Olimpia's POV
In the end, James was the one who had proven to be the best driver. This however, did not mean he was any good. If anything, it simply proved just how terrible everyone else was.
"Whoops-a-daisies!" James exclaimed happily as he drove over a pothole. I held tight onto the side of the open roofed country car and looked wide-eyed at Remus and Sirius who were sitting in the back with me.
"When my father sent me here to keep me safe, I'm not sure he knew what he was getting me into." I murmured and Sirius barked a nervous laughter. I felt him twist slightly towards me in his seat and knew he was quite uncomfortable with James as a driver despite his wannabe-cool facial expression.
"Oh yeah, I tell you somethin', I think you'll understand." James began singing loudly.
"When I say that somethin', I want to hold your hand." Sirius joined in.
"I want to hold your ha-a-and" Remus and I started singing too.
Before soon, we arrived in the little village centre, where we had agreed to stop to buy some groceries before venturing off to the barn.
I felt a little queasy as I stumbled out of the car and had to grip onto Sirius once we all had tumbled out, though I had to admit that during the course of that short drive, James had improved.
"Alright. Dinner." Remus said and we peered around the small shop to look for inspiration.
"Pizza?" I suggested, not wanting to come up with anything more complicated.
"Yeah," The rest of the boys agreed, and we set about finding the necessary ingredients.
"Oi, Ollie, what do we need for the dough?" James asked, and the rest of them turned around, looking expectantly at me.
"What, I should know how to make dough 'cus I'm the girl, is that it?" I asked, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow at the boys who looked suddenly sheepish.
"Well-" "No, but-" "We didn't mean-"
"Oh, stop blubbering. Flour, olive oil, yeast, salt, and sugar."
"What, really, sugar?" Sirius asked.
"No I just said sugar for fun," I replied sarcastically, "Yes, sugar."
They all then proceeded to walk around for those ingredients, as I strolled around picking out some other things, like blueberries, strawberries, and ingredients for a chocolate cake. I then picked out some pasta for tomorrow and stuff for pasta sauce, then salad ingredients for the day after. I'd learnt how to cook those nights when my father had been off on quests I wasn't allowed to join him on, though I really didn't want to put any effort into cooking these next days.
"Oh hello, Ollie!"
I looked up from the tomatoes to see Macy, holding a shopping basket in her arms and standing next to a boy around her age.
"Hey, Macy." I smiled, feeling more friendly than I had earlier that day.
"Doing some shopping, are you?" She smiled and I inwardly grimaced at the pointless question.
"Well, I sure am not milking the cow!"
She laughed and put her hand on the boy's arm, "Oh that's funny. Ollie, this is Bryan, I think you knew him from school too!"
I looked at the boy, and my stomach dropped, all friendliness draining out of me. Bryan was a tall, muscular boy with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nose which was slightly crooked, like it had once been broken.
A nose that I had once broken. He had been my childhood bully, always pinching me and pulling at my hair. He used to make fun of me for not having a father or any friends besides Remus.
I forced a smile, "Bryan. Well, I'm Ollie, in case you don't remember, it was after all a long time ago." I held out my hand to him, which he took.
"Strangely enough, I don't. I would have thought I'd remember someone quite so, well, memorable."
He gave me a charming smile, and I resisted the urge to punch him again.
"Hello Macy, Bryan." Remus had come, and smiled at the two of them.
"Oh Remus, how are you today?" Macy asked him, holding her arms in front of her for a hug. Remus dumped the ingredients he had found into the shopping cart and hugged her.
"I'm good! Ollie, some friends, and I are off to the Barn for some days now before school starts."
James and Sirius came too, Sirius standing very close behind me, his chest almost touching my back as he leaned over me to put what he had found in the cart.
"Hello, dear people!" James said to the two muggles, and held out his hand.
"You alright?" Sirius whispered into my ear, and I felt shivers crawl up and down my spine, "You look like you're about to punch someone."
I seemed to hold my breath as I nodded my head, "I'm fine, I'll explain later." I whispered back.
He walked around the shopping cart to greet the two muggles as well, and looked back at me and nodded.
"Sirius Black." He said with a winning smile as he shook Macy's hand. She blushed and smiled back at him.
He did not, however, smile as he shook Bryan's, who was still looking over at me.
"Well," I said, picking out five tomatoes and hurriedly putting them into the cart, "We really should be going, if we're going to have time to arrive at the barn and get it all habitable before it's too late." I said, wheeling the cart around and smiling at Macy one more time.
The boys bid them farewell, and went forwards towards the till as I still struggled a bit with the old cart.
