Hello all! It's been a while since I left you one of these! I just wanted to say that I am sorry for the confusion of who's child is who and who's related to whom. I will be drawing up a list, or a chapter or something, explaining the bizarre family tree clearly. I'm sorry I haven't replied to some of your reviews in a while, I've been tres busy. But now that it's the Easter holidays (yay!) you have nothing but my endless time and my undivided attention for the next three weeks!
By the way, I know that the new generation of Hogwarts are growing up rather quickly. Don't worry, I still remember that they are eleven and twelve year olds. But unfortunately, that kind of stuff still happens at that age!
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Love2Love for predicting just how Max Bailey would act in the end! Enjoy! Please R&R!
Love,
HL.
xxxxx
"I did tell you, Olive!"
"I know! I know you did!" Olive and Poppy sat in the Gryffindor common room at the end of the day, discussing what had happened. They were on the sofa and Olive was resting her head on Poppy's shoulder, sucking her thumb, and Poppy had her arm wrapped around her in comfort.
"Are you happy now, Poppy? You were right, and I was wrong. You win, OK?"
"Of course I'm not happy Olive," Poppy sighed. She kissed her forehead motherly. "You're upset and hurt. How could I possibly be happy? And the worst part is that you and Max were never involved, so I can't really kick his-"
The portrait hole opened with a bang as James strode in.
"I am going to kill Max!" he insisted, violently.
"Finally," Poppy sighed, exasperatingly. "I was wondering when you would show up and do your bit. You have to punch Max for me."
"Believe me I will!" James agreed. "I told him just the other night that I would kill him if he hurt Olive! He's such an idiot!"
"Guys," Olive muttered. "Calm down, it's really not a big deal. He hasn't done anything wrong."
"Olive, he led you on!" Poppy said, indigantly.
"Poppy, you're just out to get him," Olive pointed out. She turned to James. "And you're just...weird," she added.
"Olive, I'm not going to shout at him," James assured her, calming down a little. "I'm just going to talk to him. Just to ask why he did it. I mean, aren't you worrying about why he did it?"
"Kind of," Olive said, finally. "I mean, I did think he liked me."
"So did I," James said.
"Where is he anyway, James?" Poppy asked.
"He's coming in a minute," James answered.
"Oh OK then," Olive said, getting up abruptly. "In that case I'm going to go."
"Olive!" James and Poppy exclaimed, simultaneously.
"What? I don't want to be here when he comes! Anyway, I have to go and meet Hazel by the Lake." This was of course a lie, but nevertheless, Olive sprang out the door before her sister could notice her flushed cheeks.
She didn't actually need to meet Hazel by the Lake, but she would be there anyway. Sketching, as usual. For some reason, Olive found herself running there. She didn't know why, she just started sprinting. She ran for a few minutes, and then she stopped as she had a stitch. She rested by a windowsill, panting for dear life, and bending down to touch her toes too take care of her stitch. She heard a shrill, laughing voice.
It's better not be Katie, she thought to herself. That is the last person I can tolerate right now. But, Olive realized as the source of the laugh walked down the corridor, it was even worse than Katie Wilson, if that were even possible. Of course, it was Angelina Watson.
Great, she thought. She was coming down the corridor hand in hand with Max. Olive couldn't bear to watch. Thank goodness she wasn't out of breath anymore. Thinking quickly, she took off her pearl earring before Max and Angelina even clapped eyes on her, and pretended to be looking for it. As they got about a centimetre closer, in full view of Olive now, she staged finding it silently. She had no choice but to look up as Max and Angelina walked past her. Angelina was talking to him avidly and he was nodding, somewhat unenthusiastically. He turned around and suddenly made instant eye contact with Olive. She didn't know what to do. Should she smile? Give him a dirty look? Completely disacknowledge him? What? What was he going to do? Her question was answered within a millisecond. Olive noticed Max's eyes flash as he looked at her, and then he winked and turned around, still clutching Angelina's hand. He actually winked. Olive felt that deep plunge in her stomach again. She had just realized something, cursig herself as she thought it. Poppy had been right about him all along.
She put her earring back on and walked swiftly down the corridor. She wasn't even concentrating on where she ws going anymore. Her feet took over, while her mind wandered on the events that had just occured in the space of approximately six hours. In spite of herself, Olive's eyes started pricking and sting painfully with the tears that were about to fall. Olive wouldn't let them. She blinked violently, swallowed the lump in her throat and walked on. As she drew nearer to the Lake, she saw Mat and what looked like Jack in a close embrace. Ordinarily Olive would be excited to see her best friend with a boy. She'd probably have ran away laughing and told everyone in sight. But, strangely, as she saw them she didn't really care. She'd talk to Mat later anyway.
It was the beginning of November, so natually, as she stepped outside, the cold air bit at her face and thankfully was successful in making any more signs of possible tears disappear. She clapped eyes on Hazel, drawing smoothly and taking quick looks at the scenery every ten seconds. Olive had known Hazel for a while, and the only time she had seen without that far away, look that she shared with her mother and Ella, was whenver she was sketching or painting something.
Olive strode towards her, and sat down next to her. Hazel didn't sho any sign of noticing Olive for about five minutes.
"Hi," she said, softly. She put her pencil down for a second and looked at Olive intently.
"Hi," Olive said. "How long have you been here? It's freezing. You're not even wearing a jumper!"
It was true. Hazel was wearing her shirt tucked effortlessly into her skirt, which had smudge marks of charcoal on the cuffs, her Ravenclaw tie blew loosely in the cold, intent wind. Olive noticed that she had goosebumps all up her arms.
"I'm fine," Hazel replied, vaguely. "I don't really notice the cold when I'm sketching."
"Oh," Olive said. Strangely, she wasn't very eager to give an enthusiastic answers to Hazel's comments, but at the same time, she also felt that Hazel was the best company she'd had all day.
"I'm sorry about Max, Olive," Hazel suddenly said.
"How do you know?" Olive asked, expecting her to say that Rose had told her or something.
"Our whole year is talking about it," she replied, simply.
"Great," Olive muttered.
"If it helps, no one in our yeat thinks that highly of Max anymore. The girls aren't fawning over him anymore, and the boys aren't looking up to him pathetically. Everyone's on your side."
"Thanks. But, I don't think it's such a big deal, so other people shouldn't act like it is."
"It's always a big deal when a guy hurts you." Olive couldn't think of anything to say to that.
"Thank you, Hazel," she said, finally.
"I'm here for you, Olive," Hazel replied. And strangely, as Olive looked at her, she knew that that was enough. Maybe that's all she needed right now. A friend. But not one who's intention was to make Max's life a living hell. Not one who made excuses for her stupidly getting her hopes up. Not one who kept talking about how Max led her on. She just needed a friend that would be there for her. That was all. That was all she needed.
