"Shall we?" He winked, pushing the door open further to reveal the picnic basket in his hand, a blanket folded on top.

-----A Day in the Life of Olivia Benson-----

Olivia was more unsure about this than anything else in her entire life. She could hardly believe she let her father talk her into this. It wasn't out of character for him to be spontaneous but this may have been a little too much.

It's only an hour, she tried to reason with herself the same way he had reasoned with her. Just a small break. Think of how much clearer your head will be and how much easier it will be to focus.

Her father insisted that her mother would be several hours at the most but that didn't put Olivia's nerves at ease. She wasn't good at breaking rules. It made her anxious and reminded her of when Valentine had devised that prank on Lockhart. Even if Valentine had taken the fall for it, she remembered how her hands had twitched that whole morning. They had stolen from Snape! They were going to harass a teacher! How could she not twitch about this? And if that made her twitchy, disobeying her mother made her feel as though she was going to start violently convulsing at any moment.

"Doesn't the sun feel nice?" Her father offered her a slice of apple.

"Well, yes," Olivia admitted.

"And doesn't that breeze just make you want to leap about like a whimsical woodland creature?"

"Uh." Olivia had to laugh at that. "Not quite."

"Oh. Suppose it's just me then."

Olivia was certain, that should they ever meet, her father and Leah would get along great. She could imagine how the others would complain about the noise and dramatics. That usually meant Leah was enjoying herself.

She sighed and looked around at the scene before her. They were just on the edge of the tree line, the one that surrounded the small wood her home was hidden in. The sunlight streamed through the branches above them, painting golden patterns of their faces that shifted as they moved. From here, they could see the Muggle town off in the distance.

Olivia had never been there herself, despite living here her entire life. Her mother forbid it. She said that the town was filled with filthy animals that didn't deserve the free will they had. She said it was a mistake to allow the weak to govern themselves while the strong hid in the shadows. Olivia wasn't sure about that. She had met several MuggleBorns at school and even Half-Bloods that grew up around Muggles. They didn't seem like filthy animals, just people going about their lives. But she supposed her mother could have been right in the end. Olivia didn't know much about governing bodies and the like. Maybe the Muggles would be better off if the Magical Community came forth, but she did see that happening anytime soon. They weren't even allowed to wear distinctly wizard-like clothing in view of Muggles let alone tell them about actual magic. In the end, Olivia had never been too forlorn about the town. She doubted there was anything of interest down there for her to rest. At least that's what she told herself. Dreaming about things she couldn't have seemed a little pointless to her.

No, she was quite content on that hill, feeling the cool breeze rustling about in the wood behind her. Her father had been right. Her head felt clearer than it had since she'd returned home. The nervousness that plagued her had faded a little, though it was most certainly still there, waiting patiently until she had cause to panic again. Leah was always telling her that she worried too much.

A particularly strong wind came swooping down, playing along the grassy hill, rippling and dipping. To Olivia, it looked like the ocean. She'd seen it once before, at her cousins third birthday party five years ago. She'd only been as old as he was now but it remembered it so well. The water was so cool and seemed to stretch on forever. Her cousin loved it, running in and out of the waves giggling in delight at the cool spray of the water. Olivia's aunt, Freya, had somehow managed to completely collapse the tent they had set up on the beach, burying herself and all the other adults in there with her. Now that had been a sight. No one was hurt, of course. It was actually one of her lesser damaging accidents.

If Olivia closed her eyes she could still feel the water lapping at her ankles. Her mother hadn't let her have her shoes off long. She was complaining about sand even though the beach was mostly rock and pebble. Olivia was just lucky to have been there at all. It was so rare for her to be anywhere but in her own home. Even their visits to her cousin we're so scarce that Olivia almost felt like this was her birthday as well. A special treat for her to always treasure. Her eyes flickered open again when she heard a bird somewhere singing and laughed when her father answered it.

"Yes, yes, very pretty." He spread strawberry jam over a biscuit and offered it to her.

"Thank you." She took it.

"Penny for your thoughts, darling?"

"Hmm. I was thinking about a day on the beach."

"Ah. My favourite nephews birthday."

"He's your only nephew." Olivia bit into the biscuit, savouring the sweet taste of the jam.

"And your dear aunt Freya." Her father sighed wistfully. "What a disaster."

"I don't think Ben minded in the end." Olivia laughed at the memory.

"No, I don't think he did." Her father chuckled fondly. "He's used to it after all."

"True."

"So, then, young lady." Her father's voice dropped into mocking seriousness. "What's this I hear about you pranking teachers?"

Olivia flushed bright red.

"I...I..."

She had always assumed that neither she or any of the others had had letters sent home. She'd never heard about this from her mother and this was exactly the kind of thing she would strongly disapprove of. The others had never mentioned anything and neither had her mother. Her stomach filled with dread and suddenly the jam didn't taste so sweet anymore.

"Never fear, darling." Her father winked at her. "I may have...misplaced the letter."

Olivia's eyes widened. He misplaced the letter? So...her mother didn't know?

