-1Olivia's POV

When Snape was gone I let out a sigh. I didn't particularly want to be left here by myself. I decided to do as he suggested and headed for the stables to go for a ride. I pushed open the door to the stables and made my way to Moonstar's stall to say hello to her. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Lupin laying in the hay inside her stall.

"What are you doing?" I demanded ruefully, trying to act as if he hadn't just scared the crap out of me.

"Taking a break," he said with his stupid wolfish grin. "You?"

"I came to see my horse. And you shouldn't be in her stall! She's close to birthing and shouldn't be around strangers," I snapped.

"All animals love me. Look- does she look fazed to you?" he pointed out. I hated to admit he was right- Moonstar didn't look upset at all. If anything she was calmer than usual.

"Where's Severus?" Lupin asked casually when I didn't say anything.

"…He had to go do something, not that it's any of your business."

"Thought you guys were on vacation? …Was it work for Albus or the Dark Lord."

"Like I said, it's not your business," I said, leaving Moonstar's stall.

"You don't know what he's off doing, do you? I wouldn't expect him to tell you. He's not a very trusting person," he said skeptically.

"Severus trusts me!" I flared. "And I do know. I know more than you do anyway!"

"Why do you hate me, Olivia?" Lupin asked.

"You know very well why."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"I was a child! I was young and in love. …It was wrong and you know it!"

"You knew what you were doing," he scoffed. "You said so yourself, that you didn't expect anything form me."

"I was an idiot. I was just a kid. What's your excuse?"

"Olivia…even if I did… I'm not saying I didn't care for you. I still care about you. I worry about you, all the time. But I can't love you the way you wanted me to. It would never have worked out. I'm a werewolf."

"And I'm an Animagus who can also brew the Wolfsbane! It would have worked out just fine."

"It doesn't matter now anyway, does it? You love Severus."

"You're damned right," I said, crossing my arms.

"I can only say I'm sorry so many times," he said.

"Say it again anyway."

"I'm sorry," he said with a sigh.

"Well…good," I muttered.

I walked over to Titri's stall without looking back at Lupin. I hadn't been near the unbroken horse since the night Lily had tamed her. I was curious to see if she was still calm. I leaned over the door to the stall and clicked my tongue at her. The horse pricked up her ears and trotted over to me. She nuzzled my hand.

"Hey, I thought she was wild?" Lupin said, coming up behind me.

"Hmph- what can I say? Animals love me."

I opened the gate and slipped inside the stall.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Lupin asked.

"Shut up and get me a saddle."

He blinked twice, as if uncertain as to what to do, then he went and retrieved a saddle for me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, handing me the saddle over the stall door. I scoffed at him and turned to Titri. She eyed the saddle nervously and I put one hand on her neck to calm her down.

I placed the saddle on Titri's back carefully. She didn't stir. I fastened the saddle, took hold of the reigns and led her out of the stall. Lupin tried to touch the horse's velvety nose, but she whinnied and nipped at him. Lupin jumped back and I laughed.

"Don't touch my horse," I said.

"Trust me, I won't."

I put one foot in the stirrups and slung myself onto her back. Titri trotted nervously but I quieted her down.

"Shh…Come on, girl," I said, urging her forward. She responded well and within minutes, had it figured out.

"Well. I'm impressed," Lupin said, following me put of the stable.

"Don't care," I said, and urging Titri into a gallop, headed off down a trail.

I stayed out until it was almost dark. That's when I remembered about the Wolfsbane Potion. It was still hidden in the woods and needed to be moved to the old barn so I could work on it. I took Titri back to her stall. Don was there checking on Moonstar and he shook his head in amazement.

"I can't believe it. You tamed the horse," he said, patting her neck as I removed the saddle. "It must be magic."

"Or some kind of supernatural bond," I said lightly. He laughed, but I was serious.

"You don't know where Lupin is, do you?" I asked casually.

"Remus? Haven't seen him since lunchtime. He may have gone for a walk or something. …He's a damned good worker. He can do the work of three men. I sure will miss him when he's gone."

"What makes you think he'll leave?"

"His kind never stay long."

"Hm. …How is Moonstar doing?" I asked, patting the horse's neck.

"She should have her foal any day now. She has to be watched closely. I'm planning on staying in here tonight to keep an eye on her. It's her first foal."

"I have to stay up tonight and work on the Wolfsbane Potion. If you moved her into the old barn, I could keep an eye on her and wake you if anything happens."

"If you're sure it's no trouble…" Don said.

"None at all. It'll be better than spending the night brewing the potion alone."

"What happened to Snape?"

"He had to go home. Something came up. But he'll be back in the morning."

