Chapter 1

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa. (Note: I made up where she lives).

Melissa nervously trailed behind Mrs. Victoria Taylor in the busy train station. Victoria had been asked to escort her to the train station, as she knew where to go because her brother had attended the same school. Victoria glanced over her shoulder and gave a warm, encouraging smile to Melissa, who struggled to return it. Melissa thought that Victoria was very pretty. She had green eyes that reminded people of spring and long golden hair. Her face was very soft and kind. The freckles splashed across her nose were even pretty, which was not something many people were blessed with. None of the children knew why she had come to the orphanage, but they were glad she had. She was smart, pretty, and kind; she was the opposite of all the other ladies at the orphanage. Victoria abruptly stopped ten feet away from a column between platforms nine and ten, causing Melissa, who had been lost in her thoughts, to bump into her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing from embarrassment.

"It's ok. Now, I want you to run this cart straight through that pillar. Don't worry," she added at Melissa's shocked and confused look, "you won't hit the wall. You'll go through it. I can't come with, but there will be someone to help you with your things. You ready?"

Melissa remained silent, doubting herself. She was not sure she should go. What if she was not a witch? What if they sent her back? What if she could not make any friends? Victoria, sensing her worry, crouched down so that she was at eye level with the scared eleven year old.

"Mel, you'll be fine. These people, they don't make mistakes. You are special. I've seen what you can do, even if it wasn't intentional. You'll do great," Victoria said gently.

"I'm scared," the little girl whispered.

"I know, but I also know that you can do this. You're going to be great; and if you're ever homesick, you can write to me and the other children, ok?"

Mel nodded, now wearing a small smile.

"Good. Now hurry up. You don't want to miss the train."

Victoria gave her a quick hug and wished her luck. Taking a deep breath, Melissa ran toward the pillar…and straight through it. Once on the other side, she saw a gleaming scarlet train surrounded by steam and families send their children off. After a minute of looking around, she followed a family to where trunks were being loaded. A man in a uniform helped her put her trunk on the train. Once free of her luggage, she hurried on to find a seat. She passed many children: Some saying good-bye to their families, and others talking excitedly to one another. Finally, she found an empty compartment and slid inside, shutting the door behind her.

She sat in a seat next to the window, and watched the people on the platform. She was sad looking at them, wishing she had a family to wave good-bye to, or at least that the kids from the orphanage could have been there to see her off. But that could never happen. Only Victoria was allowed to know where she was really going. And though she was excited and happy that the weird and random things she could were finally explained and that she would be learning about magic, she felt extremely isolated from the people she had been close to her whole life. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Victoria had had her wear her uniform minus the robe, which had her wand stored in the inside pocket, to the station. Melissa had carried the robe, which now lay next to her, into the station. All of her other belongings were in the trunk. She did not have much: it was mostly her new school supplies, some muggle clothes, a few of her favorite books, and a photo album of everyone from the orphanage.

"Mind if we join you?"

Melissa's head shot up surprised by the sudden appearance of four boys outside her compartment. She had not even heard the door open. The boy that had asked stood in front of the others, who she could not see clearly. He had dark brown hair and grey eyes. His skin was pale, but not in an unhealthy way. He looked happy and well cared for. She nodded quickly and returned to looking out the window, too embarrassed to say anything. The boys tramped inside, the one that had spoken sitting across from her.

"Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory. Who are you?" the boy asked. His tone surprised her. He sounded genuinely interested. She was not used that when people talked to her. They were plenty nice, but it was rare that someone really cared, or pretended to.

"Melissa Evans," she said having to raise her voice so that he could hear her over the two loud redheads in the corner.

"Are you a first year?"

"Yes."

"So are we," he said, beaming at her. "Which house do you want to be in?"

"I don't know…." she said, shrugging. The representative from the school had explained the houses to her, but she did not feel any attachment or desire to be in any. "Does it matter?"

The boys in the corner stopped arguing and turned to look at her, stunned by her answer.

"Does it matter? Of course it matters!" one of the redheads shouted, causing Melissa to blush. She noticed that he and the other redhead were actually twins. "You don't want to end up in Slytherin! All the dark wizards come out of there!"

