A/N: A Teddy/Victoire oneshot. This is set in the Christmas holiday of Victoire's sixth year. Written from alternating first person. Please read and review!

THE WEDDING AND THE WINDOW

a Teddy/Victoire story

_

Victoire

I sighed.

This was the last thing I wanted to be doing. Who got married this time of year anyway?

My holiday plans had been very simple: eat a lot of chocolate, open a lot of presents, and - if I could - see Teddy.

It had not included attending the wedding of a Wizengamot Councillor to some socialite that had attended Beauxbatons with my mother. But she had insisted, and so I found myself sitting at the bar, a glass in I hand, and a scowl that would hopefully ward off even the most eager suitors.

The only consolation was that I wasn't the only one from my family stuck here. Earlier, I had run into Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, attending as guests of the groom. Their identical expressions had been the inspiration for my own.

I sipped at my drink, ignoring the looks from the group of wizards sitting down the other end of the bar. Their smirks made my skin crawl. I didn't have to be an accomplished Legilimens to know what they were thinking. I'd lived with it my entire life. The stares, the whispers, the jealous looks, the fawning adoration - it made me thankful I wasn't in my mother's shoes. The attention didn't bother me too much. But that didn't mean it was welcome.

The few people who could look past the Veela in me, I treasured dearly. My family, the girls in my dorm (after they had learned that I shared the same insecurities, the same fears, and the same hopes and aspirations as any teenage girl), and of course, Teddy.

I missed him dreadfully. If he was here, I'd be having a good time. That I could count on. In his last letter, he'd promised to do everything he possibly could to meet me over Christmas.

One of the wizards from across the bar got up, waved off the jeers of his friends, and approached me, interrupting my thoughts of a certain turquoise-haired boy. I adopted a cool mask as he greeted me, leaning on the bar.

"Excuse me."

I studied his cocky face for a split second, then feigned confusion. There was no reason why I couldn't have a little fun.

"Oui?"

"Oh. Do you speak English?"

"Non."

"Bugger. Um," he gestured at himself, "Evan."

At least he had persistence.

I gave a pretty laugh, and rested a hand on my chest.

"Evan," I mimicked.

"No, no, I'm Evan," he replied, his frustration growing. "What's your name?"

I paused for a moment, adopting a puzzled expression. Then:

"Oui!"

I gave him her best vapid look as he threw up his hands in frustration, muttering something about the 'bloody Frogs' as he returned to his cackling mates.

I smirked with an inner surge of satisfaction, that disappeared when I checked her watch. Still hours to go.

Teddy

I downed the drink that the waiter handed to me, and placed it back on the silver platter, harbouring a certain level of resentment towards my Godfather.

Harry had brought me along to practice my concealment skills for an upcoming assessment. I was confident I'd pass with flying colours, but Harry had insisted. The rest of the Auror training group had the night off, and were probably getting plastered somewhere in Diagon Alley.

Besides, what kind of threat would there be at a wedding?

I had voiced the very same to Harry, and realised with a wince that it was the wrong thing to say.

His green eyes had grown flinty, the memory of Death Eaters invading the Burrow during Bill and Fleur's wedding surely playing through his mind, and I knew that had been the end of the conversation.

It's impossible to argue with The Boy Who Lived.

My thoughts turned, as they had so often, to Victoire Weasley.

I hadn't seen her in months. We'd written letters frequently, filling her in on what I could say about my Auror training, but despite three Hogsmeade weekends, I hadn't been able to make it to the village to spend any time with her. I had always been busy on assignment or training.

And all I desperate wanted was to see her.

My recent and grudging acceptance that I, at the very least, harboured a crush on the girl I'd known most of my life had been tempered by the fact that it surely would never happen. Even if she did see me as more than a friend, and I was certain she didn't, then how would we make it work, with her at school and me in Auror training?

So it was that I found myself attending a wedding of two people I'd never met, thoroughly disgusted with the whole notion of love.

I shook the thoughts from my mind, and went in search of another drink.

