After a month of working at Hogwarts (with the weekends off), Olivia had earned 150 galleons. After the first two weeks Dumbledore had raised her pay to 10 galleons a day, even though she told the headmaster that 5 galleons was more than plenty to pay her for the work she did.
During the month she would feed animals with Mcgongall, walk around the grounds with Hagrid, mopped floors with Filch, who went from hating her for hanging out with the twins, to a mild dislike that she found she could live with.
When she arrived to work, she greeted Dumbledore with a new joke everyday. The old wizard seemed to get a lot of joy out it.
A couple times a week she would have lunch with Snape, who told her that she could refill the storage cupboard for him. She was happy to, even if they worked in silence.
She overall loved helping at Hogwarts. That Friday before the week before the 11th, her and Snape came home after her last day of working. That evening sitting in an arm chair by the living room window reading a book Professor Sprout gave her one day while trimming lemongrass with her. Olivia heard Snape clear his throat from the doorway.
Looking up at him, closing her book. He said, "I have been writing with Mr and Mrs Weasley and after talking to them I have told them that I have given you my permission to stay in the company. I have told them if you get in any trouble while there to write to me. I'm very aware of the history you have at Hogwarts with the twins even if you haven't been in detention for anything."
"Oh I promise I won't be any trouble! I'll be on my best behavior I swear sir!" She said eagerly.
"Since you have saved up your money, I'll will take you to Diagon Alley to purchase a gift, tomorrow. Next week you will Floo to the Weasleys home, however instead of staying the weekend they have asked for you to stay until term begins. I agreed to this only because I didn't want you to stay at home by yourself for the rest of the holiday. I will get your school supplies before school starts and I'll see you back at Hogwarts." He informed the girl of the new plans.
Olivia couldn't contain her excitement. She leaped from her chair and hugged the raven man. Releasing him and smiling ear to ear, she thanked him over and over. He nodded his head and she ran to her room to write to the twins to tell them to good news.
The next morning Olivia jumped from her bed and got dressed. She headed for the kitchen where she had taken over making breakfast for the last month. After they both had ate she threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the study.
"We won't be using the Floo Network today, we're going apparition. I'll take you side along." Snape informed the girl before she could reach the hallway.
They headed outside the home, where they stood awkwardly on the door step. "Just take my arm" he instructed her.
She lightly gripped her arm that turned into her wrapping both her arms around his when she felt like she was being sucked through a straw. She opened a clinched eyes once she felt solid ground under her feet. Looking around she recognized Diagon Alley. She realized she still had a death grip on Snapes arm, and quickly let go.
"I have to get a few things, meet back a the Leaky Cauldron in two hours. That should be plenty of time for you to find a gift." He told her.
"Alright, I'll see you later." She smiled at him. He nodded his head before heading off to a shop.
Walking around she fell in love with this magical world she gets to be a part in. There was people everywhere. Customers walking up and down the Alley while vendors and shops lined the sides. She looked around in Flourish and Blotts where she found a section that was only a Knut per a book. Walking out with her bag five books heavier she walked to another small shop that sold a variety of trinkets.
Looking around to find a gift for the birthday girl, she found miniature wizard chess set, that changed colors. After purchasing the gift she left the shop, check her watch she still had plenty of time before she had to head to the Leakey Cauldron.
Walking around she came across a shop that looked to have Muggle things in the shops window. Heading inside Olivia found that the shop sold all kinds of Muggle things, from clothes, to toasters, even toys and sweets. After a few minutes Olivia had found a new shirt, jeans, a new pair of converse since she had outgrown hers, and a few sweets that she wanted the twins to try. When she was about to check out when she noticed that a display stand was a 35mm film camera.
She always wanted one before. Olivia picked up the camera and several boxes of film and checked out.
Back at the Leakey Cauldron Snape waited on the red headed girl to meet him. From his booth he looked up to see her head towards him with a few bags of things she had bought.
"Did you spend all your money? I thought you had to get one gift." He asked.
"I did get one gift but I found a few things I liked. And actually I barely even put a dent into my money." She told her raven man, after collapsing in the booth across from him with all her new things.
She let out a huff of exhaustion. "I even got you something." She said reaching into the bag with the books. Olivia handed Snape the copy of Magical Roots and Fungi Volume 5. "I noticed on your book shelves in the study that you have every volume but 5, so I got it for you to complete your set." She told him.
Looking at the book in his hand, Snape couldn't help but wonder why she would even do such a thing. "How much do I owe you for the book?" He asked reaching for his pocket.
"Owe me? You don't owe me. I wanted to do something nice for you, I mean it's the least I could for you being nice enough to give me a home. Besides that's what family does for each other right?" She told him before she realized what she actually said. Pretending that she didn't overstep a boundary by calling him family and went on to ask him. "Did you find everything you needed?"
Thrown off by her sheer causality, "Uh yes, I did. Are you ready to head back?" He asked.
Nodding her head, she stood to gather her things. She took hold of his arm and they apparition back to Cokeworth.
A few days later, Mr. Snape went to work while Olivia stayed home. Before he left for work she would give him a piece of parachment that she asked to give to Dumbledore. Even if she wasn't working at Hogwarts anymore she still want to give her daily joke to the headmaster.
