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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍
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"IF YOU CHEW ANYMORE LOUDER, I will seriously hex you."

James sighed, putting his bag of crisps down. Olivia had never felt more pregnant than she did now. Pregnancy has been kind for her for the past eight weeks but it seems as if as soon as the ninth week hit, she was nothing but a bundle of unresolved emotions and uncontrollable hormones. Her mood swings were becoming worse and every little thing is becoming a trigger for her annoyance, including James' chewing.

Even Sirius held his tongue and kept his distance a bit, allowing James' to deal with his baby momma. This was becoming increasingly more difficult for the Gryffindor boy considering he is still seventeen years old and though the past few weeks have definitely added to his maturity, he's still pretty clueless about a lot of things.

"What do you want to eat?" James asked as he started getting her prescribed vitamins from his messenger bag, but first she needs to eat before she can take it. These were tiny details Olivia often forgets so he's decided to take control of them.

"The tortured souls of the damned," she answered without lifting her head from the table.

James couldn't help but silently laugh as he started filling up her plate with things he knew she can tolerate.

"You're quite cheery this fine morning," Sirius remarked, making James, Remus and Peter turn to him, their faces filled with pure terror for their friend.

Olivia grabbed the butter knife next to her, slowly lifting her head up and pointing the knife at Sirius. "If you don't shut your mouth, Black, I'm going to shove this knife so far up your ass you'll be able to feel it when you take a shit for the next forty-five years."

That certainly shut Sirius up. James sigh again. "Please calm down, Love."

Olivia redirected her glare at him. "You don't get to tell me to calm down. You did this. This happened all because your pull out game sucks ass. Now I look like a bloated fourteen year old all the damn time."

Sirius and Remus tried to hide their muffled laughter by shoving more food in their mouths but James caught it. He glared at them as he silently handed Olivia her plate.

Kat entered the Great Hall and unlike the previous days, she went straight in their direction, taking her place next to Sirius who suddenly looked like a lost puppy who's owner just came home. "Are you guys d—"

"Disappointed with my life?" Olivia interrupted. "Yes."

"Drained?" James asked.

"Done with everything?" Remus finished.

"Depressed?" Sirius said.

"Disliked?" Peter muttered.

Kat froze for a moment, just looking at the five of them. "... done... with the homework. What is wrong with you people? Should I start group therapy?"

"Therapy could be interesting," Olivia said, taking a bite of her avocado toast. "Maybe it'll make the insatiable demon in my head who's always whispering in my ears how worthless I am with everything I do bearable."

No one spoke after that, but Olivia kept eating her food as if she said nothing wrong. It was Kat who tried changing the topic. "Well, this isn't going to make anyone's morning better, but breakfast ends in fifteen minutes so you all better hurry up or we're going be late for DADA."

"Wonderful," Olivia muttered. "Time to confront my sister for wanting to get my baby terminated because obviously no one in my dysfunctional family is sane and they've fucked up my life so much that I endep up with huge trust issues partnered with a dose of post traumatic stress disorder."

"Jesus Christ," James muttered, taking a sip of his black coffee. He used to be a tea person but with Olivia's new found constant need to suck the happiness out of everything and everyone she encounters, he needs as much caffeine as he can possibly get.

"We should probably talk to someone about that therapy Kat mentioned," Remus said, an amuse smile on his face.

Grabbing a bagel, his bag and Olivia's, James stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Come on. I don't want to be late."

Sirius raised an eyebrow in question at his best friend. "You, James Potter, care about being late for class?"

James nervously started bouncing on his heel and one look from Remus, Olivia already knew the reason of James' change of heart. Amara's accusations ringing in her ears. How her older sister claimed that James was not a man, but a boy who was only going to leave her and bail on his responsibilities in the end. One of the examples Amara had used was James' indifference about attending to classes on time, and Olivia quickly realized that James Potter was determined to prove her older sister wrong.

Olivia joined him and stood up, pretending to roll her eyes at Sirius. "I told him we had to start going to classes on time. My attendance has been suffering from your tardiness."

Remus smiled, having realized what Olivia was doing. "I agree with the pregnant lady."

Turning around and walking ahead of them, Olivia scoffed. "Pregnant lady. That's all who I am now."

