A Lighter Shade of Black
Memories of Us
Forget his name, forget his face
Forget his kiss and warm embrace
Forget the love that once was true
Remember how he betrayed you
Forget the times you spent together
Remember now he's gone forever
…
She stared up into the man's face, he seemed to know her… What was going on? She didn't know him, she couldn't even remember her own name.
"Mummy!"
Her head snapped to the her left to see a small girl with jet-black curls rushing towards her, her piercing blue-gray eyes twinkling. The girl was soon followed by a blonde man with those same piercing blue-gray eyes. That must have been her father…
She was brought out of her thoughts with an 'oof' when the girl flung herself around her legs.
"Excuse me, sir, but could you please get your daughter off of me?" she requested.
He looked at her like she was crazy. "Black, that is not even funny."
She furrowed her brow. "What did you call me?"
"Black. You know, Nicole Rosemarie Black?" he said, "Your name?"
The girl released her legs and stepped back to the blonde.
"Oh!" she smiled shyly, "So my name is Ni-Nicole?"
All three nodded. The girl stuck out her bottom lip and tugged on her sleeve.
"Don't you remember me, Mummy?"
Nicole's eyebrows hit her hairline. "Mummy?"
Nicole looked down into her daughter's eyes, smiling proudly. Those eyes were nothing like his. They held nothing but love and compassion. She sighed and pulled the blankets up over Katie's form. She was fifteen-years-old… what was she doing with a three-year-old daughter?
"Wuv you." the little girl whispered as Cole kissed her forehead.
"I love you too, baby girl."
"My Katie." she murmured, tears springing to her ash-colored eyes.
Nicole scooped the girl up into her arms. As soon as did Katie let tears roll down her cheeks, almost breaking her mother's heart.
"Of course, I remember you, baby girl." she whispered into the girl's curls, "I can't forget you, Kathleen Cordelia Black-Malfoy. Never ever."
"Cole?"
Nicole looked up to see a redhead being held up by a black-haired woman and a brunette.
She knocked on the door to a compartment on the train and peeked in. Only a girl with midnight black hair sat, reading.
"Hey, do you mind? Everyone else looks… sucky."
The other girl laughed. "Yeah, c'mon in." she smiled, "I'm T.J. Greemhorn."
"Nicole Lupin-Keith." she grinned, faking a curtsy.
"Now babe, I don't mean to ruin your fun but you do realize we could hear you all the way up the hallway?"
The redhead turned and stared, lowering her headphones to her neck. The pulsing rhythm of Simple Plan could still be faintly heard.
Her hair was a dark shade of red, mostly straight, but still had bounce. She was definitely a punk with the way she dressed, but that wasn't what Cole was paying attention to. The redhead's honey-brown eyes, lined heavily with mascara and liner, were red and puffy from crying. She must have used a water-proofing spell on her make up.
Nicole approached slowly, smiling kindly.
"Great song, but, luv, what's with the tears?" she inquired, brusking her cheek with her slender hand.
The brunette walked confidently towards the Gryffindor table, a wide smile spread across her face.
"Hey I'm Laura can I sit here?" she asked pointing at the empty seat next to Gin.
"Sure girl," Gin answered moving over to make more room.
"So, luv, how is it being related to the oh-so-wonderful Harry Potter?" Cole sneered, glancing hatefully at the trio.
She could see the amusement on Laura's face and she made a crack about his head.
"I'm Nicole Lupin-Keith. Cole." she laughed, "The day-dreaming one is Ginevra Weasley, Gin. And the girl before you was T.J. Greemhorn. We don't suck. Much unlike everyone else."
"My girls!" she laughed, setting Katie down and hugging the three to her.
Cole turned and looked up at Draco.
"My ferret boy!" she giggled, hugging him.
"Nikki?"
The others started walking down the road at her nickname, knowing they needed privacy. The woman spun around, her thigh-length hair flying over her shoulder in raven waves. She stared up into the man's handsome face.
"'Ello girls, guy. C'mon, pull up a milk crate, We're playin' strip-poker." Xandra replied, Irish accent and all, "The boys're losin' rather badly."
"I don't mind him losing," Nicole said from her seat on Goyle's lap, "'Tis pretty comfortable."
…
As she walked up Greg was rolling his eyes. "No, Mr. Rodent, I am not daft. I'm jus-"
"Greg?"
He looked up to see her standing there. She was still wearing that red leather dress from this morning.
"You wanna go to Hogsmeade with me to pick up some stuff?" Cole asked.
…
"So what are we picking up?" he asked when they reached the Hogsmeade grounds.
"Oh, anything really, I just needed to get away from all that tension of the sexual genre." Cole replied absently.
"Aaah. I see."
Cole sighed and Greg glanced at her. "What's wrong?"
She stopped walking and side-glanced at him, pressing her chin-length bangs behind her ear. "You just don't get it, do you?"
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Get what?"
She grabbed the sides of his face and pressed her lips on his in a firm but soft kiss. That I love you… she thought.
…
Cole grinned as she exited the Hall but it faded when she realized what was going on in front of her. Her jaw dropped and her eyes brimmed with tears. She felt her heart drop down onto the floor and shattered into a million little pieces, her gut twisted in pain.
Why doesn't the earth open up and swallow you whole when you want it to?
"Gregory Christian Goyle!" she shrieked.
The two Slytherins jumped a part, as though getting shocked, and looked at her.
"Nikki!" Why did she ever let him call her that? She had trusted him too much… "Th-This isn't what it looks like, I swear!"
"No Greg, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on here and I don't care!" she shrieked, "You-You fucking lying, cheating BASTARD!"
The black haired girl grabbed at glass vase and hurled it at him.
"I hate you, you bastard!" she screamed, throat burning with soreness, "I hate you so much, Goyle!"
She flung another vase into his chest and let her feet carry her away.
"I don't know you." she whispered, realization was written all over her face, "Not any more."
Cole wiped a hand across her cheek, catching the tear on her sleeve.
She turned on her heel and walked off to join her friends down the road, leaving Gregory Goyle to stand alone by an empty grave. And he just wanted to lay down in it and die.
She didn't want to know him.
End Chapter