Blue Castle [Olivia]

[Deleted]

@jill15

The New Year was already here. Break was over. The Yule Ball had been great. Lance needed that freedom to forget the last few months, even if it was only for a short couple of hours. Georgie and Louis had managed to get permission to go to London to visit Barbara, but he had had enough of her lately. He knew he wasn’t supposed to act that way, or feel for that matter, and yet he had a hard time not being mad at her. Continuing on like he had for the last six years made the most sense, so there was no reason to suddenly welcome her back like nothing had changed. It was far from that now, because his dad was dead and they were expected to be family again. Georgie was his only family. All those uncharacteristic negative emotions had ebbed and flowed for the last two months and he was finally at the point where he needed to make a decision on how he was going to move forward. The last thing he wanted to do was let Barbara get in the way of his relationship with his sister, if he didn’t mess it all up first. Before the funeral things had seemed like they were definitely on the rocks…

Thankfully the Astronomy Tower was open on weekends, and empty as well. January wasn’t exactly warm by any means, but it was better than being around hundreds of other students. He was stuck with them all week so any chance of freedom was welcomed. Today was the first Hogsmeade trip of the month, so that decreased the amount of people wandering around. Leaning over the railing, Lance observed the tiny specs of people heading off in the direction of the wizarding town. He could have gone and listened to music like usual, but silence wasn’t much more relaxing right now. Breathing in the cold air, he let it back out in a slow puff. From what he remembered, it was never like this back home. Europe was so much different than the American south.

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

Olivia didn't feel the need to go to Hogsmeade. The past few months she felt like her weekends only consisted of going there and wrapping gifts. She didn't have any issues with going, but she just wanted one relaxing weekend and that is what she planned to get. A few of her friends had gone, so she stayed back in the Common Room for a little bit. It wasn't long before she felt like she just needed some fresh air, so she threw on he jeans, black boots and her thick black jacket and exited the Common Room.

As soon as she had stepped out, she tilted her head, seeing a familiar face heading up some more stairs. He looked like he didn't want company, which is probably why he also didn't go on the Hogsmeade trip but she couldn't help but follow him many steps behind. Lance and Olivia had a wonderful time at the Ball. She hadn't expected to have so much fun, but he was a great friend and he honestly had made the night better than if she had gone alone. After a few moments, she eventually went up the stairs to the astronomy tower, only making noise by her footsteps. "What are you doing up here all on your lonesome?"

[Deleted]

@jill15

Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, Lance blew on them. That last gust had been frigid. The warm air from his breath kind of helped, but it wouldn’t be much longer before he would be forced to go back inside from the cold. Still, it was kind of a welcome feeling; the cold air hitting his skin meant he could still feel a little. All the emotions surrounding his family had made everything else feel numb. At least the Yule Ball had been fun. Lance heard the soft click of a door and footsteps coming up the stairs. That meant it was time to make his exit and find a different secluded part of the castle. It wouldn’t be too hard to find another spot. Turning around to leave as the footsteps got closer, Lance looked up to see Olivia standing in front of him. Ravenclaw tower was close by wasn’t it? She asked him what he was doing on his own. “Hopefully escaping everything.” He muttered, looking down at his feet.

Lance realized that wasn’t the smartest thing to be saying on top of the Astronomy Tower, so he forced a smile on his face. “I just needed somewhere quiet, really. I’m hoping school starting back up will help me forget everything again.” His hands were getting cold again so he shoved them in his jacket pockets. “What about you?” he asked. “The longer I’ve been up here, the more I’ve realized that it’s not really fun in the cold.” It was downright awful, actually.

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

They stood face to face, and Olivia first took in his appearance, body posture and facial expressions. She was a Ravenclaw, and while her wit was something most would love to have, it should be obvious to anyone that Lance was cold and upset. Olivia tilted her head at him and rose her eyebrows. "Well I hope you don't mean escaping by jumping." She looked at him pointedly and smiled. She hoped the joke would make him smile, as this wasn't the Lance she was used to seeing. Normally, at least the few times she'd been around him, he'd been joyful and full of energy. Now, he just looked beaten and worn out.

