petrichor

"I like being alone. I have control over my own space. Therefore, in order to win me over, your presence has to be better than my solitude. You're not competing with another person, you are competing with my comfort zone."
~Horacio Jones

-------------------------------------------------------

It has been six months. Six months of constant suffering from the aftermath of the final battle.

Everybody has found a way to cope with it. Everybody. Except from the little witch sitting at the bank of the black lake, drowning in the carousel of thoughts, bad and good as well as old and new, in her mind.

Every day has been a torture for her, seeing her friends moving on with their lives. Happy, that it was finally over.

Sure, she could be happy as well, given the fact that she actually got nothing to worry about anymore. But her heart was not able to move on this instant from the enormous loss the war was accompanied by. Not able to move on what has happened in the past.

War damaged those involved, always had.

¤

Hermione Granger was lying supine on the water soaked ground, reveling in the feeling of the cold drops the sky was granting her with.
Her eyes were closed, her hair curling and entwining even more due to the huge amount of liquid.

She could have casted an umbrella charm as soon as she left the castle and approached the lake. But no. She wanted to feel something real. Feel the cool pouring rain coming from above.

The witch has come to this place for several weeks now, trying desperately to sort out her thoughts, her past.
Only after organizing the mess in her head, she could probably focus on her dreams and wishes for the future.

"Why does everything has to be so fucking complicated?", she exclaimed and threw her arms up into the sky, surrendering to everybody who may was listening.
"How am I supposed to deal with all this?", she whispered to herself and sighed deeply.

On the first glance, her life has returned to its normal state. But on the second glance.... well, her life was miserable.

The relationship between Ronald Weasley and her has ended after approximately two hours or something like that.
Right after Harry killed Voldy and the injured wizards has been cared for, he cautiously approached her, stuttering something about 'awkward because she is like a sister to him' and 'kiss happened in the heat of the moment'. Baloney!

While she recovered from her own injuries and helped Poppy as much as possible, escaped Death Eaters found her parents in Australia and casted the killing curse.

All these incidents, combined at this traumatic time, caused this endless sadness Hermione was feeling every day.

She slowly sat up and directed her gaze to the drops splashing into the surface of the lake. Rain was the only occasion that was able to calm her aching head. She could just let her sorrows drop down with the water, relax into the mellifluous sound.

"Miss Granger.", a deep voice rumbled, startling the witch almost to death.
Hermione tilted her head, casting a quick glance over her shoulder, although she would recognize this voice from a hundred meters away.

Professor Snape was approaching her with elegant steps. The Potions Master returned to the school after the war, helped with the rebuilding. It was he as well, who ushered Hermione to accept Professor McGonagall's offer for an apprenticeship in Transfiguration.

Severus Snape has changed. A lot, at least in his behaviour and his appearance.
He quitted being a total git and now merely commented in his usual sarcastic behaviour. His hair was much shorter now, always falling in a messy way around his ears.
The wrinkles in his face, caused by the constant sullen look on his face and the deep frown between his eyebrows, disappeared after his recovery. He even seemed to suppress a smile. A smile.
Apart from that, his attire didn't change that much. His favorite and probably only clothing color was still black. Though he omitted his teaching robes time and again.