Chapter 2: Diagon Alley and Hogwarts

A/N: I don't know how to have italics on FanFiction. But I'm going to put them in anyway. If they show up, tell me!!! If they don't show up and you know how, drop me a line!!!!

Melissa and her parents—wait, no—now her aunt and uncle had left for London several weeks later (they had to tie up a few loose ends) where they had met an elderly woman who was introduced to Melissa as Arabella Figg, an old friend of her aunt, uncle, and parents. When Melissa asked, Mrs. Figg explained that she was not a witch but a Squib. They were taken to Mrs. Figg's home on 15 Wisteria Walk, in Little Whinging, Surrey. On the way, Mrs. Figg had started to talk to Melissa.

"So, you're going to be attending Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, I'm going to be starting as a sixth year," Melissa answered. Then a worrisome thought struck her. "What if they're all so ahead of me, I'll have to go back to fifth year?"

"Don't worry, dear. There's a boy, just several blocks over, who is going to be in your year. I'll see if he can come over when he gets back from his friend's house, so you know someone at Hogwarts. If you need it—which I doubt—he can help you catch up. I'm not sure if he'll be able, too, though, his guardians are very strict."

Melissa didn't get a chance to meet Mrs. Figg's neighbor, but a week or so after they arrived in Little Whinging, Melissa saw him from a distance on the street during one of her daily walks, although she didn't get a chance to introduce herself. She saw him with a large, beefy man with a huge mustache and purple face, a thin, horselike woman with twice the amount of normal neck, and an enormous teen the size of a whale.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Melissa went with her aunt Liz and uncle Jeff to get all of her magical supplies at Diagon Alley. She was still in major shock from the realization that the life and parents she had once known was all a fraud.

"Okay, what should we get first?" her aunt said cheerfully after they had left Gringotts, wizarding money in hand.

"Um, well, my list says that I need Hogwarts robes," Melissa said uncertainly. She checked the supply list for about the eighth time in five minutes.

"Lets see," Jeff said. He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked around until he spotted what he was looking for. "Ah, look, over there. 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions', we should be able to find you some robes there," he said, pointing the small building.

Melissa, Liz, and Jeff decided that Melissa would go into Madam Malkin's to get her robes while Liz and Jeff went and got her books at Flourish and Blotts. Melissa walked nervously into the robe shop and saw six teens about her age screaming and arguing with each other at the top of their lungs.

"You're such a prick, Malfoy!" screamed one brown-haired girl.

"At least I'm not a filthy Mudblood!" An enraged pale-faced boy threw this disgusting insult back at her. Melissa could only assume this boy was Malfoy. As she looked at the other group, she saw that the brunette and another boy with jet-black hair that looked slightly familiar had to grab a redhead's arms with both hands to prevent him from jumping down Malfoy's throat. At that particular moment, an otherwise cheerful witch with a firm face on walked into the room.

"All right, all right, break it up. I'm not having my shop turning into some…wrestling ring. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, either leave the store and wait outside or leave the store and go buy some of your other supplies, but I will not have you and this group in here at the same time," she said.

"Why do *we* have to leave?" Malfoy said. "Why can't *Potter* leave?" he added with contempt.

Melissa realized, with this sneer, that she was standing just several feet away from her twin! She began to stare at him, unconsciously studying his features. He was raven-haired with deep emerald eyes, exactly like hers. The boy was wearing wire-rim glasses and his hair settled haphazardly over his forehead, though she could partially still see his lightening bolt- shaped scar, which was also much like hers. The witch said nothing, she only pointed at the door, which the three boys walked through, grumbling. The witch then turned to the remaining teens, showed them up onto stools, and turned to Melissa.

"Hello, dear. Hogwarts?"

Melissa could only nod in reply.

"So are these children. Here, dear, step up on a stool, I'll be right back." At that, she disappeared through a doorway into a back room. Melissa looked nervously over at the other teens. She found them looking at her with a great deal of curiosity.

"Is this your first year at Hogwarts?" said the redhead.

"Yeah, but I'm going in as a sixth year. I'm transferring from the Sullivan's Academy for the Wizarding Arts. It's in Ireland," she added at the sight of their confused faces.

"I'm Hermione, and this is Ron and Harry," said the brunette, pointing first at herself, then at the redhead and her twin in turn.

"I'm Melissa."

They continued talking as Madam Malkin took their measurements and gave them their robes. By the time they were leaving, Ron, the redhead, had already given her several nicknames. A couple of them were Mel, Lissa, Lissie, and Ireland, his favorite being Ireland. The four of them left the shop and very nearly ran into Melissa's aunt and uncle.

"Oh, Aunt Liz, Uncle Jeff, this is Hermione, Ron, and Harry. You guys, this is my aunt and uncle, Liz and Jeff," Melissa said, pointing to each of her new friends and her relatives in turn. "We met in Madam Malkin's while getting our robes. They're going to be sixth years at Hogwarts, too." Just then, Hermione's parents walked up to them.

"Mum, Dad, this is Melissa and her aunt and uncle. Melissa's going to be a sixth year at Hogwarts, too. She transferred here from the —what was it? —Sullivan's Academy for the Wizarding Arts," Hermione said.

As it seemed Melissa was comfortable with Harry, Hermione, and Ron; Liz, Jeff, and Hermione's parents decided to let them wander around for several hours while getting their school supplies. The adults headed out to The Leaky Cauldron for a drink.

"Hey, Ireland! Come here, my mum and dad want to meet you!" Ron called from among five other people, all with shocking red hair. Melissa, Harry, and Hermione ran over to Ron and his family.

"Melissa, this is my mum and dad, my little sister Ginny, and my older brothers, Fred and George. They're twins." Ron smiled wryly as he introduced his brothers to Melissa.

