twenty.

"BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND NOW?"

"No."

"Boyfriend and girlfriend eventually?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she continued working on her essay, ignoring James' advances. He had been trying to get her to admit her feelings for him for more than two hours now, but Olivia was not budging.

"Does he ever shut up?" Samuel asked with a groan from his place in front of the fireplace, a book on his lap.

Remus shook his head as he too read a book a few feet away from the older Kinsley. "No."

It's been two weeks since the hogsmeade attack and it's been decided by Dumbledore that the safest place for Samuel for now was Hogwarts considering the other death eaters had seen him protecting Olivia, successfully branding him as traitor. He was then allowed to share a place with Amara, his bed being her sofa.

Olivia was thankful. She felt much more at ease with both her siblings around. Admittedly, her and Amara haven't completely made up, but they have been spending some time together. Olivia feels the genuine regret from the woman's actions. Truly, all she's waiting for right now is a simple sorry, however she does know how siblings relationships work. They rarely ever say sorry and just start acting normal again, and she knows how high her sister's pride so she's not keeping her hopes up for an apology.

There was also Lily Evans who had now officially joined their group. The redhead had always gotten along with the other Gryffindors apart from James, but now that the ex quidditch captain no longer sees her in a romantic way, it's a surprise for everyone how much the two have in common.

Truth be told, Olivia is perhaps the happier she's been in a long time. Her babies are healthy, what remains of her family is with her and she has friends who support and obviously care for her.

She's no longer alone and she realizes it isn't so bad to be attached after all.

"Mon amour," James calls again, planting himself on the floor in front of her as he gently cupped her face, forcing her to meet his hazel eyes. "Boyfriend and girlfriend eventually?"

Olivia rolled her eyes again as she pushed his hand away. "Are you even done with your essay? Shouldn't you be working on that?"

"You're not saying no," he pointed out cheekily. "You have to say something."

"Will you just leave the poor girl alone, Prongs?" Peter says, amusement lacing his voice.

"Yes, please," Olivia adds. "Just leave me alone."

"Oh, let him be," Sirius defends, his head resting on Kat's lap. "He's in looooveee"

"You guys are annoying," Lily announced from her place on the couch. "Why do I hang out with you guys?"

"Shut up, Lils," Kat responds with a small laugh. "You adore us."

"I hate you," Olivia tells James as she once again grabbed his hand that was reaching up to touch her cheek. "You're such a damn lighthead, Potter. You shouldn't be drinking."

James only grins in response as he lets his head fall to her shoulder.

The group apart from Olivia had decided to have a mini celebration a little while ago for no apparent reason other than they wanted to. Each of them had at least a couple glasses of firewhiskey from Sirius' personal stash while Olivia watched with a pout on her lips.

James, as Olivia already knew, is quite a lightweight. He's also extremely affectionate and touchy when drunk, a fact Olivia also already knew.

"You're still not saying no," he tells her again and Olivia can feel him smiling against the side of her neck.

She didn't even bother trying to push him away again as his hands traveled to her baby bump, gently caressing them. "I thought we talked about this."

"How about husband and wife instead?" Suddenly, James jumped to his feet, as if a child being rewarded for his good behavior. A giant smile etched on his face as he looked down at Olivia with pure fascination. "I'm really cool, baby. You should marry me."

Olivia let out a sigh, though truth be told, she's quite amused with the entire situation. "James..."

"Who else will you meet who can turn into a deer?" He bragged, making Olivia furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh God," Remus mutters in frustration as he stands up, ready to stop his friend if needed. Of course, he decides to tell her right now. "That's one way to tell her."

"That's right. I'm an animagi. Wait, I'll show--"

"Prongs," Peter calls. "Maybe now's not the time."

"You're an animagus?" Olivia asks again, still confused over the entire situation.

James only grins smugly in response. "So is Sirius and Peter."

Olivia, along with Lily and Samuel, turned to the mentioned boys who only nodded their heads, obviously exasperated with their drunk best friend's timing.

"You can show her tomorrow, Prongs," Remus tries to tell him. "When you're sober and we're not in a small, crowded room."

"Do you believe me?" James asks her, sitting down once again.

Olivia nodded her head, still absolutely confused but knowing she can ask all about it tomorrow. "Yes, love. I believe you."

