Chapter Two

Olivia was not a morning person. She hardly wished that Hogwarts served coffee at the breakfast table, but she consoled herself with a glass of pumpkin juice instead. She yawned loudly and stretched her arms out widely as she saw the boys come into the great hall.

Harry smiled widely, and Ron grinned when they saw her. They quickly joined her with Harry sitting beside her and Ron taking a seat across from her. They piled food high onto their plates, and Olivia was glad to see that Harry ate heartily. She was worried he didn't get enough to eat where he lived before he came to Hogwarts.

"So how was your night?" She asked them both.

"Great! Its loads better in our room than where I slept at my aunt and uncle's," Harry replied. Ron's mouth was full of sausage, so he nodded in agreement.

"What do you think our first will be?" Olivia addressed this question more to Ron than Harry who knew so little about the wizarding world.

"I donno," Ron answered through a mouthful of half-chewed breakfast. He swallowed then spoke again, "Fred and George said it changes every year, so we won't know until we get our schedules which I prefer to get later rather than sooner."

"What are they going to be teaching us anyway?" Harry asked after politely swallowing his food first.

"The basics at first," Olivia answered tearing her toast into pieces before she attempt to eat it. "Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astrology…"

Harry got the idea that Olivia must really be looking forward to Astrology from the way her face went all dreamy looking, and she trailed off into silence. She began popping the pieces of her toast into her mouth, though, which Harry thought was the weirdest way he'd ever seen anyone eat toast. It wasn't like he'd seen a lot of people eat toast, but his aunt, uncle, and cousin certainly didn't eat toast like that.

"What does that mean? I have no clue what any of that is," Harry stated feeling a little panicked that he might be behind.

"Don't worry, Harry," Olivia said patting his arm gently. "You will. That's why they are teaching us. You're not behind, and you're not the first wizard to come through here who has lived with muggles. Plenty of muggle-born witches and wizards have come to Hogwarts, and they all graduated and so will you."

Harry did relax. Olivia seemed to have the uncanny ability to read Harry's thoughts and say exactly the right thing. He felt a bit better about his standing at the school. He felt so behind Ron and Olivia who had grown up around magic, but Olivia, at least, was quick to explain things and relieve his fears.

Soon Professor McGonagall came around with their schedule, and dealt out the three their schedules with only a slight interest into the famous new student who had been sorted into her house. She overlooked the other two students completely.

Olivia scanned over her schedule and groaned. It looked like they would be having several lessons with Slytherin, and she already could tell that she didn't like that lot. She found at the bottom of her schedule a strange class set for Friday afternoon. "Special Studies" it said right after lunch. She looked at Harry's schedule, and didn't see it on his. It wasn't on Ron's either.

"That's strange," Ron mused taking Olivia's schedule and looking at more closely. "Perhaps it's a mistake," he offered handing her back the piece of parchment.

Olivia agreed warily. She rose and approached Professor McGonagall hoping she could get this error corrected before her first class.

"Professor, I believe there's a mistake on my schedule," Olivia said handing over her schedule and pointing to the error. "This has me taking 'Special Studies' on Fridays."

"Well, if it's on your schedule, Miss Keats, then it is supposed to be there," she replied rolling up the parchment in one decided motion, handing it to Olivia, and sweeping off to deliver the rest of the schedules to her students.

"'Special Studies'? What on earth does that mean?" Olivia asked herself as she watched her head of house speak to some seventh years.

"It means one of two things," Ron announced sitting down beside Olivia on a couch near the fire of the Gryffindor common room. "Percy says it means that you are either really good in a subject or very, very bad and require special tutoring in either case."

"Well, that doesn't make any sense, does it?" Harry interjected. "I mean, it is our first day. How could anyone know whether you're any good or not before you've studied it?"

"That's what Percy said. He's never heard of a first year being given a 'SS' before."

"It could be in Potions," Harry offered hopefully. "You did know all the answers Snape asked me. I saw you right them down before he gave them out."

"I guess that makes sense," Olivia agreed. "Lena is a potion maker, and I've sort of been her apprentice my whole life."

Perhaps, Lena had informed the school what she knew, and they felt she needed to be given more tutoring outside of class to keep her from getting bored. Olivia could already tell that she would be bored in Potions even more than History of Magic, and that was saying something.

"There you have it, but I don't envy you the extra time with Professor Snape." Ron shuddered to illustrate his point.

"I know," Olivia nodded with a sour expression.

"Snape doesn't like me or my father that's for sure," Harry added. "I don't think he's one of the good guys."

"There is something definitely wrong about Professor Severus Snape."

Olivia checked her schedule one last time. She frowned when the room number on her parchment and the door matched. She was in a deserted portion of the school. It seemed as though there weren't any classrooms being used nearby. It was unnaturally silent.

Her first week at Hogwarts had been great. She had been prepared for the onslaught of homework, but Harry and Ron groaned louder and louder when they were assigned another essay. She had a feeling that this would be the pattern for the next seven years.

