Fire // Fred Weasley

Chapter 3

It has been 183 days since Melanie Summers lost the love of her life. A whole 6 months have passed since William gave up his life for hers, and she still felt the same pain as she did that day. 

Right after the incident Melanie came back to Sunnydale, escorted by Milo who miraculously survived the explosion that followed after Spike turned into ash. She lost control and she burned and destroyed everything within a 5 mile radius.

Melanie got consumed by her grief. She barely ate, stopped talking and singing, she locked herself in her room and shut down completely. From that day onward she wasn't able to produce a single flame.

"Melanie can I come in?" Without waiting for a response Buffy opened the door to her room followed in by Giles and Milo. Melanie didn't say a word she was tired and wanted to sleep.

Giles cleared his throat. "Melanie, we know you're probably not in the mood for a conversation right now but we are all extremely concerned. You barely leave the house, barely eat and it has gotten to a point where we can't let this carry on any longer."

Melanie looked at them raising an eyebrow.

"Mels, we think that in order to heal you need a change of scenery."

"Buffy Im fine. I'll be back at school soon"

"You said that 2 months ago and yet you're still here in bed sulking.Melanie you're not making any progress you need to get out and start experiencing life again."

"I just.. I can't it hurts too much Buffy. Spike was the air I breathed. And now he's gone because of me and I can't get him back. I cant see him, I can't talk to him, I can't touch him or hear his laugh. How can you sit here and tell me to experience life again when my life died along with Spike."

As soon as those words left her mouth tears started rolling down her cheeks. Milo who was standing quietly by the door this whole time suddenly rushed over to her, sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her in for a hug. He might have been her head guard but recently things started to change. He took care of her while she was in deep grief. He read to her, sang to her, fed her and soon Melanie realised that he wasn't doing it simply because she was the queen, but because he genuinely wanted to. Once she started verbally communicating with people her and Milo would talk for hours. They shared a connection and Milo himself realised that Melanie wasn't just his queen but she was also his best friend and he wanted nothing more but for her to be happy.

"I did some research." Milo began as he pulled away from the hug holding Melanies hands in his own. "About your dad. He was human as you know. But it turns out he was also..gifted in other ways."

Melanie listened intently to what Milo was saying. All she knew about her birth parents was that her mother was a siren who walked the earth and that's how she met her father. They fell in love and had Melanie. Her dad left shortly after she was born and her mother took her back to the other sirens and then she too disappeared.

"There's a boarding school that he used to attend and we think it might be good for you. Myself and Giles reached out to the headmaster and he really wants to meet you." Milo was staring at their hands, he didn't want Melanie to get angry or upset with him that he went and started researching her like she was a school project.

She turned her head towards Giles. "Do you think it will make me feel better?" She asked.

" I- well truthfully, yes. I really think that you should give it a shot."

"Alright then. I'm not saying yes yet but let's meet with this headmaster."

"There's only one catch." Continued Giles, while looking down at Buffy. Melanie looked at her as Buffy sighed and said.

"It's in Scotland, and also in a different dimension so you would be completely cut off from all of us for a couple of months."

"Oh." Melanie sat up from her bed. The information of a different dimension didn't even bother her, she gotten used to that by now. She was a bit confused as to why her loved ones thought that a school on the other side of the world, in a different reality,would heal her.

But honestly, maybe that's what she needed. Sunnydale was filled with her memories of Spike and just opening her eyes to see her own room in which her and Spike spent a lot of hours together was painful.

"Alright. Well does this school have a name?" She asked looking back at Buffy who gave a faint smile at the thought that Melanie was going to give this opportunity a try.

"Yes" Buffy said looking back at Giles, who was now matching the expression of relief that was forming on hers and Milos' faces.

"It's called Hogwarts."