Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [7]

⚡️ Chapter 26 ⚡️

Vega had not expected Hermione's anger to abate over night and was therefore unsurprised that the brunette communicated mainly by dirty looks and pointed silences the next morning. Vega had known her brunette best friend far too long to have such high hopes. Ron responded by maintaining an unnaturally sombre demeanour in her presence as an outward sign of continuing remorse. In fact, when all four of them were together Vega, and possibly Harry, felt like the only non-mourner at a poorly attended funeral.

During those few moments Ron spent alone with Vega and Harry, however (collecting water and searching the undergrowth for mushrooms) Ron became shamelessly cheery. Especially when Hermione was busy otherwise and he got both Vega and Harry together.

"Someone helped us," Ron kept saying to the pair of them. "Someone sent that doe, Someone's on our side, One Horcrux down, mate!"

Bolstered by the destruction of the locket they set to debating the possible locations of the other Horcruxes and even though they had discussed the matter so often before. Vega felt very optimistic, certain that more breakthroughs would succeed the first.

Evidently, Harry felt the same way as they discussed it over cooking food, a duty they had taken over to appease Hermione's mood. They discussed it with such ferocity that came over to listen.

Hermione's sulkiness could not mar Vega and Harry's buoyant spirits; The sudden upswing in their fortunes, the appearance of the mysterious doe, the recovery of Gryffindor's sword, and above all, Ron's return made the two of them so happy that it was quite difficult to maintain a straight face.

Late in the afternoon Vega, Harry and Ron escaped Hermione's baleful presence again and under the pretence of scouring the bare hedges for non-existent blackberries, they continued their ongoing exchange of news, talking about whatever they could.

Vega and Harry had finally managed to tell Ron the whole story of their and Hermione's various wanderings, right up to the full story of what had happened at Godric's Hollow; Ron was now filling them in on everything he had discovered about the wider Wizarding world during his weeks away.

"... and how did you find out about the Taboo?" Ron asked Harry after explaining the many desperate attempts of Muggle-Borns to evade the Ministry.

"The what?" asked Vega and Harry.

"You two and Hermione have stopped saying You-Know-Who's name!" Ron said.

"Oh, yeah, Well, it's just a bad habit we've slipped into," Harry said. "But I haven't got a problem calling him V –"

"NO!" roared Ron, causing Vega and Harry to jump into the hedge, Hermione (nose buried in a book at the tent entrance) to scowl over at them.

"What was that, Ron?" Vega said as Ron wrenched her and Harry back out of the brambles. Ron shook his head. "You shouldn't be speaking so loudly,"

"Sorry," Ron said. "But the name's been jinxed, Vega, Harry, that's how they track people! Using his name breaks protective enchantments, it causes some kind of magical disturbance – It's how they found us in Tottenham Court Road!"

"Because we used Tom Riddle's name?" Vega inquired as realisation dawned upon her.

"Exactly!" Ron replied. "You've got to give them credit, it makes sense. It was only people who were serious about standing up to him, like Dumbledore, who even dared use it. Now they've put a Taboo on it, anyone who says it is trackable – quick-and-easy way to find Order members! They nearly got Kingsley –"

"You're kidding?" Harry asked while Vega stifled a gasp.

"Yeah, a bunch of Death Eaters cornered him, Bill said," Ron said. "But he fought his way out. He's on the run now, just like us," He scratched his chin thoughtfully with the end of his wand. "You don't reckon Kingsley could have sent that doe?"