Chapter thirty five; Shell Cottage

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The fresh breeze that nibbled Olivia's skin was incredibly refreshing as she walked barefoot in the sand. It had been three days since they'd devised their plan, hands down one of the most dangerous plans they had ever thought of in their lives. They would break into Gringotts bank, with the help of an untrustworthy goblin, posing as Death Eaters.

Hermione had been brewing the polyjuice potion for nine days, meaning they had twenty-one days left before they took on the final stretch of the hunt. It was the plan, the hope and the aim that as a team they could work together to find and destroy the three remaining Horcruxes. With them destroyed it was an easy task of summoning the Dark Lord for the final kill.

While everything was abundantly clear and set into place, Olivia found herself absolutely exhausted. In her fingers she twisted the wand of her boyfriend while looking out to the blue sea in front of her. She had so many questions pertaining to Draco's wand and every question brought more possibilities. The list she had rhymed off in her head was absurd, Bill had happily confirmed it for her.

While Olivia was a skilled overthinker, there was just something about Draco's wand that didn't sit right with her. There was a reason it's allegiance had changed and there was an answer for everything. It had to have been a small pawn in a bigger picture, surely. Harry disarming Draco, apparently when Olivia had been unconscious in the manor, was a possible answer but the sums simply didn't add up in her head. 

She knew she'd only find her answers with a wandmaker but she didn't particularly want to bother Ollivander.

A wand had to have a reason for its allegiance to change and that was what Olivia was hooked on finding out. Just why did Draco's wand decide to plead it's allegiance to Harry, after all this time?

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It was clear from the expression Ollivander wore that Olivia was the last person he expected to see at his door that day.

She couldn't help herself from visiting, her mind was attacking itself with different theories and she needed answers to prevent it.

His brow rose very slowly, "Miss Black." He acknowledged, "What can I do for you?"

She cleared her throat, "Sorry to bother you, Sir, but I was hoping you could help me out with something."

Seated in the same chair he was in just short of two weeks ago, Ollivander gestured to the edge of the bed, "Anything I can do to help you at this time, I will."

She smiled gratefully while taking the offer of the seat, twirling Draco's wand nervously. Ollivander noticed her behaviour immediately and picked up upon it, "Something the matter, girl?"

"Actually, yes." She replied, "Wether you are or aren't aware, our time is running out and there is still so much that we have to figure out."

"Can I be of any help to you, then?" Ollivander asked, "I'm sure you didn't just come to see me for a nice chat."

Olivia chuckled while looking at Draco's wand, she shook her head a few times, "What can you tell me about the Elder Wand, Sir?"

"Curious are you?"

She lifted her head to look at him, "I guess you could say that."

Ollivander nodded, "Are you aware of what curiosity did to the cat, Miss Black?"

With a nod she replied, "It killed it, yes, I know but I'm afraid the cat and I might not have much time left to sit idly by."

"Very well then, but I can only tell you what I know and even then it mightn't be true." 

"Anything is better than nothing, Sir."

With her reply, he nodded his head, "The Elder Wand, as I'm sure you already know, was fashioned by Death in a bit to outsmart three brothers who had outsmarted him. It was a wand like no other, bound only to the power of its handler, it conveys no loyalty. It is not like any other wands who stay by there masters unless otherwise."

"How so?"

Ollivander sighed, "What is it that you want to know, Miss Black?"

She looked to him desperately, "Anything you can tell me. I need to know, if we succeed in what we set out to do, if we stand a chance in beating him — or if the wand will protect him."

Ollivander nodded in understanding, "Like I said, it has no loyalty really. It will go to the one with the most power of the two."

"So, how does one actually win the Elder Wand? I'm assuming you can't just take it."

"It is like any other wand. If won in an adult duel the allegiance of the wand will automatically rectify to the winner of the duel."

Olivia nodded very slowly while processing the information, "In the story Antioch is murdered, does the person have to die in battle for the wand to be won?"

"No, no." Ollivander assured quickly, "Winning the Elder Wand is as simple as winning any other ordinary duel, you must simply disarm your opponent."

"That's it?" Olivia asked, astonished, "To win the Elder Wand you have to disarm the person you are fighting?"

Ollivander nodded once, "In an adult duel, however, where the fight is purely for survival."

"So you couldn't win it if you were practicing, for instance?"

"No, you must essentially fighting for your life."

Olivia nodded, "One more thing, you said Draco's wand had changed its allegiance, why would it do that?"

