Even Angels Make Mistakes!
By bunny chan & Ginny :)
We [being bunny chan and Ginny :)] decided to co- write a fic, for reasons not even known to ourselves. This first part isn't very HP- ish, but this part is essential to the story, and the rest will have all the usual HP characters in it!
We own Melissa Johnns, Faye, Nadia, Clover Evans, Azzel, and various angels :) JKRowling owns Neville and Snape, and the other characters who will turn up later! Neville owns Trevor.
Our thanks to hermione potter for beta- ing!
This is our first co- written fic, so please do read & review! And check out some of our individual work if you enjoyed this!
Cheers!
~ bunny chan & Ginny :)
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Melissa was in a bad mood. A real temper. Why shouldn't she be
allowed to go out? She was 14! Old enough to look after herself!
Why shouldn't she go and see her friends? But no, mum said 9pm
was too late for a girl her age to be out! Of all the things..!
"I'm going!" She screamed, seething, from her front
door, "And you can't stop me!"
"You come right back here now, Melissa Daphne Johnns--"
began her father, but Melissa slammed the door in his face.
She clutched her leather jacket round her shoulders, and wished
that she had something other then the skimpy little top under
it, now that she was, indeed, out in the cold.
"Mel!"
She glanced up. Across the road, her best friends, Faye and Nadia
waved, beaming.
"Hey!" she greeted them back.
Melissa raced across the road. She didn't see the car coming.
She hardly heard the blare of it's horn, or the yells of Nadia
and Faye. She only felt the thud of the car, as it hit her. She
fell to the floor, and then stood up again, dazed.
"It's OK, I'm all right. Why don'cha watch where you're going,
you silly sod?" she shouted at the car.
"Ohmigod...!" a young man raced out of the car, gasping,
"Ohmigod... I didn't see her... I didn't know... Ohmigod,
I'm so sorry... she just ran out..."
"Wha'?" Melissa blinked at him. She wondered vaguely
where Nadia and Faye were.
"I'll go and phone 999!" Melissa spun round. It was
Faye who had spoken, her face taught- looking, "You stay
here, Nad. I've run outa credit on my mobile."
"Why? I'm OK, you doughnut!" Melissa frowned. Then she
looked down. At her own body. Nadia was staring, white- faced,
at the blood on the floor that surrounded Melissa.
Melissa didn't know why, but she didn't feel horrified, or even
upset. Just... mildly surprised, and angry.
"What a bloody cheek!" She glared at the young man,
annoyed "Look, mister, look what you did! That jacket was
brand new, you effing fool, cost a bloody fortune! Mum'll kill
me!"
The young man was trying to comfort Nadia now, who was shaking
like a leaf. Neither he or Nadia even looked in the direction
of the furious Melissa.
"Oh, that's right, help her but ignore me!" She was
growing increasingly irritated, "I know your type! Jeez!
Well, there's no hope to be had here. Idiots." She turned,
and stalked off down the neon- lit street, scowling heavily.
She didn't see the ambulance arrive. She didn't see her body being
loaded into it. She knew that she was dead, even before they arrived,
somehow. It didn't seem to matter, for some reason. It was just
something she accepted.
And, the odd thing was, it was even more frustrating then being
alive, because no one could see you. What was the point in that?
She'd spent one who flipping hour getting ready, and now--
"Hello, Melissa."
"What?!" This wasn't supposed to happen, was it?
"Hello, Melissa Johnns" the voice repeated, and Melissa
realised that the speaker was a young woman, who was watching
her. Melissa stared.
The woman had the kind of dress that was supposed to be worn by
princesses languishing in far- off stair-less, lift- less towers.
She had the kind of bright green eyes that can usually only be
achieved by getting contact lenses from the Gadget Shop, and her
skin had a pearly sheen to it that could only usually have been
simulated by using too much expensive soap. Her red hair had reached
the amount fly- away staticness that only happens if you brush
it 100 times a day with a soft- bristle brush. A golden harp was
clutched under her arm.
