Words by Nousia Rating: PG Ship: Harry & Hermione Canon: Books 1 - 4 Genre: Romance Status: Complete Length: 728 words in 1 chapter Published: 18 Apr 2004 Last updated: 18 Apr 2004 Words. She needed words. Letters, sentences to explain. Only they could tell what this was that she felt. What her feelings were. Only words could explain. [Yet *another* nonsensical Harry x Hermione drabble] From the Unofficial Portkey Archive: https://portkey-archive.org/story/2076/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Words Disclaimer: Not mine. You know the drill. Only the story is mine. Characters and other HP universe related things all belong to J.K. Rowling and other related companies. Author’s Note: A short drabble. And a weird one, at that. Very reminiscent of A Fact In Itself. Oh well. The words written in italics are her conscience. If you want to call it that. They had been studying together in the library when it happened. She was reading her favorite book, So Called Flaws in Arithmancy and thumbing over various spells for her Charms explanation. He was working on his Potions essay. Nothing was aloof; it seemed like an everyday, common thing that they did. So why on this particular day she noticed that everything wasn’t what it seemed? Nothing was out of place; books were stacked in tall, neat piles (or scattered along the table, in this case) and the shelves were in straight rows. And the atmosphere at the table where they were studying was comfortable. So what was this uneasy feeling she had? She briefly wondered if she was hallucinating. But no, she wasn’t. And all the proof she needed was what she was feeling then: the sudden uncomfortable feeling, her quailing urge to get out of there as fast as she could . . . Yet she stayed where she was and ignored the feeling. This was strange. Very odd. What had bought this on? Looking over at him, she realized that he was the cause of all this. Somehow. He was causing all this anxiety and weird feelings that she was having. Unthinkable? She had a very strong hunch why she was feeling this way . . but she chose not to voice it aloud, not to pronounce it. Not even in her mind. She didn’t want to face it yet. Her brow creased in thought; she couldn’t block out of her mind. She had to face it sooner or later. Just not right now. Why put it off? Her mind questioned. It’s better if you face it now. That way you can know the truth and get it over with. But that was not the only reason. Oh, no. There was something else. If she faced it later on it would be too late. She bit her lip. What could she do, then? She knew it, acknowledged it. What else was left to be said? A confession? Letting him know of this? Oh, how could she have even thought of that? It wasn’t a death sentence . . nor would it end their friendship, she reasoned. Hopefully. It was better to let it out and not have this secret buried within her until – who knew how long! Then what to do? She had finally decided . . she knew she had to tell him. So what if he rejected her? The boy didn’t know what he was missing, then. How would she do it? Words. She needed words. Letters, sentences to explain. Only they could tell what this was that she felt. What her feelings were. Only words could explain. That’s not the answer. They’re not the answer. Words couldn’t explain this. A letter or a symbol couldn’t, either. If she thought any longer about this she had no doubt that her head would explode. She took a slow, deep breath and exhaled. She could handle this. She could face the undeniable truth. And if she dawdled any longer she would lose her chance. So go for it. There’s nothing to lose. She faltered for a second. Words couldn’t help her. Then what could help her? she wondered. Her heart. As incredibly corny and ridiculous that sounded, she knew that it was true. Only her heart could help her. Not her mind. All right. Now go for it. Before she said anything however, he looked up from the books scrambled haphazardly all around him and fixed his unwavering gaze on her. Then he smiled slightly. “Words can’t truly express everything, you know.” Then she understood. There was no need to tell him, for he already knew. With one glance and not a word spoken, he knew. This didn’t make her feel see through, transparent. Without even telling him what she felt, he already knew. “I know,” was all she said. And she meant it. “They can’t.” He grinned. Now they both knew.