‘Hey, Jo,’ Celeste accosted them in the corridor on their way to potions class.
‘Top of the morning to you too, Squirt.’
Celeste did not mind when Jo called her Squirt, as they did so in such an amicable manner.
She had earned the nickname because of her tendency to eject a verbal stream of information each time she opened her mouth. Her sibling called it verbal diarrhoea, so Squirt was a major improvement and, coming from Jo, it sounded a lot friendlier.
‘You know how this is Valentine’s Day weekend and everyone is busy having plans, apart from the two of us,’ Celeste continued.
‘Wizard Jeez, you have a funny way of making a person feel good about themselves,’ Jo retorted.
‘Anyway,’ Celeste went on, not the least bit sorry, ’I was thinking that maybe we could do something nice for Marwood. There is no point in running it by Professor Longbottom, as he is much too wrapped up in our Squid biologist…’
‘Tell me about it,’ Jo interjected, ‘he asked me for advice on his costume for this muggle Valentine’s Day party he is attending as Lou’s date. I advised him to stick to the traditional muggle costumes, what with the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and all that. I even helped him to order a Romeo costume online, complete with mask, and had it delivered to him, care of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. I think our Professor would look very becoming in tights and knee breeches, don’t you think?’
‘Never mind that,’ Celeste wasn’t that easily distracted from her mission.
‘Maybe it would be nice to teach Marwood the traditions of Valentine’s Day. His Dads have told him all about Christmas, but not about any of the other major human celebrations.’
‘I would hardly consider Valentine’s Day a major celebration,’ Jo muttered under their breath, but they did not want to throw lake water on Celeste’s idea.
Even the Castle itself seemed to think that Valentine’s Day was important enough to play tricks on its inhabitants, much to Headmistress Granger’s surprise, as she had not seen the ‘hearts-and-flowers’ spell in action, since Harry and Draco attended the school. She had often wondered if the Castle had not identified any couples they considered in need of true love’s first kiss since then. Unfortunately there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop the annoying spell and the Castle had been strewn with multi coloured heart-shaped confetti and rose petals since early that morning. The only upside was that it meant an increased amount of work for the insufferable caretaker, Marcus Flint. Hermione still did not know what had possessed her predecessor to employ that oaf, but anything the Castle did that annoyed Flint was a bonus in her books.
She would obviously never stoop so low herself.
At least Flint did a decent enough job of taking care of Hogwarts and seemed to have seamlessly picked up where Filch left off, but thankfully without the need for feline companionship.
Mrs Norris, much to Hermione’s and Crookshank’s relief, had retired with Mr Filch.
The two students currently afflicted with the ‘hearts-and-flowers’ spell, seemed no more suited as mates than Harry and Draco had been at the time, but maybe the Castle knew best, and Hermione decided to let the spell run its course. She was tempted to lock the two students in an empty class room together, to get it over with, but after discussing this with the portraits in her office, she decided to leave well enough alone.
‘I was thinking’, Celeste said, ‘that we could get the kitchens to make some heart-shaped cinnamon toast, burnt of course, and ‘Honeydukes’ do heart-shaped chocolates this time of the year. Possibly we can make a nice big card with one of those sickly sweet poems.
Chocolates are yum
Burnt Cinnamon Toast too
Friendships are Forever
Between Me and You
I don’t want to give him the wrong idea, or anything, but it would be nice to make him feel part of the whole Valentine’s Day experience.
But maybe you think it is lame,’ she said, all of a sudden looking unsure of herself. ‘Just as lame as my mum, sending me a Valentine’s Day card every year, signed From Your Secret Admirer. She doesn’t even mask her handwriting and uses the family owl to deliver it! How sad is that?’
‘I think it is sweet,’ Jo said, having indeed seen the Harper Family Owl swoop into the Great Hall that morning with a massive red Valentine’s Day card for Celeste.
‘Sure, it is maybe a bit lame, but at least your mum cares enough about you to think of you. Anyway, I think your idea is lovely. It would be nice to spend some time with our resident squid. I will miss that little guy, when I leave here.’
Celeste giggled.
‘Only you, and possibly Hagrid, would consider referring to Marwood as that little guy.’
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, having obtained a supply of special heart-shaped burnt cinnamon toast from the kitchens and some heart-shaped chocolates from ‘Honeydukes’, the pair set off down to the lake with an extra large Valentines Card with golden cherubs and glitter hearts and the poem written in waterproof ink, under their arms.
Steward would have loved to join them, but he had a swimming meet in the London Aquatic Centre and Caitlin would be spending the day in the Library, having been asked by Headmistress Granger to research this strange Hogwarts Valentine phenomenon, as the Castle definitely seemed to have gotten the spell wrong this time. The two people afflicted with the ‘hearts-and-flowers’ spell appeared to be incapable of being in each other’s vicinity, meaning that the spell had not yet come to its natural conclusion. The headmistress was hoping that the spell would eventually wear off, even if true love was not found, but thought it best to have the best researcher in the school look into it, just in case.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marwood was delighted to see the pair of them and was overjoyed with the heart-shaped cinnamon toast and chocolates and proclaimed that they tasted even better than the frogs and the square toast.
That did of course make no logical sense, but maybe the idea that they were made with love, made everything taste better.
Jo and Caitlin had to take turns in reading out the poem several times and Marwood made them stick the card to the wall of his lair.
‘Wait until I tell Nerissa about all this,’ Marwood said, when they took their leave, overjoyed with the special attention he had received that day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
‘You did good, Squirt,’ Jo said when they exited the lake to return to the Castle.
‘You gave him a very special Valentine’s Day and I am sure he really appreciated it.’
‘I say,’ Celeste chuckled, pointing back at the lake, where two tentacles reached up out of the water, forming the shape of a heart, just above the surface.