Snape's POV
I felt immensely guilty for being away when the dementor attack happened. If I had been closer, maybe the Dark Lord would have told me and I could have alerted the Order. Dumbledore told me later when I met up with him at headquarters that it had actually be Mundungus Fletcher's fault. He had left his post to investigate some stolen cauldrons or some such nonsense. This did little to soothe me. If I had known, I could have alerted them, then it wouldn't have mattered if Dung was there or not. But no, I had to go on "vacation". For Olivia.
Olivia. I sighed heavily. She was a weakness to me. I was too concerned about her happiness and well-being. The whole time I was talking to Lucius, trying to find out about the dementors, I was thinking about her, wondering what Albus had her doing.
When I returned to Spinner's End a few hours later, Olivia had not come home. I took a shower, fuming the whole time. I had been short with her earlier and she had gotten mad. But I needed her to listen and not question. What if it had been a question of life or death?
I went to my room and listened to the silence of the house, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep until I knew she was home. Finally, around 4 a.m. I heard a pop as she Apparated in the hallway. I listened as she walked to her room, not even stopping outside my room. I heard her door shut forcefully and the lock clicked.
Yep, I thought to myself. She's still mad…but at least she is safe.
With that thought I turned over and went to sleep.
When I got up the next morning, Olivia was gone. There was a note on the counter, short and unsigned. All it said was "Gone to work." I scoffed and chucked it in the trash. She couldn't just keep avoiding me. We would have to talk eventually.
I spent most of the day with Dumbledore at Hogwarts and at headquarters. We decided what I would tell the Dark Lord about the Order's plans to move Potter. Sometimes I had to give information to Him that was true, otherwise he wouldn't trust me, but this wasn't one of those times. I would tell Him a band of Aurors were going to move the boy on the 25th, when in fact they were moving him a lot earlier than that. There would be Aurors there on the 25th, but they would be laying a false trail and would soon shake anyone who followed.
When I got home that evening, Olivia was sitting on the couch in her Healer Intern robes, reading a medical textbook.
"We need to talk," I said to her.
"About what, about how you're an ass?" she said, looking at me over her book. Annoyance flared inside of me.
"About your inability to listen and obey," I said.
"Obey?" she said, slamming her book shut. "I am not some slave, Severus Snape. You can't just order me to do something without explaining it. Even still, I did what the fuck you told me to do and you just criticized and hassled me."
"What if it had been a matter of life or death? You can't stop to question. I need you to trust me to do what is right for you."
She glowered at me a moment, then took a deep breath.
"I do trust you. I know you want to look out for me, to shield me from things like the Dark Arts, but Dammit Severus I'm a part of this whether you want me to be or not. I'll do whatever I can to help Dumbledore, to help the Order. And from what you've told me, eventually I will have to meet the Dark Lord. So let me do what I can now, to fight back, to prepare…and don't keep things from me unnecessarily. Treat me like an equal, not like a child."
I was speechless, not knowing what to say or do.
"Dumbledore thinks I'm ready, that I can handle this. He's asked me to help make contacts at St. Mungo's. He has faith in me," she said quietly. "Why can't you?"
I sighed heavily.
"…Okay," I said finally.
For the next hour she listened intently as I told her what the Order had been doing, including heir plan to move Potter to headquarters and my lie to the Dark Lord. I even told her of the prophecy, how badly He wanted it and the lengths the Order went through the protect it. I told her about His growing army, how He was slowly taking control of the dementors, gathering his followers, his attempts to persuade the giants.
When I was finished she sat there silently, her face pale.
"If you are going to be a part of this, you must understand that there will be times you must obey first and ask questions later. If this is going to work… If you want to stay with me…" I said quietly, sitting beside her on the edge of the couch. "There may be times when doing as I say may be the only thing keeping you alive."
Slowly, silently, she nodded.
"I'm sorry I was being so difficult," she said quietly.
"No… I am sorry. I shouldn't have been so bossy. I got all worked up because I wasn't where I should have been and I didn't know what was going on."
"Is it my fault?" she asked. "That Potter got attacked?"
"No, of course not," I assured her. "…It was my decision to go to Ireland and leave Albus without a direct link to the Dark Lord. It's my fault."
"It's not your fault either," she said, putting her hand on my leg. "It's not like you sent the dementors after Potter. Besides…Dumbledore told us we could go."
I smiled faintly.
