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Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and places from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by JK Rowling. However, all plots are my own and are in no way endorsed by JK Rowling or anyone affiliated with the Harry Potter universe.
Chapter 1: September 2011
"I wanna come with you!" Dominique screamed, clutching onto Victoire's arm in desperation. "Don't leave me here with just him," she sneered in the direction of her younger brother.
Dominique was nine, two years away from her first day of school. Louis was seven, the perfect age for being the most annoying brother on the planet. Victoire felt bad for her sister, she really did. But she had done her waiting, and Dominique was just going to have to suck it up and deal with Louis for the next two years without her.
"Maman," Victoire complained, gesturing to Dominique. Fleur Delacour-Weasley reached forward and pulled a struggling Dominique off her sister. "Merci," Victoire said in thanks.
"What if Victoire just waited a couple years to start Hogwarts?" Dominique suggested, looking up at their mother. "We could be in the same year. We could share a dorm and have sleepover parties all the time!"
"I'd be the only thirteen-year-old first year," Victoire pointed out. "Everyone would make fun of me."
"I wouldn't," Dominique vowed.
"Chèrie," their mother said, crouching down so that she was eye-level with Dominique. "We talked about this. Victoire is going to go to school and you are going to come home with Louis, papa and me."
Dominique sighed. "Alright," she conceded. "At least promise to write me at least once a week," she added, looking up at her sister.
"I promise," Victoire swore. Anything to get her on the train without a nine-year-old wrapped around her leg.
"And not just general letters to the family, I want letters just for me," Dominique demanded.
"Okay, I promise," Victoire assured her. "I'll write letters just for you."
"Do I get letters just for me too?" Louis asked, eager to join the conversation.
"Sure Louis, I'll write some letters just for you too," Victoire promised.
Just then, the scarlet steam engine blew the whistle that meant that there were only five minutes left to board the train.
"I better get going," Victoire announced, suddenly feeling very nervous. This was it. She was about to go to Hogwarts. She was going to get on a train full of strangers and go to a building full of even more strangers while the rest of her family went home to their beautiful cottage by the sea. She was going to miss waking up to the seagulls cawing and the smell of the ocean.
"Alright sweetheart," her father, Bill Weasley, said. "Now don't forget, Uncle Harry told Teddy to keep an eye out for you, so if you need anything, you can ask him. And you know lots of the teachers, so you can always go to them if you need also."
"I know," Victoire said. Not that she was going to ask the teachers for help. Just because she knew Professor Longbottom and Professor Tonks from Christmas parties at the Burrow didn't mean she was going to become a teacher's pet. If she did need anything, she would go to Teddy. Knowing an older student would make her seem cool. Knowing the teachers would only make her look super lame.
"We'll see you at Christmas," her mother said, pulling her into a tight hug. "We know you'll have a great time."
"And remember, studying is important, but don't forget to have fun too," her father added.
The train blew its final whistle and Victoire gave one last round of hugs to her family before climbing up into the train. Her father lifted up her trunk and passed it to her and she waved as the train started to move.
"Goodbye!" Victoire called out. "I'll miss you!"
"We'll miss you too sweetheart," her father called back.
"I'll miss you the most!" Dominique cried loudly.
Victoire smiled as the train picked up speed and her family quickly became smaller and smaller before disappearing altogether. With a deep breath, she turned around and found herself colliding with another student.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" Victoire cried out apologetically.
The boy she'd collided with looked her up and down before sneering at her. "First years sit at the back of the train," he said. "This compartment is for third years only."
"Oh!" Victoire exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't realize there was a rule about that. My father never mentioned…"
"You'd better learn your place and learn it fast, Flob, because I don't have time to deal with first years who don't know to keep out of my way."
"Hey!" a familiar voice called out. Victoire breather a sigh of relief as Teddy walked over and stepped between her and the older student. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I was just telling the Flob to stay out of my way," the boy said. "She just ran right into me, came straight out of nowhere."
