Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 38 ⚡️

Vega was quiet as she laid in her bed, her mind trailing off to the what Harry had said, her eyes stuck on the circle of the lamplight above her. She was wondering just as much about what Malfoy was up to and what Snape was really doing to help him out, and how much Dumbledore knew. And with these things happening around the school, she wondered how long it would be before someone got fatally hurt, and just who and how was this person doing this.

While Vega was still thinking away, she heard a low, rumbling snore come from Ron's bed and she sighed, frowning. She wanted the school year to be over quickly so she could sleep in her own bed at home where she wasn't so tense. And she wanted to be around Fred because it was always fun to watch him work or just to joke around with him.

After a while Madam Pomfrey came out of her office, this time wearing a thick dressing gown. It was easiest to feign sleep. Vega just closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Next bed over, Harry did the same and pretended to roll over on his side, still awake.

Madam Pomfrey took a look at them but Vega kept her eyes closed and relaxed as she heard the Healer wave her wand, causing all the curtain to close themselves as the night set in. The lamps dimmed, and she returned to her office; Vega heard the door click behind her and knew that Madam Pomfrey was off to bed as well.

And as Vega reflected over her injuries that day, she realised that this was the second time that she had been brought to the hospital wing because of a Quidditch injury. The first time it had been when she had been hit by a Bludger and that had been painful, too.

Yet she had Fred with her back then, and Vega knew that she would feel abundantly better if she could only see his face for once. She slowly reached her right hand up, trying not to hurt herself and pressed her lips against the ring, wondering if Fred was awake.

In response, her ring turned warm immediately, and she smiled as it persisted for a long time. Vega couldn't wait to see him again, and reminded herself to write him a letter that everything was okay once she was free to leave the Hospital Wing.

It wouldn't be easy – Vega had Healing classes with Madam Pomfrey and she knew that the Healer was not the kind of person who would give up on patients too quickly.

Next to her, Harry suddenly sat bolt upright, his bandage turban askew.

Vega jumped slightly and groaned slightly from the pain. She turned her head around on the pillow to give him a curious, bewildered and tired look but Harry did not say anything. She could see that he was thinking something furiously due to the way his green eyes reflected. She wondered if he had figured something out, or maybe even had a sort of epiphany –

"Kreacher?"

That name was the last thing that Vega expected – or wanted – to hear but before she could say anything in response to the strange turn of events, there was a very loud crack, and the sounds of scuffling and squeaks filled the silent room.

Ron awoke with a yelp, "What's going –?" but Vega rushed to grab her wand from her side-table as quicky as she could in her condition and used it to point toward Madam Pomfrey's office, whispering hurriedly, "Muffliato!" so that she would not come running.

Harry gave Vega's narrowed eyes an apologetic look and scrambled to the end of his bed for a better look at what was going on. Since she had already sat up, Vega carefully pushed herself up and looked over the edge of the bed to see what the noise was.

Two house-elves were rolling around on the floor in the middle of the dormitory, one wearing a shrunken maroon jumper and several woolly hats, the other, a filthy old rag strung over his hips like a loincloth. Then there was another loud bang, and Peeves the Poltergeist appeared in mid-air above the wrestling elves.