Olivia's POV
Mine and Snape's relationship improved after our talk. We both worked late most nights, me at St. Mungo's and he doing a variety of tasks for the Dark Lord or for the Order. He always told me where he had gone and what he had done, if I asked, unless it was something Dumbledore made him swear not to. He was sometimes vague about the work he did for the Dark Lord and after a while I stopped pushing the issue. He didn't want me to know the bad things he was forced to do…and I told myself I didn't really want to know anyway.
One afternoon while I was working, one of the other interns told me I had a visitor in the lobby. Assuming it was Snape and wondering what he wanted, I headed downstairs. I did not expect to see Albus Dumbledore, sitting in a waiting room chair, reading an old copy of Witch Weekly. Several people shot him furtive looks and gave him a wide berth, no doubt thinking of all the lies they'd been reading in the Prophet.
The headmaster smiled when he saw me and put down the magazine.
"Hello Olivia," he said, standing. "Is there some place we could talk?"
"Yes sir," I said, thinking fast.
I led him to the break room which, for the time being, was empty of other Healers. I shut the door behind us.
"Is everything alright?" I inquired.
"Oh yes. A job has come up and I thought you might be interested," he said. "We may need a Healer."
"Of course sir. Anything I can do to help."
"Excellent," he said, pleased. "Now, if you will consent to return with me to headquarters, I can better explain the situation."
"What- now?" I asked. He inclined his head.
"Er…okay. I just have to let Healer Mycroft know I am leaving. I'll tell him something urgent has come up," I said, heading for the door. I paused when I reached the door.
"Yes?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.
"Does Severus know?"
"Not yet," he replied. "But it will not be a dangerous situation, if he has played his part right. Therefore he should not object."
I nodded slowly, then hurried up to tell Healer Mycroft that I had to leave.
On my way up the stairs, I considered what the headmaster had told me. I hadn't been to headquarters since the first time I went. Snape said it was because I wasn't really an official member of the Order and didn't need to be there. But now Dumbledore was taking me there personally. I felt a thrill of excitement. I wondered who would be there. If Snape would be there…
I found Healer Mycroft and told him a family emergency had come up. He excused me, then I hurried back down to where Dumbledore was waiting in the break room.
"We will have to use Side-Along Apparition to get there," Dumbledore told me.
I nodded in understanding. I was not very fond of Side-Along Apparition, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with Dumbledore.
"Take my arm, if you will please," he said, extending his arm.
I did as asked and was immediately jerked forward.
My stomach lurched when my feet hit the ground but I resisted the urge to vomit. I put out a hand to steady myself and touched a filthy, age-blackened wall. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and looked around at my surroundings. I hadn't been able to look around much the first time I'd come.
An old, cobweb-covered chandelier hung overhead. Old portraits hung on the walls, most so old and mildewed one couldn't tell what they were of. What intrigued me the most was the candelabra sitting on a rickety table nearby- it was shaped like a serpent. On closer inspection I saw the chandelier was serpents as well. I quickly deduced that the house had probably, at some point, belonged to one of the old pureblood families.
"Come Olivia," Dumbledore said, interrupting my thoughts, "They won't start without us."
I followed Dumbledore down the hall, glancing apprehensively at the portraits.
We entered the kitchen, where a dozen or so people sat around the table. Snape was not among them, though I did recognize a few people I had met during my last visit.
All talk stopped when Dumbledore entered the room. Some of the people I didn't know looked at me curiously. I suddenly felt very young and alone. I wished Snape was there so I would have someone to sit by.
"Have a seat, Olivia," Dumbledore said to me. I made my way quickly to a seat between Sirius and Lupin, both of whom grinned at me. Dumbledore took a seat at the head of the table and all eyes focused on him. He took a minute to introduce me.
"For anyone who has not already met her, this is Olivia Cain. She is one of our contacts within St. Mungo's," he said. "Olivia, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones and- well you already know Remus and Sirius. Alastor Moody…and, ah Nymphadora Tonks."
"Just Tonks," said Tonks, who was sitting on the other side of Lupin. She smiled brightly at me and winked and suddenly, I didn't feel quite so young and alone.
Dumbledore continued speaking, saying that everyone present was to be part of the advance guard that would move Harry Potter from his aunt and uncle's house.
"The Dursleys are rather unpleasant folk and would likely not take kindly to having a dozen wizards Apparating in their kitchen. We'll need someone to come up with way to lure them out of the house, for at least an hour," Dumbledore said. "Tonks, I think you will be capable of handling that."