While at home alone, she cleaned the place, and replaced the flowers in the vases. When she was returning from gather more flowers one day she also returned with a sack full of lemons.
In the evening when Mr. Snape got back from work, he found Olivia in the kitchen juicing lemons.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"I'm trying to make lemonade, the elderly lady that leaves on the corner gave me some lemons from her tree that she has. Her name is Miss Fern, she noticed me getting new flowers and often them to me." She told him while squeezing a half of a lemon that made the juice get in her eye. "Ow!!! That's the third time I've done that." She said dabbing her eye with a cloth.
"Miss Evans you shouldn't talk to strangers like that." He told her as he watched her stir in sugar.
"She isn't a stranger I talk to every time I get flowers. She's a widow, has a sister in Surrey that's name is Mrs. Figgs. And her cat is name Socks." She reassured the man. "And you should really stop calling me that, just call me Olivia or Ollie, that's what the Weasleys call me." She smiled at him, took a taste of the lemonade. The lemonade her pucker her lips and close one eye.
The girl in front of him had clearly become comfortable with him by the causality laced in her words. "I will not call you that, but I will call you by your first name." He told her tightly and left the kitchen. She shrugged her shoulders wondering what his problem was, she returned to making the lemonade.
That Thursday night, she knocked on his study door. After Snape told her to come in, she came in holding the gift for the twins sister, some wrapping paper and a ribbon.
"Do you have any tape? I need to wrap this gift before I leave tomorrow, and I couldn't find any around the house." She asked him kindly.
Pulling some out of the drawer of the desk and sat down for her to get. Expecting her to leave and return the tape later, Snape looked up to see that she had take the tape but not to leave with it. The ginger girl sat down on the rug in the floor with all her things to wrap the gift. Furrowing his brow, "why are doing that in here?" He asked.
"I just figured I would so I don't forget the tape somewhere else. I misplace things often. But I always end up finding them. I just don't want to lost things that aren't mine." She replied to him with looking up. Olivia laid out the paper and placed the boxed gift on it. She carefully folded the edges and taped down sides. Snape observed the girl as she finished by tying a small yellow bow on the purple wrapped gift. He hadn't realized he was doing so until she looked up and smiled at him. "Not the best at wrapping, but not too bad of a job if I do say so myself."
Looking back at the paperwork on his desk, he said, "if you're finished just place the tape on the desk I'll put it up when I'm done."
Taking the hint to leave, she returned the tape and gather her things to leave. After she shut the door behind her, Snape tried to return his focus back to his work.
The next day she packed her trunk of all her things. She waited until Mr.Snape got home from work. Once he did, he reminded her to behave. After reassuring him she would she gathered her things and flooed to the Burrow, as Mr and Mrs Weasley instructed her to.
Once she was gone the house was eerie quiet, Snape noticed. Leaving his study he went to the kitchen to have dinner. On the small table there was a lemon tart with a note.
I'm not sure if you like lemon tarts or if it's any good. But I made you one with the leftover lemons I had, hope you enjoy it!
See you at school!
Olivia
He bit into the tart, which was surprisingly good.
At the Burrow, Olivia was greeted by many faces when stepping out of the fireplaces. All the faces belong to redheads of course, but it was the two identical faces that greeted her first with hugs.
"Boys! I've missed you!!" She cheered as she let go of her things to hug them back. Releasing their necks she turned to introduce herself the rest of the family.
"It's so nice to see you dear!!" Said Mrs Weasley that she recognized from last year at Kings Cross. The older woman hugged Olivia. She then faced a older man with lopsided glasses and a warm smile. He held his hand out to shake.
"Pleased to finally meet you Olivia, I've only heard good things about you from my boys. I'm Arthur Weasley." Said the man after shaking her hand.
"Charlie help Olivia with her things, I hope you don't mind dear but You'll be staying in Ginnys room with her." Molly told Olivia
"That's fine with me, thank you Ginny for sharing your room with me, that's awfully nice of you." Olivia said as she looked at the little girl she could only assume was Ginny, who smiled back to her.
"Of course you already know Percy and Charlie from school, this is Ronald, he's our youngest boy." Molly told her, while she tried to wipe some dirt off the young boys nose.
"Mum stop it" Ron mumbled.
"Alright, fine" she told her son, "just make yourself at home, I'll have dinner ready in a little while" Molly told her before headed off to the kitchen.
There was a tapping sound from the kitchen and Molly returned, "Olivia this just arrived for you." She told the girl and handed her a small letter. The woman left the room.
Olivia opened the parchment and found one two words write on it, with no name.
Thank you.
Was all the paper said, she smiled to herself and put it in her pocket. She knew who it was from.
Looking around she couldn't help but noticed how different Cokeworth was to the Burrow. Cokeworth was plain and boring while the Burrow was full of life and color. From the kids drawings to the huge clock that had all the Weasleys on the hands of it, this actually felt like a home.
"So Ollie, tell us who did you miss more? I know it was me of course, so try to break it to Fred easily." George said throwing an arm over the girls shoulders.
Fred also threw an arm on her shoulders of the other side of Olivia. "Oh stop being a git you know she missed me more George."
With both the boys waiting for her reply, she smiled sweetly at them. "Boys, let's be honest, I missed Percy the most." Percy who didn't look at all amused by her words, left only the twins who laughed hard enough for him.