To fill a book. (Melinda)

[Danny McKay G5]

Danny sat in the common room looking down at a half empty book. It was filled with scribblings and odd spells Danny had written down, which he thought would be useful or just fun to try out. He had gotten the book from his grandfather before he left for Hogwarts and it was his idea to use it this way. He said that he had his own empty book while he was in school and wanted Danny to fill one up too and if he did he might share what he wrote in the one he had. He passed away before he could share it with him but his father was holding onto it and told him he as soon as he filled his own book he could have his grandfathers book. Danny’s father was just like his grandfather only a little bit more serious.

Danny had been working hard writing down stuff but it was still only half way done. He wasn't going to cheat and put anything down, only useful or fun stuff like his grandfather said. Flipping through the pages filled with random spells and odd potions he laughing quietly to himself then closed it. He stood up picking up the book looking around the common room, it was bizarrely empty and he never even noticed it. “Guess I’ll go to the student lounge then, far too quite here.” He said with a laugh as he left the common room. He was forced to push the fat ladies portrait open because as he saw when it got outside, she was no where to be found inside it. “I hope she’s back when I get back.” He said with a sigh making his way to the lounge.

After a few flights of stairs, which lucky none of them moved on him, and a few turns he was right in front of the lounge. It was still kind of empty but not as bad as the common room there were a few people sitting in the corners. Danny was bored and felt like making some friends or at lest talk to some people, so he walked over to one group of people sitting in the corner studying it seemed. “Excuse me I…” Danny was cut short as they told them to go away, he just shrugged it off. No point in hanging around rude people anyway. "Well thanks anyway." He said with sigh then looked around.

He soon walked up to another person this time alone, and much older then him probably by two or three years. “Excuse me…” He paused for a second to see if he would get stopped again but nothing. “I’m doing a study on favorite spells and potions and I’m asking all the beautiful women I see which is they’re favorite spell or potion and what it does.” He said with a laugh thinking about how much like his grandfather he had become, it all seemed so natural now to just randomly compliment people. “Also second, very important question to the study I am doing, is that seat taken?” He asked with a smile as he pointed to the chair next to her.

(OOC: Was going to post one in Hogsmeade but you already have one there so I switched it, but it toke so long because I wrote most of the Hogsmeade one before I changed my mind. )

[Melinda Calloway H7]

((this post is rated PG-13. Please do not read beyond this point if you are not above thirteen.))

Melinda pushed her way into the Student Lounge through a crowd of third year Ravenclaws in fury and rage. She was so sick of feeling this kind of pain. That scum didn’t deserve every wishful hopeful thought that constantly flooded into Melinda’s mind. He didn’t deserve any of it. He didn’t deserve Melinda’s love, her intense desire for him. She knew he didn’t love her anymore. She knew that she couldn’t love him anymore. She hated him for what he did to her. So why did she feel this way? Why couldn’t she just forget about him and move on with her life already? It was more than enough having to see the “happy new couple” walking around the corridors of Hogwarts without having them haunting her every thought, dream, and desire as well. Melinda found herself wanting to kill that tramp. She needed to get out, go anywhere. So, she picked the spot she knew would be empty during dinnertime--the Student Lounge. Melinda pushed open the door, tears of anger and frustration streaming down her cheeks. She took a random seat in the corner and looked angrily around the room. Her eyes gravitated toward the window. She saw the cloud of smoke before she saw anything else. Moments later, she was able to connect that cloud of smoke to a voice, someone’s presence with her in the room. She looked up through watery eyes to see a Slytherin boy who was looking at her with curiosity. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt your err…alone time. I’ll leave now.” She said in a low voice. “No.” The voice said with a sly smirk. “I don’t mind you staying.”

