Finally, Victoire thought, this is the only worthwhile part of this bloody ceremony. Uncle Charlie was popping open several bottles of Firewhiskey and passing them out to whomever was nearest. He had always been her favorite uncle, with the way he doted upon all of his nieces and nephews, showering them with gifts and kind words whenever possible. Grandma Molly, of course, strongly disproved of his actions, finding that he was being nothing but a bad influence on all of their young, impressionable minds.
As if on cue, Molly jostled over to where they stood, removing the bottle from Victoire's hand before she got the chance to do as much as sip it. "Victoire Amandine Weasley! I would have thought better of you!" she said, furiously. "And you too, Charlie. You've lived under my roof for long enough to know that I will not stand for this. Victoire is underage for at least another month, and there is no way that she will consume anything illegally in my presence!"
Molly stomped away, most likely to return order to another group of guests, throwing as many dirty glances back to both Charlie and Victoire as possible.
When he was sure Molly was out of sight, Charlie handed Victoire a new bottle. "Don't mind her, Vicky. She's just uptight. You're just as happy as the rest of us are that George isn't actually… you know, ah, playing for the wrong team, so to speak. You might as well enjoy it as much as the rest of us too." He grinned at her.
"I don't see how you lived with her, Charlie." Victoire laughed. "Now, why didn't she take away Teddy's? She's prejudiced against me, I say."
"You forget, Vicky, my dear, that I'm no longer underage, and in fact, I haven't been for over two years. Also, I'm no relation to dear Molly, so perhaps she feels as though she's got no jurisdiction over me?" Teddy said, with an air of mock superiority. "And, of course, she is quite right in assuming so, as no one has any influence over me but you, Victoire."
Victoire sighed. "Well, you might as well be a relative. You're practically my cousin. And wait – what is that supposed to mean? Why would I have any influence over you at all?"
"Why do you get so defensive, love? I was merely saying that I would act upon your every whim." Teddy responded, with a calm demeanor to counteract her brash tone. "And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't call me your cousin."
Victoire turned away from Teddy, rolling her eyes. She looked around the courtyard, hoping to find Bridget, so she could escape from this dreaded conversation that she and Teddy had covered so many times before. When Bridget was nowhere to be found, she sighed exasperatedly and turned back to him.
"Teddy Lupin, you know perfectly well that you are nothing but a childhood friend – practically a brother! – to me. I wish you would just forget this whole little infatuation, as it's highly irritating, not to mention completely inappropriate." She scowled at him.
"Ah, but Vicky, no matter how many times you say this, you've failed to explain why, exactly, it's so 'completely inappropriate'. But, since you find me to be ever-so irritating, I do suppose I can leave you alone and find another dazzling young witch to waste my affections on." Teddy bowed slightly and turned away, lingering slightly, as he was sure that try to Victoire would stop him from leaving.
Victoire suddenly felt a pang of guilt – maybe she didn't feel i that way /i for Teddy, but that doesn't mean she had to shatter his hopes like that, did it? But, if she didn't, would that be just stringing him along?
"Teddy." She placed her hand on the side of his hip as he turned away from her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude –"
Teddy turned to face her, noticing that her hand remained on his hip. "Ah, Vicky. I knew you'd come around." Teddy beamed.
"Come around to what, Teddy? I was just saying that I didn't mean to be rude. There's no hidden meaning or secret code or anything behind that! I wish you wouldn't read so much into things." Victoire said brashly, her tendency to panic becoming evident once again.
"I never said you were implying anything by your statement, Vicky, but I can't help but notice that you've yet to remove your hand from my side." Taken aback, Victoire quickly tried to pull back her hand, but was intercepted by Teddy's own. "I never said to remove it, either."
Speechless, Victoire tried once again to remove her hand from Teddy's grasp, but he wouldn't relinquish it. She didn't understand – she didn't want Teddy anywhere near her, the conniving bastard, but she didn't want him to let go at the same time. She let her arm go limp, allowing Teddy's fingers to entwine with her own.
"See, Vicky? It's not so bad." Teddy said, still remaining calm. He pulled her closer, and though her immediate reaction was to push him away, she allowed him to hold her.
Victoire looked up at him, attempting to look irritated. "I can't believe you, Teddy Lupin. You know, men can get in trouble for this kind of thing."
"What kind of thing? Offering a kind hug to a childhood friend on her uncle's wedding day?" Teddy responded, still as smug as ever.
"Offering a kind hug against that said childhood friend's will, yes." Victoire's lips pursed. "And I wouldn't call this a nice, friendly hug either, Teddy." She continued, gesturing to Teddy's hands becoming dangerously low on her back.
Teddy grinned, knowing full well that she didn't mean a word she said. He leaned over to kiss her, parting her tightened lips with his own. Though reluctant, Victoire returned his advances, just as he had known she would.
Pulling away from her, Teddy grinned once again. "Against your will, Vicky? I can tell." Teddy relinquished his grip around her.
"I hate you. I hope you know that." Victoire teased, clearly enamored by Teddy's demeanor. She turned and walked away, stomping exaggeratedly toward Bridget, surely to tell her of the recent happenings, as all girls do.
Charlie, who had silently been watching their interaction, patted Teddy on the back. "Good going, Ted." He smiled. "I knew you'd had her from the start."
"I knew I'd had her since the first time I'd tried." Teddy returned the smile. "I didn't know, however, that it would take four years to convince her."