Consideration #1: I cannot adjust my life to accommodate for your jealousy.

Victoire:

The air rushed by me as I pushed myself further, my eyes on the prize. The dull roar of the wind in my ears muffled the shouts of my teammates communicating to each other. I watched as a boy ahead of me flew towards the goal. Another player came upon him, ready to intercept his shot. It appeared that he had no option but to pass the ball to the boy on his left, in the hopes that he would have better luck scoring the goal. Everyone could see that he was going to pass left; he kept glancing in that direction to ensure that his teammate remained open. As he was about to make the throw, the dented red ball slipped from his fingers as I unexpectedly soared underneath him, deftly catching the Quaffle. Before anyone could react, I had sent the ball past the Keeper guarding the goal posts and into the left hoop, successfully securing a goal.

Quidditch.

THWACK!

I was thrown into a front somersault, clutching my broom to prevent myself falling over forty feet to the hard ground. Righting myself and rubbing my back, I looked for the offender with a glare. One of the team's Beaters, Jacob, had sent a Bludger at me, running it into my back.

"Jake! What was that for? I'd already made the goal!"

He shrugged, shaking his thick brown hair back. "It kept you from having the chance to gloat."

"Victoire!" Kevin, our captain and Keeper called. "That was okay, but try not to get under him so quickly next time. We don't want the other team to figure out what you're doing before we're ready."

Okay? It was okay? It was brilliant, I tell you. I've never played Quidditch "okay" a day in my life. I was a Weasley, for goodness sake.

"All right, team, bring it in!"

We all landed and huddled in the center of the field; me and thirteen boys- our starter team and our reserves.

"All right, good practice today. We got a lot done, but we have a long way to go before the first game. Stay focused. Don't forget about practice Wednesday morning, 5 a.m. I think that's all I have for you. Victoire, don't forget that it's your turn to pick up the equipment."

It was always my turn to pick up the equipment.

"All right, see you all on Wednesday. One, two, three!"

"R-A-V-E-N! HUH!" we all chorused.

I quickly rounded up the balls while everyone else headed to the showers. It was just such a joy to be the only girl on the team. I wasn't singled out at all, oh no. I was just ordered to clean up after all the nasty boys every practice. No big deal.

Not.

I locked the balls in the shed and then went for the showers myself. I quickly washed the dirt and sweat off of myself and changed into jeans and a green sweater. It did not have a large V knitted onto it. I had the guts to ask Grandma Molly not to put rubbish like that on my sweaters. She wasn't offended like everyone thought she was going to be. In fact, she was more than happy to oblige; obviously, she figures I can remember my own name without having my initials emblazoned across my chest.

Grabbing my things, I quickly walked back into the main part of the locker room, only to be greeted by numerous half naked teenage boys.

"Oi! Victoire! Where are you going?"

"Leaving so soon, doll?"

"Don't you want to stay and play?"

"You're looking rather stunning this evening," one said teased, grabbing my arm. I wrenched it out of his grasp and continued walking.

"Aww, come on, guys. Leave her alone."

I glanced up long enough to offer a grateful smile to Erich Peters, my one savior on this team, before rushing out of the room and into the arms of my boyfriend.

The suns rays and Gideon Walter's arms enveloped me as soon as I stepped outside.

"Hey, beautiful. You okay?"

"Not beautiful," I corrected him, as we started walking towards the school. "The term you are looking for is 'gross'. Don't even pretend that you don't see the bags under my eyes. And now, instead of going back to my dorm and sleeping after a grueling practice, I get to go to the Astronomy tower for an informal lesson. Evidently, some constellation or another that I don't care about is in prime position to be viewed tonight."

He laughed. "I thought you had mentioned something of that sort. So, being the fantastic boyfriend that I am, I brought you some dinner to-go."

He placed a paper bag in my hand and gave me a thermos. "Nothing fancy. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. But I figured that it was better than nothing."

"It's perfect," I smiled. "Thank you."

After placing the bag and thermos into my school bag, I wound my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. I hated that we never got the same amount of time together that other couples did. I was always studying or at practice or chasing my cousins around the school. Being in different houses didn't help the situation any. He was in Gryffindor, and while I spent a lot of time in their Common Room, I was almost always bombarded with family members.

"All right, well I'll let you get to class. I'll see you in the morning, love."

He pulled me close and kissed me before sending me off to face my Astronomy lesson with a smile on my face.

I am going to take this moment to state for the record that I am not perfect. In fact, I will readily admit that I am a far cry from it. But I try really hard to be. My father has more than enough on his plate without me adding to it by causing trouble.

"Would you be terribly put out with me if I kill your sister?"

Obviously, my younger siblings didn't put too much care or concern towards our father's well being.

I looked up from the textbook I was reading to see Teddy Lupin standing before me.

