Melie was franticly moving around her dorm room trying to pack her bags. She waited until the last minute like she always did and now was running around the room like a mad woman, Pipa and Gigi sitting on her bed and Marks' bed watching her with curiosity.
"Stop looking at me like that!" she growled at her pets while throwing an arm load of shoes into one of her hot pink suitcases. "It's not that bad really, I mean I could have just started," Melie said trying to rationalize herself to the animals. Why she had waited until the last minute to pack for her trip with Liam was really beyond her. They were going to visit his family in Ireland and Melie was trying to hide the fact at how nervous she was at meeting his family. His very large, and slightly dysfunctional family by the sounds of it. Melie threw the top of the suitcase containing all of her shoes closed and then opened another one, throwing in all of her clothes. In the stress of worrying about the trip, Melie didn't think to just magically enlarge one of the suitcases so she could stuff everything into one. Melie stood looking into her wardrobe to see what else she could bring with her when she caught of glimps of herself in the mirror. She was wearing a pair of old denim cut off short shorts, a white linen tank top and a long red scarf in her hair as a headband, her checks were flushed.
"Oh boy," Melie muttered to herself as she pushed a lock of hair out of her face, she threw in some more clothes and closed the top and tried to zip it shut but it wouldn't budge. She tugged at it again and still nothing.
"Come on!" Melie grumbled to herself before sitting on the suitcase and trying again, with little success. "You have got to be kidding me! I mean seriously. Move!" Melie growled at the zipper, as Pipa and Gigi went running out of the room.

Liam stood in his room, finishing up his packing. He had fished around his room for enough jeans and t-shirts, especially some of his favorite shirts, including the autographed Banshees shirt his dad had gotten for him. It was going to be nice to go home for some much-needed relaxation time, especially since this time Mel was coming with him to meet the family. He smiled at the thought of his rather large, and quite strange family and seeing them again. It was true what his father said of them: The McCallisters but the fun in dysfunctional. He could not wait for Melie to meet his parents. He knew they would love her, and he wanted her to meet his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents... everybody. He folded up the last of his clothes and zipped his magically-enhanced suitcase shut over everything that he was bringing with them. He cast about for his checkerboard high-top sneakers and lieutenant's cap and took up his suitcase, heading for Mel's room. He knocked on her door.

"Hey love, you ready yet?" he called through the door. "We're supposed to arrive via Floo Powder in twenty minutes!"

Melie was struggling with the zipper still as Liam knocked on the door. Crying out in frustration she stood up and kicked the suitcase with her bare foot, sending a shooting pain up her leg.
"Owwwww!" Melie cried out hopping around one foot while holding the other in her hand.
"Stupid suit case." she muttered as she hopped to the door and threw it open. "I'll be read just as soon as I get that-" her hand whipped around to point at her suitcase, "closed. It's not co operating, not one bit!" Melie said and stomped over to the suitcase, forgetting the sore toe and flopped back down on the suit case tugging at the zipper again.

Liam strode in, seeing Mel in a state of considerable anxiety about packing. He kneeled down with her next to the suitcase. After a moment's struggling with the zipper and pressing everything down so it would fit Liam managed to get it shut.

"Alright love, your suitcase is now cooperating. Now, let's head down to the Common Room, my parents are expecting us. And take a deep breath," he said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, "everything is all set now. We get a vacation and all is well." He headed towards the door where he had left his suitcase and picked it up, making his way downstairs. He was quite eager to go home, as much as he loved Hogwarts and all. Some things though even the school could not match, especially his grandmother's cooking.

Melie took a deep breath as instructed and let it out slowly. It didn't help, but she gave Liam a smile anyways. She was nervous, she wanted this meeting to go better than the one that Liam had had with her father, but really, anything would be better than that meeting.
After taking one last look around the room Melie petted Pipa and Gigi, praying that Mark would remember to feed her animals.
Melie lugged her bags down the stairs behind her and then set them upright next to the fire place. She ran her had through her long hair, trying to fix it slightly and then looked at Liam.
"Alright I guess this is it then..." Melie said with a small laugh.

Liam followed Mel down the stairs into the Common Room, his suitcase in hand and his backpack slung over one shoulder and stood before the fireplace. He pulled out a small velvet bag from his pocket and threw the emerald powder inside, turning the flames a similar shade of green. He looked at Mel, smiling as he heard what she said.

"You make it sound like some sort of death sentence love." He pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise, it'll go a lot better than you think it's going to. My parents are going to love you, I know it." He gestured towards the fireplace, offering her the first spot. "Just say James and Erin McAllister's House. That'll put you straight into my living room. I'll be right behind you."