"I did not!" Victoire exclaimed, suddenly feeling very confident with Teddy standing right there. "I was only turning around; you were the one flying down the corridor.
"Now you listen here, Flob," the boy said, taking a step towards her with his finger pointed directly at her.
"Hey, you leave her alone," Teddy insisted. "She didn't do anything wrong and if you continue to harass her, I'm going to have to call a prefect down here."
"You wouldn't call for a prefect," the boy sneered. "Besides, they're all up at the front of the train for their meeting. They won't be patrolling for another ten minutes at least. You're bluffing."
"Try me," Teddy said, staring the boy down.
For a moment, Victoire didn't know what was going to happen. Teddy and the other boy were locked in a death stare and meanwhile, she was stuck in the third year's car when she should really be at the back with the other first years! Finally, the boy gave in.
"Whatever," he muttered, backing away. "My friends are waiting for me anyway."
As soon as he was gone, Victoire flung her arms around Teddy. "Thank you! I'm so sorry, I didn't know about the rule about where you can sit. You'd think my dad would have told me about that…"
"What rule?" Teddy asked with a frown.
"The one about how first years have to sit in the last car," Victoire clarified.
Teddy smiled and tried to hide his laugh. "There's no rule, Vic," he assured her. "Marcus just hates first years."
"Oh," Victoire said, relieved. "Well then I guess just thanks."
"No problem," Teddy said. "Where are you sitting? Do you need help getting your trunk somewhere?"
"I don't really know," Victoire said. "I hadn't gotten around to looking for a place to sit."
"Well c'mon then, you can sit with me and my mate Billy," Teddy offered.
"Thanks!" Victoire said gratefully. Now she didn't have to wander around the train awkwardly trying to find someone who would let her sit with them.
Teddy grabbed Victoire's trunk and began dragging it behind him as they made their way back down the corridor.
"Hey, Teddy?" Victoire asked.
"Yeah?" Teddy replied.
"What's a Flob?"
"Oh, don't worry about it. That's just a mean nickname some Slytherins came up with to make fun of first years," Teddy said.
"What does it mean?" Victoire wondered.
"It's a shortened form of Flobberworm," Teddy told her. "I think the idea is that first years are like worms that you step on and then you get gunk all over your shoe. If you hear it again, just ignore it. Most of us think it's a pretty lame nickname anyway."
"Okay," Victoire said. It was easy not to be bothered by mean nicknames when Teddy was telling her not to. She wasn't so sure how she would react if she was ever cornered by an older Slytherin again. Hopefully she would get sorted into either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw – the towers were far from the dungeons, so she would cross paths with them less often.
"Here we are," Teddy announced with a flourish as he opened the door to a compartment with only one occupant. "Billy, this is Victoire Weasley, a family friend. It's her first year and she doesn't know anybody yet, so I said she could sit with us."
"Nice to meet you Victoire," Teddy's friend said, extending a hand to shake. "Billy Carmichael."
"You too," Victoire returned as Teddy hoisted her trunk up into the luggage rack and sat down. "So are Byou in Gryffindor with Teddy?"
"That's right!" Billy exclaimed proudly. "House of the brave."
"I want to be in Gryffindor too," Victoire announced. "My dad was in Gryffindor and so was most of my family."
"Well it is the best house," Billy agreed. "Hey Teddy, did you happen to see the candy cart when you were out there?"
"The train literally just started moving. The trolley lady probably hasn't even started her rounds yet," Teddy said rolling his eyes at his friend.
"Well I'm just going to go and check on that," Billy said, getting up and grabbing some knuts from his trunk as he went. "I'll be right back."
As the door shut behind him, Victoire slid over to the window seat and gazed out at the scenery flashing by.
"Nervous?" Teddy asked, watching her.
"A little," Victoire said. It was okay right now, because she was with Teddy. But when they got to Hogwarts she would be with all the other first years and she didn't know any of them.
"Hey, it's going to be fine," Teddy reassured her. "First year's a piece of cake. They barely give you any homework, so you'll have lots of free time to play. All the Professors are super nice and the food is fantastic."
