Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: So, asking all that have finished the last book, does anyone else feel incredibly elated at the outcome and at the same time, wanting more? I have this strange . . . incomplete feeling in the pit of my stomach, which I suppose is why I hopped on the computer to update. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the book wasn't good. It was magnificent. I just . . . I'm craving, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy the update. I guess, seeing as how I've already had this story slightly planned out, that some of my original ideas will be the same but other than that, I'll try to stick with the book as much as I can with a slight creative license on my own part. I'm not quite sure how long this chapter will be but . . . it's an update, right? Right. Thanks for reading.

The next morning, Saturday morning, I took as long as I could to get dressed. Well, technically, I didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't until Hermione caught me standing in front of the wall mirror, holding up a skirt to my waist, and she said, "It's freezing outside", did I realize that I was actually fretting over my appearance. I had never done that before.

But then again, I'd never had to try and impress a cuter, older boy before.

"Impress him?" Hermione said, ripping the skirt from my hand. "Melody, I highly doubt that you have to impress him. I mean, you were hot and sweaty when he kissed you."

"Gee, thanks Hermione."

"I'm just making a point. Besides, if you don't hurry up, you'll miss seeing him all together and breakfast for that matter."

"I don't know if I can even see him. What he must think of after I ran out on him. He'll probably hate me."

"Once again, I highly doubt it. . . . Can you just get dressed already?"

Ten minutes later, Hermione and I were making our way down stairs to the Great Hall. After some picking from Hermione, I was wearing a pair of jeans and a quarter-sleeve button up green shirt, my hair up in as nice a pony-tail as I could get it.

"Stop worrying," Hermione said, smiling. "It'll be fine."

But it was not fine. Nope, far from it. The moment we stepped into the Great Hall and I saw him I felt slightly suffocated. Ours eyes met and the floor spun beneath my feet. For about two seconds, I contemplated running. Hermione must have seen because she grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the Gryffindor table.

As I passed in front of George, behind Fred, I kept my eyes down, letting my bangs sweep in front of them. I felt something, suddenly, in my right pocket but I ignored it until I had sat down in between Ginny and Hermione, Ron and Harry across from us, asking me why I had taken so long to come down.

"Don't worry about it," I said, slightly forcefully as I reached into my pocket. It turned out to be a piece of parchment, a note, folded up with my name written on the floor. Biting my lip, I glanced over a George who gave me a small smile.

Sighing, I opened it.

Melody,

Meet me in the Astronomy tour, okay? Tonight after sunset? If not, it's completely fine. See you.

George

Before I could stuff the note back in my pocket, Ginny snatched it from me. She squealed softly, passing the note behind my back to Hermione. Hermione did not squeal but she smiled widely. "Now's the time to worry about what to wear," she said softly.

George POV

Checking to make sure no one was around, I stole out from behind a statue of armor and up the stairs to the Astronomy tour. I was fairly sure that she would not be here. That this was all for nothing and I'd end up heading back to my dormitory without that happy elated feeling I get when I'm around here.

I slowed down on the stairs, bracing myself for what I probably wouldn't find up there. I mean, she'd run away from me. She'd looked positively scared of me.

"Look George," I muttered to myself. "She won't be here. And you should be . . . okay with that. . . . You should be . . . prepared that she might not be there."

Taking a deep breath, I pushed up the door that led to the roof of the astronomy tower and climbed the ladder that fell down.

The first thing I noticed was the empty desks, some with star charts left strewn across them. No Melody. My eyes moved to the many telescopes that lined one whole side of the tower. No Melody.

I sighed, getting ready to turn back around and head down when I saw her. She stood against the side, just vertical of me, stroking a golden brown school owl. The owl pecked affectionately at her fingers before it flew off. Melody followed it with her eyes, the stars sparkling off from them. She was beautiful.

Sighing I approached her. She must have heard me coming because she sighed too saying, "I've always wanted a pet."

