Chapter 12
Sirius found her reading by the firelight in the common room, hours later. Olivia pretended she didn't see him. He sat down across from her and cleared his throat.
"I've decided you were right." He began.
Olivia smiled, but continued to read.
"I'm not going to take you to the costume party." Sirius said flatly.
"Sirius, we weren't going together regardless." She stated simply.
"Yes, but now I don't want to take you. Honestly I can't recall why I wanted to in the first place. You're absolutely intolerable." He smiled as she set her book aside and glared at him.
"How charming you are." She seethed.
"I know you're broken up about it, but I'm sure there is someone out there for you. Really, even as horrible and insufferable as you are, I'm sure you could get a date from some desperate fool." He leaned back airily, a distinct look of contempt on his face.
Olivia was fuming. Her eyes flashed and she stood up and looked down at him.
"I already had someone in mind actually. I've been meaning to ask you something," She flashed him a dazzling smile that made him sit back up. He eyed her suspiciously. Olivia flicked her hair back as she stood over him, her middle was dangerously close to his face. "I've been chatting with this wonderful girl, oh what is her name?"
Olivia sat down on his lap to look him in the eye. She smiled innocently as his eyes widened. "You know, the girl from Ravenclaw? I'm sure I've heard her mention you a few times. Blast, I'm terrible with names."
Sirius tried to speak but his throat was dry. He wanted to be angry with her, yet he couldn't think of anything at all. Sirius knew she was toying with him. Relentlessly.
Her eyes widened in recognition and she smiled brightly, throwing her arms around his neck, staring directly into his eyes. "Emily. That's it!"
"And what about her?" He managed to ask.
"Do you think she's…curious?" She whispered silkily.
His body stiffened and her smile widened.
She stood up, her hand tracing his jaw line softly as she moved away from him.
Sirius could have drooled if he hadn't been careful enough not to. Olivia's school skirt was entirely too short, and her shirt was scandalously unbuttoned a few notches at the top. She was doing it on purpose and she knew it.
Damn her.
"I'm glad we had this talk Sirius, it's going to be so hard going to the party without you, but I think I'll survive." She winked at him and skipped off to her room happily.
Sirius' eye twitched as he sat there, completely furious with himself. Angering her was obviously not the right tactic; she'd just be one step ahead of him knowing what she did.
Damn her.
The only thing he had going for him was that she didn't know that he knew that she knew. He shook his head; it had all gotten so confusing. He needed to do something that would completely throw her off her guard, something that would confuse her. Sirius frowned, doing something crazy was in his repertoire, but how could it be something so crazy he would throw off Olivia Gold enough to get her to cave?
The room fell into a hushed silence the minute Olivia stepped through the door. She noticed Hannah and Mary, in their usual gloom, over in the corner whispering to one another again.
She rolled her eyes and flopped on her bed. Lily sat cross legged across from her, and glared.
"You have a letter; I put it on your bed there." She said a little too tautly.
"What's wrong with you?" Olivia asked with a frown, searching for the curious piece of mail.
"This." She said, pointing toward the other girls. "Talk to them or I'm going to lose my bloody mind."
Olivia rolled her eyes and let her head fall into her pillow, she muttered something unintelligible. It sounded coarse.
Hannah crossed her arms. "You're such a child!" She squealed angrily.
Olivia lifted her head out of her pillow and stared at Hannah in disgust. "I'm the child? You're angry at me for what exactly? I talked to Sirius? I'm so sorry; I was unaware that speaking was a crime."
Hannah opened her mouth to say something, but shut it quickly.
"The point was, you knew that Sirius was flirting with Hannah and you just invaded into their conversation, completely distracting him from her." Mary sniffed.
Olivia popped up onto her elbows and put her chin in her hands. "So now I'm being chastised for being pretty? Oh how dare I! Again Hannah, I can't apologize enough for situations I couldn't possibly control. That's what you want right? For me to apologize for things I had nothing to do with? I'm sorry that Sirius is shallow, and conceded and was instantly drawn to me, the person he's known since childhood and is currently having a war with. However can I make up for this?"
Hannah was beet red and Mary glared at her furiously. Lily rubbed her face in her hands miserably.
"Oh the lot of you are insufferable!" She moaned. "Mary, Hannah- Get over yourselves. Olivia, stop trying to make a point, now you're just being cruel."
