A/N: I know, I know, two Oliver and Holly scenes in succeeding chapters. A little
much, I must agree, however I have very little time to build their relationship, so I must do it
quickly! Also, ignore the little phrase at the bottom of the screen in the last chapter("Check out the NEW
Hotbot Tell me when this page is updated.") That's from tripod and a looooong story.
Nonetheless, enjoy chapter two!
Chapter Two: A Tense Air
Oliver really helped Holly wash away the pain she had been neck-deep in for the past month. He had succeeded where the showers, the skating trips, and the dreams had failed; She finally felt clean again.
Soon, things went pretty much back to normal and for the most part, Holly found herself smiling a little easier. Her mother, though slightly perplexed by this sudden change of mood, was satisfied with it and asked no further questions. Mostly, Holly's dreams of Cedric had diminished. And she was slowly sliding back into routine.
"Morning, dear," her mother said as Holly entered the kitchen to find it absent of Remus. Elise was cooking bacon and eggs.
"So?" she said, bitterly. "Where is he?" Elise turned from the skillet to glare at her daughter.
"Remus has some business he needs to take care of...for Dumbledore."
"Do you no what it is?" Holly asked.
"No," her mother said, slowly. "Remus says it's classified information. You understand how it is... Oh, there's the paper, dear, would you fetch it for me?" A great barn owl had landed near the garden door. Holly opened the door, tugged the Daily Prophet from the bird's beak, and put a few coins into the purse attached to its leg. It flew off in an instant as Holly threw the paper lazily onto the table. As she walked back towards the door, however, another owl flew through the open door and flapped around the kitchen a bit before settling down on the back of a chair. It pecked at Holly's finger's in what her mother said was a friendly manner as she took the letter from its mouth.
Dearest Holly,
I am writing to inform you that there has been an accident. It's all been sorted out now, but I thought you should know about it because it concerned the well being of a close friend of yours. Harry Potter was attacked by two Dementors in his home near Privet Drive. Because of this, he has been moved to a more secure location. Please do not write to him often, or I for that matter, for I will be away from home for a while. Tell your mother I love her and that I will see her as soon as I can. I would also appreciate it if you kept your letters to Fred and George Weasley to a bare minimum. Twice a week at most, if you can. And for God's sake, Holly, watch what you write! In the mean time, I know you must be terribly bored with your friends away where you can't speak with them as often as I know you'd like to. And so to make up for this inconvenience, I present you with this owl. He is a lovely thing, and very reliable. I'm sure he'll take to you right away.
Thinking of you and your mother both,
Remus Lupin
Holly frowned at the letter, both annoyed and confused. He sounded so formal, and was quite frank, trying to avoid specifics... it was almost as though he felt the information in this letter may be dangerous. Skimming through it again, if Remus was involved in anything dangerous, he had done a good job of hiding it. None of it made much sense to her. What was this 'secure location' and why couldn't she write to Harry and the twins anymore? And what the hell were Dementors doing in Surrey??? Holly had a feeling Remus wouldn't answer these questions for a while.
She sighed and looked up at the great tawny owl, which had tilted his head sideways and was looking at Holly with bright yellow eyes. It gave a quiet hoot and nibbled at Holly's fingers affectionately. Holly rolled her eyes.
"Look, Mum," she said, as her mother served her breakfast. "He's trying to buy my love now. He gave me an owl!" The owl didn't seem to like this statement and bit a little too hard on Holly's finger. "Ouch!" she exclaimed.
"Oh how lovely!" Elise smiled, ignoring Holly's first sentence. "What does the letter say?"
"Not much," Holly muttered as she handed her mother the letter. Elise read it and smiled.
"I don't understand this sudden irritation with Remus, Holly. You've loved him since you were a child. He was your Uncle Remus. Do you remember?"
"I remember," Holly nodded. "I just never thought he'd be Daddy Remus. Mother, it's like... He's my best friend and you and him dating is just... well, it's gross, that's what it is!" Holly folded her arms across her chest, stubbornly.
"Sit and eat, dear, it's good for you," said her mother.
"I'm not hungry." Holly leaned back in her chair and pouted. Her mother smiled weakly.