He beamed at her. "I'm so cool, right?"

Olivia nods again.

"Will you marry me then?"

"Still a no."

He pouted. "Fine, fine. Boyfriend and girlfriend someday then?"

Olivia hummed. "Maybe, but only if you go to sleep now."

That seems to be a good enough answer for him as he obediently nodded his head and headed to her bedroom.

"You're just letting him sleep there?" Samuel asked.

"They already fucked." It was Remus who answered. "I think sharing a bed isn't that big of a deal anymore."

Samuel, much like Olivia, rolls his eyes. "You're annoying, Remus Lupin."

The marauder didn't seem to care as he only shrugged, though Olivia was certain she saw a small smile lift up her brother's lips, making her raise an eyebrow at the two.

It seems Sirius noticed it as he looked at the two men with a knowing grin. "Man, the sexual tension here is thicker than my dic--"

Two books flew to his direction before he could finish his sentence, both successfully hitting him on the head.

⋅•⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅•⋅

OLIVIA HAD BEEN WALKING TOWARDS THE GREAT HALL WHEN HE STOPPED HER. It was one of the rare moments to see Olivia without her friends crowding around her and so her fellow Slytherins she had turned her back on did not hesitate to throw her their iciest glares, with Severus Snape's being the most hatred filled after having heard of Lily Evans act of kindness by performing a dangerous spell to heal the Kinsley girl.

However, one Slytherin was not glaring. Instead, he watched the girl curiously with hooded grey eyes identical to his brother's and his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the locket that hung around his neck.

Regulus Black debated whether he should approach her, knowing that this is one of the rare chances that he has. It's not everyday one would see Olivia Kinsley walking around without James Potter by her side guarding like a watchdog.

Sighing at his own need to involve himself in situations he needs not to be a part of, Regulus strode over to the older girl, hands buried deep in his pockets and a few strands of black hair framing his face. "Livvy."

Olivia turned to the sound of her name, surprised to see the younger of the Black brothers standing awkwardly in front of her. She had never been close with him, barely even friends, but they knew each other well. Maxwell and Regulus had always been thick as knives and Olivia could have sworn there's something more than friendship between the two boys. However, it was never any of her business and she figured Maxwell would tell her when he's ready so she never bothered asking.

"Reg," she greeted, forcing a smile. They haven't talked since Maxwell had died and she's almost certain he'd never talk to her again. Not that he had any reason to. Maxwell had been the only thing linking them.

"How are you?" He asked awkwardly as he pushed back some of his hair. Olivia noticed his foot tapping on the floor nervously.

"I'm good," she replied. "And you?"

Regulus simply shrugged as his eyes focussed on something behind her, making Olivia turn to see the Marauders along with Kat and Lily watching them. Sirius' face held no amount of humor as it usually does and he watched his little brother with what Olivia assumes to be longing eyes.

Regulus returned his gaze back to her. "I just want..."

He trailed off, making Olivia raise an eyebrow in question.

Regulus heaved a deep breath. "I need you to know that I'm on your side."

"What do you mean?"

Regulus shook his head as his fingers once again travelled to where the locket rested against his chest. "Nothing. Just always remember that. I'm on your side, Liv. Don't forget that."

Before Olivia could ask anymore questions, the younger boy turned around and started walking away.

Distracted, she continued her walk back to her friends as her mind raced with a hundred questions. What did he mean he's on her side? What does Regulus know? Or perhaps, the right question to ask was what did Maxwell know?

A part of her felt overwhelmed with all that was happening in her life. She still hasn't faced her parents and she would have to one way or another. Amara and Samuel have apparently been part of the Order for years and she hadn't even known. The hissing voices still follow her around, begging her to open the chamber. Which chamber it is, Olivia is not sure. Voldemort's forces keep getting stronger each day with more names being added to the least casualties and to make matters worse and as a cherry on top. It felt as if things were just keep adding up and she doesn't know how to deal with them.

"What did he want?" Sirius asked as she reached their place in the Gryffindor table.

Olivia can't help but see the anguish in the boy's eyes and Olivia can't help but be saddened by it. Sirius Black misses his little brother. It was plain as day and she wished she could do anything to help him.

