Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own the fabulous works of J.K Rowling, and do not intend any copyright infringement through this story.
Anyhoo, I surprised myself by actually finishing this fairly quickly (I had a creative moment and was just like "EUREKA!!" and stayed up an hour later than I was supposed to madly typing :D) For people who don't know, this is the sequel to "Black Coffee"
Thanks to everyone who suggested I should write this (especially Astra 12, who was the first person to ask me to do it, and also gave me the title without knowing it!)
I also want to thank Gloobery Gloobery Gumdrops, who waited patiently while I bombarded her with ideas, and also was my beta for this story :D
Without further ado…
_____________________________________________________________________
On Top of the World
She silently sipped her black coffee as she stared contemplatively out of the window. It was the stereotype spring day. The sky was painted azure and peppered with clouds that looked as if they had been spun off of a cotton candy wheel. Flowers bloomed everywhere; the colours were so bright that it almost hurt to look at them. Birds soared through the air without a care in the world. She wished she could fly, feel so weightless that she just drifted away and left the world of worries.
It made her feel good that it was her second cup. Just a few more sips and the only trace that she had been there would be the two huge cups with a few drops of bitterness left. She never drank the whole cup, she was bitter enough without the help of that wretched drink.
As she exited, she walked away from the park. She avoided it as if it carried the Plague. It seemed tainted in her eyes though she had loved it at one point. She had loved the roses that gently swayed in the breeze and left you in an almost drunken state because of their heavy scent. She loved the way everyone seemed genuinely happy, you weren't strangers, just people who had never met.
But after what had happened she decided she wouldn't set herself up for heartbreak. She had done it one too many times, so everyday after her coffee she would walk away from that lovely park no matter how many times the gorgeous roses called out her name with their scarlet lips.
That evil voice in her mind haunted her though. It said "You're not being strong! Everyone will know how weak you are! Go back to the park, face your fears, you don't want anyone to know that you still think about him do you?" But she learned to block out that voice, she was becoming better at it, but she still found herself heading towards the park at times until she forced herself to walk away. She wasn't just walking away from the scene of heartbreak; she was walking away from the past.
Wandering aimlessly felt nice. She allowed herself to pay attention to the colours (how come the world had been in black and white for so long?) and for the first time since the day of the ball, she stopped to just… live. To appreciate life; to savor the moment.
And suddenly a voice began to echo in her head. Of course it had to come when she was enjoying life; it always did. She began to try and block it out until she realized it didn't sound like the annoying voice in her head. It sounded like her.
'The ceiling of Hogwarts is enchanted to look like the sky" It whispered gleefully. It paused before the next bit: "I read it in Hogwarts: A History" As soon as she heard those words, it was as if someone had opened the blinds in a room where no one had bothered to leave a light on. It felt as if she was Rip Van Winkle waking up after his 150 year nap. The world had changed, she no longer viewed things in monochrome, it felt as if the hundreds of colours she had missed so much came stampeding back. They hugged her and welcomed her; they whispered that they had been waiting for her so long. And that voice kept coming.
"Did you know that there are 142 staircases in Hogwarts? There are wide sweeping ones as well as narrow rickety ones and also ones that led different places on Fridays!"
"The Forbidden Forest has thestrals, bowtruckles, centaurs AND unicorns! Some of the trees in the dense forest are pine, yew, sycamore, beech and oak."
And then the voice wasn't just quoting the book that she often fondly stroked but never opened for fear of the unwanted memories it would bring, it was quoting millions of other things.
"A bezoar is a stone found in a goat's stomach and it saves you from most poisons"
"The Clabbert is a tree dwelling creature, in appearance something like a cross between a monkey and a frog. It originated in the southern areas of America, though it has since been exported worldwide"
"When pickled and eaten, these Murtlap growths promote resistance to jinxes and curses, though an overdose may cause slightly purple hair"
Oh! The wonderful information! The sights, the sounds, the smells! Everything she had learnt through her faithful friends who never left her lonely; her books. And on that day things got a little bit brighter.
She wasn't sure when she stopped moping. It could have been the day that she remembered all those wonderful facts, or the day she shook off the queasy feeling in her stomach and opened her dusty old school trunk filled with the past. It could have been any day, but it didn't matter, because piece by piece, she was picking up her life again.
Waking up every morning was no longer a burden; it was something she couldn't wait to do. She actually wanted to remember, she wanted to feel the pain. Because the only way she could move on was if she remembered.
She would still go back to that coffee hut and order two cups of bitterness, but each time she would bring a book with her. She wouldn't drown herself in her sorrows; she would kick off the bottom of the pool and drift back up. She wouldn't let him win.
And bit by bit it slowly came back to her. She could once again recite "Hogwarts: A History" from back to front. She felt as if she was back at Hogwarts itself; an excited teen who wanted to show the world that she could make her mark even if her blood wasn't pure.