"Cut it out guys," Cedric said, cutting off the other twin before he could interject his opinion. "Clearly, she's muggle born. Aren't you?" he asked, turning back to her, looking a little worried.

"Yes," she said quickly, blushing even more. She was not actually sure if she was or was not a muggle born. She had lived at the orphanage since she was a year old. No one had left a name, and no one could remember who had brought her there—not even if it was a man or a woman. She had had nothing her entire life: no knowledge of who her family was, no mementos, no money, nothing. That was until she had received her letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts. She now knew that one of her parents had to have been a witch or wizard, they had left her money at the wizard bank, Gringotts. And as it turns out, she actually had quite a bit of money. Not that really supplied her with any information. The fact that she had a vault was the only thing that had given her any real knowledge, and it was not even that much.

"See, you guys can't attack everyone over their house preferences," Cedric lectured. The twins glared back at him before returning to their argument. "That's Fred and George Weasley, by the way. And this—"

"Ryan Williams," the boy next to Cedric interjected, holding out his hand to her. She took it sheepishly, unnerved by his sudden outgoing demeanor. He was cute, and it was obvious that he would grow up handsome. He had golden blond hair and matching warm brown eyes. He had the beginnings of an athletic build, and his smile was already blush-inducing. "Don't worry about houses. The other three are all pretty good, most people's preferences are based on which house their parents were in. Besides, you seem too nice to be put in Slytherin."

She smiled and laughed nervously. The rest of the train ride passed smoothly. They told her everything they knew or had heard of Hogwarts. They also taught her about quidditch, a game blamed on broomsticks with magicked balls. The boys argued about their favorite teams and which one was the best. It all sounded very exciting. She could not wait to get there.

As the sun set and the sky darkened, Melissa's stomach begin to gurgle at her. She had not eat much for breakfast as she had been too nervous, and had refused the candy the boys had offered her, though she did not understand why she had refused now. They were only being nice, but she was so used to people offering her things out of pity that she was hesitant to accept anything from people. When they finally reached the platform, a loud and large man called all first years over to him. Melissa was sure that he was a giant. When she voiced her concern, Cedric chuckled and told her that giants were much bigger. Hagrid, the giant man, announced himself as the gatekeeper and led them all to boats that they were to take across the lake. Melissa, Cedric, and Ryan all shared a boat. Cedric had to help Melissa into the boat because her skirt was giving her trouble. A large tentacle knocked one of the boats near theirs around. Melissa squeaked, while the boys shouted about how cool it was. Once they reached the opposite side of the lake, they were led up a long flight of stairs to the castle. Melissa could not help but stare in awe. It was breathtaking and magical and…perfect.

A strict looking woman appeared in the entry and led them into the Great Hall. Melissa saw four tables full of older students and one at the top of the hall full of staff. In front of the staff table was a stool with an old black hat sitting on top of it. Melissa was surprised along with several other first years, when the hat began speaking. After it had finished its speech, they were called up alphabetically to be sorted. Melissa nervously waited with her peers, dreading to go up in front of the whole school and worrying about doing something stupid.

"Diggory, Cedric," Professor McGonagall called. Cedric gave her a small smile, and went to take his place on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers as Cedric took his seat with them. After a few more names, hers was called.

"Evans, Melissa."

Timidly, she made her way to the stool, averting her eyes from the on-looking students and staff, and paying close attention to her steps. She was barely on the stool a second before the brim of the hat obscured her view.

"Hmm, interesting, very interesting," the hat mused. "You possess many qualities that would allow you do well in any house. However…you dislike the spotlight…hmm….HUFFLEPUFF!"

Smiling, she hopped off the stool and went over to her house's table. She sat next to Cedric, who was beaming at her. No longer suffering from nervous anticipation, Melissa was able to calmly watch the remaining students be sorted. Ryan joined them along with three other girls and three other boys. The Weasley twins were sorted into Gryffindor. When the sorting was over, the food magically appeared in front of them. Her stomach growling, Melissa piled food onto her plate and ate until her stomach was content. After the feast, a prefect led the sleepy first years to their dormitory. Cedric and Ryan bade her good night as they separated and went to their respective rooms. Melissa was grateful to see her trunk at the end of her bed. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. The events of the day had exhausted her and she fell asleep quickly.

