Summary: Sometimes life was sweet, but with a bitter ending. Sometimes it was the opposite. Just like butterbeer.

Full Summary: James Potter was in his prime. He was Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor, he had become Animagus to help Remus, and his group of friends were at their height in their pranking career. Now all he had left was to woo the girl. Lily Evans. But of course, James doesn't do things halfway, and all he needed was someone to help him. Now, who fit's the role? Only, Olivia Grey. Of course, Slytherin's aren't always the most helpful type, and Sirius Black knows so. Could she be hiding any ulterior motives?

Author's Note: If Harry Potter were mine, I would die of happiness. Also, a huge thanks to my beta reader (about time I got one)!

Ships: Maros (Mary MacDonald x Amos Diggory), Simbre (Sirius Black x Embre Shines), Jiandrew (Jianyu Chang x Andrew Thomas), Fralice (Frank Longbottom x Alice Fortescue)


Olivia's POV

Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak-

Okay, I'm freaking out.

Of course, with such a great start of the year, something had to happen. What happened? Well, no one died or anything - I probably shouldn't make that joke anymore - just, oh, Mulcilber and Avery are MIA. Why does this bother me? Well, y'know, they're just extreme You-Know-Who supporters, the usual. I outwardly sighed, despite my 'supposedly-calm' face. Damn it all to hell.

Usually, things like this wouldn't bother me. In fact, a few years ago I would have jumped for joy because that's a whole lot fewer essays I had to write. But now? Now, this worries me. Look at me, caring.

"Hey, Olivia, are you alright? You've been staring blankly at your essay for a long time, now." Florence Taylor, my roommate and Slytherin Head Girl (whoop, whoop!), gave me a well-meaning glance as she crossed the room to her wardrobe. "You usually get your Potions homework done in an hour at most."

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly thinking about Veritaserum at the moment. But I'll be alright, Flo. You don't have to worry about me." I gave a not-so-convincing smile and Florence raised an eyebrow.

"You know that here, in Slytherin house, we're a family, right?"

"Of course."

"Then I'd confide in someone," she said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"You know that I'm worried about Mulcilber and Avery. They never had intentions of going down the right road - if you know what I mean." She nodded thoughtfully with a soft smile. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I just hope they don't share their knowledge on ways into the castle with Death Eaters, is all."

Florence took in a deep breath like the idea had weighed on her too. "We don't have to worry though, Dumbledore is a great wizard. I'm sure he'll keep us safe." She smiled again, although it wasn't convincing.

"Well then, Miss Head Girl, you have no more reason to be taking up my bed space." I reached back and grabbed a silver and green pillow. I went to throw it at her, but she caught it mid-swing and laughed. She retreated to the other side of the room and tossed the pillow back when she was safe on the other side. "AND STAY AWAY!"

Her laugh was thunderous, the sound echoing across the dungeon. I swear to God I heard someone in the common room complain about it.

...

You think that after all this time, Dumbledore - or whoever makes the schedules for Hogwarts - would understand that a double period should never be scheduled with Gryffindors and Slytherins. We both have our differences and together we're like Hell in a handbasket. A tiny, confined, burning-with-the-fires-of-Satan handbasket.

And part of me is petrified for Charms class. Flitwick is an excellent teacher, a caring teacher, and - most of all - an unsuspecting teacher. He's a teacher that knows nothing of the dangers that a double period can possess. I feel sorry, in a way. But at the same time, I can't wait for Charms to be a chaotic mess. Maybe then we'll have the power to distract Flitwick from the topic at hand and slowly get him teaching about spells that are actually interesting and borderline fascinating.

"C'mon, Olive!" I shot Embre a glare that could kill, she gulped and blinked a few times before continuing on like it hadn't happened. Smart girl. "It's not going to be that bad. Besides, I already have an idea of how to get him off subject immediately."

"Okay, but I call sitting by a window. I refuse to sit somewhere where I don't have a quick exit." At this point, I've learned that any class with the Gryffindors can go South in a heartbeat. You need a quick exit. And the way you came isn't always the safest way out.

