Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 54 ⚡️

Vega rubbed her face, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened that night – Dumbledore was gone forever, Bill was seriously hurt and all of the Death Eater had gotten away. And it was all of her fault. She should've insisted that Dumbledore stuck around, she should've stayed behind to help everyone, she should've done more.

The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump and Vega to instinctually move to Dora as she turned to look at the doors – Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified at what laid ahead.

"Molly – Arthur –" Professor McGonagall spoke up, jumping up and hurrying to greet the frantic family of the injured. "I am so sorry –"

"Bill," Mrs. Weasley whispered, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"

Dora and Lupin had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could get nearer to the bed. Mrs. Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead. Vega held onto Dora's arm as she tried not to look at the distressed.

"You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So, what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"

"We don't yet know," Professor McGonagall said, looking helplessly at Lupin.

"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," Lupin said. "It is an odd case, possibly unique... we don't know what his behaviour might be like when he awakens..."

Mrs. Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds. Vega was starting to feel worse about what she had done, feeling like she could've done far more than she had ended up doing – in fact, at the end of the day, she hadn't done anything worthwhile that would help them out in any way.

"And Dumbledore..." Mr. Weasley said. "Minerva, is it true... is he really...?"

As Professor McGonagall nodded, Vega saw something fiery-red move slightly and she turned to look at Ginny. Her slightly narrowed eyes were fixed upon Fleur, who was gazing down at Bill with a inexplicable frozen expression on her face.

However, Vega felt like she could read that unreadable expression – she felt like she would've been the same if something like this had happened to Fred.

It wasn't the question of her boyfriend losing the features of his handsome face, it was coming in terms that the face she loved so much had been hurt so much. Vega didn't want to imagine how Fleur would be feeling, especially since she would hate to project her own thoughts on her. Fleur was surprisingly composed; Vega would've lost it quicker.

"Dumbledore gone," Mr. Weasley whispered but Mrs. Weasley had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.

"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks..." Mrs. Weasley wept. "It's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-boy... always very handsome... and he was g-going to be married!"

"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur spoke up suddenly and loudly, finding her voice to speak. "What do you mean, ''e was going to be married?'"

Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled, "Well – only that –"

"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" Fleur demanded with her usual fiery nature. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"

"No," Mrs. Weasley replied. "That's not what I –"

"Because 'e will!" Fleur said, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"