Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 43

Olivia wasn't under the illusion that her life at Hogwarts was safe. The other students went about their days as normal, but Olivia knew the truth of the horrors to come. To her, the ministry's insistence that Voldemort had not come back was a joke. Yet, she knew there was nothing she could do.

Fred, on the other hand, was angry. He was gobsmacked that people wrote it off as a rumor that wasn't true. A student had died at Hogwarts. And no one was doing anything about it.

Olivia calmed him down and told him not to worry about it, so he buried himself in his work. George and Fred spent all their time developing, testing, and selling their products. They'd all but given up on their education, skipping classes, putting no effort into assignments, and playing risky pranks.

As Umbridge began her strict reign and cracked down on students, Olivia suddenly had a lot of work in the hospital wing. Umbridge found all sorts of ways to torture students, but her favorite was a pen that carved words right onto the student's skin as they wrote lines.

Hermione dragged Harry to her one day and Olivia immediately knew. She held out a hand and Harry looked a bit stunned for a second, shocked that she knew. He let her take his hand and inspect the wound.

"It looks... alright. It should heal quickly, but it will scar. I can help you fix it later," Olivia said.

Harry nodded softly. "Thank you. Olivia, is it? Fred's girlfriend?" he asked.

Olivia pursed her lips, eyes flicking to Hermione who was staring daggers at her before giving Harry a nod of confirmation. Olivia knew why Hermione was angry with her. She'd specifically told Olivia to stay away from Fred. But Hermione didn't understand. Perhaps she would one day... but right now, Hermione's feelings were the last thing on her mind.

"Right, then. We'll be off. Goodbye Olivia," Hermione said, a little coldly. Olivia's lips pulled into a sad smile and she gave Harry a little wave.

-

It wasn't long before the students loyal to Harry banded together. It began with a meeting in Hogsmeade, to which Olivia was invited. As Olivia sat beside Fred, listening to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's speech, her smile fell more and more.

Before the meeting, Hermione had stopped her outside.

"You can't join Dumbledore's army," she told Olivia.

"I know. But I- Isn't there any way?" Olivia asked, desperate to do some good.

"No. You've already done enough. I won't have you destroying the future on my watch. There is a balance here. If you break it, much worse things than Harry dying can happen," Hermione insisted.

In the end, Olivia agreed. Hermione wasn't wrong. This wasn't an option for Olivia. She couldn't join Dumbledore's army.

When she left the meeting with Fred, he was chatting animatedly, ecstatic about the idea. Olivia didn't say anything, not wanting to take away his moment of joy. It took a while before he noticed something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Olivia's lip trembled and tears filled her eyes. "I can't."

Fred's eyebrows scrunched together. "What?"

"I can't do it- I can't join Dumbledore's army," she said, her voice coming out weak. She'd given up.

"Why not? I thought we were in agreement. I thought we could do something and-" Fred rambled.

"The future- If I do anything wrong, if I interfere, things will not go well. I could cause the end of the world as we know it. I already wasn't supposed to know you, to even talk to you. But I couldn't stay away. I'm so sorry, Fred," Olivia told him. She didn't add that even if she tried to join, Hermione wouldn't let her.

Fred put his hand to his forehead, taking deep breaths. To him, it felt like a betrayal. They finally had the chance to do something good and she didn't want to be a part of it. Yet- he understood. He shouldn't be angry at her. She was doing the right thing. Not what he would have done, though. Fred and Olivia were complete opposites, after all. Fred was the reckless to her careful. The fire to her ice.

"I'm not mad at you, love. Just... frustrated. How can I have all of you if you're too busy saving the world?" Fred said, motioning for a hug. Olivia fell into his outstretched hands with a sigh.

"That's Harry's job, silly. I'm just trying to keep the world from falling apart in my hands," Olivia countered.

Fred buried his face in her soft, messy hair. "Mm. Sounds the same to me." He felt the vibration as Olivia laughed.