Valentine's Day was approaching.
Luke, dressed in a white shirt with a black-patterned tie and a green Slytherin robe, checked his reflection in the mirror. He was pleased with how he looked, noting the combination of his handsome face and blond hair.
Taking a hint from Miss Hermione's previous comments, Luke had prepared a special gift in advance. He even visited the Weasley twins to get some fireworks made, which they agreed to do eagerly. Making impressive fireworks was a breeze for them.
As Luke made his way to the auditorium, he saw Hermione waiting for him.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Luke greeted, pulling out the gift he had prepared from his Shenwei space.
He presented Hermione with a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates. Though it was a classic Valentine's Day gift, Hermione was thrilled. The roses were enchanted to never wither.
Hermione also had a gift for Luke —some exquisite candies and various sweets, which were his favorite snacks.
After sitting at the table, Luke noticed Harry and Ron slumped over their work.
"Valentine's Day confession fail?" Luke asked, puzzled.
"No, they're just buried in fan mail from Lockhart," Hermione explained, holding the bouquet of roses.
"You'll never believe how obsessive Lockhart's fans are," Harry grumbled, rubbing his arms. "The letters are so over-the-top."
"I even saw a letter from Mrs. Weasley," Harry added, glancing at Ron.
Ron had recovered well after a few days of rest.
But after hearing Harry's words, Ronald's face went pale again.
"My mom was such a big fan; she had no idea what Lockhart's books were actually good for," Ronald said weakly.
"Three hundred letters! The two of us have answered three hundred letters in the past two days!"
Harry shuddered at the thought of the grueling task of helping Lockhart respond to his fans.
"Maybe we should have let Filch lock us up!" Harry grumbled.
As they continued their complaints, owls began to fly in through the skylight of the auditorium.
Hermione's owl delivered a letter from the Grangers and a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Luke 's delivery was even more intriguing. He received a small gift box, beautifully wrapped, with a pink envelope sealed with a wax heart. There were about a dozen of these gifts.
Ronald and Harry stared in astonishment.
"Mr. Geralt, you have so many admirers..." Hermione said, leaning over and hugging Luke 's arm with a hint of jealousy.
"You know, I only like you," Luke said, glancing at the Valentine's Day gifts with a helpless smile.
Even though Luke was well aware that many young witches admired him, he spent nearly every day with Hermione, leaving little chance for other witches to intervene. Yet, many still tried their luck.
"So, are you going to reply to them all?" Hermione asked with half-closed eyes.
She hadn't expected so many people to try to steal her boyfriend away.
"I don't have the time to reply to all of them," Luke said, shaking his head.
He then placed the gifts into the Kamui space. It wouldn't be appropriate to leave them on the table since the gift-givers might be watching.
"Hey, Harry, did you get a love letter too?" Ronald suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Harry stared blankly at a letter in his hand, the tone indicating that it was indeed a love letter.
"Looks like someone has a secret admirer," Ronald teased.
"Open it and see!" Hermione urged.
Ronald, who was hovering nearby, urged Harry to hurry up.
"Don't rush..."
Harry carefully opened the letter from Hedwig, his anticipation growing. But when he read the first line, his face flushed with embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
Seeing Harry's reaction, she was curious. It was just a letter, after all.
"See for yourself..." Harry said, taking a deep breath and placing the letter in the center of the table.
The letter read: *"His eyes are green like a freshly pickled toad, he's as black as a blackboard, I hope he's mine, he's really handsome, a warrior who conquers the Dark Lord."*
"Are you sure this is a love letter?" Luke couldn't help but laugh as he read the first line. The comparison of green eyes to toads was particularly amusing.
Harry's emerald green eyes, inherited from his mother, seemed to be the only resemblance. Hermione, sitting next to him, was also suppressing a smile.
"This handwriting look familiar?" Ronald muttered, puzzled.
"It must have been written by Malfoy and his cronies!" Harry said angrily, glaring at the Slytherin table where Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were chatting and playing cards.
Later that night, in their room:
"Hahaha, that letter was written by Ginny, not Malfoy!" Hermione laughed as she settled on the bed.
She had seen Ginny's notes, and they matched the letter Harry received.
"Then if you don't tell Harry, he might end up blaming Malfoy again," Luke said, hanging up their robes and observing Hermione on the bed.
Luke had guessed the letter's origin quickly, thanks to Ronald's sister Ginny.
As the evening wore on, Luke glanced at his watch and then extinguished the candle.
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked nervously.
"The time is almost up," Luke said, pulling Hermione closer as he leaned against the window.
"Do you want to see some fireworks?"
"Just for you—fireworks," he added with a smile.
Hermione's brown eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked out the window. On the lawn at Hogwarts, visible from the Room of Requirement, golden lights and wisps of smoke began to rise into the night sky.