Nickname

Author's Note: Originally published on June 13, 2017

It was a rainy summer morning in the sleepy village of Tinworth. Out by the coast, the grey sea was swirling and foaming on the nearby beach. Shell Cottage overlooked the water, its warm light spilling into the overcast morning.

Fleur Weasley was busy at the stove, making crepes for her family's Sunday breakfast. Her eldest was busy setting the table by hand, her actions curiously slow.

"Maman, may I ask you something?"

Fleur flinched, expecting this conversation since her daughter had returned from Hogwarts for the summer. She'd received word from Harry that her daughter and his godson had had a major row, and that Teddy had been moping since they'd returned from school just over a week ago.

"Of course, ma cherie. What is it?"

Sixteen-year-old Victoire walked to her mother and leaned against the counter, her large blue eyes conveying a sense of doubt. "Why is it… is there a reason… how come Uncle Ron doesn't like me?"

Fleur was taken aback, fully expecting a question about why boys sometimes acted the way they did. She heard the strangled cough of her husband, who'd just entered the tidy kitchen.

"What makes you say that, love?" Bill asked.

She shrugged, as though it was obvious. "My name."

Fleur shot Bill a puzzled look, before questioning her daughter further.

"What about your name?"

"Uncle Ron is the only one on Papa's side of the family that doesn't use my nickname. I guess he just doesn't like me."

Bill stifled a guffaw, turning it into a cough as he came to a realization. He mouthed a single word to his wife, who nodded slightly, confirming his suspicion.

"I guarantee that your uncle loves you very much," Bill reassured her. "You know, he used to spoil you rotten when you were little."

Victoire wrinkled her nose. "Is that why I'm wearing orange in so many of my baby photos?"

"Exactly. I think half your toys were from him as well."

"Why?"

Her parents exchanged a look she'd seen before. It usually meant something to do with the war.

"Well, your mum and I helped your uncle out a couple of times during the war, especially after your Aunt Hermione had been—"

"Bill! Zat is not for us to tell."

"Had been what? What happened to Aunt Hermione?" Victoire interjected.

A troubled look passed along Bill's face, causing his scars to crease.

"No, your mother's right, that's not for us to say. Regardless, your Uncle Ron has always been extra generous to us, especially you, because of it."

Victoire bit her bottom lip. She'd learned a lot about that terrible conflict, both from her family and in school, but she knew there were still some unspoken details about what her family had gone through—memories too painful to share.

"Does… does my nickname remind him of something that happened back then? Is that why Uncle Ron doesn't use it?"

Bill couldn't help but grin.

"Oh no, love, it's nothing like that," he explained. "I think it's just a sore spot for him… Uh, for other reasons."

She looked more confused than ever.

Fleur smoothed her daughter's blonde plaits. "Why don't you ask him about it at dinner tonight at your grandparents? In private, of course."

"Are you sure he won't get upset?"

"Probably," Bill muttered under his breath, earning him a glare from his wife.

"With you? Never."

Victoire still looked apprehensive, but seemed to accept that suggestion.

"Mon coeur, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Fleur asked pointedly.

The teen's cheeks blushed pink, but she shook her head, causing her mother to sigh.

"Go tell your brother and sister zat breakfast is ready."

The usual cacophony of sound filled the Burrow during the weekly Sunday dinner. Adults and children alike were engaged in all manner of loud activity, whether it was Exploding Snap, spirited discussions on Ministry policies, or just flat out screaming, which the younger kids were doing as they chased each other around.

Bill and Ron had tucked themselves into a quiet corner, the chessboard between them. They were both concentrating on the game pieces; Bill was making his moves with the utmost caution. Ron had a habit of defeating his older brother without him noticing he was even in trouble.

Victoire drifted over and sat down next to her dad, watching as he tried to outsmart the family chess master.

She also seemed to be purposefully ignoring the blue-haired young man sitting at the other end of the living room, who was playing a game of Gobstones with Rose and Lily Luna while sneaking glances in Victoire's direction every few minutes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ron observed his niece, his old Auror habits kicking in. By the way she was fidgeting and staring at him, he knew she needed something. He decided to stop toying with his brother, and made his move on the board.

"Checkmate!"

Ron gleefully watched as his brother's king was taken.

"Good effort, Bill."

Bill accepted Ron's handshake before studying the board again, trying to figure out his defeat.

