"Melody Andorra Everard, it's time to wake up!" My younger sister Iris called in an unusually perky voice, she was hardly a morning person.
I leaned up in my bed and stared at my alarm clock, it was barely seven in the morning. I flung my pillow over my head and groaned loudly, I wanted the extra sleep. I would need it once classes started tomorrow. Today was the day we would return to our second home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We were a rare breed of magical beings and attended Hogwarts rather than receive a traditional education.
"I've made breakfast." Iris called again.
I threw the blankets off my body and jumped from my bed, I was going to pummel my sister. I stomped down the hallway towards our kitchen, ready to tackle her until the scent of the delicious food Iris had prepared invaded my nose.
"Oh you're lucky you can cook Iris, otherwise I'd have no use for you." I sneered.
Iris chuckled loudly and handed me my plate. I dug into my food and rolled my eyes, it was delicious of course. Iris grinned and sat down across from me and prodded her food, she breathed sporadically.
"What are you so chipper about?"
Iris jumped at my voice and shrugged her shoulders. She was purposefully trying to avoid thinking about her close friend Bradley. She was really looking forward to seeing him at Kings Cross, hoping he would start to see her in a different light. I snorted at her thoughts and she gasped.
"Damn your telepathy Mel, stay out of my head."
"I can't always help it Iris, but trust me I don't want to hear about Bradley in much detail, telepathically or otherwise."
"Stop being such a cynic."
I rolled my eyes and sighed, I thought about taking my plate into my room. It was only in solitude that I could actually keep my mind to myself. I had been born telepathic and it had caused many problems throughout my sixteen years of life. I had constantly wished to just be normal and wondered why I was given this gift when my sister who was born a mere ten months after me, was given no such ability.
"Don't you wish mum and dad were here to see us off? Or Gran..." Iris's voice wavered as she spoke of our departed family.
"Are we going to do this every term Iris?" I snapped.
"What is your problem Mel? Sorry we don't all have your ability! I can't remember our parents at all, at least you had Gran's memories. I have nothing. You're not the only one with problems."
Iris stood up from the table and stalked to her bedroom. I jumped when she slammed it loudly. I wanted to smash my head against the table. I could be so insensitive sometimes. Our parents Ingrid and Jareth Everard were murdered only weeks after Iris was born, neither of us ever knew them. But with my telepathy I could easily access our grandmother's mind to see them, Iris only had photographs and what she could be told by others. I knew it was so hard for her. Our grandmother had raised us both but Iris had a very special connection with her and this past June she had passed away from illness. This had been the hardest summer of our lives.
I stood up from the table to talk to Iris, hoping I had given her enough time to calm down, though I could completely understand her anger towards me. I was often so consumed by my own struggles that others would fall by the wayside. But Iris was the only blood relative I had left, she deserved better.
I knocked tentatively on Iris's door but didn't allow her to turn me away before entering. She was sitting on the floor in front of her bed, quiet tears rolling down her cheeks. She missed our grandmother. I sat down next to her and she unhesitatingly rested her head against my shoulder.
"I just miss her so much, I miss them all. We have no one now Mel, but at least you have your telepathy."
"Are you mad Iris? We have each other and our friends, our school. We're not alone in this. You know better than anyone that my ability can sometimes be a curse. And know how much I wish I could show you them all. I'm sorry for snapping."
"It's alright, but not like you. Are you okay? Not still obsessing over Oliver right? I thought we finally pulled you out of that black hole."
"Shut it Iris, I don't want to talk about him."
Iris kept her eyes on her hands now, not wanting to aggravate me. I squeezed her hands and kissed the top of her head.
"Time to get ready, we only have a couple hours before we need to catch the train."
Iris smiled and I forced a smile onto my face to appease her. We both stood up from the floor and I walked quietly to my room. I attempted to force Oliver Wood's face from my mind as I stepped into my shower.
Oliver had been my steady boyfriend since my fourth year of school, since I was fourteen. We had been housemates, both sorted into Gryffindor rather than Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He was two years older than me so we were not friends at first. It wasn't until my third year that he finally noticed me.
