I've got to say I'm blown away by the sheer volume of messages I've received in concern over this story. I promise you that it's not abandoned and won't ever be (the ending is already sketched out!). This story has been my main focus and I simply wanted a little time away to work on some of my other projects. Now I'm back with it and here's the proper introduction of Melania to the Order of the Phoenix!

Summersecho - They were surprised by Hedwig becoming a Raven because it seemed too obvious.

Azaira - I think the headcanon for scars is that anything done using Dark magic can't be healed by conventional means. There might be a proper cure but normal healing spells/potions won't get rid of the "cursed scar".

TheZidaneTribal - Tonks is in deep denial about her feelings for Melania.

TheSmallzy23 - Their relationship will build over the year. It won't be easy, especially with the little twist Amelia has cooking up.

Summer Days at Grimmauld Place Part 1

15th August, 1995 – Grimmauld Place

It was the second time in three weeks that Nymphadora Tonks found herself standing outside the Fidelius hidden Twelve Grimmauld Place in order to take someone into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" The metamorph nervously asked, her hair a drab brown to go along with her mood. "We can do this another time if you want."

"I will not allow my Head of House to walk into that place without Family support," Narcissa 'no longer Malfoy' Black replied, heatedly. The elder woman's pale eyes remained focused on the young woman in question who stood slightly in front of them.

Neither of the two girls dared point out the obvious fact that Narcissa wouldn't be the only family member there.

The Lady Black had been quiet the entire morning as she waited for the sign from her father. Melania was dressed in elegant and obviously expensive clothes beneath an open Acromantula silk robe, all the better to make an impression, and had Muninn on her shoulder. The teenage girl cut a powerful image just by merely standing there. Her two wands were safely in their anti-summoning holsters and she had her two knives secured at her hips. The entire Family understood that she was prepared for war as soon as she entered the family home.

Magic can be a strange and fickle mistress. While Harry and Melania were intrinsically one and the same, they were magically different enough that she didn't know the Fidelius' secret even though Harry did.

Sort of.

Melania still knew the house was there, she just wasn't able to actually see it. She stood, eyes closed, and with the help of her Black ring, could feel the magic of the building calling out to her. She suspected that she could even walk up to the front door and open it as long as she wasn't actually watching where she was going.

"Moody is in there, Aunt Cissy," Dora's concerned voice cut through Melania's thoughts and Muninn squawked her disapproval at the paranoid Auror's name. The owl-come-raven had become incensed at hearing the man's reaction to her mistress's existence and had been looking forward to expressing her displeasure at the earliest opportunity.

"I will not allow the two of you to face them alone," Narcissa's tone cut off any more discussion and had Tonks sighing in defeat. She'd heard the same commanding voice often enough from her mum to know what it meant. Melania allowed herself a small smile at her family's protective nature and wrapped it around her heart to fight off the nerves.

Dora took out the same slip of paper that had been shown to Harry and shared it with her aunt. The beautiful woman absorbed the information and then stepped forward to present it to Melania and the unique raven. Both read the words and allowed the Fidelius' magic to sink into their minds to reveal number twelve.

"Have you decided how you will claim the wards?" Narcissa asked as she handed the note back to Dora.

"As much as I'd like to use the family crest in the front hall, it's going to be the door," Melania answered without pause. "If I'm going to walk in there as Lady Black then I might as well do it right."

Narcissa nodded and the three Black women moved as one. The image made a powerful statement and the air inside Grimmauld Place grew heavy with magic. The house knew who was coming and welcome her with open arms.

Melania pulled out one of her daggers the moment her foot hit the porch, slitting her right palm in one single, fluid motion. The Lady Black didn't react as skin was opened nor when the wound was wrapped around the cool metal of the raven and snake knocker.

"I, Melania Cassiopeia Lilith Black, Lady Black of House Black, offer up my blood and magic to claim this residence as my Home and Castle," the knocker glowed and the trio heard the building rumble violently as it happily accepted its new Head. "May the wards protect the Family that reside within and the magic welcome all those of Family who wish to enter. May they smite my enemies and have no mercy for traitors against the House. So I say, so mote it be!"

The wards crackled and those inside fell to the floor as the building shook as though at the epicentre of an earthquake. Melania frowned when she felt the wards struggling to release themselves from their current owner. The frown turned into a snarl that would have perfectly suited Bellatrix's face as she realised what was happening.