The waiter had disappeared, so I made my way into the next room, and made my way to the bar.

"What'll you have?"

"Ogden's. Black if you've got it. Neat."

"Fine choice, sir."

Outwardly, I looked like a different wizard. I had added a couple of inches to my height, and slicked back a crop of brown hair. An easy smirk graced my features, and I conducted myself with an air of confidence. Witches had been giving me surreptitious looks all evening.

Harry's words of advice ran through my head.

"Remember, changing appearance is about modifying your behaviour too."

I tipped the barman a galleon as he handed me my drink, and noticed the blonde sitting at the other end of the bar, a bored look on her face as she finished the remainder of her drink, setting down the glass with inherent grace.

It was Victoire.

The last year had been good to her. The blonde was undeniably a woman. Her silk dress, a pale blue, clung to her in all the right places, with a hem that teased at her slender legs.

One of the wizards at the bar noticed my staring.

"You won't have any luck with that one, mate. Only speaks French," he said with a tone of distaste.

Inwardly I smirked. Classic Victoire.

"Merci beaucoup," I replied.

A disgusted look crossed his face as I thanked him. He got off his bar stool and stalked away.

My eyes went back to Victoire, and her silver-blonde wave of hair. I wondered what it would feel like to stare into those crystal blue eyes, and kiss her soft lips as she entwined her arms around my neck, pulling herself close to me.

It would feel bloody fantastic.

I took another sip, contemplating.

Fuck it. It wouldn't kill me, to flirt with her. It would be harmless fun, really.

I motioned the barman over and handed him another Galleon.

"The blonde down the end. See her drink gets refilled."

"Certainly."

I watched as he mixed her cocktail with practised expertise, and hand it to her, motioning to me down the other end.

She looked over, with a cool expression crossing her face, and I matched it, raising my glass as she thanked me with a polite nod.

Victoire

The barman slid another cocktail at me, whisking away my empty glass.

"Compliments of the man down the end."

I gave the man a nod and he acknowledged me by raising his drink and taking a sip.

He was slick, I'd give him that. The tailored dress robes fit him with precision, and he was handsome too. But that counted for nothing.

My mother had told Dominique and I long ago that we would be beautiful enough, both for ourselves and we chose to marry.

"So choose ze one who loves you for what es in your 'eart."

I had held her words dear to this day.

And I wasn't certain, in fact far from it, but after several sleepless nights as I mulled over his letters and my thoughts, I knew that Teddy was the one I wanted to be with.

I had dated three different boys at Hogwarts since fourth year (none who had made Teddy particularly happy) but they were distractions. They hadn't held a torch to my best friend. Teddy was the constant. He would comfort me, offer advice, make me laugh, listen, and most of all, make it very difficult to be unhappy whenever he was around.

But it was foolish though, a silly fantasy that would never be fulfilled. Yet my mind lingered on the memory.

It was the anniversary of the Battle. The most bittersweet day of the year. Exams were merely weeks away, and Merlin knew the pain he was going through, but Teddy had put in extra effort for my birthday present.

We'd had lunch in the Room of Requirement, the House Elves only too eager to supply us with a picnic basket of their finest food.

After the meal, he'd pulled out a box, nervously.

"Um, don't shake it," he had warned, knowing my habit of vigorously shaking any present I received.

Instead, I had torn open the packaging to reveal a shimmering silver bracelet set with three sapphires.

"Teddy, this is -"

"It's not too much is it? Just that you were turning sixteen and I wanted it to be special. Vic? Do you like it?"

He had rambled on, a rarity for Teddy, as I sat enthralled by his present.

"I love it, Teddy," I said, beaming at him.

He gave a sigh of relief.

"Where did you find it?" I asked, motioning for him to clasp it around my wrist

He did so., answering my question. "Um, I made it."

My jaw dropped.

"That's amazing!"

"So are you," he had murmured, meeting my eyes.

They had been a solemn grey all week long, but as I looked into them, they had turned into a piercing blue.

