Author's note: Guys, please. If you read it, review it. Even if you just put "hi" or something. I just wanna know that people are actually reading my fics. Oh yeah, just letting you know ahead of time that this chapter is kinda sad. Mellyssa tells Severus what happened during winter break in third year.
Mellyssa
Chapter 4:Pasts revealed
During breakfast the next day Mellyssa was very quiet and tired looking. She didn't even bother to do anything to Severus's food and she barely ate anything herself. Severus was worried. She had never acted like this before. "What's wrong Lemming?" Mellyssa's voice was just loud enough for Severus to hear it. "Don't call me Lemming." "Why not?" "You called me that before, when I was happy. Don't call me that now, after. It makes me remember before, and that's painful." "Before? Before what?" "Before something I'd rather not talk about." Then Mellyssa got up and walked out of the great hall. Severus sighed and followed. Mellyssa had gotten a bit of a head start so she was already in her room, staring out the window. It was obvious that she was fighting back tears. "Y'know Mell, sometimes it's a good thing to cry." Mellyssa looked up at him and, upon seeing the concerned look on his face, just started sobbing. Severus Wasn't sure of what to do. He had never been very good around crying girls. He slowly put one hand on her shoulder. Then Mellyssa looked up at him again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just broke down like that" Mellyssa said once she had stopped crying. "It's alright. Now, just why have you been so upset lately? You were always the happy one who pulled me out of my depressions. Not the other way around." "Do you really want to know?" "Yes." "Alright. Sit down, this isn't a long story but you might be glad that you weren't standing once I finish." Severus pulled a chair over and sat down.
Mellyssa took a deep breath and began. "It was two days before I had to go back to Hogwarts after the winter break. My parents and I were packing up the decorations. We had just finished with the tree. I was on one side of it, they were on the other. It was a big tree so I couldn't see them or the door and they couldn't see me. Then, all of a sudden, I could hear the door break open and someone cast the cruciatus curse. Then I could hear my parents cry as they were forced to murder each other. The whole time I was standing behind the tree, too scared to even make a sound until after they were dead and the dark wizard had left. I took one look at them and started crying. I was crying the whole time that I was running to Lily's house, I was crying while I told her what had happened, I even cried while I slept. I didn't stop crying for almost a day. And once I stopped crying I could barely even bring myself to speak. Then I had to go back to school. If it weren't for Lily being there and you realizing that something was wrong and being smart enough not to ask I never would have made it through the first week, much less the entire year." Severus was indeed glad that he had been sitting down. "Mell, I..I had no idea." "Of course you didn't. Lily was the only one who knew." Severus just looked at her sadly but there was a hint of surprise there. "That happened and yet you were still able to be so happy, you were able to forget it for at least a little and have some fun. You have no idea how strong you are." "What do you mean Sev?" "Well you remember how you had said that I seemed depressed the first time you ever met me?" "Yeah, so?" "Well it was because I had lost my parents. They had been walking around a Muggle city and were hit by a vehicle. Until I met you I thought that I'd be depressed for the rest of my life. You were the only one who could get me to have fun." "Wow Sev, I never even knew about your parents. You never said anything about them. I can see why now. But why do you think that I was strong just for being able to have some fun?" "It was so hard for me to do things that would seem simple, like laughing, for over a year and yet by the last half of fourth year you were playing the guitar and singing again. Not much but it was more then I could have done." Just then one of the students that Mellyssa was supposed to be teaching knocked on the door. "Mellyssa? You have an entire class waiting for you." "Oh, jeeze, I almost forgot. Well I'll talk to you later Sev. By the way, don't you have a class to teach too?" Severus said a couple bad words (AN:verbal nasties as my school calls them) as he ran to his classroom. Mellyssa walked back to her classroom with the student.
"Why was Professor Snape in your room?" "We were talking about when we were students here." "Well then why does it look like you were crying?" "Well we started talking about our parents" "Why would that make you cry?" "Because Snape and my parents were killed" "Oh, I'm sorry Mellyssa." "It's alright. Now, just what class is this?" "First year Ravenclaws." "Oh. Alright then. Now you sit down and I'll teach the class." Mellyssa was able to teach without too much trouble, except when one of the students commented that she looked like she had been crying. She didn't tell anyone else about her dead parents, she just told them not to worry, She had just been making a potion that she hadn't done in a while and the vapors had made her eyes water. The one young Ravenclaw was smart enough to not tell anyone about what Mellyssa had told her.
