Hiiiiii readers, this is LJ... So yay, FINALLY some updated information for Melody Riddle and the Order of the Phoenix! Round of applause, am I right?

ANYWAY, you've probably seen enough of this but I sincerely want to apologize AGAIN for the long hiatus. And explain..

Order of the Phoenix was a favorite for a lot of you, and it made me swell with joy because it was also my pride at the time. My writing ability had grown exponentially better since the first book, and it was really showing here.

However, at a certain point I just... got STUCK. I couldn't continue forward. I couldn't figure out how to get to the next milestone... I couldn't figure out how to keep the hype going so it was still as enjoyable as when it started.

I suppose the stress got to me, and then my life outside of fanfiction also began changing because I graduated high school and... well, so on and so forth, I'm at a very different place in my life. My attention was focused on all of that, but there has also been that heart-wrenching guilt for not finishing Melody's adventures.

Last year I decided enough was enough, and I had to do what I'd been too lazy to do my senior year of high school... Revising and editing the first four books. Don't get me wrong, Order of the Phoenix was practically perfect, but how can I really continue on if I don't feel the same strength of pride in the original four that I do for the fifth? So many errors, so many awkward scenes, so many details missing, so many things I sped past all so I could get to the fifth where everything seems to go to hell for Melody - our most favorite thing to read in any book!

So here I am finally, after over a year of editing and fixing things up, to show you a brand new Melody!

For any of you too lazy to go back and read the original four - I don't actually blame you - here is a quick synposes of the major changes:

Number 1... Melody gets apparition sickness. This is not an extremely crazy change by any means in comparison to others on this list, but I had thought about it and absolutely adored the idea. Made for extra silly scenes of her nearly hurling every time someone Disapparates her somewhere... especially here with the twins, as we all know. ;)

Number 2... I added an extra special chapter to Sorcerer's Stone where our favorite twins do something for her birthday (which has also been changed to May 31st - d'oh!). I felt I didn't have enough scenes of her at Hogwarts for those months Dumbledore kept her there until Orele had everything in America fixed and situated, so I thought I'd add something special for Melody to bond more with the twins before they go home for their summer vacation... Oh! And plus Dumbledore picks Melody up from her elementary school, not Orele (hadn't really thought through the extreme consequences should Orele have Apparated while pregnant) _!

Number 3... At the beginning and end of each book is a little note from Melody, because I decided I wanted to make it out like these books were autobiographies written by her to describe why the events happened as they did. I would imagine she'd use a pensieve to be able to write them out so accurately haha.

Number 4... Marcus already knew before Draco even invited him with them to Hogsmeade in the third book that Melody was Voldemort's daughter. For this, I thought it was perfect because, after she finds this out near the end of the Prisoner of Azkaban, it adds an extra strain on their relationship by the time Goblet of Fire kicks around. The idea is that his parents have always been devoted followers of Voldemort, and they were there when Orele became his ally. By throwing their son Melody's way, they'd guarantee themselves Voldemort's favor and their son's future. The strain on Melody adds a toxicity to their relationship that I just couldn't pass up. Especially since it adds a certain je ne sais quoi for Melody's fear that she may not be able to love anyone due to her relation to Voldemort.

Number 5... Goblet of Fire has the more significant changes - this specific one being more quality time with Jim and Orele. Before, I hadn't had much in place for one on one moments with each of them. Especially concerning two problems: one was her finding Jim and Nick at the Quidditch World Cup (yeah, right, the odds of him being there at that exact point in time was extreme, d'oh!), and two being Orele WAITING for Melody to get back from the Quidditch World Cup to show how crazy with worry she was... No... So there's an extra wonderful scene in there of Orele screaming at Lucius... Hehehe.

Number 6: I don't even know why I had done this to begin with, but I took away the thing I did where Lissy ended up getting the same visions as Melody. I'm not sure if I was just trying to give her more meaning or something, but it was too confusing so it's gone. Totally gone. The addition to the girls now is that Becky's little sister Trixy is deaf. She's extra fun to write.

Number 7: More Barty Crouch time. Yes, I think once upon a time I slacked too much on the time she could've spent with him so not only did I add more time... I also added more detail... AND... Dun dun dun MELODY SAVES HIM! What? Don't shoot me ... or avada kedavra me... I think he could be very useful, and besides she does an incredible switch out between him and.. uhmmmm... certain people (sorry don't want to explain that too far, I actually wish people would read how all THAT came to work - all in chapter 39 of Goblet of Fire).

