Anne let out a long breath as she put down her quill. She folded several sheets of parchment, slid them into a plain white envelope, sealed it with glue, and tucked it into her satchel. Stretching and cracking her neck, she glanced around the silent dormitory. The other four had long since fallen asleep; only two candles still flickered on her desk.
After a final yawn, Anne pointed her wand to extinguish one candle, quickly washed up, climbed into bed, and snuffed out the remaining candle. Staring at the drape, she whispered, "I hope this plan works." With that, she drifted into deep sleep.
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The next morning, breakfast at the Slytherin table.
Anne, still yawning, lazily cut into her onion-fried egg. Fanny sipped her milk and then grinned mischievously:
"Anne, did you finish what you were working on those nights?"
"Yes." Anne nodded, barely opening her eyes as she bit into her egg.
"When will you be back tonight?" Fanny asked next.
"Probably a little late." Anne half-opened her eyes. "Why do you ask?"
Fanny waved a hand, smiling mysteriously. "I know, I know, good luck. It's fine to come back late. I'll ask you afterward."
"After what?" Anne asked, puzzled.
Fanny gave an expression that said, "You don't want to say it, but I already know." After breakfast, she patted Anne's shoulder with a cheerful grin. "Too bad it's Wednesday, off to Muggle studies! And you and Hermione, good luck in divination!"
Anne shook her head, propping her head with one hand while nibbling on toast with the other.
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At the entrance, Hermione was already waiting.
"Good morning, Hermione!" Anne perked up and waved.
Hermione froze for a moment, then peered at her carefully and asked, "Morning, Anne! Did you sleep okay last night?"
"Uh…" Anne nodded, grinning wryly. "Sleep is always… not enough for me."
Hermione laughed softly, slipping her arm through Anne's. "Come on, let's go. When we get to class, you can nap a bit."
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In the sixth-year Numerology and Divination class, about thirty students, Hermione was first to raise her hand after each question, confidently answering. Everything was as usual. After class, Anne and Hermione walked side by side toward the Great Hall, but at the entrance, Hermione paused and glanced at Anne. Anne stopped too, puzzled.
Hermione merely smiled and strode off toward the Gryffindor table. Anne blinked and smiled back before scratching her head and continuing to the Slytherin table.
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At lunch, Fanny and the Slytherin Quidditch team were gone, perhaps strategizing for the next match? Ever since Slytherin's victory over Gryffindor, Fanny had been full of team spirit, often joining practices, which the players welcomed. Anne finished her potato soup, grabbed a pamphlet on Muggle firearms from her bag, and waited until Hermione arrived, tucking the pamphlet away.
"All done?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Afternoon plans?"
"We have no lessons in the first and second period. The usual, library. I need to finish last Friday's assignment. Then Herbology."
Hermione looked at her thoughtfully, then asked, "Fanny didn't have lunch?"
"She said she'll come later. Probably team business." Anne rubbed her chin. "She's really into it."
Hermione glanced around the corridor just before the stairway to the second floor. No one was around.
"What's up?" asked Anne, stopping as well.
Hermione looked intently into Anne's eyes, then cupped her face and kissed her. Anne froze for a second, then felt her heart race, she reached out to deepen the kiss, but Hermione quickly stepped back near the stairs.
Seeing Anne's surprised look, Hermione beamed and said, "I'm heading back to the Gryffindor Tower this afternoon, not to the library. That was a hint. I figured you'd regret it if I didn't remind you."
Anne watched Hermione jog off, confused: A hint? About what? So cryptic! She rubbed her head irritably, this was harder than dealing with the Order of the Phoenix! Maybe I really lack emotional intelligence. I'll just ask Fanny.
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Instead of heading to the library, Anne turned toward the common room, but after two steps bumped into a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy and a Hufflepuff girl, hand in hand, chatting. They instantly let go and stared at Anne's prefect badge, then visibly relaxed as she passed.
They're timid, Anne thought. It's not like I'm going to do anything! As she walked away, she heard the girl whisper:
"…It's Prefect Reeve from Slytherin?"
"They say she's really nice."
"Yeah. And today's Valentine's Day, she'd never say anything!"
Wait, Valentine's Day? Today?
Anne froze. Her morning chat with Fanny, Hermione's kiss, it all clicked.
She sprinted down the corridor toward the Slytherin common room.
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Herbology class. Anne slipped into the greenhouse just as the bell rang. Spotting Fanny, she couldn't hold back:
"Fanny, why didn't you tell me it was Valentine's Day?"
Fanny, slipping on dragon-hide gloves, laughed silently, covering her mouth before explaining calmly:
"Anne… if you didn't know this morning, how do you know now?"
Anne told her about Hermione at lunch.
"Oh, Anne, you're so adorably clueless…" Fanny chuckled. "Of course I was out on a date today."
Anne puffed her cheeks. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
Fanny smiled. "Well, your preparation last time for Hermione's birthday was so thorough, I thought you'd prepared this too. But you and Hermione made a mistake…"
Anne frowned as Hufflepuff boys peeked over their shoulders, giggling. Professor Sprout, noticing their whispers, came by and reminded them, "Time to start collecting the juice."
