Smitten
Oneshot time! New pairing time! Yay! I do love oneshots; I just never seem to have the time for them. They (weirdly) take up more time to write than the chapters for my longer fics.
Disclaimer: As often as I have wished upon a star for my wildest dreams to come true, I have not magically become J. K. Rowling. My nose has grown a bit, though.
Snuggled into the armchair that members of her family had occupied for generations sat Victoire Weasley, chatting with her cousin Molly and sister Dominique.
"No, guys! I need to be focusing on my upcoming OWLs!"
"Listen to yourself, Vic," Molly reprimanded. "You sound just like Dad. Or Auntie Hermione. Always harping on about school."
"Well," Dominique interjected sensibly, "school is rather important in the real world, Molly."
"But Vicky's turning down Hogsmeade!" Molly shot back zealously. "Victoire," she drawled, "come on! It's my first trip, and I want to go with you!"
"Sorry, Molly," Victoire apologised. "I've got to study."
Molly huffed and shoved back into the couch she and Dominique were occupying.
In the Great Hall, the Gryffindor table was always the center of attention. The close-knit Weasley clan was a marvel to observe at mealtimes. Teddy Lupin was regularly positioned in front of the ham sandwiches. To his right sat Victoire, across from her best friend Ophelia Blake. On either side of Ophelia were the twins of Neville and Hannah Longbottom, Eric and Emily. Dominique, Molly, and Lucy formed a giggling cluster on Victoire's other side. James, an eager first year, sat to the left of Teddy, with Fred beside him in turn, and little Trisha Longbottom sat next to her sister. Food fights were not exactly an unusual occurrence, nor were Howlers, which usually came about once every ten days for one of the boys.
"I dunno what you're so anxious about, O," Victoire addressed her best friend thickly, bread crumbs escaping from her mouth. "That Charms test was cake."
"Yeah, for you," Ophelia replied, twisting her hair around her finger, as was her custom. "Not all of us can have beauty and brains."
"Not to mention her mad Keeping skills!" Molly interjected. "Sorry," she added upon seeing Victoire's cool gaze.
"'S just Charms, though - " Victoire was interrupted again by Teddy jabbing her in the leg. "Oi! What?" she shouted in alarm.
Teddy gave her a small wink. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to stab you."
Victoire looked down at her lap. A small white note lay upon her leg. She discreetly opened it while Ophelia began to moan once again about her tribulations in Charms.
Meet me in the Entrance Hall.
Victoire turned to Teddy to ask why, but he was gone. She looked at the note again, excused herself from the table, and exited the Great Hall.
Teddy wasn't by the marble staircase in the Great Hall, the first place Victoire thought to check. She was just turning around to go the other way when she almost ran into Teddy himself.
"Merlin, Ted, d'you have to do that?" the fifth-year asked, and Teddy smiled. Only then did Victoire remember the note. "What did you need?"
Teddy's smirk faltered, and his green hair stood up a bit more, as if electrified. "Well… erm… you see…"
"Spit it out, Lupin."
"That's you," Teddy joked. "Always so direct." He sighed a heaving sigh, looked up at the ceiling as though to beg Merlin's help, and finally asked, "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday?"
Victoire blinked, a smile sneaking up her face without her realising it. It wasn't one of pleasure, though, as I'm sure you're thinking, rather one of amusement. "…What?" she finally asked in astonishment.
Teddy cleared his throat, and then repeated much faster, "Do-you-want-to-go-to-Hogsmeade-with-me?"
"Okay, I thought that's what you said," Victoire recovered, though she hadn't meant that kind of "what".
Teddy's eyes flashed brown, the color of indecision. "…So…?" he asked hesitantly.
Victoire tried to think of a way to answer. "Oh… erm… listen, Teddy, it's all in how you asked me - "
"What, I should have gotten you flowers?" Teddy interrupted desperately. "Oh, I knew I should have gotten you flowers!"
"No, no!" Victoire assured. "You didn't let me finish. I meant the wording of how you asked. You asked if I'd like to go with you to Hogsmeade. And I would like to go with you, Teddy, but I've set all of Saturday aside for studying. So I can't go, rather than don't want to go."
Teddy's brow furrowed. "Oh."
It was strange. All Victoire's life, she had been around this boy two years older than she, with their family at all times. Uncle Harry practically had custody of him, the way Andromeda trusted the family with her grandson. He'd always been so self-assured, almost to the point of annoyance. It was like he had no nerves. And now he was behaving like a small child in front of her, all because she would rather study than go to the village.
And then she blurted it. Victoire always did have a way of bungling things.
"And besides, you're not my type, anyway."
The second it was past her lips, Victoire slapped her hands to her mouth, eyes wide. Why did I say that? she asked herself frantically, when she saw her dear friend's expression.
"Oh," he repeated, a look of remarkable hurt on his face. "Excuse me." He brushed past Victoire and began taking the stairs three at a time, obviously on a beeline for the common room.
"Teddy!" she called up at him. "I didn't mean it like that! You… ugh." She chased up the stairs after him, her stamina much greater than his, as she well knew. She'd catch up to him.
And she did, right in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Teddy… you know… I didn't… mean it… like that," she groaned, out of breath after chasing a stupid seventh-year up what seemed like eight billion staircases.
"Well, how did you mean it?" Teddy shot back. Victoire was taken aback. Teddy was never this sharp with anyone.
