Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ginny loved Madame Puddifoot’s.

She wasn’t sure why, exactly, because objectively—the place was awful. The tea shop was cramped, overpriced, and reeked of societal expectation.

She would never choose it as the location of a date, but for an ironic Galentine’s day party?

It was perfect.

Ginny met Daphne outside the tea shop at half past two, wrapping her friend in a hug despite it only having been a few days since they’d last seen each other.

“When was the last time you visited Hogsmeade?” Daphne gazed up and down the street with a soft look on her face, and Ginny couldn’t help but wonder if her friend’s memories of Hogsmeade weekends weren’t so different from her own.

She and Daph hardly knew each other in school—house rivalry and all that—but they’d reconnected as adults.

In Romania.

Over dragons.

Ginny still felt her ears go red at the memory of her own skepticism upon seeing Daphne at orientation, but in the six months that the two of them had been training, they’d grown quite fond of each other’s company.

“I can’t even remember, to be honest. Not much reason to come here these days.”

Daphne gave her a sad smile. “It’s hard to be back, isn’t it?”

Ginny paused. “A bit. We’ve come a long way from then, though.”

“Look at us!” Daphne agreed, giving a nudge with her shoulder. “Who would have ever expected a Gryffindor and Slytherin to become besties?”

Ginny’s eyes sparkled. “Let’s just find out if our friends think it’s as charming as we do.”

Daphne grinned back. Then she pulled open the door, only to be mowed down by a total sensory overload of perfumes and florals and sweets.

“Welcome, welcome!” a syrupy sweet voice rang out over tinkly music and the sound of bells. “Do you have a reservation?”

One of Madame Puddifoot’s associates stood before them, decked in a frilly pink dress, white apron and lace gloves.

“Reservation for five,” said Ginny, thrilled by the cheesiness of it all. “Under ‘Weasley’.”

“Ah yes, Ginevra,” the woman nodded, leading them to a round table in the corner. “I think this shall do nicely.”

The table was set with a mismatch of lace and floral place settings, with teapots and teacups of various sizes in the middle.

Ginny and Daphne took their places at the heads of the table, and the serving witch filled their teapots with a wave of her wand.

“My name is Tilly. Please let me know if you need anything at all as you await the arrival of your guests.” She gave a little curtsy before disappearing behind a curtain of pink beads in the back.

Ginny and Daphne stared at each other a moment before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

“Is this going to be terrible?” Ginny asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

Daphne grinned. “Probably.”

The sound of bells rang out once more, and in walked Hermione Granger. She looked dreadfully out of place in the tea shop, but shouldered the burden with the determination of a true best friend.

“Hermione!” Ginny called out, watching as her friend’s shoulders sagged in relief. Hermione made her way to the back table, giving Ginny a side hug before offering a hand to Daphne.

“I’m Hermione,” she said cordially, to which Daphne rolled her eyes.

“Yes Granger, I know. I only live with your best friend and have to hear about how great you are on the daily.”

Hermione cheeks tinged pink, though she looked rather proud of this fact. “Well, it’s nice to officially meet.” She slid into the seat closest to Ginny, resting her beaded bag on the table.

Ginny opened her mouth to say something else, only to be interrupted by more bells.

All three heads turned as Pansy Parkinson swept into the room.

She was dressed entirely in red: a perfectly tailored red pants suit, expensive red slingbacks, and a deep red stain across her mostly perpetual frown. Dark eyes flitted across the tea shop and the frown evolved into a scowl as her gaze fell upon their table.

“Pansy!” Daphne jumped to her feet and gave her friend a quick kiss on each cheek. “Thanks for joining us.”

“I was brought here under false pretenses,” said Pansy, crossing her arms over her chest. “You said it would be a gathering of friends, not you and I and the Lion Brigade.”

Daphne eased her down into a chair, brushing off the insult like it was merely a special of dust. “Pansy, Ginny and I are friends now, which you know, on account of how we write each other every week.” Then, to the others, she said, “Ginny, Hermione—trust me, this exchange means we’re off to a great start. Pansy is much less agreeable if she’s truly in pain.”

Pansy harrumphed, and before she could say another word, the door swung open again.

“Luna!” Ginny jumped to her feet to greet their next guest, who stood in the doorway in a hand-knitted romper that was covered in little red and white hearts. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Pansy moaned, and Daphne elbowed her in the ribs. “See? Not all Lions.”

“I was ever so excited to get your invitation,” Luna said, holding up the heart-shaped letter as she joined them at the table. “It is so lovely to have girlfriends, is it not?”

Hermione nodded in agreement, and Pansy rolled her eyes so hard Ginny worried they might actually fall out onto the floor.

“Well, now that we’re all here, I thought it would be nice to—” But Ginny was interrupted as the door opened a fourth time.