I left the barn and went inside to wash up. Everyone had already eaten but Ms. Hudson had saved me some stew and she insisted I have something to eat. She sat down with me to drink a cup of coffee.

"Are you sure you can control Remus if the potion fails?" she asked me. "He is such a sweet dear, but…"

"I've done it before," I assured her. "You have nothing to worry about. But if it makes you feel better, I'm sure he will consent to staying in the cellar until we are certain it works."

"Are you sure he won't be offended?"

"Of course not. It's not as if he wants to hurt anyone… Where is he, anyway?"

"I haven't seen him since lunch. I thought he was out for a ride with you?"

"No… Don said he thought he went for a walk on his own."

"He seems so sad. Sweet, but sad."

I shrugged uncomfortably. What did I care if Lupin was sad? Why should I care? …Because he cared when I was sad. He'd comforted me when my mother died. He always seemed to know when I was upset. Maybe I had been unfair towards him. After all, I was happy now. I had Severus and we loved each other. Lupin and I should be able to be friends. I sighed.

"…I'm going to go look for him. I could use his help tonight with the potion," I said, pushing away my barely-touched bowl of stew and standing up. She beamed at me and moved to clean up my bowl.

"I'll do it," I insisted, going to throw it in the trash.

"Don't waste it dear, take it out back to the cats," she said. I put my spoon in the sink and headed out the back door. An old orange tomcat was waiting at the door. He began to purr loudly as I put the stew down. I closed the door behind me and started down towards the cornfield. The sun had slipped below the horizon now and the moon was starting to come up. The summer air was hot and heavy. When I reached the cornfield I made sure no one was around then morphed into my Animagus form to aid in my search for Lupin. I caught his scent immediately and followed it- slowly, so as not to appear rushed- down towards the river.

I passed Thomas and his girlfriend coming up the path. I'd heard them coming and slipped into the underbrush so I wouldn't startle them. They passed by, completely oblivious, holding hands and giggling. I let out a small sigh, feeling old for my age.

I continued down the path once they were out of sight. When I reached the river I immediately spotted Lupin. He was sitting on a log beside the water. He had his shoes and socks off and was letting his feet trail in the water. I morphed back into human and walked over to him. He didn't even glance up at me when I saw down beside him on the log. He was staring at the water, a slight frown on his face.

"…Are you okay?" I asked after a minute.

He nodded briefly and glanced at me.

"What are you doing?" he inquired.

"Well I was going to work on the Wolfsbane and…I could use some help."

"You want me to help?"

I shrugged, looking at the flowing water.

"I'll help…but I'm absolutely dreadful at Potions," he said somewhat cheerfully.

"You just have to do what I tell you to."

"I can do that."

He pulled his feet out of the water and put his socks and shoes back on. When he had them on I stood and led him back to where Snape and I had hidden the potion that morning.

"Help me levitate it to the old barn," I instructed when we found the cauldron.

"Which old barn? There's like a hundred of them. Or at least five."

I had to suppress a smile.

"The one I lead us to, that's which one. …There used to be a lot more horses. And cows, too."

"Did you come here a lot when you were little?" he asked conversationally as we levitated the cauldron into the air.

"A few times. We would come and stay for a few weeks. I learned a lot here. How to milk cows, ride horses. How to take care of all sorts of animals…" I said. "…You seem to have a natural hand at farm work. At least, that's what Don says. Have you worked on a farm before?"

"…There was a man who owned a few cows and horses not far from where I lived as a child. He let me muck out stalls in exchange for riding lessons," he said with a brief smile. "…I ate one of his cows one night when it was the full moon."

"Did he know?" I inquired.

"Of course not. He was just an old Muggle man. He figured Annabel wandered off."

"The cow had a name? How sad! And horrible."

"I couldn't help it. The Wolfsbane hadn't been invented then."

"I know but still…"

"It was rather horrible," he agreed. "…At least it wasn't one of the horses."

"That reminds me- Ms. Hudson wants you to stay in the cellar until we know for sure if the potion works on the night of the full moon."

"Oh of course. I was planning on doing that anyway."

We reached the barn and I opened the door. We levitated the cauldron inside.

"Hey- it's the pregnant horse," Lupin said, looking over at one of the stalls where Moonstar was standing.

"I asked Don to move her so I could keep an eye on her tonight. She could have her foal at any time."

Interested, Lupin walked over and patted the mare's muzzle while I set the cauldron up in the stall next to Moonstar's.

