Harry had been suffering for the last week; wherever he went there was more talk about how hot the new girl was. It was so bad that Harry's fists were killing him from where he had hit so many guys. Not to mention Harry was getting frustrated with Melanie, who point-blank refused to pull her skirt down. There had been so many fights in the Gryffindor common room, Melanie on one side of the room, Harry on the other, screaming, and the occasional hex. But ten minutes later they could be found sitting together happily. Stubborn though both were, with the added Potter anger, they were brother and sister and loved each other dearly.
Harry was walking back to the Gryffindor common room after a gruelling Potions lesson with his least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, when he came across two friends in a muttered conversation.
"Look man, seriously, you've got to watch out. Don't get yourself caught. It's risky, really dangerous, I mean, man, look at what you've got yourself into," Someone said fearfully.
"Don't you think I know that?" A cold voice snapped in reply.
"Look, just… Just be careful," The first person said, Harry made a run for it before he was caught, but he was certain he knew those voices.
When he got into the common room, it was too find the only people in there were Ginny, Melanie, Dean and Seamus, he looked over to the other four teens, sitting together, laughing and joking, Ginny leant forwards and placed a pale hand on Dean's knee and whisper something into his ear. Dean burst out laughing, a little spark erupted in Harry's stomach, but he doused it quickly, and turned his attention to Melanie, she was very close to Seamus, her hand on his arm, he wrapped an arm around her small waist and pulled her closer.
"Hey!" Harry yelled out, as Seamus' eyes hit Harry, he dropped his arm from Melanie's waist immediately.
"What's up Harry?" Melanie asked, she smiled at him, but frowned when he didn't return it. He had that look on his face once more, as if he was about to yell.
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry asked Seamus angrily, unable to believe one of his mates would hit on his little sister.
They heard the portrait swing open, and chatting voices which quickly hushed, but neither of them took any notice of it.
"I think I'm talking to Seamus, but you never know, I could be streaking around the corridors," Melanie retorted sarcastically, getting to her feet, not giving Seamus the chance to get himself killed.
Harry growled, he couldn't believe her, she was acting like an idiot, and that suggestion didn't make it any better.
"You weren't just talking to Seamus, he was all over you!" Harry snapped, glaring at the Irish lad, who recoiled visibly, Aimee seemed unbothered.
"Hey, Harry, mate, we were just chatting," Seamus said nervously, looking to dean for support. "Honestly Harry…" Seamus said somewhat more nervously when the look of anger didn't subside from Harry's face.
Harry could hear more people entering the common room, and he knew they were watching him, but he again ignored it, he had bigger issues to deal with.
"I think you should just stop chatting to her then," Harry said warningly, his hand twitching for his wand.
There was a collective gasp; everyone seemed enthralled in the newest argument between the Potters, and knew too well that Melanie would not take kindly to what her brother had just said. In fact she look positively furious.
"What. The. HELL!" Melanie shrieked, her bright emerald eyes lit with fire in her fury, and her stepped threateningly towards her brother, her hand gripped her wand.
"What! He's the one all over you!" Harry yelled back, equally angry.
"Had it occurred to you that you can't decide who I talk to! Or even maybe I didn't mind!" Melanie yelled back at Harry, the hand that was clasped around her wand twitching with her anger, this was sure to end badly.
"What do you mean you don't mind?" Harry yelled back, apparently not getting it. Ginny winched, clearly he'd not learnt much about girls in the last sixteen years, or refused to acknowledge his sister was hardly a kid.
"Harry I was flirting with him for a freaking reason!" Melanie yelled, Seamus looked quite happy with that one, but quickly managed to cover it up before Harry throttled him.
"I don't care! He was touching you!" Harry yelled back at Melanie, who scoffed at him.
"What happens if god forbid I start kissing guys here?" Melanie yelled, her face starting to go red with her frustration, she had to hold back on stamping her foot.
"You won't!" Harry bellowed, like it was never a possibility.
"HA! Harry keep telling yourself that! I have kissed guys you know!" Melanie screamed. Harry's face contorted into a look of pure disgust, he closed his eyes and shook his head, not accepting what his sister was saying.
"Well you can't anymore!" Harry bellowed angrily, he'd gone red in the face, his thin lips set into a deep frown.
Her anger boiling over, Melanie whipped her wand out of her robes, and pointed it at Harry, his jet black locks seeming to fly around her head with the sheer power of her anger.
"Rictusempra!" She yelled causing Harry to fall to the floor in a fit of laughter; walking over to him she looked down at him with a smirk on her face, looking altogether a little bit wicked.
"T-take it-it of-off!" Harry yelled between laughs, his face was red, there were tears pouring down his cheeks as he rolled around on the floor.
"No, you can't control me Harry, the sooner you learn that the better," Melanie told him firmly, before grinning to herself, and walking away from her brother, leaving him to suffer.
Ginny wandered over and looked down at Harry with eyebrows raised.
"You really should stop this," She said pityingly, getting her own wand out, muttering the counter curse under her breath, she looked a bit tired as she did so. Harry sat up panting, looking a exhausted from the attack.
"Thank you, Gin," Harry panted out, Ginny nodded and helped him to his feet, the crowd around them had now dispersed slightly.
"Don't even think of saying anything to Seamus," Ginny warned him, before leading Harry across to the sofa, where Hermione was sat reading, and Ron was smiling amusedly.
"What's the score now?" Ron asked Hermione, grinning to himself. His blue yes bright with amusement, it had become a highly fun thing to keep track of the scores between Harry and Melanie, the person who got the last laugh got the point.