----------------------------------

Oh, what a lovely day it was. Or was it perhaps night? Or evening? Melinda didn’t know. She didn’t really care for that matter either. School would be let out in a matter of days and Melinda was doing her very best to celebrate the end of her final year. She had no idea what she was going to do in the future, but she knew there were big things ahead of her. Of course, those “big things” were far from Melinda’s mind right now. All she cared about was Mr. Wankerman. Sure, it seemed like a funny name. Melinda wasn’t even sure she knew what the name meant. She was in her own little world right now, thanks to the wonderful little surprise she bought off some Slytherin sixth year. Melinda sat near the fireplace, where there was nothing but ashes and burnt firewood now. It would have been crazy of the school elves to light the fire this close to the summer. Most kids were gulping their supper down after a long day of being outside in the sun. Melinda knew she enjoyed herself today. Of course, she couldn’t even remember the majority of the day, but that simple fact didn’t seem all too important to her at the moment. She was too preoccupied staring into the ashes in the Student Lounge’s fireplace singing about this strange Mr. Wankerman. Melinda wasn’t even sure who this Mr. Wankerman was, but she had a feeling he probably had something to do with Melinda’s ex-boyfriend Michael.

Michael was the original Mr. Wankerman. She was so sick and tired of his games. He had been long before she caught him with that tramp, but she wasn’t strong enough to leave him for the jerk he was. She thought she could work things out with him. They’d made it through years of dating without any major fights or problems, so why couldn’t they fix a little trust issue? Melinda was wrong. She should have left that Mr. Wankerman for the jerk he was while she had the chance. But the pain that came along with every thought about Michael just didn’t appear anymore. Not now, anyway. Now it was just Mr. Wankerman and his silly little games. Just the thought of this strange mysterious man made Melinda giggle wildly, causing people to stare. Melinda merely smiled and continued to stare into the fireplace. “Oh poor forgotten fireplace. No one loves you now that the winter is through.” Melinda said with a small giggle, shaking her head sadly. She sat up in her chair, reeling with the fleeting feeling she was experiencing as everyone else in the lounge went about their normal daily activities.

Feeling bored, Melinda began to sing to herself. “Mr Wankerman, you got no respect no no, you're selfish yes you are, I keep hoping that I'll sober, maybe realize it's over, will I ever see a change in you?” She sang in a low sultry voice. Melinda was always a good singer as well as a songwriter, but she didn’t think many of the onlookers in the lounge really appreciated her song right now. She finally tore her eyes away from the ashes in the fireplace to see a boy a few years younger than her at her side, asking her something about potions. “Oh I happen to be a fan of the love spells and potions. They’re really quite romantic when done the right way. Would you like me to place a spell on you? I could do it you know.” She said peacefully, giggling at the thought of this young Gryffindor falling under her spell. Although, in her condition, she’d probably end up getting the window to fall in love with her. “And of course you can sit. I do like me my company..”

((the song Melinda is singing is originally "Mr. Wankerman" by Joss Stone.))

[Danny McKay G5]

Danny realized it was her who was singing a second ago, he thought he heard someone singing. He stood there for a second waiting for a response then she slowly responded to him. Something seemed off as she spoke, but then again he never met her before so this might have been normal. She answered that her favorite spells and potions were the ones dealing with love but only if they were done right. She then asked if he wanted her to put him under a spell, then told him she could do it. “I’m sure you could even without a wand or some potion but that’s just my opinion.” Danny said smiling, she then went on to tell him he could sit down and that she liked her own company.

Danny was sure now that something was off or weird, but Danny didn’t come down here for normal and boring, weird and different were good. Danny opened up his book really quick and pulled out his Muggle pen. It had to be the best Muggle thing ever Danny thought, all the usefulness of a quill and ink but put together and you can hold it in your pocket. Also it clicked whenever you wanted to use it. Danny wrote down in his book “Look up love spells and potions” then closed the book and looked back to Melinda.

“Hi I’m Danny, nice to meet you.” He said with a smile looking at her then around the lounge. “ Also if that was you singing a second ago, you have a very nice voice.” Danny said smiling looking back to her. Danny messed with the muggle pen he had twirling in his fingers as he waited for her to say something. He had gotten it from his father, he was always fascinated about how Muggle things worked and his job was to add some magic to them for odd reasons or special requests people had. Danny soon was lost in thought about how to combine a wand and a pen somehow, it was something he would have to share with his dad when he got home from school. Danny soon realized he was lost in thought and snapped out of it looking back to Melinda.