Melie looked at the green flames and then back at Liam and then the flames again.
"What?! I'm going first?" Melie asked in shock. After a few seconds hesitation she took a step forward and said, "James and Erin McAllister's House."
A moment later the fire places stopped whirring past her and Melie cautiously stepped out of the fire place and into the large family room, looking at the expectant faces of a man and woman. Melie gave a shy smile and said, almost in a whisper, "Hi."

"Don't worry love, you'll be fine," he said encouragingly as she disappeared into the green flames. Following suit with the luggage he stepped into the fire and said clearly "Erin and James McCallister's home." He felt himself spinning rapidly through hearth after hearth and stepped out just as he saw one that looked quite familiar.

Liam stepped out into the family room of his home and saw Melie standing there looking across at two people that he had missed quite a bit at school. He stepped forward and was immediately engulfed in a hug by his mother.

"Liam! We're so glad that you decided to come home for a few days," she said, holding him at arm's length. She looked almost the same as when he left, shorter than he was, and thin, except her cropped hair, which had been black when he had left, was now a deep blood red. Her brilliant green eyes sparkled as she looked at her son, and Liam could feel the color rising to his cheeks. He turned to his father, who clapped him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Good to have ya home kid," he said. He still looked like a taller and older version of Liam except with a goatee and auburn hair. He saw his father look over at Mel. "So Liam, who is this charming young woman you've brought with you?" Liam turned to his girlfriend and gestured towards his parents.

"Mel, these are my parents, Erin and James. Mom and dad, this is my girlfriend Melie." He smiled at his girlfriend, seeing the approving looks she got from the two of them.

Melie breathed a sigh of relief when Liam showed up a moment after her. She watched as his mum and dad welcomed him home. She stood off to the side, timid, unsure of what to say.
"Hello," Melie said quietly when Liam introduced her to his parents. "Thank you for having me. You're home is lovely." She didn't know what else to say, she had never before met a boyfriends parents.

Liam noticed how quiet Mel was being and wondered at the change of personality. She was usually a talkative, extroverted sort, but here she was playing the wallflower. His mother apparently noticed as well as she stepped forward and wrapped his girlfriend in a hug as well.

"It's a pleasure to have you staying here Melie," she said, backed by an encouraging nod from James. "Liam's told us all about you in his letters so there's no need to be shy around us. You can call us Erin and James, or even Mum and Dad if you like." She chuckled, a pleasant and merry sound and released Mel. Liam stepped into the gap rather expertly.

"We're going to take the luggage upstairs Mum," he said, lifting both his and his girlfriend's bags and heading for the stairs. He heard his mother call out from behind him: "Lunch is going to be in a little bit hun, we're having Gram over, along with Erin and Aiden." Liam beckoned to Mel from the foot of the stairs and headed up to his room.

Melie gave a small laugh when Liam's mum joked about calling his parents mum and dad and she quickly followed Liam up the stairs as he carried her bags.
"I can't wait to meet your Gran," Melie said, "but who are Erin and Aiden?" Melie wasn't sure Liam had mentioned them before, but he had such a large family it was possible that he had and she just couldn't remember. "So what do you want to do until lunch then?"

Liam strode into his room, which was not unlike his room up in Gryffindor Tower, although with more Quidditch posters and a very large Irish flag super-imposed on the ceiling, not to mention an actual bed. He flopped himself down on the bed and stretched. He decided that a moment's break after carrying the luggage up to the third floor was justified.

"My Gran is definitely an interesting lady, I'll tell ya that. A lot like Mum actually, which fits because that's the side of the family she's on. And Erin and Aiden are two of my cousins, the two closest to me in age. They're home-schooled at the moment but my aunt and uncle are considering starting them as fourth-years at Hogwarts come next year. They're twins too. But for the moment, let's head outside and take a look at where yours truly comes from eh?" He bounced up off the bed and took her hand, making to go down the stairs, making a shooing motion at the luggage. "We'll deal with that after we eat," he said, and made his way down the two flights, Melie in tow. He was very proud to show her what he considered his little slice of paradise.

Melie thought she remembered Liam mentioning his cousins when he said they were twins but she still wasn't 100% sure. Quickly she followed him down the stairs and outside and Melie sucked in her breath when she looked around. Everything was so green and lush and beautiful.
"wow," she almost whispered. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the sweet air and let it out with a sigh. She looked at Liam and smiled.
"I know Hogwarts is a great place and all, but why would anyone want to leave here?"

Liam smiled at Melie's reaction to what she saw. He looked out over the green hills, the cliffs that overlooked the ocean, and the forest off to the right and could not help but grin.

"I guess the effect isn't quite as awe-inspiring if one has lived here for so long, but I can understand where you're coming from. As far as I'm concerned, this place is Heaven on Earth." He stood there for a while, hand in hand with Mel, until he heard a voice calling to them from the house.