There, silhouetted by the sun, stood a wizard in a glittering suit. Ginny shielded her eyes to try and get a better look at who it was. They weren’t expecting anyone else.

As the mysterious stranger sauntered toward their table, she heard Daphne let out a loud sigh just as Pansy clapped her hands together with glee.

“Theodore!” Pansy exclaimed, in stark contrast to her reaction to literally anything else so far. “Thank Merlin, someone I can talk to.”

Theo gave the group a dazzling grin, summoning a nearby chair and attempting to add it to their table.

Daphne, however, was not having it, and blocked his chair with a flick of her wand. “What are you doing here, Theo?”

“I heard there was a party,” he pouted, continuing to try and wedge the chair in between Daphne and Luna. “It’s rude to un-invite me now.”

“You were never invited in the first place.”

“Then how did I know where to be, and furthermore, how to dress?”

Pansy snapped her fingers, clearly delighted. “For the first time in my life, Nott, I’m thrilled to hear you’re intercepting my mail again.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at Theo. “You intercept her mail?”

He shrugged. “I perform random checks, just to make sure she’s not still writing to that Duke. You remember how that ended.”

Pansy nodded along, shockingly in full support of this development. “It’s called friendship, Daph. Unlike ditching your friends for a bunch of dragons, and Weasleys.”

Daphne ignored this accusation, instead turning to Theo. “I suppose nothing I say will get you to leave?”

He shook his head quite adamantly. “You’ll hardly even know I’m here. I’m quite sensitive, you know. I’ll fit right in.”

“You,” Daphne deadpanned. “Sensitive.”

“And I brought gifts.”

Ginny lit up at this. “I’m okay with it,” she shrugged. “Friends are friends.”

Daphne sighed, defeated. “Ok, well—these are my highly dysfunctional friends, then. Welcome to Galentine’s day, everyone.”

“I’m so glad you all could make it,” said Ginny, pulling her shoulder bag up onto the table. “Shall we get started?”

The group nodded in turn, aside from Pansy seemed to be trying to set a world record for most eye rolls in a single afternoon.

“Daphne and I are so excited to have everyone together,” Ginny continued, rummaging around in her bag. “So I thought it would be nice to bring something back for you from Romania.” She passed around four neatly wrapped packages, which everyone opened at once.

“Oooh,” said Luna, holding her gift up to examine more closely. “Is this the tooth of a Blibbering Humdinger?”

Pansy snorted.

“Er—dragon, actually,” said Ginny. “We’ve got a young Shortsnout that’s losing its baby teeth. They’re supposed to be lucky.”

“Cool,” said Theo, taking Daphne’s.

“Hey!” she cried.

“Is this sanitary?” asked Pansy.

Luna still looked unconvinced. “I’ll ask my father his opinion, as it’s possible a Humdinger planted the teeth; they’re very elusive.”

“Out of curiosity, did you have to declare these with the International Magical Embassy?” asked Hermione. “Because I’m currently working on a proposal around foreign imports regarding magical beasts and—”

“How about I go next,” Daphne interjected, already looking as though she very much regretted everything about this outing. “I made everyone fascinators out of live flowers, under a stasis charm of course. I thought we could all wear them for tea.”

She passed out a series of very unique little hats, affixing her own with a sticking charm. “See?”

“It’s lovely!” said Luna, being the first to pin her own very colorful fascinator atop her head. The others followed suit with varying degrees of enthusiasm, save for Theo who summoned the hat straight from Daphne’s head to his own with unmatched glee.

“Theodore Nott,” Daphne hissed, giving him a swift jab in the ribs.

“Worth it,” he croaked out, transfiguring his spoon into a mirror to admire his reflection, decked in bellfowers and catmint in luxurious shades of purple.

“Thank you, Daphne,” said Hermione, whose own fascinator was adorned with deep red ranunculus. It looked ridiculous against her wild mane, but to her credit, she wore it anyway.

“How about my gift?” asked Luna, reaching under her sweater to pull out a series of butterbeer cork necklaces. “I made these myself.”

The corks were dyed pink and strung along some simple twine. She handed one to each guest—including Theo. “You can have mine,” she offered, placing the final necklace in his hands.

Hermione, Ginny, Theo and Daphne each put theirs on, while Pansy continued to stare at the one in her hand as though she wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“And what does the necklace do?” Ginny asked, knowing Luna quite well and trying her best to sound supportive.

Luna cocked her head. “Do?”

“You know,” Hermione encouraged, “does it repel Nargles? Point you toward plimpies? Protect you from Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?”

Luna frowned. “I just like butterbeer. And jewelry-making. I thought they were pretty.”

“Oh!” Hermione blushed. “Of course. Very pretty, Luna, thank you.”

“Thank you, Luna,” Daphne said meaningfully, while glaring at Pansy.

Finally, the dark haired girl reluctantly put hers on, pouting and avoiding eye contact with Luna as she did so.