"This will just be our highly amusing little secret and I want to know every detail."

Olivia heaved a large sigh like she's been holding her breath for years.

"It...it was Val's idea."

"Well, yes, I highly doubt it was yours." Shifted to lay on his stomach, propped up on his elbows. "Continue."

"Val...she really didn't like Lockhart, before classes even started she hated him. And Val acts like she hates Hogwarts, but I'm pretty sure she at least enjoys classes. That's why she gets so upset when teachers don't...well, teach. On the first day of classes, Val pulled her wand on him and then Lockhart let loose Cornish Pixies in the classroom!"

"Bloody hell. Keep going. I assume Lestrange didn't like this?"

"Not at all. She knew he was just doing it to throw her off and distract her. The pixies we're going crazy and we all went out into the hall to get away from them but Val ran straight back inside and used The Freezing Charm on them. Someone must have run for help because then Professors McGonagall, Burbage, and Trelawney showed up and then Snape! He had to drag Val out by her wand and take her wand! We could hear them arguing all the way up the corridor."

"Ah." Olivia's father tapped a finger to his chin. "Severus Snape. Sounds like he hasn't changed a bit. So, then what? How did this lead to the prank?"

"Well, Val must have decided that she had had enough of Lockhart when she bought us all together to tell us her plan. Leah and Blaze were all for it but me Draco and Liam were worried about getting in trouble. And then Leah and Blaze started coercing the boys and then Leah got on her knees and starting begging...we couldn't really say no at that point. Val took Liam with her to steal supplies from Snape's classroom. I thought Liam must have been crazy to go along with her but he did. And then Val spent all night brewing the potions. She's really very skilled you know. She doesn't even need the textbooks, she just memorizes it all. Well, anyway. Val made the potions and then we to set up the next morning. She had me, Leah and Liam head straight to Lockhart's office. Leah was the lookout encase something went wrong or someone was coming our way, while I and Liam set up. We had written this, well, lover letter the night before to go with the potion that we put in a bottle of wine so that Lockhart would definitely drink it. And then we sprinkled this powder on his hairbrush and this face powder and perfume as well. Val had it all timed so that Draco would come to tell us when Lockhart was heading to his office to get ready for classes. Then we just had to wait."

"The suspense, my child!" Olivia's father exclaimed. "It's killing me stone dead!"

"We're the first ones in class." Olivia laughed at him. "Val didn't want to miss anything...and, well...I kind of wanted to see the outcome myself. I know it's not nice, especially now that he doesn't even remember anything, but Lockhart really wasn't a very good teacher. So, we waited and the other students started showing up. Then classes had started and he still hadn't come out of his office. We all started getting worried that something had gone wrong. I was so nervous that we had somehow hurt Lockhart but then he did really come out! He had a scarf wrapped around his whole face and head and said he had a cold and was trying to leave but Val tripped him and the boys got the scarf away from him and we saw it! His hair and face was bright pink! And not like he was just blushing either. He was completely bright pink it someone had thrown paint on him. And that's not even it, his teeth we're green from the potion as well! Val made him walk all the way to the hospital wing like that! The whole school saw him!"

"Oh, that's brilliant! Green teeth!" Olivia father's burst into laughter, clutching at his side, tears gathering in his eyes. "I wish I had thought about that when I was in school!"

"Val got in really big trouble," Olivia added. "She was put on probation and had weeks of detention."

"But did she regret it?"

"No." Olivia couldn't stop her small grin. "I don't think she did at all."

"That girl sure is a strange one." Her father was still giggling away. "She sounds like a bully and yet som of the things you've said make me almost want to route for her."

"Yeah." Olivia chewed her bottom lip. "I don't know what it is about her, but...she's just special like that. I think if she wasn't...how she is, then she would probably be the most popular girl in school."

"Oh? I thought that would have been you."

"What?" Olivia turned bright red. "No, of course not! I'm just normal, you know."

"What's wrong with normal?" Her father rose his brows in question, smiling.

Olivia shrugged, cheeks sit red, reaching for the water jug.

"Nothing, I suppose. I think if being special means having a complicated life like Val, then it's better I'm normal. I haven't been able to figure her out, but I know she has a secret."

"I'm sure you'll find out one day, darling." Her fathers face changed and he took the water jug from her to pour her drink himself. "You're a very bright young lady, after all."

"Bright?" A voice snarled from the trees. "I don't see how she could possibly be bright if she's wasting her time like this."

Olivia's heart plummeted deep down into the pit of her stomach. A streak of panic shot up her spine and all that dread returned in an instant. She wanted to run, hide, but most of all, she wanted to beg for forgiveness. She could get on her knees as Leah had. Maybe force herself to throw up all the food she'd eaten because now she just felt like she didn't deserve it. That voice was back, almost whispering in her ear.

Stupid girl. Did you really think you could get away with this? Did you really think you deserved it?

-----A Day in the Life of Olivia Benson-----

Under the window was usually where Olivia sat when locked in the attic. She was still expected to study after all and she needed light, even if it was just from the moon. She hoped the long-winded magical history book would force her to concentrate but even that couldn't distract her from the guilt.

