Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [4]

⚡️ Chapter 76 ⚡️

Finally, Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch Junior for a moment with disgust on his face. Then, he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it – ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to look at Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry and Vega upstairs?" Vega slowly looked back up but didn't look at Barty Crouch.

"Of course," Professor McGonagall said, and Vega could see that her Head of House looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick.

However, when Professor McGonagall drew out her wand and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady.

"Severus," Dumbledore said as he turned to face Snape. "Please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me,"

Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room once more.

"Harry and Vega?" Dumbledore said gently, turning to look at the two students.

Vega knew she wouldn't be able to walk on her own and she didn't want take Harry's help because his leg and arm were also hurt. She slowly pushed herself onto her feet, trying to make sure she could stand up properly before she even started walking. Harry was able to walk, especially after the potion that Crouch had given them.

However, Dumbledore easily gripped her arm and helped her out into the dark corridor with Harry. She glanced around to see what was going on because every movement only allowed more pain to travel through her body with every step.

"I want you to come up to my office first, Harry and Vega," Dumbledore told the teenagers quietly as they headed up the passageway. "Sirius is waiting for us there,"

Both Vega and Harry nodded, and neither of them spoke.

Some sort of numbness was dawning on her and a sense of complete unreality was upon her, but she didn't care, she didn't mind it. She had stopped registering stuff as she being swept around the castle, first by Crouch and now by Dumbledore. She just wanted to go to sleep after all of this.

Even though Vega didn't want to think about what had happened from the point of her touching that Triwizard Cup, the images of everything that had happened was flashing through her head.

These were the memories that Vega wanted to suppress but they were fresh and sharp as photographs. And they were eagerly reminding her of everything that had happened tonight.

Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk.

Barty Crouch Junior, with his maniacal eyes on her.

Wormtail, slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm.

Voldemort, rising from the steaming cauldron.

Cedric Diggory... dead...

Cedric Diggory, asking to be returned to his parents...

"Professor Dumbledore," Vega spoke up suddenly in an awfully croaky voice as she looked toward the man helping her along the corridor. "... where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"

"They are with Professor Sprout," Dumbledore said, and his voice – which had been so calm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch – shook very slightly for the first time. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best. Your uncle must be with them as well,"