Chapter 4: The Telling of a Secret
The next few days flew by in a blur and, surprisingly, Melissa hadn't been made to tell Harry yet; even better, she might not have to, although she probably would be made to today. Harry was still completely clueless. Before Melissa knew it, it was September fourth, her first day of lessons at Hogwarts. She woke up early that morning feeling more refreshed than she had in a while. She dressed quickly and walked down to the common room to wait for the others. Melissa found Harry there taking letters off of three different owls.
"Hey, Mel, you have a couple of letters," Harry said after she greeted him, handing her two of the small scrolls of parchment. Melissa murmured her thanks and curled up in an armchair by the fire to read them. Harry sat down on a couch opposite her to read his. Melissa looked briefly at the signatures and found they were from Caysie and…her godfather, Remus Lupin. She quickly opened his letter first.
Dear Melissa, How are you? By now you're probably at Hogwarts. If you are, you'll know the real story. If you're not, well, then this is the wrong address! No, I'm just kidding. But, seriously, it was important that you know the reason you were to be coming to London and Hogwarts. I haven't told Harry about you yet. I think you should be the one to do that. Stay out of trouble, both you and Harry. I expect I'll see you soon.
Remus
P.S. When you tell Harry, also tell him I'm sorry I thought he was dead. I only figured it out when I came to Hogwarts to teach a few years ago. Oops.
Melissa glanced up at Harry and saw he was scribbling a reply to his own letter. She shook her head as if to clear all of the conflicting thoughts out of her mind and reached for Caysie's letter.
Hey, Lis!
What's up? So, (I'm pretending to hold up a mike to my mouth and act like one of those news reporters we see all the time on the Muggle TV!) how does it feel to be the twin sister of one of the biggest hotties in the world? Not to mention a famous superstar! I mean, he's the one that defeated You- Know-Who!
Oh my gosh. Be glad you're not at Sullivan's right now. It's sooooo boring!!! The only thing of any interest whatsoever is Emilie dumping Brendan and going out with a seventh year named Daniel Corrignan. Personally, I'm glad. I like Daniel better than Brendan because you know how Brendan was, like, a total teacher's pet and goody-goody before? When you were here? Well, that' what he calls the "old Brendan". Now, he hangs around with Jake Lenton and Marc Stridedge. Remember them? You have to. They're the ones that would always swear and whistle at you, Emilie, Ailyne, and me, just because they thought we were "totally hot chicks, man" in their words.
Okay, and I am totally babbling. Anyway, I gotta go. Owl me back, girl!
Luv ya lots!!!
Your best always,
Caysie
She smiled contently as she penned a reply to both her letters. Oh, did Melissa remember those two. They would swear at them, pick on them, whistle, and do all kinds of degrading stuff to Melissa and her three best friends, Caysie, Emilie Bentano, and Ailyne Veihmeyer. Then they would turn around and expect them to go out with them. \/Yeah right! \/ Melissa thought cynically. It was too bad that Brendan had fallen in with them. He used to be kind of boring; Melissa, Caysie and Ailyne never could figure out what Emilie saw in him, but he was a lot nicer than those two.
By the time she was finished, Hermione and Ron had joined Harry and Melissa. They climbed out the portrait hole, said good morning to a very groggy Fat Lady, and walked down the stairs to the Great Hall. Ron and Harry sat down opposite Melissa and Hermione. A few moments later, Dean, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom came down and joined them, still yawning widely and rubbing their eyes. They started talking about their school subjects as they ate their bacon, sausages, and eggs. A couple of seats down the table, Ginny and Colin Creevey gave them the fifth-year course schedules.
"Damn it!" Ron exclaimed, staring down at his sheet of paper.
"Ron! Shut up!" the others hissed at him, furtively glancing at the High Table where most of the teachers were sitting.
"Quietly, tell us what's wrong. Quietly," Harry emphasized.
"We've got Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins," Ron shot back.
"Damn it," the other sixth years chorused, also looking down at their course schedules.
As they were finishing, Professor McGonagall walked up to them and motioned for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa to follow her. They gobbled down the rest of their breakfast, said quick goodbyes to Dean, Neville and Seamus, and hurried after her striding footsteps.