Olivia walked closer to him and put her elbow on the edge of the tower as she listened to him speak. "This is a good spot for quiet, though I think maybe your room might be more sufficient as not many people can go in there." A smile graced her face, but maybe just like her, he needed some fresh air. "I hadn't meant to come up here, I was actually going down to breakfast. But I saw you with a gloomy look on your face and I couldn't ignore it. What exactly are you wanting to forget, Lance?"

[Deleted]

@jill15

She had caught on to his slip up with his phrasing. It was kind of funny though. While he was upset over numerous things, jumping wasn’t going to fix any of that. “No, not that. It’s all up here I think.” He tapped his head a few times before letting his arm fall back to his side. Leaning up against the railing again, he continued. “Plus I can’t really leave Georgie. Especially not now.” Too many things had happened with their family lately, if something so shattered could even be considered family in the first place. Lance liked to think that his sister still constituted as a family member, even if they weren’t exactly on the best of terms right then. Things had gotten slightly better over the last few months.

Lance tilted his head back and forth in a so-so manner when Olivia brought up that his dorms would probably be quieter. Maybe. “My roommates are almost nonexistent sometimes. Which is funny because one is literally a half-giant.” He let out a laugh. Lance liked to think he got along with his roommates, even if they were all rather quiet. The laugh died down as Olivia continued to talk about how she had spotted him heading up here. So it was obvious that something was wrong. What did he want to forget? Everything that had happened in the last six months, if he wanted to be straight with her. “My parents coming back to find me and Georgie. She might be happy about having Barbara back pretending to be a mother again, but if they had continued to fake their deaths then our dad would probably still be alive right now.” There were a lot of mixed feelings in that sentence, some which probably made sense, and some that didn’t. But that had been life since the summer, and that’s how it was going to be moving forward.

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

Olivia's eyebrow went up as he tapped on his head, but she smiled as he continued. "I'm glad you don't plan on leaving anytime soon." Which was true, she didn't think Lance should go, or end his life, or do anything of that nature. He seemed to be a strong guy, and wise beyond his years. Olivia wasn't one to really observe people in such a way, but she had been getting closer with Lance and getting to know him more as a friend and she enjoyed hi company. "I wish you'd see that your life is more than just your sister, Lance. You also shouldn't leave because you have people who care about you, and you have your own life to live."

She laughed with him, knowing who he was speaking of. Olivia had never spoken to the guy before, but she was pretty sure he was one of the only half-giants in the school so he wasn't hard to spot. If anyone was known around the entire school, it was Rubeus Hagrid. "Well nonexistent could be a good thing in this situation." She walked a bit closer to Lance so that they were directly beside each other. Her facial expression became softer as he spoke. Olivia didn't know about everything that had gone on with Lance, and to know that this was everything he was carrying inside of him, and trying to take care of his little sister, she realized how much he was taking on as one person. Olivia rested her hand on top of his, turning so her whole body was facing him. "Are you...upset your father has passed?" She knew it sounded like a terrible question to ask, but the way he was acting...she couldn't tell if it was anger, sadness, or relief.

[Deleted]

@jill15

He was glad he wasn’t going anywhere either. Hogwarts was practically home when he wasn’t at the orphanage, and even then there was a possibility that Barbara was going to try and work some things out with Freddie to get the two of them back. Not much longer until he could live on his own, and then Georgie could make the decision of where she wanted to go from there. He wouldn’t hold it against her if she decided to stay with their mother; it had been years after all. Unfortunately that same reasoning is what was currently alienating him from the rest of the family. “Yeah but for a while there she was all I had in my life. I can’t just forget about that.” He knew what Olivia was trying to say though. At this point, he could do whatever he wanted. Georgie had Barbara if she really needed help with something, not that it meant he had to give up on being her brother. “I understand though.” Lance didn’t even know what he wanted to do with his life. There were always things that happened to get in the way whenever he thought he was about to figure it out too. He couldn’t catch a break.

