──twenty four

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Twenty four.








"OLIVIA, STOP," James grabbed her hand upon seeing a drop of blood falling to the floor.

She had been tending to the plants she and Euphemia had bought earlier that morning. It's supposed to be for the babies' room, to give the bland white walls a little bit of color, but Olivia's absentminded behavior had caused her to accidentally prick her finger at the thorns, drawing blood.

"Oh," she muttered to herself, not having realized what she was doing.

James sighs as he puts her hand under running water. He knows something was incredibly wrong. As if a flip had been turned off in her, Olivia had suddenly become distant.

He wonders if it still has anything to do with what had happened to Lucas, but that couldn't be because she had been okay yesterday and she had been okay this morning, happy even. But suddenly, she had closed off and he wanted to know why.

He reached over to place his palm on her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes. "What's going on?"

Olivia shrugged his hand away, turning around to go back to the plant she had been tending to. "Nothing."

"You're lying."

She shook her head.

James let out another sigh, feeling as if he's back to zero with her again. He had only just gotten past her walls and she had only started to open up to him. Granted, she still hasn't mentioned anything about her family, but he's not about to push it. He's happy with what he's got.

He walked in front of her, seeing her unmoving eyes focused on the plant, her hands stiff on her sides.

"You can tell me anything, baby," he reassures her.

Olivia lifted her gaze, meeting his concerned hazel ones. "Can I?"

James nods his head. "I promise."

Olivia lets out a breath, leaning against the windowsill as she feels her legs become numb. "I did something."

"What is it?"

She studies James' face for a moment, admiring his beauty and wondering why he seems to be so hung up on her. A man like him can get whatever he wants, and for some odd reason, he wants her.

Sharp jawline and thin nose. Soft, plump lips and concerned hazel eyes. She wonders when he had become such a big part of who she is as a person that she feels as though he had left an imprint of his touch on her soul, one she can never shake off.

"I didn't mean to," she started, her eyes falling to the floor. "And I don't know how, but the s-snakes, the snakes in the orphanage, I could understand them."

"You're a parseltongue?" He asked in awe, knowing that even among wizards, being able to communicate with snakes is a very rare ability considering it's hereditary and often skips generations after generations. In fact, he's not quite sure if anyone alive has the ability. Who would have thought Olivia would?

"I don't know," she admits quietly. "I think so. They listened to me. I didn't think they would, but they did."

"What did you tell them?"

"I-I didn't mean to," she says again. "But I was so mad."

"You have to tell me what happened, baby," he says softly, hands reaching over to touch her shoulders.

"Five muggles," she say, so quietly that James had almost missed it. "Two adults, three children. Dead from a poisonous snake bite."

James was quick to catch on, letting go of her so quickly it's as if her skin is burning his fingers. "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean to," she repeats, her voice shaking. "I promise I didn't mean to, but God, James, you have no idea how mad I was. I couldn't stop it. T-This urge in my chest that seems to spread through my entire body."

"What did you tell them, Olivia?" He asks slowly, his eyes seeking hers. "Tell me what you told them."

She shakes her head. "Nothing. I was mad and I didn't even realize I was talking to them but somehow I was. Then they said they'd take care of it and I-I didn't know... I didn't know, James."

He hates it. James Potter hates it. He hates that he had reached for her once again, pulling her body to his. He hates how this feeling seems to cause him to lose all sense of right and wrong. He hates how what she's done goes against everything he believes in yet he can't find it in himself to let her go.

They're right, he quickly realized. Love is blind and it makes you do stupid things.

"Calm down," he whispers against her head. "Shh, I know you didn't mean it, Baby."

"I'm scared," she admits as her arms wrap around his waist, fingers clasping together. "I'm scared of what I did and what it makes me."

"It makes you human," he tells her, yet the words taste bitter on his mouth. "You acted on your emotions and made a mistake."

A mistake that had caused lives, the remaining logical part of his consciousness reminds him. Because the truth is that no matter how sorry Olivia is, it wouldn't bring back those people.

"I love you," she tells him softly, her voice muffled due to her buried face against his chest but James heard her loud and clear and suddenly, he's forgotten all about morals and guilt. All he hears is the beating of his heart and the rise and fall of her body.

He feels himself freeze, taken by the words that had tumbled from her lips, and for a moment, he wonders if he had imagined it all together, but that couldn't be. He still hears the softness in her voice, the uncertainty and the creeping doubt. His mind couldn't have come up with something so real that he feels it physically squeezing at his chest.

"Say it again," he tells her. "And I'm yours."

Olivia looked up to meet his eyes, her gaze traveling from the hazel hues to his soft, plump lips and without a second thought, she placed her lips against his.

The kiss is soft, featherlight but it's enough to start a frenzy in James' stomach.

"I love you."

β‹…β€’β‹…β€’β‹…βŠ°βˆ™βˆ˜β˜½ΰΌ“β˜Ύβˆ˜βˆ™βŠ±β‹…β€’β‹…β€’β‹…

JAMES AND OLIVIA HAD BEEN LOUNGING ON THE COUCH WHEN THEIR FRIENDS ARRIVED. Olivia has her back pressed against James' chest, his arms wrapped around her waist while her feet are placed on Sirius' lap, who sits by the edge of the couch.