"Yes sir," Tonks said immediately.
Dumbledore talked some more about where the Dursleys house was. There was some discussion about how they would get Potter to headquarters- it was decided that brooms would be the most efficient. Dumbledore, Mad Eye and Kingsley talked about the best route to take. They had a large map spread out at their end of the table. I soon grew bored and let my gaze wader around the kitchen. Tonks noticed my boredom and grinned at me. She screwed up her face in concentration and her nose turned into something resembling a pig snout.
"How did you do that?" I whispered quietly, surprised. She just smiled mysteriously and made her nose go back to normal.
"Tonks is a Metamorphmagus," Lupin said quietly, leaning over to whisper in my ear. I nodded my head in comprehension. Tonks winked at me, then turned her attention back to Dumbledore as he addressed everyone. He basically told everyone that Moody was in charge and to do what he said.
"Olivia," Dumbledore said to me, making me jump a little. "You are there in case someone gets hurt and as an extra set of eyes. You can stay out of sight, if you wish. If anything should go wrong, you Disapparate back here immediately, where a team of wizards will be standing by."
I nodded my head.
He then called the meeting to a close, after telling us to meet back at headquarters at 4 p.m. on the day we were to take Potter. Dumbledore stood to leave the table and the wizards around me broke into independent conversations.
"So are you a full-fledged member of the Order yet?" Sirius asked me curiously.
"Not officially, I don't think," I said. "I've done some stuff for Dumbledore on and off."
"What does Severus think about this?"
"I don't think he knows that Dumbledore plans for me to be part of the guard- he surprised me at work. …Severus doesn't like that I'm putting myself in danger, but Dumbledore usually trumps him on it. I'm doing what I can to help "the cause"."
Dumbledore walked over to me then.
"Olivia, I must return to the school. You can leave whenever you wish."
"Yes sir. Thank you."
He nodded to me and said goodbye to Lupin and Sirius.
I saw Dumbledore stop and talk to Tonks before leaving the room. Once he was gone, a few other wizards and witches left as well, and Tonks walked over to us.
"You look a little young to be a Healer," she said to me not unkindly.
"I'm an intern," I told her. "I'm in my 7th year at Hogwarts."
"Though age is hardly an indication of talent, as you well know," Lupin said to her.
"Too right," Tonks said.
"Tonks is an Auror. The youngest in her department," Lupin told me.
"You're an Auror?" I said, impressed.
"Yeah. Mostly because I can disguise myself so easily," she said. "I'm dead clumsy really."
"You're in charge of distracting the Dursleys, right?"
She nodded.
"I've met them before," I said and quickly told her and Lupin and Sirius who were listening curiously, about pretending to be a Muggle doctor for Dumbledore. They all seemed rather impressed.
"They are really unpleasant people. They hate all things magical and pride themselves on being a neat, normal family."
"Hm," she said, nodding her head. "I think I'll do a bit of spying on them beforehand. Come up with something clever," Lupin told her kindly.
"I'm sure you'll come up with something brilliant," Lupin said to her kindly.
"Thanks Remus," Tonks said with a smile. I thought I saw a familiar look in Lupin's eye. He saw me looking curiously at him and looked a little guilty. I smiled at him and he grinned somewhat sheepishly back at me.
"Hey, I've got an idea," Tonks said suddenly. "Why don't you come with me, Olivia? To check out these Dursleys?"
"Well, okay," I said surprised. "When?"
"How about tomorrow morning? We could meet at headquarters at around 8 a.m. Molly usually has breakfast on the table around then and she always makes enough for guests. You never know who will be stopping by."
I thought about it a moment, then nodded.
"Sounds good to me. I'll have to let my boss- Healer Mycroft- know that I will be out tomorrow, too," I said, thinking that I would also have to run it by Snape first.
Snape's POV
When I got home that evening, Olivia was not there. It wasn't unusual for her to work late at the hospital. I figured she would be home sometime later with a disgusting and thrilling tale of a wizard who had magically fused himself with a cow during a freak accident, or a witch whose body parts had been rearranged when a charm went wrong.
I had just summoned dinner from Hogwarts and sat down to eat when I heard the familiar pop of Olivia Apparating into the living room. She came into the kitchen, still wearing her Healer Intern robes, and sat down across from me.