Going back to a place that contributed to her heartbreak was extremely difficult. It took all her strength to keep herself from turning around and running. Running until her sides ached and she couldn't breathe and the world was spinning. But she steeled her nerves. She had lived in her pretend world hanging from a web of lies for too long.
She hesitated once again at the gate, but breathing in deeply, she stepped in and started walking. She didn't stop walking until she reached the exact same hill where she had sat with the person she had been so convinced she was in love with. She sighed at the roses. They sparkled in the sunlight in their scarlet, ruby and crimson glory. They pranced in the playful wind and begged her to dance with them. And she did. She twirled and spun and jumped and she felt so free as she danced alone to the music in her head, she felt that all the worries, all the heartbreak melt away. The mask that she put on everyday seemed so insignificant; so silly. It didn't matter now; all that mattered was the sun shining on her face as she let herself lose control to that bewitching melody.
She fell on the soft grass and sighed. The sun twinkled at her from above and she felt as if she was staring into the blue eyes of the silver haired man with the half moon spectacles. He had always believed in her. Believed in her abilities to achieve anything she wanted to. She missed him.
Lost in deep thought, she apparated home. What had happened to her? Heartbreak had happened. But why had it gotten to her so much? She had so much going for her- the Ministry had practically begged her to come and work for them. But she had declined, all because of heartbreak. The last time people had even heard of the great sidekick of the savior, it had been a story of disgrace. All because of heartbreak.
She didn't want her life to be one full of missed opportunities and lost chances. At a young age she had grown up thinking she would be somebody (wasn't that the dream of everyone at one point of their life?). But here she was lying in an empty, cold apartment. All alone.
Could she change her life? Could she turn it around just like that? Wave a wand and go back to being 14 and naïve? Maybe she wouldn't make so many mistakes that way. Shaking her head at such folly, she picked up another book and stroked the spine. It slowly opened and she looked inside. "Care of Magical Creatures" was written on the first page, in her neat small hand. She gently set it down and thought of the giant who had always welcomed her with a ready smile, a chipped mug of tea and plate full of rock cakes.
Sighing, the girl sitting in the empty apartment wondered why she was being so nostalgic. Hadn't she gotten over it? Why was she so caught up in the past? It angered her, she had tried to block it out for so long, and when she confronted it, it latched onto her. It occupied every corner of her house. It crawled into her bed at night and stroked her bushy hair in a comforting way, but she didn't feel comforted, she felt upset.
The past stayed with her for the next few weeks. When she walked into the kitchen it would smile at her with empty eyes. And when she left the apartment to drink her coffee it would wave her goodbye. When she slept, it would tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. Ignoring it only worked to a certain extent. If she ignored it, it would try harder, it would converse with her shadow and run its hands through her hair. It would hug her tight when she collapsed wearily near the fire. But one day it left as suddenly as it came, and in its place it left a letter.
Dear Ms. Granger,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is having a memorial service for all of those that have been lost in the war. Because of your key role in the Last Battle, it would be much appreciated if you would join us to commemorate the great people on March 12th, from 1:00 pm onwards.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Pomona Sprout
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
P.S Please be prepared to give a speech
She looked down at it and the feeling of dread crept up on her. Was she ready to face all her fears? She was surprised that she was even being acknowledged for her major part in the war, hardly anyone knew what she had done. She knew why the past had left her; she had come to her biggest test yet.
Her dress was sunshine yellow. It was a strapless dress and it had an intricate pattern of gold beads. She wore a pair of gold shoes with a slight heel. She left her hair down and decided against straightening it (she should be her signature self). Applying a clear lip gloss, she deemed herself ready.
She apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and stared at the immense grounds. A sigh escaped her lips as she set her eyes upon the castle. They had done a good job putting it back together, but there were some of the castle that looked so new. It didn't feel like home. Walking in, she stood out like a canary among a flock of ravens. Everyone was wearing black and shot her disapproving looks. She ignored them, just like she had ignored the looks she had received at the ball.
She stood at the fringe of things, observing all the familiar faces that surrounded her. She smiled at the half giant from a distance and he gave her a broad grin back. He waved and she smiled even wider. Some people did still care about her.
The speeches were rather boring, all repeating the same thing over and over. They spoke in a monotone, and she found herself nodding off several times. Then it was time for the last three speeches, the ones people had showed up for (though most of them showed up for two of them.)
The red head was first. He spoke in a grand voice, sucking up all the attention he was getting. People were glued to his every word as he exaggerated about how much he did for the war. In her opinion he made himself look like a total obnoxious prat.
Next was the savoir, who talked more obnoxiously than his best friend. He spoke with flamboyant hand gestures and seemed to not care about those who had died. Both of them never mentioned the people lost, not even once, but people loved them and worshipped them too much to notice.
Finally it was her turn, she was sure that everyone was staying just to be polite; no one really wanted to hear a speech made by the "girl who tagged along". She walked with her head held high and the people who had broken her admired her for being able to face her fears. No one could tell she was a shaking mess on the inside, and that every glance sent her way gave her the urge to sprint in the opposite direction. But she wouldn't. She was stronger than that.