"Vic…I," he trailed off.

"… yes?"

It seemed like he was about to say something further. Then the moment passed.

"Happy Birthday." He gave a small smile. Whatever he was going to say, I wasn't going to find out what it was today.

Later, we had joined the crowd gathered at the Memorial of the Fallen by the Black Lake.

The sun had slipped below the horizon as Percy Weasley read out the names.

I found his hand and squeezed it as Percy said:

"Lupin, N. T."

"Lupin, R."

"Thank you," he had whispered then. "For being here with me."

We had strayed down to the edge of the lake after the service and watched as beams of light for each of the heroes of Hogwarts shot into the sky.

He'd reached for my hand this time, a sad smile playing about his face.

The words came unbidden, brought about by a desire to heal his sorrow.

"I'll never let you get hurt, Teddy."

"Neither will I. I promise, Victoire."

I promise.

I was interrupted from my reverie as the man walked over to me, leaning against the bar.

"English or French?"

Now that was a surprise.

"Both," I answered.

"Tres bien," he replied, setting his drink, now finished, down on the bar.

"Victoire," I offered my hand.

"Nathaniel," he replied, taking my hand and pressing his lips to it.

Damn. He was slick.

Teddy

I had spoken to Victoire in my guise as Nathaniel for about ten minutes, fascinated how she acted around a stranger.

She was amicable, but there was no denying the guarded tone in her expression. I realised she was assessing me as much as I was assessing her.

I told her a joke, and was rewarded with a pealing laugh as she began to open up to me.

Music started up from the ballroom.

"Care to dance?"

Victoire loved to dance. This was payback for the number of times she'd dragged me off my chair at Hogwarts Balls.

I was enjoying this way too much.

"Certainly," she replied politely.

I took her hand and led her to the floor, grateful for the fact that my grandmother had taught me proper Wizarding etiquette.

The girl of my affections positively glowed on the dance floor. I spun her around, moving through the steps of an upbeat waltz.

"You dance beautifully," I complimented her.

"You expected anything less?"

I gave a short laugh.

"Of course not."

A few numbers later, the tempo changed to a slow beat, and I drew her into a closer embrace. She reached up and loosely placed her arms around my neck, the cool expression returning to her face.

We danced together for the rest of the song. I was acutely aware of the fact that her body was pressed against mine, and that somewhere in the nearby vicinity, Bill Weasley, a celebrated curse breaker and war veteran, could well be looking for his daughter.

The song finished and I released her.

"Fancy another drink?" I asked.

"Sure."

We returned to the bar, and I ordered another round.

Our conversation continued, and I wondered yet again what it would be like to kiss her. Impulsively, I pulled her to me. A voice in the back of my head was shouting a warning, that this was wrong, that if I truly liked her I wouldn't deceive her, but I ignored it.

It wouldn't matter. I was Nathaniel, not Teddy. I didn't have an entire friendship to ruin.

We were barely inches apart. I could feel her breath on my face as we leaned in to each other.

"I can't!" she cried suddenly, breaking away from me, stammering. "This is wrong. There's someone else. I love him. I think. I don't know. I just can't!"

Her words left me speechless, shaking the stupor from my head. I took in the shock and turmoil on her face and the tears standing unshed in her eyes.

This, game, whatever it was, was done.

"Stop, Victoire! It's me."

My hair lightened several shades to turquoise, as I willed myself a few inches shorter, my dress robes shrinking to my height with me. I could feel the muscles in my face shifted as my nose and jaw returned to their normal state.

"Teddy?"

The shock on her face became mortification as her face flushed. She drew a short breath, her lip quivering.

"How could you?" she asked, with barely more than a whisper as a tear ran down her cheek.

And then, not wanting to hear my answer, she dashed away, sobbing.

Victoire

A torrent of hurt rushed over me as I ran out of the bar, tears streaming down my face, my mind racing.

He'd tricked me, betrayed my trust, and he'd broken our promise.