"But – "
"I swear, it's fantastic," Teddy promised. "Billy will second that as soon as he gets back. Don't tell Grandma Weasley, but their steak and kidney pie? To die for."
"Oh, I believe you about the food," Victoire assured him. "It's just…"
"Just what?" Teddy prompted when Victoire didn't finish her sentence.
Victoire took a deep breath before continuing. "What if I don't make any friends?" she asked. "What if everyone hates me and I have to spend seven years hiding out in the library or something?"
"What?" Teddy balked. "Are you crazy? How could you not make friends? You're Victoire Weasley, everyone's going to want to be your friend."
"It's just… you know… with maman…"
Victoire trailed off. Her mother was part Veela – a quarter Veela in fact, which made Victoire and eighth part Veela. Even though an eighth wasn't enough to inherit Veela powers, Victoire had still managed to inherit her mother's beauty. Ever since she and her siblings had been little, people had fawned over them, saying they were the most beautiful children they'd ever seen. When her mother had been in school, she hadn't had that many friends. All the girls had been too jealous of her good looks and the effect she had on the boys that they hadn't wanted to befriend her. Victoire was afraid that the same would happen to her.
"That's not going to happen," Teddy promised, realizing what was bothering her. "Your mother… well from what I overheard from Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron that one time, I don't think she was exactly looking for friends. And besides, you're one of the most interesting and fun people I know. Anyone would be a Flob for not wanting to be friends with you."
"I thought you didn't like that name?" Victoire said.
"Yeah, well, if someone met you and didn't want to be your friend, then they deserve to be called a Flob," Teddy said.
Victoire smiled. "Thanks Teddy," she said.
"No problem," Teddy smiled back.
VvVvVvVvVvV
Well, here we are," Billy announced as the train came to a stop. "Hogsmeade station. End of the line."
"You ready?" Teddy asked a very nervous looking Victoire.
"Not really, but I guess it's time to go," she gulped as she listened to Hagrid's voice outside calling for the first years to gather.
"You'll be fine," Teddy said. "I'll see you later in the common room."
"You're assuming I'll get into Gryffindor," Victoire pointed out.
"You're a Weasley, it's practically guaranteed."
Victoire smiled and with a deep breath, she led the way out of the compartment and down onto the platform. She waved goodbye to Teddy and Billy as they headed for the flying carriages and she followed the stream of first years towards the boats.
"Firs' years, follow me!" Hagrid's voice called out again for any stragglers. He did a quick head count to make sure he had all of them and then began leading them towards the lake.
"Why does everyone else get to go that way?" an extremely nervous first year next to Victoire wondered.
"They're going to take the carriages up to the school," Victoire told her. "But they make the first years ride in boats. It's supposed to give us the full effect for our first view of the castle."
"Boats?" the girl asked shakily. "I don't like boats. I get seasick."
"Don't worry, it's not for long. We just have to cross the lake. It'll take ten, fifteen minutes at most. And the boats are powered by magic, so they don't shake as much," Victoire told her.
"How do you know so much?" the girl asked.
"My dad and all my aunts and uncles on his side of the family went to Hogwarts, and they love telling stories about 'the good old days'," Victoire said.
"That's cool," the girl said. "Neither of my parents is magical, so this is all really new to me."
"I'm Victoire Weasley," Victoire said with a smile.
"I'm Ellie," the girl replied. "Ellie Sawbridge."
They came to a halt and Hagrid called out that it was time to get into the boats. Four to a boat, he instructed. Victoire and Ellie clambered to the shore and got into an empty boat and were quickly joined by two more girls who introduced themselves as Kara and Marsha.
When everyone was safely in the boats, they all started to move at the same time. Nobody did much speaking as they glided across the water. When the castle came into view, Victoire marveled at it's size. Her family had told her stories, but she'd never comprehended until now just how big this castle really was. Especially considering how few students really attended.
