For the longest time I knew there was something different about me. I wasn't normal like the other kids my age, I wasn't like my family, I thought differently, I looked different and I acted different. Nothing about me was normal.

In some way I had hoped secondary school would be a relief, I could be good at that, meet people who thought more like me… But it wasn't, it was just as difficult, and most of the people there didn't like me. One, I am extremely smart; I know it sounds like I'm boasting, but it's true, I'm unnaturally smart, but that didn't mean I got on with the geeky of the school like me, they thought I was as weird as everyone else did. Two, I make weird things happen, once when I was smaller I got pushed over and the boy who pushed me, well his face exploded into millions of zits, just small things but things that couldn't really be explained. Three, I don't look like a normal kid, now I'm going to sound like I'm boasting, but I'm not, you see I am 5"6, I have long, straight, white blonde hair, large, dark blue and silver eyes, absolutely no spots, pale, glowing skin, flat stomach, thin but toned legs, and curved in all the right ways. It doesn't sound that bad really, but the thing is all the girls hate me because I'm weird but prettier then them, and all the boys want is a quick grope behind the bike sheds.

My family are… well, I don't have any siblings; my mum is the definition of motherly, my dad of overprotective. Now think about how I look, my mum is short, chubby, with small brown eyes, and black hair. Dad is, in all fairness, very handsome, tall, with broad shoulders, black hair and dark blue eyes. I look nothing like either of them.

I'm the weirdest fifteen year old I know.

I don't have friends, because everyone tries to stay away from the freak girl.

I just don't know, maybe I'm just weird, and it's something I will grow out of. Maybe I won't but someone will love me through the weirdness that is me.

Hopefully.

HR

"Melanie!" The warm voice of Julie Matthews called up the stairs to a sleeping teenage girl. "Melanie! Get up! We've got to leave in an hour!"

"I'm up, I'm up," Melanie muttered as she crawled out of her bed, she glanced into her full length mirror as she passed it to get to the bathroom and groaned, her hair was matted from a restless night, her shorts were verging on the point of being called knickers and her top was wrapped tightly around her body, she looked a mess.

Bleary eyed she stumbled into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and washed her face, feeling better she wandered back into her own pale blue room and tackled her hair, eventually she brushed the knots out so that it once again reached her lower back.

"Mum!" Melanie called from her room, down stairs, hoping her mum would hear. "Mum what should I wear?"

"It's hot out, so something summery," Julie called back.

Melanie walked to her chest of draws and pulled it open, inside there were about several skirts all folded up, she decided on a small denim one, she threw it on her bed before closing the first draw shut and pulling open another, this one full of tops. She decided on a large red top that was about six sizes to big for her and had 'wasted' written across the front, then picking out a pair of black leggings which reached halfway down her calf.

Once changed she sat down on he bed and put on lots of eyeliner and black eye shadow, then a little clear gloss. She felt relaxed done up like this, hidden beneath baggy tops, and the eyeliner to draw attention to her eyes.

"Oh Melanie, do you really have to dress like that?" Julie asked as Melanie sat down at the oak table in the dining room, her mother was seriously concerned, in her eyes this was a serious cry for help.

"'Fraid so mum," Melanie said grinning, sounding content. She picked up a piece of buttered toast and begun munching away when her father walked into the room.

"Morning dear, bobbles," Simon Matthews said, causing Melanie to scowl at her nickname. He ruffled his daughter's hair slightly and laughed when she swatted at him.

"So Auntie Eve has exciting news, does she?" Melanie asked as her parents joined her at the table, she leaned back, eyeing up her mum and dad for their reaction.

"Yes, my big sister always has exciting news," Simon said rolling his dark eyes, they all knew too well that Eve, as they called her, never had very exciting news, she was strict and scary when she wanted to be, but loving at the same time. In truth Melanie loved her aunt a lot, she was different, and often Melanie reckoned she took after her aunt more than her parents. When it reached about midday they climbed into Simon's car ready to set off for the long journey to Eve's home.

"Dad can we stop off somewhere, I need to eat and pee, we've been driving for three hours," Melanie complained running a hand through her blonde hair. Simon sighed at his fifteen year old daughter and agreed to stop at the next station, once back in the car it was another three hours before they came to a stop outside of a tall dark building, there was a single light on in the living room, and many beautiful flowers in the garden.

Melanie ran to the door and knocked loudly. She waited a few seconds before the door was pulled open and there stood an aging lady, with dark grey hair that was pulled back into a tight bun, she was wearing a green dress and square glasses.

"Melanie, it's nice to see you," Eve said hugging her niece; she pulled back and smiled at the teenager, before looking over Melanie's shoulder. "Come in, how are you, Simon, Julie?" Eve asked, leading the three into her living room, where they found a man sitting in one of the old chairs smiling at them in a friendly manner, he was old, with long white hair, and a matching beard.

"We - We're fine, sorry Eve, are we interrupting?" Simon asked confused, they had come on the right day he was sure, but the last thing he had expected was to have interrupted Eve when she had company.

"Simon this is Albus Dumbledore," Eve said, her tone was pointed, and she looked different, almost soft as she spoke, Julie gasped and stared at Simon, she looked positively heartbroken, griping her husbands arm. Melanie watched them closely, not understanding the significance of Albus Dumbledore.

"We're – we're… We're not ready," Julie said her voice cracking as her eyes watered, Melanie stepped forwards and put her arm across her mother's shoulders, wanting to comfort her somehow.

"I'm ever so sorry about this," The man called Albus said; he smiled comfortingly at Julie and Simon, he seemed to understand why his presence upset her parents, but Melanie was still completely lost.

"Dear, we knew this time would come," Simon admitted to his wife, his voice also cracking, Melanie looked from her mum to her dad, wondering what the hell was happening. She'd come to see her Aunt Eve, and whatever was happening how, whatever they knew was going to come, Melanie defiantly didn't understand.

Fear started to eat away at her, there was something seriously wrong, her parents were always so calm, so why did Simon and Julie look scared now? Why did Eve look stressed? What the hell was going on?