More than words

Yawning, Hannah entered the small dorm she shared with the other eighth-year girls. Not many students had decided to come back to Hogwarts to complete their education. It had been a long day for Hannah. She wanted nothing more than to lie on her bed and fall asleep instantly.

"Look what I found!" her fellow Hufflepuff, Susan Bones, beamed at her. "Flowers!" She was frantically pointing at a vase with little purple flowers on Hannah's nightstand.

"What?" Hannah asked blankly.

"Heartsease!" Susan exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "Someone sent you flowers."

"Maybe they're Hermione's," Hannah murmured, shrugging, and walked over to the bed. Who would send her flowers anyway?

However, against the vase leaned a little envelope, and on it: To Hannah Abbott.

"What does it say?" Susan squealed and sat down next to her on the bed.

All tiredness was forgotten, when Hannah broke the seal and opened the envelope. Inside was a small notelet, but all it said was: Viola Tricolor.

Hannah frowned, turning it over, but the reverse was blank.

"Just … the name of the flower," she mumbled. How strange.

Susan seemed disappointed and stopped asking her about a secret admirer after a few minutes.

However, when Hannah went up to the dormitory the next evening, she found another flower. Light blue of colour with thread-like leaves. Love-in-a-mist, she remembered. The letter was little more illuminating than yesterday. Nigella damascena, it read. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?

No name again. Why would that person send her such strange flowers? And why wouldn't he ask her out straight away?

"Another flower!" Susan exclaimed without warning, snatching the letter out of her fingers. "I knew it was a boy!"

"How would you know that it's a boy?" Hermione deadpanned, walking over to the excited Hufflepuff. Susan opened her mouth, but Hermione cut her off, "Love-in-a-mist. That means he's puzzled by you, Hannah."

Hannah stared at the Gryffindor, dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"

A light blush crept on Hermione's face. "Er. I read a lot." She bit her lip. "It's the language of flowers. Love-in-a-mist means 'you puzzle me'."

Hannah didn't need to ask how Hermione could possibly remember that. She seemed to have nearly encyclopaedic knowledge anyway. "What does the Viola Tricolor mean then?" she enquired.

"You occupy my thoughts," Hermione answered like a bullet from a gun.

"Awwww," Susan sighed. "Isn't he cute?"

"But why doesn't he just ask me?" Hannah asked, puzzled. Now he was puzzling her, it seemed.

"Boys," Hermione and Susan said in unison.

The next evening, Hannah was so tense she couldn't concentrate on her homework. What if he'd send another note? Taking a split-second decision, she sprinted upstairs.

Indeed, he had. On her bed laid a trumpet-shaped white flower. "Thorn-apple or devil's trumpets," Hermione supplied behind her. "I like your mystery man."

"Why? What does it mean?" Hannah asked and opened the envelope.

"I dreamed of thee," Hermione sighed, as if stuck in a fantasy of her own.

Hannah's mind raced. His flowers became ever more mysterious. The letter was – as usual – no help at all.

Datura stramonium. Leave your answer in the empty classroom on the 5th floor.

"What should I do?" she asked Hermione.

The other girl shrugged. "Send him a flower and a question. Tell him you'll give him an answer if you're sure this isn't a prank."

"And which?"

With a swift flick of Hermione's wand, a flower appeared. "Bittersweet," she clarified. "It means truth."

Hannah nodded and scribbled some words down on a paper: Who are you? Why me?

The reply came the next evening. A primrose.

"I can't live without you," Hermione supplied helpfully. "What did you ask?"

Suddenly, Hannah's mouth was very dry. The obligatory card only teased her further. You'll see if you go to Hogsmeade with me.

"Nothing," she murmured and leaned back on her pillow. She felt intrigued and almost compelled to say yes. Hannah needed to know who her secret admirer was. She'd stared at every boy in her class, but she just couldn't picture Draco Malfoy or Justin Finch-Fletchley sending her flowers.

"What do I answer?" she asked after a while.

Hermione, who had returned to her reading, looked up. "I can't tell you, Hannah. He's very sweet, though. I wish Ron'd send me flowers." She sighed. "Here. The striped carnation means no, the monochrome one yes. It's your decision."

Hannah took a deep breath, and then, she chose one of the flowers.

*Written for the Houses Competition, Round 8*

House: Ravenclaw

Category: Drabble

Prompt: Secret Admirer

W/C: 749

The meaning of the flowers are taken from : the language of flowers. com

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