Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 17

TW: nausea, vomiting

"Hear me out. Maggots in Filch's tea," Fred proposed with an animated expression. Olivia flinched at the visual as she imagined it.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea..." she hedged, not wanting anything to do with maggots. Olivia couldn't understand how the twins' brains worked and didn't want to know how they'd come up with the idea. They'd had many that she'd shot down, though she had participated in a few pranks. Just last week, they'd dumped a bucketful of water on Ron's head.

"Quite the opposite, darling. It's bloody brilliant," George flashed a grin. Olivia sighed, rubbing her temple.

"You hate him as much as we do..." Fred started, but Olivia stopped him with a hand.

"Oh, I'll do it. You can stop with the convincing. What do you need me to do?"

Big mistake. An hour later, Olivia was trudging through the forest in search of suitable maggots. She had a sour expression on her face that mirrored the sour taste in her mouth. George, mercifully, had accompanied her. But Fred had decided he needed to set something up in the castle. Fucking Weasley.

"You're grumpy," George commented.

"And you aren't? We're searching for maggots," she hissed, tugging her robes tighter to fight the chill. George didn't notice. No, he was strolling casually, hands in his pockets as if this was a pleasant walk. Olivia had to nearly run to keep up with him. Damn those long legs.

"It's all part of the fun."

"This isn't my idea of fun," Olivia snapped.

"Aw, come on. You have to enjoy yourself a little," George replied evenly, beginning to hum. Olivia only huffed and muttered his words sarcastically under her breath. George pretended not to hear. There was a moment of relative peace where only the sloshing of soggy snow and the occasional twitter of a bird sounded, but Olivia didn't stay quiet for long.

"How come he gets to stay in the castle."

"We told you, he's planning something," he told her.

"Planning what?" Olivia hissed. George sighed. Unlike Fred, he didn't keep his mouth shut about their plans. He had no problem telling her.

"We're dying Mrs. Norris. Purple, I think. Fred needed to make the bursting dye bubbles." Olivia was speechless, then let her lips break into a smile. George nodded and kept moving.

"There should be a dead rabbit not too far from here. It'll be infested with maggots," he said. Olivia didn't bother asking where that information had come from.

When they found the dead animal, Olivia paled a few shades and her face turned slightly green. The smell alone made her want to wretch. She didn't dare look down to where George stooped, opting instead to hold out the bucket they had brought along.

"Oh, well these are lovely. I'm sure Fred will appreciate our efforts," George commented, cheerily.

"How are you in a good mood," Olivia wheezed, trying to hold her breath.

"I like having a positive outlook on things. You should try it sometime."

"I'll pass."

When a sufficient amount of maggots had been collected, George and Olivia made their way back to the castle.

Fred and George set the trap while Filch left his office, leaving behind his freshly made tea. Olivia could only watch from a distance, still very much nauseated. Fred had teased her about it, to which Olivia had started throwing insults, but had stopped when he saw her turn a deeper shade of green.

Skillfully, Fred chucked the remaining tea out the window while George prepared the much less appealing replacement. Maggots. Olivia had to look away. When the deed was done, the twins crept to where Olivia was hiding and crouched beside her.

Minutes later, Filch returned. He grunted, wiped his nose with his sleeve, making Olivia flinch, and sat in a rickety old chair. Then, his fingers curled around his mug and he brought it to his lips. At this point, Olivia had a hand over her mouth. He tipped the mug. A sound echoed beside her head. Fred was trying not to laugh. Even George was smiling. Olivia wasn't.

Why, why, why had she agreed to this? Filch's eyes widened as he tasted the maggots. Then, he just shrugged. Shrugged. Olivia's jaw would have dropped had she not been desperately trying to keep down the contents of her stomach. Filch crunched on the maggot, then went in for another helping. Fred and George were snickering beside her, but Olivia was done.

Without as much as an excuse, Olivia ran, making a beeline for the nearest bathroom. Footsteps echoed behind her, telling her that the twins were close behind. At this point, she couldn't get herself to care. She flung open the door and hurled herself towards a stall. Gracelessly, Olivia vomited into the toilet. A second later, hands were holding her hair back.

"There, there," Fred murmured behind her. Olivia barely registered it. When the contents of her stomach had finally exited her body, she went slack in Fred's arms. George's tall frame squeezed into the stall. He helped Fred clean her up and dabbed her face with a wet washcloth.

"Should we take her to the hospital wing?"

"No, we'll be under suspicion. Let's just get her to our dorm."

Fred swept his hands under her knees and easily swept Olivia into his arms. The twins conversed as they carried her through secret tunnels, but she didn't hear them. She was too exhausted. Olivia was content to just let her head rest on Fred's chest.

When they made it to the twins' dorm, their roommate, Lee, gaped.

"The hell did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She'll be fine. Just a bit sick," George answered as Fred carefully lay Olivia on his bed. She groaned clutching at her empty stomach as she curled into herself.

"She doesn't look so good..." Lee commented. George went over to reassure his friend as Fred ran his hands through his hair, sitting gently beside Olivia.

"You okay there, Sparks?" he asked. Olivia didn't hear the regret in his voice. He blamed himself.

In reply, Olivia groaned, "Fuck" to which Fred chuckled. She'd certainly adopted his and George's use of colorful language.

"You need anything?" he asked, still concerned despite how calm he appeared. Olivia shook her head, then looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Never. Again." The flat tone of her voice left no wiggle room, not that Fred was going to argue. He didn't want this happening again.

That was the end of Olivia's pranking escapades.