Sometimes he wished they weren’t so nonexistent and more here all the time. Apparently a good portion lived up to their nature and were social butterflies. Rubeus was a different story, but everyone went along at their own pace. Lately it had provided a lot of time to just sit in the dorm room and think. That was what he had needed the most. Maybe they had figured that out and given him the space on purpose. Olivia walked closer to him as he contemplated what it exactly was that his roommates were thinking about his current state. She placed her hand over his as she asked him if he was upset about his dad dying. Lance wasn’t even sure he knew the answer to that. “Yes and no. We’ve been through it before, so I think that kind of numbed it all…” That was a strange thing to have to say. He’d by lying if he said he hadn’t been relieved slightly when Georgie came back telling him that she found their parents again. It had only been a fleeting moment, but it was still there. “I think I would have been better off never knowing where they had gone or what happened to them six years ago. The problem I have is with Barbara acting like nothing has changed, when it has.”

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

"Oh, of course not. I hadn't meant it that way." She spoke bluntly. Olivia hadn't meant for him to just forget his sister, but more to begin to put himself first. She was older now, and capable of doing many things on her own. While Lance may feel he needs to step up as a father figure for her, he wouldn't ever be able to do so. Olivia felt like right now might not be the best time to say that, though. "I'm sorry if it sounded that way, Lance." She smiled gently.

Olivia's hand stayed put where it was on top of Lance's. She hadn't planned to move it until he did, and not out of an act of feelings for him. It was more out of worry and wanting to make sure he felt cared for. Her thoughts drifted, but immediately returned as he spoke. Olivia's eyebrows scrunched up together and she gave his hand a small squeeze. "Maybe you would have been better off. But you really don't know. And either way, you might've thought differently if you had never known." It could've gone either way, and if it had gone the opposite way, Lance might've thought it should go this way. "It's terrible, but things do happen for a reason. And tons has changed. Have you told her that?"

[Deleted]

@jill15

“I know you didn’t.” He gave Olivia a small smile as she apologized to him. He had been told in the past that Georgie was too clingy with him, but he didn’t really care what they thought. Those people didn’t, or rather couldn’t, understand what they had been through. The last thing we wanted was pity for being an orphan for those years, because he still had his sister by his side, as well as everyone at the orphanage. Although now he and Georgie technically weren’t orphans so everything was slightly confusing to say the least.

Lance thought about Olivia’s idea his statement. She wasn’t wrong. He wouldn’t have known if would have been better without their return, but the way things had been going the last few years, they had practically become an after though, a part of his history that had happened and was done with. Obviously if he and Georgie found out they were still alive and had gone and started a new family without them than that would be a different story. But as far as he knew, Barbara and Art hadn’t. Still didn’t change the fact that they disappeared into the night without warning. “Maybe. Guess we’ll never know.”

Nodding his head a few times to indicate that he had thought about telling Barbara about that, Lance realized he wasn’t even sure how to go about that kind of conversation. Clearly he and Georgie had changed. They might be children still, but after what they had been subjected to there was no way they would be able to maintain how they were back home. “I don’t think I have directly. Although this,” Lance pointed at the lip ring with his other hand, “was probably a pretty good indication.” Somehow she hadn’t brought that up, not even amidst the funeral proceedings. In a way, he had kind of wanted her to, just to see the look of horror come across her face when he came up with some ridiculous story about it. Someday he’d be able to do that though.

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

Olivia smiled back. She had become to realize that Lance was a very easy going person. He tended to have no issues with what she ever said to him, no matter how blunt and obvious she was. Even if it sounded rude to her, he took it in and tried to understand it. It was a very redeeming quality and she liked that about him. He seemed very off right now though, and Olivia felt like she needed to do something to make him feel better. "You know...when I'm upset about something, usually acting out of my comfort zone helps. So let's dance!" She smiled.

"Well that's alright, it doesn't have to be direct to be understood." Lance then pointed to the ring that was wrapped around his lower lip, and Olivia rose an eyebrow as she stared at it. She herself had a piercing on her belly button and the dimples on her back, but not even her parents knew that. They'd be incredibly angry. Grinning at Lance, she finally spoke with humor in her voice. "Well, I think it looks great on you. Gives you a different vibe. But I for one took the smart idea and got piercings where my parents wouldn't be able to see them."

