Angel Of Mercy

Angel Of Mercy--Chapter 4

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the Hat. Melody hopped off the stool and headed to the Gryffindor table. The plates magically filled with food and Harry and Ron dug in as if they hadn't eaten in days. Melody and Hermione just rolled their eyes in disgust as they began eating. The boys were talking about Quidditch and the girls ignored them, until Melody was addressed by Ron.

"Mel, do you play Quidditch?" he asked. Melody laughed in his face.

"Are you kidding?" she asked, still laughing. Ron looked hurt, and she stopped laughing. "Sorry. The last time I was on a broom, I lost total control during my first flying lesson. I fell off and cracked a few ribs, and I haven't been on a broomstick since."

"Oh," said Ron. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Maybe I could teach you how to ride my broomstick." Harry was trying to hide his laughter as Ron recovered. "I meant a broomstick."

"Sure, I'd like that," replied Melody. They ate the remainder of the meal in comfortable silence, but Melody caught all of the jealous looks that Ron was shooting at his friends, who were acting all lovey-dovey.

When dinner was finished, everyone left to get to their dormitories. Harry and Hermione, being prefects, led the first years to Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Melody walked at the back of the crowd, away from the lovebirds. Ron was curious about all of the things Melody wore, and asked her about them with child-like wonder.

"What's that metal thingy in your eyebrow? Is it a Muggle identification device?" he asked. Melody had no problems answering that question because she was asked it constantly by the pure-bloods at her old school.

"I got my eyebrow pierced because I liked the look of it. That goes for everything else I wear," replied Melody.

"Oh, okay," said Ron, and they fell silent. They walked for a bit in silence, wrapped up in their thoughts.

"Something's bothering you," said Melody suddenly. Ron just stared.

"How int the bloody hell did you know that?" he asked.

"Women's intuition. And you're staring at Harry and Herms with a forlorn look in your eyes," said Melody matter-of-factly.

"Am I that obvious?" Ron asked. Melody nodded.

"So, what's up? You fancy one of them or something?" she asked. Ron shook his head no.

"Not really. I guess I'm just jealous because Harry's found someone, and I haven't," he replied. By that time they were at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Ron gave the pssword and they entered.

"I'm going to bed," said Melody. She smiled up at the red-headed boy. "Don't worry, you'll find someone." Melody turned and went up the girl's staircase. Ron stood there, staring at her back until he couldn't see her anymore. He then went and turned in early.

*****

The next morning, both Ron and Melody woke up late and didn't have time for breakfast. They ran down to the potion room together, Melody keeping up remarkably well with Ron, even though he was a full foot taller than her. They arrived at the classroom together, lookimg dishevelled because of their run. Snape took the situation differently.

"Please participate in your...romantic entanglements...on your own time," he said icily. "Fifteen points from Gryffindor each." Melody opened her mouth to protest, but Ron just lead her to a table at the back. Snape began the lesson.

"Today we will make notes on the Dreamless Sleep potion," he said. He began rambling on about the ingredients and their various properties, and took no notice to the two Gryffindors at the back.

"Why did you stop me?" Melody hissed at Ron. "I was going to unleash total hell on his ass!"

"That's the reason why I stopped you," Ron replied. "Knowing Snape, he'd unleash it right back and give you detention."

"From what Harry and Herms have told me, that sounds logical," said Melody. She and Ron spent the rest of the lesson not paying much attention and doodling on their parchment. Melody had to stop had to stop herself from laughing out loud more than once. At the end of the lesson, they caught up to Harry and Hermione.

"Why were you two late?" asked Harry, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Melody thwapped him upside the head. "Ow!"

"Boys," said Melody and Hermione in unison. All four of them headed to the greenhouses for Herbology.

Besides the almost disaterous Potions lesson, the rest of the day wasn't too bad. In Divination, Melody ran out screaming when she found out that they would be cutting up little birdies and studying their entrails. Melody was a vegitarian and didn't want to partake in the killing of animals if she didn't have to.

After dinner, Melody and Ron were doing their homework together and getting to know each other better. Melody was a good chess player, a vegitarian, an artist, liked horror movies and coldn't brew potions if her life depended on it. Ron was one of the best chess players in the school, absolutely loved Quidditch, hated Snape and Malfoy with a fiery passion and wanted to be either a professional Quidditch player or an Auror when he graduated.