All too soon, they had arrived and were climbing out of the boats onto the docks. They were too close to the castle now to see it in its entirety, but just looking up, Victoire marveled at how high it seemed to go.
"Doesn't it look like it reaches all the way up to heaven?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah," Victoire breathed.
"It doesn't, you know," another girl scoffed from nearby.
"Obviously we know that," Victoire countered. "It just looks like it from here."
"Alrigh' firs' years, this way," Hagrid called out once they were all out of the boats. Victoire hurried after him eagerly, wanting to see more of the castle. It was massive. There were so many corridors and doors everywhere, Victoire started to wonder how she was going to navigate her way around the school. Would they give her a map? Her father had never mentioned a map, but she thought it would be a good thing to have.
Soon they were outside the Great Hall and Hagrid was telling them to wait while he went in to see if they were ready for them. Moments later, Professor Longbottom emerged to give them instructions about the sorting. Victoire already knew all about the sorting from her family, but she listened intently anyway.
All too soon, it was time. Professor Longbottom pushed the double doors open and Victoire walked forward with the rest of the first years, trying to keep in the middle of the pack. Less eyes were on her if she was in the middle. The sorting hat rested on its stool at the front as once they had gathered around, it opened its mouth and began to sing.
Instead of paying attention to the song, which was probably just telling her stuff she already knew, Victoire scanned the room for Teddy. She was getting more and more nervous by the minute and he was the only familiar face she knew, besides the teachers. She found him sitting about halfway down the Gryffindor table and waited until she caught his eye. He smiled and made the thumbs-up motion with his hand, which didn't do much to calm Victoire's nerves, but at least she knew she had someone rooting for her in the crowd.
When the song was over, Professor Longbottom began to start calling names. The first boy, Nathan Abran, was sent almost immediately to Slytherin. The next few altered between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and then a whole pack went to Ravenclaw. Lucas Fraser was the first Huffepuff, eliciting a huge round of applause from the table in the middle right.
When Ellie's turn came, Victoire hoped she would be in Gryffindor with her, since they were already sort-of friends. The sorting hat deliberated with her for a while, but in the end it declared her a Hufflepuff.
As they started with the T's Victoire started to shift nervously from one foot to the other. Being a Weasley was great, but it also meant that she was going to be one of the last to be called. Soon, it was just her and one other girl waiting to be called while Maya Watson happily ran off to become a Hufflepuff.
"Weasley, Victoire," Professor Longbottom declared. As Victoire climbed the steps, she saw Neville shoot her a furtive smile. She sat down on the stool, hoping to catch a glimpse of Teddy before she was sorted, but before she could the hat was lowered onto her head and she was plunged into darkness.
"Oh," a voice whispered into her ear. "It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of sorting one of you," the hat said to her and only her. "I'd started to wonder if there were any of you left, but it seems that there are." Victoire wondered what the hat meant, but of course, the hat sensed the question and answered it for her. "Why, you're a Weasley, of course," the hat said. "I haven't sorted a Weasley since 1992." That would have been Aunt Ginny, Victoire thought to herself. "That's right, Ginny. Gryffindor through and through she was. How is she doing?" the hat wondered. Aren't you supposed to be sorting me, Victoire wondered back. "Right you are, right you are. Well, this should be easy. GRYFFINDOR!" the hat called out, the last word audible to the whole hall.
The Gryffindor table cheered and when Professor Longbottom pulled the hat off her head, Victoire made sure to scan the crowd for Teddy right away. He was beaming at her and she smiled back as she stood up from the stool and scampered over to the table to take a seat.
She barely paid any attention as the final girl was sorted. She must have gone to either Ravenclaw or Slytherin, because the applause was coming from that side of the room. Instead, Victoire breathed in and looked around from her new vantage point. This was it. She was a Gryffindor. This was officially her table. She would eat here for the next seven years, surrounded by these people.
As the feast began, Victoire looked around at the other first years. Nobody at their end of the table was really talking, instead all appeared very interested in their food. Deciding to step up and show some of her Gryffindor bravery, Victoire cleared her throat to speak.
