𝔻𝕦𝕞𝕓 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕥 [New September 2024]

𝒯𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝑒𝓈𝓉

The screen flickered to life again, revealing a small, sparse room with simple, gray walls. Olivia Potter, dressed in the plain gray garb of Abnegation, stood in front of a small mirror quietly, her green eyes focused on her reflection. Her mother, dressed in the same gray robes, stood behind her, gently combing through Olivia's long, blonde with careful, practiced hands.

"My mother says there's an art to losing yourself. But I haven't figured it out yet." Olivia's gaze shifted downward, avoiding the mirror, her expression tight with uncertainty. Her mother's hands moved with steady precision, gathering Olivia's hair and beginning to cut it. Strands of hair fell silently to the floor.

Lily Potter's heart clenched as she watched Olivia, her estranged daughter, smile warmly at another woman, calling her "mother." The word felt like a dagger twisting in Lily's chest. Anger flared in her eyes, her hands trembling with the intensity of it. How could Olivia replace her so easily? Molly Weasley, sitting nearby, noticed Lily's distress and quickly nodded in agreement, her voice firm as she muttered, "You're right to be upset, Lily. A mother never stops being a mother, no matter what." The words only fueled Lily's growing rage.

"I'm supposed to never think of myself, to always help others. To never look too long in the mirror." 

Her mother's soft voice broke through the silence, filled with calm encouragement. "Are you nervous?" Olivia hesitated, taking a deep breath. "No. Were you? For your test?" Her mother smiled gently, her eyes meeting Olivia's in the mirror. "Mmm-mm. No. I was terrified." She chuckled softly, a warm, quiet sound that seemed to lighten the tension in the room. Olivia's lips twitched into a small smile, but the worry lingered in her eyes.

"But I didn't have any reason to be, and neither do you." She finished cutting Olivia's hair and tying it up into a tight bun, stepping back and sliding the panel back over the mirror. "That's all you get. Rules are rules."

A Ravenclaw girl sitting near the front of the Great Hall leaned over to her friends, her voice barely a whisper but tinged with disbelief. "I can't imagine having a limit on how long you can look in the mirror," she said, shaking her head. "How would you ever know if you looked your best?" A few nearby students from her house nodded in agreement, sharing glances. "Especially with those strict Abnegation rules," another Ravenclaw chimed in, her brow furrowed. Murmurs of assent rippled through the room, many of them quietly horrified at the thought of such a restriction.

The screen shifted to Olivia stepping out of the house into the bustling, gray streets of Abnegation, where her brother Alex was waiting, his expression calm and composed. "Today I take the test. I'm scared it'll tell me I'm not Abnegation. That I have to leave my family. But I'm even more scared that it will tell me to stay."

"For my brother Alex, it's easy." 

Harry's eyes narrowed in disbelief as he watched Olivia, his twin sister, call another boy  "brother." A surge of anger shot through him, boiling over before he could stop it. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted, his voice trembling with fury. "I'm your brother! How dare you replace me with him!" His words echoed in the room, drawing stunned looks from those nearby, but Harry couldn't stop himself. Even though he ignored her while she was there, this felt like betrayal.

Alex turned, giving her a reassuring smile as he grabbed a bag from old woman struggling to carry her own heavy bags. "Let me help you with that." Alex moved smoothly, lifting the bag onto his shoulder with practiced ease. Olivia watched him for a moment, her eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and frustration. "He's a natural." Her brother called out from behind. "Ollie, do you want to get the other bags?" Startled, Olivia blinked and quickly reached for the remaining bags, flustered. "Sorry."