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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍
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"THE TINY HUMANS ARE SCARING ME."

"What?"

"The tiny humans," James repeats, crawling under the covers beside her. "Are they supposed to be shitting this much?"

"James, did you just call your children tiny humans?"

He smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist and placing his head on her lap. "What about it? They're tiny humans who poop a lot. Do you know what your son did? Max pooped on the changing table while I was fetching his nappy and getting clothes for him. He bloody shat on the changing table just as I finished cleaning his ass."

"Hey, at least he didn't poop on you like Mari did on me," Olivia said, grimacing at the memory. "You also called Lucas a tiny human before."

"Well, Lucas isn't exactly so tiny anymore," James mused, thinking back to the picture he had received of Lucas winning his first quidditch match as the Slytherin's seeker. He had a growth spurt, growing over a foot taller over the summer, needing almost all of his trousers and jumpers changed.

"That's what you call growing, James."

"Will Max and Mari grow as fast?" James frowned. "Because I want them to stay as babies forever."

"Even if they poop on the changing table and wake up at three am?"

James seems to have not heard her as his frown only deepened. "Will they still sleep on my chest once they grow up?"

Olivia smiled, running her hand through his hair. "I'm not so sure they'd both still fit on your chest."

"Let's make more babies," he says with his face so bright it's as if he just came up with an idea to cure cancer.

Olivia's movements immediately stopped as she looked at him with the most unimpressed face. "That's not happening unless you find a way to pop the baby out of your vagina."

James grinned at her, pulling himself up so he can connect their lips. "I just might, you never know."

Before Olivia could answer, a glowing figure of a wolf appeared and Remus' panicking voice filled the room; "Voldemort is attacking Hogwarts, hurry!"

It was at that moment that Olivia felt her heart drop as she thought back to the twelve year old little boy in the castle she called home.

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THE EARTH IS LITTERED WITH ruins of empires that believed they were eternal.

It was a quote from a book Olivia was reading the day before and as she stepped foot into Hogwarts, it was the only thing running in her head.

They were too late. Hogwarts had fallen and with her hand tightly clasped around James', the roar of the battle rings painfully in her ears.

However, neither of them had time to process it as a spell was immediately sent to their direction, one that James easily deflected.

"I have to go find Lucas," Olivia immediately said.

"We're not separating," he insisted.

"Prongs!" Sirius called, hair falling to his face and pants coming from his lips as his alert eyes met with his brother's. "I can't find Remus and Wormtail."

"What?!"

"They were just here earlier and Remus was fighting with Samuel and now I don't know where they are!"

James turned to Olivia, his own heart beating out of his chest as his desire to keep close to her and his need to make sure his brothers were okay battled in his head.

"It's okay," she told him, letting her hand slip from his. "I'll see you later."

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too."

And with those final words, Olivia finally turned her back on him before sprinting away, wand clutched in her hand as she threw spells after spells to deflect the ones headed her way.

Her eyes practically searched for a mess of curly hair, but she found none. She passed through teenagers desperately protecting the younger ones. She found professors fighting with every fiber of their being, but Olivia didn't stop. She kept on and o.

"Professor Mcgonagall!" She called to the witch who had brought down three death eaters on her path. "Where's professor Dumbledore?!"

"He's on his way," the woman answered. "The death eaters seem to have known he would be out for business tonight."

"How about the kids?" She asked again. "Do you know where Lucas is?"

"The Great Hall. He's trapped the children there-"

Olivia didn't wait for her to finish her sentence as she started running once again, heading for the direction of the Great Hall. What greeted her there was an army of death eaters and she raised her wand, ready to fight to death in order to get in.

But none of them stopped her, instead they unlocked the giant oak doors. "He's waiting for you."

Olivia felt as if she's marching to her death as she walked in, the usual brightness that covers the Great Hall now gone and replaced by a gloomy air, one that caused shivers to erupt.

Children, around first to third year, huddled together in fear, their bodies shaking from the sobs they desperately tried to keep in but Olivia looked only for Lucas, ignoring the others as she practically searched for her boy.

And then she found him. Eyes filled with tears as he kneeled in front of Voldemort himself and Olivia can feel her breath being knocked out of her lungs.

"Let him go," she begged, voice breaking as she heard Lucas' sobs. "Please, just let him go."

A smirk spread across Voldemort's face as he grabbed Lucas by his hair, causing him to cry out in pain. "I knew I'd get your attention."

"You have it now," she said, involuntarily stepping forward as Lucas' cries echoed around the room. "Just leave him out of this."

"Now why would I do that?" He taunts.

