The remaining few days of the holidays were spent like the rest. Cleaning and cooking. Often you could find Olivia baking in the kitchen, and Charlie sat on the counter talking idly to her about anything.
Late one night after dinner, Olivia was making gingersnaps. Everyone had gone to bed or was relaxing in other rooms since they had been cleaned.
She stood with her apron on covered in flour, rolling dough out, alone in the kitchen. Charlie came in and found her within the baking mess.
"You baking something else now?" He asked.
"Yeah we leave in a couple days for school and I wanted to bring tins of biscuits for some people." She answered wiping her forehead off smudging more flour on her.
Charlie perched on top of the counter next to her. "Like who?"
"Well, my dad and McGonagall of course, and Dumbledore, he's the reason I make gingersnaps anyway."
Charlie plucked up one of the treats and bit into. Everything he had eaten that she made some amazing, her cooking and baking skills could rival his mums. "Why am I not surprised that these taste incredible?"
"You're just being sweet." She said smiling at him.
He finished the rest of the cookie and hopped down. "Here let me help you" he said standing behind her. Before she could say anything he reached his arms around her and started rolling the dough, trapping her in his arms.
"How is it helping if you trap me in?" She said laughing.
"Because I can roll dough better than you." He joked
"Well so far you're terrible at it, that's too thick. You need to press down more." Olivia told him placing her hands on his and showing how to do it.
Remus had heard Olivias laugh outside the kitchen he was about to go in to make himself a cup of tea but stop. He peeked inside the door, and seen the two laughing.
"Moony was are you taking so long for?" Said Sirius coming behind Remus.
"Shush! I'm trying to listen!" Said Remus spying on his niece.
"Listen? To what?" Said Tonks behind him. Remus just waved them over to come see. Together the three spied through the crack in the door.
"What are you three doing?" Said Arthur joining in the hallway with Molly.
"We're spying on your son with my niece, and I don't like that they're awfully close right now." Said Sirius in a whisper.
"Well move over and make room I wanna see this!" Said Molly unashamed. Arthur just chuckled at his wife.
Tonks was on her knees, Molly above her, then Arthur, Sirius and then Remus, peeking through the door.
Inside the kitchen, unaware of the eyes by the door. Olivia and Charlie were baking. Charlie still had the girl trapped in his arms, making the sweetest laugh come from her lips.
He leaned on her claiming to get more flour, earning an extra giggle from her. "Charlie you are terrible!" Olivia told him, turning around to face him.
He rested both hands on each side of her on the counter, by her hips. "I must not be too terrible for you to be smiling like that." He said.
Molly on the other side of the door, "Where's one of those ear things that the twins made, when you need it? I can't hear a thing."
Charlie leaned in closer to her.
"Oh I think they're gonna kiss! Look he's leaning in!" Said Tonks.
"KISS? What- Ouch!" Said Sirius bumping his head into Remus' chin, making him stumble. Causing an Avalanche of everyone to fall into the door, startling the two inside the kitchen.
Olivia jumped at the sound, and seen the pile of people on the floor by the door.
"Oh my, are you all okay? What happened?" Said Olivia moving around the counter to help them up.
"Padfoot made us all trip." Said Remus rubbing his chin.
"Trip? Well that must have been some fall to make everyone go down." Olivia said, helping Sirius to his feet.
Charlie helped up his mum, who looked slightly embarrassed. He looked at his dad. Mr.Weasley started laughing, and shaking his head.
"Well since everyone is in here, anyone care for a gingersnaps?" Said Olivia offering a tray of the cookies. The adults shrugged their shoulders and sat around the table enjoying the bake good.
Olivia was cleaning up the mess when Mr.Weasley got her attention. "Ollie dear, I wanted to show you this, I know you love photos." He said pulling something from his wallet.
Olivia walked over and stood between him and Charlie, taking the photo from the older man. "That me and Molly when we were young."
"Oh look at you two, you look so in love!" Said Olivia smiling at the picture, she leaned over to show Charlie.
He leaned in putting his hand on the small of her back, and looked at the photo. His parents did look in love, they looked like they couldn't help but be fully consumed by the other.
"I'm a fool for her,"said Mr.Weasley, smiling at his wife. Then he looked at Charlie. "A fool in love."
"What you both have is so amazing, I hope I'm just as lucky one day to find someone that loves me the way you love each other." She told them.
"I'm sure you will dear," said Mrs.Weasley
"Ollie, I have 6 sons, I'm bound and determine to get you to marry at least one of them. You would make the perfect daughter in law, you are practically like my daughter now." Said Mr.Weasley
On the last day of the holidays their letters came, with all their supplies list. George handed Olivias hers at breakfast, and left to go give Fred his.
She sat at the kitchen table, she cleared her plate and went upstairs behind Mrs.Weasley carrying a pile of laundry.
