No one really ever paid attention to me. Sure I'm a Weasley and sure I'm 1/8 Veela but… somehow I didn't get the Veela good looks like my mother and sister did. Even Louis is more attractive than I am – pale, freckly skin, eyebrows and eyelashes so light half the time you can hardly tell they're there, my hair color was my one redeeming quality, however: a perfect mix of Dad's fiery red and Maman's silvery-blonde – and he's seven. Granted, part of the reason no one pays attention to me is because I live in France far, far away from all my Weasley cousins.

But Dad finally convinced Maman to move to England so that Dom could go to Hogwarts. "It wouldn't be right for a Weasley not to go to Hogwarts," he told her one night when they thought I was asleep. And….that hurt. What about me, Dad? I thought. I'm seventeen why didn't we move back when I was eleven? But I knew the answer, and even though it's not my fault I still feel left out. Ashamed. Alone. Even thinking the word makes me depressed. Which is why all of my friends are Muggles. Because no magical person wants to be near a Squib. The way they treat me…it's like I have a very contagious disease.

Which is strange considering I'm sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley, surrounded by the very people who shun me. And what's even stranger is a boy came to sit with me when I have no wand and no purse where a wand could possibly be and enough Muggle money to get me home via the Tube (because I can't even Floo).

"Hullo," the boy said. I looked up at him quizzically, flipping my strawberry blonde hair out of my face. What kind of boy has his hair turquoise?

"Hi," was all I said but after a moment I blurted out, "Why is your hair that color?"

He looked surprised, "I'm a Metamorphmagus. I thought everyone at Hogwarts knew that."

"I don't go to Hogwarts," I said hoping, praying he wouldn't ask into it.

"Why not?"

He just had to ask. Lucky for me, there's still a safe answer: "Just moved from France."

But of course, that brought up this question: "So you went to Beauxbatons then?" I shook my head. "Were you homeschooled?"

I sighed, knowing he would probably make an excuse to leave after I told him, but I didn't want him to know I feared rejection and hated loneliness. I looked him straight in the eye, "I'm a Squib so I went to a Muggle school. Just graduated, actually."

"Oh," was all he said but he didn't leave which surprised me.

"What's your name?" I asked him after a minute when he still hadn't said anything more.

"Teddy – Ted Lupin, what's – ?"

I didn't give him a chance to finish because it clicked in my mind who he is. "Crap," I mumbled before running off. Back home, back to my room, where it was safe.

Crap, crap, crap! I should've known better than to go into Wizarding London. Knowing my family I should've guessed I'd run into someone I knew…sort of. Harry's godson. I almost convinced myself that…well it doesn't matter seeing as I'll never speak to him again. I groaned in remembrance: we're going to the Burrow for dinner to celebrate Harry's birthday. Is it too late to feign sickness? I wondered half-heartedly knowing Maman would read through my lie before I got a chance to finish it, but Dad on the other hand…. No, he couldn't help me either. He was working late then coming to the Burrow for cake.

"Victoire? Is that you, darling?" Maman called when I shut the front door rather harshly.

"Yes, Maman." I mounted the staircase and began traveling morosely up to my room, deep in thought. My pity party, however, did not last as long as I had hoped, for Maman met me at the top of the stair. "Victoire," she always used my full name, "I'm sorry but you can't go to the Burrow tonight."

I was startled by this joyous declaration but still asked, "Why, what happened?"

"Louis was playing in the yard and he," Maman sighed, she looked exhausted, "he poked a Mimbulus Mimbletonia."

"So I'm staying home, from a party to babysit my Stinksap-py brother?"

"That's right. Lucky for you I sent him to bed – the whole ordeal exhausted him, poor baby."

I rolled my eyes then went down the hall to my room to read until Maman and Dom left.

I had just settled in a chair on the back porch when I heard someone Floo in. I figured it was probably Maman checking on Louis. Nevertheless, I went in the house to assure her all was well.

The teacup I had been holding shattered when it hit the floor. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" I asked, livid.

"Well," Teddy began, "the parents decreed that you needed friends and that I, as the closet to your age, should be the first one."

"So I'm a charity case now? 'Go be friends with the Squib. It'll be easy – it's not like she's had any friends before.'" Angry tears threatened.

"Actually, no."

"No?" I scoffed.

"After you ran off I was talking to Mum and she talked to your Mum and something about taking a year off from school and your friends are in France and I haven't had a girlfriend in a year and a half…basically our mothers are plotting marriage," he mouthed the last word, obviously trying to make me feel uncomfortable.

"Even better," I said heavy on the sarcasm.

He ignored my comment, "Why did you run off?"

"I…..I've never had a 'magical' person talk to me or…be nice to me after the learned I was a Squib and you…. you stayed. And when I learned your name I figured that was why – because of the family thing."

"Is that really what you thought?" I nodded staring at the floor, different tears threatening now. "That's not what happened. I was getting Dad something for his birthday and saw this gorgeous girl –"

I looked at him, blushing slightly partially from the compliment and partially because this was the second time I'd interrupted him today, "You think I'm gorgeous?"

"Yeah….I mean, your hair is….and your eyes…..smile too," he added when I started laughing at his attempts to explain why he thought I was gorgeous.

"Clearly, you haven't had a girlfriend in a while."

"Erm…no. But that's mostly cuz Jay went off to be an Auror in America and she didn't tell me about it and when I went to confront her she was…." He shook his head.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the guy I liked for nearly six years started dating my best friend."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

After a semi-awkward silence Teddy asked, "What now, Cinderella?"

"Cinderella?"

"It's a Muggle story."

"I know that….why'd you call me that?"

"Oh, cuz the way you ran off like that, with the clock striking exactly five and all…."

"How fortuitous."