"Amazing! Amazing!" Neville yelled excitedly, stood several inches deep in the Black Lake.
"Neville! You're doing it again!" Harry said irritably, Melanie chuckled.
"Oh, right. Sorry." He apologized.
Melanie and Harry had come out here to solve professor Sprout's given homework. Neville passed by later, on the same task, but he was more practical than theoretical. "Okay, Harry. Which plant root is an essential ingredient for curing a Petrified person?" She asked.
"Mandrake?" He asked, unsure.
"Correct!" She smiled, him grinning sheepishly. She was the best person to study with, not because she was the smartest, but because she was the nicest and most patient, always made one feel that the smallest of correct answers was a great accomplishment.
Her attention was diverted to the peculiar shaped item in Neville's hand. A magnifying glass? "Neville. What is that?" She asks curiously.
"Moody gave it to me. That day we had tea." He replied happily, she smiled at his enthusiasm.
Neville then waves at someone behind them, the two friends look and spot the other pair of their currently dismantled group, along with Ginny. Harry gets up, readying himself for whatever Ron was going to throw at him.
"Harry, wait." Melanie said, following him. She was worried things would get messy and wanted to make sure she'd be close enough to stop it.
"…why don't you just go and do it yourself?" Hermione asked, half-whispering to Ron as they approached them. He whispers something back and she grunts. "What do you want me to say again?" He tells her in hushed sounds.
Hermione walks up to her two friends reluctantly. "Ronald would like me to tell you that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid was looking for you." She quickly, said, confused and confusing her friends as well.
"Is that right? Well…" Harry starts irritably, then stops. "…What?" He asks. Hermione sighed, Melanie rolled her eyes, Ron was being ridicules. Hermione hurried to Ron, then she ran back.
"Dean was told by Parvati that…Please don't ask me to say it again. Hagrid's looking for you."
"Well you can tell Ron"-
"I'm not an owl!" Hermione cut him off. Melanie glared at her, she exhaled deeply. "Sorry, Harry. It's just…this thing between you and Ron is quite frustrating." She stated sadly, Melanie and Harry feeling the same way.
"I didn't start this, Hermione." He told, glaring at Ron, who glared back just as intensely.
"I know. I just…Look, me and Ginny have to get to professor Sprout. Ask her some questions about the homework." Harry nods understandingly. "I'll see you guys later." She last said before heading off with Ginny, Ron leaving as well.
"You alright?" Melanie asked him. He nods.
"Yeah. Let's just finish the work and get it over with."
"Okay." He turns to sit by the tree. She stops him. "And, Harry." He spun to her. "Ron will come around. I promise. Just give him some time." She assures, sensing his sorrow for losing such a close friend. He nods again, and she could tell she'd at least slightly convinced him. Some hope is better than none at all.
….
The next day, Melanie was headed to the Blake Lake. Having heard that Harry was going to be competing against a Dragon! of all things. He was supposedly off planning with Moody, not the best person in her opinion, but he had quite the reputation in Azkaban, so maybe he was just what Harry needed. She was worried out of her mind, but a part of her still told her he'd be just fine, and she listened to it. Freaking out wasn't going to help anyone.
She spotted a hasting Malfoy by the edge, fuming and mumbling to himself furiously. She figured she could help him with whatever bothered him and, at the same time, earn herself a distraction.
She hurried after him and appeared to his side. "Hey." She greeted softly. He turned to face her, still hustling.
"What do you want, Redwing?" He asked irritably. She just smiled, unfazed by his rudeness.
"I was just curious as to why you're marching through the school grounds like your plotting a murder." She joked, attempting to lighten his mood, it didn't work, the first attempt anyways.
"I'm in no mood for your pathetic jokes, Redwing." He retorted harshly, she was still unaffected, but more persistent now.
"I can see that. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" She questioned kindly, but he was too angry, turning into a Ferret by a mad professor and being embarrassed in front of the entire school would do that to a person.
"Why should I tell you anything?" He asked furiously, turning a corner, hoping she'd leave. Good luck with that.
"Because you can, of course." She stated calmly. He rolled his eyes at her overly placid attitude, she was getting on his nerves.
"You want to know what happened?!" He snapped, stopping in front of her. He didn't give her a chance to reply. "Potter happened, him and that stupid, one-eyed, freak of a professor!" He yelled, earning some strange glances from the few students passing by.
Harry was one thing, but Melanie really feared Mad-Eye and what he was capable of. She furrowed her brows in concern. "What did he do?" She asked, but he wouldn't dare tell her, he was too embraced, still trying to believe it had actually happened, to him, Draco Malfoy.
"It doesn't matter; what matters is he's going to pay." He said vengefully, intent on telling his father.
So he clearly wasn't going to talk about it, that's fine, there were other solutions. "Draco, calm down"- She started, but he cut her off.
"Calm down? Calm down?! I"-
"Draco!" She yelled, getting hold of both his shoulders. He stared at her in shock. "Breathe." She told, but he was too focused on her hands. She could tell she was making him uncomfortable, or the opposite, but whichever it was, he didn't want it. She pulled her hands back to her sides, an idea forming in her thoughts. "Come." She said, starting off. He didn't follow. She turned irritably. "Come on." She waved, him sighing.