Olivia is convinced Sirius is part of their relationship. Since they had made it official, everywhere they went, Sirius seems to be there. Olivia is quickly realizing that Sirius and James are a package deal, even when it comes to a relationship.

To say that Lucas is adjusting well would be an understatement. In fact, he seems to be over the moon to be a Potter. There's absolutely no trace of awkwardness between him and his new parents, which if Olivia is being honest, she's not sure if it's worrying or not. There has to have been some reaction, some difficulty with changes in his life in an age where he's already capable of understanding complicated concepts and questioning most things, yet he seems completely at ease to be with his new family. It's as if he had been with them his whole life.

Yesterday, he had come with Euphemia and Fleamont to one of their friend's funerals, Ted Tonks, where Olivia was told Lucas had referred to himself as a Potter with no hesitation at all. What Olivia is happy to hear is that Lucas had apparently made friends with Ted's daughter, Nymphadora who is a first year at Hogwarts as well.

Olivia and James still haven't completely talked about the incident in the orphanage, and she's sure both of them had been avoiding the topic. Olivia swore she hadn't meant it and that she'd never do it again and they had left it at that.

"So you're dating," Remus said, being the first one to arrive, upon noticing their position.

Lily had opted to travel the muggle way and had somehow managed to convince Kat to pick her up and drive her and so she'd probably be the last to arrive while Peter will arrive any minute now.

James grinned, placing his chin on top of Olivia's head. "I got the girl."

"I still haven't gotten the girl," Sirius butts in, wanting attention as well from the third marauder. "But I'm sure I'll get her eventually."

"Did anyone ask though?" Olivia sasses.

"Always remember, Liv," Sirius smirks, pinching her left foot. "I'm still the love of Prongsy's life. He loved me first. You're nothing but a second rate copycat."

"Well, he went to me so I don't know what that says about you."

"I don't know what you're on about, Pads," Remus says as he shrugs off his coat. "We all know they're practically married since the first month."

"True," James agrees.Β 

A few minutes after, Peter finally arrives, giving all his friends a quick hug and ruffling Lucas' curly hair. Truth be told, Olivia holds a weakness for the fourth marauder. It's no secret that Peter is known as the runt of the group, and often treated as such by his fellow students but he has been nothing but kind and helpful to her and she imagines that if she had a younger brother, he'd be like Peter. He's loyal and kind and so Olivia makes sure to repay that kindness.

"How was home, Pete?" She asked, shifting her position so she can place her head by his shoulder.

Peter beams at her, crooked teeth showing. "It was good! My mum almost didn't let me go since I've been spending Christmas here for three years but I convinced them."

Olivia gives him a warm smile. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."

β‹…β€’β‹…β€’β‹…βŠ°βˆ™βˆ˜β˜½ΰΌ“β˜Ύβˆ˜βˆ™βŠ±β‹…β€’β‹…β€’β‹…

WHEN LILY AND KAT FINALLY ARRIVED IT HAD FELT LIKE A PARTY WITH HOW LOUD THE MANOR SUDDENLY GOT.

But Euphemia and Fleamont are happy to host the teenagers, even baking them cookies before they headed to work. Euphemia had dropped Lucas off at the Tonks' to hang out with Nyphadora per his request so all that's left are the seven Hogwarts students.

"I still can't believe you got together already," Kat brings up, downing a can of soft drinks with her hair in a frizzy mess of a ponytail. "I was sure Olivia will keep playing hard to get for a few more weeks."

Olivia scoff. "I was not playing hard to get."

"Sure."

"Wait," Lily says as her gaze focuses on the two, only just realizing their closeness. Her smile instantly drops. "You guys are together?"

James smiles widely as he nods his head. "Yes. I know I promised I'd marry you, Lilypad, but I realized that we're just not meant to be. There's no reason to continue pinning after me. I'm sure you'll find someone to make you happy as well."

Lily rolled her eyes at the boy's dramatics before a genuine smile covered her face, big enough that it hid the cracks on her heart. She threw her arms around the new couple, hugging them both tightly as she shut her eyes to stop the tears from falling. "I'm happy for you guys. Genuinely."








AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Lily, my baby, you deserve
better, love. I love you so
much uwu.

Please read!
I kinda changed up the
timeline a little bit and made
Tonks a few years younger
and also her dad's death a few
years earlier. Also bc I really
wanted to give Lucas a friend
and I thought they'd vibe well

Anyway, here's a sorta chill
chapter after an intense one.
I'm trying to finish this book
within a month since it's
already getting too long from
what I planned. Half of this
chapter has been sitting in my
files for a few days but I've
been writing so much short
stories in Instagram that I was
only able to finish it now.
There's a future!Lucas one
shot there btw if y'all wanna
check it out. It's geminibxtch.wp

I hope you guys are safe and
happy and I hope you liked
this chapter :>

- lexie

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