Thinking about his question for a moment, I responded, "Well… yes, probably."

Groaning, he collapsed into the seat next to me and dropped something shiny on top of my textbook. It was his Head Boy badge. However, instead of actually reading "Head Boy", it now proudly proclaimed "Gives Head to Boys".

I bit back a smile. "Oh, that's awful."

"Are you laughing at me?" he demanded.

"No, not at all!" Yes, I was. "That really is terrible. She did the same thing to Gideon's badge. Instead of Prefect, it read Perfect Git."

"That is not nearly as bad."

"She changed mine too, you know."

He glanced at my badge, gleaming from its position on my robes.

"It says Practically Perfect. How exactly is that an insult?"

I shrugged. "It's not. I imagine she was trying to suck up so that I wouldn't give her detention for altering the other badges."

His eyes grew large. "What? She knows that I can give her detention too, doesn't she?"

I frowned at him. "You wouldn't do that. You know I would just take it away."

"You're a terrible prefect."

"But I'm a fabulous older sister. Anyway, you're in NEWT level Transfiguration. Can't you just transfigure it back?"

"Yes." He pulled out his wand and muttered a spell, effectively returning his badge to his proper state. "But that is really not the point."

I smiled and patted his hand. "Of course it's not, dear. The point is that you let a fourth year's silly prank hurt your ego."

He glared. "I hate you."

"I don't believe you," I told him as he stood up. "Where are you going?"

He smirked and ran a hand through his hair; it was a lovely shade of deep purple today. "There's a Hufflepuff over there eyeing me. Leslie, I believe her name is. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Fornicating on school grounds is against the rules," I reminded him, knowing that he really didn't care.

He winked. "Only if you get caught."

"You're a terrible Head Boy!" I called after his retreating back. He waved a careless hand over his shoulder at me as he made his way over to the girl.

Rolling my eyes, I went back to reading as Teddy attempted to charm the poor Hufflepuff. Honestly, he was a hopeless flirt. It wasn't even as if he were the most popular boy in school; he was just personable.

I groaned inwardly as someone else plopped into the chair across from me. I really needed to find a quiet desk in the library with no extra seats.

"So is he mad?" my younger sister, Dominique, asked curiously.

"Well… he was." I glanced over to where he was shamelessly flirting with the Hufflepuff. "But he got distracted."

She followed my gaze and nodded knowingly. "Ah. Laura."

"Laura? He said her name was Leslie."

"Well, he was wrong. Honestly, the only reason all these girls go after him is because he's a good shag."

"Excuse me?" I sputtered incredulously. "You're fourteen! What in Merlin's name are you doing talking about things like that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do you really believe that there are fourteen year olds in the school not thinking about sex?"

I put my fingers in my ears. "La la la la la, I can't hear you!"

She laughed. "Fine, fine. Then why do you think they're falling all over him? You know as well as I do that he's not what the popular kids consider 'socially acceptable'."

What she meant was that my friends wouldn't allow someone like him to be popular.

"They just don't understand the whole metamorphmagus bit. If he can change his appearance at will, why does he always choose bright green hair and things like that? He could make himself very attractive and he doesn't. They don't get it."

She bristled. "Looks aren't everything, you know."

I nodded, knowing what she meant. To everyone, I was the pretty sister. If I wasn't around, Dom would always be considered absolutely stunning. But with me standing next to her, she doesn't always shine quite as brightly. I always hated that; I wanted her to shine. She liked the spotlight. I preferred to fade into corners. But after the "queen bees" caught sight of me, my chances of going unnoticed disappeared.

"I know that looks aren't everything. Believe me. And I love his hair; you know that. But to get back to the subject, I have no idea why girls chase after him. Maybe it's because he's a musician. Aren't girls into that sort of thing?"

She nodded. "Could be. Guitar players are good. And drummers. But I still think it's because he's good in the sack."

Ew. I really didn't enjoy thinking about that. "Do you really think that's it? I mean, is he actually sleeping with all the girls he dates?"

She shrugged. "Probably not all of them. But certainly some of them. The rumors have to start somewhere. Plus, he's got the Heads dorm. What would you do if you had a room to yourself and no supervision?"

"Well, for starters, I wouldn't abuse my Head Girl privileges by having sex in my dorm room."

"Doubt it. But I guess we'll see about that when you make Head Girl." She stood up. "Anyway, if he's not going to try and kill me in my sleep, I've got to run. Things to do, innocent bystanders to torment."

She waved goodbye before flitting out the door, her long legs carrying her gracefully.

I looked over to see Teddy taking Laura by the hand and leading her towards the door. She was giggling and looking at him like he was the best thing to ever walk the earth.

Teddy. And Laura. Teddy… having sex with Laura. Ew. Just ew.

