Time seemed to be moving all too fast for Eleanor's liking, especially with the Second Task approaching. Luckily, it just so happened that in Charms, Professor Flitwick decided to cover the Bubble-Head Charm one afternoon. The charm itself, allowed the caster to create a rather large bubble over their head, which would give them a continuous supply of oxygen. It was the perfect spell for Cedric, especially since they had been trying to figure out a way for him to breathe underwater for a possible hour.

It was the same evening after the lesson, where Cedric invited Eleanor to accompany him to practice the charm, and while he had invited Marnie along as well, she had declined as Lee asked her to spend some time with him. Cedric seemed disappointed initially but said nothing as he and Eleanor made their way out of the Hufflepuff Common Room and to the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor.

To anyone who had witnessed the two of them entering the prefects' bathroom at the same time, it would have appeared highly suspicious and quite scandalous, but really, it was nothing of the sort. Cedric filled the large bath and wearing a pair of shorts, climbed into the water, while Eleanor sat on the edge. He lifted his wand, practising the movement in the air, before looking over at Eleanor to make sure it looked right to her.

"So," he said at one point, "have you made plans for Valentine's Day this year?"

Eleanor folded her arms and looked at him. "Is that why you really brought me here, Queenie?"

"No, no," he grinned, "I brought you here with full intentions of having you help me and so we could spend some time together, but you can't blame me for being a little curious. Last year, you swore up and down that there was nothing between you and the Weasley twins, and yet, a year later, here we are. You're dating Fred Weasley."

Placing her hand into the warm bathwater, she proceeded to splash him in the face before letting out a small laugh.

"If you must know, we haven't made plans yet, but we still have some time," Eleanor shrugged, "but really, what can we do around the castle?"

"Well, don't go asking that question around, you'll get plenty of answers of things you can do around the castle," Cedric said with a knowing look.

It took a moment for Eleanor to figure out what he was hinting at before she scrunched up her face and went to splash at him again. He blocked the droplets of water with his hands while laughing at her rather innocent nature.

"Oh, come on, Ellie, you know I was only teasing," he said, "I wasn't saying that's what you two were going to end up doing. Judging by how long it took you two to get together, by the time you two have sex, we'll all be retiring from our careers."

"Cedric Queenie Diggory!"

Rather than using her hand to splash him, Eleanor removed her wand and caused a small tidal wave that dragged Cedric under the water for a few seconds. He quickly resurfaced, coughing up some of the bathwater.

"Bet you wish you knew how to do the Bubble-Head Charm now, don't you?" she said, folding her arms and looking away from them.

Cedric pulled himself out of the bath and came to sit next to her, shaking his hair dry. "It was a joke, Ellie."

"Yeah, well," her hands fell into her lap, "what plans have you made with Cho?"

As she waited for him to answer, Eleanor watched as Cedric scratched the back of his head. If they wanted to talk about the prior year, all Cedric had done was work the "Diggory Charm" in hopes of dating Cho. She was all he talked about, and he went to great lengths to show how much he liked her, attending her quidditch matches as emotional support and spending plenty of time with her.

But since the Yule Ball, Eleanor couldn't remember the last time she had seen Cedric and Cho spend some time together like they used to. Marnie had already stated that she felt like Cedric was flirting with her, so maybe he was slowly distancing himself from Cho without realising it. That was if he indeed fancied Marnie. And while Eleanor thought it would be great for her best friends to get together, she had the biggest fear that one of them was going to end up getting hurt.

"Haven't made plans yet," he answered finally, "I guess you're right, with no Hogsmeade trip scheduled, what is there to do? Although I overheard Lee saying that he was going to put together a lunch of sorts for him and Marnie on the grounds. I'm sure she's going to like that."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Eleanor hadn't felt as awkward around Cedric since their own failed date, but rather than saying anything else on the topic, she decided to redirect them back to why they were there originally.