“My pleasure!” Luna said brightly, her eyes lingering on Pansy for a moment longer than the rest, her face unreadable.

“Pansy,” Daphne said severely, not letting her off the hook. “Care to share your gift?”

Pansy sneered, but obliged, pulling a handful of vials out of her pocket and scattering them across the table.

Hermione reached for one first. “What is it?” she asked, holding it to the light. “It doesn’t look like any potion I recognize.”

The vial was filled with a thick red substance, unlabeled, and clearly hand-bottled.

“That’s because it’s blood,” said Pansy simply.

Hermione nearly dropped the vial. “It’s—what?”

Theo reached out to examine one for himself.

“It’s blood,” Pansy said again. “Daph told me to bring a gift from the heart. So, there you go. It’s romantic, or whatever.”

“Er,” Ginny began, looking uncertain. “Whose blood?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t it?”

“Where did you get it?” Theo asked, then stopped himself as he pocketed one of the vials. “On second thought, I don’t want to know.”

“I can assure you the previous owner was no longer using it,” Pansy insisted with a casual shrug of her shoulders. “Happy Galentine’s day.”

She spoke with a finality that meant the conversation was over, and so, after everyone had taken one of the vials, Hermione cleared  her throat.

“I can go next?” she offered. She reached into her beaded bag and presented each of them with a journal, charmed to give personalized affirmations each time it was opened. “It’ll work until you’ve written on every page,” she explained, looking quite proud of her spellwork.

Ginny opened hers first, and a voice said: “You are courageous and strong.”

She grinned. “Aww, thanks Hermione!”

Hermione smiled. “It’s not me, it’s the magic detecting what you need to hear!”

Luna opened hers next: “Let not the naysayers bring you down.”

She gave a dreamy expression. “I never do.”

Daphne reached for her journal. “Here goes nothing,” she said, letting it fall open in front of her: “Patience is your best virtue.”

To this, she gave both Theo and Pansy pointed looks. “You don’t say.”

Pansy smiled sweetly in return beneath the black hollyhocks and hellebore of her fascinator. “I haven’t a clue what you mean.” Then she opened her own journal: “Do not fear the fire. Become the fire.”

For a moment, Pansy looked stunned. Then her lips curled into a devilish grin. “Fuck yeah. Thanks, Granger.”

“My pleasure,” said Hermione, looking quite pleased—and surprised—herself.

“My turn!” said Theo, reaching across to grab the journal in front of Hermione. “Tell me I’m gorgeous, little book. Go on!”

“That one’s actually for me, so it’s not going to—”

But Theo had already opened it, eager to join in the fun.

“Dump his arse, woman! You deserve better!”

Theo’s jaw dropped, much the same as everyone else around the table. Hermione, in turn, had gone a deep shade of scarlet, nearly matching her new hat.

“Objectively good advice,” Theo mused, looking thoughtful, “but I’m having a hard time working out the real-world implications for myself.”

Ginny turned in her seat to gape at Hermione. “So, er… how are things with Ron?”

Pansy’s eyes widened. “Now it’s a party.”

“I haven’t the—this is quite unusual—everything’s fine.” Hermione looked quite uncomfortable indeed, gazing desperately around the tea shop as though she hoped a Blibbering Humdinger might burst into the place and trample her to death rather than continue this conversation.

Theo, surprisingly, took pity on her. “Let’s give poor Granger a break, you vultures. Don’t be invasive. Let’s do my gift.”

“Oh, you really brought a gift?” asked Daphne, surprised.

“You wound me, Daph. I am a nothing if not well-mannered.”

“Okay but then we’re circling back to Hermione’s thing,” Ginny insisted, still gaping at her friend.

Theo pulled a small drawstring bag from his pocket, opening it to reveal a handful of delicate chocolates.

“Hm. Shockingly normal,” said Daphne appraisingly.

“Suspiciously, even,” Pansy added.

Luna shrugged, reaching forward to take the first piece. “I love chocolate.” Then she popped it in her mouth and chewed.

They waited for some kind of reaction, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Sometimes I eat an entire chocolate cake while waiting for the moon frog migration,” she offered, reaching for another piece. “That’s something I recommend everyone do at least once.”

But Luna always said bizarre things, so the rest of the group deemed it safe and gave in to the temptation of chocolate. They were shaped like little hearts, with flecks of red speckled throughout. Ginny brought one to her lips, watching as the others did the same. It tasted sweet, and rich, with hints of raspberry and something vaguely floral.

They chewed silently, and Theo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

“And how do we all feel?”

A pause, and then—

“Despite the confident exterior I hide behind, I am deeply worried Weasley and Granger will never like me.”

All heads turned toward Pansy, who clapped a hand over her mouth at once.

“Theo,” Daphne breathed, looking incredulous. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, sweet Daph. I did.”

