black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The Room of Requirement fell silent as they all turned to look at Harry.

"So that's it for this lesson," he said. "Now, we're not gonna be meeting again until after the holidays. So just keep practicing on your own as best you can. And well done, everyone. Great, great work."

There was a round of applause that resonated throughout the room and then the chatter started up again, those who were in separate Houses saying goodbye to each other as they might not see each other until they returned from the Christmas holidays. Olivia, Angelina, Alicia, and Lee gathered their things and made to leave but stopped when they saw that Fred and George were not with them. They turned and saw them speaking with Harry.

"We've been thinking, Harry," Fred said. "We could always slip Umbridge some Puking Pastilles into her tea."

"Or Fever Fudge," George said. "They give you these massive, pus-filled boils-"

"Sounds great, guys," Harry interrupted him. "Would you excuse me?"

Olivia and Angelina pulled them along, seeing Cho at the back of the room and knowing that's where Harry wanted to go.

"Are you dense?" Angelina scolded Fred. "Don't you see what's going on there?"

The twins looked over to where Harry was now speaking with Cho.

"Oh," they said slowly, realization hitting them.

Angelina rolled her eyes. "You two are the most oblivious creatures on this planet, I swear," she said.

"Come on," Olivia said, grabbing George's hand and beginning to lead him out of the room, "let's not intrude even more."

Once they all left the room and the door closed and disappeared behind them, they were faced by Faustus, Evelyn, Fraser, and Duncan, all with their eyes on Olivia.

"I think we'll let you handle this," Alicia said and she and the others continued on their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"This looks and feels incredibly ominous," Olivia said to her cousins.

"That's kind of what we were going for," Faustus admitted.

"Why?"

"We wanted to ask you something," Duncan told her.

"Ask away, then."

"Do you think we'll be going back to the Village for Christmas or Grimmauld Place?" Evelyn asked.

Olivia thought about it for a moment. "Honestly, I have no idea. I haven't heard anything from anyone since that letter from Grandpa, and that mentioned nothing about the Christmas arrangements. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I hope we'll be going home," Fraser said. "I don't like that house-elf. He's always calling me a mudblood."

"Just tell him to shut up," Faustus advised.

"What do you think I've been doing? Thanking him?"

"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Olivia asked them all.