They all stepped off the train, feeling sick from the journey… especially Ron, as he drunk ten cartons of pumpkin juice, fourteen boxes of Bertie Bott's every flavoured beans and twenty seven chocolate frogs.
"I still haven't got Ptolemy yet!" Ron muttered as they stepped off the train, and headed towards the carriages, which would take them to Hogwarts.
"I have!" Hermione said smirking.
"I'll give you all of these," Ron said holding out selection of famous witches and wizard cards, "for your Ptolemy." "No way!" Hermione replied. Melody was confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked."They are really cool cards, that you get in those packets of chocolate, that I was eating on the train, I guess you could say they are collectable, well I collect them anyway." Ron answered
" Oh I was wondering what those cards were," Melody said looking satisfied now that she knew what they were talking about.
" Come on" Hermione said "or we wont get a carriage."
They hurried to a large black coach and got inside. Once they were settled inside Ginny and Hermione began asking questions.
" So Melody do you know anything about magic?
" Oh yeah, I know loads of spells my father was a wizard,"
" But I thought you're father passed away before you were born," Hermione said quietly.
" Yeah he did, but he left me an old diary full of useful spells and he told my mother to give it to me on my fourteenth birthday, if anything should happen to him, I suppose he wanted to teach me himself but he didn't get a chance."
" Are you looking forward to learning magic?" Harry asked.
"Yeah I love magic, I can't wait to learn more. I've been studying magic for a whole year now and it's so much fun. I can't wait to be taught by real teachers instead of my dad's notes."
The carriage pulled to halt, and everyone clambered out eager to get inside from the cold Melody gazed at the castle in awe. Harry had to laugh at her gawping mouth. He had been at Hogwarts for so long he had forgotten how beautiful and amazing it looked, but he was sure the first time he saw the castle, he didn't look as stupid as her.
"Let's get inside it's bloody freezing out here!" Ron exclaimed. They hurried up the great stairs and entered the entrance hall, only to be greeted by Professor McGonagall.
"Hello everyone it's lovely to see you all again!" she said beaming, "now the first years will be here soon, so if you could all keep nice and quiet and take your seats in the hall, oh, and any new pupils please go and wait with Professor Snape." She said pointing to a tall greasy haired man who was waiting at the other side of the hall. Melody walked over to the man and was soon joined by the same pretty, blonde girl, who she had meet on two previous occasions.
" Hello" Professor Snape said in a gloomy voice that sent chills down Melody's spine. " Can I have your names please," he asked pulling out a list of new comers. " My name is Carmella Dale," the blonde girl answered, Snape ticked her name off the list. "And you are?" Snape asked staring at Melody with his stony eyes. 'There's something about this guy which I really don't like.' She thought to herself. " Hello who are you?" Snape asked he was beginning to look rather angry. "Oh sorry, I'm Melody." Snape looked down the list and shuddered but smiled. " Yes your name is here." He said ticking her name of the list and smiling maliciously. " What's he smiling about?" Melody thought." Now this way to the hall, time to be sorted." He said pointing to two big oak doors.
She pushed the doors open and entered what looked like a very grand cafeteria, there were four benches full of chattering kids, and a teachers bench at the top looking down on all the pupils. She wasn't too amazed as she had read about the hall, and it's enchanted ceiling before, in a book. She was lead up to a stool at the top of the hall where an old dusty hat sat upon it. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, her hand's were becoming clammy, what if they asked her to talk, she'd make a right fool of herself in front of the whole school. The teachers were watching her every move, especially Dumbledore. She knew who he was because she had a photo of him and her father together, although he looked much older now.
" Can I have your attention please" it was Professor McGonagall she was tapping a glass, and the hall fell silent. " These are our two new students who will be joining fifth year, as the first years are delayed we will have their sorting now. Carmella seemed relaxed and stood there playing with her hair. "Dale, Carmella" McGonagall's voice echoed around the hall, people were craning their necks to get a better look, Draco waved to Melody and so did Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. Carmella sat on the chair so gracefully and a look of disgust, fell onto her face at the horrible old hat, that she would have to put on her sleek beautiful hair. The hat began to move, Melody jumped back, it began talking. "Oh a fair mind I see, but you are slick, though you are not sly, slippery though, yes, slippery and cunning." The hat paused. " It will have to be Slytherin!" She jumped off the stool, put the hat down, and went to join her fellow housemates, at the Slytherin table. Professor McGonagall waited for the last few conversations to finish, before she continued. She glanced at Melody's name and just like Snape had done, she smiled, but this was a warm smile. Melody watched her eyes read over her name again.