Embre frowned in confusion for a moment before shrugging, deciding that whatever logic I had wasn't important enough to question. "Whatever you tell yourself." I scoffed but still walked next to her as we made our way down the corridor. Embre started to talk about our homework load as we walked, managing to somehow keep my attention while simultaneously losing it to her senseless chatter. It's a Shines thing, I'm 100% sure.

We continued to talk as I slid into my seat of choice, the bell ringing the moment we sat down. "Okay, class, settle down, please." Oh, no. Here comes the first challenge. I looked behind me at Andrew's smiling face, one of those 'let's-strike-up-a-bet-after-class' looks.

The room slowly but surely fell to silence and the thought that maybe Flitwick could handle us crossed my mind. That is, I thought that before I saw James Potter whisper to Sirius from across the room. Once I saw the mischief brewing in his eyes, I knew we were all done for. R.I.P. innocence. But that's been dead for a while now if I'm being honest.

Flitwick opened his mouth to start on the lesson for the day, but before he could make a sound, Embre's hand shot in the air. "Yes, Miss Shines?"

Embre smiled and cleared her throat, sparing me a glance. "I was reading ahead in our textbook, and I can't help but notice all of the mentions towards Ancient Magic." Flitwick's face lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. I can't decide whether it's because of the mention of 'Ancient Magic' or the fact that Embre was actually reading the textbook, but either way, I was satisfied. "What is that exactly? And it mentions that it's unstable, but to what extent? Are there ways to harness that power and make it more stable?" Of course, trust Embre to ask twenty different followup questions. She probably just could have gotten away with the first one.

"Well, thank you for bringing us to such an interesting topic for one of our first lessons, Miss Shines. Five points to Gryffindor for your efforts! And to answer your question, I would first like to express that Ancient Magic is very ambiguous, even to us professors..." Flitwick chuckled as he fixed his glasses and continued to go off on a tangent about the capabilities of Ancient Magic. Half an hour later he was still on the subject, fueled by Embre and Sirius' questions (they must have been working in cahoots for this). "...but circling back to your question, yes. Ancient Magic relies very heavily on one's feelings, so that is most likely why it is not a part of our curriculum here at Hogwarts. It's too unsteady for many wizards and witches to master."

I looked over at Embre and saw that she was out of questions, her eyes flicking to the sides of the classroom for inspiration. Oh, no. There's still an hour left of class! We can't have this conversation stop now! There's still time enough for him to teach us something and assign an essay on it! Flitwick seemed to notice that the topic was finished and leaned towards a book that was no doubt his lesson plan. My hand shot in the air before I registered what I was doing. Flitwick looked at me, genuinely surprised. I don't think I've ever uttered a word in his class, and he can probably sense my fear. Lord, deliver me. "Yes, Miss... Grey?"

He didn't even know my name right off of the bat. Yep. I've definitely piqued his interest now. Say something intelligent! "So, if Ancient Magic is powered by emotions, then one could argue that a Patronus is a form of Ancient Magic. Right? Does that mean we will never be taught that spell, or will we still learn it despite its emotional tie?"

What? Is that even a coherent question? At this point, I could care less. Just please spawn a really long conversation. Please, I'm begging.

"Well, I was planning to touch on the subject of Patronuses later on this year, but since you've asked me about them, perhaps we can have this lesson today." I did my best to stifle my sigh, but my hand involuntarily ran through my hair. A lesson was what we were all trying to avoid. Go, me. What a team player. Flitwick fixed his glasses as he went into full teacher mode. "A Patronus Charm is a type of guardian, a projection of all of your positive feelings. The Patronus Charm is very advanced, and many witches and wizards are unable to produce a full, corporeal Patronus. Your Patronus generally takes the shape of the animal with whom you share the deepest affinity..."

...

James' POV

"So," I slid in the chair across from Olivia. The library was unusually quiet but busy enough that my slightly too loud voice didn't disrupt too much of the calm atmosphere, "wonderful performance in Charms today. Truly inspirational."

She crinkled her nose, the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. "It's not like I intentionally gave us work. I was trying to avoid that, thank you very much. But, like, at least it isn't due for two more lessons, right? That means we have at least two weeks." A hopeful but discouraged look crossed her face and I laughed.

