Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [4]

⚡️ Chapter 57 ⚡️

Vega took in deep breaths and pushed the hair away from her face, trying to see properly. All around her and her friends, there were wild, green-haired heads emerging out of the water with them. However, rather than being upset, they were all smiling at her and Harry for some strange reason. She waited for them to say something but they didn't – she figured because of Mermish.

On the other side of the water, the crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise – shouting and screaming, they all seemed to be on their feet. Vega glanced over at Harry, Ron, Fred and the little girl to make sure they were all okay and found them blinking away at the light out the water.

"Are you okay, Fred?" Vega asked, swimming closer to him when she saw that he was finally awake. She pressed a quick kiss against his lips. "I didn't know I had to go look for you!"

"How did I get in this situation?" Fred muttered, chuckling. "I knew you would've saved me – I told you that, didn't I?" Vega smiled at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Wet, this, isn't it?" Ron asked as he grinned slightly at Vega, Harry and Fred – but then he spotted Fleur's sister who was with them. "What did you two bring her for?"

"Fleur didn't turn up, we couldn't leave her," Harry panted.

"Harry – Vega, you prats!" Ron exclaimed as he stared at them with wide eyes. "You didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"

"What?" Vega asked, a bit winded. "But the song said that –"

"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit!" Ron responded, looking like he wanted to disown both of them. "I hope you two didn't waste time down there acting the heroes!"

"You need to calm down, Ronald," Fred interjected.

Although Vega felt Fred's hold on her tighten a bit to comfort her, she was still feeling very stupid regarding this situation. And from the look on Harry's face, it was certain that he felt the same way. It was all very well for Ron to think that; he'd been asleep, he hadn't felt how eerie it was down in the lake, surrounded by spear-carrying merpeople who'd looked more than capable of murder.

"C'mon," Harry said shortly. "Help me with her, I don't think she can swim very well,"

"We'll help you," Vega told the little girl in French, knowing that she probably didn't understand English all too well. "Put your arms around my shoulders – I will carry you,"

The little girl nodded and wrapped her arms around Vega's shoulders, holding onto her tightly.

And together with Harry, Ron and Fred, Vega led the little girl with herself as they swam back towards the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honour, singing their horrible screechy songs. Vega could see that the girl was scared.

"It'll be okay," Vega assured the girl comfortingly.

By the bank, Vega could see Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Viktor, Cedric and Cho, all of whom were wrapped in thick blankets. Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman stood beaming at Vega, Harry, Ron and Fred from the bank as they swam nearer, but Percy, who looked very white and somehow much younger than usual, came splashing out to meet them, regarding his brothers.

Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water. It was quite obvious she was worried about her sister.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle!
Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

Vega was not able to shout to assure her so she could only wave to the older female to let her know that everything was okay. But she wasn't sure if Fleur had noticed this. On the other hand, Percy seized Ron and Fred out of the water and dragging them back ('Gerroff, Percy, I'm all right!'). Bagman immediately grabbed Harry out of the water and helping him upright. Vega followed him.