Her friendship with Ron and Harry was firmly established the three could not be seen separated more than a few moments. They took the opportunity to explore the school and ground in their free time together, and they all gathered in the common room to do homework or play exploding snap. It had been the best week of her life, and she was so excited to have the whole school year learning, and enjoying her new friends.

She put away her schedule and rolled back her shoulders and stood up straight. If she were to meet Professor Snape on the other side, she didn't want to appear as unsure about this class as she felt. She still had no idea what this was about, and she'd had no hint from any of the professors that would help her draw any conclusions.

The door moaned sharply as it swung open. The hinges needed oiling badly. Olivia saw furniture covered with old cloths and cobwebs in the corners of the room. It appeared this wasn't a regularly used classroom. Olivia stepped into the room, and no manner of preparation could have prepared her for what she met inside.

"Lena?" She gasped as her guardian stood from the only chair uncovered in the room. "What are you doing here?"

"I am your teacher."

"But you're not a professor here."

"No, I'm not. I only have one pupil, and she was almost late. I will not accept tardiness from you, Olivia, nor will I accept undue questions from you. Please, come in," Lena invited/ordered.

Olivia stepped further into the room. Lena waved her hand, and the door behind Olivia closed.

"How did—"

"No undue questions, Olivia," Lena interrupted. "Now, please, have a seat."

Lena folded herself onto the floor, and she had indicated that Olivia should join her on the floor facing her. Olivia hesitated but joined her guardian on the old stone floor quickly afraid of punishment.

"I would like to apologize to you, Olivia. I've been keeping a secret from you most of your life. I did this to protect you, but it still was wrong.

"You are special, Olivia, and you have been since the second you were born. You have a destiny, a fate that is both demanding and completely satisfying. I have kept this knowledge from you until now to both protect you from those who would destroy you for what you are and also from the weight of that fate, your destiny.

"You are still young, but the time for your training has come. You must begin to prepare for what lies ahead."

Olivia felt as though the room had shrunk magically in the time it took Lena to announce all of this. She still didn't understand what her fate was, but she comprehended enough to know that this was serious and very, very big. She was afraid what this would mean, and Lena's more than usual serious demeanor did nothing to alleviate these fears.

"I don't understand," she began after letting Lena's words sink in carefully. "What is 'my fate,' Lena? What is the big deal?"

"You are Amoverus," Lena answered as though that were explanation enough.

Olivia gave Lena a dumbfounded look. She refused to ask what that meant even though it meant nothing to her afraid that it would be considered an undue question. Olivia certainly began to understand that life just got a lot more complicated.

"You are a twin soul, half of another. It is your duty to be strong and wise to protect your other half."

"Harry," Olivia breathed understanding at one.

Lena nodded stiffly.

Olivia was beginning to understand. She had felt her search to fill the void was over when she'd found him on the train. She'd been drawn to him inexplicably. From the first moment, Olivia had been instantly comfortable with Harry and felt she could tell him anything. She felt that he also shared these feelings. She felt at home when she was around him. It was too much to know for certain what your feelings had already told you.

"In an ideal world, you would have been raised together. Both of you would have known your whole lives that the two of you belonged together, but after the Dark Lord killed his parents those plans had to be altered for the safety of you both.

"Harry would have been an even greater target had it been known that he had an Amoverus, and you would have been the highest priority among the Death Eaters who escaped punishment after Voldemort fell. To allow an Amoverus live, grow up, and become powerful enough to protect her partner would have been unthinkable.

"I have kept you safe and taught you everything I could without your knowing it to prepare you for this day when you would officially begin your training."

"Lena?" Olivia asked timidly. "Who are my parents?"

Olivia allowed herself the brief hope that Lena was really her mother after all. Even though Lena was not affectionate, Olivia knew that in her own way she cared for the girl.

"No," Lena shook her head. "I am not your mother, Olivia, and trust me when I say that you do not wish to know who your parents are. You must leave it at that. You were named, though, by Lily and James Potter when you and Harry were first introduced at a month old. They are your parents in many senses of the word, for they knew that you were their daughter as Harry was their son."

"So, I'm Harry's sister?" Olivia scrunched up her face in confusion.

"No. It's more complicated than that. It's not something I can explain. You will have to learn in time."

"Can I tell Harry about all of this?"

"For now, it is best if no one beside you and I know what you are and what we are doing here. It is a secret we must keep to protect him for now."

"He and Ron think I am receiving tutoring in Potions already."

"Good. We will keep it that way. Now," Lena said in a loud tone and straightening even more as she sat, "let's begin you training."

Olivia felt sick to her stomach as the tasks before her were laid out. Goals she cared nothing about were now set for her to achieve. The difference between her other classes and this was that in her classes only her grades were at stake. This training might be the difference in saving Harry's life one day.