"Potter, Melody." She walked towards the stool the whispers were becoming louder, people were actually standing up to see her, but the best reaction of all was Draco's he nearly fell of his seat. Hermione dropped her glass and looked shocked. Everyone was watching she heard people saying, " It can't be, he's an orphan!" She didn't understand it was just a coincidence, she only knew one other Potter, and that was Harry, and what was so special about him?' She placed the hat on her head and closed her eyes pretending that no one else was there.
" Oh dear, I haven't had to make a decision this hard in years," the hat boomed. Everyone was listening intently, what house was this mystery girl going to be in?
"Well you are very smart, oh and keen to learn I see. Yes, yes, very cunning and brave. Though you are loving too. You would do well in Slytherin you know. No? Why not? But then again Ravenclaw would be fine too. Oh but there's too much bravery and loyalty, you will become a great witch you know, yes it's all up here in your head. O.k. well it will have to be…" the hat paused for while, but what felt like hours for Melody, who was shaking nervously. Suddenly the hat roared "Griffindor!"
The hall burst into the loudest applause. The Gryffindors stood up to shake her hand, but Harry, Ron and Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly two twin boys, who looked exactly like Ron, began shouting, "we've got two Potters!"
'What were they talking about?' Melody thought as she sat down. She looked over at the Slytherin table, to wave at Draco but he wasn't there either. She sat down and watched two fat boys laughing and talking at the Slytherin table, soon a girl joined the conversation and the whole Slytherin table broke out into fits of laughter. 'I wonder what they're laughing at?' She thought to herself.
" Hey congratulations!" Hermione shouted as she sat down next to Melody.
" Oh Thanks!" She replied.
" Harry never told me you were related,"
" What? Were not related, it's just a coincidence!" Melody said becoming rather angry, what was the big deal?
" Where are Harry, Ron and Ginny anyway?" Melody asked
" Oh, they went to library to check out something for they're potions assignment, that we got over the summer." Hermione replied.
"Oh. So when do we get something to eat, I'm starving?"
" When the first years come."
" When will that be, and why are they taking so long?"
" They'll probably be here in about ten minutes, because they get a boat across the river."
" Well my mum packed me some biscuits in my trunk, I don't really feel like a meal anymore, I'll just go and have some of those, and then I think I'll get some sleep."
" Oh, ok," Hermione, replied
Melody turned to leave
" Wait, you'll need a password to get in to the dormitory. It's Filibuster," Hermione said whispering.
" Thanks, but how do I get there?" Melody asked blushing.
" Oh I'll show you, dinner wont be ready for another while anyway." Hermione said looking at her watch.
" Ok thanks." Melody replied" Come on let's go," Hermione said walking quickly out of the hall, Melody close behind her.
" Now don't be frightened if you see strange things, such as ghosts wandering around, pictures moving and even talking to you, but watch out as the staircases like to move, oh and the forest is forbidden, ok?" Hermione said as the two of them jumped onto a stairs that moved.
" Oh I know all about those things, when I found out that I was a witch I began reading every book that my father had, I love to read!" Melody replied.
' If she reads she must be really smart, but what if she's smarter than me? I'm not going to be the smartest in the year group anymore, or even the class, now that I have a bit of competition? What if Melody is a lot cleverer than me and I get laughed at, by the likes of Malfoy or even the teacher's. What if Harry and Ron think I'm stupid, and don't want to hang around with me?' Hermione thought as they reached the fat lady's portrait.'
" Are you ok?" Melody asked Hermione who was now white as a ghost and shaking from head to foot.
" Oh yeah I 'm fine." She lied.
" Password, please?" the fat lady asked.
" Yes, it's um… gosh I can't remember!" Hermione said frowning.
" The password is Filibuster." Melody said.
The portrait swung open and the two girls entered the common room.
" The girl's dormitory is on the right and the boys on the left, oh and here's your timetable for tomorrow." Hermione said handing Melody a piece of paper.
"Thanks, but how did you get my timetable?" Melody asked.
" Oh I'm a prefect, they trust me with stuff like that."
" Cool, I was a prefect in my old school too!" Melody said.
Hermione flung herself in an armchair. By a roaring fire, Melody came to join her.
" Aren't you going down to dinner? Melody asked looking puzzled.
" No, I'm not really hungry either, and I'm quite worried about Harry and Ron."
" Why? Are they in trouble?"
" No, I don't think so, but I just don't believe that they are doing homework. They told me two weeks ago that they had finished all of it."
" Oh they probably just gone off to try out some new spell that they learnt over the summer." Melody said looking at her surroundings.
" No, look, I'm going to go and find them." Hermione said standing up.
" But this castle is so huge, and it has tonnes of secret passages, where they could be hiding. How will you find them?"
" Well I think I have a good idea where they might be," Hermione said standing up and running towards the girl's dormitories.
" Where are you going?" Melody asked jumping up to follow Hermione.
Melody followed Hermione into her room, she saw that her trunk had already been brought up and her uniform was folded neatly on her bed. Hermione opened her closet and snatched out a broom.
" What's that for?" Melody asked
" Alohomora!" Hermione yelled as she pointed her wand at the window and it flung open.
" Wow you'll have to teach me that one!" Melody said still looking at he window in amazement.
" Why? Wasn't it in your father's notes!" Hermione boomed as she mounted her broom.
" What? No it wasn't!" Melody yelled," where are you going?" She asked.
Hermione ignored her and zoomed out of the window, but to Melody's surprise she told her.
" I'm going to the Quidditch pitch! Come, if you know where it is!" Hermione said laughing.
" Oh and I am smarter than you!" Hermione boomed back.
' What's up with her?' She thought to herself as she pulled out a map of the school from her trunk, I hope the school still looks like this. She thought to herself as she ran down the stairs. This was her father's old map that he had left her. 'I wonder what all these little moving dots are, and they've got names under them.
" Let see, there's Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Carmella Dale and Harry Potter they're all on the Quidditch pitch, I wonder what they're doing there? "
"But who's this other person called Filch, he's on the third floor and heading towards the pitch."
' I know that they shouldn't be out there, and they are all going to get caught! I'm on the first floor I can beat Filch out, I'm guessing he's a teacher.' She looked at the map a little closer.
" Cool I'm on here too"! She said as she ran towards the entrance hall doors, that she had entered this afternoon. She pushed them open, and was fascinated that the dot moved, wherever she moved. 'Ok I turn left here, and there's the pitch.' She thought. It was raining heavily, and a blanket of frost covered the moon, she tucked the map into her cloak pocket as it was pointless trying to read it she couldn't see a thing. She headed for two golden gates and slid inside. She saw figures moving in the distance, she could hear laughing and strange words being shouted, suddenly two flashes of light were sent into the darkness. The pitch was lit up for a split second. The figures were more distinguishable now, she could see wands and people were ducking. 'Now what was that spell!' she thought as she pulled her wand out of her pocket
" Oh yes I remember Lumos!" Her wand lit up.
'That's better!' She thought as she walked towards the middle of the pitch, where she had seen the figures moments before, Melody pulled out the map and held her wand over it. Draco and Carmella were together in the corner of the pitch. Ron and Harry were walking towards them. Melody saw flashes of blue and green light, coming from were Draco was, and then red flashes from where Harry was. She began walking, quicker to devise a plan in her head. Filch was on the first floor now. ' I know I'll levitate all of them. But where? I need somewhere where there is light. That hut I saw, there was light coming from it we'll hide behind there. At least I can see if everyone's ok and find out what is going on. Then we'll have to find a better place to hide before Filch comes.'
She raised her wand and aimed it at where the map said Draco was. " Wingardium Leviosa," she whispered.
" What's happening!" Draco roared
" Draco are you ok? Where are you?" Carmella screamed.
'Now for Harry' she thought. "Wingardium Leviosa" She said.
" Hey what! What's happening, where am I?" Harry yelled.
Melody repeated this until the pitch was full of people yelling and wondering where they were. She gathered them all together at the corner of the pitch.
She sent a blue flash of light into the air. The pitch fell silent. 'Cool!' She thought.
" Who's there?" Hermione asked in a trembling voice.
Melody ignored her question she re-lit her wand and checked the map Filch was at the door with Professor Snape. 'Crap, I've got to get them out of here! I don't want my new friends to get in trouble'
She cleared her throat and aimed her wand at the floor, " Larcarnum Inflamaray" She whispered, and a blue light shot out from her wand, and a small fire appeared under her six peers. Everyone looked angry. Though they were too high up to see that it was Melody who had done all of this, but she could see them.
"Ok listen up." She yelled. But she was interrupted, by people asking whom she was.
" Now I'm going to let you all down. But I did this for your own good, two teachers are coming, and you are going to get in lots of trouble and I don't want you to so we've got to hide, behind that hut."
She took the spell of each of them, and to her amazement when she told them to follow her they did. Her classmates still couldn't see who she was, and she was glad because if they knew it was her, well she'd probably be really unpopular like she was in her old school, she was always trying to help people but they didn't want her help, they said she was weird, but helping people was a natural instinct for her. Melody looked at her map and saw that Filch was at the hut and now there was another person heading towards the pitch called, Rubeus Hagrid. " Is everyone ok?" She asked,
She counted all six yeahs and told them all to hurry.
They would have to hide and let the teachers go onto the pitch. That would give them time to get into the school unnoticed. She lit her wand and saw a huge statue of a gargoyle. That would surely hide them all.
She checked the map; the teachers would be passing by any minute now.
" Quick over here!" she yelled "let's hide behind the gargoyle." She looked behind her and saw that two people had lit their wands. Ten seconds later, they found themselves hiding behind the statue. They extinguished the light coming from their wands. The only sound was panting and the teachers creaking opening the gate. She wanted to check her map but she couldn't risk lighting her wand, because they'd be caught. 'Why did I come out here?' she thought to herself.
"Who are you?" someone asked her.
" No time to tell you, quick head for the school!" she said. Melody counted six people run by her and then joined on the end, but her jumper was caught. She pulled it and it tore. The rest were nearly at the school. She began running. She was nearly there, everyone was inside, 'hurry up!' she told herself.
" Aaaaaahgh," someone had grabbed her.
" Got them!" a man yelled
" Let go of me, get off!" Melody kicked. But the grip around her arm and waist tightened.
Two other men joined them, all four of them headed towards the school.
" You're going to be in big trouble, you are, lighting a fire on the pitch and screaming and shouting, I can't wait to hear your explanation." The man cackled.
She guessed that she had been caught by the teachers and hoped the others hadn't, although it was kind of their fault that she was caught but she didn't have to come out, why do I always have to try and help people? She thought. When she got inside she could see that the man holding her was small, thin and ugly. Snape was behind Melody, pointing his wand at her. Melody nearly screamed at the sight of the third man. He was huge like a giant with scraggly hair and a beard, but as scary as he did look, he seemed gentle and friendly. They walked towards the dungeons and she was lead into Snape's office.
" It was Melody who saved us!" Harry said. All six of them were hiding behind an old cabinet in the entrance hall, as they knew they'd never make it up the stairs in time.
"I can't believe it." Ron said.
Ginny's arm was bleeding, and Ron had a couple of scratches. Harry was unmarked, as he had dodged and blocked all the spells Draco and Carmella had sent flying towards him, this made them both furious. Draco had a few cuts and bruises and Carmella was practically unharmed, apart from a graze on her face. Hermione was fine, as she had spent most of the time on her broom.
" You should be grateful that she came because I would have killed you, and your stupid friends!" Draco boomed.
"Oh shut up, you idiot!" Ginny said.
" We'll finish this later Potter!" Draco and Carmella left.
" What do you think they'll do to her?" Ron asked gulping.
" I wouldn't worry, Hagrid is in there." Hermione said standing up.
"Not anymore!" Harry said pointing towards Snape's office. They watched Hagrid leave.
" What was she doing out there?" Ginny asked.
" I don't know and how did she know about the duel?" Harry said looking puzzled.
" Well I kind of told her, that I thought that you guys might be on the Quidditch pitch." Hermione said looking at her feet.
" How did you know we'd be there?" Harry asked.
" I just thought you might be practicing, and I didn't think she'd find the pitch, and what did you say about a duel?
"Well she did find the pitch and she saved all of us and now, she's with Snape and Filch, not a good combination!" Harry said feeling guilty.
" What were you doing out there any way? Hermione asked frowning.
" I'll tell you later." Harry said
" You guys I really need to go to the toilet." Ginny said wriggling about.
" Oh alright, we'll meet you in the common room in a bit, I just want to make sure that she's ok." Harry said.
Ginny left.
"Hey, I have something to tell you." Hermione said looking at Ron and Harry.
" I was really mean to Melody." Hermione confessed.
