Even Angels Make Mistakes! Part 3

by bunny chan & Ginny :)

Neville and Melissa joined the dinner table late. Luckily, the silver plates were still full of food, because, much to Melissa's interest, they refilled themselves every time they were emptied.

Neville sat down at the Gryffindor table, and Melissa perched herself next to him. She was mildly surprised to learn that she wasn't very hungry, but decided to make the best of a good thing, and piled her plate with steak and kidney pie, gravy, King Edwards and corn on the cob.

Yum... food... she bit into a fork-full of pie. Or rather, she tried to. She just... passed through it.

"Good, isn't it?" Neville asked tactlessly, stuffing his mouth with buttered sweetcorn.

"Excuse me?" Melissa gave him a Look. He didn't seem to be having in trouble eating it.

"I said, Good, isn't it?"

Melissa tried again.

"No," she said, putting down her fork, in irritation, "Not really." She stared around, annoyed, but determined to stay calm until she knew for sure. She tried to see if there was anyone else in the hall that might be dead, or even better, an angel. There were a few. None of them were even trying to eat. She accosted one on the same table as her, a very tall man with red hair, who was apparently somewhere in his 50s, who was talking to another angel, a sandy- hared woman with an Irish accent.

"S'cuse me," Melissa interrupted their banter, "but can either of you eat any of this mingin' food?"

The woman laughed heartily, but didn't reply. Melissa glared at her, definitely annoyed.

"No, none of us can eat," the man gave her a slightly mocking smile, "We're dead. Why would we need to?"

"Call me crazy," Melissa scowled, "but I rather enjoyed eating."

The man shrugged, "You'll soon get used to it. Now," he turned back to the woman, "Henny, about your Seamus..."

Melissa couldn't be bothered to argue, but turned to Neville glaring at him so hard he shrank back a little.

"Please don't look like that," he complained, "It's not my fault."

"Did I say it was?" She snapped, "No. Exactly."

"Um," said Neville, then, "Why are you my gardian angel?"

"I don't have a bleedin' clue," Melissa informed him, with perfect truth, "They just stuck me here. With you," she uttered the last syllable as though it was a swear word.

"Sorry," Neville said.

"What for?"

He shrugged, "You just seem to think this is all my fault."

"Damned if I know whose fault this is. All I know is, being dead is hellishly annoying."

"I don't want to die."

"What makes you think that I wanted to?"

"Er..?"

"I had loadsa friends, a boyfriend or two, cool clothes, and everything, but, just my luck, an idiot decides to run me over!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to," Neville said, diplomatically.

"'Mean to' doesn't come into it," Melissa informed him dryly.

"Er, Neville?" a girl with thick brown hair and a worried expression came across from her seat, accompanied by two boys.

"Oh, hello Hermione, hi Harry, hi Ron," Neville greeted the newcomers cheerfully.

"Are you all right?" the girl, Hermione, frowned at him.

"Yes, thanks. Never better."

"Neville..." the dark hared boy, who Melissa supposed must be Harry Potter, since he looked so like James, asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Melissa," said Neville without thinking. Next to him, Melissa smacked herself in the forehead. What an idiot!

"Melissa." Repeated the other boy, who had red hair, and who could only be Ron.

"Oh, er, did I say Melissa?" Stammered Neville, "I mean, uh, myself. Yes. I was talking... to myself."

"Nice recovery," Melissa rolled her eyes sarcastically. Neville shrugged hopelessly back at her.

"Are you quite sure you're all right?" repeated Hermione, "Only, you were talking to yourself all through potions, too, and--"

"Me? I'm fine. Er."

"Well, if you're sure..." Harry gave him a last worried glance, before all 3 returned to their respective lives.

"Blooming busybodies," Melissa complained.

"They're OK, really" Neville assured her, "Hermione's really nice." He avoided Melissa's eye.

"I can imagine," she answered dryly, "Well, they think you've gone mad. And that teacher bloke, too. Huh. Why'd I get stuck with you?" Neville didn't answer, but thought that the feeling was entirely mutual. Melissa continued, still exasperatedly annoyed, "I mean, why me, for a start? This is pretty harsh on me! I just DIED! Imagine that! Before I knew what happened, I was bonked on the head by some stupid angel's harp. Brought to Heaven, got my dimerit points down to negative who-the-hell-cares-about-the-damned-amount, and sent here and--"
"You have dimerit points in Heaven?" Neville said in amazement.
"Just who are you talking to, Neville? You really shouldn't talk to yourself, you know," Seamus Finnigan said in deep concern.
"Um, no one. No one in particular," Neville replied nervously. Melissa gritted her teeth.
"Listen here, you pompous idiot! He's talking to ME, get it? ME!!! Melissa Daphne Johnns!!!! So STOP PRETENDING I'M NOT HERE YOU STUPID PIECE OF FLESH!" She yelled loudly. So loudly that it bounced right off the walls. All heads (those of an angel's) turned immediately to her.
"Who's that yelling?"
"Now, calm it! Don't get in such a temper!"