"Dumbledore visited me today," she said without prelude, taking a roll off of my summoned plate and taking a bite.
"What did he want?" I inquired, wondering why the headmaster had not said anything to me. I had seen him earlier in the day.
"He said he had a job for me and he took me to headquarters. He wants me to accompany the advance guard when they move Potter."
She was carefully studying me for my reaction. I tried my best to seem unfazed.
"What exactly does your accompaniment entail?" I asked.
"Well I have the option of remaining hidden and not being seen by Potter, which I think I'll go with. It's better if he doesn't know me," she answered. "Basically I'm there so that if they are attacked, I can report back to headquarters immediately and send help. Then, I think his idea is that if anyone is seriously injured, I would be right there at headquarters."
"…I like the 'you getting out of danger immediately' part," I said with the smallest of smiles.
"So you aren't opposed to my doing this?"
"…No. The danger to you is minimal. The only way the Advance Guard would get attacked is if I didn't play my part right."
And, I thought to myself, now I could go to greater lengths to make sure absolutely nothing goes wrong. I could be at the Dark Lord's side the entire time the Order moved Potter. Then I would know if Death Eaters were sent out and I could weasel my way into going with them. Nothing would happen to Olivia while I had the ability to do something about it.
"…You play a vital role. Your being there could mean the difference in life and death for somebody. So many missions during the time of the original Order of the Phoenix may not have been fatal if there had been a Healer on hand."
"…I'm glad to be able to do something to help," she said.
She made herself plate from the food I had summoned from Hogwarts and began to eat.
"Oh I almost forgot," she said after a minute. "Do you know Tonks?"
I thought a moment.
"Blue-haired Auror girl?"
"She's a Metamorphmagus, but yes," she said. "Well, I'm supposed to go meet her in the morning to spy on the Dursleys."
"Potter's Muggle family? Why?"
"Tonks has to construct a way to get them out of the house. Dumbledore seems to think it would be easier to leave a letter than having to actually encounter them. And Tonks and I got to talking after the meeting and I offered to help."
"That's nice. What time are you meeting her in the morning?"
"Early. Before 8. We're going to have breakfast at headquarters with the Weasleys."
I noticed Olivia cringed slightly as she said this last part. I smiled a little.
"I never eat there," I said, shaking my head.
We continued to eat in silence a moment.
"Whose house is headquarters? It looks like it could belong to Malfoy's grandfather, all old and dark with the snakes. A bit homey, to me, if it weren't for all the dust."
"The house belongs to the Black family. He lent it to Albus for headquarters. …Before Sirius, all of the Black family were Slytherin pureblood maniacs and loyal to the Dark Lord. His brother, Regulus, was a Death Eater, only a few years younger than myself…we were friends, of sorts. Then the Dark Lord killed Regulus for attempting to abandon the Death Eaters when he realized the Dark Lord is ruthless and insane," I said. "…Besides Sirius and I still hate each other. And the Weasley children and Granger are there…it would make for a very uncomfortable meal, if I ever decided to eat there."
"…Maybe it won't be so bad for me," Olivia said. "Sirius still likes me and Granger likes me. The Weasley twins are in the same year as me, I'm a bit curious to see what they will say to me. Their Mother won't let them join the Order."
Olivia's POV
The next morning I awoke around seven o'clock. I disentangled myself from Snape and went to take a quick shower. I washed my hair and decided to let it air dry. I hurried, naked, from the bathroom to my room to dress. I opted for Muggle clothes, since I knew we would need to blend in. I dressed in jeans and a green tank top and tennis shoes.
Before I left to meet Tonks, I went back into Snape's room. He was still asleep, twisted up in the blanket so that one foot, his right arm and part of his bare chest was uncovered. I pulled the blanket over him then gently kissed his cheek. He stirred a little and a small smile formed on his lips, but he did not wake. I tiptoed downstairs to the living room so as not to disturb him, then Disapparated with a pop to headquarters.
I appeared flawlessly just inside the door of Grimmauld Place. Molly Weasley came out of the kitchen.
"Good morning dear. Tonks isn't here yet, but come on into the kitchen and have some breakfast. Everyone's just starting to stir," she said, ushering me into the kitchen which smelled heavenly- pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon…I was practically drooling.
Sirius was sitting at the table, along with the Weasley twins and a man I knew to be their father, Arthur Weasley.
"Good morning Olivia," Sirius said, motioning for me to come and sit beside him.