“I want so badly to be angry with you,” she said, despite her best efforts to keep her own mouth shut, “but I’ve always luxuriated in the chaos you bring to situations and hope you never change. Fucking—hell—you’re not supposed to know that.”

Theo grinned wickedly, setting his sights on Hermione next. “Granger, my dear friend,” he began, “can I call you my friend, given we’ve only just become acquainted? Please, do tell us about your very fascinating love life.”

Hermione looked like she might strain something with the effort of trying to stay silent, but couldn’t fight the power of the charmed chocolate. “Ron’s intelligence is no match for my own and our relationship is stifling me. I need to tell him and stop dragging out the inevitable, but I’m afraid the Weasleys will disown me.”

Ginny looked shocked. “Disown you? I’d disown my idiot brother before I’d disown you! I’ve never thought you were a good match but selfishly loved the idea of being sisters far too much to say anything.”

Ginny looked mortified by her admission, covering her face with her hands the moment the words were out.

Hermione barked out a laugh, then looked as though she might cry, then laughed some more. “Ginny, I’m miserable! He and I are terrible for each other!”

“I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life and personal ambitions as the youngest to six brothers that I didn’t even notice!”

Daphne wanted to say something supportive, but instead blurted, “I sometimes think about what life would have been like if I’d been sorted into Gryffindor.”

Pansy let out a strangled sound, at war with herself, before admitting, “the hat wanted to put me in Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff. I had to threaten it to put me in Slytherin.”

“I should have been a Ravenclaw!” Ginny cried, jumping on the bandwagon. “But I was too afraid not to follow my brothers into Gryffindor!”

Amidst the house confession chaos, nobody was paying any attention to Luna as she climbed out of her seat and up onto the table. Teapots clinked and rolled to the side as she made her way over top, stopping directly in front of Pansy—who looked deeply uncomfortable.

“Yes, Lovegood?” she asked in a warning voice.

Luna took a breath. “I have never stopped thinking about that night in the Astronomy tower and anyone I’ve been with since then has paled in comparison. Unless you stop me, I am going to kiss you now.”

What little color there was in Pansy’s face paled even further as Luna’s words settled over her, bringing any other shocking revelations currently happening at the table to an immediate halt.

“Excuse me?” asked Daphne, as Ginny’s eyeballs similarly nearly dropped out of her skull.

Theo, on the other hand, looked like Christmas had come early.

“Best. Galentine’s. Party. Ever,” he insisted, eyes gleaming as Pansy herself closed the gap between herself and Luna.

Theo, Ginny, Daphne and Hermione cheered as they kissed, and Pansy gave them a middle finger without even pulling away from Luna.

Meanwhile, Ginny gave Hermione a reassuring pat on the back. “Hermione. Break up with Ron. He wont take it well, but you deserve to be happy. Our family loves you, and everyone will get over it.”

Hermione nodded, looking a bit overwhelmed by everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes. She gave Ginny a hug, then shook her head as though to clear it. Then she turned to Daphne. “Ginny is one of the most important people in my life, but I couldn’t be happier she has someone like you to watch out for her in Romania. I want to get to know you better, too, whenever we can.”

Daphne’s eyes brimmed with tears as she too, leaned forward to embrace Hermione in a hug. “Thank you for saying that. And thanks for, you know—” she paused, pulling back to look her in the eye, “saving the Wizarding world and all that. We all owe you.”

“Oh god,” Hermione groaned, “please, don’t mention it. If one more person makes me pose to create another bloody statue…”

Theo brought himself to standing, surveying the scene before him with a sort of unhinged pride in his work. “I must say, this has turned out even better than I could have imagined. Who knew you all were harboring so many delicious secrets?”

Daphne glared at him. “I’m not through with you yet, Nott.”

“You’ve already told me you think I’m delightful, Daph. That can never be taken back. Now, can we all agree we’ve learned some valuable lessons today?”

Pansy pulled away from Luna long enough to send a full body bind Theo’s way. “Yes,” she agreed as he fell to the ground with a clatter, “that I need to update my wards and give my owl a stern talking to. Besides, I don’t think we have to worry about the Duke anymore, after all.”

She turned back to Luna with a shy smile, wrapping a finger through her golden curls and pulling Luna into her lap.

Hermione, Daphne and Ginny exchanged another group hug, and from the floor, Theo let out a series of low groans.

Not sure whether they wanted to laugh or cry, the five remaining girls grinned at each other across the table. Hermione righted the haphazard teacups and Daphne grabbed the teapot to begin pouring. And at that very moment, the serving witch reappeared at their table.

“Would anyone like to order anything to eat?” she asked, completely ignoring the petrified wizard she had just stepped over.

Laughter won out in the end, as the five of them picked up their menus and began to order.

It truly was the best Galentine’s day ever.