Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 25 ⚡️

The following morning, Vega had Herbology as her first class – and fortunately, she had it with Harry, Ron and Hermione. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell anything to Hermione the previous night as she had gone to sleep, and when Vega saw them at breakfast that morning, it seemed like Harry hadn't been able to tell Ron about it either.

They avoided talking about it over breakfast for fear of being overheard, but both Vega and Harry were quick to fill Ron and Hermione in as the four of them walked across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses for their first class.

The weekend's brutal wind had died out at last; and the strange mist had returned and it took them a little longer than usual to find the correct greenhouse.

And by the time they had taken their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this term's project, everything had been explained.

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," Ron said quietly as he pulled on his protective gloves before looking up. "What did he look like?"

"Sort of like Vega, I suppose," Harry replied, unsure, and Vega looked up with an annoyed expression, one that straightened both the boys out.

"But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this," Ron said, changing the topic. "I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," Harry said, inserting a gum shield and Vega finished pulling on her gloves. "But he says it's all important and it will help us survive,"

"I think it's fascinating," Hermione said earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"

"Well, we're definitely finding out more about his behaviour," Vega admitted. "Like I said," She looked over at the brunette. "How was Slughorn's party last night? You looked tired,"

"Oh, it was quite fun, really," Hermione said, now putting on protective goggles. "I mean, he drones on about famous ex-pupils a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggen because he's so well-connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones,"

"Gwenog Jones?" Ron said, his eyes widening under his own goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"She's an excellent player," Vega spoke up, having been a fan of the lady herself. "I suppose it's a shame that I missed out last night... I would've liked to meet her,"

"That's right," Hermione said. "Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but –"

"Quite enough chat over here!" Professor Sprout said briskly, bustling over and looking stern. "You're lagging behind, everybody else has started, and Neville's already got his first pod!"

The four of them, along with the rest of them, looked around; sure enough, there sat Neville with a bloody lip and several nasty scratches along the side of his face, but clutching an unpleasantly pulsating green object about the size of a grapefruit.

"Okay, Professor, we're starting now!" Ron said, adding quietly, when she had turned away again. "Should've used Muffliato, Harry,"

"No, we shouldn't!" Hermione said at once, looking, as she always did, intensely cross at the thought of the Half-Blood Prince and his spells. "Well, come on... we'd better get going..." She gave the other two an apprehensive look.

With all of them taking deep breaths, the four of them dove at the gnarled stump between them. It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramble-like vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air in defiance against their hands.