Chris smiled when he saw Melinda blush. But smiled even wider when he heard that whisper. He then held her hand. And sighed. He had also just noticed the time it was late, and he better get home soon. But that also meant there would most likely be tears, and of course Chris knew he would probably have to end it with Mel. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about that

Melinda sat there and was about to speak to both Chris and Karma when she heard the phone bell. It was her grandmother, as she could read in her foster mother's mind. She let out a big sigh and tried to smile as long that phone call would last. Then, Jade stepped in and looked at the three with a frown on her face.

"Hello, guys...I will steal you Mel for a minute..." She said, trying to smile. She gestured Melinda to follow, an order that she obeyed at the second. She stood up and when both were in private at the kitchen, she spoke. "It was Mirelda, she said she will be here first thing tomorrow in the morning..." She told her with a frown. Then she hugged her tight. She was going to miss her a lot.

Melinda heard Jade and let out a big sigh. She was going to go pack her last things at that moment and that meant saying goobye to her friends. "Alright..." She only said that and hugged her back. Then, she went back to the living room, with half a smile on her face.

Chris saw Jade take Mel out of the room. He gupled he looked at his watch. It was late he was heading back home soon.

He saw Melinda come back in the room. He sighed he had to do it now. Chris stood up. "Mel can we go talk somewhere alone?" He asked and gupled again.

Melinda heard Chris asking her to talk somewhere alone. She nodded her head and tried to smile. It was time to break up...

"Karma...I need to talk to Chris for a second...wait here, please..." She said it with a look in his face that hopefully Karma would understand her.

She took Chris's hand to go to the library downstairs. When they arrived to the room, she turned to see him face to face and took the other hand.

Chris followed Melinda into the library. He also took her other hand.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you remember us talking this term about us breaking up when you left?" He asked opening his eyes again to look at her. "Well I think we should probably stop seeing each other." Chris said the last part in a soft voice and gulped.

Melinda could only nod when he heard Chris talking about all those arrangements made during that last term together. She was breathless at that moment, she wanted to cry, but she knew it was going to be such a drama scene.

Once again, she looked at him and the eyes and listened to him say that sentece, the break up sentence. No way that was not going to make her cry. Tears fell down her cheeks as she nodded and let go of Chris's hands to clean them all up. She let out a big sigh and looked away. "I know...and...again, I'm so sorry all this is happening...I love you and I will miss you a lot..." She told him, still trying to speak through the tears.

With a sudden momvement, Melinda looked back at Chris and took his chin with both her hands, and slowly picked up her feet to reach his lips and kiss him, gently as it could it be, feeling the tears still running through her cheeks.

Chris watched Melinda start to cry. "Mel no don't be sorry. You didn't know that you would have to leave early." He told her. "I love you too and I will also miss you a lot." He said and watched her still crying. He turned away he didn't want to see her like this.

But then she took his chin into her hands and kissed him. He kissed Melinda back for awhile. But pulled back. And saw her still crying. He wiped her tears away. "I love you Melinda." He told her again.

Melinda tried not to cry after that kiss. It relieved her to listen to Chris say that he still loved her, after so much confussion in their relationship. She sniffed for a while and then tried to smile. "I love you...so much..." Mel said in a whisper then hurried to hug him.

"And...does it stand that we will write to each other even though this is happening?" She asked, with what she could feel was sort of a laugh. "Because I don't want to miss any Hogwarts' year...even though it will be just one that I miss this time..." She told him.

Chris smiled well half smiled when she said she loved him. Then he hugged her back. "You know you are the first girl I've ever loved." He told Melinda.

"Yeah of course I will still write to you." He said smiling and keep hugging Melinda. "That is if you write back to me." Chris said.

Those words meant for Melinda a lot, yet they were going to be left in her memory, just because that was the breakup scene. "And...you are the first person I really ever loved..." She told him with half her smile on her face.

"Oh...don't doubt...I have to write to a thousand people around Hogwarts...and the world..." She said with a giggle.

Chris couldn't help but smile at those words.

"Alright. But remember I won't be able to answer right away, OWL year." He told Melinda. And pulled back from the hugged and sighed.

Melinda remembered that Chris was now a Fifth Year. "You are growing up too fast..." She said with a giggle. "And...that's good..." She mentioned giving him a smile.

Then, a call came from Jade. "Mels...!!" She screamed. "I am waiting to finish packing up..." She said. Sure she was going to miss her daughter, the chance to protect someone who was her best friend's daughter.

