A/N: Thanks to Azzie for beta'ing! My last post from home...college bound tomorrow morning! :)
Daughter of the Dark Angel:
Chapter Ten: Why Not?:
The next morning, Melody rose early, not having slept most of the night, with two words running through her mind, keeping her wide awake and anxious.
Why not?
Why wouldn't her father acknowledge her? Why? Why? Why? Did he not want her? Because she reminded him of her mother? Did he not care that she wanted...needed to know? That she needed someone to stand by her? That she needed to know why?
With a heart full of hurt and doubt, she met Harry and his friends in the common room and walked down to breakfast with them. She let Hermione peruse her schedule as she picked at her food.
"Not nervous, are you?" one of the twins asked as he sat next to her and started helping himself. "I'm Fred, by the way." The other twin—who must be George, sat on his other side, smiling briefly at Melody before grabbing the nearest platter of food. Fred offered her every dish he could reach, his antics serving to ease her anxiety and even causing her to smile on several occasions.
Upon comparison, she found she had most of her fourth-year level classes with the twins, and left with them after breakfast. Both of them offered to tutor her in her third-year subjects so that she could catch up to them. She smiled and gratefully accepted.
They even split up in Potions, taking turns partnering her so that she didn't have to work alone—or with a Slytherin.
Something Snape was not pleased to see. And yet...if it keeps her away from Death Eaters, so be it. He had a nagging feeling he would have to intervene if she got involved in any of their pranks; however, it wasn't a prank that made his heart stop mid-lesson, but rather George's innocent question.
"So who's your dad?"
"No idea." Melody replied shortly. She sounded morose, and Severus again felt the guilt ripping at his insides. He could only try to imagine how she felt, having discovered that her mother was dead, and not being able to know her father.
"Why not?" Fred asked, frowning. Melody shrugged.
"I've been wondering that myself since I got here."
This was the first time Severus had heard of her admitting to feeling unsettled by not knowing, and he felt that if he didn't interrupt their conversation, he would fall apart right there.
Am I really destined to be exactly like my father?
I'm doing this for her safety! he argued with himself.
Isn't it your job to keep her happy, too? Or does her mental health not count so much as her physical health? His head throbbed and his eyes burned. He wanted to feel what Lily had tried to explain to him once, the feeling of being a part of a family, so badly that it was destroying his judgment completely.
Somehow he managed to make it through the rest of the hour without snapping, and felt a surge of relief as the subject of the conflict in question left the room after the bell. He then collapsed into his chair with a sigh. He could only hope that she didn't do anything rash, but given his genetics, he knew he would have to keep an eye on her to watch for any potentially dangerous tendencies.
As they moved through the halls, Fred and George discussed many reasons for Melody's father's reluctance to show himself. Melody just shrugged whenever she felt them expecting her to participate in the conversation.
Was my mom already with Harry's dad? Did they have a fight and she ran to Harry's dad for comfort, ended up pregnant again, and had to marry him? Were my parents married? Why not? Did...did he...force...rape her? The mere thought of such a possibility chilled her to the bone.
No...Dumbledore said they loved each other, but how would he know? He wasn't directly involved in their relationship...was he? He couldn't have been...
Looking up at the cloudy sky above, she whispered in a quiet plea to her mother:
Why not?