Hermione tried her hardest to not let the day's experience get to her, but her friends knew it was still bothering her. They tried to keep her distracted, and Pansy and Ginny eventually succeeded by planning out another vacation once they had all graduated. Draco was grateful for this, because it allowed him to plan out the finishing touches on his plans for the next day.
Blaise, however was skeptical about his friend's plan. "You seriously think McGonagall is going to be alright with this once she finds out?"
"What makes you so certain that she's going to find out?" Draco asked, scowling at Blaise. "The only people who know what is going to happen will be you and Theo."
"The woman is smart, you can't deny that," Theo interjected. "And if the Head Boy and Girl are both missing on an important day, it's going to be noticeable."
"Things will be fine," Draco insisted. "There are twenty-four other prefects in this castle to handle things."
"And you don't think those prefects have plans as well?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wasn't necessarily referring to you."
Rolling his eyes, Blaise shook his head and sighed. "It's on you, mate. I'm going to try and cover as best I can but you know how intimidating McGonagall is. Plus I have plans of my own with Ginny, so I can't cover for you the entire time."
"I never expected you to," Draco said. "I think we should all be fine though. Because I know Theo has plans with Pansy as well."
Theo grinned and gave his girlfriend a quick glance as he fidgeted with his hands. Draco raised an eyebrow but couldn't hold back a grin as well before looking back at Blaise.
"Things are going to work out just fine, don't worry," Draco said. "I'll cover for you and you cover for me."
"And I'll cover for both of you," Theo grinned.
Blaise shrugged after a few moments. "Alright, deal."
Hermione woke the next morning to a note lazily floating above her head. She stifled a yawn as she reached up to grab it, sitting up against her headboard and opening the note.
Good morning love!
Meet me down by the carriages at a quarter after nine. Wear something nice but comfortable, and bring a coat. Your black peacoat will be fine. Happy Valentine's Day!
Love, Draco
She smiled down at the note and folded it back up before gleefully jumping out of her bed and racing towards the bathroom. Ginny was already stirring, and she let out a groan when she heard Hermione get up.
"What's the rush?" She called out sleepily.
Hermione peered around the corner and grinned. "Draco told me to meet him by the carriages in about forty-five minutes."
Ginny grabbed her watch and looked at the time, noticing a note of her own on her nightstand. After reading it quickly, she grinned as well and giggled slightly.
"What's so funny?" Hermione asked from the bathroom.
"I think Blaise is mad that Draco's plans are taking precedence over his," Ginny answered, stretching as she stood up.
"What do you mean?"
"Here."
Ginny grabbed her note and made her way to the bathroom, handing it over to Hermione. After a few moments Hermione laughed and handed the note back to her friend.
"He's such a drama queen. I'm sure whatever he has planned for you is going to be wonderful!" Hermione said.
"I know, it's just funny reading the sarcasm in his notes," Ginny laughed. She left the bathroom and went over to her wardrobe before asking curiously, "What do you think they have planned?"
"Truthfully, I have no idea," Hermione answered as she fixed her hair. "I was told to wear something cute but comfortable and to bring a coat."
"At least you got somewhat of an idea," Ginny said. "It sounds like you're going to be somewhere cold."
"I think he has a day planned out for Hogsmeade," Hermione shrugged before coming out and pointing towards her hair. "What do you think?"
She spun around slowly so Ginny could look and her friend nodded. "Cute! I always liked the half-up, half-down look on you."
"Perfect!"
Hermione went to her own wardrobe while Ginny turned back to hers and shuffled her clothes around, eventually deciding on a grey sweater and dark jeans with a pair of black boots that would help keep her warm. She couldn't stop wondering just what Draco had planned; the vague note only added to her curiosity as she assumed she was going to be cold the entire time.
At the last minute she decided to grab her beanie as well, changing the color from maroon to black and waving goodbye to Ginny before quickly leaving the tower. After making her way down to the carriages, she smiled happily when she saw Draco standing by one with a grin of his own. She noticed that he had a bag slung over his shoulder, but got distracted by him pulling her close when she stopped in front of him.
"You look perfect as always," He said, giving her a kiss.
Her cheeks flushed as he helped her up into the carriage and they went on their way, and it didn't take long for her to ask, "What are we going to be doing?"
He laughed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Just be patient; you'll see very soon!"
Hermione groaned slightly which made him laugh again and he squeezed her shoulder. "You'll love it, don't worry."
"What's the bag for?" She asked then.