At lunch she sat next to Severus again but neither of them tried to trick the other. They just talked quietly. One of the other teachers, Professor McGonagall, noticed this and asked Mellyssa "What's wrong with you today Mellyssa? Usually by this time you've at least petrified Severus's food." "Not today. I'm not exactly in a pranking mood." "What do you mean?" Severus decided to cut into the conversation. "We were just talking about the past." Professor McGonagall was persistent. She wanted to know what could make Mellyssa, who usually seemed almost bubbly, to not even want to play a simple trick. "Just what could have happened that would have caused you to not want to play a trick?" "Do you really want to know Professor McGonagall? You may not be so hungry afterwords." "Yes, I would like to know." "Alright. When I was in third year my parents were forced to murder each other. A dark wizard cast the cruciatus curse on them." "Oh my, I'm sorry." Severus seemed annoyed. "Why did you even tell her Mell?" "You know that I'm not very good at keeping something from someone if they really want to know." "I know, just don't do it again. It's kind of unnerving to hear you tell someone about it so easily." "Believe me, it's not that easy."
After lunch Mellyssa had two more classes. Fifth year Gryffindors and then fifth year Slytherins. As the Gryffindors walked into the classroom Harry went over to Mellyssa. At lunch he could tell that she was upset about something. "What do you want Harry?" "What had you so upset during lunch?" "Nothing that I want to talk about in class. Although I guess that in a way that's impossible, considering that I have to talk about that curse." "Curse?" "Go sit down Harry. I have a class to teach." Harry loooked at her sort of sadly as he went to sit between Ron and Hermione. As Mellyssa started talking Hermione whispered to Harry "So why was she upset during lunch." "No idea. She wouldn't tell me. She just said something about a curse." "Well I hope she'll tell me at least." Then they turned to listen to what Mellyssa was saying. "Well You know about the forbidden curses already so I won't have to do too much, just go a bit more in depth on some of them. We will start with the cruciatus curse. Neville, I've arranged for you to help Professor Sprout with the first years she has right now." "Really?" Neville was incredulous. "Yes, now hurry up or you'll be late." "Thank you Mellyssa." "No problem" Neville gathered up with stuff and practically ran out the door.
"Now, who remembers just what the cruciatus curse does?" Harry and Hermione raised their hands at the same time. "Ah, I see we have two experts. Hermione, you answer just about every other question so I'm going to let Harry have this one. Now, just what does that curse do Harry?" Harry knew this one quite well, considering how many times it had been used on him last year. "It allows the wizard or witch casting it to control you." A pained look crossed Mellyssa's face, but it lasted a mere fraction of a second. "Correct. Is it possible for someone to not be controlled?" Harry answered again. "Yes. I'm able to." "Really?" "The Defense against the dark arts teacher last year kept using me for an example whenever he demonstrated that one because I could beat it." "He demonstrated?!" "Yeah. He even showed us that ava-something one,I can't remember what it's called. He did it to a cockroach." A boy sitting near the back of the room said. Mellyssa stood for a few seconds, shocked that someone would be so stupid as to show them how it was done. If one of them was a bad kid then they might know how. The next thought she had was "Well I'm glad Snape didn't know that it was a cockroach, he would've been rather annoyed. I still don't really know why he likes roaches so much, though I guess they do kinda grow on you." Mellyssa snapped herself back to reality rather quickly. "Well back to the subject. So he tried it on all of you?" the entire class nodded their heads. "Ok. Then I'm sure you all remember what it felt like to not be in control of your movements?" More nodding. "Now, what is the worst thing that you could think of being made to do. Don't say it out loud please, just think." Hermione thought of someone making her write wrong answers on all her tests, Ron thought about being forced to go into the forbidden forest and visiting that giant spider again, and Harry thought of being forced to kill someone. "Now, if anyone would like to share what they thought, raise your hand." Only a few hands went up. "Hmmm, Ok, ummm Jack?" The boy sighed, she could never get his name right. "Well I thought of being made to read evry book in the library." Mellyssa just grinned a little and shook her head. "Alright, that would seem bad to a lot of you, I'm sure. Now, how about Harry?" "Well I thought of being made to kill someone." Harry said this with some difficulty, he was still getting over the events of last year. Mellyssa looked sad. "Yes, that would be the worst wouldn't it?" The entire class agreed. Hermione noticed the look on Mellyssa's face, it was the same look that she had been wearing a lot lately. "What's wrong Mellyssa?" "Oh nothing. Just remembering something that happened to a friend of mine when I was in school." "What?" "Kids your age shouldn't have to hear such things." "But your job is to prepare us for all sorts of horrible stuff, isn't it?" Ron had joined in. "Well I guess so. Hang on, I'd really like to sit down if I'm going to tell you this."Mellyssa took a drink of something in a flask that was strapped around her shoulder and pulled the chair that was behind her desk out and sat down in front of the class."Alright, but remember, it's not my fault that you heard this, you brought it upon yourselves." Then she began the story.