"The only way a wand can change it's allegiance is if it has been won. If the Draco Malfoy lost to a duel, his wand would've been granted the opportunity to switch allegiances."

"Strange." She muttered to herself while looking at his wand, "It's almost like his wand is switching sides in an attempt to get him to do the same." After she thought about it some more she looked to Ollivander and smiled, "Thank you, for you help."

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Olivia was on the beach again, except this time she was chasing Harry down the seafront. He hadn't realised she had been calling his name on several occasions, leaving her to jog after him. The sand underneath her feet kicked up around her, leaving her distinguished footprints in the wet sand.

She went again, calling his name as her lungs began to burn from the short distance she had ran. It frustrated her, how all of a sudden after a bit of torture she had acquired the body of a severely unathlectic person. When black spots and unbearable dizziness threatened to stall her completely she stopped and out of frustration with herself whipped the wand she was holding at the direction of Harry's feet.

The water, narrowly to the left of Harry's feet, reared up in a wave and hit the ground to create a giant splash. Harry jumped out of his skin and turned around, firing a spell in retaliation as a form of protection. The predictable jet of red light soared through the air, firing directly to Olivia. She deflected the spell with the smallest wrist flick and rose an unimpressed brow, "Is that all you got,
Potter?!" She shouted.

Olivia could barely see him roll his eyes as he lowered a borrowed wand to his side and began walking over to her, "You couldn't of gotten my attention in any other way?"

She walked to meet him in the middle, "I was shouting you for ages, it's not my fault you're practically deaf."

Sarky in his tone, Harry replied, "Maybe my brain has trained itself to shut off every time you speak."

She nodded, "Would explain the pathetic spell you retaliated with." She said as they met in the middle, "I knew what you'd fired before you finished the incarnation, really Harry? Expelliarmus?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't see the problem, it's a good spell."

"To disarm your opponent, yes. To fight people trying to kill you, no."

He rose a brow of his own, "How are they supposed to kill me if I've already disarmed them?" Olivia folder her arms over her chest and blinked silently at Harry. He sensed no response and dropped the topic quickly by clearing his throat, "Why do you have Malfoy's wand?"

Olivia looked down to her right and saw Draco's black wand held tightly in her fist. Her brows furrowed immediately and she felt about for her own wand, falling short when she came to realise she didn't have it on her person. She looked back to Harry again, "I dunno. I picked it up this morning, guess I just forgot to put it down."

"How did you fire with that?" Harry asked.

She shrugged, "It's allegiance is changing, after all."

"It was supposed to be changing in my favour, not yours." He groaned.

Olivia smirked, "Well maybe it prefers me over you."

Harry rolled his eyes, "You already have a wand, I don't."

"Your problem is?"

"I need that wand." He emphasised.

"What's wrong with that wand?" Olivia queried, pointing to the one in his own hand.

"It's Hermione's."

"Ooo, let me guess. Hermione's wand doesn't like you either."

Harry narrowed his eyes, "Was there something you actually wanted, or are you just here to make my life a misery."

She pointed to him, "Y'ano, that isn't one of my jobs — believe it or not."

"Olivia." He groaned.

"Right, sorry you sourpuss." She laughed, "I'm here to ask you what happened on The Astronomy Tower."

Harry froze for sometime and eventually replied, "When?"

"You know when you numbnut." She insulted.

"Why? You were there the whole ti—"

"No." She shook her head, "Before I got there, what happened."

Again he repeated, "Why?"

"I may be on to something I may not." She replied cryptically, "I'd just like to know."

Harry motioned her to follow him with a small nod of his head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk back to the house, "Dumbledore and I had only just arrived back from retrieving the Horcrux. He was ill and I tired to usher him to Madam Pomfrey—"

"—He was ill?" Olivia echoed, "Ill how?"

"A part of getting to the Horcrux involved sacrifices, spilling a drop of blood, drinking poison. The point is, Dumbledore made the sacrifices himself so one of us remained strong."

"Right then, carry on."

"Not even seconds later we heard the door at the bottom of the stairs open, he ushered me down the stairs where we were and told me to keep quiet. Malfoy came up then and demanded to know who Dumbledore had been talking with, who else was there." He said, "It was me obviously, but Dumbledore would never tell him that."

"How was he?" Olivia meekly queried, "Draco, how was he?"