She should have said no. She knew that she needed to study. She knew that she had a mission to focus on. But the sun and breeze had been so inviting and relaxing and- no. There was no point clinging to this. She was in the wrong. She had disobeyed her mother and this is what she got for it. When would she learn? Her mother had wanted this since before she was even born and there she was, jam on her face, slacking off. She was disgusted with herself. She knew deep down that she wanted to be anywhere but here and that just made her all the more guilty. She didn't deserve more than this.

She pinched her arm hard and went back to her book, restarting the page. She had already failed her mother once today and she was determined to somehow make it up for her. She thought succeeding in their goals would be a good place to start. So, she shoved away all that guilt, her friend's faces and her stomach that growled louder as the sky outside grew darker. She would make her mothers dream a reality even if it meant betrayal.

Eventually, she fell into that same familiar rhythm, all else falling away as she read. She could do this so long as she tried.

It had been over an hour when the shadow from the window fell over her. It might not have been so strange if she wasn't on the third floor. She gasped and jolted away from the wall. Hugging the book to her chest, she stared up at the window. Yellow eyes stared back at her.

"My God..." Olivia heaved a sigh, dropping the book. "Tulip you little rascal."

The ginger cat sat calmly on the other side of the sill, blinking at her uninterestedly. Olivia realised that she hadn't seen him around all-day since she had been preoccupied. He mostly went about on his own and was in her room by bedtime. He'd probably come looking for her when he'd found her bed empty and they weren't a lot of places she could be.

Olivia got up and unlatched the window, letting Tulip jump down inside. A night breeze followed, whistling softly. It just reminded her of today's failed picnic so she quickly shut it.

Tulip brushed up against her legs, tail at attention.

"So, where have you been all day, hmm?" Olivia scooped him up. "It was nice out, did you have fun?"

Tulip just pressed his face into her open palm and started purring. Olivia missed him so much while she was at school but she hadn't ever built up the courage to ask her mother let her take him with her. At least she knew her father would keep him company while she was away.

"Leah really wants to meet you, you know?" Olivia made sure to scratch behind his ears. "I hope she can one day."

There was a knock at the door and Olivia nearly dropped Tulip altogether. She set him down gently and scrambled to grab her textbook.

"Yes-yes!" She couldn't fight the tremor in her voice.

It had to be her mother, checking in to make sure she was still working.

"Darling?" A soft voice called out.

It was just her father. She padded over to the door to whisper back. Her mother had the only key.

"Yes?"

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have badgered you to come with me."

"No, it's alright. I wouldn't have to study so much if I was smarter."

"Don't say that. You're perfectly brilliant."

A lump welled up in the back of Olivia's throat and she didn't know what to say.

"I have a few things for you."

Olivia heard some shuffling and then felt something touch the did of her shoe. She looked down to find an envelope sticking out from under the door. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly picked it up and six more followed, all addressed to her.

"They came today." Her father added.

The lump grew bigger and she swallowed around it almost painfully.

"Thank...thank you." Her voice was so soft that for a moment she thought he might not have heard her.

"No problem, darling." There was a pause and Olivia heard a door close downstairs. "I need to go. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She then heard him hurrying back down the stairs to the second floor. She went back over to her spot under the window to read her letter. They were almost warm in her hands. Two of them felt thicker than the others and she smiled. Leah was always sending her drawings and she kept them all in a folder in her bottom drawer.

She read the names on each envelope. One from each of the boys and a total of four from Leah. She wasn't surprised that Valentine wasn't among them. She didn't write as often as the others and Olivia had gotten a letter from her only a few days ago. She could practically feel Leah tugging on her arm and shouting in her ear to open one of her first. Olivia moved to do so when she heard a loud crash from downstairs that shook the house and made her yelp.

Then she heard the shouting. Just her mother's voice. Her father never argued back. Tulip huddled into her side. He didn't like the noise anymore then she did. It didn't last long as usual. Just some angry shouting and then a door slamming. Olivia's whole body was tense, worried her mother might come storming up to the attic next.

She could take a guess at what had upset her. Her father wasn't supposed to talk to her when she was in the attic as punishment and it was normal practice for her mother to withhold letters if she had cause to. Olivia could see her father in her. Just standing there, nodding along and agreeing, probably apologising when things calmed down. Even as used to it as she was, it still put Olivia on edge. Her mother could be harsh when upset. What if her father had one day had enough and decided to leave. Suddenly that lump was rising in her throat again.

Olivia pulled Tulip on to her lap and held the letter up high into the moonlight to read Leah's frantic handwriting. She couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts with everyone. She would count the days no matter how long. One day she would destroy everything they had together. She would turn Valentine's world on its head and all those she loved so dearly would see her as the enemy, whether she wanted that or not. Her mother wished it so and thus it was inevitable. That was how things were. She just wanted to spend as much time as she could with them before that. Just a little bit longer to be the Olivia Benson that they knew her as.