Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [5]

⚡️ Chapter 57 ⚡️

Luna had very vaguely mentioned that she did not know how soon Rita Skeeter's interview with Vega and Harry would appear in 'The Quibbler' as her father was expecting a lovely long article on the recent sightings of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

"And, of course, that'll be a very important story, so Vega's and Harry's might have to wait for the following issue," Luna told them. "But I will ask him to do it quick for you, Vega,"

"Thank you very much, Luna," Vega replied, quite genuinely grateful for her.

Just as always, Vega found it quite unpleasant and not remotely easy to talk about the night of the Third Task when Cedric Diggory was murdered and the night when Voldemort had returned. It sent shivers down Vega's spine whenever she recalled the way that Voldemort had treated them, and the way he had so casually used Cruciatus Curse on her.

Rita Skeeter had pressed both Vega and Harry for every little detail, and they had given her everything that they could collectively remember, knowing that this was their one big opportunity to tell the world the unfiltered truth.

Throughout her narration, Vega's mind was constantly on how people would react to her and Harry's experience in the graveyard. She figured that most people would find them insane – quite especially her – and even more so because their story would be featured in 'The Quibbler'. But Vega didn't care... not with her parents and their fellow Death Eaters breaking out and being out there, somewhere with Voldemort.

Whether it worked or not,
I'm not standing down to them.

Monday evening rolled around rather swiftly – no one seemed to be aware that Vega and Harry had given an interview. Or at least, that is what she thought as she finished with her Quidditch practice and joined Harry and Hermione at the dinner table where Dean Thomas seemed to have found out about it, and was looking at them inquiringly.

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you two going public," Dean said, sounding awestruck. Seamus was shovelling down large amounts of chicken-and-ham pie on Dean's other side, but Vega was very sure that he was listening in.

"It's the right thing to do, Vega, Harry," Neville spoke up, who was sitting opposite them. He was rather pale, but went on in a low voice. "It must have been... tough... talking about it... was it?"

"It was quite difficult," Vega confessed truthfully, having reached that level of friendship with Neville now. "But I know that people must know what's out there... and what Voldemort's capable of... they've got to know, don't they...?"

"That's right," Neville replied, nodding gently at her. "And his Death Eaters too... People should know..." He left his sentence hanging and returned to his baked potato. But Vega knew his thoughts without them being expressed in words.

After a while Dean, Seamus, and Neville departed for the common room, leaving Vega, Harry and Hermione at the table waiting for Ron, who had not yet had dinner because of Quidditch practice.

Cho Chang walked into the hall with her friend Marietta Edgecombe. Vega looked toward Harry and saw that he looked quite ill when Cho didn't look toward the Gryffindor table and sat down at her own table with her back to Harry.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," Hermione said brightly, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table. "What happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?"

"Er... well, it was..." Harry said, pulling a dish of rhubarb crumble toward him and helping himself to seconds. "A complete fiasco, now you mention it," And then Harry told Vega and Hermione everything that had happened in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.