Library Paradise

The library. That was Victoire Weasley's paradise, her favorite place at Hogwarts. She simply adored reading. She could travel to faraway lands without moving from her seat. Books were little treasures to her, and the fact that she could go to the library every day and learn about new branches of magic, immerse herself in thousands of different stories, of different worlds, made her life better.

Victoire was engrossed in reading Xylomancy by Selina Sapworthy when a folded paper that looked like a little dove landed on the page she was reading. The branch of divination that had intrigued her so much a few moments earlier didn't appear so appealing all of a sudden. She unfolded the paper and read:

"Dear Victoire,

I've noticed you cherish books, so I thought that you'd be fond of my father's collection. Christmas break is coming. What do you say? Would you like to come home during Christmas and have a look at it?

E.L."

E.L. Who could that person be? Curiosity filled her veins and instantaneously, her blue eyes rose from the note and scanned the room in search of possible authors. There were few people in the library, all of them doing homework, studying, researching and reading, all of them except a tall hufflepuff boy who was giving her a bashful grin, half-hiding it behind a book whose title she couldn't read. She knew him. The Head Boy. Of course, it had to be him. That blue hair was unmistakable. She always called him Teddy, but his real name was Edward Lupin. E.L. So his father had a book collection, eh? Well, how bad could it be to take a look at it? She was nodding at the boy before she knew it. His grin enlarged and his hair turned her unique blonde shade of color in response.

"So this is it. My father's collection!" Teddy exclaimed, spreading his arms open in front of the old wooden shelves.

"Wow!"

Victoire was agape. The blue in her eyes glistened like the moonlight reflected on the calm sea. Books. Hundreds and hundreds of books, all of them ordered alphabetically and by themes on the bookshelves. The most enthralling sight she had ever seen. She wanted to grab them all and never leave this sacred place. Her pale fingers made to reach a book, but before she could touch the spine, her hand halted. She nearly touched a book without permission. Merlin! She felt the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment, tinging them bright pink.

Teddy chuckled at her expression, a rich throaty sound that caught her attention as much as the book she had almost got her hands on.

"You can borrow some, you know? If I had only wanted you to see the library, I would have sent you a photograph…"

Victoire blushed even more, but this time she took hold of that book that had seemed to call her. It was old yet well conserved. Her fingers caressed the front board delicately as she took in every detail. The title was a golden fancywork that contrasted against the dark brown color of the cover material. She had read many books to know that she shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but this sure looked promising. Such a perfect view.

His voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Mhm? I'm sorry. I was in my own world…" she apologized.

His lips twitched, showing a grin that reminded her of a rascal child. Oddly, she found she quite liked his smile, so pure and boyish, with that trace of mischief that made her want to go on adventures with him.

"I asked you if you fancied some hot cocoa…"

Victoire smiled brightly at him and nodded. Hot cocoa was her favorite drink, especially on cold windy days like today.

"Okay, then. You may sit on there while I bring you one of those…" he mumbled as he pointed to an imitation leather sofa in the room.

Victoire complied and got lost in the words of the old pages. She was so absorbed that she didn't even notice the smell of hot cocoa that flooded the library.

"Weasley, are you in this room?" asked Teddy, giving her that childish grin again.

His voice startled her, making her slightly jump in her seat. She brought the book close to her chest as an instinct, like a mother protecting her child.

"Bloody hell, Lupin! Don't scare me like that!"

He chuckled as he mumbled an apology and offered her the drink.

Victoire took the glass, and unconsciously, her slender fingers grazed his. An electrifying sensation traveled through her veins. His heart pounded wildly. Their gazes locked. His initially green eyes, the same shade he had inherited from his father, turned as blue as hers. She began to lean in but caught herself before anything happened. This was Teddy Lupin. Handsome, kind and intelligent. He could get any other person. Why would he fancy her? She would hate it if he was interested in her only for her veela blood. Victoire was tired of guys and girls going after her only for her beauty.

Victoire cleared her throat and averted his confused eyes. She sipped the hot cocoa and pretended to read in an attempt to forget about the fact she had almost made a fool of herself. It took her minutes to actually forget about him. He was too close to her. His aroma, a mix of hot cocoa and cinnamon and something manly she couldn't quite tell was distracting her.

"You know, Weasley? You look cute when you read…"

She lost her breath and her cheeks flushed. Had he just complimented her looks?

"What?" she breathed out, wide-eyed.

"You look cute when you read…" he repeated. "And you look even more adorable when you blush like that…"

Victoire gulped and avoided his eyes. She was a mess. Her mind didn't stop coming up with doubts. Why did it feel like she was looking at herself in the mirror? Why did his eyes look like hers? Did that mean something? Was he playing with her?

He cupped her face until she couldn't escape his gaze.

"Why did you invite me to come here?" she finally questioned, her voice merely a whisper.

"You love books," he replied with a shrug, trying to play it cool, although his cheeks were rosy.

"I'm not the only one," she pointed out.

"No… But you are the only one who's ever caught my eye. I thought we could start off being friends… I supposed you'd like my father's collection and so I decided to show it to you…"

Everybody knew that Teddy was an orphan. Everybody knew that his parents died the 2nd of May of 1998 during that fateful night, defending Hogwarts. Her parents had named her Victoire to celebrate the victory of that day, the triumph, as she had been born exactly two years later. However, people like Teddy reminded her of the other side of the war. The tragedy. The fear. The darkness. The death. Victoire liked her name, but there was a part of her that wondered whether wars were truly won. Was there a victorious side? Because right then, she didn't think Teddy had won anything.

"Why do you trust me with something so personal? You don't know me…"

Even his ears turned red. He fidgeted and babbled, "W-well, I may have a crush on you. You're smart, graceful and brave. I thought that you'd appreciate the gesture and that maybe you'd-"

"Thank you, Teddy," she cut him off with a soft and sincere smile, saving him from his misery.

He stared at her agape. It was the first time that Victoire had called him by his first name, his nickname, actually. He shook his head to snap out of his trance and murmured, "You're welcome, Victoire."

So he has a crush on me, and it isn't only for my looks, she thought with a small grin. She couldn't believe her luck. Maybe this would work. Maybe they'd end up dating. Victoire wanted to tell him that she felt the same for him, but a lump formed in her throat, so she snuggled into him instead. It was the perfect excuse to smell him without being too obvious. He froze for a second, but she paid it no mind. She focused on reading once again, drinking hot cocoa now and then. A timid arm draped over her shoulder, bringing her closer to him.

Victoire had thought that the library of Hogwarts was paradise. She had been wrong. This, being in his arms while reading on an imitation leather sofa. This was paradise.

THE END

A/N: Hey! This was originally written as a Teddy Lupin x reader imagine for my tumblr blog. I re-edited it so that this was a Teddy Lupin x Victoire Weasley one-shot. It's the first time I write about them, so I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome :) I apologize if there is any grammatical mistake. I tried my best, but English is not my first language.