"Suit yourself," she said, as she finished her own eggs.
Holly wasn't quite sure why she didn't want Remus to marry her mother, she just knew she didn't want him to. And she was angry with both of them for not telling her they were seeing each other before they got engaged. It's as though they didn't trust her to accept it... well, maybe they were right, but she felt they still should have told her. She'd had the right to know anyway.
Holly sighed as she sat on her bed in her room, looking at an old photo of Remus and his old schoolmates. She smiled weakly at it. The photo depicted Remus packing in extra snow on what looked like his idea of a snow sculpture... something that resembled a swan. At the foot of the masterpiece sat Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail as he was known now, trying to assist him by giving the ice bird a sturdy base, but he kept getting distracted by other things, mainly James and Sirius, packing snowballs and aiming them at Lily Evans. Lily seemed to be pulling a pair of arms out of a snowbank, a young first year who had sank to the bottom of the powder, and she was completely oblivious to James and Sirius's plot. Just before Holly's young father and his best friend were about to throw the balls of snow, Holly heard the doorbell rang.
Wondering vaguely if it was Remus, Holly put down the photo and traipsed downstairs, ready to bombard her future stepfather with questions on his whereabouts over the past few weeks.
"Alright, Houdini, what's with the disappearing act?"
But it wasn't Remus after all.
"Uh, hi..." said a timid Oliver Wood with a slightly apologetic smile. He was fiddling with his hands behind his back as he slumped his shoulders. Finally, he gave her a weak wave, then went back to fiddling. Holly drew away from the door, her brown eyes wide with surprise. This was not whom she had been expecting at all.
"I'm here to make sure you're alright," said Oliver, slowly. "Last I saw you, well, you weren't doing so well..." As he looked at his feet and kicked at her welcome mat, Holly smiled.
"Come in," she said, stepping aside to let him enter her home. "I'm fine now. My mum's out getting groceries and her fiancé is God knows where..."
"Fiancé?" Oliver blinked. Holly smiled.
"Oh right, you don't know..." she sighed and entered the living room. She fell into a nearby white couch and sank into its cushions. "Remus Lupin proposed to my mother."
"He didn't!" Oliver declared, taking a seat next to Holly. "Our Remus Lupin?"
"The very same." Holly nodded. "And now, he's out doing some big secret mission for Dumbledore. He won't tell us anymore than that, the great prick."
"I'm sure he has his reasons," Oliver muttered.
"Whatever his reasons are," Holly said, "he has forbidden me from writing to the Weasleys and Harry Potter. Who does he think he is?" In frustration, she threw a pillow across the room.
"Really?" said Oliver. "That's harsh. Why do you suppose he did that?"
"As usual, I have no idea," Holly muttered. "No one tells me anything anymore. I suppose it's because I proved myself untrustworthy last year, but there were so many secrets it was hard to keep track and now..." Holly looked up, her eyes were wide and desperate. "And now, I can't help but feel slightly responsible for what happened to Harry and Cedric that night."
Oliver frowned and shook an almost scolding finger at Holly. "Holly, what did I say? It's not your fault!"
"But Oliver, you don't know–"
"But nothing, you didn't make that Portkey, did you?"
"No..." Holly started. "But I–"
"You didn't mean any harm to Harry and Cedric. You didn't do anything."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Holly declared, her hands flying into the air. "I did nothing. Nothing. And Harry was my responsibility and I..."
"Holly," Oliver said, stubbornly as he grabbed her hands and forced them back to her sides again. His gaze was unblinking as he stared deep into Holly's eyes. She found herself helpless against those eyes as she stared back, her mouth half-open. "I know you love Harry like a brother, and feel the responsibility of an older sister, but that doesn't mean you can control everything that happens to him. I don't know what's so special about a teenage boy or what anyone would want with that poor kid, but I do know that there's something about him that's just... well, for lack of a better word, cursed. And you can't protect him from that forever. You can't always be there, no matter how hard you try. A kid like that can't be kept from the world forever, nor should he be. You can't put him in a bubble and hope nothing will ever happen to him. He needs to find things out for himself. Sure, terrible things have happened to him, his parents, and now this, but he's learning from them, as I'm sure you are as well. What are you learning, Holly?"
