As the next few weeks dragged slowly by, the atmosphere in our house hadn't changed much. There were days when mum wouldn't even get out of bed, Lily wouldn't eat, and Petunia wouldn't do her hair up in the usual pristine curls. I couldn't stand being in the house – dad's missing presence, along with the stupor of my mother and sister, was too much for me to handle – I felt like I was being suffocated, or trapped, or imprisoned. So, I spent most of my time outside. In hindsight, I think part of me couldn't handle the change, but I was also denying my grief as well, hoping that if I ignored it, it would go away.

It was a few weeks before I saw the mysterious boy from next door again. I was sitting outside, reading a book that I had picked up at the library, but wasn't really interested in. I heard a door open and shut, and then footsteps approach.

"Long time, no see, mysterious stranger." Said a voice above me. I looked up into the sun. It was the boy.

"I could say the same for you. Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "Around."

"Nothing like vague answers to satisfy a curious mind." I replied, sounding forlorn, but truly glad that he was around.

"I'd like to show you something." He said, ignoring her. He beckoned as if he wanted her to follow him, so she did.

"Where are we going?"

"The market. It's not too far."

"Ok." I didn't have any money to spend at the market, but I figured we would just look around anyway, so I followed him. We ended up in the outer part of the city, at a bustling farmer's market – I was excited to be around all of the people who were smiling, bartering, laughing, and talking. The atmosphere was the polar opposite to what things were like at home. I smiled up at the boy.

"Thank you for bringing me here! This is amazing!"

"What, have you never been to the market before?"

All I could to was laugh, and I threw myself into the crowd, wanting to take everything in. I turned abruptly.

"What's your name?" I asked the boy. "I've been talking to you all this time, and I don't even know your name."

"Sirius. Black. Sirius Black." He said, smiling. Obviously he had already realized that we didn't know each other's names. I outstretched my hand for him to shake, which he did.

"It's nice to meet you Sirius Black, I'm Melv Evans."

"Melv. That's an interesting name." He said, almost off handedly, as we kept walking past the little shops all around.

"It's short for Melva. I got Melva, and my sister got Lily. I guess that's what you get for being born two minutes later." I said, laughing to myself.

"I think Melva is a nice name."

"Thanks. But please don't call me that – I prefer Melv."

"Whatever you say, Melv."

I was suddenly distracted. "Wow, Sirius! Look at these flowers! They're beautiful!" We had stopped in front of a stall that was completely decked in flowers – more than I had ever seen in my entire life, I thought. I picked out the lilies and petunias instantly, thinking of my sisters, but there were also daisies and sunflowers and carnations and roses and some that I didn't even recognize.

"I have an idea." Sirius said calmly, looking over the gads of flowers. He picked out four plants that were ready to be planted in a garden, and (rather clumsily, I noticed) paid the man running the stall for them. He turned to Melv. "You know that empty planter hanging from your front window? Why don't you plant these in there?"

"That's a great idea! Let's do it! Goodness knows our house could use a little life!" Looking at a few things on the way out, we exited the market and headed back to Grimmauld Place. We set the flowers on the front step and I examined the soil in the planter. It was hard and dry. "Hmmm…" I said aloud, thinking. "I think we have some stuff in the front closet. I'll go look." I ran in the front door, digging through the closet, and finding a watering can, a trowel, and a spade. We filled the watering can, pouring some into the empty planter, beating the soil into submission. It looked a little more promising, so we dug holes to put the plants in. The feel of the dirt between my fingers was glorious – the earth made the hole in me feel a little less gaping, and seeing the flowers brightened the mood around the house.

"Did you notice what kind of flowers they are?" Sirius asked when we were done. I examined them closer – lilies and petunias.

"Thank you Sirius. They are beautiful, and I had a really great time today. It really got my mind off of everything that's going on."

"Hey, no problem. That's what neighbors are for, right?"

"Right. Well, I better get back in for dinner, well, to make dinner, at least, or my family might not eat."

"Right, well, I'll see you later." But Sirius didn't move to go back inside.

"Aren't you going to go home?"

"Not right this instant. I think I'll enjoy the nice weather and the flowers for a little longer."

"Alright. See you." I went back inside. Unusually, mum, Lily, and Petunia were all sitting around the dining room table. They all turned to look at me when I walked in, and, to say the least, I was surprised. "What's going on?" I asked warily.

"Come set down, Melv." Was that a smile on her face? No, I must be imagining things – why would mum be smiling?

I sat down in an empty chair, and mum placed an envelope of heavy parchment in front of me. I noticed that Lily had one on the table in front of her, too.

I picked it up and weighed it in my hand, noting that the address on the front was odd. It had the normal address, but it also said "Third Bedroom in the West Hall" and "Bed on the Left." I laughed feebly.

"This is a joke right? Either that, or there's some creepy stalkers around."

"Why don't you just open it, honey?" Mum said gently, giving me a small, encouraging smile. I shrugged my shoulders, ripped it open with my index finger, and pulled out the letter, scanning it quickly. However, the contents were so unbelievable that I had to go back and read them more carefully. Then I laughed again, realizing the farce.

"That's funny mum, nice practical joke." Lily looked at me curiously. Mum shook her head, still smiling.

"It's not a joke, Melv." I looked from her to Lily, seeing the serious looks on their faces.

"You're honest aren't you? Mum, witches don't exist."

"Remember the day when… we took the phone booth down to the underground building?"

"Yes." It seemed like a fairly obvious question, but when I thought about it, I had mostly forgotten about the building in the face of dad's death.

"That was the Ministry of Magic."

I sat down. "The Ministry of Magic? That can't be real. That was just… where dad worked, right?"

Lily spoke up. "Don't you remember the fountain? With the man in the pointy hat and… holding a wand?" She sounded almost as if she couldn't believe it herself, but there was a small smile, hiding just behind her frown. I could see it there. I reread the letter.

"Mum, can you please explain more? Dad worked for the Ministry of Magic?"

"Well," she replied, taking a deep breath, "Yes. He was a wizard. And he worked for the Ministry of Magic. It was his work there that got him killed."

I closed my eyes for a few seconds. "What about you?" I asked, moving on from the subject of Dad.

"Oh no, I'm not a witch. I didn't even know your father was a wizard until after we were married. But I found it all really fascinating. And I hoped that one day you girls would get to go to Hogwarts as well. The stories he used to tell… it sounds wonderful." She was now positively beaming with pride. I considered the situation to myself. Believing her was the same as believing my dad. And I believed in my dad with all my heart.