"The house is mine, Dumbledore. As are the wards." She growled. Her fingers tightened on the knocker and she pushed her magic into it. It immediately connected with the deep magic that was Grimmauld Place's foundations and the layers of Black blood that had been shed to make the residence one of the safest in the land. Those inside and out heard the harrowing sound of countless voices of long past Blacks roaring in rage at someone not of blood attempting to control the House of Black. The Old Magics painfully ripped the protections away from the manipulative old man inside and gently offered them to Melania. She willingly accepted and then smirked when she realised the Fidelius had also been passed on. "Enter, Narcissa and Nymphadora, Daughters of Black, and be welcome within my home."

She released the knocker and her blood immediately soaked into the metal to join with those of her ancestors. The magic of the ritual instantly healing her palm. The door swung open and Muninn happily flew into the house with Melania entering behind her familiar. The two followed and none were surprised when the door swung closed behind them.

Narcissa was startled by the changes. Grimmauld Place had been a second home to her and her sisters but the youngest had never felt comfortable in the depressing building. Yet now it was all so different. The paint was relatively fresh, the furniture proudly shone with newness, and there was a sense of welcoming that had been absent from her childhood. She knew she could quite happily live in this new Grimmauld Place with her niece.

The pile of bodies near the stairs caught their eyes and three eyebrows raised at the sight of limbs trying to disengage from each other. Apparently a welcoming committee had originally been waiting in the hall to meet Melania, no doubt something Molly Weasley had cooked up, but were now nothing more than a mass of moans and groans. Melania broke out into giggles at the sight and didn't stop until three extremely excited elves popped into the hallway.

"Mistress Melania bes here at last!" Winky beamed happily and somehow was able to do a small dance without lifting her feet. "Winky bes making sure Mistress' room is all ready."

"Kreacher bes welcoming Mistress to the great House of Black and wish to know if Kreacher can bes doing anything for Mistress."

Is that really Kreacher? Narcissa thought in shock at the powerful looking elf. He was standing tall and looked younger than he had the last time she had seen him.

"Dobby bes so happy to see the great Witch Mistress Melania!" Narcissa's old house-elf bounced, ears flapping away, and she had to admit that the strange thing hadn't looked healthier. Nor as crazy with an old sock covering one ear. "And Dobby bes welcoming Mistress Narsousi! Dobby bes missing Mistress Narsousi!"

Melania turned to cock her head at her aunt, mouthing the Dobby-ism of Cissy's name. The woman could only shrug.

"I treated him with as much respect as I could get away with," was the only answer she could give.

"In that case. Dobby, you'll be Aunt Cissy's personal elf when she's staying here," the elf in question nodded frantically with pure glee and only elf magic kept the sock in place. "But you must learn from Kreacher, Dobby. He used to care for Auntie when she was younger so he can help you."

"I'm not that old, niece," the woman in question playfully sneered, doing her best to ignore Dora's snickering.

"Of course not," Melania replied with a grin. "Winky, I would love for you to get my room ready. But first, I think lunch in the library would be ideal."

The elves popped away, happy to be of service to their Mistress. The exchange had allowed the welcoming group to drag themselves to their feet and one quick look told Melania that Molly had forced her children, and Hermione, to dress up for their introductions to the new Lady Black.

No one looked comfortable in their outfit and, annoyingly, there wasn't a single welcoming face when the crowded spotted Narcissa. Any awkwardness was held off by a roar coming from the open study.

"Get off me, you crazy bird!" Mad-Eye's disgruntled voice sent Melania into more giggles. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth and only then realised that she still hadn't sheathed the knife.

"Wipe it clean first," Dora reminded her when she was about to simply slot it back into its leather home. "Mum would kill me if I let you get into that habit."

Kreacher immediately popped back with a silk cloth and everyone not a Black nervously watched Melania professionally clean the obviously sharp knife.

"Lady Black," The annoying voice of Dumbledore spoke up from the study door. The old man seemed to be doing his very best to ignore Moody's rantings coming from behind him. "May I ask what all the shaking was about?"

"You must be Albus Dumbledore," Melania replied without looking up from a particularly stubborn drop of blood that had stained the handle. "Father warned me of your atrocious choice of robes."

Now it was Dora giggling as her cousin was forced to hand the knife over to Kreacher's offered hand with obvious annoyance. The elf easily cleaned away the offending drop and gave the blade back with a deep bow. Melania nodded her thanks and only then deigned to give the waiting wizard her full attention. Narcissa, having far more control than her niece, merely smirked at the way her young Head of House was commanding the moment.

"You know perfectly well what that was, Mr. Dumbledore," She explained in a bored voice that held just a hint of steel. The knife was driven home into its sheath with enough force to make a few people wince. "You fought me for control over the wards and lost. No surprise since this is, after all, my home."