(OOC: sorry it's so short compared to yours. )

[Melinda Calloway H7]

((I'm shocked at how long this took me. Next one will be better now that exams and crap are over. ;D))

Melinda was in her own happy place. Nothing else in the world mattered to her, not in this happy place where all her troubles could be resolved by singing the simple melody of Mr. Wankerman and all of his silly little nonsense. In this world of hers, nothing was serious. Everything was amusing and even the slightest thought of all those painful memories just brought pure joy and laughter into her heart with all the irony of the bull crap Michael managed to put her through. There was no pain, no bitterness. All that was left in Melinda was the melancholy laughter that came from that little empty space Michael had left behind for her to deal with. Melinda could barely lift her head with the weight of what seemed like the entire world holding her down. Her head felt like it was expanding and collapsing in on her all at the same time and even throughout all the dry, bitter, meaningless happiness…she missed him again. All the sweet memories they shared flooded into her head. The good, the bad, and the just plain weird ones. The painful ones were the memories that stuck out the most though. On any other day, just the thought of her ex-boyfriend’s piercing soul-searching gaze or his warm arms that always kept her safe at night would have made her burst into tears. But the irony of Michael’s cruelty toward her was what made her laugh once again. She giggled quietly to herself, barely paying attention to the younger boy’s shameless attempts at flirting.

He was a bit young; probably not a day over fourteen. He would be a good looking kid though, in a few years. But Melinda would be long gone by then. She was in her very last week of her seventh year. It didn’t feel very different to her, to be perfectly honest. She was still going to be working at the Three Broomsticks and living with her mother in Hogsmeade until she got her big break or something, so it wasn’t like much was going to change. She just wasn’t going to be living in Hogwarts anymore. She supposed she’d miss it from time to time, but she was damn sure she’d go back to visit once in awhile. She knew a pretty good way to sneak in without Filch spotting her. But for now, Hogwarts was Melinda’s home-not-so-far-away-from-home, so she didn’t need to sneak past anyone to be sitting here in the Student Lounge.

“Oh why you’re too kind, dear sir. But love potions are very fun to make. I’ve never needed them myself, but…MERLIN’S BEARD! Wouldn’t it be just grand if I slipped that damn Mr. Wankerman a love potion? You know, make him fall madly in love with a toad of some sort? Or perhaps McGonagall? That would be just lovely!” Melinda exclaimed probably a bit too loudly, thrilled with her idea to drug her ex. That would teach him a lesson though, wouldn’t it? Then hopefully his bimbo blonde girlfriend could watch him leave her for a toad. The sheer irony of it all made Melinda’s already giddy expression turn brilliantly cheerful as an almost evil sort of grin appeared on her face.

Melinda’s red eyes examined the boy through a blurry view. “I’m Melinda Calloway. Nice to see you, Danny. You know, I’ve always loved Gryffindors. They’re my favorite kind of people other than Hufflepuffs. Although I’m pretty sure I should probably stick to my own house from now on…you Gryffindors are trouble. Mr. Wankerman was a Gryffindor. Maybe if he was a sweet, kind-hearted Hufflepuff he wouldn’t have done what he did. Ah well…stuff happens.” Melinda said with a shrug and a slight giggle. “And thank you. I was writing my new song. I dunno where the inspiration for it came from. I guess I just had to be in a very special kind of mood before I was able to write anything that was any good. Would you like to hear it? I just finished, I think.”

[Danny McKay G5]

Danny sat in the chair as she seemed to be in her own thoughts at the moment, his thoughts soon turned to why it seemed every chair hated him lately. He could never get comfortable till he fought the chair for a few minutes. Danny just gave up and sat still, now looking at the cover of the book in his hands. It was terribly damaged after years of misuse, covered in drawings of dragons and other creatures and it seemed burnt on one of the corners but Danny for the life of him couldn’t remember how that happened. “Some fire spell gone wrong, I think…” He mumbled to himself, thinking out loud. Danny was actually so lost in his thoughts he was going to start reading some pages from it, he had totally forgot he was in the middle of a conversation with someone, till she said something and brought him out of his thoughts.