"Er, Uncle Ron, do you have a minute?"

"Of course, Victoire."

The blonde headed towards the empty kitchen. Bill grabbed Ron's arm as he passed.

"Go easy on her; she's just inquisitive."

Ron raised an eyebrow and continued following his niece. Hermione caught his eye and all he could do was shrug.

He entered and pulled up a chair, across from her. He silenced the room with a spell, but before Victoire could say a word, he blurted out the question the rest of the family had been wanting to ask all night.

"What's going on with you and Ted?"

"Ugh."

The teenager dropped her head into her hands, her voice muffled against the worn wood of the kitchen table. "It's complicated."

"Try me. I've dealt with complicated before."

"Well, the thing is… the last couple of years, I've sort of… well… fancied him. He's always been my friend, but now… it's turned into something else. Something more."

"Obviously."

She looked up, her face draining of all colour. "Obviously? How long have you known?"

"Victoire, we're not blind. It's clear you fancy him, and he fancies you. So, what happened?"

"I thought he was finally going to ask me to Hogsmeade in the spring, even though I had to study for OWLs. Instead, he took that tart Caroline Smyth," she spat out. "I got jealous and went with Henry Davies. We ran into Teddy and his date, and the two of us got into a huge row. We haven't really spoken to each other since."

Ron chuckled. "That sounds familiar."

She gave him a murderous glare. "It's not funny."

He paused, a faraway look in his face as he remembered when he was in a similar situation. "No, I don't suppose it is, to you. Look, do you trust me?"

"Yeah."

"My advice is this. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

Victoire stood up so quickly that her chair almost tipped over. The expression on her face was one of utter mortification. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

She paced for a moment, before leaning against the countertop and staring down at the floor, her face hard.

"What if he doesn't feel the same? I'll lose one of my best friends. Not to mention how awkward every family gathering would be."

"What about the alternative? By the way he's been staring longingly at you, I'd say he fancies you just as much, but he's probably also asking himself the same questions."

Ron could see a small smile crack her façade. "Do you really think so?"

"Absolutely. The fear is going to be there anytime we make ourselves vulnerable, but it's worth confronting. Wow, I've clearly spent far too much time with your aunt to come up with that."

Her smile broadened and she looked up.

"Trust me when I tell you this—you don't want to waste any more time, when you could be together and happy." Ron's expression darkened, as if recalling a troubling memory. "You never know when you might lose that chance."

Victoire sat back down, across from her uncle. She remembered something her dad had said in the morning, but didn't know how to ask about it. "I think I'll talk to Teddy. Thank you for your advice. Um…"

She stopped and tapped her fingers nervously on the table, his words about losing the chance echoing in her thoughts. "Did something happen to Aunt Hermione during the war? My dad said something about helping you, but my mum said to ask you about it."

She watched anxiously as the expression on her uncle's face changed. His normally jovial features tightened. A thin, forced smile graced his lips.

"Is that why you wanted to speak to me?"

She looked down. "No. But I understand if you don't want to talk about this."

Ron took a deep breath and surveyed his niece for a moment, before making up his mind.

"I think you're mature enough to hear this. But, before I tell you, I need you to promise me something."

She nodded solemnly.

"Promise me that you will never mention any of what I'm about to tell you in front of your aunt, unless she initiates the conversation. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Ron took a deep breath. "Alright, what do you know—specifically—about what your Uncle Harry, your aunt, and I were up to leading up to the Battle of Hogwarts?"

"Well, I know you escaped from my parents wedding to find Voldemort's horcruxes in secret. The three of you broke into the Ministry on your quest, and you broke out of Gringotts on a dragon."

"Those are some of the highlights," Ron added grimly. "In between all that, we had some of the hardest months of our lives. Camping and hiding. Constantly fearing we'd be caught or worse. No food, no patience, no clear path on what to do. Those terrible objects fighting to drive us apart."

"Sounds terrible."

"Oh, it was. But one incident will always stand out, and it's not something you'll read about in a textbook."

Victorie's eyes were wide now. She'd never seen her uncle look so serious… and vulnerable.

"It was the night your aunt almost died at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange."

She visibly shivered hearing that name, the grimy image of that madwoman from her schoolbook flooding her memories. It had truly pained Teddy to find out that his own relative had murdered his mother.

"We were captured by Snatchers. Do you know about them?"