Oliver was captain of our house Quidditch team and it was in my third year that I decided to try out for the team, a hopeful Chaser. Due to my young age and lack of real experience I was not given a position but for some reason Oliver took a liking to me that day. From then on he trained me personally until my fourth year when I was made a permanent Chaser and Oliver's girlfriend. We were what people would call a perfect couple. We fit together like two matching puzzle pieces. He had become my best friend and more. And at the beginning of this summer he had helped me get through my grandmother's sudden passing. I didn't know what I would do without him after something like that, we hadn't been closer. It came as a colossal surprise when he ended our relationship a few weeks ago, right after celebrating my sixteenth birthday together.
Tears were rolling down my cheeks now as I stepped out of the shower, the water had run cold. I stared mindlessly at my closet as I dressed and the memory of birthday came flooding back to me.
****August 4th****
I stood in front of my mirror and smoothed my new black dress. I was starting to feel uncertain about it's length and how closely it clung to my body. I knew Oliver had something special planned since he insisted I avoided his thoughts tonight but I wasn't sure if this dress was too special.
"Wow Mel, you look amazing."
I turned towards Iris and looked down at myself again. "Are you sure? I don't look silly?"
"Hell no Mel, he's going to pounce on you."
My cheeks flushed bright red and I frowned at Iris. "You can stifle it now. We are so not there yet."
Iris scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be coy Mel, you've been together practically three years now. You don't have to be discreet on my account."
I rolled my eyes again and turned back towards my mirror to adjust my hair, for the fourth time. I was thankful my sister couldn't read my mind or she'd know that despite our steady relationship, Oliver and I hadn't been intimate at all but I was feeling very hopeful about tonight. I also hoped Oliver was feeling the same. He wasn't shy about expressing his feelings for me but we had yet to cross that physical line.
My cheeks flushed again and I jumped when I heard the front door to our apartment closing, Oliver was here.
"Your Prince Charming is here." Iris teased.
Iris walked ahead of me to the living room and greeted Oliver. My heart started racing as I heard Oliver's soft voice, he was nervous. I closed my mind immediately, I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I slipped on my shoes and took a deep breath before leaving my room and heading towards the melodious sound of Oliver's voice.
Oliver's mouth dropped when he saw me, Iris grinned, feeling so happy for me. Oliver stepped towards me and Iris tiptoed past us towards her bedroom. Oliver was clutching yellow lilies, my favorite flowers. He kissed my lips softly, I closed my eyes and let the kiss consume me. We hadn't seen each other in a few weeks since he had been traveling regularly after his graduation from Hogwarts back in June, trying out for different professional Quidditch teams. I was thankful for the time we had now.
"Happy birthday love, you look beautiful." Oliver whispered against my chin.
"Thank you, you too."
Oliver chuckled and reached for my hands. He was dressed in a pair of sleek black slacks and red button down shirt, his favorite color. Gryffindor colors.
"Shall we go?"
I nodded excitedly and Oliver took both of my hands tightly, we were going to apparate somewhere. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the overwhelming feeling. Oliver held me steady as we resurfaced. My jaw dropped when I saw where we were. We were standing in a vast, empty meadow. Twinkling lights hung from the over grown trees. There was a small table beneath the lights, bright candles on the lace tablecloth.
"Oliver, this is wonderful."
Oliver beamed and pulled me towards the table. He held my chair out for me and I sat down. I reached for Oliver's hand as he sat across from me. Oliver grinned again as he reached into an ice bucket and popped open a bottle of champagne. I giggled as he poured a glass for me.
"This is so special, thank you Oliver."
"Well your birthday is definitely something to celebrate, especially your sixteenth."
"Thank you love."
My heart raced quickly as I ate. My knees trembled beneath the table. Everything was so perfectly beautiful, I didn't want it to end.
"How have the tryouts been going?" I finally managed to say.
Oliver choked on the sip of champagne he was taking and I stifled my laughter.
"Good I suppose, we'll see." He mumbled nervously.
Oliver loved Quidditch with every ounce of his being. Sometimes I jokingly questioned if he loved it more than me. He hadn't considered an alternative career so we both hoped that he would be given a place on a team.