"That he's... He's Harry Potter..." Holly uttered. "The Boy Who Lived. A teenager who can watch his own step. A kid who needs to... who needs to learn things that Hogwarts can't teach him, things no one can teach him, through hard experiences. A kid who will see things by the time he's twenty that most people won't see in a lifetime. And he can't, he shouldn't, be sheltered from his destiny."
Oliver frowned as Holly finished and pulled away from her. Holly blinked and shook her head.
"What did you just say?" Across his face was written the story of ultimate confusion as he tilted his head and looked at her with questioning eyes, as dark as her own. Holly merely looked at him.
"I feel... I know that Harry won't be able to escape trouble. It's a pattern. Every year, it's gotten worse, every year You-Know-Who's come a little bit closer and soon..."
"You-Know-Who?" Oliver's confusion deepened as did his expression. "You mean..."
"Dumbledore told them all last year," Holly said. "Not many chose to believe..."
"The stories, the rumors, I'd thought..." Oliver looked away and Holly watched as he muttered to himself. "So... Harry actually saw... Cedric was murdered by... I don't believe it... but... but there's no other explanation..." Oliver looked back to Holly. "He's alive then. He's actually back?"
"You'd rather believe that Harry's crazy?" Holly countered.
"That lad may be crazy, but only on the Quidditch pitch," Oliver muttered. "Otherwise, he's as sound as, well, as the rest of us are. It doesn't make sense that he'd..." Oliver bit his lip and Holly saw him nod. His face took on an expression of acceptance as he made his decision. "You're right," he told Holly. "He must be back. I don't want to believe... but it's the only thing that makes sense. Harry isn't mad, he's far from it. And if Dumbledore says so, than it must be, right? Who can counter Dumbledore?"
"Apparently the Daily Prophet," Holly said, annoyed. "Haven't you been reading it?"
"Of course I have," Oliver said. "But I..." He shrugged. Holly smiled at him.
"You know," she said. "You've really helped me this summer. Thank you. Thank you very much, I appreciate it."
Oliver smiled. "I'm always your friend, Holly, you should understand that by now. And if the twins can't be here with you, then I might as well be."
"Thank you," Holly repeated, and, much to his surprise, she hugged him. Shrugging, he hugged her back.
Chapter Two: A Tense Air
Oliver really helped Holly wash away the pain she had been neck-deep in for the past month. He had succeeded where the showers, the skating trips, and the dreams had failed; She finally felt clean again.
Soon, things went pretty much back to normal and for the most part, Holly found herself smiling a little easier. Her mother, though slightly perplexed by this sudden change of mood, was satisfied with it and asked no further questions. Mostly, Holly's dreams of Cedric had diminished. And she was slowly sliding back into routine.
"Morning, dear," her mother said as Holly entered the kitchen to find it absent of Remus. Elise was cooking bacon and eggs.
"So?" she said, bitterly. "Where is he?" Elise turned from the skillet to glare at her daughter.
"Remus has some business he needs to take care of...for Dumbledore."
"Do you no what it is?" Holly asked.
"No," her mother said, slowly. "Remus says it's classified information. You understand how it is... Oh, there's the paper, dear, would you fetch it for me?" A great barn owl had landed near the garden door. Holly opened the door, tugged the Daily Prophet from the bird's beak, and put a few coins into the purse attached to its leg. It flew off in an instant as Holly threw the paper lazily onto the table. As she walked back towards the door, however, another owl flew through the open door and flapped around the kitchen a bit before settling down on the back of a chair. It pecked at Holly's finger's in what her mother said was a friendly manner as she took the letter from its mouth.
Dearest Holly,
I am writing to inform you that there has been an accident. It's all been sorted out now, but I thought you should know about it because it concerned the well being of a close friend of yours. Harry Potter was attacked by two Dementors in his home near Privet Drive. Because of this, he has been moved to a more secure location. Please do not write to him often, or I for that matter, for I will be away from home for a while. Tell your mother I love her and that I will see her as soon as I can. I would also appreciate it if you kept your letters to Fred and George Weasley to a bare minimum. Twice a week at most, if you can. And for God's sake, Holly, watch what you write! In the mean time, I know you must be terribly bored with your friends away where you can't speak with them as often as I know you'd like to. And so to make up for this inconvenience, I present you with this owl. He is a lovely thing, and very reliable. I'm sure he'll take to you right away.