"Professor Flitwick said that bad breath can cause the charm to wear off sooner, so make sure your breath is minty fresh the day of the task!"

Between the actual practice of the charm and splashing around, the two were successful in Cedric learning the Bubble-Head Charm and they hoped it would be enough to get him through the Second Task. After leaving the prefects' bathroom, Cedric said he was going to go find Cho and hope that maybe she had a good idea for Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, Eleanor thought she should do the same and find Fred. However, in the midst of her search, she found Doncho and Vidar leaving the Great Hall. As soon as they spotted her, they waited for Eleanor to reach them, both of them smiling, while holding hands.

"Hi!" she greeted them. "How are you two? I feel like every time I see you it's in between us changing classes and I never have time to stop and talk."

"We're good," Doncho said, glancing over at Vidar who nodded in agreement, "of course, we never really got a chance to properly thank you for helping us, Ellie."

"No, no, you don't have to thank me," Eleanor shook her head, "I was glad to help. How did everyone take the good news?"

"Well, most of our peers seem to be okay with it," he answered, "a few of them have made it clear that they don't like it. But luckily, they're a lot smaller than us, so they don't have the nerve to say it to our faces. I think I can manage that. As for my parents, my mother is supportive, and my father didn't flat out say he had anything against it, I think he just needs some time. And Vidar's parents..."

"My mother's first word was finally," Vidar chuckled, "and my father said he won the bet, so I guess they were supportive in their own way."

Eleanor sighed in relief. "I'm so glad that it worked out for the most part."

"I wouldn't have worked up the nerve if it wasn't for you, Ellie."

Suddenly, she was brought into a strong group hug as the two boys squeezed her tightly and when they released her, they told Eleanor they needed to head back to the ship to finish up some of their schoolwork. She waved goodbye to them but didn't find herself alone for long as a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" she heard Fred's voice ask, leaving a grin to form on her lips.

"Can I get a hint?"

"It's your favourite Gryffindor."

"Wow, Harry, you've gotten taller, and your hands have gotten bigger- "

The hands were quickly removed, and Eleanor was spun around to face Fred, who placed his hands on his hips, tapping his foot against the floor.

"You know, the first time, I'll admit, it was a little funny, but now, it's just hurting my feelings."

As he pouted, Eleanor laughed and took a step forward to pinch his cheeks lightly. "Aww, poor wittle Freddie," she replied in a mocking tone, "I was only joking, of course, you're my favourite Gryffindor."

"That's better."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I've been looking for you actually," Fred told her, "But I couldn't find you anywhere, figured you were in the Common Room, so I thought I would come to the Great Hall and wait until you showed up."

"What a coincidence, I was looking for you too," Eleanor said, "Cedric and I just finished up in the prefects' bathroom and..."

Her voice trailed off as Fred's eyes widened and it took her a second to realise what she had said.

"Oh, that sounded so bad!" she shrieked. "I didn't mean it like that! We were practising the Bubble-Head Charm and...please stop looking at me like that! We didn't do anything- "

Suddenly, Fred started laughing as she rambled on in such a panic. Her explanation came to an end and rather than saying anything else, she started to walk away from him, only to have Fred pull her back into a hug.

"I understand, love, you and Cedric wanted to take a bath together- "

"Fred!"

"Anyway, the whole reason I was coming to find you was in regard to Valentine's Day," he said, "I wasn't sure if you had plans on that day specifically, you know, in case you and Cedric needed to take another bath or something. But if you didn't, I'd like to take you out on a date. I know there isn't a scheduled Hogsmeade trip, but I have something in mind. So, what do you say?"

"I'll say yes if you agree to never bring up the bath thing again."

"What bath thing?"

"It's a date then."

When Valentine's Day finally arrived, Fred found himself actually quite nervous about his date with Eleanor. Of course, anyone would have questioned why considering the two of them had been dating for several weeks and seemed perfectly content with each other. However, if Fred was being completely honest, he still found himself nervous when it came to his relationship with Eleanor.

