Secret Admirer

Part I

A/N: This is no Voldemort AU. He was defeated in 1980 and everyone lives.

Face Casts:

Hermione Granger: Emma Watson

Theodore Nott: (Young) Wentworth Miller

xXx

The first package came for Hermione with the morning post on Monday. A long rectangular box wrapped in brown paper and secured with red ribbon.

"What is it?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food. With George on one side of her and Fred on the other they leaned into her space and grinned.

"How would she know?" George replied.

"She hasn't opened it yet, Ronniekins." Fred finished, mockingly.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, open it." Ginny piped up from Harry's side across the table.

All Gryffindor eyes were on her as she carefully untied the ribbon. Soon enough she was pulling off the lid, sending an audible gasp around the table at what was revealed.

Hermione stared in awe of the most beautiful long stemmed red roses she had ever laid eyes on. They were perfectly laid, not a flaw among their velvety red petals and they were all tied together with a matching red bow; flecks of gold streaked through it.

"There's a card." Fred said pointing to the tiny envelope tucked near the bottom. Hermione pulled it free and opened it.

Hermione read it to herself a smile spreading across her lips.

"Well, what does it say?" Ginny exclaimed unable to take the suspense.

"The course of true love never did run smooth." George recited, reading over her shoulder. Hermione rolled her eyes and gently nudged them out of her personal space.

"It's a line from one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer's Nights Dream." Hermione explained. She read the card again, the same smile starting again, before she carefully slipped the card back into the envelope and then into her pocket.

"That's so romantic." Lavender cooed on Ron's far side.

Ron sneered, "Their just flowers." But Lavender ignored him. Sighing wistfully as the box was resealed and Hermione stood up.

"No worried Lav Lav, I'm sure you'll find someone who will send you flowers one day." Fred replied. Hermione tried not to laugh at Ron's outrage.

"What about me?" He exclaimed without thinking, as usual.

"What about you?" George questioned. All at once the fight drained out of Ron as he considered his lack of argument.

"I'm going to drop these off in the dorm. I'll see you in class." Hermione spoke up, cutting off the argument that was inevitable.

"Wait, hold on, you never said who they were from." Ron stopped her short.

"There was no name." Hermione told him shortly, before turning on her heels and walking out.

"Probably sent them to herself." Ron muttered when she was gone, missing the pointed glares from his siblings as he tucked into his breakfast again.

The second package came with the evening post. A small box wrapped in brown paper and secured with twine.

"Another one?" Ron questioned, barely covering his outrage. He was largely ignored.

"What is it this time?" Ginny asked excitedly, leaning to the side as far as possible. Hermione opened the box. "A cupcake?" Ginny continued confused. She looked up to see Hermione smiling brightly.

"It's not just any cupcake." she told her.

"What's so special about it?" Fred asked.

"Does it make you grow?" George continued.

"Or does it cure boils?" Fred added.

"Ooo, or maybe it turns your tongue green." George suggested.

"It doesn't do anything but taste good." Hermione interrupted their back and forth. "It's my favorite from my favorite bakery in London."

Hermione replaced the lid and pulled the tag card off the twine.

"The sight of lovers feedeth those in love." Hermione read aloud.

"More Shakespeare?" Neville questioned. Hermione nodded.

Through the course of the week eight more packages came, all of which were relatively simple, but no less thoughtful or beautiful for that matter. Whoever was sending them, had to know her well. The gifts included various bouquets of flowers, books and her favorite sweet treats, all of which were near impossible to get from Hogwarts given that all of them came from muggle shops.

"So whoever is sending this stuff must be muggleborn." Ginny guessed after the tenth package, a leather bound copy of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, was dropped with the evening post on Friday night.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked, lifting the pillow on his lap as Ginny threw her legs across his, her back against the arm of the sofa.

"Well, a bunch of the gifts come from muggle shops, so they'd have to have someone physically go there and then send it through the post."

"That doesn't mean it's a muggle born." Fred replied. "It could be a half blood."

"Or a pureblood." George added.

Ron snorted. "You can rule out Slytherins then."

"It's not 1980 anymore. Even some of the staunchest pureblood extremists have turned over a new leaf as they say." Neville replied.

"Yeah, whatever." Ron muttered, slouching down into the couch cushions. He didn't like this conversation one bit. In fact, this entire week had been awful. It wasn't enough that Hermione was getting those packages, but everyone insisted on talking about them too. Speculation was circulating over her secret admirer, ranging anywhere from Viktor Krum to someone trying to prank her. Ron was still, at least partially, convinced that she was sending them too herself. How else could someone gift her with things so personal so specific.

"Hey, where is Hermione anyway?" Fred spoke up.

Ginny shrugged. "I think she said she was going to the library."