Molly Weasley was spluttering. Her outrage at the presence of Narcissa merged with the way Melania was treating the great Albus Dumbledore and she was building up mental steam to rant at the smart-mouthed girl. The long-haired Bill was doing his absolute best to derail the verbal explosion with frantic whispers while Lady Black watched Dumbledore attempt to reconnect with the wards. She grinned at his wince when they slapped his magic down for the insult.

"Ah, of course," he nodded, sagely, as though it all being part of his plan. His soft, grandfatherly voice grated on the three women's nerves. "It was only because I believed they were under attack."

"Of course you did," she scoffed, the sarcasm so thick it could have been used to make treacle tart. Dumbledore blinked at the attitude, unused to people not respecting his power and legacy.

"Alas, it seems as though the wards have also passed over control of my Fidelius," he continued. "You are, it seems, the new Secret-Keeper of this wonderful abode."

Dora and Narcissa caught the feral grin on their Lady's face and both knew it just announced Dumbledore as an enemy of House Black. Before anything more was said, Muninn flew back onto her partner's shoulder with a very familiar looking bauble held in her beak.

"Get back here, you pile of feathers!" Moody roared as he stomped after the raven, wand already in hand. Everyone's gaze immediately focused on the socket missing its magical eye.

The twins, quiet during the entire exchange between Melania and Dumbledore, looked at the Auror, looked at Muninn, and then looked at each other. The result was to be expected and they collapsed to the floor in gales of laughter. In all the chaos, Melania spotted the soft-footed form of her father at the top of the staircase alongside her uncle Moony.

Her only reaction to Muninn's theft was to raise a hand to rub the raven's chest.

"That's not a normal bird, Albus," Mad-Eye snarled, his wand rising to point at Muninn. "Damn thing moves too fast and look at its eyes."

"Muninn is my familiar and it will be the last thing you do if that wand rises any higher," Melania snapped and the air chilled in response to her anger. The air began to grow heavy as Grimmauld Place responded to the mood of its owner.

"If you think you can best me, lassie..."

"ALASTOR!" Dumbledore quickly pulled his friend's arm down before anything could be cast. As much as he would have enjoyed seeing the unknown Lady Black go up against his friend - only for an assessment of her skills, of course - he was far too shaken by the loss of the wards and Fidelius to let it happen. Only a truly powerful witch could have taken control away from him. "We talked about this. You will behave."

It seemed as though the Auror was about to argue only to pull himself under control at the last minute and nod.

"My eye, Lady Black," the heavily scarred man asked, the words only barely making it out of his throat and past the clenched teeth.

They continued to ignore the laughing hyenas that were the twins and the not so subtle hissing to be quiet that was coming from their mother.

Melania stared into the man's remaining eye for a heartbeat, long enough for it to be a doubt whether she would comply, and then nodded. Muninn seemed to sigh around her stolen toy in disappointment. The action finally helped Hermione place the bird's name and she wondered if anyone else got the irony that was happening in front of them.

Muninn lazily floated over to Moody and landed on the angry man's head. His wand twitched but remained by his side as the raven actually made to put the magical eye back in its socket. As a final one-over she suddenly smacked the eye with her beak so that it painfully popped back into place, spinning wildly from the force.

"Arrrg!" Moody cried out, palm covering the hurting socket while his wand hand swatted the air where the raven had been. Hermione had only blinked yet the bird was already back on Melania's shoulder. The Gryffindor girl couldn't help wondering if the bird was magical.

"Perhaps introductions are in order, Dumbledore?" Sirius finally announced himself as he walked down the stairs.

His grey eyes danced with humour while his friend was opening grinning at the chaos they had been watching. Sirius was so proud of how his daughter had dealt with the two men that he felt as though he was literally floating down the stairs. The moment his foot hit the bottom step he was hit by a black-haired whirlwind who had cried out Dad!

The other two Black women looked on as the years fell off Sirius. Narcissa took in the effect being around Melania did for her cousin and allowed herself to openly smile in happiness.

Muninn skipped onto Sirius' shoulder and happily buried herself into his long hair. She stayed there even when Melania was able to bring herself to pull away from his strong arms to smile up at the werewolf standing nearby.

"Hello, uncle Moony."

"Hello, cub," Remus happily smiled back, the love and acceptance in her grey-green eyes a balm to the fading pain of his recent transformation.

"Moony?" Fred yelped from the floor as Molly had only managed to drag George to his feet during the exchange. His twin blinked in shock and repeated the question. "Moony?"

"Oh, that's right," Melania giggled lightly as she turned in her father's arms, basking in their protectiveness. "Harry told me he was holding that little bit of gossip back."

"What's this, pup?" Sirius asked with obvious amusement, eyes twinkling with mischief and delight at being able to share his daughter with the world.

