Sorry for the delay! Here's Chapter 21 hope you guys like it :3. Also, I saw someone voted on my poll; thank you so much whoever you are =) ! But I need more votes, so please please if you have the time, do it for me. Thank you! Also, I very much appreciate the reviews, keep them up!

:D

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own the OC's in this story.

It was Wednesday, the day Melinda was allowed out of the Hospital Wing. She was excited to go back to having classes and hanging out with her friends, but a little nervous as well. Now with Carina being born she felt that she would keep thinking about her constantly, even if she was under the great care of Martha. Also, what happened that night with Draco was making her uncomfortable with the thought of seeing him around school again.

"Well, how does it feel to be strolling around these halls again?" Valerie asked as she, Melinda and Andrea were walking towards the Great Hall for breakfast. They wanted to make sure they were the ones that accompanied her on her first day back; they even went as far as finding a way to make the twins not come with them, which was no easy task considering they were sneaky and could prank two anytime to get back at them.

"Feels the same, maybe a slight bit different now that I don't have a big stomach anymore." She joked a bit. The other two grinned and linked arms with her as they neared the entrance. As soon as they came through, George came up with Fred and took Mel up in tight and warm hug, like he hadn't seen her in weeks. Fred tried to join him, but a simple look from his brother made him back off with a slight grin.

"I'm glad you're out of there, breakfast wasn't the same without you." He said as he pulled away to smile at her. Melinda smiled back, all the while trying to push away the doubts she had of her feelings for him. Just looking at his bright smile made her feel extremely guilty for questioning their relationship, at least on her part anyways.

"Well, I'm back now. Can we sit? I'm starving." She confessed, and so they all ushered over to the Hufflepuff table; Mel's House companions all gave her a 'good morning' and congratulated her on her newborn. They gave her so much attention it made her a little bashful. Once they took a seat, Melinda began to put food onto her plate and barely wasted another minute before she dived into the delicious breakfast before her. The twins grinned in amusement, and being of their nature couldn't pass up the opportunity of teasing her on it.

"Someone's famished." George started. "Like a lion, rawr~!" Fred finished off humorously. Mel's two friends snickered, then composed themselves in consideration for their friend, whose face was beginning to redden and she slowed down on her eating.

"Don't tease me it's my first day back." She said with a pout. George chuckled pecked her cheek when she said that.

"Exactly, and since it is so, it would only be proper of us two to give you the pleasure of being teased by us this early in the day." He said, as if it was an honor. She shook her head and returned to her food. Breakfast time went by fairly fast as they talked and caught up with the things Mel missed out on and such. The bell soon rang and they all got up and gathered their things before heading out of the Hall. While they walked amongst the crowd of students, Melinda caught a glimpse of Draco heading off with his two buffoon friends in the opposite direction she was going. She had half the mind to follow after him, but she shook that crazy thought and continued on with her two best friends and the twins. Fred and George bid them goodbye once they reached the point where they had to part for their different classes. George gave her a peck on the cheek before they left; she didn't return it but only gave a smile. One of her friends seemed to notice that and instantly brought it to her attention.

"Is something going on Mel?" Andrea asked her barely above a whisper as they headed to Transfiguration class. Mel looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"No, why do you ask?" She shrugged in return. "Well, I just thought that you looked a little off when George kissed you before he and Fred left." Hearing that, she bit her lip and looked elsewhere.

"No, I think I'm just a little drained is all." Andrea hesitantly nodded and dropped the subject. They came into the classroom and took their usual seats as others filed in as well. McGonagall, who was already in there, gave Melinda a quick smile before returning to her usual serious business face. The bell rang and she began to go over some of the materials that were likely to be on the OWLs, must to everyone's displeasure. Valerie had to suppress a groan when she started to lecture.

"We don't get one single day of rest." She muttered to the other two. Andrea sighed and just paid attention to the lesson. Melinda could honestly say that she didn't mind it, as it was much better than studying it off on her own. Unfortunately, she wasn't completely concentrated on the lesson, because her mind was filled with thoughts of a certain Slytherin boy.

Melinda and her friends met up with the twins for lunch and once again sat together to eat. The twins were boasting about a prank they had done on a snotty 3rd year Slytherin during the break between classes. The sheer mention of the House name made Melinda feel uncomfortable, although she hid it well from them. She didn't talk much during lunch, and George seemed to notice that because as soon as he finished, he asked her to come with him outside for a little bit. Curious, Mel got up and followed him out of the Hall. He only stopped when they reached the courtyard.