He didn't answer, simply grinning down at her and gently pushing the bag further away from her so that she couldn't grab it. She pouted at this and he gave her another kiss on the forehead.
"I can't even have a hint?" She asked.
"If I give you a hint, you'll drive yourself insane trying to figure it out," He said with a smirk.
She opened her mouth and then promptly closed it when she realized she couldn't come up with a retort. This only make him laugh again and a small grin crept onto her face.
"I don't like it when you're right," She said playfully.
He grinned and said, "Well luckily for you, it doesn't happen very often so you don't need to worry."
It was her turn to laugh as they continued on their way, stopping in Hogsmeade not too long after. He helped her down out of the carriage but instead of leading her to the village, he led her off to the side into the trees.
"Where are we going?" She asked, looking back towards the small buildings. "Aren't we going to Hogsmeade?"
He grinned and shook his head. "No, I've got something much better planned. But you're going to have to close your eyes and hold out your hand."
She gave him a skeptical look and he laughed. "What, you don't trust me?"
"I do..." She trailed off and shifted her weight before sighing. "Alright."
She closed her eyes and heard some shuffling before Draco said, "Now, you have to grab what I'm about to put into your hand or else this won't really work."
Hermione immediately pulled her hand away and her nose crinkled. "What exactly did you have planned, Draco?"
"Merlin's beard, woman, I'm trying to be romantic!" He exclaimed exasperatedly. "Get your mind out of the gutter!"
She laughed at that and stuck her hand out again, feeling something heavy being placed in the palm of her gloved hand. She closed her fingers around it and instantly felt the jarring feeling of being taken away by portkey.
When they landed she stumbled, instantly finding that even though her eyes were closed, it was much darker outside than where they were previously.
"Oh perfect!" Draco said excitedly before squeezing her hand. "Don't move, and don't open your eyes until I say so!"
"Okay..." She said hesitantly.
There was the sound of more shuffling and the bag opening, followed by more noises that she couldn't quite discern. A cold breeze hit her and she shivered slightly, resisting the urge to open her eyes as she waited. The excitement in Draco's voice was definitely adding to her own excitement though and soon she started to grow impatient.
"Alright, you can look now!"
She quickly opened her eyes and let out a gasp, staring up at the sky.
"Draco...it's so beautiful!" She continued to look up in awe at the dancing colors, unable to take her eyes off it.
He grinned and took her hand, gently leading her over to the little area he had set up. After noticing her stumble a bit, he laughed slightly and said, "Love, the sky isn't going anywhere. Please don't fall into the snow."
She finally pulled her eyes away and looked down to see that he had set up a little picnic area for them, complete with extra blankets and what looked like a small teapot.
"There's plenty of tea to keep us warm and snacks," He explained with a smile. "I know you haven't eaten breakfast yet but there should be enough to make sure you aren't hungry."
He gestured for her to sit down on the large blanket as he wrapped another one around her shoulders before sitting down next to her and wrapping one around himself. She was already staring back up at the sky, smiling to herself.
"Where are we?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"We..." He started, grabbing a mug for her and filling it with tea, "...are in Fairbanks, Alaska."
She stared over at him with wide eyes. "We're in America?!"
He grinned and handed her the mug. "I heard this was the best place to view the lights."
"Draco, we're going to get in so much trouble if McGonagall-"
"I'll take the blame for it," He interrupted gently. "After all, you truthfully had no idea what was going to happen, so you're innocent in this."
He poured himself a mug while she bit her lip nervously. "I don't want you getting in trouble for this..."
Waving her off slightly, he grinned and kissed her cheek. "It's worth it. Besides, it's only a little after midnight and the lights generally die off around two in the morning, so we won't be here for so long that anyone will miss us."
She couldn't help but smile at this before shaking her head. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"That's a relative term," He shrugged.
She laughed, hearing it ring throughout the trees around them as they both fell silent. There was a calm serenity about being out in the snow surrounded by nothing but trees and a beautiful night sky. She was grateful that he thought about packing tea as another cold wind hit them, and he shifted slightly next to her with a sigh.
"I thought about lighting a fire but I didn't want to do anything to take away from the sight," He said quietly after a while, looking over at her. "Are you warm enough?"
She nodded. "It's just when the wind is going that it gets really cold."
"Oh, come here then." He unwrapped the blanket around him and gestured for her to go to him, pulling her into his lap and wrapping the blanket around the two of them. "Better?"
"Yes, much better!" She leaned back into him while his arms wrapped around her, smiling up at the sky.