"I didn't know that," I said as I leaned against the wall next to her. The cold air ruffled her hair and we both shivered slightly.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, George," she said. I looked at her cautiously and saw a smile on her face. "Like I'm a completely and total nutcase and I go insane at the simple fact that a guy's just kiss me and I run away like my tail's on fire."

I smiled at her. "I don't think you're a nutcase. Maybe slightly crazy, but not a nutcase."

"Why'd you do it?"

I turned to her completely, slightly shocked. "Why'd I do it? Are you serious?"

"Yes actually." She wasn't looking at me. Instead she chose to focus only on the stars above us.

Feeling slightly frustrated, I gently placed my fingers underneath her chin and turned her face towards me, so that she had to look at me. "I like you, Mel, more than I ever thought I could like a girl. I swear on Merlin that that's true."

"Yeah, well I guess I just don't understand that then, George," she said, moving away from me. "I just don't get why you like me."

"What's there not to get?"

"I'm nobody, George, okay? I'm a nobody. You've got Harry, which is quite obvious, Ron, who's incredibly funny, and Hermione, who's incredibly smart. And then there's me. Just Melody."

"What are you talking about? Melody, your really funny and really smart. And you're tough. You keep those friends of yours together. Maybe you don't see it, but I do and I'm sure a lot of other people do. Sure you all bicker but a lot of the time, you're the voice of reason. And besides all that, you're beautiful. What's not to like about you?"

Melody was blushing, her cheeks a rosy in the dark light. I could see the small embarrassed smile on her face before she turned away again, looking back up at the stars. "Did I ever tell you why I freaked out on Franklin at the Yule ball?"

"No, actually."

"He got mad when he saw you dancing with me. He came back and said, 'What was all that about?' and I said, 'George wanted to dance with me, what the big deal?' and he got angrier and said something along the lines of how he'd got me first and he wasn't about to let me leave him for some broke arse piece of trash. Of course, that just ticked me off. I don't think I've ever been that upset before. I told him that I wasn't some item to be won or lost and that if he ever insulted one of my friends again I'd personally make sure his arse would be personally filled with pieces of his wand. Then I poured my juice on him."

"Well thanks for standing up to me," I said, grinning.

"Anytime. . . . So what happens now?" She turned to me again, looking beautifully inquisitive, her eyes gazing up into mine.

I reached forward and took her hand in mine, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand fit smoothly in mine, small and soft, slightly calloused from using the Bludger bat the other day. She looked down at joined hands, maybe noticing how well they fit, and then looked back up at me, her eyes wide in surprise. "It's up to you," I told her.

"I didn't even know you liked me," she said. "When did this come about?"

"I could say the same exact thing to you," I told her, smiling.

She bit her lip. "I just – I keep thinking what Ron's going to say if he finds out. You know how he gets."

Shaking my head, I leaned forward, pressed my lips against hers. She stiffened slightly, in shock, before I felt her kiss back. I held on tightly to her hand, making sure she couldn't run away again. "Frankly," I said, just barely taking my lips away from hers, "I could care less what my little brother has to say."

I glanced at her eyes, which were closed in what I hoped was bliss. Her lips were still slightly parted and her voice was just barely over a whisper when she said, "Your two years older than me."

I kissed her again. "Don't care."

"You're of age, I'm not."

Another kiss. "Don't care."

"So it's not like we can tell people right away."

Another kiss. "Don't care."

"And I've never done this sort of thing before. Dating, I mean."

Another kiss. "Don't worry, I'll teach you."

I pulled her arms around my neck, slipping my arms around my waist. The corner of her mouth twitched up into a smirk. "How am I supposed to know that you have more experience than me?" she said.

I smirked back. "I suppose you'll just have to trust me huh?"

I could feel her small hands on the back of my head as she pulled me forward to kiss me again. I'm not sure how long we'd stood up there on the astronomy tower after that kiss, staring up at the stairs. My arms were wrapped around her waist from behind, her hands over my against her stomach and her head leaned back against my shoulder.

She laughed, suddenly, saying, "This is crazy."

I chuckled. "Yeah maybe, but I like crazy."