Loverboy

"Some fucking mistletoe, probably."

Three more abysmal days passed. Echo had replied to Ollie's letter.

Dearest Ollie,

Happy Christmas to you, too! You are my favorite sister, after all. So, you and Sirius snogged? I should have seen it coming, frankly. But then he went after some other girl immediately after? That's weird. I know Sirius, and something is very wrong. Take him to Professor Slughorn (he still works there, right?) and ask him to check Sirius out. He may have been drugged or something. He wouldn't get with you then ditch you out of nowhere. It's all right to want to avoid him for a little while, but please do be sure to talk it out. I know that's not what you want to hear, but trust your big sis. It'll help. I hope your Christmas isn't as dismal as you think it will be.

Even more love, Echo

Tomorrow was Christmas. Ollie was extra careful to avoid the copious amounts of mistletoe hung about the school. She had a sneaking suspicion that at least one of the teachers - Slughorn seemed the type, and somehow so did Dumbledore - was hanging extra mistletoe to get Sirius and her to kiss. It was even in the Gryffindor common room. Or maybe she was just imagining things.

That evening, Olivia swallowed both her pride and the growing lump in her throat, and she approached Sirius in the common room. She could start off with "We need to talk," but that seemed overused by her over the past couple of weeks.

Instead, she opened with, "Hey, Sirius."

Sirius, having accepted that Ollie was mad at him, looked up in surprise. "Hi, Ollie. What's up?"

"Some fucking mistletoe, probably," she replied, sarcastic. "I've been avoiding you for two weeks."

"Way to state the obvious. What about it?"

Moment of truth. "Well, it's because you, er, well, we snogged. And then the very next day, instead of 'Hey Ollie, wanna be, like, official?' or any acknowledgment, it's Ava this, and Ava that, and you're suddenly infatuated with Ava Parkinson. So why the change in heart?"

Sirius looked contemplative. "I don't know."

"Well, after you went upstairs, what did you do before you went to bed?"

Sirius thought about it. "I went up, had some of those chocolates you gave me and then I brushed my teeth and changed clothes, then I'm pretty sure I fell asleep."

"Well, then, there might've been something in those chocolates messing with your psyche," Olivia concluded. "Or your toothpaste," she added, in a pessimistic mood.

"Like what?" Sirius asked, oblivious to the clear explanation.

"Let's go to Slughorn. He'll have a professional opinion on the matter," Ollie suggested. Sirius conceded.

The two walked to Slughorn's office, passing portraits who "awww"'d at them. Ollie knocked on the door. Horace Slughorn opened the door, inviting them into the cozy place where he spent his spare time.

"What brings you two bright souls here today?" he said by way of a greeting.

Ollie explained why they'd come. Slughorn looked a bit concerned. Ollie left out the bit about the snogging, for obvious reasons.

"Sounds like Amortentia, but only the tiniest dose. Has he been talking nonstop about her?"

Ollie nodded.

"Does he still have his wits about him, though? Would he be able to do homework, theoretically?"

Ollie cast her friend a glance. She nodded again.

"Well, then, side effects should fade in a little while, in about- How long has this been happening?"

"About- Two weeks," Ollie answered, feeling the beginnings of pinpricks behind her eyes. She willed herself not to feel bad about waiting so long to help her friend.

"It should be over in about a week, more or less," Slughorn concluded. Ollie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"But- Ava wouldn't-" Sirius stuttered.

"Maybe she didn't, but maybe one of her friends did," Slughorn pointed out gravely. "I always get at least one of these, every year."

Ollie and Sirius thanked their teacher, exiting his office and going back to the common room.

Once there, James seized the opportunity to tease them. "Where were you two running off to, all alone, without telling the rest of us?" Ollie rolled her eyes. The sharp pain was not gone.

Remus didn't look up from his romance novel. "Snogging again, you two?" Sirius bit back a laugh. Remus glanced up, biting his lip to keep from grinning at Ollie's "I'm not putting up with your shit" face. A small giggle escaped him, though, making Ollie's hard face soften ever so slightly.

Peter added, "I bet they were shagging in the girl's bathroom on the first floor." That bathroom was never visited by any Hogwarts girls if they could avoid it, due to the ghost who inhabited it. Myrtle. Myrtle was rather fond of Ollie and quite fond of Sirius.

If it had been James, Ollie would have told him off. If it had been Remus, Ollie would have turned scarlet and told to shut up. But it was Peter, and the shock of him saying something so... So un-Peter like, overtook any other reaction.

"Peter!"

All five laughed, because when Peter said something he should have never said, it was funny. Usually, at least. This was one of those instances. Remus sniggered behind his hand before patting the sofa next to him for Ollie to sit by him.

"I don't get how you can read this," she complained, as she eagerly read his book over his shoulder. "It's so cliche."

"You know that I'm a sucker for romance tropes," Remus defended himself.

That was a fun Christmas Eve. The five of them, sitting together, playing chess, reading, cheating at chess (Remus trying to help Peter), and talking about various cherry topics.

Ollie was happy.

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three more updates in a day? again? wow, mamas on a roll.

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