CHAPTER 2 – Revelations.
-Some secrets need to be kept
Some stories should never be told
Some reasons shouldn't be understood
They just might turn your blood cold-
Melissa Simmons ran down the stairs of her house on the morning of the 31st of July, her 15th birthday, humming to herself. She pulled out a bowl from the cupboard and began the necessary preparations for her early morning pancakes, annual for every birthday. As she sifted the floor into the bowl she heard a chuckle behind her.
"You're never going to give this up are you?" her father asked, standing on the bottom step, his arms crossed, a small smirk on his face.
"As if dad! It's my tradition!"
"But it's your birthday!"
"I know! But you guys make breakfast for me every other day without fail, even on mother and fathers days! So on my special day I make you breakfast. Don't complain, it's not like I do anything else around here!" she laughed.
"True, true."
She sang quietly to herself until her pancakes were ready, her earplugs stuck in her ears, music blaring form them, reverberating through her eardrums, to keep out the world. She was not the type of person who enjoyed "family time". Her parents were always bitching to her that she spent all her time holed up in her room with her music on, and never spent enough time with them, but she could never explain that she just didn't feel right with them. There was something missing at that house, something she just couldn't put her finger on…
But no matter what, she loved her parents. They gave her a pretty fair run, it's not like she really had to do anything. Just stand there and look pretty, which she did rather well. She was a good looking girl. She had all the right curves in all the right places, stunning blue eyes, hair that people paid hundreds to copy, and the cheekiest smile you'll ever see. In spite of all that, her preferred clothes were tracksuits and tanks, or what her friends called "fat clothes" and the only boyfriend she'd ever had, well let's just say, he didn't count.
She pranced around the kitchen, singing and dancing, setting the table and putting flowers in a vase. She loved her life, and she hoped it would never change. And then the doorbell rang.
Now what kind of a freak would come at this time of the morning? She asked herself. She ran to the door and threw it open.
"Melissa Simmons?"
She nodded. There was a rather odd man standing in front of her. He had long silver hair, and was wearing a rather large pointed black hat, which matched his…was that a dress?
"You're weird." She said.
"Much like your mother I see, can I come in?"
"Um, am I meant to know you or…?" as she asked, her father came around the corner and promptly dropped the coffee mug he was holding when he saw the odd looking man.
"No." he whispered. "You can't have her! She's too old, she'll never fit in! I won't let you!" he yelled, and slammed and locked the door. He turned around and gasped in fright as there was a small pop, and the man appeared in front of him.
"Tony, I will remind you that you have no choice in this. I told you this day would come, and it has. Shall we?" he turned and walked into the kitchen.
"Dad, what's he talking about? What's going on?"
"Honey, just go in the kitchen." Her dad was shaking, and she was scared to see him like this. "I have to wake your mother."
She followed the man into the kitchen and sat down in her usual seat, across from him. He placed a letter on the table and slid across to her.
"Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" she read from the envelope. "What do you want?"
"A coffee would be nice." He replied.
"As if. You ruined my birthday, no coffee for you." She sulked.
"Fine, I'll get it myself." He snapped his fingers and a pot of coffee appeared on the table. She stared at it, not uttering a word. "Are you alright?" he asked. His question was met with silence. "You know, you could probably do that if you tried really hard. Just focus on that plate of pancakes over there and click your fingers." She shook her head stiffly. He laughed at her.
Tony and Sarah Simmons walked down the stairs, Tony bracing his wife steadily.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"You know exactly what I want, she needs to rejoin her own world."
"Excuse me, not meaning to interrupt, but who are you?" Melissa asked.
"Forgive me. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I'm the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where, hopefully, if you accept, you'll be attending."
"Witchcraft and Wizardry? Like as in Magic School?" she asked.
"Somewhat," he grinned. She was so innocent, nothing like her mother…
"Riight, am I meant to know where this place is?"
"No. We decided it would be best to keep it from you, but we're a little worried about your safety here."
"Safety? Dude, I dunno bout you, but I'm fine."
"Actually, no, you're not. You're mother has broken out of prison, and we're worried she'll come after you."
Melissa looked at him for a minute, blinked a few times, and then began to laugh hysterically.
"My mother? Prison? Funny, I don't remember her even being there! Or is that a hologram?" she laughed.
"Melissa!" her mum said sharply.
"No mum, I mean come on, this guys gotta be a fruitcake right? I mean prison? Purlease!"
"Melissa! We've got something we need to tell you. Your mother and I, we're not…" Tony began, but he didn't get to finish his sentence. Melissa was overcome with dizzy spells, and fell on the floor. She saw a woman screaming, and a man, holding a baby, whispering 'Malicia'. The whisper turned into a scream and she awoke with a jerk.
"Melissa! Oh my God what happened!" Sarah yelled, holding her upright.
"Malicia," she whispered. Her mother and father paled, and Dumbledore looked down, suddenly very interested in his thumbs.
"Who is Malicia mum?" she asked, more urgently. Her mother remained silent. "WHO IS SHE!"
