For the few days afterwards, things between Melanie and Draco brought several suspicious eyes from their usual crowd. Their constant flirting and smiling at one another in classes and whenever they were around one another raised a lot of heads.
Eventually, Melanie had to come out with the truth to her friends, who were far from pleased upon hearing that things between her and the vile Malfoy were finally official, but there was little they could do about it.
But as long as Melanie was happy, and he kept her that way, then the three wouldn't have to intervene.
Draco, too, made it quite clear in his group that the Redwing was his, which forced the wrathful Pansy to haste her plan to take the oblivious Redwing down, but not yet.
A few days more and it happened. The usual students and friends were in the Room of Requirements, training their day away when their wall broke down. Umbridge had finally found a way to break through their protective spell, and, to every one's surprise, it was all because of Cho.
Harry was devastated by the fact that the one person he liked, the one person he kissed, was a traitor. Granted, he didn't know nor like her for long, but it simply felt like the world was against him all the time.
Upon hearing the news, the minister himself arrived at Hogwarts to confront Dumbledore, who took full responsibility of the accusation of building a secret army that was put upon him, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it, but he wasn't about to let his supposed army of powerful wizards go to waste, so he reluctantly took the fall, but instead of facing any consequences, he fled with the help of his Portkey-Phoenix into unknown hiding, frustrating the minister who left with nothing.
Umbridge, however, got everything she'd wanted from the beginning. She was officially, the new headmistress of Hogwarts school of Wizardry. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
….
Things at Hogwarts were slowly becoming worse by the day, and with their training turned to waste, Dumbledore's willed army had fallen into the dullness of tyranny.
But things weren't all bad yet. The fellow students of Hogwarts did all they could to cheer each other up. For instants, on one day, the Slytherins, of all people, celebrated another Slytherin girl's birthday, Camille, with a cake in the Dining Hall.
Seeing this, Ron, Hermione, and partially, Harry, were secretly taking ideas as they themselves struggled to come up with a surprise for the Redwing's upcoming birthday.
Melanie, however, was far from on the same page as them. She was too distracted by everything going on at the school and on Harry's Cho-loathing mind, she'd completely forgotten about the whole topic of birthdays.
One thing kept her sane though, well, one person. Draco wasn't as torn up about the discovery of the Requirements room as she was, neither did he give two damns about Harry and Cho. On a small note, he was quite content, and was always trying to get the Redwing to smile.
The Slytherin's birthday had caught his attention as well, making him wonder about Melanie's own birthday. If it was soon, then he'd have an even better shot at cheering her up.
….
At the end of the day, Draco takes notice of the idiotic Weasley and the Mud-blood of a Granger, making their way from the Quart Yard, presumably to their dorms.
The two walked closely, whispering seriously to one another, as if trying not to be heard. Being two of the only people he knew held the answer he sought, he approached them.
"Discussing wedding plans, are we?" He teased. The two tensed at his presence, both their faces reddening at the comment.
Since, apparently, him and their closest of friends were 'dating', they were forced to take a civil approach. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked irritably, Hermione beside the Weasley, eyeing Draco with disgust as she wondered whether or not Melanie had suddenly gone blind.
"I was just wondering when that fiery Redwing of yours'll be having her birthday." He told, getting straight to the point. He didn't want to be around them as much as they didn't want to be around him.
The two friends eyed each other in slight shock at the fact that Draco had actually just complimented Melanie right in front of them, which only confirmed the girl's words. He certainly was interested in the Redwing, that was undoubtable now.
Hermione and Ron, having been thinking about the same thing, and debated telling Draco, who clearly was planning to surprise the Redwing with something special, should he know when, specifically.
Even though the two wanted their surprise to be the best, they knew it wasn't about that, it was about what made Melanie happy, and, surely enough, being surprised by your 'boyfriend' was one of the best of things.
The entire school, may have thought of them as a couple, but in truth, the supposed couple were yet to discuss that part of their relationship for themselves.
Reluctantly, the two gave the Malfoy what he wanted, and he left ecstatic, having the perfect gift in mind.
….
The day had finally come. Melanie's friends were adding the final touches to their surprise dorm party with the rest of the Gryffindors helping as well. Fred and George were stood outside the Common Rooms, making sure Melanie stayed as far away from it as possible, being the two with the biggest mouths. But, fortunately for them, she was in a whole other world.
Oblivious to that fact, Melanie was seated on the grass, back resting on the familiar, fallen tree log, the Black Lake set before her.
She was painting, a thick and supported parchment inclined on her lap, and a magic painting brush that puts out whatever color you think of in her hand.
The crunching of fallen tree leaves could be heard a few ways beside her, a sign that someone was approaching, and the voice that followed after put her at ease.
"Well, well. If it isn't my little artist?" Draco teased, knowing this was exactly where he'd find her. She smirked, turning to him, faking hurt.
"Little?"
"Oh, don't worry, love, it was a compliment." He told, flopping down beside her, leaving no space between their spots, their shoulders touching. She didn't mind.
Melanie couldn't see how belittling her was a compliment, but him calling her 'love', like he'd frequently been doing, made her forget the whole conversation as butterflies swarmed her stomach until he spoke up again. "What are you painting this time?" He questioned curiously with the eyes of a wandering ten-year-old.