Number 8: Draco and Melody - the main reason most of you probably love this is their relationship - strained as it might be, they are there for each other. The chapter where he corners her I've changed their wording from "I love you" to "I care about you" because.. It makes more sense for it to be a little harder to get Melody to say "I love you." If or when she ever tells him that, I'm sure we'd all want it to be more meaningful and not forced because that's realistic where she's concerned.

I have probably forgotten some points along the way, but I'm sure you're either tired of my rambling or you done already skipped past the huge note. Cheers to my hope that Melody continues to be a joy to you all, and for me to make consistent... more consistent than once a month hopefully... updates again. Thanks to you all for your love and patience as I, lisa602, continue fracturing her world at your whims. Not to worry about the extra chapters for that's just me splitting up a few of the super duper extra long for no reason ones haha.

P.S. IMPORTANT Below is the same chapter I left Melody off at a few years ago, BUT there's extra fluff at the end to make up a bit for the long wait. Figured I'd better have her explaining her vision of their fathers to Draco for his input. Since she's promised to talk about anything she finds out rather than going it alone

AND I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE NEXT WEEK WILL FINALLY BE A FULL BRAND NEW CHAPTER! AGAIN I PROMISE! ENJOY!

My mind and my heart raced at about a million miles a minute. I'm afraid of me… I realized. All those dreams for all these years… is my fear of what I may be capable of…. Even before I knew who dad was.. so then that means that I already felt this inside of me, and I've been running from it…

The boggart spoke, "I know you're trying to rationalize what you're seeing as proof that you're strong enough to keep yourself from becoming.. well me…. But have you not noticed your recent dreams as I get closer.. and closer.. and closer to catching up to you? I'm coming, and you can't stop me."

I swallowed a knot in my throat as I tried to remember the spell that I just mentioned — I just mentioned not one minute before — to Seraphina. What am I supposed to do to get rid of this thing again?

Aha.

I imagined the one thing that's embarrassed me since mom took the video of me doing it.. and cast my wand, "Riddikulus!"

The other 'me' morphed from a teenager to a toddler in a full-on ninja suit, mask and all, attempting kung fu and falling over with every kick. Even though it always embarrassed me, it was also funny to watch, so I was glad to laugh.

Seraphina's laughter came from behind me, causing both the boggart to disappear into smoke and me to suddenly remember that she was still there. I'd forgotten during all the thought I'd put into getting rid of the boggart.

I was stuck being really embarrassed.

After she wiped her tears away, still chuckling, she gave me a good long look. She took a deep breath, "Well, what do you think of me now?"

"That's an odd question," I said, sitting down on the floor across from her. "What do I really have to think besides that we all have fears?"

"Oh dearie, I try so hard to prove that I don't care what anyone else thinks but, as you can see, my boggart merely proved that lie… to myself and to you. I want power but I also want others to like me rather than hate me. Living forever would give me much time to make sure I get that wish."

"What caused the fear?"

Seraphina gave me a small smile, "My family happens to be one of the last most sacred pureblood families. My parents made sure to have lots of children to continue to pass on the legacy for more generations to come, but I've been a disappointment to them all my life. Other pureblood children were so.. snobby that I made friends with Muggles behind my parents' backs. Ever since they found out, they've never forgiven me."

"That's horrible," I said, reaching my hand out to comfort hers.

She paused as she stared at me. "Melody. I'm going to tell you a secret no one but my family knows, because your father bade it never be uttered."

Really? I thought in surprise. I nodded nonetheless, but it was a curious phenomena to think she was willing to tell me such a big secret.

"When I was just a child, my idiot brother boasted to other death eaters about how powerful my magic was. By the age of five, I was already exhibiting abilities… you can easily deduce that your father found out and wanted me dead. What you wouldn't know is that it was your mother who stopped him."

My eyes widened, "She… she did?"

"I remember the day very clearly. They showed up, just the two of them, and he'd pointed his wand at me immediately… I didn't know what to do, this was a stranger with a look that would kill if it could. My parents had taken me out there only a minute earlier, and run back inside… so I've always known that they knew he was coming.