"Morning," I said, sitting beside him somewhat reluctantly.
"Well if it isn't Olivia Cain," said one of the Weasley twins. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm working on an assignment with Tonks this morning," I said as Mrs. Weasley offered me a cup of coffee, which I gratefully accepted.
"No fair!" said the other twin loudly. "Why does she get to be in the Order?"
"She's barely of age-" added the first.
"-the same age as us-"
"-she still hasn't even graduated-"
"Why can't we be in the Order? We want to help!"
They were looking between their father and mother. Arthur Weasley looked helplessly at me.
"I'm not an official member," Is aid quickly to my two classmates. "I'm just helping."
"Olivia has talents we need," Sirius added calmly. "Dumbledore knew of her natural skills and set up an internship for her at St. Mungo's. She is our connection to the hospital."
"We could help too-" muttered one of the twins.
"And she's a Slytherin," muttered the other.
"Now Fred. We didn't raise you to be prejudiced against anyone," his mother said sharply. "After all, Professor Snape is a Slytherin and look at all he's done to help us."
"Slimy old git," snorted Fred.
"He is not a git!" I flared immediately. I didn't care that he called me a Slytherin- like that was a bad thing!- but I wasn't going to stand by and let him insult Snape.
"Fred," his mother said, exasperated. She looked to Sirius for help- Arthur was sitting quietly at the head of the table, sipping coffee and hiding behind a newspaper.
"Well he is a git," Sirius said with a shrug. "Olivia knows he's a git. She has to live with him."
All noise in the kitchen ceased- even the bacon which had been bewitched to fry itself, stopped in mid flip. Everyone looked at me and I glared at Sirius with the best eat-shit-and-die look I could muster so early in the morning.
"Oops," said Sirius, flashing me a genuinely apologetic but still highly irritating smile.
"You live with Snape?" said Fred in a very loud voice, which drew Hermione and a very tired-looking Ron Weasley into the kitchen.
"Who's talking about Snape?" Ron asked, plopping down beside his brothers.
"We were discussing whether or not he was a git-" said George.
"Definitely a git," projected Ron.
"Ronald," Hermione said with an eye roll.
"-and Sirius here brought it up that Olivia actually lives with Snape," finished George.
All eyes were on me again. Hermione smiled and greeted me, but she too looked curious.
"He's my legal guardian. His mother and my mother were sisters and when my mother died…well, he was all I had left," I said uncomfortably, starting to wish I had heeded Snape's advice and not gone.
The Weasley boys immediately began questioning me firing off anything they could think of: What was his house like? Was it in a Wizarding village? Was he just as weird at home as he was at Hogwarts? For once, their mother didn't stop them, busying herself with breakfast but you could tell she was still listening intently.
"First of all, I don't think he is weird- or a git!- at home OR at Hogwarts. As for his house, it's in a Muggle village and it's…well, it's a lot like this one, only somewhat smaller and a lot cleaner since I've been around. The man didn't even own a feather duster," I said, shaking my head.
"Perhaps you could give us some cleaning tips. We've been trying to get this place cleaned up," said Mrs. Weasley to me as she set plates of food out on the table.
"It wasn't suitable for life when we first set up headquarters," Sirius told me. "No one's lived in here since my mother died in 1985."
At that moment there came a clatter from outside in the hallway, immediately followed by an earsplitting shriek. Sirius leapt up and rushed into the hall. I followed, trying to cover my ears and grab my wand at the same time.
Out in the hallway I saw Tonks on the floor, hands clapped over her ears, next to a troll-leg umbrella stand which she had obviously tripped over. What drew my attention away from her was a large picture frame, which until now had always been covered with moth-eaten curtains. It was a portrait of a wild-looking, crazy-eyed woman who was bellowing at the top of her lungs.
"Scum of the Earth! Bastard children of Mudbloods and Squibs! Filthy, cowardly, blood-traitors!" howled the portrait. Sirius helped Tonks up and the two of them managed with some difficulty, to close the curtains.
"What the bloody hell was that?" I asked, wide-eyed.
"That," said Sirius. "Was my dear old Mum. Charming woman, eh?"
"Yeah," I snorted. "Was she always like that?"
He nodded.
"Even when I was a kid," he said. "She disowned me after I left home at 16."
There was a noise at the top of the stairs and a young, red-haired girl in pajamas came down, rubbing her brown eyes sleepily. She looked familiar- I figured I had seen her when assisting Snape in teaching some of his younger classes.