"She's you." Her mum whispered.
"What?"
"I think it's time for an explanation." Dumbledore cut in. "Melissa, if you'd please." He gestured at the chair, and Melissa sat across form him again, staring into his eyes.
"Your real mother, is a woman named Bellatrix Lestrange. Around 17 years ago, the greatest dark wizard of our time was taking over. He killed anything and anyone in his path, leaving behind him death and destruction. On October 31st, he lost his power. Alone and defenseless, he ran from the world. A few weeks later, a bunch of his followers, 'Death Eaters' as they called themselves, were arrested for torturing a couple into insanity, your mother and father were among these. It turns out that your mother was pregnant when she went in, and exactly nine months later, you were born. Due to your parents erm, reputation, we decided it would be best for you to be kept away from the magical world, until you were ready to rejoin."
"And you reckon today's that day huh? You sit here, and in one breath, with no remorse, you tell me my mother and father aren't my mother and father, and that the lady that gave birth to me was some psycho killer maniac, oh and I'm a witch I take it, seeing as how I've been accepted into your school."
"That's about it." Dumbledore nodded.
"You're barking." She concluded.
"No," Dumbledore grinned. "Not barking, simply trying to speak. You remind me so much of Harry."
"Who the hell is Harry?"
"There'll be time for explanations later. Are you willing to come to our school?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Yes, of course you do. You – " Melissa screamed as an owl flew into her window. "Errol." Dumbledore muttered. He opened the window and untied a piece of parchment from the owls leg. He frowned as he read it.
"Ah, well, this complicates things, um, Melissa, sorry to cut this short but, go and get dressed, we need to leave."
"What?" Melissa cried. "Leave to go where?"
"Yes, look Dumbledore you can barge into our house and tear our world down around our heads but – "
"Her mother is coming to kill her! We need to leave now, this is not a question, it's an order!" Dumbledore said frustrated.
"You cannot order us around!" Sarah screeched.
"I beg your pardon? As part of the contract section 7.6 page 2, yes I can." Dumbledore replied calmly. "Please go get dressed, I'll be up in a minute to help you pack."
"Ok…" Melissa ran upstairs and stood in the middle of her bedroom. She looked at the pictures on her walls of her and her family. My entire life is a lie, she thought. She pulled on her black skinny leg jeans and chucked an oversize jumper on over the top. As soon as she was dressed she called out to Dumbledore and he appeared in her room.
"Dude, you gotta show me how to do that!" she marveled.
"When you turn 17," he replied with a smirk. He pulled out his wand, muttered a few words and raised his arms in the air. All the clothes she owned shrunk to the size of her hand and piled themselves in a suitcase that had appeared at the end of her bed.
"Cool," she said looking at them all.
"Anything else you need?" She pulled out her hair and makeup stuff and her photo albums, and he shrunk those too.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"I think I'll take my makeup in a normal size bag thanks." She mumbled.
"Oh don't be ridiculous. Your stuff will be back to normal in about ten minutes."
"Oh alright. But I'm not made up!" he looked at her reproachfully and waved his wand at her. She flinched, but he signaled to the mirror. She walked over and looked in, surprised to see she was perfectly made up.
"Now THAT I can show you how to do tomorrow." He joked. He picked up the suitcase and walked downstairs. "Sarah, Tony, I'm sorry to have to do this, I didn't want to do this at all, but under the present circumstances, we need to – " he was interrupted by a flash of green light. Melissa looked over at her parents, who were now lying on the floor, face down. She tried to run over to them but Dumbledore stopped her. "They're dead, Melissa."
"Her name is Malicia." A woman apparated in front of them, and Melissa was shocked at the resemblance between them. Then it clicked…
"You're my mum."
"Good girl. I'm so sorry about Sarah and Tony. I didn't want that to happen, but they've tried to keep you from me all these years." Bellatrix replied, and sickly sweet voice.
"Pro – Professor Dumbledore said you were in prison…"
"He lied." She replied, and Melissa saw the evil behind the stunning, heavy lidded eyes.
"I think I'd like to go with Professor Dumbledore." She said uncertainly, moving towards him.
"No, I really think you should come with me." Bellatrix replied, her voice getting harder.
Melissa continued towards Dumbledore, slowly, but surely. As soon as she got to his side he grabbed her and apparated away, taking her with him.
"NOOOO!" they heard Bellatrix scream, but it was too late. They were gone.
As they landed, she fell to the floor with a thud. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she was having trouble breathing.
"Melissa?"
"They're…They're dead aren't they?"
"Yes. I'm so sorry."
"How could she?" she asked her voice faltering. "HOW COULD SHE!"
Her anguished scream echoed through the hallways, and Dumbledore could do nothing but watch her woefully and remember the young boy who had cried to him in this same room recently, caused this very same pain by the very same woman.
"I think I should take you somewhere else," he whispered.
"I just got here! Just leave me to mourn in peace!"
"I think I know someone who could help you.