"The Dragon Tamer"
by Dorthey Star
Chapter One
The summer I first met her was the summer that changed my life. It was the summer before our 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and my cousin, Ginny Weasley, was going through her rebellious stage- the same stage that I'd been going through since I was four-years-old.
That summer my father, Antonio Donatelli, was murdered. I loved my father even though I never showed it. I even convinced the Sorting Hat to put me in his house, Ravenclaw, instead of Slytherin where I truly belong.
The Ministry sent me to live with my mum's half sister, Molly Weasley, and her family. My mum, Alana Donatelli, died when I was born. Alana means beautiful and from the pictures I've seen, she was beautiful. I inherited her thick, straight dark blonde hair, but my blue eyes came from my dad's side.
I'd been there a w eek- living in Ginny's room- when company came. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger- Ronald's best friends- were coming for the last two weeks of summer vacation. The Boy Who Lived or not, I did not want to spend more time with any more goody two-shoes Gryffindors.
I was just finishing getting r eady when they arrived. Fredrick, George, and Ronald were all sitting in the hallway, waiting for me to get out. Between the two of us, Ginny and I took over the bathroom for nearly four hours. I pulled on a heavy black turtle neck sweater and my jeans.
"What are you waiting for?" I heard a female ask.
"Melanie," I heard Fredrick say angrily. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror as I fastened the clasp on my necklace. It was a silver chain with a heart shaped locket on it. My boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, had given it to me the previous year. Inside I had a picture of Draco and a picture of my parents.
"Who's Melanie?" I heard another male voice ask.
"Melanie Donatelli," George said.
"Our cousin," Ronald said. I ran a brush through my middle-of-the-back length hair, which was held back in the front by tiny black clips in a neat row.
"Your cousin? Why haven't we met her before?" the female asked again.
"You wouldn't want to," Ronald said, "She's awful! She's in Ginny's year, but is in Ravenclaw. Her dad died this summer so she had come to live with us. Personally, I think she should have been in Slytherin." I grinned wickedly.
"Why haven't we ever met her before?" the male asked again.
"Uncle Antonio- her father- and mum hated each other. Aunt Alana- her mum- were half sisters and they didn't get along," George said. I stared at my reflections they told my story to their friends. I single tear slid down my cheek. I will not cry, I told myself and angrily brushed the tear away.
I opened the door and stepped out, wondering for the millionth time why Fredrick and George still lived at home. After all, they had graduated the year before last and had been out on their own for nearly two years. Their joke shop, 3W, was doing pretty well.
"Hullo," the girl- Granger- said with fake cheerfulness in her voice as she held out her hand for me to shake. I didn't, of course. I have nothing against Muggle borns, but I cannot stand Gryffindors. Except for Ginny, that is.
I studied Granger. Her brown hair was a bit too bushy and her brown eyes are a bit too far apart. She did have a lovely smile, though. Her smile faltered and she lowered her hand.
"A sweater in the summer?" Ronald asked me incredulously.
"Ronald, Ronald, Ronald. I knew you were thick, but I didn't think you were that thick. I used a simple Cooling Charm." I flashed him a smile and walked off as he muttered something about 'no magic' and 'summer hols'.
Ginny was laying on her twin bed when I walked into the room. She sniffed, but said nothing.
"What's wrong?" I asked. IN the week that I'd been living at the Burrow, Ginny and I had become best friends.
"Harry...and Hermione are...are dating," she said softly as the tears fell. She'd told me that she had had a crush on Potter since forever. I sat down on the bed next to her.
"He doesn't deserve you, Ginny," I told her softly. She smiled up at me.
"You're really nice," she told me, "I don't know why the others hate you." Suddenly, she clapped a hand over her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."
"That's okay," I laughed, "I already knew."
"Who's your boyfriend? You said you'd tell me, but you never did."
"Draco Malfoy," I said. Ginny's features twisted into surprise. Ginny is the sweetest and most innocent creature on earth. Angels were probably modeled after her.
"Oh my," was all she could manage to say. I laughed.
"You Gryffindors are all too innocent. Draco is really very decent. Unless, of course, you're a Gryffindor."
"Doesn't it bother you that he hates Gryffindors?" Ginny asked me as she stood up.
"Nope. I hate all Gryffindors except for you," I informed her cheerfully as we walked down to breakfast.
Two hours later, I was in a dark corner of Flourish & Blotts, looking for a book on how to get rid of red haired gits when a strong pair of arms circled around my waist.
"Since when can you read?" a teasing voice asked in my ear.
"Since always," I informed him and turned to hug Draco.
"I heard about your father. I'm really sorry," he said.
"I miss him," I admitted out loud for the very first time as he held me close," but the worst part is, they've stuck me with my mum's half sister and her family," I said miserably as he rocked me.
"Muggles?" he asked sympathetically.
"No, they're magical. Pureblood, in fact. It's the Weasleys," I sighed.
"Red hair, freckles, dirt poor?" Draco asked me, shocked.
"Yup. That's them- the damn Gryffindors. I've made ten enemies and only one friend."
"Ten? But I thought there were only nine of them?"
"Potter and Granger. Ginny's the only decent one."
"I've never really met her." We stood in silence until we heard a throat being cleared. I turned to see Ginny looking sweet in her white shorts and blue tank top.
"Mum told me to find you. We're leaving," she said to me, ignoring Draco.
"Okay. I'll be there in a minute." She nodded and left as I turned back to Draco.
"I've got to go, but I'll see you September 1st ," I said. We kissed, then went our separate ways.
Disclaimer: Melanie, Antonio, and Alana Donatelli all belong to me. Everyone else belongs to JK "the goddess" Rowling.
Author's Note: And so ends chapter one. I'm in a non-Gryffindor-ish mood. They get on my nerves. Maybe I should transfer from Ravenclaw to Slytherin….*sighs* Anyways, Please R/R and tell me what you think of Melanie. I'm trying not to make her a Mary Sue, but you never know. I'm pleased with her. There is a reason for her not liking Gryffindors, you know. I won't get to it until many chapters later.