Half Blood Royalty

Cup o' Tea and Sibling Bonding

When the time was nearly three, I left the castle and made my way across the grounds. Hagrid had lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. My father must've never known he invited me out here, considering he wouldn't dare allow me to just stroll out here on my own (not that it would ever stop me). Laying outside his front door was a crossbow and a pair of galoshes. After knocking on the door, I heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several barks. Then the voice of a man rang out, saying, "Back, Fang - back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. "Hang on," He told me, "Back, Fang." He allowed me to come in while struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. An adorable enormous black boarhound, might I add. The small house was just one room. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle had been boiling over on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. "Make yerself at home," Hagrid said, letting go of Fang who immediately ran up to me and gave me a huge lick across the face. Clearly, not as terrifying as he looked. My eyes fell upon the three kids who were sitting across the room, staring at the random new girl that just walked into the small house - three kids who I've recognized from earlier meetings.

"This is Melody." Hagrid told the three other kids, while pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate, "She's-"

"Professor Snape's daughter." Harry spoke up, "We've met."

"I've met her as well." Hermoine chimed in, "On the Hogwarts Express." She eyed the boys, "When the two of you didn't show."

"We tried." Ron said to her, "Anyways, Hagrid, why'd you invite her here?" He scanned me up and down with his eyes, "She's not even one of us."

"She ought to be." said Hagrid.

"Huh?" Harry, Ron, and Hermoine asked simultaneously.

I rolled my eyes, turning my focus onto Hagrid before looking back at the three of them, "He wanted to introduce us - apparently everyone at this place is just dying for Harry and I to be reunited." My tone of voice sounded sarcastic, although I didn't mean for it to happen that way.

"Hagrid?" Harry turned to the large man.

"The two of yew should git to know yerselves." He said, handing out rock cakes to each of us. The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins, and after seeing all three kids just put them down on the table in front of them... I did the same. "Never I thoug't the two of yew would ever see yerselves again." He told us, "After that night- Well, yew two know of the night."

"The night my parents died?" Harry asked, "But- Why wouldn't you tell me about her last year... when you came to pick me up from the Dursleys?"

"I thoug't she was ded." He answered, "Or under strict watch of you-know-who."

"You don't speak his name, either?" I asked Hagrid. Geez. What's with everyone not wanting to speak his name?

"I mustn't." He told me. I couldn't quite understand why. Voldemort couldn't have been all that scary- getting defeated by a couple of young children. Babies, even. Fang had been resting on Harry's knee, drooling all over his robes.

"An' yer know," spoke Hagrid, "It's quite impres've that both o' yew have snowy owls."

"I'm sorry?" I noticed Harry look up as well.

"It's jus'-" said Hagrid, "-when I brought 'arry his owl just last year at Diagon Alley, there was one just like her. Only one. Hedwig's sister, if I 'member correctly." He looked towards me, "Looked just like yers, Melody."

"Probably was." I shrugged, "I've only had Ares for a year. Lucius Malfoy brought her for-" My eyes trailed onto the three other students, who were all staring back at me.

"Speak quite highly of this Lucius Malfoy, don't you?" Hagrid replied.

"Why wouldn't I?" I couldn't help but notice Hagrid avoided meeting my eyes as I said it, "Anyways, Ares was just a gift so I can communicate with Draco during his first year - a way to not use their own owls, I guess." 'A way of not overusing the use of their own owls,' I thought to myself.

Harry, Ron, and Hermoine told Hagrid about their lessons... which led to Hagrid asking me about my own lessons, leading to me saying how I began the year off with my father's class.

"Consider yourself lucky," Harry told me, "Snape hates me. Feels like he still does, even a year later."

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid, "Harry, still... why should he?"

I could think of one reason why he'd hate you, Harry. It's not you... well, kind of. It wouldn't be Harry, persay. "My father wouldn't hate anyone for no reason." I tried to lighten the tension. It wasn't really a lie - he wouldn't. Sorry your father was such a pain, Potter. "I could try to talk to him for you," I added, "If that's what you'd want me to-"

"No thanks." Harry shrugged, "I manage it on my own." I gave him a slight smile. Prideful. I must admit, I have to respect it.

"How's Charlie doing?" Hagrid asked Ron, "Still doing pretty great with animals." He then leaned over to the table to whisper another question to the three of them- something I couldn't quite hear. Ron whispered back, nodding before they all spread back apart to include me in the conversation yet again. Must've been something that happened last year; otherwise, why'd they get all secretive all of a sudden.

Once it started getting late in the day, Hagrid sent all four of us back towards the castle for dinner - our pockets all weighed down with rock cakes we've been too polite to refuse. Maybe I'll toss them before going to the dorm... or maybe I'll trick Draco into trying one. That'll sure be a great way to end the night. Once we all made it towards the castle and the Great Hall, I parted ways with the three of them who joined the Gryffindor table. I sat myself at the Slytherin table off to the side, sitting across from Draco who had, once again, been conversing amongst his friends (I figured I'd let him converse among them - besides, how would I explain to him where I've been this afternoon?). I couldn't think of anything else besides the tea at Hagrids. Or about what he had said... about Harry and I. About how I was thought to be dead. How he never suspected Harry and I to find ourselves back to one another yet again. How'd he- Was he- My thoughts jumbled altogether as I thought more and more about this afternoon. My father always told me how he found me... how he found us. Us being my mother and me. Never really mentioned Harry much, even if Dumbledore talked quite a bit about him when I was a young'un. My father was quite the stickler for shorting stories when he spoke - a reason as to why I always preferred staying at the Malfoys as a kid rather than my own home; Narcissa was quite the pro for bedtime stories (Lucius as well... although Draco's slight jealousy whenever I would bring that up always told me that he may have spent a little more time reading to me than he had his own son). My eyes fell upon Draco. He was conversing with his friends in a way as if he was almost leading them. Sitting and watching, I couldn't help but notice just how different he was compared to how I had been. More outgoing. More willing to surround himself with others. My eyes fell upon Harry, Ron, and Hermoine over at the Gryffindor table. They had been doing the same; surrounding themselves around others who they'd engage with. My eyes fell up towards the front where all the teachers sat. Most of the teachers sat patiently, quietly talking to one another as they awaited Dumbledore's arrival into the Hall. All the teachers except for one. Just one. If there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that I was certainly my father's daughter.