Fire // Fred Weasley

Chapter 38

Spikes death anniversary was coming up quicker than Melanie anticipated. Soon everything she did reminded her of him. She cried often and spent her days angry at herself for feeling this way. 

She truly thought she got over this stage and seeing Fred made her feel guilty. But as always, he understood. Him and George tried their hardest to make her smile, setting off fireworks and doing stupid pranks on each other in front of her just for her to lighten up. It worked to an extent and Melanie was grateful to them both.

The evening before the anniversary Melanie and Harry were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. She liked that she could just be quiet around him, he didn't expect her to do anything, say anything, Harry just understood in ways Fred and George couldn't.

"So" he started. "Sirius Black is your father?"

Melanie lifted her head and looked at him, they haven't spoken about this topic ever since Draco handed her back the letter.

"Yup." She replied. "I'm sorry about what he did."

"Don't apologise. It has nothing to do with you. Not your fault you share his last name."

"Not officially. And why would I want to be a Black? For what the Dark Lord to hunt me down?"

"It's who you are, you can't deny it. Just like I can't deny that my parents chose him to be my godfather and yet he still betrayed them."

"I'm so sorry."

"Merlin Mel stop apologising. I just wanted to clear the air you know. I realised you've been avoiding that subject."

"I may have a little. So do you think he's still out there?"

"Well the teachers are still paranoid, the dementors are still roaming outside the grounds. So I reckon he is. It's all a big blur to me Melanie and the whole mystery of me seeing Peter Pettigrew on the map last month."

"Yeah that is weird."

"And what are you two talking about?" Asked George as him,Fred and Ron came up to them. Fred sat down on Melanie's free side and George and Ron on the sofa opposite.

"Just Sirius Black." Harry replied. 

Soon the boys got deep in the conversation and Melanie sunk back into the sofa thinking to herself. The thought of her father lingering in her head and Melanie wondered what would Spike say to all of this. He'd probably make fun of the fact she is relying on a stick to cast spells, but he'd be ecstatic at the thought she has the chance to be even more powerful. But Melanie didn't want to be, not in that way anyway.

Melanie paid no attention to the voices around her. She zoned out completely, as she relived Spikes death in her head. It came out of nowhere. She let her legs down as she repositioned herself on the couch. Fred noticed the dazed look on her face and leaned back to better keep an eye on her.

Melanie fiddled with her fingers and she could feel them start to uncomfortably warm up. She was looking at a spot on the carpet right next to Ron's feet. As the image of Spike being impaled by the arrow appeared in her head she twitched and her eyes went red.

All of the boys now noticed and went quiet. Fred straightened up in his seat as he watched her carefully. Ever since she burned him he started picking up on the social cues surrounding her fire bending. It only took about 2 seconds for Melanie to produce a small flame from her fingertips. 

Fred immediately grabbed her hand at the bottom of her wrist and directed it away from Ron's feet towards the fireplace. The other three jumped slightly and Harry leaned over Melanie's side to cover her from the other students in the common room.