"Weeelllll..." She drawled in a way that had Remus remembering his Hogwarts years. James had always shuddered when Sirius sounded like that. "It seems those two over there fancy themselves modern day Marauders. Apparently they even worship the originals. Maybe you and uncle Remus can share some tales, papa Padfoot?"

Sirius' barking laughter erupted free at her teasing and then again when the twins rushed over to the three of them to drop onto their knees to declare their lack of worthiness.

"Alright, you lot," he chuckled, sharing a happy grin with Remus. "Let's all get into the library and enjoy Winky's meal so this little Marauder can meet you all."

There were nods all around at the idea. The good mood didn't last as Ron finally lost control of his mouth as the group were about to set off towards the library. Those who knew him were actually surprised at how long he'd been holding his tongue. What they didn't know was that Ginny's wand had been pressed into his lower back the moment she saw his reddening ears.

"What's a Malfoy doing here?" He demanded to know. All the humour bled out of Melania's eyes as she replied as Lady Black.

"Narcissa is a Child of Black, a child of my House and my aunt. That Malfoy is one of the reasons why Harry Potter is still alive," she spat and those not in the Family paled at the news. "She had nothing to do with the attack and everything to do with Harry's recovery. You will treat her with the respect a woman of House Black commands or you'll regret it, boy."

Muninn poked her head out of Sirius' hair and cawed in agreement causing Ron to shrink at the evil glare of the raven. Once again Bill was forced to whisper into his mother's ear before the Weasley matriarch could unload her anger.

"Which reminds me," she moved free of her father's arm to stand in front of the hanging curtain and with a snap of her fingers they pulled away to reveal the quiet form of Walburga Black. "Lady Walburga... grandmother... I wish to introduce myself to you and tell you what a pleasure it is to be Head of such a great House as ours."

"Your Magic and Will did it for you, my dear," Walburga curtsied much to everyone's, especially Sirius', surprise. "I look forward to our talks in the future but right now you have you guests to attend to."

Needless to say it was a much more subdued group who moved into the library.

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oOoOo

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Winky had turned the centre table of the library into a veritable banquet. As was her right, Melania moved to the head position with her father and Narcissa sitting on either side. Tonks sat next to her aunt while Moony was beside his friend. Dumbledore immediately took the place at the foot of the table, inviting a quiet scoff from Melania that was thankfully drowned out by everyone else taking a chair. Sirius smirked at his daughter's reaction to the wizard's actions while Cissy gave her a look of warning.

"Why don't you introduce everyone, dad," Melania suggested before the food could be touched. Sirius beamed every time she called him it. He did as she asked even with Muninn still nestled in his hair.

"Well you've met Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Alastor Moody, Senior Auror. Next is Arthur Weasley and his wife Molly."

"Nice to meet you both," Melania said with a gentle smile, completely ignoring the dark looks Molly gave her. "Harry told me how much he appreciated you opening your home for him."

Molly proved where Ron's temper came from by both beaming with happiness at the words, sniffling at the thought of not being able to see Harry, and then having the hardness in her eyes return full force. Her husband merely bowed his head to acknowledge the words.

"The twins you've heard of and the next one along is Bill Weasley, Curse-breaker to Gringotts."

"Really?" Melania's eyebrow raised as she appraised the man Sirius had pointed out. "I'd be delighted to sit down with you for a discussion on your career, Mister Weasley. I'm fascinated with the idea of wards and would love to hear an expert's view."

The Family immediately saw that she had won over the experienced Weasley with the obvious passion in her voice. Sirius continued with his introductions, the smirk teasing his lips telling those who knew him how much he was enjoying the entire situation.

"I'm sure you've heard plenty about the remaining lot. Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her age according to many, Ron Weasley and his sister Ginny Weasley."

"A pleasure to meet you all," she told them and received an interesting collection of replies. The twins showered her with over-the-top compliments that hinted at them knowing how to behave in a socially important setting without actually doing so. Ginny merely smiled meekly while Ron grunted, still upset at his dressing down and being forced to sit at the same table as Draco's mother. Hermione didn't to know whether she wanted to jump immediately into the conversation on wards with Bill, smile pleasantly at Melania, look confused towards Narcissa, or frown in puzzlement at Muninn. To Melania's great amusement, the girl ended up doing a bit of everything during the feast. "This will be the first meal I've had here so please, do tuck in and enjoy."

Moody's disgruntled huff didn't stop him from reaching for the potatoes. Though he did check them for any poisons.

"Will you be coming to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked as she enjoyed the delicious food. She wondered how long Winky had been working on the massive feast to have it all ready in the short time since Lady Black's arrival.

