Diagon Alley.
Those two words were the ones that were running through Remus's thoughts, and he yelled it for the world to hear as the emerald-green flames of the fireplace engulfed him.
Hope soon followed, and was there just in time to catch her son right before he stumbled.
"I'll never get used to that feeling," he confessed, sighing.
"Oh, honey." His mother flicked his nose, then laughed as he made a face at her.
Two boys and a girl were watching the interaction a few feet away. Both of the boys had black hair, though they were different all the same. One had wavy hair that fell to his shoulders, and stunning stormy-grey eyes that seemed to sparkle with mirth. The other's hair was a lot messier, and his hazel eyes were framed by glasses.
The girl, however, had one soft light-blue eye and one coffee-brown. Her dark-chestnut hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and she seemed to have a mysterious, alluring yet melancholy, aura to her that both drew people in and sent them away.
Remus was one who had been affected, and made his way over. It became obvious that the two boys had felt it as well, because they strode in front of her with arrogant smirks plastered on their faces.
"Yes?" the girl inquired, with a raised eyebrow. It was a valid greeting, and was said politely, though there was an undertone of something dangerous behind the words.
"Hey there, beautiful," one said, with a dazzling smile. He was patently a flirt.
She edged away from him. "Hi."
"What's your name?" he continued. "I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."
"Melaina," she muttered, quietly. "I'm not pretty, either, so don't even try that with me."
The males seemed shocked.
"B-but," the one with glasses stammered, waving his arms wildly as if trying to prove a point. "But you are pretty!"
"James is right," Sirius told her, though his tone seemed lacking.
Remus approached them cautiously. "Um, hello," he said, giving them a small wave.
"Hey," Sirius answered, turning around.
"'S'up," James responded, looking over his shoulder.
Melaina stayed silent.
Remus ignored the two boys, going over to the female. "I'm Remus Lupin," he introduced, extending a hand. "And you are?"
". . . My name's Melaina. I thought you knew that?" She glanced up at him curiously, ignoring the proffered limb.
He shook his head with a chuckle, drawing his arm back.
"Well, I . . . I need to go." The girl dashed off, leaving the three boys.
"That was weird," James Potter finally opined, after a prolonged moment of silence.
"Yeah, it was," Sirius agreed.
Remus merely nodded his head.
"Y'know," Sirius began, thoughtfully, introducing yet another topic for them to talk about after about four minutes of settling into a comfortable silence.
James looked at him, interest peaked. "Yeah? What is it, Siri?"
The boy stiffened, then glared. "Don't call me that, James!"
Remus laughed.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, looking peeved. "What do you all think about that girl? What was her name again—Melody? Melanie?"
"Melaina," Remus reminded.
Sirius nodded. "Right. Melanie."
James shook his head, with a sigh. "I don't like her much, mate. She was definitely strange."
Just then, they caught sight of a chestnut-haired girl with one soft blue eye and one coffee-brown eye. She was walking out of a shop that sold Muggle items, a skateboard in her hand and a guitar resting against her back. A small leather satchel fell to her right hip, the strap crossed over her left shoulder.
Remus instantly felt that pull again, wasting no time in ditching his new friends and going to sit with the odd brunette.
She had begun to play the guitar, though, and started singing before he reached her. Not wanting to interrupt or possibly startle her, he awkwardly stood and listened.
I hurt myself today,
To see if I still feel;
I focus on the pain,
The only thing that's real;
The needle tears a hole,
The old familiar sting;
Try to kill it all away,
But I remember everything.
What have I become,
My sweetest friend;
Everyone I know goes away in the end;
And you could have it all,
My empire of dirt;
I will let you down,
I will make you hurt.
Remus watched, transfixed, as she continued to pour everything into the—frankly, depressing—song.
When she finished, she stared at her arms—not even bothering to notice the sandy-blonde studying her a few feet away.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She rummaged through her bag, finally pulling out a loose sheaf of paper and a pen.
Life, it seems, will fade away,
Drifting further every day;
Getting lost within myself,
Nothing matters, no one else.
She thought for a moment more, after quickly writing those four lines down in neat cursive. The top of the pen positioned against her cheek made for a surprisingly cute look.
I have lost the will to live,
Simply nothing more to give.
There is nothing more for me;
Need the end to set me free.
Reading those words sent unexpected tears crawling down her face, as it was especially true for her; she wrote lyrics based off of her own experiences.
