100Thank you guys for your reviews and for sticking with this story! Your positivity is what inspired me to get this chapter out so quickly! Hoping to have another update for you guys before Christmas!
PS: I am going to see Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway tomorrow! EEEK!
(This is back to Victoire's POV)
Emotions All Over
I opened my eyes on Monday morning, wondering if there was any chance Lady Luck would turn my terrible weekend into a fabulous week. I heard the high pitched giggle of Daniella as she and Dee gossiped about Merlin knows what and I quietly groaned. No, this week was going to suck.
Dominique had found me (well, Teddy had told her where I was hiding) on Friday and she pretty much solidified why she is the best sister on the planet. She held me while I cried, listened to me confess my feelings for Teddy and said just the right amount of mean things about Daniella. Saturday I woke up early and spent the entire day at Hagrid's. He didn't ask if anything was wrong (though I'm sure he could tell), we just talked about my dad when he was at Hogwarts and planned his Care of Magical Creatures lessons for the last month of school. Though his food was still borderline-edible, his tea was delicious. Saturday night was spent hanging out with Shannon and Dom in her dormitory. And Sunday, I spent with Reid in the greenhouses, preparing for the practical portion of our Herbology final exam.
I had to say, I was doing a fabulous job of avoiding Teddy Lupin.
I got out of bed and took my uniform out of the closet, trying my hardest to ignore Daniella, but I couldn't help overhearing. Especially because I know she was talking loud on purpose.
"Well of course Teddy and I spent the weekend together, I mean you can't forget a snog like that one."
I clenched my jaw but kept my mouth shut and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and taking two deep breaths. I mean, there was no way she and Teddy spent the weekend together, I would have known. Or would I? A small voice said in the back of my mind. I had just been congratulating myself on a job well done by my careful avoidance of him…how did I know they hadn't spent the entire weekend together? I quickly splashed some water on my face. No. I had given myself two full days of moping and avoidance. I was a strong girl from an even stronger family.
It was time to start acting like Victoire Weasley again.
I attended my classes cool and confident for the rest of the day and things were almost starting to feel normal again. I had left a book Charms class and was backtracking from the common room to get it when I rounded the corner and saw Teddy and Daniella talking at the end of the hallway. I stopped dead in my tracks. Neither of them noticed me, it would be so easy to just turn around and walk back to the common room. I was about to do just that when stupid, dumb, Teddy had to look up right at me.
I wasn't sure how to interpret his look. It was a mix of surprise, anxiousness and a little bit of something else I couldn't quite place. My breath caught in my throat and I realized that I hadn't just been avoiding Teddy all weekend…I had been avoiding my feelings for him. Which, unfortunately, still bloody existed. I bit my bottom lip, feeling totally glued to the spot when I saw Daniella tug on his sleeve, kiss his cheek and leave.
I can only blame my next actions on being a part-Veela, part-Weasley and very, very imbalanced sixteen year old girl.
"YOU, Teddy Lupin, are a COMPLETE piece of DUNG!" I shouted as I practically ran towards him. A look of fear flashed over his face before confusion and defense sank in.
"Vic-"
"NO!" I said. "You and I were finally starting to get on and you pull THIS SHIT! You KNOW how much trouble she gives me, how much I loathe her! And when I ask you why, you tell me 'you don't know'" I did a very poor and probably offensive imitation of his voice. "You're such an arse!"
"What the HELL is wrong with you?" Teddy asked incredulously. "You don't see me throw a tantrum because you dance with some sixth year! Just because you don't like who I snogged, doesn't mean I can't do it!" I practically saw red at his statement, but he was getting riled up now and kept going. "Everything can't always go your way, Weasley-"
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" I challenged.
"You're selfish! You expect us all to live in your little world and do whatever you want! It doesn't work that way. Just because you and I are friends or whatever doesn't mean I need to do what you want!"
"We're not friends!" I screamed wildly. "I've hated you a hell of a lot longer than I've tolerated you, Lupin and there is no reason we can't go back to that!" I turned around in a swift move of fury.
"Whatever you say, princess." He said, using my grandfather's (who really did give me whatever I wanted) nickname for me and lacing it with sarcasm. In one fluid motion, I spun back around, whipped out my wand and shot a curse at him.
But Teddy was ready. He blocked it and shot one back, which I effectively blocked (and sent it flying into a suit of armor, which crumpled to the ground). I was ready to send another back when I heard "STOP IT!"
