The next day had far from a good start. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, the students are introduced to the more basic kind of defense by Umbridge, the kind that consisted of no actual magic! Everyone was already hating it, but Harry? He was wrathful.

He lost his temper for the umpteenth time that day, insisting they needed proper protection against Voldemort. He continued to push until Umbridge had lost her cool and given him detention. Great.

At that, the four friends split up after class, Harry in detention, Hermione in the dorms, and Ron sharing in his brothers' mischief. Melanie, on the other hand, was in the library, apple in hand. She'd heard of a few new books that she thought interesting to view, and what better place to read than a library? Not to mention, she needed to clear her thoughts, about Harry specifically.

She was worried, no doubt about it. Who wouldn't worry when their friend was walking around like a ticking time-bomb, but she had faith it would die down, he just needed to let them help.

"Well, well, if it isn't a Red-Git." Melanie turns at the squeaky voice she despised so much. Pansy. She was seated at a table along with another Slytherin girl and two boys Melanie was unfamiliar with, Crabbe, Blaise, and Draco. "If you're looking for the orphanage, dear, it isn't here." She snorted along with her friends. Blaise smirks casually, finding it funny, but Draco has a deep scowl on his face.

No longer did he find it funny to insult his Melanie, but he knew she was fierce. It wouldn't end without her winning and he was looking forward to witnessing her prevail.

Melanie clenched her jaw. No matter how long had passed, that subject would always remain bitter. With her already bad mood and Pansy, it bothered her even more the part of her that was hoping maybe Draco would stand up for her. He did flat out admit they were friends, but he never acted like one in front of his gang. But she didn't know what he was really thinking.

Placing her books and apple on a nearby table, she turned back to Pansy and folded her arms, one of the very few Slytherins kindness never, ever, worked with. Fighting fire with fire wasn't Melanie's style, but with Parkinson, she had no choice. "Orphanage? no, no, not here, but a friend of mine did tell me I might find his quirking toad on the loose between the bookshelves. I guess he was right." Melanie spat sweetly. A smirk immediately grew on Draco's face; he hadn't seen this part of her often.

Pansy shot from her seat and stormed towards Melanie, furious! Typical Slytherin snobs, offended by the weakest of insults. "How dare you?!" She yelled, capturing most of the library's attention. She poked a hard finger in Melanie's shoulder, igniting Melanie's tamed anger. "You Gryffindor shi"- Melanie cut her off by shoving her into the nearest bookshelf and sticking her wand under the Parkinson's chin. The other Slytherins stand cautiously.

"Listen here, Pansy." She demanded coldly, yet still calmly. "More than once have I told you to leave me be. This is your last warning, Parkinson, or the next place you'll wake up to will be the Hospital Wing. Got that?" Pansy nodded fearfully.

Melanie would never actually harm her, but Pansy wasn't expecting the threat least to say the reality of it. Most of the Slytherins were just talk, so when it came down to the roots of the fight, they were never prepared, especially with a violent reaction from someone they never anticipated as violent.

Assuming this would keep Pansy away for a while, Melanie backs up, picks her things from the table, takes a bite out of her apple casually and walks away, metaphorically setting the floor behind her on fire!

Draco was in awe, disbelieve, and a mad burning in his heart for the irresistible Redwing. "You…are pathetic." He shot at the still shocked Parkinson before following Melanie down the corridor, not giving a second's thought about what the others were thinking. Pansy didn't know whether he was going to confront or congratulate Melanie, but his statement frustrated her more than Melanie's previous insult. One thing was sure, she would make the Redwing pay.

….

Melanie felt conflicted about her reaction. She felt the thrill of revenge on the ever-bullying Parkinson, but that same thrill was what scared her. An outburst like that was necessary every now and then, but she always had to have it under tight control. Her morals came first.

She turned a corner, stood between two other bookshelves. Scanning them, her eyes fell on a name at the top shelf 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. It caught her interest greatly, but it was too far up for her short posture to reach, at the tips of her slim fingers. She even tried jumping, but nothing would work, that is, until a pale, masculine hand reached out and brought it down for her.

Turning, she was met by the eyes of Draco Malfoy, standing inches away, making her cheeks heat up and her stomach twist, then she remembered that his non-interference with the Pansy situation was still bothering her.

He read over the cover. "That's an odd name for a book." She scoffed and took it out of his hand.
"Like you know much about books." She told bitterly. He smirked again. If she kept the sass up, she'd be getting a lot more than smirks from him.
"That was quite the show you put on back there." He says, resting against the bookshelf by his side.
"No thanks to you." She pushes, pretending to browse the rest of the bookshelf, not wanting to meet his tranquilizing eyes. He cocks an eyebrow. She was upset with him. He could see it now and felt guilt gnawing at him, the only person that ever managed to make him feel it. But he didn't interfere for a reason and she had to know it.

He inched closer, making her look up at him suspiciously, the distance between her and the wall behind her disappearing.
"What can I say, Redwing. I like watching you stand up for yourself. Makes you look…dangerous." He spoke in a tone that made her head spin.

She gulped nervously, her eyes faltering to his lips, then back to his eyes, attempting to push the graphic thoughts to the far end of her mind. "I don't think I'm the dangerous one here." She told hesitantly, not believing how hard he was making it to concentrate. He chuckled at her reply lightly, her feeling it on her skin. He too glanced momentarily at her rosy, lush lips, fighting the same thoughts she was. It was too public in a library, if not too early.

He took some steps back and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You know, Redwing." He started, a smirk still plastered on his face. "You may have been able to fool Pansy and the others, but I, for one, know you never would have actually hurt her." She gulped again. She didn't fancy him knowing she'd never plan on doing so, ever since their third year, with the two of them still not completely familiar with each other, when she flatly admitted to him that she'd never want to see him get hurt. Back then, she stated it generally, and didn't think he'd remember it, but he did, and she hoped to dear god that wouldn't be a disadvantage. "But it won't always work, Redwing. At some point, you'll have to fight back." He explained with a hint of concern he couldn't hide. She smiled softly.
"Well, I haven't reached that point yet." She told firmly, throwing him the apple she wasn't able to finish. "I'll see you around, Draco." She last said before walking off, leaving a bit of a baffled Malfoy behind, and he loved every bit of it.

….