They walked through the halls until McGonagall stopped in front of a large and extremely ugly gargoyle. Melissa could tell from the look on Harry's face that he'd been here before and knew where they were.
"Sugar Quill," McGonagall said.
The seemingly lifeless stone statue sprang to life and, as the wall behind split in half, revealed a moving spiral staircase. The five of them piled onto the stairs and moved gradually upward. At the top, was a large oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. McGonagall knocked and ushered them in as the door swung open slowly. They were going to see Dumbledore.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, Ms. McKinnon. Please, sit down," Dumbledore requested pleasantly. "Now you're most likely wondering what you're all doing here. Well, as I'm sure you're all well aware of, Voldemort—fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself, Mr. Weasley," he said as Ron flinched. "Voldemort is once again on his rise to power and, whether you know it or not, you're all in danger. Harry, well, for you, the reason is sort of obvious."
At his statement, Harry grinned.
"Hermione, because you are close to Harry and because you are Muggle-born." ("Oh, for heaven's sake! Not that again!") "Ron, because you are also close to Harry and because of your father. Melissa, because you are close to Harry and…well, before I say any more, I think you should tell what you've been hiding." Melissa nodded hesitantly while Ron, Hermione, and Harry looked puzzled.
"Would you like me to tell it?" Dumbledore asked kindly, the firelight reflecting off of his crescent moon glasses as he leaned forward.
"N—no, I—I think I should," Melissa responded.
"Would you like us to give you some privacy?"
"I've nothing to hide. Well, not anymore, apparently," Melissa replied, shaking her head. \/Oh, I knew this was too good to last\/, she thought anxiously to herself. She turned to her friends, took a deep breath, and began her story haltingly.
"Um, okay. Uh, you guys know that I transferred here from Ireland, right? Oh, yeah, well, duh, Melissa, of course they do. Okay, well um, here's the reason I moved." Melissa paused and looked to Dumbledore for encouragement. When he nodded, she continued. " 'Kay, uh, all right, when I was born, I had a twin, who was older than me by four minutes. About a year later, give or take a month or two, someone came to kill my twin and murdered my parents along the way. That person didn't know I lived. They thought I was stillborn. They just wanted to kill whoever was there, but specifically my twin. And me, when they saw me there.
"Um, no one knows how, but my twin and I lived. My godfather, when he came, thought my twin had been killed and brought me to my aunt and uncle's house. He, uh, thought—no, he knew—it would be safer for me there. A friend of my parents—he didn't know I lived through the attack—brought my twin to my mother's sister and brother-in-law's house to stay. From what I've heard, my twin's new guardians weren't all too happy with that arrangement. Over this past summer, I received word that it would be a lot more secure for me here." After Melissa had finished her story, she was greeted with amazed silence. Finally, Harry spoke.
"Right. Okay, can we ask a couple of questions? You know, just to clarify things?" he asked. When Melissa nodded, he cleared his throat and continued. "Okay, question one: Who was the 'friend'?"
"Um…Hagrid?" Harry wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
"Is that a question…or an answer? I can't tell," he confessed.
"It was an answer. All of them will be, no matter how she replies," Dumbledore supplied. "Please, continue along your line of inquiries."
"Right. All right, question two: Who was the 'someone'?" Hermione asked.
"Uhhhhh…Voldemort?" Melissa answered timidly, fidgeting with a hair elastic on her wrist.
"Oh-kay, um, the godfather?" Ron quizzed.
"Remus Lupin?"
"Th—the…the…the twin?" Harry stammered, his throat closing up. Melissa mumbled an indistinct name, her eyes looking down into her hands.
"What?"
"You?" Melissa replied meekly, tucking her hair behind one ear so her scar was clearly visible. Melissa could hear the shocked gasps of Ron and Hermione next to her. At this, Harry blanched and his eyes grew wide with shock and surprise.
A/N: How does it end? Will Harry be okay with him suddenly having a sister? Figure it out, even I don't know. Happy 14th, Shanleigh!!!!!!!! Happy 13th, Sam!!!!!!!! Lata, folks!