I looked behind Teddy and he spun around. We faced Neville and my Aunt Hermione (what was she doing here?) and they both had expressions of shock and upset on their faces.
"What in the world is going on?" Neville asked the two of us. I felt the tears prick at my eyes, my irrational outburst seemed so childish and I had never felt so stupid. Teddy had to know I fancied him now.
"Sorry…argument…" Teddy trailed off, looking anywhere but at Neville and Hermione.
"Arguments are not solved with duels, you two." Neville said. He sounded so disappointed and I felt a tear run down my left cheek. "Detention on Friday in my office. 8 p.m. please." Teddy and I nodded solemnly.
"I'm really sorry," I choked out, knowing the tears were coming down in full force now. My emotions were all over the place and Aunt Hermione gave me a knowing look.
"Victoire, darling, why don't we take a walk," She said, putting her arm around me and leading me down a different corridor. She pulled me into an empty classroom, that empty classroom, and shut the door.
"I'm such an idiot," I said, hastily wiping away my tears, but unable to prevent more from falling.
"Why's that honey?" Aunt Hermione put her arm around mine and softly ran her hand over my hair. "Did something happen with you and Teddy?"
"I-I kind of have started to f-fancy him," I said, the words coming out in breaths. "And he snogged Daniella and she and I loathe each other…I was such an idiot to think he may feel the same way." I was calming down but the words kept coming out of my mouth. "He snogged her in front of the whole common room. I don't care if he was drunk, even if he doesn't fancy me he knows I hate her. We've just been actually starting to get along and now…well now this just ruins it. And he followed me into this classroom when I got so upset and I just told him to leave and now I got in a row with him in the hall so he probably thinks I'm absolutely mental."
"Oh, Victoire, trust me: you are not mental at all." My Aunt Hermione said. "The situation you just described…well as awful as it is, boys tend to inherit that behavior from generation to generation. They are sometimes just utterly clueless."
"Was Uncle Ron clueless?" I asked meekly and I could see her holding back a laugh.
"Oh, he was the worst. Your poor Uncle Harry had to find me in this very same classroom, crying because Ron had snogged Lavender Brown in front of the common room after a Quidditch match, even after he said he'd be my date to Slughorn's Christmas Party." My mouth dropped open.
"So what did you do?"
"Sometimes you have to just wait." She said with a sad smile. "But, can I let you in on a secret?" I nodded and her smile turned into a knowing one. "The way Teddy looks at you, even when he's angry, is more passionate than couples who have been together for years look at each other. Maybe he has stronger feelings for you…and he just hasn't realized it yet."
"Do you really think so?" I asked, half disbelieving and half hopeful. She nodded and, even though I thought her prediction was a long shot, I did feel comforted. "Why are you at Hogwarts today anyway?"
"Neville had me come in and talk to the fifth years about careers in Magical Law." She explained. I nodded, I had remembered someone else from the department coming in last year to speak to us. "Though they were more interested in other aspects of my life, given the timing." I suppose she was referring to the fact that tomorrow was Memorial Day, May 2nd. It was also something else, but Aunt Hermione seemed to be lost in dark and distant memories and I chose not to bring it up.
"I'm sorry I had a meltdown," I said and Aunt Hermione smiled and gave me a hug.
"It's nothing to be sorry about." She said kindly. She walked me back to the common room and I gave her another hug before climbing through the portrait hole.
"Hey Vic," Lyle said, waving at me from one of the more comfortable chairs. I noticed his usual group of friends wasn't around so I sat next to him. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."
"It's been a hectic weekend," I said with a slight shrug. "How are you?"
"Alright, save for the ceremony tomorrow." He said sadly and I nodded. The Memorial Ceremony was always a somber one. Every year, someone came back who had fought in the war and talked about what that day was like. My family never really came, they usually went over the Burrow and had a depressing lunch and visited Uncle Fred's grave.
"I hear you on that one," I said sadly and rested my head back on the chair.
"Are you…okay?" He asked timidly and it dawned on me that my face was probably tear-stained and puffy.
"I will be." I said with a smile and Lyle nodded, accepting my answer and turning back to his book.
I looked at the clock. 11:58. In two minutes I would turn seventeen, finally be of-age. And there was a very, very good chance that the only people who would wish me well were my relatives.
11:59. What was that sound? It almost sounded like someone was rapping on the window closet to my bed. I quietly slipped out of my bed, pulling a dressing robe over my nightgown and walked over to the window.
My mouth fell open as I saw the source of the noise: Teddy Lupin, hovering on a broomstick, outside my window.