"What's all the pink for?"
At the wizened age of eight, Teddy seemed to hold an immeasurable wealth of knowledge for five-year-old Victoire, and so she turned to him for answers to her most important questions (and her less important ones, as well).
Teddy looked up from the rocks he was inspecting and took his hands out of the cold water of the creek. In the distance, he could see Shell Cottage, and pink ribbons fluttered in the air and the hair of many of the figures standing around in the yard. He'd almost forgotten.
"Valentine's Day," he replied matter-of-factly, as though the subject was closed.
"What's that?" Victoire persisted, eyes wide as she crouched on the grassy bank and watched him.
Teddy picked up a stone from the water, looked at it intently, and put it back. He wanted to wade into the creek, past the flat stones and into the welcoming mud which lined the middle, but it was too cold in mid-February.
"It's for showing people you like them," he said distractedly. "That's why there's so much pink, because it's a really girly colour, and boys show girls they like them by using their colour. And when people are married like your mum and dad, they give each other stuff. Or kiss each other." He wrinkled his nose.
"How come no one's kissed me?" Victoire pouted.
"You don't do that stuff with everyone," Teddy said with a patient air. "Only your Valentine."
She smiled shyly. "Will you be my Valentine?"
Teddy made a face. "I'm not going to kiss you or anything!"
Victoire stuck out her lower lip. "Don't you like me, Teddy?"
Of course he liked her; she was Victoire. She was his shadow, always dependable, if a little annoying at times. Being the only children in the Weasley clan (to an extent, in Teddy's case), they had grown up around each other. Teddy's first sign of magic had been floating her out of her crib so that he could play with her, before she was talking or walking. Victoire's was trying to change hair colour like he did, resulting in a technicolour mess. They were inseparable; she was probably his favourite person in the world.
But he didn't want to kiss her.
Rolling his eyes, Teddy looked around and spotted a bunch of daisies a couple of feet back from the bank. He pushed himself up, plucked one of the daisies, and held it out to her. "Here. Happy Valentine's Day."
The look of pure joy that appeared on her face made Teddy smile involuntarily.
And then he pushed her in the creek.