Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 20

"Can we go outside..." Fred whined.

"No! Sit down," Olivia reprimanded, then noticed the librarian's harsh stare and lowered her voice to a whisper "Sit down." Fred crossed his arms.

"Wow, Sparks. You really are mean, you know?" Olivia ignored the comment.

"I'm only going to ask once, so pay attention; What is the main ingredient in the Draught of Peace?" Fred only blinked, then let out a frustrated huff when he couldn't find the answer in his mind.

"I don't know."

"Come on, Fred. You know this," Olivia pushed. Fred gave her a blank stare, communicating wordlessly that he had no idea. Olivia sighed.

"It's moonstone. Snape assigned us twelve inches of parchment on its properties, remember?" Fred slapped a palm to his forehead and groaned.

The study sessions were painful. George was a little bit better than Fred, at least managing to stay still and silent. Fred was just a drama queen about everything. When the two came together, however, it was chaos. They talked and laughed and didn't listen to Olivia at all. It was for that very reason that she separated them for studying. At least this way, they could get something done.

The O.W.L.s snuck up on them and before they knew it, they were wishing each other luck. But despite the task before her, Olivia found herself feeling confident. Throughout the process of studying in the past few weeks, Olivia had grown closer with the twins. Sometimes, she was the partner in crime. Other times, she played the role of the older sister. Either way, Olivia felt complete. It was such a stark contrast to the confused, anxious girl that she used to be. Studying with them had built up her confidence. Indeed, when she walked into that room, there was not a sliver of doubt in her mind. I can do this.

When she ran out of that hall, O.W.L.s over, the first thing she found herself wanting to do was to hug her friend. Fred Weasley. Her best friend. He opened his arms with a grin and she ran into them.

"Oof," he said as she made an impact. "Did you really miss me that much?" She ignored his question. In any other situation, Olivia would have slapped him. But no, she was too happy for that.

"I did it," she breathed, looking up at him with the expression of a child in a candy shop. He smiled and booped her on the nose.

"I knew you would." Olivia grinned and hugged him tighter. She felt so safe with him, this trickster. She never wanted to let go. But this wasn't about her.

Olivia looked up at Fred with a frown. "How did you do?" Fred shrugged.

"Alright. You know this sort of thing isn't very important to me." Olivia gave a nod.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered. He ruffled her hair.

"I'm proud of you, too."

-

Olivia sat in her room, processing. She had a best friend. She hadn't taken the time to realize it, not with the stress of the O.W.L.s weighing on her shoulders. There was only one problem: her best friend was going to die.

So, Olivia went to the one person she could think of.

"Hermione!" she yelled through the door. "Are you in there?" Fred had led her into the Gryffindor common room and pointed her in the direction of Hermione's dorm room. Now, Olivia stood there, frantically knocking.

The girl poked her head out. "What?" she frowned. "Olivia?" Hermione's brows rose and she tugged Olivia in, slamming the door shut.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away from me," Hermione hissed.

"So you've already gone back?" Hermione nodded.

"I went back about a week ago when I found out from Fred that you can see the future."

"Oh," Olivia did a double-take. Her brain was having a hard time making sense of the situation.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked again, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I want to change it," Olivia looked Hermione straight in the eye. "I want to change the future."

"No." Hermione's response was immediate.

"Why not?"

"Because we don't know what will happen if you do. It's too dangerous," Hermione insisted.

"I have to save someone. I'm not just going to let them die."

"You can't. Let it go, Olivia," Hermione's voice softened. Olivia's mouth trembled.

"I can't let it happen. I can't, Hermione."

"If you save them, more people could die. It's how this sort of thing works. You can't mess with the past and you can't mess with the future. It's better for everyone if you just focus on the present."

"You say that like it's easy," Olivia sighed, wiping a tear off her cheek.

"It's not easy, but that's how it is. I'm sorry, Olivia." Olivia nodded, unable to speak, and headed towards the door. Hermione put a hand on her arm.

"Be careful. If anyone finds out about your gift, it could put you in considerable danger. Keep it a secret." Olivia nodded again as Hermione opened the door for her. Olivia cried silently all the way back to her dorm. But with every step she took, she resigned herself to the truth; she wasn't giving up.

To hell with the future. Olivia wasn't just going to stand there and watch as he died. No, she was going to save her best friend. It didn't matter how. She'd do everything to save the one who'd made her a person again. Olivia was going to save Fred Weasley.