Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 21

Olivia spent her entire Summer searching for ways to save Fred. And where did she get? Nowhere. Olivia got nowhere. No progress. Zilch. She was so frustrated at this point that he wanted to bash her head against a wall.

She'd tried researching death, time travel, and foreseeing the future. She'd fallen into a dead end with prophecies, then gone back to divination. Finding no new information, Olivia had moved on from endlessly searching wizard libraries to moping on her bed.

There was one piece of information, however, that had stuck with her. She'd come across it in an old book about divination that had been practically falling apart. It said that "when a future exists, it does everything in its power to come to be". This, of course, had made no sense. After further research, she discovered that there was an old theory about visions of the future. According to a few old texts, a vision of the future was a powerful living thing. Once it was foreseen, it would happen.

However, another book said that if a death had to occur at a certain time in the future, it didn't matter who died as long as the death happened. This was a bit more promising, and Olivia made sure to take notes, but she still felt that she hadn't gotten anywhere.

All in all, her Summer holiday ended too fast. She was tired, unmotivated, and missed her friends. The house was empty, quiet. Her parents were traveling, Jasper had a job at a quidditch shop in Diagon Alley having graduated, and her grumpy aunt wasn't the best person to keep her company.

Yes, Fred and George had sent her letters by owl, but it just wasn't the same as seeing them in person. Still, she made sure to keep the letters, stashing them away in a box. Despite being far away from her, the twins somehow managed to cheer her up. They chatted on and on about their eventful Summer, beyond excited for the Quidditch World Cup. It seemed like a fun event, and part of Olivia was sad that she couldn't attend.

On a cool summer evening, she received quite the surprise: a letter from their mother, Molly Weasley.

Hello Dear,

I know we haven't met yet, but I just wanted to give you an apology. The boys have told me so much about you. George told me what they did to you this past year. As you might imagine, I was furious. The maggots were too much. And the truth serum? Absolutely horrendous. I made sure to give them a piece of my mind for that.

I truly can't imagine why you are friends with these two, but I couldn't be happier that you are. They could use a good influence. You seem like such a lovely girl and I can't wait to meet you. Perhaps we'll meet at King's Cross station when I drop the children off.

I've sent along some biscuits as an apology. I hope you enjoy them. Enjoy the rest of your summer, dear.

Love,

Molly

Olivia smiled wide as she read the letter, happily munching on the biscuits as she did so. Molly Weasley seemed so kind, so loving. She couldn't wait to meet her. To be fair, the woman had won her heart with food. It was almost cheating. Almost.

What the twins had done had hurt her. It still hurt. But Olivia had forgiven them. She had to move on. She told herself that someday, she'd have the strength to tell them what she saw. But as of now, Olivia just wasn't ready to do that yet.

-

And just like that, the summer was over. Olivia rushed to the train station, eyes peeled for two familiar faces.

They caught her eyes like a flame in the night. Smiling like a fool, she broke into a run. Olivia didn't care that her trunk was banging painfully against her thigh. She didn't care that her hair was in her face. All that mattered was that she was back again. Olivia collided in a heap with Fred and George, the three of them laughing uncontrollably.

"Glad to have you back, Sparks," George said, playfully nudging Olivia. She ruffled his hair with a smile.

"Glad to be back, Weasley," she looked to Fred. "I missed you two." Fred smiled, strolling closer to pull her into another hug.

Buried in her shoulder, he said, "Missed you, too, Olivia." They broke away and George pulled her away for another hug. Olivia chuckled and patted his shoulder. Then, the twins finally straightened before her, grinning from ear to ear. She frowned.

"Are you two taller?" she looked again. "Bloody hell, you are. Dammit, why does this always happen to me? I wanted to be the tall one," Olivia complained. Fred gave her a mock pout.

"Aw, little Sparky wants to be a big girl..." his words were cut off when Olivia lunged for him. He squealed and took off as Olivia sprinted, hot on his heels. "Don't you dare, Weasley." George's laughter echoed behind them.

-

Olivia and the twins spent the train ride making jokes, playing games of exploding snap, and eating one too many chocolate frogs. They were joined by Lee and Angelina, but Alicia left them halfway, dragged away by Katie to trade Quidditch cards. The group used the time to catch Olivia up on the events that occurred at the Quidditch World Cup while she'd been spending her time cooped up at her aunt's house. She didn't have the heart to tell them that she already knew.

She'd had her last vision a few weeks before. The end of the story. The war. The death of Voldemort. She knew it all. It was not an easy burden to carry. But Olivia knew that she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't stop the suffering, save anyone's life, or act out of line. If she did, Voldemort might not die. She couldn't risk that happening. From now on, she'd have to tread carefully.

Her visions had shown her the twins' joke shop. Olivia couldn't wait to see it in person. Yet, she also dreaded the future. She'd seen George's ear blown off, Madeye dead, Sirius dead. Along with that, she'd learned the details of Fred's death. So much death. So much pain. Before, it had been bits and pieces, like shards of glass that didn't show the full picture. Now, she saw everything. Olivia clenched her fist, trying to shake herself from her thoughts. Now was not the time for this.

"Want some," George tapped her wrist, offering some chocolate. Olivia accepted the gift, avoiding George's eyes. She knew exactly what she'd see in them. Pity. It seemed her friends were just as worried about her as last year.

"We've just arranged a new supplier for muggle sweets..." Fred rambled to Lee. Olivia's ears perked up.

"Who?" Fred gave her a grin.

"Glad you asked. Some sneaky Hufflepuff. Talented at getting forbidden items into Hogwarts. We've made trades with her for supplies before, but those were a bit more illegal." Olivia frowned at Fred's words.

"Would I know her?"

"I don't think so. She tends to sneak about Hogwarts. And it's not as if you've been very social." Olivia whacked Fred's arm and turned to George.

George inclined his head, "Transferred from Ilvermorny last year," he said.

"Aiko?" Olivia asked. George's eyes narrowed and his mouth quirked up in a half-grin.

"Saw her in the future, did you?"

"No, actually. I met her just before the sorting ceremony," she explained. Angelina joined the conversation.

"That's right. You two came to Hogwarts the same year." Lee turned to her in confusion.

"Did you forget?" he asked. Angelina laughed.

"Nooo! It just seems like forever ago." Lee raised his eyebrows and the entire group cackled at his silly face.

Olivia smiled, happy to finally be back in her group. Friends. That's what they were. Angelina, Lee, Alicia, and most importantly, the twins. Her friends. Maybe Olivia didn't have to survive the horrors of the future alone.