On the parchment was a girl with hair similar to its painter. She was surrounded by lush greenery and her back was set to those observing as she hovered over the grass in a petite floral dress. "I dreamt I was flying, well floating. I've always wanted to fly." She explained contently. Draco furrowed his eyebrows at her.
"You've never ridden a broom before?" He asked, looking down at the girl beside him, who shook her head softly.
"Well, then." He smirked. "Were going to have to fix that, aren't we?" He grinned mischievously, making a smirk form on her own lips.
"But first." He reached beside him to something Melanie couldn't see until he presented her with it.
"Happy birthday, Redwing." Upon hearing this, Melanie eyes turned from the object being handed to her, to the boy who had just reminded her of the biggest day of her year. Still shocked, her eyes landed back on what seemed to be a book, but it wasn't just any book. She couldn't believe that he'd remembered.
In one of their many conversation, one of the things they spoke of frequently was Melanie's favorite hobby: reading. They'd just sit on that very spot and talk for hours. She'd tell him about the many novels she'd read, and he'd listen.
There was one book in particular that Melanie had been hoping to come by for nearly three years, and now, it was right in front of her. "Draco!" She exclaimed excitedly, her face lighting up and her heart warming.
He could tell, he truly did make her happy, and in return, he'd never felt happier himself. It wasn't easy, digging through hundreds of dusty books in his father's much disregarded library. It took half a day to find that one book that could bring back that shimmering light in the Redwing's eyes, and it was worth it.
"I found it in father's considerably neglected library." He explained, making it sound like no big deal, a lie.
"I"- She hesitated, speechless. "Thank you." She last said, unable to find the proper words to express her gratitude. She smiled genuinely, looking him deep in the eyes, hoping to show just how much she meant it.
He couldn't begin to explain the way he felt when his Redwing was so joyful and lively, especially when he'd be responsible for it.
Unsure what to make of the nudging in his heart, the one that seemed to be hinting at him to say something, one thing he still couldn't put in words, he decided to take a more playful approach, since he wasn't that good with all the emotional stuff. "Is that all I get?"
Infecting her with the same playfulness, maybe more, Melanie smirked mischievously, finding the perfect way to properly thank her charming beast, she rose from her spot and, to Draco's great astonishment, reverted herself onto his lap.
Melanie gripped the Slytherin by the collar of his shirt and pulled, crashing her lips into his. It only took him a second to comprehend what was happening before he placed a hand on the Redwing's back, pushing her as close to him as possible.
The kiss grew deeper by the second, more passionate. Draco held the back of her head, averting it to take the lead. She felt him lick her bottom lip and immediately parted her own, letting him in.
Their tongues caressed and toyed with one another lustfully. The weather suddenly got hotter, and Melanie found herself wanting more of the Malfoy before her, and it didn't help when she felt his hand slither underneath her skirt and stopped on her thigh, caressing it gently. It drove her insane and she didn't dare stop him.
"Ahem, Ahem." A voice appeared, starling the two lovers half to death, jerking them apart. It was Neville.
He wouldn't say, but he'd come to the forest in search of specific ingredients to make some peculiar drinks for, ironically, Melanie's party. And he never, ever, would have expected to see the birthday/sweetest girl in school, making out with the school's prince of Slytherin. Yes, he too heard they were together, but to see it so up close, was far from comfortable.
Melanie hurriedly got off Draco, fixing her dismantled clothes and patting down her scrambled hair, the two breathing heavily from the wild kiss. "Neville! I…We…" She tried, out of breath and unsure what to say.
"It's fine." He assured, too embarrassed to look her in the eyes, his face as red as hers. Screw the drinks. "I'm, uh, just gonna go." He said, walking, more, running off before she could stop him.
"Well, that went well." She commented, mostly to herself.
"I could think of better ways that could have gone." The Malfoy said slyly from behind. She turned to see his back pressed to the log, his hands behind his head, a smirk on his face which was accompanied by his now disheveled hair and the three upper buttons of his shirt undone, courtesy of her doings.
With the way he was looking, Melanie reformed herself from finishing what she started. This was far from a suitable place. And, besides, she wasn't ready to go that far just yet.
She smirked, shaking her head at his typical attitude. "We should get going." She said, pointing a look at the setting sun. Melanie went to pick her things as the Malfoy fixed himself and got off the floor.
The two walked together towards the castle. Draco spotted the smirk still plastered on his girl's red face as she started forward in a daze. "Penny for your thoughts?" He said. Her sparkling eyes turned to him, the smirk still there. She chuckled.
"It's just, Neville's probably already spilling what he saw to Hermione and the others. I'm never gonna hear the end of it." She grinned, which told him she didn't give a damn what they thought. He grinned back.
"Well, that's easily fixable. You can tell your group of losers," She rolled her eyes at that. "that you were making out with your boyfriend." He last said. It took a lot out of him to finally make it official, to show the Redwing once and for all, that he considered her his girl.
Melanie's eyes widened. She studied his face, tried reading his eyes, his lips, that now rested in an ecstatic smile. She could tell, he was very serious.
Melanie felt her heart squeeze in place, in a good way. She was welling up. Never did she think that, that one sentence could mean so much to her, especially from him. She let out a nervous laugh as her face reddened, making him grin as well.
Her reaction put him at ease. There was a part of him that feared her rejection, a miniscule part. "I"- She started, chuckling. "I like how that sounds."
….