A thick cloud of perfume sprayed forth, directly into Harry's face. Harry sneezed violently, then coughed, then sneezed some more. He tried to suck in enough oxygen, which proved to be more difficult than he'd imagined. It was like hanging upside down over a smelly cauldron, though the scent of the letter was not entirely unpleasant, he had to admit.

Then the paper mouth moved closer to Harry and started whispering in his ear. At its words, Harry felt his face grow warm. His heartbeat seemed to slow down, even though he felt his pulse racing and his blood rushing in his ears - especially the one where he felt a papery tongue flickering.

"I love your hair;
it fits to you -
I love the air
surrounding you -
Each night I pray
to be with you -
I wish to say
that I love you!"

Harry's breath hitched; he didn't even feel all the eyes watching him. It seemed as if the sole interest of the students was entirely focused on Harry and his whispering love letter. Even a few teachers watched curiously. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like a Muggle disco ball. It was a good thing no one paid him attention; looking into his eyes when he was in this state would be similar to looking unprotected into the sun - resulting in blindness in both cases. Lupin sent Snape a grin, raising his brows. Snape, reminded of the day when he'd received a Whisperer from his lover - though, thankfully, it had happened in a far more private place - blushed uncomfortably despite himself.

When the letter was finished, it flew once again in front of Harry. It stuck out its tongue, though not at all like a Howler would, before exploding in a flurry of pink hearts. The colour on Harry's face became a shade darker yet again. When he realised that the hammering of his heart wasn't the noise in the Great Hall, and that the entire Great Hall was actually waiting raptly for his reaction, Harry sank lower in his seat.

"So?" cried Seamus across the table. "Who was it from and what was the message?"

"Leave him," snapped Hermione, though it was clear to see that she wanted to know just as badly. "That's none of your business."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "We get to know first, right, Harry?"

Harry felt as if he was glowing. He didn't know why, but he wasn't hungry anymore. He pushed back his seat, mumbling something about having forgotten his Potions textbook, and hurriedly left the Great Hall.

Follow to the Hallway