"What?!" Melissa repeated, with a bite of blank impatience
in her voice.
"You - as you can see - are dead," the young woman said,
waving her white hand at the passing ambulance.
"Oh, please, do these look like eyes to you? And am I blind?
I think not! Stop stating the obvious!" Melissa said with
sarcasm.
"Well, your pupils seem a little blank there, so I assume
you are blind," the woman replied, gazing at her intently.
"So what do you want? I tell you, this is a rotten day for
me. I just died! And oh, who the hell cares about that? I died
and probably that's the best thing-" Melissa stopped. She
stared at the woman. "Wait. I died, so how can you see me?"
"You are coming with me," the lady sighed, holding her
head.
"What the heck is going on in here?" Melissa yelled.
This is getting horribly irritating. Intensely irritating. Especially
to a person who had just died, killed by some lousy driver who
probably hadn't even a license.
"Melissa Johnns, you are coming with me. Why am I assigned
to this?" the lady said, sighing.
"Look, lady, I am following no strangers around, even if
I'm dead. And I am definitely not taking any orders from
you," Melissa said, fury bubbling in her.
"You are coming with me," she repeated, firmly.
"What? No! I mean, Heaven right? It's all people playing
the harp, singing
in choirs- I bet they've never even heard of Eminem!- and watering
pot
plants, and listening to Gardener's Question Time, and--!"
"Well, that's not completely necessary. Come on, Melissa."
"Well, I'm not wearing a dress like yours," Melissa
scowled stubbornly, "I'd die before I wore a dress like that!"
"You already did, Melissa. You don't need a nice dress. Come
on, hurry!" Melissa gave the lady a withering look. Was it
her fault that the skirt she was wearing happened to be short
and sparkly?
"You are damn irritating! I mean, come on! Give the dead
some peace, would you? I just died and I don't feel like being
in place of that bloke there!" Melissa said, jerking her
head at the place where the driver had knocked her down.
"Well, understandably," the lady nodded, "now,
Melissa, I advise you to come before I have to take serious action."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Melissa raised her eyebrows at
the lady, "I don't even know who the heck you are! Mum said
never to go with strangers, and they don't come much stranger
then you!"
"I am Clover Evans. Now come on!" Clover Evens noticed
the expression on Melissa's face, "You do realise that Rule
47, Paragraph 2, of the Angel's Code Of Conduct says that force
may be used to get someone to Heaven or similar, if they are not
willing to co- operate?"
"What makes you think I care about your minging Code Of Conduct?
Sorry, but dream on!" Melissa turned on her heel, and made
to walk away.
"I apologise for this in advance, Melissa," said Clover,
"You were warned."
She brought her harp down sharply onto Melissa's head. Which just
goes to show, angel's harps are a lot more useful then they'd
have you know.
~*~
Neville crept into the Gryffindor dormitory. His detention with
Snape had just ended, fifteen minutes before midnight. He'd spent
the whole evening scrubbing desks clean of newt entrails. He hated
Snape, the bullying git. Neville hadn't meant to get the pixie
dust mixed up with the fairy wings! He didn't realise that it
would make his potion explode...! Why did these things always
happen to him?!
He changed into his pyjamas, which had been a present from his
great aunt, and had red fire engines on them. He loathed them.
Still, it was better then that yellow lunch- box she'd given him.
It had had a mouse in a jolly sailor suit on the front.
He clambered into his 4- poster bed, and drew the curtains around
it. Something was buzzing around inside. Neville was too tired
to care. He flopped down onto his pillow, snuggled up in his duvet,
Trevor asleep next to his pillow.
"G'night, Trevor..." Neville murmured sleepily.
"Ribbit," said Trevor.
10 seconds to midnight... 9.... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3...
2... 1...
"Ow!" Neville brought has hand down sharply onto his
face, where he had felt a prick of pain, as though something had
stung or bitten him. He rubbed his cheek. Ow... what the heck
was that? Must have been whatever had been making that buzzing
noise. Still, the it had stopped, and he supposed he'd be OK.
