Catch Me, I'm Falling | Fred Weasley

Chapter 27

The rest of the year flew by. The second task of the Triwizard Tournament was entertaining, and Harry's actions seemed even more heroic in reality than they ever did in Olivia's visions.

Olivia made sure to spend time with her friends, but she found herself spending increasing amounts of time in the hospital wing. The more time flew by, the more her anxiety about Fred's death increased. It felt as if she was close to a solution, but yet so far.

"So what happened with Harry, then? How did he survive the killing curse?" Olivia asked Madam Pomfrey.

The woman raised her eyebrows. "I thought everyone knew. He was protected by his mother's love, of course." Olivia sighed, playing with the sleeve of her robe.

"I know, I know. I just- I wanted to know how a person could be saved from the killing curse."

The matron sighed. "It is- well, it's quite complicated. We thought there was no way to survive- but Harry..." she shook her head and continued. "An old professor of mine believed that every spell has a loophole. I always believed the unforgivable curses couldn't be avoided, but maybe- oh, never mind. It's probably hogwash anyway."

Olivia leaned closer. "No, no, no. Tell me more."

The woman sighed. "Take Alohomora, for example. The spell can't really be stopped, but if you install a hidden lock on a door, the spell will only unlock one and not both. There is a joke spell that causes uncontrollable laughter. If you make a silly face and someone nearby laughs, the magic will transfer onto them." Olivia frowned at Madam Pomfrey's words.

"How does that work?" she asked.

"Once the spell is uttered and the magic is summoned, the magic must be spent. It needs... an outlet, so to speak."

"Right," Olivia was deep in thought. The matron gave a hum and returned to her work.

"Well then, will that be all dear?" She turned to Olivia.

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, yes. Thank you. I'll be um..." Olivia babbled, mind working overtime. Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows scrunched. Olivia gave an awkward wave and hastily excused herself.

There was only one person she could think of that was a master of loopholes.

-

Aiko was hunched over, sitting in the abandoned girls' bathroom. She'd found it to be the perfect place for her lab, where she experimented with all sorts of trinkets. Her favorite trick? Mixing magic with machinery. Most wizards would scoff at her ideas. "Machines are for muggles," they would say "we have magic". Yet, Aiko had found two tricksters who rather appreciated her ideas.

The Weasleys were fun, just like Aiko liked it. If there was a rule, they would break it. Aiko, on the other hand, preferred navigating the rules like a maze, always on the brink of breaking them. She found that finding the loopholes was the most fun.

Being sorted into Hufflepuff a year prior, she found that most of her peers didn't enjoy the things she did. Their loss. Despite that, her business had taken off. She sold little boxes with locks that hid whatever one wished to hide in plain sight. She'd started off with books, then moved on to purses. Now she sold everything from hair clips to ties with hidden compartments. It seemed that everyone at Hogwarts had something to hide.

When the twins caught wind of this, they reached out to Aiko and brokered a deal. Her business didn't threaten theirs. Not at all. In fact, it was helping their business. So, they agreed to work together with Aiko on occasion. She'd helped them find new ways to sneak contraband into Hogwarts and they'd helped market her products to their own customers.

No one paid Aiko any mind... except when they wanted to buy something from her. She was the person people liked to forget. Which was why Aiko was so startled when Olivia Sparks stepped into her laboratory.

"Bloody hell, you scared me," said Aiko. Then, she realized who it was, "Oh, hey Sparks. Long time no see."

Olivia's head was practically spinning, eyes flicking from one object to another. "I-um," she snapped herself out of her trance and met Aiko's gaze, mouth opening to speak.

Before she could explain herself, Aiko stepped in with her sales pitch, "Come to buy something? I've got it all. Trunks with false bottoms, hidden compartment hairclips, and-"

"No, no, nothing like that," Olivia interrupted. "I actually just wanted your advice."

Aiko cocked her head. "My... advice?" No one ever asked her for help.

"Yes, actually. I heard you might know a thing or two about loophole spells." Aiko perked up.

"That I would. Why do you ask?" Aiko was suspicious now.

"Well..." Olivia hedged.

"Out with it."

"I need to prevent a spell- the killing curse."

"Ah, a do-gooder. I should have expected as much from you. Come, sit," Aiko instructed. The two sat on the cold stone of the bathroom floor, discussing loophole spells for hours.

"So, you're telling me that every spell has a loophole?" Olivia asked in disbelief.

"Everything has a loophole, Sparks. It's just a matter of finding it."

"And you've tried these- loopholes- before?"

"Mhm," Aiko hummed. "I haven't tried the unforgivable curses, though. I'd say that's pretty self-explanatory."

"Yes, but if you could guess, what do you think the loophole for the killing curse would be?" Olivia prodded.

"Well, I think it's a more... complicated loophole. The killing curse requires a large amount of energy. You can't just take that back. No, once the words are uttered, someone has to die," Aiko started.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't say the originally intended person has to die. If one were to, say, give their life up for someone, they could die in their stead." Aiko explained.

"But... how is that possible?" Olivia was confused. "Doesn't the spell kill on impact?"

"Not exactly. It takes around one minute for the magic to fully extract a person's life essence from their body. They go down upon impact, yes. But their heart can start beating again. Magic does what a person wills it to. If another called the magic to them within the time span, the life might be saved."

"So... there's really no way to prevent death?"

"No, I'm sorry. Anything else I can help you with?" Aiko asked. Olivia waved her off, a sorrowful expression settling across her face.

"No, thank you. I have to- um- go to the library," Olivia mumbled and scampered off. Aiko narrowed her eyes, staring after the girl. Then, she shrugged, returning to her work.

-

Olivia had hit another roadblock. How could she save Fred? Loopholes clearly weren't the right answer. The killing curse was too strong, too destructive. Tampering with it would only cause more damage. She'd have to find another way.

But she wasn't giving up. Not yet.