"He has nothing to do with this!" Olivia cried out as Voldemort pointed his wand at Lucas. "Take me! Just let him go, please."

"Now, that's what I like to hear," he smirked. He flicked his wand in her direction and before Olivia could react, she found herself binded by magic, unable to move as he smirked at her.

"Open the doors," he commanded and his death eaters obeyed.

The battle outside immediately ceased as he stepped out, hands wrapped around both Olivia and Lucas.

"The fight is over!" He shouted, his words echoing against the cold walls. "Your saviour has surrendered!"

Her eyes met James who moved to run to her, but Sirius and Remus immediately held him back, knowing he would be walking to his death if he took a step further. "Olivia!"

"Let Lucas go," she grunted and Voldemort smirked before pushing the little boy to the ground, allowing Arthur Weasley to pull him back.

"Watch as I kill whatever hope you have of winning."

"Tom!" Dumbledore's booming voice called, stopping Voldemort's movements as he stepped forward. "Killing a defenceless girl, that's low even for you."

Voldemort gave no response, simply glaring at the man before pushing Olivia to the ground the same he did Lucas. Without uttering a single word, a green light erupted from his wand, pointed at Dumbledore. But the headmaster was just as fast as his own red light came from his wand.

James broke away from Sirius and Remus, immediately running to her side and unbinding whatever spell Voldemort had placed on her before quickly pulling her to her feet.

He grabbed Lucas along the way as he pulled them both to the side, throwing spells at every death eater they encounter.

The loud boom of the battle continued on. Samuel dueled with their mother, Martin Kinsley dead on the floor by their and Olivia caught sight of Kat fighting more than five death eaters by herself before her wand flew from her hand.

"No!" Olivia pulled herself up from the floor, running to them as Kat was cornered but she was too late. Olivia felt as if everything went by in slow motion as her friend's lifeless body fell to the ground and one of the death eater's hood fell.

Olivia could not describe the emotion that took over her body as her eyes met with those of Peter Pettigrew's. She could not describe the anger and pain and betrayal that hit her like a fucking train.

Olivia realized that the thing about betrayal was that it came from those we'd willingly die for.

Peter, realizing that she had seen his identity, turned around to run away but behind him stood Sirius, having seen what he had done.

Olivia only watched as Sirius raised his wand and at that moment, he reminded her of his boggart in their DADA class - cruel, cold, unmoving. She watched as hatred and anger filled his face and she watched as green light emerged from his wand.

And she still watched as the light left Peter's eyes.

It was only when Voldemort's scream filled the hall before came silence. He had fallen to the ground, clutching his stomach as if he had just been stabbed.

Then he looked up and there's a new kind of desperation in his eyes when they met hers.

For the second time, he pointed his wand at her once again, moving faster than anyone can anticipate.

"Avada Kedavra!"

But like the first time the killing curse was thrown in Olivia's way, it never reached her because like the last time, someone else had taken the fall for her.

Lily Evans stared at her, her lips forming the words she was never able to tell, red hair framing her face as Olivia caught her lifeless body.

"I love you," was her last words but Olivia never got to hear them.

The scream Olivia released was complete agony. It was heartbreak and anger all at once as she cradled her best friend's dead body.

But Olivia did not have much time to mourn.

"Hey, Motherfucker!" Regulus called, holding the sword of Gryffindor up as he threw Ravenclaw's now broken diadem at Voldemort. "You think you'd get away from killing Maxwell, huh?"

Before Voldemort or anyone could react, Regulus swiftly decapitated Nagini, causing the dark lord to once again fall to his knees. Olivia could see it then. She could see him losing whatever life he has left.

Olivia realized then that was the last horcrux. If he dies now, he's never coming back and with a newfound determination, she gently put Lily's body on the ground before lifting herself and facing him.

Voldemort must have realized what was coming as they simultaneously raised their wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

They stood facing each other, wands held up with the same blood running in their veins and the same determination in their eyes.

They're two halves of a whole and as their magic crushed, everyone stood by watching. The light that emitted from their wands is a power unlike anyone's ever seen and Lord Voldemort finally met his match.

But Olivia was nothing compared to the dark lord. She's not as strong or as skilled. She could never beat him in a duel in a thousand years, but she held on for as long as she could until finally, she no longer could.

The spell hit her right on the chest, but this time, nobody else was there to save her from it.

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SHE FEELS NOTHING BUT PAIN and the cold darkness engulfing her body.

Olivia is lost in her own head and she starts to wonder if this is what dying feels like. Does she stay in this place forever, floating through air with no oxygen in her lungs?

