Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 53 ⚡️

"Hagrid?
HAGRID?"

Vega and Harry stumbled over toward the burning house to the best of their abilities just as an enormous figure emerged from out of the flames carrying Fang on his back. Unable to run from the pain and the relief that followed, she stuffed her head into her hands. From the events of tonight and the retreating adrenaline, she was shaking in every limb, her body ached all over, inside and outside and her breath came in painful stabs.

"Yeh all righ', Vega?
Yeh all righ'? Speak ter me, Harry..."

Hagrid's huge, hairy face was swimming above Vega, blocking out the stars. She could clearly smell burnt wood and dog hair; she put out a hand and felt Fang's reassuringly warm and alive body quivering beside her, reaching to lick at her face.

"I'm all right, we're all right," Harry panted as he reached over to help Vega get onto her feet but her legs were refusing to listen to her anymore. "Are you?"

"'Course I am..." Hagrid replied. "Take more'n that ter finish me,"

Before Vega could register what was going on, she felt Hagrid put his hands under her arms and raised her up with such force that her feet momentarily left the ground before he set her upright again. She stumbled a bit but managed to steady herself.

And it was now that Vega saw that blood trickling down Hagrid's cheek from a deep cut under one eye, which was swelling rapidly. She looked at them for a few moments before saying, "We should put out your house, the charm's 'Aguamenti'..."

"Knew it was summat like that," Hagrid mumbled, and he raised a smouldering pink, flowery umbrella that Vega recognised to be his 'wand' and said, "Aguamenti!"

A jet of water flew out of the umbrella tip. Harry raised his wand and Vega followed them with her left arm, which felt like lead, and murmured 'Aguamenti' too. Together, the three of them poured water on the house until the last flame was extinguished.

"S'not too bad," Hagrid said hopefully a few minutes later, looking at the smoking wreck. "Nothin' Dumbledore won' be able to put righ'..."

Vega stopped and then felt a bubbling pain in her stomach, causing her to turn her head away to calm her breathing before she started to lose it. She closed her eyes and focused on steadying her heartbeat. But when she opened her eyes to the silence and stillness, she caught sight of Harry's face, his eyes frozen in equal parts of horror.

"Hagrid..." Harry whispered.

"I was bindin' up a couple o' bowtruckle legs when I heard 'em comin'," Hagrid said sadly, still staring at his wrecked cabin. "They'll've bin burnt ter twigs, poor little things..."

"Wait, Hagrid..." Vega spoke up.

"But what happened?" Hagrid asked. "I jus' saw them Death Eaters runnin' down from the castle, but what the ruddy hell was Snape doin' with 'em? Where's he gone – was he chasin' them?"

"He..." Vega breathed before she cleared her throat; it was dry from panic and the smoke and the pain from the torture curse. "Hagrid, he killed..."

"Killed?" Hagrid said loudly, staring down at Vega. "Snape killed? What're yeh on abou', Vega?"

"Dumbledore," Vega revealed. "Snape killed... Dumbledore,"

Hagrid simply looked back at her, the little of his face that could be seen completely blank, uncomprehending, "Dumbledore wha', Vega?"

"He's gone," Vega answered, swallowing. "Snape killed him..."

"Don' say that," Hagrid said roughly in disbelief at what she had said. "Snape kill Dumbledore – don' be stupid, Vega. Wha's made yeh said tha'?"