Reactance | James Potter

Chapter 19

An: i am so sorry for how long this took. thank you to all of who reached out to me, caring to read more. this chapter ended up being just shy of 30,000 words so i had to split it into two, meaning double update! and, i promise, more will come. thank you for your patience and devoted interest <3

   OLIVIA NARROWLY DODGED a jerking elbow. Holding her bag close to her chest like it was at risk of being stolen, she shot an incredulous look over her shoulder.

   The girl who had nearly popped Olivia in the nose, a bright-eyed Ravenclaw talking animatedly with her hands, called back through a horrified smile, "Sorry!"

   Grumbling beneath her breath, Olivia rolled her shoulders as she faced front again. The corridor was filled with students, packed so thickly that pressing through felt like weaving between lanes of quick-moving traffic. Conversations leaked into one another, forming a mindless jumble of voice and word that echoed against the stone. Overstimulated and annoyed, she couldn't make sense of any of it until she heard a sharp, loud cry.

A Hufflepuff first year had just been shoved into the wall by some cackling Gryffindors. Tall, broad and stupid they passed by with humour so joyful that she wanted to go over and smack it clean from their ugly faces.

"No!" Lily suddenly blocked Olivia's view. Sporting a big grin and shaking with laughter, Lily gazed dreamily up at Jon — seemingly ignorant to Olivia, who was shuffling left and right trying to peer around her. Lily swatted Jon's shoulder teasingly while the first year, pouting as he fixed his lopsided robes, became another part of the crowd, "You're the one!"

   Jon wet his upturned lips and casually slung his arm over Lily's shoulders, letting his hand rest limply near her bicep. His dangling fingers nearly grazed Olivia and, with a childish "blech", she jerked away. They, of course, didn't notice, too engrossed with one another that they likely had forgotten she was there at all.

"No, love," chuckled Jon patronizingly, grinning pearly whites down at Lily who swooned into his chest like a cocooning caterpillar, "it was you."

Olivia's brows furrowed as she curiously glanced between their lovestruck faces. She hadn't the slightest clue what they were on about, granted she'd missed the entire conversation during her daydreaming, but she didn't much care to ask. They had many inside jokes already; Despite being official for less than a month, it was like they'd been together for years.

   For a while, Lily had tried her damndest to include ignorant Olivia. Choking on her laughter, she'd seize Olivia's arm and force out between wheezes, "It — it was so funny!" Then, when Olivia didn't react with more than wide eyes and a patronising nod, Lily would cry, "You don't understand! L-let me explain it again." But every time she'd get halfway through the story and lose her place, distracted by the million thoughts she wanted to share with Jon.

   Olivia didn't mind being left out. She kept close to Lily, tuning in to eavesdrop as Jon walked them to the library after lunch. She enjoyed seeing them interact; It was like watching a romance film in real time . . . how Lily ogled at Jon with hearts in her eyes, how he caressed her hair where it fell down her back. . . .

   It reminded Olivia of long, humid summer nights in Lily's bedroom, camped out on the floor in front of her bed, a fan blowing back their frizzy hair as they watched the Muggle telly. Lily's father had hauled it out of the family room the first time Olivia and Marlene had come over during first year, so overly excited to have witches visiting that he would've given them the shirt clean off his back. The telly had stayed there ever since, even when Lily was away for months at school.

After ten minutes of drifting silently through the corridors, listening half-heartedly to Lily and Jon's flirting, Olivia began to feel quite creepy for how she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.