Amortentia

Chapter One -Protective

Teddy turned over in his bed, his turquoise hair messy and unkept just like his godfather Harry's. His face innocent as he slept reminded all those close to him of his mother's and the cheeky smile that now pulled on his lips was one that had been regarded as his father's signature smile.

"Teddy!" Andromeda Tonks banged hard on her grandsons bedroom door and Teddy stirred again.

"I'm up." He groaned, rolling over so his nose touched his Gryffindor poster. There was another bang on the door as he settled down to sleep again.

"I said up Teddy, that means now! Molly is expecting us at The Burrow in fifteen minutes."

This had Teddy's attention. His eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, tapping his face to make sure he was wide awake.

Teddy's smile grew wider, today was his sixteenth birthday and Molly and Arthur Weasley were throwing him a birthday party. It also meant that he was able to see his best friend in the world.

Victoire Weasley.

Victoire Weasley, the daughter of Bill and Fleur was the eldest of three children with luscious blonde hair just like her mother's and the most striking green eyes that only her grandfather had.

Teddy dressed quickly into his best muggle clothes and powered down the stairs pausing only at the last photo at the end of the steps.

The photo of his parents.

Suddenly his smile slipped from his face and Victoire left his mind as the world seemed to stand still.

"I miss them too, Teddy." Teddy turned around to see Andromeda, his grandmother wiping her hands on a towel. "Happy Sixteenth Birthday!" Andromeda's smile was impressively large on her aged face and he gave her a large hug in return.

"Do we have..."

"Pancakes? There isn't time, come on. We are going by port key as I don't want to get dirt over my new travelling cloak and you can never fully rely on our floo network." Teddy can't help but to laugh at his grandmother's views about wizard travel but it soon stopped as he put his finger on the china plate Andromeda held that was now glowing blue.

A familiar but unpleasant hook feeling caught on his navel and jerked him forward as they flew towards The Burrow.

With a large thud he landed on the ground face first.

"I'll never get used to that." Teddy moaned as he got off the grass, Andromeda is standing beside him glaring at a chicken as if daring it to dirty her travelling cloak. Teddy shook his spinning head.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY!" Running down the path towards them is Molly, her once vibrant red hair twinged with highlights of grey, Harry and Ginny following behind her.

"Hello Andromeda, how are you?" Harry asked kissing her lightly on the cheek before patting Teddy hard on the back so it knocked the air right out of his lungs.

"Happy sixteenth Teddy." Ginny laughed as she hugged him close, Teddy felt increased pressure as Harry too wrapped his arms around both of them crushing them together. As they both realised him Teddy laughed.

His laugh was cut short as a voice filled the air.

"I'd recognise that laugh anywhere." Teddy spun around on the spot to face the front door again where the one person he had been longing to see since he left her at King's Cross Station stood in podwer blue pyjamas with had what appeared to be Crumple-Horned Snorlaks on them. Victoire had been away for the summer to 'Wizard Camp' meaning they had spent five weeks away from each other. That was a record for the usually inseparable pair.

"Victoire!" Teddy bellowed smiling as she ran towards him leaping into his open arms and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "I've missed you so much!"

"Happy Birthday Teddy! I missed you more." She laughed gently, she pulled away to look him up and down. "You must have grown at least four inches this summer."

Now Teddy looked her up and down.

Over the years they had been together Teddy had watched as Victoire grew from a cherubic child into a gorgeous young woman, and she was more beautiful as he stared at her today. Teddy couldn't help himself finding little changes, like how more shiny her face looked or how her eyes sparkled more brightly.

Simple things he had never noticed before.

"Same Victoire as ever, I guess I'm the freak." Teddy laughed ignoring his observations.

"Hey, you kept your turquoise hair." She acknowledged pulling him into another great hug.

"See you've kept your same blonde hair." He replied as she let go and led him back up the garden path.

"You know what I mean, I love that colour Teddy it's much better than normal colours like brown." Teddy ran a hand self consciously through the mess Victoire had just called hair and attempted to flatten it.

"Don't." She laughed standing on tip toes and pulling his hands away from his hair. "I like it." As she whispered the last part, Teddy looked into her eyes. They were so close he could feel her breath on his face and he swore he could taste it. Slowly he let his gaze fall to their still intertwined hands, Victoire followed his glance and pulled her hands away quickly blushing scarlet. Awkwardly Teddy cleared his throat.

"Uh, why are you still in your pyjamas lazy." He taunted and Victoire breathed a sigh of what Teddy assumed to be relief, she bumped him playfully.

"We didn't arrive until late last night, a girl needs her beauty sleep y'know now open your presents." She gestured to a pile of presents that sat on the Weasley dining table and as if forgetting the awkwardness Teddy smiled and settled into the presents.

****

"Thank-you Lily." Teddy said sweetly as the youngest Potter child, handed him a small long parcel. She blushed furiously and then ran back to where he father sat. In his hands was a small badly wrapped parcel that he assumed she had done herself. He opened the present gingerly and his eyes rested upon an old quill that had been restored with turquoise feathers, glitter and a large 'T'.