He could have refused, he could have turned around and walked away, but he didn't. Little did he know, that every decision he made with Melanie Redwing, was a life-changing one, for the both of them.
….
"Where are we going?" Draco asked tiredly. They had been walking through the trees for a while, Melanie attempting to lead them to one of her favorite spots.
"Almost there." She replied ducking under another tree branch. The sound of the water was getting closer the further they went.
There at last, with the lake in view, Melanie inhaled the greenery and waters deeply. She sat in front of a fallen tree log, some ways from the lake's shore, resting her back on the rough bark. He appeared seconds later, searching for her. "Down here." She chuckled. He turned to her and eyed her suspiciously. "Well, sit." She patted the spot next to her. He was reluctant, but did as told, about to ask what on earth they were doing all the way out here, but she beat him to speaking. "Do you like painting, Draco?" She asked casually. He looked at her weirdly, not really expecting or understanding such a question, she continued gazing at him expectantly. Realizing she was serious, he sighed.
"No, I don't like bloody painting, Redwing!" He yelled irritably.
"There's no need to shout, Draco. It was just a question." She replied, unaffected, then immediately continued, turning to the waters. "I like painting, which, I suppose, kind of makes me an artist. And, as an artist, Draco, you start to see the beauty in the smallest of details. Like the way the wind creates waves in the lake, or the way the lake reflects the blue sky, or the way the sun shines down on the green of the tree leafs. It's all part of the bigger picture." She turned to see his reaction, and wasn't surprised to see that he was confused and slightly irritated. "What I'm trying to say is, when appreciating the smaller things in life, living becomes more…will, colorful." She explained, her eyes glimmering with passion. He noticed, and though he'd seen her smile and laugh before, this was nothing in comparison, it encouraged him to replay her words in his own mind, trying to see what she saw, to understand what helped make her so passionate and…exceptional.
Even though he didn't see it yet, something told him it was only a matter of time, and knowing that didn't bother him in the slight. They grew silent, comfortably, each lost in their own thoughts. Melanie was thinking of Harry's first task again; she really was worried. She knew Draco didn't want to talk about Harry of all people, but maybe he had a solution, so she decided to ask him about it indirectly. "Draco, can I ask you something?" She questioned.
"I'm not going to tell you what happened, Redwing. Drop it." He stated, thinking she'd want to know what Mad-Eye had done to him, again. She did want to know, but knew he wouldn't give in. She chuckled.
"I think we've already acknowledged that. No. I want to ask you something else." She stated. He stayed silent, waiting for the question, not really knowing what to expect this time. "What would you do, if you had to defeat a…dragon?" She asked, his eyes growing wide. She quickly explained. "It's Harry's first task, for the tournament." He started laughing hysterically. She arched an eyebrow at his odd reaction. He gradually stopped.
"Bloody hell! That's the best thing this dump-of-a-school has ever decided." He commented excitedly. She shot him a deadly glare.
"It isn't funny, Draco!" She told.
"I think it's hilarious." He retorted. It didn't come as a surprise to find Draco gloating in Harry's misery, but that didn't mean she accepted it. He could see she was far from amused, staring him down coldly. He sighed annoyingly. "Well, for god's sake, Redwing! The hell do you want me to do about it?!" He asked tiredly.
"Well, not laugh would be a good start." She told, he rolled his eyes. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. What would you do?" She questioned, brushing the previous comments off. He sighed again, then actually thought about it.
Draco started imagining himself standing in the midst of a battlefield, wand aimed proudly at the vicious dragon, who diminished in fear of the great Malfoy. He smiled at the thought. "I would send that dragon to oblivion." He stated boastfully. It was her turn to roll her eyes.
"I'm sure you would." She told sarcastically. "Care to enlighten me on how?" She requested.
"There must be a spell for it. Why don't you ask your book-eating friend, Granger?" He offered, trying to prove it wasn't that impossible and implying Harry was just weak.
She ignored the comment on Hermione. At least he didn't call her a mud-blood. "Right, a spell." She mimicked with a smirk. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"Are you mocking me, Redwing?" He asked, half annoyed, half amused. She giggled playfully, making a smile force it's way to his lips.
"No, no wait." She cleared her throat. "What are you going to do about it, Malfoy?" She asked, imitating his voice. He arched an eyebrow at her. He was staring at her in shock, and she was anxiously waiting for his reaction, then, they both burst into laughter simultaneously.
"That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He commented between breaths.
"Agreed." She stated at the end of her own laughter.
They turned to one another, and for a moment, everything seemed so strange, and yet, so right. Melanie could feel her heartbeat rise and blood rush to her cheeks, she looked away shyly, but he didn't, he was still watching her. Everything about her amazed him, it always has, but the difference between then and now, was that it didn't bother him anymore. Now, it seemed to be the one thing he was looking forward to everyday. She turned back to him when she felt his eyes linger, and blushed harder, she looked around awkwardly. He noticed her face and thought a blushing Melanie was the most adorable thing he'd ever seem.
"We should, um…we should get going. Professor Sprout's isn't a fan of late-comers." She told, he nodded disappointedly, not really wanting to leave now, neither did she, but it was time to go.
….