It was the last day of June when Oliver felt like something wasn't right.
The feeling began when he woke up that morning with an unsettling turn in his stomach that came out of nowhere. It took him a while to get ready for the day, unable to shake the idea that today was already an off day for him. He hoped it would get better, but the more he thought about it, the more worried he got.
When he got to the Great Hall, the rest of his friends were there, with their plates full and smiles on their faces. That was something he liked to see, especially now. When he took a seat next to Jacob, everyone's eyes fell on him and his gloomy expression.
"What's with you, Ollie?" Jacob asked. "It's only morning and you already look like someone just died."
"It's just..." Oliver trailed off, shaking his head. "Does today feel a bit different to you lot?"
The others looked at each other, puzzled by his question.
"What do you mean?" Violet asked.
He shrugged in response. "I don't know, today just feels off."
Jacob sighed. "We all have those days. Maybe just take it easy, try not to think about whatever's making the day weird to you."
Oliver wished it was that easy to take Jacob's advice. This was something Oliver couldn't put his finger on, something that continued to gnaw at him, and he was longing to know what it was.
It was when Mary Fowler walked past him that the feeling inside of him grew worse.
He did his best to not stare at her, but it became difficult for him to tear his eyes away. After the incident in the bathroom, he thought about her more than he wanted to admit. It took a while for Mary to drift away from his mind, focusing on everything else he needed to get done before the term ended, now that exams were no longer something he had to worry about.
But when the term was over, as in, officially over, he was sure that she would come back to his thoughts again.
"Hey," Andrew snapped Oliver back into reality. "You good?"
Oliver quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."
Andrew threw some toast at him. "Well, hurry up, then. We're planning on taking a walk."
Being put off guard by the toast, he fumbled with it before eating the bread in bits and pieces. Andrew, Jacob, and Violet all stood up, heading out of the Great Hall, while Eliza remained seated with Oliver, where she eyed him in a concerned way.
"What?" he asked once he took notice of her staring.
She shrugged in response. "Nothing. I just don't want you to be worried for the entire day, that's all. I mean, it won't be long before we're packed up to go back home for the summer."
"Yeah," was all he could say. It was more things he had to think about, things like his parents moving back to Scotland was something he still needed to tell his friends. However, there were more pressing matters during that time.
"Are you sure you're okay, Ollie?" she asked him, taking his hand.
Almost taken aback from the sudden touch, he reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Liza."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I know."
She gave him a small smile, tugging at his hand a little. "Okay. Come on, let's go join the others before they start to get impatient."
So Oliver quickly scarfed down more breakfast before getting up with Eliza. While seeing Mary didn't help with the eerie feeling he had about today, he hoped that being with his best friends would help get his mind off of it.
Today, he was going to make this the best day as much as possible, no matter what.
*******
Mary felt a tug at her chest when she saw Oliver Campbell at breakfast.
Guilty and angry were just the beginning to describe that day in the bathroom. Guilty because she felt terrible for lying to Oliver about what she was hiding, but angry at everyone else around her for letting it happen, for letting things turn into one big mess. Then again, she was aware that she was at fault for the most part.
Overall, she had become a mess ever since she moved here.
"Mary," Blaise said beside her.
She darted her eyes in his direction. "Yeah?"
"I asked what your plans were for the summer," he replied.
"Oh, um...I'm not sure," she said truthfully. She really didn't know what her plans would be once this year, as well as when the mission, (if they succeeded), was finished.
"Well, how about you spend some of it with me?" he suggested.
Mary raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course. You can finally meet my mum and her new husband." He let out a small chuckle.
Mary forced herself to do the same. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I'm sure they're nothing like my parents and Tobias."
"Is that a good thing?" he asked.
"Yes, definitely."
He shook his head. "I'm not too sure about that. It's complicated with my mum and her history with men."
Everyone has a complicated family, Mary thought. "Still, I'd like to meet her."
"And also get some alone time. You know, just the two of us," Blaise added.
Before she could answer back, someone cleared their throat behind her. Mary turned her head to find Draco taking a sip from his cup.
"I should get going, actually," Blaise spoke up, making Mary face him again. "I still have some packing I need to do." He gave her a peck on the lips and a smile, then getting up from the table and strolling away.
"He really does like you," Draco finally said something. Mary eyed the blond boy from across the table. "I'm serious. He wants you to spend the summer with him and meet his mum? That sounds pretty serious to me."
Mary thought her heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, I guess it is."
Draco sighed. "Too bad you won't be able to do any of that, especially after tonight."
The girl nodded her head in disappointment, knowing he was right. "I know." She didn't have the heart to lie to Blaise about why she wouldn't be able to spend time with him once the school year was over. Then again, leading him on with the thought that they would see each other over the summer wasn't right, either.
"You're getting nervous, aren't you?" he asked, eyeing her.
She nodded. "I mean, is it that obvious? The day is finally here."
He looked down at his plate. "I'm nervous, too."
Mary didn't say anything back right away. Instead, she got up from the table, with Draco following suit. The walk out of the Great Hall was silent, but Mary broke that once they were away from other students. "Whether we complete the rest of the mission or not, what happens after that?"
Draco shook his head. "I honestly don't know, and that's what scares me more than anything."
She looked at him and stopped walking. "Draco." He did the same and watched her. "No matter what happens, I've got your back." Without warning, she took his hand. "You've been a good friend, Draco."
He didn't pull away, but merely tightened his grip. "Same goes for you, Mary." He paused for a brief moment, then taking a deep breath before talking once more. "Now, we better go prepare for tonight."
So they let go of their sentimental moment and headed on, with the two trying to figure out a way to let the darkness take over their fragile souls.g a deep breath before talking once more. "Now, we better go prepare for tonight."
So they let go of their sentimental moment and headed on, with the two trying to figure out a way to let the darkness take over their fragile souls.
A/N: Well, it's about to get interesting.
This was kind of a filler chapter before we get to the major things, but I hoped you liked it, anyway.
Song above is Darkness Takes Over by Nicholas Hooper.
Comment, vote, get your popcorn ready.
-A