Melinda heard the call and frowned, making a shrug while she looked at Chris. "Have fun...study and make your parents and me really proud..." She told him, picking up her feet once more to give him a kiss on his lips. Then, she pulled out, and gave him that smile he always said he loved.

Now it was time to say goodbye to Karma. Mel let out a long sigh and took Chris's hand to lead him back to the living room. Once there, she let his hand go and smiled at him, then turned to Karma opening her arms wide enough for a hug.

"Yeah I'm not the little second year anymore." Chris said and chuckled.

Chris also heard Jade call Melinda. "Oh yeah fun studying." He said and smiled. "I promise I will." He told her. Then he kissed her back. But once she pulled back and he saw that smile he couldn't help but also smile.

Chris followed her into the living room. He looked at his watch. It was late and he had to leave. "Mel it's late I have to get going." He told her.

Melinda's smile turned into a frown when she heard him say it was time to leave. Well, that was destined to not last long enough...or was it?

"Ok..." She said, turning to Chris and taking his hand. "Goodbye..." She told him and hurried a hug, pulling apart in less than ten seconds. She was gulping her own tears, no way she was going to cry again.

Chris also took her hands. "Bye." He told Melinda. But then she hugged him. Before she could pull apart he whispered into her ear. "I love you." He said. Then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun." He said and smiled.

But then turned and walked out of the room to the front door. Once outside he headed down the street, with out looking back.

ooc. I'm so sorry I haven't replied. I have been in a little mood of nostalgia...

Melinda could only smile and maybe let some of her tears fall when she heard that last I love you from Chris. She loved him so much, but she knew if that was true, she needed to stay away. "I love you too..." She finally said and walked away from the hug, giving him a...well, sort of a wide smile, those that were only possible after kisses.

Watching him walking away made Melinda's heart so...empty. He was the love of her life and no one was going to occupy that part of her life as Chris had done.

The next morning...

After saying goodbye to her friends and her now...ex-boyfriend, Melinda went back upstairs to finish packing her luggage and personal belongings inside boxes. She could see though each thing a memory, a nice little moment on which she laughed, cried or just felt secure around the people she loved the most. But all that was to be over, because in less than two hours, she would be in a train from London to Paris, then a bus to Marseilles.

Taking deep breaths to avoid the tears of pain, Melinda walked downstairs, her things all packed and safe. Jade was there and she seemed to also hate the fact about leaving the place. She was also going to be outside, searching for that man who has tried to kidnap Mel, just for his own good.

"Got everything ready?" Jade asked, taking a deep sigh and opening her arms for a hug to Melinda.

Melinda just nodded. She felt a big bump in her throat about leaving the Black Manor, leaving Chris, Karma, Jade...who has protected her since she had memory about life. She walked to hug her and closed her eyes. That's when tears fell down her cheeks.

"Take care...and be careful..." Jade suggested Melinda, walking apart from the hug and looking her at the eyes. "And...be careful at who you write...you know he might intercept it..." She mentioned.

It made Melinda feel nauseous. She had promised so many people to write to, but at least she had a weapon, prudency. "Ok...you also take care..." She quickly said as she wiped her tears off.

Mirelda Jacques, Melinda's grandmother and and excentric woman walked inside the Black Manor, no knocking no warning. She looked at Melinda and Jade, disgusted in thought, yet very hipocrite with her smile when she saw them. "Melinda...it's time to leave..." She told the girl, pointing at the entrance and across the garden. There stood still a black Volvo, with an old man as a driver.

Melinda nodded at her grandmother and quickly hugged Jade. She took her bag and the boxes and walked towards the car, the driver helped her put the boxes inside the case and opened the left door for Melinda to enter. Before doing so, she looked at Jade and her grandmother and waved at the only mother she can ever trust after so much time.

Mirelda looked at Jade and viceversa. "There has to be another way..." Jade quickly said, "She's leaving everything here...her family, her boyfriend, her friends..." Jade told Mirelda with desperation.

"There is not another way. You and my silly daughter started all this...now accept the consequences...Melinda will live with me from now on until she decides to have a normal life...away from all that magic...away from that past you and Adrianne made her go through..." Mirelda said, angry as a bear can be when it's protecting the babies. "I must go...and you will have Melinda by this Christmas, don't worry...she just has to know the whole truth...by that time..." She warned Jade, walking out of the manor and giving Jade that victorious smile.

And with this...I say goodbye to the Black Manor, yet not to Melinda nor Jade, and not even to Mirelda, since she's always going to be there, interfering with Mel's life and future.

Thank you very much...and...see you around.