Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [4]

⚡️ Chapter 45 ⚡️

Vega and Hermione had their dinner together that night – neither Harry nor Ron returned – and Vega quickly finished with her food and told Hermione that she was heading out to the library to pick up a book for her Muggle Studies homework. She was gratefully not interrupted by more than three people and she took the shortcuts that Fred had shown her to head to the common room.

"There you are," Vega said, noticing Harry trudging up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room as well. "How did it go? Did you ask her?" Harry just let out a weary sigh and Vega knew that he had been rejected. "I'm sorry – Fairy Lights," She and Harry had arrived in front of portrait of Fat Lady.

The password had been changed from Agapornis to Fairy Lights yesterday – much to the relief of Vega. She was constantly reminded of Fred whenever she had to give in that particular password.

"Yes, indeed, dear!" Fat Lady trilled, straightening her new tinsel hair band as she swung forward to admit the two students into the room behind.

Entering the common room, both Vega and Harry looked around. Vega frowned when her eyes fell onto Ron, who was sitting in a distant corner, ashen-faced. Ginny was sitting with him, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice. Vega shared a look with Harry and they walked over.

"What's up, Ron?" Harry asked as he and Vega joined them in the corner. Ron looked up at them, a sort of blind horror in his face.

"Why did I do it?" Ron asked wildly. "I don't know what made me do it!"

"What did you do?" Vega asked.

"He – er – just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," Ginny informed. She looked as though she was fighting back a smile, but she kept patting Ron's arm sympathetically.

"You what?" Harry spluttered.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people – all around – I've gone mad – everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall – she was standing there talking to Diggory – and it sort of came over me – and I asked her!"

Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable, "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then – I dunno – I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it,"

"Ah, it's because she's part-Veela!" Vega realised out loud. "I suppose tried to use the Veela allure to have Cedric ask her out – I think she should've just asked herself – and you happened to be passing by. It's not your fault. You just happened to be in a wrong place at a very wrong time,"

"She was wasting her time – he's going with Cho Chang," Harry said. Vega and Ron looked at him. "I asked her to go with me just now," His voice was rather dull. "And she told me,"

Vega noted that Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling, and she herself frowned.

"Oh, Cedric asked Cho out?" Vega asked, sort of relieved now that Cedric had a date, she didn't have to feel stupidly bad about it – not that Cedric couldn't have a date. "You two shouldn't waste time,"

"This is mad," Ron groaned. "We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone – well, except Neville. Hey – guess who he asked? Vega and Hermione!"

"What?" Harry said, completely distracted by this startling news. He looked at Vega, who pursed her lips and just shrugged in reply to Harry, looking quite annoyed at Ron.

"Yeah, I know!" Ron said, some of the colour coming back into his face as he started to laugh. "He told me after Potions! Said they're always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff – but they told him they were already going with someone. Ha! As if! They just didn't want to go with Neville ... I mean, who would?"