Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 5

"What now?" Fred asked.

George shrugged. "Looks like the work has been done for us, I don't see a point."

Fred raised his eyebrows. "Where is this coming from? You were the one all eager to get this over with."

George walked back and forth, hands in his pockets. "Yes, well, that was before. Situation's changed. Surely we can do it another time?"

"No, George. We're not leaving a stash of dung bombs in our room. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

George grimaced, "Right, well. Where else will we put them?"

"We aren't putting them anywhere. This was supposed to be the first prank of the year. 'Start with a bang' and all. A broom closet accident will not look good for us. Let's start off this year right. Now think; what class do we hate?"

"Potions."

Fred resisted the urge to slap his brother. "Yeah, very helpful," he muttered sarcastically. The twins were silent for a moment, listening to the slap, slap, slap of George's shoes.

Suddenly, George's eyes lit up. "Divination?"

"Yeeeeaaahhh!" Fred high-fived his brother, "Now you're thinking." He picked up the box from where it sat on the floor and sped down the hallway with George.

-

Fifteen minutes later, the boys scurried down the corridors. Having successfully bombed the divination classroom, they were now headed to the Gryffindor common room. George's arm shot out and hit Fred in the chest just as they were about to turn a corner. Fred would have said something in annoyance, but George's look silenced him. Someone was around the corner. Or something.

Carefully, Fred motioned to George, who scooted over to let Fred peek. There, prowling down the corridor was Mrs. Norris. The scrawny cat sank its claws into the thick red rug that marked the way to the Gryffindor common room. That damned cat. Fred scowled and moved out of view again.

George gave him a look as if to say, "What now?". Fred shrugged. The fat lady was already in view. It didn't matter if they went all the way around to the other side. Then, a light bulb went off in Fred's head. In that infuriating twin way, he communicated the thoughts to his brother. George grinned, pulling a bouncy ball out of his pocket. Fred didn't comment on the fact that George was carrying around a hot pink bouncy ball. His look said it all.

George willfully ignored Fred's smirk and reeled his hand back. The shot had to be precise. If he missed, the ball would stop short. If it went long enough, it would lead the cat down the stairs and out of view. Most cats wouldn't follow a flying object unless it was a bird. But Mrs. Norris liked her peace. So much so that she would go out of her way to investigate the disturbance. It was one of the reasons she was such a good fit for Filch. If that cat saw anything in the halls, she dragged Filch out to see. However, the odd relationship between him and his cat seemed to go beyond that of a usual one.

The first time Fred had encountered the cat was in first year. He was alone in the corridors, a rarity as he was always with George, exploring. When Fred spotted the cat, he'd done exactly what he'd wanted to: he petted Mrs. Norris. Fred had a habit of touching anything cute and fluffy. He'd even had a "pet squirrel" that he'd hidden in his closet for a week before his mother discovered it. The consequential whooping that ensued had the entire forest shaking.

This aspect of Fred was also reflected in the dozen stuffed animals that still resided on his bed in the burrow. George teased him about it to no end. But unlike the myriad of plushies Fred had stashed back at home, Mrs. Norris did not like to be touched. The cat hated children. And students. And anyone but Filch. Rumor had it that the little demon had even attacked McGonagall.

Fred still had scars on his arm from the incident. For a good few months, Lee had referred to Fred as "the scratching post", a nickname that had thankfully faded. It also resulted in Lee becoming fast friends with George. Lee didn't become Fred's friend until the end of first year when George and Lee had ceased their endless pranking and struck up a truce with Fred, for which he was endlessly grateful.

Fred watched as George skillfully chucked the little pink orb down the hallway. The twins collectively held their breaths as it bounced past the Fat Lady and down the stairs with a soft boink, boink, boink.

For a second, Mrs. Norris didn't move. Then, as if deciding she would investigate, the cat retracted its claws from the carpet and scurried after the ball. The twins waited a moment, then rushed to the Fat Lady, who was squinting at the boys in suspicion. They knew that she wouldn't tell on them, especially considering that she owed them a gigantic favor for attending her disastrous concert.

George winked and the painted woman blushed and asked, "Password?"

"Fiddlesticks," the twins said in unison

The painting swung open, revealing the empty Gryffindor common room. Fred swaggered in first, George on his heels.

"Will Divination be canceled tomorrow, you reckon?" George asked.

Fred, pulling off his jumper, said, "Trelawney won't drag you anywhere else. The woman practically lives in that cave. She may not be the brightest, but she isn't exactly blind. She has to know how much the other professors hate her."

George grabbed the sweater Fred had discarded, leading the way up to their room. He looked at Fred over his shoulder, "Wherever she's hiding, it isn't in that classroom. It's always empty after classes. You should know," he stopped his ascension and leaned closer, "considering the number of girls you've brought there." Fred hissed through his teeth, but George only laughed.

"You thought I didn't know?" George's grin was as wide as the Chesire cat's. Fred lightly shoved his brother and the two continued to their room.

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No brother, you cannot."