black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next month couldn't have gone by any slower.

It seemed the war was reaching a new height every single day. One very irksome development was the Taboo placed on Voldemort's name, meaning that everyone that had never had a fear of the name before definitely did now and had to work to remove it from their vocabulary or risk being attacked by Death Eaters. This had been discovered by the Order when Kingsley Shacklebolt had said the name and had very narrowly escaped an attack himself.

On a lighter note, Athena the cat had adopted a new favorite pass-time: riding on her owners' shoulders. While visiting Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, one could often see the small black and white cat standing on Fred's, George's, or Olivia's shoulders as they went about their business like nothing was up.

With Ben and Adeline's wedding behind them and December upon them, the next event to look forward to was the Christmas holidays, for which a good majority of Hogwarts students would undoubtedly be coming home for. Any family members of those that attended the school were anxious to have their loved ones home so that they could see for themselves that they were okay, and to have them away from what was once considered the safest place on Earth, even if it was only for a few weeks.

This was particularly obvious with Olivia the evening before the students were due to come home. After a busy day in the shop, which included nearly scaring herself into a panic attack when she thought she saw her father, she finally closed the door behind the last customer and flipped the sign so that the side that read 'CLOSED' faced outside. She then turned and leaned back against the door, her eyes fluttering shut as she felt rather tired thanks to the toll the constant anxiety was taking on her body. However, the sound of footsteps caused her to open her eyes again, and a smile crossed her face when she saw that it was George walking over to her.

Without saying a word, the two embraced one another and stood like that, in silence, for a few moments. Olivia's body relaxed in his hold as she took in his familiar scent, his presence being a comfort to her in and of itself. He then planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head, causing her heart to flutter and her cheeks to burn, making her feel, for a moment, as if she were 16 years old again, before there was a war to worry about.

About a minute had passed when they separated, still holding one another in their arms. Olivia's smile was gone by the time she spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know I've been bothersome these last few months, what with all of my worrying and panicking. I try not to, but..."

"I know," George said as she trailed off, unsure of how to express what exactly she had been feeling; she had never been very good at that. It seemed she didn't have to, though, that he understood whether she expressed it verbally or not. He swiped a strand of her hair out of her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You've got nothing to apologize for, you've got every right to feel the way you've been feeling. If my father were a Death Eater, I'd be afraid of him, too, and I doubt there are very many people who wouldn't say the same. And I know it feels like you are, 'cause everyone likes to act like they're above it, but you're not the only one feeling this way. Fred and I, we're worried, too. I mean, our youngest brother's on the run with his two best friends and our two little sisters are at a school where Death Eaters are in charge. It's a lot."

"Those three are strong, George. If anyone can go through what they're going through and live to tell the tale, it's them."

"I know. And so are you. Your father would be an idiot to show up here and try to take you on. That's if he could even get as far as to point his wand at you before I blow him to bits for even considering it."

The smile that Olivia had had on her face beforehand was coming back as George continued.

"But hey, the little kiddies come home tomorrow, okay? I'll get to see my sisters, and you'll get to see your cousins - because I know some of your worry is for them, too - and they'll be fine. And they'll be home for three weeks before they have to go back."

"The little kiddies?" Olivia repeated with an amused smile.

"Yes. And before you say something about how tall they are or how old they are, they'll always be little kiddies to me."

Olivia laughed. "If you say so."

After a moment, Olivia moved her arms so that they were wrapped around George's neck. "I love you," she told him. "And I can't wait to marry you."

Now it was George's turn to smile. "And I, you," he replied before pulling her into a kiss.

[word count: 865]
[written: 3/12/21]
[published: 3/12/21]