The next day was their first day of classes. Melissa enjoyed Herbology and History of Magic the most. She understood the theory in Charms and Transfiguration, but it took her most of the class to be able to properly cast the spells. Cedric, on the other hand, appeared to be a natural at everything. It quickly became apparent that Cedric and Melissa were very studious and the most advanced in their year. However, neither were showoffs and so their peers rarely got annoyed with them.

Melissa had made friends with two of the Hufflepuff girls: Angela Abbott and Lindsey Bones. They were both very kind and reasonably talented, and had not had a problem with her heritage, which had been bothersome to the two other girls she shared a room with, Tara Matthews and Julie Edwards. Angela and Lindsey had said not to listen to them and their pureblooded mania. They had said that skill was more important than blood. She was relieved that most people shared their opinion. It was mostly the Slytherins who were obsessed with blood status.

After the second day of classes, Melissa discovered her favorite class: Potions. Her friends thought she was odd for this, as most people hated the class because of Professor Snape. But Melissa did not mind Snape's attitude. She had experienced similar treatment from one of the older ladies at the orphanage. She had decided long ago not to let the attitudes of others affect her. She was able to ignore other people's negativity and continue with her work without becoming flustered. It was a very useful skill, especially in Potions class. She noticed that the directions for the potions did not always yield the correct result. When this would happen, she would experiment with the directions and ingredients. More often than not, her experiments would yield the correct result or a result closer to what it should be. Because of her success, Snape rarely had anything to say about her potions. Though he did not praise her efforts, he did not berate her either.

The first weekend of October Melissa attended her first quidditch match. It was just as exciting as it had sounded on the train. It was much more interesting and intense than any muggle sport she had ever seen. The game took place before they had had their flying lesson. After the match (in which Ravenclaw beat Slytherin), she and the other first years could not wait for their lesson so that they could have their own unofficial matches. Though she was excited for the lesson, Melissa was very unsure of herself once she was on the broom. However, she quickly adjusted and found out that she was quiet adapt at flying. All her successes had her wondering if her parents were just as talented. They would have to be for her to be so talented, right?

Soon it was December. With the snow blanketing the castle and grounds, Hogwarts looked like a Christmas Wonder Land both inside and out. Melissa loved the giant Christmas trees in the Great Hall, and could not help but giggle with the other first years when Peeves changed the Christmas carol lyrics that the armored knights were enchanted to sing. She was sad to leave, but also excited. She missed Victoria and her friends from the orphanage. She knew the little ones missed her too: They had been sending her drawings and poorly written letters all semester. She only had one friend her age there, April Travis, and she missed her terribly. They were like sisters. When Melissa was not helping with the little ones, she and April spent their time together, often helping in the kitchen or laundry. They did not mind the work. Their food was often better than the cook's and it saved the orphanage money so that they could buy the children clothes, books, toys, and other necessities.

"You excited to go home?" Angela asked. They were on the train back to King's Cross, the white countryside whipping past the window.

"Yes, I am. I love Christmas. Everyone's so happy and nice. I love making cookies and decorating with everyone; it's all so much fun," Melissa said, her voice slightly dreamy as she thought about it.

"Where do you live anyway? You never said," Lindsey asked, looking up from her new copy of Witch Weekly.

"I live about two hours outside of London. It's a small village in Kent called Rippling Creek," Melissa answered; careful not to say anything that would lead to awkward questions. She had still not told anyone that she was an orphan.

"You live so far away, it will be impossible for any of us to visit you!" Lindsey whined.

"That's ok. Break's only a couple weeks, we'll see each other soon enough," Melissa said, trying to hide her relief. She just was not ready for anyone to know yet. The ride back was fun, but over quickly. Cedric and Ryan joined them about halfway and they all walked onto the platform together. Melissa had only packed a duffle bag, deciding that she only needed her muggle clothes and wand. Cedric had done the same, saying he had plenty of things at home and did not need much, so they crossed through the barrier together, while the others went to get their things. Melissa immediately saw Victoria among the crowd and waved enthusiastically to her. Victoria smiled and waved back.