Lupin was right- he was absolutely terrible at potions. I had to go back and re-do several of the things I told him to do and I wouldn't let him stir anything at all for fear that he would mess up and the whole potion would become useless. I didn't mind so much though. He kept me company and gave me someone to talk to while I worked. We talked about horses and unicorns and the difference between the two. I told him about the things I'd done when I was younger, our trips to the farm. The conversation kept us going late into the night, even after I was finished with the potion.

"So what made you decide not to hate me anymore?" he asked finally. He was sitting in a chair in the stall where the potion was and I was sitting on the ground, looking into the flickering flames beneath the cauldron.

"I didn't hate you," I mumbled. "…I realized that it was stupid, being mad. I have Severus now and nothing could make me happier. …You and I, we used to be friends…are friends…aren't we?"

"Of course," he replied and he smiled, a real smile that I hadn't seen in ages.

Snape's POV

It was late when I finally made it back to the farm- or early, depending on how you looked at it. It was nearing 3 a.m. and I was exhausted. I didn't even want to think about wheat I had been doing. The Dark Lord had been consorting with Dementors- I shuddered- and being the only Death Eater who could perform the Patronus Charm if it was required, my presence had been a necessity.

And He had asked about her, which to me was a thought worse than dementors. That Olivia even passed through the mind of the Dark Lord made my stomach hurt.

"How is the girl enjoying her time abroad?" the Dark Lord had asked as we traveled by broom to Azkaban. Beside me on his broomstick, Lucius smirked.

"Well enough, I suppose," I said indifferently.

"Does she know that you are traveling in search of giants?"

"Yes," I said. I had almost forgotten my lie to him.

"And does she know where you are now?"

"She knows I come to serve you, my lord."

"And what of her? Where do her loyalties lie?" he inquired. "Would she join me if the time came?"

My heart jumped into my throat, threatening to choke me. I swallowed before answering.

"In an instant, my lord. But she is still a child. She has not yet been trained well enough to serve you, my lord."

"Then you must train her," he said firmly. "…She must have some talent, Severus. She is your cousin after all."

"She's very skilled with potions."

"Does that include poisons?" he asked.

"…Of course."

"Good… You will train her, Severus. Teach her the Dark Arts. Then perhaps in a year or two she will be of some use to me."

I had been relieved to hear him say a year or two and tried to hide it.

"Yes my lord," I had said rather disinterestedly and the conversation had shifted to something else.

I thought of this as I walked towards the barn, thinking Olivia may still be out there and if not I would check on the Wolfsbane then go inside. I would have to tell her though…what the Dark Lord intended…but not tonight. Tomorrow would be soon enough.

I pushed open the door of the barn, which had been left open a crack, and was surprised to see the white mare in one of the stalls. She was leaning against one side of the stall, dozing. I smiled to myself. Olivia had brought the horse to keep her company.

There was a faint glow coming from the stall next to the horse and I started towards it, but froze when I reached Moonstar's stall when I noticed someone in there who was definitely not Olivia. It was Lupin, curled up asleep on some hay inside the horse's stall. I scoffed quietly and peered into the next stall where the potion was simmering. Olivia was stretched out asleep on a pile of hay covered with a blanket. The flickering flames caused shadows to dance across her lake face. A strand of her red hair had fallen across her forehead. I felt my heart soften just looking at her.

I made my way into the stall and knelt down to kiss her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked up at me with sparkling green eyes.

"You're back," she murmured sleepily. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Mm-hm."

"Do you know Lupin is in the next stall asleep?"

"Nothing happened," she said quickly.

"I know it didn't," I assured her. "Are you going to sleep out here?"

"I already am, aren't I?" she said, brushing the hair out of her face drowsily. I chuckled quietly and lay down beside her, putting one arm around her and kissing her neck.

I was sure she was already asleep again but as exhausted as I was, I wasn't sleepy. Something about the bed of straw, the dim flickering firelight, the thought that Lupin was less that 10 feet away and could hear us…

"Severus, you're hard," she whispered.

"Sorry," I whispered back.

"Don't be," she said, sounding amused. "You want to do it here?"

"Only if you want to…"

She laughed softly and rolled over to face me. She kissed me, letting one hand wander down.

"This could be fun," she murmured.

I made no effort to keep Olivia quiet as we made love on the hay and at one point I was certain I heard Lupin stir in the stall next to us but I didn't care. If anything it made me thrust with renewed vigor, causing Olivia to moan louder. When we were both spent we collapsed into the hay.

"Wow…" Olivia breathed.

"Yeah," I said. "Wow."

She smiled and nestled against me. She was asleep within minutes. From the stall next to us I heard a quiet sigh and for a moment I felt something akin to guilt or pity. Then I shook my head, put my arms around Olivia, and fell into a deep sleep.

