Harry Potter Melanie Black

The pub was crowded and loud that warm, July night, a group of kind of dodgy men circled around a table in the back corner of the pub where the fire was burning closest to them. It was a slightly darker corner, but warm, and many of the men held drafts of butterbeer or firewhiskey in hand. A completely sober young woman sat with a smirk on her lips, across from a _very_ drunk man, only a few years older than her. She had three shells in hand, and a pea sitting on the table. It was her signature name, a muggle game she learned in America, which often got wizards tripped up. She smiled as she showed the pea beneath the center shell. The man opposite her nodded. She showed that the two other shells were empty before placing them back down. "Follow the pea." She began to slowly mix the shells around, watching as he kept his eye on the shell that was supposed to have the pea beneath it. She stopped, setting the shells back out in a line and showed them off, as well as showing she had nothing in her hands. The drunkard reached forward, tapping the shell farthest to her right before sitting back, looking content with himself. The girl smiled before lifting the shell, which had no pea beneath it. She then grabbed the shell farthest to the left and took out the pea, reaching her hand across the table, ignoring the shouts from the men around them, and grabbed the pile of gold. The man stood up, disgruntled and a new man took his place, drunk and arrogant.

He threw six galleons onto the table, two more than the last man had. The woman nodded with a smirk, taking a swing of her own butterbeer that she hadnt touched since then, and placed the pea beneath the center shell. Repeating the process, the man tapped the center shell, only to find that he too had lost. The girls laugh echoed through the pub as she gained more and more gold with the simple game. The more the men drank, the more they became intent on beating the game, and the more money they placed on the table. The woman was making a small fortune off of their losses, and with each man, she became quicker and quicker when shuffling the shells. 'This is a game of hanky poo, there's two for me," she raised two shells that showed were empty, "and one for you." The center had the pea." She began to shuffle. "Hey diddle, diddle, its the one in the middle. Where is the pea now?" She relaxed, content with how she shuffled them and splayed them out on the table for her next victim, a burly man, who stood taller than all the rest. He had a thick accented lisp and dribbles of Butterbeer fell down this thick, curly beard. He lazily pointed to the far left. She smirked. "Its the one in the middle, remember." She raised the center pea with a smile, causing the man to laugh. He was the first man to laugh at his loss, and she couldnt help but laugh along with him.

The crowd of men were slowly dispersing, either to pass out into a corner or to leave pissed out of their minds. A few stayed around for that short game, but as soon as the man lost, they too left. The woman and the gigantic man were left alone, as she grabbed the two gold galleons and placed them into her small coin bag, that was practically overflowing. "Yer goo'." The man slurred, making it almost impossible to understand him with his thick lisp. The woman looked up with a smile, brushing back her thick, curly black hair from her heart shaped face. She was a small girl, possibly in her mid to late teens, her black hair forming tight ringlets that fell down her back, pooling near her butt on her chair. She had big, slate-grey eyes framed with thick eyelashes and a scar that cut through her left eyebrow, straight down and stopped just below her cheek bone. The man opposite her was watching her, trying to figure out where he had seen her before.

"Thank you." She merely said, standing up, grabbing her back that was hanging off the back of the chair, pressed up against the wall and hidden under her coat. She threw it over her shoulder, laying her coat over her arm and placed the money in her pocket. She nodded politely to the man, walking over to the bar and placing her half drunken draft on the counter, nodding to Tom, the bartender and leaving. She walked quietly through the almost deserted Diagon alley and turned a corner down Knockturn Alley, keeping to the shadows.

The alley wasnt a place she should really be, her wand was in her hand and she kept her eyes watching everything around her. She slipped past a doorway, turning into the smaller alley behind that store and dropped her coat into an alcove. It was small, where the bricks had pulled away from the building, but it kept her dry when it rained. She had placed a blanket on the ground and she sat down on it, pulling her bag around her and pulling out her coin purse. She dumped the money on the blanket and started sorting. _1, 2, 3, 4_ she pushed the galleons to the side on at a time, pushing Sickles and knuts away to count after. She smiled as she realized she had won 67 galleons, 23 sickles and 4 knuts. She had indeed earned a small fortune.

