him what he’d bought me for Valentine’s Day, and he said that he forgotten what day it is. Then I asked him how he could’ve forgotten, and he said it’s because it’s Tuesday and he was too busy with schoolwork. What a lame excuse! He definitely wasn’t too busy to start hexing Slytherins all day. I told him like a million times to stop attacking the Slytherins because they didn’t do anything to him.”

“That was interesting, wasn’t it?” Hermione was completely smiling now.

“It was,” Ginny giggled. “Boys never change, do they? I mean, they’re just as bad now as they were twenty years ago.”

There was another knock on the door. “Come in,” Hermione called out. “It’s probably yet another girl complaining about how her boyfriend is ignoring her on Valentine’s Day,” she explained to Ginny.

Much to Hermione’s surprise, Luna Lovegood entered the room. “Hello, Ginny. Lavender and Parvati told me they thought they saw you coming up here.”

“Luna, you shouldn’t be here!” Hermione warned the newcomer. “This is Gryffindor Tower. How’d you go past the Fat Lady anyway?”

“Don’t worry, Hermione,” said Ginny, “we invited her.”

“Why would you do that?” asked Hermione. “She’s in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor.”

“Because she’s the top Divination student in our class. So we invite her to come in once a week, on Tuesday evenings, to help us with our homework.”

For the second time that day, Hermione scowled. Once again, something interesting had been going on right under her nose, first Ron’s necklace and now Luna’s weekly visits to Gryffindor Tower, and no one was telling her anything. Some Head Girl I’m turning out to be.

“Well, Ginny,” said Luna, “I’ll meet you down in the common room.”

“Actually, I’m busy commiserating about my Valentine’s Day with Hermione,” Ginny replied.

“Then we’ll all meet up here,” Luna suggested.

“No, don’t --” Hermione began, but the Ravenclaw had already headed downstairs. “Ginny,” she now asked, “why exactly did you stay with Divination, anyway?”

“Because the other classes were full, remember. I told you a zillion times already about how the O.W.L.s were cancelled last year, and the sixth-years ended up choosing our own classes. First come first served, and since I overslept the first morning of classes I was stuck with Divination and History of Magic.”

“History of Magic is important and more students ought to take it. But I can understand why Divination is so unpopular. I’m surprised that any girls are taking the class at all, since Trelawney teaches sixth year.”

“Probably so they’ll see Firenze again in seventh year,” Ginny realized. “I know, Hermione, I’m just as grossed out by it all as you are. But since none of the boys are in Divination there was still room left.”

“Don’t you talk about Firenze like that,” said Lavender, who, along with Parvati had returned much to Hermione’s chagrin. Several sixth-year witches also entered the Head Girl’s chambers.

“What are you two doing back here?” asked Hermione. “You two are seventh-years.”

“Because Luna explains Divination so much better than Firenze,” Parvati replied. “Every time we ask him to explain it better, he keeps telling us how our human brains are too small.”

“But ooh, that Firenze is still so dreamy anyway,” Lavender cooed. Ginny silently gagged to Hermione.

“Well, you can study Divination all you want,” Hermione told the others. “Just don’t bother me while I study an actual subject -- Arithmancy.”

“If you think about it, Divination and Arithmancy aren’t that much different at all,” Luna pointed out, but Hermione ignored her. “Arithmancy is just Divination with more calculations and number crunching.”

“Go on,” Ginny urged Luna. “We’re ready.”

“Now then,” Luna began, “our homework is to use this crystal ball,” the Ravenclaw produced the sphere from under her uniform, “to map out our love lives for the next week.”

“Well, let’s see, that two-timing Neville and I will be breaking up sometime in the next week,” Parvati immediately replied. “I don’t need a crystal ball to figure that one out.”

“I’m looking into the crystal ball,” Luna continued, ignoring Parvati, “and I see myself dancing starkers on my boyfriend Dean’s bed Saturday morning, telling him what he missed on Valentine’s day, and he’ll be wondering how I even entered Gryffindor Tower.”

The other girls all giggled. “Especially since Dean was back at Ron’s frozen Quidditch practice today,” Ginny commented, finding an excuse to make fun of her ex-boyfriend, “not even realizing that you go to Gryffindor Tower every week. I want to look in the crystal ball next, Luna.”

“That’s queer,” Hermione suddenly interrupted.

“What’s queer?” asked Ginny curiously. “Oh, I see, you’re talking about your Arithmancy assignment.”

“Yes. You see, our assignment is to determine our lucky days on the calendar this year. Well, according to my calculations, Valentine’s Day ought to be on Saturday this year. It’s not supposed to fall on Tuesday again until the year 2006.”

“That’s a whole bunch of crap!” Lavender replied sharply. “Of course Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year. That’s why none of our boyfriends are noticing us today, remember? You’re wrong, Hermione.”

“Never mind that,” said Ginny. “I just want to look into the crystal ball now.” She grabbed the ball from Luna and stared hard into it. “Oh crystal ball, please show me my future love life, and make it a good one.”

“What do you see?” asked Luna. “Is it the dance of the Crumpled-Horned Snorkack, or maybe the --”

“Nothing, just blankness. Hold on a sec -- something’s coming into focus. I think -- I think it’s the bottom half of that Valentine I found earlier.”

“So,” Hermione spoke, suddenly interested, “whose name is on the Valentine?”