Thinking of you and your mother both,
Remus Lupin
Holly frowned at the letter, both annoyed and confused. He sounded so formal, and was quite frank, trying to avoid specifics... it was almost as though he felt the information in this letter may be dangerous. Skimming through it again, if Remus was involved in anything dangerous, he had done a good job of hiding it. None of it made much sense to her. What was this 'secure location' and why couldn't she write to Harry and the twins anymore? And what the hell were Dementors doing in Surrey??? Holly had a feeling Remus wouldn't answer these questions for a while.
She sighed and looked up at the great tawny owl, which had tilted his head sideways and was looking at Holly with bright yellow eyes. It gave a quiet hoot and nibbled at Holly's fingers affectionately. Holly rolled her eyes.
"Look, Mum," she said, as her mother served her breakfast. "He's trying to buy my love now. He gave me an owl!" The owl didn't seem to like this statement and bit a little too hard on Holly's finger. "Ouch!" she exclaimed.
"Oh how lovely!" Elise smiled, ignoring Holly's first sentence. "What does the letter say?"
"Not much," Holly muttered as she handed her mother the letter. Elise read it and smiled.
"I don't understand this sudden irritation with Remus, Holly. You've loved him since you were a child. He was your Uncle Remus. Do you remember?"
"I remember," Holly nodded. "I just never thought he'd be Daddy Remus. Mother, it's like... He's my best friend and you and him dating is just... well, it's gross, that's what it is!" Holly folded her arms across her chest, stubbornly.
"Sit and eat, dear, it's good for you," said her mother.
"I'm not hungry." Holly leaned back in her chair and pouted. Her mother smiled weakly.
"Suit yourself," she said, as she finished her own eggs.
Holly wasn't quite sure why she didn't want Remus to marry her mother, she just knew she didn't want him to. And she was angry with both of them for not telling her they were seeing each other before they got engaged. It's as though they didn't trust her to accept it... well, maybe they were right, but she felt they still should have told her. She'd had the right to know anyway.
Holly sighed as she sat on her bed in her room, looking at an old photo of Remus and his old schoolmates. She smiled weakly at it. The photo depicted Remus packing in extra snow on what looked like his idea of a snow sculpture... something that resembled a swan. At the foot of the masterpiece sat Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail as he was known now, trying to assist him by giving the ice bird a sturdy base, but he kept getting distracted by other things, mainly James and Sirius, packing snowballs and aiming them at Lily Evans. Lily seemed to be pulling a pair of arms out of a snowbank, a young first year who had sank to the bottom of the powder, and she was completely oblivious to James and Sirius's plot. Just before Holly's young father and his best friend were about to throw the balls of snow, Holly heard the doorbell rang.
Wondering vaguely if it was Remus, Holly put down the photo and traipsed downstairs, ready to bombard her future stepfather with questions on his whereabouts over the past few weeks.
"Alright, Houdini, what's with the disappearing act?"
But it wasn't Remus after all.
"Uh, hi..." said a timid Oliver Wood with a slightly apologetic smile. He was fiddling with his hands behind his back as he slumped his shoulders. Finally, he gave her a weak wave, then went back to fiddling. Holly drew away from the door, her brown eyes wide with surprise. This was not whom she had been expecting at all.
"I'm here to make sure you're alright," said Oliver, slowly. "Last I saw you, well, you weren't doing so well..." As he looked at his feet and kicked at her welcome mat, Holly smiled.
"Come in," she said, stepping aside to let him enter her home. "I'm fine now. My mum's out getting groceries and her fiancé is God knows where..."
"Fiancé?" Oliver blinked. Holly smiled.
"Oh right, you don't know..." she sighed and entered the living room. She fell into a nearby white couch and sank into its cushions. "Remus Lupin proposed to my mother."
"He didn't!" Oliver declared, taking a seat next to Holly. "Our Remus Lupin?"