She stood up after she had placed the coins back in her purse and waved her wand, disillusioning her belongings and forming a wall over the alcove, before she headed back off to get some food. She walked stealthily through the alleys until she came to the center of the magical place, where all the alleys came together. As she headed back down Diagon Alley, a hand clasped onto her shoulder, pulling her to a stop and shoving her into a wall. Her money was ducked under her shirt and into the hem of her pants, not exactly comfortable, but hidden enough. "I want my money back, bitch." The girl was turned back around to see the man she first conned. He was tall, with scruffy brown hair and hadnt shaved in a while. _He hasnt showered in a while either_. She thought, making a face as she smelled him. She tilted her chin up and smirked.

"I won, fair and square. You lost." She told him. "Now, excuse me." She slipped under his arm, only to be forced back against the wall once again. She growled, baring her teeth towards the man, feeling her hair begin to bristle.

"Give me my money back." She pushed on his chest, pointing her wand under his chin.

"Listen to me, you sleazy bastard. You bet, you lost. Get over it." He opened his mouth to say something again, and she could feel the point of his wand in her stomach. She opened her mouth to utter a hex, when she stopped as someone came up to them.

"There you are, sweetheart!" She whipped her head towards the man who had placed a hand on her shoulder. He was a tall boy, with bright blonde hair that had that 'just woke up' look to it. He wore a black-on-black suit that made him look _damn fine_, and was glaring towards the man who had his wand pointed at her. "Is there a problem sir?" He asked. His voice was short and clipped. The man stuttered before he nodded and glared at the girl.

"This bitch stole my money!"

"I won it off you, you git!" She spat back, taking another step towards him. The hand on her shoulder tightened, but she ignored it. "Or would you like to play again? A different game?" She smirked, pulling a deck of cards from her pocket. The man paused.

"I think thats enough, dear." She ignored him, pulling out three aces and a red queen. She placed the rest in her pocket again.

"Isnt that s'posed ta be played wit 3 cards?" The man slurred, still drunk. She smirked. The man pulled out two galleons. "I win, I get my money back." She nodded.

"Sure, if we can play with four, we can play with three," she placed one of the aces in the hem of her jeans over her shirt, so it could be seen. "Just keep your eye on the little red queen." She showed the red queen with two black aces on either side. "Hey diddle diddle, its the one in the middle. Where is the lady now?" She asked after she had shuffled the cards. The man, suspecting the queen to be in the middle as she said, picked the center card, only to lose his other two galleons. Angry, the man threw the money at her, which she caught and stormed away back into Knockturn alley. She giggled, placing the cards and the money back into her pocket. She turned to go, forgetting about the other man, only to practically run into his chest. He smirked and crossed his arms. "I didnt need your help." She snapped, trying to get around him.

"I can see that. Where was the queen?" She smirked this time.

"Thats for me to know," She told him, stepping around him, "And you to never find out." The girl made a quick turn into the alley and left, slipping into a familiar store and waiting for the man to pass before letting out a breath. She smiled as she turned around in the wand shop, finding the familiar old man on his ladder, checking his wands. "Hello, Olivander." Olivander smiled at the voice.

"Ive been expecting you, Ms. Black." She smiled and rolled her eyes, walking around his counter and sitting on the desk with her feet on the chair.

"You always are." Olivander slipped down from where he was examining a wand on the top shelf and walked over to her, or rather, to her wand that lay on the desk beside her.

"How is your wand?" He asked, picking it up and examining it.

"Great. 9 inches, redwood, thestral hair." She told him. Olivander smiled as he looked it over, pleased. "I finished it a couple months back." He nodded. He placed the wand down again and took a seat on a spare chair close to him. He looked the girl over with a smile.

"You look well." She shrugged, "How are you, Mel?" Melanie Black shrugged again from her place on the counter and looked around at the store. She missed this. After she ran away from her foster home when she was 10, she came to work at Olivanders, saying that she lived in a foster home and needed a job. She became an apprentice and started to make her own wands as well. Only when Olivander learned that she ran away, did he tell her she couldnt work with him anymore incase she were to get caught. She then found her way to the streets, making a wand for herself in any spare time, while conning drunkards in pubs to get money. She was now 16, almost 17.