The next few days flew by in a blur and, surprisingly, Melissa hadn't been made to tell Harry yet; even better, she might not have to, although she probably would be made to today. Harry was still completely clueless. Before Melissa knew it, it was September fourth, her first day of lessons at Hogwarts. She woke up early that morning feeling more refreshed than she had in a while. She dressed quickly and walked down to the common room to wait for the others. Melissa found Harry there taking letters off of three different owls.
"Hey, Mel, you have a couple of letters," Harry said after she greeted him, handing her two of the small scrolls of parchment. Melissa murmured her thanks and curled up in an armchair by the fire to read them. Harry sat down on a couch opposite her to read his. Melissa looked briefly at the signatures and found they were from Caysie and…her godfather, Remus Lupin. She quickly opened his letter first.
Dear Melissa, How are you? By now you're probably at Hogwarts. If you are, you'll know the real story. If you're not, well, then this is the wrong address! No, I'm just kidding. But, seriously, it was important that you know the reason you were to be coming to London and Hogwarts. I haven't told Harry about you yet. I think you should be the one to do that. Stay out of trouble, both you and Harry. I expect I'll see you soon.
Remus
P.S. When you tell Harry, also tell him I'm sorry I thought he was dead. I only figured it out when I came to Hogwarts to teach a few years ago. Oops.
Melissa glanced up at Harry and saw he was scribbling a reply to his own letter. She shook her head as if to clear all of the conflicting thoughts out of her mind and reached for Caysie's letter.
Hey, Lis!
What's up? So, (I'm pretending to hold up a mike to my mouth and act like one of those news reporters we see all the time on the Muggle TV!) how does it feel to be the twin sister of one of the biggest hotties in the world? Not to mention a famous superstar! I mean, he's the one that defeated You- Know-Who!
Oh my gosh. Be glad you're not at Sullivan's right now. It's sooooo boring!!! The only thing of any interest whatsoever is Emilie dumping Brendan and going out with a seventh year named Daniel Corrignan. Personally, I'm glad. I like Daniel better than Brendan because you know how Brendan was, like, a total teacher's pet and goody-goody before? When you were here? Well, that' what he calls the "old Brendan". Now, he hangs around with Jake Lenton and Marc Stridedge. Remember them? You have to. They're the ones that would always swear and whistle at you, Emilie, Ailyne, and me, just because they thought we were "totally hot chicks, man" in their words.
Okay, and I am totally babbling. Anyway, I gotta go. Owl me back, girl!
Luv ya lots!!!
Your best always,
Caysie
She smiled contently as she penned a reply to both her letters. Oh, did Melissa remember those two. They would swear at them, pick on them, whistle, and do all kinds of degrading stuff to Melissa and her three best friends, Caysie, Emilie Bentano, and Ailyne Veihmeyer. Then they would turn around and expect them to go out with them. \/Yeah right! \/ Melissa thought cynically. It was too bad that Brendan had fallen in with them. He used to be kind of boring; Melissa, Caysie and Ailyne never could figure out what Emilie saw in him, but he was a lot nicer than those two.
By the time she was finished, Hermione and Ron had joined Harry and Melissa. They climbed out the portrait hole, said good morning to a very groggy Fat Lady, and walked down the stairs to the Great Hall. Ron and Harry sat down opposite Melissa and Hermione. A few moments later, Dean, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom came down and joined them, still yawning widely and rubbing their eyes. They started talking about their school subjects as they ate their bacon, sausages, and eggs. A couple of seats down the table, Ginny and Colin Creevey gave them the fifth-year course schedules.
"Damn it!" Ron exclaimed, staring down at his sheet of paper.
"Ron! Shut up!" the others hissed at him, furtively glancing at the High Table where most of the teachers were sitting.
"Quietly, tell us what's wrong. Quietly," Harry emphasized.
"We've got Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins," Ron shot back.
"Damn it," the other sixth years chorused, also looking down at their course schedules.
As they were finishing, Professor McGonagall walked up to them and motioned for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa to follow her. They gobbled down the rest of their breakfast, said quick goodbyes to Dean, Neville and Seamus, and hurried after her striding footsteps.
