The following mornings, Olivia didn't wake up until at least noon. Her new coat kept her so warm and comfy that she didn't even feel like moving.
But eventually her empty stomach and her injured leg got to her and she sat up in her creaky bed, stretching her arms out and heaving a big yawn. On this morning, however, everything was slightly different.
She heard a subtle knocking at the door before hearing it creak open, the footsteps getting closer as she was just starting to stir.
"Liv?" Sirius' voice whispered from beyond her sleepiness.
Olivia tried to stretch her arms out, as she did almost every morning, but in doing so she felt her fist hit wood.
"Ow!" Her eyes flew open as she looked to assess the damage to her hand. Instead of being on the bed, however, Olivia was once agin floating up in the canopy of her bed.
"You alright up there?" Sirius asked from where he stood below. He hadn't woken her up much before and was starting to wonder if she just slept like a bat.
"Fine. This happens occasionally," Olivia slowly floated back down, as she'd done every week or so since she'd started sleeping at the Shack.
"Is it normal?" Sirius stepped away from the bed as she landed, hearing it creaking from the new weight.
"Hell if I know," Olivia said somewhat under her breath as she properly stretched out, questioning if she would be told off for swearing from the word "hell".
"As long as it doesn't impact your sleep, I guess it's fine..." Sirius trailed off, "Anyway, I've woken you up because we're going out today."
Olivia stopped in her tracks, "Have you lost your mind? Going out? We're wanted criminals!"
He barked a laugh, "It's funny to see your thought process. Come on, it's Christmas, I want to have a fun day!"
"Wanted. Criminals." Olivia said very slowly for him, seriously considering if he'd lost it.
"No one is looking for us on Christmas Day! Besides, we won't be spending it in the dementor-ridden Hogsmeade."
Olivia didn't lose her suspicious look, "Where will we be spending it, then?"
"Oh good, I've finally got you to go." Sirius skipped over her question entirely, pulling out a wrapped package he had hidden from her earlier, "And before we go anywhere, I wanted to give you your gift. Happy Christmas, Liv."
Olivia unwrapped the plain package, smaller than an average roll of parchment. It felt a little heavy, and she had already guessed it was a book by the time the wrapping came off.
"The Healer's Helpmate?" Olivia questioned him, flipping through the book's pages.
"If you're going to keep getting injured, one of us needs to know healing. And I was always rubbish with healing magic." Sirius joked, a sheepish smile on his face. He didn't know if she was any good at healing magic, either, and had no idea if the book would even help, but there wasn't much for him to chose from.
"Sounds perfect, then. Should we try and heal my leg before we go?" Olivia asked as she searched for the right page, thoughts against going momentarily fleeing.
"Probably," Sirius replaced his sheepish smile with a relieved one and peered at the book upside-down.
"Broken bones chapter, sounds helpful..." Olivia muttered as she flipped through the educational novel, "Here we are, how to conjure a splint."
Olivia read the page and Sirius pretended to upside-down in silence. Olivia let out a huff when she read through the instructions the second time, "We need a wand for all of this. Where could we even get a wand?"
Sirius snickered, "Gee, that would be so fun to find. Too bad I already grabbed two wands when I was in Inverness." He whipped the wands out of his back pocket, and Olivia glared at him.
"You've had wands on you for two weeks and haven't bothered to tell me?" Olivia reached out to grab one from his but he pulled them away.
"Nah-uh. Yours is only for self-defence, I get to use mine," Sirius put the one she had reached for on her beside table, just out of her reach.
Olivia looked at him confused, and he looked at her like she was an idiot. Sirius said, "You're underage. The ministry can track underage magic since you're not on Hogwarts grounds. Weren't you ever taught this?"
Olivia shook her head, "We did magic all the time at the Manor, I never heard anything about it.
"They can't tell who in the area casts the spell, so in your own home with adult wizards around is fine. But since no one knows we're here, you're not to use magic unless absolutely necessary."
Olivia nodded and sat back in the bed, "You have to do the spell then. Its incantation is Ferula."
Sirius took a deep breath, rolling the wand around in his hands. He repositioned himself to better face Olivia, and aimed the wand at her injured leg. Looking back at her, he said, "Ready?"
"Oh get on with it. Fair-oo-lah," Olivia sounded it out for him, silently praying he wouldn't screw this up. She hadn't seen him perform any magic, and he'd even admitted he wasn't good at healing magic, so her nerves were on edge.
"Ferula," Sirius flicked his wand, breathing out the word as if it were his first spell. It felt like it, at least, as it had been over twenty years before his last.
Sure enough, Olivia's leg was wrapped tightly in a splint in no time, and they both breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Olivia sat up and tried to move it, "Its a good splint, too, lets see if I can walk on it. Here, help me up,"
With a little bit of heavy lifting from both parties, Olivia was able to stand pretty well. They found another spell to modify the cast, and then she could walk, albeit with a heavy limp. She didn't care much, and stomped around the room feeling free as a bird.
"Okay, you get dressed, we're going out today," Sirius said as soon as he was sure she was fine, making his way to the door.
"You never said where-" Olivia tried to ask him again, only for him to close the door behind him. She huffed at him, but decided it would be good to go along with it. She grabbed the wand, though. Just in case.
~~
Chapter dedicated to @5Lead5Mare5 for actually commenting! Hope this is soon enough for ya...
Any guess as to where they're going? Let me know your theories in the comments!
It feels weird to write a Christmas chapter in February, but at least it's not July or anything. I'm sure I'll get through it lol
Anyway, please leave feedback and I hope you enjoyed!