She nodded.

"They took us to Malfoy Manor and we were questioned by Lestrange. The Malfoys were there, as was…"

Ron paused, unsure of whether to mention that name. The beast that had maimed Bill.

Victoire's eyes narrowed. "Fenrir Greyback."

He nodded. "Bellatrix separated us, sending your uncle and I down to the dungeons, but keeping your aunt to question her further."

"Why keep her and not Uncle Harry?"

Ron's voice lowered to a murmur. "Because of who she is... her blood status."

"Muggleborn."

"Yes, though it was a different M-word that Bellatrix called your aunt."

"Mudblood," Victoire whispered with disgust, the word sounding harsh in the quiet kitchen.

"As soon as Uncle Harry and I got to the dungeons, we heard your aunt's screams. She was being tortured, the Cruciatus, and there was nothing I could do."

Victorie gasped, her hands flew to cover her mouth. "The Cruciatus? Poor Aunt Hermione."

Ron nodded stiffy.

"Bellatrix kept questioning her and torturing her with that bloody curse. Over and over again. I went mental, bellowing her name, scratching at the walls trying to get to her. Imagine hearing the love of your life going through something like that."

Ron could see tears forming in his niece's eyes, so he reached out a hand and gave her a squeeze.

"Hermione was so, so strong. She never gave in and revealed anything. She even managed to lie convincingly enough to buy us more time."

Victoire could see the pride in her uncle's face, and knew she'd heard enough to know that his words about losing the chance for love were true. He and her Aunt Hermione lived it.

"How did my parents help?"

"We managed to escape to Shell Cottage, and they helped us heal and get ready for the next fight. Your mum really helped me in taking care of your aunt while she recovered from her ordeal. I'll always owe them a debt of gratitude for everything they did for me."

"I'm sure you played a big role in helped Aunt Hermione as well."

Ron blushed. "Yes, well, I knew by then I loved your aunt. I would do anything for her. Then and now."

"I can't even imagine how Aunt Hermione must have felt, facing such a monster."

"Well, thank goodness your grandmother put an end to that twisted lunatic."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess your dad never told you this. Grandma Molly killed Bellatrix in a duel during the Battle of Hogwarts, after Bellatrix almost got your Aunt Ginny."

She had a look of awe on her face. "Really? Grandma Molly? Our textbook just said that Bellatrix Lestrange died in the battle as second-in-command to Voldemort."

Ron looked down, examining a scratch in the table. "Bellatrix taunted Mum about leaving the rest of us orphaned… and about Fred. Mum didn't take kindly to that, outdueled her, and defeated her."

Victoire knew about her Uncle George's twin, who'd died in the battle. They remembered him every Christmas with a toast, along with Teddy's parents and others who had been lost.

Ron took a deep, shaky breath, but gave his niece a small smile. "This turned into a serious conversation."

"I'm glad you told me, Uncle Ron, all of it. It really makes the problems I'm facing seem so much smaller."

Silence enveloped the room, the two both lost in their thoughts.

Ron suddenly broke the reverie. "What were you going to ask me, anyway?"

Victoire flushed the trademark Weasley red, her original question would now sound rather insulting to her uncle.

"Well, I… No, it's stupid."

"C'mon then, out with it."

She looked nervous, and couldn't seem to make eye contact with Ron.

"I was going to ask why you didn't like me."

Ron recoiled in shock.

"Huh? Why'd you think that?"

"It's silly. It's because you never call me by my nickname. I thought it was something from the war, but Mum and Dad seemed to think otherwise. I've seen how you react whenever someone calls me Vicky."

Ron visibly cringed.

"See, just like that!"

Ron ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up haphazardly.

"It has nothing to do with you, Victoire, so I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. That name just brings back some bad memories, mainly of my own jealousies concerning your Aunt Hermione."

"But the two of you are the worst."

"Excuse me?"

"Not in a bad sense. I mean, you're always so… affectionate and loving towards each other. It's a little much sometimes. How could you possibly have been jealous?"

"We were your age once, you know." Ron was quiet for a moment, pondering how to tell her. "Do you know when your parents first met each other?"

"What does this have to do with my nickname?"

"You'll see."

"Yes, during the Triwizard Tournament mum and Uncle Harry were in."

"Exactly. That Christmas, there was a ball at school."