Fanny nodded seriously, gestured Anne on, and Anne focused on extracting juice.
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After class, students filtered out toward the castle.
"So, Anne," Fanny asked, "are you celebrating today?"
"Of course!" Anne said. "I prepared, just didn't realize it was today." She paused. "Help me ask Hermione to meet me at the Astronomy Tower at 7:30 tonight?"
Fanny grinned. "No problem. But tell me, what's your plan?"
"Gossip…" Anne muttered. "Depends on my mood once I'm back in the dorm."
Back in their dorm later, Anne opened a small box with markers and colored pens. Satisfied, she zipped it into her bag and dashed out by sunset.
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Nightfall over Hogwarts. Beneath a bright moon, Anne and Hermione met in the Astronomy Tower.
Hermione pushed the door open and whispered, "Anne?" The tower was empty, stacked with moved telescopes and crates. Bathed in moonlight, she looked puzzled, and slowed when she heard faint footsteps behind her.
Before she realized it, Hermione was wrapped in the familiar scent of violet as Anne covered her eyes.
"Guess who?" Anne teased in a playful hiss. "If you guess right, you live. If not…"
"Okay, give me a hint, what species are you?" Hermione laughed.
Anne blinked. "Species… um… primate?" she answered instinctively in Muggle school language. Hermione burst into laughter, stepping forward to kiss Anne on the cheek.
Anne pulled Hermione into a cozy corner of the tower using stacked wooden crates. They sat on the edge overlooking the Forbidden Forest, the lake, Hagrid's hut, and Professor Sprout's greenhouse, moonlit magic.
"Wow," Hermione breathed.
Anne draped a blanket around them and drew Hermione close. Hermione snuggled in and handed Anne a small black box.
"Happy Valentine's Day, I made you a gift."
Anne took it, curious. "What is it?" He gestured for Hermione to open it, one hand free, the other holding her.
She did, revealing a tiny CD player. "I enchanted it so it can play CDs with batteries, even in Hogwarts."
Anne's eyes lit up. "Hermione, that's brilliant! How did you think of it?"
Hermione smiled: "Remember when you insisted Hogwarts bans electricity? I recalled the protective charm and worked around it."
Anne beamed and planted a kiss. Hermione pulled out several CDs, one completely blank and white.
Anne's heart skipped. Hermione noticed and stopped her. "Why is this one totally blank?"
Anne shuffled the cases into Hermione's lap, face red. "I was going to give this to you on your 18th birthday… don't laugh."
Hermione nodded, encouraging.
Anne took a deep breath. "It's a song I wrote for your next birthday. You said you'd like to hear me sing… but it's unfinished… just some lyrics and the melody."
Hermione's eyes glowed. "When do you plan to finish it?" she asked.
Anne shook his head. "I haven't yet, but surprise!"
Hermione hugged him tight. "Anytime it's a surprise."
Anne plugged in the unmarked CD. With Hermione's help, they tuned it. A slow, lyrical song titled "Dear" filled the silence. Hermione rested against Anne, his heartbeat matching the music.
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"Anne, remember first year? The Norbert incident?"
They both laughed. Hermione described how Malfoy and Filch ambushed them under the invisibility cloak, how Anne's quick thinking and Hagrid's hut saved them. They joked about Malfoy's guilt for days after.
Hermione moved closer and admitted: "I liked you from the moment we met, when you stood firm against Malfoy. You made that night unforgettable."
Anne grinned. "I was just shorter then, now I've grown."
Hermione smiled back.
Suddenly, ripples appeared on the lake below. Anne grabbed Hermione's shoulder: "Look!"
Under the moonlight, a giant squid surfaced, surrounded by a dozen merpeople. They seemed to play-tag, heading toward the lake's inlet, where a group of white unicorns emerged from the Forbidden Forest, shimmering in the moonlight. One after another, magical forest creatures flowed to the water's edge, dancing without sound. Bioluminescent algae glowed in rhythmic pulses of silver-blue beneath the waves. It was as if the forest had come alive.
And then, everything faded. The creatures vanished. The light died. Silence returned.
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Back in the tower, Hermione whispered, "What was that?"
Anne explained: "A periodic bloom of a rare type of algae in the Forbidden Forest river, it drew the creatures. You're the first ground human to see it… besides me."
"But how did you find this place?" Hermione asked, incredulous.
Anne beamed, "Simple logic and a bit of surveying. I noticed anomalies during water sample tests… did some geometry and scaled it. I came here tonight to watch it happen."
Hermione took her hand. "What if it didn't happen?"
Anne smiled confidently. "Not possible. But if…" she grinned. "I have Plan B."
Snap!
Golden and silver fairy dust exploded around them. Anne kissed Hermione long and sweet.
When they pulled apart, Anne presented his gift, a small gourd-shaped figurine.
"It's a Chinese roly‑poly toy. It rights itself when pushed." She handed it to her in the moonlight. "An old memory from my past."
Hermione held it carefully, amazed. "A Chinese toy… no magic, just physics?"
Anne nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "One of my secrets. There'll be more."
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They sat in silence beneath the moon, a Valentine's night neither would ever forget.
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The complete release can be accessed through Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore