Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter.  JK Rowling does.  YOU ALL KNOW THIS!!! 

Reviews!  Yay!

LIWY:  Yeah, I understand.  It's just, I couldn't say "Here Lies" because there wasn't a body in the coffin (they never found Melissa).  It wouldn't have made sense.  And I didn't want to copy what was written on Sirius's tombstone.  But, thanks for reading, I appreciate it!  Oh, and it would be wise to read the first story if you plan on continuing reading it, because later on, it will make no sense without it.

BURN THE RUM:  It's confusing, I know…it will all be explained, I promise.  You were the first person to give this whole entire story a shot, so you count as the first reviewer :).  I've actually got a Pirates of the Caribbean fic in the works.  I don't quite know when it'll be posted, though.  By the way, did you know that Johnny Depp is nominated for Best Actor in the Academy Awards for PotC?  I practically fainted when I found out!

Harryforeva:  Yup, she's alive!  Sirius's reaction will be talked of later on…and it will be cleared up.  Thanks for reading the chapter!

Melissa scanned the room of the wake with her pale eyes.  All around were people she had known.  She stood off into a corner, for she didn't want to bring attention to herself.  These people had already lost someone; they didn't need a heart attack level surprise on top of it.

The room was large and decked with candles.  People were talking and sharing fond memories.  Across the hall she saw Harry sitting at a table all alone.  His head was down and he fingered his drink.  Was that a shot glass?

Mel continued to look around the room until her eyes rested on Dumbledore.  He sat at the bar sipping and Bloody Mary.  She walked swiftly over to him.

"That was quite an act you put up back there."

Dumbledore turned around at this.  "You made it," he said, a small smile forming.

"Of course I did.  I could never miss this, Albus.  I loved him.  But did you really have to tell them I was dead?  You know that's not true."

"They think you're dead, Ms. Blaine.  They would have thought it odd if I did not mention his precious(sss) wife."  Dumbledore downed the remainder of his Bloody Mary.

"Albus, it's Mrs. Black," Mel said, sitting down at the bar.  "A tequila and two fire whiskeys, please."  She watched as the bartender prepared and handed her the drinks.

"Melissa, you never drink like that."

"I think I deserve it.  My husband, who I haven't seen in seventeen years, is dead.  I'm surrounded by people who think I, myself, am dead.  I think that calls for a few shots of alcohol.  And besides, how do you know I don't drink this much?  We haven't spoken in ten years."  Melissa drank the shot of tequila in one fast gulp.

"Are you really here to tell me how much you need a drink, Mrs. Black?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with a small bit of laughter.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Vanessa."

At this, Dumbledore almost choked on the drink he had just ordered.  "You're not thinking of transferring back, are you?"

"Actually, I was.  We appreciate what you've done for us, Albus, we really do.  It's just…England is our home.  America is beautiful, but we belong here.  All Nessa ever talks about is her dreams of going to Hogwarts.  She's only got two years left of Wizarding School, please just let us come back."

"Melissa, it might not be safe.  You saw how much your grave was vandalized.  Imagine what could happen to you or Ness."

"Please, Albus, she's my daughter.  She's already been deprived of her father; do not deprive her of anything else.  And besides, Sirius has been cleared of everything.  What more can they do to us?"  Melissa drank one of the fire whiskeys.

Dumbledore eyed her warily, but he knew what he had to do.  "All right, you both can come back.  But could you stay at Hogwarts?  Some people out there still might think Sirius was a Death Eater."

Melissa jumped up with delight and hugged Dumbledore.  "Of course we will!  Vanessa will love that!  We really appreciate how much you've protected us!  Thank you!"  She pulled away and straightened her black silk dress.  "Now if you'll excuse me," she said, "I have to go catch up with some old friends."  And with that, she downed the last shot of whiskey and walked to the other side of the bar.

Remus Lupin sat on a stool holding a glass of Scotch.  He looked half drunk.  Melissa walked up behind him, and felt a smile spread across her face.

"You shouldn't drink like that – you look bloody awful." 

Remus began to turn around.  "If you'll excuse me, I can drink however I damn well ple-"

He stopped speaking as soon as he saw who was standing right in front of him.  He turned back around, drank the rest of his Scotch, faced Melissa, and then blinked.

"You shouldn't talk that way at your best friend's funeral, too."  Melissa couldn't help but laugh a little at Remus's face.  "Moony, you look just like you've fallen head first into a pensieve!"

"I think I have," he said, his eyes wide with awe.  He then got up and pulled Mel into a big embrace.  It was then that he cried.  He had never let a single tear fall before now, but it was all too much.  He had a best friend back.  He was no longer alone.

As they pulled apart, Remus exclaimed, "Mel!  I can't believe it!  How – when – the cliff –"

"How about I explain it all over a pint of Bitters?" 

Remus nodded and sat down.  Mel signaled to the Bartender for a couple of pints (A/N:  "They come in pints?  I'm getting one."  "But you've had three already!"  Sorry, I had to do that.).  Remus looked her in the eyes, too stunned for any speech.

"What exactly have you been doing these past seventeen years?" Remus asked when he finally found his words.

