Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [4]

⚡️ Chapter 40 ⚡️

There was too many loud cheering all around the stands that it was hard for Vega to make out much – all she knew was that she was feeling quite sick from the adrenaline and her ribs were aching, and she was sure that she was going to empty herself pretty soon. She looked around for a way to leave and saw Professors McGonagall, Moody and Hagrid rushing towards her from the entrance of the enclosure. Their smiles were evident even from the distance, and Vega felt even more awkward.

"That was wonderful, Miss Lestrange" Professor McGonagall cried out as she grabbed the girl's shoulders, looking her over to see where she was injured. "It was the most unexpected for the dragon to break free like that – no one is happy about that and you will be compensated for it – but until then, you must hurry to Madam Pomfrey and have yourself checked before the judges score,"

"I'm just hurt around my ribs," Vega muttered quietly, wincing as she touched her ribs – it was where she had landed on the window. But she wanted away from others. "I think I will do that..."

"Yeh did it really well, Vega!" Hagrid said hoarsely. "Harry an' yeh both did it! An' agains' the Horntail an all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' –"

"Thank you, Hagrid," Vega interrupted quickly and a bit loudly to stop him from saying anything further and revealing that he had shown her and Harry the dragons beforehand. "Thank you, a lot,"

"Nice and easy does the trick, Lestrange," Moody growled, looking very pleased, too, as his magical eye danced in its socket. "Even with the dragon freed from its chains,"

"Right then, Miss Lestrange, the first aid tent, please..." Professor McGonagall said, steering Vega around to go through the entrance of the enclosure to where she had come from.

Vega let out a sigh, feeling quite tired as she made her way through the tunnel and wondered when she would get to sleep. She felt as if a fifty-foot and many a tonne weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She could now finally relax and sleep the whole day – that was what she wanted, now.

I have never yearned for my bed quite as much.

On the other side of the enclosure, Madam Pomfrey was standing in wait for Vega, at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried. Vega quickly reached her, wanting to sit down once she was inside.

"Dragons!" Madam Pomfrey said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Vega into the tent.

Inside, Vega found that the tent was divided into five cubicles – she could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas of one. But he didn't seem to be badly injured as he was sitting up, at the least. Vega was placed in an empty cubicle, where Madam Pomfrey started to take her assessment of her.

"Last year Dementors, this year dragons," Madam Pomfrey went on. "What are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky – I saw what went on out there, I'll get you a potion..."

"Thank you very much," Vega replied, a bit tiredly as Madam Pomfrey handed her a goblet full of potion to drink for her ribs' sake. She took it gingerly. "Is it... bad?"

The potion tasted absolutely disgusting but Vega was quickly distracted when Madam Pomfrey started to clean up her cuts and bruises with dabs of a purple liquid that smoked and stung. But Vega didn't complain – she knew if she left this place still injured, more people will freak out.

"Now, just sit quietly for a minute," Madam Pomfrey said. "And then you can go and get your score," Vega nodded as Madam Pomfrey bustled out of the tent and she heard her go next door. "How does it feel now, Diggory?"

Vega was sitting quietly as she had been instructed, rubbing her ribs gently to ease the pain when she felt sick – emptying herself in the nearest garbage pin, cursing herself for enjoying that cottage pie. She let out a sigh and felt someone's hand on her back. She looked over her shoulder to see –