"I will," she confirmed. "And dad has even promised he won't disown me should I be placed in Slytherin."

Everyone ignored the screech as Molly's knife slide across her plate. To Ron's credit, he was too busy eating to react beyond a narrowing of the eyes.

"The time of my disgust against anything green and silver has long past," Sirius told them in a surprisingly mature voice after taking a sip from his glass. "Better a live Slytherin than a dead Gryffindor."

"That's what Harry's been saying," Hermione gasped, finally knowing where her friend had got it from.

"It's a good philosophy to live by," Melania agreed with a smile as her dad lifted a piece of food to his hair for Muninn to enjoy. "But it shouldn't be set in stone."

"Please, Lady Black," Dumbledore said with a faux gentle smile, leaning back in his chair as though holding court. "Do explain."

"Having a rigid philosophy, any type of philosophy, is a dangerous and foolish thing," she explained with passion that caused her eyes to glow softly. Hermione was stunned to see Muninn's eyes also glowed. "To think that you're always right? That the way you see the world is always true and the only correct answer? No, that way leads to only stagnation and death."

"Ah, to be young and full of ideas," the Hogwarts headmaster chuckled with condescension.

"Not at all, Mr. Dumbledore," Melania quickly answered with a shake of the head. She saw her aunt's eyes narrow dangerously at how the conversation was going. "Bill, as you're a Curse-breaker, I'm sure you've seen many interesting things and some extremely dangerous ones as well."

Bill nodded, waiting for her to make her point.

"Could you tell us what happens to a Ward Breaker who gets cocky and attempts to do their job without fully assessing what wards they are actually facing?"

He frowned as he collected his thoughts. He saw what she was getting at and wanted to make sure he didn't mess it up.

"Sometimes we come across a ward or curse that's very similar to those we're familiar with. If someone isn't careful they might follower what they've done a hundred times before and could come up against some very nasty protections. I've actually found a few traps laced into wards that are very easy to take down. If it wasn't for being careful, I could have been severely injured."

"Not everything is at it seems," Melania declared, firmly, raising a glass to salute Bill for his aid. She turned her focus back to Dumbledore so everyone knew where the next bit was aimed. "And experience does not always mean that you're right."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, clearly showing his disbelief in Melania's words even as his friend Moody grunted his approval. The seriousness of the talk would slowly ease off as the twins asked their heroes for stories that would send the majority of the table laughing.

Melania's foray into the world of Harry Potter hadn't been a total disaster.

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oOoOo

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Later that night

The meal had remained light-hearted and Dumbledore and Moody made their excuses to leave not long after it was over. The two veterans were quickly followed by Arthur and Molly dragging their two youngest to the Burrow in order to to lay down the law in regards to Lady Black and respecting people's homes. Ron couldn't look past Narcissa's presence while the more Ginny realised the smart and beautiful Melania was closer to her hero, the more she glared at the girl.

The young woman in question had jumped into her discussion with Bill with a passion and knowledge that delighted and surprised the older Weasley. The talk was also peppered with questions from the curious Hermione and the brunette was shocked at some of Melania's comments, quickly realising that the girl might just be as widely read as she was. The twins and the last true Marauders shared stories and ideas, the younger pranksters going through reams of parchment from their heavy note taking. They never knew that Melania had specifically asked her father and uncle to help grow the joke shop. Tonks and Narcissa had taken a small corner of the library so that the metamorphmagus could hear stories of her mum's childhood.

Grimmauld Place eventually fell silent and Melania was able to get a few hours sleep in her sinfully comfortable bed. Winky's wake up came just before two and the Lady of the Manor silently made her way to the lowest level to find Sirius and Narcissa waiting.

"Alright, little one," Sirius said, smiling at his daughter with love and pride. "I've set the runic control to the time dilation Andi told us you needed. You'll spend 18 days training for each six hour night until the end of the month. This way you can spend the day getting to know everyone upstairs."

Melania nodded as she stared at the shimmering entrance waiting for her to step through.

"Remember, we'll be doing this in shifts until the five of us believe you're ready for more," Cissy reminded her. "If, at any point, you wish to stop then tell us."

"No," She shook her head firmly. "I need this, Aunt Cissy. Not just because of the war or Riddle but because I'm a Black. I need to know what that means."

"That's my girl," Sirius beamed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to give her a reassuring hug. "It'll be the two of us tonight so we can also spend some quality father-daughter time together. Cissy will take tomorrow's stretch followed by Moony and then Andi and Dora together. You ready, Pup?"

Melania didn't answer. Instead she took a deep breath and walked, head up and gaze firm, through the shimmering barrier.

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oOoOo