"Is that your mom?" Cedric asked, confused. Melissa looked nothing like the woman she was waving to.

"No, she's a…a family friend. She's spending Christmas with us, and volunteered to pick me and we would drive out together," Melissa lied quickly.

"Oh," he said, though he did not sound completely convinced. He spotted his parents and ran over to them shouting over his shoulder, "Happy Christmas!"

She waved to him as he did, and rushed over to Victoria, launching herself into Victoria's arms as she did, causing Victoria to laugh.

"I've missed you and everyone else so much!" Melissa exclaimed.

"We've missed you too. Is that all you brought?" Victoria asked, leading them to her car.

"Yes, I do not need all my school things for two weeks."

"No, probably not. Good thinking on your part. Which one of your friends was that?"

"Cedric Diggory," Melissa answered, crawling into the backseat. Victoria did not let tem sit in the front unless the car was full, she did not think it was safe. "How's April? I haven't heard from her in a while."

Melissa saw Victoria's face fall in the rearview mirror. She bit her lip in thought and worry spread across her face. "It happened a few weeks ago. April's grandmother came to get her. Apparently, she had no idea that April existed. Her daughter ran away from home when she was sixteen, and recently passed away from a serious illness. On her deathbed she confessed April's existence and location. After the funeral, April's grandmother showed up and adopted her. It happened so quickly; she must not have had time to tell you. I'm so sorry, Mel," Victoria explained quietly.

Melissa nodded, but could not say anything. She was sad and her heart hurt. She had lost her best friend, her sister really, and no one had told her. Not even said best friend. She felt abandoned. She did not have any other friends at the orphanage. The others were all older or younger than her. The older ones thought that she was a nuisance, and though the little ones liked her, she was more like an older sister to them than a friend. She took a few shaky breaths to calm herself, not wanting to cry. They passed the trip in silence with only the radio playing Christmas carols. By the time they arrived at the orphanage, Melissa was able to put on a brave face and be happy to see the little ones that rushed out to greet her.

"Mel's back! Mel's back!"

"I missed you!"

"I missed you more!"

Five four year olds ran at her, all trying to hug her at once. The sudden onslaught of attention made her smile and laugh. While they may not have been her best friend, they did love her. Could she really be so selfish as to expect more? She saw Sean, who was about two years older than her, follow the children out. He smiled at her in greeting and grabbed her bag out of the backseat.

"C'mon kids," he called over their din, "let her get inside before she freezes to death."

The kids quickly obeyed and dragged her into the living room. All of them telling her what had happened since she had been gone.

"I'll take this to your room," Sean said. Melissa mouthed a "thank you" at him as he rounded the corner. Melissa was treated to an hour of jumbled stories from her small friends of all that had happened since she had been gone. She honestly had not missed much, just April leaving and one of the older teen girls running away with her boyfriend. They asked her about school, and she told them as much as she could. She mostly talked about her new friends. When she finished, the children were begging her to invite them to visit. She told them that she would think about it.

Victoria poked her head in and said, "You five give Mel a break and go get washed up for dinner."

They all quickly ran to kitchen as they realized how hungry they were. Melissa slumped back her seat and closed her eyes, relieved to no longer being interrogated. She was now very tired form all the explaining and questioning.

"So, I guess you like your new school a lot then?"

Melissa's eyes shot open in surprise, and saw Sean standing a few feet from her. She could not remember seeing him come into the room. He must have slipped in when the children were bombarding her with questions. However, she was more surprised he was talking to her. Though they had grown up together, they had only ever spoken in passing. They had never sought each other out or initiated conversation unless absolutely necessary. Melissa could not remember why they had never been friends, it must have happened when they were very young.

"Yes, I do. I fit in there."

He nodded and sat down on the couch next to her. "They've missed you a lot. I don't think anyone realized how much help you and April were around here. They had me start helping April out a few weeks after you left. They'll probably have one of the older ones start helping when you leave," he said. His voice was soft as he talked, his face void of emotion. Melissa could not tell if he was resentful of the situation or not. "Must suck to have to work on your vacation."

"It's not work," she said defensively. "We're all the family each other has, and families take care of each other."