"I noticed that you were a little too quiet in there." He said once he turned to her. Mel blinked and tried to pass it off as nothing.

"I'm just a little worn out, is all." That didn't seem to convince the ginger haired boy, because he gave her a skeptic look.

"I'm not buying that, something's on your mind. What's bothering you?" He asked. Melinda didn't know whether to answer that or not. If she did, she either would have to lie or tell him the truth. Lying might work, but if he caught on to it he would be even more tempted to have her tell him the truth. If she said what was really on her mind from the start…

"Well, thing is George, I…I'm kind of worried about taking the OWLs, my life after this school year ends, Carina…all those things, you know." He was silent for a few after she said that. Melinda was hoping that worked, because the last thing she wanted to do was hurt George by telling him what happened between her and Draco, and how her feelings became unstable since then. Luckily for her, the 6th year Gryffindor boy seemed to find her answer satisfactory and plausible, so he gave her a nod of understanding and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll be fine, so don't worry too much." He said as he stroked her hair. She gave an inaudible sigh and wrapped her arms around him, thanking God for George being such a sensible guy.

'What I'm doing to him is terrible. It's so unfair…' She thought, trying not to let her emotions overflow and give her away. George was the ideal guy for Mel, and she knew that. He wasn't rich, true enough, but he had a great personality, was always there for her; he even stuck by her side when he found out she was pregnant with Draco's baby, and not many would do that. She couldn't understand why such a wonderful person like George didn't make her heart beat so strong as when Draco was around her. George was the complete opposite of Draco, and everything a smart and sensible girl could wish for in a guy; the right choice for a partner. He was trustworthy when Malfoy wasn't. So why? Why was Draco always the one that she thought of the most? Why was he the one that made her knees feel weak? Why did her heart beat for him and not George? She felt ashamed for not being able to control her feelings as well as she wanted. George pulled away from the hug and stroked her cheek with a small smile.

"You can count on me to be there for you, whatever happens." Staring back at those chocolate brown eyes, she saw his love for her, a love she wished dearly to return. The only thing she could do was pretend.

"I love you."

Those words left George speechless and in shock, but nonetheless happy as he could ever be. He was hoping to be the first to say it to her, but he was caught off guard when she beat him to it. Nonetheless, he broke into a wide grin after that.

"I love you too Mel." George leaned down and placed his lips upon hers, kissing her with all the love he felt for the girl, in the hopes that it proved how genuine his feelings were. Melinda was a little taken back, but soon eased up and returned the kiss.

The last class of the afternoon ended, leaving the students free to enjoy the remainder of the day. Up until dinner time Melinda hung out with Andrea and Valerie, not yet telling them what happened between her and George, although they tried many time to lead the conversation up to it. The hours went by, and the three soon went off to have supper with the twins. Throughout the meal, Mel saw George sending her some looks, the kind of looks that she wished to return with as much sincerity and legitimacy as his. Right after they ate, she headed off to the Hospital Wing to check up on Carina, and while she did so, she had an unexpected brush in with the father of her baby. They bumped into each other in the hall, the impact making them stumble back a few steps.

"Watch where you're-" Draco cut himself off once he saw Melinda. His initial anger and annoyance began to wear off and he just stared at her with a lost look on his face. She looked back at him, not saying anything herself. After a minute had gone by he seemed to come back to his senses, and silently took off in the direction he was going before. Numbly, Mel continued to walk, reaching the Hospital Wing in no time. She could hear crying even before she went into the nursery room Madam Pomfrey had prepared for her baby. Going inside, she walked up to Martha who was trying to calm down Carina by rocking her in her arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Mel asked, hoping it was nothing serious. Martha looked up, her face showing some relief.

"Oh good you're here. I think it's time for her to eat." She said, slightly playful, before handing Carina over to her. Mel took her child in her arms and walked over to a rocking chair in the corner of the room. Sitting down, she pulled up her blouse and began to feed her little girl, who instantly quieted down afterwards. Smiling a little, she gently rocked the chair back and forth. Martha sighed a little and sat down on another chair, seeming exhausted.