I awoke before noon that day when Olivia disentangled herself from me to stand up and stretch. I sat up groggily, acutely aware of the fact that my back hurt from sleeping outside. I'm getting too old for this, I thought to myself, stretching in an attempt to alleviate the pain. I watched as Olivia peered over into the next stall.

"He's gone," she said, looking back down at me.

"Probably working," I said with a shrug.

"Yeah…"

I stood and stretched. I walked over to where Olivia stood, patting Moonstar's nose.

"You have hay in your hair," I murmured, kissing her neck. She smiled as I began to pick the pieces of hay from her silky red hair.

"So what…what did you have to do yesterday?" Olivia asked, turning to look at me. I sighed and continued to pick the straw from her hair.

"I don't…really want to talk about it, Olivia," I said, not looking her in the eye.

"Is it…because you don't trust me?" she asked.

"Olivia, that's ridiculous. You know I trust you… I love you."

"I know," she said, looking away.

"What brought this on?"

"…Just something someone said."

"Was it Lupin? I knew it was no good for the two of you to hang out."

"Severus…it's fine. Don't worry about it. Forget I asked."

"Right," I said, letting my hand fall. I had just remembered what the Dark Lord had told me yesterday.

"We need to talk," I said heavily.

"Severus, I told you nothing happened-" she began.

"No, no, it's nothing to do with Lupin. I… We can talk about it later. I'm going to go inside and take a shower, okay?"

"Okay," she said, looking somewhat confused. "…Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine," I said with a sigh. "I'm fine. I just have to think about some things. I'll come and find you after I shower."

Olivia's POV

I watched Snape slip out of the barn, wondering why he was acting so strange. I spent a few more minutes with Moonstar, then left the barn.

"Hey Livvy!" someone called as soon as I stepped out into the sunlight. I looked around to see Thomas and his girlfriend Cassie walking towards me.

"Where've you been all day?" Thomas asked. "You missed breakfast."

"I was…working on something. What's up?"

"Matt got in this morning."

"Oh, I almost forgot he was coming. Where is he?"

"Helping Don. Hey, you wanna go fishing with us this afternoon?" he asked.

"Uh, I really can't. Severus just got back and we have plans."

"Oh, that's cool. Cassie said she'd bring her friend to meet Matt, right?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Cool. You guys have fun- I've gotta go inside," I said.

"See you later, Livvy."

I went into the house and made my way upstairs to the room that was mine. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom and was more than tempted to slip inside- I really did need a shower- but figured Snape needed his space. To think or whatever. So I just changed clothes and brushed my hair, picking a few stray pieces of straw from my hair. Then I went into Snape's room to wait for him.

Snape came into his room five minutes later. He didn't seem surprised to find me laying on his bed.

"Are we going to talk now?" I asked, looking at him upside down. He sighed and started to say something, then the lunch bell rang from downstairs.

"After lunch," he said quickly. I let out a snort of laughter and rolled off the bed.

"Hope I don't die of curiosity before then," I said, following him down the stairs.

I watched Snape discreetly throughout lunch. He picked at his food and didn't eat at all. He kept staring off into nothing. Matt came and sat across from me and engaged me in conversation. He asked me how things were going and I have him minimally responsive answers. Snape didn't even seem at all interested in the fact that Matt was trying to flirt with me.

Finally, I pushed my plate away and took Snape's hand beneath the table. He looked over at me.

"Let's go for a walk," I said softly. He sighed and inclined his head.

Snape and I left the house and started down the path that led to the river. I laced my fingers with his but he looked away.

"What's wrong, Severus? What's got you so mopey?" I asked.

"I guess I have to tell you. …Last night, when I was working… Well, He asked about you."

I felt my face pale slightly.

"The Dark Lord?" I asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice. He nodded.

"He wants me to train you…train you to be a Death Eater," he said quickly.

I was silent a while as we walked along the path, thinking to myself.

"Normally I would have gone straight to Dumbledore…ask him what I should do, but…considering he turn our relationship has taken…I thought you deserved to know first, so-"

"I'll do it," I said confidently- a lot more confidently than I actually felt.

"What?"

"I can do it. I am a Slytherin, after all. I can do what you do."

"I…Are you sure? It's dangerous…very dangerous…"

"You don't want me to do it, do you?"

"Of course not! I don't want to risk you getting hurt, but… I haven't really got a choice. The Dark Lord kills those who don't comply."

"I'm not scared," I said, which we both knew was a lie. "…but let's see what Dumbledore says."

"Right. You know, He actually said he wouldn't be interested in you until you were done with school. So we've got a year at least."

"And who knows, this could all be over by then. The Dark Lord could be dead."

"We could only be so lucky," he said.