He snorted. "How can you be so naïve? We're not a family. We're just a bunch of kids that nobody wanted."

"It's all in how you look at things and what you make of a situation," she said, standing to go. She turned and looked him straight in the eye, her sudden mood change surprising him. "If you want to be unhappy and mope about how bad your life is, fine. But don't call those of us who choose to let the past go—a past none of us had any choice in—and make the best of our situation naïve."

Melissa stormed out of the room, breathing to calm herself as she did. She avoided Sean for the next few days. She hated it when the other children complained. All of them had been left her as infants. They had had no control in the matter. Their parents, whoever they were, bore all the responsibility for their predicament. But to dwell and be angry about something that had happened would not change it. In her opinion, it was better and healthier to move on. The ones that could were happier and did better in school and in social situations. The ones that could not ended up being angry all the time, which affected their interactions with others and their success in and out of the classroom.

Melissa did end up "working" over break. She supervised and entertained the children most days. They mostly played outside, did arts and crafts, and built forts around the orphanage. They did not really get presents at Christmas. Sometimes the staff bought them new clothes or bedding if it was needed. The children were allowed to make each other presents if they choose to, but nothing was required. Melissa had knitted the five younger kids a matching set of scarves and gloves. Each pair was a different color—the favorite color of the child's to be correct. They were delighted when they opened their package, probably just because they had something to open. They had all given her drawings, which she stored safely and put in her duffle bag to take back to Hogwarts. They celebrated New Year's with fireworks that year. It was a nice treat and they all loved it. Before she knew it, it was time for Melissa to return to school.

Victoria and the other ladies had decided to take everyone on a field to the London Zoo on the day that Melissa had to go back to school. Victoria drove her again, but this time Sean and two of the little girls were with them. Melissa sat in the backseat and entertained them during the long drive. When they arrived at the train station, Victoria had to forcefully remind the two girls to behave as they started crying and hanging on Melissa so that she could not go. She hugged them and Victoria each good-bye. Sean handed her bag, trying not to laugh at the antics of the two girls.

"Thanks," she said, taken off cared by his sudden show of open kindness. He rarely did anything to help anyone without being asked.

"Have fun at school."

She waved good-bye to them and hurried to her platform. She had just barely made it on the train before it pulled out of the station. She began walking down the train car, looking for her friends. She found Cedric sitting in a compartment in the next car. He looked up and smiled when he saw it was her.

She smiled back and asked, "How was your Christmas?"

"Good, same as always. You?"

"Same."

An awkward silence fell between them. Cedric stared at her, seeming to be deep in thought. Melissa, unnerved by his stare, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Finally, she got fed up with his behavior.

"What?" she snapped.

"Why do you never talk about your home?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she questioned back, trying to think of a good lie. "I've talked about my home."

"Only about where it is. You never talk about your parents or siblings, if you have any. I just think it's a bit odd that you don't is all," he said, his tone gentle and cautious. She knew he was trying not to upset her, and she was trying to not get angry with him. Another silence fell between them, each staring the other down.

"Because I don't," she said finally, sighing sadly.

"You don't what?" Cedric asked, confused and surprised by her sudden admission.

"I don't have a family. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway," she amended. "I live in an orphanage. I've been there my whole life. Some of the other kids there are the closest I have to a family."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because I didn't want anyone's pity, and I was, I am, afraid that I'd lose my friends," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

"I'll always be your friend, Mel," he said softly, but warmly. "I don't care about your background and neither do the others. We're your friends for you who are, not where you came from."

She showed her happiness and thanks through a large smile because she found herself unable to say anything else. She had never experienced such quick acceptance before. The kids from her old school always acted odd after they found out she was an orphan. From that day on, Cedric's friendship was the one she valued most. Somehow she knew he would always be there for her and accept her.

By the end of the year, all her close friends knew that she was an orphan. However, just like Cedric, none of them seemed to care or be bothered by the fact. Lindsey had acted a little odd for a few days, but she quickly got over it. She was just afraid about saying anything that would be insensitive. They all promised to write to her over the summer. Angela and Cedric even said they would try to visit her as well. She finished her first year on a high note with good grades and amazing friends. She could hardly wait to return for her second year at Hogwarts.