"What's all the racket about?" she asked with a yawn.
"Sorry Ginny, it's my fault," Tonks said apologetically. "It's that darned umbrella stand. I trip over it every time. I didn't mean to wake anyone."
"It's okay Tonks," said Ginny. "Smells like breakfast is ready anyway."
Ginny came down the stairs and walked past me into the kitchen, murmuring a quick hello.
When I went back into the kitchen Fred and George were at it again with their mother.
"But why don't we get to go on 'secret assignments'? We've got skills to offer the Order!" George said.
"Now that's enough, both of you! Professor Dumbledore asked for Olivia personally. I think if he had any use for your 'skills' he would tell you!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.
Tonks, sensing I was uncomfortable, did not sit.
"Why don't we go, Olivia? We wouldn't want to be late," Tonks said, coming to my rescue.
"Oh but you haven't had breakfast," Molly Weasley said. "It's the most important meal of the day and goodness knows you are both thin as a broom handle and peaky."
"Nonsense Molly. We'll grab something a bit later," Tonks said, turning to go back into the hall. I hastened to follow.
"Alright fine," Mrs. Weasley said, following us into the hall. "Be careful, both of you."
"We will," Tonks assured her.
I nodded to her and she bustled back into the kitchen.
"Are we going to Apparate directly there?"
"No, it'd be too easy to be seen. We'll have to Apparate somewhere where there is less of a chance of us being seen. Professor Dumbledore told me of an old mill… if you hold my hand, you can Apparate with me," she said.
"I'm not so good with Side-Along Apparition," I told her, feeling nauseous at the thought. "It makes me sick."
"This won't be quite the same as Side-Along," Tonks said. "We Disapparate at the same time but instead of focusing on a specific destination, think vaguely of a mill and focus your mind hard on me. I will be able to lead you."
She extended her hand and I took it.
"Ready?" she asked.
I nodded, staring hard into her eyes which were, for the moment, a dazzling sky blue.
"One…two…three-" Tonks said and I felt myself being jerked forward.
I felt the familiar folding feeling of Apparating but I was hyperaware of my hand in Tonks'. I felt a bit like my hand was slipping and I fought t move my other hand to grab hold of her. Then it was like we slammed into each other. When the world expanded, I found myself suddenly horizontal and pressed against Tonks, who was on her back beneath me. Gravity took hold and she slammed forcefully back into the ground and I fell onto her. Our heads cracked together.
"Ow!" we both said, prying our fingers apart to grab our heads. I rolled off of her with a groan and lay back on the dry, yellow grass. Tonks began laughing and I started to laugh as well.
"Well that was fun," she said, sitting up. I sat up as well and was met with a familiar sight.
"Hey…I know that old mill…this isn't far from home!" I said enthusiastically. "…Are you sure we are in the right place? Where do the Dursleys live?"
"They live on Privet Drive, it's about 3 miles from here so we have a bit of walk," she said. "…You live with Snape, right?"
"Yeah. It's a ways down there. We could stop by after we watch the Dursleys."
"Will Snape be there?" she asked warily.
"Probably not. He's not home a lot."
"We could stop by… I've always wondered what kind of place he lives in. He looks so…at place, in headquarters," she said, beginning to walk away from the old mill. "Maybe I'm just weird, but I always try and imagine what kind of place someone lives in. Like Dumbledore- what kind of house he might have, if he even has a house outside of Hogwarts."
"I bet it would have purple shag carpet and Michael Jackson posters," I said with a grin.
"Who's Michael Jackson?" she asked curiously.
"He's a Muggle singer. Very weird."
"Speaking of weird," she said, looking up at her, which was bright pink. "I should probably look a bit more boring."
She took a mirror out of her pocket and looked at her reflection. She screwed up her face and changed her hair to blonde. She ran her fingers through it, looking hard at her reflection, then turned it mouse-brown.
"What do you think?" Tonks asked me. "Blonde or brown?"
"Definitely brown. And I really like the bright blue, but it does draw attention to you."
"Right," she agreed, and changed her eyes to a darker, less prominent blue-green color. She concentrated on her nose and made it a little smaller, so that it looked more natural on her face.
I looked her over- she wore a black, moderately short skirt and a gray top. Cute, but not drop-dead gorgeous. Defiantly Muggle.
"So you seem to know Sirius and Remus pretty well," she said casually as we walked.