A few days later, I rushed out of the common room, having slept late again. I was sporting no make up and my hair was tied in a messy knot on my head. Running down the Grand Staircase, I met up with Gideon outside of Gryffindor.

"Well don't you look absolutely disgusting this morning?" he asked, winking at me.

"You really know how to boost a girl's self esteem."

He grinned, taking my hand in his. "I try. Late night studying?"

"All night," I replied. "The professors are just piling on the homework to prepare us for these OWLS. It's getting a bit ridiculous."

"Why don't you take a break?" he asked. "We'll go sit on the Astronomy Tower and watch the stars for a while."

"Okay, I know what happens on the Astronomy Tower. I'm a prefect remember? I've caught enough other students up there to know better. Besides, I can't take a break. I have to make at least twelve Outstandings on my OWLS."

His eyes practically popped out of his face. "Twelve? Are you even taking that many classes?"

I shrugged. "Almost. There are a few that I'm not enrolled in due to scheduling conflicts, but I get the notes from someone and study on my own. I thought I had mentioned it."

"You mentioned you had a full schedule, not to mention Quidditch practice, but you failed to mention exactly how much you were doing! Why in Merlin's name do you have to receive twelve O's?"

"It's how many my father made. He told me that if made ten that he would take me to Egypt with him this summer. If I make all twelve, Teddy gets to come with me. I think that would make a perfect graduation present for him. It's just proving to be a bit more… exhausting than I had originally anticipated."

"No kidding," he muttered. "Ted, huh? I'm not sure how much I like the idea of you traveling to Egypt with him this summer. I don't trust him. And I really don't trust him with you. I'd really rather he didn't go."

I gave him a look. "I'm not sure that I asked if you liked the idea. I negotiated this with my papa' ages ago. I'm not asking for your permission. I'm telling you what the plan is. Teddy is my best friend. And he's leaving. After this, everything changes. Who knows how close we'll be after he's gone? Besides, you have no reason to be jealous. He and I are completely platonic."

"I know. I'm just a bit protective. Don't want anyone stealing away my girl, now do I?" He gave me a quick kiss. "Have a good day. I'll see you around."

He turned and walked away, leaving me to enter the classroom. Sighing in frustration, I quickly found my desk and sat down next to Baileigh, one of my best friends.

"Good morning, Vicki," she greeted me. "How's Gideon?"

"He's good," I replied, pulling out some parchment and a quill. "Thinks I'm studying too much."

"You are. You've got circles under your eyes. It's not attractive."

"Well, thank you! Why is it that everyone feels the need to point out that I look dreadful this morning?"

She smiled pityingly. "Because you do, darling. Honestly, did you even wash your hair?"

My hand went protectively to my messy knot. "Why does it matter? Who am I trying to impress?"

"Everyone. Look, we have a certain image that we try to maintain. I understand that you've always sort of broken the rules in that area, and you can get away with it because everyone seems to love you. But even you are pushing it a little bit with the just-rolled-out-of-bed look. I just thought I would mention it before Kaelea does."

"Kaelea worries entirely too much about what people think of her."

"And maybe you should worry a little more," she responded, adjusting the headband holding back her perfectly straight chestnut hair. "Honestly, your mother was Veela. Didn't you inherit any of that desire to look perfect?"

My eyes flashed. I always got a little touchy when people brought up my mother. "I'm only 1/8 Veela, not enough to even really count for anything. And you know as well as I do that my mother left before she could bother teaching me anything of significance."

My mother, Fleur, had left my family right after Louis and Dominique were born. I was only two years old. She decided that being a wife and a mother was not what she had wanted for her life. She was, in fact, half Veela, and did not enjoy being tied down to a family. She knew she was beautiful and over time had begun to feel that she had settled for my father with his scarred face, a leftover reminder of the horrors that had faced the wizarding world before Harry defeated Voldemort. I hated her for what she leaving. It was cowardly and selfish. And I hated the part of me that was Veela. It was infuriating never knowing if people liked me because of me or because I was pretty and they couldn't help it.

Baileigh sighed. "Sorry. Sore subject. But still, maybe you should start putting a little more effort into your appearance. You're a beautiful girl, Vicki, easily the most beautiful in our year. But if you don't show it, there isn't anything that's going to stop someone else from taking your place."

"I never asked to be popular or whatever. The older girls chose me. They're the ones that decided I was going to rule our year. If people have a problem with how I handle myself, they can take it up with them."

"You wouldn't honestly give up your status as most popular, would you?"

I thought for a moment. I certainly didn't mind being loved and adored. I wasn't complaining about the number of people willing to lend me a hand all the time. I knew how people who were less popular were treated behind closed doors. It was unlikely that my skin was thick enough to handle the ridicule. "No, I suppose not. I just wish people wouldn't make such a big deal about who's popular and who's not. Who gets to decide that anyway?"