"I don't know," she said, which wasn't exactly a lie. She hadn't known what Regulus meant, but she wanted to keep it to herself for now. It sounded ridiculous, but it felt as if it was between her, Regulus and Maxwell alone. "He asked how I am."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would he do that? I didn't know you guys were friends."

Olivia shrugged in response, taking a sip from James' pumpkin juice.

"Reggie and her brother were close friends," it was Sirius who answered and anyone can detect the hint of defensiveness in his tone. It was obvious that Peter had just been asking a simple question, but it seems the topic of his brother is a touchy subject for the older Black boy, a fact Olivia completely understood. "Maybe he just wanted to check in."

"Yeah," Olivia backed him up. "I think so, too."

James, having seen that the conversation was over from the look on Sirius' face, decided it was time to change the subject by handing a sealed letter to Olivia. "This is from my parents. She wanted me to give it to you."

Olivia suddenly felt like she was about to throw up as she accepted the letter. What could his parents possibly want from her? God, they probably hated her.

Lily, seeing Olivia's sudden discomfort as everyone in the table had turned to her expectantly, cleared her throat to take the attention away from the Slytherin.

"Remus," the redhead called as she looked around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation before she leaned in to whisper to the group. "I ordered you a wolfsbane potion. You can get it from me later."

The werewolf's face broke out in a genuine smile. Eventually, after James had blurted out their secret the night before, it was safe to say that Lily and Olivia had been more than curious as to why they decided to become animagus. Remus had then decided to just tell them his secret, knowing the two women enough to know they wouldn't judge him and he was right. They had spent the morning earlier with Olivia, Kat and Lily convincing him that he was no monster.

"Thank you, Lils, truly," he said gratefully. "Actually, thank you, guys."

Kat let out an airy laugh as she placed an arm around Remus' shoulder. "Aww. Don't go all dramatic on us now, Moony."

However, as the rest of the group conversed, Olivia was still stuck in her own head as she eyed the letter warily, terrified of what it contained. She never thought she'd be this scared to see what James' parents had to say about her, but here she was.

"Open it," James encouraged quietly, making sure none of their friends heard as they continued chatting among themselves. "I swear it's not that bad."

Olivia glanced at him as if not believing his words, but finally made a move to tear the seal. She felt stupid as she took a deep breath in preparation before flipping the letter open to read the words.

My dear Olivia,

          Hello, darling. You may not know me, but James spoke much about you in his letters. My name is Euphemia and this letter is on behalf of my husband and I. James had informed us that Christmas break is less than two weeks away and I sent this letter to formally invite you to stay with us if you want to. My husband and I would love to meet and get to know you.

          Though we know the circumstances of your situation are nowhere near ideal, we are thankful of the blessing that you are carrying. Fleamont and I had always had trouble having children of our own which is why James is the only one and we often wonder if we'd live long enough to meet our grandchildren, now thanks to you, we will be able to.

          From the photos James sent, we can see that you are a beautiful young woman and from what he's told us of you, we're sure you're as amazing as he claims to be. You make our son happy and you're blessing us with these babies, and for that, we are extremely thankful and would love to welcome you as part of our family.

          If you so wish, please invite your friends as well. I'm certain Sirius, Peter and Remus will be staying with us as well. Our home is now yours too, darling. Please never hesitate to contact me for anything.

Hoping to meet you soon,
Euphemia Potter

Olivia turned to James with wide eyes, feeling the motherly love Mrs. Potter held even just by a letter. "You tell them about me?"

James let out a chuckle as he nodded. "Of course, baby. So, will you stay with us this Christmas? I figured it's time we start on those kegel exercises and get ready for the babies. I'm sure mum would love to go shopping with you for baby clothes."

If words could describe the feeling she's currently feeling, Olivia is sure she still wouldn't give it justice. She isn't sure if she'll ever find a man like James Potter ever again. "Yeah. Of course, I'll stay with you."

The wide smile that stretched his face is enough to make her heart do summersaults.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Yes, I got the first part from Girl
meets world hahahaha I love Maya
so much.

Also, I don't want to make them
finding out Remus being a werewolf
a big thing which is why I didn't really
detail on it.

And yes, Lily is now a permanent part
of their group because I love her so
much and I couldn't resist hehehe

I made this a pretty chill chapter
after all the drama I've been causing :')