You had been stressing about Oliver’s birthday for weeks. You wanted it to be perfect—but keeping it a secret from him was proving harder than any exam.

Luckily, Hermione had agreed to help.

“First rule,” she said firmly, perched on the edge of your bed with parchment and quill in hand, “we need a plan. And I mean a detailed plan. Timelines, contingency measures, enchantments for secrecy…”

You blinked. “Hermione, it’s just a birthday surprise.”

“Just a birthday surprise?” she echoed, eyes wide. “Do you know how easily Oliver gets distracted? If we don’t plan this perfectly, he’ll ruin it himself.”

With that, Hermione launched into full Operation Birthday Mode. You two spent hours plotting. She enchanted a few pieces of parchment to move silently across the castle for secret messages, created a tiny charm to make the cake invisible until the exact moment, and even mapped out a diversion so Oliver would be distracted while you set up.

The day finally came. You were crouched behind a stack of crates in the Gryffindor common room, trying not to giggle as Hermione peeked over her shoulder.

“Phase one: distraction,” she whispered. “I’ll send Harry and Ron to ‘borrow’ Quidditch equipment. That should pull him to the training pitch.”

You nodded, holding your breath as Hermione whispered a quick charm over the cake. It shimmered faintly, nearly invisible to anyone who wasn’t enchanted to see it.

“Phase two: setup,” she continued, directing you with meticulous care. Streamers appeared with a flick of her wand, enchanted confetti floated above, and the cake levitated perfectly onto the table. Hermione even placed a small charm on the broomstick Oliver loved most, so it would nudge him toward the surprise at just the right moment.

Finally, you both hid behind a curtain, hearts pounding.

“Any second now,” Hermione muttered, adjusting her glasses.

A loud commotion echoed from the Quidditch pitch. You heard Oliver’s voice, frustrated and barking orders, clearly unaware. Then the footsteps started approaching the common room.

Hermione took a deep breath. “Get ready.”