"The very same." Holly nodded. "And now, he's out doing some big secret mission for Dumbledore. He won't tell us anymore than that, the great prick."
"I'm sure he has his reasons," Oliver muttered.
"Whatever his reasons are," Holly said, "he has forbidden me from writing to the Weasleys and Harry Potter. Who does he think he is?" In frustration, she threw a pillow across the room.
"Really?" said Oliver. "That's harsh. Why do you suppose he did that?"
"As usual, I have no idea," Holly muttered. "No one tells me anything anymore. I suppose it's because I proved myself untrustworthy last year, but there were so many secrets it was hard to keep track and now..." Holly looked up, her eyes were wide and desperate. "And now, I can't help but feel slightly responsible for what happened to Harry and Cedric that night."
Oliver frowned and shook an almost scolding finger at Holly. "Holly, what did I say? It's not your fault!"
"But Oliver, you don't know–"
"But nothing, you didn't make that Portkey, did you?"
"No..." Holly started. "But I–"
"You didn't mean any harm to Harry and Cedric. You didn't do anything."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Holly declared, her hands flying into the air. "I did nothing. Nothing. And Harry was my responsibility and I..."
"Holly," Oliver said, stubbornly as he grabbed her hands and forced them back to her sides again. His gaze was unblinking as he stared deep into Holly's eyes. She found herself helpless against those eyes as she stared back, her mouth half-open. "I know you love Harry like a brother, and feel the responsibility of an older sister, but that doesn't mean you can control everything that happens to him. I don't know what's so special about a teenage boy or what anyone would want with that poor kid, but I do know that there's something about him that's just... well, for lack of a better word, cursed. And you can't protect him from that forever. You can't always be there, no matter how hard you try. A kid like that can't be kept from the world forever, nor should he be. You can't put him in a bubble and hope nothing will ever happen to him. He needs to find things out for himself. Sure, terrible things have happened to him, his parents, and now this, but he's learning from them, as I'm sure you are as well. What are you learning, Holly?"
"That he's... He's Harry Potter..." Holly uttered. "The Boy Who Lived. A teenager who can watch his own step. A kid who needs to... who needs to learn things that Hogwarts can't teach him, things no one can teach him, through hard experiences. A kid who will see things by the time he's twenty that most people won't see in a lifetime. And he can't, he shouldn't, be sheltered from his destiny."
Oliver frowned as Holly finished and pulled away from her. Holly blinked and shook her head.
"What did you just say?" Across his face was written the story of ultimate confusion as he tilted his head and looked at her with questioning eyes, as dark as her own. Holly merely looked at him.
"I feel... I know that Harry won't be able to escape trouble. It's a pattern. Every year, it's gotten worse, every year You-Know-Who's come a little bit closer and soon..."
"You-Know-Who?" Oliver's confusion deepened as did his expression. "You mean..."
"Dumbledore told them all last year," Holly said. "Not many chose to believe..."
"The stories, the rumors, I'd thought..." Oliver looked away and Holly watched as he muttered to himself. "So... Harry actually saw... Cedric was murdered by... I don't believe it... but... but there's no other explanation..." Oliver looked back to Holly. "He's alive then. He's actually back?"
"You'd rather believe that Harry's crazy?" Holly countered.
"That lad may be crazy, but only on the Quidditch pitch," Oliver muttered. "Otherwise, he's as sound as, well, as the rest of us are. It doesn't make sense that he'd..." Oliver bit his lip and Holly saw him nod. His face took on an expression of acceptance as he made his decision. "You're right," he told Holly. "He must be back. I don't want to believe... but it's the only thing that makes sense. Harry isn't mad, he's far from it. And if Dumbledore says so, than it must be, right? Who can counter Dumbledore?"
"Apparently the Daily Prophet," Holly said, annoyed. "Haven't you been reading it?"
"Of course I have," Oliver said. "But I..." He shrugged. Holly smiled at him.
"You know," she said. "You've really helped me this summer. Thank you. Thank you very much, I appreciate it."
Oliver smiled. "I'm always your friend, Holly, you should understand that by now. And if the twins can't be here with you, then I might as well be."
"Thank you," Holly repeated, and, much to his surprise, she hugged him. Shrugging, he hugged her back.