Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 12

She couldn't, however, escape the fact that she was... well... lonely. Olivia could be completely alone and feel satisfied, but now, it felt like something was missing. It was a fact that was hard for her to admit to herself. She missed someone to talk to. Missed having someone to confide in. It was a feeling that was hard for her to understand, considering she hadn't had a close confidant since she woke from her coma. In fact, she hadn't even had a friend. But some deep part of her told her that she'd had that once.

On a particularly chilly night, she spent longer in the library than she'd anticipated. When she was finally kicked out, Olivia found herself with absolutely no desire to sleep. So, she headed up to the astronomy tower. The night air brushed against her face like a caress. She let out the sigh she hadn't known she'd been holding. It was as if the fresh air cleansed her, taking away all her worries.

Olivia sat on the cold stone floor, leaning against a pillar. The stars twinkled above her, looking for all the world as if they were laughing at some secret she didn't know. She wondered what it was like for a second, looking down at the world like that. Many wizards believed that the stars were the souls of the departed, smiling down at their loved ones. Olivia didn't know if she believed it, but she had to admit that it was a nice thought.

A light shuffling sounded behind her.

"Who is it?" she called out, gripping her wand tighter.

"Just me," Fred's unmistakable voice replied.

"Oh. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She could almost hear his smirk.

"Fred," she warned. Olivia wanted a real answer. He sighed.

"Fine. I just... like to go up here to think."

"I- um... sort of had the same idea," Olivia admitted. There was a note of sadness in her voice. Fred, who was sitting on the other side of the pillar, peeked around and looked at her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." At that, Fred nodded a bit and settled back into his position, out of Olivia's sight. There was a second of silence before a little clinking sound echoed. A penny rolled in front of Olivia. She grabbed it, frowning a little in confusion.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Olivia smiled and shook her head.

"Fine," she sighed. A beat of silence. "I'm thinking that there's no way I'll ever get rid of you."

"There isn't," he said softly, as if to himself. Olivia reached around the pillar and attempted to roll the penny back to him. It veered off its path, rolling far away from Fred. She watched him reach for it, leaning far as far out as he could before falling over from his sitting position. He rolled a bit before grabbing the penny, then held it up like a medal. Olivia laughed and he crawled back to his spot.

"I'm thinking that I'd do anything to make you laugh again." Olivia was glad he couldn't see her blush.

They sat there like that for hours, sharing secrets. Olivia didn't know if it was the night or the pretty setting, but she found herself wanting to tell him everything. She told him about the visions and her worries about messing everything up. She told him about feeling disconnected from her parents.

In turn, Fred told Olivia about how he often felt overlooked in his big family. He told her how he felt he would never amount to what his brothers were and how he felt that he'd never be good enough. He told her stories about his time at Hogwarts and how he and George always bought joke products from Zonko's and sold the extras to other students.

"It's almost as if you're running your own business," Olivia commented.

Fred chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we are."

"Do you ever... make your own?"

"We do. But we've only tested them on ourselves."

"I'm sure they'd be very popular if you tried to sell them."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think they'd be as good," Fred said sadly.

"Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure they'd be amazing," Olivia assured him.

"You really think so?"

"Yes, of course."

After a while, Fred brought up the topic that Olivia had been dreading.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Yes?" Olivia said hesitantly.

"Why have you been so... odd lately."

"I-" her voice cracked. She sighed, then tried again. "I didn't want you to get too close to me. For one, I'd be a terrible friend. But more importantly, I'm scared that if I let anyone get too close, I'll mess up the timeline."

"You can't put that much pressure on yourself," Fred told her.

"But what if I do something wrong and ruin everything?" she squeaked. Fred shifted around the pillar until they were sitting shoulder to shoulder, putting a reassuring hand on her arm.

"You won't." Another beat of silence as a gust of cold air had goosebumps erupting across Olivia's skin.

"Are you cold?" Fred asked and Olivia realized she was shivering.

"A little."

"Here," he pulled off his Gryffindor sweater, handing it to her.

"Thanks." she pulled the fabric over her head. It smelled like him. Like butterbeer and broomsticks and fireworks. Like a trickster's embrace.

"Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"What if me being around you alters the future?"

"Who cares about the future?" Fred questioned all reckless abandon.

"I do," she sighed.

"The weight of the world doesn't rest on your shoulders, Sparks. You can't let the fear of what might happen stop you from living."

"I s'pose you're right,"

"Of course I am, Sparks." They both chuckled at that. The midnight sky above them seemed to envelop the scene with a sort of innocence, the stars sparkling like celestial glitter.

"You're such a prick, Weasley. You know that, right?"

Fred only gave a mocking bow and said, "Always for you, my lady."