The group of six was walking to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Sirius tirelessly annoying Remus all the while trying to get Katherine's attention. Peter walked quietly, happy to simply be included. James was talking to Olivia, reminding the brunette about her vitamins. It was then that a familiar Slytherin tried to run past them but James quickly grabbed him by the arm, stopping his sprint.

Little Lucas gave the group an adorable toothy smile, his curly hair tousled and his necktie hanging on his neck. "Oh hey, guys!"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the eleven year old. "Did you sleep in again, Lucas?"

The sheepish smile on the boy's face was all the answer she needed. Olivia sigh. It was times like this where she felt like Lucas had become her free trial to motherhood. She was getting a headache making sure he woke up on time, ate his meals and did his homework. It didn't help that Lucas truly struggles with his classes. He often finds it hard to grasp simple concepts so it was up to the teenagers to explain it to him again and again.

"Did you even eat?" James asked. He too has become attached to the younger boy. Lucas is almost ridiculously innocent and much shorter than he should be for his age. It was like he refused to let go of his childhood just yet as he continued acting younger than an eleven year old. It was easy to treat him younger than he truly is. "Lucas, what did we tell you about breakfast?"

Exasperatedly, the boy rolled his eyes as he recited the words Olivia and James loved reminding him. "It's the most important meal of the day."

"Then why do you keep missing it?" Olivia scolded as she started fixing his tie.

Lucas didn't answer as he gave her an innocent smile, knowing damn well he'd get in trouble if he told them the truth about how he had continuously pressed the snooze button till the very last minute possible. Truthfully, James didn't care much if he went to his lessons on time or if he's out after curfew or if he got detention, but when it came to his health then that was when he'd interfere.

James handed his bagel to the boy. If you had told James he'd ended up being a baby daddy to a Slytherin girl with intense trust issues all the while caring for an adorable eleven year old Slytherin boy then he would have laughed at your face, yet here he was ruffling Lucas' curly hair. "Eat your meals, Lucas."

Lucas pretended to roll his eyes but bit into the bagel gratefully. "Yes, dad."

"Not to ruin the heartfelt family moment," Sirius interrupted. "But if momma prongs and papa prongs don't stop coddling baby prongs then we're all going to be late, something which we are apparently avoiding today."

"You always ruin the moment, Sirius," Remus said with a roll of his eyes. "Your mere presence ruins the moment."

"I second that statement," Kat chirped up.

Sirius dramatically put a hand over his chest, giving the two a faux broken hearted look. "I'm hurt you two think so lowly of me."

"Bite me," Kat says showing her teeth.

"Sometimes, you all act more childishly than the actual child," Olivia told them, then she turned to Lucas. "And you, young man, go along to your lesson. I'll see you later to help with your homework."

Lucas showed his toothy grin, running away from the group. "Bye, mum. Bye, dad!" He joked.

"I wasn't aware we adopted a son," James says, looking amused.

"Me too," she shrugged. "But you know, all in the day's work of being a parent."

"All that's lacking is marriage," Sirius teased, wiggling his eyebrows together.

James smirked at the brunette beside him. "What do you say, darling? Want to be Mrs. Potter?"

Olivia playfully shoved him. "You suck at proposing."

James smirked at her, running a hand through his hair before putting an arm on her shoulder. "Trust me, pretty girl, when I propose, it's going to be spectacular."

Olivia did nothing but roll her eyes.

Perhaps Sirius was right. If this was how oblivious Olivia was then their child would certainly need some other figure in terms of dating. It was clear as day that even James himself doesn't bother hiding it. He had used 'when' instead of 'if' and Olivia was too preoccupied in her own little world to notice it.

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OLIVIA MADE SURE AMARA knew her thoughts without speaking them. The younger Kinsley had spent the entirety of the lesson glaring at her older sister as hard as she could. She knew Amara noticed as the professor avoided her gaze, making sure not to let her eyes wander to the back of the room where Kat and Olivia sat with the Marauders. James on the other hand seemed to be determined to prove to Amara his capabilities as he answered every question she had, and when she refused to call his name for an answer, he said it out loud.

It's ten minutes before their lesson ends and for the first time since she entered the classroom, her mind was not at how furious she is with her sister. Instead, her head had wondered to the land of cravings. She turned to the father of her child. "Potter," she called quietly.

James glanced at her with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Pickles," she said. "I need them."

James looked at the front of the room again before looking at his watch. "Now?"

Olivia frowned. "Fine. After class."

