black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER NINE

It seemed that providing the kids with some extra Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes merchandise was a good call, because on the very day they returned to Hogwarts, a Daily Prophet article came out announcing that Severus Snape was made headmaster of the school, while Alecto Carrow, a Death Eater, took over the Muggle Studies position since the previous teacher had 'resigned' (the Order suspected otherwise) and Amycus Carrow, also a Death Eater, became Snape's successor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. This news both infuriated the twins and Olivia and also made them worried for their younger family members, because they knew that if there was a rebellion against this new regime, they would be at the forefront of it. But they had faith in the other professors, all of which they knew were on their side, to do their part to protect the students.

While Olivia had never had a personal problem with Snape due to the fact that she had kept her head down and done well in her classes and never gave her professors a reason to ridicule her, she saw how he treated her peers that were more outspoken than her or performed below her, and she did not like it at all. For this reason, she had never respected him as a person, but she did treat him with respect in the classroom because she knew that there were certain students that made his job harder than it needed to be, certainly not helping his constant sour mood. Even with his nasty demeanor that had never once faltered throughout the time she had gone to school, she had never suspected that he would murder someone, especially Dumbledore. After that, Snape had obviously lost any respect she had had for him, and once she had found out that it had been him that had sent the spell at George that had cost him his ear, she hoped for his sake that she would never see him again.

After hearing that her father had targeted her mother and attacked her when Death Eaters crashed Bill and Fleur's wedding, Olivia found herself feeling anxious all the time, half-expecting to see her father standing there with his wand drawn on her every time she turned around. She didn't even remember what the man looked like, which didn't help to ease her nerves at all. In fact, it only increased the feeling to borderline paranoia, thinking that he could very well be one of the customers walking around the shop or a spectator in the stands of one of Puddlemere United's Quidditch matches that she had to oversee due to her job as a mediwitch. Every time she caught herself thinking this though, she knew she was being unreasonable; despite not having seen him since she was two years old, Jack was still her biological father, and it would be nearly impossible for her not to recognize him, as he was bound to look very similar to herself and Oliver.

Unbeknownst to her, George had noticed this change in her demeanor. Before the day of the wedding, it was basically impossible to startle or scare the woman. Now, he saw that she looked around nervously at the slightest odd noise, even though they lived in a joke shop that made many noises, along with the rambunctious cat that they had taken in. He also saw that she almost always had a hand resting on her pocket which he knew she always had her wand in. And when the shop was void of any customers, she would be fidgeting with her wand in her hands, her eyes scanning the place. On top of all of this, when she left the shop to tend to her mediwitch duties, she would Disapparate from inside of the shop instead of outside on the street like she used to, as if she were afraid of anyone seeing her. He would often ask her if she was okay, even though he already knew that the answer was no even if she would not admit it; she was never one to admit her feelings, especially if she knew it would worry or upset someone.

He knew her strange behavior was due to what had happened with Jack and Catrina at the wedding, and knew that her anxiety about her father was completely valid, as it was definitely a possibility that the man would try to attack her like he did Catrina. Because of this, whenever she left the flat, he found himself wondering if she was okay, and hoping that Jack hadn't caught up with her, and relieved when she arrived back home perfectly fine. It wasn't that he was worried that she wouldn't be able to defend herself; she was more than capable of that and she had very fast reflexes, so Jack had another thing coming if he thought he was going to easily do her in. That didn't make him less concerned, though; Death Eaters used Dark magic and, of course, the three Unforgivable Curses, and he would never want her to fall victim to that.

With a loud crack announcing her arrival, Olivia appeared in the shop after a long (not to mention cold) Quidditch practice in late September and made her way up to the flat before collapsing on the sofa with a groan. Athena the cat jumped up on her lap and immediately began purring as George reached the flat and made his way over to them.

"Long day?" he asked as he sat down next to Olivia.

"If I ever go mad, blame those Quidditch players. And yes, that includes my brother," she began to rant. "I swear, they don't even bother to avoid getting injured anymore. 'Oh, but Olivia will mend me, it's fine!' What if Olivia isn't in the mood to mend you? Have you ever thought of that? And then they complain while I'm mending them that it hurts. Well, here's an idea, maybe don't get hit by a Bludger!"

George chuckled. "How insensitive of them."

"I agree." With a giggle, Olivia leaned over and pulled him into a kiss. Athena excused herself as it was obvious she was not about to get any attention from either of them as they continued to kiss.

Another crack sounded through the flat, startling George and Olivia and causing them to practically jump apart and look at the person that had just Apparated a few feet away from them.

"Mum?" Olivia said as Fred rushed up the stairs to the flat at the sound.

"You need to come to the Village," Catrina said, looking around at them all. "All of you."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened. Someone's just got an announcement or something. I think it's Ben and his girlfriend."

"Could you have told us that without making that dramatic entrance and scaring us half to death?"

"No."

[word count: 1140]
[written: 12/1/20]
[published: 12/1/20]