"Hi!" she said. "I'm Victoire Weasley."
It was simple, but it did the job. The other first years gave their names and a few conversations started up. Victoire was sitting next to a boy named Cameron Philbrick and across was a boy named Nathanial Peterson. They both seemed very interested in Quidditch, a topic Victoire didn't have much to say about. She nodded along though and paid attention, throwing in a comment or two whenever she could. She was doing well, she thought, for her first attempt at making friends.
When the feast was over, the prefects began calling for the first years to gather to be led back to their houses. As they headed out of the hall and up the stairs, Victoire discovered the biggest downfall of being in Gryffindor: the dorms were in a tower, all the way at the very top of the castle. At least the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs only had to go down one flight of stairs. Meanwhile Victoire was already exhausted by the fourth floor. One thing was for certain, Victoire thought, by the end of her seven years, she was going to be very in shape.
They got to the common room before the rest of the house; the welcome feast was designed that way. Older students were supposed to wait behind for a few minutes to give the first years a chance to take in their new home without it being intimidating. It wasn't long though before some seventh years were clearing all the younger students out.
"First through fourth years, get up to your dorms, this is an upperclassman party only," one boy cried out.
"Well that doesn't seem fair," Victoire muttered, not really to anyone in particular.
"They do this every year," Teddy said, appearing at her side.
"Yeah," Billy added, coming up next to Teddy. "But it's not like we're missing anything really. I snuck down last year to see what was going on, and everyone was just standing around talking to each other while this really bad music was playing."
"Besides, tomorrow's your first day of classes," Teddy added. "You'll want to have gotten a good night's sleep. The upperclassmen are always like zombies the day after the welcome party."
"Hey, you lot!" an upperclassman shouted. "Clear out!"
Teddy shot Victoire an apologetic look.
"Well, goodnight I guess," Victoire shrugged, looking dubiously at the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. She still hadn't properly met any of the other female first year Gryffindors and she was nervous about how they would get along. After all, she had to share a dorm room with them for the next seven years.
"It'll be fine," Teddy assured her, sensing her hesitation. "See you tomorrow."
With a smile, a wave, and one more very rude seventh year telling them to get upstairs, Victoire ventured up to the dorm. The first year dorm was the third from the main floor and when she reached it, she could hear voices coming from the other side. Summoning her Gryffindor bravery again, she pushed open the door to face her dorm mates.
"Hi!" she greeted the slightly familiar faces. "I'm Victoire Weasley, we met down at the feast."
"You're the girl who got everyone talking!" a girl with long dark brown hair said admirably. "That was really bold of you, I never could have just spoken like that. I'm Brianna Jackson by the way."
"Nice to meet you," Victoire smiled. She hadn't really thought much of her actions at dinner, but she wasn't about to contradict the girl.
"I'm Raina Hudson," the next nearest girl introduced herself. She was extremely short and had short blond curly hair.
"Kara Jensen," the third girl smiled, extending her hand. She was taller even than Victoire, which was saying something, and had brown hair that was currently tied in two braids. "I think you were in my boat earlier?"
"Yes, I remember you," Victoire smiled, shaking her hand again.
"And that's Caitlin over there," Raina gestured to the last girl, who was standing on her bed as she hung Quidditch posters all over her wall.
"Hey," Caitlin greeted with a wave. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was swinging around wildly as she tried to balance herself enough to get her posters straight.
Victoire returned the greeting and then wandered over to the bed that was clearly hers as her trunk was set up at the foot. It looked like Kara and Brianna had the beds on either side of Victoire, with Caitlin on Brianna's other side and Raina next to Caitlin.
"Hey, do you guys mind if I unpack some of my stuff?" Raina asked.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Caitlin asked, sticking a poster of the Holyhead Harpies up with sellotape. "Make yourself at home. That's what this is, isn't it?"
"Great," Raina said, flinging open her trunk.
