Oliver Campbell just wants to have two more peaceful years at Hogwarts with his best friends before they all part ways. But that's hard to have when the Golden Trio are at Hogwarts, too, and everyone is worrying about the return of Lord Voldemort.
I...
That night, the four agreed to abandon the house, knowing that staying would only be a greater risk of getting caught. It was a difficult choice for Jacob, especially since he couldn't put his home back to the way it was due to someone finding out they had been there.
A week had gone by since they departed the Scamander house. Since then, nothing new came about, and the four were beginning to think they would be safe for a short period of time. They went all over Dorset, keeping a distance from the locals and moving from place to place. Every move had to be planned with caution, but the four managed to move swiftly and out of sight from any potential threats.
One morning, Mary was the first to wake up in the abandoned house they took over for the last few days. It was on the outskirts of the county, away from anyone that could stumble upon them. She headed outside, the birds chirping in the sky with the sun already out, and the dew from the grass ticking her ankles. Stretching her arms, she sighed, looking around at the field upon her. It was beautiful, she admitted, to which it was a nice change from being in the city.
"You're up early." She turned around to see Oliver standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
Mary nodded her head. "So are you."
"Yes, but you got up before me," he pointed out, grinning.
She did the same. "Only by a few minutes."
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Fair point." Oliver made his way over towards her, staring out at the open field. "It really is nice out here. In a way, I kind of wish we could stay out here forever."
"And abandon your other two friends?"
He eyed her. "That's why I said kind of," he pointed out. "Maybe once we find them, we can all come back here until the war is over." He let out a chuckle. "What an idea, isn't it? There's no telling when this war will end."
Mary felt her heart ache just a little at the thought of the war going on for a long time. "Hiding from the madness around us isn't the right thing to do, anyway, not when so many are risking their lives in order to restore peace in the Wizarding world for everyone."
Oliver exhaled loudly. "You're right. At least we can agree on something."
There was a short moment where both of them were quiet, taking more time to soak in the morning air. Mary spoke up once again. "Where do you think your friends are?"
He shrugged. "No idea. Manchester is out of the question. Violet wouldn't go back, especially not after her home was raided by Snatchers. The code was very vague, so they could be anywhere."
"Can you explain the code names to me?" she asked. "I mean, unless it's some sort of secret among the five of you, then--"
Oliver cut her off by chuckling. "No, it's not really a secret. More like jokes between us. My middle name is Graham, so that's where Graham Cracker came from. Eliza is Liza Minnelli, because she grew up watching her films with her parents, and she has the same birthday as her, funnily enough. She even had her movie posters hung up in her bedroom."
"And Liza is her nickname, too," Mary added.
The boy nodded in response. "Yeah, it is. Anyway, Jacob and Violet's code names go with each other. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is Jacob's favorite film and there's the character named Violet who turns into a--"
"Blueberry," Mary finished, nodding her head. "That makes sense."
Oliver went on. "And then Andrew's adoptive parents really like the band Pink Floyd. Lloyd is also his middle name, so it rhymes as well. We decided to come up with these names when we didn't want any notes or letters to get intercepted, especially during these times where just about every owl is being watched." He paused for a moment, clicking his tongue. "Maybe you should have a code name."
Mary raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I should?"
"Yeah. I mean, you might need one, just in case." He began to think, his face turning into a contemplative expression. "How about Little Lamb?"
She shot him a confused look. "What?"
"Little Lamb. You know, like the nursery rhyme."
She didn't change her expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What, you don't know 'Mary Had a Little Lamb?' Everyone knows it." Then, Oliver realized that the nursery rhyme he was referring to was a Muggle one. "Oh, right. You're not Muggle-born. Well, it still fits, since your name is Mary."
All Mary could do was giggle, genuinely giggle. "Okay, Little Lamb it is."
Oliver cracked a smile. "Glad you like it."
There was another pause from both of them before Mary started talking again. "Why did you let me come with you guys, even after all I did at Hogwarts with Draco?"
The boy huffed a sigh, sticking his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "I guess you leaving Malfoy Manor to come warn us about those Snatchers really said something about you as a person now and not who you were almost a month ago." He faced her, his face turning soft. "I think everyone deserves a second chance. But I have to admit, you still have a lot to prove if you want to gain our trust."
Mary nodded in understanding. "You're right." She knew that if she was sticking with them for a while, then she had to gain everyone's trust, especially whenever it came to a situation where she needed their help. The last thing Mary wanted was to be on her own with no one to save her. At this point, Oliver, Jacob, and Eliza were all she had left. Without them, there was no telling where she would be at right now.
"Do you think your parents miss you?" he asked after being quiet for a moment.
Mary scoffed in response. "Honestly, with the way we left things, probably not," she said. "What about yours?"
"Well, I took away their memories of me, so no, they don't."
She felt her heart drop at his response. "Oliver, I'm--"
"It was Hermione's idea," he cut her off. "Eliza did it as well. It's for their safety, especially when this war gets worse."
Like before, she understood the reasoning. "I'm sorry you had to do that," she told him. "I'm also sorry about hurting you and your friends at Hogwarts. I know I caused a lot of trouble for you guys and there's no excuse for any of it. You don't have to forgive me, of course, but I just wanted you to know that I really am sorry, especially since you and I were...well, acquaintances, I guess."
Oliver looked down at his feet, licking his lips. "I forgive you, at least for what you did to me," he clarified. "But what you did to Jacob, only he can accept your apology for that, not me." He paused, taking a deep breath. "And from here on out, we can be friends. I'm sure we're going to get to know each other better for as long as we're running around England together." He grinned her way.
Mary grinned back. "Friends it is, then." She stuck her hand out for him to shake, almost similar to when he did the same to her at Slughorn's Christmas party.
Oliver pulled one hand out of his pocket and slowly shook her hand. "Friends."
It was in this moment where their hands touched that the idea of getting a second chance and starting their friendship over made Mary feel like she was finally taking a step in the right direction with herself. She was just hoping that she didn't do anything to screw that up.
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A/N: So we finally got some fluff-ish things going on lmaooo.