"A mess." Heart answered honestly, "His hand was shaking, even when he had his wand pointed at Dumbledore." Olivia's heart clenched at the thought of Draco in such pain and she nodded wordlessly, "Anyways, Dumbledore knew already of what Draco had to do—"

"—He did?"

Harry nodded, "He knew about the necklace and the bottle of Meade and he tried to reason with him, help him." He said, "He started taking about how he knew it wasn't in his intention to hurt you, Dumbledore, and I think he struck a cord. Malfoy- Draco snapped and said how it was never his intention to hurt you, nor was it his intention for you to ever be involved. He blames himself for that night at the Ministry y'ano? He said if he hadn't of been so wound up in Umbridge's games he would've been able to have prevented you from going to the Ministry—"

"—I would've gone regardless, my—"

"—I know." Harry said, "Thats what Dumbledore told him. He offered him a way out essentially and when he saw how truly terrified he was to take it he allowed Draco to disarm him. To make it easier—"

"Draco disarmed Dumbledore?" Olivia asked immediately.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, "You arrived no later than that."

Just as Harry reached the end of his story, they had arrived back to the cottage. Olivia looked down to Draco's wand and twirled it in her fingers while consumed in deep thought. Perhaps Draco's wand had decided to change it's allegiance because he had disarmed another man in a duel? It was certainly plausible, but if it were the case the Elder Wand wasn't truly Voldemort's.

"Something the matter?" Harry asked while holding the door open for her.

"No, no." She said quickly while looking up and heading into the kitchen, "It's just—" She inhaled sharply seeing the familiar person stood idly in the kitchen next to Bill and her eyes widened to the side of saucers.

"It's just what?" Harry asked after her, following her into the kitchen and too stalling in his steps along side her.

Under her breath Olivia muttered to herself as the person cleared their throat, "Thought I should inform you." Remus Lupin said with a sheepish grin, "I'm officially a father."

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Olivia stuttered over so many questions as her Godfather smiled at her sheepishly. Her still, slightly, bruised face twisted into such emotion that it brought Remus' eyes to water as he opened his arms for her long awaited embrace. Completely disregarding the trail she had been so close to nailing, Olivia dropped Draco's wand to the floor and closed the short distance to practically dive into her Godfathers embrace.

She squeezed him tightly, almost as a test to see if it were really him standing in front of her but Remus squeezed just as tight.

There were small little rumours conveyed, like whispers in the wind, that Olivia had been tortured at the hands of Lestrange and they unnerved Remus. He, automatically, assumed that Olivia was scraping deaths door having heard the severity of what she had gone through. Although the fading cuts and bruises on her face remained, a tidal wave of relief consumed him as he saw with his own eyes that she was in fact, alright.

Olivia's tight grip loosened too soon in Remus' opinion, he wanted to hold tightly to her and never let go. He wanted to take her somewhere far away and hide her until the war was over. But he when she stood back he would be thrust into reality once more.

Olivia was curious when she raised a brow slowly and looked quizzically at Remus, "You-you said you were a father. Did Tonks have the baby?"

When he realised nothing serious was to be said, he blew out a sigh of relief and grinned, "Yes, had him just this morning. In the early hours."

"Him?!" She squealed. Remus chuckled as she continued, "What's his name?"

"Edward Lupin, Teddy for short."

"You named him after Tonks dad?" She cooed, "I bet he's over the moon."

Immediately Remus' face fell and Olivia couldn't tell what she'd said wrong. It wasn't until Remus had told her when an overwhelming guilt flooded her, "He died Olivia." He said sorrowfully, "Murdered by Death Eaters for going on the run."

Her breathing faulted and she swallowed the lump in her throat. The thought of her mother popped into her head and she looked to Remus, "I think my mums missing Remus."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Bellatrix threatened me with her in the Manor. She asked me was when the last time I had spoken with her."

"Are you sure she wasn't just trying to mess with your head, Olivia?" Remus asked.

"I don't know." She shrugged, "She seemed genuine. When was the last time the two of you spoke?"

"Not long after Christmas." Remus admitted, "She stayed with Tonks and I until mid September. We didn't hear from her until just after Christmas."

"What did she say to you?"

"She just asked how Tonks and I were getting on and if the baby was well. I didn't receive a reply."

Olivia frowned, "I'm worried about her Remus."

"I know." He sympathised, patting her shoulder, "And I promise you that I'll keep an ear out for anything, but for now I'd like the both of you to come and meet your Godson. That is, of course, if you want to."

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It's just dawned on me how much of this book I've got left to write.