" What did you do?" Ron asked
" Well, she reads a lot and you know, I kind of like being the smartest in the year and she has no real spell books and she already knows loads of spells, like ones we learnt last year, I don't know if she can do them but she defiantly knows them."
" Is there a point to this story?" Harry asked.
He wanted to go and look through the window of Snape's office and make sure that she was ok, he was thinking of marching in there, and taking all the blame. He was used to Snape anyway, but Melody wasn't.
"Well I got scared of her being smarter than me, and then I 'd be good at nothing. But I know I was wrong and I'm sorry!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. She buried her hands in her face, and began saying sorry.
" Sshh!" Harry said frowning.
Hermione fell silent but continued to cry.
Snape's office door flung open, and a purpled faced Snape stood there and screamed.
" Get out, you filthy little rat, out now!"
He slammed his door. " I'm not scared of you… you big buffoon!" Melody yelled back.
The door opened again, " Congratulations, you have just doubled your detentions!" A Red faced Snape yelled after her.
" Yeah, Yeah! Good I don't care, it means more of me in your face!" She said as walked towards the stairs, she didn't shout that out because she didn't want to triple her detentions.
" Melody, wait!" Harry Ron and Hermione yelled after her. Melody spun around.
" Oh it's you," she muttered.
" Look, we're really sorry that you got the blame." Harry said.
" I'm not, I'm just sorry that I got caught!" Melody said as, the stairs began to move.
" We will all confess and tell them it wasn't your fault," Ron said.
" Well it's really nice that you want to do that, but it's would be stupid. I mean it's better that one gets caught than all of us, and I've already lost 200 points for Gryffindor. If Snape knew you guys were involved, well we'd never hear the end of it." The stairs pulled to a halt at the second floor and they all clambered off.
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, 'I'd never do that, she's really cool.' Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione and by the expressions on their faces they must have been thinking the same thing. 'Maybe she's putting on a brave face, but Snape is going to be so mean to her in class.' Harry thought to himself as they entered the common room.
Ron was about to ask why Melody was out there, and how she found the pitch, but he was interrupted
" Where's Ginny?" Harry asked looking around
" Wasn't she with you guys?" Melody asked.
" No she went to the toilet." Hermione answered.
" Hey, how did you know that Ginny was with us outside, we couldn't see a thing?" Harry asked looking puzzled.
Should she reveal about her map? But then they might not trust her again.
" I guessed, because she wasn't at dinner so I assumed because you two weren't there either she must have been with you." She lied.
They all sat down beside the fire.
" So what happened in the office?" Ron asked
" Filch and Snape started yelling at me, and asked why I was out there, and what was all the screaming for, oh and if I had any accomplices."
" So what did you tell them?" Hermione asked.
" I told them I was practicing flying, and then I fell of my broom, they had already found Hermione's broom, so the story was there. Snape didn't believe me and wanted to give me a truth potion but Hagrid stopped him, so they kicked him out, but then Filch got scared about giving me the potion encase I told, and they let me go. With a months worth of detentions." Melody sighed.
" I can't believe you spoke to Snape like that, he looked like he was going to blow!" Ron said laughing.
Ten minutes later a bandaged Ginny walked through the portrait hole, and joined their conversation about Snape and how Melody was the first person they knew to talk to Snape like that.
" Hey Harry did you know that Melody's second name was Potter, how cool!" Hermione said
" Really I didn't know that! Yeah that is cool, what a coincidence!" Harry said.
" So what's your full name?" Ron asked Melody.
" Well it was my dad's choice, but it's Melody Lily Potter."
" Cool my mum's name was Lily." Harry said.
" So what's your full name Harry?"
" It's Harry David Potter." He answered.
Suddenly Melody jumped up. " I'm going to bed, I'm really tired."
This was getting to weird for Melody. Her and Harry both shared the same surname. Melody's middle name is Harry's mother's name. Harry's middle name is Melody's dad's name. 'How can this be, Harry is an orphan so we can't be related. Is it a coincidence, or is there more than meets the eye?' Well whatever it was Melody was going to find out, whether that meant going to the library, asking Dumbledore, or even reading her dad's locked diary, which had a note on it, asking no one to read it.
She pulled her pyjamas on and clambered into bed, knocking her neatly folded robes onto the floor.
It was her first night here and look at the trouble she had got herself in to, and she may have stumbled upon a huge secret, that could change her life forever.