Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [3]

⚡️ Chapter 36 ⚡️

Although it was a welcome order by their team leader, Vega could barely sleep properly throughout the night. She laid awake in her bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling in silence until it started to reflect the faint light through the windows, and she slipped out of her bed to sit by the window.

The grounds outside were quiet and silent – and there was gentle summer breeze flowing around the castle. The Forbidden Forest was swaying as if it was breathing and weather looked perfect.

I just hope today goes well...

Vega anxiously played with a strand of her hair, removing her eyes from the clear blue skies and down to the green grounds that were shining a silvery shade due to the early morning sunlight.

There was a sudden movement on the grounds, as if some sort of animal was prowling through the grounds, and when Vega focused on her attention on it, she noticed that it was unmistakeably Crookshanks. She watched as Crookshanks went to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and then an unfamiliar gigantic, shaggy black dog joined him. Vega stared at them with sheer disbelief.

Where did a dog come from?
Wait, he looks like a grim...

It made no sense as to why Crookshanks was hanging out with a dog. Vega wished she had the Marauder's Map with herself so she could check out if that dog had a name for himself. On that...

Professor Lupin really is one of those manufacturers, huh?
Which one of them is his nickname, then?
Moony for the moon or Padfoot for the paw?

But before Vega could really dwell on this with her tired mind, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Vega?" Angelina's voice called in. "It's time to come downstairs – Oliver's orders," Vega nodded at her to let her know silently that she understood and got up from the window to get ready.

When Vega looked back out of the window, Crookshanks and the dog had disappeared somewhere.

"Good morning," Vega greeted lightly as she joined her team and all of them could only return pained smiles in return, and Fred gently patted her head, putting his arm around her shoulders.

When the Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the Great Hall that morning for breakfast, there was tremendous applause. She was genuinely surprised and glad to see that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them, too. But the Slytherin simply hissed loudly as they passed.

"It doesn't do their stereotype any better with that hissing," Vega muttered and Fred snorted.

And it was then that Vega noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then, he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. Vega slowly ate her usual fix of breakfast that only made others feel stranger.

As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

"Good luck, Harry!" Cho called.

Harry blushed and gave Vega a look when she smirked at him, hissing, "No word of it to Ron,"

"Why not?" Vega asked. "It's not every day that a senior has something for you, is it?" Harry raised his eyebrows at her sudden shrewdness with such sentiments.

"Why are you so talkative all of a sudden?" Harry inquired and Vega gave him a bland look.

"Okay – no wind to speak of – sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it – ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kick-off –"