“Let’s see,” Ginny paused. “Come on, please come into focus.” She shook the ball vigorously. “Oh no, the Valentine is disappearing back into blankness once again. Stupid crystal ball!”

“Oh well,” Hermione mumbled as she returned to her Arithmancy assignment.

The other witches spent the rest of the evening looking into the crystal ball and trying to predict their love lives over the upcoming week. Several hours passed, it was nearly midnight.

“It’s almost time to go to Astronomy,” Hermione declared, and Lavender and Parvati left Gryffindor and set off to the Astronomy Tower.

“See you next week,” said Luna, as the sixth-years headed downstairs to bed. Ginny lingered behind.

“Hermione,” she asked, “why are you in Astronomy? You didn’t take it last year.”

“Because Ancient Runes didn’t fit into my schedule. It meets on Thursdays and Fridays and I’m helping Harry out with the Horcruxes on the weekends, remember?”

“Okay,” Ginny replied. “Oh, and one more thing. May I keep that old diary?”

“You mean Lily’s?” asked Hermione. “Sure, but I’m not sure why you want it. There weren’t any tips on how to be a better Head Girl in there at all.”

“No reason. There just seems to be something about it that’s drawing me to it. Not like Tom Riddle’s at all, of course, but some sort of positive energy. The way Lily reminds me of myself, how the two of us are strong-willed witches who have to put up with boyfriends who can’t remember the date, boyfriends who’d rather go out and fight than spend the day with us.” Ginny sighed.

“I see what you mean, though of course the enemies Harry’s fighting are powerful Death Eaters, not some trivial Slytherin schoolmates as this James bloke is after. Well, here you go then.” Hermione handed her the diary, and the two of them walked downstairs. “Here’s your dormitory. See you tomorrow, Ginny.”

“Good night, Hermione,” Ginny replied as she entered the sixth-year dormitory.

Hermione arrived at the Gryffindor common room. She saw, much to her surprise, Ron, lying asleep on a puddle in front of the fire. Apparently Ron had finally returned from his Quidditch practice, lain at the fire in order to melt the snow, and fallen asleep, exhausted after working out so hard.

“Ron!” She slapped him on the cheek. “Ron, wake up!”

“Must beat Hufflepuff,” Ron groaned. “Must beat Hufflepuff.”

“Ronald Bilius Weasley, wake up!” Hermione repeated angrily. “So what’s this I’ve heard about you holding Quidditch practice this Saturday instead of taking me to Hogsmeade?”

“Must beat Hufflepuff.” Ron was still in a daze, not having awakened completely.

“Which do you like more, Ron, Quidditch or me?”

“Must -- beat -- Huff --”

“Well, if that’s what you think about me --” Hermione changed the subject. “What about Harry? Have you seen Harry today at all? Do you know where he is? Your sister’s been worried sick about him.”

“Harry?” asked Ron, his mind still addled from having been outside freezing for so long. “Lions are hairy, badgers are hairy, Hufflepuff’s a badger, must beat Huff --”

“Why do I even bother? Forget you! I’m almost late for Astronomy.”

Hermione left Ron in front of the fire and exited Gryffindor Tower. She headed towards the Astronomy Tower and her midnight class. When she arrived there, she saw a familiar sight, a couple snogging right outside the classroom. The Astronomy Tower was, after all, one of the most popular snogging spots.

“Okay, break it up,” Hermione called out to the couple. “This is the Head Girl speaking. It’s way past curfew, and --”

The female of the couple looked up, and Hermione recognized her instantly as Millicent Bulstrode, a Slytherin seventh-year.

“Shut up, Mudblood,” said Millicent coldly. “Can’t you see Blaise and I are enjoying ourselves?”

“But you’re not allowed to be here right now,” Hermione insisted. “Leave or I’ll give you detention.”

“You’re just jealous,” Millicent pointed out. “You’re jealous that I had a wonderful Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend and you didn’t.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Hermione.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Mudblood. While that blood traitor of a boyfriend of yours was out at Quidditch practice -- a practice necessitated by us Slytherins blowing you Gryffindorks out back in the first match of the season -- Blaise was being the perfect gentleman. He bought me a diamond ring -- an expensive diamond ring, that is to say. After class we ate a nice romantic dinner of caviar and truffles together -- expensive caviar and truffles, that is to say, prepared by your precious house-elves. Then we came here where we snogged for hours and hours on end -- until you came and interrupted us!”

“That’s it!” Hermione called out. “Detention, Bulstrode --”

“You’re giving me detention just because I enjoyed Valentine’s day and you didn’t? Just because --” Here Millicent was interrupted when Zabini tried to kiss her while she was talking. “Hold on, Blaisy-wazy-poo, you missed my lips by a kilometer. I’m almost done dealing with the Mudblood. You see, my boyfriend can’t keep his hands off me, while yours is nowhere to be seen!”

“Miss Granger,” Professor Sinistra appeared from her classroom, “do come in. Class is about to begin.”

“Professor, I was about to give these two Slytherins a detention.”

“There’s no need to. You see, Miss Granger, I have a new policy where anyone who’s caught here after curfew must stay for my lesson. After all, if they want to be at the Astronomy Tower so much, they might as well learn something about Astronomy.”

“But, but --” Millicent tried to protest to no avail.

Hermione smirked as they all entered the classroom. As the clock struck midnight, Hermione wasn’t sure of Ron’s feelings for her, or Harry’s whereabouts, or whose name was on the Valentine. But she knew one thing -- Valentine’s Day was finally over.


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