I dashed into the women's loo. At least he couldn't follow me there. Two women reapplying makeup gave me sympathetic looks, but otherwise paid me no heed.

I set about looking for an escape route. No doubt Teddy would be waiting outside, and he was the last person I wanted to come face to face with.

My eyes landed on a small frosted window at the end of the row of stalls. I tested the latch, and it swung open.

I kicked off my heels, and dropped them through the window, then hoisted myself onto the ledge.

Thankful for the effort I had put into my Defence Against the Dark Arts practicals, I pushed myself through, silk dress and all, and dropped down to the ground outside, landing on my feet.

I gave a weak laugh. No way Teddy would be able to make it through a bathroom window in a dress.

Teddy

Fuck.

It wouldn't hurt, I had told myself. It was just a stupid prank, nothing more.

But it had hurt. It had hurt her.

Fuck!

The pit of guilt in my stomach was not helping, nor was the look of shock on her face that wouldn't leave my mind. It was killing me.

I paced outside the loos for a few minutes, before catching the suspicious look of a middle-aged witch.

Swearing under my breath, I made my way through the reception until I found my godparents.

"Victoire's here," I said breathlessly. The famous couple exchanged a sideways glance.

"You knew?" I asked accusingly.

"We thought you'd have found her already," Harry replied.

"Yes, I did…but, I…have you seen her in the last few minutes?"

"No…Teddy, what's wrong?" Ginny asked, concern in her eyes.

"I…fucked up. I did something stupid and I need to fix it. But I can't find her," I explained, running a hand through my hair. "Fuck!"

Harry placed a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"Hold on."

Harry closed his eyes and I felt his consciousness flit past my own for the briefest of seconds.

Moments later, Harry opened his eyes again, revealing their piercing green.

"By the stream, east of where we Keyed in. She's there."

"Thank you," I replied breathlessly..

"Tell her how you feel. That's all you need to do," Ginny advised.

"And apologise, if my guess is right," added Harry, dropping his hand from my shoulder.

"How did you get good at giving relationship advice?" Ginny asked her husband as she watched Teddy depart.

"Ron taught me," Harry replied with a quick smirk.

Ginny shot her husband a look that spoke volumes.

"I love you," he said, giving her an affectionate kiss.

"If you think that kissing me will distract me from the fact you're going to lose our bet, you've got another thing coming, Potter."

"Ten galleons, right? You never know. If they're as half as bad as Ron and Hermione, we'll be waiting until old age," he replied dryly.

Victoire

I sat against the willow framing the stream bank, not caring that my dress was probably ruined by the grass.

My tears had subsided, but the twisting anguish had not left my stomach.

I watched the ripples in the stream, illuminated by the pale light of the moon.

I had practically blurted out my crush to him right in the middle of the bar. Our friendship, that I had treasured for as long as I could remember, was ruined. I didn't see how things could ever go back to the way they were. My heart grew heavy with the thought.

Soft footsteps approached. Somehow, I knew who they belonged to without looking.

"Go away, Teddy," I said, my voice empty.

"I'm so sorry, Vic."

"That was horrid of you."

"I know. Believe me, Vic, I never meant to hurt you."

I stood, wiping my tear-stained cheeks, and turned to face him, folding my arms across my chest.

"But you did. You promised me you'd never let me get hurt," I said, my voice wavering.

A stricken look crossed his face.

"You mean so much to me, Victoire. More than anyone. I'm a right idiot for doing what I did. You deserve so much more from me. I get that."

"But I can't live with you hating me. And I know you've no good reason to trust my promises now, but I promise that I will never hurt you again," he continued, a passionate strength in his voice.

"I don't hate you Teddy. You just shocked me," I replied.

"So I'm forgiven then?"

"Yes, you git, you're forgiven," I sighed.

Teddy gave me a wide grin as he enveloped me in a hug, holding me tightly for a moment, and then he suddenly backed away awkwardly.

"When you broke away from me, who was the guy you were talking about?" he asked quietly.

I looked at him incredulously, a wave of relief rushing over me. The weight in my chest was subsiding.