They walked through the halls until McGonagall stopped in front of a large and extremely ugly gargoyle. Melissa could tell from the look on Harry's face that he'd been here before and knew where they were.
"Sugar Quill," McGonagall said.
The seemingly lifeless stone statue sprang to life and, as the wall behind split in half, revealed a moving spiral staircase. The five of them piled onto the stairs and moved gradually upward. At the top, was a large oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. McGonagall knocked and ushered them in as the door swung open slowly. They were going to see Dumbledore.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, Ms. McKinnon. Please, sit down," Dumbledore requested pleasantly. "Now you're most likely wondering what you're all doing here. Well, as I'm sure you're all well aware of, Voldemort—fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself, Mr. Weasley," he said as Ron flinched. "Voldemort is once again on his rise to power and, whether you know it or not, you're all in danger. Harry, well, for you, the reason is sort of obvious."
At his statement, Harry grinned.
"Hermione, because you are close to Harry and because you are Muggle-born." ("Oh, for heaven's sake! Not that again!") "Ron, because you are also close to Harry and because of your father. Melissa, because you are close to Harry and…well, before I say any more, I think you should tell what you've been hiding." Melissa nodded hesitantly while Ron, Hermione, and Harry looked puzzled.
"Would you like me to tell it?" Dumbledore asked kindly, the firelight reflecting off of his crescent moon glasses as he leaned forward.
"N—no, I—I think I should," Melissa responded.
"Would you like us to give you some privacy?"
"I've nothing to hide. Well, not anymore, apparently," Melissa replied, shaking her head. \/Oh, I knew this was too good to last\/, she thought anxiously to herself. She turned to her friends, took a deep breath, and began her story haltingly.
"Um, okay. Uh, you guys know that I transferred here from Ireland, right? Oh, yeah, well, duh, Melissa, of course they do. Okay, well um, here's the reason I moved." Melissa paused and looked to Dumbledore for encouragement. When he nodded, she continued. " 'Kay, uh, all right, when I was born, I had a twin, who was older than me by four minutes. About a year later, give or take a month or two, someone came to kill my twin and murdered my parents along the way. That person didn't know I lived. They thought I was stillborn. They just wanted to kill whoever was there, but specifically my twin. And me, when they saw me there.
"Um, no one knows how, but my twin and I lived. My godfather, when he came, thought my twin had been killed and brought me to my aunt and uncle's house. He, uh, thought—no, he knew—it would be safer for me there. A friend of my parents—he didn't know I lived through the attack—brought my twin to my mother's sister and brother-in-law's house to stay. From what I've heard, my twin's new guardians weren't all too happy with that arrangement. Over this past summer, I received word that it would be a lot more secure for me here." After Melissa had finished her story, she was greeted with amazed silence. Finally, Harry spoke.
"Right. Okay, can we ask a couple of questions? You know, just to clarify things?" he asked. When Melissa nodded, he cleared his throat and continued. "Okay, question one: Who was the 'friend'?"
"Um…Hagrid?" Harry wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
"Is that a question…or an answer? I can't tell," he confessed.
"It was an answer. All of them will be, no matter how she replies," Dumbledore supplied. "Please, continue along your line of inquiries."
"Right. All right, question two: Who was the 'someone'?" Hermione asked.
"Uhhhhh…Voldemort?" Melissa answered timidly, fidgeting with a hair elastic on her wrist.
"Oh-kay, um, the godfather?" Ron quizzed.
"Remus Lupin?"
"Th—the…the…the twin?" Harry stammered, his throat closing up. Melissa mumbled an indistinct name, her eyes looking down into her hands.
"What?"
"You?" Melissa replied meekly, tucking her hair behind one ear so her scar was clearly visible. Melissa could hear the shocked gasps of Ron and Hermione next to her. At this, Harry blanched and his eyes grew wide with shock and surprise.
A/N: How does it end? Will Harry be okay with him suddenly having a sister? Figure it out, even I don't know. Happy 14th, Shanleigh!!!!!!!! Happy 13th, Sam!!!!!!!! Lata, folks!