Neville turned over in bed, and fell asleep almost at once.
~*~
Melissa woke up. She always liked that period, the moment of waking,
when her head was so full of flowers, fluffy clouds, kittens,
snowflakes and sunbeams. And her head hurt.
Why were there so many people in her room all of a sudden?
"Jennifer! If that's your stupid tea party with your damn
toys, I'm coming right after you!" Melissa muttered tiredly.
She felt someone shaking her.
"Get lost, Jasper!"
"Melissa Johnns? Are you awake?" a voice called. Melissa
jumped up at once.
"Who the heck are you? What the heck are you doing in my
room?" Melissa yelled. Clover, who shook Melissa awake, stood
back in fright. She relaxed after a while. "Melissa, this
isn't your room," said Clover, gently, "This is Heaven.
Come, why not I show you around first?"
"What did you do to me? Ah!!! My hair!!! What have you done?"
Melissa cried in fright. She fingered her mud-brown hair; its
original colour.
"'Rule 8034, Paragraph 6 of the Angel Code of Conduct: No
fanciness allowed,'" Clover said strictly.
Melissa glanced down and let out a scream so loud that half the
angels were staring at her.
"My clothes!!!! Did you know how much that cost me???"
"Approximately, quite so."
"Good. Now GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"
"Sorry, no will do. How about you walk around. I'm sure that'll
do you good," Clover said gently.
She left the place swiftly before Melissa could even open her
mouth. Cursing under her breath, Melissa got up and started a
stroll around the so-call Heavens. It was as they'd described
it. Cloud platforms (hmm. Fluffy), beautiful gardens of flowers
(disgusting, toxicating smell), the harp playing and the choir
group.
Maybe she should check out that choir group.
"Peace be with God and Men~" the sang sweetly. Their
voices were high and sweet. They rather reminded Melissa of the
blackbirds in spring.
"Yuck. That is one old song there," Melissa winced.
"Hey you! Why not I teach you some cool songs?"
The conductor paused and the group turned to her in puzzlement.
"Vot, may I know, dos she mean?" the conductor asked.
"She wants to teach us a new song!" a little one piped
in.
"Izzit real, Azzel?"
"Absolutely so," Azzel replied.
"You may start," the conductor said. Melissa smiled
confidently and drew in her breath....
~*~
"...And your total demerit points are now negative 627, from
the positive 1000," a young angel with golden curls and fine
feathered wings said, holding a scroll in her hands. "First,
you wrecked a choir singing group with a blasting Eminem song.
Next, fifteen roses, twenty sunflowers, twelve lilies, thirteen
daisies, thirty four clovers and fifty violet gardens were downright
destroyed. Right after that, a hundred eardrums were aching from
the Eminem song. Your crime for destroying the Heavenly Kitchen
was even heavier. And-"
"Hold a second. Demerit points?" Melissa asked blankly.
"Exactly. Now, where was I? Oh, yes! Sixteen harps were broken
down, thirteen flutes were destroyed, fifteen pianos were out
of order and-"
"I know exactly what I did, bimbo, you needn't remind me.
Say, what the hell happened to-" Melissa was cut almost at
once.
"Five thousand points!" the arch angel cried at once.
"What the hell did I do now?" Melissa demanded. Living
in heaven wasn't as easy as she had expected. Especially when
demerit points are counted upon you.
"Ten thousand!" the little angel cried.
"What did I do?????" Melissa demanded. "Tell me
everything, you obnoxiously idiotic moron!"
"How dare you! Say so before me!" the angel cried. "For
that, you shall be punished!"
"Someone said something?" an angel came into view. "Anyway,
orders from Headquarters. Send an angel this instance to Hogwarts.
Mission explained later."
Melissa gaped. What are they talking about?
The arch angel, however, was red with rage. She instantly called
out the name that first came into her mind.
Melissa Johnns.
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