He listened as she spoke, smiling when she said he was being nice then going on to talk about love potions. She seemed to yell out loud realizing something all of a sudden. Danny wasn’t fully sure who she was talking about or what the person had done but he didn’t really feel it was his place to ask her about it, so Danny just laughed along as she giggled finding it funny as well. “Well I think your aiming a little low, personally. I can think of much better targets then a toad or the Headmistress.” Danny said laughing, thinking to himself a little about who was worse then a toad. “ Madam Pince or that ghost in the bathrooms… Myrtle I think her name was.” Danny remarked laughing a little till something hit him that he found ingenious. “Better yet how about The Fat Lady, now that would be funny to watch.” He added laughing even more as he thought about someone always outside the common room, trying to put the moves on a portrait.

Danny’s laugh softened then stopped as she introduced herself, he kept listening as she went on talking about Gryffindor’s and whoever this Mr.Wankerman was. Danny didn’t really like whoever this guy was already, giving a bad name to the rest of his house somehow and hurting Melinda too. She seemed to just laugh it off, so Danny stopped thinking about it too and listened as she started talking about her singing. Danny was kind of amazed as she said it was a new song she had just wrote, he thought it was just some song she was repeating. “A beautiful voice and able to write songs, well I guess I know where all the talent I was suppose to get went.” Danny said laughing but knowing part of it was true; he had tried so hard when he was little to have some musical talent but nothing seemed to work out. As he grew older he just gave up on it totally trading musical talent for the dreams of magical talent, which he was unsure if he had that too.

“Well I’d never turn down a free concert.” Danny said laughing after she asked him if he wanted to listen to her new song. “Maybe after that I can get an autographic for when you get famous. I have the pen right here and you can sign my book.” Danny added laughing a little holding up his Muggle pen and old book.

[Melinda Calloway H7]

Melinda barely watched as this younger boy fidgeted in his chair. He didn’t seem to do it out of awkwardness, but rather the simple fact that he was just uncomfortable in his seat. Though Melinda couldn’t understand why, when the chairs in the Student Lounge were probably some of the most comfortable seats in the castle. Melinda wondered what kind of spell the house elves cast on the chairs to make them such a pleasant experience for one’s backside. Melinda giggled at the thought. Then, she focused her attention on the boy’s book. The thing was old, but it was interesting. It reminded her of some creepy old diary or an ancient spellbook that would probably be found hidden in some hidden part of Hogwarts’ dungeons. Melinda considered the boy’s words. “Aiming low?” Melinda wondered aloud, her mind wandering once more at the dozens of hilarious possibilities of what she could make Michael fall in love with. The Fat Lady seemed a bit immature, considering the ugly portrait probably wouldn’t take too well to Michael’s foolish advances. Perhaps Filch would be a good option. Or maybe his devilishly creepy old cat, Mrs. Norris? Now that would be one hilarious spectacle to watch.

Melinda laughed again, this time a bit louder. Heads turned in her direction and she heard whispers in the background. She wondered if anyone would find the courage to actually say what they had to say to her face. She highly doubted it. “I wonder what’s wrong with Calloway? She seems like she’s gone mad. And I bet she probably had something to do with the horrid smell in here. Let’s get out of here before the lunatic goes for another round of whatever it is she’s taking.” Two girls whispered behind her. Melinda merely giggled. “You know, maybe if you weren’t such pricks I would share, but you can forget it now!” Melinda called out as the two snobby Ravenclaw girls left the room. She then turned back to Danny. “So who the hell was big-headed enough to promise you this talent you speak of? Seems rather idiotic, unless you actually do have these “talents” you were promised. Either way I don’t know. You know, Mr. Wankerman had this lovely talent…used to drive me crazy you know. He was so poetic. He could turn the most simplest phrases into something romantic. But those were all just words.” She said with an animated sigh, giggling again as Michael’s face popped into her mind once more.