"She made it all on her own." Harry said smiling at the giggling girl that sat on his knee. Lily stopped giggling and blushed deeper. "Sorry, I couldn't stop her adding the sparkles"

"No problem. Thank you so much Lily, can I have a hug?" Teddy opened his arms and Lily climbed down off her father's lap and ran towards him.

"Happy Birthday Teddy." She whispered and she planted a big sloppy kiss on his cheek before running back to the refuge of her father's knee.

"I will use it every day at Hogwarts Lily, I promise." Teddy smiled, as he made the little seven year old his promise.

"I can't wait until I can go to Hogwarts!" James moaned as he folded his arms across his chest and wore his best pout. He was completely hunched over letting his hair fall into his eyes.

"Next year James, now stop sulking." Ginny rubbed his arm gently and James turned to glare at her but soon he melted just like an ice cream under the sun.

"Thanks everyone for all your presents." He had a hand knitted jumper off Molly, a large box of fudge, chocolate frogs but his best present was his joint gift from everyone.

A 'Silver Speeder'.

At three hundred galleons, twenty-two sickles and one knut this was the broom to have, many of the professional teams had them, it was said to be the fastest racing broom in the world; perfect for Quidditch especially as Teddy was a chaser and captain of the Gryffindor team.

"Ok, now that all the presents are done..." Molly let her sentence trail out as she whipped out her wand, with a flick Teddy turned to see a birthday cake floating towards them.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Teddy, happy birthday to you." Everyone sang, Teddy could pick out Victoire's gentle voice weaving in and out of the melody carefully. Teddy blew the candles out once and then they relit, he tried again and again watching as the smirk on George's face grew wider.

"George." Teddy narrowed his eyes to were a now laughing George sat. His wife Angelia sat beside him glaring too.

"George Weasley! You are a grown man, cut it out!" George looked sheepish as Molly yelled at him.

Nobody was ever too old to be scolded by their mother.

George finally gave up, he sighed and with a flick of his wand the candles went out as Molly began to cut it into slices.

"That was great cake Molly." Teddy said happily patting his stomach, after his fourth piece he had decided to call it a day. He was dying to hear about Victoire's summer and spend some time with her. He had missed her greatly.

"Actually, I didn't make the cake." Molly said leaning across the table and smiling, she nodded towards where Ginny sat feeding cake to Harry.

"Sorry Ginny!" Teddy said quickly. Ginny laughed. "I just assumed as Molly always makes cakes that it was her, it was a great cake!"

"It's ok Teddy, haven't you got a best friend to see?" Ginny raised her eyebrows and winked as Teddy's brows furrowed in confusion. It was as if Ginny was implying he and Victoire were something more...

"We're just friends." He stated scraping his table and heading towards the stairs.

"That's what you say when Bill's around" Ginny whispered as he past but Teddy shook his head in defiance.

As he was taking the steps two at a time he reached the top floor of The Burrow quickly, he paused on the last step to catch his breath before pushing open the door to what was Victoire's room when she visited. Teddy knocked on the closed door, behind it he heard scrambling.

"Uh, come in." Victoire stuttered out, Teddy quickly swung the door open and stepped inside. Littered on the walls were her drawings and sketches and on the nightstand were a strip of pictures they had once taken in a muggle photobooth in London. Victoire herself sat cross legged on the bed.

"Hey stranger, how was camp?"

Victoire patted the seat beside her and Teddy took it obediently, she was now fully clothed.

"It was good I did a lot of studying of ancient runes and practising charms. I met some pretty great people too." Teddy's heart panged a bit.

Anyone better than me? He thought but Victoire sensed something and continued as if she'd never stopped.

"But none of them were you. I missed you so much Teddy." She crawled across the bed and leant her head on his shoulder. Teddy couldn't help himself, he tilted his head slightly and pressed his nose into her hair.

A sweet scent of lemon and freesia filling his nostrils and his kissed her head.

"I missed you too, I've been incredibly anti-social all summer." He laughed and she pulled away shocked.

"You haven't even seen Jasper or Cody, or Bronx?" Victoire looked shocked and her little mouth hung open in an 'o' shape as she comprehended the information that Teddy was sharing.

"We've exchanged owls but I haven't seen them, I missed you too much." Victoire smiled and then shook her head. "What?" Teddy asked curious and Victoire laughed, it was a nervous sound.

"Uh, I feel rather guilty..." she started. Teddy suddenly didn't like the direction this conversation was taking. "I had fun when I was there, like Armand ; he was a really nice guy that helping me with a tricky rune."

Teddy's eyes narrowed for the second time that day.

"Who is this Armand?"

"A guy."

"Yes I gathered that much for myself." Teddy said sarcastically, his voice sound like acid as Victoire stared at him taken aback and hurt. Her eyes filled up with tears.

"Teddy, stop it. I don't like you like this." Her voice was a whisper and suddenly serenity spread through Teddy.

"I'm sorry." He said pulling Victoire close to him, she wound her arms around his waist. "I just feel very protective of you."

Teddy looked between Victoire and the photos on the night stand.

Very protective indeed.