Melanie sat on the sofa in front of the fire, it was now late February, the weather was clearing up, she was supposed to be studying for her O Levels but instead she was crying, again. She seemed to be doing that a lot more then she used to.
She had been trying really hard to get Harry to talk to Christopher for the last month, but he refused, Christopher cornered Harry and Harry hit him. It was awful, it hadn't gone down too well with Melanie either, but after a few days of awkwardness she adjusted and tried, even getting him to attend classes with her, the teachers hadn't minded so it was ok.
But Harry always ruined it, dragging her away, saying it wasn't right, that all of this was wrong. And Melanie ended up crying again.
The portrait hole opened up and in came Harry bellowing.
"YOU'RE NOT MY BROTHER!" He roared, Christopher came in after him, pleading with Harry, he looked distraught, Harry looked furious.
They screamed at each other, waking up most of Gryffindor. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Dean and Katie came tumbling down the stairs, realising that Harry would hit Christopher again they restrained him. Never before had Harry lost it, he was not taking things well, he resented Christopher for not being there, unlike feeling protective for Melanie.
It was Neville who spotted the sobbing Melanie first.
"Harry stop! Harry! Stop it! Harry! You're upsetting Melanie!" Neville shouted, Harry looked towards his sister, pale, shaking, tears falling from her hurt filled eyes.
He took a step towards her and she shot up.
"Don't you come near me!" Melanie cried. Harry looked really hurt at this, and Christopher looked ashamed. "I'm trying to make things work and you refuse! I can't stand it Harry! I don't care anymore! I don't want to be around you! I HATE YOU!" Melanie screamed, she hadn't meant to but in the moment it just came out, she whirled around from her brothers and ran out of the common room into the dark corridors.
Harry stood there stunned, his friends didn't know what to say, but Christopher did. He stepped forwards and rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"She doesn't mean it; she was just angry and tired and upset," Christopher said softly. Harry shrugged and walked away from Christopher, at least he wasn't biting the mans head off.
"Boys follow him, make sure he's alright, Ron get the map," Hermione instructed. "There's little point in trying to find her without it, we don't know where she'll have gone."
Melanie ran through the corridors until somehow she ended up in the dungeons, but she couldn't remember how to get to Severus, so instead she leant against the wall and slid to the floor and continued to sob. She must have been there nearly an hour before anyone found her, it was Severus who did.
"Melanie, What on earth are you doing out here?" he asked worried and saw her tears. "What's Harry done this time?" Severus asked, he bent down to Melanie's level and all traces of Slytherin left him as he reached out and brought his sobbing goddaughter to him, and rocked her back and forth until she was somewhat calmer. "Lets get you some calming potion, then we'll talk, ok?" Severus asked and led the fifteen year old to his dorms, he sat her down on his sofa and went into a private kitchen.
"He keeps arguing with Christopher," Melanie said after downing the potion Severus handed her. "And I said I hated him, but I really don't, I love him he's just being horrible though." Melanie hiccupped.
"He knows you don't hate him Melanie," Severus said, his thick voice unusually soft.
Hermione waited until Harry and Christopher had departed before going down to McGonagall's office.
"I'm ever so sorry Professor but there was another argument, Melanie wouldn't be here would she?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Oh that poor dear, such a sweet child, she isn't used to this arguing; my younger brother, who raised her, made sure she wasn't around any violence," McGonagall told Hermione. "She's taken to Severus, maybe he'll know where she is."
Hermione waited while McGonagall talked to Severus via floo and when she returned Hermione found that Melanie was with Severus, and that she was ready to come back to Gryffindor.
"Don't worry; Harry's always been a bit of an idiot," Hermione said on greeting the younger girl. "Good night professor thanks for looking out for Melanie."
The two girls walked back to Gryffindor common rooms slowly, making small talk. Anything really to get away from the topic of Harry and Christopher.
The next morning Harry awoke with a banging headache, he fumbled around for his glasses and found himself face to face with Melanie who was sitting on the end of his bed.
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here at this time?" Harry asked yanking his covers up.