Is this all that's left of her? She remembers back to a book she read when she was younger. Howa star's light travels the universe long after it dies. Will the same happen to her? Will her light linger even after she's gone?

And then ache dulled and Olivia took a deep breath, feeling her lungs fill with fresh air.

"I'm so proud of you," someone said and her head immediately snapped to the owner of the voice. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Maxwell!" She cried out, running to her twin brother's chest and feeling his arms wrap around her.

She savored it. She held onto his shirt tightly, unwilling to let go. She finally felt that missing piece of her soul return. Like a jigsaw puzzle with that one final piece.

As Olivia melted into her brother's arms, she thought that perhaps it isn't so bad after all.

"I'm so proud of you, Livvy," he told her again, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I couldn't do it," she muttered. "I couldn't defeat him, Max. I tried to be you, brave and strong and smart, but I couldn't."

"You don't need to be me," he told her.

"But I couldn't defeat him."

"Maybe," he said with a smile. "But you tried and that's more than enough."

Olivia processed his words and realized he was right. She had tried. She tried to do the right thing. She tried to protect her friends and that was enough. She lost, but that's okay because she tried.

"Is this the afterlife?" She asked him finally, knowing that if she's with Maxwell then she must be dead.

Maxwell smiled at her, his sixteen year old youthful face staring back at her much mature one. "Not quite yet."

"Where are we?"

"I think the answer is where we're going," he said.

"And where are we going?"

"You get to decide," he told her, their fingers intertwined.

"You mean I can go back?"

Maxwell shrugged. "If you want to."

"How?" She asked. "He used the killing curse."

"Love and sacrifice," he said, a soft smile on his face. "Turns out it's more powerful than we thought."

"But I can stay here with you as well?" She asked him, looking down at their intertwined fingers.

She revels at the feeling of having him back again. She felt as if she had finally found the oasis after a long trek in the desert.

Maxwell nodded. "You can, but what about your kids? What about Lucas? What about James?"

The reminder seems to have brought her back to reality, erasing any thoughts of staying out of her mind.

Maxwell had taken a piece of her soul with him when he died but James had completely offered her his. He had carefully glued her grieving, broken heart with utmost care. It would be betrayal for her to leave him when she has the choice to go back.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I'll see you again," Maxwell promised. "When you're old and grey and have lived your life."

Olivia smiled at him through teary eyes. "Until next time then."

Maxwell reached over, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I love you."

"I know," she said through a cracked voice. "I once thought you were my home, but thank you for teaching me how to build a castle of my own."

"That was all you," he told her. "Tell Regulus that it's time to let me go. It's time for him to let himself fix his broken heart."

"I will," she promised.

"Until next time then," he said as he finally let go of her hand.

"Until next time."

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IT WAS BARELY A MINUTE WHEN Olivia opened her eyes, now sporting a brand new lightning shaped scar on her collarbone.

When she opened her eyes, she saw James crying by her side, relief evident in his eyes as he held her and Oliva couldn't fathom ever considering leaving him.

But when she looked up, her eyes met Voldemort's, but he remained frozen and Olivia realized that his curse had rebounded.

She pulled herself up from the floor, watching along everybody else as the dark lord met his end.

As the man in front of her deteriorated, turned to ash with what seems to be genuine fear on his ghostly face, with the corpse of her friends surrounding her, Olivia realized it was never her. Nor was it ever Maxwell or Mari and Max or any child she decides to have. The prophecy was not theirs.

It was him all along. The heir born as the final month dies was always Tom Marvolo Riddle. His destruction, his doom was by his own hand.

Maxwell had started the chain reaction. He was handsome, charming, intelligent with an ambition that he'd stop at nothing to achieve. He reminded Lord Voldemort of the boy he used to be. Maxwell had appealed to whatever was left of Tom Riddle, getting close enough that Voldeort felt comfortable sharing his darkest secrets. It was him trusting Maxwell that was his biggest mistake. It was what led him to his doom.

And Olivia was nothing but a bystander, an impostor. It was never about her. She was never The Chosen One. She was never the saviour of the wizarding world. She was never the main character. In fact, in the grand scale of things, Olivia is nothing but the side character.

Tom Riddle was the Chosen One and Maxwell Kinsley was the Wonder Boy. In the story of the Dark Lord's downfall, Olivia was nothing but the hero's sister.

And that was all she ever wanted to be.

The book was ending, but it was never her book. She was simply the one telling the story.

𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:

what do you guys think?
it was either lily or lucas,
i'm sorry hdksbsjs

epilogue is coming up!
i hope you guys enjoyed
this!!