Valentine's Day Paper Cranes

Hermione left the Hospital Wing annex at the beginning of February. Her face had become smooth again, her curls had regained their fluffiness, and her eyes sparkled once more. Madame Pomfrey gave her one final examination, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "You may go." As Hermione walked out of the annex, she took a deep breath, as though breathing in the long-lost air of freedom.

But Su Yu felt as though something was missing. Not being able to pet Hermione in cat form every day really left him feeling empty.

Kurama was deeply indignant about this.

"Have I ever stopped you from petting or holding me every day?" Kurama crouched on his lap, amber eyes glaring at him while her tail swished behind her. "Is this really necessary? Isn't petting me enough?"

On Valentine's Day, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and the petrification of students had left the whole of Hogwarts in a state of panic.

But Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, had taken it upon himself to hold a grand Valentine's Day event "to boost morale."

When Su Yu led the Slytherin little snakes into the Great Hall for breakfast, they all wondered whether they had entered through the wrong doors.

Every wall was covered in huge, gaudy pink flowers, packed tightly together as though someone had moved an entire rose garden into the castle. Worse still, heart-shaped paper decorations hung thickly from the pale blue ceiling.

Lockhart, dressed in a vivid pink robe to match the decorations, was waving his hands for silence. He stood before the teachers' table, his robes embroidered with golden heart patterns. The teachers on either side of him stood stiffly. From where he sat, Su Yu could see the muscles twitching in Professor McGonagall's cheek, while Professor Snape looked as though someone had just forced an enormous goblet of Skele-Gro down his throat.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "I'm grateful to the forty-six people who have sent me Valentine's Day cards so far! Yes, I decorated the Great Hall to give you all a surprise—and that's not all!"

Lockhart clapped his hands.

A troop of scowling little Cupids marched in through the entrance hall doors. They were not real angels, of course. Lockhart had made a group of dwarfs wear golden wings and carry harps. The wings were crooked things made of glued-on feathers, and the harps were plastic.

"My friendly Cupids, laden with Valentine's cards!" Lockhart said with a smile. "Today, they will tour the school and distribute Valentine's cards to you all! And the fun does not end there! I'm sure my colleagues will also want to join in the occasion. Let us see how Professor Snape brews Love Potion! Professor Flitwick knows more about Charm Spells than any wizard I have ever seen, the crafty old fellow!"

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly. Professor Snape looked as though he was ready to poison the first person who asked him for Love Potion.

The Slytherin students were already displeased. Lockhart was talking nonsense! While Slytherins might be good at missing the ones they loved, they only used paper cranes! They would never use Valentine's cards!

As he spoke, Malfoy pulled out three sheets of paper.

One tends to fly off. Three should be enough, right? Malfoy thought, lowering his head to fold three paper cranes before blowing on them.

The first paper crane's wings trembled, then it rose crookedly into the air. It traced several arcs through the air before finally landing in front of Astoria.

Astoria snatched up the paper crane, her eyes instantly lighting up. She sprang from her chair and jumped up and down, shouting, "Draco, Draco, Draco! Look, it flew to me!"

Only then did Malfoy snap out of it.

His face turned bright red. He had gotten carried away, and now things had gone too far... What should he do? What should he do? This was going to be mortifying...

The Slytherin students around him had already begun to snicker.

The second paper crane slowly spun once in the air, then wobbled back to Malfoy and landed in Pansy's hands beside him.

Pansy lowered her head to look at the paper crane in her hands. Her fingers trembled slightly, and the crane quivered softly in her palm. Tears had already filled her eyes.

The third paper crane, however, was a little outrageous.

As though enchanted with some strange magic, it wobbled into the air, drew several large circles overhead, circled past the Slytherin table, and finally swayed toward the Gryffindor benches, landing in the hands of a completely bewildered Harry.

Harry held up the paper crane and turned it over several times, his expression a mixture of "What is this?" and "Is Malfoy messing with me again?"

Astoria blinked her big eyes, tilted her head in thought, then suddenly said, "So Draco wants to marry three people!"

In an instant, the Slytherins were laughing so hard they could no longer control themselves.

For the first time, Malfoy felt so humiliated that he did not even want to set foot in the Great Hall for the rest of his life. He abruptly stood up, turned, and rushed out of the hall.

The Slytherin little snakes were still laughing.

Theodore folded a paper crane as well. His movements were more elegant than Malfoy's. Once he had finished folding it, he gently blew on it. The crane rose steadily into the air, crossed the hall at an unhurried pace, and flew toward Olivia, who was still eating at the Ravenclaw table.

