TORN apart

Gleaming sunlight shone brightly in Olivia's eyes as she gazed unattentively out of the window. A warm afternoon spring day awaited her outside, and yet she was stuck in Charms.

"To perform this charm, you must first recite -..."

Days always seemed to drag like this. One class after another, a seemingly never ending cycle that had ceased to be exciting since the Triwizard Tournament.

Of course, there were always feasts, and friends, and quidditch matches to keep the students at Hogwarts entertained. But what were they to do during boring class sessions like this one?

This same thought bore into her mind every single day for the past 7 years of her life. Approaching graduation, Olivia's mind was completely elsewhere from her studies.

A top class student, she had little to worry about when it came to passing wizarding tests or Hogwarts exams. She'd always done well in everything she did academically, and nothing had ever swayed her otherwise.

"Miss Freeman, do you know the answer?"

Olivia felt a shock hit her as she came back from her daydream. "Um...I'm sorry, but could you repeat the question?"

"Nevermind...ah, Miss Granger, you know the answer, yes?"

Of course, Olivia thought. Miss perfect Hermione. Not that she had anything against her own friend, just the thought of being overexcelled by someone who only focused on studies bothered her to a great deal. Hermione never lived, she only read.

Aside from being friends with Hermione, Olivia had gotten to know her other fellow gryffindor students well. This included the infamous Harry Potter. Olivia had, and he had even confirmed this, been one of the few people in Harry's life to not gawk at his scar.

She had also been one of the few people to treat him normally, as though he was equal. Not lower, and not higher, but equal. That was something greatly desired when you were as famous as Harry.

Perhaps the reason Olivia was so close to Harry was that they shared a common bond. They both had never known their parents. A small difference, of course, given to the fact that at least Harry knew WHO his parents were.

Olivia knew nothing of hers. The only shred of evidence she had of a family, she thought somewhat irritably as she fingered the tiny slip of paper in her pocket, was half of a picture of a man she could only assume was her father.

She had found the picture, or what was left of it anyway, in the pocket of her dress she wore the last night she ever saw her parents. She was 15 months old.

Olivia could only assume that the picture had ended up in her pocket because her own father had planted it there, just in case something were to happen to him. Olivia had grown to love the man in the picture, never knowing but always wondering what his name was.

A loud bell rung through the air and startled her. She always hated the bells. A world run by bells was a prison.

Olivia picked up her bag and stuffed her charms book inside, throwing it over her shoulder and heading towards the door.

"Olivia!" a voice called from behind her. She knew exactly who it was without even having to turn around.

"Hey Harry." she smiled as Harry walked towards her, books in his arms and Ron and Hermione at his side.

She had always felt like kind of an extra wheel when she was around the trio, but nonetheless she was happy enough to have them as friends.

The four of them walked quickly down towards the Great Hall for lunch. Though being pushed and shoved by relentless students of various years, the Great Hall eventually came into view and they walked in and took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Hmmph..." Ron said, looking as if he had just smelled something rotten. "Here comes Draco and his 'group'."

Sure enough, Draco had just entered the Great Hall, looking rather pleased with himself as usual. Behind him skulked his various trophy friends, each of them more menacing then the last.

At the head of the group walked Tobias Young, a 7th year Slytherin who acted, or so everyone presumed, as Draco's best friend. While Draco was busy sneering at the Gryffindor table, Tobias acted as if it didn't exist.

This kind of on purpose ignorance was worse than Malfoy's glares.

Olivia shifted her gaze to Tobias, who sat busily cutting up a large slice of red steak. How gross...she thought, looking down at her completely vegetarian lunch of veggies and fruit.

Tobias' light brown hair and structured face made him look a lot more like a fancy game show host than a student. Maybe a model, Olivia thought again, now seeing his light hazel eyes as he looked at her.

She felt a jolt of fear in her stomach and shifted her gaze, not wanting to look at him anymore. I don't need to get hurt today, she thought as she nervously pictured Crabbe and Goyle descending on her at probably a rather slow speed, but dangerous nonetheless.

Her thoughts quickly shifted back to the picture in her pocket. How she so wished she could look at it now, but she never took it out in public. She had actually never shown anyone it before. Not even Harry.

She ran her fingers anxiously through her long dark brown hair and tried to concentrate on something different for a change. Shutting her pale blue eyes, she pictured different things in her head.

Hogsmeade weekend...quidditch match this afternoon...divinations homework.... Nope. Nothing worked. Instead now she was fretting about her homework, worried that she had to finish it.

She had always been an on time kind of person, but her punctuality had failed her these past few days. She had been putting off homework and slacking on studying, which was completely unlike her.

A feeling of dread had been building in her stomach that past week, and it had caused her to be distracted. That feeling erupted in her like ammo and she couldn't help but feel that something bad was in the air.

For the rest of lunch, Olivia remained virtually unattached, picking carelessly at her food and constantly moving. Something was in the air. She didn't know what it was but it was bothering her.

~*~

The library sat virtually empty except for the two older girls sitting at one of the wooden tables. Sunlight poured in through slightly open windows and the usually musty smell of the library was replaced with a renewed spring scent.

"Olivia?"

Olivia looked up from her work, which now that she looked back down at it had been a bunch of doodles.

"Ah...yea?" she said, turning to look at Hermione.

"Are you okay? You've been kind of distant lately..." Hermione said, concern in her voice.

"Yea..I'm fine, I've just been feeling kind of sick...it's nothing big."

"Do you want to go to the hospital wing? Maybe Madam Pomphrey has a-"

"No no, I'm fine," Olivia interrupted, turning back to her work and crumpling up the piece of parchment she had been doodling on. "I've just been distracted."

A light breeze blew in through the slightly open window and fell right upon Olivia's face. It felt so cool and relaxing, and she felt herself standing up and heading to the window.

It was like the wind called to her, and on it she thought she could almost hear a voice...

"Out of the way, Granger, we need to use this table." A drawling voice said from behind her.

"Why can't you use one of the many other identical AVAILABLE tables over there?" she heard Hermione snap.

"Because we don't want to, now MOVE."

Olivia would normally have let this fight go on, only to follow Hermione to another table or out of the library completely. But something about the wind or the mood or maybe the setting seemed to drive courage into her heart.

"No Malfoy. We were here first, now if you have a problem with it in that dipsh!t little head of yours then you can see me."

She saw Draco's surprised look and was slightly amused because it didn't suit him. His cold features didn't fit well with shock. She looked behind him and saw only one other person with him, Tobias.

Feeling less afraid now then ever, she looked Draco hard in the eyes, seemingly threatening him to make a move.

He must have decided that fighting it out with a girl wasn't worth it, because he nodded to Tobias and they skulked out of the library. Tobias turned and looked at Olivia as they left, looking her up and down, memorizing her features.

She didn't know the real reason he was doing it, but kept staring hard all the same. If they wanted a fight, she'd be ready.

"Woah...okay something IS wrong..." she heard Hermione say abruptly, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Nothing's wrong... I just didn't want to listen to Malfoy's crap, that's all." Olivia said, sitting back down at the table and opening her potions book.

She heard Hermione tut and sigh and delve herself into her Arithmacy book. "Well you showed him." she heard Hermione say after a long pause.

Olivia couldn't help but smile and look at her friend, who was smiling back at her.

~*~