Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [4]

⚡️ Chapter 39 ⚡️

Vega and Harry looked toward each other, sharing a tense look – along with the worry that was reflecting in their eyes – and they nodded in unison. Vega motioned Harry to go first and then slipped inside the tent behind him. Everyone else was already in there and Vega took in the scene.

The first person that Vega noticed was the beautiful Fleur Delacour, who was sitting away in a corner of the tent on a low wooden stool. She did not appear nearly as composed and confident as she usually was – instead, the French witch currently looked to be rather pale and clammy.

In yet another corner – trying to be as far as he possible could from others – was Viktor Krum. He looked even surlier than the usual, and Vega figured that it was just his way of showing his nerves.

Lastly, Cedric Diggory was pacing up and down the length of the tent. He given a small, nervous smile when he saw Vega and Harry enter the tent, and the two juniors had forced some in return.

Quite honestly, Vega had almost forgotten how to smile all of a sudden. She was glad, at the very least, that she wasn't the only one freaking out internally and trying to keep it from showing.

Before Vega could look for a place to sit down and calm down as well, she jumped when a sudden –

"Harry! Vega! Good-O!" exclaimed Bagman a bit too happily, looking around at the pair of young Gryffindors. "Come in, come in, you two, make yourself at home!"

Standing amid the five pale-faced and tense-bodied champions, Bagman was somehow looking like a slightly overblown carton figure – especially since he was wearing his old Wimborne Wasp robes.

It is so yellow, and black...
and those colours raise my anxiety levels these days.

"Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!" Bagman said brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each you this bag –"

At this, Bagman held up a small sack of purple silk that he had with him and shook it excitedly.

"– from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face!" Bagman told them, sounding more and more eager with what was to come. "There are different – er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Vega just nodded quietly while Harry looked around the place. Cedric gave a single nod to show that he understood and then he returned back to his pacing again, now looking slightly green in his face.

Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum hadn't reacted at all. And Vega was suddenly concerned that they hadn't done thorough reading of the dragon species, and she totally forgotten to tell Cedric as well.

None of them spoke, and Vega was sure that they were feeling the same way as her – that they might end up being sick in front of others if they opened their mouths to respond to Bagman.

Or Fleur and Viktor were quiet because their headmistress and headmaster had taught them all that they needed to know. Vega, Cedric and Harry hadn't... but the seniors had volunteered for this.

Vega and Harry hadn't.

However, they hadn't had to remain in an awkward silence for long – because soon enough, they could hear hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners all talking excitedly, laughing, joking – all of what Vega had hoped to be doing with her own friends.

But right now, Vega felt as if she was from a completely different species from that crowd outside. She wished that she was out there, with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny, too...