"Let me get that," Bryan said, moving close to me and putting his hand over mine. He wheeled it forwards a bit, then stopped, "Listen, if you get sick of those boys, or you find yourself with some time to kill, why don't you give me a call."
I looked at him disgustedly, and felt him put his arm on my lower back. I winced, and opened my mouth to retort, but it seemed to have disappeared.
"Well actually, we intend to keep her as busy as can be, so I'm afraid you'll have to kill your own time, if you get where I'm going." Sirius had come, and he put his arm on the shoulder, grabbing hold of the cart with his other.
"Oh dear, it certainly does sound like I'll be kept busy. So, um, go fuck yourself, in case you didn't get where he was going." My voice had returned. I smiled sweetly at the big boy, and walked towards the till with Sirius.
"Disgusting perv," Sirius muttered and I looked at him. He was breathing deeply, and his eyebrows were furrowed, as he unloaded the food.
"Yeah, well," I looked at him, "Who would have thought you'd be my knight in shining armour." I smirked.
"You didn't need my help," He grumbled, now packing the items into brown paper bags.
"I know," I said, "But it's nice having other people stick up for yourself sometimes, I always had to be strong for myself in Durmstrang."
I felt a ray of sun lick my skin from through the shop window and smiled, exhaling slowly and stretching my arms out.
Remus had paid for the food (his parents had left him money for it) and we all carried the bags into the car.
"So," Remus said, looking at Sirius and I, "What was all that about?"
The four of us got into our places in the car, and I told them about how Bryan had bullied me as a child, "That git, I've got his germs on my hand," James said, wiping his hand on the front of his shirt. I then told them about what had just happened, and at this James and Remus turned to look at me.
"He did WHAT?" They yelled.
"JAMES keep your eyes on the road, you shitbrain!" I exclaimed. He had almost driven right over an old lady in a wheelchair. She was apparently quite blind, too, as she kept wheeling herself slowly forwards as if she had not just been squished into a pancake by a fifteen year old boy.
"Shitbrain?" Sirius asked, looking amused.
"Yes." I said. He chuckled.
"Well excuse me but we are getting a bit off topic here!" James said angrily, though his eyes were fixed on the road this time.
"Yeah, who the hell does he think he is? I thought he'd grown up!" Remus snarled, his eyes dark.
"Some people are pigs," I said, "It happens."
"What, has someone treated you like that before?" Sirius asked, turning around to look at me too.
"Well, no," I said. No one had ever cat-called me, obnoxiously 'flirted' with me, or paid attention to me before, I was really quite invisible.
It was silent for a few minutes, and I stared out at the green hills.
"Well," Sirius spoke up, and I saw he had a mischievous grin on his face, "Guess what I got a hold of."
He reached inside his denim jacket, which it was really too warm to be wearing, and took out a bottle of alcohol.
"Anyone want to try some tonight?" He asked, and James and Remus cheered. Truthfully, I had never drunk before - except for small sips from the large bottles full of akvavit when my father had been away- nor did I think that Remus had. His reaction, however, seemed to point towards something else.
"Did you steal that?" I asked, and he nodded. I snorted, "What was the point of that? You've got them magic ID's, right?"
He winked at me, "Well where's the fun in that, love?"
I felt myself blush, and untucked some of the hair from behind my ear to hide my burning face.
A few moments passed, then I remembered, "Oh I have something too!" I started to look through my bag, which I had laid in front of my legs, "It was all over Durmstrang, quite good stuff." I felt the tin box and pulled it out, opening it.
Sirius gasped once he saw what was inside, "Ollie, you naughty, naughty girl!"
I stared wide-eyed at him and felt my face burn ever hotter than last time.
"What is it?" James called.
"Is that weed?" Remus asked, looking kind of sceptical, though excited.
"Wizard weed." I said. It was strange, I suppose, that I had never really drunk any alcohol, but I had smoked weed. I guess I just didn't like the taste of alcohol, nor did I like throwing up, which I had watched several of the girls at Durmstrang do after overindulging on the stuff.
"What's wizard weed?" Asked Remus.
"What, it's not at Hogwarts at all? Well, it's like normal pot, really, except you don't get the paranoia, addictiveness, or any of the bad stuff really. It's quite a good high, the strength of it obviously varying on how much you smoke." I said.
"Well then," Said Sirius, "It sounds like we're going to have a real teenage experience this holiday."
A/N
I would just like to say that I do not mean to advocate illegal consumption of alcohol or drugs, I just feel like one must keep in mind what time the story is set in, and I feel like it is important for the story's legitimacy. That being said, I have always imagined teen Remus as a stoner o.o
Please vote, comment and recommend the book to any friends you think might like it, that way I'll feel more inspired to update faster :)
Lots of love,
21stCenturyMarauder <3