"Im fine, Oli. I just won a ton down at the Leaky Cauldron." She smirked, pulling out the coin purse which was bulging at the seams. Olivander gave her a small smile.

"I dont like that you are living on the streets, Melanie." She sighed and nodded.

"Not that much longer. I turn 17 in 3 months. I can get a house, some type of job. It might have to be muggle, but I can transfer money." She said. Olivander sighed. She looked down at her hands, knowing what he was thinking. "Im not going to school, Ollivander." The elderly man reached forward and took her hands in his.

"Melanie, listen, sweetie. I have friends of mine that are aurors, and they came here last week. I let your name slip by accident," Melanie snapped her head up, shocked and outraged. She could feel her hair begin to bristle again. She wasnt happy. "They can help you." Melanie stood up, causing Ollivander to lean backward out of her way. She grabbed her wand and her coins and walked around the counter. Her beautiful hair was now a frizzy mess and she wanted to change. She really did.

"You outed me? Ollivander, Ive been living on the streets for _six years_. Im fine! I dont need some auror to look after me!" Ollivander stood up and gently stepped towards her. "I dont need a bunch of people trying to baby me!"

"Shh, shh. Mel, Im doing it for your best interest." He tried to tell her.

"My best interest is none of your concern, Ollivander." She snapped. The man looked slightly taken aback for a second before his shoulders dropped and she watched disappointment wash across his face. She felt guilt wrap around her and she let out a deep sigh before walking forward and wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you for caring about me, Olli. But I can handle myself." She pulled back, stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before she left the wand shop.

* * *

Melanie Black walked quickly through the alleys, keeping to the shadows and keeping an extra watchful eye out. She would be wanted again, people knew about her. She had spent so much time getting off the grid, and now everything was ruined. She was angry, but she knew where Ollivander was coming from. He was all that she had, and the same with him, ever since his son moved out. He was the grandfather she never had, and she knew he just cared. She let out an exasperated sigh. Her back ached and she was tired. She hadn't slept in two days.

Going back to her alcove, she grabbed her belongings and shuffled her way back towards the Leaky Cauldron. She pushed her way into the pub and walked up to Tom, placing two galleons on the bar. "I need a room for the night." She told him. Melanie was a regular at the Leaky Cauldron, so Tom wasnt surprised when she requested a room. He handed her the normal key she was often given and she immediately turned on her heel and headed up the stairs to the first door on the right. She walked into the room, turning on the light and dumping her bags in the corner. She shut and locked the door behind her and walked over to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and sighed as she looked in the mirror.

Her hair had flattened out after she calmed down, and was back to its usual ringlets that were still a little oily, dirty and flat. She grimaced as she looked at herself, pale skin, an ugly scar, and she was extremely thin. She had muscle where she needed it, filling her out a bit more, but as she lifted her shirt, stripping herself down to her knickers, her ribs were clearly visible. She kicked her clothes to the side, an old, ratty t-shirt and a pair of over sized sweats she nicked off her last boyfriend. That one didnt last long. Really all she needed was some food and clothes, all of which she got from him before she left without a word. She kicked off her knickers and started the shower, grabbing a bar of soap and stepped in. She hadnt had a shower in a couple days and she relished in the feeling of getting all the dirt and grime off herself.

She ran the bar of soap through her hair, not caring about what it did to it, as long as it acted as a cleaning agent for it, and rinsed it out. She was glad that she learned a charm long ago that got rid of all the hair on her body, minus her head and eyebrows, _permanently_ and didnt have to bother with shaving. She turned off the shower again, stepping back out and wrapping a towel around herself before grabbing her clothes and turning the faucet on. She dumped the clothes in the sink, soaking them, before scrubbing them with the bar of soap. She put her elbow into it, taking a bit of her anger out in washing her clothes, not caring all that much if she did it thoroughly, as long as they were a little cleaner than before.

As she turned the faucet off again, she sighed, waving her wand with a flick for the clothes to magically dry, before dropping her towel and stepping into the clothes. With another flick, her hair was dry and in bouncy ringlets on her head once again. She turned away from the bathroom, walking into her bedroom and flicking off the light, placing her wand on the table, and tumbling into bed.


End file.