"Ugh, what's that smell?" Kara asked, coughing and covering her nose.
Victoire turned her head and caught a whiff of whatever it was, causing her to gag a little and then cover her nose with her robe.
"Oh, that's probably just my fertilizer. I make it myself you know. It's a combination of a few different things. I'm still trying to perfect it," Raina said excitedly.
"Um, why?" Kara asked, her nose scrunched up. "You know there are tons of perfectly good fertilizers out there."
"Sure, but I want to create the perfect one. Not just a passable one. One that will make the best plants," Raina explained. "After all, without the ideal fertilizer, how can I ever hope to grow plants to simulate potions ingredients like eye of newt?"
"I don't know," Kara responded. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Well because that way we wouldn't have to kill newts to get their eyes for potions," Raina said. "If we could just grow them, it would be a lot more humane."
"You know that's insane, right?" Kara asked. "You can't simulate eye of newt. It's the eye of a newt. By definition, it comes from a newt."
"It's fine, you don't have to believe me now," Raina said. "But one day when we're older and you're working a boring desk job at the Ministry, I'm going to be famous."
"Keep dreaming," Kara muttered, reaching into her trunk.
"What was that?" Raina asked. "You think this is just a joke?"
"No, I definitely didn't say that," Kara said defensively.
"Hey, Raina, if you want to grow your own eye of newt, then I say go for it. That's what dreams are for, aren't they?" Caitlin said. "I'm going to be a professional Quidditch player, and whenever people tell me I'm crazy, I just tell them that they don't know what they're talking about."
"It's not that I don't think we should have dreams," Kara said. "I just think they should be realistic."
Caitlin hopped down from the bed. "So what's your big dream then Jensen?" she asked. "To work at a reasonable-paying job and marry a reasonably good looking man and have a reasonable number of kids? That's realistic, isn't it?"
"I dunno," Kara shrugged non-commitally. "I guess I don't really have a dream," she said, turning around and grabbing her pyjamas and bathroom kit. Victoire suspected that she did in fact have a dream, but that she probably just didn't want to share it with such a hostile interrogator.
As she left to change in the bathroom, Victoire glanced over at Brianna to see how she seemed to feel about the whole thing. Catching her eye, Victoire raised her eyebrows questioningly. In response, Brianna glanced over at Raina and then rolled her eyes dramatically. Victoire tried to stifle a giggle and instead nodded her head in agreement. Sure, she probably wouldn't have called Raina out on it, but she did agree with Kara.
"Well I'm going to bed," Caitlin announced, flopping down on her bed still fully clothed. After what happened with Kara, Victoire didn't dare comment on it and instead grabbed her bathroom things and joined Kara in the bathroom.
"Hey," Victoire said, pushing the door open slowly so as not to surprise the other girl.
"Mmph," Kara returned, her mouth full of toothpaste. She held up a finger and then spat into the sink, rinsing out her mouth before turning back. "Hey."
"For what it's worth, I think that fertilizer belongs right where it came from; the garbage," Victoire said, laying out her things on the counter. "Merlin it smells awful."
"Right?" Kara exclaimed. "I thought I was the only one! I hope she gives up on that soon, because I don't know if I can take seven years of that stench. Do you think they'd let me switch houses? I hear Hufflepuff isn't bad."
"I don't think so," Victoire responded. "It looks like we're stuck here."
"Well at least you're sane," Kara sighed in relief. "From the minute we got up here, Caitlin wouldn't stop talking about Quidditch. You're lucky you stayed downstairs until you did."
"Oh good, you guys don't like Quidditch either?" a voice said from behind. Kara and Victoire turned around to find Brianna entering cautiously. "I thought it was just me. I don't know what I would've done if I was stuck rooming with four Quidditch nuts."
"Oh don't worry, Quidditch is so not my thing," Victoire assured the other girl. "I mean, I don't mind watching if my family are playing a game in the yard, but who wants to sit around and watch a bunch of strangers fly around for hours? I mean, hello? I have a life!"
