Loverboy

"He fancies himself as 'Lord Voldemort.'"

Having slept in her dorm for most nights in the preceding nine months, when Ollie woke up in her own bed in the suburban London house, she panicked for a moment. She looked around her room, trying to recall her settings in the dim early-morning light filtering through the window.

The wallpaper was a faded baby pink with a daisy pattern. It had never changed since Echo was six years old and chose the paper. An oak desk and chair were against the wall, under the window. A few pink and orange tulips grew in a pot on the desk, and a jar with quills, Muggle pens, Muggle pencils, and a few paintbrushes sat next to it. There were a few leftover rolls of parchment from the school year, and a short stack of notebooks from the Muggle shops was on the surface.

The chair had a faded pink cushion on it and a set of robes draped over the back. There was a pincushion on the desk that matched the pillow on the chair, and the stuffing was beginning to show in it. The curtains on the window were clearly also made from the same fabric as the pincushion and pillow, as it was the same faded pink and white stripes. The cassette player Remus had gotten her was on the desk as well, looking greatly out of place against the more soft-looking decor.

Ollie glanced at her open closet door and the drawer of her dresser. There were jeans, shorts, overalls, sweaters, blouses, jackets, and even a rack of hats and shoes in the in-wall closet. In the open drawer, a stack of colorful tank tops and one of short-sleeved tee shirts was visible. In her mind, Ollie knew that meant the drawer beside it held her socks and underwear, and the two drawers under them held old tee shirts and old clothes that she never wore.

Her trunk was open at the foot of her bed. She threw the fluffy pink comforter aside, and swung her legs off the bed. She walked over to the dresser and looked in the mirror. Her hair was in a messed up braid, her bangs looked disheveled, and her eyes were squinted from having just woke up. She adjusted her dark brunette bangs. Her skin was slightly yellow, her lips stained a gentle pink from her makeup habits, her nose looking round and babyish. She fussed with the collar of James's old tee shirt, and noted the chipped pastel pink nail polish on her fingers. She leaned forward and noticed the freckles dotting her cheeks.

She went to her trunk and dug out a photo of her with her friends. She pinned it to the wall over her wall. James, as usual, had his hair messed up and his glasses slightly crooked. His straight white teeth flashed in a big grin. Remus, in his crimson sweater and khakis, smiled at the camera while his hand rested on Ollie's shoulder. The deep scars across his face seemed out of place on the smiling boy. Peter's crooked grin and gap tooth were on full display. His blond hair covered his eyes partway and he looked like the happiest boy in the world. Ollie's hair was down and her smile was just as big as her friends'. Remus's hand was on her shoulder while Sirius's arm was around her waist. His smile was the classic pretty boy look he liked to wear and he was wearing a leather jacket. Ollie noticed his eyes weren't towards the camera, but at her.

As she noticed this, a tapping came at her window. She rushed over, opening it to the barn owl and taking the letter from its leg.

"Ollie-

How's summer been treating you? Dear old mum's pissy that I'm going to Andy's wedding. Like it would stop me. I've started packing my things because I'm moving to James's place afterward. I can't wait to see you again on the twelfth. All my love,

Sirius"

Ollie quickly got a piece of parchment and a pen.

"Sirius-

It hasn't even been a day yet, but I miss you boys so much already. Just don't tell James I said it, he'll tease me until we're thirty. I'm glad you're moving in with him, though. Better than your hag of a mum. So excited for the wedding. I need to get a dress, maybe we could match? Tell your brother I say hello, I love you,

Ollie"

She rolled the short letter up and tied it with a piece of twine to the owl's leg. She poured a little bit of water from the glass on her nightstand into a little dish, letting the bird have a drink before it departed to send her reply.

She threw on a tank top and a pair of bell bottoms, and fixed her hair to her usual ponytail. A swipe of lip gloss, a touch of mascara, and a quick glance at the framed photo of the girls on her nightstand, and she was out the door of her room.

"Morning, sweetie," Mrs. Sato said, sipping her tea and reading the newspaper. Her greying hair was pulled into a tight bun and her reading glasses sat at the tip of her nose.

"Morning, Mum," Ollie said, pouring herself a cup of hot water and dropping in her favorite lemon tea and setting it aside to brew. "Anything noteworthy?"

"This is the Muggle news, honey. We get both this and the Prophet now. Helps with what's been stewing out there," the older woman replied, a crease appearing in her forehead.

"Akiko, darling, hush," Mr. Sato hissed at his wife as he entered the room with a black coffee. "She doesn't need to know about that."

Ollie looked at her father, then her mother again. "About what?"

"Oh it's nothing, honey. How was school this year?" her father replied. Cinnabon jumped up next to the man and pawed at his trousers.

"It was fine, I suppose. And if it's 'nothing' then why don't you tell me?"

"Ollie, don't worry about it," her mother said, folding the paper and setting it down. "Go check your tea, you don't like it too strong, remember?"

"I've taken it stronger lately, actually. I'm sixteen, Mum, Dad. I'm almost of age. I should know," Ollie replied, pinning her parents with a look.

"Well, there's a Dark wizard on the rise," Mr. Sato explained. "It's nothing new, it happens all the time, but this particular man seems to actually be gaining traction."

"For what?"

"He thinks that purebloods are a superior race. There's talk about him wanting to kill all the Muggles and Muggle-borns," Mrs. Sato said. "And half-bloods, too, I think."

Ollie's eyes widened. "Peter and Lily are Muggle-born. Actually, so is Mary, and Vic- Some of the other people in my class. What about half-bloods and blood traitors?"

"Get rid of those, too. Thinks witches and wizards shouldn't breed with Muggles."

"So... Me and all my friends are in danger, basically. Poor Sirius, his mum's probably all over this guy. What's he called?"

"He fancies himself as 'Lord Voldemort.'"

---

Hey, sorry about slow updates. I know it's been a few months since I posted on any of my stories. I've started school again and it's been stressful. My bio class has had a heavy workload, I've been struggling with math, and I have a test almost every other week. Not to mention I have a massive crush on a guy- Anyway, I've only just gotten enough time AND energy AND motivation at the same time to write this whole chapter in two days. We're getting to see Ollie's room back at her parents' house, and some exposition. Anyway, for the sake of my own continuity, can we just forget the animagus sideplot? Let's just pretend they were animagi the whole time, okay. Anyway Andromeda's wedding is next chapter! Thanks for sticking with it this long, ily, mwah <3

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