"Lunch is ready you two!" he heard his mother yell, and he turned back towards the house.

"Come on Mel, time to meet more of the family," he said, heading back towards the stone-walled house.

Melie froze slightly when she heard Liam's mum call them in for lunch.
"Time to meet more family," Melie muttered to herself, nervous. She was excited to meet Liam's Grandmother, but a little scared for the cousins. She had heard that Erin was protective over Liam and Melie wanted them to like her.
Melie took a small step after Liam and then jogged to catch up to him, as the approached the house she saw a girl with long red hair in the window, who resembled Liam and the rest of his family. Melie pretended not to see her as she walked through the door.

Liam walked back into his parents' house and beckoned Mel toward the large, bright kitchen. Upon walking in he saw his family sitting around the table, chatting about Quidditch. His mother and father were there, along with three people that he was just as happy to see.

His grandmother was seated at the head of the table and beckoned him over as soon as she saw him. She looked like what one would consider the "average" grandmother, her face etched with age lines that, rather than taking away from her beauty of youth, enhanced it in a certain way. Her hair was gray but thick, falling down her back in a wave of silver. She kissed him on each cheek before letting him go, the same mischievous smile on her face that Liam so often wore himself.

Across the table, sitting next to each other, were two of Harry's favorite people in the whole world. His twin cousins, Aiden and Erin, looked very much alike, both having blond hair and almost identical freckles. Aiden smiled widely at him, as did Erin, but she returned to looking beadily at the doorway to the kitchen. Liam, sensing what was happening in Erin's mind, shot her a warning look. Erin had always been quite protective of Liam for reasons he himself did not understand, but he figured that she might have some issue with Melie.

"Alright everyone, take a seat," his mother said, bringing over a large dish full of shepherd's pie. Liam waited to sit though, waiting for Mel to come into the room.

Melie hesitated before entering the house again. She didn't know why she was so nervous to meet Liam's family, she was sure that they were all lovely people, and that they would love her, or so she secretly hoped. After the encounter that Liam had had with her father not too long ago, she knew that anything was possible. She had been certain that her dad would love Liam, although maybe not meeting him at the ministry when they were trying to break into gringotts, but that was beside the point, she really thought her dad would love him. So what if Liam was wrong about his family going to love her?

"You cannot be a chicken Melinda," Melie said firmly to herself and then took a deep breath and walked into the house. As she entered the kitchen the first person she saw was a blond girl staring at her, and looked like she was ready to pounce. Melie saw Liam shoot her a look and she froze a moment before walking over to Liam and sitting down. His mother served Melie a plate of Shepherds pie and under the table Melie took Liam's hand, slightly petrified, and trying to hide it. What have I gotten myself into? Melie wondered.

Liam could feel Mel's hand trembling slightly in his, and he figured that he knew what it was about. Erin was still watching her like a cat watches a bird just on the other side of a window. He refused to let his cousin, as much as he loved her, bully his girlfriend. He would make a point to talk to her about it later. For the moment he settled himself into introductions.

"Mel, these are my twin cousins, Erin and Aiden. You two, this is my girlfriend Melie."

Aiden smiled broadly at Mel. "Pleasure to meet you Melie. I see that my cousin's taste in girls is either better than I expected or he just got real lucky." Aiden chuckled at his own slight on Liam.

Erin too smiled at her, but the smile looked a little bit forced. "Pleasure to meet you Melie," she said, inclining her head slightly.

Liam, thinking that the introduction process had gone better than he expected, tucked into his mother's delicious shepherd's pie, but gave Mel an encouraging smile first. He could tell how worried she was about meeting his family but she didn't need to worry. The only one that he had worried about was Erin, and he was going to say something to back her off of Melie. All in all, the whole thing was going better than expected.

Melie gave a small laugh when Liam introduced her to Aiden, and she knew that she was going to like him. Erin however, seemed like she wanted to jump down her throat and interrogate her. She just gave Erin a small smile and tried to look happy when Liam gave her one of his irresistible grins.

Melie ate her meal in silence as everyone chatted around the table, and answered questions when asked of her. She was lost in her thoughts wondering why Erin didn't seem to like her. Everyone loved Melie, it was one of those things that she was terribly proud of, and having someone who she just met, not like her was completely foreign to her.

As the table was cleared after everyone was finished Melie stood up and took Liam by the hand.

"Let's go back outside," she said with a slight hint of whining in her voice as she tugged on his hand. "It's so pretty out there."

