Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 8 ⚡️

The day after this rather gloomy birthday tea, on 1st of August, the letters and booklists for school arrived from Hogwarts. Harry's included a surprise: He had been made Quidditch Captain. Vega glanced around in her own envelope and noticed that she had not received anything of that sort, and she bit her lower lip as she looked over toward her friends.

"That gives you equal status with prefects!" Hermione cried out happily when she saw the badge in his hand. "You can use our special bathroom now and everything!"

"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these," Ron said, examining the badge with glee. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my Captain – if you let me back on the team, I suppose, ha-ha..."

Vega looked back at her booklist and decided that since her friends were going to be busy elsewhere, it would make sense for her to fill her time with the three electives and once-a-week extra-curricular seven subjects for the Sixth years.

"What about you, Vega?" Hermione asked as she turned to look at the last person and Vega felt very embarrassed as she looked at her friends again.

"Well, there's nothing else left, is there?" Vega said, a bit awkward. "I mean, I could hope to be a Head Girl in Seventh Year but... I think I don't really look like someone who can lead people well,"

"You were great with the D.A, though," Harry admitted. "And you do more for Quidditch –"

"No, you're the Seeker," Vega told him. "You end the game – and I'm fine with just studying, to be honest, I've got more N.E.W.Ts to study for than you all,"

While the three of them looked at each other, Vega took a closer look at the Captain badge, and she suddenly realised that Angelina wouldn't be around anymore. And she knew that they would need to find new players to fill the ranks of their team. It was going to be hectic but Vega felt like if they found good reserves for Chasers, it would be easier on her, too.

"It's nice, though, isn't it?" Vega said as she looked over, her injured eye squinting from how focused she had been onto the badge. "Wood was a Keeper, and Angie was a Chaser, and now a Seeker as Captain – it ties up nicely,"

"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer now you've got these," Mrs. Weasley sighed, looking down Ron's booklist. "We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I'm not going there without him,"

"Mum, do you honestly think You-Know-Who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" Ron asked, sniggering at his mother.

"Wasn't he back in our second year?" Vega pointed out, giving him a look.

"And Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?" Mrs. Weasley said, firing up at once. "If you think security's a laughing matter, you can stay behind and I'll get your things myself –"

"No, I wanna come, I want to see Fred and George's shop!" Ron said hastily.

"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide you're too immature to come with us!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily, snatching up her clock, all nine hands of which were still pointing at 'mortal peril,' and balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "And that goes for returning to Hogwarts as well!"

Ron turned to stare incredulously at Vega and Harry as his mother hoisted the laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the room.

"Blimey... you can't even make a joke round here anymore...." Ron said but he was careful not to be flippant about Voldemort over the next few days.

Saturday dawned without any more outbursts from Mrs. Weasley, though she seemed very tense at breakfast. Vega, who had helped her out with breakfast, had been the first teenager to wake up and had already dressed herself up fairly nicely albeit casually because she was going to be meeting Fred again. And she had seen just concerned Mrs. Weasley was.