"That's one of the reasons I moved here. My mum got hired to help with the You-Know-Who situation," said Melody when she heard the last bit. "I'll ask her how much training you need to become an Auror for you, if you want."

"That would be great," said Ron.

"Anytime, Ronnie," said Melody. Ron raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You just called me 'Ronnie'," he said.

"Would you prefer something else?" she asked. "Perhaps 'ickle Ronniekins'?"

"Umm, no. My older brothers call me that to annoy me," Ron said.

"How many older brothers do you have?" Melody asked.

"Five. And I have an younger sister," Ron replied.

"Shit, that's a lot," was all Melody could say.

"I get teased all the time. Since I'm the youngest boy, I'm usually the victim of Fred and George's pranks," he replied.

"You love 'em anyway," said Melody. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least you're always loved."

"But it's only family love," said Ron, his gaze moving across the room. Melody followed it to see Harry and Hermione snuggling in the corner.

"I go by what I said last night. You will find someone," Melody said. Ron's expression turned sour.

"No, I won't. Girls just see me as 'Harry Potter's sidekick'," he said.

"I don't," said Melody. Ron gave her an 'are you insane?' look, and she explained. "I see a talented Quidditch player, a blossoming chess master and someone who can brighten up almost anyone's day with a funny joke." She decided to hold off on the other things she thought, because they would have sacred him a bit.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really really," replied Melody with a smile. Before she could stop herself, she pscked him lightly on the cheek. Ron touched the place Melody had kissed him as she got up and went to her dormitory.

This was going to be an interesting year.

*****

As the weeks went by, Melody and Ron became pretty good friends. Harry were in their own love-struck, life-is-beautiful world, while the other two were crew members on the S.S. Lonely and Deprived, and had to depend on each other for companionship. They were quite close, but their relationship was strictly platonic. So far.

One day a couple of weeks into term, the sixth-year Slytherin-Gryffindor potions class finally got to brew the Dreamless Sleep potion. Melody was nervous. Very nervous.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," soothed Ron as they got the ingredients.

"No, I won't. I've got the theory fine. It's the mixing I can't do. Hell, I couldn't bake a cake in my Easy-Bake Oven when I was little," Melody fretted.

"A what?" asked Ron, confused.

"Muggle thing," dismissed Melody. They returned to their table and began to brew.

The potion brewing was tedious. Ron was by no means the best students in the class, but he got by. Together, they read each of the steps carefully and added the ingredients accordingly. Despite their efforts, it still turned out wrong. The potion was more of a paste than a liquid. They had no time to fix it because Snape was upon them.

"Too thick," was all he said.

"No shit, Sherlock," said Melody sarcastically, glaring at the greasy-hared professor.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and a detention for language," said Snape icily, returning the dark-haired girl's glare. Ron just looked from the professor to his friend while they glared at each other. She must be really brave to stand up to Snape, thought Ron. No wonder she's in Gryffindor! Snape was the first to break the glare when he swept off to grade everyone else's potions. A few minutes later the bell rang and the class was dismissed.

"Miss Phillips, stay after," said Snape. Since it was the last class before dinner, Melody had no worries about being late for another class. "You will serve your detention now. I have a barrel full of dead toads that need to be disemboweled. You are not to leave until that task is done." Snape pointed to a large barrel against the wall and handed Melody a scalpel. Melody cringed as she began working. To make the job easier, she pretended each and every little toad had Snape's face plastered on it.

*****

A few hours later, Melody finally got out of the dingy Potions dungeon. She had missed dinner, but she really didn't care. She just wanted to get into a nice, hot shower and get the frog slime off of her.

Melody stormed into the Gryffindor common room. Ron looked up from Quidditch Through the Ages. When she sat next to him, Ron sniffed the air and made a face.

"What the hell is that smell?" he asked.

"That hook-nosed greaseball made me disembowel an entire barrel of toads," Melody replied. She switched to a mock whine. "And now I smell like toadie juices."

"Well, I'd hug you, but I don't want to smell like toadie juices either," said Ron with a smile.

"Meanie," said Melody, sticking her tongue out at him. "I'm taking a shower. I don't fancy smelling like eau de Toad. See you later." Melody headed to the bathroom, leaving Ron in the common room.