[Deleted]

@jill15

Lance liked to think that in the few days he had spent with Barbara following his father’s funeral, there had been an ample amount of indirect things he said and did that made it fairly clear how he felt about everything and how he was going to move forward from there. Luckily there were plenty of ways to do that without making it seem like he was acting out or piling problems on top of her when she was dealing with the funeral. She knew where she had gone wrong, and he was simply making sure that it was clear that he understood and that it wasn’t simply going to go away with time. That chance had passed by years ago, and it was too late to make up for it now.

In a way, he supposed the lip ring was an unconscious extension of that, despite it being done before he knew Barbara and Art were still alive. Lance out a small laugh as Olivia mentioned that it gave him a different vibe and that she had ones as well, where her parents wouldn’t see them. He supposed having piercings and tattoos hidden were usually a bonus when it came to getting a job after school, but he really didn’t care. If he could do the job better than anyone else, that was all that should matter. “Probably should have thought about hiding it, but then I wouldn’t have the perfect excuse to act like an edgy teen. Everyone always says I’m so grown-up. I think I like being able to act out in front of a parent.” There were bonuses to everything apparently. “Might have to get another one just to drive the point home to her.” He suggested, mostly to himself. It was funny enough to see her reaction to it the first time she saw him again, he could only imagine how more would resonate with her.

Stepping away from the railing, Lance decided to take Olivia up on her offer to dance. “Guess that means my dancing wasn’t too terrible at the ball,” he laughed, holding his hand out to her. Luckily Ripley had given him some impromptu lessons between when he had asked Olivia to go with him and the date of the ball. There was certainly room for improvement, but he wasn’t sure how much was expected from a southerner when it came to ball room dancing.

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

"But edgy teens are so fun!" She waved her hand at him, laughing. She was glad he hadn't decided to hide his piercing. It really did look good on him, and it made him more interesting than some normal guy who looked like everyone else. He mentioned having to go get another and Olivia perked up, grinning. "If you do, let me know. I might join in." She wanted another ear piercing even though she had many, but she'd also contemplated getting her own lip or tongue pierced many times before. "Mine are pretty well hidden, unless I go swimming with my parents." To explain more, she lifted her shirt up and stopped below her chest, showing him her belly button piercing and then turning so he could see her back piercings. "Those one's hurt like hell."

As Lance turned and held his hand out, Olivia smiled and took it. "Your dancing wasn't terrible at all, Lance." She laughed and began to twirl around the top of the tower. It was still light outside, but you could see a few stars up above in the sky. "You're a good friend, you know. I'm really glad I met you." Olivia looked into his eyes, smiling. Liv hadn't had the chance to meet anyone like him, and she felt a strong connection, him being the only other American and Southerner she had the chance of meeting at Hogwarts.

[Deleted]

@jill15

Lance half-laughed, half-snorted as Olivia stated that edgy teens were fun. The whole experience of breaking out of the orphanage to run off and get the lip piercing was definitely something in itself. “We kind of are, aren’t we?” He didn’t think he was particularly edgy, but the piercing definitely made it seem that way, at least from a no-maj point of view. There were tons of them that he managed to come across while wandering around London, when he got the chance of course. Personality wise, he probably didn’t fit in that well, except for everything that had happened as of late. Now he was chalking that up to not understanding what a death of a family member is like and having to deal with a mother that wasn’t really his mother at this point. “I’d have to think about what I’d get done next. It was hard enough the first time. Spur of the moment type thing.” Lance knew that the bucket list deal that he had struck with his sister wasn’t really the smartest decision he’d made in the past year, but he definitely didn’t regret getting the piercing. The look on his classmates’ faces, and then Barbara’s as well. It was priceless.

“I didn’t even know those were able to be pierced,” Lance pointed out when Olivia turned around to show him the ones on her back. They looked like they could be painful. His had hurt initially, and then trying to eat for a while after definitely made him remember it was there still. At least he had been careful about it not getting caught on his shirt when putting it on and taking it off. That was one of the warnings he had been given about it. Luckily magic was a quick fix if that ever happened.

Well that was good. That meant Ripley had helped him out a lot more than he had thought. She the other Hufflepuff knew what she was doing though, so he wouldn’t have put it past her that she had drug him out to practice dancing for this exact reason. “Good. I was worried the entire time that I was going to step on your feet,” he smiled as they continued moving around. “I didn’t, did I?” He realized that he actually wasn’t sure. Ripley had made sure he worked on his footwork the most before the actual form of dancing came into play. He was slightly more confident in that than anything else.

