Reactance | James Potter

Chapter 13

AN: my fav chapter so far.

"YOU'VE GOT TO be joking."

Olivia stared at her reflection. Her eyes sunken, a deep frown on her lips.  . . . She looked, to put it lightly, defeated. Plain exhausted.

The sun was hardly risen. It peered through the window dimly, casting the dark lavatory in a warm orange glow. Olivia squinted, her stomach pressed against the sink as she leant in closer to the mirror. She examined the glass like it was playing a horrible trick on her.

It wasn't the slight bags beneath her eyes that concerned her. It was the phrase etched across her forehead in thinly scratched, red lines.

Olivia pushed her hair back. She rubbed at the lines with the pad of her thumb.  . . . It didn't smudge.

It was no drawing. In fact, it looked like it had been carved into her skin with a sharp needle. But it didn't hurt, and it wasn't bleeding.

Settling steady on her feet, her shoulders rolling in anger, she watched the snarl twist itself into existence on her lips. Through gritted teeth, she yelled. It came washed out and disgruntled, but loud enough that — in seconds — Lily and Marlene were rushing through the open doorway to her left.

They pushed over one another in a flurry of limbs. Olivia turned to them. Lily was dressed primly in a sweater and trousers, ready for the day, but Marlene still wore her pajamas — her blonde hair unbrushed, she was blinking the sleep from her eyes.

As Lily gasped in horror at the sight of Olivia, covering her open mouth, Marlene hastily rubbed at her eyes with her fists. She then leant in closer to Olivia, overtaken by disbelief.

"They didn't . . ."

   Scowling, her head bent low to hide her forehead, Olivia followed after Marlene and Lily. They walked slightly ahead of her as a human blockade. Although it didn't help that Marlene kept glancing over her shoulder at Olivia, chuckling.

"It's not funny," said Olivia dirtily in a mutter, catching Marlene's eye. Marlene pressed her lips together tightly to curb her amusement.

   Lily slapped Marlene on the arm, wearing a stern glare. But it wasn't because of Olivia. It was a warning — she pointed forward nonchalantly.

   Ahead of them, stood outside the doors to the Great Hall, was Dorcas. She was talking to a seventh year Ravenclaw, a Chaser on their Quidditch team. Alice stood silently to the side, her foot tapping as she waited patiently for them to finish; She was the first to see Olivia, Marlene and Lily approaching.

Her eyes gone very wide, she glanced from them to Dorcas. Her short, chin-length hair swung as her head swiveled quickly back and forth.

"Alice," greeted Lily kindly, once they were within earshot.

Like she'd been attacked, Dorcas shut her mouth and wheeled around. The Ravenclaw was very confused; Her posture showed her discomfort clearly as she looked around the girls with furrowed brows. Dorcas paid her no mind; She found Marlene with the speed of light, despite how Marlene tried to shy away behind Olivia — who was elbowing her for the half-hidden spot at the back of the group.

Dorcas pressed her lips together into a thin, white line. Flinging her nose up, she spun on her heel and stalked off into the Great Hall. Alice and the Ravenclaw Chaser were left standing there, awkwardly. Alice, pulling a face of discomfort, followed after Dorcas.

"She's ignoring us! Again!" said Lily through a scoff as she, Olivia and Marlene walked towards the Gryffindor table. "Can you believe it?"

Marlene nodded, very sarcastically, blanching, "Uh, yeah."