Melody pranced through the following days as a stitch on Marcel’s sleeve. Her external disposition blossomed greatly, but inside she was dead to the world. Every night she found herself again at the mercy of tears as she would eventually drift into slumber.
The days past quickly as Melody threw herself into every last responsibility and attended each available social endeavor. Her entire thought process was devoted to staying busy, but it all came to a crashing halt one morning at breakfast.
Surrounded by the usual suspects, Melody was chattering on about the upcoming exams and thrills when Pig twittered to a stop and began pecking at her roll.
“Pig! At least give me my letter before you begin destroying things!” Melody laughed.
It took Marcel and Marcus to hold down Pig until she finally removed the letter from Pig’s leg.
“You go ahead back, now. I think I will send my reply with Sparx.”
Pig eyed Melody for a moment revealing an almost offended look before taking a swig of water and departing. Melody rose from the table to retreat to some privacy, but failed as nearly the entire table stood to accompany her.
Melody looked about the table at the gossip hungry faces and then down to the parchment letter before her marked with Ron’s messy handwriting.
“You guys stay here and finish your breakfast. I’m only going to Transfigurations. I forgot I still have a bit of homework with Madame Mappello.”
The group was slightly leery of the blatant lie but slowly took they seats again except Marcel who stood anticipating a goodbye kiss. However, he never got it as Melody hurried off to the foyer.
She frantically shredded the envelope. What she really needed then were her true friends and maybe a little bad news about Harry’s condition, and who better was there to give her both than Ron.
Dear Melody,
For starters, I apologize for anything Pig may have done just now. I’m still waiting for him to mellow a bit. Mione says it will happen, but by the looks of it, it may take some time.
How have you been since I saw you last? We didn’t really get to talk, but I hope all is good there. Mione and I are entering our names in the Goblet, so we will be there on Halloween with the others. She tells me that she want to enter for the challenge, but I think we both know she can’t bear being away from me that long.
They’ve started Hogsmeade visits right away this year, so we are going this weekend.
We all really miss you back here. Some more than others, you could say.
I’m going to blunt, Mel. You need to think about what you have done. Do you really want it to be over with Harry? Now, I’m his best friend so I can be the first to tell you he isn’t perfect, but be reasonable. It’s killing both of you.
Hoping you are well,
Ron
Melody read the letter over a few times before she heard the distant chatter of her accomplices and disappeared into the student lounge. The letter slid through her fingers for a few more minutes as she creased and re-creased the corners.
Melody stood from her chair and with a little spin found herself at home in her suite. She returned to her messy closet and pulled from her trunk the silvery potion. It would have been easier to send a letter with Sparx, but there was a good chance it wouldn’t make it to Ron in time. With the mirror indisposed, Melody had no choice but to talk to Ron herself.
The same uncomfortable rush came with only a small swig of the potion as did with half the bottle (Melody remembered that only a little sip was necessary for the potion to work). Again she swung around in a circle, but ended far from her suite, in the Gryffindor common room.
For a moment she searched about, but found the room deserted. Assuming Ron was still in bed, she decided to track another Gryffindor down in the Great Hall as they ate breakfast.
She found the Great Hall to be dotted with the earliest risers. It was an hour earlier than at Beauxbaton, so Melody quickly crossed half the hall to where a small group sat at the Gryffindor table.
To her relief she found it to be Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. Melody was nearly upon them when she felt a cold hand capture her arm.
Draco Malfoy had never looked so disgustingly handsome. He kept his fingers around Melody’s thin arm as he ordered his goons to leave.
“How nice to see you again, Chancelle?”
Being as courteous as humanly possible, Melody maneuvered her arm from his grip with a smile, “Et toi.”
“I see you have picked up some French again,” Malfoy sneered.
“Seeing as I go to school in France now, I thought it might be a good idea.”
“Why must you be so sassy with me, Melody? You must admit we had a few good times.”
“Fun or not, I still ended up in the hospital wing if I recall correctly.”
“But it really was for the best, right? I mean, how else would Potter have gotten his chance to be the hero?”
Melody gazed into his cold eyes for only seconds before she concluded that he knew.
His smirk answered any doubt, “Oh, but then again, it seems even that failed.”
Just then, a shot of yellow light passed over Melody’s shoulder and Malfoy’s pointed face became solid. Melody spun around to find Harry in between her and the staff table.
They stood for a long moment with their eyes locked, but as Harry opened his mouth to speak, Melody cut him off.
“I don’t need you.”
She brushed past him and took a seat next to Hermione who had witnessed the entire ordeal.
“Mel, that was a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Hemione asked timidly.
Glancing over her shoulder, Melody replied, “Nice to see you too.”
Neville and Ginny looked at each other for a moment before rambling off places they had to be and disappearing into the entrance hall.
“I’m sorry, Mel,” Hermione began, “Of course it is great to see you. What brings you to Hogwarts?”
“Ron wrote me a letter, so I came to answer it.”
“Is there something wrong with Sparx?”
“No, but I came to tell him that I would be coming again on Saturday to meet you in Hogsmeade.”
“Oh,” Hermione replied with a puzzled look illustrating her face, “Ron and I have an open period now, so why can’t you stay now?”
“Trust me. I would, but at the moment, I am skipping Transfigurations to be here. I just finished a mess of detentions, so I want to keep the next batch to a minimum.”
Hermione’s eyes were wide the instant Melody said 'Transfigurations.' “MELODY! You have to get back to class. Go! I’ll tell Ron, but you have got to get to class.”
“No wonder I had so few detentions last year,” Melody laughed before leaving Hermione and the on-looking Harry in her dust.