It was the first relationship he had ever been in and Eleanor had even been his first kiss. And while they had both flirted with one another for several months, Eleanor seemed to be the bolder one in the relationship. More often than not, she initiated the kiss, usually asking him if he was alright with it. He wondered if she could sense his nerves all the time and that was why she asked so often, or maybe she was just nervous too.

Either way, he didn't want Eleanor to feel like she was in a one-sided relationship, so he hoped the date he had planned would be enough to show her without him flat out saying it and having the moment turn awkward.

They were supposed to meet outside of the Entrance Hall and as punctual as always, Eleanor was already there when he arrived. She greeted him with a smile, seemingly in a good mood since the other day in Apparition class and she had finally managed to move halfway into her wooden hoop.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" she asked him, only to have her expression be swept over with confusion as Fred held something up in his hand. "What's with the blindfold?"

"Well, it's supposed to be a surprise, but I know if I tell you to simply close your eyes, you're going to peek."

"I will not!"

A few seconds of silence passed before Eleanor sighed and snatched the blindfold from his hand. "Oh, alright."

Once she was blindfolded, Fred led the way, pushing her along gently, but Eleanor didn't have full confidence with his directions as she took small, very hesitant steps. At one point, they hadn't even managed to make their way down the corridor to head outside when Professor McGonagall was strolling past and caught sight of them. She paused as Eleanor had her hands out in front of her, clearly struggling to walk normally.

As she eyed Fred, he flashed her a smile before they continued on their way.

"Fred, this is ridiculous!" Eleanor huffed as she nearly tripped over something as they ventured outside. "I can't see anything!"

"Yes, love, I'm aware, thus the blindfold."

"Okay, I know you don't want me to see the surprise, but I'd like to see where I'm going! I almost broke my neck back there."

"Will you just trust me?" Fred said. "I'm not going to let you fall!"

"It's not you I don't trust, it's the tree roots and the rocks I don't trust!"

Two seconds later, Eleanor tripped and fell to the ground, leaving Fred to grimace.

"On second thought, I have a better idea," he said after helping her to her feet.

But rather than placing her over his shoulder, he decided it would be a little more romantic to carry Eleanor in his arms. She didn't seem to complain at all, although she asked again if she could take off the blindfold, to which he responded with a no.

"Can you at least give me a hint as to where we're going?"

"Uh, let's see, you've been to this place before."

He could hear her grumbling under her breath at the very vague hint. "Wow, way to narrow down the possibilities."

"I thought Hufflepuffs were known for their patience."

"Really, it's almost like I have my own personality outside of some dated sorting method."

Fred always enjoyed the little bit of fieriness that would emit from Eleanor when she was annoyed by something. As a bit of a tease, he pretended to nearly drop her, causing her to screech as her hands clung to the front of his robes.

"That wasn't funny!" She lifted her hand to smack him repeatedly.

"Ow! You hit me in the eye!"

"Oh, did I really?" Her tone changed drastically. "I'm so sorry! I thought I was aiming for your chest and- "

"Only joking," he said, "you didn't get me in the eye. Although my arm does hurt now."

"Serves you right for- ARGH! STOP DOING THAT!"

Like a cat trying to avoid being dropped into a pool of water, Eleanor had a firm grip on Fred's robes as he purposely pretended to almost drop her several times before they reached their destination. As soon as she was placed on her feet, Eleanor ripped the blindfold off as Fred turned her around to see where they were.

"And you brought me to...the Quidditch Pitch?"

To Fred's relief, Eleanor didn't seem disappointed by the destination but rather confused by it as she turned to him, waiting for an explanation. He didn't say anything right away, grabbing her hand and leading her up the stands to sit down.

"I figured that everyone was going to be around the castle today," he said, "and I wanted to spend the day with just the two of us and no, it's not because Lee's tarantula has a cough. But since Quidditch was cancelled this year, what's a better place to be alone?"