"Cheating death," Mel answered.  "And every month I have to drink that Godforsaken memory potion."

"But I thought Albus said every year!"

"Nope, it's every month.  I found that out the hard way.  I spent nearly two weeks in the hospital.  So now, if I don't drink it every month, I'll die a horribly painful death.  Really raises the spirits, you know?"  Mel finished the statement with a clear hint of sarcasm.

"So, how did you survive the cliff?  It's not exactly normal to live after hitting the ground at over 80 miles per hour."

"I…I don't exactly know.  I was falling, clutching my blue wedding goblet, and praying to God that my child would survive.  I knew it was foolish, but I still tried.  Right before I blacked out, I could feel the fall becoming slower and slower.  When I woke up, I was lying on the damp grass, goblet still in hand.  It's a miracle it didn't shatter.  Soon a wizard boy found me and took me to St. Mungo's.  I was in the newspaper, listed as an unidentified pregnant woman.  When Dumbledore read where I'd been found, he came to the hospital and made arrangements for me to be safe from any harm.  I was shipped off to America, and have been living there since."

"How come Sirius didn't realize you'd been found?"

"He was probably in Azkaban by then, and had not had access to a newspaper.  Oh, the drinks are here!"  Mel grabbed a pint and began to sip it.  Remus took his, but only held it.

"I had stopped my subscription after all the crap they'd said about Sirius.  Wait, the baby hadn't died?  You've been raising a child all on your own for the past seventeen years?"

"Yes, after I was in America, I gave birth to Vanessa, my daughter.  You should see her, Remus.  She looks exactly like Sirius.  She has his personality, too.  All she got from me was my hair and womens' intuition.  I've told her many things about her daddy.  She longed to meet him.  It almost killed her when I told her the news."

"Why isn't she here?" Remus asked.

"She…couldn't bring herself to come.  She wanted to desperately, but she couldn't.  For all these years, I've been living off the fact that Sirius was alive and would meet his daughter someday.  I've tried so many times to come to London.  But when you have to tell a child that they will never see their father, it's heart breaking."  There was a long pause.  After a while, Mel lifted her mug and said, "Here's to drowning out our sorrows."

Remus picked up his mug as well, and tapped it to Mel's.  After they each took a long drink, Mel got up and left.

------------------------------

Harry stared at his empty shot glass, only thinking.  It had been a year since Sirius's death, but he was still wallowing in a pit of depression.  Now this funeral was caving in on him, creating a trap.  He almost wished for it to end.

"I'm sorry, Padfoot," he whispered.  "But I just can't take it without you here."

His eyes began to fill with small tears, but he refused to let them fall.  The great Harry Potter couldn't afford to cry…

"The last time I checked, you weren't old enough to drink," came a soft, familiar voice.

Harry turned around.  He knew who that was, for he'd seen her only a few months ago…But she was many years younger…

"Mel?!"

"Look, I completely understand why you're drinking alcohol, but being a mother, I would be a horrible person if I let you have any more."  Mel smiled at the seventeen year old.  It had been only a few months for him, but it was decades for her…

"But you're dead!  How can this be poss-"

"Please, I don't think I could go through the story again.  Just know that I'm alive, well, and standing right in front of you.  If you want details, just ask Remus."

Harry calmed down from the shock a little and looked Mel directly in the eyes.  "So – you…have a kid?"

"Yeah, a daughter.  She's one year younger than you.  She'll actually be going to Hogwarts this year.  And we'll be living there, until Dumbledore says otherwise."

"Wow, that – that's great!"  Harry, despite his desperate attempt to be cheery, still looked and felt melancholy.

"Harry, have you been doing all right?  You seem…different."

"Actually, I've been horrible.  I've gotten these urges to just hurt myself.  Hermione says it's post-traumatic depression.  I don't know, it seems more…intense than just that.  I guess all the trauma from over the years has finally caught up with me."

"But you've never thought of actually…killing yourself, did you?"  Mel bit her lip, growing worried.

Harry looked down at the floor, and then buried his head in his hands.  "No, I've never really thought about it much…though I can't deny that there are times where I've thought that…maybe…it might help everyone if I just died, you know?  No more people getting hurt protecting me, and I've never really succeeded in keeping off Voldemort for long without my mum's help.  Now that he can touch me, I don't know what use I am."  Tears began to fill his already bloodshot eyes.

Mel reached over and grabbed his hand.  "Look, Harry, you are the most important person there is to us right now.  If you had died, we wouldn't be thinking of Voldemort.  We would be thinking of how we let you down.  We all love you, Harry, and your well-being is all that matters.  Do not waste yourself.  Every life is worth living, no matter how torn, dirty, or neglected it may be.  And what is life if you're able to mend it every time it gets a little tear?"

Harry seemed to look a little better.  "Thanks, Mel.  I needed that."

"Hey, what are Godmothers for?"  Mel slowly stood up.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off.  Vanessa and I have loads of packing to do."  She then looked Harry in the eye.  "Besides, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold up here."

"I know exactly how you feel."

Mel then turned and left for the Muggle airport.  Her heart was heavy, but at least she could stand straight with it now, instead of having to drag it all over the earth.