After Melissa had been introduced to the Weasleys, she, Ron, Harry, and Hermione went off to get an ice cream at the Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor. Before they realized it, Melissa needed to get home, Harry and Ron were being called to the Leaky Cauldron, where Ron was staying overnight and where Harry's aunt and uncle were waiting, by Ron's brothers and sisters, and Hermione and her parents needed to get home to see their relatives before Hermione went off to school. Melissa said good-bye to her new friends after making promises to meet up on the Hogwarts Express in two days. She, Liz, and Jeff then left Diagon Alley.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two days later, Melissa went with her aunt and uncle to Kings' Cross Station to catch the school train. She had her trunk packed and a snowy white owl that Liz and Jeff had bought her as a birthday present. She had named the owl Lily. After she had put her stuff on the train, Melissa began looking around for her friends. She stumbled upon them quite accidentally, though.

"Hey! Ireland! Where'd you put your stuff?" Ron called, juggling his trunk and his owl's cage while his brothers, Fred and George, each carried their own trunks.

"Ron, she's got a name. And it's not Ireland!" Hermione said sternly when he started to reply irritably, "I'm calling her by a name!"

"It's okay, Hermione, I don't mind," Melissa told her, giggling.

"Fred? George? What are you two doing here?" Harry asked, once he arrived. The two adults exchanged wicked grins.

"We bought a shop in Hogsmeade and, because we couldn't find a place to stay while we're here, he—can you believe this? —he offered us lodgings in the castle," Fred explained.

"We're catching the train with you guys and then we're heading straight to our lot," George added. They then turned and went to go help Ginny with her things. Melissa and her new friends laughed and then went to the compartment she had saved.

They spent about an hour or so talking about what Ireland and Sullivan's was like, then stopped to get food off of the cart. Melissa bought her all time favorite candy—Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans—along with some Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Licorice Wands, and Cauldron Cakes. They were still devouring their food when the compartment door slid open and Malfoy and the other two boys from Diagon Alley stepped in.

"So, Potter, still hung up on your victory last year in the Tournament? Oh, and the fact that Diggory is dead?" Malfoy sneered. Melissa glanced sideways at Hermione while Harry glared daggers at the blonde invader; the brunette mouthed back to Melissa, "Later." Malfoy's eyes flicked over to Melissa. "Who're you?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Melissa…McKinnon," she replied. "Who're you?" she asked in the exact same voice and facial expression as Malfoy.

"Draco Malfoy. And this is Crabbe and Goyle," he replied after glaring at Harry, Ron, and Hermione for laughing at Melissa's imitation of him. "Goody. Another Potter follower to torment. This year should be fun."

"Don't count on it. I'm not an easy person to torment," Melissa told him, already disgusted. She got up, went to the door, and opened it, grabbing a startled Malfoy's arm along the way. "Bye-bye," she said perkily. "Uh, buh-bye. Yeah, buh-bye. Okay, yeah, see ya later. Bye-bye," Melissa added when Malfoy started protesting. She shoved him, Crabbe, and Goyle out the door, slammed the door in their astonished faces, and sat down, dusting off her hands.

"Nice job, Melissa," Harry congratulated. Ron and Hermione praised her also; they said no one had ever stood up to Malfoy before; she was the first.

"Thanks," she replied, blushing a bit at the praise. "So, I'm guessing you six have your—um—differences, am I right?"

"No duh you're right, what gave you the first clue?" Harry asked wryly.

Melissa gave him a stern look and rolled her eyes before continuing.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Melissa asked.

"Well, when we first met in our first year, he was a real jerk. He's done nothing but make our lives miserable for these past 5 years and I'm sure he'll do his best this year, too," Hermione told her. "Last year he evened threatened Harry after he got Malfoy's dad imprisoned in Azkaban."

"You know, Hermione, that last part wasn't really necessary," Ron said matter-of-factly. "There's only one wizard prison in Western Europe and Lucius Malfoy definitely wouldn't be going to a Muggle prison, SO all you really needed to say was, 'Last ye—"

"All right, Ron, we get it," Hermione interrupted loudly, rolling her eyes.

By this time, they needed to change into their robes, so while Ron and Harry changed, Melissa and Hermione waited outside. After Harry and Ron were done, Hermione and Melissa went in and changed. When they finished, they had arrived at Hogwarts and had to get off the train.

Melissa had been told beforehand that, once she reached the castle, she was to wait at the front steps for Dumbledore instead of entering with the rest of the students to the castle. She was starting to get anxious when a gentle hand was laid on her shoulder. She whirled around in surprise to see a wizard with crescent moon glasses and a long, silver beard smiling kindly at her.

"Melissa, I assume? I'm the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. If you'll come with me, I believe you need to be sorted into your house."

Melissa nervously followed him into the Great Hall and stood with him up at the High Table. She could see Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiling encouragingly at her.

"Students, before we begin with the Sorting Ceremony, I have a special announcement that I would like to make. We have a new student starting in the sixth year. Her name is Melissa McKinnon. Melissa has transferred here from the Sullivan's Academy for Wizarding Arts, in Northern Ireland. I trust you will all make her feel right at home. Now, she must try on the Sorting Hat to see what house she belongs in. Melissa, if you please."

At that statement, he motioned for Melissa to sit down on a three-legged stool while another teacher—Professor McGonagall, Melissa thought—brought up a frayed and patched wizards' hat. Melissa sat down on the stool and waited anxiously as Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on her head, covering her eyes completely.

A/N: Tell me what you think!!!!!!!!! R/R, please!!!!!!! Suggestions, opinions, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism!!!!!!!! (I hate the other stuff…)