They went into Ron and Harry's room, "Ginny said the book lists had some at last. If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron I'll have to get you more pajamas these are at least six inches too short. I can't believe how fast you're growing... what color would you like?" Said Mrs.Weasley sorting the clothes into two piles.
Olivia stood by door listening. George stood next to her, "Get him red and gold to match his badge." Said George smirking, Olivia looked at him confused.
"Match his what?" Said Mrs.Weasley
"His Bagde," said Fred, "his lovely shiny new prefect's badge."
"His... but... Ron, you're not...?"
Ron held up the badge to show her, and Mrs.Weasley let out a shriek.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh Ron how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next food neighbors?" Said George watching his mum fling her arms around Ron. Olivia couldn't help but snort.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled oh Ronnie-"
Fred joined where George and Olivia stood, the twins started making loud mock retching noises behind their mums backs. She was going on about getting something nice for Ron, and he asked for a new broom.
Fred and George exchanged looks.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you do you ron?"said Fred
"We could curtsy if you like," said George
"Oh shut up." Said Ron.
"Or what? Going to put us in detention?" Said Fred
"I'd love to see him try." Sniggered George
"He could if you don't watch out," said Hermione, and Ron told her to drop it.
"We're going to have to watch our step George, with these two on our case..."
"Yeah it looks like our lawbreaking days are finally over," said George shaking his head.
"Oh don't mind them, Ronnie, I'm proud of you." Said Olivia coming forward and kissed Ron on the cheek, making him blush a deep red. Behind her was a loud crack and she knew the twins had apparated. Olivia left the room to see if she could help Mrs.Weasley any.
Olivia came downstairs into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was sharing the good news with everyone, she noticed Charlie not looking all that thrilled with a letter in his hand.
"Oh Ollie dear, while I'm gone will you set up everything I want to throw a little celebration for Ron and Hermione." Said the mother, gathering her coat to leave.
"Of course, I'll take care of it." She told her and made her way to Charlie. While everyone else was talking she leaned against the table next to his seat. "Whats got you looking so sad?"
He looked up to her with a sad smile, "Just got word from Dumbledore, he wants me to head out whenever you all leave for school, and go back to Romania." He told her.
"That's good, you'll get to be back with your dragons." She said trying to cheer him up.
"Yeah I suppose so, just been enjoying my time here. But it's time I got back and recruited some others to follow us." He said.
Olivia rubbed his shoulder, "Well, I've enjoyed having you here, but I know your dragons will probably be happy to have you home."
Charlie nodded his head at.
Not sure if Romania is home anymore, He thought.
That evening Mrs.Weasley returned from Diagon Alley and Olivia had made sure to have the place ready for when she did.
She cooked all kind of dishes and made a banner, that was currently being hung up by the twins.
CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE- NEW PREFECTS
A lot of the Order showed up for the party, Tonks, Kingsley, Lupin, and Moody. When Mr.Weasley arrived with Bill and Mundungus, spoke to the crowd.
"Well I think a toast is in order, to Ron and Hermione the new Gryffindor prefects!" He said as everyone held up their drinks, and applauded the two.
Everyone moved around the table to help themselves to food. Olivia stood next to Harry. Turning around to talk to Tonks.
"I was never a prefect myself, my head of house said I lacked certain necessary qualities." Said Tonks
"Like what?"said Ginny
"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks, earning a laugh from the group.
"What about you, Sirius?" Asked Ginny
Sirius next to Olivia and Harry let out a barklike laugh. "No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge." He told them.
"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends, I need scarcely say I failed dismally." Said Lupin
People broke off in smaller conversations and Olivia drifted around the room settling into the background taking pictures.
Hermione was talking passionately about elf rights with Lupin, Ron was chatting about his new broom to anyone that would listen. The twins, Harry and Mundungus looked up to no good. Especially when she seen Mundungus hand them something and the twins gave him some coins.
Mrs.Weasley was once again arguing with Bill about the length of his hair.
The twins ran off and Lupin was chatting with Kingsley, Harry was in ear shot, and so was Olivia.
"...why Dumbledore didn't make Potter a prefect?"said Kingsley
"He'll have had his reasons." Answered Lupin
"But it would've shown confidence in himself it's what I'd would've done, especially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days..."
Olivia could tell Harry heard every word because his face showed it. She made her way to him, "Hey there Little Duck."
He tried to force a smile to her, "Hey Ollie."
"You want help me with something?" She asked him.
"Sure..." he said. Together they went up to her room and got the finished painting she had been working on. They went back down to the party to find Sirius.
"You're gonna give it to him tonight?" Harry asked
"Yeah, tomorrow we'll all be too busy trying to leave, so tonight will be a good time." She told him.