"You don't know?"

"No!"

He didn't know. Aunt Ginny was right about the men in the family. Clueless to a fault.

To hell with it. I had to say something.

"You, you bloody prat!"

"Me?" he asked, a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Yes!" I cried in exasperation.

He stood there, blinking, his mouth hanging agape as he processed my words for what seemed like an age.

"You…me…"

I rolled my eyes. Clueless was putting it politely.

He took a step forward, closing the distance between us.

I met his eyes, steely blue and was taken back by the sudden determination behind them.

"Teddy…"

Teddy

Her eyes fluttered shut as I slid a hand under her jaw and put her lips to mine. Her surprise disappeared in an instant as she deepened the kiss, gripping my shirt tightly as she pulled herself tight to me. It was pure ecstasy.

I don't know how long we stood there, by the stream, holding each other. It was a moment lost in time.

It just felt right.

Victoire

"Victoire?"

"Hmm?" I asked, lifting my head from its resting place in the crook of Teddy's neck to look at him.

I had lost track of how long we'd been outside. At some point, I had nestled my way onto Teddy's lap and held him closely, not wanting to let go for anything.

"How did you make your way out here?" he asked, curiously. "I didn't see you leaving the loo."

"You waited by the loo?"

"For a few minutes, then I realised I was getting funny looks."

I laughed, enjoying the way he was drawing small circles on my hand with his thumb.

"You haven't answered my question. How'd you get out?"

I flushed. "I climbed out a window."

"A window? You climbed out a window in the loo?"

"In my defence, I really wanted to get away from you," I replied accusingly.

He winced. "Fair enough."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now," I said.

He snickered.

"I can't believe you climbed out a window!"

"Git!" I smacked him.

"Savage!" he countered.

"You deserved it."

Fine, fine. I give in," he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Coward."

"No, I just don't want you sprouting feathers and a beak on me."

"You know, I don't think I like you any more," I replied haughtily.

"Oh, is that why you haven't let go of me?"

"Please, you're nothing more than a convenient source of heat," I scoffed.

"You're cold?"

"I'm not wearing dress robes, am I? And I left my wand with my purse at the coat check."

"You know, I can think of a number of other ways to warm you up."

"Can you now?" I replied archly.

Teddy

"Can you now?" she replied, a crooked smile playing at her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

My mind found words to respond with, but I couldn't voice them. I was lost, transfixed by the sheer stunning beauty of the girl I held in my arms.

"What?" she added, a tiny frown forming above her eyes.

"You're beautiful, Vic. I don't say it enough."

She shrugged nonchalantly, but I could see the glow that crossed her cheeks.

"I guess you could stand to say it more often," she teased.

I grinned in response and trailed kisses down the curve of her neck. She gasped, gripping my hand tightly.

"You're incorrigible."

"You're dangerous."

She gave me a wicked grin.

"See! That, right there!" I said accusingly, gesturing at her expression.

"What, this?" she replied, wearing the same devilish smirk, her blue eyes dancing.

"Yes!" I groaned, resisting the urge to shag her senseless.

"You're going to be the death of me."

She pressed herself tight to me, her back arching under my hand. "Why would that be, Teddy?" she asked, feigning an air of innocence.

I really was in trouble.

Victoire

It was sometime later when we returned to the wedding reception, hand in hand. I had used Teddy's wand to clean my dress and grass-stained feet.

"I take it you've talked?" Ginny asked, noticing the wide grin on my face.

Teddy flushed, stammering an answer.

"The old 'grab and snog?" Harry asked Teddy with a grin. "Classic."

"Harry!" Ginny smacked his arm.

He chuckled and slipped an arm around her waist.

"Go on," Ginny said to us. "Enjoy the rest of the night."

Teddy looked at me, mirroring my grin.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked me, offering his arm.

I took it and waved goodbye to my Aunt and Uncle, and out of the corner of my eye I could've sworn Harry was slipping his wife a handful of gold coins.

The End

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