"Two weeks to master a Patronus spell? How generous of Flitwick." She sighed and mumbled under breath, probably a string of out-of-context-words that I wouldn't understand if I tried. "I actually came here to have you teach me, Liv. I figured it would be a hell of a lot easier than asking Lily."

Her eyes went wide, I raised an eyebrow in response. Then she laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "I would have thought you would have preferred Lily. What happened to that James Potter?" I scoffed and pulled my wand out of my bag. "Not that I'm complaining, I found some interesting stuff on Patronuses. Did you know that your Patronus is the same as your Animagi? The kicker is that your Patronus can change if you make a deep enough bond with someone."

"Oh, yeah?" I waggled my brow and she shook her head, dark hair falling in front of her face.

"Then Sirius and Peter are set for this assignment. I'm debating on whether or not I want to tell them, and you better not spill, either. I have tabs on Embre and Sirius, I get a couple of galleons if theirs is a big, black dog." I nodded along, withholding the information that Sirius actually cast a fox. What? Information like that can be worth a shiny sickle. Especially since bets have already been placed. "Sucks that you aren't an Animagi too."

I started to laugh but held back at the genuine look on her face. Did I not tell her? Or did she forget? Well, if she doesn't know yet, I'm not going to tell her. Lads, not all of our pranks have been exhausted! Operation: Deer is still a go! "So, have you mastered the spell yet?"

She scoffed and threw her hands in the air. "Oh, it's simple enough in theory. 'Think very hard on a singularly happy moment. Find it in your mind and feel the emotion and then simply conjure it into existence!'" She rolled her eyes, "I can't even produce a noncorporeal one."

"Well, you just need a better memory."

"Easy for you to say." A dark shadow fell over her face and I furrowed my brow. "Anyway," she cleared her throat in discomfort, "have you made any progress?" She fixed her glasses, trying in vain to disperse the gloomy mood that had fallen over us. I chose to ignore it. Why? Because that's what she prefers. Trust me, I realize more than I let on.

"It's almost corporeal if I focus hard enough." She crinkled her nose again, making a smile tug at my lips. "Watch. Expecto Patronum!" I waved my wand in a fluid, comfortable movement and thought of my mother, smiling. Her clear, blue eyes crinkled in the corners as she blew a mocking kiss in my direction, knowing full well that I thought I was too old for those. She looked better, ten years younger and not yet sick. I opened my eyes and saw the beginnings of an animal start to form - a stag if I had any say for my feelings. It started to fade after a moment of silence.

"Damn," her voice was hushed, an impressed frown working on her face. I raised an eyebrow at her choice of words and she smacked my arm playfully. "Shut up, Brit."

I laughed out loud, feeling the beady eyes of the librarian drill holes into my back. "Is that what I am, Yank?"

I saw her pretend to seethe, a laugh threatening to sound. "You should hear how overly posh your accent is, James. The only proper way to describe you is British." She wasn't hiding her laugh now, a bright smile stretching over her face.

"And the only way to describe you is undeniably American, Liv."

"I'll take that." A slight blush crept onto her face and I smirked in its presence. Do I have the power to make Olivia Grey blush? What should I do with this information? "Now how do I channel the right memory to get this spell?"

"I thought I came here to have you help me."

"Well, I can't help answer the questions that Flitwick gave us until I've actually done the spell." She deadpanned her answer and I looked her dead in the eye. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Fine. Expecto Patronum!"

She closed her eyes and a half-smirk made its way onto her face. A small ball of blue mist steadily formed and teased a corporeal form. I whistled, impressed and the ball of mist doubled in size. Suddenly, as if it had always been, the ball pulsed and an animal took its place. It was a... snake. But with wings? I remember something similar in a textbook, but I can't place it.

"Look." Olivia opened her eyes and sucked in a breath. "What is it?"

The winged snake snapped at the air and shrunk is size. "An occamy. They're from Asia." It slowly faded to nothing before my eyes. I looked at Olivia and she shared my wide-eyed stare. There was a prolonged minute of silence between us before she finally broke it, "So, what questions do you need help with?"