The meal passed quickly without much commotion. Following it, Melody carried out her promised tour and eventually led them back to their train. As they were forming a line to mount the steps to the bus, Melody grabbed Ron and Hermione’s arm. She pulled them back over the river and behind the main building.
“Hi!” she said, happy to see her friends, “I know it’s the first night, but there’s going to be a great party in the woods. You two should come.”
Hermione and Ron looked at one another for a moment, but turned and nodded before taking a step back to the train.
“Don’t bother. You can Apparate back to the train,” Melody laughed doing just that but to her suite.
The room was dark, so Melody nearly fell over when she heard a common voice penetrate the silence.
“You lied to me.”
Melody waved her hand in the darkness to make the lights come up. On the sofa, Brigitte sat in her teal party dress with her arms crossed.
“You lied to me,” she repeated.
“Now, Brigitte, you put me in a very touchy situation with this. There is still time. I can talk to him.”
Brigitte rose with a devilish smile on her face.
“No, you broke our deal and I intend to keep up my side of it.”
“What if I got him to meet you at the party tonight?”
“I don’t think ‘is little girlfriend would do well with that. I’m telling ‘im tonight,” Brigitte hissed before making an attempt to Apparate before Melody grabbed her arm.
“Please, Brigitte,” Melody pleaded, “Let me tell him myself.”
Brigitte looked her over for a long time until she nodded and marched down the stairs.
Completely relieved, Melody took to getting herself ready for the party. She let her pinned back curls cascade to her shoulder blades and changed into jeans and a halter. Summoning a half jacket from her closet, she slipped on the heels she had kicked off in the shadows.
Melody enchanted herself to the Hogwarts train. She made to knock on the door before she remembered the intentions of the evening. Instead, she moved to one side and knocked on the window.
It opened to reveal Crabbe, Draco’s disgusting crony. He smiled down at her in the most troubling way that Melody was very tempted to move on to the other side of the train.
“Draco,” he growled, “I think you’ll want to see this.”
The white blond hair of her old tormentor appeared through the now completely raised window.
“I thought you would be here,” he smirked.
“Actually, I wanted someone to get Ron and Hermione for me.”
“Not Harry?” he said with a huge grin, “Oh yes, I forgot that he dumped you for that over excited poodle.”
“She is a bit like that, isn’t she?” Melody began, “If you aren’t going to get Ron and Hermione for me, I’ll move on to the next window.”
“Well, that’s where they are, but if you ever want to stop by and visit me again, you are MORE than welcome.”
Melody snapped the window shut in his face and tapped on the window next door. It opened a little, but it wasn’t Ron or Hermione. Looking down at her were two green eyes she had hoped never to encounter again.
According to her plan, Melody arrived at the party with Ron and Hermione, but the details of how were awkward and unimportant. As they past through the hanging sheers circling the area, Melody was immediately met by Marcel’s arms. He picked her up and whirled her in the air in a most childish manner.
As he placed her on the ground, Melody grabbed his ear and dragged it near her mouth.
“Are you drunk?!”
Marcel only laughed and looked at her. She helplessly looked back at Hermione and Ron. Once hoping to introduce her new respectable boyfriend, Melody tried to force him into the group of dancing students. Unfortunately it was too late as she found two foreign eyes watching her relations with Marcel. She had no choice but to introduce her Mr. Right at the utmost wrong time.
“You kind of caught him at a bad time, but this is Marcel.”
They looked at the figure leaning heavily on Melody in shock.
“This is Marcel?” Hermione asked as politely as possible.
Melody looked at the wreck beside her before nodding.
“Isn’t he great,” Ron said sarcastically.
Hermione just stood there shaking her head, “Oh, Melody.”
They said nothing more. They just turned and left the party.
Melody was terribly upset, for she pushed Marcel away and onto the ground. He sat for awhile, but when he was reoriented, he grabbed Melody violently by the arm.
“What was that for!?!”
Furious, Melody snapped her wrist from his hand.
“You blew it! Your one chance to make a first impression with my friends, and you ruined it!”
Quite under, Marcel didn’t understand what she said and just brushed it aside and disappeared into the party.
Almost immediately, Melody found where Marcel got his temptress and took a bottle herself, and then another. It seemed she was up to her old ways in a totally new mess.
She was slurred by the time Brigitte found her dancing in the crowd of people. Melody ignored her and continued to sway stupidly to the music until she heard a strong voice ring out from behind Brigitte.
“Melody, get over here right now!”
Harry had grabbed her arm, but ended up making her stumble. Just before she hit the ground, Harry caught her and gathered her in his arms like a delicate dress. When he found a tree stump, he set her down and let her rest her head on his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“You mean what ‘as she been doing,” Brigitte said nastily.
This reminded Melody of where she was and who was playing her pillow, for she suddenly drew back. She sloshing eyes met Brigitte’s cold pair.
“Who are you again?” Harry asked her.
“I’m Brigitte. You asked me where your friends were, so I told you they were probably ‘ere with Melody. Well…actually, that isn’t all I ‘ave to tell you.”
Melody looked from Harry to Brigitte frantically hoping for a miracle to change the subject.
“Do you see that guy over there?” Brigitte said, pointing to Marcel, who was dancing like a fool, “Melody and ‘im were involved when you were still in the picture for ‘er.”
Harry looked at Brigitte in honest disbelief and looked at Melody as if he was about to laugh, but Melody gave away any secret with the tears falling down her cheeks.
“Melody?” Harry asked almost silently, “It’s true?”
A sob finally escaped Melody as she buried her face in Harry’s shoulder, but he jerked it away and stood.
“You’re a hypocrite. He can have you.”
The words took Melody’s breath away and for the rest of the night, she sat in silence until Marcus gathered Melody into his arms and returned her safe but hurt to her suite.