Sometimes Victoire Weasley wasn't sure if she was really in love with Teddy Lupin.

Yes, she loved kissing him. She loved the way he smelled. She loved his crooked little smile and his ever-changing hair color. She loved that he could make her laugh and that he always held in hand in public.

But she wasn't sure she really loved him. She knew everyone, including him, expected them to get married a year or two after she graduated from Hogwarts. Everyone expected them to buy a small house not far from Shell Cottage. They expected her to get a sensible desk job at the Ministry, one that allowed her to be home in time to have dinner on the table for her husband. They expected them to raise a family, grow old together, and spend the rest of their lives in that little house by the ocean.

And quite frankly, Victoire Weasley didn't like that idea. She didn't want to be stuck in Tinworth for the rest of her life. She wanted to travel. She wanted to experience things. She wanted to meet people. She didn't want to be stuck with the first boy she'd ever been with for the rest of her life.

So the day after she graduated, she converted the money she'd been saving since she was a little girl to muggle money and she got on a plane to New York City.

And she didn't look back.

Everyone speculated about her leaving, of course.

"Not a word to anyone," whispered Melania Muldoon, leaning forward in her seat at the reception desk of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, desperate to catch a peek of Teddy Lupin when he arrived that morning. "She just took off."

Hazel Denholm adjusted her ill-fitting robes and smoothed down her frizzy hair. "Imagine that," she murmured dreamily. "Just hopping on a plane and going to New York City. It sounds wonderful."

"There he is," hissed Melania, immediately lowering her head. She shuffled through a stack of papers she was pretending to read, all the while watching over the top of her glasses as Teddy Lupin passed by.

"Good morning, ladies," he said, nodding his head and giving them a warm smile.

Hazel swooned.

Melania tried to hide her disappointment. She'd been expecting him to look haggard, maybe with dark circles under his eyes or alcohol on his breath. His girlfriend had just left him and run of to New York, for Merlin's sake. Instead he was just as he'd always been, impeccably dressed and as friendly as ever. That was hardly gossip worthy material.

"He's so handsome," whispered Hazel, watching him disappear down the hall and around the corner.

Melania gave a noncommittal grunt in reply

"What?" Hazel asked. "Don't you agree?"

Melania sighed, as if the conversation had become just too much to bear. She set down her quill and removed her glasses. "Hazel," she said in her most serious voice. "As someone older and wiser than yourself, I consider it my duty to tell you that you don't have a chance with Teddy Lupin."

Hazel looked hurt, her hands immediately flying up to smooth her hair. For the thousandth time that week, she wished she looked more like Victoire Weasley.

"It's not as if you don't have your charms, dear," the older woman continued. "You're really quite lovely. But let's face it; Teddy is never going to take notice. You need to focus your sights on someone more attainable. Like Tony."

"The maintenance man?"

Melania nodded. "Yes, dear. I'm afraid so."

Teddy Lupin really did not want to be at work. Mondays were always horrible, but this one was particularly bad. Two days before, his girlfriend had hopped on a plane and disappeared across the Atlantic Ocean. Just days before he had been planning to propose to her. Now the ring was sitting its velvet box in a drawer in has flat. It was all he could think about, that ring just sitting there, gathering dust.

He was in a daze all day, though you'd never guess it by looking at him. He tried to go about his business as usual. After all, he was an adult and he had a job to do. He was completely distracted when he slammed into someone, his mind too stuck on Victoire to notice the person walking down the hallway in his direction. They collided and papers went flying.

"I'm so sorry," he said, kneeling down and gathering up the stray parchment.

"That's okay," a female voice replied.

He looked up, to see to whom the voice belonged. He recognized her. She was that girl from the reception desk. What was her name again?

Hailey?

Hannah?

Holly?

Hazel?

Yes, Hazel. That was it. Hazel.

"I'm sorry, Hazel," he said, standing up and handing her the stack of papers. "I just have a lot on my mind this morning."

The girl stared at him, her mouth hanging open a bit.

Teddy Lupin knew her name.

Teddy Lupin knew her name.

Hazel Denholm had forgotten how to speak. Or breathe.

Snapping back to her senses, she quickly flashed him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, I heard about that. I'm really sorry."

"I just can't believe she left," Teddy said.

Hazel didn't know what to say. She had never seen Teddy Lupin look the way he did now. Staring at the ground. Confused, unhappy expression on his face. Hair that seemed to be growing a duller shade of brown by the minute.

"I really love her," he said, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his robe. "I thought she loved me too."

"Erm," Hazel said, trying not to panic. Why was she telling her all this? Merlin's beard, he'd never said anything other than 'good morning' and 'see you tomorrow' to her in the entire year she'd worked there.

"She was mine," he whispered hoarsely. "And now she's gone."

"Do you want a piece of cake?" Hazel blurted before she could stop herself.

Teddy blinked. "Cake?"

"My grandmother baked me a cake," she explained, her face growing red. "It's delicious. She's the best cook in the world."

"Cake sounds good," he said.

Teddy was completely mortified. He'd been crying. Crying. In front of a girl. Whom he barely knew. About his girlfriend who had left him.

At least he was getting cake out of it.

Melania Muldoon watched in shock as Teddy Lupin followed Hazel Denholm into the break room. She quickly put on her glasses and leaned as far to the side as she could without tumbling out off her chair, trying to get a peek inside the room. What could they be doing in there?

"M-ms. Muldoon?"

She nearly toppled out of her chair in surprise. Quickly sitting up straight, she found herself face to face with one of the men from Magical Maintenance.

"Oh, hello, Tony," she said, smoothing down her sleek bob, glad that nobody important had seen her. "What can I do for you?"

"I-I-I was w-wondering if Hazel w-was around?" he asked nervously, picking at a loose thread on his robes.

Melania smiled, exposing a set of blindingly white teeth. "I'm sorry, dear," she said. "But she's a little busy right now."

"B-b-but," Tony stammered, glancing down at his watch, "isn't this when she usually g-gets off?"

Melania continued smiling. "Yes, dear. But you see, she's in the break room –"

"Oh," he said. "W-w-well, I'll j-just go find her then."

"With Teddy Lupin!" Melania added gleefully.

Tony's eyes widened. "Oh? W-well, erm, I…I'll j-just be g-going then."

He turned to leave, a forlorn expression on his face.

"Oh, Tony," Melania said.

He turned. "Y-yes?"

"Have you ever thought about doing something about your stutter?" she asked, examining her blood red fingernails.

"I-I-I… N-no –"

"Because I have someone I could refer you to," she said.

"T-that's not n-necessary."

"Well, just thought I'd offer," she said. She glanced at the clock. "Merlin's beard, is that really the time? Why in the world am I still here?"

She stood up, grabbed her purse, and brushed past Tony, leaving him behind in a cloud of perfume.

Tony Trimble sighed heavily when he reached his shabby flat in London. He pulled of his navy work robes and threw himself down on his bed.

Teddy Lupin? That was who he was competing with for Hazel Denholm's affections?

He was doomed.

I wrote this a while ago and then forgot about it. I probably shouldn't be posting it now, but oh well.

Please review and let me know what you think!