| Inked | (George Weasley)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"No."

"Come on Ollie. You promised!"

"I also have exams to study for! The OWL's!" Ollie was sat in the corner of the library, her books and notes strewn around her. The end of the year was fast approaching, "Those are important."

"Not for us." George shrugged. He and Fred had been pestering her for the past ten minutes about helping them with a prank.

"Why not?"

"We're opening up our own joke shop!" Fred said, his hands flaring around him dramatically, "We don't need OWL's to open a shop!"

"Well I need OWL's." Olive exclaimed, rubbing her temples with her fingers, "I would really like to study."

"We will leave you alone until after the exams." George offered.

"Really?"

"Yes!" Fred grinned, "If you help us just this once."

Olive groaned, her curly black locks falling in her face as she rested her chin on the table. She really needed to study! Although she had absolutely no clue as to what she wanted to do once she completed her schooling at Hogwarts... she figured good OWL's was a good way to start.

"I'd rather not." She mumbled, knowing that whatever this prank was, it would end with her either in detention, the hospital wing, or covered in a weird substance. However, if she kept declining the twins- they'd get suspicious. After all, they still wanted to know who the black cat was.

"Then we will annoy you until further notice!" George declared.

"Fine." Olive sighed, "But you have to promise to never bother me. Again. Ever. Please."

George and Fred both held out their hands for Ollie to shake, "Deal."

The Ravenclaw shook the twins' hands, letting out a small sigh before relaxing back into her chair.

"So what is it you'd like me to help with?"

Slytherins. They were pranking Slytherins again. And first years. And not to mention the oblivious Hufflepuffs minding their own business. Half of them were already covered in ink, chalk dust, or almost had their eyebrows temporarily shaved to say 'Gryffindor Champs' above each eye.

"Come on, Olive. Throw at least one of these." George pestered, "You're sticking charm is doing just the trick."

"Yeah- and your cursive really stands out on those first years' foreheads."

Olive looked down at the charmed chalk bomb in her hand, bursting with charms ready to be unleashed on some unsuspecting student. She never really did any of the pranks herself... the last time she helped the twins it was just with a charm or two.

This was different. There was something in the way they were getting her to prank that was different than before. Yes, that night when she and George ran through the halls was a thrilling adventure that made her feel the happiest in weeks... but that was just fun.

This was ruining someone's day! Exams were around the corner, and if someone were to get any of these charms on their books or notes... their study-time would be completely ruined.

"I can't." Ollie shook her head, hiding behind a pillar as she held the chalk bomb in her hand, "When will it ever be enough?"

"Enough of what?" George asked, quirking a brow. He and Fred were on either side of her, peering around the pillar to let her know when the coast was clear.

"Pranks. Messing around. Getting detention." Olive listed, "It's all you do! It's all you ever want me to help you with!"

"Well, it's fun." Fred shrugged, "We like messing around. Besides, you really help with the charms."

"What are you on about, Ollie?" George asked, turning his full attention to the raven-haired girl.

"I'm just saying... maybe this whole black cat thing is a sign. You keep pranking everyone, and eventually it's all going to come back to you." Olive sighed, her cheeks tinted pink as the words spewed out of her like word vomit.

"Are you saying we shouldn't prank anyone?" George asked, finding Olive's words out of the ordinary for her. She's never actually questioned their methods before, and he would be lying if he said it wasn't frustrating to him. Hadn't that night they ran through the halls to avoid Filch meant something to her? The way he got detention from Filch for Olive?

"No- yes- I mean..." Olive was flustered, trying to find the right words for her to say. Why wasn't she good a verbal communications?

"I mean." She took a breath, "Haven't you ever considered the black cat is trying to make you feel how other people feel when they get pranked?"

"What do you mean?" Fred was now interested, though still peered around the pillar. Olive fiddled with her sleeves, feeling her tongue go dry.

"I mean you've been pranking people for years and never really got a taste of your own medicine." Her voice was a bit quieter, fidgeting under George's gaze. He seemed... oddly serious. Was he mad?

"We're just trying to have fun! This is what we do best, Ollie." George shrugged, "This is what we want to do with our lives. What's so wrong with that?"

"Maybe people are tired of being pranked." She admitted, "It's mean. It's hurtful. No one wants to be covered in chalk dust for twelve hours! It's humiliating."

"The point of a prank is for a laugh. We get people laughing! What's the point of being a teenager when you can't have fun?" George argued. He was angry now, Olive could tell. She was annoyed too, realizing her true feelings as to why she was doing this as the black cat.

"When it's not fun for anyone but yourselves. When it's bullying!" Olive exclaimed, her hair tinging red as her anger rose.

"Just because you're the only one getting bullied in this school doesn't mean you get to drag people down with you." The younger Weasley twin raised his voice, attracting the attention of some people passing by. Olive was taken by surprise, the words cutting deep.

However, George wasn't done.

"The fact that you think everyone should be miserable because you feel miserable all the time doesn't give you the right to say we can't do what makes us happy." George exclaimed, "Because I'm not going to stop pranking people because you got bullied for being mute!"

That last part was an instant regret for George Weasley. Olive knew it, Fred knew it, everyone who happened to be listening knew it. The younger twin was usually nice to people despite pranking- and the only other time he raised his voice like that was when the Slytherins were picking on Ginny last year.

So he knew he messed up, but Olive still took the words to heart. She stood there, her hair turning a shocking white with hurt and surprise, eyes wide and starting to brim with tears.

"Fine." She whispered, barely audible to him, "If you feel that way... I-I'll just go."

She grabbed her bag from the floor quickly, scurrying off towards the castle so fast she was practically running. Olive was starting to really like the twins- to like George!

She just didn't want to prank anyone, or watch them prank anyone.

George watched Ollie run off, her head down, her now white hair tinted with strands of blood red billowing behind her. He was silent himself, hands shoved into the pockets of his robes. He didn't know whether to be angry, sad, or regretful.

"Georgie, mate, I do love you," Fred patted his brother's shoulder, "But I think you just really messed that up."