"Well Remus taught Defense Against the Dark Arts my fifth year and Sirius…when he first escape form Azkaban, I thought he was just some lovable stray from the village so I fed him a lot. I tested Potions on him, too. I'm Severus' apprentice and I experiment with Potions sometimes. I even helped brew the Wolfsbane for Remus."
"Do you think he's cute?" she asked me.
"Who, Remus?"
She nodded. I hesitated.
"…You and I are friends, right? Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course," she said solemnly.
I took a deep breath and quickly told her about my brief affair with Lupin.
"Wow, I can't believe it," she said, eyes wide. "…Was he good? How big is he?"
"He was pretty good," I said, blushing. "And big. We never went all the way, though. He wouldn't. He knew we couldn't be together and he wouldn't take me. …Later, after we weren't together anymore…I was glad he didn't."
"That was good of him, in a weird way," Tonks said. "Sort of noble."
We crossed the bridge over the dirty river and I paused.
"…He didn't want to care for me the way he did. It just sort of happened. …We were friends, and I was just a stupid kid. I didn't know what real love was…now I do."
"You're still a kid. When you're in school, you date. Kids always think they'll be together forever. I'm not still with any of the boys I dated in Hogwarts."
"I'm not like normal school girls," I said. "I don't like any of the boys my own age. I went to the Yule Ball with a girl. The only men I've ever looked twice at are Remus and…the person I'm with now."
"Ooh, who is it?" she asked, intrigued.
"I can't say."
"…Is it one of the Healers at St. Mungo's?" she asked.
"I'm not saying."
"Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone," Tonks said. "Is it a patient?"
"I really can't tell anyone, not even my friends. He could get into trouble."
"Alright, keep your secrets then," she said.
We walked in silence a while down the street past the Muggle houses.
"Do you think Remus likes me?" Tonks asked after a few minutes.
I thought a moment before answering.
"I think he could. Have you two talked at all?"
"We've done a few guard duties together and we see each other at headquarters. We both have meals with the Weasleys and Sirius at headquarters most of the time. I'm not much of a cooker, so it' easier to just eat there. Mrs. Weasley always makes a lot of food," she said. "And Remus is always really nice and he looks at me a lot. He always smiles and is…somewhat charming."
"It would be great if you two got together. Remus always seems so sad to me and he deserves to be happy. He feels so distant and estranged from everyone, because of his condition. …He needs love."
"But how do I find out for sure if he even likes me?"
"I've found it's always best to be direct. Dress extra cute when you know you're going to be around him. Sit close to him and talk to him. Flirt a little, if you can do it smoothly… It should be easier for you than it was for me. I was a student and we had to be extra-careful. Our relationship was Taboo. You are an adult. You can actually date."
"Hey, this is it- Privet Drive," she said, looking up at the street sign.
"Which house belongs to the Dursleys?"
She scanned the street, then nodded to a house with a perfectly cut, lush, green lawn and hedges. A mustached man I recognized as Vernon Dursley was getting into a car in the driveway. His bony, pale wife, Petunia, kissed him goodbye and handed him a sack lunch.
We continued walking down the street so as not to draw attention to ourselves as Vernon Dursley pulled out and drove off towards his job. The first chance we got, we slipped into an alley.
"Mad-Eye let me borrow his invisibility cloak," Tonks said, digging into her purse, which I figured must be enchanted when she pulled a huge, silvery-looking cloak out.
"Nonsense," I said dismissively. "Cloaks are faulty, the charm on them wears off. I've got a real knack for Disillusionment Charms."
I pulled out my wand and cast the charm on myself.
"Wow," Tonks said. "You're really invisible! Even Mad-Eye's Disillusionment Charm isn't that good. Will you do me?"
I smirked slightly, but I was invisible so she didn't see.
"Sure," I said and tapped her on the head with my wand.
Invisible, the two of us went back to the Dursley's house. We hung around the house for several hours, peeking in windows. We saw Petunia go around and open all the windows as the morning turned hot. Dudley sat in the living room, staring vacantly at the television while his mother gave him veggies and baked crisps to snack on.
"I know that's not Harry?" Tonks murmured to me.
"No, that's his cousin, Dudley," I told her.
It was a while before we actually saw Potter. Petunia had shooed Dudley outside to get some exercise- he'd gone off with some other large Muggle boys- and she had sat down to watch the news when Potter's head slipped around the corner. He was there for maybe ten minutes before Petunia saw him.