"I am here to tell you I don't in fact hate you, you're just the biggest git I know, and sometimes Harry you have to let your stupid pride or whatever go, you're driving me mad. I like Christopher, he's a nice guy and he's also my brother, if you can't accept that then fine, but don't try and take him from me," Melanie said, he kissed him on the cheek then flounced out of the room smiling at Seamus and Dean.
Eventually when he got down the Great hall it was to find Christopher sitting with Hermione and Melanie, and was shocked when Hermione actually looked flushed. With a shake of his head Harry sat down beside Melanie, ignoring Christopher and buttered his toast.
"But yeah, working as an Auror in America is definitely going to be different to working as an Auror here, I mean you get less dark wizards because the whole way of wizard-"
"You're an Auror?" Harry demanded of Christopher.
"Yeah, I've been fully trained for the last year; I'm going on to start here in September,." Christopher told Harry.
"I want to go on to be an Auror." Harry said, in an actually friendly tone.
"Yeah that's cool, I mean you seem to like that kind of thing, I've heard of the adventures," Christopher said, his face lighting up as he talked to Harry.
"I wouldn't have been able to do most of it without Hermione and Ron, I mean they are the ones who help me, Hermione being the smartest witch I have ever known, and Ron being incredibly fool hardy." Harry said with a slight chuckle.
"Cool, and what about this girl of yours?" Christopher asked.
"Oh Ginny, she's brilliant," Harry said.
Melanie and Hermione looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Boys!"
However the next day Harry overcame his liking for Christopher and blanked his older brother the whole day, not a word to him, and Melanie got angry, very angry.
"You pig head!" Melanie shouted at him as they walked along the fourth corridor. "You can't do this for me; just carry on acting like you did yesterday! Harry all I ask you to do for me is try and you can't do it!"
"I'm not listening Melanie!" Harry shouted above her.
And in the heat of the moment Melanie whipped out her wand, tears in her eyes she cast her hex. She screamed it at him then ran off leaving Harry behind to go temporarily blind from the conjunctivitus curse she had cast on him.
"Oh dear. Harry you're really pushing it now, come on, Hospital wing for you." Hermione said gently as she and Ron led Harry away.
Melanie was running along the corridors when she smashed into someone and ended up toppling over, but not in mood to get back up she just curled around and sobbed on the floor.
"Watch where you're going!" A cold voice snapped, then fell silent. "Potter?" Melanie growled. "Melanie?" Melanie looked up this time to find herself face to face with a very uncomfortable looking Draco Malfoy.
"I hate being a Potter." Melanie growled, her tears coming to an end.
"Well from my view I can't really see why, aren't you lot meant to be very rich?" Draco asked, as if money actually meant something to Melanie.
"I wouldn't know, I've never really seen the money and we don't seem to own much, hell I know nothing about our family," Melanie snapped.
"Well from what I know you needn't worry about money," Draco said off handily.
"You really think I care about money?" Melanie snapped as she sat up and leaned against the wall as Draco was doing.
"Well you don't seem quite the type." Draco said.
"My brothers, they're driving me mad. I have no parents to turn to, my godfather is teaching and I can't just go to him, and I have no idea how to get to Sirius or Emma, I'm so fed up. I just want to give in." Again Melanie started to cry, big tears falling down her delicate face and Draco was shocked.
"What on Earth are you on about, Gryffindor my arse," Draco snapped.
"Everything about me has changed, what I look like, where I'm from, and now I'm changing. Everything and I don't want it to. I just want it to stop." Melanie cried and for the first time Draco really pitied her, in an instant she seemed to have lost all her strength, and then she shocked him again by standing up, wiping away her tears and shaking her head.
"No I'm good, I'm fine," She took a deep breathe. "We Potters don't give up." She reached down and offered a hand to Draco. "Are you just going to sit there?" Draco took her hand and stood up, still in total shock.
"Y-you were really upset," Draco stuttered amazed.
"And you looked at me with pity, you'll be damned before I stand or sit there with people looking at me with pity, I don't need it, it makes me want to do better, be better, don't you ever feel that?" Melanie explained, her eyes were still red and puffy, but now she had a determined look on her face and Draco knew she wasn't going down with out a fight.
"I- well yes," Draco answered.
Melanie nodded then walked off down the corridor and as she walked away Draco stared after her.
"Wow."