Baileigh smiled. "Who gets to decide? We're at the top of the social hierarchy. We decide."

She turned to face the front as the professor walked in and began class.

Gideon met me at the locker rooms after I finished practice. He didn't usually come to meet me since I never knew when practice was actually going to end, and this was twice in one week. I knew why he was there, but I was really not feeling inclined to speak with him.

"Hi…"

"Hey, beautiful."

I snorted and continued walking towards the castle. I knew perfectly well that my hair was sticking out at odd angles and I had dirt smeared all over my face. There were many words to describe me, but beautiful was not one of them.

He smiled. "Okay, okay. Just hey then. How are you?"

"Spectacular. And yourself?"

He reached for my hand. I pulled away.

"Look, Victoire. I'm sorry about this morning. I know there's nothing going on between you and Ted. But I can't help but get a little jealous sometimes. You're perfect- smart, funny, confident, beautiful… most of the time anyway," he said with a wink. "Can you blame me for wanting to keep you all to myself?"

"Yes, I can. You knew when you asked me out that Teddy was my friend. And honestly, you know that I'm always going to have boys falling over me, though Teddy is not one of them. Boys have always followed me around. You've got to have a little more faith in me."

"I know. And I do trust you." He chanced a glance in my direction. I didn't turn towards him, remaining focused on reaching the castle. "I just don't trust the other guys. I'm worried someone is going to snatch you away from me. You mean so much to me. Merlin… I love you, Victoire. You know that, don't you?"

Giving in, I nodded. "I love you too. No one's snatching me away. You've got me."

He smiled. "Forgive me?"

I sighed. "Fine. Just please cut it out on the jealousy bit. It's getting old. Teddy is nice enough to not make comments about you, so the least you can do is respect my friendship with him."

"Fair enough." He stopped me and leaned in, kissing me softly, his hand cupping my cheek. "You're my angel, you know that?"

I nodded.

"Good. Now for the bad news. Longbottom actually sent me to find you. He wants you in his office."

I looked at him incredulously. "What did James do this time?"

"You did what?" I shrieked, my eyes practically bugging out of my head.

"Look, no where in the rules does it say that bungee jumping off of the Astronomy Tower is forbidden."

"You could have killed yourself!"

James thought about this for a moment. "Could have…" he conceded. "But didn't."

I looked helplessly at Professor Longbottom, head of Gryffindor House. He was trying very hard to not smile, but was failing miserably.

"Okay, just because it isn't specifically forbidden does not mean that it's allowed. James, that was incredibly dangerous. What would I have told your parents if you had hurt yourself?"

He glanced sharply at Longbottom, then back at me. "You aren't going to tell them are you?"

I looked at him incredulously. "Don't you think they deserve to know?"

"Vic, please. I promise, I'll behave. Just don't tell them. Mum says she's been coming up with all sorts of punishments for me when I get home. Please, don't get me in any more trouble."

"James, I'm supposed to be looking watching out for you. You make it very difficult when you're doing something stupid every time I turn my back."

He continued to look at me pleadingly.

"Fine, okay? I won't tell. But you have got to promise that your behavior is going to improve significantly. I won't be able to lie to your parents if you land yourself in the Hospital Wing."

A grin threatened to split his face in two. "Oh, it will, Vic. I'll be super good, promise. Thanks!" He jumped out of his chair and was heading out the door. He paused before leaving and turned back. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night for detention. Have a nice evening, Professor!"

The door shut behind him and my head sank into my hands.

"He's only a first year. How is he possibly coming up with crazy things like this?"

Professor Longbottom laughed. "You children come from a long line of trouble makers, Miss Weasley. And with Harry and Ginny as parents and the rest of the Weasley clan as family… well, I expected him to act out a bit. It's not easy growing up in their shadow. You know that as well as I do."

I looked up. "You know, I had almost forgotten that you had grown up with Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron. And Aunt Hermione too. I've always just thought of you as part of the family, and well, a professor. But you're right; it's not easy when everybody knows your family. I just wish he would try to find a… safer means of getting attention."

"He'll learn. Until then, let's you and I focus on keeping him out of the Hospital Wing, shall we?"

I nodded, standing up to leave. Before walking out the door, I paused. "Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley?"

"Why do I always get called in here when he gets in trouble? Don't teachers usually handle punishments on their own?"

He shrugged. "James asks for you. I think he knows that you will save him if it turns out that he has done something too terribly wrong. He trusts you and looks up to you. I'm sure all your cousins do."

I thought about that and offered a small smile. "Occupational hazard of being the oldest, I suppose. Well, have a nice evening, Professor."

Then I left and headed back towards my common room.