Sirius was standing by Remus talking to Moody. He took note of the look on his nieces face. "What are you up to Ollie?" Asked Sirius narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Her and Harry stood in front of the canvas, hiding it behind their backs.
"We've got you something. You'll probably enjoy it too Moony." She told the men.
Together Olivia and Harry, revealed the painting.
Sirius' mouth was parted open with surprise. Remus smiled widely beside him.
"I wanted you to have something, while we off at school. So that when you have a bad day, you can look at this and remember something good." She told her uncle.
Sirius reached out and held the painting. It's was of him, James, Lily, and Remus; all in their younger days. Before the war caught up to them.
He couldn't believe it, Olivia had gotten every detail of his old friends- even of him in his youth.
"How....how was you able to.... To-" Sirius stumbled on his words.
"You captured all of us perfectly. Did you find old photos or-?" Lupin asked.
"Uh- something like that. Anyway, do you like it?" She asked.
Sirius held up the canvas blocking Olivia and Harry from his sight, when he lowered, they stood exactly like how Lily and James did in the artwork. It was hard to differ them from the two in the painting, from the two standing in front of him.
The only key difference was their eyes. Harry's green ones, like his mother, and Olivias that had a ring of blue like her father.
"Like it? Evans, I love it! Thank you!" Sirius said sitting down the canvas and wrapping his arms around his niece and godson.
Sirius let go and went back to Remus showing the painting to Kingsley.
Moody walked over to Olivia and Harry. "You all right, Evans? Potter?" He asked.
"Yeah doing fine." Olivia answered so did Harry.
"Come here I've got something that might interest you both." He said pulling out a tattered old photo from an inner pocket of his robes. "Original Order of the Phoenix, found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility cloak, seeing as Podmote hasn't had the manners to return my best one... Though people might like to see it."
They looked at the photograph of the small group of people waving at them.
"There's me," said Moody pointing himself out. "And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Digglr on the other side..: that's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom-"
Olivias grin dropped slowly the more Moody pointed out old members. And Harry's face seemed to to do the same.
"Poor devils, better dead than what happened to them... and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, and that there's Lupin obviously... Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him... shift aside there." Said Moody poking the picture and the people in it edged sideways to show others behind them.
"That's Edgar Bones... brother of Amelia Bones. They got him and his family too, he was a great wizard... Sturgid Podmkre blimey he looks young... Carafoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body... Hagrid of course looks exactly the same as ever... Elphias Doge you've met him too, I'd forgotten he used to wear that stupid hat... Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes... budge along budge along..."
Olivia could see them resemblance of Mrs.Weasleys brothers and the twins, it made her stomach twist in a knot.
"That's Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, only time I ever met him strange bloke... that's Dorcas Meadows, Voldemort killed her personally... Sirius when he still had short hair... and... there you go, Potter thought that would interest you!" Said Moody pointing out a redhead and a man with round glasses.
The knot got tighter in Olivias stomach, next to Lily and James Potter was the man that betrayed them, Wormtail. It was hard for her not to think about how many was gone now, that's in that photo.
She couldn't but think how many people they would lose this time in the war.
"Eh?" said Moody.
"Yeah, er listen I just remembered I haven't packed my..." said Harry but Sirius cut him off.
"Whats that you've got there, Mad Eye?" Asked Sirius and Harry slipped out of the room.
Olivia watched him leave. Lupin stood next to her and followed her line of sight. "What's wrong with him?" He asked the ginger.
"I think just everything lately has been getting to him. Maybe we should go check on him." Her and Lupin moved to leave the room, Sirius and Moody followed behind.
They headed towards the drawing room and could hear someone sobbing. They quicken their pace to the door.
"What's going on?" Said Lupin as he and Olivia stepped into the door way.
Inside was Mrs. Weasley sobbing, near her was a dead Harry. The sight made Olivia stumble back into Sirius' chest. Her eyes searched the room again and seen the alive Harry by the wall.
The breath that left her body quickly returned. Lupin must've realized and understood in an instant. Pulling out his wand he said, "Riddikulus!"
Harry's body vanished and a silvery orb hung in the air, Remus waved him wand again and it puffed away into smoke.
"Oh-oh-oh!" Gulped Mrs Weasley crying her hands on her face.
"Molly, Molly don't..."said Lupin walking to her, Olivia was rooted to the spot. Mrs.Weasley started sobbing her heart out on Lupins shoulder.
"Molly it was just a boggart, just a stupid boggart..." Lupin said soothingly, patting her head.
"I see them d-d-d-dead all the time! All the t-time! I d-d-dream about it..." Mrs.Weasley moaned.
Olivia was shaking herself, she looked at the spot on the carpet where Harry's dead body laid. Sirius too stared at the spot, behind her.
