Although Victoire Weasley loved Shell Cottage and the Burrow, she felt like Hogwarts was her real home. When she was little her mother always told her, "La maison est où le coeur est". Though in her mind, she knew her parents would be disappointed if she knew that she didn't think of their house as home.

The real reason that she felt like Hogwarts was her home was that Teddy was there and he was the one holding her heart. He just didn't know it yet. She wanted to tell him, but she didn't know how. How do you tell that boy that you've pretty much known your whole life that you are in love with him?

Her best friend, Laura Jordan, told her that she should just tell him and then they would live happily ever after together. Laura was an eternal optimistic, and she always saw the good that could happen-never the bad. Her other friend, Brooke, told her that she had to be more careful and not just go up to him and say it. Brooke was what she called a "realistic".

But Victoire was afraid. She wanted to tell him, she really truly did. But every time she got it in her head to tell him, she would freeze up. Her whole back would straighten up, and her mouth wouldn't work, as if cement had sealed it shut. Teddy wasn't completely oblivious, he always noticed her freeze up.

"Vic, are you okay?" he would ask, his (usually) blue eyes looking at her with concern. Victoire would turn her head back down to her book, or the ground, or somewhere where she wasn't looking Teddy in the face because she was sure that she would burst if she did. She had never really felt this before.

"It's called fear," Laura told her, rolling her eyes, "Most people have it."

"I've felt fear before," Victoire cried, "Remember when we had to go in the forest for that one Care of Magical Creatures lesson?"

"That was funny," Brooke remarked.

"Anyway, you have to stand up to it," Laura said, "You have to tell him how you feel. You two are just meant for each other, I can tell." Brooke just rolled her eyes and didn't say anything else.

Later that same day, Victoire went up to Teddy.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Teddy replied, "What's going on?"

"I'mhavingsometroublewithHerbol oby," Victoire said in one breath.

"Come again?" Teddy asked.

"I'm having some trouble with Herboloby, and I was wondering if today after school you would come to the library and help me with it," Victoire said slower.

"Sure," Teddy said, "I'll see you then."

Victoire felt like she was walking through the rest of the day in a dream. She didn't know how she made it through the day. When she got to the library, Teddy was already there waiting.

"Hey," she said, sliding in the seat next to him.

"Hey," he said, "So I was looking at this Herboloby thing…"

"Teddy," Victoire said, taking a deep breath, "Can I talk to you about something?"

A/N-For the 2012 Hogwarts Games Shot Put Round 2, and for the OTP Boot Camp with the prompt "Fear".