When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter thirty-seven | the long-awaited closure and peace

On the fifth day of September, also the day of Jacob's eighteenth birthday, nothing changed.

The last few days moved slowly with no progress being made on anything the four wanted to accomplish. While they remained in the same area, among the trees and away from civilization, the fear of being seen was still there.

Which was why Eliza suggested putting up protective enchantments, and the others agreed to this idea, wondering why they hadn't thought of it sooner.

At times, all Mary could think about was Blaise, despite every intention of not wanting to do just that. She found it difficult to move on, even though that was exactly what she wanted and needed to do. But every now and then, she looked over at Oliver, and their conversation from the other day replayed in her head. In a way, that was her reassurance that she would move on and be happy eventually. All she needed was time.

That afternoon, Mary was setting up the fire for tonight when she noticed Oliver engrossing himself in books as he sat against a large tree not too far from the tent. She watched as his eyes were focused on the pages, scanning the words with such concentration that caused him to form wrinkles in his forehead.

She walked towards him, her footsteps still delaying a reaction from him. When she was close to standing over him, his head snapped up. "Hey," she said. "It looks like your eyes are about to burn through that book."

He chuckled, setting it down in his lap. "Yeah, well, I'm definitely into it."

"Do you mind if I sit down and take a look at what you're reading?"

He motioned his hand next to the empty spot beside him, to which she accepted his offer, taking a seat next to him. "It's one I've gone over a couple of times already."

She scooted a little bit closer to him, leaning her head over the book. "What exactly are you looking for?"

He huffed a sigh, his hands fiddling with the corner of the pages. "It's personal."

"Oh." She paused, lifting her head up to face him. "Still, is it something I can help you with?"

Oliver pressed his lips together, staring down at the book for a moment before looking up at Mary. "You would do that for me?"

Mary nodded her head. "Of course. I mean, I'm not trying to get into your business or anything..."

"No, it's..." he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "Well, I guess I could tell you, especially because...well, you'd understand."

"Understand what?" she asked.

"What it's like to lose a sibling."

The feeling of hurt and sympathy came over Mary as she shot him a sorrowful look with her eyes. Of course she understood very well. The pain of a sibling leaving this world right before their eyes was a trauma that neither of them would be able to get rid of, lingering constantly and buried deep within their minds.

Everyday would be a reminder that they weren't alive anymore.

Mary's breath hitched as she shifted in her spot. "You had a sibling?"

He nodded. "A younger sister. Her name was Fiona."

"What happened?"

"That's the thing. I have no idea what happened. She died when she was seven." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing on. "I've tried figuring it out for almost two years now. Jake's been helping me with some leads, but I've haven't had much luck with them."

Mary observed his face as it turned into a frustrated expression, with a hint of sadness in his voice. Before she knew it, her hand was on top of his. He looked up surprised, but didn't move his hand away, letting her fingers fall gently over his own. The feeling became a comfort, a warm atmosphere hovering over the two as they merely exchanged glances.