Lance found himself stood still as Olivia said that she saw him as a good friend. He hadn’t meant to halt the dancing, but found that he couldn’t really say what he wanted to say and dance at the same time. “I don’t want this to sound like emotional baggage, but I wanted to thank you for helping me these last few months, even if you weren’t aware of it. Being able to talk and do things without thinking about my parents for a few hours has made things a lot easier.” Every other hour of the day was still spent thinking about everything, but he had enough people around him to break him free of that from time to time. “So thank you, Olivia. It means a lot to be appreciated when things feel like they’re always falling apart.”

[Deleted]

lancelot ray linley
<3

Lance’s snort made her smile brightly. ”Of course!” Edgy was the perfect word to describe them. Unless you’d rather use the word rebel, though Olivia found that word to be somewhat of an insult and she’d rather not label herself as such. She followed the rules, just did things without asking her parents first. There wasn’t much harm in that, now was there? Lance spoke of what he’d get next, and as they danced around the tower floor, she scrunched her eyebrows together as she looked at his face, studying what might look nice. ”You could just do your ears. Or your tongue!”

His comment on her back piercings made her nod. ”They did hurt, but I love them. They’re different and I think they look nice.” They better look nice, because the only way to remove them was through surgery. At least, the no-maj way to remove them was surgery. She was curious if she could remove them magically without any pain, but she just shrugged, knowing she wouldn’t want to remove them anytime soon.

”I was worried I’d step on your feet! Though no, you did very well at avoiding them.” She laughed. Olivia had truly enjoyed the Yule Ball, and Lance. He was a very sweet young man, Olivia had that noticed. And he was also becoming a very good friend.

And then he stopped dancing. And Olivia tilted her head, concern showing in her blue eyes. She hadn’t said anything bad had she? Or anything that could possibly offend him? There was nothing that was coming to mind and it worried her. But as the blonde boy spoke, the red head smiled. His honest words made her feel good about herself, and she couldn’t help but lean in and wrap her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. ”You’re welcome, Lance.” She pulled back, her hands on his shoulders. ”It doesn’t sound like baggage. You just sound human.”

[Deleted]

@jill15

Ears or tongue for his next piercing. It was better than Georgie’s initial idea about getting his bellybutton pierced. That would have been a weird addition to have. He didn’t really see the use in getting his tongue pierced either, so it would probably be ears. “I guess I should add it to my bucket list then. The lip ring was part of that. I’ll never get around to it if I don’t,” he chuckled. That and he needed somebody pushing him to get it done. The current piercing was all thanks to Georgie’s insistence that she was bored beyond belief and wanted him to do something on the aforementioned bucket list. Unfortunately the only thing he could recall at the time was getting some sort of piercing. It wasn’t like it was a mistake, it definitely added a little more personality to him than he had before. And it scared the hell out of Barb. That was the best part of it all. She had chosen to ignore talking about it, but Lance knew that her eyes went to it every time she tried to talk to him about how he was feeling, or whatever it was that she was trying to do in her little act as a parent.

Lance laughed as Olivia pointed out that she was afraid she was going to step on his feet. He found that a little harder to manage, but it was probably possible. He made a mental note to thank Ripley for those last minute impromptu lessons. “That’s a weight off my chest then. Was almost positive I had at some point.” While that thought had resided in his head at some point during the dance, it wasn’t like he had really dwelled on it that much. The last thing he wanted to do was step on her feet though, but if the dancing right now was a sign, it seemed like it would never happen.

As he stopped dancing to speak, Olivia hugged him. That’s right. He was just a human after all, albeit one that had probably gone through far more than most could imagine. For some reason he always forgot that it was okay to show weakness. He was always trying to stay one step ahead of Georgie so that she wouldn’t have to go through hard times. The last thing he wanted to be was a robot though, and lately that was exactly what he had become. A robot that was slightly pissed off at his mother for being an awful person, but aside from that, everything else was just there, existing alongside him. At least he was projecting the proper emotions necessary during times like this. “Alright, good. I got scared there for a little bit,” he laughed.