Loverboy

"Okay, Ollie, tell us everything."

"I think I'll do good on my exams. I think... I get it," Victoria said, looking at The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. She and Ollie were sitting under the stone archway while rain poured a few feet away from them. It was nearing the end of April, and it was another wet Saturday afternoon. Remus had politely declined to tutor Victoria, having not known her.

Victoria was wearing a denim skirt and a white blouse, her short curls falling limp due to the humidity. Ollie was wearing a pair of shorts she'd borrowed from Peter and James's old t-shirt, her hair down.

The only reason she was wearing her hair down was one day she took it down around Victoria to repin it, but Victoria said it looked nice. Ollie remembered that, and often left the thick waves loose for their study dates.

Victoria stood up, reaching to help up Ollie. Ollie took her friend's delicate, ring-adorned hand carefully, allowing herself to be led into the pouring rain again. Victoria's other hand placed itself on her waist, Ollie's finding itself on her shoulder.

They began to dance around in the gloomy courtyard, spinning each other and smiling. They were thoroughly soaked, but still twirling around in the rain, laughing at the sheer ecstasy. Ollie looked at the steely blue eyes in front of, gazing into the expressive depths.

She noticed the swirls of greys and blues and the green flecks. She noticed the black mascara-coated lashes, the shimmering brown eyeshadow, so light. The shaped dark brows, the softly defined cheekbones, the pink dusting on the apples of her cheeks. The rosy lip gloss on those soft lips, the flash of white teeth.

The one upper canine tooth she'd replaced with a small silver fang, the small diamond stud in her nose, catching the torchlight from the archway only a few meters away. The glittery earrings she wore, the silver rings on her fingers. Ollie's favorite one was the white cherry blossom ring. The locket she wore all the time, a thin silver chain with a silver pendant with a latch.

Ollie loved the pictures in that locket. There was one of Victoria and Pandora Volant, in a field of daisies, there was one of her late mother, there was one of her younger brother, and, on the other side of the locket, there was one of her and Ollie, laughing in the rain. There was a single pressed cherry blossom flower in the locket as well.

"Your shirt is sticking to your skin," Victoria said softly, breaking the blissful quiet. She brushed Ollie's dripping bangs away from her face, the wet hair off her shoulders.

"So's yours," Ollie pointed out, grinning. She wiped the now flat curls out of Victoria's face, watching as if from a distance and Victoria's hand went to the buttons of her blouse. Carefully and quickly, though it seemed like slow motion to Ollie, Victoria unbuttoned and removed her wet shirt, taking the swath of fabric and using it to tie up Ollie's hair into a carefully constructed bun.

"Can't have you getting sick from that," she explained quietly, adjusting the straps of the light grey tank top she had been wearing underneath.

Ollie took Victoria's hand and led her back under their stone canopy. While they stood there, dripping wet, away from the text books and note sheets, they held eye contact with each other.

Suddenly, unthinkingly, Ollie and Victoria both leaned in and kissed the other girl passionately. Ollie's hands found Victoria's droplet- covered face, Victoria's hands pulling Ollie in by the waist.

It was like this that Peter found them. "Ollie?" he said, barely a whisper, but loud enough to cause Ollie and Victoria to pull apart abruptly. "Wilson?" He looked at the two of them, his eyes widening as the realization and the weight began to impose onto him.

"Peter-" Ollie began, but her friend had already started to run and get one of the other boys. Peter didn't know how to handle the situation; he needed Sirius's understanding of romance, or Remus's deep knowledge of Ollie, or James's quick adaptability. Peter was a naive teenage boy who'd never felt love in the way he'd watched his friends feel, who'd never been loved the way others around him were.

"I'm so sorry," Victoria said, backing away a few steps in horror. "It just sort of- happened, I guess? I'm so, so sorry-"

"It's okay, Victoria. It's more than okay, but I have to deal with Peter first," Ollie replied quickly. "You can come too, if you'd like, but it's okay otherwise-"

"I'll come."

The two girls, dripping wet, dashed through the icy corridors to anyplace they might find Peter. First, the library, where he might look for Remus. Entirely devoid of Peter. Then, the Great Hall, where he might search next. A quick scan told Ollie that he wasn't there either. They searched all throughout the rooms, eventually ending up at Gryffindor Tower.

"I'll wait outside," Victoria said gently, squeezing Ollie's hand comfortingly. Ollie said the password desperately, climbing through the portrait hole and into the common room where she saw, at the fire, Peter standing there, talking quickly.

Sirius's head, his hair tied into a sloppy bun, was visible over the sofa. Remus was sitting in an armchair, his back to the portrait hole. James was in the other armchair, facing the entrance, his face one of concern and shock as he listened to Peter. His hazel eyes flicked to Ollie as she stumbled in.

"Ollie-" he started, rising. "Ollie what happened? You're soaking wet. Merlin, you need to change clothes. You'll catch a cold."

"James, it's fine, don't worry about it," Ollie said, turning to Peter. "Peter, are you alright? I-"

"Ollie, what happened? What- what was that all about?" Peter asked, clearly confused and worried.

"She'll explain it all, I'm sure," Remus said, his voice firm, "after she goes and takes a hot shower and changes clothes. I'll fix her some tea. Lemon with two spoons of sugar, right?"

Peter nodded, knowing exactly how Ollie took her tea. Ollie looked dismally at Remus before turning and going up the stairs.

She quickly stripped in the bathroom and got in hot shower water to warm herself up, drying off and putting on a large sweatshirt she'd borrowed from Remus. She padded back down in her socks, her hair down and still pretty wet.

"Okay, Ollie, tell us everything," Sirius implored, scooting over to give her some space beside him on the sofa. Ollie sat down and took a deep breath.

Oh, where to begin?"

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