"Shhh! Be quiet there, girl!"

"Do you want to lose more demerit points?"
"Look!" Neville cried, pointing at Harry suddenly, "Melissa, look! Behind Harry!" People around the room exchanged worried glances.
"I have eyes, stupid! Of course I can see! Don't treat me like some blind old fool whose going to get knocked by some car!" Melissa snapped fiercely. She paused. "Well, not that I hadn't got knocked down..."
"No, really, look! Who's THAT? He's moving all the plates..." Neville laughed suddenly, as he realised what the man- for it was a man- was doing; he was slowly moving people's plates around, whilst theye weren't looking. A woman standing next to him was looking both ammusied and dissaproving.

People became very surprises when they saw their full plates empty. Whilest their next- door neighbour's empty plate suddenly look very full!

"It's... someone with glasses... and someone else... don't know either of them..." Neville frowned, "... but he doesn't look like an angel, he hasn't got wings or anything... so how come no one else can see him?"

Melissa grumpily turned around to see whatever Neville had tried pointing out to her. Her jaw fell. As did the jaw of the person just behind Harry.
"YOU!" they exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" Melissa yelled.
"The same reason you are here," James said.
"How's the job?" Lily asked sweetly.
"Huh, to Hell with it!" Melissa scowled.
"Who're you?" Neville asked, curiously. Harry stared at Neville oddly.
"Neville? Have you decided to lose your mind and go completely bonkers?" Harry asked. "I'm Harry, remember?"
"No, not you!" Neville said, pointing at an empty space of air behind him. That is, of course, through the naked eye. Neville was really pointing at both Lily and James.

"I'm James Potter."

"I'm Lily Potter."

They looked at each other, "He's got the Gift," said James.

"Odd, really," Lily frowned a little. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"The only gift that Longbottom here has got is for getting into trouble."
"No no-- I mean he can see us," Lily explained.

"Duh!" Melissa frowned, exaspirated.

"He couldn't before," explained James, who was now busy throwing peas at some innocent victim's head, one by one.

"So?"

"... never mind," sighed Lily.

Neville looked at James, "But you're not an Angel, are you? But I can still see you, even though no one else can."

People sitting at the Gryffindor table were seriously beginning to think about moving now.

"Well, no," James agreed, "I'm not an Angel. Couldn't take the work, right?"

"Then how come she--?" Neville began, referring to Melissa.

"Heaven only knows," Lily laughed a little, "Must have been a mix up. It's been known to happen, after all!"

"There was," Melissa confimed, "I'd rather be anywhere but here," she added, just to get her point across.

"But James," Neville ignored Melissa, as he was already growing used to her attitude, "How come people can't see you? Are you a..." he paused for thought "... a ghost?"

"Nope." James grinned at them sideways. A clever trick, given that they were in front of him, "A poltergiest. I'm not as bad as Peeves though, eh? Poltergiests can be invisable, you know."

"Potter the Poltergiest!" Lily giggled.

"Well, that's all right!" Melissa objected, "Why couldn't I have been a Poltergiest?! Then I wouldn't have to look after Mr Useless here!"

Neville blinked, obviously hurt. Lily and James exachanged dissaproving glances.

"Don't look like that!" Melissa scowled, "Do you know how bloody annoying it is when adults do that?"

Neville said, "Er..."

"Neville," it was Hermione again, "are you quite sure you're all right? Don't you think you aught to go and see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, I'll do, I promise."

"Only, you really don't seem... you know... normal," Ron frowned, "Did you eat soemthing you shouldn't have in Potions or something?"

"Um. No..."

"Oh, for God's sake, not this again!" Melissa was getting frustraited, "Which part of 'HE IS TALKING TO ME' do you freaks not understand?!?!"

"Well..." Harry stood up, and Ron and Hermione did the same "See you later, all right?" The 3 left.

Lily and James gazed after Harry sadly. Melissa pretended to gag.

"If only he could see us..." Lily sighed, "Then at least he'd know that we're here for him."

"I think he knows anyway," James smiled at her, pecking her on the lips.

Melissa, bored, sickened and annoyed, got up and stalked off, Neville scampering after her. She was determined to prove to Harry, Ron and Hermione that she was real, no matter what!

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Ting tang diddley eye poe! ;)
Please do take the time to review! All comments are appriciated!

~ Bunny Chan and Ginny :)