"Okay, you asked me to come out to the quidditch pitch...why?"
Ginny scowled at Blaise, who simply grinned at her. "You'll see!"
"What, are you ready to be beat in a smaller game of quidditch?" She asked, returning his grin as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"First of all, you didn't beat me; you purposefully distracted me so that your team could win," Blaise said, trying not to laugh. "Second, if it was just the two of us you know we would be evenly matched."
"Putting a lot of faith in your abilities, I see," She teased.
"Only speaking the truth!" He held out a hand to summon his broom and she raised an eyebrow at him as he grinned further. "Come on!"
After mounting the broom, he patted the area behind him and she laughed. "You realize I have my own broom, right?"
"What gentleman makes a lady fly her own broom on the most romantic day of the year?" He asked playfully. "Come on, Red; let me fly you around this time."
She couldn't help but grin at the nickname and she rolled her eyes as she climbed up behind him. When she was settled, he looked back over his shoulder and said, "You better hold on."
"Why should I-"
She was cut off by the sudden burst of speed that sent them flying upwards over the pitch, instinctively wrapping her arms around his waist and letting out a yelp. He laughed and steered the broom towards the lake, doing small tricks and barrel rolls here and there. Ginny tightened her arms around him and clenched her eyes shut, letting out a string of curses that only made him laugh again.
"Zabini, if you make me fall into the lake, I swear I will make sure the giant squid has a good meal tonight!" She screamed as they did another barrel roll.
He chuckled as they straightened out and slowed down, putting a hand over hers and squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"
"I wasn't scared," She huffed, refusing to open her eyes. "I just don't like not having control!"
"I'll keep that in mind," He grinned.
She smacked his chest and he laughed, slowing the broom down further and looking over his shoulder. "Are you even looking around?"
"Yes."
He knew she was lying and shook his head before saying quietly, "Gin, open your eyes."
She finally pulled her head up and opened one eye cautiously and then the other, falling silent as she looked around.
(Photo credit to Lee Duguid; this is Loch Shiel, which is the actual lake used for the movies :) )
They were currently flying away from the castle over the lake, slowly making their way towards the snowy mountains that the lake split. Even though it was a cloudy day, the sun trying to shine through the clouds made for a beautiful coloring for the sky, accenting the snow on the mountainside. She could even see rain in the distance, but that didn't even worry her.
"Wow," She breathed, straightening up slightly on the broom and looking around. "I've never actually flown out this far."
"That's surprising," He said, smiling back at her.
She smiled in return and leaned forward against him again, sighing as she watched the mountains slowly go by. "This is beautiful, Blaise."
"I'm happy you're enjoying it!"
He lazily turned the broom and flew them closer to the side of the mountain, skimming over the treetops. Ginny reached a hand down to graze the tops, grinning to herself.
"Isn't there a song from a muggle movie..." Blaise started, "...about showing a whole new world?"
Ginny laughed and gave his shoulder a kiss. "You've been hanging around Hermione, I see."
He shrugged. "I thought it was romantic."
"It's romantic, love," She said, leaning against him again. "Honestly, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now. This is just so beautiful."
He felt her arms tighten around his waist again and he smiled, turning the broom again to go across the lake. She lifted her head slightly to see that he was flying them towards a small island, and as they got closer she laughed when she recognized the blanket he would use for their picnics in the abandoned classroom with a small fire set up next to it.
He rubbed the back of his neck and said nervously, "I know it's not much, but-"
"This is perfect!" She said happily, bouncing up and down before looking back at him with a large smile.
He lit up at this and followed her over to the blanket where she promptly sat down and looked out at the lake. "I still can't get over this view right now. I've seen it a thousand times but never quite like this."
"You mean from this side of the lake?" He asked with a laugh.
"Partially," She grinned.
He reached over to grab the basket of food and turned around to see her lying back on the blanket, staring up at the sky. "I could lie here for the rest of the day."
Setting the basket back down, he moved next to her and slid his arm underneath her head, pulling her close against him. "We can stay out here for as long as you'd like."
She smiled up at him and gave him a kiss before resting her head on his chest and happily sighing to herself.
A/N: So I believe that the boys, while planning similar dates, would each do it with different meanings behind it. While Draco would of course be dramatic and go big for his dates to show his love, Blaise would be more inclined to do something personal that he knows his significant other would love just the same. And I feel like for Ginny, she wouldn't need a huge display or gift to see he loves her. This was a very feel-good chapter for me to write, and I hope you all enjoy! <3