"One year, during winter break, a friend of mine was at home with her parents. It was only a couple of days until she had to go back to school so she was helping put all the decorations away. She had just been getting the last of them off of the back of the tree when she heard the door break. A man had blasted it apart and was standing there, glaring at her parents. Because of where the girl was the man couldn't see her and she was too frightened to move. Then the man cast the cruciatus curse on the girl's parents and forced them too slowly kill each other. It was only after her parents her dead and laying on the floor, small pools of blood forming around them, and the man was gone, that she was able to move again. The first thing she did was run another friend's house, crying the whole way,and tell them what had happened. She stayed at that friends house until it was time to go back to school. She had cried the whole first day and was barely able to say a word after that."
By the time the story was finished Mellyssa's eyes were watering and most of the students were sitting stone still, shocked that something like that could happen to someone like them. Well, except for Harry. He just felt bad for the girl and wondered who she was. Also, There was an entire class of students standing outside and one teacher standing just inside the door. Snape walked over to Mellyssa and put a hand on her shoulder. "Why did you tell them about that?" "How much did you hear?" "I heard enough to tell that you were at least not telling them who it happened to." "Oh. Alright. Why are you here?" "Because this class should have ended five minutes ago. Now, why did you tell them?" "Becuase they wanted to hear." "You shouldn't tell people things just because they ask. These children should not have been told something like that." Harry had been able to hear the last part. "She warned us that we wouldn't want to hear it but we insisted so she told us that we had brought it upon ourselves. And just who was that girl?" "That is none of your business Mr.Potter. Now go to your next class, you are already late." Hermione was also curious. "Once we know, then we'll go." (AN:oops,didn't mean for that to rhyme.Oh well) Snape was getting angry. "Go to your classes now or you will be getting a detention." That got the rest of the class to leave, except for Ron. He wanted to know also. Mellyssa could tell where this was going. "Severus, calm down. So you're willing to get a detention just to find out who that happened to. Why?" Harry spoke up. "Because I'm curious, besides I'd like to know if I've heard of them. Since you were here the same time my mom was, I might recognize the name." Mellyssa had to laugh a little at that. "Well you certainly would know the name. But if I tell you you have to promise not to seek them out and start saying stuff like how sorry you are for something that happened long ago that that person might not want to think about. Do you promise?" All three of them promised. "Ok, the girl was me. The friend that I ran to was Lily. Yes I mean your mom Harry. Now you'd better get to class before you get in too much trouble." They left.
Hermione did not believe it. "She must have been lying to get us to leave." Ron had to agree. "Yeah, I mean, why would she tell us about something like that if it had happened to her? You'd think that she would have a hard time even thinking about it." "Yeah, plus Mellyssa and Snape were friends and Snape hated Harry's dad and his friends so why would Mellyssa be friends with Harry's mom if she was friends with Snape also?" Hermione wondered.Harry didn't say anything. He was thinking about what Mellyssa had said. He couldn't quite believe that she had been friends with his mom because he knew that she was friends with Snape and his mom would never hang out with someone like Snape, would she? "I'll have to ask Mellyssa about that later." Harry thought to himself.
Ok, It's me again. I finally found a good muse but he's really not much help with HP fics so I'm still on my own with this story. Oh well, at least he can help with the other fics so he's not completely useless.
Purple:What do you mean useless? I tried to help but you never used my ideas!
And with good reason. Anyway, Please review guys! >^.^