After what seemed like hours of walking she reached the podium and a few people shot her filthy glares at wearing such a bright colour, while some had the audacity to boo her. Ignoring them she cleared her throat.
"Once upon a time a little girl received a letter that she was a witch. She was so excited; she finally had the chance to actually be somebody. She threw her heart and soul into studying, and this castle," She looked wistfully at the huge structure looking down on her, as if it was protecting her. "Yes, this castle became her home. She made her best friends here and together she had the best times in her life. But that didn't last, because an evil was lurking. It occupied the spaces where students didn't sit, it whispered in the years of frightened first years who dreamed of their parents. She fought this evil with every fibre of strength in her body, and one evening, just like that" she snapped her fingers, "she helped defeat it, and after years and years, it felt like she could breathe once again.
"But the evil never truly left her. It stayed with her when she would read the paper, reading of the deaths of all the people she loved and cared about. It stayed with her when she would fall into a restless sleep, where she would dream of the screams of innocent children who had to grow up too fast because of one man." She noticed that everyone was listening to her now and she carried on "and as the girl went through her life, her first kiss, her first love, her first heartbreak, the evil stayed on. And as hard as she tried to ignore it, it stayed there and it always will, because something like that can't just go away. As much as we wish it.
"That is my story, and as I stand here, in these ridiculously bright clothes I wish that the evil had just stayed locked up in its cupboard like a dejected boggart. The reason I don such a bright colour on such a gloomy day is because, the people we lost wouldn't want us to mourn them and live forever in a colourless world, we have done that far too long," shaking her head she continued; "no,they would want us to celebrate, celebrate that we had the power to conquer the evil in our lives, it may have been for only one night, but we could do it again. That's why I am dressed in the colour of sunshine, because as the sun smiles at me I feel as if the people I have lost to death and to fame" her eyes lingered over two figures as she said this. "Smile at me too…"
She smiled at the huge amount of applause and beckoned for them to stop. Leaning forward as if she was about to reveal a huge secret she continued in a hushed tone that was quiet, but everyone heard.
"I once heard that if you confess all your secrets to a butterfly, it will fly to the heavens and shed its multicoloured paint, and help conquer your evils; give your world a little colour." Raising her wand up she whispered a spell and suddenly thousands of butterflies appeared and spiraled to the realm of the unknown, their wings becoming a hurricane of colours.
Gasps and exclamations were heard as the people in the audience became innocent children once more. They reached up at the beautiful insects trying to tell them their secrets so they wouldn't live in such a dull world. Smiling once more she walked back into the shadows where no one would notice her. She could almost feel his eyes twinkling at her as he contemplatively stroked his beard.
"Excuse me! Granger right?" A slightly balding man said running towards her. She nodded and the man's eyes lit up. "Wonderful speech! Absolutely wonderful! Anyways, I've been trying to track you down for years! The smartest witch of our age just disappeared eh?" She nodded again, curious about what this man wanted. He seemed friendly enough.
"Anyways," she suppressed a smile at his extensive use of the word 'anyways' as he babbled on "You used to try and work for the betterment of house elves right?" nodding once again, she wondered when she had become a bobble head.
"Perfect! Anyways, would you like to work for the Protection of Magical Creatures unit in the Ministry?" She gazed at him in wonderment and slight suspicion, was he joking? Noticing that he wasn't, she smiled.
From a distance two people watched them converse, their faces remained stoic, but deep inside their old selves were ecstatic for the girl. From the other side a man with golden hair, someone whom she had used to call her prince, watched as well. He didn't let on that he had clapped the loudest (well, the second loudest, the stupid giant had been practically dancing as he clapped with his meaty hands), and simply turned away to his fiancé as he sipped his drink.
That was the day that Hermione Granger changed, and started seeing the world clearly. She no longer felt the need to drink two cups of black coffee, or put on a mask so everyone (especially those who had made her vulnerable) would know that she was strong. She was strong without her façade, she would always be. And the heartbreak that she thought had ruined her life actually helped her. She wouldn't be where she was now if it wasn't for it.
She laughed as she sashayed with the roses to the music that she pretended was there. The sun laughed along with her, and the old man with the twinkling eyes watched from a place where the world couldn't see him. Even he couldn't resist dancing along with her. As she twirled and pirouetted, she reached for the fluffy clouds and as she jumped, she felt like she would never come down. She was on top of the world.
AND SCENE! Well that is the final installation in the whole "Black Coffee" Trilogy, I don't think I could do anything more with this anyways… but there is another Dramione story coming soon :D
So… Loved it? Hated it? Thought it was ok? Then please review me! I would appreciate constructive criticism not just that "it was a piece of shit"
This has been an author's note from,
The Queen of Lunacy
xoxoxoxoxo