Albus stood up and walked towards Melanie, who instinctively stepped behind her dad an instinctive move, Albus certainly didn't frighten her, but she did not trust him, not with the way her parents reacted to him.
"There's no need to be afraid," Albus said kindly, he pale blue eyes were surprisingly warm as he reached a hand out towards Melanie. Warily Melanie looked from her mum to her dad, both nodded sombrely. Melanie stepped forward and shook the man's hand; she noted that while he may be old he certainly wasn't frail in any sense.
"Melanie Matthews," She introduced herself, still suspicious of the situation. What is going on?She thought to herself, she felt calm shaking his hand, however as he let go she once more felt the rush of worry and concern wash over her, cold.
"Albus Dumbledore," The man said introducing himself; he wasn't scary at all, what was scaring Melanie was her parent's reactions and the tension in the room.
"I think we owe Melanie an explanation," Eve said breaking the smothering silence that had consumed them; it was a welcome relief, though the words sent a cold shiver down her spine.
"Damn right! You should have told us Minerva, you should have warned us!" Simon snapped at Eve, glaring at his sister with pain and anger, his anger shown by the use of her full name.
"Sit down Simon! And don't you yell at me!" Eve barked at her brother, looking angered by his reaction to her. "I'm sorry but this year things have to change. He's back, strong as ever, it's dangerous times, we can't risk people knowing things, no matter how involved they are."
"You can't have-"
"Will someone please tell me what's going on!" Melanie yelled cutting off her dad as he attempted to continue yell at his sister, she didn't want to hear nonsense that made no sense to her, she wanted answers.
"It - it's com-complicated," Julie stuttered, her eyes practically burning a hole in the wooden floor below her feet, refusing to meet her daughters eye.
"I'm not a little girl anymore. Tell me," Melanie said softly, she stared at her dad, here big blue eyes bright, and her face set with determination. Simon knew all too well that he had to say something, it was the right thing, but he didn't want to.
"I-we-you-it's-I-I… I can't do this right now," Simon sighed heavily defeated, leaving the room, Melanie turned to her Aunt Minerva, praying for some answers, what would make her father leave like that.
"Auntie Eve?" Melanie croaked, she was confused by what was going on, no one would really say anything, nothing that made sense.
"I'm so sorry Mellie," Her aunt said, she placed a hand on Melanie's cheek, she was using her old nickname, and her eyes held no fire as they usually would, in fact she held a similar defeated look. "But you're not my niece."
And with those words, and her parent's reactions, Melanie's world came crashing down on her. It was all too clear what was going on, now at least.
"You don't mean me, do you? It's because you're a not part of this family or something, it isn't me, right?" Melanie croaked her voice cracking.
Albus came forward and placed a hand on Melanie's shoulder, comforting and supporting. Her mother stood there sobbing, in the distance she could hear the distinctive sound of her father cry elsewhere in the house.
"You were adopted for your own safety, we knew no one who would look after you better then Simon and Julie," Albus said softly, his blue eyes looking at her with kindness, and trust. "You have more family, but that is a matter will have to be dealt with later." Just then Simon came back into the room, his eyes were red and he looked almost ill.
He stopped in front of Melanie and wrapped her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.
"I am so sorry that we didn't tell you," He whispered, his voice cracking beneath the weight of his words. "I'm sorry."
Melanie hugged the man back and cried.
"You don't need to be sorry. I'm glad you raised me," Melanie cried, she smiled through the tears at her dad, and then hugged her mum. "I love you guys so much." She whispered.
"I think it's best for you to have a good sleep Melanie, we will need to talk tomorrow though," Albus said then left bidding farewell to Minerva and placing a comforting hand on Simons shoulder. There was a moment where a message seemed to pass between them, an understanding of sort before he left the family to pick up the pieces.
Melanie didn't sleep well that night and instead wandered down stairs and made herself a mug of hot chocolate, only to find her Aunt sitting in the room with a single candle producing light.
"I was worried you would self destruct when you found out," Minerva said as Melanie sat beside her, holding onto a cup of steaming hot chocolate.
"I'm in shock," Melanie admitted taking small sips of her drink, not wanting to really say much about it, fearful it would make it all too real.
"It mustn't be the easiest thing to hear," Minerva said softly, sympathy thick in her voice as she smiled at her adopted niece
"They raised me, and cared for me, that doesn't just disappear, you'll always be my aunt, just as they will be my mum and dad, that doesn't mean to say I wouldn't like to meet my real parents," Melanie said, before getting to her feet and going back to her room, the stress if the day finally wearing on her.
Minerva smiled sadly at her niece's retreating back, as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. From here on in, it would be a difficult journey.
The next morning Melanie awoke lying in her bed at her Aunts house; a few rays on golden sun light fell across the floor brightening the entire room. A grey tabby cat was curled up at the foot of Melanie's bed, purring softly as she snoozed.
"Oh Cynthia, today will be a difficult day," Melanie murmured as she scratched Cynthia's ears.
She changed into a pair of loose baggy jeans that fell down under the band of her black and pink stripy knickers slightly; she wore with it her white short sleeved crop top and black and white vans.
She walked down stairs and sat down at the kitchen table to eat her breakfast, she honestly believed if she acted as normally as possible, that perhaps the rest of her summer would remain the same as she thought before arriving at her aunts.
"Morning guys," Melanie said cheerfully, the three adults eyed her cautiously. "What's for breakfast?" Melanie asked, she smiled warmly at the adults and they relaxed.
"I'm doing sausage, bacon, black pudding, white pudding, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fried eggs, beans, hash browns, toast, and cereals," Minerva said, Melanie gapped at her.
"Are you feeding an army?" Melanie exclaimed, settling down at the table, prepared for a mega meal.
"No but nearly," Minerva said then nudged Melanie out of the kitchen and into the living room, where surprisingly Albus was sitting.
"You're early," Melanie stated as she sat down on the old couch next to the armchair Albus was in, he smiled at her in a friendly manner.
"Ah indeed, there are quite a few things I need to go through with you today though," Albus said. Melanie nodded and got comfortable.
"You Melanie come from a very famous family, however things happened and you were taken to live with Simon and Julie. When you were eleven you were meant to receive a letter of acceptance from me to come to my school. It is a very special school, for wizards and witches," Dumbledore paused letting all this information sink in before carrying on, he talked slowly, not insultingly so, just allowing her to absorb the information. "You are a witch, a powerful one, I would assume, once you have been trained." Dumbledore paused again, as a look of understanding passed over Melanie's face.
"That's why things happen around me," Melanie whispered, more to herself then to Albus, a sense of realisation falling over her.
"I would like for you to start attending Hogwarts, if you start this September you'll be in your fifth year, there will be exams, however I do believe you'll do excellently."
"I would like to go, but what about my family, are they there? When will I meet them?" Melanie questioned, her words were quick with her excitement and anxiousness.
"Well some of them will be there yes, but Melanie, they don't know you exist, well not all of them, as far as some of them are concerned you died, others didn't know you were ever conceived and very few others know of your existence," Dumbledore said, he looked at the girl's fallen face with sadness. "Don't fret however, by the end of the year, you'll be reunited, it will however be a long process, and none of us know how it will be in the end."
Melanie nodded, nothing really made sense, well it did but at the same time it didn't. She could understand why the man believed her to be a witch, but witches weren't real. Were they? And as for a family who either thought she was dead or didn't know she existed… this couldn't be real…