Olivia grabbed her curtains and shut them around her furiously. Lily shook her head and headed for the door.
"It's almost curfew, where do you think you're going?" Mary asked haughtily.
"Where ever I please!" Lily shouted, slamming the door behind her.
She stormed off down into the common room, completely tired of petty arguments over nothing.
She saw Sirius sitting by the firelight, deep in thought. Lily walked over to him and gave him a swift kick in the shin.
"AH!" He screamed, jumping out of his chair, holding his leg. "WHAT IN BLOODY HELL WAS THAT FOR?"
Lily's hair looked like it was on fire in the dim light. Her hands were on her hips, and she glared at him angrily.
"I'm not entirely sure." She snapped. "But you deserved it."
"I'm putting a bloody bell on you." He said angrily as she stormed off.
James came down the stairs and saw Sirius rubbing his leg furiously.
"It's not a magic lamp mate, no matter how much you want it to be." He said with a laugh.
Sirius glared at him. "Evans assaulted me."
James raised an eyebrow. "Is your pride more injured than your leg?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't know what I ever did to her-"
James laughed again. "That's not how women work Sirius. They don't get angry at a boy because of something they did. They work in packs. You upset a friend, the pack reacts accordingly. Olivia is part of her pack now."
Sirius looked at his friend thoughtfully. "You should write a book."
James chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out women."
Sirius shook his head. "No mate, that's where you're wrong, I've been an observer of women for several years, and not once have I ever seen a woman the way you have."
James stared into the fire. "It's getting them to see past us. That's the problem."
Sirius leaned forward. "When did you become wise?"
James shrugged and leaned back into his chair. "When I realized planting dung bombs doesn't get me what I want."
Sirius laughed. "Then I have a long way to go."
Olivia sat on her bed, absently playing with a strand of her hair. She was staring down at the letter Lily had mentioned hours ago, but she had refused to open it. She had forgotten it during the fight, but now that the other girls were snoring soundly in bed, she had nothing left but to acknowledge it. Her fingers itched to know what was inside, but she couldn't bring herself to break the seal of wax that held it together.
It was from her sister. She knew that much. The unmistakable insignia that haunted the dreams of many was clearly, and proudly, gleaming up at her. The Dark Mark.
Olivia flipped the letter over in her hands. She knew her sister had married into a family that was claiming to be involved with such matters, but Olivia hadn't believed it. Everyone was all talk when it came to the Dark Lord rising. There were whispers of his growing power, but who could believe such nonsense? Surely Elizabeth couldn't. But then, there it was. A skull, wickedly staring at her through eyeless sockets; a snake slithering around, inside and out. It was gruesome.
Elizabeth was five years older than Olivia, and though they looked strikingly similar, they were complete opposites. The last she had seen of Bizzy, as she once called her, was her wedding day. Olivia would never forget how beautiful she looked, and how insanely happy she was with her new husband.
It was the only time Olivia could remember being envious of her sister.
She took a deep breath, bit her lip, and broke the seal. She read the short message quickly, her eyes darkening.
Olivia,
I have written to inform you that I am no longer to consider you any family of mine until you acknowledge the Great Lord as your master, as I have. I've made my decision to best protect my family. I sincerely hope you consider your own future and I can assure you that if you ally yourself with his greatness you will forever be taken care of. We are amongst his favorites, Wally and I. We come from a long line of pure blood Olivia, and you should be proud. Please, think of it dear sister. Mother begs of you as well. Keep the family together, pet. We'd hate to see you blown off the family tree as the neighbor boy has been. We see Mrs. Black often; it's so unfortunate for her to have such a spot on her reputation! Don't be like that Olivia, don't be someone your family will be ashamed of. It's so dreadful to think about what they may be teaching you at that horrid school. Mummy says she should have never let you go. Write me straight away sister, I have no doubt you will do the right thing. It's real Olivia. It's all so real.
-Elizabeth
Olivia read the letter over and over again, assuring herself that she must have read it wrong. She felt sick to her stomach, and all she could think about was Sirius.
Don't be like that Olivia, don't be someone your family will be ashamed of.
She tried to steady her breathing as she became increasingly angrier. She needed air. She quietly tip-toed to the door and slipped out, careful not to make any noise as she went. It was well past midnight, and everything was silent. Not exactly sure of where she was going, Olivia slipped through the shadows of the night.
