Although Oliver had hoped that news wouldn't get out about him having to go to some Muggle family for the Easter break so that he would at least study for his NEWTs, Lori made it a well-known fact all around the school. He definitely hated her for that, and he hoped dearly that her family wasn't as attention seeking as she was – Merlin, this was horrible enough already. Wherever he went, he was followed by looks and rumours – some people even seemed to think Lori was his girlfriend. Well, he made sure quickly enough that they knew that was not true.
That, in turn, aggravated Lori, since she hoped that Fred would notice her by taking Oliver along for the Easter break. Oliver could already tell that this was going to be the worst Easter he had ever had. He already disliked the girl whom he was staying with, he couldn't play any Quidditch, and he would probably be bored to death by the end of the holiday.
"Is she always like that?" he asked Katie one day in the common room. It was the night before the break started, and he figured that Katie, of all people, should know more about Lori. They were friends, after all.
Looking slightly flustered for some reason, Katie glanced up at him. "Yeah, Lori's usually this enthusiastic and eager to get what she wants. It's pretty great, I think."
Oliver huffed. "Great? Annoying, that's what it is."
"She means well," Katie replied feebly, but Oliver shook his head resolutely.
"I bet she does. She's trying to ruin my life, by the looks of it. And all that for a boy? Why can't she just tell him if she likes him that much?"
"Well…," Katie started, looking at the floor again. "I – I…"
At that moment, Fred walked by, and Oliver decided to just put an end to this. Perhaps he could just stay here, and Fred could go with Lori. Perfect solution, right?
"Hey, Fred," he started, "listen. Do you – "
"No!" Katie exclaimed, her eyes wide. "No, Fred, nothing. Just – nothing's wrong. Ignore him." When Fred walked away, shooting a suspicious glance at them over his shoulder, she hissed at Oliver, "What are you doing? You can't just tell him that!"
"Why not?" Oliver asked. He didn't see a problem. Except for his own one right now, of course.
"You just can't!" Katie cried out. "I mean – no. Wait till she hears. She'll kill you!"
Oliver shrugged. "Can't be worse than spending Easter at her house."
"Her parents are nice people," Katie told him, but before Oliver could retort, Lori seemed to have arrived.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, and Katie shook her head.
"I'll tell you later," she replied softly, and Oliver walked away. He wasn't really in the mood for girl talk. He never was, but tonight especially.
**O**
The next day, he preferred to stay out of Lori's way as well as he could. Just like he had the few previous days. So needless to say, he was far from amused when he sat down in the Hogwarts Express, and before the train even left the station, the door slid open and Lori walked in, followed by a boy who must've been in his first year or something.
"Don't you think we'll see enough of each other these upcoming days?" he asked her, frowning as she took a seat and the boy sat down next to her. "Can't you at least leave me alone now?"
"We're here to discuss a few simple things with you," Lori informed him. "First of all, this is Steven, my younger brother. He's a first year, also a Gryffindor, and a big fan of yours."
Oliver didn't even attempt to hide a groan, and he closed his eyes. He hadn't thought that it could get any worse, but apparently, it could. A younger brother, an eleven-year-old who idolised him? Awesome.
"See?" Lori was now telling the boy. "He's not that exciting. He's very annoying, and he already hates us because he'd rather stay at Hogwarts during the break and fail all his exams."
"Hey!" Oliver cried out indignantly. "I was not going to fail all my exams if I had stayed at Hogwarts!"
Lori waved his argument away, and continued. "Now, our parents will love you. They adore everything that has to do with magic, and since you're officially of age in the wizarding world, you can perform magic out of school. Just wave your wand a couple of times and you'll be freed from doing chores. Or better, do the chores by magic and save us from them as well."
Oliver briefly considered telling them that he had left his wand behind, but they would never believe that. A wizard was nowhere without his wand (and, in Oliver's case, his broom and Quidditch).
"Just watch out for Michelle," Steven warned him, speaking up for the first time. Oliver raised an eyebrow at the younger boy.
"Michelle?" he asked inquisitively.
"Our older sister," Lori said, pulling a face. "She's awful. She hates everything that has to do with magic. She'll hate you, I reckon. Just because you're magical? Yes. That's the way she is."
"So don't perform any magic when she's around," Steven warned him, but Lori grinned maniacally.
"No, do perform magic when she's around. You'll freak her out. You'll turn her into a right mess. She deserves it."
"How can someone hate magic?" Oliver wondered aloud. "That sounds almost impossible."
"Well, she does," Lori reaffirmed. "But she's just jealous that we're magical and she's not."