Victoire perked up. "Oh, the Yule Ball! Mum told me all about it. She said it was amazing."

"Amazing for most," he muttered under his breath. "You see, your Aunt Hermione—"

"And you went together, and you fell in love that night. How romantic!"

"Ha! Not quite. I was still figuring out what I felt for her, and I made a big mistake. One which, truthfully, still bothers me to this day."

Victorie was hanging on every word, trying to imagine them as teenagers.

"I assumed your Aunt didn't have a date, being a bookworm and all, so I sort of asked her as a last resort. Hell, I even tried asking your mum before that, which was a disaster."

She laughed. "You asked mum to the ball?"

"Not my proudest moment. Though to be fair, it took me a while to see past the Veela side of her."

"What happened?"

Ron closed his eyes for a moment. "It turned out that your aunt did have a date, and it was Viktor bloody Krum."

"Mum's friend Viktor?" She exclaimed in surprise. "I've met him a couple of times."

"Yes, well, I wasn't exactly thrilled that a world-famous Quidditch star and Triwizard competitor was interested in your aunt." He couldn't help but smile wistfully. "Gods, Hermione looked beautiful that night."

"So then you went to the ball alone, and pined over her? That's so sweet."

"No, I did end up getting a date, but I was pretty horrid to her. I refused to dance and I pouted all night. I was just so angry and jealous watching your aunt dance and laugh with that… prat."

"Sounds familiar."

Ron nodded at his niece. "I told you I'd dealt with complicated. After the ball, we got into a huge row in the Common Room. Little did I know that your aunt had her first kiss that night, and it certainly wasn't with me. That fact also came back to bite me a couple of years later, but that's a story for another time."

"What did you do?"

"What could I do? I couldn't measure up to him. I went mental whenever he was mentioned, or whenever I found out Hermione was exchanging letters with him. I began referring to him as Vicky, just to piss off your aunt."

"I finally get it! Whenever you hear that name, you don't think of me, but of Viktor Krum!"

"Exactly. It's silly, I know, after all these years. It just reminds me of a time when I was so confused and upset. I wasn't very confident to begin with, and having to compete against Krum really set my relationship with your aunt backwards a few times."

"Well, I think things turned out for the best. I can't image anyone making Aunt Hermione as happy as you do."

"Thank you. That's why I think you and Teddy don't need to carry those same kinds of regrets and have stupid fights like we did. Just go straight to the happy part. That will only happen if one of you opens up and shows some real honesty."

A determined look crossed her face, the same one Ron had seen on Fleur's face in the past, notably when she stood by Bill after he was attacked.

"I'm going to do just that."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm not the only one in the family who thinks the two of you would make a good match. As for your nickname, I'll try my best not to let it bother me."

"It's fine, now that I know it isn't because of me. It's actually… kind of cute."

"Well, don't repeat that in front of your cousins." Ron puffed out his chest. "I have a reputation to uphold."

Victorie rolled her eyes, before pushing her chair back and standing up.

Ron also stood up, ready to make his way back to the family gathering. Before he could go any further, his niece gave him a big hug.

"Thanks for listening, and for trusting me."

"You got it."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she continued. "I hope you're this patient when Rose is my age."

"Rose isn't dating until she's thirty, so I have nothing to worry about."

She giggled. "Sure, Uncle Ron, if that helps you sleep at night."

"It does."

They exited the kitchen to find that several members of the family were now positioned suspiciously close to the door, their interference held at bay by Fleur's fierce gaze.

Victoire made a beeline for Hermione and hugged her fiercely, surprising Ron, Hermione, and everyone else.

Ron knew he was about to get cornered by Fleur and Hermione, so he hung back for a second, all eyes continuing to follow Victoire as she dodged a few of her younger cousins and made her way towards Teddy, who was staring at her unabashedly.

Leaning down, she whispered something, causing him to nod. He stood and followed her out towards the garden.

Bill suddenly appeared to Ron's right. "I don't know what you two talked about, but it looks like you got through to her."

"She's a good kid, you and Fleur did a great job with her."

"Thanks, mate. I hope she didn't ask about anything too… sensitive?"

"Nah, she's old enough to hear about some of the stuff we went through. It's good for her to know… puts things in perspective."

"When did you become so wise?"

As Ron watched Hermione approach, he felt a rush of affection for the woman he loved.

"Being married to the smartest witch in the country has its advantages."