black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The remainder of the month of October ran rather smoothly for Olivia and her friends. Classes weren't any harder for them than usual, none of them got in trouble (unless the letter to Olivia from David forbidding her to participate in an illegal defense group counted), and other than most of the members of the Slytherin team paying them a visit from time to time, Quidditch practices were going well. Ron was showing great improvements and Olivia had faith that he would perform well in the upcoming match against Slytherin.

On the morning of, however, Olivia found herself nearly overwhelmed with anxiety. She hadn't been able to sleep through the night, as nightmares of losing the Quidditch match plagued her sleep, and by sunrise, she gave up on sleep completely. She dressed herself and started her walk down to the Great Hall.

On the way there, she let her thoughts get the better of her. She came from a long line of Quidditch Captains, her older brother being one of them, so she had a lot of expectations to meet. She wasn't sure about everyone else, because she wasn't around for their school years, but Gryffindor had won their first match with Oliver as Captain. Olivia couldn't help but fret over what her family members might think of her if Gryffindor did not come out the victor in today's match. She was so worried that by the time she finally reached the Great Hall, she had completely lost her appetite and felt that if she ate anything, she would be sick.

She sat alone for a long time, trying to calm herself down by thinking of other things. But those 'other things' always led her back to Quidditch, and it certainly didn't help that wherever she looked, students were adorned in the colors of the House they would be supporting. Luna Lovegood, a fourth-year Ravenclaw, had gone as far as to create a large lion hat that actually roared. On any other day, this might have helped Olivia feel more confident, but today it only made her feel nauseous.

After a long while of wringing her hands, bouncing her knee, and avoiding eye contact with everyone, she finally felt multiple people sit down all around her.

"Hey, are you okay?" George asked, noticing immediately that instead of greeting them with a smile as she normally did, she continued to stare down at her hands.

"Yeah, of course," Olivia said, looking up at him. "I'm completely fine. Yeah."

The expression on her face led him to not believe her. "Liv..."

"I said I'm fine, George. Really. You don't have to worry about me."

"Yet for some reason I feel like I do." Her empty, clean plate caught his eye. "How long have you been here?"

"What time is it?" she asked him, having lost track of time.

"About eight."

"Then approximately two hours."

"Two hours? Liv, please tell me you've eaten something while you've been here and you haven't just been sitting here worrying over the match." She remained silent. "Liv..."

"I can't, George. I feel like I'm about to be sick."

"Listen to me, love." He gently grabbed her chin and directed her to look him in the eye. "We are going to steamroll Slytherin. You're great at Quidditch, we all are, because you're a fantastic Captain. Now, you should eat something, because trust me, you'll regret it later if you don't."