"Oh… you know…" she dawdled, trying to think of a reason. "You're that popular kid, you know? Everyone knows you. Your green hair is unmistakable. They all think you're so cool – which you are, I'm not saying that – oh… I don't know how to say it… I don't find you attractive," Victoire finally got out, and realised it was the truth. It was actually true. His personality was wonderfully magnetic, but she was, in truth, half-Delacour. Appearances did matter, to her. It was a relief to get it out. "Yes," she said, decisively. "I won't go to Hogsmeade with you because I don't find you good-looking."
A gleam came back to Teddy's dull grey eye. "We'll see about that," he replied just as decisively, patting her on the cheek absentmindedly. "Veela," he called to the Fat Lady ironically, and the portrait swung open. Victoire was left standing in the corridor alone.
"I must say, I have no idea what that was about," the Fat Lady remarked.
"No," Victoire replied, severely confused. "Nor do I."
"So, you going to Hogsmeade?" Ophelia asked Victoire, sprawled on her bed in the dormitory Friday night.
"No," Victoire replied simply. "I like that. You should wear it."
Ophelia twirled to face her best friend, the skirt she was holding up to herself swirling around. "Why not?"
"No, I said you should wear it."
"Not that," Ophelia replied in exasperation. "Why aren't you going to Hogsmeade?"
"I'm going to study while the castle's quiet," Victoire replied tartly, chewing on the end of her quill.
"Well," Ophelia bristled at her friend's tone. She sank onto Victoire's bed, jostling her Transfiguration book. Victoire glared at her. "You're being very touchy on the whole Hogsmeade subject, Vic," she remarked.
"I know; that's because everyone's acting like it's a crime that I'm not going. You at least have Henry."
Ophelia smiled at the mention of her boyfriend, who would be escorting her to the village the next morning. "What are the attributes that you would like in your future husband?" Ophelia asked, changing the thread of conversation onto a more enjoyable subject.
"Personal or physical?"
"Either."
"Well, I'll start with physical. He should have brown hair, and dimples when he smiles."
"Yes?"
"And green eyes are always dreamy."
"Oh, aren't they?"
"He should be strong, very strong, so I feel safe in his arms…"
"Go on."
"And of course, he must love me, unconditionally, with all his heart."
Ophelia smiled, but it had a little something more… devious in it than just a smile. Victoire disregarded it. "I have to go," Ophelia suddenly announced, flinging the skirt onto her own bed. "You can tell me more about your dream man later!"
"Where are you going?" Victoire inquired, but the door slammed before she was done asking, and she went back to her Transfiguration.
The castle was quiet.
The library was completely devoid of living souls except for Victoire, her camp set up in the very middle, surrounded by books and solitude. Potions, History of Magic, Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy… she absolutely flew through her studies. She didn't like to toot her own horn, but Ophelia's comment at the lunch table about beauty and brains was completely correct. She was smarter than she looked.
The clock chimed one in the afternoon, and Victoire was already done. She still wouldn't go to the village, though, she determined. That felt… wrong after what she told Teddy. She'd just go to her dorm and read a book, something she hadn't done in quite a while thanks to her workload this year.
"Veela," she muttered to the Fat Lady and threw her bag in before crawling through the portrait hole herself.
"Whoa." That was all she could say. Evidently someone's boyfriend had been busy. The couches were cleared away from the fireplace, as well as all the rest of the furniture from the rest of the room. Soft classical music was being played by some unmanned string instruments in the corner of the room, and roses littered the floor. A chandelier had been strung from the ceiling, and Victoire could see her own face in it, her eyes and mouth wide in astonishment.
Better get out of here, Victoire suddenly realised. The lucky lady would probably be back from Hogsmeade soon, and she didn't want to interrupt. She began to hurry across the flower-strewn floor.
"Going somewhere?"
Victoire yelped and spun around. A boy was standing next to the portrait hole. He had dazzling green eyes, tousled brown hair, prominent muscles, and was smirking, showing off a deep dimple in his cheek. In other words, he was smokin'. But there was something about that gleam in his emerald eyes…
"Teddy?"
"That's my name," Teddy shrugged. He looked nothing like himself.
Victoire realised something. "Is this - "
"I did it," Teddy confessed. But before Victoire could even say wow, he continued, "I did it for you, Vic."
Her jaw went slack. "Did Ophelia - "
Teddy nodded. "She told me your dream guy. So… I became him."
"But… why?" Victoire was stunned. She'd been sought after, it was true (she was one-eighth veela), but… never like this.
Teddy shrugged again. "You said my personality was fine," he explained. "It was my appearance which was the problem."
Tears sprang to Victoire's eyes, and she cursed the sensitive French side of her genetics. "You know, this is the sweetest thing any boy has ever done for me?"
Teddy nodded, smiling and showing off his newly-acquired dimples. "Yeah, I know."
They were a lot closer, Victoire realised. She hadn't even noticed. Really close, in fact. Teddy was wrapping his arms around her, and she was about to hug him back – WAIT A SECOND. That wasn't a hug-hold.
Teddy's and Victoire's lips were about to meet, but she couldn't kiss him. "Wait," she protested.
Teddy's face fell. "What?" he asked dejectedly.
Victoire bit her lip. "Could you… can you make yourself look like you again?" she requested.
Teddy's eyes went to a light blue he usually sported, his tan lightened, his dimples shallowed, and his hair went a violent purple, all in the span of four seconds. It was quite fun to watch, actually, Victoire thought – but not as much fun as something else she could think of doing.
Grabbing the purple shock surrounding Teddy's head, Victoire brought his lips to hers for the most satisfying kiss either of them would experience again for a very long time.
D'aww, Teddy's a sweetie. We all knew it. Missed the Valentine's Day opportunity, but oh well. I'm just not a V-Day person. (Anyone who's read my fics for a REALLY long time will get that.)