"What are you doing?" she spat.
"Bathroom," he muttered and hurried past her.
Tonks and I watched as Potter retreated back upstairs to his room a moment later.
"How dare she," Tonks said darkly. "Doesn't' she know what he's been through?"
"Of course she does. The Dursleys are just awful people," I said. "…On the other hand, at least she isn't forcing him to clean. He's just hiding in his room, from the looks of it."
After a while, Petunia turned off the television and came outside to work in the garden.
"Let's go. I've got an idea," Tonks whispered to me.
We walked away from the Dursley's house, back in the direction of Spinner's End.
"They seem to take great pride in appearances, especially their yard. Their grass is greener and more lush than any of the others on the street," Tonks said. "So to lure them out, I'm going to send them a letter, telling them they've won an award for the Best Lawn-make it look real, use a fake address that's far away, so we have enough time to snatch Potter."
"Brilliant," I said to her with a nod.
We talked as we walked back towards Spinner's End and as we reached the old abandoned Muggle houses I removed our Disillusionment Charms.
"Would you like to have lunch with me after we see Snape's house?" she asked me. "We could go to this place I know in Diagon Alley?"
"Sounds good," I agreed.
We soon came to the house at Spinner's End and I led Tonks inside. I called out a hello to Snape, just in case he was home, but received no response. I gave Tonks a brief tour, showing her my room, the living room, the kitchen and the potions room. She seemed impressed with all the hidden doors.
We were sitting on the ouch, talking about Lupin again when Snape Apparated into the room with a pop.
He looked slightly alarmed to find a stranger on the couch at first, then he deduced it was Tonks. He frowned slightly.
"Olivia, a word," she said.
I stood up from the couch, about a foot away from him, looking up at him.
"Kitchen," he said on an exhale.
I followed him into the kitchen and the door shut behind us.
"she shouldn't be here," he said tightly.
"Why?" I demanded. "She's my friend. Am I not allowed to make friends?"
"I could care less about who you are friends with. You should have asked my permission before bringing her here-"
"Your permission?" I snorted.
"Yes, my permission. Like it or not, this is my house. I am the master of this house and there are certain things -" he stopped and took a deep breath, then continued in a softer tone. "…Listen, I'm not mad. But you can't bring members of Order of the Phoenix here. At any moment a Death Eater could stop by…or even the Dark Lord himself."
I felt myself pale.
"Could that really happen? Could He come here?"
"It is unlikely," he replied. "But not impossible."
"…Tonks and I were going to have lunch anyway," I said after a moment. "And I won't bring her back here."
"Olivia," he said, stopping me before I could leave the kitchen. "I'm not trying to tell you that you cannot have your friends here. It is your house, too, after all. I'm just saying we should discuss these things first. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you."
"…I know, Severus," I said with a small smile. I stood on tiptoes and kissed his lips, then left the kitchen.
Tonks was sitting on the couch patiently, looking in her handheld mirror and turning her hair varying shades of purple. Finally settling on a vivid neon-purple, she put her mirror away and looked up at me, her eyes back to their startling blue.
"Ready to go, Liv?" she asked, standing up.
"Sure," I said as Snape followed me out of the kitchen. "I'll be home later, Severus."
Tonks took my hand, even though it wasn't really necessary this time, and we Disapparated.
We appeared on the sidewalk in the middle of Diagon Alley, right outside of Gringotts. Tonks released my hand and we began to walk down the street.
"You know how earlier we were talking about Remus and you said you were with someone else…?" she asked in a cheerful tone.
"Yes," I said warily.
"Is it Snape?"
"What makes you think that?" I asked quickly.
"Just then, at the house… I could tell there was something between you two. Some sort of connection or sexual energy," she said mysteriously. I felt my face flush.
"Well…you can't tell anyone," I said quickly and ferociously. "The only people who know besides Severus and myself are you and Remus."
"I won't tell anyone," she promised. "As long as you don't tell anyone that I like Remus."
"You don't have to worry about that."
"Does this mean we are friends now?" she asked.
"I think so."
"Cool," she said with a broad grin. "I've never been friends with a Slytherin before."
Author's Note: I don't actually know that Spinner's End is near Privet Drive at all, I just made that up. But wouldn't it be weird if it was? If Snape lived so close to Harry the whole time?
Anyways, hope to update soon. Read and review everyone!
~LittleReporterGirl