Liam finished up his meal with gusto, joining in the family conversation enthusiastically. They caught up on all the things that they had been up to, Liam filling them in on his adventures at Hogwarts while they told him all about the happenings in Horseleap with the family. He was an odd one in the fact that he never got tired about hearing of his family's doings. He was deeply loyal to his blood-relations in a way that many people in this day and age were not.

When lunch was over and his mother and Erin were gathering the dishes he felt Melie's hand in his and heard her request to go outside. He understood what was going through her head. She obviously had caught on to Erin's slight animosity towards her and he figured it was probably best to get away from his cousin for a little while. Get her used to the idea of having Melie around and all.

"Alright love, we'll take a walk down to the cliffs and maybe head down to the beach. Come on." He headed towards the door after telling his parents where they were off to, beckoning to Mel.

Liam had always been good at reading her and he knew that she wanted to get away from everyone, it was a touch overwhelming meeting a bunch of his family all in one sitting. And his cousin Erin didn't seem to be all that welcoming. Melie just needed to get some fresh air and a little space to think about it all. She was pretty sure that Erin was wary of her, why Melie had no idea, she had barely spoken two words to her. Oh well, she'll come around, Melie thought as she followed Liam out the door.

"wow," she said lowly again without realizing it. It really was a beautiful place. She quickly ran to catch up with Liam, who was a few yards a head of her and bounded to a stop next to him as she took his hand. "It's so pretty here, I can't wait to see everything else!"

Liam smiled inwardly. He knew that there was no place in the world he considered more beautiful than here. Add that to being with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen the landscapes seemed to be even more amazing than usual. The rolling hills covered in thick grass seemed to shine an even brighter green, and the sky had never looked so splendid. 'Wow,' he thought to himself, 'I really am caught; hook, line, and sinker.'

Taking Melie's hand he headed off over the the low hills, which probably count more as mounds than anything else, and led her towards his favorite spot in the whole village. They stood near the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The coastline here had a certain tumbled look about it, as though portions of the island had simply tumbled into the sea, creating fantastic rock formations that rose out of the waves. He took in the sight of the natural wonders, the fresh smell of the sea air, the sound of the waves pounding the cliffs below. He felt completely refreshed, in a way that rest or food or anything else could not provide him.

He turned to Melie, motioning towards a section of cliff that had been carved out by his family generations ago. They had dug out part of the cliff-face to create a kind of switch back path that led to a sheltered cove at the bottom.

"Come on Mel, I want to show you my own little get-away. And I promise, the path is safe. Even for someone who trips over tree roots." He chuckled and kissed her gently before heading down the first section of the path.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Melie said dryly as she bounded after Liam as he lead the way. Melie just looked around at everything as they walked. She lived in the country herself, on a farm, but nothing was like Ireland. It was so green and lush and rolly. Silent was not normal for Melie, usually she was a giant chatterbox; today was probablly the quietest Liam had ever seen him.

Knowing him, and how he worried when she was acting out of character Melie grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop. "Thank you!" She blurted out, her cheeks turning red. "Sorry...I just...I just wanted to say that for bringing me here, its so lovely. And things have been weird lately...My fault I know, and I'm glad things are getting back to the way they were. And yea..." She trailed off the last sentence and stood there for a moment, embarrassed. Still holding Liams hand, Melie turned to face back down the path, wanting to change the subject. "So where are we going again?"

Liam grinned at Melie, who seemed to have caught on to his little joke at her expense.

He was taken slightly aback by her stopping him and stumbling through thanking him for bringing her out here on vacation, but he decided not to push the subject as a topic of conversation. He knew that she would tell him if there was something really wrong. He knew that he worried about her a little too much sometimes, and now was as good a time as any to start working on it.

'Nothing you need to thank me for love," he said, smiling. "This is a place that I love, and I want to share it with someone I love. Meaning you, of course." He chuckled softly. "And being weird lately isn't your fault. It's been something of an awkward situation. But you're right about things going back to the way they were. So let's just try to enjoy the day huh?" He noticed the awkward change of subject, but let that pass too.

"It's my favorite place in the whole world, besides anywhere where I'm with you," he said, smiling at her. She usually enjoyed his little hopelessly romantic moments. "It's a little cove at the base of the cliffs where I go to go swimming, or just sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Would you care to join me?" He took her hand and gestured down the path. "Whaddaya say love?"

"Swimming in a secluded cove? Just you and me?" Melie said mischievously a smile on her face. "I'm gonna have to say yes." She picked up the pace and followed the path, dragging Liam behind her. She didn't know where she was going, but Melie had a feeling that Liam would stop her if she was going to the wrong way. She could see a small beach up a head and quickened her pace and soon she was stepping onto the sand and looking out at the water. It looked a little cold but that didn't matter. She had Liam to keep her warm afterwards.