I actually wrote this story a loong time ago, and it's only recently that I decided to edit and publish it here. This is written before I read this other story "supernova" by rawrchelle (go read her, she is absolutely amazing! she's on my list of favorite authors) that has a very similar writing style as this; you know, the sun, the sky, and the earth thingy? Yeah, that's practically this same. I can truthfully and proudly say that this one-shot absolutely belongs to me, even though, while I was editing, I kinda used similar vocabulary as rawrchelle, but by no means was I attempting to 'steal' it. So this story is also dedicated to you, rawrchelle. Thank you for being such an amazing and inspiring author, and sorry if you thought I stole your idea. :/
But, mostly, this story is for one of my awesome-est friends, Niry Kacille (go read her, too! she's amazing!), who shares similar interests with me in anime and Harry Potter, and all those other epically awesome stuff. I miss hanging out with you, Niry! Hope you'll like this. :) You're awesome!
Anyways, sorry with the blabbering. I'm gonna shut up, now.
Imperfection
~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~
None of them are perfect.
You're not just saying this because you've always despised them, like a Slytherin should to The Three Gryffindor Trio, but as you sit with your father in the study months after the war where The Dark Lord was defeated, the idea of them finally strikes you.
They're like the making of the world.
Harry Potter can be unpredictable, yet do things unsurprisingly; he can be calm, yet hot-headed; he's the one most people would notice first. The sea.
You don't see the ocean everywhere, just like you don't often see people adorned with a lightning scars and had survived the death curse from the most evil lord. On the shore, seas can be calm, sometimes even gentle; but if you dare go further, there will be larger waves that will toss and turn and can engulf you in one splash. They are powerful, everyone knows, but storms happen.
And then, there's Hermione Granger. She's the sun, the brightness, and though her intelligence and what she knows can enchant and exhilarate many people, sometimes you can't help but want the sun to go away; to stop shining.
She's always the top. In school, you were the best in your house. You were rich, handsome, popular, and you can always somehow prove that you know anything and everything. Yet, even so, you're not even near intelligent whenever she's around.
And the last one people see, or sometimes ignore all together, is Ronald Weasley, the earth. He's often in the background, watching the sea and sun's every move as they take a step before him. He's quiet, naive, and can be quite stupid under certain circumstances. Sometimes you wonder how he even got into Gryffindor if he had such a big fear of spiders, and weakens at the sight of them.
He waits for the sea waves to roll onto the shore, and stands there as the sun shines its brightest before him. He doesn't complain, even if he might be thinking it, but he's the stability.
All of them have their perfections, but none of them are even near flawless.
Yet, when together, the traits they contain and sometimes share all fit together like puzzle pieces.
The world would be a disaster if split apart.
~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~
You see their faces on the Daily Profit, their arms linked together as they beamed at the camera and the shining lights in the picture blinds you. They are heroes, saviors, and defeated evil without undertaking too much sin. They're what everyone wants to be.
Years before, you first see their faces separately, at different settings. You first saw Weasley, and his red-headed family, as they scurried around and took luggage out from their beat-up car, stumbling. You sneered at their family and stuck your nose up, proud of how wealthy and intelligent and how different you are from him. He was nothing but a loser; always the one doing the least things and understanding the least knowledge. You never would have guessed that he would be the hero he is today; the one who risked his life to save his friends and everyone without thinking the consequences and pain that he might endure.
Then, you see Granger. She was walking down the narrow isle of the train as she looked for a pet toad of Longbottom, her wild, frizzy hair cupped her cheeks and her face as she whipped her head around and rolled her eyes at other people's stupidity. She was a know-it-all, annoying, mudblood, nowhere near a statistic as close to yours and never will be. She was brash, buck-toothed, proud, and you never knew she would become the woman she is today; accomplished, heroic, beautiful, and you sometimes wonder why you've never looked at her that way before.
Finally, you see Potter, the one you should've noticed since the beginning when you brushed pass him on the train, not knowing who he was. He had The Scar, the mark of a Chosen One; he would've made a great ally to just stick by your side and remain as your follower as you tell him what to do and have him become like you. He refused, and you scowled, vowing that this disdainful little brat will never get in the way of your own accomplishments and what you want. He was a loser, hanging out with those other two, and he thought he was so amazing. But there you were, once more, deducting the wrong conclusion. He's not a loser, not when he is the actual one that had saved all of your lives from misery and protected you from any further harm. He is your savior.