She folded the paper and gingerly placed it back into her surrogate purse. The girl then began to hum a tune, strumming her guitar. The pen sat, neglected at the moment, to her side.
"I need to remember that," she murmured softly, as she finished.
She then began to sing the same tune, but added the words to it. "Life, it seems, will fade away, drifting further every day . . ."
At a loud shout, she froze and glanced up—only to see the three boys from earlier, two of them jogging closer. She waited until they had caught up to the sandy-blonde to speak.
"Hello, Remus. Sirius, James."
"Hi," they chorused.
She glanced around nervously. "D-did, um . . . did you, by any chance, hear me?"
The two ravens glanced at each other, bemused, then shook their heads. Remus shrugged, managing—albeit just barely—to keep the sad smile from appearing after hearing some of the songs she played.
She gave them a shaky smile. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."
"Alright . . ." Though he sounded dubious, James waved it off.
Remus cast a furtive look to Sirius, which could easily be translated to do something, you twit.
The mutineer Black cleared his throat.
"This is awkward," he declared.
Lupin not-so-subtly smacked his forehead.
James snickered.
An uncomfortable silence passed over them.
"Well," Melaina said, breaking the tension, "you guys are going to Hogwarts, right?"
This time, it was the young Potter facepalming, at her lack of common sense. "No," he replied, sarcasm evident in his tone. "We're at Diagon Alley—a place that can only be granted entrance if you are a wizard or witch, mind you—buying robes and wands and spell books. Of course we aren't going to Hogwarts!"
The girl abruptly stood. "I'll . . . just go." They don't like me, anyway . . . I really shouldn't have spoken up like that. I'm stupid, and ugly, and nobody wants someone like me . . .
As she stalked away, Remus glanced down. "Huh," he muttered, walking forward and bending down. "She left her pen."
Both James and Sirius blinked. "A what?" they asked, simultaneously.
The sandy-blonde rolled his green eyes. "A pen," he informed them, emphasizing the word. "It's a Muggle writing utensil, sort of like a quill."
The duo's eyes flashed brightly. "Muggles make cool stuff." That statement was, once again, in unison.
"They do, don't they?" Remus agreed, turning to stare at the object.
Sirius nudged James. "Hey, what else was she holding? That board thing?"
The bespectacled boy shrugged. "I dunno. Remus?"
He shook his head. "Nope, sorry. What can I say? I'm not completely Muggle-born."
"That's too bad." Sirius cast his gaze back to where the brunette had disappeared from their sight a few minutes ago, looking almost regretfully as his eyes lingered. "I'd have liked to know what that was."
"Maybe we can ask her next time we see her?" the Werewolf suggested, almost hopefully.
James made a face. "She's . . . just . . . I don't know, mate, but I don't like her."
"Neither do I," Sirius admitted. "That girl is too weird."
"And you're not?" he retorted.
"Hey!" Sirius laughed, as James skidded away. "Get back here!"
"Never!"
Melaina sighed, peering into the muddled and altogether haphazard store through the transparent—most likely glass—rectangular double doors. Just as she was about to enter, a boy with pale-blonde hair swung around one of the many shelves right of the door. As he was admiring his wand, he didn't notice her, and they collided.
The girl was thrown off of her feet, having lost her balance. The boy quickly stood up, brushing himself off, and offered a hand to help her up. "Sorry about that," he said, with an apologetic smile.
She shook her head, standing up herself, and gave him a look. Why is he . . . ? ". . . Thank you . . . ?"
"You're welcome."
The brunette stayed quiet, lost in her thoughts. Why's he being so nice? Why did he apologize? He shouldn't have . . . I don't deserve it. I'm clumsy, and annoying, and dumb . . .
She was broken out of her mind when he awkwardly cleared his throat. "By the way, I'm Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy."
"Oh." Should I tell him my name? "Mine's Melaina."
He smiled.
She turned around, not wanting to see him. Surely he's not happy with me? Nobody ever is. "Well, see you, I guess."
"You're going to Hogwarts, right?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Then I guess we'll cross paths again sooner than you think," he told her, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
She entered Ollivander's Wand Shop, though a frown was etched on her face.
A/N: Neither of the songs in the chapter are my own property, and nor will any songs used in the future be either—unless I, a young teenager, become a famous lyricist and singer in the next few days, which I doubt will happen, even in my wildest dreams.
Next chapter will most likely be when they go for Hogwarts, but I'm not completely certain yet. We'll see when I get to writing it.