The two went back to listening and not long after, the bell signalling the end of their lesson  and Olivia had a hold on James'' wrist, dragging him out of the classroom to go get her pickles, but before they could exit the room, Amara's voice had called her back.

"Can we talk?" The older Kinsley eyes were pleading, but it considerably hardened upon seeing how tightly her baby sister held on to James Potter's wrist. "In private."

Olivia's hold on James tightened. "Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to the both of us."

That statement caused James' heart to beat through his ribcage and so he intertwined their hands together, facing the problem as one.

"Fine," Amara huffed. "I don't think you're ready for a child."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know? The last I saw you was two years ago. Hell, Amara, do you even know who I am?"

James felt like he was intruding on a private matter between the sisters as he watched the two argue. He wondered if this was how they argued in the Kinsley family, going right in with no sugarcoating or avoiding the problem.

"Of course, I do!" Amara exclaimed incredulously. "You're my sister."

"No, you don't! You know the Olivia from two years ago. You know the Olivia with Maxwell by her side, but you don't know me!" Olivia's voice had risen now, her frustrations and anger visible. "You don't know the things I went through after he died. You don't know the change I had to go through. You're stuck with this idea of me that you have, the me from when we were children hiding in your room, but that's not me anymore, Amara!"

The older Kinsley seems to be taken aback. Perhaps her baby sister had changed, but how could Amara be surprised that she did? Amara had left as soon as she graduated, hiding from their parents. She barely sent letters and barely looked back. She only came back when Maxwell had died, and even then, she only stayed for a day before she resumed her hiding. Olivia was fifteen then, she was seventeen now, and those two years had to be the hardest in her life. Amara was running, Samuel bowed down, and Maxwell was gone. She had been completely and utterly alone. She had to adapt to what her life had turned out to be. She had to grow up too fast, and that was the part Amara was struggling to accept. Olivia had grown and she wasn't there to witness it, and that was no one's fault but hers.

Amara heaved a deep sigh, returning back to her seat as she folded her hand over her desk, not looking at the parents to be as she started talking again. "Nowadays, adoption is less frowned upon. I've looked into it. There's this great orphanage for wizards that I found, mostly for muggleborns whose parents gave them up. I was thinking that we could—"

"There is no we!" Olivia was seething as she screamed at her sister. "It's our decision, Amara. It's my baby, it's my body, it's my life! Just because you've finally decided to be my sister again doesn't mean that you get to make decisions for me. I'm of legal age, I can do what I want with my baby and you have absolutely no right to stop me!"

Amara sighs again, expecting this outcome. "Liv, I was just thinking—"

"I don't care what you were thinking!" Olivia interrupted again, her face visibly turning red from anger. "You have no right! You haven't been a sister to me for six years, and now just because you're back, you think you're suddenly part of my family again?"

"I don't mean it like that."

"I don't care!" she screamed again, and James can feel her shaking. "You don't get to make decisions for me, you don't get to tell me what you think I'm ready for, and most importantly, you don't get a say in my child's life."

"I only want what's best for you," Amara responded, obviously taken aback by her sister's words. "That's all I ever wanted."

Olivia tugged at James, turning around to finally exit the room, but not before she turned to her Amara once more, her furious glare set at her older sister. "Go fuck yourself."

It was when they reached a deserted hallway when James pulled her back to his chest. And that was when Olivia broke down crying. Her small body uncontrollably shaking as heartbreaking sobs left her lips. She cried because for so long, she did nothing but bottle up her feelings. She cried because she had no idea what the future will bring. She cried because Maxwell was gone, because Samuel might as well be gone. But most of all, she cried because it hurt. It hurt so much she wanted to tear at her heart and stomped on it on the ground. It hurt because this isn't the life she wanted and it isn't the life that she deserved. She didn't deserve any of it — all the pain and the suffering she had to go through. She deserved none of it, and it was so unfair because she's done nothing wrong and yet she's left to pay for crimes she did not commit.

And while she cried, James held her. He said nothing and he did nothing but hold her, because he doesn't understand and he's not going to pretend he does. He doesn't know the things she went through and that was okay. He's there and that's enough. He allowed Olivia to cry. He held her as she broke apart.

And as he planted a kiss on her forehead, he silently vowed that so long as he lived, Olivia Kinsley will never experience loneliness ever again.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞:

This was supposed to be a
really light chapter after the
last two intense ones but
damn I just love drama.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S DAY EVERYONE!