The paper crane landed beside Olivia's plate. Olivia froze for a moment, then picked it up. A chorus of teasing shrieks erupted from the Ravenclaw table. Olivia clenched the paper crane in her palm and lowered her head, blushing.

Su Yu did not dare fold one. He feared that the number of paper cranes he would need could not be counted on one hand. If they flew off somewhere strange, that would be even more embarrassing.

The little snakes around him folded paper cranes one after another. Some flew toward the people they admired, some dropped halfway there, and some circled through the crowd several times without knowing whom to seek. Kurama crouched in front of him, pawing at a paper crane that had fallen onto the table and turning it over and over as though studying some new species.

The Slytherin little snakes continued praising their own kind of love, which could not be profaned by the likes of Lockhart. They felt that Lockhart's vulgar, extravagant way of scattering cards all over the place was simply an insult to love.

Professor Snape also seemed to be recalling something—his gaze had fallen on a paper crane on the table.

Then Su Yu said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Slytherin-style love: bully the person you like, send paper cranes to the person you like, watch the person you like get married..."

Professor Snape nearly smashed the cauldron beside him over Su Yu's head.

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into classrooms to distribute Valentine's cards, greatly irritating the teachers.

During that time, Su Yu had also asked Harry whether he had obtained that diary. Harry answered that he had not seen any diary, so Su Yu continued searching for clues about it.

In March, the Mandrakes in the greenhouses began their noisy gatherings, which made Professor Sprout very happy.

The Mandrakes' leaves shook constantly in their pots, brushing against one another with rustling sounds as though whispering among themselves. Their roots emerged from the soil and intertwined like hands clasped together in dance. Professor Sprout stood in the middle of the greenhouse, looking at the Mandrakes with a broader smile than ever.

"When they start moving into each other's pots, we will know that they have fully matured," Professor Sprout said during class. "Then we can revive those poor people in the Hospital Wing."

Over the Easter holidays, the second-years had to consider an important matter—they had to choose their third-year courses. It was something Hermione took very seriously, at least.

Su Yu did not care much. He would just follow Daphne; at the very least, he could copy her homework. Daphne flipped through the course catalogue, her finger slowly moving over the pages before finally tapping two classes.

Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

Su Yu took one look and thought, Well then, they've ended up choosing the same classes as Harry and Ron again.

It was not until Quidditch match day that Su Yu learned from Hermione that Harry had found that diary a long time ago, but had never told anyone. He had only let it slip because he lost the diary yesterday.

Su Yu was furious. Did that kid have no sense at all? He suspected this and that every day, liked shouldering everything by himself, and never considered anyone else or his own capabilities. Relying on the fact that he was the protagonist, he had wasted such a good opportunity. But there was nothing to be done now. Harry had already lost it, and there was no way to find it again. The person behind it all was hiding deeply. At least so far, Su Yu had not found anyone suspicious. He had even checked Percy; his unusual behavior was only because he was in love, not because he had gotten hold of some diary.

Since Harry had never told Hermione what was inside the diary, Hermione was still completely in the dark. She knew nothing either and could only accompany Su Yu to watch the Quidditch match.

The players began to enter the field to a warm welcome. Today's match was Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Wood even made a warm-up flight around the goalposts, his broom drawing a beautiful arc through the air as the Gryffindor students in the stands cheered thunderously.

The Hufflepuffs were still gathered together, using their final minute to discuss tactics. Several heads were huddled together, and someone nodded from time to time.

Su Yu had just been about to sit down when he saw Professor McGonagall half walking, half running across the field with a huge purple megaphone.

"The match is canceled," Professor McGonagall shouted into the megaphone at the crowded stadium.

Boos rose from all around. Wood looked utterly shocked. He immediately landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall.

"But Professor!" he cried. "We have to play... the Cup... Gryffindor—"

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued shouting through the megaphone, "All students are to return to their dormitories, where your Heads of House will give you further instructions. Everyone, go back immediately!"

Some students around her complained that the match had been canceled, while others looked deeply worried.

That evening, in the Slytherin common room.

Everyone had learned that another Ravenclaw student had been attacked.

Professor Snape stood before the fireplace, holding a roll of parchment. His black eyes gleamed in the firelight.

"All students must return to their dormitories before six o'clock in the evening. After six, no one may leave their dormitory. A teacher will accompany you to every class. Without a teacher present, you may not use the bathrooms or toilets. Quidditch practices and matches are postponed. All evening activities are canceled."

"Without question, we have never been as grieved as we are now. If the criminal behind these attacks is not caught, this school may very well be closed. Any student who possesses clues regarding this matter, please step forward bravely."