"Eleven to four, Melanie," Hermione replied her rose lips pulled into a grin as she looked at the redheaded boy beside her, her deep chocolate brown eyes turned to Harry, there was something pointed in the look she gave him, he understood it's meaning all too well.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Harry sighed.
"But do you?" Ginny asked. Harry looked at her questioningly, not understanding. "Melanie, as much as I like her, hates being told what to do. She lives to be out there, she doesn't like the little box that most people live in, so she breaks out of it, the first thing she'll do is go against the majority of things she's told, especially if they're restricting, like 'you can't talk to them' 'you can't do that'," Ginny explained. "and yet here you are, trying to stop her, she knows you're only trying to protect her, but Harry, she doesn't need you suffocating her, I mean Merlin, I go through it with six older brothers that I had to learn to fight it off all the time, its tiring and annoying." Harry stared at Ginny, maybe she was right… Maybe.
Melanie was up in her room, pacing because she needed to get rid of angry energy, she looked at herself in the mirror, now used to black hair and emerald eyes though turning her head she found herself wanting to do something with her hair, if only to keep herself distracted. With a deep breath Melanie walked down the stairs. She found Harry sitting there deep in thought, Ron and Hermione were chatting and Ginny was reading.
"Er- Ginny, 'Mione, can you help me?" Melanie asked, she didn't quite want to talk to Harry yet, just the girls.
"Yeah what's up?" Ginny asked sitting up, looking at her friend curiously.
"Erm, could we go up to the dorm?" Melanie asked. "I just wanna do some adjustments…" Melanie asked, Hermione smiled and nodded and went up with Ginny, Melanie went to follow then held back slightly and leaned over the back of the chair Harry was sitting in and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're a dolt." She said to him then kissed him on the cheek and went up the stairs.
"So what do you want help with?" Ginny asked as Melanie walked into the brightly lit room.
"Hair." Melanie answered.
"Do you know what you want to do?" Hermione asked.
"Not really..." Melanie replied, as she sat down at the vanity table, she looked in the mirror, fingering her curly locks.
"Ok well let me and Hermione try a few things," Ginny said running her fingers through Melanie's hair, grabbing Hermione they whispered to each other for a bit before, checking something in a magazine and pointing their wands at Melanie's hair.
When they were done Melanie's hair was halfway down her back, layered, still curly, with deep blue streaks in it.
"Oh I love it!" Melanie said happily when she saw her hair, she turned from side to side, her hair falling around her face, every so often a blue streak would catch the light and glitter beautifully.
"Thank Merlin, we weren't sure about the streaks at first but Ginny said you'd like it," Hermione said grinning. The streaks weren't so bad, as they were dark and slightly shiny, they looked great.
"I love it!" Melanie repeated, looking very happy with the result.
That night when Melanie came back down stairs to show off her hair, she would admit to being a little worried about Harry's reaction. She wanted him to like it, she did, and she didn't want another argument. So as she reached the bottom of the stairs, leading to the common room she walked straight into Harry. Of course.
He started at Melanie, his jaw hit the ground.
"You're – you're hair…" Harry stuttered his eyes wide as he looked at her through his round glasses.
"I know, but I like it," Melanie said, Ginny who was behind Melanie gave Harry a warning look, while Hermione was indicating for him to say something, preferably something nice.
"Its-its ok," Harry said eventually, Melanie sighed with relief and hugged him.
Days later Melanie and Ginny were wandering around the school, dinner was finished but there were still a few hours until curfew. Their arms were linked and they were skipping, laughing loudly and having fun.
"It's a shame Harry interrupted, Seamus was gagging for it," Ginny laughed, looking at her friend with a wicked grin.
"I know…" Melanie sighed slightly disappointed, before a evil smirk appeared on her features. "And you missus, taking your attention from Harry by dating the yummy Mr. Thomas." Melanie laughed as Ginny giggled, her face turning tomato red at the mention of Dean.
"Yummy indeed," Ginny agreed happily.
"Oh I'm going to love it here, the boys are much cuter then they were at my muggle school," Melanie said grinning, and she wasn't lying, there were a few hot guys at her old school, but none of them were ever going to be interested in her, it was different here.
"Well they love you! I mean Melanie, you're gorgeous! Every guy here wants you!" Ginny said grinning, teasing her friend.
"Not true! You're the hottest girl in school!" Melanie said, pouting, then burst out laughing.
"Actually you're joint first place," A voice drawled, Melanie whipped around to see a tall, blonde hair boy walking behind them; her eyes travelled from his feet to meet his eyes, he was looking at them with a sense of amusement in his breath taking eyes. He was well built, and completely devastatingly handsome.
"Oh really..." Melanie said smirking at the boy, taking her arms from Ginny and crossing her arms just below her chest.
"Indeed, though to me you're just trash," The boy drawled, a smirk appearing on his face and a glint in his eyes, he seemed pleased with himself.
"Then you can look at my face instead of my chest," Melanie said silkily, unbothered by his comment. "Don't want people to know you were eyeing trash."
The she linked her arm back with Ginny's arm and sauntered off, falling about giggling when they were out of sight and ear shot.
"Gods, who was he? Better yet who does he think he is?" Melanie's asked sniggering, glad she kept it together in front of the cocky lad.
"That was Draco Malfoy, sworn enemy of Harry, Ron and Hermione, and every other Gryffindor. He is the Slytherin prince, and though I say the whole of Gryffindor hate him, I tell you now, most girls would have a bit of him," Ginny replied with a massive grin, interesting to her how he responded to Melanie.