Harry stood shocked himself, Olivia finally broke out of her daze and reached for his hand.
"D-d-don't tell Arthur, I d-don't want him to know... being silly..." Mrs.Weasley said blowing her nose in the handkerchief Lupin handed her. "Harry I'm so sorry what must you think of me? Now even able to get rid of a boggart..."
"Don't be stupid," said Harry trying to smile.
"I'm just s-s-so worried, half the family is in the Order it'll be a miracle if we all come through this... and P-Percys not talking to us... what if something dreadful happens and we had never made up? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's going to look after Ron and Ginny?"
"Molly that's enough, this isn't like last time. The order is better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to-" Said Lupin firmly.
Mrs.Weasley gave a little squeak of fright.
"Oh Molly come on it's about time you got used to hearing it- look I can't promise no ones going to get hurt, nobody can promise that but we're much better off than we were last time you weren't in the order then, you don't understand, last time we were outnumbered 20 to 1 by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off by one..."
"Don't worry about Percy, he'll come around. It's a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he dies the whole ministry is going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology." Said Sirius abruptly
"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," said Lupin smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do let them starve?"
Mrs.Weasley smiled tremulously, and muttered about her being silly.
Olivia finally found her voice, "Well, I'm glad that nasty boggart is gone, won't be terrorizing anyone no more." She said forcing a smile.
Olivia truly was grateful it was gone. Because if it wasn't and she came across it's path once again, she knew that her worse fear would not be the same the last time she faced the creature.
Last time, she was faced with what she seen every night in her nightmares. Olivia's fear use to be exactly what happened to her in that graveyard.
Where she had to lay there and be totally helpless, watching someone she loved dying in front of her eyes.
She was sure this time if she seen a boggart, it would look awfully similar to Mrs.Weasley's. When Olivia seen the fake dead Harry on the floor, it triggered something in her.
Olivia knew that her worst fear now, would be seeing everyone she loved dead.
Later that evening, when she was surrounded by people, every time she closed her eyes, she could see a dead Harry.
Blink, dead Snape.
Blink, dead Sirius.
Blink, dead George, blink, dead Fred.
Over and over again, the dead body changed. The thoughts began to consume her, so bad that she began to tremble. Olivia quickly excused herself and found an empty room.
She paced in the library, her chest was so tight, panting for air to reach her lungs. She could feel her cheeks were suddenly wet with tears. Clawing at her neck begging for the oxygen to come.
Charlie seen the ginger leave the room, so he followed after her. Opening the door to the library, he did not find the smiling happy Ollie, he usually seen, inside.
Olivia was pulling on her hair, scratching at her throat. She turned around and locked eyes with Charlie, opening her mouth to speak but the words couldn't come out.
Charlie stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Olivia..." he said softly, rushing to pull her in his arms. The moment she was in his grasp she collapsed into him.
The only sound that came from the petite girl was her sobs. Together tangled up, they slid to the floor, Charlie held both sides of her face, making her look him in the eye.
"I don't know what's wrong, but I am here with you Olivia, I'm here and you're not alone..." he said to her firmly.
Olivia nodded her head and finally a gasp of air came out. She stared into Charlie's chocolate eyes until her panting ceased, her tears dried, and her body didn't shake anymore.
She didn't look away, fearing if she did that she would see his dead body behind her eyes next.
Charlie held her. Held this beautiful mess, until she was limp in his arms, eyes never leaving him. He brushed her hair back from her face.
When Charlie seen Olivia slip away on her own, he had decided tonight was the night he would tell her how he felt. He planned on following his dads advice, and not waste another moment.
But that all changed, when he opened the door. But he's glad it did.
Because in Charlie's head, Olivia was this incredibly sweet, bubbly personality. She seemed to always radiate happiness, even when the world seemed to be following apart. She was the glue that held everyone together.
So, when Charlie walked in expecting to see that version of Olivia that he had in his head, he found out that, that version of Olivia was not the same one behind closed doors- and it did something to him to see it.
It took what he felt for her, to another level. That this infatuation he had for the ginger, was so much more. Even though he cared so much for Olivia, it changed how he seen her as a whole.
That this person, that he seen in his eyes, was the closest thing he could compare to perfection-to a goddess, was all along actually...human just like everyone else.
Somehow, knowing that Olivia Evans falls apart just like the rest of us, seemed to make her even more flawless, to Charlie.
Infatuation developed so much deeper than that. It transformed into devotion, into something to cherish.
Into something that was intoxicating.
It turned into love.
So, he didn't confess his feelings. Instead he held Olivia Evans, the beautiful mess, in his arms. Softly whispering sweet words in her ear.
"...I'm here with you..."
"I'm always here for you..."
"I'm not going anywhere..."
"...don't worry, Olivia, I've got you..."