"Anyway, she's probably studying for her own tests too," Steven suddenly said, casting a sideways glance at Lori. "Won't she?"
"Oh, yeah," Lori replied, nodding. "She will. So you might be lucky – she often goes to the library to study."
Oliver nodded, making a mental note to avoid the older sister. He also made a mental note to not believe everything they told him, though – after all, he couldn't think of a single person who hated magic. He would have to find a way to stick to both memos at once, then.
"Is that it?" he asked the two siblings. "If so, I'd like some peace and quiet before we arrive in London."
"We'll be silent," Lori assured him hastily. "We promise."
"Get out," he told them, and he could swear Steven yelped a little. They scrambled up from their seats and shuffled out, but not before casting another glance over their shoulders. Oliver decided to ignore that – if he was going to acknowledge them now, they might come back. And he did not want that.
A few seconds after leaving, Lori stuck her head around the door again. "I'm also still mad at you for almost telling Fred that," she told him, and Oliver shrugged. He didn't care.
"It's not as if I like you all that much, so feel free to be mad at me as much as you want," he told her, glancing out of the window. With a huff, Lori left, slamming the door behind her.
**O**
Late in the afternoon, when the train finally arrived in London, Oliver wasn't exactly in a hurry to get off the train. Lori tapping her foot impatiently was the first thing he noticed when he stepped out, and it amused him greatly.
"Did you have to take so long?" she hissed venomously. Then, in a more normal tone, she introduced him to her parents. "Mum, dad, this is Oliver. He's coming over to study."
As they shook hands, her father commented with a suspicious glance, "Yes, we'll make sure of that. We'll make sure that he'll study."
Oliver briefly wondered if maybe, Lori's father thought that he was actually there for Lori; oh, he was very mistaken if he really thought that. Muttering a greeting to her mother, he shook her hand as well.
"It's nice to meet you, Oliver," she said, smiling. It was only too bad that Oliver couldn't say the same thing.
"We thought we'd get some Chinese on our way home," Mr Roberts told his kids as they walked out of the station. "You like that, don't you?"
It appeared that they did, for both Steven and Lori did some sort of weird happy dance. Oliver stifled a groan. For once, he didn't care if he ate or not. He just wanted to get away from these people already.
"Have you ever been in a car?" Mrs Roberts asked him with great interest. "Or is that a Muggle thing?"
"It's a Muggle thing," he replied curtly, "but I've heard of them."
"It's completely different from a broom," Lori shouted over her shoulder, and Oliver rolled his eyes. Yes, he'd got that far. He might be here because McGonagall thought he wouldn't pass his NEWTs if he didn't, but he wasn't that much of an idiot.
"That must be very uncomfortable," Mrs Roberts said, trying very hard to engage him in some sort of conversation. Oliver shrugged.
"You get used to it," he responded. "The brooms we use for flying aren't the same brooms you use for cleaning. They're made by broom companies who make sure to make them as comfortable as possible."
"Of course," Mrs Roberts said, and she fell silent, probably admitting defeat.
"But what about Michelle?" Steven asked his father. "Doesn't she need to eat?"
"She's at a friend's," his mother informed him. "She could have dinner there, she assured us."
"Good," Lori muttered darkly. By now, they had arrived at the car, and Oliver stared for a moment. Sure, he might've heard of those things, but he had never really seen one, let alone been in one. This would be an experience he'd never forget. Which was a pity, as he planned on forgetting about this Easter break as quickly as he could.
Surprised though he was, he managed to keep his cool, and he just stared right ahead, trying not to wince at the noise the car (and its occupants) made. The fact that the streets of London were incredibly busy at this time didn't help his slight fear of crashing here or there.
During dinner, he mostly listened as the family exchanged their stories about what had happened between Christmas and now. They made it sound like many things had happened, but Oliver doubted that that was true. They probably wouldn't have any stories left to tell each other during the rest of the break. Either way, he still felt like an intruder – wouldn't it have been a better idea to drop him off first? They probably didn't trust him enough for that though, and he could see their point. He was just a stranger to them, and who would let a stranger loose in their house? He was sure he would've given the older sister quite a scare if she came home earlier than her parents.
After Mr Roberts had paid the bill, they all got into the car again, and fortunately, the road wasn't as busy anymore. The fact that they were no longer in London could also have to do with that.
In the middle of a very normal and boring looking area, they stopped all of a sudden. Oliver looked out of the window, seeing nothing but boredom looming in front of him. This was going to be just fantastic.
A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! :( Hopefully you still enjoyed the chapter! If you have anything to say or ask about the chapter/story/..., please leave me a review! :)