"Oh my gosh, you guys are awesome!" Kara exclaimed as she brushed out her hair. I thought I was doomed when I first got here."
Suddenly, there was a loud crash from downstairs.
"What do you think's going on at the party down there?" Victoire mumbled, still a little upset about how unceremoniously the upperclassmen had thrown them all out.
"There's a party?" Brianna asked.
"Yeah, just for the upperclassmen. I guess you guys were already up here when they started kicking everyone out. My friend Teddy, he's a third year, he says they do this every year. It's just for fifth through seventh years."
"You have a friend in third year?" Kara gaped, staring at Victoire like she was the Queen.
"Yeah, it's no big deal, he's like a family friend. His godfather is my uncle and since his parents died when he was young, Uncle Harry was really involved in raising him, so he was always around at big family events and stuff. He's practically one of my cousins."
"Wait, Uncle Harry like Harry Potter?" Brianna asked.
"Yeah," Victoire replied, blushing a little. It was still weird, having people get excited when they realized who she was related to.
"Oh my gosh, that's so cool," Kara gushed. "What's he like?"
"He's alright I guess," Victoire shrugged. "I mean; I just think of him as Uncle Harry who's always walking into stuff. He got these Muggle contact lenses a few years back, I think he was trying to make himself less recognizable. Anyway, he can't see out of them at all, so now he's constantly knocking things over wherever he goes. Aunt Ginny keeps telling him to just wear his glasses, but he's too stubborn to listen."
"Wow," Brianna said in admiration.
"So cool," Kara added.
"Well anyway, he's just my uncle, so it's really no big deal," Victoire said. She turned back to the sink and finished washing her face while the two girls continued to watch her. "Seriously, it's not a big deal. I see him at holidays and stuff, it's not like he's my dad or anything."
"So is your dad Ron Weasley?" Kara asked.
"Mon dieu," Victoire sighed in French. "Non, my father is Uncle Ron's oldest brother Bill. See? I come from a totally normal, non-famous family."
"If you say so," Brianna muttered, spreading some toothpaste on her toothbrush.
"I think I'm going to go to bed," Victoire announced, tired of the direction of the conversation. "Goodnight," she added, as she returned to the dorm.
The minute she entered, the stench of the fertilizer filled her nostrils. In the time she'd been gone, Raina had unpacked even more so that now every surface of her living area was covered by plants, all of which, Victoire was willing to bet, had been treated with her special fertilizer. Meanwhile, Caitlin seemed to be in a deep sleep, rolling around on her bed in agitation.
Not in the mood to socialize with Raina or to watch Caitlin engage in a fight with her pillows, Victoire climbed into her four-poster bed and pulled the curtains shut around her. Suddenly realizing how exhausted she was, she leaned back and pulled the covers over herself, letting her mind drift off as sleep overcame her.
VvVvVvVvVvV
"Defence sucked, History of Magic was a bore, the Charms Professor was like a thousand years old… the only good class we had today was Transfiguration," Brianna grumbled as she, Kara, and Victoire headed to the Great Hall for dinner.
"I thought Charms was alright," Kara jumped in defense of the class they had just finished.
"Well sure, the subject is fine, but it took half the class for Flitwick to take the attendance. How much are we going to learn if he goes that slow all the time?" Brianna replied.
"And Transfiguration was okay?" Victoire challenged. "It was literally just a much of theory. We're not even going to use our wands until November. At least in Charms and Defence we're going to be doing actual magic."
"Yeah, but Defence going to be a super hands-on, practical class," Kara pointed out. "Are you sure you're ready to have people trying to hex you on your second week?"
"Yeah, not so much," Victoire agreed as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "So what're you guys up to tonight?" she wondered.
"I picked off a bunch of my nail polish in History, so I definitely need to re-paint my nails," Kara declared.
"Ooh, we could give each other manicures!" Brianna exclaimed. "Victoire, you in?"
"Definitely," Victoire smiled. She'd been hoping they might want to do something together. It looked like the whole making friends thing was working out after all.