Oliver set his fork down and sat upright in his chair. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. He held out his hand to me and I grasped it tightly.
"Dance with me?" He whispered.
"To no music?"
Oliver nodded and I chuckled. He pulled me from my chair and wrapped his arms tightly around my body. He swayed our bodies slowly and I rested my head against his chest, his heart was pounding.
"Why are you so nervous Oliver? I don't need to read your mind to know that."
Oliver stopped swaying and stared directly into my eyes. Guilt was suddenly radiating through me. I snapped my mind closed, terrified of what I might hear.
"You know I love you to death Mel," Oliver paused and steadied his voice.
"But?" I insisted. "I love you too Oliver, more than anything."
I pressed my lips against Oliver's, afraid of what he wanted to say next. I figured I must have been overthinking it but I feared the worst. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, refusing to let him go. Oliver's nerves and pulsing guilt faded as I kissed him. He wanted me too, he didn't want to let go either.
Oliver carefully lowered me to the ground. The meadow floor was soft like a pillow. Oliver touched every inch of me, in a way he never had before. He had been wanting this for so long. I pulled away from him and stared into his eyes.
"I have too Oliver, I love you."
Oliver's smile was small as I pulled his face back to mine. I didn't hesitate to let him consume me completely and I couldn't have been happier.
Almost three weeks passed until I saw Oliver again.
"I'm sure he's just been busy Mel." Iris insisted, though she didn't believe her own words.
"Right." I said as I stared at my book.
I was attempting to distract myself with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", it was my favorite book and comfort. I couldn't understand why I hadn't heard from Oliver after our beautiful night together on my birthday.
"Stop sulking and get on your broom and go see him. Or just apparate already."
I rolled my eyes. "First of all Iris, I could be expelled if I were caught apparating when I haven't been licensed and secondly, Oliver's house is about a four hour broom ride. I'm not doing that, I wouldn't get there until dark."
Iris groaned and I laughed once, she was becoming more aggravated with me by the minute. We both jumped when there was a single knock at the door. I could immediately hear the nervous tenor of Oliver's thoughts behind the door. He wasn't trying to hide them, he was scared of seeing me. I rushed to the door and pulled Oliver inside. I glared at him for a moment before looking to Iris. Her eyes widened at my crazed expression and she trotted to her room.
"What the hell is going on Oliver Wood? I almost risked expulsion so I could apparate to you. And you just callously show up here after not speaking to me for weeks?"
I was furious, I had never been this angry with Oliver before but he had never hurt me like this before. I had never felt so neglected by him. I gazed at Oliver and my anger softened, he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His hands shook on his lap. He was biting his lip hard. He was afraid to speak.
"What's going on?"
"I made it Mel."
"You what?"
"Puddlemere United, I made the team."
Oliver's nerves faded immediately the moment he spoke the words. That's what he had been so nervous about? I rushed to Oliver's side and hugged him tightly.
"Congratulations! That is so exciting. When do you start?"
"They want me at their training camp in two days."
"Two days? Well, that's rather quick. But I'll take all the time I can get."
Oliver inhaled sharply, afraid to voice his thoughts. I didn't dare listen to them.
"I think we need to break up." He mumbled quickly.
"What?" I screeched.
"This team is going to need my full attention Mel, I need to be completely focused. This is my career now. I don't have healing to fall back on like you. Quidditch is everything to me."
"And what about me you asshole? You promised me when you started trying out for these teams that we would stay together through it all. How could you do this to me? After everything I have given you."
"I'm sorry Mel, this really does kill me. But you should see the fitness regimen and practice schedule they have us on. I really won't have time for anything else. You deserve better."
"Really? Okay Oliver. Good luck with your team, thanks so much for doing this for me. Get out now."
"I'm so sorry, I really-"
"Get out!" I yelled.
Oliver's face fell as he stumbled out my front door. I slammed the door behind him and crumbled to the ground. Just when I thought our relationship was growing stronger, Oliver shattered my world completely.
****Present Day****
"Mel? Are you ready?"
I quickly wiped my tears away and nodded to Iris. I was ready. Ready to leave my relationship with Oliver behind and start my sixth year at Hogwarts.