"Your mother took one look at me, and stepped in front of me. They had an entire argument right there. I only stayed because I was afraid that, if I moved, then her argument would be for nothing and I'd be dead anyway. She'd said that in the future, I could be a great ally. In her words, 'it would be a shame to waste such a life.'" Seraphina snorted, tears falling down her face, "It took more convincing, but he put his wand down."

The silence reverberated through my head as I thought it through. What horrible parents would sacrifice their child so willingly? "I appreciate a look at how heroic my mom was, and I'm so glad she did because you're alive now. But if it's such a secret… why are you telling me?"

"You're a strong witch, Melody, but you're an even stronger human being. I can see you have a fear of becoming your father, but from what you have proven to me just a few minutes ago… you're so much more of your mother. The way you stepped in front of me, sacrificing your own hidden fear, took guts only Orele had."

I laughed, "That's all I sacrificed — I wouldn't even call that a sacrifice! I jumped in the way of a boggart, not a murderer."

"I'd say a boggart is close enough. Your own fear can hurt you so much more than anything physical ever could. Believe me, I once had an aunt who died of a heart attack from coming across a boggart."

"But come on, I merely forgot that I hadn't put my barriers up. I've technically never even dealt with a boggart before… when Severus taught me the spell, I made him leave the room so I could pretend I didn't want him to see my fear. I didn't even want to see it, so I pretended I'd done it. Jumping in front of your boggart was —"

"—an automatic response where you needed to protect me. Am I correct?"

I didn't answer… I couldn't even find the words to argue anymore. Seraphina was practically calling it bravery, but was it really?

"Well," Seraphina exclaimed, pushing herself to her feet. She looked down at me and held out her hand, "Let's just say you have convinced me, as your friend and mentor, that I would be honored to secretly join forces with you against your father. We'll come up with solutions together."

I stared back at her in surprise, "You're serious? I thought you were loyal to no one, least of all to someone who's never done anything like this before."

"You've inspired me to forget that nonsense. I trust in you enough that you have my complete loyalty. Besides, I owe it to Ms. Orele Ollivander that her daughter gets the chance to live a good, long life."

"Not as long as yours is going to be, but…" I took her hand with a smile, "thank you, Seraphina."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Draco said nonchalantly, leaning back against a tree on the grounds. I had explained what I'd seen between our dads, and it made me nervous that he was hardly fazed by it.

"You don't get it — what if he does everything he can to make sure your dad fails at something?" I asked, waving my hands in frustration. "I wouldn't put it past him to try so he can force me under his every whim. He'd said that he's been far too lenient with me, so he's probably thinking he can just — I don't know — make summer vacation like a boot camp for me."

Draco chuckled, tossing an apple into the air and catching it as he stared at me. The apple was from breakfast.

I mocked his chuckles, "You know it's not that funny. What should we do?"

"Mel, you're overreacting. You said, yourself, that my father is more than capable of taking care of himself… and even so, I trust that you'd never let anything like that happen."

I scoffed with a small smile, "You give me too much credit."

He grinned, setting the apple in his lap as he patted the grass next to him.

With a drawn out sigh, I walked over to follow his gesture… leaning my back against the tree, and my head on his shoulder. "It makes me nervous. If he doesn't have control over everything, it seems like he feels he needs to just.. force his decisions on it."

Draco wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm as he tugged me closer. "If anyone can handle it, it's us. You'll think of it when it's not stressing you out so much and, when you do, I'll help however I can."

I smiled gratefully up at him.

"For now, though," he continued, "we can just relax under this tree. Enjoy our day while we have nothing to worry about."

My smile turned into a smirk, "You seem to be so wise when you use your words that way… alright, I'll relax…. It just makes me wonder, on that note, if my poetic boyfriend has any other poems like the one about me that he might like to share with me?"

His cheeks reddened profusely as he stammered, "W-well — I — erm — c-can I get back to you on that?"

I giggled, "Too embarrassed to share with your girlfriend?"

"I just…" he said thoughtfully, his cheeks still red, "would prefer to share them when… when the moment is right."

I leaned up as I whispered, "And when would that be, Mr. Malfoy?"

He grinned as he said, "When I decide," before meeting my lips halfway.