"Seriously?" Raina asked as she passed them at the table. "Do you know how many awful chemicals they put in nail polish? That stuff can seep into your skin and make your fingers fall off you know."
"No it can't," Kara retorted. "Now you're just making stuff up."
"Alright, go ahead. Paint your nails. But don't come crying to me when you only have three fingers left forty years from now," Raina shot back at them before stalking away to sit with Caitlin and a few of the boys in their year. Victoire recognized one of the boys she'd talked to at the welcome feast, Cameron Philbrick, among them.
"Our fingers aren't really going to fall off, are they?" Brianna asked nervously, looking down at hers and picking at them nervously.
"Definitely not," Victoire responded. "Think about it. This is coming from 'I'm going to grow my own eye of newt' girl."
Kara and Brianna laughed.
"I'm sorry, you're going to grow your own what?" a voice Victoire was getting far too used to hearing asked.
Victoire smirked as Teddy and Billy took seats with them. She introduced Kara and Brianna and then explained about Raina and her plants.
"Wow," Billy said when Victoire was done. "Well, there's always a crazy in every dorm. At least you already know who yours is."
"Who's your crazy?" Victoire asked.
Teddy and Billy exchanged a look.
"Tyson Perry," Billy replied. "He's so obsessed with Quidditch. Convinced he's going to make the team this year."
"Well that's not so crazy," Kara offered. "Lots of people like Quidditch."
"He sleeps with a Quaffle in his bed," Teddy said.
"Okay yeah, that's weird," Kara agreed.
"When he didn't make the team last year, he went on a rampage and smashed a whole bunch of his stuff. He refused to mend it or clean it up, so the dorm was a mess for weeks," Billy added.
"Well I hope he makes it this year," Brianna muttered.
"Yeah, me too," Teddy agreed.
"Billy! Teddy! You guys coming?" a guy's voice called from the end of the table.
"Be there in a second!" Teddy called back. "Hey," he said to the girls, "it was nice meeting you, but we've got to go now. We'll see you around though?"
Kara and Brianna nodded.
"Bye Vic!" Teddy called out, waving as he followed Billy out.
Victoire waved back and then turned back to her food.
"So that's your third year friend?" Kara asked.
"Yeah, that's Teddy," Victoire confirmed.
"He is so cool," Brianna gushed.
"Really?" Victoire asked, looking back at the boy's retreating form. "I mean I guess so."
"Definitely," Kara said.
"For sure," Brianna agreed.
VvVvVvVvVvV
Over the next few weeks, Kara, Brianna, and Victoire continued to spend time together and became very good friends. They saw Teddy a lot during their first week, but less as they settled in. Victoire figured he had just been doing his duty to Uncle Harry by making sure she was alright.
Caitlin had been in a bad mood ever since the Quidditch team tryouts when she'd been told first years weren't allowed to tryout. She's argued that they'd made an exception for Harry Potter, but the response had been that he'd been exactly that – an exception. As a result, she seemed to be taking her frustration out on Victoire, since Victoire was related to Harry, and so now anytime Caitlin was around, Victoire would receive the cold shoulder. Not that she cared much anyway. Even from the beginning she hadn't liked Caitlin all that much.
Raina continued to grow her horrid-smelling plants in the dorm room. As a result, Victoire went to see Madam Eldridge in the hospital wing a couple weeks into the semester to ask about nose-numbing potion or something. Instead, Madam Eldridge gave her a set of nose plugs that she could wear in the dorm without damaging her health. She even took two more sets for Kara and Brianna. It made their voices sound a little funny when they talked, but at least they didn't have to smell the awful stench.
Meanwhile, classes were going well. Brianna had taken a special liking to Transfiguration while Kara and Victoire had decided that school was meant to be endured, not enjoyed. Victoire wrote her family often, making sure to fulfill her promise to her younger siblings to write individual letters to them as well. All in all, her first month at Hogwarts was shaping up to be a very good one.