You remain expressionless as your father sees the paper and blows up about how pathetic they are and how they ruined your lives. You don't listen.
Because you know he is wrong.
~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~
You graduate from Hogwarts, finally, 2 years after rebuilding and recovering from the war. Granger came back for her last year of school, as well, but Weasley and Potter remain in the crowd as we proceed on with the ceremony. You pass her as McGonagall announces your name and she comes steps off from stage while you walk on. She gives you a polite nod, stiff, and you return the gesture with more formality. You stop when you're next to the Headmaster, and from the corner of your eyes, you see her smiling sadly down at her lap after she sits down in the crowd.
After it's all over, your parents immediately pull on your arm in attempt to drag you away from this place. And though you've never really liked this school, you know that you will miss it dearly. Too many things had happened here, and even if you're too stubborn to admit it, you know that this place is a second home to you.
The three of them are part of this home, too. So, does that make you family?
As you start to walk out of the Great Hall with your father stiffly in front of you and your mother beside you, you see the three again. Granger laughs and smiles as Potter and Weasley envelope her in a huge embrace, and she returns the gesture just as warmly. You envy them; the world, and how close they were and are and always will be. You envy their friendship. And though this is a very uncharacteristic suggestion that your mind makes, you still know it's true that you actually want to be a part of them. You can be a cloud, a seaweed, or a rock: just something that you know can belong to a small part of them.
But you are part of the world.
~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~
They are getting married; all three of them.
It did not surprise you when you hear that Potter and Weasley's little sister announced their engagement first, because you saw them kissing during the war; you saw their adorned expressions of love for each other on their faces. She looks beautiful, and it isn't surprising, since you've always -very deep down- admired her for her beauty and wits, even if she had been a pathetic little Weasel. Potter wore a black tuxedo and new but same style glasses. They look happy.
Then comes the announcement of the wedding of the two close friends.
You are slightly shocked when you see the paper explaining that Weasley and Granger are getting married. You've guessed once that the two had something together, but they had never announced it until now. She wears a simple white dress, clinging to her matured body as she walks down the isle and takes her fiance's hand. She never looked more beautiful, more stunning. Weasley is shining.
It surprises you that you feel a strike of regret when you see the two kissing after they made their vows, and the church bursts into cheers as the two runs down the isle with their hands intertwined, beaming. It surprises you that you wish you knew Granger would be the woman she is now, years before.
It surprises you the most that you had been invited to both ceremonies.
~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~.x.~
You are sending your only son off to his first year of school. He walks, like you, in even strides beside you, his head high and confident and sure just as you were before. Somehow, you manage to catch the three's attention. They are, unsurprisingly, still close and together.
Their children look at you and your offspring, curious but alert. The parents look at you as well.
The earth, originally clumsy and unrecognized, now stands there tall and profound, his red-headed daughter beautiful and blooming beside him. He gives you a curt nod, but nothing more, and he immediately looks away. Though the gesture was small and short, you sense the hatred he held for you slowly fading away.
The sea, unknowing and curious as he was before, is still looking heroic and courageous, and you feel as if he is daring you to do something more when he gives you a bigger nod and a slight raise of an eyebrow. His son peers at you in curiosity, and you immediately flash back to the time he and you officially met and the entrance of Hogwarts. He has forgiven you for your horrible deeds, and you realize he had a long time ago.
The sun, stubborn and annoying and buck-toothed as she used to be, stands beside her husband beautifully and vibrant, and she is the last to notice you. Her daughter tugs at her sleeve when she catches you and her father's eye, and her mother finally looks at you. After all the years you've been thinking, regretting, and wishing it could all start over, she is the one you wish you would never see, because at one point -though it may be very short- she trusted you, and you to her. You still look back at her when her gaze meets yours, and she gives you a reassuring smile.
You nod back to all of them, and lead you and your son away.
You wish you are a bigger part of them; the world. You wish you could someday find a family like those three have built to form a connection so strong and passionate and loving, that they literally make other's lives better. The earth had never been so sturdy; the sea never so powerful; and the sun never so magnificent. You wish you knew before what you know now.
None of them are perfect; but when together, they can still make the whole universe.
Wow. . . this actually turned out much sadder than I intended it to be. I mean, it's not actually sad, but you get what I mean. Oh! By the way, I am accepting requests for writing stories if any of you are interested in my work. Go check my profile if you actually liked this, I'd be glad to write you something. :) I hope you liked it, Niry and rawrchelle if you ever read this!
Until next time!