"What are we doing, Teddy?" Victoire Weasley asked as they marched up the stairs to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"I just wanted to show you something," Teddy called back to her.

Today was Victoire's fourteenth birthday and being that Teddy was one of her closest friends she was expecting him to do something but she couldn't imagine what could be on top of the Astronomy Tower, though the view was terrific.

When she finally caught up with Teddy he was standing against the railing looking outward. He was wearing a loose fitting black blouse and a purple skirt that was a blowing lightly in the breeze. His hair was long and blue today and he had it pulled to the right in a ponytail and it was held in place with a sparkling purple hair pin shaped like a flower. He had been wearing it a lot like that lately.

Teddy was a metamorphmagus just like his mother. He could change his physical features to alter his appearance. Supposedly, Tonks had been very skilled with her powers. She could change almost anything about herself, though she didn't seem able to change everything about herself all at once or alter herself enough to look exactly like someone else.

Victoire went and stood next him. She was a bit nervous being this high but she really liked Teddy so she tried her best to swallow the fear, at least for the moment as she wasn't sure how long she could stand by the railing.

"Well, what's this about?" Victoire asked.

Teddy glanced over at her then looked away, a shy smile on his face, sunlight briefly glinting off his lip ring. Victoire wished he would just spit out whatever it was but didn't want to push him too hard. Instead she just sighed in quiet frustration, putting her hands inside the pockets of her black slacks.

As if he understood the meaning behind her sigh he scooted a little closer to her and she felt her heart start pounding. He then slowly turned his head in her direction.

"Happy birthday, Vic," Teddy said and moved his hair out of his currently green eyes but avoiding looking directly into her dark blue eyes. His voice was soft and pleasant. Victoire had always found comfort in his voice growing up when he would tell her stories at bedtime.

Teddy stepped forward and kissed her. Victoire hadn't been expecting that.

She had always thought Teddy was really cute but he was practically family. Somehow at this moment with his full lips on her thin ones she realized he didn't see it that way. And there was another problem that suddenly occurred to her so she pulled away.

"Teddy… I thought you were gay," Victoire said. Teddy frowned and backed away.

"What makes you say that?" Teddy asked. Victoire didn't think he looked angry, just bothered.

"Well… You only ever talk about wanting to snog boys," Victoire replied.

Teddy shook his head and said, "So? You've never talked about snogging anyone. Should I assume you don't like to snog anyone?"

"Oh," Victoire said. "I guess I never thought about it that way."

"You are right, Vic. I'm not straight but that doesn't mean I'm gay either. I like to think of myself as pansexual. It's a Muggle term. It means I have no gender preference. I think it suits me," Teddy said, a big smile on his face.

Vic knew that most at the school made fun of Teddy for the way he dressed and his lanky body but seeing him right now she thought he'd never looked hotter. She kind of wished they'd stop talking and get back to kissing. She wondered if Teddy knew she had never kissed anyone before now?.

"Yeah, I've heard Aunt Ginny use it before," Victoire said. "I think maybe it suits me too."

"I suppose everyone thinks I'm gay. Probably because of how I dress. But that's their problem not mine. I know how I feel," Teddy said and went up to Victoire and kissed her slowly and deeply. She felt her body warm and wrapped her arms around his back and pressed herself into him. She could feel his stiffness poking her and felt herself becoming hot and damp down there. She was amused and excited by seeing their bodies respond that way.

Teddy didn't seem to know what to do with his hands for a moment but finally settled on placing them on her lower back. Vic loved the feel of Teddy's lips moving against her's and the cold steel feel of his lip ring. His mouth opened and she slid her tongue inside and moved her tongue over his. This sent shivers through her body and made her hunger for more.

After a moment they parted again. Victoire's entire body felt hot and she was breathing hard. Teddy took a hand and gently brushed her short red hair with a hand. She smiled in embarrassment.

"So why did you bring me up here?" Vic asked. She was still avoiding thinking about how high they were. Turns out snogging Teddy was a decent distraction from the height.

Teddy shrugged. "It's a nice view. And I was also thinking… about the war."

"Oh," Victoire said. Today wasn't just Victoire's birthday. It was also the 16th anniversary of end of the war and his parents's deaths. He had never truly known them, only being an infant at the time. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks had been valuable members of the Order of the Phoenix and had fallen in battle while dueling against Death Eaters; Tonks by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange and Remus by Antonin Dolohov. Her family spoke highly of them both.

But the relationship between Remus and Tonks had been brief and filled with strife. Remus was a werewolf and this status made him an outsider in the wizarding world and the condition itself often took a psychological toll on him.

"I'm sorry, Teddy… about your parents, I mean," Vic said and touched his hand.

"It's all right. I just… During Christmas holiday I found a box of letters that Uncle Harry had put away in a closet," Teddy said, sounding sad.

"Letters your parents sent each other?" Victoire asked.

"No. Letters between my father and Sirius Black."

"Sirius Black? His friend?"

"His lover," Teddy responded, bluntly.

"Lover? Your dad was cheating on Dora with Sirius Black?" Victoire asked.

"Oh no! They were together for years before he was with her. And in fact… I'm not sure if my mother and father were ever really together," Teddy said and walked to the railing again.

"I don't understand," Vic said.

"I didn't either. Not at first. I think my dad loved my mother. But not romantically. I think… I think after Sirius died he just wanted something to cling to. He had only just got Sirius back. I can't imagine it was easy to lose him again, forever."

Victoire still didn't exactly understand but she walked behind Teddy and placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it softly.

"But I do think he loved her. It's clear he cared a lot about her. He might've even found her somewhat physically attractive. But I don't think he felt what she felt for him. He was queer, you see. Not like me though. He was gay. But I understand… I understand why he hid it. He was already facing a lot of discrimination as a werewolf. He probably just wanted to feel normal for awhile, whatever that is," Teddy said.

Victoire understood what Teddy meant about werewolf discrimination. Even now her father, Bill, faced discrimination and he wasn't even a werewolf. But he had been attacked by Fenrir Greyback during an attack on Hogwarts 17 years ago and received wounds that were cursed that left him badly scarred. Her whole life she had witnessed people fearing or mocking her father. She couldn't imagine how much worse it had been for Remus Lupin.

"Do you think we're normal, Teddy?" Victoire asked.

"I don't know, Vic. Whatever normal is, I think trying to be it made my father miserable. I don't care about being normal. I just want to be myself," he said and turned around to face her. Tears were streaming down his face. Vic felt herself beginning to tear up and quickly kissed him.

They held together for a moment and Victoire feared that if they let go the moment would be gone forever. But the sun was beginning to set and she knew they needed to get back inside the castle soon.

"So what is this?" Victoire asked Teddy as she pulled away, finally.

"Snogging," Teddy said with a goofy smile on his face.

Victoire rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest then smiled at him.

"You know what I mean. Are we together now?" she said.

"Do you want us to be?" Teddy said.

Victoire bit her lip and nodded, her smile slowly widening.

"You're so beautiful," he said.

"Well, I am part Veela," she said.

"I don't care about that," Teddy said and kissed her again.

"I'm part Veela, you're a metamorphmagus and we're practically family. And we're both bloody queer. Kind of offbeat lovers, eh?" she said, laughing. "What do we tell our families?"

Teddy shrugged. "I don't care. It's not about them. It's about us," he said and they kissed again.