Melinda looked up with sparkling eyes. She loved when people wanted to hear her sing. She loved singing, she really did. It was one of her favorite pastimes. For some odd reason, her mother tried to discourage it when she was younger, but she was glad that phase was over with. Now her mother embraced Melinda’s dreams and wishes. It did surprise her that it took so long for Linda to support her daughter’s musical abilities. Melinda had heard that her mother spent quite a bit of time in California, which was where she suspected her father was. But she never said anything about it since her mother never liked talking about it. So the identity of Melinda’s father was still unknown to her. But Mel rather liked it that way. At least it would be easier dealing with the lifestyle Melinda lived, rather than having to miss the father she never knew. Melinda cleared her throat. “Well then. I think I’ll sing you the song all about Mr. Wankerman.” She smiled almost drunkenly, though she hadn’t had a single drink in a matter of weeks. Ok, so maybe weeks was a bit of a loose term. Days was more like the proper word to use. And so, after the drunken smile, she sang.

“I've been checking my clock, wouldn't it be worth a lot, if you would just call me boy, we've been talking a lot, saying it'd be worth a shot, saying that you want to fall, wouldn't it be nice if you would turn up, maybe once or twice you'd pick the phone up, shout it to my heart to know you won’t be true, I keep hoping that I'll sober, maybe realize it's over, will I ever see a change in you?” Melinda ended that song in a low sensual note, looking up to see Danny’s reaction to her singing. It was at this point that the room went quiet. Even under this state of mind, the beauty of Melinda’s voice wasn’t something that could easily be overlooked. She smirked, glancing around at all the people that were looking at her. They weren’t staring with shock or pity this time, but with awe. Melinda loved that feeling. “So how about that autograph?” She asked him, giggling as she spoke.

((Lyrics from Joss Stone’s Mr. Wankerman.))

[Danny McKay G5]

Danny was a little shocked as he watched Melinda just randomly start to yell at some other students. He laughed a little but it seemed pretty weird that she would just start yelling at some of the other students in the lounge. As the two girls she seemed to being yelling at left she turned back to him and asked who would promise him talent like that, Danny just laughed a little as his face turned a slight shade of red. “Promised?” He said to himself thinking about it. “No one really promised it to me, I guess I just promised it to myself.” Danny said with a slight laugh. “So I guess I'm the one with a bighead.” He added with another small laugh turning down to his book, flipping it open and glanced at a few of the pages. “I'd just like to think we're all good at something, like your singing or that guys poetry. I can at lest hope mine is in magic or it could be just in how insane my writing seems.” Danny said with a laugh and a smirk as he looked through a couple of the pages.

It was full of random stuff, some stuff Danny had no memory of even writing. One page would go from talking about some weird moving spell then just ramble on to what potion makes terrible food taste good. Some pages looked terribly damaged while others were still clean and just fine. Danny could remember most of the reasons for the damage on the book. It had fallen from the common room tower once, been lit on fire, covered in water and somehow Danny had made it glow for a week. Which Danny had no clue how he did it till he realized he was saying the wrong spell, it toke him a few days to figure that one out. Danny was soon snapped out of his thought again as Melinda told him she would sing her song, which Danny was actually looking forward too.

Danny just sat there a little shocked as she sang her song, it wasn't the words of the song but her voice that most surprised him. He had heard her sing slightly before he had met her but now that he was right in front of her and giving her his full attention, he was shocked at just how beautiful and talented of a singer she was. The song did seem to about the guy she had been talking about before like she said it was, the words kind of seemed a little depressed but Danny kept paying attention to her voice more, still shocked. When she was done she looked back at him then around the room as he noticed it had gotten very quite, everyone was probably paying attention to her and listening in. Danny just smiled as she looked back at him and asked him about the autograph then just giggled a little.

“Of.. of course.” Danny said stumbling over his words for a second as he grabbed his pen out of his pocket. “That was very beautiful but I'm sure you could tell that already from the audience you seemed to have made.” He added laughing a little as he looked around to the people all quite and still paying attention to Melinda. Danny put the pen in the book and held it out to Melinda, with his same smile on his face. “Just try to find a page I haven't destroyed yet, I think there's still a couple of those left in the back.” Danny said laughing knowing it was true but it was his book and he liked it that way. It gave the book some character, he thought to himself.