"Aw Fred," she said softly, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, but you could open your gift."

"Gift? But we didn't say anything about gifts!"

"Oh, quit fussing and just open it!" Fred chuckled before placing the small gift in her hands.

She gave him a look, noting that they hadn't agreed to give each other any gifts, however, he could also see the hesitation on her face as she started to peel off the wrapping paper, very slowly. After multiple pranks back and forth, several of which involved gifts, he couldn't blame her for being somewhat cautious. She had just pulled back a corner when he let out a loud yell that nearly caused her to topple backwards off the stands as she threw the gift away from her.

He quickly jumped up to retrieve the gift, just as Eleanor was attempting to leave, but he grabbed her at the last second and pulled her to sit in his lap.

"Alright, that was the last one I swear," he promised, "I have to get it out of my system somehow, I haven't been able to prank you any other way."

Finally, Eleanor seemed to gain the courage enough to open the gift, tilting her head curiously as she could fee the texture of yarn before lifting up the item completely.

"Do you like it?" Fred asked.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean 'what is it?' It's a scarf! I made it for you!"

After nearly suffering several heart attacks that afternoon from Fred's playful nature, none of them had left Eleanor as breathless as she found herself staring down the knitted scarf, he had made her. Of course, it wasn't the best scarf she had ever seen as the stitching was loose and rather jumbled, but the fact that he had made it for her, left Eleanor speechless for a few moments.

"You made this for me?" she whispered.

"Y-yes," he stammered, turning slightly red, "I know it's not the best, but do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it," she told him honestly, "but where did you learn to knit?"

"Well, I've watched my mother do it over the years," he admitted, "but recently, I noticed Hermione has been knitting plenty in the Common Room and when I asked her, she said she learned how from you. So, I guess, learning from her was actually learning from you."

"And Hermione actually agreed to teach you?"

"Not without a price," Fred said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a S.P.E.W. badge. "And then I had to knit at night after everyone had gone to bed. Could you imagine if George or Lee caught me, I would never hear the end of it."

The visualisation of Fred knitting was enough to make Eleanor melt.

Fred observed her wrap the scarf around her neck, noticing how terrible it actually looked out in the daylight, while also noticing that Eleanor wore it like it was the finest scarf in the entire world. All he wanted to do in those moments was kiss her because she looked adorable, but he could already feel himself growing nervous. Flirting had been so much easier because it was almost like a game in a way of who could get the other more flustered.

But when it came to kissing or anything of the sort, Fred always found himself wondering if he was doing something right or wrong. It didn't help that she was looking at him at that very second as if she were waiting on him to initiate something. She was still sitting in his lap and as close as she was, Fred was starting to grow paranoid that she could hear how hard his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Fred, are you alright?" she asked him, breaking the silence as one of her hands, gently trailed over the side of his face. "What's wrong? I promise I love the scarf. If anything, I can show you how to tighten your stitches, if you'd like..."

Finally, he couldn't take the look of concern on her face anymore and he realised that he would never get better if he didn't actually do it. So, placing his nerves aside, he reached his own hand up and brought it to the side of Eleanor's face. He didn't ask to kiss her verbally but he met her gaze, making it a silent question of whether or not she would allow him to.

The way she nuzzled the side of her face into the palm of his hand was the clear sign that she was saying yes. Gently, he guided her closer to him, to the point where their noses were almost touching, and he could feel the soft tickle of her breath against his lips.

Against the cold air of mid-February, Eleanor's lips were warm against his as he closed the remaining gap between them. He kept the kiss brief, but as soon as he pulled away and felt the coldness return, he pulled her in for another and another. With each kiss, he pulled Eleanor closer to him and Eleanor reacted naturally by draping her arms around his neck and shoulders loosely.

If this was their first official Valentine's Day together as a couple, Fred looked forward to every single one that was to come.