"What a lovely child, when she's not crying at the top of her lungs." At that Melinda chuckled. Being almost fifty years old, she knew that Martha wasn't as energetic as she was when she became her caretaker, and it wasn't a surprise to see her tire more easily now with taking care of a baby. It made Mel feel quite guilty again to have to rely on her so much during this period of time. The option of abandoning her studies to take care of Carina was slowly moving up to the top of her list, and if she could not find any easier way to deal with it, it would more likely to come true. Carina was fast asleep in a matter of minutes, so Mel carefully fixed up her shirt and held her child close to her bosom. Looking upon her peaceful little face made Melinda feel a surge of calmness come over her. Martha was already nodding off on the chair, a comical scene for the young mother to witness.

"Martha, you'll have more back problems if you sleep on the chair like that." She called out, causing Martha to abruptly awaken from her light sleep with a short snort.

"Huh? Oh. Do you mind if I take a small nap then?" Melinda shook her head, and so Martha went over to the other side of the nursery and laid down on a bed that was provided for her. It didn't take long before Mel began to hear her light snores. She slowly got up from the rocking chair and moved over to the crib. Being very careful, she detached her child from her chest and placed her sleeping form inside. After covering up Carina, and lightly stroking her naked head, Melinda walked back to the rocking chair and pulled her bag over to her so she could take out her textbooks and begin on her assignments.

When the clock struck 10:30, Mel placed her things back in her bag and got up. She placed a small kiss on Carina's cheek, being very cautious as to not stir her awake. She glanced over to Martha's still sleeping form and felt better not to wake her from her slumber, as she seemed in much need of a good rest. As quietly as she could, she exited out of the nursery and walked out of the Hospital Wing in the direction of the Hufflepuff Common Room. Melinda found her two best friends waiting for her in the girls' dorm. While all the others were asleep, the two of them had stayed up, waiting for her to arrive so they could interrogate her once again on the subject Melinda had been avoiding to talk about.

"Oh come on Mel, tell us what went on between you two. If you were not so willing to talk about it before, then something definitely happened between you two." Valerie said in a whisper. Melinda sighed, really not wanting to touch up on it with them, but she knew that if she didn't tell them now they would continue to bother her about it until they managed to drive her to the point of insanity.

"Nothing special, I just…" She trailed off, causing Val to groan. Andrea shushed her as she was being too loud. Valerie flushed a little, but that didn't stop her from pressuring Melinda to continue. Sighing once more, Mel sat down on her bad and stared down at her covers.

"I told George I loved him." Both girls gasped, Valerie's naturally louder than Andrea's. The former girl's eyes brightened up with excitement and the two of them shuffled out of their beds to sit on the edge of Mel's.

"Details, details!" Val asked in a high whisper, earning a small nudge from Andrea. Mel looked up at them, her face coloring once again at their intensive interest on it.

"What details? I just said I loved him and he said he loved me back…then we kissed and that's it." She said, as if it was all too normal. Valerie shook her head, clearly not satisfied with just that.

"Something must've led you to confess to him like that. So what was it?" At that question, Mel felt nervousness build up inside of her. Could she even tell her friends about what happened between her and Draco? She knew they were her best friends, but now that she was going out with George it didn't feel right to reveal such a thing to them; they would probably think she was crazy.

"I don't know, we were just talking about some things that I was worried about, like the OWLs, how it's going to be after school ends, how to deal with Carina at home. I can't just rely on Martha all the time; she has an elderly mother to take care of, and at her age looking after a baby makes her feel exhausted easily." The two girls exchanged looks and turned back to her.

"And he said I could count on him for whatever, so I guess that's what made me tell him I love him." She finished off, looking at the two for a reaction to what she said. Andrea was silent while Valerie breathed her familiar dreamy sigh.

"That sounds so romantic for some reason~" She giggled a little, then shut up when she heard one of the girls from the other bed shift. Melinda saw Andrea staring at her with a deep look in her eyes, but she didn't know what it meant.

"Okay, well I think we should head off to bed now, it's almost 11." Andrea muttered. Mel and Val agreed, and so Valerie and Andrea and the two laying back down in their own beds. Melinda put out the candle by her bed before lying down. That strange look Andrea gave her made her feel a little uneasy.

'It's probably nothing.' She thought, brushing it off and closing her eyes to go to sleep.